BOSTON IRISH

What's that Tim Thomas, you hate the Troops? Really?

2012-01-24T00:54:00.001Z

There is a great moment in the seminal mini-series ‘Band of brothers’ where Captain Sobel attempts to march past Captain Winters without acknowledgement due to his personal distaste for the latter. Winters stops him and says, with authority;

‘Captain Sobel, we salute the rank, not the man’.

Apparently Tim Thomas has never seen ‘Band of brothers’.

The Boston Bruins were bestowed the great honour yesterday of meeting the President of the United States at the White House yesterday, to celebrate their fine Stanley Cup victory last season. Tim Thomas, Bruins goalie extraordinaire, chose not to attend due to his political beliefs. Every single other Bruin attended, no matter what their beliefs.

This was a day to celebrate with his team mates. This was a day to enjoy the camaraderie that anyone who has had the luck of being on a team for any protracted length feels.

Instead Tim Thomas made a woeful decision and selfishly turned it into a day about him. Those same team mates had their day in the sun hijacked by someone ignorantly putting themselves first ahead of their band of brothers. That’s the worst thing you can do in team sports, put yourself ahead of your team mates. Not only did Thomas choose not to celebrate this fine achievement with his brothers, he stole the moment from them with his poorly thought out, selfish and ill conceived decision. He has insulted his team mates and he has insulted hockey. He has come out and said, 'My archaic, angry and divisive beliefs are bigger than my team mates and the game of hockey'.

Thomas made an enormous mistake in not attending, and he did so on a fundamentally simple principle. Respect is respect, respect shouldn’t be a variable in any situation. No matter who is sitting in the Oval Office, one should respect them. Choosing not to attend shows a simple lack of respect by Thomas. Lack of respect for the station of the President of the United States, lack of respect for his team mates, lack of respect for the game of hockey and lack of respect for the United States.

It should be noted that Thomas was a silver medal winner with the United States hockey team. If he wants to make a statement, well then give the medal back. If you disrespect the President of the United States, you are disrespecting the country as a whole, no matter what turgid, redundant political ‘spin’ you try to put on it.

There will be plenty of clowns who ignorantly blather ‘But hasn’t he got the freedom to do that, freedom of speech and so forth’ yes of course he does, but do so in a respectful and dignified manner.

Make no mistake, Thomas’s action is a despicable course.

One would assume Thomas is a big part of the ‘respect the troops’ ideology that is currently sweeping the States. If that’s the case, Tim Thomas has directly spat in the eye of all the armed forces of the United States. The President is the overall commander of those same troops, and Thomas has gravely disrespected the Office of the President.

To use the dangerous, vitriolic rhetoric of the right wing goons Thomas has now forever associated himself with, apparently Tim Thomas hates the soldiers of the United States. Those same ‘freedom fighters’ he would so quickly have you believe he worships. Well, it turns out he hates them. Hate the commander, hate the troops.

Tim Thomas has tried to pull a Captain Sobel. He has tried to march past The President of the United States without saluting. It is every single United States citizens duty to their country to take him to task on that. No matter what your particulat political beliefs, salute the rank, not the man.

Massachusetts is the home, the birth place, the origin of so much that is good in the United States 'set up'. Brilliant men and minds originated from there. Sadly today it is the home to a selfish, disrespectful, backward thinking goalkeeper who cares more about his stagnant political beliefs than camaraderie, honour, team and respect.

And we're not talking about Tuukka Rask.

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The thing about Marco: The Scutaro trade; maybe leave it to the professionals

2012-01-23T01:32:00.002Z

As baseball fans, we tend to react first, and think later. If at all. The Red Sox trade of Marco Scutaro to the Rockies, announced on Friday, is a case in point. Within moments of the announcement, Facebook, twitter, and that dark murky place otherwise known as ‘the comments section of all sports media sites’ were awash with a tide of negative commenting that made the tide at Omaha beach look virgin pure.

‘This is a horrible trade!’ we screamed as a fan base.

The knee jerk reaction was full of bravado and hyperbole. Within ten minutes of reading the collected masses opinion, it was abundantly clear that; Cherrington is in over his head. The Sox are panicking. The Sox don’t know what they are doing and so forth.

People get so angry, so riled up, don’t they? The Internet may be a valuable source of information, however it seems to encourage people to, well, to say really stupid, angry things.

On calmer reflection it looks as if the Red Sox know exactly what they are doing. Scutaro, much as many of us Sox fans love him, is 36 and earning a relatively large slice of change, $6 million approximately per season. He is a nice guy, a good clubhouse presence and a decent bat. He is not the second coming of Ozzie Smith nor is he the second incarnation of Hanley Ramirez.

The Sox saw an opportunity to use any of a number of in-house options at short (Iglesias\Avilez\Punto) while putting the $6 million saved towards bidding on the services of one Roy Oswalt.

So first things first, if you are perhaps still angry at the trade, would you trade Marco Scutaro for Roy Oswalt?

Look, here’s the thing. The Red Sox front office are doing due diligence. They spend hours upon hours, days, breaking down all possible moves, with all the best information at their fingertips. With all due respect, ‘Bob’ in Framingham, commenting angrily on the ESPN website, probably isn’t the absolute best judge of whether the Scutaro trade is for the best of the Boston Red Sox or not.

To quote the great Keith Foulke, Johnny from Burger King may feel like it is important that he (or indeed she) rains down a carpet bombing campaign of negative feedback on this trade, but at the end of the day the only people who have actually put the hours in to researching and analyzing all possible permutations involved are the Red Sox front office.

Now I say this to myself as much as anyone else, because at first glimpse I wasn’t wildly enamored with the idea of the trade, but maybe people should sit back and think about the reasoning behind a big trade or other move before plonking themselves down in front of the keyboard and banging out a poorly written, scrambled, angry reaction.

Maybe think for two seconds.

There is generally a method to the madness.

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Patriots travelling to London again? Might be. Rams potential 'hosts'.

2012-01-20T01:05:00.004Z

Word on the proverbial street is that the NFL game in London next season could be Patriots @ Rams (the latter officially serving as hosts). Initial word pinballing around the Internet was Rams v Jets, however that soon changed to Rams v Patriots. That appears to be common consensus as we speak early Friday morning.

One St Louis paper went as far as to say;

‘’ League sources told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday night that the team will play an AFC foe — believed to be the New England Patriots — during the 2012 regular season in London.’’

So, that kinda looks official, no?

Actual official word is coming later today. You can keep your eyes on this site

As soon as we at Boston Irish find out what the actual game is, and if it is indeed going to be Patriots @ Rams, we will tweet it from here, so, there’s that.

This is fantastic news for the legions of Patriots fans in Ireland and England. Personally speaking, my brother and I travelled to the Patriots v Tampa game and had a whale of a time. Rams fans, meanwhile, seem somewhat less than delirious about the potential news, if there online forums are anything to go by.

Take this angry fellow;
‘’Such a bunch of garbage that we have to lose a home game over this. Have an exhibition game there. Quit screwing with the actual NFL schedule.’’

Some people just can’t take ‘change’ (Even this is actually ‘continuation’, not ‘change’ per say)
How about this chap;
‘’That is what really annoys me most. How can they expect to play a game that matters in really off time zone. Sure both teams get the effect, but then it's just two teams playing like cr@p. Totally unfair to both teams.’’

Thankfully, there are some positive Rams fans out there
‘’been to london a few times
I will be there’’

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Two to read: Jimmy Rollins in Uganda and Bob Ryan's crusade (kinda)

2012-01-18T01:57:00.002Z

First things first, absolutely adored this piece in ESPN about the Phillies Jimmy Rollins on an MLB Goodwill trip to Uganda. If this article doesn’t make your day, then nothing will. Rollins seems like a real class act, and we are blessed as baseball fans to have him around.

There is so much negativity and greed doing the rounds at the moment, it’s nice to get lost for a short time in a story about a truly generous, friendly and positive person. Not to mention talented.

Rock on J-Roll, rock on.

How about this fantastic piece by the Globe’s Bob Ryan (Thanks for the tip GP). It would appear he was buried under a deluge of hate-mail from the more hardcore Tebow fans after the Shallacking in Gillette. He makes some great points, including;

‘’ There are many people who are not Christians who enjoy football, and who do not need his religion shoved in their face with “John 3:16,’’ or any other Bible reference, on display. I believed that then, and I believe that now.’’

Also, we absolutely loved this sentence;

‘’…and apparently they’ve never read Shaughnessy.’’

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Vincent doin’ work: Wilfork at the coal face

2012-01-16T01:13:00.003Z

Tom Brady gets his share of the attention and or plaudits. The two young Tight Ends, ‘Hernandegronk’ get their (well deserved) share. The stoic, fearsome coach with his Evil Emperor hoody gets his share. How on earth does a man as large as Vince Wilfork stay under the radar?!

Actually scrap that, how does a man so vital, so integral to the Patriot’s plans stay so relatively under wraps?

If you are a Patriots or indeed just an NFL fan do yourself a favour, and mentally isolate and watch Vince Wilfork play football the next Patriots game you watch. It is a rewarding experience. He is simply put an incredible man, a fabulous athlete. Don’t look at me like that, yes, athlete. He may look like a rapper’s body guard or a chef at a family BBQ, but Wilfork simply never stops. He works all day long, and is still working hard on the last play of every game.

He is a true warrior, and a fantastic team mate too. Watching him play, he not only ‘does his job’ (The Patriots simple yet effective mantra) however he also brings the rest of his team mates closer together with endless energy and positive reinforcement.

There is a wonderful moment in the below clip where Wilfork approaches a defensive huddle and asks ‘Why ya’ll look so sad? This is football, this is fun!’ He is an incredible character, a true leader and an exceptionally honest player.

The Patriots are blessed to have him, and you are blessed to get a chance to listen in on the man on the field. Without further ado, a fantastic little segment, let’s call it ‘Vincent doin’ work’. You are welcome!

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The Bruins Shawn Thornton knocks journalist to the boards

2012-01-12T01:43:00.003Z

Ever dreamt of being able to watch an athlete basically ambush a journalist who was saying something derogatory about him or her? Well, now's your chance! It doesn't matter if you are not an enormous hockey fan (although chances are if you are visiting this site, you are at least kind of into it after the Stanley Cup run last season), you will still find this hilarious video, well, hilarious.

Bear with the opening, contextually important details, and just wait for the pay-off. It's worth it. Credit to the Boston Globe's underrated columnist Eric Wilbur for digging this out.

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Tim Tebow 'does it again'! (We're just not sure what 'it' is)

2012-01-09T01:32:00.004Z

As always, one would be remiss not to take to task today’s fully expected and yet still stomach churningly nauseous deluge of sycophantic Tim Tebow babbling from the Knights Of The Keyboard (The US sporting media). We are angry today so, be aware, cursing involved. If an angry diatribe filled with expletives doesn’t quite catch your fancy, just go here instead. Right, let’s dive right in. First headline, blazing as if vomited in bright flashing neon across the front of ESPN, ‘TEBOW DOES IT AGAIN!’.

Wait just one hot second here, does what again?

Now, I am no Rick Perry but doesn’t saying something has happened ‘again’ suggest it has happened before? Last I checked Tebow and his jolly mates were on something of a down-turn, ending the season mired in a filthy swamp of a three game losing streak, to New England, Buffalo and Kansas. Those were not mistakes, the mighty Buffalo and all-powerful Kansas did indeed manage to de-rail the Tebow train. However today we read, or have seared into our eye balls Nazi torture style; Tebow does it again! You can understand our confusion here, last night he actually won, he didn’t lose. So, what did he do again?

Did he win in the playoffs again maybe? A quick check of the handiest encyclopedia shows that interestingly Tebow has never ventured into the playoff universe before, so he wasn’t doing that ‘again’ as it were. No sign of him mentioned in the annals of Canton, or previous Superbowls.

So once more we ask, does what again, exactly? Maybe Tebow was white, over rated and tapped right into the current religiously right wing, overzealous, support-the-troops-no-matter-what, zeitgeist that main-stream America is currently ‘experiencing’, again? Or maybe most of all, Tebow managed to beat a flawed or damaged team, ‘again’? Remember that winning streak he and his band went on, against those questionable, broken or just bad teams a while back? Maybe he did something like that again.

I feel like shouting this out from the top of the Empire State or something, everyone is completely aware ‘Tebow’ (I love how the media basically intimates that the chosen one did it on his own) just beat a team that had a QB playing on, effectively, one leg, had just lost their starting RB for the remainder of the season and most importantly had to travel to Denver for the game? Everyone realizes that, right?

You know what, I don’t even care about the guy himself. Whatever, he is free to bow down and worship whatever he wants, good for him. He could sit at home flagellating himself all day long while listening to Christian Rock and watching re-runs of - Insert name of whatever Republican Presidential hopeful is making an absolute Muppet of him or herself at time of writing here - debating that -Insert whatever minority group the right wing thinks should have no rights here - do not deserve to live in America, for all I care. And Sunday night’s game was awesome.

However, please, for the love of God, Buddha, Allah, Yoda and Tom Cruise, please shut the holy fuck up about Tebow and whether he did it again or not. Any which way you look at this, here’s hoping the masked ranks of Scientology like fanatical Tebow fans got their fix Sunday night, because it all comes to a grinding, shuddering halt Saturday night in the beckoning, crushing arms of Vincent Wilfork and his merry gang.

You heard it here first.

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The odds are: 5,000\1 the four big New England teams win it all

2012-01-06T12:52:00.006Z

Best stop reading this right now if you are not a fan of New England professional sports teams. Go do something that makes you happy inside, because this article sure isn’t going to do same! Let’s talk about the odds against the big New England teams winning their respective titles in this ongoing or forthcoming season. Pie in the sky, maybe, however you could make a reasonably compelling argument for the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics.

Imagine all four did it. Unlikely, for a variety of reasons, but it is always nice to slip into a daydream. Particularly on a gloomy post-Christmas working day!

The Patriots are the shortest odds of the four, and with pretty good reason too. The Patriots have touched as high as 14/1 this NFL season however are now sitting as proud third favourites behind Green Bay and New Orleans on 7/2. Not exactly great value for a defence as bad as the Patriots would openly admit, however, you could argue the Packers and Saints respective ‘D’ are just as bad. Therefore, the 7/2 is definitely worth a little taste.

Next up are the Champion Boston Bruins at 9/2. The Bruins started the season slowly, so slowly in fact that some of us managed to grab 10/1 while it was going. That’s a distant memory now, as the Stanley Cup Champions look set for a deep playoff run at the very least.

The Red Sox are intriguing at 9/1 and probably offer the best overall ‘value’ to the gamblers amongst us. A rotation of Lester, Beckett, Bucholz, Bard and ‘Free agent X’ is excellent. The lineup will score close to a thousand runs and the defence is superb all over the park. There’s no doubt that Bobby Valentine will bring a fresh, vibrant approach, and the Red Sox should be, at very least, extremely competitive. 9/1 is a very tasty figure indeed.

Last and possibly (relatively speaking) least of the foursome are the Boston Celtics sitting at a whopping 20/1, possibly a direct reflection of their terrible opening to the season. The Celtics are a proud veteran team, however, and will no doubt make the playoffs, at which point the big three and Rondo might catch fire. 20/1 is definitely worth a dabble if you in any way fancy their chances.

Now for the accumulators.

Imagine a straight accumulator, all four to win their tournaments;

New England Patriots 7/2
Boston Celtics 20/1
Boston Bruins 9/2
Boston Red Sox 9/1

Accumulator return: 5197.50
Better than a kick in the backside, right?

How about a 'Yankee'? A Yankee is a particular bet, four teams, eleven total bets (one accumulator, three doubles and four trebles). So if you placed a one euro Yankee, that would cost eleven euros and would be, effectively, eleven different bets all with the same four teams involved.

So a fancy little New England sports Yankee featuring the four big clubs at the above odds would return for you;
Yankee return: 8609.50

Worth a shot, right? I mean, you never know!

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Irish figure heavily in stunning Sunderland win over Manchester City

2012-01-03T00:04:00.002Z

The weekend just passed saw a number of shocks in the English Premiership, none bigger than Sunderland’s shocking 1-0 win over Premiership behemoth Manchester City.

Sunderland, given absolutely no chance by the bookies or TV pundits, are a famous, proud old club but even with owner Ellis Short ploughing some £80 million of his own money into them the last couple of seasons, they are complete minnows when up against Manchester City and their £650 million transfer money outlay, and £700 million annual wage bill. However, on the day, Sunderland matched City in every department, Lee Cattermole was absolutely immense, winning every single tackle he went in for, and frankly playing much more illustrious City players off the park.

There were three strong Irish elements to the superb win.

John O’Shea, the Irish defensive veteran, playing in his first season at the club, was an absolute rock at the back. After less than 10 minutes his center back partner Wes Brown had to leave through injury and O’Shea had to help seldom used Matt Kilgallon through the remaining 80 minutes whilst also doing his job. O’Shea won every header and kept multi million pound star City striker Edwin Dzeko in his back pocket most of the day. A brilliant showing from O’Shea, which augers well ahead of the 2012 European Championships. O’Shea was absolutely immense.

Sunderland have now won three out of Irish manager Martin O’Neill’s first five matches in charge of the club. O’Neill has performed a minor miracle in changing the fortunes of the team, previously mired in nothing short of a deep depression. O’Neill has the team working hard and looking very organised and well drilled. The confidence the side showed against the Premiership leaders was fantastic.

Perhaps most excitingly of all, from an Irish perspective, O’Neill bravely chose to give a full debut to 22 year old ex Derry City starlet James McClean. The young Irish winger repaid this faith with a hard working display, full of promise. McClean looks skillfull, tough, willing and well able to compete at the Premiership level. If he gets a decent run in the side it could mean a full call up to the Irish side, and McClean would bring a very lively, fresh new look to the Irish attack. Giovanni Trapattoni, take note.

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NFL Week seventeen quick hits

2011-12-31T16:04:00.005Z

Here we go, strap yourself in, week seventeen of the NFL. A couple of huge games this weekend, in particular the Cowboys @ Giants and Chiefs @ Broncos. Lots still to be decided, and barring a disastrous finish, this column should finish over .500 for the 2011 NFL season. And, we're completely happy with that! As the old proverb goes; As long as you are slightly above average, you are winning.

Running total - 117-110 ATS
(For context, I notice Bill 'sports guy' Simmons is 116-117 on the season. So, there's that)
Essential NFL pick links

The categories

Picks we love category
Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about

Cheat- list for ‘’Picks we love category’’
This week picks we love cheat-list: Giants, Jets and Panthers!!

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Buffalo Bills (6-9) at New England Patriots (12-3) -12.5
The game: Brady has been on the injury list his entire Patriots career. And yet, he always plays. Take note.
The score: Buffalo 24 New England 35
The Pick: New England -12.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Chicago Bears (7-8) at Minnesota Vikings (3-12) +0.5
The game: Very little to play for here, home field might swing it.
The score: Chicago 17 Minnesota 24
The Pick: Minnesota +0.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Detroit Lions (10-5) at Green Bay Packers (14-1) +1.5
The game: Green Bay will be playing their second string. Detroit playing for a higher seeding will be throwing the kitchen sink at them.
The score: Detroit 30 Green Bay 20
The Pick: Detroit -1.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Tennessee Titans (8-7) at Houston Texans (10-5) +2.5
The game: Tennessee scrapping for their playoff lives. Houston already locked in to the number three spot and resting its players.
The score: Tennessee 24 Houston 16
The Pick: Tennessee -2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Indianapolis Colts (2-13) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) -4.5
The game: The UConn Colts (Both QB and RB are Huskies!) are coming on strong at season end.
The score: Indianapolis 24 Jacksonville 23
The Pick: Indianapolis +4.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
San Francisco 49ers (12-3) at St. Louis Rams (2-13) +10.5
The game: The Rams are absolutely awful, and worse for them still, the 49ers are still playing for higher playoff seeding.
The score: San Francisco 35 St Louis 17
The Pick: San Francisco -10.5

Picks we love category
New York Jets (8-7) at Miami Dolphins (5-10) -1.5
The game: The Jets still have a shot at the playoffs believe it or not, and they have a solid record in Miami the last seven seasons (five wins out of those).
The score: New York 23 Miami 20
The Pick: New York +1.5

Picks we love category
Carolina Panthers (6-9) at New Orleans Saints (12-3) -7.5
The game: The Panthers will be going all out, the Saints will be worrying about getting hurt before the playoffs. Cam Newton stamps an exclamation point on his incredible season.
The score: Carolina 30 New Orleans 27
The Pick: Carolina +7.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Washington Redskins (5-10) at Philadelphia Eagles (7-8) -8.5
The game: So, Dream Team, eh?
The score: Washington 17 Philadelphia 30
The Pick: Philadelphia -8.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11) at Atlanta Falcons (9-6) -13.5
The game: The Falcons are a very different team at home, and Tampa have already started packing up for the season.
The score: Tampa 17 Atlanta 38
The Pick: Atlanta -13.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Baltimore Ravens (11-4) at Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) +2.5
The game: The Bungles at home against a surprisingly weak Ravens road team
The score: Baltimore 23 Cincinnati 26
The Pick: Cincinnati +2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) at Cleveland Browns (4-11) +7.5
The game: The Steelers will start putting their starters on the bench before the second half begins. Just you watch.
The score: Pittsburgh 20 Cleveland 24
The Pick: Cleveland +7.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) at Denver Broncos (8-7) -3.5
The game: Te-Bone and the Broncos rebound after a couple of weeks playing, you know, real NFL teams. They can pretend they are good for another week.
The score: Kansas 20 Denver 27
The Pick: Denver -3.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
San Diego Chargers (7-8) at Oakland Raiders (8-7) -2.5
The game: The Raiders at home, needing the win to have a hope of making the playoffs, are the only pick here.
The score: San Diego 16 Oakland 24
The Pick: Oakland -2.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Seattle Seahawks (7-8) at Arizona Cardinals (7-8) -3.5
The game: Putrid alert! Putrid alert! The battle to finish .500! Great stuff guys, thanks for playing.
The score: Seattle 16 Arizona 13
The Pick: Seattle +3.5

Picks we love category
Dallas Cowboys (8-7) at New York Giants (8-7) -3
The game: The big game of the weekend. For me, the Giants have more heart.
The score: Dallas 26 New York 30
The Pick: New York Giants -3

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9
Week ten - 7-7
Week eleven - 6-7
Week twelve - 8-7
Week thirteen -5-10
Week 14 - 9-6
Week 15 - 7-7
Week 16 - 7-8

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Happy New Year! The best of Boston Irish Blog - 2011

2011-12-31T12:56:00.005Z

Happy New Year to all! What a great day, we can all look back on the year, enjoy a few memories (hopefully) and then slam the door on it and move on to a bigger, better, brighter 2012. In the meantime, before the fireworks go off tonight, a quick look back at the top ten Boston Irish Blog posts of the year that was. Enjoy.

