Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 4

 
 
















Last week I was beyond stunned, it was clearly an
unmitigated disaster.  In all my years of Stone Cold
Locks here on MSS I have never gone 0-3, at least
not that I can or want to remember.  My mark is
5-4 and can't ever remember being this close to .500.
This week I will try reverse the 0-3 from last week,
here goes:

1. Arizona - I'm buying in, they may be for real.

2. Houston - Not really a fan, but Oh well.

3. Green Bay -Along with the Saints they are 1-5,
combined, WOW!, bet you didn't see that coming.
   
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A College Football Game Watch List For Today

ESPN . com Illustration 
 
Last weeks picks turned out to be pretty good, so if you took
my advice and watched any of them, chances are you weren't
disappointed.  This week could be just as good, because it will
be difficult  to be better, and a dud is always bound to appear.
Here's a few games I think are worth watching if your into the
college football scene:

1. Ohio State vs Michigan State - Michigan State already lost
to Notre Dame this season, so if they lose this one at home
this season will be nothing but a footnote for their fans.

2. Wisconsin vs Nebraska - The Cornhuskers just don't strike
me as a team that will compete at a high level this season, so if
they drop this one to an unranked Badger team at home, next
week at Ohio State might prove to be a disaster for them.

3. Tennessee vs Georgia - This week is a little sparse, but this
is still worth keeping an eye on.  #5 Georgia cannot afford a
letdown against a team that is hoping to catapult into the top 25
at their expense.  Tennessee could surprise some people here.
 

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Pittsburgh Pirates Insult & Injure Their Fans

 











 Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
  
About a week ago I wrote about how both the Pittsburgh Pirates
and the New york Mets have really made a mess of what started
out as promising seasons early on, and even further along, but
since then the Mets have managed to add a 20 winner into the fold
as a little bit of a treat to their fans, and earlier on rewarded their
fans with the franchises first no hitter as well.  Both of these feats
took place at home, so the home fans really had a chance to enjoy
them, and at least say they were there.

Now though it's true that with five games remaining for the Pirates
they already have four more wins than they did last season, and the
Mets could only improve on last years win total if they won every
last game they have remaining, I'm going to venture and say that
Pirates fans have to be a little less satisfied than they thought they
might be a few weeks a go.  I'm thinking that fans in Pittsburgh
would have been happy to take the consolation prize of finishing
over .500 for the first time in two decades if they couldn't make
the playoffs, but after tonight not only is that off the table, but the
team would have to go 5-0 just to finish .500.  Now not only is
the bar getting lower, and lower for what fans expected from their
team, but it is VERY unlikely.  For the last six weeks or so the
Pirates have not only been going backwards in the standings, but
have also been doing things backwards, like instead of rewarding
their fans with anything like I mentioned earlier, but instead of
what the Mets did with giving their fans a no-hitter at home, the
Pirates eliminated all hope of finishing over .500 by being no-hit
at home tonight in front of their home fans.

I have no doubt that Clint Hurdle has done a great job with this
team, and should likely remain as the manager in Pittsburgh, it
is also quite evident that this type of finish is not only a tease to
the fans that began coming back to the ball park in the Steel City
to root on their team, but is also adding insult to injury on what has
no doubt been a painful couple of decades for the fans.
 
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6PM Tonight - Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio - L I V E

 

Join me tonight alongside Ed Hawkins as we discuss this
debacle that is the lockout of the NFL Officials, and the
maddening level that is has reached.  I will ask Ed, our   
resident hockey expert if the NHL lockout is anywhere
near the end, and of course look at the MLB pennant
races, as well as all the sports news we can fit into an
hour on Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio at 6PM.
Call in and make your voice heard.
Find the show here on ScatterRadio


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Quick Hits: NFL

 
 
Quick hits is really the theme here as far as the NFL is concerned
this past weekend, so I won't waste any time, here goes:

The NY Jets are screwed without Darrelle Revis in their secondary,
and so is he now that he is without that big deal he wanted.
Any NY Jet fan will be all too painfully reminded Leon Washington,
and how similar this is.  The rest of you can look it up.

