Spooky told you once, you son of a bitch, i'm the best thats ever been express

[Spooky]

Coming off a really nice week on the Express here are....

Spooky's helpful tips for Monday, October 19

Meaningful Monday night trends

On Monday Night Football, the Denver Broncos (5-0 straight up, 5-0 against the spread) visit the San Diego Chargers (2-2 SU, 1-3 ATS). The home team clearly is more desperate and is giving 3.5 points. The Chargers have won five of the last six meetings and are 5-1 vs. the spread. The teams also have played to the over in five of the last six meetings.

Melting the ice

New Jersey Devils coach Jacques Lemaire changed his top lines in Saturday's 2-0 win over Carolina. He broke up the top line of Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Jamie Langenbrunner, putting Zajac on a line with Niclas Bergfors and Matt Halischuk, and Parise and Langenbrunner with Rob Niedermayer. Lemaire also split up his defensive tandems, putting Paul Martin with Bryce Salvador and Johnny Oyuda - who had been with Martin - with Andy Greene. The Devils don't play until visiting the New York Rangers on Thursday, so the units will have time to practice together.

No ordinary Joe

There are a couple of nice converging trends in Game Four of the NLCS. The Phillies are 15-5-2 against the over in their last 22 games overall and 6-2-1 against the over in the last nine starts made by Joe Blanton, who is making his first start of the postseason. Bookmakers had yet to set a total.

A mountain to climb

West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown did not practice Sunday and is day-to-day after taking a head shot to the helmet on the opening series vs. Marshall on Saturday. Coach Bill Stewart said he won't know until later this week whether Brown or backup Geno Smith will start Saturday vs. Connecticut. The Mountaineers (5-1) are 4-0 at home but just 1-2 against the spread.

Catch phrases

The Angels were eighth in the major leagues in fielding during the regular season and third among playoff teams. But in the first two games of the ALCS vs. the New York Yankees, they have committed five errors leading to three unearned runs. In the postseason, the Angels have six errors and a .970 fielding percentage, both the worst of the eight playoff teams. Los Angeles is -131 with a total of 8.5 in Game Three.

Something special

The New York Rangers have won seven straight games, and special teams have been a huge reason. After going 0-for-9 on the power play in their first two games, the Rangers are 10-of-29 in their last six matches. And the penalty kill has been even better, burning 36-of-40 shorthanded situations during the streak. New York is -114 vs. San Jose with a total of 5.5.

Notable quotable

"I explained that this is not a regular game and the kids are watching and (it's) important that there will be peace and forgive him. If you forgive him, I can speak to the children and say, 'You also forgive. If you have a fight, you forgive.' But (the referee) says this is the law, that you must obey."

-- Rabbi Yitchak Dovid Grossman, who intervened to try to prevent the ejection of Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Pini Gershon during an exhibition loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Gershon received two technical fouls but initially refused to leave the court before finally departing.

[Spooky]

Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday........

Lot of stuff to get to in Week 6, so we'll give you something related to all 13 games on Sunday's card.......

13) New Orleans Saints look like the best team right now; they hung 493 yards on the Giants, led 34-17 at the half. Only 13 of the 70 plays they ran came on 3rd down, and they converted seven of the 13.

12) Hideous, horrible, putrid performance by the Titans in the snow at Foxboro, losing 59-0 in a game that wasn't that close. On a day when Brady threw five TDs in one quarter, Collins/Young combined to go 2 of 14 for minus-7 yards passing, and their defense was worse than that.

11) Bears lost 21-14 in Atanta Sunday night; they had ball four times in Atlanta's red zone, and scored only once, losing a fumble, an INT and losing ball on downs once. Cutler didn't earn his money in that game.

10) I picked the Cardinals +3; game was 14-0 Arizona before Hasselbeck got on the field, and it didn't improve once he did. Seattle had only seven first downs the whole game (they were 0-11 on 3rd down). Arizona had a 21-yard edge in field position because Seattle didn't move the chains.

9) Redskins are first NFL team ever whose first six opponents had zero wins at the time Skins played them; they're 2-4, Jim Zorn is going to be fired- they've already taken play calling away from him. Washington last won the NFC East ten years ago; maybe its not the coach.

8) I am going to look further into this with people who will have an idea of the answers, but how do cold weather teams measure whether players who've never played in cold weather will fare? Especially players who will handle the ball-- take the Jets. They've invested millions and years in Mark Sanchez, but Sunday was the first time he played in temps that were colder than 55, and he was awful. This could be a disaster, seeing as at least half the season in New Jersey is played in cold weather.

7) If you took Steelers and gave the points, you got hosed; Cribbs ran a kick back for TD when it was 14-0 Steelers, then Pitt fumbled on the 24 and 25 of the Browns in the second half, and didn't cover by half-point.

6) Tampa Bay trailed 21-7, then ran kick back for TD, got a defensive TD to tie game 21-all, but they still lost. Carolina ran ball for 267 yards, were 8-14 on third down- they had 15-yard edge in field position.

5) When a team like the Bucs scores two unusual TDs and loses, or the Rams get three takeaways and still lose, those are ominous clouds for both teams. Rams have now lost 16 in a row, Tampa Bay 10. Both try very hard, they compete, but they don't have enough good players.

4) Raiders 13, Eagles 9. People bet on this stuff for a living? JaMarcus Russell was 17-28/209 passing against Philly. Go figure.

3) Packers waxed Detroit 26-0 and it could have been worse; Green Bay had 13 penalties for 130 yards, scored only one TD in five trips inside the Detroit red zone. Lions were 0-10 on 3rd down, had only 149 yds.

2) Bengals, Seahawks, Jets were all home favorites that didn't score in the second half, much less win or cover. If you're going to be mouthy as a team, you can't lose to Buffalo at home. Just a thought.

1) Minnesota led Ravens 14-3 at half; but Baltimore scored three TDs in 4:58 span of 4th quarter, then got in position to try winning FG at end, but it missed, as Favre's magical season continues. If I'm a Jet fan, I'm wondering if the man threw games last year so the Jets would give him his release and he could play for the Vikings.

[Spooky]

Spooky's Fab Five for Monday, October 19, 2009

Happy Monday everyone.

1. Quick Hits

The Phillies took a 2 games to one lead over the Dodgers with their 11-0 win last night in Philadelphia.

Today's schedule:

Game 3 Yankees @ Angels (Yankees lead 2 games to 0) 4:13pm ET FOX

Game 4 Dodgers @ Phillies 8:07pm ET TBS

The Saints go marching on. The Giants crash back to earth getting thumped by New Orleans (5-0) 48-27.

Back to normal. The Patriots rout the Titans 59-0 as quarterback Tom Brady sets a record with 5 touchdown passes in one quarter. And did somebody say "same old Jets?"

Here's lesson number 6-zillion why you gotta love to bet on sports. After giving up 44 points to the Giants, the Oakland Raiders were 16 point underdogs against Philadelphia. The Raiders, who are offensively inept, won the game outright.