The best of Boston Irish Blog Top ten stories of 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Bill Frist, the downfall of online poker and jobs being lost in Dublin and the rest of the World.
Friday, March 11, 2011 Signs you shouldn't be gambling
Thursday, May 19, 2011 The Premiere League is about to eat itself
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 The Boston Bruins and the $156,679.74 bar tab
Thursday, January 06, 2011 Underdogs Manchester City battle to 0-0 draw with Arsenal
Thursday, December 08, 2011 Dinamo Zagreb take a dive in the second: French gambling authorities taking a close look at Lyon’s 7-1 win last night.
Monday, December 05, 2011 **** you, Fantasy Football. **** you.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 Pay that man his money! A-Rod and the underground A-List Poker circuit
Monday, October 24, 2011 Beer me: MLB announce they are going to look into Red Sox club-house drinking
Thursday, July 28, 2011 European Baseball Championship qualifying tournament 2011: Time to get back to a single location tournament.

A handful that didn't make the top ten
(But we liked them)

Jan 31st 2011 - Where the streets have no name: U2 and the best Superbowl half time show ever.
Monday, January 24, 2011 - Jay Cutler and casting the first proverbial stone
Monday, January 10, 2011 - The top ten most enjoyable rivalries in sports: Version 2.0
Thursday, February 03, 2011 - National Signing Day; or, ‘How to destroy a young mans life with unrealistic expectations’
Tuesday, April 05, 2011 - Mass panic in Red Sox nation, yet again.
Monday, May 23, 2011 - Ray Lewis: Preacher man.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - Put the iPad down and go see a ball game
Wednesday, June 08, 2011 - LeBron drops eight points total in crucial game five: We await ESPN’s reaction.
Thursday, July 07, 2011 - The Roger Clemens defence: There is none.

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NFL picks: Week sixteen: Happy Christmas

2011-12-23T01:49:00.003Z

So first things first, a heartfelt Happy Christmas to all my readers. Many thanks for the support, feedback and comments over the year. There is a die-hard handful that, for whatever reason, keep coming back to read, and you folks keep me going. So, you know who you are, a very warm thanks, and a very Happy Christmas to you and yours!

Now, make with the picks funny man!

Running total - 110-102 ATS
Essential NFL pick links

The categories

Picks we love category
Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about

Cheat- list for ‘’Picks we love category’’
This week picks we love cheat-list: Kansas -0.5, St Louis +15.5, New England -9, New York Jets -2.5, Carolina -7.5, Detroit -2.5, Philadelphia +2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Denver Broncos (8-6) at Buffalo Bills (5-9) +3.5
Look, this column has been waiting for the Bills to turn it around after a bit of a slump, for weeks now. This week it's happening. Trust us. The Broncos serious deficiencies were unmasked last weekend. The Patriots AFC East brethren can score points like the Patriots. Home field, a whiff of desperation and the Bronco's confidence being less than stellar after last weeks shellacking all point to the value being in the Bills plus the points.
The score: Denver 20 Buffalo 24
The pick: Buffalo +3.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Arizona Cardinals (7-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) -4.5
So, we all know 'Zona are riding a four game win streak with quality wins over Dallas and San Fran in there, right? The Bungles beat St Louis last week, but lost two on the trot the previous weeks. Take the points and run.
The score: Arizona 24 Cincinnati 23
The pick: Arizona +4.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Cleveland Browns (4-10) at Baltimore Ravens (10-4) -13.5
Baltimore up, Baltimore down. This week, Baltimore up.
The score: Cleveland 13 Baltimore 33
The pick: Baltimore -13.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10) at Tennessee Titans (7-7) -7.5
Tennessee needs to switch at QB. Everyone bar the Titans coaching staff can see it. The Jags can hang close in this slug fest.
The score: Jacksonville 20 Tennessee 23
The pick: Jacksonville +7.5

Picks we love category
Oakland Raiders (7-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-8) -0.5
The Chiefs played real hard for Romeo Crennel last week, and boy did it pay off. Lost in the drama of beating Green Bay was the fact Kyle Orton played great, throwing for 300 yards. The reeling Raiders arrive in town at exactly the wrong time for them.
The score: Oakland 20 Kansas 24
The pick: Kansas -0.5

Picks we love category
St. Louis Rams (2-12) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) -15.5
Charlie Batch? Yikes.
The score: St Louis 20 Pittsburgh 23
The pick: St Louis +15.5

Picks we love category
Miami Dolphins (5-9) at New England Patriots (11-3) -9
Miami a pretty weak 24th against the pass. They can expect to be at least 25th after this afternoon.
The score: Miami 13 New England 35
The pick: New England -9

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Minnesota Vikings (2-12) at Washington Redskins (5-9) -6.5
Six horrible losses in a row for the Vikes, the Skins the only option here.
The score: Minnesota 17 Washington 27
The pick: Washington -6.5

Picks we love category
New York Giants (7-7) at New York Jets (8-6) -2.5
I want to back against the Jets. So bad. However, you just can't look past the Giants putrid form. Horrendous. The Jets should win this going away.
The score: New York Giants 17 New York Jets 33
The pick: New York Jets -2.5

Picks we love category
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10) at Carolina Panthers (5-9) -7.5
Tampa about to lose their ninth in a row.
The score: Tampa 16 Carolina 35
The pick: Carolina -7.5

Picks we love category
San Diego Chargers (7-7) at Detroit Lions (9-5) -2.5
Detroit's opportunistic defense can send Rivers spiraling back into his early season pick-six form.
The score: San Diego 24 Detroit 30
The pick: Detroit -2.5

Picks we love category
Philadelphia Eagles (6-8) at Dallas Cowboys (8-6) -2.5
Dallas has issues, issues serious enough not to be papered over by last weeks win over Tampa. Everyone is beating Tampa. Dallas's two losses before that raise serious alarm bells, going into a game against the rejuvenated Eagles. Could be a classic.
The score: Philadelphia 35 Dallas 33
The pick: Philadelphia +2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
San Francisco 49ers (11-3) at Seattle Seahawks (7-7) +2.5
So, we're all aware Seattle have won three in a row? Time to show them some love. Particularly at home, against a team on a short week.
The score: San Francisco 17 Seattle 20
The pick: Seattle +2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Chicago Bears (7-7) at Green Bay Packers (13-1) -12.5
No Cutler? No Forte? No chance.
The score: Chicago 13 Green Bay 43
The pick: Green Bay -12.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Atlanta Falcons (9-5) at New Orleans Saints (11-3) -6.5
The Saints are scoring points to beat the band, however they are also conceding plenty. The Falcons need this bad. Real bad. Just a hunch, but the Falcons are the shock of the week.
The score: Atlanta 33 New Orleans 30
The pick: Atlanta +6.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9
Week ten - 7-7
Week eleven - 6-7
Week twelve - 8-7
Week thirteen -5-10
Week 14 - 9-6
Week 15 - 7-7

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NFL picks: Week fifteen: A whiff of the finish line

2011-12-16T00:26:00.002Z

Forced to run with a 'quicky' picks column this week, Blame Christmas! Ho ho ho.

Running total - 103-95 ATS
Essential NFL pick links

The categories

Picks we love category
Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about

Cheat- list for ‘’Picks we love category’’
This week picks we love cheat-list:

Green Bay -13.5
Carolina +6.5
Detroit -1.5
New England -6.5

Week 15 picks.

Picks we love category
Dallas Cowboys (7-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9) +6.5
Has anyone seen Tampa play lately? Yikes!
The score: Dallas 35 Tampa 17
The pick: Dallas -6.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Miami Dolphins (4-9) at Buffalo Bills (5-8) -0.5
Unexpected landslide win by frustrated Bills team that aren't as bad as their recent stretch.
The score: Miami 17 Buffalo 30
The pick: Buffalo -0.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Seattle Seahawks (6-7) at Chicago Bears (7-6) -4.5
The Hawks no like road trips!
The score: Seattle 13 Chicago 23
The pick: Chicago -4.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) at St. Louis Rams (2-11) +4.5
The Bungles can actually still make the playoffs. The Rams? Not so much.
The score: Cincinnati 24 St Louis 17
The pick: Cincinnati -4.5

Picks we love category
Green Bay Packers (13-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-8) +13.5
Sorry, what, this line is supposed to scare us?!
The score: Green Bay 43 Kansas 10
The pick: Green Bay -13.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Tennessee Titans (7-6) at Indianapolis Colts (0-13) +6.5
I hope someone comes out with a book about the inside story on the Colts season. What a mess.
The score: Tennessee 28 Indianapolis 20
The pick: Tennessee -6.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
New Orleans Saints (10-3) at Minnesota Vikings (2-11) +7.5
Why aren't the Saints facing double figure spreads?!
The score: New Orleans 30 Minnesota 20
The pick: New Orleans -7.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Washington Redskins (4-9) at New York Giants (7-6) -7.5
If this was in Washington, maybe, but in NY, no...no...
The score: Washington 20 New York 35
The pick: New York -7.5

Picks we love category
Carolina Panthers (4-9) at Houston Texans (10-3) -6.5
Cam Newton can't wait to attack that spread! Texans, mission accomplished, take the foot of the gas a little.
The score: Carolina 34 Houston 30
The pick: Carolina +6.5

Picks we love category
Detroit Lions (8-5) at Oakland Raiders (7-6) +1.5
Is this a joke? A bad, bad joke?
The score: Detroit 28 Oakland 24
The pick: Detroit -1.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Cleveland Browns (4-9) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7) -6.5
Yuck. Nasty. Dislike!
The score: Cleveland 17 Arizona 13
The pick: Cleveland +6.5

Picks we love category
New England Patriots (10-3) at Denver Broncos (8-5) +6.5
Denver's recent run against bad teams or teams with issues. It stops here.
The score: New England 35 Denver 24
The pick: New England -6.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
New York Jets (8-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) -2.5
Yuck and yuck, but slightly less yuck on the latter.
The score: New York 24 Philadelphia 27
The pick: Philadelphia -2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Baltimore Ravens (10-3) at San Diego Chargers (6-7) +2.5
Everyone loves the Ravens again, conveniently forgetting several nasty early season showings.
The score: Baltimore 24 San Diego 26
The pick: San Diego +2.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) at San Francisco 49ers (10-3) -1.5
This could be a pretty low scoring affair.
The score: Pittsburgh 19 San Francisco 13
The pick: Pittsburgh +1.5

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The Jason Varitek conundrum

2011-12-15T00:49:00.005Z

Let’s start with a disclaimer, we here at Boston Irish are all about Jason Varitek. He is the man. He should never have to buy a beer in any bar across New England, ever. Apart from the fact Varitek has been such a rock for the Sox, during the magical 1999 season the catcher and Captain to be even signed an Irish National Baseball team cap at a game for me. This elevated his status in this column somewhat. As an aside, I paid $11 for the ticket that day. Are there many $11 tickets left at Fenway?

However, and you had to know there was a however coming, perhaps Varitek missed his 2011 opportunity to make himself indispensable to the Sox.

Taking a step back, earlier this week the Red Sox signed Kelly Shoppach to apparently play backup to Jarrod Saltalamacchia. With Ryan Lavarnway waiting in the wings as a surprise package with some serious pop in his bat, there would appear to be simply no room left for Varitek. There has been no official word from either party however after the Red Sox signed Shoppach, Jason’s wife Catherin Tweeted the following;

It would appear the Varitek’s feel as if Jason’s time in Boston is coming to a close. And that is a very sad thing. Looking at it from a Front Office perspective, the 2011 season provided a unique opportunity to Varitek to create a role for himself on the Red Sox for one or perhaps two more seasons. He had the chance the build a role as a Bench Coach with a bat. He had the opportunity to become an even more valuable clubhouse presence . We can only go on the evidence in front of us, and it would appear that Varitek did not grab this opportunity by the horns. In fact, it appears he let Rome burn around him and did very little to put the flames out. You have to stress the word ‘appears’ as we don’t know for sure, perhaps Varitek threw his weight around, however from what little we have to go on, it appears he didn’t do enough to discipline the clubhouse malcontents. Naturally, it would have been hard for Varitek to tell Beckett to put the bucket of chicken down, however that was the new role that was available to Varitek, the responsible guy in the clubhouse.

Unless there was a journalist with full access to the clubhouse that is about to write a book as illuminating as ‘Feeding the monster’ (An absolute must read if you haven’t already) we will never know the full story. Perhaps Jason felt his role was as a player, and perhaps it was never impressed upon him by Sox management to become an authority figure beyond regular Captain duties. Perhaps other forces were at work, and perhaps, most likely, the clubhouse was too far gone, was completely toxic and could not be saved.

Perhaps, at the end of the day, like plenty of other decisions in the business of sports, perhaps it was just a numbers game

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NFL picks: Week fourteen: Keeping your head above water (or, .500)

2011-12-09T02:47:00.005Z

I can honestly say not much scares me. More out of stubborn stupidity than anything, but, the list is short enough. Sharks, mushy vegetables like cabbage, oversleeping for work and the guys who set the NFL lines in Vegas. That last one terrifies me. They know everything. They are all powerful. They probably know what you are eating, right now, and they can tell you what time the end of the world is. How am I so confident? The NFL picks league I am in has (literally) millions of players in it. The average score is 76, which works out as exactly 50% on the season. That means that the average person picking NFL games gets half right, half wrong. Vegas would love if we got 100% wrong but that’s not possible, and 50% is just as scary. From a betting perspective that’s exactly what they want. And that scares me. How on earth are they so accurate?!

For those of you wondering, I am currently sitting on 91 points in that league, so, like everything in life, I find myself ever so slightly above average. I am considering that as my eventual epitaph ‘Ever so slightly above average’.

Onwards and upwards.

Previous weeks
Running total - 94-89 ATS
Week by week links at foot of column

Essential NFL pick links

The categories

Picks we love category
Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about

Cheat- list for ‘’Picks we love category’’
Houston +3.5, New Orleans -3.5, New York -8.5, Philadelphia +3.5, Buffalo +6.5, San Francisco -3.5, Chicago +3.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Atlanta Falcons (7-5) at Carolina Panthers (4-8) +2.5
Matt Ryan chose a poor week to have his first stinker in a while last week. His two picks probably cost the Falcons a very winnable game against Houston. Ryan and his Falcons will be eager to get back in the game. You can reasonably assume that Cam Newton won’t be allowed run riot like last weekend.
The score: Atlanta 24 Carolina 20
The pick: Atlanta -2.5

Picks we love category
Houston Texans (9-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) -3.5
Okay so, everyone saw The Bungles slip into that old Bungelesque routine against the Steelers last weekend, right? We were all witnesses, no? meanwhile, everyone duly noted the Texans, minus a QB to speak of, cool the formerly hot-handed Falcons? Both of those events were fully witnessed by all and sundry, no? Well, assuming we weren’t dreaming those two games, how on earth is this line sitting at The Bungles giving up points? This should be at least Houston -1.5, or at very least a ‘scratch’. Whatever, grab the points and watch the Texans beat a team that hasn’t beaten a decent side all year.
The Score: Houston 28 Cincinnati 24
The pick: Houston +3.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Minnesota Vikings (2-10) at Detroit Lions (7-5) -7.5
Normally you might charge into this line with abandon, however the Lions have given you pause for thought lately, haven’t they? They are banged up, and not facing adversity as well as one might have hoped. This is no slight on their marvelous early season, few teams would be able to handle the injuries and indeed suspensions the Lions have been plagued with. However, the Lions didn’t morph into a bad team overnight. They have been losing to good sides lately (A lot of teams will lose to the Packers and Saints). They can still chuck it with the best of them, and Kevin Smith is providing a good alternative to the Stafford\Megatron route. Tread carefully, but the Lions can win by 10.
The score: Minnesota 20 Detroit 30
The pick: Detroit -7.5

Picks we love category
New Orleans Saints (9-3) at Tennessee Titans (7-5) +3.5
Seriously? No fooling around? We can back the Saints -3.5 against a wildly unpredictable Tennessee? Is it December 25th already?
The score: New Orleans 35 Tennessee 24
The pick: New Orleans -3.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Indianapolis Colts (0-12) at Baltimore Ravens (9-3) -16.5
The Colts showed enough last week to suggest they can ‘hang’ within 17 points against a Jeckyl and Hyde Ravens. Take the points and hang on for dear life.
The score: Indianapolis 20 Baltimore 33
The pick: Indianapolis +16.5

Picks we love category
Kansas City Chiefs (5-7) at New York Jets (7-5) -8.5
Did the entire Kansas organization walk under a ladder or something? The Jets are firing on all cylinders at precisely the right time. Look how much easier it is for them to perform with less limelight and lower expectations. Maybe their loud-mouth coach will take note and act accordingly in future. Maybe I will win the lottery tonight. Neither are likely to happen.
The score: Kansas 17 New York 30
The pick: New York -8.5

Picks we love category
Philadelphia Eagles (4-8) at Miami Dolphins (4-8) -3.5
Imagine just before the NFL season started, imagine someone said to you, in Week 15 you can back the Eagles against Miami with 3.5 points. How hard would your jaw have hit the ground? Well, it’s happening!
The score: Philadelphia 24 Miami 21
The pick: Philadelphia +3.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
New England Patriots (9-3) at Washington Redskins (4-8) +7.5
The win over the Colts last weekend is almost being treated like a loss by the Boston media. Too close for comfort. The win was probably also treated like a loss by the Patriots, who apparently trained in pads more than usual this last week. The Redskins are in for a rebound-trashing.
The score: New England 38 Washington 20
The pick: New England -7.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9) +1.5
Maurice Jones Drew can pretty much beat Tampa on his own, particularly if Freeman doesn’t play for the latter.
The score: Tampa 17 Jacksonville 20
The pick: Jacksonville +1.5

Picks we love category
Chicago Bears (7-5) at Denver Broncos (7-5) -3.5
One thing that has come to the surface during the Bears mini slump, is that their defence, previously feared around the league, cannot carry the team without Cutler. Where are all the Cutler-haters now? He is clearly a huge part of the Bears success. Meanwhile, Tebow, what else can you say? Tebow has, to date, beaten a team with (at the time) no wins (Miami), lost emphatically to the Lions, beaten the Raiders in Palmer’s first game, beaten the Cassel-less Chiefs, beaten the short-week Jets, beaten the huge disappointing Chargers and the rookie QB led Vikings. This week, the run ends, the Chicago D has been licking its lips all week for a pop at Tebow.
The score: Chicago 20 Denver 17
The pick: Chicago +3.5

Picks we love category
San Francisco 49ers (10-2) at Arizona Cardinals (5-7) +3.5
The 49ers are not going to turn into a late season pumpkin. Harbaugh won’t let them. This line is way too low.
The score: San Francisco 23 Arizona 17
The pick: San Francisco -3.5

Picks we love category
Buffalo Bills (5-7) at San Diego Chargers (5-7) -6.5
This line is not correct at all. Buffalo are bursting to break out of their slump. The pieces are there, they just need a couple of momentum swings and they will be back on track. The Chargers are there for the taking.
The score: Buffalo 35 San Diego 30 (Yes, I know! A wild one)
The pick: Buffalo +6.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
Oakland Raiders (7-5) at Green Bay Packers (12-0) -11.5
Oakland are not the team to break up the Packers unbeaten run
The score: Oakland 20 Green Bay 33
The pick: Green Bay -11.5

Picks we don’t love, but, we certainly like, as it were, category
New York Giants (6-6) at Dallas Cowboys (7-5) -3.5
The Giants had the wind knocked out of them last week. They did everything they could and still lost to the Packers. Big letdown awaits them in Dallas.
The score: New York 23 Dallas 28
The pick: Dallas -3.5

Picks we are making but are not wildly enthused about
St. Louis Rams (2-10) at Seattle Seahawks (5-7) -6.5
Guffaw. Just, guffaw.
The score: St Louis 9 Seattle 10
The pick: St Louis +6.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9
Week ten - 7-7
Week eleven - 6-7
Week twelve - 8-7
Week thirteen -5-10

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Dinamo Zagreb take a dive in the second: French gambling authorities taking a close look at Lyon’s 7-1 win last night.

2011-12-08T01:10:00.004Z

An extraordinary night of Champions League football last night, and no, we don’t mean both Manchester super-powers being dumped unceremoniously out of the tournament. We are referring to the extremely dodgy circumstances surrounding the Zagreb v Lyon game.

Before last night’s Champions League action kicked off, French side Lyon looked, for all intents and purposes, dead and buried. Lagging three points behind second-placed Ajax, Remi Garde’s side needed to win their final game against Dinamo Zagreb and make up a goal difference of seven to make it to the last sixteen.

Well, unlikely as it may have seemed, the impossible happened. Lyon won 7-1 and perhaps less surprisingly Ajax lost 0-3 to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Needless to say, all hell has broken lose today. Ajax are absolutely furious, claiming they are victims of a conspiracy. Lyon are furious that anyone would suggest any wrong doing. Zagreb have sacked their coach and are frantically performing the Chief Wiggum ‘Nothing to see here!’ act. The fact that the French gambling authorities have become involved suggests they have spotted ‘unusual betting patterns’. For example, a large number of bets coming in from a region, say for example the Balkans, on Zagreb to lose, or to lose heavily or any other unusual circumstance.