The NFL was way more screwy than usual this past Sunday.  In all
my years that I have been doing my "Stone Cold Locks" here on
Mad Stork Sports, I have never gone winless, never been 0-3.
THAT is a crazy weekend.  Stone Cold Locks are supposed to
be just that, EASY, but I won't blame the refs.

Then there's that, the replacement referees.  STOP BITCHING about
it.  If it means that much to you, shut off your TV, cancel your NFL
Ticket on Direct TV, and don't show up to the game.  Thing is, you
won't.  As many of you that are out there complaining, there are
that much more that will jump in your place if you don't go.
Look, these guys may not be the best, or even the third best, but
they are officials, not butchers or bakers or candle stick makers.
This too shall pass, and then you'll just have to go back to moaning
about the regular officials.  
  
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Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 9-22-12

On "Ranting with Rizzo" this past week there was
talk about the baseball pennant races, and who is
on their way out. We also take a look at week three
in the NFL season. Checkout it out here: 



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Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 3

 
Last week I was stunned to see the Patriots fall to
the Arizona Cardinals for my 1st loss of the season, 
but now my mark is 5-1 and I'm one missed field goal
away from having been perfect after two weeks.
This week I will try and get back on track by paying
better attention to staying consistent, but I will admit
this week seems especially hard to pick, here goes:

1. New Orleans - They have to win eventually, and 
this is as good a spot as any.

2. San Francisco - Consistency is what they provide.

3. Washington - A little bit of a reach, but in RGIII I Trust
  
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Must See College Football Games Already In 2012

Yes, some teams are only now playing their third game, while
others are into game four in the wacky schedule that is College
football, but with some changes already in the rankings, their
are some games that are worth watching , so here are some:

1. Michigan at Notre Dame -  #18 at #11 was so easy to pick
here it's criminal.  Miss this game and you miss alot.  The Winner
stands to set themselves up for so much more going forward.

2. Clemson at Florida St. - Another game that can really reward
the winner and hurt the loser.  SEC at its finest.

3. Kansas St. at Oklahoma - Can be a goody, especially if the
upset is in play late in the game.

Those ought to get you started, enjoy the weekend !

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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Magical Ride For Mets And Pirates Comes To Crash & Burn

Their seasons got off to so much promise, even though
no one believed in them other than some of their most
ardent fans.  The Pirates even had a share of 1st place
for a moment past the season mid season mark.  The Mets
too had possession of 1st place in the NL East for what
would amount to a little less than a moment, and the
reality set in for both of these recently beleaguered
franchises.

I'm not sure which story is sadder, the one which had
the Pirates finishing above .500 for the fist time in
over two decades, but is now in jeopardy, or the one
that has season play six games over .500 hundred for
the 1st half of 2012 only to play a woeful TWENTY TWO
games under .500 since. 

These teams share other things in common as well, both
of their managers are in their second year and have
received much praise for the way their teams have both
played hard, and stayed relevant, butunfortunately the
Pirates like the Mets had a decent start to the season
last year only to have a similar fate in the 2nd half.
Now though the Pirates have already surpassed 2011,
but after being 2-8 in their last ten games and losing
games to the 100+ loss Houston Astros and the clearly
inferior Chicago Cubs, it's bound to leave a really bad
taste in your mouth going into the off season for the
fan base.  Terry Collins had a better 2011 than Clint
Hurdle did, but in 2012 the Mets stand to regress if
you just base this on wins and losses.  At this point
the Mets would need to finish the season 10-2 just to
equal last years mark, and they too are a miserable
2-8 in their last ten games.  Similarly the Mets too
fell victim to the Chicago Cubs, the Mets dropped 2
out of three to them at Wrigley at the end of June and
later dropped 2 out of three at home again just before
the All Star break.  

The fans of these two teams are going to need to hang
on a little longer if they hope to enjoy in the riches
of good seasons to come if there are to be any, but
with baby steps like these, and some one step forward
two steps backward type seasons, it may be a while
before these two managers get to straighten it out. 

