David Price Finishing Games

BJ Upton Almost Snagging a Single

So no Sunday Night game this week courtesy of the World Series.  The World Series could go the distance this year and has some great story lines.  First if I was a Yankee/Red Sox fan I would be nervous for the next few years.  The Rays are for real and it is because of their pitching/young talent.  David Price is proving to be an absolute stud.  He isn’t just closing 9th innings.  He is finishing games going 2 plus innings.  I keep thinking Joe Maddon is the voice from Mortal Kombat and as he hands Price the ball he says “FINISH THEM.”  As far as the lineup, Evan Longoria and BJ Upton have been playing out of their minds.  When 20 somethings excel this much in the playoffs, they will only want to come back for more.  If the Rays can keep their pitching and their core talent they could make a run like the Braves in the 90’s.

Hines will get to see his old teammate Plax

Eli Goes to the Burgh this week

And now on to the Football side of things.  We are getting close to the end of the bye weeks!  Thank.  Goodness.  I am feeling kind of blah about this weeks set of games.  Really, only the Steelers/Giants and Saints/Chargers interest me, because I think the Titans are going to beat down the Colts.  The college football match ups week to week get me more excited for fringe games then some of the horrible Chiefs/Jets type match ups.  First of all I have no problem with the Jets, but the Chiefs are abominable.  If I lived in Kansas City, I would be furious.  The Chiefs are supposed to be a PROFESSIONAL Franchise.  I think major college programs play better week in and week out then those guys.  Everyone in the entire organization is to blame.  If you really think of it, most of the NFL teams should be on par with each other.  They all take talent from the same NCAA pool and narrow it down to 32 teams.  So with the 100 or so NCAA football teams to take talent from, you would think that at least every NFL team would be entertaining to watch.

Can the Brits Handle the Charger Girls

Saints Cheerleaders touring London

And on that note, here are my top 10 for (horrible) week 8 all times EST.  Teams on bye, Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, and Denver.  So after two mediocre 5-5 weeks my total is now 42-28 on the year.

1. NY Giants at Pittsburgh – 4:15 PM – Steelers 31 – Giants 16
2. Indianapolis at Tennessee – 8:30 PM Monday Night – Titans 27 – Colts 17
3. San Diego vs. New Orleans – 1:00 PM London, England – Chargers 41 – Saints 38
4. Tampa Bay at Dallas – 1:00 PM – Bucs 28 – Cowboys 27
5. Buffalo at Miami – 1:00 PM – Bills 24 – Dolphins 17
6. Arizona at Carolina – 1:00 PM – Panthers 22 – Cardnials 17
7. St. Louis at New England – 1:00 PM – Patriots 28 – Rams 24
8. Cleveland at Jacksonville – 4:05 PM – Jaguars 24 – Browns 10
9. Atlanta at Philadelphia – 1:00 PM – Eagles 27 – Falcons 21
10. Kansas City at NY Jets – 1:00 PM – Jets 38 – Chiefs 16

Wembley Stadium will host the Chargers and Saints

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com

PSU comes to the Enclosed Horse Shoe

Evan Royster

Back to a somewhat normal week for me.  So I am excited about Saturday night’s game between my Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes.  For the first time since in 10 years it seems that Penn State has a solid offense that can put up points in bunches.  My only worry for Saturday is how the defense will measure up to Beanie Wells.  I think they will be solid, but not as solid as they could be with Sean Lee anchoring the linebackers.  Not too many people are pointing out the fact that if Sean Lee was playing this season the Nittany Lions would have that big time middle linebacker presence they had with Paul Posluszny and Dan Conner.  For those of you who don’t know, Sean Lee injured his knee last spring and is out for the season.  You can see him on the sidelines helping the team with coaching.  I applaud him on staying involved with the team and helping the younger players.

Chris "Beanie" Wells

So here are my top 10 games for week 9 of the NCAA season.  All time EST.

1. Penn State at Ohio State – 8 PM – Big Ten and homer pick of the week.  FYI, apparently there is a scarlet out so it will be tough going in the stands if you are wearing blue, speaking from experience.  You stay classy OHIO.  Seriously, at least try.
2. Georgia at LSU – 3:30 PM – Can the Bulldogs take a bit out of the Tigers?  Interesting BCS ranking for both teams.  Time to see if that preseason number 1 can get a huge road win.
3. Oklahoma State at Texas – 3:30 PM – Time to see if the Oklahoma’s Cowboys can play better then the Cowboys that play in Dallas.  Texas now has the number 1 bullseye, enjoy!
4. Texas Tech at Kansas – 12:00 PM – Red Raider Red Raider send the Jayhawks over!  That is a stretch from the god old days of trying to break arms in the playground playing Red Rover.  Did anyone else end up inadvertently tackling a girl trying to break through the line?
   