Let’s break it all down Mulder and Scully style. Ajax are probably barking up the wrong tree, despite having had two seemingly good goals ruled out for offsides. The fact of the matter is Real Madrid’s B side is good enough to win most leagues. That 0-3 result is probably legitimate. Lyon? It is highly doubtful they are involved in any kind of match fixing, more than anything they probably just gleefully took advantage of what has appeared to been handed them.

That leaves Dinamo Zagreb.

Let’s have a look at the evidence, which is beginning to stack pretty high against them.

The case for the prosecution

The damning video evidence
The timing of the goals
Lyon’s goal scoring record to date
Domagoj Vida - ‘The wink’
The sending off
Dinamo’s history of corruption
Dinamo sacking their coach

The damning video evidence
This is a real video nasty. The defending is horrendous, suspiciously nonexistent at times. The goalkeeper doesn’t even try to stretch his hand out for a couple of the later goals. It is so bad that Dinamo don’t even appear to be trying to stop Lyon from scoring. Don’t take anyone else’s words for it, judge for yourself. Take careful note in particular at the ‘defensive’ play of Domagoj Vida. More on him later. By our count, Vida is to blame for at least three of the goals.

Another odd element of this is, Lyon’s bland reaction to the goals, as they fly in. If your team scores three goals in under seven minutes, a Champions League record, wouldn’t you at least break into a half smile? The Lyon players react as if they are about to be forced to watch the Twilight movies back to back to back.

The timing of the goals
This could mean nothing, or it could mean everything. Check out the timing of Lyon’s goals. Extremely suspicious. Three goals in under seven minutes? What the what?! Then another clutter of goals in an eleven minute spell between the 65th and 76th minute.

45 - B.Gomis
48 - M.Gonalons
49 - B.Gomis
52 - B.Gomis
65 - Lopez
70 - B.Gomis
76 - J.Briand

It just looks wrong, no? Particularly when you consider..

Lyon’s goal scoring record to date
You may say, ‘Well, Dinamo are absolutely rubbish, so it is no shock they were beaten so badly’. Not so fast! Consider also Lyon’s goal scoring record in the tournament to date. Lyon are a decent side (all Champions League teams are decent sides) but they are known as hard to break down and well organised, they are not known as a free scoring machine. Did you know Lyon had scored just two goals in their first five Champions League matches? Two goals. And now, in one half of football, six goals. Remember, Lyon hadn’t scored in their last three Champions League matches . Nudge nudge, wink wink, cough cough.

Domagoj Vida - ‘The wink’
Back to our mate Domagoj Vida, he who was to blame for possibly half the goals scored last night. If it does turn out that Vida was involved in some kind of half witted match fixing attempt, then someone should probably give the lad an IQ test before he is carted off to jail. He may be exempt from prison on the basis of low intelligence. Strong comments, however we have two pictures to back them up.

First, Mr. Vida winking at a Lyon player after one of the goals. No, seriously. Look for yourself. Winking.

Secondly, Mr. Vida leaving a bookies office earlier this season. No, seriously. A professional soccer player leaving a bookies office, in broad daylight. For real. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Domagoj Vida. Potentially the dumbest criminal of all times.

The sending off
This one is just odd. Zagreb, already out of the tournament mathematically speaking, had absolutely nothing to play for, so what on earth was light tackling midfielder Jerko Leko doing getting sent off for two bookable offences within the first 28 minutes?! Complete head scratcher, or something way more sinister?

Dinamo’s history of corruption
In short, this is not the first time Dinamo have been heavily involved in match fixing allegations. It has happened several times before. Here is an example. What can you say, did it before, more likely to do it again, right?

Dinamo sacking their coach
One last thread to connect, Dinamo Zagreb sacked their manager Krunoslav Jurcic a few hours after this debacle. At first glance, understandable given the severity of the result, however how about the fact that Jurcic’s side lead their domestic league by a healthy six point margin. How do you sack a manager when that’s the situation? Could this be Dinamo trying to divert attention from other potential issues?

The ruling...
Our hypothesis? This is not a grand conspiracy. We suggest one or two Dinamo players, working with a betting syndicate, combined to ensure Lyon got the goals they needed. At the end of the day, the whole thing is pretty easy to solve. Simply find the suspicious betting patterns, and follow them until you get to the root. That, and let an authority figure know if you see Domagoj Vida driving around in a new Bugatti Veyron.

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you, Fantasy Football. you.

2011-12-05T20:37:00.004Z

First things first, we are angry, and thus we are cursing in this one. So, if you are averse to a little colourful language, then go here instead. Right, moving on. A friend of mine posted the following simple yet evocative statement on Facebook today

‘’God I hate Fantasy Football’’

Well you know what friend, so do I.

Why do we put ourselves through it? Think about it. There are millions upon millions playing NFL Fantasy Football. Take away the guy that wins your league, and ask yourself, does anyone actually enjoy it? It is nothing short of a Sunday night headache coated in a dressing of statistical anxiety. You know what, when you are losing sleep over Jabar fucking Gaffney, well, you shouldn’t be allowing yourself to be involved in whatever it is you are doing. Let’s just underline that, if you are laying in bed thinking about Jabar Gaffney, there is something wrong with your life. Particularly if you are a dude.

Fantasy Football is nothing but an anger stimulant. A catalyst towards epic Kenny Power's like melt-downs. This column threw a remote control on Sunday night. Yes, my name is Cormac and I am an angry person today. Kenny Powers fucking angry.

Why are we Kenny Powers angry? Because of Fantasy Football.

Fantasy football is worse than heroin. There it is. I said it, and I stand by it. Fantasy Football is a time wasting, energy sapping, money wasting exercise with no peer. It is the Sarah Palin of hobbies. Full of gloss and bluster, yet ultimately as meaningful as a fish riding a bicycle. Worse yet, it is a lonely path. Let’s get one thing straight, not one human being in the known World cares about your fantasy football team.

Nobody cares. Nobody. There is not one single person that cares about your fantasy football team other than you. Sure, there are people who pretend to care, but they are doing so only to either not hurt your feelings, or in order to be able to then regurgitate a similar boring story about their fantasy football team to you. That’s it. Everyone else could care less. You know what, let’s reiterate that again, because it is simply astounding as to how many male conversations start with ‘Hey you wouldn’t believe what happened to my fantasy team this week!’ Nobody cares. Www.nobodycares.com Take this quarter and go call someone who cares, only problem is you are going to get a dial tone because, nobody cares!

Break it down a little and there it lays in front of you, naked and exposed for the blithering idiot that it is, this Fantasy Football we partake in. There are approximately 20 million people in the United States playing NFL Fantasy Football at time of writing. That is, approximately, 2 million Fantasy Football leagues. So, by the end of this ‘fantasy’ season, a pathetic 200,000 will have won their league. That tiny percentage will have ‘enjoyed’ their Fantasy Football experience. For the rest of us Muppets, this fantasy season will be remembered as a painfully frustrating few months of staring at stat-trackers watching players like Chris Johnson ultimately fail to live up to expectations, high draft picks disappearing into the scrap heap before week five, bad free agent choices, good free agent choices getting freak injuries, and opponents players coming alive the week they play you, you know, just to screw with you, as your opponent tips you by a half a point that given week.

Seriously now, if I had seen one more player that had done nothing for my team, The Tusken Raiders, break out immediately the next week for fifty fucking points for the Chug Monkey that picked him up after I dumped him, the laptop was taking a five-and-dive out the apartment window. Narrow escape, laptop, narrow escape.

You would be better off slapping yourself in the face with a rubber chicken for three hours than running a Fantasy Football team. Seriously, what is the point? It stops you from enjoying NFL games. It does not promote camaraderie amongst friends, let’s just go ahead and debunk that right away. It does nothing of the sorts. It promotes hair loss, anxiety, stomach ulcers and sleeplessness.

As a committed Fantasy Football owner (God even saying that and admitting it to myself I feel like punching myself in the face until my teeth start to bleed for wasting so much time and energy) you are no longer able to enjoy NFL games in the traditional sense. The sometimes majestic ebb and flow of the game is completely lost on your idiotic head. A brilliant, explosive game could be erupting right in front of you, yet you are gormlessly hoping some half baked clown of a receiver gets one more catch so you get those crucial couple of points. Who actually won that game? You don’t even know, as you wallow in your stinking pit of completely ignorant tar. At least Jabar Fucking Gaffney caught that pass (Or, as in my case last night, not one single pass)!

Camaraderie? There is more camaraderie on the trading floor of the stock exchange. Maybe you are in a new, fresh Fantasy league with guys who are pretending to like each other for now. Well, just wait. Give it time, my son. Pretty soon you will be reading bible-length angry emails from this guy to that guy or those guys, cursing and screaming about your league. Pretty soon you will be shocked at the sniping, angry, vicious comments in the matchup section of each game. In my league, going several years now, we don’t even trade anymore. There was no trades in my league this season. Not one! Not through lack of moves, there were hundreds upon hundreds of moves. My theory on the lack of trades? Nobody wanted to give up anything, they would rather rot with the dross they had than potentially help anyone out, even if they were helping themselves out in the long run. The KGB would be stunned at the icy, Iago like machinations in my Fantasy League. I would describe it as a place completely absent of any camaraderie whatsoever. Even amongst the few friends in it.

We know all this, we know how stupid and facile Fantasy Football is, and yet we beat on, boats against the tide. We know how futile the exercise is, and yet we churn hundreds of hours annually into it, like particularly stupid Lemmings casting themselves off the cliff sides.

There probably is no help for us. If you don’t partake in Fantasy Football, please, run away from it, forever. If you are ever in doubt, just think that this person wants to go home and crawl into bed with the covers over his head, but only after punching himself hard in the face a billion times.

Fuck you Jabar Gaffney. Fuck you Fantasy Football.

When’s next season’s draft?

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NFL picks: Week thirteen: Turning into the home stretch

2011-12-01T17:21:00.008Z

They should dedicate the entire ‘‘Cmon Man!’’ segment of the NFL Sunday warm-up show to the Eagles. C’Mon man! Dream Team? Nightmare team, more like. How do you get torn apart by such a pathetic Seattle team?! C’Mon Man! Seattle didn’t even have their one truly star player, Sidney Rice. We all love an underdog victory, but, seriously, Eagles, C’Mon Man! At least now we can finally put their season to bed. There is a massive fork sticking out of their collective backs. They. Are. Done.

On to the rest of week thirteen.

Previous weeks
Running total - 89-79 ATS
Week by week links at foot of column

Essential NFL pick links

Atlanta Falcons (7-4) at Houston Texans (8-3) +2.5
Houston beat up a bad opponent last week, something that perhaps hid their QB issues a little. Watch as Atlanta rip the cover off their dirty little secret. The Falcons are playing at a high level right now, and have the players to stop the Texans running game, forcing their third string QB into making decisions he doesn’t have the skill set to make. Matt Ryan is absolutely on fire right now. The Falcons become legitimate trophy contenders with this statement win.
The score: Atlanta 27 Houston 17
The Pick: Atlanta -2.5

Tennessee Titans (6-5) at Buffalo Bills (5-6) -1.5
The Bills showed signs of resurfacing from a tough few weeks against the Jets, indeed they should have won probably, except for two inexcusable WR drops on the final drive. At home, with a little bit of momentum, against a Tennessee team that has not really forged an identity for itself this season, this looks like a soft line.
The score: Tennessee 20 Buffalo 30
The Pick: Buffalo -1.5

Kansas City Chiefs (4-7) at Chicago Bears (7-4) -8.5
This one is a real noodle scratcher. The Bears, with a pretty average backup QB, giving up 8.5 points to Kyle Orton throwing footballs to a talented bunch of Kansas WRs? Whilst that ferocious Chicago D is duly noted, the Chiefs suddenly have a genuine, legitimate NFL QB at the helm. The Chiefs may start with Palfko, but will turn to Orton early. Orton didn’t turn into a pumpkin overnight. If anything he is rested and motivated, and Soldier field won’t be a big eye opening shock to him. Hey, the Bears are the better team, however their own QB situation is poor enough to stop you from diving in to those 8.5 points. If you are thinking about dipping your toe in, Orton to Bowe should scare the living daylights out of you.
The score: Kansas 24 Chicago 27
The Pick: Kansas +8.5

Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) -7.5
Credit the Steelers, where credit is due. They keep getting the job done. It often isn’t pretty, but the results are the same, win after win. Here’s the thing, they are not blowing teams out. In fact, they really struggled to beat a pretty awful Kansas team. That flop, combined with the short week, and you can really only pick the Bengals to hang around within those 7.5 points.
The score: Cincinnati 20 Pittsburgh 23
The Pick: Cincinnati +7.5

Denver Broncos (6-5) at Minnesota Vikings (2-9) -1.5
I have one question. Imagine the Vikings had a Muslim QB called Jimmy Jimbob, right? Imagine he prepared for every game by laying out a prayer mat on the sideline and praying to Mecca. Imagine after every big play he knelt and opened a Koran he had on his person, and read a few lines. Imagine he read sections of that Koran to his team mates pre-game. Do you think his behaviour would be accepted? Honestly? America is a funny place. Right wing ding-bats will preach the constitution to you all day long when it suits them, right to bear arms for example, however ask them about separation of church and state, clearly laid out in that same document for all to see, and they zip up faster than the muted voice of the 99%. Tebow’s ridiculous behaviour is only accepted because he is a conservative, white, young American male. Anybody who says differently has their head buried in the sand. Having said that, absolutely love him to beat the Vikings without Peterson. Yup.
The score: Denver 24 Minnesota 17
The Pick: Denver +1.5

Indianapolis Colts (0-11) at New England Patriots (8-3) -20.5
They can make this -25 and it won’t scare me off. The Colts have shown absolutely no reason to back them. Doesn’t this just stink of a massive destruction job? The Patriots are rolling right now, Brady has his accuracy back, and is spreading the ball around to his two big young TEs and his collection of great possession receivers like Welker, Branch and Edelman. Woodhead and Ben-Jarvis are providing a really nice 1-2 running punch. The Patriots D has finally started to gel and develop its own identity, led by Vince Wilfork who demands attention as AFC defensive player of the year. He may not jump out of the stats boxes at you, but watch the Patriots play, and watch how much attention Wilfork gets from the offensive line. He is a game changer. That line is simply not high enough, you think the Patriots and their coaching staff will have mercy on the Colts after a few scores?
The score: Indianapolis 17 New England 48
The Pick: New England -20.5

Oakland Raiders (7-4) at Miami Dolphins (3-8) -2.5
Miami managed to keep it close against Dallas last week, however they still lost. A loss is a loss, even if they stayed well within the spread. There are not pat-on-the-back losses in the NFL. Oakland’s impressive three game winning stretch includes a quality win against the tough Bears D. Miami’s wins previous to their loss to Dallas were against poor or struggling teams. Oakland have the quality and skill to beat a limited Miami team. Remember, seven wins play three here.
The score: Oakland 24 Miami 19
The Pick: Oakland +2.5

New York Jets (6-5) at Washington Redskins (4-7) +3.5
The Jets rolled with the punches last week against a determined Bills team and still came out winners. They should have no trouble polishing off a Washington team that got absolutely pasted by Buffalo just a few weeks ago.
The score: New York 30 Washington 20
The Pick: New York -3.5

Carolina Panthers (3-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) -1.5
At least Carolina have won a ball game recently. Tampa are in a horrific five game tail spin. After a few backwards steps Cam Newton suddenly looks progressive again. His gleeful ‘Superman’ touchdown celebration is one of my favorites doing the rounds right now. He should get to do it once or twice this Sunday.
The score: Carolina 35 Tampa 30 (Yes, unexpected wild one!)
The Pick: Carolina +1.5
Baltimore Ravens (8-3) at Cleveland Browns (4-7) +6.5
Which Baltimore is going to show up? The one you can’t trust, or the one that looks like a potential trophy candidate? Two big wins over the 49ers and Bengals point towards the latter. Whilst Cleveland have definitely been playing better lately, they have struggled against the better teams. Baltimore should handle them with ease.
The score: Baltimore 24 Cleveland 13
The Pick: Baltimore -6.5

Dallas Cowboys (7-4) at Arizona Cardinals (4-7) +6.5
Dallas were a bit lazy last week and let Miami stay close. There is no evidence to suggest Arizona can do same. Dallas should remain razor focused as with the Eagles loss, they can take a big step towards the playoffs on Sunday.
The score: Dallas 32 Arizona 20
The Pick: Dallas -6.5

Green Bay Packers (11-0) at New York Giants (6-5) +6.5
Around this time last year Green Bay absolutely whacked the Giants, announcing themselves to everyone as serious contenders. No need for the announcement this year, but, result should still be similar.
The score: Green Bay 35 New York 23
The Pick: Green Bay -6.5

St. Louis Rams (2-9) at San Francisco 49ers (9-2) -13.5
Once again, the 49ers are not built to blow teams out. Look for them to get a lead, and grind the clock down.
The score: St Louis 17 San Francisco 24
The Pick: St Louis +13.5

Detroit Lions (7-4) at New Orleans Saints (8-3) -6.5
Potentially the game of the week. New Orleans should score at will against a Detroit team minus Suh, however, Detroit can put up a bevy of points against a pretty weak Saints secondary too. The problem is, just not enough.
The score: Detroit 28 New Orleans 35
The Pick: New Orleans -6.5
San Diego Chargers (4-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) +2.5
I think we can all see the massive changes coming in San Diego. Jacksonville have a unique opportunity to beat a team in serious turmoil.
The score: San Diego 23 Jacksonville 24
The Pick: Jacksonville +2.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9
Week ten - 7-7
Week eleven - 6-7
Week twelve - 8-7

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Thursday night NFL week 13 quicky

2011-12-01T01:05:00.002Z

Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) at Seattle Seahawks (4-7) +2.5
Seattle can’t be too confident going into this one, after blowing a big lead to Washington last week, and losing their best WR (Sidney Rice). The Eagles will probably be glad to get away from the 'Boo Birds' in Philly. Look for them to let off a little steam, have a little fun, against the hapless Hawks.
The score: Philadelphia 28 Seattle 16
The Pick: Philadelphia -2.5

Valentine’s Day: Red Sox set to unleash Bobby Valentine 2.0 on MLB

2011-11-30T02:23:00.002Z

Bobby Valentine is set to become the 45th manager in Red Sox history sometime around midday local time in Boston today. Valentine is on his way back from Japan where sources are saying he was offered the job. All that remains now is the goofy opening press conference with Valentine sporting that classy old Boston cap.

This column is going to come right out and say it, we like the move. Valentine is a long term, old school baseball guy. He gets the game and sees things other don’t. He has experienced almost everything in the game. He got to the big leagues briefly at age 19 in 1969 and then returned two years later. He played in the big leagues for 10 years total, spread out across five teams. He was the No. 1 pick of the Dodgers in 1968, taken ahead of none other than Bill Buckner (nice symmetry there!).

Two things stand out really, above and beyond the clichéd ‘he will bring discipline’ angle being regurgitated incessantly around the major sporting online outlets today.

First off, he brings a tremendous amount of colour and character to the Manager’s office. You can envision Valentine garnering more than his share of headlines, and one thing that will do is deflect attention away from his players. This will be a welcome distraction after a carpet bombing of paparazzi treatment this batch of Red Sox players may never forget (things figure to be pretty icy between certain reports and the players they covered with gleeful Schadenfreude during the great September swoon).

Secondly, we think we all need to ensure everyone knows about this, what is really undoubtedly one of the funniest moments in MLB history

In June 9, 1999 during the 12th inning of a 14 inning marathon with the Toronto Blue Jays, Mike Piazza was called for catcher's interference on Craig Grebeck. Valentine was ejected by home plate umpire Randy Marsh for arguing the call, and, well, then this happened.

Assuming MLB eventually take that video above down, Valentine unbelievably returned to the dugout an inning later in a disguise Ron Burgundy would be proud of. One of the funniest baseball moments ever. Sadly MLB didn’t get the joke and fined Valentine $5,000 and suspended him for three games.

Hey, how is this guy not going to fit in to the Cirque De Red Sox?!

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Tickets for the Roger Waters Tour

2011-11-30T01:12:00.005Z

The Roger Waters Tour is going to be a historic, modern-day production of The Wall. North America in 2012, will be the last stop of Roger's two year tour, this time landing the massive spectacle in several suitably large stadiums. With a new, 36-show North American tour scheduled to kick off on May 1st, The Wall will come to: Fenway Park in Boston TBA, AT&T Park in San Francisco (May 11th), BC Place in Vancouver (May 26th), Wrigley Field in Chicago (June 8th), Rogers Center in Toronto (June 23rd) and citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (July 14th). Between those weekend stadium dates, Waters will play arenas across the U.S. and Canada, including many markets that were skipped the last time around.

"Thirty years ago, when I was kind of an angry and not very young lad, I found myself driven into defensive positions because I was scared of stuff, and I've come to realize that in that personal story, maybe somewhere hidden in there exists an allegory for more general and universal themes, political and social themes. It's really for that reason that I decided that I'd try and create a new performance of this piece using a lot of the same things that we did all those years ago. We're going to be projecting over 140 yards. So now its going to be 1,500 pixels wide. We've done light tests at Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field, as well as Yankee Stadium just to see what the ambient light is like. And its fine. It works," said Roger Waters

The eagerly-awaited Roger Waters Tour combine an evening's worth of music --comprised of two sets plus encores-- with state-of-the-art staging, lighting and sound.

The Roger Waters Tour Setlist will include Roger Waters and full band performing "The Wall," one of the defining works of rock music history, from start-to-finish. Waters last performed "The Wall" live in America with Pink Floyd more than 30 years ago.

The Roger Waters concerts will utilize elaborate large-scale video projections and theatrical staging to underscore and accentuate the power of the music which is delivered via a state-of-the-art 3600 quadraphonic sound system immersing the audience in a 3-dimensional hyperworld.

The appearance will be a state-of-the art affair, featuring a 240-foot-wide and 35-foot-tall Wall complete and after broken down during the concerts. Other backdrop and appropriate furnishings are accepted to be allotment of the appearance as well.