2. A-Rod, A-Rod

When the Yankee Stadium crowd Saturday night/Sunday morning was chanting "A-Rod, A-Rod," it didn't exactly roll off the tongue like say "Reg-gie, Reg-gie." And they'll never name a candy bar after Rodriguez. But you can put to rest the idea that he's an October bust. He only hit the biggest home run he's ever hit in pinstripes to tie the game in the 11th inning. And while he may never have a "Reggie" moment (3 homers in a World Series clinching game), who will? But something may actually happen next month that seemed like a fantasy back in spring training. A Yankee parade up lower Broadway with chants of "A-Rod" filling the air along with ticker tape. Not even his "cousin" could concoct a story like that.

3. Name that Quote

So who told the New York Post that the Knicks basically stink? He said: "This is atrocious. Guys coming down court, just raising up 3-pointers from anywhere. The coaching is horrible. What kind of coaching is this?"

And that quote comes from, (drum roll please) none other than that noted basketball scholar Stephon Marbury. Well, when you think about it, Marbury knows all about atrocious decision making on the court.

4. Living Legend

Maybe it's not so hot to be a living legend. Argentina's greatest soccer player, Diego Maradona, took on the job of coaching their national team. He barely escaped a national disgrace as they eked into the World Cup. After the game, he went on live television and delivered the following lovely message. "To those who did not believe in us - and ladies forgive me - they can suck my dick and keep on sucking it." I'm going out on a limb here, but I think his coaching career doesn't have legs.

5. Pucker Up

Talk about team spirit, the coach of the Bosnia-Herzegovina national soccer team has ordered his players to kiss each other on the lips in order to create a special bond between teammates. And it seems to be working. They've advanced further than ever in World Cup competition.
Hmm.....now to actually win the World Cup, they'll.....(insert punch line here.)

Happy Birthday: Former heavyweight champ Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield. 47.

Bonus Birthday: Former first daughter Amy Carter. 42.

Today in Sports: Here we go again. Billy Martin is named Yankee manager for the 5th and final time. 1987. (George Steinbrenner fired him for the 5th and final time the following June.)

Bonus Event: "And when I touch you I feel happy inside." (The new theme song of the Bosnia-Herzegovina soccer team?) No. The Beatles record "I Want to Hold Your Hand." 1963.

[Spooky]

The Worst of Week 6 in the NFL

Gentlemen, the day has finally arrived. It is a day that many have been waiting for for a long, long time. Today is the day that Jim Zorn is fired. And it is about fucking time. The Redskins have played maybe the easiest first 6 game schedule in league history and sit at a robust 2-4. There is no doubt in my mind that the Skins will finish either 3-13 or 4-12. They suck. They suck bad. Who loses to the Chiefs at home anyway?

But I think we are being a little too hard on Zorn. It's not his fault that he is completely inept and unqualified to coach in the NFL. He didn't hire himself. He only took the job because no one else wanted it. This is on upper management...that fucking rat. This organization is Clippers-bad at the moment. From top to bottom, it needs an enema. But even an organizational enema may not get rid of all the shit. Ugh. And so long, Jason Campbell. You've had your chance and continue to fail. Good luck wherever you end up. Let's let The Golden Arm of Todd Collins start the rest of the way. I mean, he DID lead them to a whopping 6 points against the mighty KC D yesterday. There were other shitty people yesterday...probably not worse than the entire Redskins team though. Here they are:

5. Steve Hauschka - Nice missed kick yesterday, asshole. I'm sick of He's justhavingfunoutthere walking off the field with his hillbilly grin. It needs to be wiped away. Stupid Ravens kicker. By the way, what happened to the vaunted Ravens and Vikes defenses? They both got torched like the Wellington Hotel. And although the Ravens are now 3-3, I'm not writing them off yet. That is a good football team (I sound like Ron Jaworski). As far as the Vikings go, looks like the Stillers will be the first team to shut them up next week. That will be a damn good game by the way.

4. Kerry Collins - Get a load of this line: 2-12, -7 yards. The Drunk threw for NEGATIVE yards. The QB on the other side of the field threw for 380 and 6 td's, by the way. Wow, the Titans really are a shitty team. I mean epically bad. 59-0! How is that even possible? How do you give up 5 touchdown passes in one quarter...IN THE FUCKING SNOW! It's time to exhume the corpse of Vince Young. I can't wait for that. Dead man walking.

3. The Giants Defense - Whoa, I think we know who the best team in the NFL is. It is the Saints. They can not be stopped and their defense is good (the Vikes will be undone by Favre and the Colts defense is not that good). Gregg Williams knows his shit. As far as the Giants go, they pretty much mailed in that game. Super Bowl contenders should not be giving up 48 points to anyone. I noticed something yesterday, too. When they slo-mo a replay of Eli getting hit, he looks like the biggest retard on the planet. Even more than usual. It is hilarious.

2. Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid - Way to lose to the Raiders. Nice job. Nice fucking job. Phillyfan better not have killed himself because how will I know who to bet against. How do you not score a TD on the Raiders? Well, let me tell you. The Raiders weakness is their rush defense. They have the best cornerback in the game. The Eagles must be dyslexic because Reid only called 12 running plays all game long. That's it. Remember how everyone said that the Eagles were Super Bowl contenders and that Mike Vick was going to push them over the top? Yeah, they aren't going anywhere. Their QB sucks too much. And THEY LOST TO THE RAIDERS!!! Get ready because they will be losing to Redskins on Monday Night next week (worst MNF game ever). We are in the usual phase of the season where McPuke sucks and the Redskins will rally around interim coach, Joe Bugel.

1. Mark Sanchez - Fuck the Sanchise. Fuck him in his stupid Mexican ear. Let me tell you a story. I was a pretty solid bet-man this weekend. I broke even on the college games and dominated the NFL games. So I decided to break my usual trends and threw some of my winnings on the Jets -9. Actually, it was not a bet on the Jets, per se, but a bet against the Bills. The Bills are fucking rotten, if you recall. I was looking good at halftime. But then Sanchez decided to launch his second, third, fourth, and fifth interception. Fuck you, Mark! I am officially going to root against you every week now since you cost me a ton of money. And you lost to the Bills. Well done, dicksmack. God Bless Matt Barkley. Fight On!!

Lets see if any of you pussies decide to read this and make any comments on the Express.

Zorn better be getting fired today. If I have to hear him say that "this offense is better than 6 points" again, well, I'm going to crack myself up some more.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY'S NFL RANDOM THOUGHTS AND TRIVIAL SHIT

1. This, folks, is when I pull the plug on the Kerry Collins era in Tennessee. I don't care if he's not responsible for the team's self-destruction. The season is over, and there is no future with him. So make the change, and make it now. Vince Young, it's your turn. Again.


2. That should stop the Terrell Owens trade talk. The Bills weren't going to deal him anyway. One reason, I read last week, was because they thought they weren't out of the AFC East race. Fat chance, I thought. Well, now they really aren't out of it.


4. It's official: The NFC East is not the NFC Beast. Any claims it had as the conference's best division died Sunday when the teams that played all lost … with two of them bowing to Oakland and Kansas City, a combined 1-9 entering the weekend.


