The playoffs are here!

Now that the whole mess of teams near 50 wins has been sorted out in the West, we finally know what the match-ups are for the only conference that really matters in the NBA. You could argue that the Celtics and the Pistons have a chance to come out of the East and bring some noise, but who are we kidding here? The only chance they really have is the eventual Western champion getting banged up on the way to the finals.

First, let's just bang out some unimportant East predictions so they're out of the way.

Celtics vs. Hawks: Boston sweeps Atlanta with little resistance.
Pistons vs. 76ers: Philly is better than you think but won't hold up Detroit's march onwards. Detroit in 5.
Magic vs. Raptors: Matchup-wise, Toronto may have an advantage, but I really can't see them winning this series. Orlando in 7.
Cavaliers vs. Wizards: Is actually the Wizards vs. LeBron and i'd still take that one man over the whole Washington team (Do you think the league would let King James get bounced early?). LeBron in 6.

Heading out West, where some of the best basketball in many years will be played:

Lakers vs. Nuggets
The Nuggets look so good on paper because of their big names but facing the Lakers in the playoffs when Kobe Bryant is around is a tough task. The Nuggets are not nearly mentally focused enough to take down the West's top dog. And seriously, do you really expect an 8-over-1 upset two years in a row? Lakers in 4 although Denver could steal a game.

Hornets vs. Mavericks
The upset that everyone is going to pick. Does that really make it that much of an upset any more? Dirk and the Mavs have looked great recently and are rolling heading into the post-season. I see a lack of playoff experience ultimately killing the Hornets. Dallas in 7.

Spurs vs. Suns
Any NBA fan's dream. The Suns traded for Shaq simply so they could beat the Spurs playoff time. Now they have to prove that move paid off. The Spurs also are out to prove they still have since doubters have been riding them all season. Amare Stoudemire has been an absolute force since the Shaq trade and will cause problems. But you also have to count in that the Suns have no one capable of guarding Manu Ginobili. In the end, whichever team can turn the "it" more will take the series. I think it's the Spurs in 7.

Jazz vs. Rockets
The least appealing matchup in the first round and whoever takes this series is going to just be fodder for the Lakers — who may have Andrew Bynum back at that time. Utah is a great team at home and will ride the Rockets there while taking at least one on the road. Jazz in 5.

I'll call the second round matchups when I see them, simply because the Spurs-Suns series will impact the entire playoffs. But if I was calling it now, I would have the Lakers beating the Pistons in 5 games.

The Final Four

This will be, with all certainty the year your NCAA pool was won by the person who knew the least about college basketball going in. North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas – all four regional number one seeds – made the Final Four this year. How boring is that? Sure you have great teams but how much of a copout would it have been to take the best teams to make it this far? It’s the first time ever this has happened; and I’m not very pleased with it.

I used to enjoy fleecing people in pools who had all top seeds winning through, now, I’m the one with the busted bracket. Even worse, I have absolutely no shot at winning because of the four possible champions there are now, most people took UCLA like I did. It was fun while it lasted but it looks like I’ll have to wait until next year when hopefully some people will believe that the selection committee will get it right again with the top seeds.

As for the Final, my revised prediction is: UCLA 72, UNC 66.

By the way, the most noteworthy tidbit of this tournament is not the all-top-seeds-final-four, or USC bombing out or Stephen Curry leading Davidson with his amazing scoring ability. It is the fact that Robin Lopez – the one with the hair – is dating Michelle Wie. Both go to Stanford and both are highly touted athletes, seems like a match to me, except for the huge height difference.

It begins...

The MLB season is upon us once again as the defending champion Red Sox will face off against the A's in Tokyo today (this morning, whatever). Oakland seriously has it rough in this match up when you consider that Boston will be starting the pride of Japan, Daisuke Matsuzaka who made the trip overseas and left his pregnant wife in North America. There's also the fact that Oakland went into full out rebuilding mode over the winter and jettisoned some pretty good players like their ace Dan Haren (dealt to the D-Backs) and slugger Nick Swisher (dealt to the White Sox). Don't expect too much from the A's this season.

What else should you expect this season? Well just in time for the opening pitch of the 2008 season, here's Running The Point's predictions.

