Sportsmeat

Other than the weekly picks, Sportsmeat has been deathly silent over the last few months (which probably speaks to the quality of the recent blogs, BT's Cosby-faced Sabathia as the exception), so it's time to get back to our roots as a call-in show.

So here are a few things to ponder for the Sportsmeat audience:

1. Where is A-Rod going? Candidates seem to include the Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Red Sox and Tigers (though I wouldn't write off the Yanks either).

2. What are the chances of the Cheaters-Colts winner going 16-0 this year?

3. Conversely, who has the better shot at 0-16? The Dolphins or Rams?

4. Did Belichick run up the score on the Skins last weekend?

5. Who is No. 2 in the country? LSU, BC, Oregon, Arizona State or Oklahoma?

6. Should the Bulls take a chance on Kobe?

After watching his lead slowly shrink over the past few weeks, Maxipriest came through with a Sportsmeat-leading 11 points this week to establish command in the pride pool. Maxi got 3 of 4 NFL games and picked Nebraska to cover (only Nebraska and Iowa State covered this week, again proving that while Hawaii sucks on the road, they're excellent at home, and FIU truly is the worst team in Division I-A).

Total points (point this week):

Maxipriest 78 points (11)
Snoop 71 (9)
Budds 67 (7)
Joe 58 (6)
EJ 55.5 (8)
Big Thunder 47 (4)
Dave Law 40.5 (2)
Y.A. Shoes 23 (0)

In our continued pursuit of the race to 0-16, and considering the lack of compelling games this week, the Dolphins and Rams are once more on the docket, plus the two games with the closest spreads.

Here goes (home teams in caps):

Cleveland 3 ST LOUIS
N.Y Giants 9 MIAMI
New Orleans 2½ SAN FRANCISCO
Philadelphia 1 MINNESOTA

As to the dogs, they are as follows:

MICHIGAN 22½ Minnesota
MISSOURI 29 Iowa State
KANSAS STATE 25 Baylor
TEXAS 20½ Nebraska
HAWAII 29 New Mexico State
ARKANSAS 41 Florida Intl

One Little, Two Little ...

As much as people want to analyze the Indians' collapse, the bottom line is that it comes down to Sabathia and Carmona. If you take the two worst starts of the regular season for both Sabathia and Carmona, they combined to throw 16.2 innings and give up 26 earned runs. In the Boston series, they combined for 16.1 innings and 23 earned.

So basically, their two best players performed as poorly as anyone could have reasonably expected. Simply put, no team will overcome that.


A Giant House of Cards

The latest SI.com power ranking has the Giants at #5. The ESPN equivalent has them at #4. Despite being Giants fan, I have to admit to having little faith in this team, and the rankings were a little bit shocking. So I went through and created the Thunderrankings for this week:

1. Pats
2. Colts
3. Cowboys
4. Packers
5. Jags
6. Chargers
7. Titans
8. Steelers
9. Giants
10. Redskins

The Giants have won their last 5 games. The last three of these were against the Jets, Falcons and 49ers, three of the six worst teams in football (sorry EJ). One was at home against an Eagles team that started the most overmatched offensive tackle that I have ever seen, which played directly into the Giants' biggest strength. So basically, they won 4 games that any middle-of-the-road team should win. I do admit that their Redskins victory on the road was a quality win though.

A further reason for having little faith is that we've been here before. This is the fourth straight season that the Giants have started 5-2 through 7 games. This kind of start hasn't exactly been a recipe for success. In two of those three years, the G-men failed to post a winning record.

This year's outlook is hazy. In the remaining 9, I think they have 2 definite wins (Miami in England and at Buffalo), 3 definite losses (Dallas, at Chicago - who I think will be back in form by then - and New England), and 4 games that could go either way (at Detroit, Minnesota, at Philadelphia, and Washington). All things equal, I think their most likely finish will be 4-5 over the last nine, putting them at 9-7, and likely in the playoffs.