Album illustrator Gerald Scarfe, who worked on the tour and 1982 film, is providing new art and redesigning puppets and inflatable objects

NFL picks: Week twelve: Breathing a sigh of relief

2011-11-27T12:34:00.006Z

So can I gloat that I had Stanford -6.5? Can we throw that in there to boost stats? Notre Dame, that's Karma at the door. Anyway, after a hot .700 start this column was depressed to come back down to earth with a bang, however this column then breathed a hefty sigh of relief after surveying the surrounding professional scribes picks percentages. Have you seen them? We're talking often below .500. One in particular that I know a lot of readers of this column subscribe to, he's two under .500. Anyway, sometimes it's nice to know you are hovering slightly above average. In fact, most of the time actually, when you think about it. Slightly above average is the place to be.

Enough with the chit chat. Some NFL post-thanksgiving quick picks.

Previous weeks
Running total - 76-70 ATS
Week by week links at foot of column

Essential NFL pick links

Minnesota Vikings (2-8) at Atlanta Falcons (6-4) -9.5
No Adrian Peterson? No chance.
The score: Minnesota 20 Atlanta 33
The pick: Atlanta -9.5

Buffalo Bills (5-5) at New York Jets (5-5) -8.5
No Fred Jackson? No chance! (There's a theme developing here!)
The score: Buffalo 17 New York 30
The pick: New York -8.5

Cleveland Browns (4-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) -7.5
No players with any discernible talent? No chance!
The score: Cleveland 13 Cincinnati 24
The pick: Cincinnati -7.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) at Tennessee Titans (5-5) -3.5
No Hasselback? No chance! (Disclaimer: Obviously adjust accordingly if Hasselback is playing!)
The score: Tampa 20 Tennessee 23
The pick: Tampa +3.5

Carolina Panthers (2-8) at Indianapolis Colts (0-10) +3.5
No wins? No chance!
The score: Carolina 28 Indianapolis 13
The pick: Carolina -3.5

Arizona Cardinals (3-7) at St. Louis Rams (2-8) -3.5
No point in watching other than Steven Jackson!
The score: Arizona 23 St Louis 28
The pick: St Louis -3.5

Houston Texans (7-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7) +3.5
No Schuab? No problem!
The score: Houston 24 Jacksonville 17
The pick: Houston -3.5

Chicago Bears (7-3) at Oakland Raiders (6-4) -4.5
No Cutler? Well, definitely a problem, but that Chicago D can overwhelm Oakland.
The score: Chicago 20 Oakland 17
The pick: Chicago +4.5

Washington Redskins (3-7) at Seattle Seahawks (4-6) -4.5
No believers in Seattle. No reason to pick Washington.
The score: Washington 17 Seattle 24
The pick: Seattle -4.5

Denver Broncos (5-5) at San Diego Chargers (4-6) -6.5
No San Diego throw-back, this aint' your Daddy's Chargers. Plus, Tebow is the second coming. Of Randall Cunningham.
The score: Denver 28 San Diego 26
The pick: Denver +6.5

New England Patriots (7-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-6) +3
No Vick? No dream-team.
The score: New England 34 Philly 23
The pick: New England -3

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-6) +10.5
No reasoning behind this pick other than it feels like too many points.
The score: Pittsburgh 26 Kansas 20
The pick: Kansas +10.5

New York Giants (6-4) at New Orleans Saints (7-3) -6.5
No, that's not the good Manning.
The score: New York 20 New Orleans 30
The pick: New Orleans -6.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9
Week ten - 7-7
Week eleven thus far - 1-2

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Happy Turkey day, baby. He hate me (plus now with added NFL Turkey day picks)!

2011-11-24T02:39:00.000Z

Normally on this date annually Boston Irish prints its annual Buzzkill piece on how the only real Americans were the victims of Genocide over the last few hundred years, and you should all feel guilty (yes, including me) for watching the Lions shock the Packers 36-30 (you heard it here first!) when no one is acknowledging the plain and simple fact that a massive genocide was perpetrated over the course of four hundred years.

Fun times for all!

Previous Buzzkill Thanksgiving entries;
2008
2007

Naturally, people really don’t much care for that, and the torrents of abuse are always plentiful, varied and vitriolic.

This year, Boston Irish doesn't have the energy for the inevitable abuse, so will be just saying 'Happy Thanksgiving', eating some delicious home made pumpkin pie and enjoying the football in the best possible company.

You know what is amazing though? The sheer level of hatred and anger out there in the vast cluster-fudge that is the Internet. It’s not just the Turkey day piece. No way, José. Sports, believe it or not, is an incredibly divisive subject. Shocker, I know. I would chance a guess that of all the e-mail Boston Irish has drawn since its inception in 2006, the vast majority has been argumentative, hateful anti-fan mail. Not sure what that says about the content of this blog, maybe it's a comment on that, or maybe it is a comment on the spiteful nature of the Net of Inter.

Hey, let’s have a look at the highlights, why not, in the spirit of Genocide day. Right after some Turkey Day NFL quick picks.

Green Bay @ Detroit +6
It is very hard to go 16-0 in the NFL season. It is even harder to go 19-0. Just ask any Patriots fan. Ask them when they wake up on a beach in Mexico after getting thrown out of a theater for shouting at Dallas fans who were rooting for the Giants (What?! Really?! But they are both in the NFC East?! Right, I know!). Either which way, Detroit to shock the world.
The score: Green Bay 30 Detroit 36
The Pick: Detroit +6

Miami @ Dallas -7
Would the real Dallas please stand up?! Miami playing with momentum that seemed highly unlikely a month ago. Go with the hot hand (and the points). Dallas hasn't beaten anyone decent since they got hammered by the Eagles. Their three game winning streak is a paper tiger.
The score: Miami 24 Dallas 23
The Pick: Miami +7

San Francisco @ Baltimore -3.5
Is there still room on the 49ers bandwagon?
The score: San Francisco 24 Baltimore 20
The Pick: San Francisco +3.5

Death threats
Naturally top of the bill was a death threat, that came in late 2007. It had to be the most poorly thought out death threat of all time. It was anonymous, poorly spelt and quite unspecific in nature. It took me a while to figure out why the e-mailer was so angry. Goodness me though, it was expletive laden and very hateful. The funny thing was, it was so poorly spelt it never really got under my skin. It was almost as if an angry Orangutan had taken the time and spent the effort to become proficient in typing but slacked off on the whole spelling side of things. Still, you haven’t lived unless you have had at least one death threat in your life, so, we can check that box off at least.

Jets fans
Oh those poor little Jets fans. They get so wound up, angry and frustrated. In many, many ways, Rex Ryan is the perfect coach for the J-E-T-S, as he mirrors much of their fan base. Fat, unruly, seemingly pretty uneducated (I feel like I can write that, having received poorly written death threats from their fan-base), Ryan has been blazing a trail of trash-talking glory throughout his tenure with the Jets, all with very little impact on the standings in the AFC East. The Jets had their day in the sun when they won 'their Superbowl' (as they called it) and are now reduced to side notes with a generally humorous slant. Rex Ryan crying in the locker room. Rex Ryan eating twelve cheeseburgers at one sitting. Rex Ryan's foot fetish. Rex Ryan’s pants ripping during a team meeting. The Jets, their coach and their fans are a side-note in ’11, and goodness me, their fan base is angry. Boston Irish has received a slew of poorly written, hard to decipher ‘hate mail’ from Jets fans over the years, none more so than in ’11. The following three emails are from angry little Jets fans, all received in the last three years, all from different IP addresses.

Now that's a beer belly

Subject: ‘You can **** off and die in hell’.
Highlights: ‘You think you are all that patriots fans but yu (sic) are not all that patriots suck jets rule JETS JETS’

I like to picture someone from Holland saying the above, in a really bad Euro-English accent. Try it, it’s fun.

Subject: ‘The Patriots suck and so do you’
Highlights: ‘Mark MY words the Patriots WILL get beaten by the Jets in round two and the Patriots WILL finish behind the Jets. Tom Brady can watch while Mark Sanchez leads the Jets to the Superbowl just like Brady did the Patriots in 01’

Jets fans seem to really like the word ‘suck’. Is there some deep underlying meaning behind this? Sadly this fan WAS wrong ABOUT the GAME last SUNDAY (Capitals rule!).

Subject: ‘Why do you bother?’
Highlights: ‘In five years time Mark Sanchez will be on the cover of every magazine and Tom Brady will be a nobody’

Odd one this, unsure as to why this Jets fan took the time to send me this email, was this scary premonition meant to upset me in some shape or form? You know, the Internet is such a crazy place really, it’s funny to think someone took the time to sit down and write a long, boring (believe me, the above was the only interesting part) email to someone they don’t know based on an amateur article on sports.

Then again, that’s the entire reason we keep this blog, communication, therefore you have to reason you take the bad with the good. Plus, those Jets fans are kind of funny in an angry-ant kind of way. Quite angry, but essentially harmless.

NASCAR fans
For people that spend an inordinate amount of time watching cars go round and round in circles, NASCAR fans can sure generate volumes of angry emails. Tip to all aspiring writers, don’t ever take on NASCAR, the retribution will be massive, aggressive and very, very poorly spelt.

Yankees fans
You would think, with the heavily Boston slanted content of this blog, the majority of abuse would emanate from the keyboard of Yankee fans. Far from it. There has been much more e-mail from those angry little Jets fans over the years. Instead, there have been basically two Yankee fans who launched long propaganda campaigns over the course of weeks, starting out aggressive, angry and bitter, eventually becoming dull and boring. Snap judgment, from a small cross-section, Yankees fans appear much better at basic manipulation of the English language than, for example, Jets fans. Is this a thinly veiled comment on New Jersey and it’s populace?

Of course, no Yankee fan will ever be as angry as this guy.

English people
Saving the best for last. You really never know you have been verbally abused by an English person until about seven hours after it actually happens. You know that Simpsons where Homer meets Ricky Gervais, and he listens to him waffle on for ages before finally exclaiming, ‘You take FOREVER to say NOTHING!’ People who read this, I give you English people! Taking a step back, where do all these angry English e-mails come from? Simple. My father, brother and I have always taken great pleasure in the demise of any English sports team. Soccer, cricket, Rugby or whatever, it doesn’t matter. It is funny when England loses. It’s funny when the English cricket team loses to a minor cricket nation and the English press screams headlines akin to ‘England’s failures may be because they are hopeless’. It is funny when England get knocked out of the World Cup.

Why is it so funny? That’s simple. If you lived in Ireland in the 80s you were suffocated by British sports on TV. The Charlton and golden Irish rugby eras had yet to begin, and Sky Sports was just a pipe dream. Instead we had to suffer arrogant British sports commentators on the BBC or UTV. You know the drill, a British athlete in a 20 person field in a track event? Even if the British athlete finished fifth, theirs is the name you would hear most. Soccer? Don’t even get me started. British sports pundits, who we had rammed down our throats for decades before the sports media explosion, were always convinced they would win whatever tournament they were playing in.

So it is easy to see why any British sporting demise is greeted with glee in my family household.

Thing is, they don’t take it very well, the Brits. Cue reams, stacks, truck-loads of angry emails whenever Boston Irish says anything bad about the UK.

Well, chin up, limey. Just wait until the European Championships next year! We can have a good go at each other then.

In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving, peace and love to all.

''In the 1910, the total population of North American Indians was about 400,000, down from about 18 -19 million in 1492.''

(David Stannard in his 'American Holocaust', 1992, pp. 74-75, p.151)

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Revisiting something in a timely manner: hy·poc·ri·sy, I dub thee George King

2011-11-24T01:53:00.002Z

Wrote this way back when on Thanksgiving in 2006 (do you remember 2006?! It seems like a different life at this stage). Interesting to re-visit it in the light of Justin Verlander taking the MVP trophy for the pitchers fraternity.

hy·poc·ri·sy, I dub thee George King

hy·poc·ri·sy
1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

Oh, how they wept! The New York Post and it's baseball columnists have had an interesting week. The slant of their articles has gone from 'Jeter deserves the MVP' to 'Uh oh, maybe he's not going to win it' all the way to 'How dare the writers choose someone other than Derek!!'

The first hint that something was amiss in the City that never sleeps was from this article by the NY Posts George King, where he came out with this paranoid-aggressive paragraph;

One area that shouldn't be ignored is anti-Yankee and anti-New York bias. If you don't think they exist, look no further than the NL Manager of the Year Award, won by former Florida manager Joe Girardi over Mets manager Willie Randolph.

Where does one even start with that infantile little outburst. Is he for real? An anti New York bias? To belittle the job that Joe Girardi did with a Marlins team that some thought might win maybe 50 games in '06 as nothing but 'anti New York bias' is absolutely asinine.

Here's the thing, it all comes back neatly to George King himself.

In 1999 Pedro Martinez put up one of the all time great season by a pitcher. He went an astounding 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts, incredible numbers. He blew the NL away in his sensational All Star game start and walked into Yankee Stadium on September 10th and struck out 17 Yankees leading the Red Sox to a 3-1 win. It was, arguably, the greatest single season by a pitcher, certainly in living memory.

Pedro Martinez

That seasons MVP vote was controversial, as Martínez received the most first-place votes (8 of 28), but was totally omitted from the ballot of two sportswriters who believed pitchers were not sufficiently all-around players to be considered. Pedro Martínez finished second to Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez, 252 points to 239. Rodríguez had been included on all 28 ballots.

The men in question were LaVelles Neal of the Minneapolis's Star-Tribune and George King of the New York Post.

They both argued, King more vehemently, that pitchers should not be eligible for the award. According to wikipedia though,

''On occasion, though, pitchers still win the award, and the current rules for the MVP specifically state that pitchers are to be considered. Since 1971, however, only four pitchers have won the award, the last being Dennis Eckersley in 1992.''

King and LaVellespan's slight caused outrage amongst the baseball community, and not just Boston's passionate fans. "It really made (writers) all look very dumb," said Buster Olney, who covers the Yankees for the New York Times. "people were operating under different rules. The question of eligibility is a very basic thing. People were determining eligibility for themselves."

The real shocker is, George King has previously voted for Mariano Rivera on multiple occasions, in previous years. If you look Mariano up online it would appear the young man is a pitcher.

How dare George King complain about how other voters cast their votes. Who does he think he is to cast doubt on the decisions of other baseball writers when given the chance, he showed to be a royal hypocrite by ruining Pedro Martinez's MVP chase by not having him on the ballot at all whilst previously voting for other pitchers.

In McCarthy like fashion King has now arrogantly come out and 'outed' various writers for not having Jeter higher on their own ballot, ridiculing them and even going as far as to say ''This isn't the first time Cowley has been in the eye of an MVP controversy.''

Well George, you certainly know a thing about controversy. Now you also know a thing or two about Karma.

Instead of casting doubt on other journalists, how about you explain to us all your exclusion of Pedro in '99 saying it was because he was a pitcher while you had no problem voting for Mariano. Anti NY bias indeed!

If you feel like asking George why he is wobbling around slating other journalists MVP votes when he practically invented the term 'MVP controversy' then send him an e-mail!

I am delighted Justin Morneau won the MVP award, the young lad clearly deserved at least a shot at it after posting a sparkling season.

People like George King have agendas and bitterness lurking behind their reasoning. His leaving Pedro off the ballot in '99 was an ugly, clearly hypocritical gesture by an arrogant man. Thankfully he did nothing to diminish the memory of Petey's spectacular season. I sincerely hope The diminutive Dominicans dandy performance in walking into Yankee stadium and embarrassing the Yankees on sept 10th 1999 sticks in King's throat like an off slice of week old turkey for the rest of his life.

Happy Thanksgiving and congratulations Justin Morneau.

I demand a recount! Pedro Martinez was robbed of the 1999 MVP award

2011-11-22T01:02:00.004Z

So does anyone know what the hypocritical, pedantic, stubborn clown George King is up to? A cursory glance through the Net of Inter reveals not much in the way of information on the presumably former NY Post ‘writer’. He doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. Those with reasonably long memories will recall George King was the idiot who left Pedro Martinez completely off his MVP voting card in 1999, costing Pedro the award, despite a transcendent year that makes Justin Verlander’s 2011 season look like the back of John Wasdin’s baseball card.

Pedro tearing apart the Yankees in the '99 ALCS

Naturally, there had to be a ‘George King’ in 20011 too. Let’s hope Jim Ingraham’s career turns out better than Mr. Kings. Verlander appeared on 27 of 28 ballots and was omitted by Ingraham of The Herald-News in Ohio, who voted Bautista first.. At least Ingraham tried to give an explanation for his omission.

"I'd wrestled with this for a long time. If I was ever going to vote for pitcher for MVP, it would be him this year, he hasn't appeared in 79 percent of their games, any starting pitcher really doesn't appear in 79 percent of his team's games in a year.''

Ingraham has obviously never tried getting a batter out in his life. Those Muppets bleating that no pitcher should win the MVP award as they only play every fifth day, have probably never pitched in a competitive game in their life. I have some insight on this, having thrown over 1,400 innings in the Irish baseball league and in European competition. That’s fifteen levels in terms of quality below the Majors, approximately, however the effect on my arm is the same. Positional players, by and large, don’t lay in bed at night putting weight on their arm to stop it hurting. They don’t go to bed after a particularly taxing game on a cocktail of painkillers. They do not, by and large, go through anything like the physical strain and pressure the average starting pitcher goes through. They do not risk their arm every time they take the hill. Coming out with that tired old stale cliché merely means you know nothing of what a person gives physically to be a starting pitcher.

What hurts most of all is when you look at Justin and Pedro’s statistics, the Dominican Dandy puts Verlander in the (mango tree) shade. In 1999, in the middle of the juicing era, Martinez had a completely insane 2.07 ERA. For 2011 Verlander submitted a very respectable 2.40. Martinez struck out 313 batters, or 13.2 per nine innings pitched. Verlander struck out 250 batters, or 9.0 per nine innings pitched. Simply no comparison. Martinez walked just 37 batters, for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 8.46. Verlander walked 57 batters, for a 4.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Even the most casual of fan would surely agree, Martinez has superior numbers, just no award. Incredibly Martinez was even better the following year in 2000, when he went 18-6 with a 1.74 ERA, however in a mind-boggling turn of events, he came in fifth that year. Go figure.

This isn’t about the validity of a pitcher being as valuable as an ‘every-day player’, this isn’t about anything other than some stubborn idiot leaving Pedro completely off the ballot in 1999, spoiling an absolutely wonderful season that fully deserved the MVP. This has been hammered home by Verlander taking home the 2011 award, and putting an exclamation point to the end of the sentence that reads; ‘George King is an idiot, and always will be!’

Let none of this take away from Verlander, and his superb 2011 season. Congratulations Justin. Pedro, we will never forget your sensational, scintillating, sexy 1999 season. It deserved better.

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The NFL cares, FIFA doesn’t: Rex Ryan facing hefty fine while FIFA basically ignores rampant racism in its sport

2011-11-22T00:11:00.002Z

Interesting incidents across two diverse sports this week. In the NFL, noted fat-mouth Rex Ryan verbally abused a fan at a game with a torrent of expletives that would have made Chuck Norris blush. Meanwhile, FIFA basically slapped the Bulgarian football federations hands after their fans were found guilty of racially abusing several English players during September's Euro 2012 qualifier in Sofia.

Really fascinating to see how the two sports have handled their issues. One, professionally and sternly, the other, well, basically they haven’t handled it at all. No prizes for guessing which is which.

The NFL is going to announce the actual fine today however Sexy Rexy is expected to be going to be $100,000 lighter in his wallet region after they are done with him. This is after he used ‘profane language’ in a split second reaction to a fan at last Sunday night's game against the New England Patriots. This comes hot on the heels after the Jets fined Ryan when he made an obscene gesture to fans at a mixed martial arts event in Miami during Super Bowl week in 2010 ($50,000 that time).

So, let’s get this totally straight in our heads before we move on to the wonderful world of FIFA. The New York Jets head coach is going to be $150,000 worse off by the end of this week for two relatively minor incidents. The message? The NFL and its franchises will not tolerate any kind of tarnish to their glossy coats.

Now, on to FIFA.

During the afore mentioned match, Bulgarian ‘fans’ showered English players with racist chants, targeting England’s black players with bananas, monkey chants and also, somewhat bizarrely, the Nazi salute (is Hitler big in Bulgaria?!).

You stay classy, Bulgaria!

Imagine for a second that happening during the Chiefs v Patriots encounter tonight in New England. Just imagine for one second a section of Kansas fans showering a player or players on the Patriots sidelines with racist chants, bananas and the Nazi salute. I mean, can you imagine the reaction? There is no doubt in my mind the ramifications would be enormous. They are pepper spraying and ‘tazing’ peaceful protesters in the streets, so one would imagine the riot police would have a field day in this imaginary incidence.

Back to FIFA. With the above in mind, FIFA’s reaction to the disgusting behaviour of those Bulgarian fans? They fined the Bulgarian Football Union £34,250.

I suppose you have to pick your jaw up off the floor and remember, this is the same organization that basically ignored the incredible riot performed by Serbian fans earlier this year. This is the organization whose head (The second most corrupt man in the world, Sepp Blatter, losing out narrowly to Vladimir ‘The money was just resting in my account’ Putin) thinks racism on the pitch is not an issue and can be settled with a handshake.

FIFA is absolutely littered with situations where issues stinking of racism have been basically kicked under the carpet. In 2004 the former Spanish international team manager, the despicable Luis Aragonés, called Thierry Henry a ‘’black shit’’. FIFA fined him £2,060. In 2004 FIFA fined Spain (Yes, Spain, again) £44,750 after Spanish fans racially abused English players during a game in Madrid. In 2007 the Serbian Football Federation was fined £16,500 by Uefa (FIFA’s European arm) for "the racist chanting of supporters and the improper conduct of their players" during an under-21 match against England. In 2008 Croatia were fined £10,000 for "displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct" during their country's Euro 2008 quarter-final against Turkey. In 2008 FIFA again docked Croatia some cash, this time £15,000 after England's Emile Heskey was subjected to racial abuse by home fans during the 4-1 victory in a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup against Croatia in Zagreb.

