Can 3-0 Not Mean Much?

Sorry for the long layoff guys. Between internet issues and traveling to a wedding I have had no time to do a post.

There are 3 undefeated teams left in the NFL, but what does that mean. Well the NFL says that a team that starts 3 - 0 has a 78% chance to make the playoffs, but at least one team who started 3-0 in each of the last 3 seasons has not made the playoffs.

So this year who is in, who is out, and what does 3-0 mean this year?

The three undefeated teams are the Chicago Bears, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Kansas City Chiefs. There is only one team on this list that 3-0 means something: the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are missing their first, second, and third string Quarterbacks, but still are undefeated. Furthermore this team has played good teams. This team will make the playoffs, and I think is a serious contender to play in the Super Bowl.

The Bears and the Chiefs can may make the playoffs but neither team is ready to make a move towards being a serious contender. The Chiefs will play some real competition this week and I predict a huge loss.

The Bears are another thing all together. It is possible that they will go 7-0 before they play a team who can really compete with them. This does not mean they are good, it means that this is a down season in the NFL, and a team that can start 7-0 based on schedule could also go 7-9 when they get to playing the big boys in the second half.

Internet Outage

I currently am without internet. Once I get my internet access back I will continue to post a daily post on sports.

NFL Week 2 picks

Miami @ Minnesota -5.5 +/- 39.5
Minnesota to win and cover. Take the over.

Arizona @ Atlanta -6.5 +/- 43.5
Atlanta to win but not cover. Take the under.

Baltimore -2.5 @ Cincinnati +/- 39.5
Baltimore to win and cover on the road. Take the under.

Kansas City @ Cleveland -1.5 +/- 38.5
Kansas City wins the upset. Take the over.

Chicago @ Dallas - 7.5 +/-40.5
Dallas will win and cover, and take the over.

Philadelphia -6.5 @ Detroit +/- 41.5
Philadelphia to win but not cover on the road. Take the under.

Buffalo @ Green Bay -13.5 +/-43.5
Green Bay covers, and while they could score 42 points by themselves I still take the under.

Pittsburg @ Tennessee -5.5 +/- 37.5
Tennessee wins and covers, but I still like the under.

Tampa Bay @ Carolina -3.5 +/- 39.5
Tampa Bay pulls the upset on the road. Take the over.

Seattle @ Denver -3.5 +/- 40.5
Seattle wins big, take the over.

St. Louis @ Oakland -3.5 +/- 37.5
Oakland wins but does not cover, take the under.

New England -2.5 @ NY Jets +/- 38.5
New England wins and covers on the road. Take the over.

Jacksonville @ San Diego -7.5 +/- 45.5
San Diego covers, take the under.

Houston -2.5 @ Washington +/- 43.5
Houston wins and covers, take the under.

NY Giants @ Indianapolis -5.5 +/-48.5
Indianapolis covers and take the over.

New Orleans -5.5 @ San Francisco +/-43.5
New Orleans wins but does not cover, take the under.

Derek Jeter Hit By Pitch, Fair or Foul?

The events of last night have the sports world in an uproar.



Derek Jeter took an inside pitch that seemed to hit him near the hand or wrist. In a big show of pain he hopped around and was awarded first base. The problem? The ball never hit him, it hit the end of his bat. Technically this was a foul ball and a strike and Jeter should have continued his at bat, but instead he was on first base when the next batter hit a home run giving the Yankee's a lead.

This situation raised two questions: Should baseball expand instant replay and did Derek Jeter cheat?

Baseball is a game of statistics and history. This is why there is so much resistance to adding and expanding instant replay. The historical side says mistakes have always been part of the game and technology removed the charm of the human element. They say it will slow down the game. They say that it will be overused. They say it will take away from the umpire's authority.

The replay supporters say that the fans want to see the correct calls. The players deserve to have the came called accurately. They say it would take less time than manager arguments. They say that technology is to the point where it would be noninvasive.

I would not mind seeing more replay, provided it was done correctly. No replay on balls and strikes, and stop making the umps go watch a video. Have an ump in a booth watching the game and on close plays where the on field ump gets it wrong he radio's down the correct call.

Easy right?

Now what about is Derek Jeter a cheater. The answer is I don't know. But I have no problem with what he did. I think that is the difference between gamesmanship and cheating. In my opinion cheating is using something outside of the game to get an advantage in the game. Examples include HGH, steroids, corked bats, foreign substances on the ball, using video cameras to steal signals, etc. Gamesmanship is using the rules or situations of a game to an advantage in the game. Faking getting hit by the ball is not cheating, it is just smart play.

Interview!

Check out my interview on my friend Abby's blog!
http://abbyminard.blogspot.com/2010/09/interview-with-aspiring-author-andy.html

Reggie Bush Gives Up His Heisman

It true, Reggie Bush has volunteered to give up his Heisman Trophy. What is not clear is if he was told that it was going to stripped away from him tonight by the Heisman trust tonight anyway. However, I do think it is the right move to get in front of this and give up the honor to remove the distraction from your team.

Again I must appologize for the brevity of my post today but I am under the weather, but I will be back tomorrow better than ever.

Breaking Fantasy Football Advice

My entry today will be short and sweet due to massive time constraints. If you play fantasy football start Legedu Naanee today. That is all.