Spooky's "need you now" first week of autumn express

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Friday

Some more NFL trends for Week 3.........

-- Redskins are 3-9-2 vs spread in last 14 non-divisional road games.

-- Eagles covered six of their last eight games as a home favorite.

-- Buccaneers covered one of their last six home games.

-- Ravens covered six of last seven divisional games.

-- Saints covered five of their last six as a road favorite.

-- Jaguars are 12-4-1 vs spread as a road dog in divisional play.

[Spooky]

Friday's List of 13: Things I'm Looking for this weekend.........

13) Can Cal win at Oregon the week before USC comes to Berkeley?

12) Will TCU save face for the Mountain West the week after Utah and BYU both lost non-conference games?

11) How will Michigan State QB Cousins bounce back after throwing a hideous INT at the end of the Spartans' 33-30 loss at Notre Dame?

10) How will South Florida do in their long-awaited first meeting with Florida State, with former backup QB Daniels now the full-time starter?

9) How will Washington Huskies backup the USC upset when they go to Stanford to play the improved Cardinal?

8) Just want to sit a comfortable chair, get a pizza and settle in for four hours of Texas Tech-Houston. Should be fun.

7) How will the Jets play now that they've beaten the Patriots? Titans are a wounded 0-2 team that desperately needs a win.

6) Can Seneca Wallace lead an NFL offense? I'm skeptical.

5) Who knew 49ers-Vikings would be the marquee game of Week 3?

4) Oakland will be tied for first place if they beat the Broncos Sunday, but JaMarcus Russell better complete more than 7 of 24 passes.

3) Can Arizona hold the Colts under 10 yards a play? Miami couldn't, but Indy is travelling on short work week. Interesting game.

2) I'm looking for the Rams to upset Green Bay for their first win.

1) How will Michael Vick do in his return to real NFL action? Eagles are banged up on offense, they'll need his contributions.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Friday, September 25

Stop trying

Nevada head coach Chris Ault is hoping his QB Colin Kaepernick keeps things simple against Missouri Friday night. The Wolf Pack's playcaller has four interceptions this season and has fumbled the ball three times in his last nine games going back into last year.

Ault believes Kaepernick is trying to do too much and points to last weekend's loss to Colorado State, when he had two passes picked off and fumbled on a pitch.

"Kap read the blitzes. There were 28 of them and he got it every time except one," Ault told reporters. "That's very good. And I'm really pleased with the way he's delivering the ball.

"Last weekend, physically he just didn't play well. It happens."

The Wolf Pack are 7-point home underdogs Friday.

Mizzou moves

The Missouri depth chart is getting a face lift heading into Friday's showdown with Nevada. Head coach Gary Pinkel is starting Beau Brinkley at tight end instead of Andrew Jones, who has recorded six catches for 34 yards in the first three games.

On special teams, Munir Prince will return kicks in place of injured safety Jasper Simmons. Prince has had one kick return, picking up 30 yards. Simmons has returned seven kicks for a total of 163 yards this season.

Don't count on Donovan

Oddsmakers held off posting a line for Sunday's Philadelphia-Kansas City game due to the status of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. McNabb sat out practice again Thursday with a busted rib, making it more likely that he'll sit again this weekend.

Backup Kevin Kolb will get the nod again if McNabb does sit. However, third-stringer Michael Vick will be available. Philadelphia coach Andy Reid told the media that Vick isn't ready to start, but the former Pro-Bowl QB had different thoughts. Vick told CBS he thought he'd be a starting quarterback when plotting his return to the NFL earlier this summer.

Books have still tagged the Eagles as 9-point home favorites against the Chiefs. The total is listed at 41 points.

Giant problems

Following a huge win over the Cowboys last Sunday night, the Giants could have some major holes to fill heading into Week 3.

Safety Kenny Phillips is out for the season after injuring his knee. Phillips had two interceptions in New York's victory over Dallas. The team picked up safety Aaron Rouse off waivers to fill the gap in the depth chart.

On the other side of the ball, receiver Mario Manningham could miss time after hurting his shoulder. He had a breakout game against the Cowboys, catching 10 balls for 150 yards and a touchdown. He was limited during practice Wednesday and is currently questionable for this Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. Fellow WR Domenik Hixon is also questionable for Sunday after turning his knee against Dallas.