Googling the Series

Slate recently ran an entertaining feature. You know that when you start typing a search into the Google toolbar, as you type, the most popular searches that start with what you have typed pop up on screen. (That just made no sense, but I think you know what I mean). It basically shows what people are searching for regarding certain topics. Slate's article was on presidential candidates (unfortunately, I can't find the link now). For example, if you type in "Rudy Giuliani," one of the ten options that comes up is "Rudy Giuliani cross dressing." Or if you try "Hillary Clinton," you are offered "Hillary Clinton cleavage." And let's face it -- none of us have been offered Hillary Clinton cleavage recently. So I decided to try this with the World Series. What do Googlers truly think of the participants? Here are some of the more interesting results:

• Here's a newsflash: people on the internet are looking for hot women. Therefore, people like searching for the wives of : Theo Epstein, Jon Papelbon, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Mike Lowell, Jason Varitek, Dice-K, Bobby Kielty, Matt Holliday, and Brad Hawpe. Its not just the married players. Popular girlfriends include those of Josh Beckett (and his exes), Kevin Youkilis, Troy Tulowitzki, and Ryan Spilborghs.
• People are also interested in other people's salaries, including those of Terry Francona ($1.65 M), Theo Epstein (unclear, but in the $2 M range), David Ortiz ($13.3 M), J.D. Drew ($14 M), Dice-K ($6.3 M), Doug Mirabelli ($750,000), Bobby Kielty ($2.1 M) and Jeff Francis ($750,000).
• Some players suck, despite the fact that they have made it to the World Series. Namely, J.D. Drew, Dice-K, and LaTroy Hawkins.
• Finally, people are interested in the Jewishness of Theo Epstein, Kevin Youkilis and Ryan Spilborghs.

Other popular searches:

• Clint Hurdle 64
• Josh Beckett necklace
• Jonathan Papelbon dance
• Manny Ramirez helmet
• Dustin Pedroia slap
• Todd Helton Peyton Manning
• Willy Taveras Diving Catch
• Josh Fogg Dragon Slayer

Labels: 2007 World Series, Cleveland Indians, New York Giants

It was a thrill of victory, agony of defeat kind of week in the Sportsmeat pool. Snoop posted a perfect week, going 4-0 in NFL picks and getting five points from his dog, Army, a 25-point underdog who lost by 24 points. Big Thunder, meanwhile, went 0-4 in NFL picks, meaning he loses five points for the week. The overall race also tightened, with Snoop and Budds closing in on long-time leader Maxipriest.

Total Points (points this week):

Maxipriest 67 points (9)
Snoop 62 (13)
Budds 60 (11)
Joe 52 (4)
EJ 47.5 (7)
Big Thunder 43 (-5)
Dave Law 38.5 (9)
Y.A. Shoes 23 (4)

It’s been a weird season in college football, but I think we can finally divide teams into a few neat categories:

Ohio State, LSU, Boston College, Oklahoma and Oregon. If I’m any of these five teams, I feel to feel pretty confident of my chances to play in the BCS title game if I win out. Of course, B.C. isn’t that good, so they’ll probably suffer an upset or two somewhere along the way, but the other four all have a legit shot to win the remainder of their games.

West Virginia, Virginia Tech, USC, Florida. These teams have a shot but a lot has to go right for it to happen. USC still has to play Zona State, Cal, Oregon and UCLA, so they could add a lot of points down the stretch.

Arizona State, Kansas, South Florida. These are all good teams but really don’t have shot. South Florida could very well win out but it’s doubtful they’d move back into the Top 2, and Arizona State and Kansas will each lose at least two more games the rest of the way (though, of the two, Kansas has a better shot to emerge unscathed).

My Top 11 at this point in the season:
1. Ohio State – Not a great team, but have beaten the bad teams badly.
2. LSU – The best team in the country.
3. Oklahoma – This is where the rankings get tough, but I still think this is a very good team and will probably win out.
4. Oregon – At this stage, the Ducks appear to be the best team in the Pac-10. Game of the Week this Saturday vs. USC.
5. Boston College – Had a couple of nice early season-wins over Wake and Ga. Tech, but haven’t really been tested. Of course, they have only one ranked team on their schedule and that comes this Thursday.
6. Florida – Yes, the Gators have two losses, but they also have wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, while the other teams in the Nos. 5-11 category (save South Florida) have not a single win over a currently ranked team.
7. Arizona State – Nice wins over some good teams (Colorado, Oregon State, Washington) but has yet to play a ranked team. Next four games are Cal, Oregon, UCLA and USC. If the Devils go 2-2, I’d consider that a success. Go 3-1 and they’re a title contender.
8. South Florida – This is the hardest team to figure. Wins over Auburn and WVU are impressive, and a three-point loss at Rutgers is hardly embarrassing. But they’ve also been outgained routinely and have yet to look great.
9. West Virginia – No doubt a talented team, but best win so far is at Maryland.
10. Va. Tech – No impressive wins, but only loss is to LSU. The winner of this Thursday’s game against B.C. will likely take the mediocre ACC.
11. USC – This team has the talent to be ranked much higher, but they haven’t earned it yet and have generally played down to their competition. Plus, they lost to Stanford at home.

