Sport Chit Chat

Sorry for the off week last week. Got swamped with work…. On to the pick-ups.

Dallas Cowboys QB Brad Johnson: Well, out with Romo’s pinkie, Felix Jones, Pacman Jones and punter MrBriar, in Brad Johnson & Roy Williams. With Romo down, Johnson steps into the starting role on the most potent offense in the league. If he hasn’t already been grabbed, Johnson is a must pick-up for anyone with a sketchy QB situation. With Witten, T.O. and Roy Williams now offensive options, all Johnson has to do is be sound and effective int he short game to gain the numbers necessary. Look for anywhere from 150-250 yards + a TD.

Denver Broncos RB Ryan Torain: This is not a pick-up for now. But there are rumors that the Broncos are just keeping the starting RB job warm until Torain is fully healed from injury. This pick-up could really help down the road in playoff weeks. If you have the empty bench spot, do it!

Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub: If he’s out there think of adding him for his match-up with the Lions this week. Schaub has back-to-back 300 yard games and is going up against a winless, shotty defense in the Lions.

Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan: Another, “if he’s there, grab him” guys. He has shown that he is a legit QB in the NFL. He won’t help this week as he has a bye but if you need a QB for the stretch run, snag him!

New England RB Sammy Morris: Maroney is not preforming up to par. Morris has stepped in and taken over the majority of the work load. If you need a low end RB or RB3 or are in a deep league, take a look if Morris can help you out.

P.S. Don’t feel too bad for Romo. 4 Weeks at home with Jessica Simpson is not such a terrible consolation prize!

-Maxmillien the Fantasy Guru

Alexei Cherapanov, the New York Ranger’s top prospect has passed away at the young age of 19. He is quite well known to hockey hardcore fans as he was a top 5 talent heading into the 2007 draft and dropped to 17th after teams called for boycotting/avoiding Russian players.

Some of the details of his death are unknown… but it apparently took 15-20 minutes for the ambulance to come back (it’s normally at games but left for some reason). This was after an accidental collision with Jagr apparently… There also was no defibrillator in the arena that are normally located in NHL games.

The question with Cherepanov was also when he would come over to North America and I was personally excited to watch him play. It just sucks… only 19 to as well, he’s a year younger then me too.

Here’s a highlight of his skills:

Rest In Peace.

More details to follow…sad day for hockey.
His stats in his final 15 games: 8 goals 5 assists for Avangard Omsk.

Here’s a recording of Cherepanov’s motionless body being lifted from the bench to the dressing room:

This year, TSN bought the rights to the “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song. That means that Saturday night hockey in Canada, which is broadcast on the publicly owned CBC, will not longer have its epic musical accompaniment that most Canadians have come to hold dear. Some have called this song a second national anthem for Canada.

This summer the CBC has been running a competition to come up with a new Hockey Anthem. Well guess what CBC? THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER HOCKEY ANTHEM. There may be many more theme songs in my lifetime, but this will stay as the Hockey Anthem for a very long time. Unlike Sunday/Monday night football which has a different theme every year, Canadians wait patiently From May to October to hear those powerful chords that signify that the puck drop is near. While I commend CBC in its marketing campaign that has gained a lot of publicity from its contest, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation needs to understand that there is will only ever be one Anthem. Anything else is simply a theme song.
TSN meanwhile has been struggling with the fact that they bought an expensive piece of music and CBC still has all the publicity. To combat this, TSN is getting Canadian artists to cover the coveted hockey anthem. I hope the Tragically Hip do something sweet.
The new CBC theme will be announced today. www.cbc.ca has the finalists. Check em out.

-Apples

Straight to the pick-ups…

Philadelphia Eagles WR Kevin Curtis: If he’s available still, grab him. If he was dropped at some point this season by a frustrated owner, then snag him and stash him. He could pay HUGE dividends if him and McNabb rediscover their rhythm.

Chicago Bears WR Devin Hester: Hester is a definite 50-50 crap shoot each week. But if your in a league that counts all purpose yards then Hester is clearly your man. If Orton and him ever begin to connect in the passing game, it’s only up from here.