Add those fines up, all leveled against serious instances of racial abuse (far worse in this columns book than an expletive or two) and you get £88,310. That equates to $136,000.

You can probably see where we are going with this.

Seven long years of horrific racially charged incidents have led FIFA to fine the protagonists $136,000. Two quick outbursts of profanity from Rex Ryan and the NFL has fined him $150,000.

I guess we can see which sport is professional, stern, and determined to do things the right way. And which sport is presided over by FIFA.

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NFL picks: Week eleven: Tebow for Canton! Let's rush to judgement.

2011-11-18T00:38:00.005Z

So shall we just ignore due process and go ahead and enshrine Little Timmy Tebow in Canton now? We may as well, right? I mean, he has won three games in a row! Get that guy his bust already! Who cares if he has a lower QB rating than Ryan Leaf ever managed?! Who cares if the Denver wide-receivers are about to revolt?! Who cares if Tebow led one good drive against the Jets last night?! In his three game winning streak Tebow and his mates have beaten Oakland, Kansas and the Jets of New York. Consider that McFadden was out for Oakland, pretty much everyone was out for Kansas, and the Jets were playing without a running back or anything resembling an NFL QB. The one game Tebow played against a decent NFL squad, he was crushed 10-45 by the Lions.

A bit of sanity amongst the wildly hyperbolic morning headlines would be nice. However, one muses we shall be waiting a while before this ridiculous fad wears out.

Thankfully we have plenty of quality NFL games coming this weekend, with, you know, teams that actually matter (Harsh? Let’s see how Tebow and his pals do against the Chargers, Patriots, Chicago and Buffalo).

Previous weeks
Running total - 75-68 ATS
Week by week links at foot of column

Essential NFL pick links

More column inches than passing yards

Week eleven Buffalo Bills (5-4) at Miami Dolphins (2-7) -2.5
The Bills have had two tough weeks against two tough teams, the Jets and Cowboys. Miami has feasted at the table of plenty against Kansas and Washington. This week we see a market correction.
The score: Buffalo 28 Miami 24
The pick: Buffalo +2.5

Cincinnati Bengals (6-3) at Baltimore Ravens (6-3) -7.5
Hey let's not puke all over the Bengals season just yet. Remember, before a pretty close, well contested loss to the Steelers, The Bungles were riding a tasty five game win streak. This is too many points for a wildly inconsistent Ravens to give up.
The score: Cincinnati 24 Baltimore 27
The pick: Cincinnati +7.5

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6) at Cleveland Browns (3-6) +0.5
Hey check this out. The worst passing team in the NFL (The Jaguars rank 32nd) against the worst passing defence in the NFL (Cleveland rank 1st in passing yards allowed)! The Jaguars have two decent wins in their last three. The Brownies? They aint got much in their last anything.
The score: Jacksonville 20 Cleveland 13
The Pick: Jacksonville -0.5

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) at Washington Redskins (3-6) +7.5
Dallas is riding a wave of momentum. The Redskins are riding a wave of mutilation.
The score: Dallas 34 Washington 17
The pick: Dallas -7.5

Carolina Panthers (2-7) at Detroit Lions (6-3) -6.5
Everyone seems to have figured Carolina out. The Lions beat themselves last week against the Bears. The Lions, at home, with their bad week out of the way, to right the ship.
The score: Carolina 20 Detroit 30
The pick: Detroit -6.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at Green Bay Packers (9-0) -14.5
Are you going to argue with this one? I'm not. Green Bay at home against a team spiraling downwards.
The score: Tampa 17 Green Bay 34
The pick: Green Bay -14.5

Oakland Raiders (5-4) at Minnesota Vikings (2-7) -1.5
The Raiders have enough to handle the Vikings, who are basically in re-building mode.
The score: Oakland 24 Minnesota 20
The Pick: Oakland -1.5

Seattle Seahawks (3-6) at St. Louis Rams (2-7) -2.5
In case nobody has noticed, St Louis are starting to put their pieces back together. Don't read too much into the Hawks win against the Ravens, Seattle are a better team at home.
The score: St Louis 28 Seattle 20
The pick: St Louis -2.5

Arizona Cardinals (3-6) at San Francisco 49ers (8-1) -9.5
San Francisco are not built to blow teams out. Arizona can keep this relatively close. The 'Cards are riding a nice two game winning streak and can easily stay within 10 points against the 49ers. I am not drinking the Kool aid, I can't wait to bet against Alex Smith in the playoffs.
The score: Arizona 25 San Francisco 27
The pick: Arizona +9.5

Tennessee Titans (5-4) at Atlanta Falcons (5-4) -6.5
The Falcons, at home, need this one, and probably have too much talent for the Titans. Isn't it odd to see the Titans ranked dead last, 32nd , rushing the pigskin? The Titans are competitive however, and those are too many points for a nervous Falcons team.
The score: Tennessee 20 Atlanta 24
The pick: Tennessee +6.5

San Diego Chargers (4-5) at Chicago Bears (6-3) -3.5
That line is so low based on the previous reputation of the Chargers and that alone. This Bears 'D' is legitimate and is frothing at the mouth waiting to pounce on a few of Philip Rivers' lame duck floating passes. In his defense, he has two seconds to chuck-and-duck, that offensive line of the Chargers is awful. Watch for a Bears defensive touchdown at some point in this one.
The score: San Diego 20 Chicago 34
The pick: Chicago -3.5

Philadelphia Eagles (3-6) at New York Giants (6-3) -3.5
So how is that Eagles superbowl pick working out for everyone that went in that direction? Have you seen the Eagles run-in? Patriots, Jets and Cowboys. Nasty. Their season is over, and they know it. Vick gets knocked out early and the Eagles can't keep up, as the Giants smell blood in the water.
The score: Philadelphia 17 New York 30
The pick: New York -3.5

Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) at New England Patriots (6-3) -14.5
Who is Kansas going to suit up for this one? Losing to Miami and Denver is nothing short of putrid. The Patriots can do whatever they want in this one
The score: New England 38 Kansas 13
The pick: New England -14.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9
Week ten - 7-7

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About last night: Thoughts on Patriots 37 Jets 16

2011-11-14T03:47:00.004Z

Has Rex Ryan released any bombastic announcements as yet today? His Jets still going to win the Superbowl? (Is there a greater boy-who-cried-wolf in NFL history, ‘’We’re going to win the Superbowl!’’ – sure Rex, sure)

Some aspects of last night’s encounter between the Patriots and the Jets in the Meadowlands stood out.

Act like you have been here before
Commentator Chris Collinsworth made a very revealing comment about his view from the training grounds of both squads. Having visited both mid week, Chris noted that the Jets were running very up-tempo practices. There was a lot of high energy chest-thumping and a lot of focus on the Patriots. He noted on the flip side that at the Patriots training sessions, you couldn’t tell if they had won or lost the week before. It was just business as usual.

Communication is the name of the game
Did you see how active and communicative the Patriots ‘D’ was? Vince Wilfork was extremely vocal and led by example, as always. It seemed like everyone knew exactly where they had to be. A backfield of relatively no-name players played fantastic coverage all night, a direct result of super communication between team-mates.

Bully me? I’ll bully you!
The Jets love to ‘throw shapes’, they love their swagger, trash talking and posturing. More often than not, when push comes to shove, they melt into air. In the third quarter Brady misfired on a short ‘out’ to Aaron Hernandez. The Jets DB on the play (Wilson?) took a cheap shot at the big New England TE, right in front of the side judge. The reason no flag was thrown was that the Jets DB bounced right back off Hernandez, the latter turning to him, and shouting niceties at him, as the Jets DB quickly cowered back to his mates. The Patriots were bigger, meaner and stronger on the night, they just didn’t shout about it as much.

Brady the party planner
Brady was at his organizational best last night, constantly tweaking his troops into position to make the right plays. His fourth quarter no-huddle work was nothing short of sensational, however all night long he was constantly managing the game, motioning WRs into position, shouting out coverages to his offensive line. Brady must have been absolutely exhausted both mentally and physically after this one.

Lay off Sanchez
Say what you want about Jets QB Mark Sanchez, and no doubt plenty of people will, he did not come up with that decrepit game plan. The Jets are not a passing team. They know it, we know it, everybody knows it. However, they almost completely gave up on the run last night, slinging the ball around like a college spread offence. They did not look themselves. Blame Mark Sanchez if you like, however I point the finger at the Jets coaching staff, once more over-thinking themselves out of a big game.

Game changers
The game hinged on two key fumbles. One that didn’t happen and one that did. How often do you see a QB go up against several defensive linemen and come out with the ball (and, physically intact)? The mis-snap between center and Brady early in the game at the Patriots line could have been devastating. Brady dove down and amazingly came out of the pile with the rock. Absolutely unbelievable play. Then, with the game completely balanced and at a point where it could have gone either way, the Patriots special teams came up with that massive fumble recovery off a Patriots punt. From that point on it was all Patriots.

Act like you have been here before II
Patriots defensive lineman Andre Carter was nothing short of sensational last night, with four thunderous solo sacks. Fascinatingly, on the last two, with the Jets driving and desperately trying to claw back into the game, Carter sacked Sanchez, stood up, and jogged back into position. Ray Lewis would still be celebrating those final two sacks. Carter led by example and put his team ahead of personal celebration. I wonder did the Jets learn anything from that?

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NFL Picks: Week Ten: Picking for your freedoms

2011-11-12T10:35:00.012Z

Week ten, who would have thought it? Well into the 'business end' of the NFL season now, aren't we? Today's thought, on 'Veterans weekend', isn't it funny how, living in Dublin, Ireland, I can walk into a bookmaker and place a bet, whilst if you are reading this in Boston, Boise or Brooklyn, you can't. You have to have 'a guy', for that. Doesn't it make you wonder, every time an NFL broadcaster slams the whole 'fighting for your freedoms' cliché down your throat on Sunday night, exactly what freedoms are we talking about here?

Because some politician took hundreds of thousands of dollars from land based Vegas Casinos, and subsequently sneakily forced a bill through banning Internet and sports gambling, because of that the average hard working American has to go to illegal bookmakers to place their NFL bets this weekend, and that's freedom? Really?

It is all so frustrating, we may as well all just be Tebowing.

Previous weeks
Running total - 68-61 ATS
Week by week links at foot of column

Essential NFL pick links

Week ten New Orleans Saints (6-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-3) +0.5
The game: The only reason this spread is close is the Falcons are home. The Saints are a more explosive team in all areas. Darren Sproles has been a key to the Saints and the Chargers seasons. His arrival in New Orleans has meant they finally have the player they always wished Reggie Bush would be. His departure in San Diego has left them floundering. This will be close, the Falcons are no schmucks, but Brees will find a way.
The score: New Orleans 27 Atlanta 24
The Pick: New Orleans -0.5

Dwight Howard Tebowing

Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Dallas Cowboys (4-4) -5.5
The game: Just as Dallas didn't turn into Superstars by beating Seattle, the Bills didn't turn into Pumpkins by losing to the Jets. I expect this to be more in line with the air-tight Bills @ Giants encounter (24-27) a couple of weeks ago, than this long line suggests.
The score: Buffalo 27 Dallas 30
The Pick: Buffalo +5.5

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) +3.5
The game: So, is everyone aware The Bungles are on a five game winning streak? No, seriously. Look it up. A genuine five game winning streak, including quality wins over Tennessee and Buffalo. Let's repeat that, The Bungles are on a five game winning streak!! Meanwhile, the Steelers come into this with a day less to recover, dazed and confused after losing to the previously reasonably inept Ravens. The shock of the week, Just remember you heard it here first!
The score: Pittsburgh 20 Cincinnati 24
The Pick: Cincinnati +3.5

Tebowing is art

St. Louis Rams (1-7) at Cleveland Browns (3-5) -2.5
The game: Stephen Jackson says ''I beat the Saints on my own, naturally I can do same against the incredibly awful Brownies!'' In the last four games Jackson has churned out a sterling 455 yards on the ground. Also, Sam Bradford is back for the Rams. This may not even be close.
The score: St Louis 27 Cleveland 17
The Pick: St Louis +2.5

Denver Broncos (3-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-4) -3.5
The game: There's enough intelligent thinking going on over on the Kansas sideline to come up with something to confuse 'The Second Coming' (or whatever inane nickname eventually sticks for you know who). Kansas are on and off, but at home, against their bitter rivals, you can't see anything but max effort. Matt Cassel may not be a showboating, Tebowing, politicising media act, but, he generally gets the job done.
The score: Denver 20 Kansas 28
The Pick: Kansas -3.5

Tebowing at its finest

Tennessee Titans (4-4) at Carolina Panthers (2-6) -2.5
The game: A tough one to pick, however the Panthers only two wins are against Jacksonville and Washington (Washington post Hightower, I might add) - and thus a slight edge appears for the Titans who have a couple of quality wins including a stunner over the Ravens. Should be a tight one, but the Titans still have a chance in '11, and have the more veteran squad all round.
The score: Tennessee 24 Carolina 20
The Pick: Tennessee +2.5

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6) at Indianapolis Colts (0-9) +2.5
The game: Goodness gracious. Well, Maurice Jones Drew trumps anything on the other side of the line of scrimmage. That's about all you can say about this one.
The score: Jacksonville 27 Indianapolis 20
The Pick: Jacksonville -2.5

Washington Redskins (3-5) at Miami Dolphins (1-7) -3.5
The game: Two teams going in opposite directions, fast. The temptation is to jump on Miami. Hang on a second. The 'Skins four losses in a row look bad at first sight, however, all four were to good or very good teams, Carolina, Philly, Buffalo and the 49ers. Miami have one win, total, and that was against the very up-and-down Chiefs. Let's not anoint the Dolphins just yet.
The score: Washington 23 Miami 21
The Pick: Washington +3.5

Arizona Cardinals (2-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) -13.5
The game: When was the last time a 3-5 team gave 13.5 points? The spread scares me, with the Eagles on a short week. And having, you know, just lost, and all.
The score: Arizona 17 Philadelphia 24
The Pick: Arizona +13.5

Tebowing for our freedoms

Houston Texans (6-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) +3.5
The game: Tampa are fading fast, and are giving up too many yards on the ground. Houston comes into town featuring its running game, bad news for Tampa.
The score: Houston 30 Tampa 20
The Pick: Houston -3.5

Baltimore Ravens (6-2) at Seattle Seahawks (2-6) +7.5
The game: The only reason that line is so low is Seattle have a decent home crowd. Doesn't matter how vociferous they are, however, they are going to get stomped by a suddenly confident Ravens.
The score: Baltimore 30 Seattle 13
The Pick: Baltimore -7.5

Detroit Lions (6-2) at Chicago Bears (5-3) -2.5
The game: Just a hunch, and bear in mind, I respect the Bears, and believed they could beat the Eagles, but the ferocious Detroit D, with that aggressive, angry front seven, can take advantage of the Bears terrible, terrible offensive line. Jay Cutler could be in for a long day.
The score: Detroit 28 Chicago 24
The Pick: Detroit +2.5

Office Tebowing

New York Giants (6-2) at San Francisco 49ers (7-1) -3.5
The game: Beating Cleveland and Washington (As the 49ers have done) is not the same as beating New England and Buffalo (as the Giants have done). I would suggest this game is way more suited to the Giants, also. Way too many points.
The score: New York 28 San Francisco 24
The Pick: New York +3.5

New England Patriots (5-3) at New York Jets (5-3) -2
The game: Gut Check time for New England. Funny thing is, the Jets offence is not the type to scare New England, and the Patriots will be more than happy to slug it out in the trenches (rather than trying to defend the pass). Belichick and Brady are not suddenly turned to pumpkins after two tough losses to two tough teams. Not quite time to write the Patriots off.
The score: New England 28 New York Jets 26
The Pick: New England +2

Minnesota Vikings (2-6) at Green Bay Packers (8-0) -13.5
The game: It's a trap!! The Vikings, off a bye week and a big win the week before, well rested and ready, cruise into town to face a Packers team that yes, is winning, and winning easily, but to date they have beaten two teams by 14 points. The Vikings can stay in touch.
The score: Minnesota 24 Green Bay 30
The Pick: Minnesota +13.5

Office Tebowing II

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6
Week nine - 5-9

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Penn State affair: Massive failure all round, while ESPN still throws bouquets at Paterno

2011-11-08T20:11:00.008Z

I am sorry, but let's just come out and ask it, why are the biggest sporting websites still talking about Joe Paterno in terms of adoration? Weeks after the allegations have sprung that Paterno and others turned a blind eye to a Penn State coach abusing young boys, hours after calls for Peterno's head started, ESPN amongst others are publishing soft-focus, slush pieces on the Penn State head-coach. Check out this rubbish from ESPN. You can almost hear the PGA Tour soft-core porn music humming in the background as you read the below.

''The love was evident as several hundred students crowded around Paterno's house - The 84-year-old coach looked happier than any senior citizen ever to have kids trample his lawn. He exited the passenger side of a white university van to thank the students in his driveway. A few minutes after that, he opened his front window to say a few more words as the crowd surged forward to hear him. And just when everybody was about to disperse some 30 minutes later, a grinning Paterno walked out the front door to address the students one more time.''

What? Seriously? Are we talking about the same guy here? Is this grinning, lovable old man the same guy who was Jerry Sandusky's boss in 1998 when that year, the Penn State police department conducted investigations of allegations that Sandusky had hugged, rubbed against and inappropriately touched two 11-year-old boys while they were naked with him in the Penn State locker room? During same investigations, and with police listening in, the mother of one of the boys called Sandusky to confront him. According to the grand jury report, Sandusky told her:

“I understand. I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness. I know I won’t get it from you. I wish I were dead.”

For whatever bizarre reason he got away with it, but that moment was Paterno's chance to get a clearly deranged man out of dealing with his kids. His kids. How does Paterno let this evil creature stay employed after that?

Back to the ESPN sludge from above, is that fuzzy piece of nostalgic vomit talking about the same Paterno that in 2002 completely ignored strong evidence that a young boy was raped by this evil scum-bag Sandusky in the locker room?

Just checking, you know, if we are all talking about the same Paterno that ESPN is still jamming a halo over.

These people at the high ranks of College and High School Football have a simple remit. Take care of young adults and children. Look after their safety, educate them and take care of their well being. Nothing else matters. Money doesn't matter, BCS ranking do not matter, Boosters do not matter, recruiting profile does not matter, absolutely nothing else matters. Or nothing else should matter.

Everyone involved in the NCAA Football program at Penn State should step down immediately, including the lovable' Joe Paterno, for they have failed at the most simple of tasks. Look after the kids.

The moment they decided they had 'done enough' back in 1998, they failed at their simple job. This was then exacerbated in 2002, when they yet again turned a blind eye and failed epically at their essential yet simple remit. It is worrying that Paterno hasn't already stepped aside. There is little doubt that evidence shows he is a decent, philanthropic and intelligent man. However, his later years will no doubt be wracked with the guilt of realising his gut wrenching mistake in not blowing this disgusting scandal up the moment he got wind of it.

The fact of the matter is, he will only have himself to blame. The split second he got a whiff of this, he should have blown the whole thing up.

Tough material to take to the grave, and plenty of questions remain.

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NFL picks: Week nine: If you read one NFL picks column this week....

2011-11-04T01:52:00.005Z

Tough week ahead. When faced with a tough week, what better way to alleviate the tension than to incorporate some of the best and worst movie tag lines into your picks? Best read whilst imagining that deep gravelly voice of the guy that does the movie trailers.

Previous weeks
Running total - 63-52 ATS
Week by week links at foot of column

Essential NFL pick links

Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-8) +7.5
The game: Little Matty Ryan was having a down year. Then he met the Colts. From the makers of ‘My God we’re going to go 0-16’, this summer, if you see one team that will probably cover more easily than you expected, see the Falcons beat the demoralized Colts.
The score: Atlanta 34 Indianapolis 17
The Pick: Atlanta -7.5

New York Jets (4-3) at Buffalo Bills (5-2) -1.5
The game: Eddie Murphy breaks out the Klumps fat suits and spray paints them white to bring to life the incredible true story of the fat-mouth coach who spent his life vomiting out bland, moronic quotes about not kissing Superbowl rings, and then never actually wins one! Brought to you by the people who gave you ‘OH my God! This team is so over rated its stupid!’ and by the director who made ‘Buffalo, better than you think!’, don’t go anywhere this weekend if you don’t go to Buffalo -1.5. They will literally take your breath away (and the ball too, they love turn-overs).
The score: New York J 24 Buffalo 26
The Pick: Buffalo -1.5

Cleveland Browns (3-4) at Houston Texans (5-3) -10.5
The game: Some people in life take what they want. Others take what they can get. Others just sit around eating popcorn. If you are as confused by this inane tagline as we are, then you are probably thinking about the Houston Texans. What exactly is their story? Will they be playing evil super villains this week, or awesome, shiny super heroes?
The score: Cleveland 17 Houston 34
The Pick: Houston -10.5

Seattle Seahawks (2-5) at Dallas Cowboys (3-4) -12.5
The game: No mercy. No Shame. No sequel. (Poor Seattle! Angry Dallas gonna get medieval on their ass!)
The score: Seattle 13 Dallas 36
The Pick: Dallas -12.5

Miami Dolphins (0-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) -6.5
The game: They were dead. But they got better. Well actually, they didn’t. This summer, if you see two teams go 0-16, see the Dolphins and Colts.
The score: Miami 13 Kansas 27
The Pick: Kansas -6.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) at New Orleans Saints (5-3) -7.5
The game: Controversy, what controversy? Normal service resumed in New Orleans.
The score: Tampa 24 New Orleans 38
The Pick: New Orleans -7.5

San Francisco 49ers (6-1) at Washington Redskins (3-4) +3.5
The game: We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening. The 49ers are actually good.
The score: San Fran 24 Washington 17
The Pick: San Fran -3.5

Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) at Tennessee Titans (4-3) -2.5
The game: Science created him, now Chuck Norris must destroy him. Or fix him, I mean. What on earth is up with Chris Johnson?
The score: Cincinnati 21 Tennessee 24
The Pick: Tennessee -2.5

Denver Broncos (2-5) at Oakland Raiders (4-3) -7.5
The game: Lose hard? Lose harder. This summer, if you see one team get absolutely pummeled by another that senses blood in the water, see the Broncos absolutely diabolical excuse for a team get ripped to shreds by the Raiders.
The score: Denver 20 Oakland 40
The Pick: Oakland -7.5

Green Bay Packers (7-0) at San Diego Chargers (4-3) +5.5
The game: Nobody said they could do it. Maybe they can’t. But they possibly could. And one thing in life is sure, that’s probably too many points to give a decent home dog.
The score: Green Bay 30 San Diego 27
The Pick: San Diego +5.5

St. Louis Rams (1-6) at Arizona Cardinals (1-6) -4.5
The game: The greatest story ever told! The greatest entertainment experience of a lifetime! The only thing more terrifying than the last minute of this game is the preceding 59!!
The score: St Louis 0 Arizona 6
The Pick: Arizona -4.5

New York Giants (5-2) at New England Patriots (5-2) -8.5
The game: Some memories are best forgotten. Like the time I woke up on a beach in Mexico after that Superbowl. Revenge. It’s a dish best served cold.
The score: New York G 27 New England 38
The Pick: New England -8.5

Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) -3.5
The game: The fastest hands in the East (Well, South) meets the biggest mouth in the West (Well, North)! The bout to knock the other guy out. The thrilla in Manilla. The rumble in the jungle. Be amazed as Ray Lewis turns easy tackles into circus acts! Be stunned as The Head and shoulders guy in the Pittsburgh secondary drops easy interceptions while he counts his hair care endorsement checks! If you see one game this weekend, this might, all sarcasm aside, be the one to see.
The score: Baltimore 17 Pittsburgh 32
The Pick: Pittsburgh -3.5

Chicago Bears (4-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) -6.5
The game: They have a plan. But not a clue. The movie about the Bears offensive plan, get it?
The score: Chicago 20 Philadelphia 34
The Pick: Philadelphia -6.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7
Week eight - 7-6

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Sporting Superstar fragrances

2011-11-01T21:45:00.005Z

There is just something beautifully idiotic about the David Beckham ‘fragrance’ being rammed ~~down our throats~~ up our nostrils on this gaudy home stretch to the Christmas spending season. There is a marvelous Zoolanderesque quality to the advertising material delivered to us via different mediums. You could imagine Beckham gazing into the camera with that clumsy handsomeness of his, whispering ‘Beckham, it smells good. Like myself. Because I use it’.

