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Six Picks for Sunday - Week Eleven

2009-11-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

We're back with another edition of the Six Picks for Sunday. As you know, these are determined by the six games with the closest spreads, although the games will be predicted straight up. Feel free to post your own picks in the comments section, and I'll keep you updated with the results throughout the season.

For the up-to-date results and standings, click here.

Cleveland Browns @ Detroit Lions - Lions
Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens - Colts
Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants - Giants
San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers - Packers
San Diego Chargers @ Denver Broncos - Chargers
Philadelphia Eagles @ Chicago Bears - Bears

Take what I'm writing here with a grain of salt because, as you can see from the results, I'm having a horrible year... I'll take the Lions, simply because they are the home team, in this battle of awful teams... While many see this as a letdown game for the Colts, I like them over the Ravens in Baltimore... The Giants can't lose five straight, can they? Michael Turner won't play for the Falcons, so I'll say the Giants take this one... The 49ers picked off Jay Cutler five times and still only won 10-6, so I don't think they'll beat the Packers, even if they sack Aaron Rodgers ten times... The Broncos are in a real slide and with Kyle Orton likely out, the red-hot Chargers take this one in Denver... I think Jay Cutler bounces back and the Bears take care of the Eagles at Soldier Field.

Why signing Allen Iverson is the worst move the Knicks could make

2009-11-19T17:39:00.000-05:00

The New York Knicks, one of the most pathetic franchises in recent professional sports, are about to sign Allen Iverson, according to multiple reports. Yes, the same Allen Iverson who left the Memphis Grizzlies after playing one game with the team because he thinks he should be a starter.

Let's not forget that the Knicks are a putrid 2-9, even though they did win in come-from-behind fashion in Indiana last night and have a matchup with the winless Nets on Saturday. So what better way to improve a team made up of overpaid underperformers and wide-eyed youngsters than to bring in Allen Iverson, the King of the Ballhogs?

All I've heard is how AI will score 40+ in coach Mike D'Antoni's system. While this may be true it will be at the cost of the development of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas. As a bad team looking ahead to the "Summer of 2010," the Knicks should only be concerned about the future.

Sure, winning a few games now would ensure that the Jazz don't get the number one overall pick, since Isiah Thomas traded it away in one of his many idiotic deals. But what does it really matter? Why not just toss out all your youngsters and let them learn by doing?

If Iverson is signed, he won't be a part of the post-2010 plan. Nor will Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Chris Duhon or anyone else that Donnie Walsh will be able to let free or trade. So what, then, is the point of bringing Iverson in now, to the detriment of everyone but Iverson?

I'm not discrediting Iverson's talent. The guy can play, no doubt. But he needs the ball all the time, needs everything to be done his way, and will almost certainly cause problems wherever he goes, a la Terrell Owens. Knowing all of that, why even bother with the guy when your team has zero chance of winning anything this season?

NFL Power Rankings: Week 11 edition

2009-11-18T18:35:00.000-05:00

TOP TIER
1. Saints (9-0) [1]
2. Colts (9-0) [2]
3. Vikings (8-1) [3]
4. Bengals (7-2) [7]
5. Patriots (6-3) [4]
6. Steelers (6-3) [5]
7. Cardinals (6-3) [9]
8. Chargers (6-3) [11]
9. Cowboys (6-3) [6]
10. Broncos (6-3) [8]

I thought about sliding the Colts up to the number one spot after that great comeback win against the Patriots but I can't discount what the Saints have been doing... The Bengals leap up to number four after a nice (if boring) win against the Steelers. Cincinnati is in the driver's seat for the AFC North crown... The Chargers crack the Top Tier for the first time in a while and have a huge matchup against the Broncos next week.