5. Need a win? Get a bye. Teams coming off of byes are 6-1 so far, with San Diego next up.


6. The front-runner for the Defensive Player of the Year award is one of two guys: New Orleans' Darren Sharper or the Vikings' Jared Allen. I just saw Allen, and he has my vote. The guy is unblockable, and I call Baltimore's Michael Oher as my witness.


7. I'm with Tony Dungy. Jim Zorn shouldn't have agreed to surrender his play-calling. Some injuries you can overcome. I don't know how Seattle overcomes theirs. So make the Arizona Cardinals the favorite in the NFC West again, and here's why: They're 2-0 on the road. If they can win there they can win anywhere. Or something like that. Anyway, we find out about Arizona when it goes to -- uh-oh -- the East Coast next week to meet the Giants. Good news, Cards fans: Your club won two of its last three games in the Eastern time zone. The loss? Super Bowl XLIII.


8. It's a quarterback's game, but, apparently, Tennessee and Cleveland didn't get the memo. The Browns had two completions last week. The Titans had two on Sunday. The two have one win between them, and I'll let you figure out why.


9. One year later, Carolina finally took the hint. I never understood why the Panthers threw -- and kept throwing -- in last season's divisional playoff game, but they did. And they paid for it. Jake Delhomme had five interceptions and a fumble, and Arizona had an unexpected win. Now fast forward to Sunday's game with Tampa Bay. After Delhomme threw his second interception to let the woebegone Bucs back in the game, the Panthers got smart. On their next series they called 15 runs and one pass. Now that's putting the ball in the right hands.


10. If Matt Ryan reminds Dungy of Peyton Manning, I want to know whom Joe Flacco makes him think of. The guy is tough, poised and accurate. You can question what's wrong with Baltimore's pass defense, but there is nothing wrong with its passing game. Flacco already has three 300-yard passing games, which is great, except you never had to throw for 300 yards to win in Baltimore. You might now.


11. Proof that bailouts in Washington are working: The Lions, Panthers and Chiefs all gained their first wins because of the Redskins. Forget the quarterback. The guy who should sit down is the head coach. That bye in two weeks? Maybe it should be exercised on Zorn.


12. I guess that puts the Peyton-Eli Super Bowl on hold.


13. Every time Drew Brees has a huge game, people wonder if the San Diego Chargers made a mistake letting him go in 2006. For the last time, no, no and NO! First of all, Brees had a serious shoulder injury, so serious that only one club -- New Orleans -- was willing to take a flyer on him. Second, the Bolts had Philip Rivers waiting in the wings. Please, people, let's not have that question again.


14. England gives us the Beatles, The Who and Jacqueline Bisset, and we respond by exporting next weekend's New England-Tampa Bay game? No wonder we're running a $1.4 trillion deficit.


15. Just wondering: What happened to that "schism" Brett Favre was supposed to have created in the Minnesota locker room?


Five things I like




1. Jay Cutler touchdown passes ... and not because I'm a Cutler fan. With each Cutler score, Eli Lily and Company donates $1,000 to the American Diabetes Association "campership fund" -- roughly the cost of sending one child to a week of diabetes camp. But that's not all. Eli Lily and Company donates an additional $100 for each pass Cutler completes, and lucky for them they didn't hook up with JaMarcus Russell. Anyway, it's a good move by Cutler, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in his second year as a pro; it's a good move by Eli Lily and Company; and it's a great move for kids suffering from the disease.


2. Eli Manning's outburst after Ahmad Bradshaw blew a second-half blitz protection. Bradshaw was supposed to block Roman Harper; he didn't. Instead, Harper made a bee line for Manning, who threw an interception. Afterward, the usually taciturn Manning chewed out Bradshaw ... and he should have.


3. Everything about Baltimore's Ray Rice. The guy is a first-class playmaker, with 194 yards of offense and two touchdowns against Minnesota. That's 43 percent of the Ravens' output and half their TDs. Rice's best move was his stiff-arm of linebacker E.J. Henderson, allowing the Ravens running back to score his first TD.


4. Drew Brees at home. He has 10 touchdowns, one interception and no losses.


5. Tom Brady at home. He has 10 touchdowns, one interception and no losses. Hmmm. Reminds me of somebody, and it's not Peyton Manning.


Five things I don't

1. Dante Wesley's hit on Tampa Bay punt returner Clifton Smith AFTER he signaled for a fair catch and BEFORE he could make it. No wonder there was a brawl. Next time, Dante, hit someone who can defend himself. Oh, and by the way, get ready to receive a letter this week from the NFL, notifying you of a substantial fine. The NFL ought to suspend him, too, to discourage something like this from happening again.


2. That third-down call on Minnesota's game-winning drive. The Vikes had third-and-9 at the Baltimore 17 and trailed by one -- ideal for a Brett Favre heroic. But instead of having him throw ... and maybe throw for the end zone ... the Vikings call a run to the middle of the field. They wanted a field goal, and they got it. But that left Baltimore two minutes to position itself for a game-winning field goal, and the Ravens succeeded. Unfortunately, Steven Hauschka missed the 44-yard kick. The Vikings look like geniuses. They weren't. They got lucky.


3. Cincinnati's tight ends. I'm sorry, Daniel Coats' hands are so bad he couldn't even catch a break.


4. Philadelphia's loss to Oakland. Donovan McNabb said he was "embarrassed" by the loss, and he should be. He was sacked six times and couldn't solve a secondary that was missing All-Pro Nnamdi Asomugha. Why does this game remind me of last season's tie with Cincinnati?


5. Chicago's running game. I know ... what running game? The Bears give the ball to Matt Forte twice at the goal line, and not only can't he gain a yard; he fumbled both times, losing it the second time. Man, oh, man, what happens to this team when it's November and December?


Just asking but ...

• Where was the Giants' pass rush?

• Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco?

• What does Rex Ryan tell his team now?

• Any more questions about Tom Brady?

• Mad Men or Sunday Night Football?


Significant numbers

• -7 -- Yards passing by Tennessee

• 0 -- Games where New Orleans has trailed

• 4.9 -- Kerry Collins' passer rating vs. Patriots

• 5 -- Tom Brady touchdown passes in one quarter

• 8.3 -- Mark Sanchez's passer rating vs. Buffalo

• 11 -- Straight games where Brett Favre has thrown at least two touchdown passes at the Metrodome

• 76 -- Yards rushing in the Arizona-Seattle game, including 14 by the Seahawks

• 318 -- Yards rushing by the New York Jets

• 619 -- Yards by New England vs. Tennessee

• 151-6 -- Yardage Houston outgained Cincinnati in the third quarter


My top five

1. Indianapolis
2. New Orleans
3. Minnesota
4. Denver
5. N.Y. Giants


My bottom five

32. St. Louis
31. Tampa Bay
30. Cleveland
29. Tennessee
28. Detroit
Next weekend's three best games.....

Minnesota at Pittsburgh ... Man of Steel? Why, it's Brett Favre!

Chicago at Cincinnati ... No, please, no more Bungles

Atlanta at Dallas ... Cowboys off a bye? I like it.

[Spooky]

Jeez, I guess nobody likes to read or post on Mondays.

Like a few plays tonight.

So lets throw it out there to keep rolling.