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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 9-15-12

On "Ranting with Rizzo" this past week there was
a big look at the baseball pennant races, and who
still has a shot. We also take a look at week two
in the young NFL season. Checkout it out here:


 
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Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 2

AP Photo/Evan Pinkus

Last week I started the season 3-0, right where
it should be, but harder than you might imagine.
Teams are still starting to develop, and so is
your opinion of them, so it's easy to get crossed
up and lose what might seemingly be an easy game.
This week I will try and keep that it going by
staying consistent and using what works, here goes:

1. New England - vs Arizona it's like Alabama vs
Idaho in college football, easy.

2. San Francisco - Ladies and gentleman meet the
NFC representative for the Super Bowl in 2013.

3. Pittsburgh - No Revis, no Keller for the Jets,
no 0-2 start for the Steelers.

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Derek Jeter Is A Legend, Don't Doubt It!

Ed Betz/AP

The one thing I can say for certain is that it's
real hard to admit or give someone credit for
being a legend in your lifetime when you root
against them, or hate them. As loved as Derek
Jeter is, and as many people root for him, he
is also quite despised and hated by the enemy
fans and those that root against him. I have
without question rooted against him, and though
I don't hate him, nor have I, I have hated how
good he is against the team or teams I root for
sometimes.

The New York Yankees have TWENTY SEVEN World
Series titles to their credit, something they
are very quick to tell you, and some of the
most legendary names ever to play the game have
had entire careers with them. I don't mean
guys like Reggie Jackson who had a great career
in Oakland before becoming an Oriole and then a
Yankee, or A-Rod who made his name in Seattle
long before he took Tom Hicks for a ride in
Texas. I mean Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Mickey
Mantle, Yogi Berra, etc., etc. And with all
those stars on that list, not a one ever had
3,000 hits before Derek Jeter, NO ONE.

Derek Jeter was drafted with the sixth pick in
the 1992 baseball draft, and if you look at the
names that were drafted ahead of him, you'd be
hard pressed to know who they were unless you
googled them.
1. Phil Nevindagger (Houston Astros)
2. Paul Shuey (Cleveland Indians)
3. B. J. Wallace (Montreal Expos)
4. Jeffrey Hammondsdagger (Baltimore Orioles)
5. Chad Mottola (Cincinnati Reds)
All were college players, Jeter was drafted
straight out of high school.

A lifetime .314 hitter who has been written off
more than once, and yes by Yankees fans too,
more often than anyone of his talents should be.
Though his 255 home runs and 1250 runs batted in
so far, don't blow you away, his consistency has
too. It seems like only yesterday that he got
his 3,000th hit, with a home run, and with
typical Jeter flair he became only the second
player in baseball history to do it that way,
the other was Wade Boggs, and now he now has
3,286 and counting.

There are so many Derek Jeter stats and moments
I could throw at you, but if you still need any
convincing, just watch him play, before you miss
what it's like to see a true legend playing in
your lifetime.


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Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 9-12-12

The Yankees, Orioles, and week one of NFL Football
were all big topics of conversation on this show,
so if you happened to miss it on ScatterRadio on
Wednesday, here it is:



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LA Dodgers Short Cut No Yellow Brick Road

They made a blockbuster trade that had all the
makings of stealing the pennant from the Giants,
winning the National League, and swooping in on
a World Series title for a franchise that has
as much history as just about any royal family
in the baseball world, but it had a chance at
being a total flop too.

The verdict isn't completely in, but the Dodgers
gambled and as of right now, I'm gonna say they
lost. Yes they are only two games out of the
last NL wildcard spot, but they have failed
miserably in their attempt to gain any ground
on their longtime nemesis San Francisco Giants,
and have dropped to seven and half games behind
them for the first place spot in the NL West.

Though the Dodgers are now saying that this trade
for Beckett, Gonzalez, Crawford and co. is for
their future as much as it is to make a run this
year, it sure looked like a team that was hoping
for a bigger more immediate payout when the trade
was made. Maybe they were looking for the Wizard.