SECOND TIER
11. Falcons (5-4) [10]
12. Ravens (5-4) [14]
13. Texans (5-4) [13]
14. Eagles (5-4) [12]
15. Giants (5-4) [15]
16. Jaguars (5-4) [16]
17. Dolphins (4-5) [17]
18. Packers (5-4) [19]
19. 49ers (4-5) [20]
20. Panthers (4-5) [21]
21. Bears (4-5) [18]
22. Titans (3-6) [25]

The Falcons and Giants will battle this coming week in a matchup that could be make-or-break for both teams. Each is 5-4, each has struggled lately... A big win for the Jaguars as they came from behind and beat the Jets after a smart play by Maurice Jones-Drew, who knelt at the one yard line to preserve the clock and seal the deal... Jay Cutler, a few short months ago thought of as the future of the Bears, now looks like the December '08 Brett Favre. Maybe for Chicago that could turn out to be a good thing next season... The Titans continue to roll after replacing Kerry Collins with Vince Young at starting quarterback. It helps that Chris Johnson is having an incredible season.

BOTTOM TIER
23. Jets (4-5) [22]
24. Bills (3-6) [23]
25. Seahawks (3-6) [24]
26. Redskins (3-6) [30]
27. Chiefs (2-7) [28]
28. Raiders (2-7) [26]
29. Buccaneers (1-8) [27]
30. Rams (1-8) [29]
31. Lions (1-8) [31]
32. Browns (1-8) [32]

The Jets have gone from Kings of New York with a tough guy coach full of bravado to a huge disappointment behind their crybaby coach Rex Ryan. Not that we should have expected more out of a rookie quarterback but once the New York media dubbed him Mark "Sanchise," the expectations grew way beyond what they should have been... The Bills are truly awful and Terrell Owens is in the running for Least Valuable Player, along with Michael Vick.

Six Picks for Sunday - Week Ten results

2009-11-18T18:04:00.000-05:00

It was more of the same during Week Ten, which means another putrid performance by yours truly. Let's take a look at the results.

Tony's Picks
~~DEN~~, ~~ATL~~, ~~OAK~~, SD, ~~DAL~~, NE

The Rooster's Picks
~~DEN~~, ~~ATL~~, KC, SD, GB, NE

Stuart's Picks
~~DEN~~, ~~ATL~~, KC, SD, ~~DAL~~, IND

Both Stuart and The Rooster went 3-3 while I was a disgusting, despicable, disheartening 1-5. Perhaps, like the Tennessee Titans, I can make a nice run here after an awful start. Probably not. Let's look at the full results from the year.

Stuart (38-16)
The Rooster (30-24)
Tony (22-32)

Video: Ric Flair "bloodies" Hulk Hogan at Australian press conference

2009-11-18T17:52:00.000-05:00

Hulk Hogan is embarking on his newest Hulkamania tour, which takes place in Australia. The tour features several other wrestling has-beens, but the main event pits "The Hulkster" against Ric Flair. Tuesday night the two squared off at a press event to promote the fight. Watch as the two old, old, old dogs exchange words and then Flair gives Hogan the weakest looking slap.

Apparently many in the Australian media thought this was real. I can't hide my love for professional wrestling but we all know it's set up. If that wasn't enough, that slap couldn't have busted open a tomato.

This match will be all sorts of bad when the two actually get it on. Hogan was one of the worst wrestlers in terms of ring work when he was in his prime so just imagine how bad he'll be at the age he is and against another geriatric in "The Nature Boy."

Video: Brandon Jennings scores 55 points on the Warriors

2009-11-15T10:55:00.001-05:00

Coming into this year's NBA Draft, Brandon Jennings was the guy everyone was scared of. You may remember him as the high school kid that went to Italy to play instead of college because his test scores weren't high enough. His numbers overseas left a little to be desired and many pundits didn't think he would amount to anything in the pros.

It's early, surely, but Jennings is doing his best to prove them wrong. Last night the Bucks rookie went off for 55 points against Golden State. Clearly on this night the Warriors did not come out to play. (See... see what I did there?)

Take a look at the highlights below.

Six Picks for Sunday - Week Ten

2009-11-14T10:32:00.001-05:00

After what we'll call a "bye week," we're back with another edition of the Six Picks for Sunday. As you know, these are determined by the six games with the closest spreads, although the games will be predicted straight up. Feel free to post your own picks in the comments section, and I'll keep you updated with the results throughout the season.

For the up-to-date results and standings, click here.