NFL

DENVER BRONCOS +4

Leaning towards the UNDER with the total along with some small ball tonight. Liking the PHILLIES to win another in a high scoring game.

Good Luck and Good Night!!!

[Spooky]

Another great night on the Express. Lets keep it going and going and going.

Spooky's helpful tips for Tuesday, October 20

Habs and have nots

During their five-game losing streak, the Montreal Canadiens have managed just nine goals despite holding a 152-126 edge in shots. A puny power play has been a factor; the Habs are 2-for-16 with the extra man and wasted a two-man advantage of 1:55 in Saturday's loss to Ottawa. The Canadiens are -118 vs. the visiting Atlanta Thrashers with a total of 6.0.

Great Scott?

There was some disagreement in the media as to whether Angels manager Mike Scioscia should have started Scott Kazmir in Game Two of the ALCS ahead of fellow lefthander Joe Saunders, who pitched very well. Kazmir was 2-1 with three quality starts and a 3.20 ERA vs. the Yankees this season. The Angels are +125 with a total of 8.5.

The real McCoy?

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy may lose his thumbnail but won't lose any playing time. Despite a bruised right thumb that kept him out of practice Monday, McCoy plans to play Saturday at Missouri. The Longhorns ar giving 13.5 points and are just 1-4-1 against the spread.
A peek at Pike

Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike practiced Monday with a cast on his left forearm to protect a surgical plate that shifted when he was hit in a win over South Florida. Bearcats coach Brian Kelly said Pike will not play vs. Louisville unless he can protect himself. Unbeaten Cincinnati is giving 17.5 points to Louisville and is 4-2 against the spread.

A look ahead

Tulsa will be playing its second straight weekday game when it ventures to Texas-El Paso, where soemthing's got to give. The Golden Hurricane have played to the under in their last eight games. But these schools have cleared the total in five of their last six meetings, including last year's 102-point explosion. Tulsa is giving seven points with no total as yet, although the number has been in the low 70s the last two years.

Sleeping in

The NBA season is just over a week away, and Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is experimenting with not having shootarounds on the day of home games. The team instead will arrive four hours before the 7:30 p.m. ET tip time and prepare for the game. Shootarounds are almost always held in the morning to get players thinking about the game and prevent them from staying out late the previous night, always a temptation in New York. The Knicks have 28 home games that follow a day off and start at night. They are 30-1 to win the Atlantic Division, 40-1 to win the Eastern Conference and 100-1 to win the NBA Finals.

Notable quotable

"I wasn't scared, but it wasn't something I was comfortable with."

-- Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, explaining to the Cleveland Plain-Dealer his state of mind while waiting for the results of a biopsy over the summer. The growth in his jaw was benign and James had it removed.

[Spooky]

Tuesday's List of 13: Random thoughts as I keep rolling along.....

13) I'm thinking the Dodgers are going to spend the winter thinking bad thoughts about walking Matt Stairs and hitting Carlos Ruiz in the ninth inning Monday night. Losing Game 4 like that is pretty much a disaster.

12) Joe Buck, Tim McCarver were killing Mike Scioscia for not running for Mathis when he was the winning run earlier in the game, but when he got the game-winning hit later on, Scioscia once again looked brilliant.

11) FOX has to be happier than hell the Angels won, stretching series at least until Thursday, since there are two off days scheduled this week, for whatever reason. Why do they need a day off Wednesday, when the teams will still be in Orange County?

10) According to Sports Illustrated's Peter King, they were getting $10 a cup for hot chocolate in the Bronx last week. Greedy bastards. $10 for a freakin' cup of hot water with some Swiss Miss in it. Good grief.

9) Tennessee Titans were #1 seed in AFC last year; now they're 0-6 and looking like a team that has quit. Will be interesting to see how they play when they come back from their bye week.

8) Next spring's NFL Draft is supposed to be the strongest in years.

7) If I ran an NFL team, the punter wouldn't hold for kicks; either one of the receivers or my backup QB would. Need someone who is athletic and can make a play if snap is bad. Having punters hold is convenient for practice purposes-- what else do they do during practices?

6) Jets ran ball for 318 yards Sunday but lost; last time an NFL team did that was the Cleveland Rams way back in 1944.

5) Steelers allowed a defensive or special teams TD in each of their last four games.

4) Dallas Cowboys had themselves a good day Sunday, and they didn't even play-- Redskins, Giants, Eagles all lost their games this week.

3) Hard to believe, but LSU ranks 105th out of the 120 college football teams in passing. They need to recruit one of those young hotshot QBs, in case Jefferson doesn't start improving.

2) In fairness, thought Tim McCarver had an excellent game Monday; a couple times, he pointed something out that happened right after that. He was a brilliant analyst when he worked games every day. Other than the Mathis/pinch-running thing, he was just like that again Monday.

1) LSU's head athletic trainer is a guy named Jack Masucci who makes 30% of the bats used in the major leagues, including Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard's bats. Pretty good second job.

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Wednesday, October 21

Orange you the road team?

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin's request to wear home orange for Saturday's game at Alabama was denied by the Crimson Tide. The Vols needed clearance from both the SEC and Alabama, which wears red at home and did not give a reason for its decision. Kiffin could still have his team wear orange but would have to take a 15-yard penalty after the opening kickoff. Alabama is giving 14.5 points and has won and covered the last three meetings.

Pike spiked?

Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike had surgery Tuesday to repair the plate in his left arm, raising doubts whether he can play Saturday vs. Louisville. The unbeaten Bearcats, who run a spread offense, hope Pike can practice Thursday and is able to take snaps out of the shotgun.

If Pike can't play, Cincinnati will use either Zach Collaros or Chazz Anderson. Collaros took over when Pike reinjured the arm vs. South Florida and was 4-of-72 for 72 yards and an interception. Cincinnati is favored by 17.5 points.

NLCS Nemeses

Current members of the Philadelphia Phillies are batting .277 with five homers and 14 RBI in 83 at-bats vs. Los Angeles Dodgers starter Vicente Padilla. Raul Ibanez is hitting .321 (9-for-28) with two homers vs. the righthander.

Current members of the Dodgers are batting .228 with four homers and nine RBI in 136 at-bats vs. Phillies starter Cole Hamels. Ronnie Belliard is hitting .26 with two homers. The Phillies are -136 with a total of 8.5.

Canucks cannot

Since Daniel Sedin went down with a heel injury Oct. 7, the Vancouver Canucks have scored progressively less goals in four straight games. They have managed 10 tallies while going 2-2, including Monday's 2-1 loss at Edmonton. Vancouver is 0-4 on the road as it visits Chicago, which has won the last three meetings. Chicago is -170 with a total of 5.5.

Unfamiliar territory

Since entering the ACC in 1992, Thursday's visit to Chapel Hill will mark the first time Florida State is not favored against North Carolina. The Seminoles have won nine of the last 10 meetings, but the schools have not played since 2004. FSU is 1-5 against the spread and is trying to avoid a fourth consecutive straight-up loss, which it never has done under Bobby Bowden. North Carolina is giving 2.5 points.