This news comes on the heels of DE Justin Tuck's shoulder injury suffered against the Cowboys He is also questionable for this weekend.

Ibanez under the weather

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez was scratched from Thursday's game with a stomach virus, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Ibanez was replaced by Ben Francisco.

Ibanez has been one of the Phillies' best bats this season after joining the World Series champs from Seattle. He is hitting .277 with 89 RBI and 33 home runs. Ibanez was 2-for-3 with a home run in Philly's 7-6 loss to Florida Wednesday.
Jayhawks infighting

According to the local media in Lawerence, there is a long-running turf war going on between the Kansas Jayhawks football and basketball teams.

The two squads have clashed three times in the past week, most recently early Wednesday morning. Accounts from numerous sources on campus have KU guard Tyshawn Taylor sidelined with a dislocated finger from throwing a punch and either Marcus or Markieff Morris tossing a KU football player down a flight of stairs. The police have been called to the campus three times but no charges have been laid.

The Jayhawks football team hosts Southern Mississippi as 13.5-point favorites this Saturday.

Fancy footwork

Mixed martial arts star Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell advanced into the next round of ABC's Dancing With The Stars as did Hall of Fame WR Michael Irvin.

"I haven't been that nervous in probably 15, 20 years," Liddell told reporters. "I'm known for not getting nervous before fights and I had so much adrenalin pumping when I went out there."

Liddell is priced at +650 to win this season's dance competition while Irvin is listed at +350 with betED.com.

Notable quote

"I'll still hit him. I'll just get fined. There's nothing I can do about it. It's either that or try to hurt somebody. So are you going to fine me, or do you want me to end someone's career? I'd rather take a fine than try to end somebody's career, so I'm not going to change." – Steelers WR Hines Ward, when asked about his crushing hit on Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers last season. The hit, which broke Rivers jaw, has prompted the “Hines Ward Rule” which outlaws high, blind-side hits.

[Dirty]

Great Read

[Spooky]

You can read?

Thanks buddy.

[Dirty]

Barely

[Spooky]

Daily Sports Roundup for Saturday, September 26

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: USC looks to beat up on Washington State, Miami meets Virginia Tech, and the Red Sox and Yankees continue their series.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The USC Trojans will try to bounce back from an ugly loss on Saturday night when they play host to Washington State. The No. 12 Trojans fell in the rankings last week after they were upset 16-13 by Washington. Trojans QB Aaron Corp threw for just 110 yards and was picked off once in that loss; he was filling in for Matt Barkley, who missed the game with a bruised shoulder. Barkley is listed as probable for Saturday's contest, and he'll have to be on his game for USC to cover the spread - they've been listed as big 45.5-point favorites vs. the Cougars.

The only ranked matchup on Saturday has No. 9 Miami at No. 11 Virginia Tech, with the Hurricanes pegged as 3-point road favorites. Miami is coming off a 33-17 win over Georgia Tech last time out, with Jacory Harris throwing for 270 yards and three scores to move the team to 2-0. The Hokies edged Nebraska 16-15 last week to improve to 2-1; Tyrod Taylor threw a late TD pass to secure the win.

Top-ranked Florida (-22) plays at Kentucky on Saturday, while No. 2 Texas (-36) hosts UTEP. As well, it'll be Arkansas at No. 3 Alabama (-17.5), Iowa at No. 5 Penn State (-9.5), No. 6 California (-5.5) at Oregon, No. 7 LSU (-12.5) at Mississippi State, and No. 8 Boise State (-16.5) at Bowling Green. No. 4 Mississippi played on Thursday night, and No. 10 Oklahoma is off this weekend.

As well, there are a couple of Canadian Football League games on the Saturday schedule, with Saskatchewan at Edmonton and Toronto at Winnipeg. The Eskimos are pegged as 3.5-point home favorites against the Riders in that first contest, while the Blue Bombers are slim 1-point home faves against the Argos.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

It'll be Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-5, 6.80 ERA) vs. CC Sabathia (18-7, 3.31 ERA) on Saturday afternoon as the Red Sox continue their series in New York. Righthander Matsuzaka has won back-to-back outings for Boston since returning from the disabled list, holding the O's and Angels to three runs over 11 1-3 innings of work. Lefthander Sabathia held the M's to one unearned run over seven innings last time out, and New York is now 10-0 in his last 10 mound trips.