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins - Broncos
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers - Falcons
Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders - Raiders
Philadelphia Eagles @ San Diego Chargers - Chargers
Dallas Cowboys @ Green Bay Packers - Cowboys
New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts - Patriots

The Redskins are about as bad as a two-win team can be. While the Broncos are coming off two straight losses, they were to very good teams. And the Redskins certainly are not a very good team... The Falcons seem to be getting in a groove and while the Panthers are playing better than they were earlier in the year, they still have a long way to go... The last time the Chiefs and Raiders met, Oakland squeaked out a 13-10 victory in Kansas City. This time the teams battle in the bay, so I'll take the Raiders... The Chargers are on fire right and coming off a huge last minute win at Giants Stadium. The Eagles are coming off a tough loss and have a lot of question marks surrounding their team. I'll take the Bolts in San Diego... The Packers just aren't very good. While Aaron Rodgers is doing his part, the rest of the team isn't helping. After losing to the winless Bucs, Green Bay should be fired up but the Cowboys are hitting their annual "make everyone think we're really good" stretch and should win at Lambeau... While the Colts are undefeated and at home, I'll take the Pats. New England's offense is finally gelling and Tom Brady seems to have shaken off all the rust from missing a year. Add in the fact that the Colts are banged up on defense and that's a recipe for Indianapolis' first loss of 2009.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 10 edition

2009-11-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

TOP TIER
1. Saints (8-0) [1]
2. Colts (8-0) [2]
3. Vikings (7-1) [3]
4. Patriots (6-2) [5]
5. Steelers (5-2) [6]
6. Cowboys (6-2) [7]
7. Bengals (6-2) [8]
8. Broncos (6-2) [4]
9. Cardinals (5-3) [12]
10. Falcons (5-3) [13]
11. Chargers (5-3) [15]

Not a lot of change at the top, other than the Broncos falling a bit. As much as I'd like to jump off their bandwagon, they did lose to the defending Super Bowl champions. Denver plays Washington this weekend, which should help them straighten everything out... The Cowboys are starting to hit a stride and that's bad news for the rest of the NFC East... The Bengals just might be for real and have a huge contest against Pittsburgh coming up in Week 10.

SECOND TIER
12. Eagles (5-3) [9]
13. Texans (5-4) [11]
14. Ravens (4-4) [10]
15. Giants (5-4) [14]
16. Jaguars (4-4) [21]
17. Dolphins (3-5) [16]
18. Bears (4-4) [17]
19. Packers (4-4) [18]
20. 49ers (3-5) [19]

I wanted to drop the Giants, Bears and Packers down the ladder more, but there is really nowhere for them to go. That's how bad the bottom tier is... The G-Men are in an absolute freefall, having lost four straight... The Ravens just aren't the team they were last year and their defense is starting to show its age... Not to take anything away from the Bucs but the Packers just can't lose to them, especially in those ugly throwback uniforms. Then again, Green Bay has one of the worst offensive lines in the game.

BOTTOM TIER
21. Panthers (3-5) [20]
22. Jets (4-4) [22]
23. Bills (3-5) [23]
24. Seahawks (3-5) [24]
25. Titans (2-6) [27]
26. Raiders (2-6) [25]
27. Buccaneers (1-7) [32]
28. Chiefs (1-7) [26]
29. Rams (1-7) [28]
30. Redskins (2-6) [29]
31. Lions (1-7) [30]
32. Browns (1-7) [31]

What can I really say here? Tampa Bay moves up five spots with their win and for just showing signs of life.

Hey, where were the Six Picks for Sunday this week?

2009-11-09T19:47:00.000-05:00

I have to be honest with you. I totally forgot about it.

I moved into a new apartment this weekend and, in the midst of that frenzy, the weekly Six Picks for Sunday competition completely slipped my mind. Don't worry, I'm sure Stu would have gone 6-0 and I would have gone 1-5, with The Rooster somewhere in between.

We'll be back next week with the contest and I apologize if any of you were on the edge of your seat waiting. Thanks for checking in!

NFL Power Rankings: Week 9 edition

2009-11-05T22:41:00.000-05:00

The Saints and Colts remained undefeated and kept hold of their top spots in the NFL Power Rankings.