Throwing Potts

Texas Tech quarterback Taylor Potts has been cleared to play Saturday vs. Texas A&M. Potts, who has thrown for 1,817 yards and 13 TDs, had missed the last two games with a concussion. Potts' replacement, Steven Sheffield, has a foot injury suffered in last week's win at Nebraska and is unlikely to be available, meaning the backup is redshirt freshman Seth Doege.

The Red Raiders (5-2) are 3-2 straight up, 2-2 against the spread and averaging 38.6 points with Potts. They are 2-0 straight up and against the spread and averaging 49.5 points with Sheffield. Tech is giving 21.5 points to A&M.

On an island

The New York Islanders have lost 10 straight games dating to last season, a slide that began with an unfathomable 9-0 loss at Carolina. They have been outscored 47-18 during the skid, never tallying more than three goals. New York also was swept by Carolina in last season's four-game season series, getting outscored, 24-9. At -133, the Hurricanes are road favorites for the first time since March 23. The total is 5.5.

Notable quotable

"From the available video and still photography we have, there is no evidence that (Mariano) Rivera spit on the ball."

-- MLB vice president for public relations Patrick Courtney, speaking to The New York Times and refuting an allegation supposedly reinforced by a video on YouTube that the Yankees closer used a spitball during Game Three of the ALCS.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Wednesday

-- Albert Pujols is getting his elbow scoped again Wednesday; there are rumors he needs Tommy John surgery, which wouldn't be good.

-- Donald Fehr is getting $11M golden parachute from players' union as he retires after 26 years as union's executive director; guy seems to be a creep, but lets face it, he made the players a ton of money, so he more than earned whatever they're giving him.

-- Brewers hired Rick Peterson as pitching coach; manager Macha and Peterson worked together back when the A's were good.

-- Kyle Orton is now 27-12 as an NFL starter, which means he had a 21-12 record before this year; why did the Bears want him gone?

-- Carolina special teamer Wesley got suspended for a game after his vicious hit on a Tampa punt returner Sunday. Thats a $36,470 fine.

-- NFL TV ratings are as high as they've been in the last 20 years.

[Spooky]

Wednesday's List of 13: Random thoughts coming off another good night of bowling

Wednesday's List of 13: Our NFL List of 13........

13) Titans-- No excuse for trailing 45-0 at the half. Would be nice if they showed a little pride. They were top seed in AFC last year.

12) Bucs-- Not many teams get a defensive TD and special teams TD in same game and still lose.

11) Rams-- Lost their last 16 games; are trying hard, but have horrible WRs, which is why they traded LB Witherspoon to Philly Tuesday.

10) Redskins-- Haven't played a team with a win yet; they're 2-4, with wins over the #30 and #31 teams on this list (by total of five points).

9) Browns-- They just hired Bernie Kosar as a consultant; maybe he should be consulting with the team's quarterbacks.

8) Patriots-- Rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated.

7) Steelers-- Mike Tomlin says the word "I" more than any head coach in recent memory. Pitt allowed defense/special teams TD last 4 games.

6) Giants-- Ran into a buzzsaw on Bourbon Street; they need to take care of the Cardinals Sunday night to erase that memory.

5) Falcons-- Have shot at consecutive winning seasons for first time-- seeing as they've been in NFL since 1966, that’s a pretty big deal.

4) Broncos-- Season turned on one lucky play in Week 1-- still believe had they lost in Cincinnati, none of this would be happening, but it did, and credit to Denver for taking advantage of it.

3) Vikings-- No one can make me believe that Brett Favre didn't go in the tank last year so the Jets wouldn't want him and he could go to Vikings.

2) Colts-- If they've not overconfident this week, they're not human.

1) Saints-- This decade's version of the Greatest Show on Turf.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY'S FAB FIVE FOR HUMP DAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009

Happy Wednesday everyone.

1. Quick Hits

The Yankees crushed the Angels 10-1 to take a commanding 3 games to 1 lead. The Yankees and Phillies are each one game away from a World Series matchup.

Today's schedule: Game 5 Dodgers @ Philadelphia. (Phillies lead 3 games to 1.) 8:07pm ET TBS

Calling Inspector Clouseau. Major League Baseball "investigates" and finds no proof that Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera spit on a baseball.

Word is the NBA refs will be back for the start of the regular season next week.

2. Big Bucks

These days you don't always get what you pay for, not so with the Yankees. CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez continue to dominate. They are a big reason why the Yankees are one game away from their 40th World Series.

But what's with the umpiring? The umps, in perfect position, blew two straight calls last night against Nick Swisher. He was ruled safe on a pickoff attempt at second, and then called out for leaving third too soon on a sacrifice fly. Is there such a thing as a makeup call in baseball? It sure looked that way. And for good measure, the same ump at third, Tim McClelland blew another call the next inning. I'm not in favor of replay in most cases. I am in favor of getting these umps eyeglasses.

3. Mid-Week Musings

It's good to be a fan of the undefeated New Orleans Saints. The Saints have completed a rare hat trick. In successive games they beat all 3 "New York" teams, Buffalo, Jets, Giants.


4. Political Football

There's a new PAC in Washington, a political action committee. They call themselves Playoff PAC. Their goal is to help elect Congressmen who favor a playoff system in college football.
I'm thinking of forming a new PAC. To help PAC's get a life.

5. Word of the Week

Wow, the word balloon this week has really uh, ballooned. The Colorado "balloon boy" was a hoax. What happened on the other side of the pond wasn't. During a soccer game between Liverpool and Sunderland, a fan threw a big red balloon onto the field. During the game, Sunderland's Darren Bent "hadn't bent it like Beckham." He took his shot on goal and bingo, it ricocheted off the red balloon, changed direction, and went into the net for a goal. Sunderland won the game 1-nothing. Unlike Colorado, no charges will be filed.

Happy Birthday: The Chairman of the Board. Yankee pitcher Whitey Ford. 81.

Bonus Birthday: For those of you who like to keep up with the Kardashians, Kim is 29 today.

Today in Sports: Body English! Boston's Carlton Fisk hits a dramatic 12th inning homer to beat the Reds in game 6 of the World Series. (If you're timing at home, technically the homer was hit the morning of 10/22.) 1975.

Bonus Event: Esther Canseco calls A's manager Tony LaRussa a "punk" for not starting her husband Jose in a World Series game. What a lovely couple they were. 1990.

[Spooky]

So much banter on the Express I can hardly stand it.

Have a hugePhillies Series Wager pending so there is no chance I am doing anything in tonights game. To be honest the pussy way is to play the Dodgers and hedge the wager some. But I aint a pussy.

Should be some scoring in tonights game as well. So pound the Over!!

So that leaves the football game. Not in love with this one either.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

UTEP/TULSA

Really not crazy about this game and would not even be a consideration being it played on Saturday. But for the sake of degenerate wagering I would take the Over and I would not be suprised to see UTEP make a game of it.

Good Luck.

LETS GO PHILLIES!!!

[Spooky]

Spooky's helpful tips for Thursday, October 22

ALCS Nemeses

Current members of the Los Angeles Angels have a .258 average with seven homers and 29 RBI in 217 at-bats against New York Yankees starter A.J. Burnett. Bobby Abreu is hitting .313 (20-for-64) with 11 RBI but Vladimir Guerrero is batting just .214 (9-for-42) with two homers.