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Detroit Tigers
AL West: Anaheim Angels
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees
NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: San Diego Padres
NL Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers
Most improved team: Houston Astros
The "If they could only stay healthy" team: Toronto Blue Jays
Most disappointing team: Colorado Rockies
AL MVP: Manny Ramirez
NL MVP: Jose Reyes
AL Cy Young: Eric Bedard
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
Most Homers: Ryan Howard
Barry Bonds will end up with: The Yankees

I'm kind of baffled by the way nobody has suggested Bonds going to the Yankees. They always seem to be hit with injuries and love to grab big name players off the wire midway through campaigns. Is it too much of stretch to see Barry in pinstripes? I don't believe so. This should be another great season of baseball — even if we have to deal with Roger Clemens stories way too often.

For every Cinderella...

For every feel-good, cinderella story that the NCAA tournament can give you, there's always the heartache that this princess just destroyed your bracket most likely. Sure it's really nice that Davidson bounced Georgetown and San Diego faced off against Siena in a battle between a 12- and 13-seed, but who had those two teams in their bracket? One upset maybe, surely not two.

Davidson especially hurt my pool chances, causing me to put several crosses through Georgetown's all the way to the Final Four. Losing the first of your four is always the hardest and it's exponentially tougher the earlier that it happens. I'm not sure if I've ever lost one of my regional champs in the first weekend of play.

Let's hope, for the sake of my bracket, that UCLA, Tennessee and Texas can withstand the pressure and earn me some cashola.

How's your bracket doing?

With the first two exciting days of the NCAA tournament over and done with, are you happy with how your bracket is doing? My answer is somewhere in between "It could be better," and "I'm semi-worried."

While doing alright on Thursday, Friday's upsets didn't really work out for my bracket.

Having lost only three sweet sixteen teams (USC, Drake and Vandy) and none from my elite eight, my prospects don't look so bad. Except for one thing that is. I have the kiss of death working against me. Bill Simmons of ESPN.com fame picked my exact championship outcome: UCLA over Tennessee. I seriously should have changed that at the same time I took USC out of my final four. I really dodged a bullet with that one.

As for the round of 32, I'm feeling confident in Duke going down and some glass (Cinderella) slippers breaking. Siena's looking like the team that's going to go the furtherest out of the possible Cinderella teams. It was good while it lasted San Diego and West Kentucky, who actually play each other next.

Finally, I'm sick of all the "Maybe this year's George Mason will be George Mason!" speak. I'll try to remember not to take them next season.

And in case you wanted to know, I'm currently beating the Intern by 2 points and he's lost 4 Sweet Sixteen teams (Gonzaga, Vandy, Arizona and UConn).

The Madness begins

Selection Sunday: the day that kicks off March Madness. Where the brackets are drawn for all to see and for everyone in a pool to start plotting a route to the championship for their team of choice.

I'd be lying to you if I claimed to know anything in depth about all 65 of the teams that qualified for the "Big Dance" so let me tell you what I do know.

— I'm not surprised by any of the number ones. It seemed pretty clear cut this year. North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and Kansas were the best in the U.S. this season. Anybody dumb enough to take a 16 seed over a one doesn't even deserve to fill out a bracket.

— There might be something wrong with the system if a team that's one game above .500 (Georgia at 17-16) can get into the tourney. I don't care if you fluked your way into winning your conference, well, actually, it'll be easy to pick their demise in the first round. Thanks for giving me an easy one Georgia.

— Did Duke really deserve to be a number 2 this year? I haven't heard a thing about the Blue Devils and they're usually pretty well covered by the media.

— USC vs. Kansas State should be a great game to watch. Michael Beasley, the potential first overall pick this coming NBA draft, vs. O.J. Mayo, a highly touted scorer. Both are freshmen and both can make or break their teams chances in the first round.

— I'm taking George Mason as my 12-over-5 upset. It's a bonus because that 5 happens to be Notre Dame and I have an irrational hate for the Irish.

— Do not discount the fact that North Carolina is basically playing home games in the first four rounds. You would have to be very bold to go against them before the final four.

— Finally, I'm taking UCLA to win it all. It's not because I love Kevin Love or Darren Collison. Not because they won the tough Pac-10 conference championship. No, it's because I've taken them for the past three years, done fairly well and why change something that's working fine? It's not nearly as fun to cheer on a number 1 seed, but hey, they're my team.

I'll no doubt have more on the tournament as Thursday draws near and I actually inform myself about the teams I've already written off and as i begin to doubt the picks I've already made.

Super Bowl XLII

It's the biggest annual sporting event in the world and its taking place tomorrow. The NFL's championship — the Super Bowl — is set for kick off at 6:17 p.m. ET at the home the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. It’s the Giants of New York representing the NFC against the undefeated* Patriots of the AFC and, if it all goes down like I expect it to, it’s not going to be a close game.