TOP TIER
1. Saints (7-0) [1]
2. Colts (7-0) [2]
3. Vikings (7-1) [4]
4. Broncos (6-1) [3]
5. Patriots (5-2) [5]
6. Steelers (5-2) [6]
7. Cowboys (5-2) [7]
8. Bengals (5-2) [9]
9. Eagles (5-2) [12]
10. Ravens (4-3) [13]
11. Texans (5-3) [15]

The Texans are the most noticeable change, sliding into the Top Tier after going two games over .500 for the first time in their history... The Ravens knocked off the undefeated Broncos to move up three spots.

SECOND TIER
12. Cardinals (4-3) [8]
13. Falcons (4-3) [10]
14. Giants (5-3) [11]
15. Chargers (4-3) [16]
16. Dolphins (3-4) [18]
17. Bears (4-3) [20]
18. Packers (4-3) [14]
19. 49ers (3-4) [17]
20. Panthers (3-4) [24]
21. Jaguars (3-4) [19]
22. Jets (4-4) [21]
23. Bills (3-5) [22]

The Falcons and Giants continue to slide after both started the year high in the Power Rankings... I thought long and hard about putting the Jags, Jets and Bills in the Bottom Tier but I don't know if I'm ready to commit to that yet.

BOTTOM TIER
24. Seahawks (2-5) [23]
25. Raiders (2-6) [25]
26. Chiefs (1-6) [26]
27. Titans (1-6) [30]
28. Rams (1-7) [31]
29. Redskins (2-5) [29]
30. Lions (1-6) [27]
31. Browns (1-7) [28]
32. Buccaneers (0-7) [32]

The New York Yankees are World Champions for the 27th time

2009-11-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

I've been very slow on the blogging lately, but you know I had to drop in for this one. The Yankees took Game 6 tonight and captured their 27th World Series title.

I'll be back tomorrow with more thoughts on the World Series victory and my weekly NFL Power Rankings, but until then I leave you with this celebratory photo.

Six Picks for Sunday - Week Eight results

2009-11-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Let's just say this wasn't my week when it came to predicting games. In fact, it hasn't been my season. Let's take a look at this week's results.

Tony's Picks
~~DEN~~, HOU, GB, ~~NYJ~~, ~~JAX~~, ~~NYG~~

Stuart's Picks
BAL, HOU, GB, ~~NYJ~~, TEN, PHI

The Rooster's Picks
BAL, HOU, GB, ~~NYJ~~, ~~JAX~~, PHI

Not surprisingly, Stu went 4-2 and again won the week. The Rooster was right there with a 3-3 performance and then... me. A pathetic 1-5 week to keep me firmly locked in the basement. Here are the overall standings.

Stuart (35-13)
The Rooster (27-21)
Tony (21-27)

Video: Manu Ginobili is the new Batman

2009-11-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

So I'm sure you've seen this by now since it's been all over the interwebs, but I'm just getting around to some blogging and I had to post it. A bat got inside the AT&T Center during the Spurs-Kings game on Saturday night. Manu Ginobili was able to swat down the bat. Best part, he didn't even do that stupid Christian Bale voice!

I'm surprised no "bat rights" groups have come out of the woodwork after this one. Then again, it's only been a few days.

Six Picks for Sunday - Week Eight

2009-10-30T22:42:00.001-04:00

Here we go again, time for another week of prognostications. These are determined by the six games with the closest spreads, although the games will be predicted straight up. Feel free to post your own picks in the comments section, and I'll keep you updated with the results throughout the season.

For the up-to-date results and standings, click here.

Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens - Broncos
Houston Texans @ Buffalo Bills - Texans
Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers - Packers
Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets - Jets
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans - Jaguars
New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles - Giants

The Ravens have a strong reputation but it hasn't been earning them much on the field this year. I like the Broncos to stay undefeated in Baltimore... The Bills are likely the worst team with more than two wins and the Texans are playing some really good football right now... Brett Favre used to play in Green Bay?! Get ready to get beaten over the head for the majority of each pregame show this Sunday about that storyline. I'll take the Packers at home even though their offensive line can't block anybody. As much as people say Favre doesn't care, I think the crowd may be a big factor... Something about this Jets-Dolphins game tells me playing at the Meadowlands will be an advantage for the Airplanes and the crushing loss to the Saints may still be lingering on the minds of the Fins... I have no idea why the spread is so close on this Titans-Jaguars game... The Eagles lost to the lowly Raiders and then beat the pathetic Redskins while the Giants lost to the Saints and Cardinals, two top teams in the league. This will, as usual, be a huge game for both teams but I see the Giants coming out on top in a nailbiter.