As a Jets' fan (commonly known as a lowly Jets' fan), this week's picks present a conundrum -- what do I want to see more: the Dolphins going 0-16 or the Cheaters not going 16-0. Thankfully, I've been bailed out by a 16.5-point spread, which allows me to hedge my bets and take the Fish without rooting for them to win. As to the other picks, they're below:

Home team in caps:

New England 16.5 MIAMI
SEATTLE 9 St. Louis
Indy 3 JAX
DETROIT 2 Tampa

And the dogs:

WVU 24 Miss. St.
WISCONSIN 23 No. Illinois
GA TECH 26 Army
Oklahoma 29 IOWA STATE
Texas 24.5 BAYLOR

I'm going with the Dolphins, Rams, Colts and Bucs. And Army.
BT chooses to ride with the Dolphins, Rams, Jags and Bucs. And No. Illinois.
Budds, meantime, is casting his lot with Miami, Seattle, Indy and Detroit. And Army.

Updated Pride Point stats through this past weekend. Thunder won the week with 11 points, while Budds was denied a second straight 15-pointer when Nevada fell in 4-OT to Boise State.

Total Points (points this week):

Maxipriest 58 points (2)
Snoop 49 (9)
Budds 49 (9)
Big Thunder 48 (11)
Joe 48 (9)
EJ 40.5 (9)
Dave Law 29.5 (2)
Y.A. Shoes 19 (2)

As our dear friend in Seattle used to say, I'm just checking in to let you all know that I am "not on heroin." I also am not out of 'meat blogging ideas. I just haven't had time to write them up. But without unnecessary delay, zee picks:

The race to 0-16 continues...
CLEVELAND Miami +5
BALTIMORE St. Louis +9.5
SEATTLE New Orleans +6.5
And, in honor of the Knicks finding an excuse to throw more money into the bottomless pit that is Allan Houston:
JACKSONVILLE Houston +6.5

Big Thunder takes the Browns, Ravens, Seahawks, and Texans.
Budds goes with the Dolphins, Ravens, Saints, and Texans.
EJ will have good picks, I'm sure, but I don't yet know what they are.

As for the Mad Dogs...
OHIO STATE 30 Kent State
KANSAS 25 Baylor
HOUSTON 20.5 Rice
USC 21 Arizona
BOISE STATE 25.5 Nevada

Big Thunder likes Arizona, Budds is big on Nevada, and E.J. has a feeling that Rice will deliver the big 15.

Note to the Knicks: Charles Oakley is still available.

Maxipriest took the maximum number of points this past week (22) to extend his lead, and Big Thunder and Snoop added 20 points on a week where the popular dog, Notre Dame, won, and Stanford pulled one of the biggest upsets of an upset-filled season. Here are the updated stats with this week's points in parentheses:

Maxipriest 56 points (22)
Snoop 40 (20)
Budds 40 (16)
Joe 39 (18)
Big Thunder 37 (20)
EJ 31.5 (5.5)
Dave Law 27.5 (8)
Y.A. Shoes 17 (10)

First of all, a reminder: NFL picks are below.

Now, a day late on the predictions, but never too late for postseason awards. To avoid East Coast bias, Big Thunder (California) and I (Connecticut) have debated for the last couple of days over the MVP (BT's argument: Rollins isn't the best player on his own team; mine: Holliday's home and road splits) to any legit Manager of the Year candidates in the AL, and so on.