The top pitcher on the mound in the National League on Saturday will be the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright (18-8, 2.59 ERA), who'll take on the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez (14-11, 3.47 ERA) in Colorado. Righthander Wainwright has failed in his last two attempts to pick up his 19th win of the season, despite allowing just five runs over 14 innings vs. the Cubs and Marlins. Righthander Jimenez held the Diamondbacks to one run over seven innings in his last outing.

Also on the NL schedule for Saturday: Atlanta at Washington, the Cubs at San Francisco, Philadelphia at Milwaukee, Cincinnati at Houston, the Dodgers at Pittsburgh, the Mets at Florida, and San Diego at Arizona. Rounding out the AL slate: Seattle at Toronto, Baltimore at Cleveland, Detroit at the White Sox, Minnesota at Kansas City, Tampa Bay at Texas, and also Oakland at the Angels.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Saturday, September 26

No Joshin’

Baseball bettors need to look no further than the Texas Rangers-Tampa Bay Rays game to find value Saturday. Texas (-106) starts ace Kevin Millwood and even better, welcomes stud Josh Hamilton back into the lineup. Hamilton, last year’s AL RBI king, had missed 19 straight games with a pinched nerve before hitting third on Friday night. The former Tampa Bay prospect entered the weekend hitting .270 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs in 87 games and should give some pop to a lineup missing slugger Michael Young for nearly three weeks.

Tiger season

Does Tiger Woods have a chink in his armor? Woods appeared poised to pull away from the field on Friday, but missed two short putts and then bogeyed 18 to take just a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Tour Championship. However, none of the other players in the top 10 of the event are even one of the top 5 seeds of the FedEx Cup. Woods was furious over missing with his putter on Friday, and a focused Tiger with a lead at a big name tournament is a phenomenal value at -250 to bring home the title.

Perk your interest

The real football starts much earlier on Saturday morning, as the United States faces Germany in the opening game of the group stage of the U-20 World Cup in Germany. The United States is a fantastic value at +275. The Yanks have scored in seven straight U-20 WC games dating back to a 0-0 tie with Germany in 2005. But one could be all the Americans need. Young stud goalie Brian Perk posted a win in the Round of 16 over Uruguay in the event two years ago, and has just a 0.14 GAA as he has shutout four straight opponents.

Rushing to conclusions

The Iowa Hawkeyes are allowing more than 140 rushing yards per game, a trend the heavily-favored Nittany Lions (-9.5) will try to exploit. But just wait. Iowa is strong in the red zone, allowing just five red zone rushing TDs last year, the second-fewest in the country. This year, teams are scoring touchdowns on just 33 percent of their trips inside the red zone against the Hawkeyes. Conversely, Penn State is ranked 101st in the nation in red zone offense, scoring on fewer than 70 percent of their trips. If Iowa can stop the big play, they will cover the spread.

Line it up

The Miami Hurricanes head to Blacksburg, Va., with plenty of swagger to face the Hokies. What the Hurricanes won’t have, however, is starting defensive lineman Marcus Forston and Andrew Smith, who each have been ruled out with injuries. The players were integral in stopping the run in two straight wins over ranked teams, and will be missed against Virginia Tech (+3, 47), which is coming off a last-second win against Nebraska and figures to rely heavily on its ground game to pull the upset.

No LT, Part II

Fantasy owners and Chargers backers need to sit down to hear this news. Stud running back LaDainian Tomlinson will miss a second straight game with an ankle injury. The All-Pro running back will sit out the team’s home game against the Dolphins, as will dinged-up center Nick Hartwick. Backup Darren Sproles is capable in stretches, but his durability has yet to be proven. San Diego still is listed as a six-point favorite.

[Spooky]

Saturday's List of 13: Random stuff on a busy day

Had a great Friday meeting a girlfriend I have not seen in 30 years, and yes we were in elementary school together. She looks as good now as she did when I had a crush on her back when.
13) Tim Tebow is one of several ill Florida Gators who flew on charter to Kentucky, on a different plane than the rest of the team.

