Archive for year 2011
Week 17 NFL Picks
At Philadelphia -8.5 Washington
The Eagles are playing for pride with an eye on next year. They’re playing better football, despite playing for nothing.
Pick: Eagles -8.5
At Atlanta -10.5 Tampa Bay
The Bucs are going to lose their 10th straight game. The Falcons need to end the season on a high note after getting dismantled by Drew Brees.
Pick: Falcons -10.5
San Francisco -10.5 At St. Louis
The 49ers have nothing to play for, and even when they do, they have trouble scoring touchdowns in the redzone. Still, it’s the Rams. Kendall Hunter should be able to do enough to cover that big spread.
Pick: 49ers -10.5
At Minnesota -1.5 Chicago
Joe Webb’s fun to watch and Toby Gerhart can make plays in relief of AP, but I think the Bears are finally going to get that elusive Cutler-less victory.
Pick: Bears +1.5
Detroit -4 At Green Bay
Matt Flynn should be in by the 3rd quarter. The undefeated season dreams are over. Packers pull starters and Detroit sneaks away with a W.
Pick: Lions -4
At NY Giants -3 Dallas
I think this is a toss-up, but I like the Giants to win this min-playoff. The Cowboys always seem to find a way to choke. Gotta go with the home team here.
Pick: Giants -3
At New Orleans -7.5 Carolina
Drew Brees is going to keep flinging it. The Panthers should put up some serious yardage on the gorund, but I think the Saints are going to keep the gas pedal pushed.
Pick: Saints -7.5
Tennessee -2 At Houston
The Texans can’t treat this like a preseason game. Not after what happened the last couple weeks. Even if Arian Foster checks out early, the Texans should pull through.
Pick: Texans +2
Baltimore -2 At Cincinnati
The Bengals can turn the division upside down with a win at home. They can secure a playoff appearance and force the Ravens to hit the road. The Ravens seem to play down to the competition, especially on the road. Cincy will spoil Baltimore’s postseason bye week hopes.
Pick: Bengals +2
Pittsburgh -6.5 At Cleveland
Big Ben can play one quarter and still dominate this squad.
Pick: Steelers -6.5
At Jacksonville -3.5 Indianapolis
The Colts are going to rally their way out of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.
Pick: Colts +3.5
At Miami -3 NY Jets
Miami’s playing strong, but they’re rolling without Reggie Bush, who’s been lightening up for about a month. Sanchez has takien a lot of heat this week, but if can avoid big mistakes, the Jets D should handle the rest.
Pick: Jets +3
At New England -10.5 Buffalo
Memories of losing Wes Welker for the playoffs might prompt the Pats to sit starters, but the team needs to win to ensure that they lock down the number 1 seed. Still, with the potential for sitting key players on the table, I think the spread’s a bit too high.
Pick: Bills +10.5
At Oakland -3 San Diego
The Raiders are going to put the nail on the Norv Turner coffin. They’re getting healthy and they need the W.
Pick: Raiders -3
At Denver -3 Kansas City
The Chiefs can ruin things for the Broncos. Tebowmania has subsided, but the game is in Denver. If this game was in Arrowhead, I’d go with the Chiefs. But it’ll be a friendly, playoff type atmosphere at home for Tebow and the gang. They win, they’re in.
Pick: Broncos -3
At Arizona -3 Seattle
The Cards aren’t going down without a fight, but Seattle’s just better.
Pick: Seattle +3
Week 16: 8-8
Season: 129-105-11
Dec 31st
Last Minute Stocking Stuffer: I, Steve
If you’re looking for a light, accessible Steve Jobs stocking stuffer item, look no further. I, Steve is everything the Walter Isaacson book is not. In a good way.
If you know a true die hard Apple enthusiast, get him or her the Issacson book. This guy is a legit historian who has produced some great books on Einstein, Ben Frankiln, and Henry Kissinger. But if you’re purchasing a book for an Apple fan with a short attention span, go for I, Steve, a book that serves as an easily digestible collection of the innovative tech pioneer’s ideas and opinions in his own words.
Consider some of these quotes:
On Microsoft’s Microview:
I told [Bill Gates] I believed every word of what I said but that I should never have said it in public. I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He’d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.
- New York Times Magazine, January 12, 1997
On Simplicity:
There’s a very strong DNA within Apple, and that’s about taking state-of-the-art technology and making it easy for people…people who don’t want to read manuals, people who live very busy lives.
- Guardian, September 22, 2005
On Forward Thinking:
If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have to be willing to take whatever you’ve done and whoever you were and throw them away.
- Playboy, February 1985
So you get the idea. This book is something you can power through quickly, like on a short flight or a lazy Saturday. It’s a quick, fascinating read that’ll serve as a good companion piece to Isaacson’s more in-depth character sketch.
Dec 23rd
Jim Beam Bold Choice Recap
Jim Beam recently gave us the opportunity to make a Bold Choice, and with your help, we selected a mission to dive the Great Barrier Reef. It was an amazing, fantastic, extra-superlative experience that’s hard to put into words. Here’s my attempt to some up this once-in-a-lifetime slice of awesomeness.
When Captain Cook first smashed his ship on the Great Barrier Reef in the 1700s, he probably didn’t realize that he was hitting an underwater structure the size of California. I mean this is the largest thing ever created by living beings on this planet. It’s over 130,000 sq. miles of non-stop life blooming in every direction.
The whole thing is just one big submarine playground of fractal aliveness. Soft coral, hard coral, schools of neon fish, stingers, sea turtles, giant clams, sea snakes, sharks… the Great Barrier Reef is like the largest, most elaborate/expensive fish tank you’ve ever seen. And you can see the thing from outer space, man.
During my SCUBA and snorkel dives, it’s like everywhere you turn there’s some sort of otherworldly creature occupying the same space as you. You’ll see fish that resemble small dogs. There are spectacular tree branches of purple coral and underwater formations that look like tiny human brains. You’ll see jumbo versions of cellular structures like mitochondria the size of your kitchen table, ribosomes bigger than a Smart Car or a person-sized Golgi Apparatus just chillin’ out. It’s really a trip.
So reefs have been around for 100s of millions of years, but the Great Barrier Reef is only about 500,000 years old. The dive guides claimed that the Great Barrier Reef is responsible for producing 25 percent of the world’s oxygen. I’m not sure where that figure comes from, but when you see the saturation of life that exists just a few feet below the surface, you’ll believe just about any stat they throw at you. I mean, just look at this stuff:
The Great Barrier Reef is a system of about 3,000 distinct reefs that hugs the northeast coast of Australia. We used Port Douglas, which is about an hour north of Cairns, as our base of operations for the dive trips. We took a trip on the Calypso tour which was not-overbooked and included three great dive spots full of colorful coral. We also took a trip on Aristocat, which was borderline-overbooked, but still amazing. I saw more sea life at the Agincourt reef spots we visited with Aristocrat, but the coral visibility was better with Calypso.
This spot is truly one of the great wonders of the world. If you have the opportunity to visit the Great Barrier Reef in person, I highly recommend it. I chatted up a sea captain who had last visited the Great Barrier Reef in 1986, and he said that the reef you see today is nothing compared to the scenes you could witness back in the day. I tend to believe him. I’m not sure what’s going to happen once the source of 25 percent of the world’s oxygen population becomes endangered, but either way, go visit the Great Barrier Reef while you still can. If you take a long time to schedule your trip out here, it might not look the same when you arrive.
Anyone who I’ve talked to who’s been to Australia has sold me hard on the idea that it’s an amazing place. I was able to visit Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland in the north during my trip, and I was impressed with everything. The cities are fun, the women are gorgeous, the beer is tasty and everything just appears brighter, bigger and more vibrant.
When I was first approached about the Bold Choice opportunity, I was definitely excited, but I didn’t know what to expect. After experiencing my Bold Choice, I have to say that I feel more fired up about life and I have an extra layer of happy memories that I’m going to carry with me for awhile. I want to thank Jim Beam for making this great experience possible.
Dec 23rd
Week 16 NFL Picks
So I’m limping toward the end of the regular season, coming off my worst week of the year. Let’s see if we can right the ship a bit with some quality picks before the playoffs kick off.
Houston -6 At Indianapolis
Will the Colts win back to back games? No. Sure the Texans had a bit of a letdown last week, and yea I get that Donald Brown is playing hard despite people quitting all around him, but let’s be real here. The Texans are going to lock this up, run it out and win by at least a touchdown.
Pick: Texans -6
At Kansas City -2 Oakland
Man, this game might be different if it was played in Oakland or if Todd Haley was still the head coach in KC, but did you see how the Chiefs reacted to Romeo? It’s kinda crazy. I understand that Oakland still has a chance to make the playoffs, but if the Chiefs show up at home like they did last week, all fired up and ready to rock, I don’t think the Raiders can hang with ‘em. With players already actively lobbying for Romeo to get the gig full time next year, I think the Chiefs take this one.
Pick: Chiefs -2
Denver -3 At Buffalo
The last time the Bills won was the day before Halloween. For all the talk about Tebowmania slowing down, remember that this team was hanging with the Pats before three turnovers derailed everything. The Denver D showed some cracks last week, but that’s to be expected. CJ Spiller has been a shot in the arm for Buffalo, but it’s too little, too late.
Pick: Denver -3
At Tennessee -7.5 Jacksonville
Blaine Gabbert’s not good. He’s completing just 50.6 percent of his passes and he has a QB rating of 65.6 on the year, the worst in the NFL. I get that he doesn’t have the protection or a single decent receiver to throw to, but the guy looks a little flustered. He’s thrown 10 picks and 11 TDs. In the last three weeks, he’s been responsible for five picks and five fumbles. The Titans aren’t a dominant team, but they don’t have to be. If the mistakes keep piling on for Gabbert, they’ll win (and cover) by default.
Pick: Titans -7.5
At Cincinnati -4 Arizona
The Cards have been a huge surprise in the second half of the season. They started 1-6, won six of their last seven, and now sit at an even .500. They’re not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs just yet, either. The Cards have found ways to win games late, and their backup QB John Skelton is a big reason why. Kolb’s sucked it up before getting hurt and now he’s ready to play again. The Wiz should stick with Skelton. It’s weird that this seemingly uninteresting game has playoff implications for both teams. The Bengals close the year out with two home games – Cards and Ravens. They’re currently vying for that final wildcard spot, and they need Ws to hold off the Jets. With both teams needing to win to get in the tourney, I think the home team gets a bit of an edge here. AJ Green has an ailing shoulder, but there’s no way he misses this game. He’s gonna show up big time against this suspect secondary.
Pick: Bengals -4
At New England -9.5 Miami
Not sure what to make of this game. Is Reggie Bush really that amazing? Has Miami’s defense really gotten that much better? Can the Pats maintain their TE-heavy pass attack while still surrendering so many big plays on D? New England is 5-1 at home this year and the Dolphins have won five of their last seven. I don’t think this game is going to be a blowout. The Pats will likely win, but I’m iffy on the spread. Going to give Brady the benefit of the doubt here.
Pick: Pats -9.5
At Baltimore -13 Cleveland
I really don’t think the Ravens are an elite, top-3 NFL team. In all the power rankings you see, Baltimore frequently gets slotted over a team like the Saints. That’s just not accurate. The Ravens are good, but they can get exposed, just like they did last week. This isn’t a team that’s designed to play from behind. If the Browns can go up big early… wait, they can’t. If they could this might be an interesting game, but Seneca, Hillis and that anemic offense can’t put the Ravens in a hole early, so they can’t limit Ray Rice, and they’re not going to win. I think the spread’s a tad too high though.
Pick: Browns +13
At NY Jets -3 NY Giants
The Giants are a hard team to root for. Just when you think they’re clicking, they turn in a stinker like last week. There’s been a ton of shit talking leading up to the Battle of New York, but I think the edge goes to the Jets. The Giants have losed five of their last six, and that one win was by a three point margin. If the Jets avoid the sloppy mistakes that plagued them last week, they should be able to contain the G-men.
Pick: Jets -3
At Washington -6.5 Minnesota
I thought we were cool, Percy Harvin. But no, you had to put up a donut during a critical fantasy week. No matter. The Vikings have allowed the most points this season (406). They got shredded by Drew Brees and they’re bad enough to get shredded by Rex Grossman.
Pick: Skins -6.5
At Carolina -7 Tampa Bay
Carolina’s got a brighter future ahead of them. The Bucs stopped caring awhile ago. I’ll take the home team with the more dynamic playmakers over the team that lost eight straight and ranks near the bottom of every defensive stat category.
Pick: Panthers -7
At Pittsburgh -15 St. Louis
The spread’s just too big. The Steelers hate covering big spreads even with Big Ben under center. Batch has preformed decent in the past when called upon, but he looked kinda shaky coming in during that Browns game. I fully expect St. Louis to lose. The Steelers are going to force the run and have success. They’ll get the W, but I doubt they’ll cover.
Pick: Rams +15
At Detroit -2.5 San Diego
The Lions have won two in a row, but now they play a team that’s on fire. The streaky Chargers have owned December. They have a more balanced offense, a better defense and they’re going to beat the Lions in Detroit.
Pick: Chargers +2.5
San Francisco -2.5 At Seattle
Marshawn can’t be stopped. Even if he doesn’t get a score on the ground against a team that’s yet to allow a rushing TD all year, he’ll still put up decent numbers. The Niners still have problems putting up points. The Steelers couldn’t take advantage of that fact, cause they were too busy turning the ball over. In game that’s sure to feature a lot of field goals, I like the home team with the points.
Pick: Seattle +2.5
At Dallas -2 Philadelphia
The Dream Team finally woke up, but they need help if they want to keep playing in two weeks. The Cowboys got back on track against a sorry Bucs team, but if you look at their last few games, there’s not really an impressive win on the schedule. Sure the Cowboys crushed the Eagles in Week 8, but that was back when the Eagles lost all the time. I think the team’s just more dangerous now, and Dallas has got some questions at RB. I’m going with Philly.
Pick: Eagles +2
At Green Bay -13 Chicago
The Bears are pulling the plug on the Caleb Hanie experiment. One of the McCown brothers will be starting for Chicago. Not sure which one. I don’t think it matters though. The Packers are not going to sit people for a rivalry game like this, especially after suffering their first loss of the year.
Pick: Packers -13
At New Orleans -6.5 Atlanta
I believe in Drew Brees. I believe this team is not going to let up. This game should provide plenty of scoring opportunities, but I think Brees, Jimmy Graham, the deep core of WRs who just show up when needed and like whatever combo of RBs they roll with will do better. Ryan’s not going to play poorly, but the Falcon’s running game just ain’t what it was a few weeks ago. Turner looks tired. The Saints are just more potent.
Pick: Saints -6.5
Week 15: 5-10-1
Season: 121-97-11
Dec 22nd
Guest Post: How to Beat the Casino by Avery Cardoza
Fresh off the heels of finishing my novel, Lost in Las Vegas, about two hapless visitors who get into a world of trouble in Sin City (www.lostinlasvegas.com), the editors at MANjr asked me help their readers avoid getting lost at the Vegas tables.
Okay, you’re getting ready to win your fortune in Las Vegas. But not so fast! Let’s get you prepared with a quick primer on how to beat the casino. My goal is to give you the best chances of walking away with money in your pocket!
First tip is to play the games you enjoy the most. Why play a game where the house has a slightly lesser edge if you don’t have fun playing it? At the same time, winning is more fun than losing, right? You can give yourself the best chance of winning by playing the casino tough. Here’s a quick rundown on how to do that.
Blackjack
Blackjack is the best game to play—if you know what you’re doing. Playing correct “Basic Strategy” will give you about an even game against the house. And using a professional-level counting or non-counting strategy will actually give you an edge!
Best Chance to Win: Play Basic Strategy perfectly and don’t get rattled by losses when good strategy fails. Stick to the correct plays and make all the correct doubling and splitting plays. Always draw to a hard 12 through 16 when the dealer shows a stiff card, a 7 through Ace.
Avoid games that pay only 6 to 5 on blackjacks—you want a 2 to 1 payoff. Don’t play unprepared and never follow your hunches.
Craps
Craps is the fastest of the casino games and offers you a chance to win (or lose) a lot of money quickly. It’s a great game that gives the casino only a 0.6% edge if you make the line bets and back them with double odds. But if you choose the lousy bets, craps can be one of the worst casino games.
Best Chance to Win: Stick to only the pass, don’t pass, come, don’t come and free odds bets.
Avoid all the proposition bets in the middle. They give the casino as much as a 16.67% edge. Ouch!
Slots
You can find machines that are loose (99+% payback!) or tight ones that seem to hold all your money (only 90% payback or worse). How can you distinguish between the two? You can’t, but there are strategies to find better paying machines. If you hit a massive jackpot, well okay!
Best Chance to Win: Ask slot attendants which machines are paying frequently, and play at casinos that cater to slots players. Play at slot banks packed with players (an indication that they’re paying good), and join slot clubs so you can reap benefits from your action.
Avoid playing near buffet and show lines, and at other locations where impulse coins are donated—and stay clear of morgue-like slot settings.
Roulette
In Europe single-zero roulette tables are hugely popular and offer en prison (a rule that lets you redo your bet or lose only half of it) if the 0 lands. End result being only a 1.35% house edge. In the short run, you can take the casino. But in the U.S., the wheels have a double zero added to them, giving casinos a massive 5.26% edge. Your chips will bleed dry trying to overcome that edge.
Best Chance to Win: Try to find a single-zero wheel. If only double zero games are available, play small stakes, knowing you’re bucking a big house edge.
Avoid the 5-number bet, an even worse play that costs you 7.89%.
Video Poker
Video poker payout schedules can vary as often as a woman changes her hairdo, but the key on a non-progressive draw poker machine is to look for a jacks-or-better game with a 9-6 payout, meaning that you win 9 times your bet when you hit a full house, and 6 times your bet if you make a flush. (Expect progressives to be 8-5 machines.) With perfect play on a good paytable, the house has only about a 0.5% edge, that’s it!
Best Chance to Win: Shop around to find the best paying machines. You must play the full 5 coins to qualify for the royal jackpot. Find a 25¢ progressive with a $2,200 jackpot or higher—and you have the edge!
Avoid machines with lousy paytables, and never throw away a deuce on deuces-wild machines!
Keno and Video Keno
While the machine version of this age-old game offers much better odds than its slow-moving counterpart, it’s at a price—ironically, you’ll lose more money with the better odds due to the speed of the game. Traditional keno has terrible odds, as high as 35% or so against you.
Best Chance to Win: In the video version, play slowly to avoid having all your money quickly sucked into the machines. In standard keno, play 3-spot to 8-spot tickets for the best odds.
Avoid 1-spot and 2-spot tickets, plus 9-spot and higher tickets on traditional keno. You face big odds at keno, so whatever the variation, play for fun only. On video keno, bad odds and fast play lead to quick losses. So how do you get around this? Play sparingly and make having fun your goal, not profit.
Sports Betting
The line is set by the oddsmakers to divide the betting evenly, not by a team’s chances of winning. The skill you bring to the table determines your long-term results. Short term, anything can happen. Pros win money with hard work and smart decision-making. Amateurs tend to take it on the chin. You’re bucking a 4.54% vig on straight bets (you pay $11 to win $10), so you’ve got to win 52.38% of the time just to break even.
Best Chance to Win: Bet against fan favorites and shop around for the best odds. Make bets sparingly and bet only on your best picks.
Avoid parlays, where the odds get progressively worse. Bet with your head, not your heart.
Three Card Poker
Three card poker offers two games in one, the ante/play game and the pair plus game. The house edge is pretty reasonable if you play correctly—2.02% on the ante/play bet and 2.32% on the pair plus.
Best Chance to Win: Learn the proper strategies and play only games that offer the best paytables. Play only Q-6-4 or better, folding weaker hands.
Avoid games with bad pair plus payouts (you might fight a 7.28% edge as opposed to 2.32%). Skip progressive bets if the jackpots are small.
Five quick winning tips:
- Never bet money you cannot afford to lose, either financially or emotionally.
- Once you’re a big winner, always walk away a big winner.
- Set loss limits before you play and never dig in deeper.
- Don’t chase losses with big bets that can turn a session into a disaster.
- Use smart money management to ensure that gambling remains fun.
About the Author
Avery Cardoza has written twenty-one books on beating the casino and is the world’s largest publisher of gaming and gambling titles (www.cardozabooks.com). Cardoza is also the owner of the legendary Gambler’s Book Club (www.gamblersbookclub.com), home to the world’s largest selection of gaming books. He has just released his exciting novel, Lost in Las Vegas (www.lostinlasvegas.com), an offbeat, dark comedy that follows two hapless vacationers in Las Vegas through a series of misadventures as their world collapses around them and their lives spiral downward into the seedy and treacherous underbelly of Sin City.
Dec 21st
Week 15 NFL Picks
At Atlanta -11 Jacksonville
The game is in Atlanta, the Falcons need the W and the Jags secondary is a mess. Sure, MJD is
Pick: Falcons -11
Dallas -7 At Tampa Bay
The Bucs gave up last week. The Cowboys found another way to lose late. Look for Dallas to get back on track against a sinking ship.
Pick: Cowboys -7
At NY Giants -7 Washington
If you’re desperate for a QB in fantasy football, Rex might help you out against this suspect secondary. But if you want to chose the right side of this shootout, go with the G-men.
Pick: Giants -7
Green Bay -14 At Kansas City
If you read between the lines of all the comments coming out of Green Bay, the Packers have no intention of letting up. They’re going to be going full throttle against Kyle Orton with a broken finger or rookie QB Ricky Stanzi. Even if Matt Flynn makes an appearance, the Packers should cover.
Pick: Packers -14
New Orleans -7 At Minnesota
Brees vs. a mediocre secondary, that’s a juicy matchup in any week. AP may be back in action, but he can’t match points with the Saints single-handedly. Percy Harvin’s finally getting the looks he deserves in this offense, but Ponder’s made his fair share of mistakes with the football. I don’t see the Saints easing up here. They’re going to exploit a sweet opportunity and put up a ton of points.
Pick: Saints -7
At Chicago -3.5 Seattle
Caleb Hanie is 0-3 as a starter. With Cutler and Forte in the mix, the Bears looked like a playoff lock. Now they’re on the bubble. It’s must-win time, and the Bears get a home game. Seattle has made some noise late in the year, but not on the road. Only two of the team’s six wins have come on the road, and one of those W’s was against St. Louis. Chicago should be able to semi-contain Marshawn Lynch, who’s been in beast mode for weeks now. Seattle’s D is decent, but the Bears are due. The .5 hurts in what’s sure to be a low scoring game, but you gotta take the Bears.
Pick: Bears -3.5
At Buffalo PK Miami
Miami’s late surge wasn’t enough to save Sparano. Which is kinda sad. I mean, you can’t start 0-7 and expect to keep your job, but the Fins battled back. They got manhandled by the Eagles last week, and their head coach got the boot. Now the team travels to Buffalo to face a Bills squad that started the season 5-2 and went on to lose six in a row. During that stretch, Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown six TDs and nine INTs. In last week’s beatdown in San Diego, Fitzpatrick threw two picks and didn’t find the endzone once. This is a true coin flip situation, and Vegas knows it. I’m going with the home team redemption story over the team that just dumped their head coach.
Pick: Bills
At Houston -6.5 Carolina
The Panthers can’t stop the run. Like, at all. TJ Yates played fantastic last week, and he’s got two top-tier backs to lean on. Start Ben Tate if you can and enjoy the ground and pound game plan. Houston wins easy.
Pick: Texans -6.5
Tennessee -6.5 At Indianapolis
Caldwell needs a win or he’s out. I don’t think it’s gonna happen. The Titans stifled the Saints for a couple of quarters. They should be able to contain a winless team.
Pick: Titans -6.5
Cincinnati -6.5 At St. Louis
The Bengals aren’t out of the playoff mix just yet, and the Rams are just terrible. Start your Bengals players and look for Cincy’s D to put up some solid fantasy numbers against fill-in journeyman QB Kellen Clemens
Pick: Bengals -6.5
Detroit -1 At Oakland
Tight contest with lots of scoring should be expected here. Carson’s throwing too many picks and Stafford’s got his groove back. I think the edge goes to the Lions.
Pick: Lions -1
New England -6.5 At Denver
Brady doesn’t play well in Denver. He’s 1-5 when playing in Mile High conditions (1-6 if you count the playoffs). The Pats offense is obviously dangerous, and the Broncos haven’t faced a decent QB since they lost to Detroit in Week 8. Six wins later, Denver is sitting atop of the AFC West. If the Broncos can use their top-ranked rushing attack to shorten the game and keep Brady off the field, Tebow may be in position for another 4th quarter comeback. Take Denver and the points, pray that things don’t get out of hand during the first three quarters and hope for some more late game magic.
Pick: Broncos +6.5
At Philadelphia -3 NY Jets
The Jets need it more. Philly finally got a win against Miami, but the Jets are going to run all over this team.
Pick: Jets +3
At Arizona -6.5 Cleveland
The Cards are hot, and they’ve played themselves into long shot playoff status. The Browns are rolling without McCoy, after the young QB got lit up by James Harrison last Thursday. Seneca Wallace came in for one play and threw a sharp pass before McCoy returned to throw a game clinching interception to William Gay. Wallace gets the start and could provide a spark, but I like Arizona to cover.
Pick: Cards -6.5
Baltimore -2.5 At San Diego
Rivers has all his weapons and he’s putting up points and minimizing mistakes. This is the last challenging game on Baltimore’s schedule. With the Steelers in the rear view, they can’t let up. The Chargers likely won’t make the playoffs, but this team loves late season wins. I think they’ll edge out the Ravens at home.
Pick: Chargers +2.5
At San Francisco -3 Pittsburgh
The 49ers haven’t played a good team since Baltimore, and they lost that game. The Steelers won’t run the ball on this team, but if Big Ben plays (and with the AFC playoff picture being so tight, I don’t think he has a choice), then Pittsburgh superior air attack should be able to best San Francisco’s conservative offense and strong D.
Pick: Steelers +3
Week 14: 8-8
Season: 116-87-10
Dec 15th
GameStop Is Giving Away Free Xbox Consoles When You Trade In Your Old iPhones and iPads
GameStop is running a sweet deal this week that’s worth your attention. From now until Saturday (12/17) you can trade in your old iPhone or iPad models (from a list of 15 options) and GameStop will give you a free Xbox 360 Console with Kinect! You can also get an extra $50 in-store credit toward the purchase of a new Xbox 360 with Kinect system bundle when you trade in any iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad.
Full disclosure: GameStop hooked us up with a $150 GameStop gift card as a thank you for getting the word out on this trade-in deal.
The offer is valid for Power Up Rewards customers only. The trade is only valid for devices that are in full working condition. Your old iPhone, iPads and iPod touches can’t be too beat up either. Here’s a full list of the devices that you can trade in:
iPad® 64GB WiFi, iPad® 64GB WiFi & 3G, iPad 2® (WiFi) 16GB, iPad 2® (WiFi) 32 GB, iPad 2® (WiFi) 64GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 16GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 32GB, iPad 2® (3G AT&T®) 64GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 16GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 32GB, iPad 2® (3G Verizon®) 64GB, iPhone 4S® 16GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 32GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (AT&T®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (Verizon®), iPhone 4S® 64GB (Sprint®)
If you miss the Saturday deadline, you can still bring in your old iPods, iPhones and iPads in to any GameStop for cash or store credit.
If you have extra Apple devices lying around, why not treat yourself this holiday season and score a free Xbox or store credit? Click here to find more info about the trade in deal and locate the nearest GameStop shop.
Happy Holidays!
Dec 14th
Week 14 NFL Picks
At Pittsburgh -14 Cleveland
If there’s one thing the Steelers hate, it’s covering big spreads. But the pressures on for the team to separate from the rest of the AFC pack. Baltimore owns the tie-breaker with two wins over the Steelers. The Texans also beat the Steelers, so even at 9-3, this team is in must-win mode. Their chances for the playoffs look good, so even against a stiff pass defense, the Steelers should be able to win and win big.
Pick: Steelers -14
At Baltimore -16.5 Indianapolis
Ravens win big and Colts don’t do enough in garbage time to cover this week’s massive spread deficit.
Pick: Ravens -16.5
At Cincinnati -3 Houston
The Texans don’t need an elite QB to beat a second-tier AFC team. The Bengals will put up points, but the Houston will control the pace of the game with their relentless rushing attack.
Pick: Texans +3
At Green Bay -11 Oakland
The spread’s a bit large, but the Packers can cover. The Raiders are still hurting and Green Bay just can’t be stopped.
Pick: Packers -11
At NY Jets -10 Kansas City
The Jets are in full-blown end of the regular season mode. They always finish hot. The Chiefs are still in the hunt for the AFC West, but injuries and meager offensive showings are piling up. The Jets will keep winning.
Pick: Jets -10
At Detroit -8 Minnesota
This is the perfect bounce back game for Stafford. Minny’s secondary is a mess, and with Ponder likely to miss this game, the stars are aligned for a Lions victory.
Pick: Lions -8
New Orleans -3.5 At Tennessee
Tennessee may fancy themselves a tough team with a strong D and capable offense. And there’s no denying that Chris Johnson has finally found his stride, but even if the Titans can move the ball up and down the field, Drew Brees is playing too amazing to be denied a road victory. Go with the Saints.
Pick: Saints -3.5
At Miami -3 Philadelphia
It’s been a tale of two seasons for Miami. They started so terribly and yet here they are knocking out quality opponents on a weekly basis. These guys are playing with all kinds of heart, and you know with the type of turnaround they’ve had, they’re playing hard for their embattled coach. Andy Reid’s seat is getting pretty hot as well, but this just isn’t Philly’s year.
Pick: Dolphins -3
New England -8 At Washington
Brady v. Grossman. Rex may deliver a good stat line, but Brady will deliver the W.
Pick: Pats -8
Atlanta -2.5 At Carolina
If the Falcons want to make some noise this postseason, they can’t get tripped up by a high-flying outdoor team playing for pride. Michael Turner was a big disaapointment last week. So were Atlanta’s receivers. If Matt Ryan can get some help on the ground and some assistance from his receivers actually holding on to the ball, the Falcons should be okay.
Pick: Falcons -2.5
At Jacksonville PK Tampa Bay
Two teams with not much to play for. It’s a pick’em, and I’ll pick the team who needs to show up to keep their head coach from getting fired. With all the holes on the defensive side of the ball, the Bucs should have a chance to get their first win in awhile.
Pick: Bucs
San Francisco -4 At Arizona
Even if the Niners start resting starters, the second team should be able to handle the Cardinals.
Pick: 49ers -4
At Denver -3.5 Chicago
Remember last year in the playoffs when Caleb Hanie was the third string QB and he came in against Green Bay and actually made it a game for the Bears? Yea, no one else remembers either. The only thing people remember about Hanie is that he’s thrown six picks in the last two weeks. Six picks to two TDs isn’t gonna get it done. So the once mighty Bears now find themselves going into Denver as dogs. When the Broncos win, it’s usually by a field goal. It’s gonna be tough for the Bears to score points, but they should keep this game close. Still, they don’t have God on their side. I’m not betting against Tebow until the streak ends.
Pick: Broncos -3.5
At San Diego -7 Buffalo
The Chargers looked scary last week. Granted, it was against a team without a secondary, but Rivers has all his weapons back for the first time in a long time. The Bills are in a freefall. They got some good production out of CJ Spiller, but they just don’t feel like a team that can win anymore. Expect a lot of points.
Pick: Chargers -7
At Dallas -3.5 NY Giants
If Dallas wins this game, they pretty much lock down the division. The Giants went toe-to-toe with the champs last week and came up short. It’s been a tough few weeks for the G-men, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Cowboys this year, they can certainly find a way to lose games. I like New York to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Pick: Giants +3.5
At Seattle -5.5 St. Louis
In a season full of unwatchable Monday night games, this may be the worst one yet. Edge goes to the Seahawks who’ve been surging, playing well at home and clamping up on D. They’re going against a third-string QB who’s never thrown an NFL pass, and that porous Rams rush defense should be very much afraid of what Marshawn Lynch is going to do, with or without a bag of Skittles to fuel him.
Pick: Seahawks -5.5
Week 13: 8-8
Season: 108-79-10
Dec 8th