Here are our picks:

NL MVP
BT: 1. Matt Holliday 2. Prince Fielder 3. Chase Utley / David Wright (tie)
EJ: 1. Jimmy Rollins 2. Matt Holliday 3. David Wright

NL Cy Young
BT: 1. Jake Peavy 2. Brandon Webb / Brad Penny / John Smoltz (three-way tie)
EJ: 1. Jake Peavy 2. Brandon Webb 3. Brad Penny

NL Rookie
BT: 1. Ryan Braun 2. Troy Tulowitzki 3. Yovani Gallardo
EJ: 1. Troy Tulowitzki 2. Ryan Braun 3. Hunter Pence

NL Manager
BT: 1. Bob Melvin 2. Clint Hurdle 3. Charlie Manuel
EJ: 1. Bob Melvin 2. Clint Hurdle 3. Charlie Manuel

AL MVP
BT: 1. Alex Rodriguez 2. David Ortiz 3. Vlad Guerrero / Magglio Ordonez / Carlos Pena (tie)
EJ: 1. Alex Rodriguez 2. Magglio Ordonez 3. Vladimir Guerrero

AL Cy Young
BT: 1. C.C. Sabathia 2. John Lackey / Fausto Carmona (tie), 4. Dan Haren 5. Josh Beckett
EJ: 1. C.C. Sabathia 2. Josh Beckett 3. John Lackey

AL Rookie
BT: 1. Jeremy Guthrie 2. Dustin Pedroia 3. Brian Bannister / Daisuke Matsuzaka (tie)
EJ: 1. Brian Bannister 2. Dustin Pedroia 3. Daisuke Matsuzaka

AL Manager
BT: 1. Eric Wedge 2. Mike Hargrove 3. Joe Torre
EJ: 1. Eric Wedge 2. Mike Sciossia 3. Joe Torre

Now the playoff picks:

BT: Indians over Yankees; Red Sox over Angels; Indians over Red Sox
Cubs over D'Backs; Phillies over Rockies; Phillies over Cubs
World Series winner: Cleveland Indians

EJ: Yankees over Indians; Red Sox over Angels; Red Sox over Yankees
D'Backs over Cubs; Rockies over Phillies; D'Backs over Rockies
World Series winner: Boston Red Sox

We here at Sportsmeat root for failure on an epic scale. And as of yet, despite good efforts from the 1990 Patriots, 1996 Jets and 2001 Panthers, no one has yet to finish 0-16. Sadly, there are only three teams left in contention for 2007, and two of them -- the Rams and Saints -- were billed as playoff contenders coming into the season. The other team? The Dolphins, who do stink but get to play the Bills and Jets twice each, so you gotta figure a win is coming (Budds put the odds at 40-1).

Regardless, as long as there is a completely defeated team, we'll be there. Which brings us to this week's picks (home teams in caps):

NFL
RAMS Cardinals -3
TEXANS Dolphins +5.5
SAINTS Panthers +3
GIANTS Jets +3

Dogs
MICHIGAN E. Mich +32
USC Stanford +38.5
TEXAS TECH Iowa State +25
UCLA Notre Dame +21
HAWAII Utah State +38

BT takes Cards, Dolphins, Saints and Giants. And Stanford.
Budds takes Cards, Texans, Saints and Jets. And a reluctant nod to Notre Dame.
And I'll go with the Rams, Texans, Panthers and Jets. And Iowa State.

In a wild weekend in college football -- five of the Top 10 losing, South Florida now ranked ahead of Florida -- perhaps the weirdest stat came out of Sportsmeat. Ohio State beat Minnesota by 23 points, or the exact line, making Dave Law the first person in Sportsmeat history (OK, it's only two years, but still ... ) to earn 2.5 points on the maddog underdog challenge. All other dogs covered except North Texas (no one took Colorado; Shoes emailed me his picks and went with North Texas and the favorites). All in all, a good week for Sportsmeat, with Budds taking the weekly honors by picking three of the four NFL games correctly. Below are the updated standings:

Here are the updated standings (with this week's point total in parentheses):
Maxipriest 34 points (9)
EJ 26 (9)
Budds 24 (11)
Joe 21 (7)
Snoop 20 (9)
Dave Law 19.5 (4.5)
Big Thunder 17 (9)
Y.A. Shoes 7 (2)