12) Cubs have had 10 different managers in the time that Bobby Cox has been manager of the Atlanta Braves.

11) With the New Jersey Nets now having a Russian owner, does that mean the name of the team might be changed to the Nyets?

10) Yale's starting QB was a backup at Nebraska last year. Seriously. Now thats a major culture change, from Lincoln to New Haven.

9) Because Jewish holidays start at sundown Sunday, it is rare Sunday when both Jets, Giants will play at 1pm. Normal broadcast guidelines have Jets, Giants playing at different times.

8) Cecil Cooper earned $650,000 managing the Astros this season. Next year, when he will do nothing after being fired, he'll earn $850,000 from the Astros. Is this a great country or what?

7) Even though it looks like Colorado will make the playoffs, there has been talk amongst Met players that Kevin Marquis is already angling to pitch for the Mets next year. Marquis is from Staten Island.

6) Why is the NHL so intent on keeping the Coyotes in Phoenix? They lose a fortune every year. Wouldn't they be better off in Canada? No?

5) With the Buick Open in Michigan a thing of the past on PGA Tour, a new tourney in West Virginia, the Greenbrier Classic, will take its place next year. Could be several new title sponsors the next few years.

4) ESPN Thursday night college football games are better when teams didn't play the Saturday before.

3) Oregon's football team has almost 80 different uniforms combos they can wear each week, so who chooses which duds they wear? None other than golf coach Casey Martin (yes, the same guy who rode a golf cart on the PGA Tour), who is good buddies with head coach Chip Kelly.

2) When Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel was in college, he was a Run-and-Shoot QB at a Division III school in Ohio, where he played for his dad. Funny how a Run-and-Shoot guy is so conservative now.

1) Nebraska has sold out every home football game since 1962. Wow.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Sunday

-- Sunday is first time since 1984 Jets/Giants are both playing at 1pm without playing each other. Jets were scheduled at 4:15 but because of Jewish holidays starting at sundown, the game was moved to 1pm. Have an easy fast to all my friends out there.

-- Adam Wainwright struck out 11, gave up 10 hits, threw 130 pitches as Cardinals won 6-3 at Coors Field, clinching the NL Central.

-- Dodgers also clinched a playoff berth Sunday, scoring five times in 8th inning to beat the Pirates 8-4.

-- White Sox lost their last eight games not started by Jake Peavy.

-- A's rallied from 9-2 deficit to beat Angels 15-10, their 16th win in last 20 games. If Oakland can finish 6-1, they'll end the year 81-81.

-- Colorado's Wild Card lead is down to 2.5 games over the Braves.

[Spooky]

Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a college football Saturday

13) I knew a friend a few years ago, and boy he hated the Georgia Bulldogs, the Vince Dooley/Herschel Walker Dawgs. I'm sure to this day the Lindsay Scott play against Florida still drives him crazy. He used to always say how lucky they were, how they were always lucky.

Well, wherever you are, Les Miles is this generation's version of Vince Dooley. Lot of close wins, lot of people thinking he's lucky, but all the guy does is win. LSU stopped Mississippi State at the one-yard line to escape Starkville Saturday with a 30-26 win. Lot of people will think he was lucky (LSU had kick return for TD and a defensive TD), but isn't luck where preparation meets opportunity? I think it is.

12) I looked at this week's card and wasn't too fired up about possibility of any great games, but boy there were some terrific ones; Houston's win over Texas Tech, LSU's goal line stand, Notre Dame's last minute win at Purdue, BC's overtime win over Wake Forest, Indiana-Michigan game and the Arizona State-Georgia game (yup, the Dawgs got lucky).

11) Georgia is overscheduled: @ Oklahoma State, South Carolina, then @ Arkansas, then Arizona State, then LSU. Their kids are tired-- they're lucky they got past ASU Saturday. The LSU game will be brutal. Laugh if you will, but scheduling a weak Sun Belt team has distinct benefits.