Of course, Beckham isn’t the only sporting superstar to bring out his own fragrance. Let us not forget the following stars and their essence! All perfect stocking fillers.

‘$’ by LeBron
An unexpected delight! ‘$’ smells like a rolled up bundle of dollar bills, ya’ll. Subtle and carefully crafted to balance the scent of craving for cash and the sweat dripping off greedy palms. The opening notes include layers of the faint whiff of 10, 50 and 100 dollar bills. Wow, what a treat!

''mMmmm my hands, and my enormous wealth, smell good''

‘Premature’ by Tebow
New on the market, this stylishly presented fragrance comes in a mini statue of Jesus, with the scent emanating from the mouth of the statue when depressed. The smell reminds the user of that damp, stale odor of church seats, sore knees, remorse and guilt. Best worn too soon.

Did they leave out the ''...in 2013'' bit?

‘Wookie’ by Hope Solo
A dry Sandalwood Spice blend. This sultry and rich complex fragrance opens with a heady and exotic profusion of the Forest Moons of Endor. Unique packaging with several refill bottles in a bandolier style worn over the shoulder across the body. For women who wear size 12 shoes worldwide.

‘Greasy’ by Ronaldo
‘Greasy’ is a very unique fragrance. Provocative, sensual, and very pleasing to both men and women. Often more so to men. ‘Greasy’ has a musk, sandalwood, and amber type fragrance that is very well balanced ,it somewhat reminds you of the classic men's type cologne from Royal Copenhagen. Or the men’s toilet in the back of The George after a long Friday night’s ‘partying’. ‘Greasy’ is confused, sexual and spunky!

‘Sexy!’ by Kobe
Oh, yes, this is it! A custom blend, it’s one of the sexiest fragrances on the market. Bottom notes of White Carnation and blood orange are the perfect foil for the heart notes, comprised of a sneering, aggressive and angry scents, with just a touch of pay-off. Doubles as a powerful mace alternative.

‘Swing and a miss’ by A-Rod
A unique fragrance in that it is actually inserted into the body, secreting its odor out after insertion. The beginners pack comes with its own needle and directions how to find the meaty part of your ass. A musty scent, guaranteed to go completely stale when your heart beat increases. Wearing ‘Swing and a miss’ describes you as a man who does very little when it matters most.

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NFL picks: Week eight: ''I DO respect you, bro''

2011-10-26T00:01:00.005+01:00

Got to thinking last night, after watching the 'Bro down' episode of South Park last night (a solid entry, definitely best of the new series, a firm 7/10 on first viewing) - respect, does picking a winner in the NFL narrow down to, respect? Does a team respect another team too much? Does such and such a defence completely disrespect such and such an offence? Does a certain QB respect a specific WR? Respect. How big an element is it?

Let's find out.

Previous weeks
Running total - 56-46

Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7

Essential NFL pick links

Week 8 game by game (Click on matchup for ESPN preview of game)
Indianapolis Colts (0-7) at Tennessee Titans (3-3) -9.5
The game: Tough losses for both these guys last week, their opponents paid little or no respect to both of them, as they were both tossed around like rag dolls. Tennessee have far and away the greater upside, however, and will be looking back at the Houston game as an unusual anomaly after disrespecting the Colts all day long.
The score: Indianapolis 13 Tennessee 24
The Pick: Tennessee -9.5

New Orleans Saints (5-2) at St. Louis Rams (0-6) +10.5
The game: The Saints are being somewhat disrespected by this relatively low line.
The score: New Orleans 34 St Louis 17
The Pick: New Orleans -10.5

Miami Dolphins (0-6) at New York Giants (4-2) -9.5
The game: The Fish are going to feel pretty disrespected after the Giants are finished with them. Miami is on a complete hiding to nothing here, the Giants are well rested, and feast on bad teams. Miami, all disrespect intended, is a bad, bad football team. Did anyone else catch Reggie Bush's bleating Twitter messages yesterday? They sounded like the last communiqués off of the Titanic.
The score: Miami 9 New York G 28
The Pick: New York G -9.5

Minnesota Vikings (1-6) at Carolina Panthers (2-5) -3.5
The game: You definitely have to respect Cam Newton. we can't be so sure about Christian Ponder as yet. He may prove respect worthy, however, we have to wait and see.
The score: Minnesota 17 Carolina 27
The Pick: Carolina -3.5

Arizona Cardinals (1-5) at Baltimore Ravens (4-2) -12.5
The game: Kind of hard to respect the Ravens offence. Good lord, did you catch that putrid offering Monday night? They looked like a bunch of strangers meeting for the first time. Arizona are not due any great respect themselves however this line is way, way too long. Disrespectfully so.
The score: Arizona 20 Baltimore 23
The Pick: Arizona +12.5

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) at Houston Texans (4-3) -9.5
The game: There is something a little crazy about the lines this week. Call me disrespectful, but it seems to me the Vegas wise guys have been knocking back a few too many bongs the last few days. How on earth is this a single digit line? Compared to Baltimore, the Texans are the 2007 Patriots in terms of offence. Now that's respect.
The score: Jacksonville 13 Houston 34
The Pick: Houston -9.5

Washington Redskins (3-3) at Buffalo Bills (4-2) -5.5
The game: Believe it or not there are certain NFL writers who are actually talking about Little Timmy Hightower and the impact he will have on this game. Last I checked, Hightower is on IR and out for the season. Perhaps afore mentioned scribe is no longer worthy of our respect. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Freddie Jackson, however, certainly are.
The score: Washington 24 Buffalo 37
The Pick: Buffalo -5.5

Detroit Lions (5-2) at Denver Broncos (2-4) +3.5
The game: Let's see Little Timmy Tebow lead his team past a decent squad this week. Detroit's front four is licking its lips waiting for this matchup. They didn't show Mat Ryan respect, why should they show Tebow any?
The score: Detroit 34 Denver 20
The Pick: Detroit -3.5

Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) at Seattle Seahawks (2-4) +2.5
The game: Andy Dalton demands our respect. Seattle do not.
The score: Cincinnati 24 Seattle 16
The Pick: Cincinnati -2.5

Cleveland Browns (3-3) at San Francisco 49ers (5-1) -9.5
The game: Hey slow down there a second now, whilst the 49ers no doubt deserve our respect, what makes them almost double figure winners over a feisty Browns squad? San Francisco have been winning close games ugly. They aren't built to blow teams out.
The score: Cleveland 20 San Francisco 24
The Pick: Cleveland +9.5

New England Patriots (5-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) +2.5
The game: Same thing every season, the Steelers players disrespect the Patriots in the media the week before a game, and then the Patriots disrespect the Steelers on the field.
The score: New England 30 Pittsburgh 20
The Pick: New England -2.5

Dallas Cowboys (3-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) -3.5
The game: Wait a second, they are giving Dallas points here? Everyone can see the Eagles record, right? Everyone knows the wins come first and losses second, right? Dallas +3.5?! Disrespectful!
The score: Dallas 35 Philadelphia 30
The Pick: Dallas +3.5

San Diego Chargers (4-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) +3.5
The game: Kansas are absolutely demanding our respect with a pretty stunning turn-around from 0-3 to 3-3. These +3.5 points you speak of are a tasty teaser. If in doubt, always take the home dog, right? Right?
The score: San Diego 24 Kansas 27
The Pick: Kansas +3.5

Previous weeks
Running total - 56-46
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9
Week seven 6-7

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Beer me: MLB announce they are going to look into Red Sox club-house drinking

2011-10-24T00:27:00.003+01:00

Well thank God for that. MLB has finally announced an official investigation into the dramatic revelations that certain Boston Red Sox players were drinking actual alcohol in the clubhouse during the 2011 season. Thank goodness, we can all sleep just that tiny bit better at night. Put down the hot-line to the president, call off the dogs, MLB has this all under control.

Joe Torre, beefy, dreamy head of the little known, semi secret MLB office of International Intrigue, Espionage and Dramatic Story-Lines had this to say on the subject;

“It’s something we’re concerned about, just to make sure that we get all the facts and that’s my area, I know I have plans just to talk to some people.’’

So Joe Torre’s ‘area’ is to get all the facts on grown men drinking alcoholic beverages in a closed clubhouse in the late innings of games they aren’t playing in? One can only hope that Torre is amply supplied with assistants, business jets, iPads, Blackberries and other gadgets, as he fights the good fight, keeping us safe from drinking adults. We can only assume it is a tough task, you can picture Torre sitting in his war-room/bat-cave, hunkered down over multiple screens reviewing thousands upon thousands of hours of footage of Red Sox games, trying to catch a glimpse of a Red Sox pitcher, sitting on the bench with their hood up vagrant style, sipping from a bottle of Peach Schnapps wrapped in a paper bag.

Imagine the moment of pure professional joy, nay, release, as Torre finds that one glimpse, that one frame where Beckett or whoever gets caught sitting there in the dugout, huddled behind the hulking frame of John lackey, drinking from a bottle of whatever alcohol took his fancy that day. Torre would no doubt reach for the red phone to his left, a hot-line, if you will, and while never taking his eyes from the dramatic evidence on screen, whisper Batman like into the phone, ‘We’ve got them!’ or some other glib, momentary, asinine George Bush like catch phrase.

Torre goes on to enlighten us that;

“If we do happen to bar alcohol from the clubhouses, you have to understand the intent of this thing and what it looks like,’’

Naturally Torre is spot on. We all have to understand this thing, this, phenomenon. The fat guy in the sleeveless Metallica t-shirt sitting at a Marlins game, drunk off his head on fifteen cups of Coors Lite really, really cares, from a special place deep down inside his heart, whether Clay Bucholz or Jon Lester had a quiet beer in the Red Sox clubhouse way back whenever.

The ~~overlord~~ man at the helm that Torre reports into, Bud Selig, is also following this as close as white on rice.

“You never like to hear that. I’m very image-conscious about the sport and that’s a great, proud franchise. I’m sorry for those stories because they’re not helpful. But I also have great confidence that the Red Sox will get this cleaned up quickly.’’

No word so from Das Fuhrer as to whether the other eleven teams that allow alcohol in the clubhouse will be cleaning up their act too. Perhaps that will come in a future communiqué

The Boston Globe ran a fancy little picture a few weeks ago of the clubs that allow drinking in the clubhouse and those that, you know, don't. Let's re-post it as an aid to Bud Selig in his crusade to eliminate alcohol from ballparks, well, not from ballparks, but from non paying customers in ballparks.

Everyone else can continue to get sloshed to their hearts content

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NFL picks: Week Seven: quick picks

2011-10-21T01:16:00.010+01:00

Don't be confused by the shorter than usual individual game paragraphs. Plenty of thought went into each, it is just that a lot of time was consumed throwing pens, remote controls and other devices at the television during the Rugby World Cup final. A bigger fix there has never been. The South African referee completely ignored a plethora of Kiwi infringements, allowing them to high-tackle, run offside and come over the top of the maul with complete impunity. France were denied a clear penalty in front of the posts with just a handful of minutes left. Shocking stuff, the referee should have his bank account checked for the next few weeks. Anyway, that's where we are at. Angry. Angry on a Sunday morning.

Essential NFL pick links

Full list of games with ESPN previews
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Detroit Lions (5-1) -3.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 Chicago Bears (3-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) +0.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 Seattle Seahawks (2-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-3) -3.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 Denver Broncos (1-4) at Miami Dolphins (0-5) -3.5(ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 Houston Texans (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-2) -3.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 San Diego Chargers (4-1) at New York Jets (3-3) +1.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 1:00 Washington Redskins (3-2) at Carolina Panthers (1-5) -2.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 4:05 Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at Oakland Raiders (4-2) -3.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 4:05 Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (1-4) +3.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 4:15 St. Louis Rams (0-5) at Dallas Cowboys (2-3) -12.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 4:15 Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5) +8.5 (ESPN Preview)
Sun, Oct. 23 8:20 Indianapolis Colts (0-6) at New Orleans Saints (4-2) -13.5 (ESPN Preview)
Mon, Oct. 24 8:30 Baltimore Ravens (4-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) +7.5(ESPN Preview)

Week Seven in detail
Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Detroit Lions (5-1) -3.5
Questions finally being asked on the Lions bandwagon bus. Michael Turner might have the answers. Some of them, anyway.
The score: Atlanta 24 Detroit 27
The Pick: Atlanta +3.5

Chicago Bears (3-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) +0.5
London, baby! The change of venue doesn't change the fact the Bears are an all round better team then the Buccaneers.
The score: Chicago 30 Tampa 20
The Pick: Chicago - 0.5

Seattle Seahawks (2-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-3) -3.5
So are the Hawks for real, or what? One road trip too many, for my money.
The score: Seattle 23 Cleveland 30
The Pick: Cleveland -3.5

Denver Broncos (1-4) at Miami Dolphins (0-5) -3.5
For one more week anyway, Tebow is God.
The score: Denver 23 Miami 20
The Pick: Denver +3.5

'Just a man' - geddit?

Houston Texans (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-2) -3.5
Ah! Ah, so! The Texans are going through their late season collapse, early!
The score: Houston 24 Tennessee 33
The Pick: Tennessee -3.5

San Diego Chargers (4-1) at New York Jets (3-3) +1.5
For a team with no Superbowl wins the Jets sure talk a lot about Superbowl rings.
The score: San Diego 27 New York 20
The Pick: San Diego -1.5

Washington Redskins (3-2) at Carolina Panthers (1-5) -2.5
Washington had a good thing going, then they started screwing around, mixing RBs and what not, getting away from their early season success. Washington, if it aint broke...
The score: Washington 23 Carolina 30
The Pick: Carolina -1.5

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at Oakland Raiders (4-2) -3.5
Do we believe the Kansas mini revival? Eh, no.
The score: Kansas 20 Oakland 38
The Pick: Oakland -3.5

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (1-4) +3.5
The Steelers keep teasing us. Which one will show up this week?
The score: Pittsburgh 34 Arizona 17
The Pick: Pittsburgh -3.5

St. Louis Rams (0-5) at Dallas Cowboys (2-3) -12.5
They. Can't. Make. This. Line. High. Enough.
The score: St Louis 13 Dallas 42
The Pick: Dallas -12.5

Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5) +8.5
Single digits? Really?
The score: Green Bay 35 Minnesota 24
The Pick: Green Bay -8.5

Indianapolis Colts (0-6) at New Orleans Saints (4-2) -13.5
For me the Saints look like they are going to react to the opposition. This will be surprisingly close.
The score: Indianapolis 24 New Orleans 30
The Pick: New Orleans

Baltimore Ravens (4-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) +7.5
The Jags average 11.5 points a game will not be enough to get the job done.
The score: Baltimore 33 Jacksonville 17
The Pick: Baltimore -7.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6
Week six - 4-9

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Thoughts on Jon Lester’s recent beergate comments

2011-10-18T01:01:00.001+01:00

To those of us who count themselves as fans of not only Jon Lester the pitcher, but also Jon Lester the man, it is no surprise that he is the first Red Sox player to openly comment into the topic of Boston Red Sox players drinking beer and eating take away chicken in the clubhouse during games.

Accountability could very well be Lester’s middle name. It is completely in line with his character and make up as a human being that he is the first player to hold their hands up and say ‘my bad’. Naturally, this isn’t enough for some. There are already plenty of journalists who don’t think Lester’s admission goes far enough towards placating the culprit hungry Red Sox masses in the wake of the lost season that was 2011.

Back to that in a short moment. Within Lester’s comments themselves sits a very interesting point. The Red Sox lefty said;

“It was a ninth-inning rally beer. Was it a bad habit? Yes. I should have been on the bench more than I was. But we just played bad baseball as a team in September. We stunk. To be honest, we were doing the same things all season when we had the best record in baseball.’’

Interesting that none of the shock-jocks who are desperately trying to paint this story in as negative a light as possible have noted Lester’s point. Nobody said a thing about this ‘behavior’ in mid-season, when Boston were literally tearing the American League apart. When you think about it, a couple of bloop hits here and there, two to three one run losses transformed into one run wins, and most Red Sox fans would have never known that Boston players were drinking beer in the clubhouse during games.

Instead this ridiculous inquest. Instead the angry Knights Of the Keyboard (As Ted Williams used to call Boston writers) will have their head on a platter no matter what. Even if it means ignoring contexts and truths. For example, one of those Calvinistic, angst ridden scribes immediately latches on to comments Lester made in the same interview about Francona, basically calling him out for callous commentary against a man who has treated him like a son. The only problem with that is, if you read the full transcript of the interview with Lester, as the writer no doubt did, the lefty makes a point of saying;

“On a personal level I was more than grateful for what he did for me and my family.''

Incredible to see a veteran journalist cherry pick quotes to suit his own needs. Incredible, and sad too. We put these baseball players on a pedestal, we worship them, and plug them into categories that they don’t necessarily generically fit into, and we speak in terms of legend when the system works and someone sips whiskey before a big game the Sox win (ala ‘The Idiots’ in ’04). However, once they don’t fit into those categories we want them to slot into, once they don’t win, we turn on them like deranged dogs, biting at their hands, barking at them angrily.

Doesn’t really even matter what they say. We’re going to twist it whatever way we want and use it against them.

This inquest is less valuable than a bucket of chicken. It is a complete waste of time, it is being presented erroneously and out of context, and is not only an insult to players, who don’t have to report to the media or us fans, last I checked, but also an insult to all fair minded and logical fans themselves.

Can’t we move on and start discussing things that actually matter?

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Taking back the night: Dolphins @ Jets thoughts.

2011-10-17T20:53:00.004+01:00

So, we're assuming there's something in the meaning of the universe and all that in this whole cyclical thing that goes on in all our lives. I mean, you wake up one day, find a 50 Euro note on the way out the door, and the next week you get an extra big electricity bill for, naturally, in and around 50 Euros. Kind of the same way NFL result picking goes. You go 12-4 one week, and the next, 4-12.

It all comes around in the end, doesn't it? We are probably on the cusp of finding a shred of the morsels that make up the meaning of life with this, but, there are bills to be paid, so let's have a look at some of the tasty little prices available in tonight's Dolphins at Jets showdown.

The Jets -7 carries some appeal, however, these three little suggestions should provide a tasty.

Total first half home team points - over 12.5
This appeals on a few levels. The Jets need a good showing in front of their angst ridden fans. They should come out firing, a couple of touchdowns or a touchdown and two field goals are both not out of the realm of sensible thinking, right? The Jets should manage over 12.5 points in the first half.

The Jets ST/D to score a TD any time
Can't believe this is 7/2. The bookies know that Matt Moore is playing for the Fish, right? The Jets D will never have a better chance to take a pick-six all the way to the house. Juicy odds, and remember, that's 'any time', so doesn't matter if they score first or last or whatever. Can't you see Matt Moore throwing at least one pick six? I know I can.

Dustin Keller first TD
Very tasty at 10/1. Keller is one of Sanchez's favourite targets, and the shaky QB needs to rely on his safety blanket tonight as he looks for a solid start. There's a very good chance he will look to Keller in the end zone, and 10/1 is very appealing.

Bear in mind, this guy is a New England boy, so, if I am talking up the Jets, you know it's good!

NFL picks: Week Six: highs and lows

2011-10-14T01:09:00.007+01:00

Week five was all about highs and lows. We bravely went with the Lions and that opening -5.5 spread (reduced to -4 on gameday). But for a late Buffalo field goal, we would have got the score exactly correct in the Bills v Eagles game (predicted 27-24, actual, 30-24). Great picks. Then the not so great. The Falcons? Gosh, wish we could have that one back. The Giants? Boy oh boy. You know what they say though, you take the good with the bad, learn about it, and move onwards and upwards.