Philadelphia Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter: Well, he’s back on the radar. With Westbrook’s broken ribs Buckhalter will have to step in an take the snaps. If you need a bye week fill in or are desperate for a RB2, then Correll is your man!

New England Patriots QB Matt Cassell: After some pretty awful starts, the owner who added him after Tom’s injury may have given up and dropped him.After showing some deep ball skills last week with a deep throw to Moss, Cassell looks more like a real QB. For the Pats to win, Moss will have to be involved and Cassell will have to air it out from time to time, leading to some scores for the QB. If you need a desperate/bye week fill in, or you just want some ack-up QB security, look at Cassell.

Denver Broncos WR Brandon Stokley: Eddie Royal left with an injury and that’s all you need to know. If Royal misses any time then Stokley will benefit from Cutler and the Broncos passing game.

-Maxmillien

I’ve got to do this quick…

Home dogs:
Indianapolis Colts (-3, -170) vs Houston Texans (+3, +150)
Easy pick. Colts. They need a win as they sit at 1-2 and I can see them winning by 3 points or more.

Tennessee Titans (-2.5, -140) vs Baltimore Ravens (+2.5, +120)
This was going to be my pick of the week until the spread changed. The Ravens create a match up a problem for the Titans with their defense and Flacco is capable of moving the ball. They were winning against Pitt but failed to close it out. The Titans is a tough team to bet against though and at this point, I’m probably passing out taking the Ravens since the line dipped.

San Diego Chargers (-6, -265) vs Miami Dolphins (+6, +225)
Pick: Chargers at -6. I think the Chargers have been covering the spread except for their 1st loss and the Dolphins have no easy task today. They do have a good running attack but you ultimately kill the Chargers through the air and they are getting better.

Chicago Bears (-3, -175) vs Detroit Lions (+3, +155)
Pick: None. Never bet on the Lions but the Bears are too much of a wildcard team. They lose to the Panthers but play very well against the Eagles. Some people probably paid the price financially and I’m probably going to watch and see how the Bears do.

New England Patriots (-3, -170) vs San Francisco Giants (+3, +150)
Pick: I like SF at +3. Why? Frank Gore. JT O’sullivan isn’t anything special but ditto for Pennington and Ronnie Brown ran all over the Pats defense. It’ll be a surprise to see the Pats scoring more then 20.

Close games:
Buffalo Bills (+1.5, +105) vs Arizona Cardinals (-1.5, -125)
Pick: Buffalo (may be biased ;), this is a 4-0 team that still doesn’t have believers. They’ll easily be a playoff team and yeah they won’t go far but they have a great defense, a running game and by the far the best special teams in the game that will help them win these close games. Arizona is not the team that will beat the Bills. It’ll be San Diego and their division games that will be more problemsome.

Tampa Bay (+3, +160) vs Denver Broncos (-3, -190)
Pick: Tampa Bay. Can Denver be reliable to cover the spread on any team other then the Raiders? Probably not. When you call a team overrated, it’s always put a smile on your face to watch them to lose to one of worst teams in the league. I could see Tampa getting the upset or at least covering.

Atlanta Falcons (+3.5, +160) vs Green Bay Packers (-3.5, -190)
Pick: Green Bay but only if Rodgers is playing. I think the Packers lost due to the inexperience displays by Rodgers. He didn’t play too well without the home crowd against a very physical team as well. Atlanta is physical but the Packers are much better.

New Orleans Saints (-3, -160) vs Minnesota Vikings (+3, +140)
Pick: Toss up. I’m overthinking this one but the Vikings d will be problematic for the Saints.

I’m too tired to do the other games.

Maybe you should try your luck on Cinci at +160 or +700 otherwise, ultimately trust your own gut and good luck to you.

I was 0-1 on my bets which is what I care about more. I’m paying the price of taking two road teams outright which on hindsight looks poor on my part. Still I’m taking the Colts at -3 and I’m leaning toward taking the Bills at +1.5 but I may be playing a biased game.

Are you a gambling man who likes big underdogs and isn’t afraid to lose some dough? Well… then the Elite XC card on CBS tomorrow likely will fill out your pleasure because Elite XC is notorious for putting on… squash matches.