10) Indiana got hosed on an INT call on its last drive at Michigan- they played their hearts out, trying to win in a stadium where they last won in 1967, when only two Indiana assistant coaches were alive. No dice, despite mild-mannered coach Lynch going off on the sideline. Too bad. Michigan is 4-0, and no one seems to care they practiced too much.

9) No matter who coaches Clemson, they lose games at this time of the year you'd think they have no business losing. TCU beat them 14-10 in a game where the Mountain West gained a measure of respect. The folks at the IPTAY (I Pay Tremendous $$ A Year) booster club ain't happy.

8) Wake Forest had ball 1st-and-goal on BC's 4 in OT, trailing 27-24, but senior QB Skinner fumbled when hit, and Deacons lost another tight game to the Eagles. Senior QBs are supposed to be heroes, aren't they?

7) Hope you enjoyed having Kevin Sumlin as your coach, Houston- it will take very deep pockets to keep him with the Cougars now that he has Houston in the top 25 for the first time in almost twenty years, and wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech on his resume. I could see Jim Harbaugh going to the NFL and Sumlin going to Stanford.

6) Not only did Miami get crunched 31-7 at Virginia Tech, it poured the whole second half, and no one gave 'canes' coach Randy Shannon a hat. Poor guy looked like the most miserable person in America.

5) Iowa has now won seven of its last eight games against Penn State.

4) I am in favor of the immediate firing of any TV sportscaster who says "unranked Stanford upset 24th-ranked Washington this week." Cardinal were favored by 9.5 points, so no it wasn't an upset, not even close.

3) What a day for the South Florida Bulls; playing their first game in the last four years without QB Grothe, freshman Daniels did enough to win in his first college start (also in his hometown of Tallahassee), as Bulls forced/recovered four fumbles in a stunning 17-7 win at Florida State.

2) It is September 27, and six top 10 teams already have been beaten by unranked teams. College football is crazy, you just never know. Makes handicapping games a lot more challenging, and a little less fun. :-)

1) I am probably the 100,000th person to ask this question, but why in the name of Noah Brindise was Tim Tebow throwing the ball in a game Florida led 31-7? If he was so sick, let him hand off in a game that was over about 45 seconds after it started. Why was he passing???????? Its like they really believe he is Superman, forgetting he is still a kid.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Sunday, September 27


Caged Panthers

Carolina will need to dip deep into its depth chart to avoid losing its third straight game against the Cowboys (-9) Monday night. The Panthers will be out starting linebacker Na’il Diggs, safety Chris Harris and stud rookie defensive end Everette Brown. The Panthers defensive line has managed a meager two sacks in two games and must do more against Tony Romo in Dallas.

J.J. back on track

Jimmie Johnson appears ready to defend his three straight cup titles. Johnson, who is just 35 points behind Mark Martin in the standings, took the pole for Sunday’s race at Dover by finishing a lap of 157.356 mph. Johnson led a career-high 298 laps in a race at the Monster Mile earlier this year, and listed at +250 is a solid pick to bring home the checkered flag.

United we stand

D.C. United is ready to rock the Earthquakes. The teams played to a 2-2 draw earlier this year in California, but San Jose likely will be without striker Arturo Alvarez, who is second on the team with five goals. United also is 6-1-5 at home this season, while the Earthquakes are an abysmal 0-8-3. Don’t be afraid to take D.C. at -1 (-110) or even test the money line at -200 to win.

Wright has wrong stuff

David Wright won’t be in the lineup for the Mets on Sunday afternoon. Kevin Burkhardt, SNY’s field reporter, twittered on Saturday afternoon that the start third baseman would sit out the final game of the team’s series against the Marlins. Wright, who has struggled since returning from the DL earlier this month, has struck out 30 times in 23 games. Overall, the Mets have lost seven of 10 and are scoring a meager 4.14 runs per game.

Perry for president

Can Kenny Perry keep stunning the field at the Tour Championship? Kenny birdied the opening four holes of the third round as he cruised to a two-shot lead at eight under-par entering the final round on Sunday. The course plays great to his long driving style and his short game has given him the ability to rise to the top of the field. The only thing standing in his way? His playing partner: Tiger Woods. Perry, however, is used to high stakes, ranking fourth in the world. Posted at +200 to bring home the title, he is a much better play than Tiger at -175.