Sure, you can convince yourself that the New York’s front-seven will but enough pressure on Thomas Brady to force some bad throws. Sure, you can convince yourself that maybe Thomas won’t be at 100% because of his ankle injury. You can also try talking yourself into Elisha Manning turning the corner and becoming the quarterback the Giants expected him to be, or that New York’s thunder-and-lightning running game can wear down the Pats even to control the clock and game. Gambling-wise you can also remind yourself that the Patriots have won three Super Bowls by a total of nine points and that they’ve only covered two spreads since Thanksgiving Thursday.

But then you have to remind yourself that you’re wagering on Eli Manning and in the Super Bowl. Remember how Eli has those up weeks where everybody forgets that he stinks up streaks of games at a time? This is happening right now. Just earlier this year Elisha tied a record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game. Are we sure enough that we want to put our money on a hot quarterback who just had a week off to possibly cool down?

Another key factor is where the Big Game is being played: sunny Arizona. The past few games have been in poor conditions; in rain, wind, sleet, snow and generally cold weather. This greatly affects passing teams, even the best of passing teams. In relatively good conditions, the Patriots are set to have a great day passing the ball, despite the Giants fabulous d-line play.

And how dare Plaxico Burris make a prediction – that slowly turned into a guarantee by the media – that the Giant would win 23-17. Did he really need to fuel a team that was already hungry? It makes no sense. Don’t poking the sleeping bears you moron! And then missing two days of practice really helped back up that statement, which also gave your defence way to much credit.

Lastly, the fact still remains that for this cycle of the universe, Boston teams rule over New York teams. It’s just plain dumb to take a New York team when these cities match up any more. The Red Sox are going to be great for a long while, the Celtics and Knicks don’t even have to be discussed because Isiah Thomas is involved and then there are the Patriots. The NFL’s New York teams (Giants and the Jets) have less wins combined than New England. I think the pick here is obvious, but if you bump the line to Pats minus-22, I’d give you some action.

Congratulations New England on your undefeated* season. May you live with that asterisk forever, cheaters.

Dan’s Pick: New England (-12) over New York.
Dan’s Score: New England 38, New York 21.
Dan’s MVP: Asante Samuel

The playoffs: 3-4-1
The season: 111-117-10

And just for fun:
The tech guy: New England 24, New York 17.
The Intern: New England 35, New York 3. MVP: Randy Moss.

XLII: Pats and Elisha?!?

For the third week in a row, Elisha Manning and the New York Giants faced a tough adversary on the road in the playoffs and won. I don't know if I'm more shocked or disappointed or both at the same time. It wasn't even as much as his effort as it was the effort of Plaxico Burris absolutely schooling Al Harris and the two-headed monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw tearing up the Packers front seven.

And what a way for Lawrence Tynes to make up for his previous two missed field goals, especially the possible game-winner with time expiring in the fourth, by hitting the first ever 40+ yard field goal in Lambeau's history. He's severely lucky that Brett Favre gave the Giants the chance with that weak overtime interception.

I do know this though, I'm more sure that the Giants will lose their next game more than any of the previous three. The entire North American media scene is going to be criticizing his composure, softness and the dumb look always plastered on his face for two whole weeks. Not to mention how many references to his brother's past success and failures against the family rival, Tom Brady.

I tell you what: If the Packers' Atari Bigby keeps up his hard-hitting ways and continues playing the way he has been since late in the season, he'll become the next very good safety that everyone touts. He also has a great name.

The Chargers couldn't get it done in the red-zone against the undefeated* Patriots and it cost them dearly. Settling for four field goals when the could've driven home touchdowns is precisely what cost San Diego the game and a trip to the Super Bowl. It may have been because the Bolts were just too banged up or it may have been the outstanding work of New England's defence but that was the difference to the AFC Championship in my mind.

And how about Brady, who only had two incompletions last week against the Jaguars, tossing three interceptions yesterday? You have to give credit to the Chargers front-liners for actually putting pressure on Brady as well as the d-backs for their coverage which — while overmatched by the Patriots depth of weapons — did a good job containing the receivers. Quintin Jammer had a great game and deserves a lot of credit for San Diego's defensive effort.

Oh, and the early line (as set by Michael Roxborough) and my early pick for Super Bowl XLII: Patriots (-13.5) over Giants. What, you thought I would ever take Elisha?