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Live 6 Tonight - Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio

Join me tonight as I talk about Sundays games
and all the pennant race news. I will try and
fit it in an hour on Mad Stork Sports on
ScatterRadio at 6PM. Call in and make your voice
heard. Find the show here on ScatterRadio

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 9-8-12

On "Ranting with Rizzo" this past week I was
lucky enough to have Roch Kubatko of MASN on
the show to talk a little about the Orioles
their magical September carpet ride. Checkout
the podcast here and see what else we had to
say:



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 1

I'm back for another season of football picks
and commentary. Last year I ended the season
with a record of 51-9 and a successful end with
my pick of the Giants as Superbowl Champions.
The .850 winning percentage is an improvement
over the previous seasons mark of .824, so this
season I will try and keep that upward trend by
improving on it once again. Here goes week 1:

1. Houston - Miami still needs to get feet wet.

2. New England - A repeat appearance in the
Super Bowl is in the cards for Brady & Co.

3. Philadelphia - The Browns honor the late Art
Modell in the only way they know how.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo - Live @ 12 Noon !

"Ranting with Rizzo" is on at 12 Noon and we are
lucky enough to get some insight from the man who
maybe covering the best story in baseball right
now, the Baltimore Orioles. Roch Kubatko is kind
enough to spend a few minutes with me and talk about
this magic carpet ride that the Orioles are on.
That and a look at stories that made the news this
week so tune in to 1170AM WDIS and WDISAM.Com
Join the discussion. Rizzo@WDISAM.Com

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Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 9-5-12

The Yankees and Orioles were a big topic of
conversation on this show, but there was also
much to say about opening night in the NFL, and
what Sunday might look like. If you happened to
miss it on ScatterRadio Wednesday, here it is:



Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

David Wright OR Curtis Granderson

The first thing that may come to mind for the reader
may be, why ask the question to begin with? They're
both very good players that play in New york, play
different positions, and realistically speaking have
zero to do with each other. Well, I will tell you
why I bring this up at all. Does David Wright get
too much credit for being this star that maybe he
really isn't, while Curtis Granderson doesn't get
enough? I'm not sure I'll have a definitive answer
for you here and now, but it may change your view.
Then again it may not, but here goes.

This thing came to mind just recently for me when
I saw that both these players had just hit their
200th home run, and it literally happened just days
apart. Now I am a Mets fan, so many times I can
admit to the fact that I can fall into the trap of
"don't know what you got til it's gone", but since
I listen to more Mets games than Yankees games, I
did notice that the broadcasters made a point to
let the listener know about it, and in more than
just the casual way. Now John Sterling may have
thrown a party for Granderson for all I know, but
somehow I wonder. All of this led me to bring up
their stats, I wanted to see their age, ab's etc.
What I found wasn't I suspected, Granderson has
great numbers, but the clear cut star isn't here.

By the numbers is just this: Granderson has 201 Hr's
while Wright is still at 200, and yes that is no big
deal, however Granderson has done this in 138 less
games, or just under a season. He hit them in 520
less at bats, and that is a full season. In the
time span Granderson also has 240 less Rbi's than
Wright, but that doesn't surprise me since he has
been more of a 1 or 2 hitter throughout his career
than he is now in NY. Here is where my argument
took a turn against me though. David Wright has
Curtis Granderson easily beat in the batting avg.
dept by 41 points with a .301 to .263 edge, stolen
bases which surprised the pants off of me with an
edge of 163 to 112, and in hits by a huge margin,
1401 to 1086.

So there's my story. I was looking to tell you that
Granderson might be better than Wright and very few
know about it, but I can't even definitively tell
you that Wright is clearly better than Granderson
either. Two real good players, both in New York,
and both good citizens. Sounds like a win win to me.

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Are The New York Yankees Done?

That question is so easy to answer, it's child's
play. Of course not, it's way too early for that,
they haven't even given up first place yet.

That being said, after three games at home with
the Orioles, and a bad game one in Tampa, 1-3
isn't gonna do it going down the stretch. The
good news is, they have six more against these
two teams coming right up. The Yankees are by
no means done, just ask the 2011 St. Louis Cards
who were left for dead, and came back to win it
all. I'm not sure these Yankees have that heart,
and I think it was easier for the Cardinals to
chase than it is for the Yankees who are being
chased, and very successfully at that.

The Yankees aren't done, but if they keep this
type of play up, many of their fans will be.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Mad Stork Sports on ScatterRadio Podcast For 8-29-12

Ed Hawkins and I had plenty to say about the
Yankees and Orioles, and there was also much
to say about Mark Sanchez and Tony Romo.
If you missed it on ScatterRadio Wednesday,
then you missed plenty. Here's the podcast
for you, enjoy the show!



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