Kimbo Slice (-400) vs Ken Shamrock (+300)
Pick: Not worth betting.
Shamrock is OLD. He’s lost 7 of his last 8 fights. The Tito Ortiz trilogy was like watching a slow car crash. He followed his post-UFC career with a loss to Robert Berry (who?) (12-8 career). His only win is against Kimo Leopoldo (who?). He was once a legend but yeah he has a problem on his hands. Kimbo Slice is an improving opponent who made A LOT of mistakes against James Thompson specifically on the ground with a reckless guillotine guard pull (commentators referred to it as a DDT) and some poor guard defense which he ended up crucified (the move…not w/e). The line is justifed. You could argue that Shamrock, a wrestler should be able to take down Kimbo and expose him but I doubt Shammy could w/o getting rocked.

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (+300) vs Andrei “How’s Taste My Pee-Pee-Pee” Arlovski (-400)
Pick: Andrei Arlovski but Affliction may be jinxing things so I’ll pass on betting -400.
Why? Not fat guys. Seriously. Arlovski’s fight was actually very exciting fight with Arlovski outwilling Ben Rothwell a very talented heavyweight that many (including myself) thought could upset Arlovski. Nelson doesn’t have the stand up skill and that’s a problem. Arlovski only losses are by KO/TKO. He’s too fast and strong to submit imo. Arlovski should easily beat the fat guy.

Gina Carano (-600) vs Kelly Kobold (+450)
Gina Carano is very hot. She’s also undefeated and therefore CBS has been protecting her. I would never bet on Carano though as it’s likely she’ll go down one day but it’s clear that she IS the best women martial artist in the world (a bout with Santos is what people are really looking for). Weight cutting issues aside, her striking makes it hard for most women and Kobold will likely take punishment trying to implement a game plan as Carano is well rounded on the ground.
Pick: Sprinkle on Kabold, but probably not worth it.

Paul “Semtex” Daley (+400) vs Jake Shields (-550)
This is actually a fight where Elite XC probably doesn’t have a vested interest in the result. A striker vs grappler match up however at those odds, Daley can pull out a win or win by strikes.
Pick: Good value on Semtex but he’s still an underdog. I think a +300 would be more suitable. I’m basing this on Shields dominating grapplers but I’m not sure about his stand up. Daley is a legit fighter.

Murila “Ninja” Rua (-200) vs Benji Radach (+165)
Don’t know enough about Benji. Can’t help you.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (-600) vs Yoko Takahashi (+450)
Pick: Cyborg by murder. If you saw Cyborg’s last fight..this would not be in doubt.

Okay kids, last week was not so pretty. I bombed most of my picks and my upset of the week ended up being a HUGE blow out. I don’t have a lot of time this weekend, so i’m laying out my picks today and hoping for the best. Also, achengy wanted me to pick the over/under so i will do that as well. This one’s gonna be short, and no pics, just picture them in your head. I’m going 15 - 1 this week because i have my friend John Anthony helping me out. Just to let you know ahead of time, next week will be my last prediction post for a few weeks, i’m travelling across the globe. If i have access and time i will update you on the latest in the sports world (maybe i’ll get it 12 hours before you guys).

Colts 24, Texans 17 : Under
Titans 20, Ravens 17: Over
Chargers 27, Dolphins 20: Over
Chiefs 20, Panthers 24: Over
Redskins 24, Eagles 30: Over
Bears 30, Lions 17: Over
Seahawks 14, Giants 27: Under
Buccaneers 27, Broncos 24: Over
Patriots 17, 49′ers 24: Under
Bills 27, Cardinals 30: Over
Steelers 20, Jaguars 23: Over
Bengals 21, Cowboys 31: Over
Vikings 17, Saints 21: Under

I feel remarkably confident about these picks. I like the balls out, no reasoning and added flavor to them. Enjoy. In no way do these picks endorse gambling, nor should they be used as a source of income for an individual. See you on the gridiron.

QUANSTRONG

p.s. Okay maybe one pic.

Disclaimer: I suck at MLB playoff predictions. I just don’t have a good handle for whatever reason. So you may do better betting against my picks.