Current Yankees have a .289 average with 11 homers and 43 RBI in 357 at-bats vs. Angels starter John Lackey. Mark Teixeira is hitting .388 (19-of-49) with 11 RBI and Alex Rodriguez has four homers, although his average against the righthander is just .176 with 23 strikeouts in 51 at-bats.

The Angels are -118 with a total of 8.5.

So happy it's Thursday

The Florida State-North Carolina game marks the first time the Tar Heels have hosted a Thursday night game on ESPN. The Seminoles are 4-4 all-time on the road in ESPN Thursday night games and have played one each of the last three years, going 1-2 straight up and 0-3 against the spread. FSU is getting 2.5 points, the first time it has been the underdog in an ACC game vs. North Carolina.

Ready to return

Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk, out since Oct. 13 with an upper body injury, likely will return when the team opens a five-game road trip in Phoenix, TSN of Canada reported. Datsyuk, who as scored at least 28 goals in each of his last five seasons, had two assists in the first five games. The Red Wings went 1-1 and played to the over twice without him. Detroit is -130 with a total of 5.5.

A bold statement

Arizona Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin told the Arizona Republic that he will be a "game-time decision" for Sunday's game vs. the New York Giants. Boldin has a high ankle sprain. If Boldin does not play, Steve Breaston will start and Jerheme Urban becomes the third receiver. The Cardinals are getting seven points from the Giants with a total of 46.

Capital punishment

Washington Capitals left wing Alexander Semin is questionable Thursday at Atlanta due to an illness that forced him to miss Wednesday's practice, the Washington Post reported. Semin has been held without a point in three of his last four games but is third on the team with 10 points, including six goals. Semin was part of recent line changes that had spurred consecutive wins. Washinton is -130 at Atlanta with a total of 6.0.
Second time, shame on me

An SEC officiating crew has been suspended after messing up a call at a key moment for the second time in a month. The crew led by referee Mark Curles called a personal foul on Arkansas defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard in the fourth quarter of Florida's 23-20 win, even though the SEC said there was no video evidence to back up the call.

Curles' crew also worked the LSU-Georgia game in which the Bulldogs were penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after scoring the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter. The penalty helped put the Tigers in good field position for the winning score in a 20-13 victory. The crew will not work until at least Nov. 14 and may not receive a bowl assignment.

Gonchar gone

This is one way to slow down the Pittsburgh Penguins: Defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who pilots the power play, is out up to six weeks with a broken wrist. Tied with Sidney Crosby for second on the team in scoring with eight points, Gonchar played the point on Pittsburgh's power play, which ranks just 18th in the NHL at 20.5 percent (8-for-39). The Penguins take a six-game winning streak into Friday's home match vs. Florida (no line), which ranks 25th in killing penalties.

Notable Quotable

"I'll get killed for saying this ... but I'm not so against steroids if they're administered under proper supervision and there is no long-term damage."

-- Dallas Mavericks outspoken owner Mark Cuban, speaking at a University of Pittsburgh forum about the possible use of steroids to help athletes recuperate from injuries more quickly.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Thursday

-- Big win for Mike Price's UTEP squad Wednesday; they upset Tulsa 27-24 in the Sun Bowl, after blowing an early 13-0 lead.

-- SEC suspended the officials who worked LSU-Georgia and Florida-Arkansas games the last two weeks; those nitwits deserve it.

-- If Angels lose Thursday night, no baseball this weekend, which will be just great for World Series TV ratings.

-- Washington Huskies can't have full basketball practices yet, because seven of their 12 players have the flu.

-- As if Redskin situation couldn't get stranger, rumors have it that Jim Zorn almost quit as head coach but didn't; he's likely to be fired soon.

-- Cincinnati QB Pike had surgery, his status is unknown; Oklahoma's Bradford is apparently headed towards season-ending surgery.

[Spooky]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYSIS


Thursday's game

Florida State is 0-3 in ACC, losing by 4-7-5 points, giving up 38.3 ppg; 14 of 22 guys on their two-deep defensive chart are freshmen/sophs, and that youth is catching up with them. North Carolina hasn't played a I-A team in 19 days, losing last two, scoring total of 10 points in losing its two ACC games, 24-7/16-3. Seminoles won seven of last eight games vs Tar Heels, winning last three by combined score of 115-30. Florida St. failed to cover its last five weeknight games. Tar Heels turned ball over nine times in four games against I-A opponents.

Friday's game

Rutgers won last five games vs Army by average score of 37-9; Knights are in Pitt/UConn sandwich- they're 2-2 vs I-A teams, scoring 15-17 in losses to Cincy/Pitt, 23-34 in wins over FIU (23-15), Maryland (34-13). Army lost three of last four games, scoring 16 or less points in all four of the games- they're 2-3 as underdog this year. Rutgers is +14 in turnovers the last five games but Army only turned ball over four times in their last five games. Big East favorites are 6-7 out of conference, 4-3 on the road.

Saturday's games

Top games

Home side won 10 of last 12 Georgia Tech-Virginia games; Tech lost last six visits to UVa, despite being favored in three of them. Cavaliers won last three games after 0-3 start, allowing 3-7-9 points; they held Jackets to 156 rushing yards in LY's 24-17 upset win in Atlanta (+14). Home underdogs are 6-1 vs spread in ACC conference play. Tech won its last four games (4-0 vs spread) scoring an average of 35.8 ppg.

Miami is 3-0 at home in '09, beating Ga Tech (33-17), Oklahoma (21-20) 'canes covered two of their last nine as home favorite. Erratic Clemson is 0-2 on road this year, losing both games by FG at Ga Tech (30-27) and Maryland (24-21). Tigers held four of six foes under 50% passing, but are 14 of last 43 on third down- they came off bye last week and waxed Wake Forest, 38-3. Last four Clemson games stayed under the total.

Pitt split its six games with South Florida, visitor winning four of the six. Road team won Daniels' first three starts as USF QB, with Bulls winning at Florida State (17-7), Syracuse (34-20). Pitt is 4-2 as favorite this year; they scored 35-24-24 points in winning last three weeks. Senior QB vs freshman QB, advantage Panthers. Four of the last five Pitt games stayed under the total. Bulls are 1-1 as an underdog this season.

Starting CB for UConn was murdered outside party week ago; this is the first game for Huskies since then, against West Virginia team that they're 0-5 against, losing by average score of 43-15. Mountaineers won four of five vs I-A foes, despite turning ball over 17 times in the five contests. UConn won three of last four games, is 5-1 vs spread in last six, 3-0 as an underdog this season. Big East home teams are 1-7 vs spread in '09.

Boston College has been hideous on road, losing 25-7 at Clemson (+6), 48-14 at Va Tech (+14); they combined to complete 16 of 49 passes for paltry 143 yards in those two games, but they've beaten Notre Dame six times in row, winning three in row and four of last five in South Bend. Irish are 1-4 as favorite this year; only one of their four wins (Nevada) is by more than seven points. Last four BC games went over the total.