This week: 0-2
The Playoffs: 3-4-1

The week before the bye week

With the Super Bowl around the corner, I don’t think I’ve ever been looking past the conference championships more. Unless something happens and there is an upset, this week is a forgone conclusion with the favourites easily defeating the feisty underdogs.

PATRIOTS (-14) over Chargers
 
There is way too much going against the Chargers in this one. Let’s make a list:
—LDT, Gates and Rivers are all injured and won’t be at 100% on Sunday.
—If Rivers and LDT can’t go, or even finish the game if they start it, you’re looking at Billy Volek and the unsensational Michael Turner trying to guide the Bolts’ offence.
—Norv Turner is facing off against Bill Belichick.
—A southern California team is playing in New England in January weather.
—The Patriots beat up on the Chargers when San Diego visited earlier this season.
—San Diego’s strength in pass rushing could be negated if the weather and field are bad enough.
—The Chargers are among the worst teams in the league in covering slot receivers while New England is one of the best teams at hitting them.
And if those aren’t reason enough, do you not think that everyone will want to see the Brett Favre vs. Tom Brady Super Bowl? Of course they do, even more so than a Patriots loss this week.
 
PACKERS (-7) over Giants

Do you honestly, deep in your heart, believe that Elisha Manning can win in Lambeau against the immortal Brett Favre? Well I certainly don't. The Giants' run has been nice but seriously, the Patriots need some competition in the Super Bowl and the Giants would not be able to provide that. Also, I really do not want to read any Brady vs. Manning stories for the next two weeks even if it means an unfathomable amount of pieces comparing Favre and Tom and their places in history.

Last week: 2-1-0
Playoffs: 3-2-1

The blame game

Well division-playoff weekend was certainly a tale of two days. Saturday’s games went as predicted and had no real surprises while Sunday’s games were both upsets in the truest sense of the word. Now, in the case of upsets there’s only one thing a fan can really do over the next few days: assign blame.

So, to the start, the person most deserving of blame is Dallas’ quarterback, Tony Romo. I’m really starting to hope his late season meltdowns aren’t going to happen every year like they’re starting to. In the clutch, his failure to get rid of the ball followed by his intentional grounding penalty followed by the knife in the heart interception really killed the Cowboys.

Elisha Manning is getting some of my blame for eliminating my Cowboys as well. If he keeps up this roll, I might actually call him Eli instead of Elisha. One thing’s for sure though, playing in Dallas when they’re giving you the game is a lot different than playing in Lambeau. At least this Giants win insures a Brady-Favre Super Bowl matchup.

The other Manning, Peyton, doesn’t deserve as much blame as his receivers do. The running back who botched the goal line screen that would be picked off (One handed! While being blocked!) by a defensive lineman was a backbreaker. Dallas Clark’s drop to end the game was very bad as well. They did have some blind luck like Anthony Gonzalez not stepping out of bounds, but overall it was a bad day.

The Colts defence gets some blame too. How Darren Sproles can get loose like he did on that screen pass, I’ll never know but someone should have knocked him out of bounds.

As for Saturday’s tilts:

It may just be me (probably not though) but snow games are the best football games there are. It's certainly not because of the quality of play, which suffers because of the sub-par conditions, but because of the sheer aesthetics of the snow falling in the background. The beauty of a white-blanketed field is increased exponentially when it's Lambeau Field we're talking about as well. So, you've probably guessed by now that Saturday's Seattle-Green Bay tilt was one I rather enjoyed. And to match the serene beauty of the snow falling, Brett Favre and Co. (Ryan Grant in particular) had a great game and showed why they deserved their bye week. The worst part of the game was that I decided against picking Grant (201 yards rushing, 3 TDS) in a playoff pool I'm involved in.

Has anybody else noticed that the Patriots have turned into cowards and now play like nice guys by refusing to run up the score? What happened to their bad boy, F*** you attitude? Looks like they were just pretending to be bad asses. Maybe Belichick was acting like that to seem like a bad boy and try to steal somebody else's wife. The Jaguars did play them tough, but didn't we all figure that the Pats would win anyway? There were way too many articles floating around about how the Jags could win. Time to eat your words boys.

This week: 2-1-0
This playoffs: 3-2-1

Onward and upward

While wild-card weekend had some great games, we’re moving along to some even bigger ones. Who isn’t looking forward to Jacksonville-New England? A great match up of an underdog that everyone’s riding and a juggernaut. You have to figure that Indy-SD will be a shootout and fun to watch. Eli’s going to try to prove last week wasn’t a fluke and there might even be some snow at Lambeau for Sea-GB. I can hardly wait.

PACKERS (-7.5) over Seahawks

The Seahawks didn’t look that great against the Redskins last week and the Packers are MUCH better than Washington. Factor in Lambeau conditions and the fact that Seattle won’t be able to run the ball and you have all the makings for a big Brett Favre’s heart-sized win.

PATRIOTS (-13) over Jags

The Jags are a nice rough-and-tough football team that’s seemingly built for the playoffs. The Patriots might have one of the most talented teams ever and a ton of playoff experience. The Jags more than likely would have lost had they been called for holding on David Garrard’s 4-and-2 draw towards the end of the Steelers game. The most I’m hoping for out of Jacksonville is that they beat up on New England, maybe if inflict some injuries, but I don’t see them winning this one.

Chargers (+8) over COLTS

Well somebody has to cover, right? With Harrison back in the line up, Peyton’s finally going to show what he can do with a full offence instead of just Reggie Wayne and Joe Addai like he had for a few games. The Chargers have to get more out of LDT than they did last week and it’s not as if he’ll have to do much to top those 43 yards he gained against the Titans. Everything said, I see the Colts winning a barnburner of a game, by seven.

Giants (+7.5) at COWBOYS

Why am I scared of Eli Manning? Is there something wrong with me? This is the guy who broke the record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a game. He’s facing a defensive player of the year candidate and several other pro bowlers on defence. So why am I scared? Maybe because I’m a pessimist and, quite frankly, have been one all season while routing for God’s team. There’s just something, and I’m not sure what it is that doesn’t have me all the way sold on Dallas and it absolutely kills me to admit it since they’re my team. But never think, even for a second, that I won’t be cheering my heart out watching the game.

Last week: 1-2-1

Wild Card Wrap

The Chargers didn't even need a big day from LaDainian Tomlinson to defeat the overmatched Titans. 42 yards on 21 carries is not your average day from LDT and had Vince Young not sucked it up, the outcome may have been in his team's favour. But how different would this game have been if Pacman Jones was allowed to play? Having a good corner out there like him could have made the difference in stopping Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson down-field.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Bucs did pretty much everything they could to give Elisha and Co. the win and the right to face Dallas next week. After looking strong — nearly unbeatable — in the first quarter, Tampa Bay proceeded to fall apart and placed the game nicely in Manning's lap. The Bucs shoddy offensive line did little-to-nothing in trying to the stop the Giants' pass rush which looked unspottable.

Now, do I believe in Elisha now that's he's won on the road in the playoffs? Hell no. I'm probably jinxing it by saying this but Dallas should tear him a new one next week. I'm looking forward to — for the first time in my memory — a team beating a rival three times in one season. And let's all remember that the only road game that New York lost this season was in Dallas.

This week: 1-2-1

Wild Card weekend

What a great finish to the Jacksonville - Pittsburgh game. First, Big Ben leading his team back from 18 down to grab a one point lead. Then David Garrard marching the Jags down the field — including a sick fourth down scramble — to set up a gift-wrapped, chip-in field goal. If it weren't for that failed two-point conversion that the Steelers botched, we would've seen a great overtime showdown. This game was the perfect example of why playoff football is better than any other type of game. The intensity, the physicality and the emotion were all topped up. Right down to Big Ben waiting around for Garrard to finish his post-game interview to congratulate him. You would never see Tom Brady even think about doing that.

Did anybody honestly think that Todd Collins would keep his hot hand going in Seattle, arguably one of the toughest places to visit in the NFL? There was a reason why this guy was riding the pine for the past ten years. If you pinned your money on a 36-year old back up quarterback against a team that is somewhat good, you might be an idiot.

I'm just going to bring this up briefly because I'm sure I could go on about this for a long, LONG time; Bill Belichick winning the coach of the year award is every bit as despicable as Shawne Merriman making the Pro Bowl last year after being suspended for steroid use. How does someone who was caught cheating and admitted to it awarded for his work? Anyone who voted for Belichick should mark down Barry Bonds on their hall of fame ballot when it comes in the mail. Thanks for supporting cheating everyone.

The man who deserved to the coach of the year the most was Green Bay's Mike McCarthy. What he's done with the youngest team in the league is nothing short of remarkable. Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio deserves some credit as well for his fine job in Jacksonville and Tony Dungy has had a lot of injuries to deal with this season and still has Indy on the right course.

As for today's games:

BUCS (-3) over Giants

Eli Manning on the road, more than likely playing without his usual starting centre is not good for the Giants of New York. They do have a chance if Elisha can limit his turnovers and their powerful defensive line can knock around Jeff Garcia which is entirely possible considering the Bucs are on their third string left tackle now. But Garcia has a habit of beating the Giants in the playoffs and I see that continuing.

Titans (+10) over San Diego

The way I see it is that Tennessee actually hung with the Chargers in San Diego a few weeks back and legitimately could have won the game. I also think that it would be better for the Titans if Kerry Collins starts in place of Vince Young. But, I really don't believe that the Titans can actually win this game. I just think ten points is too much to be giving in this match up.

This week: 1-0-1
This season: 111-117-10

For the record

SEAHAWKS (-3.5) over Redskins
and
STEELERS (+2) over Jags

More tomorrow.

The glory of the win

Now, it’s not that I’ve never won a pool before or won a fantasy league championship, but this one was different. In my first year at an award-winning daily’s sports section, I was able to topple the guy who writes the Pools column to take the L’il Super Bowl. Now, for all of eternity, the name of Coney Island Whitefish will forever be enshrined via a banner hanging from the newsroom ceiling. It was an even more memorable win as after the 4 p.m. games, I was trailing by 6 with only Rod Bironas left to play. When Bironas nailed (what turned out to be) the game-winning, 54-yard field goal to give the Titans a playoff spot, he also clinched the title for me. Emotions ran high for some while dreams were crushed for others.

Now for the playoffs, congratulations to the Titans and Redskins who both earned the wild card spots in their respective divisions while none of the other games really had any relevance. The Titans are sure to run into disappointment with a first round loss to San Diego but the Redskins may have a shot at taking out Seattle. Washington has been hot since Jason Campbell went down and Todd Collins stepped in and wowed everyone by being surprisingly competent. As for the Cowboys and Patriots, the number one seeds, they both have looked shaky coming into playoffs and it’ll be interesting to see how much they can do to remedy their problems with a bye. I’d rather back a two-seed right now than the struggling no. ones.

And as for my picks for this site, well, you can’t win them all; unless you cheat like the Patriots that is.

This week: 8-7
This season: 111-117-10

The battle for mediocrity

There was no possible way this week that I could rest my starters for the playoffs with a record like the one I'm sporting. I need to get ten games right this week to hit the .500 mark but that's without figuring in ties to the equation. As if I'd do the math on that; I got into writing for a reason. Although it is strange that numbers and equations still do play a huge part of my life in sports. As for the picks, let's hope I'm clutch this time around.

Patriots (-13.5) over GIANTS

With the entire world seemingly watching, the Patriots will finish the season with a convincing win over the Giants. It doesn't even matter if New York plays its' starters, Tom and Co. will be playing too, trying to get him the passing TD record as well as make it to 16-0

Bills (+7.5) over EAGLES

How about now? Can we see Kevin Kolb now? Please? For a quarter at least?

BUCS (+2) over Panthers (-2)

The Bucs have nothing to gain but resting their starters and semi-injured guys doesn't mean that Matt Moore will pick them apart.

Bengals (-3) over DOLPHINS

Here's to hoping that Ocho Cinco comes through for me in my fantasy title game.

Cowboys (+9) at REDSKINS

The Redskins are fighting for the last NFC playoff spot and Dallas will be in full-on rest mode but you have to figure in the fierce rivalry between these two teams will keep it competitive.

PACKERS (-4) over Lions

Aaron Rodgers proved he wasn't that bad when he stepped in against Dallas a few Thursdays ago. The Lions are no Cowboys.

Jaguars (-6.5) over TEXANS

Another case of a team resting their players and the line only semi-reflects that. Surprisingly, I have confidence in Quinn Gray and the Jags second-stringers.

Saints (-2) over BEARS

With the playoffs on the line, I would think the Saints would be favoured by a bit more. More importantly, how many of the three current Bears QBs will even have jobs next year. They need to shore up that committee something fierce.

Steelers (-3.5) over RAVENS

I used my last move on Najeh Davenport to start in place of the banged up and resting Joe Addai. Here's hoping it pans out.

FALCONS (-3) over Seahawks

Seattle has nothing to really play for here and aren't as good as anyone could lead you to believe.

Niners (+10) over BROWNS

If the Niners win, they play spoilers and ruin the Browns feel-good season. They also would give the Pats a worse pick in the upcoming draft. And 10 points is a bit much.

COLTS (+6.5) over Titans

I don't care if it's the backups or not. If I see the Titans giving points to the Colts, I'm taking them.

Vikings (-3) over BRONCOS

AP and CT will run rampant over the Broncos D while trying to secure their spot in the big dance.

Chargers (-8) over RAIDERS

Jamarcus Russell playing against the white-hot San Diego Chargers? Sorry kid, but I look forward to seeing you next year.

CARDINALS (+6) over Rams

Kurt Warner is playing for a job somewhere next year. He should continue his fine season against this weak Rams' defence.

Chiefs (+6.5) over JETS

What an ugly match up. Has there every been a least interesting match up? There's no fantasy guys involved, no playoff ramifications; just plain bad football.

Last week: 3-11-1
This season: 103-110-1

Merry Christmas!

For Christmas this year I’ve gotten all readers of this site a very special present: a reason to hate the New England Patriots even more. Now, I’m sure we’ve all noticed and heard about the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor and the various tributes around the league. One of these tributes happened to be every team in sporting a number 21 decal on the back of their helmets. Just thought that you should know that the first team to do away with the patch was the Patriots on Sunday. These arrogant jerks are too consumed with themselves and their potential perfect season that they refuse to honour a slain comrade. Shame on you New England Patriots; if I saw any of you in the streets (especially Tom Brady) I would spit in your face.

Thanks to Brett Favre and the Packers falling apart against the Bears, Dallas now has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and an inside track to a Super Bowl berth. Let’s all remember now that Brett Favre, in his illustrious career, has never won in Texas Stadium. I’m feeling better about this Cowboy season every day.

With only a week left to play, only a few teams have something left to play for. New Orleans, Washington and Minnesota are all still fighting for the last playoff spot in the NFC. In the AFC, Cleveland and Tennessee are the only two teams who don’t know whether to book plane tickets to playoff destinations or to holiday escapes. In the end, it doesn’t really matter who makes it in. Playing against well-rested four seeds on their home turf the week after next doesn’t bode well for teams that struggle to even make it in.

This week: 3-10-1 (with Denver +8.5 tonight)
This season: 103-109-10

Bad break for Pittsburgh

You've got to feel a bit bad for Pittsburgh right now and any who started Willie Parker for their fantasy championship game only have him injured on the first play of the game against St. Louis. Losing the NFL's leading rusher is not going to help the Steelers in the playoffs two weeks from now; especially if they have to face a tough defense like Jacksonville's.

Dallas (-10.5) at CAROLINA

If I actually bet on or even picked Cowboys games, I would take the Panthers in this one. Romo's thumb injury and a line that high seems like a good combination to me. Also, apparently, the Eagles game wasn't the first that Jessica's attended this season meaning that it's just a bad idea for Tony's girlfriend du jour to attend home games against Philly.

Packers (-8.5) over BEARS

With Kyle Orton at the helm again and the Packers fighting for home-field advantage it's hard to pick against Green Bay. It may be a close game just because these two teams are bitter division rivals, but I doubt it.

Browns (-3) over BENGALS

Really? only three points for a possible division winner against a floundering 5-9 team? Would anyone not take the Browns here?

PATRIOTS (-22) over Dolphins

The Pats have had a string of close games recently but since they're playing against the nearly winless Dolphins at home in a cold-weather scenario, it's easy to think that 22 points is too low of a line.

Texans (+7) over COLTS

The Colts should be resting their starters about halfway through this one. The Texans are talented enough to keep it close against the Colts second-stringers.

LIONS (-5) over Chiefs

Two teams that have some serious off-season thinking to do. I wouldn't put money on either team but a pick has to be made. And whatever happened to the Lions team that was leading the league in interceptions a few weeks ago? What happened to that defence?

VIKINGS (-6.5) over Redskins

Interesting fantasy development of the week: I have Chester Taylor starting while my opponent has Adrian Peterson. I'm sure he has an advantage here but this makes for a very interesting carries-oriented subplot. Who gets more and who's in for goal-line TD vulture dives? Please let it be Chester.

SAINTS (-3) over Eagles

The Saints have something to play for, the Eagles don't. It's as simple as that.

BILLS (+3) over Giants

Can you actually believe that the Bills will lose with Kevin Everett in attendance? Any emotional boost like that can do wonders. Also, I'm not so sure that the Bills deserve to be the 'dog in this one; the Giants are choking and Elisha's playing on the road.

JAGUARS (-13) over Raiders

Maybe next year Oakland... Maybe next. And how about the Jags being the best five-seed in recent memory? A 12-4 wild card team is scary for some week division winners like the Browns, Chargers and beaten up Steelers.

Jets (+8.5) over TITANS

When anyone questions why Vince Young isn't performing as well as last year, why is the first and only answer not "the Madden Curse"? All this hub-bub isn't for nothing people.

Bucs (-6) over NINERS

The Niners are a sad, sad team.

CARDINALS (-10) over Falcons

Kurt Warner's playing for a 2008 contract. At least I hope he is for the sake of my beloved Coney Island Whitefish.

SEAHAWKS (-10.5) over Ravens

I will never argue against Seattle at home. These Ravens just keep on finding ways to lose as well.

Broncos (+8.5) over CHARGERS

The Broncos still have some fight left in them and shouldn't be given this many points. As for the playoffs, the Chargers might get that first-round win but they're not even coming close against Indy or New England on the road.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 5-10
This season: 100-99-9

More tough luck for Atlanta

Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the Atlanta Falcons, it did. After it was reported on Tuesday that future hall-of-fame coach Bill Parcells was going to sign on to run the lowly Falcons in a VP role, taking over all the football aspects of the organization (and then probably retiring three years in) he blew them off for the even-worse Dolphins, who just picked up their first win of the season. How this makes any sense after retiring from the Cowboys last year? Nobody except the Big Tuna can tell you. But I hope you’re looking forward to a plethora of headlines using the words Big Tuna and some combination of fish, fins, Dolphins of any other marine terms.

As for tonight’s game:

After being battered and bruised in their game against the Jaguars on Sunday, I wouldn’t be too inclined to pick the Steelers in this one except for the fact that they’re facing the lowly Rams. You also have to factor in that Pittsburgh could potentially lose their division to the Browns now and actually have to fight for a better position in the playoffs to avoid a second-round meeting in Foxboro. Then again, home underdogs have been doing well recently. It’s tough to go against a good team like Pittsburgh but they’re a little too banged up for my liking.

RAMS (+7.5) over Steelers

Last week: 5-10
This season: 100-98-9

Fins win!

Who would've ever thought a guy named Greg Camarillo would save the Dolphins from achieving the most shameful mark in sports? Dolphins fans and the entire city of Miami must be overjoyed after their team finally notched their first win of the season. And how bad must everyone who routes for Baltimore feel right now? This loss is their eighth in a row and was one the should've and could've won. Now, will the Dolphins win another game this season? There's no hope in New England next week but a win in week 17 against Cincinnati isn't out of the question.

Speaking of the New England Cheaters, they failed horribly in their attempt to embarrass the Jets yesterday. After pointing out that the Pats were cheating in their week two game this season, Belichick has been on a rampage trying to say "F*** you" to the league and every the team they play. Only winning by ten against an inferior opponent that you allegedly hate with a passion doesn't look to good on you. Now that this is done with, how much could the Miami at New England line be next week? My money's on NE giving 30.

I'm blaming the Cowboys' loss not on Tony Romo but on Jessica Simpson. Apparently, when Tony Romo was dating Carrie Underwood last year, she attended a game in Dallas against Philadelphia and Romo had his worst game of his career. Well, until yesterday when he posted a 22.2 QB rating. Do not bring your girlfriend to a game ever again Tony. Please.

How about the conditions in Cleveland for their game against Buffalo? That was the worst snow during an NFL game I can remember since the "Tuck Rule" game in New England for the AFC championship in 2002. I'm not even that surprised that final score was in single-digits. If I had the option (and didn't sleep in) I would've bet the farm on the under for that game.

The elements had a hand in the Pittsburgh-Jacksonville game as well. But you would think that would favour the tough-as-nails Steelers right? Not when Big Ben is playing banged up at least. It's actually possible the Steelers may not even win their division after being touted as one of the top-5 teams in the league earlier this year. And would anyone want to face the Jags in the playoffs? They're scary good.

Brett Favre is now the greatest QB in NFL history. How much can you argue after he passed Dan Marino for the career record in passing yards. He already holds the record for passing touchdowns and has won the Super Bowl, what else is left for Brett? Well, since the Packers clinched a first-round bye with their win over St. Louis, an NFC title game appearance isn't unreasonable at all.


This week: 4-10 (With Minnesota -9 tonight)
This season: 99-98-9