Like, for example, week six. Let's go.

Last weeks totals against the spread - 7-6
Running total against the spread - 46-30

See foot of posting for week by week links to previous weeks

Carolina Panthers (1-4) at Atlanta Falcons (2-3) -4.5
Oh Carolina! Have you noticed they are covering the spread every week? Impressive covers, back-door covers, all sorts of covers. But, always covering. What that means in real terms is, they are generally keeping the score close. The Falcons are a tough cookie at home, and that big loss to Green Bay shouldn’t be over-stated, the Packers are a reasonably decent footballing team. All things considered, Falcons should have just enough to eek out a much needed, late, close win, but Carolina should keep it close.
The score: Carolina 20 Atlanta 23
The Pick: Carolina +4.5

Buffalo Bills (4-1) at New York Giants (3-2) -3.5
Has everyone recovered from the shock of the Giants losing to Seattle last week, in New York? I saw on one site 99% of people picked the Giants to win straight up, 85% picked them against the 10 point spread. The Giants were big, big, bracket busters last week. The Bills, meanwhile, are still being underestimated. You know how you have to wait until the Giants start showing their true colours before you pick against them? Well, you can safely assume that time is now.
The score: Buffalo 28 NY Giants 24
The Pick: Buffalo +3.5

Indianapolis Colts (0-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) -6.5
It’s a trap! In classic Admiral Akbar style, this line looks like a trap. The Colts are losing however they are losing close games, and certainly not embarrassing themselves. Curtis Painter is doing much more than was expected of him, and the Colts are never throwing the proverbial towel in. Perhaps it is a little soon to anoint Andy Dalton the next Dan Marino. Too. Many. Points.
The score: Indianapolis 23 Cincinnati 26
The Pick: Indianapolis +6.5

San Francisco 49ers (4-1) at Detroit Lions (5-0) -4.5
When you get on a bandwagon, you stay on that bandwagon until you fall off. Detroit proved last week they can cover spreads like this against the Bears. They are starting to look like a runaway train. This might be their biggest test as yet, but, once again, if you are on the bandwagon, you stay on it.
The score: San Francisco 20 Detroit 28
The Pick: Detroit -4.5

St. Louis Rams (0-4) at Green Bay Packers (5-0) -14.5
At first glance 14.5 points looks like an awful large chunk of points. However, considering all the elements it looks about right. What you are left with is the question, will Green Bay squeak by the Rams or will they hammer them? The Rams main asset right now? Steven Jackson. Jackson’s usage once the Rams fall into catch-up mode? Minimal. You have to think the Packers will have their way with the winless Rams.
The score: St Louis 20 Green Bay 38
The Pick: Green Bay -14.5

Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) at Washington Redskins (3-1) -0.5
The Dream Team, eh? How’s that working out for you, Philly? Boston area fans like myself are probably in no position to sling mud, however, the Philadelphia sporting fan has to be absolutely dying a thousand deaths right now. The Eagles were a popular pick for the Superbowl and everyone basically assumed the Phillies would take The World Series. And now what? Philadelphia is left with the wreckage of two seasons. The Eagles looked like a team with too many issues to overcome last week. The Bills handled them relatively easily. There is no reason to think the misery stops here. The ‘Skins will run the ball mercilessly at the Eagles absolutely brutal run defence, and control the game and temp that way. It is kind of funny you have to admit that the Eagles spent so much money on defensive backs, and basically forgot about the line. Goodness gracious they are surely paying for it.
The score: Philadelphia 23 Washington 27
The Pick: Washington -0.5

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) -12.5
This one could get ugly in a hurry. The Jags are struggling mightily, whilst the Steelers are very impressive at home. When the Jags fall behind here, their single greatest asset, Maurice Jones Drew, becomes a complete non factor. If this were a boxing match, it would get stopped in the second round.
The score: Jacksonville 13 Pittsburgh 41
The Pick: Pittsburgh -12.5

Cleveland Browns (2-2) at Oakland Raiders (3-2) -5.5
What in the name of Thor is this all about? Did Oakland morph into the second coming of the ’85 Bears over night? This line is ridiculous, the Raiders defense is ranked near the bottom in most NFL defensive categories, and the Browns have had an extra week off (bye week) to prepare for this. Oakland are bound to have a bit of an emotional deflation after last weekend also. Take the points and run.
The score: Cleveland 35 Oakland 33
The Pick: Cleveland +5.5

Houston Texans (3-2) at Baltimore Ravens (3-1) -7.5
Whilst it’s certainly not a good thing that Andrew Johnson is out with an injury, the Texans still have enough firepower to hang within a touchdown with the Ravens. In fact, they could almost cause an upset. Almost.
The score: Houston 27 Baltimore 30
The Pick: Houston +7.5

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) at New England Patriots (4-1) -7.5
Did you know the Patriots four wins have been by at least 9 points? Let’s face it, they should have put Buffalo away too, some sloppy play led to a surprising loss there. Dallas, meanwhile looked a tier below the Jets a couple of weeks ago. That’s not good (For Dallas) when you consider the Patriots swept aside the over rated Jets quite easily. Dallas has questions on both sides of the ball, and a QB who loves to implode at the most inopportune times. His incredible self-destruction job against Detroit a couple of weeks ago was simply shocking. The Patriots can’t claim to have the same impact defence as the Lions however, they will keep the score stretching away from Dallas to a point where Romo tries to do too much and, once again, implodes.
The score: Dallas 26 New England 38
The Pick: New England -7.5

New Orleans Saints (4-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) +4.5
Very worrying loss for Tampa last week, short week or no short week. They didn’t gain any momentum and lost to a team that is punching way, way over its weight division at the moment. The Saints on the other hand, are cruising, and approaching a very interesting level of play. Sean Payton finally has the player he always dreamt of in Darren Sproles, who is doing everything the Saints asked Reggie Bush to do, but doing it, you know, effectively. Potentially difficult week ahead for Tampa, who may get lost in the mire over the next few weeks with complications arising from their London trip, and some bad losses.
The score: New Orleans 33 Tampa 21
The Pick: New Orleans -4.5

Minnesota Vikings (1-4) at Chicago Bears (2-3) -3.5
Chicago looked a tired, beaten team against the Lions. It is so obvious to all opponents that if you put any pressure at all on that Chicago offensive line, it will crumble. Cutler, like any QB, can’t do his job in the face of serious pressure. The Vikings can cause all sorts of problems in Chicago by pounding the rock with a fresh looking Adrian Peterson and attacking Cutler behind his porous offensive line
The score: Minnesota 27 Chicago 24
The Pick: Minnesota +3.5

Miami Dolphins (0-4) at New York Jets (2-3) -7.5
Matt Moore against the Jets defense? How is this line not double digits?
The score: Miami 13 New York Jets 31
The Pick: New York Jets -7.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6
Week five - 7-6

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The black sporting weekend. Ireland get knocked out of the Rugby World Cup, and fail to impress against Andorra.

2011-10-10T01:59:00.004+01:00

And so it came to pass. A weekend infused with such sporting promise from the perspective of Irish eyes, crashes to the ground in ruins like the proverbial house of cards. Irish Sporting fans with a broader range of disciplines in their fandom portfolio were left clutching at straws, celebrating the Patriots beating the Jets as they clung to the wreckage of Saturdays Irish failure in New Zealand.

Leading up to those fateful events on Saturday morning Ireland had not been as energized and hopeful about a tournament since we were on the brink of the Soccer World Cup and Thierry Henry handled away our aspirations there. Perhaps the weight of the desperate hopes of a nation dragged our boys in green down, as a very brave Irish team looked admittedly tired and spent in the second half against Wales.

With the match on so early (6 am Irish time), it was still early morning as Irish rugby fans rubbed their eyes, looked out into the grey, cold, dispassionate morning light and felt that empty longing grow a bit longer. Will Ireland ever proceed to the final of a meaningful World tournament?

Meanwhile, on Friday night, a much more depressing event was taking place.

Wait, back that up a second. A more depressing event than Ireland getting knocked out of the Rugby World Cup, just two games from the finals? Well, did you watch Andorra v Ireland? For those who luckily stayed away, Ireland were playing the joint worst ranked football team in the World on Friday night, as they hope to advance to the 2012 European Championships.

It was a drab, depressing affair that Ireland ‘won’ 2-0, with two first half goals. Ireland chose to field two holding (defending) midfielders, including Glenn Whelan, who believes the best way forward is, well, backwards. Whelan’s first thought when he receives the ball is ‘safety first’ and statistically the over whelming majority of his passes travel either side to side or backwards.

On a night where they played the joint worst team in the World, Ireland employed two holding, defensive midfielders. Exactly what were they defending against? Were they defending the Irish viewing public from the possibility of being entertained?

Watching Ireland under Gio Trapattoni is a depressing, unrewarding and unenlightening affair.

Beware of chastising me to soon for the following statement, a more loyal Irish fan you will never meet. However, if Armenia, a team playing open, attacking football, beat us in Dublin tomorrow and nip us to the post of qualification, so what? Honestly, can you really say you enjoy watching this current incarnation of the Irish soccer team?

I can’t.

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NFL picks: Week five: How about those Lions?!

2011-10-07T04:03:00.005+01:00

Holy mackerel what a sporting weekend ahead. Ireland tonight in the European Championship qualifiers, Ireland tomorrow in the Rugby World Cup quarter final, the Dublin City Hurricanes in the final of the Irish Baseball League Saturday afternoon, and then NFL Sunday, and the Patriots against the Jets. Gosh. That's a whole lot of action.

Let's break with tradition and go straight to the fascinating Monday night game between the Bears the suddenly amazing Lions, then on to the rest.

Last weeks totals against the spread - 10-6
Running total against the spread - 39-24

See foot of posting for week by week links to previous weeks

Chicago Bears (2-2) at Detroit Lions (4-0) -5.5
OK, imagine at the end of the 2009 NFL season you got hit by like, a bus, or something. You survived but you went into a long coma. The reason you were hit by said bus is you were busy reading the paper (back in 2009 people still read broadsheets). You were reading about the Lions going 0-16. You can probably see where I am going with this now. So, imagine you woke up from your coma today. You started playing with your iPad, iTouch, iPod, HTC, Acer, Sony whatever, and you notice the line for this Bears v Lions show down. You probably go right back into a shock related coma, right? The Lions are purring after last week’s absolutely stunning, magical come back against the Cowgirls. The Bears clung on against the upstart Panthers. This could represent a seminal moment in the Lions 2011 season. And you, the Lions backer, you need to have that ‘all in moment’. Either stand up and push all your chips into the middle of the table, or walk away.
The score: Chicago 23 Detroit 38
The Pick: Detroit -5.5

Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) at Buffalo Bills (3-1) +2.5
The Dream Team, eh? How’s your Autumn going, Philly? With the completely over hyped Eagles struggling mightily and the super star laden Phillies grinding against the workmanlike Cards, what stage of depression will Philadelphia drop into if the Eagles lose in Buffalo and Chris Carpenter (who is pitching out of his skin right now folks) and the Cards knock the Phillies out? One thing is sure, get ready to hear an awful lot of booing. Philadelphia fans are famous for booing, so much so, they actually booed Santa once. Well, they got their ‘Dream Team’ with Vick and the cornerbacks, the problem is someone in the Eagles front office forgot to sign any decent linemen. Teams have noted this and are running through the Eagles like water through a leaky bucket. Buffalo are playing with no fear, scoring points for fun, and beating good teams. They can beat this very suspect team on home turf to go 4-1.
The score: Philadelphia 24 Buffalo 27
The Pick: Buffalo +2.5

Cincinnati Bengals (2-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) -2.5
The Bungles are about as predictable as the lottery. There is almost no way of knowing what kind of a display they are going to put up, week to week. They are a gambling man’s nightmare. They are also flying somewhat under the radar because of their inconsistency. Jacksonville are not an appealing play, even at home. Their passing attack has been almost the worst in the league, if it wasn’t for Maurice Jones Drew they would be completely flat. The Bengals plus the points seems the only play here.
The score: Cincinnati 27 Jacksonville 17
The Pick: Cincinnati +2.5

Tennessee Titans (3-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) -7.5
That -7.5 is the ESPN line at time of writing, but you can bet that’s going to change dramatically as we approach game time. The Steelers are struggling with injuries, not to mention form. Meanwhile, Tennessee are one of the surprise packages of the 2011 NFL season thus far. Even Chris Johnson has perked up, he actually ran into a three figure Sunday last weekend, rushing for 101 yards for the first time since 1782 or something like that. Matt Hasselbeck, released from limbo (otherwise known as Seattle) is looking like the veteran, sturdy, game managing QB he is, and the Titans D has been especially stifling. They are catching Pittsburgh at exactly the right time, and should be able to take advantage.
The score: Tennessee 23 Pittsburgh 20
The Pick: Tennessee +7.5

Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) at Indianapolis Colts (0-4) -2.5
Wait a second, there is life in Kansas yet! Funny thing is, there is clearly life in the Colts too. This Column has been saying for weeks that there is too much talent, particularly on the defensive side, for the Colts to keep losing. This week it finally comes to pass, as the Colts, at home, in front of their piped fan noise, take out their frustrations on the Chiefs (who did not turn into the 2007 Patriots after one win).
The score: Kansas 17 Indianapolis 34
The Pick: Indianapolis -2.5

Oakland Raiders (2-2) at Houston Texans (3-1) -6.5
It’s about that time, time to decide if this is the Texans year, where it all comes together. Interesting win last weekend, the kind of game Houston teams of old might have lost. The Raiders had some serious issues and holes exposed last weekend. We are sure Houston were watching, and should take advantage.
The score: Oakland 23 Houston 36
The Pick: Houston -6.5

Arizona Cardinals (1-3) at Minnesota Vikings (0-4) -2.5
With jobs on the line, the Vikings will hand the rock to the incredibly reliable Adrian Peterson and say, run Adrian, run, as they attempt to save their season against the absolutely brutal travelling team that is Arizona. The Cardinals turn to putrid mush on the road, and the Vikings can take advantage of this to get on track. Home field, AP and a strong sense of desperation should be too much for the road-challenged Cardinals.
The score: Arizona 26 Minnesota 30
The Pick: Minnesota -2.5

New Orleans Saints (3-1) at Carolina Panthers (1-3) +5.5
I want to pick the Panthers. I really want to. I want to write that splashy, attention grabbing headline, Panthers to shock Saints, but, I just can’t do it. However, I will take the points. Did you know Drew Brees is completing 70% of his passes? Amazingly accurate. Clinical. The Saints are also finding interesting ways to use Reggie-Bush-upgrade Darren Sproles. How over rated was Bush? Miami are finding out right now. Cam Newton and the Panthers have that don’t-know-when-they-are-beat look about them, but the Saints should find a way. Just.
The score: New Orleans 34 Carolina 30
The Pick: Carolina +5.5

Seattle Seahawks (1-3) at New York Giants (3-1) -9.5
Seattle on the road? Against a Giants team that is absolutely humming right now? Now this is a game where I would consider one of those stupid -14.5 lines. Less than 10? Where do I sign up? Seattle are about to get run over.
The score: Seattle 17 New York G 38
The Pick: New York G -9.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) at San Francisco 49ers (3-1) -1.5
Two teams who appear at first glance to be out-punting their coverage. This could end up a dour affair. San Francisco will have to take care of the rock, it can’t afford any slips on an already relatively anemic offence. Their D and special teams are the elements that keep them in games. Tampa isn’t firing on all cylinders on offence either. Look for a low scoring, hard hitting slug fest, with home field proving crucial in the end.
The score: Tampa 17 San Francisco 20
The Pick: San Francisco -1.5

San Diego Chargers (3-1) at Denver Broncos (1-3) +4.5
Any chance the San Diablo annual slump starts early this season? Every chance! Phillip Rivers has thrown more picks than TDs (Look it up!) and TE Gates isn’t playing. Prior to being mauled last week by the Packers, the Broncos had actually played very tight games. This is going to be the ‘shock’ of the week. Denver at home, against their bitter rival, a little embarrassed after last week’s shellacking.
The score: San Diego 28 Denver 30
The Pick: Denver +4.5

New York Jets (2-2) at New England Patriots (3-1) -9.5
Now this is a test for any relatively logical Patriots fan. 9.5 points leaves no room for error. You either believe the Patriots are going to destroy the Jets, or you don’t. Simple as that. You can go down a couple of lines of thought here, was last week’s embarrassing Jets showing an aberration? Or is their offence really that inept? A key point no one is talking about, it looks like Aaron Hernandez is back, he practiced all week. This means the Patriots suddenly have another huge, physical target downfield. Unless the Jets figure out a way to clone Revis, this could end up being a long game for them.
The score: NYJ 24 New England 34
The Pick: New England -9.5

Green Bay Packers (4-0) at Atlanta Falcons (2-2) +5.5
Steady on now. It’s not often you will see the Falcons at home with a +5.5 spread. Understandably somewhat the bookmakers are running scared from Green Bay. The Packers, unlike Wayne Rooney Snr, don’t give a damn about the spread or the $20 you have on the game. They just want a win. With how poorly the Falcons have started the season, it’s hard not to see them getting it. Just not by more than five points though. A late Aaron Rodgers drive and Mason Crosby kick should do the trick.
The score: Green Bay 33 Atlanta 30
The Pick: Atlanta +5.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10
Week four - 10-6

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Cork man Darragh O’Neill punts his way onto Colorado University football team

2011-10-06T00:28:00.003+01:00

Could it be possibly just 3-4 years before we see a Cork boy punting in the NFL? This may not be as crazy a thought as it seems. Colorado University turned a few heads when they announced their starting punter for the 2011 season would be Darragh O’Neill. Born in Cork, Ireland, he is the son of Colm O’Neill, owner of Boulder’s popular Irish bar-restaurant, Conor O’Neill’s. Darragh moved to the States aged three when his Father moved over for work.

He started kicking just six months before the start of the season. He took the sport up after going to watch a few Colorado games, instantly falling for what he described as ‘the buzz’ coming from the 50,000 plus crowd and the general game day atmosphere. Darragh’s strong leg comes from a background playing soccer, and he is also an accomplished basketball player too, excelling at high school level.

In the below excellent audio interview Darragh describes his path to NCAA Football. His accent is a fantastic mix of Irish American, as he appears to be just about clinging to the last remains of his Cork lilt!

Best of luck on the season to the young man

NFL picks: Week Four: The madness continues

2011-09-30T01:48:00.016+01:00

Isn't this just a particularly peculiar NFL season thus far? It has a topsy-turvy feel about it that make you think, 'Wait, did I just wake up four years later, did I just miss a couple of seasons worth of news and developments?' Everyones perennial Dark Horses Kansas are pathetic. The Colts are facing 0-16. The Colts! There hasn't been one solitary Ochocinco headline out of Cincinnati, perhaps he has gone somewhere else, although there's no way to tell as he doesn't appear to have any catches yet! Meanwhile, has anyone seen Chris Johnson, Steven Jackson or Frank Gore? Just an odd, odd year, and there's no reason to doubt week four will be any different.

Let's break it all down like a fraction.