Milwaukee Brewers (+155) vs Philadelphia Phillies (-175)
Pick: Milwaukee Brewers in 5
Why: Pitching counts. Let’s compare rotations. Milwaukee has Gollardo, Sabathia, Suppan, Bush and Sheets who can pitch if the latter two suck. I don’t see a major upgrade between the Phillies, sure they have Utley, Rollins and Howard but the Brew crew have their fair share of talent on the field in Fielder, Braun, Hardy etc. Their role players are just better imo. I say the Phillies are the slightly better team but they don’t impress me and I’ll take the odds at +155.

Los Angeles Dodgers (+170) vs Chicago Cubs (-200)
Pick: Chicago Cubs in 4
I think the stuff about LA’s pitching staff being better is a pile of crap. Zambrano, Lilly, Harden and Dempster is pretty formidable. The Dodger’s staff is backed by the pitcher park friendly so stats wise they benefit. I just think it’s the Cubs year and people just will root as hard as they can for the Cubs. 100 years…
The Dodgers do have momentum on their side but they played in a mediocre division.

Boston Red Sox (+125) vs LAAoA (-145)
Pick: Toss up. Angels in 5?
This one is too close to call, the Sox have more post season experience having just won but they are a lot of injury question marks. I personally don’t like the Angels all that much but I think they could get it done. The Sox have good value here as a slight underdog.

Tampa Bay Rays (-170) vs Chicago White Sox (+150)
Pick: Rays in 3 or 4.
The White Sox tired out their pitchers trying to win the central division and offensively they can’t bring it to the Rays solid corps. I’m not too high on the Sox pitching either. Shields, Kazmir, Garza are as good as a top 3 as you are going to get.

Another week in the books. A huge week from my man Brett Favre, a career day of 6 TD’s! It also looks like Lavereus Coles is finally in the mix catching 3 of the 6 TD passes. In addition, I hope Carson Palmer’s game day sit down didn’t screw you as it did someone in my league. Anyways, onto the pick ups…

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Mewelde Moore: Ok so I had Mendenhall here last week but that ended badly and I’m sorry if you started him. But he’s done for the season with a shoulder injury and now Moore emerges with some value. If your in desperate need of a low low low end RB2 or an ok bench RB grab Moore, he may help in a bye week down the road if Parker is unable to return.

St. Louis Rams QB Marc Bulger: Now clearly he was drafted in all leagues but after a terrible first 3 games, and then a benching for Trent Green he may have made his way onto your leagues waiverwire. The Rams could turn it around a little and at least turn out to have a semi-competent offense. If you need a back-up QB with a high ceiling, see if Bulger was dropped and is out there.

Carolina Panthers WR Mushin Muhammad: He may be gone in your pool already, in fact he may have been swiped up several weeks ago. But I was able to grab him in my 10 team pool so maybe you can do the same. I’m using him as bye week fill in, but with 147 yards, 8 receptions and 1 TD he is a legit 3rd WR on a good team. Scour your waiver wire and see if he’s still out there.

Philadelphia Eagles WR Kevin Curtis: Now this pick-up won’t help you this week, or maybe even next. But when Curtis returns he’s sure to regain his starting job. The Eagles have shown that they are contenders this year and if McNabb stays healthy Curtis could show to have some value. Sure, DeSean Jackson may have taken over #1 duties but Curtis will get he ball for sure.

-Maxmillien, Fantasy Guru at your sercive

Melvin Manhoef one of the best strikers outside of the UFC, period has decided to retire at the ripe age of 32. He decided to call it quits after his upset defeated to eventual Dream MW winner Gregard Mousasi. The video can be found here. His biggest mistake in the match was when he was caught in the triangle choke but powered out of it. Instead of keeping Mousasi in the air and hence the pressure, he chose to slam Mousasi putting himself deeper in the submission and being forced to tap out.

I wasn’t Manhoef’s biggest fans because I didn’t think he was well rounded enough but one thing for sure is that he was very exciting and brutally murdered Japanese legend Kaz Sakuraba. I think he would’ve been a popular fighter had the UFC attempted to sign him. He was exciting, quick, explosive, aggressive etc. - all the things that excite fans. People talk about the MW division being weak… psh the UFC just sucked at signing them.

Here’s hoping he comes back, he’s still in his prime and is one of the guys I’d want in the UFC.

Here’s a highlight vid: