Did you know baseball starts Tuesday… in a foreign country… played in the wee hours of the morning EST? Well if you have no idea that this is taking place, you might as well get used to the idea of the MLB season staring in March… in a country that has $$$.. Moreover, INTEREST! That is right other countries have interest in the game of baseball. Baltimore fans seem to be as interested in this season as if this was a wedding for a couple you knew had no chance… because you are the reason they have no chance.

 

Well with that said, I am interested in this season for one reason only: Predictions.

 

Here we go…

 

AL East: Boston Redsox.

 

AL Central: Cleveland Indians

 

AL West: Los Angeles of Anaheim of Orange County of the state of California Angles

 

AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers

 

AL Champion: Detroit Tigers

 

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera

 

AL ROY: Evan Longoria (Clay Buchholz a close second).

 

AL Manager of the Year: Mike Scioscia

 

AL CY Young: Justin Verlander

 

NL East: NY Mets

 

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers

 

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers of Brooklyn, NY past

 

NL Wild Card: Atlanta Braves

 

NL Champion: LA Dodgers

 

NL MVP: Prince Fielder

 

NL ROY: Hiroki Kuroda

 

NL Manager of the Year: Joe Torre

 

NL CY Young: Johan Santana

 

World Series Winner: LA Dodgers

 

World Series MVP: Chad Billingsley

 

Bonus*** The First Manager Canned: Charlie Manuel (by June 1st).

 

Bonus 2*** The Orioles will win 72 games this year.

 

Bonus 3*** The Yankees are in for an awful season. Yet they will just miss the playoffs.

 

Bonus 4*** Erik Bedard wins 15… yet loses 10+ and the Mariners fall short of the playoffs.

 

Oriole Magic… Feel it Happen!

 

The Lemon Bowl..........ler  (N/A) Edit Quote Reply I will breakdown this game to determine who wins this Sunday. I suppose I'm the only knucklehead that would.

QB: Lemon vs Boller. How appropriate we now will call this game " The Lemon Bowl...ler ".
Edge: Baltimore. Why? Because someone once told me that when life
deals you Lemon(s), you should find someone who was dealt Vodka.
Boller has more weapons on offense. I never thought I type those
words. I just threw up in my mouth.

RB: Gado vs McGhee: The only bright spot on our offense this year also has a case of
fumbllysts. McNair must of coughed ( it up ) on him earlier this
year. Edge: Baltimore. Why? Willy is returning to MIami.

WR: Booker vs Mason: Since McNair went down, Mason's receptions have also. See McNair
could only throw the ball six yards down the field. Mason can only
run six yards down the field. They were a better match than Jack
Klugman and Brett Summers. Edge: Baltimore. Can you really go with
a guy named after the " super " in " Good Times"?

Our D vs Their O: On paper this is a big mismatch. The Ravens have more superior players
on defense than the Dolphins have at the skilled offensive positions. Yet
with all that talent we have yielded 24.2 points a game. Good news
Dolphins only score 16.4 a game. Edge: Baltimore. Why? I see multiple
turnovers Sunday. Some apple, some cherry, and a lot of Lemon!!!

Their D vs Our O: This my friends in a push. You try and tell me who has the advantage in this match-up.
end up.

Cameron vs Billick: On one hand we have a guy who has never won a game in the NFL. On
the other hand we have a guy who thinks he's never lost a game in the
NFL. Edge: Baltimore. The " BIG AIR BAG " does have a ring!

Special Teams: Stover, Koch and Figurs vs. Feeley, Fields and Ginn. Edge: Miami. I know you are sitting there reading this saying ' what a nut job'! Thank you in
advance. Here is why Miami has the edge. Number one is that they are
home. Kickers know their stadiums. Number two: They have Ginn and I
have juice. Laid back.

Outcome: With 1,742 fans in attendance today. The Miami Dolphins fall to 0-14, losing to
the Baltimore Ravens 16-9.

Reality: With this win we drop another two spots down in the pecking order for next year's
draft.

If we lose: I will have a bath drawn... .. I along with the Christmas tree.... and all it's pretty
lights plugged in will...................... ( fade to black ).

I started a little column last week, an attempt to try and predict the outcome of each game using the spread. See my luck has always been a thing that's hard to explain. You know how we have a 50/50 chance of guessing a coin flip, or a yes or no question, or maybe even what exit to take on the highway. OK, 50/50 chance. If you do it a hundred times, what is your score going to be when it comes to making a 50/50 guess. On luck alone, I say 50%, right? Not me, not me for one minute. I'm a 90/10 guy. That's right 90% wrong 10% right. Ladies and gentleman, I'm what's called Hawaii to bookies, because after one season with me, that's their vacation spot. I kid you not, but since I went 8-6 last week, which in my terms means I'm up 140 points this week, I'll give it another try with a few more whistles and buzzers. This is for all my friends at Southside Saloon.

Editor's note: Team records will be the actual record ATS for each team this year. I said whistles and buzzers.

Here we go:

Buffalo ( 6-2 ) @ Miami ( 2-4-2 ) +2.5: Bills: The Bills are 21-8 ATS against teams with a losing record in the last 29 games. They have the last six ATS versus the Dolphins, including the last 3 games at Miami. Bills have won their last 5 ATS overall. Dolphins: Ready for this; 6-23-1 versus the AFC East, 4-12-1 at home versus the AFC, 9-25 at home versus the spread. My take: The Bills are hot and playing like they want to go to the playoffs. Marshall #### is the real deal and Lee Evans has finally awoke from the horrible start. The Dolphins have nothing going their way right now. Earlier in the season this looked like a game they might win, but with Ronnie Brown out and Chambers in SD, Fins lose again. Buffalo 34 Miami 16

Cleveland ( 6-2 ) @ Pittsburgh ( 6-2 ) -9.5: Browns: The Browns are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games against teams with a winning record. Cleveland has won their last 3 games ATS. The Browns are averaging 28.4 points a game. Steelers: Over their last 12 games against their division, the Steelers are a cool 8-3-1. They have won the last eight meetings versus the Browns ATS. The Steelers come in only given up 237 yards a game and 12 points a game. My take: The Browns have been an exciting team to watch this year. They give up a lot of points and score just as many. The difference here is that the Ravens did nothing to disrupt the Steelers coming into this game. The Steelers can score too, but they have the difference maker in their defense. Pittsburgh 31 Cleveland 20

Denver ( 1-7 ) @ Kansas City ( 4-3-1 ) Off: Broncos: The last eight games against their own division is a horror story ( 0-8 ). Add an 1-10 in their last 11 against the AFC to the fire. One more for Shanahan to chew on, the Broncos are 3-8 against the Chiefs in their last 11 games. Chiefs: This teams averages less than a hundred yards a game on the ground ( Denver is allowing 161 a game ). The good, KC is 9-2 in their last 11 versus the division. The bad, in their prior 8 games played on week 10 of the season, the Chiefs are 2-6 ATS. My take: The Broncos are lost and it may have something to do with all the children running around the complex wearing Travis Henry jerseys. If you didn't know he has as many as Shawn Kemp. Together we are looking at close to 20. Denver will not make it to 20 this week themselves. Kansas City 27 Denver 19

Jacksonville (4-4 ) @ Tennessee ( 5-3 ) Off: Jaguars: Jacksonville is averaging less than 20 points scored a game and allowing less than 20 a game. The Jags are 3-1 ATS in their last four road games. In three of their last 5 match-ups, the Jags scored more than 30 points in a game. Titans: Tennessee comes into this game 7-2 ATS versus a team with a winning record ( Jags 5-3 on the season ). They are 8-2 ATS in their last ten games against the AFC. They have won the last two meeting versus Jacksonville ATS. The Titans have thrown three touchdown passes all year. My take: This is a great match-up between two teams that love to run the ball and run the ball more. A game like this comes down to turnovers and field position. I like Tennessee and Vince Young to win. Tennessee 20 Jacksonville 17

Minnesota ( 3-3-2 ) @ Green Bay ( 6-1-1 ) -6: Vikings: Coming into this game the road team has won 11 of the last 12 games ATS. The Vikings are 10-3-1 against their own division ATS in the last 14 games. The underdog in this game has won 17 of the last 22 games in this series. Did I mention Minnesota has Adrian Peterson? Packers: The pack are an incredible 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games. They also have a pretty good record in their own division 8-2-2 in their last 12. Did I mention Green Bay has Brett Favre? My take: Ladies and gentleman, this is my special dinner blue plate early bird buy one get one half off first come first serve upset special of the week! I love the way Minnesota is playing ( all right, it's just running A.P. to death ) but it's working. The tundra might be frozen for this game, but I still like the Vikings defense to make a big play late and pull this off. Minnesota 27 Green Bay 19.

Philadelphia ( 3-5 ) @ Washington ( 2-4-2 ) -2.5: Eagles: I was trying to find a positive number to report on the Eagles side and I could only come up with they have 6-2-1 record ATS in their last 9 games played on week 10. Other than that I have 2-6 ATS in their last eight November games. They are 2-4 against Washington ATS in their last 6 meetings. The underdog in this game, 3-8-1 in the last 12. Redskins: Not many positive things to add on this side either. One bad sign is that the DC gang has a 1-7-1 record ATS when playing a team with a losing record ( Philly really is 3-5 ). Both team average less than 20 points a game on offense. My take: When I play this game out in my head, I immediately want to grab a sharp object and insert it into my eyes. This is a complete guess ( like the rest of them ) Redskins 33 Eagles 21

St.Louis ( 1-7 ) @ New Orleans ( 3-5 ) -11: Rams: Just ugly numbers all the way around to match their play this year. They average about four Matt Stovers a game. Plus they are 2-7 in their last 9 November games. One thing in their favor is the 6-2 ATS for the road team in the last 8 match-ups. Keep in mind the defense allows 27 a game with the Saints coming in on a roll. Saints: In their 9 games played on this weekend the Saints are 8-1 ATS. They are now averaging over 30 points scored in their last 4 games. Like Limp Bizkit says the Saints " keep rollin' , rollin' , rollin' ". New Orleans 42 St. Louis 24

Atlanta ( 5-3 ) @ Carolina ( 4-4 ) -4: Falcons: Show me a man who knew the Falcons are 5-3 this year ATS and I'll show you all the mad bookies taking action on those games. Who knew the Falcons 3-2 ATS in the last five away game versus the Panthers? What about the fact they give up more than 21 a game and score less than 15 they still have a 5-3 record ATS? Who knows how to bet these games? Panthers: Despite these two next negative marks against the Panthers,( 1-8 ATS last nine on grass and 4-10-1 in the last fifteen as a favorite in this series ) I like the 57-28-2 ATS versus losing teams. Atlanta is a losing team. My take: Carolina is still the better team without a doubt. Atlanta will be playing away against a team needing this win. Carolina 23 Atlanta 10

Cincinnati ( 3-5 ) @ Baltimore ( 1-7 ) -4: Bengals: 2-2 in their last four trips ATS to Baltimore. They average over 24 a game on offense but allow 30 on defense. They have won 5 of the last 6 ATS versus Baltimore. They also bring an impressive 16-7-1 record ATS on the road. Ravens: Everything about this team stinks right now. I cringe at the numbers that are staring me in the face. The one good is the favorite in this game is 13-3 in the last 16 ATS. Will the " Fire Billick " signs be in the house? My take: The Ravens are the closest thing to a sure bet against that we have on the board this week. Is the team quitting on Billick? Monday night was another failed national appearance for this team. This Sunday, much the same. Cincinnati 34 Baltimore 23

Chicago ( 2-6 ) @ Oakland ( 3-5 ) +3: Bears :The Bears are just 3-11 in their last 14 ATS. The Bears are 4-2 against Oakland in their last six meetings dating back to 1987. Chicago has a 6-2 record ATS in their last eight games played on week 10. The offense only averages 18 points a game. Raiders: The Raiders are a whopping 6-20 ATS in their last 26 home games. The Raiders are 0-3 since 1996 ATS versus the Bears. Oakland only averages 19 points a game. My take: By raise of hands, how many of you are even watching this game? For east coast people this is the " Who really gives a flying " game. But my editor tells me I must pick this game. So I went to a higher power, my wife. This is her pick. Chicago 5 Oakland 0, she doesn't really care either, she told me the Celtics in six.

Dallas ( 6-2 ) @ New York Giants ( 5-3 ) +1.5: Cowboys: They come into week 10 averaging over 33 points a game. They have won the last two games ATS versus the Giants but lost the prior 5 to that run. Dallas put 45 on the Giants in September. That was the highest point total in a game this year for Dallas. Dallas is also 7-2 overall in their last 9 ATS. Giants: The home team in this series holds a 11-5-2 over he last 9 years. They have won their last three at home ATS. After giving up 80 points in their first two games, the Giants have averaged 13 points allowed on defense. My take: Nice game here. I like the way both teams come into this game playing. I see a shootout and with shootouts I'll take a cowboy or a giant everyday of the week and twice on game day. Dallas 37 New York Giants 27

Detroit ( 5-2-1 ) @ Arizona ( 5-3 ) -1: Lions: Detroit has won three of the last four meetings with Arizona since 1993 ATS. The Lions are scoring at a 25 per game clip. This is good because Arizona is giving up over 20 a game. They are 2-2 on the road ATS this year, both loses to the NFC East. Cardinals: The Cardinals are 11-4 overall in their last 15 games ATS. They also hold an 8-3 record ATS versus the NFC. Expect high scoring, the over is the bet six of the last seven match-ups. My take: Jon Kitna has turned the Lions into a team you really have to like this year. They play fun games and are winning the way Mile Martz like to have his offense win games. Arizona has so many weapons on offense, yet they only put up 19 a game. Detroit is better than anyone knows on defense, they win this one on the road for Mr. Millen. Detroit 31 Arizona 23

Indianapolis ( 6-2 ) @ San Diego ( 4-4 ) +3.5: Colts: The Colts are 10-1 in their last 11 games played on week 10. If that's not enough, they are 9-3 in their last 12 November games ATS. Look the Colts are good, okay? Enough said. I'm still bitter towards Mayflower vans. Chargers: If this means anything, the Charges are 31-15-2 in their 48 games on grass. My uncle Dave is 21-62-8 on grass this year. See what I mean. My take: I have a cousin stationed in San Diego serving his 13th or 14th year in the Navy. This has nothing to do with my pick, I just wanted to say hi to him. What's up JD? Indianapolis 31 San Diego 14

San Francisco ( 2-6 ) @ Seattle ( 3-5 ) -10: 49ers: Really should I waste more our your time with silly stats? Isn't everyone at ESPN glad that they do not have to call this game? Name me one marquee player in this game? Really try? Thank you, I rest my case. Seattle: Coffee and rain, whipdedo! Will someone in that division please stand up? This was the best game left for ESPN to pick from at the beginning of the season? This might be the one time of the year that no one on the east coast calls out of work because of the football game on Monday night. My take: I think I just had my take and ate it too. Seattle 18 San Francisco 12 and 1/2.

See you next week.

Happy Halloween to every young person tonight. Besides Easter, this is the best candy holiday in the year. I hope all the kids had a safe and wonderful time.

This will be my first ( of I hope many ) blogs about the upcoming week in the NFL. Today I will preview each game and give you statistical facts on each game. Remember numbers don't lie, they just don't tell the whole story.

San Diego -7 ( 4-3 ) @ Minnesota ( 2-5 ) San Diego has won the last four meetings ATS vs. Minnesota. This year Minnesota is 1-2 at home vs ATS. The Chargers are 8-3 in their last 11 games played in November. My take: Call San Diego butter ( they are on a roll ). Minnesota has no passing game to speak of ( 151.1 yds per game ). I like the Chargers to roll and L.T. will out perform A.P. San Diego 27 Minnesota 16.

Dallas -3 ( 6-1 ) @ Philadelphia ( 3-4 ) What's wrong with Philly? Allowing over 200 yards a game through the air. Dallas averages 271.6 yards a game through the air. Both teams have 3-3 records ATS versus each other in the last six games. Dallas is 2-1 on the road ATS and Philly is 1-2 at home ATS. My take: Stay away from this game. Dallas has a great record and can put up points, but Philly in Philly, T.O. coming back again? If you must, I think this is an upset. Philly 24 Dallas 20.

Green Bay ( 6-1 ) @ Kansas City - 1.5 ( 4-3 ) First I will tell you that the Packers are 3-0 on the road this year ATS. Here's the trick Kansas City is 12-4-1 at home ATS in their last 17 games. Kansas City is 5-2 ATS vs Green bay in their last 7 meetings going back to 1987. My take: Green Bay is playing so much better than the Chiefs right now, you want to believe that Brett Favre is taking this team to a different level. Green Bay in a close one. Packers 30 Chiefs 26.

Cincinnati -1 ( 2-5 ) @ Buffalo ( 3-4 ) Cincinnati comes into this game giving up 30.1 points a game. With that said Buffalo scores at a clip of 13.9 points a game. Cincinnati is 1-2 on the road ATS and Buffalo is 4-0 at home ATS. My take: Buffalo has game. #### Jaron and his crew could easily be 5-2 right now. Cincinnati is clueless, yet still dangerous because you never know when they will put it all together. I like the Bills at home. Buffalo 24 Cincinnati 23.

Denver ( 3-4 ) @ Detroit -3 ( 5-2 ) Where are the " Fire Millen " signs now in Detroit? My guess, still in a closet, just in case. Denver comes into this game 1-8 ATS vs a winning team in their last 9 games. Detroit is unbeaten at home ATS and has won ATS versus Denver in their last two meetings. My take: Denver is lost right now. Maybe it's because of all the child support checks they send out each month for Travis Henry. Chances are if he isn't your daddy, Shawn Kemp is. Detroit 32 Denver 20.

San Francisco ( 2-5 ) @ Atlanta -3 ( 1-6 ) In their last ten meetings, the 49ers are 7-3 ATS versus the Falcons. Both teams are giving up over 340 yards a game to their opponent. The underdog in this game is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 meetings. My take: If a touchdown is scored and nobody is there to see it, does it still count? How do you pick a game like this? Let's go with the Falcons at home. Falcons 16 49ers 10.

New England -5.5 ( 8-0 ) @ Indianapolis ( 7-0 ) Ready for these numbers. Indy 3-0 at home ATS. New England 8-0 ATS period. Indy is 4-0 ATS versus New England in the past 2 years. New England averages 41.4 points a game and Indy 32.0 lousy points a game. Both teams give up less than 16 points a game on defense. Nice stats. My take: Indy wins this game because they control the game. I bet you didn't know that Indy has scored 12 touchdowns this year on the ground. Oh yeah, that's the NFL league leader. Colts 33 Patriots 30

Jacksonville ( 5-2 ) @ New Orleans -3 ( 3-4 ) Believe this or not, but New Orleans is 0-3 at home ATS and Jacksonville is 3-0 on the road ATS. With that said here is My take: Pay no attention those stats. These teams are heading in the opposite directions. The Saints have finally figured it out and Jacksonville is playing this game on the road with a guy named Quinn. Brees versus Quinn. No contest. Saints 27 Jacksonville 13.

Houston ( 3-5 ) @ Oakland -3 ( 2-5 ) Check this out: Houston has lost their last 5 games ATS but has a career record of 3-0 ATS versus the Raiders. Both teams are averaging over 300 yards on offense but they give it right back, at a clip of 327 yards a game. The Raiders are 7-21 in their last 28 home games ATS. My take: Oakland giving points to anyone is like taking candy from a kid. Texans 27 Raiders 14.

Seattle ( 4-3 ) @ Cleveland -1 ( 4-3 ) The Browns have a 7-1 record ATS vs winning teams in their last 8 games. Seattle is 4-10-1 ATS on the road in their last 15 games. While Seattle only scores 19.6 a game, Cleveland yields 29 a game. Plus they give up over 139 yards on the ground per game. My take: Big game for both, Cleveland needs this more than Seattle, but Cleveland will choke on their own bone. Seattle 28 Cleveland 24.

Washington -3.5 ( 4-3 ) @ NY Jets ( 1- 7) The Jets are 2-8 ATS versus a team with a winning record in their last 10 games. Since 2003 the Jets are 2-0 versus the Skins ATS. Despite giving up over 50 points last to the Patriots, the Skins are still only allowing 20 points a game. My take: The Redskins rebound and in a big way. I don't think either team could blow out the other, I still think DC brings a better team to the table. Redskins 21 Jets 10.

Arizona ( 3-4 ) @ Tampa Bay -3.5 ( 4-4 ) Look at these powerful numbers that support the Cardinals. They are as follows: 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games, 8-2 ATS versus the NFC in their last 10 games, and 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games period. Arizona also has covered in their last three games versus the Bucs. My take: Like I'm going against those numbers? Cardinals 22 Bucs 17.

 

 

 

 

Carolina ( 4-3 ) @ Tennessee -4 ( 5-2 ) Get this little nugget. The Panthers are 1-7 on grass ATS in their last games. They are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 November games and 24-9-2 ATS in their last 35 road games. Carolina 4-0 on the road ATS this year while Tennessee comes in a 1-2 at home ATS. My take: Carolina might lose this game, but not with the four points. This is very close. Titans 23 Panthers 21.

Baltimore ( 4-3 ) @ Pittsburgh -9 ( 5-2 ) Besides the Indy and NE game, this one is also big. The Ravens are 5-1 ATS versus Pittsburgh in their last 6 match ups. Pittsburgh goes 3-0 at home ATS and the Ravens are 0-4 ATS on the road. These teams are number 1 and 2 in total defense this year. Oh yeah, almost forgot, the Ravens are 1-6 this year ATS. My take: This is my plea to T-SIZZLE to finally show up and have a game that determines the outcome. Ravens know them too well to get blown out. Ravens 19 Steelers 17.

P.S. This is for all my friends at the SOUTHSIDE SALOON.