Last weeks totals against the spread - 6-10
Running total against the spread - 29-18

See foot of posting for week by week links to previous weeks

Buffalo Bills (3-0) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) +3.5
That is not a misprint. The Bills really are the AFCs only unbeaten team. Their other-worldly come-back against the Patriots means they are the only AFC team with a '0' in the loss column. What kind of odds might you have gotten against that happening pre-season start? A kajillion to one? No need to dig too deep in this one. The Bengals lost a disappointing one last week to the 49ers, at home, no less. The Bills are also currently riding a 8-0 streak against The Bungles. The Bills can put points up in a hurry. No reason to believe The Bungles can keep up.
The Score: Buffalo 34 Cincinnati 17 The Pick: Buffalo -3.5

Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Chicago Bears (1-2) -6.5
The Bears were absolutely putrid against the Packers. Having said that, it is doubtful they will face the same ferocious pass rush against the Panthers. If Cutler has time, he is a fantastic throwing QB. His arm is second to none in the NFL. Given time, the Bears can hang points on anyone. However, even considering home field advantage, this is still too many points to give the feisty Panthers. They should be able to hang around deep into the ball game.
The Score: Carolina 24 Chicago 27 The Pick: The Panthers +6.5

Tennessee Titans (2-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-1) -1.5
So, Matt Hasselbeck is starting to look like a good idea, right? His 5/2 TD to INT is nice, and his veteran savvy is just lovely, thank you very much, as far as Tennessee are concerned. Bear in mind also, the Brownies struggled to over come soon-to-be-coachless Miami, while Tennessee beat Denver easily enough. Final thought, Chris Johnson has to come unglued eventually.
The Score: Tennessee 20 Miami 17
The Pick: Tennessee +1.5

Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1) -3.5
I am not a Doctor but, facing the Detroit Lions pass rush, and the borderline psychotic, physical freak that is Ndamukong Suh, can not be an appealing prospect for Tony Romo and his broken ribs, back injury, damaged shoulder and the rest. In Blackjack you never, ever walk away from a hot streak, a hot table. Well, Detroit represents that hot table, and that extra half point looks juicy from a gambling perspective. Detroit carries the good vibrations forward, knocking Romo out of the game and over power an over rated Dallas side. Doesn't matter how big your stadium video screen is, just matters how many Ndamukong Suh's you have on your side.
The Score: Detroit 27 Dallas 23
The Pick: Detroit +3.5

Minnesota Vikings (0-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) +1.5
Putrid, turgid mess alert! What a shocking mess. The Vikings can't hold a lead. The Chiefs can;t buy a lead. How on earth do you separate these two? Easily enough actually. The Vikings have a couple of skill players the admittedly injury ridden Chiefs can only dream about in Peterson and Harvin amongst others. If the Vikings even sniff a lead, Kansas doesn't have it in them this season to come back.
The Score: Minnesota 30 Kansas 17
The Pick: Minnesota -1.5

Washington Redskins (2-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-3) -0.5
The Rams have a secondary even Rex Grossman can get excited about. This looks a soft line. The Rams have serious injury issues, and are not able to come back after falling behind this season. QB Bradford is having a down season but isn't helped by the plague of injuries that have hit the Rams clubhouse. Meanwhile, the Skins and little Timmy Hightower are enjoying a feisty looking 2011, and have the players and most of all the defence to overcome basically a scratch handicap.
The Score: Washington 24 St Louis 20
The Pick: Washington -0.5

New Orleans Saints (2-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) +7.5
This game couldn't come at a worse time for the rudderless Jags. The Saints are starting to kick into form whilst the Jags have managed a paltry 13 points in two games. New Orleans eviscerated Houston last weekend, and will do the same, in fact probably worse, to the awful Jags.
The Score: New Orleans 37 Jacksonville 16
The Pick: New Orleans -7.5

San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) -6.5
What, a team that has a defence built back to front is struggling? Really? What a shock! The Eagles spent eleventy billion on their defensive backs and forgot to build a defensive line. Teams are pounding away at will against them on the ground, and loving it against a relatively light, weak Eagles front seven. The Eagles will win a close one, and everyone related to the 'dream team' will breathe a sigh of relief, at least until a serious team takes them down next time.
The Score: San Francisco 23 Philadelphia 24
The Pick: San Francisco +6.5

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1) -3.5
Imagine that, Houston getting off to a blazing start before coming 'back to the pack' as it were. Isn't this exactly the kind of game Pittsburgh relishes? Their backs to the wall, everyone backing against them. The Steelers can not only keep this close, they can go into Houston, annoy the natives and take their lunch money.
The Score: Pittsburgh 26 Houston 20 The Pick: Pittsburgh +3.5

Atlanta Falcons (1-2) at Seattle Seahawks (1-2) +4.5
Major bounce back coming from the Falcons. Seattle not in a position to withstand the angry backlash. One of the softest lines of the week.
The Score: Atlanta 30 Seattle 13 The Pick: Atlanta -4.5

New York Giants (2-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-2) +1.5
Is this line someones idea of a bad joke? While the Giants were, well, giants, against 'The Dream Team', aka the Eagles, the Cardinals were busy losing to the absolutely horrific Seahawks. No need to delve too deeply into this one. Just trust the G-Men and quietly move on.
The Score: New York 27 Arizona 16 The Pick: New York Giants -1.5

Denver Broncos (1-2) at Green Bay Packers (3-0) -13.5
Niggling doubts linger here. If the opponents were Seattle I would understand the almost-two-TD line. However, Denver can stay competitive in this one. Not a strong fancy, but I can see Denver landing at least a back-door-cover.
The Score: Denver 24 Green Bay 33 The Pick: Denver +13.5

New England Patriots (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-1) +4.5
Ah yes. The over-adjustment. As is tradition. Did the Patriots turn into an awful team last week? No they did not. Did Oakland turn into the '85 Bears last week? No they didn't. The Patriots played sloppy football and paid for it. The Raiders played the game of their lives and came away with a win over the offensively ordinary Jets. A theme of 2011 is Market Correction. Well, that comes into place this week. The angry Patriots come out firing, and Oakland can't keep up.
The Score: New England 36 Oakland 24 The Pick: New England -4.5

Miami Dolphins (0-3) at San Diego Chargers (2-1) -8.5
What on earth is the story with the Vegas love affair with San Diego? Everyone saw the Chargers really struggle to beat the Vikings and Chiefs, right? We all saw that? The Chargers should win, sure, but will they win 'going away', or will Miami put up a fight? With their season on the line, surely the latter.
The Score: Miami 28 San Diego 30 The Pick: Miami +8.5

New York Jets (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1) -3.5
The Jets shocking loss in Oakland last week was curiously buried by the media, who were too busy mocking the Patriots loss in Buffalo. Well, the Jets were blown out (by ten points) by a young Oakland tea very much in the rebuilding phase, by their own admission. The bad news for New York is, the Ravens have an upgrade on Darren McFadden waiting in the wings for them. You think Ray Rice is anyway scared of a Jets paper-tiger defence that just gave up 34 points to Oakland? Baltimore look scary good at home. If they get a lead, how are the Jets going to keep up?
The Score: New York 17 Baltimore 28 The Pick: Baltimore -3.5

Indianapolis Colts (0-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) -9.5
Oh for God sake. I mean, come on. The Colts have, I think, proved they are not going to roll over and die. They played very strong last week and were unfortunate to lose. This is an absolutely ridiculous line. Dwight Freeney is laughing at this line. Painter looked decent last week in limited action. Tampa should squeak a dramatic win, but the Colts can stay within 10 easily.
The Score: Indianapolis 21 Tampa 24 The Pick: Indianapolis +9.5

Previous weeks
Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4
Week three - 6-10

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Ryan Lavarnway - unlikely Red Sox season saviour?

2011-09-28T03:46:00.000+01:00

Go ahead. Google Ryan Lavarnway. There isn’t much there, just yet. The fresh faced young Red Sox prospect probably made his own biggest dent thus far on the Internet last night. With Red Sox regulars Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia out with injuries, the Sox turned to their 24-year-old rookie catcher/utility player, and said a little prayer. As it turns out, someone was listening.

Last night Lavarnway hit his first two major league home runs and drove in four runs to lead the Sox to an 8-7 victory against the Orioles. Lavarnway become the youngest Red Sox player to hit two runs in a game since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997. Oddly enough both were 24 years, 51 days old. He had a three-run shot in the fourth and a solo homer in the eighth. When he wasn’t slugging long bombs, Lavarnway also handled his duties behind the plate perfectly. He threw out Baltimore’s Jones trying to steal third in the second inning and, crucially, in the ninth made a perfect play on a tapper in front of the plate to throw out Matt Wieters.

The NFL is going crazy over the Bills Ryan Fitzpatrick after the Harvard man’s opening three electric starts. Well, the Red Sox have their own Ivy league story in Lavarnway, who graduated from Yale with a degree in Philosophy. In 2007 he won the NCAA batting title by hitting .467 and set the standing Ivy League record with a 25-game hitting streak. In addition, he is the Ivy League all-time career home run leader, with 23.

Now what? Do the Sox try and tap into the electric energy coursing through Lavarnway as they face their massive game against the Orioles tonight? Remember they let a youthful Jacoby Ellsbury roam free in 2007, and that kind of worked out for everyone (bar the Rockies).

Tito Francona was effusive in his praise of the young catcher after last nights game;

“That was exciting, Besides what he did offensively, I thought he ran the game, I thought he had a lot of poise. That was one of the more exciting things to watch. We’ve seen a lot of interesting things here over the years. That was right near the top.’’

If those comments are anything to go by, we probably have not seen the last of Ryan Lavarnway in a Sox jersey this season.

Don't get mad at me, get mad at the machine!

2011-09-27T20:21:00.001+01:00

Pitching machines are the most reliable and effective way to get your little one in tip top shape for the baseball season. Even though, kids these days have enough energy to literally bounce off of walls, they too get run out. That is why pitching machines are key when you're trying to elevate your child's batting skills to another level. While the 'ol right hook has still got it, you don't want to wear your arm out while your son is only gets a few good pitches to practice with. It's better to purchase a machine and let your son use his energy efficiently. This way you can still use your arm in your own games. You can also focus on coaching your son, making him a better player overall.

Opting to use a pitching machine, to get your son or daughter ready for the upcoming season, will pay off three fold. Not only will your child's batting average improve, but your arm will stay intact, and your child can't yell at you for hitting them directly with the ball or throwing bad pitches. Your child will learn a valuable lesson in not having anyone to blame, and instead focus more on his own abilities to swing. This lesson will come in handy when he or she gets older, they will learn to have an introspective view when dealing with sticky situations.

There you have it, making a commitment to train hard and often with a pitching machine pays off well. There are no big cons to this type of training, except maybe the lack of team play and practice, but it'll be the easiest most time expenditure effective investment you've made yet. Machines are easily accessible online or at the batting cages these days, so you won't even need to step foot outside your home if you're busy, leaving you more time to spend with your family.

The obvious answer for 2011 AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera

2011-09-26T23:06:00.003+01:00

As we cruise to the end of the MLB season, there is an awful lot of copy being written in particular about the AL MVP. Should a pitcher be considered? Should it go to a player who is playing for a team that is seventeen games out in its division?

This column's suggestion is leading the AL with a sparkling .341 batting average. He is tied for first with a sensational .447 OBP (On base percentage). He is tied for second place with 47 doubles and is right up there in home runs (tied 7th) and RBIs (tied 7th). Our candidate is tied for 2nd in the AL with 108 walks and is second in slugging and OPS.

It isn't just the numbers.

Our candidate is the scariest bat, the leading Superstar, the main man on a team that has absolutely run away with their division, and are cruising on auto pilot into the postseason. The Detroit Lions would be nothing without Miguel Cabrera. He makes that entire lineup tick. People say the Tigers would be in trouble without big Justin Verlander, well, they would be completely screwed without 'Miggy'.

There are other worthy candidates. Bear in mind, you are hearing this from an avid Red Sox fan. This column would love to see Gonzo or Jacoby take the MVP award. However, you can't deny Miggy is the glaringly obvious logical candidate. Powerful statistics on a winning team, and you can not imagine that same team without him. With all due respect to the incredible tear Jose Bautista is on, he is doing it for a team that is going to be breaking up and going on holidays very, very soon. In three games time, to be exact.

One man ticks all the AL MVP boxes. Statistically and in terms of intangibles too. Miguel Cabrera, your AL MVP. Just remember you heard it here first.

The American League Wild Card run in – contenders break out the big guns

2011-09-26T01:39:00.002+01:00

With just three games left in the chase for the final spot in the playoffs, otherwise known as the Wild Card, the last three contenders for the American League are breaking out their heavy artillery. The three teams, Boston, Tampa and Anaheim, are unleashing nine of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball in a last ditch attempt to break into the playoffs on the tails of the division winners.

Check out this murderers row of serious pitching talent

Imagine you were a GM and you were able to cherry pick a five man rotation from that group. Personally I would go with;

Price
Beckett
Weaver
Lester
Santana

Can you imagine throwing that five out every week?

As the great Homer Simpson would say, ‘I digest’. The main topic the next few nights is clearly, who’s going forward, and which two teams can go ahead and make their holiday plans. The Angels are basically out of it, as they would have to win all three and have Boston and Tampa lose all three. That’s highly unlikely. The Red Sox have a one game lead on the Rays, so they need to win two and hope Tampa lose one, basically.

I don’t see it being that complicated. Boston happens to have the right guys at the right time, and you will probably have noticed their bullpen has come right lately. Beckett\Bedard\Lester is more than enough to win three straight against the Orioles.

Boston started the game with a damp squid 2-10 record, and there was plenty of Schadenfreude doing the rounds. However they then righted the ship in spectacular fashion. This Column thinks they will right the ship again, starting tonight.

There is just too much talent there for the alternative.

NFL picks: Week three: The revenge of the sardonic comments.

2011-09-22T01:51:00.012+01:00

Last week we lamented that the only bad thing about opening a NFL picks season 11-4 is, the only way was down. Well, what kind of glib, sardonic comment can we make after going 12-4 in week two? The only assumed result in week three is really, really down? All self depreciation aside, you do have to assume a market correction is in order, right? Or, is it? Is This Column about to embark on a 2007 Patriots like odyssey, cruising through the regular season before crashing and burning Hindenburg style in the Superbowl.

Let's find out.

Last weeks totals against the spread - 12-4
Running total against the spread - 23-8

See foot of posting for week by week links to previous weeks

New England Patriots (2-0) at Buffalo Bills (2-0) +8.5
Straight into the action. Anyone know what the over for this one is? Have NASA finished calculating it as yet? The Patriots seem intent on bashing all offensive records around for a season, whilst the Bills appear to have decided, 'If we're going to blow, we are going to do so in an aesthetically pleasing manner'. That's harsh on the Bills. They have given us two dramatic wins already, however you have to bear in mind they were against a pretty disastrous looking Kansas outfit and a young, mistake ridden Oakland side. The Patriots meanwhile have taken care of Miami on their home turf, and blown past a pretty talented Chargers side too. One 2-0 looks stronger than the other.
The score: New England 41 Buffalo 27

The Pick: New England -8.5

Our best men, figuring out the Bills/Patriots over/under

San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) -2.5
Doesn't it seem a little early to be handicapping The Bungles? This Column loves how The Bungles have given the keys to the car to a bunch of young guys, including rookie QB Andy Dalton, and their opening to the season has a whiff of friskiness about it. However, the 49ers have the defence to cause the rookie QB and his mates headaches and you have to think Frank Gore is going to get going sooner or later.
The score: San Francisco 24 Cincinnati 20

The Pick: San Francisco +2.5

We must assume The Bungles are into Mr Bungle

Miami Dolphins (0-2) at Cleveland Browns (1-1) -2.5
We believe. We believe Cleveland's QB Colt McCoy is already the more polished article than Chad Henne. We believe Cleveland were impressive last week and will play hard in front of their vociferous home fans. We believe this line is about 3-5 points too low.
The score: Miami 17 Cleveland 24

The Pick: Cleveland -2.5

Denver Broncos (1-1) at Tennessee Titans (1-1) -6.5
Think, at first glance, that this line is a little on the long side? Well, go check out Denver's injury issues. They are going into this one minus about ten of their starters. No exaggeration. This line will be closer to -8 just before kick off. The Titans get off to a good start and Chris Johnson breaks 100 as the closer
The score: Denver 17 Tennessee 30

The Pick: Tennessee -6.5

Detroit Lions (2-0) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2) +3.5
Time to get out of the boat on this one. Swim to shore. Go on without me. Take the gun, go without me! The last couple of seasons This Column has watched in admiration as the young Lions have grown into, well, young Lions with a stack of talent. We can not in good faith step away from our firm belief that this Lions team is destined for greatness. However, that -3.5 is scary. The Vikings must have this game or their season becomes a dress rehearsal for next year. Having said that, you can see the Lions gleefully battering nails into the coffin that is the career of McNabb and the season that is the Vikings 2011. People are sitting up and taking notice of the Lions, but, this could be their official coming our party.
The score: Detroit 28 Minnesota 24

The Pick: Detroit -3.5

The Real Thing. The Detroit Lions are...

Houston Texans (2-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-1) -3.5
There is only a field goal, at best, between these two side. The Saints bounced back nicely last week however it is Houston that is the more 'intact' side, even allowing for Arian Foster's absence. Ben Tate is doing a fine job in his place. The Saints are missing more personnel and Houston are getting used to winning. The feeling is the Saints will win, taking advantage of home cooking, however Houston can keep it close.
The score: Houston 27 New Orleans 30

The Pick: Houston +3.5

New York Giants (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) -7.5
Obviously noted dog killer Michael Vick (No, I will not ever give him a break, no, thanks) is a key factor, and you have to assume he will play. Even if he is involved, this line looks too lengthy to me. The Giants have not turned into a pumpkin overnight. If Vick does play, you can assume the fierce Giants pass rush will have a good pop at him. The Eagles, playing in their own backyard, should win, but it could be close. Closer than 7.5 points anyway.
The score: New York 24 Philadelphia 27

The Pick: New York Giants +7.5

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (0-2) -3.5
Goodness gracious Jacksonville were absolutely putrid against the Jets. That extra half point in the handicap is a little worrying but the Panthers can neutralize the Maurice Jones Drew threat by getting into an early lead. Rookie QB Cam Newton looks absolutely electric, which is no shock to anyone who watched him light it up in college. If Carolina get a decent lead, the Jaguars, who have serious QB issues, won't be able to keep up. Cam Newton gets career win numero uno.
The score: Jacksonville 17 Carolina 34

The Pick: (Oh) Carolina -3.5

Oh Carolina (Little inside, I know)

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at San Diego Chargers (1-1) -14.5
Nasty. Put the kids to bed. X-Rated. Kansas are a complete and utter cluster fudge of a mess. They are busy making the Keystone Cops look competent. Kansas is losing the 2011 season 89-10 at time of writing. Expect that to look even uglier once the dust has settled in San Diablo.
The score: Kansas 13 San Diego 40

The Pick: San Diego minus a million (Or -14.5, either)

New York Jets (2-0) at Oakland Raiders (1-1) +3.5
The Jets may have won easily last weekend, but they struggled at times in week one, and the Raiders are a very different proposition at home than on the road. Aren't we due a Mark Sanchez stinker? Oakland cause the shock of the week in front of their crazy fans.
The score: New York 16 Oakland 20

The Pick: Oakland +3.5

Baltimore Ravens (1-1) at St. Louis Rams (0-2) +3.5
Baltimore are the worlds greatest tease. Awesome in week one, awful in week two. The Rams need RB Stephen Jackson back, and This Column is assuming he will Cowboy Up and take the field. The Rams, at home, against what appear to be a very up and down Ravens side. Approach with caution however, hard to see the Rams doing much without Jackson.
The score: Baltimore 20 St Louis 23

The Pick: St Louis +3.5

Atlanta Falcons (1-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) -1.5
The Falcons win over the Eagles was considerably more impressive than the Buccs win over a hapless looking Vikings side. All due respect to Freeman and the young Buccos, The Falcons can stretch their winning streak to six in a row against Tampa with another victory here.
The score: Atlanta 27 Tampa 24

The Pick: Atlanta +1.5

Green Bay Packers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (1-1) +3.5
Are you aware the Packers D has allowed over 900 yards on the season so far? The Bears are a fine team at home, their home support simply doesn't allow a poor effort from them. They can keep this one close at least. Could be an entertaining one, considering how poorly the Green Bay D is playing, and how much better the Bears play at home.
The score: Green Bay 30 Chicago 32

The Pick: Chicago +3.5

Arizona Cardinals (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (0-2) +3.5
Phew, stinker alert. Seattle look absolutely atrocious. They are struggling in all areas, unable to move the ball and failing to stop anyone else moving it on them. Kolb and Fitzgerald will prove too much to handle, as the Cardinals walk away with an easy one.
The score: Arizona 27 Seattle 17

The Pick: Arizona -3.5

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Indianapolis Colts (0-2) +10.5
Absolutely hate this one. There is a world of a difference, however, between hosting Seattle and travelling to Indianapolis. Seattle do not have anyone of the caliber of Clarke, Collie or Freeney. The Colts can keep it close, playing at home in front of their piped crowd noise. As is tradition.
The score: Pittsburgh 26 Indianapolis 20

The Pick: Indianapolis +10.5

Washington Redskins (2-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1) -6.5
Gasp, what? Almost a touchdown head start for the surging Redskins? Against a Dallas side relatively rocked by that nasty old injury bug? Where do we sign up? What's the catch? There doesn't appear to be any. Washington announce themselves as a serious team in '11 with a shock road win, against a beaten up Dallas side.
The score: Washington 23 Dallas 20

The Pick: Washington +6.5

Week one - 11-4
Week two - 12-4

New: Follow Boston Irish by email

2011-09-21T03:51:00.002+01:00

Isn't modern technology just fantastic? Now, thanks to major developments in science, and stuff, you can follow Boston Irish (This blog, for those of you who got lost on the way to something else) in your email by utilising our, you guessed it, follow by email functionality.

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BOSTON IRISH

What's that Tim Thomas, you hate the Troops? Really?

The thing about Marco: The Scutaro trade; maybe leave it to the professionals

Patriots travelling to London again? Might be. Rams potential 'hosts'.

Two to read: Jimmy Rollins in Uganda and Bob Ryan's crusade (kinda)

Vincent doin’ work: Wilfork at the coal face

The Bruins Shawn Thornton knocks journalist to the boards

Tim Tebow 'does it again'! (We're just not sure what 'it' is)

The odds are: 5,000\1 the four big New England teams win it all

Irish figure heavily in stunning Sunderland win over Manchester City

NFL Week seventeen quick hits

Happy New Year! The best of Boston Irish Blog - 2011

NFL picks: Week sixteen: Happy Christmas

NFL picks: Week fifteen: A whiff of the finish line

The Jason Varitek conundrum

NFL picks: Week fourteen: Keeping your head above water (or, .500)

Dinamo Zagreb take a dive in the second: French gambling authorities taking a close look at Lyon’s 7-1 win last night.

**** you, Fantasy Football. **** you.

NFL picks: Week thirteen: Turning into the home stretch

Thursday night NFL week 13 quicky

Valentine’s Day: Red Sox set to unleash Bobby Valentine 2.0 on MLB

Tickets for the Roger Waters Tour

NFL picks: Week twelve: Breathing a sigh of relief

Happy Turkey day, baby. He hate me (plus now with added NFL Turkey day picks)!

Revisiting something in a timely manner: hy·poc·ri·sy, I dub thee George King

I demand a recount! Pedro Martinez was robbed of the 1999 MVP award

The NFL cares, FIFA doesn’t: Rex Ryan facing hefty fine while FIFA basically ignores rampant racism in its sport

NFL picks: Week eleven: Tebow for Canton! Let's rush to judgement.

About last night: Thoughts on Patriots 37 Jets 16

NFL Picks: Week Ten: Picking for your freedoms

Penn State affair: Massive failure all round, while ESPN still throws bouquets at Paterno

NFL picks: Week nine: If you read one NFL picks column this week....

Sporting Superstar fragrances

NFL picks: Week eight: ''I DO respect you, bro''

Beer me: MLB announce they are going to look into Red Sox club-house drinking

NFL picks: Week Seven: quick picks

Thoughts on Jon Lester’s recent beergate comments

Taking back the night: Dolphins @ Jets thoughts.

NFL picks: Week Six: highs and lows

The black sporting weekend. Ireland get knocked out of the Rugby World Cup, and fail to impress against Andorra.

NFL picks: Week five: How about those Lions?!

Cork man Darragh O’Neill punts his way onto Colorado University football team

NFL picks: Week Four: The madness continues

Ryan Lavarnway - unlikely Red Sox season saviour?

Don't get mad at me, get mad at the machine!

The obvious answer for 2011 AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera

The American League Wild Card run in – contenders break out the big guns

NFL picks: Week three: The revenge of the sardonic comments.

New: Follow Boston Irish by email

you, Fantasy Football. you.