Congratulations! You're Dwight Howard's one millionth follower on Twitter!

2009-10-30T22:31:00.000-04:00

So Dwight Howard reached the hallowed ground that is one million Twitter followers. Instead of just letting this go by without any celebration, he flew in the lucky one millionth follower to attend a game in Orlando. Check out the video for reaction from Howard and the winner.

Speaking of Twitter, you can follow me (@tonyblogs) and if I reach a million followers, I will probably not give anyone a prize, but I will be very happy with all of you.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 8 edition

2009-10-29T21:30:00.000-04:00

The Saints hold steady at number one while the Falcons and Giants both fall five spots and into the second tier. Take a look at the entire Power Rankings for this week.

TOP TIER
1. Saints (6-0) [1]
2. Colts (6-0) [3]
3. Broncos (6-0) [4]
4. Vikings (6-1) [2]
5. Patriots (5-2) [7]
6. Steelers (5-2) [8]
7. Cowboys (4-2) [9]
8. Cardinals (4-2) [10]
9. Bengals (5-2) [11]

It looked like the Carson Palmer you always hear about finally showed up and the Bengals cruised to a big win over the Bears... The Steelers and Patriots both seem to be gaining big heads of steam... The Cowboys are looking more like the team everyone wants them to be.

SECOND TIER
10. Falcons (4-2) [5]
11. Giants (5-2) [6]
12. Eagles (4-2) [13]
13. Ravens (3-3) [12]
14. Packers (4-2) [16]
15. Texans (4-3) [18]
16. Chargers (3-3) [21]
17. 49ers (3-3) [15]
18. Dolphins (2-4) [17]
19. Jaguars (3-3) [19]
20. Bears (3-3) [14]
21. Jets (4-3) [22]

The Falcons and Giants both lost and while they weren't to terrible terms, they were games each team should have won... The Eagles move up just a bit after beating the lifeless Redskins and can make up big ground this weekend if they take down the G-Men in Philly... The Texans fended off a late comeback attempt by Alex Smith and the 49ers and Matt Schaub is having a hell of a season... The Dolphins only drop one spot after almost beating the top ranked Saints.

THIRD TIER
22. Bills (3-4) [24]
23. Seahawks (2-4) [23]
24. Panthers (2-4) [20]
25. Raiders (2-5) [25]
26. Chiefs (1-6) [26]
27. Lions (1-5) [27]
28. Browns (1-6) [28]
29. Redskins (2-5) [29]
30. Titans (0-6) [30]
31. Rams (0-7) [31]
32. Buccaneers (0-7) [32]

Only three spots are different in this week's bottom tier... The bottom nine teams are all really, really bad.

Dropping Links: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

2009-10-28T00:15:00.002-04:00

Six Picks for Sunday - Week Seven results

2009-10-27T22:23:00.000-04:00

We're already seven weeks and 42 selections into out Six Picks for Sunday competition. Let's take a look at last week's results and see how we all stack up at this point.

Tony's Picks
SD, CIN, PIT, HOU, NYJ, ~~ATL~~

Stuart's Picks
SD, CIN, PIT, HOU, NYJ, DAL

The Rooster's Picks
SD, CIN, PIT, HOU, NYJ, ~~ATL~~

Even less variation than the previous week and, once again, Stu comes in with a perfect 6-0 mark, followed by The Rooster and I with 5-1 records. And now, the overall standings.

Stuart (31-11)
The Rooster (24-18)
Tony (20-22)

Stuart is absolutely killing it right now and has a nice seven game lead over The Rooster. I pulled a lot closer to the .500 mark this week, but still look pretty foolish with my two-games-under record. As they say, though, it's a long season.