Washington plays close games, but let one get away in desert last week, as ASU hit 50-yard pass with 0:13 left when Huskies could have run it and not given ball back to ASU in last 0:25- their last three games came down to last couple minutes. U-Dub is 4-2 as dog this year, 0-5 in last five games of series; home side is 7-2 vs the spread in this bitter rivalry. Oregon won its last five games, scoring 37.2 ppg, covered last four.

Penn State covered five of last six as road favorite, but lost nine of last 10 to Michigan, losing last five visits here, last three all by five points or less. Lions' only previous road game was 35-17 win at crumbling Illinois (-7)- they've outscored I-A foes 96-11 in first half of games this season. Wolverines lost last two vs I-A foes, 26-20 in OT at East Lansing (+2), 30-28 at Iowa (+8). Big 11 home underdogs are 2-4 against the spread.

[Spooky]

WEEK 7 NFL GAMES ANALYSIS

Chargers (2-3) @ Chiefs (1-4)-- Disappointing San Diego travelling off short work week after damaging 34-23 home loss to Denver; Bolts allowed 30+ in all three of their losses- they've yet to run ball for more than 77 yards in a game this season. Chiefs got first win last without scoring TD at Redskins; they're +5 in turnovers last three games, but have only three first half touchdowns in six games. Chargers are 3-2 in last five visits here (three of five decided by 3 or less points); they beat Chiefs twice LY, both times by a point. Three of last four games for both teams went over the total. Home teams are 1-3 vs spread in AFC West games.


Colts (5-0) @ Rams (0-6)-- Been full year since Rams last won, not lotta hope here for winless St Louis club thats been outscored 96-20 in second half so far this year-- if they allowed 492 yards to Jaguars (166 running, 326 passing) it'll be long day vs Manning coming off bye. Colts scored 31-34-31 points in last three games, converted 16 of last 27 on third down and covered four games in a row, scoring 15 TDs on 39 drives with only seven FG tries, so they're puttng ball in end zone when they get close. Rams allowed 36-38 points in first two home games (GB-Minn). Three of last four St Louis games went over the total.

Bears (3-2) @ Bengals (4-2)-- Cincy won four of last five games, but Houston burned them for 385 passing yards in upset loss last week. Bears scored 15-14 points in their losses, averaged 30 ppg in their wins- no one has averaged six yards/pass attempt against Chicago this year. Bears scored once in four trips to Atlanta red zone last week, deciding factor in 21-14 loss. Bengals ran ball for average of 126.8 ypg in their wins, 86-83 in losses. NFC teams are 10-8 vs the AFC this year. Over is 3-1-1 in last five Bengal games. Favorites are 6-0 vs spread in NFC North teams' non-divisional games, with NFC North teams 0-2 as road dogs.


Packers (3-2) @ Browns (1-5)-- Flu is sweeping thru Browns; even trainer is ill, with temp near 103 on Wednesday. Cleveland covered its last three games but scored 14 or less points in four of last five-- they've yet to hold club under 140 rushing yards. Green Bay converted 13 of last 25 on third down. Packers have Minnesota coming to Lambeau next week for rematch, could be looking ahead to that. AFC North teams are 6-8 vs spread outside their division, 4-3 as dogs, 1-0 as home dogs. NFC North road favorites are 4-0 against the spread in their non-division games. Three of last four Packer games went over the total.

Vikings (6-0) @ Steelers (4-2)-- Minnesota averages 31.5 ppg; no one has held them under 27 points- Vikes scored 20 TDs on 65 drives, trying only 13 FGs. Still, Viking defense allowed three TDs in 4:58 of 4th quarter vs Ravens week ago, and would have lost if Baltimore made last-second FG. Steelers won last three games, scoring 38-28-27 points- they've scored 12 TDs on their last 29 drives. Last four Pittsburgh games went over total, thanks to Pitt allowing TD on defense/special teams in each of the four games- five of six Minnesota tilts also went over. Steelers are -5 in turnovers, have yet to be plus in an '09 game.

Patriots (4-2) vs Buccaneers (0-6) (@ London)-- Bucs are winless and just 1-5 vs spread, losing away games by 13-3-19 points. Second time in three years NFL sends winless team overseas; Bucs had kick return for TD, defensive TD at home last week, still lost to Carolina. Patriots won three of last four games; they led Titans 45-0 at half last week. We've said before that only way faves lose game like this is to turn ball over; Patriots have two giveaways in last four games (+8 TO ratio). Neutral site and distractions that go with it probably are help to underdog-- hapless '07 Dolphins lost 13-10 here to Giants, who went on to win Super Bowl that season.


49ers (3-2) @ Texans (3-3)-- San Fran is 3-0 vs NFC West rivals, 0-2 against everyone else, losing 27-24 at Minnesota on last-second pass. Houston scored 21+ points in each of its last five games, but hasn't won back/back games yet; they held last three opponents to 45-44-46 rushing yards, but they're 0-3 this year when they score less than 28 points. AFC South home favorites are 2-3 vs spread in non-divisional games; NFC West road dogs are 4-1. 49ers covered four of five games but got waxed 45-10 at home by Falcons in last game before their bye; they're 1-1 on road-- two games were decided by total of 7 points.


Bills (2-4) @ Panthers (2-3)-- Carolina has six TDs on 21 drives in winning its last two games, after scoring four TDs on 33 drives in losing first three- they get back to .500 with win here vs Buffalo team starting backup QB. Buffalo is first NFL team since 1944 to win game when they allowed 318+ yards in that game- they scored total of 36 points in last four games, with only four TDs on 49 drives. AFC East underdogs are 1-5 vs spread in non-division games-- NFC South favorites are 7-1, 5-1 at home. Carolina ran ball for 267 yards last week and got road win despite lousy day for Delhomme (9-17/55 with a pick-6).


Saints (5-0) @ Dolphins (2-3)-- Miami had first shot at signing Brees when he left Chargers but previous regime passed; good thing for unbeaten Saints, who have 18 TDs on 58 drives this year in winning games by 18-26-20-14-21 pts. NO averages 38.4 ppg, 37.5 on road. Dolphins scored 38-31 points in pair of wins before their bye, running ball for 250-151 yards; they'll test Saint defense that held four of five foes under 90 rushing yards (fifth team, Jets, ran for 132 yards). Miami's wins were vs Bills-Jets, division rivals; question is can they stop high powered, well balanced Saints who have yet to run for less than 133 yards. New Orleans defense has 15 takeaways in five games (+9).


Jets (3-3) @ Raiders (2-4)-- Not sure what to make of Jets' squad that lost its last three games after 3-0 start; loss of Jenkins cripples run defense that had given up average of 143 yards/game last four weeks anyway. Sanchez passed for less than 4.5 yards/attempt in three of last four games, but weather figures to be better in NoCal than it was in Jersey last week. Raiders scored 13 points or less in each of last five games, but won two of them, holding Chiefs/Eagles to 10-9 points. Jets ran ball for 318 yards but lost last week, first team to do that since 1944. AFC West home teams are 6-2 in non-divisional home tilts.