Dropping Links: Tuesday, October 27, 2009

2009-10-27T00:15:00.000-04:00

2009-2010 NBA season preview and predictions

2009-10-26T23:17:00.000-04:00

The NBA season tips off Tuesday with four games, two of them broadcast nationally. The Celtics head to Cleveland to battle the Cavs at 7:30, followed by a Clippers-Lakers showdown at 10:30, both on TNT. The Wizards also take on the Mavericks in Dallas at 8:30 EST while the Rockets and Blazers go at it in Portland at 10:00 EST.

There were a lot of shake-ups this offseason, mostly involving the power teams in the Association. The Cavs added Shaquille O'Neal, Boston brought in Rasheed Wallace, the Spurs got Richard Jefferson, the defending-champion Lakers added Ron Artest and the Eastern conference champion Magic traded for Vince Carter. Meanwhile Detroit tried to return to its previous prominence by acquiring former UConn standouts Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. It should be interesting to see if the gap between the elite teams and those below widens even further.

Without further ado, let's get to the predictions. Playoff teams are indicated by an asterisk (*).

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics*
Toronto Raptors*
Philadelphia 76ers*
New York Knicks
New Jersey Nets

Central Division
Cleveland Cavaliers*
Detroit Pistons*
Chicago Bulls
Milwaukee Bucks
Indiana Pacers

Southeast Division
Orlando Magic*
Miami Heat*
Atlanta Hawks*
Charlotte Bobcats
Washington Wizards

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets*
Utah Jazz*
Portland Trail Blazers*
Oklahoma City Thunder
Minnesota Timberwolves

Pacific Division
Los Angeles Lakers*
Phoenix Suns*
Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings

Southwest Division
San Antonio Spurs*
New Orleans Hornets*
Dallas Mavericks*
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies

2010 NBA FINALS
LA Lakers defeat Boston Celtics

I think we see a rematch of the 2008 Finals. The Lakers are undoubtedly the best team in the league with the addition of Ron Artest, if he can keep his head on his shoulders. The same could be said of Rasheed Wallace, who brings a lot to the table for the Celtics if he can keep his act in check. If Kevin Garnett is healthy all season, Boston will be poised for one more (perhaps final) serious run.

Videos: Get ready for the NBA season with their "Anticipation" series

2009-10-26T18:18:00.000-04:00

The '09-'10 NBA season tips off with a slate of games tomorrow night so to get ready the NBA has been releasing their collection of "Anticipation" videos on YouTube. They are voiced by Kobe Bryant and, as always, the NBA does a great job with their video work. Take a look at a few of them below.

Lookalikes: Jorge Posada and Ratatouille

2009-10-26T18:13:00.000-04:00

As you know, I'm a Yankees fan, so this one is good old fashioned fun. It comes to us from new blog friend Perez Solomon, who has some great stuff on his blog so be sure to check it out.

Dropping Links: Monday, October 26, 2009

2009-10-26T00:35:00.000-04:00

Steve Phillips fired by ESPN following affair with production assistant

2009-10-25T20:52:00.000-04:00

From ESPN's Mike Soltys, via Fang's Bites, comes word that ESPN has fired Steve Phillips following his much publicized tryst with a 22-year-old production assistant. The affair became public this week when the New York Post and Deadspin, both basically one step above the Enquirer in terms of class, broke the news.

Here is the official tweet from Soltys:

Steve Phillips is no longer working for ESPN. His ability to be an effective rep of ESPN has been significantly & irreparably damaged.

Video: Lakers' bench finds a great way to get around "No Standing" rule

2009-10-23T17:09:00.000-04:00

This clip comes to us from Ball Don't Lie. As you may know, the NBA instituted a new rule that restricts players from standing while they are on the bench since it blocks the view of the people in the heftily priced front row seats. Maybe the NBA should switch to the "raised court" setup that the NCAA has used in the past few years for big games, but I digress. The Lakers had to find a new ritual instead of the usual one of standing until your team makes a basket. What they came up with is great and, as BDL's J.E. Skeets points out, right out of Major League.