Falcons (4-1) @ Cowboys (3-2)-- In their four wins, Atlanta converted 47.2% of 3rd downs (25-53); in their one loss, they were 2-9- they scored nine TDs on 23 drives in last two games, and Ryan hasn't been sacked in last four games. NFC South underdogs are 2-7 vs spread in non-divisional games, 2-4 on road. NFC east home favorites are 4-3. Dallas was shaky before bye, needing OT to escape KC with a win. Cowboys averaged 12.3/6.8/9.9 ypp in their wins, 4.4/ 5.1 in losses. Falcons held four of five opponents under 7.0 ypp. Dallas is 1-3 vs spread in last four games. Falcons split two games as underdog. NFC South road dogs are 2-4 vs spread. NFC East home favorites are 4-3.


Cardinals (3-2) @ Giants (5-1)-- Arizona scored 31-27 points in winning both its road games, averaging 8.3/6.3 ypp; in their three wins, Cards led at half by scores of 24-3/21-0/17-3. In losses, they trailed 13-6/21-3. Not sure what to make of Giant defense that allowed 11.6 ypa last week in Superdome. Giants haven't picked off pass in their last three games. Only good teams Giants have played (Dallas/NO) scored 31-48 points against them. NFC West road dogs are 4-1 vs spread. NFC East home favorites are 4-3. Five of six Giant games went over the total; four of five Arizona games stayed under. Giants beat the Cardinals 37-29 in deserrt LY; Redbirds ran ball just 15 times for 23 yards.


Eagles (3-2) @ Redskins (2-4)-- Visitor is 6-4 in series, with Eagles 3-2 in last five visits here, winning by 3-2-8 points. Underdogs covered five of last six in series, four of five in this site. Redskins in freefall, with change in playcallers and Coach Zorn on chopping block; they average 13.2 ppg and this is just the second decent team (Giants) they've played. Eagles lost in Oakland last week, a terrible loss, first game they played that was decided by less than 19 points. In two games since their bye, Philly is just 6-26 on third down. Redskins are averaging 10.3 ppg at home. Four of five Eagles games went over the total.

[Spooky]

Spooky's Fab Five for Thursday, October 22, 2009

Happy Thursday everyone

1. Quick Hits

The champion Philadelphia Phillies are heading back to the World Series after beating the Dodgers in 5 games, 10-4 the final last night. Street celebrations aren't as rowdy as last year.

The Yankees can capture their 40th pennant with a win tonight in Anaheim. 7:57pm ET FOX

Former Mets General Manager Steve Phillips, 46, takes leave of absence from ESPN in the wake of an affair with a 22-year old production assistant. Phillips' wife has filed for divorce.

The Olympic flame is lit in Olympia Greece. It'll arrive in Canada next week for a very long torch relay to Vancouver for the start of the Winter Olympics February 12th.

2. Calling R2-D2

The head of the baseball umpires union is opposed to instant replay. He says it would turn umpires into "robots." I'd rather have robots than World Series farces. (Again, I'm in favor of limited replay.)

After a controversial call in the 1975 World Series, Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox said, "the best players are in the World Series, why not the best umpires?" How sad is it that 34 years later we're still asking the same question?

3. The More Things Change

Ho hum. Knicks Center Eddy Curry is out of shape, and during the critical moments of the Phillies/Dodgers game the other night, Manny Ramirez was taking a shower. Shades of Rickey Henderson of the Mets
playing cards during a playoff game. Don't you wonder what these athletes are thinking? Other than "me, myself and I?"

4. Obstacle Course

During the Des Moines Marathon last weekend, the runners had to stop for a passing train. It enabled the second place guy to catch up to the lead, but he ultimately finished second anyway. This opens up all
sorts of possibilities. Most big Marathons take a couple of hours to see which African guy wins. Lets make it more interesting. Passing trains, open drawbridges, running through alligator infested moats. How about crawling through windmills? We could combine the very best that marathon racing and miniature golf have to offer.

5. Quote of the Day

"[Zorn] inherited everything that he has to work with today and yet all the blame is being laid on his feet because he can't make them a Super Bowl champion, which I could have told you two years ago, they don't have a Super Bowl-quality team, and so it doesn't matter how good a coach you have, you are not going to get there with the players the owner gives you. I know it's frustrating for Jim. He is making the best of it."
Hall of Fame receiver Steve Largent, talking about the Redskins

Happy Birthday: Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano, don't you know. 27.

Bonus Birthday: Actress Catherine Deneuve. 66.

Today in Sports: Remember when L.A. had an NFL team? Remember when the Rams could win a game? The L.A. Rams beat the Baltimore Colts 70-27. 1950.

Bonus Event: Thank God, now Bill Bradley has a school to play basketball for. Princeton University receives its charter. 1746.

[Spooky]

Keep on rolling along on the express.

Nice couple of games tonight. Dont want to jump on anything huge tonight but like everything involved. So lets post it all and hope for 3 out of 4 if we cant sweep the board. But I do like the football better than the baseball.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

NORTH CAROLINA/FLORIDA STATE OVER 48 POINTS

Leaving towards NORTH CAROLINA taking them on the money line laying -120


MLB

Posting both side and total although I am not crazy about going against the hated Yanks.

LA ANGELS -110

And I see a high scoring game once again in double digits so it only makes cents to take the OVER 8.5 Runs

Good Luck and Good Night.

[Spooky]

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

13) It can't be much fun to be Mrs Dan Hawkins these days. Colorado has to win more games, or Hawkins will get fired; to jumpstart what has been a shaky offense, Hawkins benched his QB, who happens to be his and Mrs Hawkins' son. The new QB played very well, Buffs upset Kansas, so the husband/coach is happier but the son/QB isn't, which has to put Mrs Hawkins in tough spot. Being a coach's wife isn't fun.

12) Will Boston College compete in a road game? They're unbeaten at home, but have been putrid on the road, getting crushed twice.

11) Why kids don't like baseball; the 7th inning alone Thursday night in Anaheim took 44:00+ to play. The game is just too slow for a attention deficit generation. Baseball playoffs are getting killed in TV ratings.

10) Penn State lost nine of last ten to Michigan, five in a row at the Big House in Ann Arbor. They're a 5-point road favorite Saturday.

9) Idaho Vandals, the new America's team, are 7-0 vs spread this season, 6-1 SU, bowl eligible already after winning total of three games the last two seasons. They're getting 15 points in Reno Saturday. Wow.

8) Will the Washington Huskies play another nailbiter in a bitter rivalry game? Oregon comes in off a bye having won five games in a row, but Coach Sarkisian has U-Dub competing hard every week.

7) Giants' pass defense better improve this week, with Arizona coming to the Swamp.

6) 2-3 Chargers travel cross country off a Monday night loss; without a win, San Diego could be in last place Sunday night.

5) Can the Rams force Indianapolis to punt, just once?

4) Carolina is a 9-point favorite over someone east of Saskatchewan? Bad news if you like the Buffalo Bills.

3) How soon after the Monday night game does Washington fire poor Jim Zorn? You get the sense he'll be relieved when it finally happens.

2) I'm thinking Bears-Bengals will be an outstanding game.

1) Jets will be an interesting study this week, playing the Raiders after their abysmal loss to the Bills last week. Sanchez will under microscope this week for sure. No weather-related excuses in northern California.