   High Flying Horns

5. Alabama at Tennessee – 8:00 PM – I guess old Rocky Top isn’t so happy these days.  Bama has a tough schedule ahead so hopefully this isn’t a trap game.
6. USC at Arizona – 10:15 PM – To all USC fans – Be glad you play in the PAC 10. Love, SEC/Big 12 country.
7. Virginia Tech at Florida State – 3:30 PM – Hokie Hokie High, please beat the Seminoles and make them cry.
8. Virginia at Georgia Tech – 3:30 PM – Virginia is a Jekyll and Hyde type of team.  The Yellow Jackets aren’t terrible so a home win here is not a stretch.
9. Northwestern at Indiana – 12:00 PM – This is for all my NU wildcat friends.  Everyone, the Wildcats are ranked and will be bowling this year!  I think they make it to the Outback Bowl.
10. Oklahoma at Kansas State – 12:30 PM – Maybe losing to Texas and missing the Big 12 Title game could be a good thing for the Sooners.
    

    Number 1...for now

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com

Someone Make Them Stop

It has been a busy week here for the Game Owl.  Sometimes actual jobs get in the way of writing and enjoying sports.  But it is those times that pay the bills.  A lot has been going on in the sports world as most are aware.  The NHL season has begun, the NFL and NCAA are in full stride, and the Baseball playoffs are now in each league’s Championship Series.  One major pet peeve I have with baseball now is the champagne celebrations after A. Winning a Division/Wild Card, B. Winning Divisional Series, C. Winning Championship Series, D. Winning World Series.  That means the future World Series winner would have worn stupid swimming goggles 4 times in a little over a month.  Someone needs to tell these guys that too much celebration is way over the top.  Plus they look ridiculous with the goggles/plastic covering everything.  How about you guys try something else as a celebration.  Maybe not using champagne would be a start.  I guess I can understand why winning a division is important and worth celebrating after 162 games, but after a 3,4,5 game divisional series…come on…seriously?  How about you guys leave the goggles to the swimmers and concentrate on not spraying your teammate in the face.

Deon Butler's Nittany Lions head to Camp Randall

In NCAA football this week I will be definitely watching the Penn State game at 8 PM.  Actually the three 8 o’clock games are all pretty great this week so going to a bar to watch all three simultaneously would be a great idea.  It is time to find out if Oklahoma is the real deal in the Big 12 during the Red River Shootout.  And Vanderbilt is going to have a tough road test at Mississippi State where points are hard to come by.  It will also be interesting to see how an undefeated Northwestern team plays against a tough Michigan State squad.  My under the radar game is TCU at Colorado State for all the Mountain West fans out there.

1. Texas vs. Oklahoma – Red River Shootout -12 PM
2. LSU at Florida – 8 PM
3. Penn State at Wisconsin – 8 PM
4. Oklahoma State at Missouri – 8 PM
5. Vanderbilt at Mississippi State – 2:30 PM
6. Tennessee at Georgia – 3:30 PM
7. Arizona State at USC – 3:30 PM
8. Michigan State at Northwestern – 3:30 PM
   

   Will Red Rule the Day?

9. Colorado at Kansas – 12:30 PM
10. TCU at Colorado State – 3:30 PM

Another set of byes for my Steelers, the Titans, Chiefs, and Bills.  I think there will be a few high scoring affairs and we are going to start and see what teams will be in the playoff hunt this year.  We also get to see the new Raiders coach against the Saints, who will need a big win after the disappointing loss Monday night.   The Sunday night game should be a good one as both teams need a win.  I think the Chargers are the better team right now, even though their defense isn’t as good as it was last year.  If the Patriots pull out a win this week look for that to really boost Matt Cassel’s confidence.  I didn’t pick the Tampa Bay/Carolina game because I think it is a toss up and might not be that entertaining.  The Bucs defense deflates the passing game (ask the Broncos) and I don’t think their offense is that entertaining.  I also think the Cardinals at home against the Cowboys can pull out an upset in what should be a very entertaining game.

Sunday Night Fun

Last week I went 5-5 bring my total to 32-18.  So here are my picks for Week 6 in the NFL.  I think most of these games will be entertaining and I amazingly tried to sum up each game with just two words.

Punt Return Machine

1. New England at San Diego – 8:15 PM – Chargers 28 – Patriots 24 – Dolphin Victims
2. Dallas at Arizona – 4:15 PM – Cowboys 38 – Cardinals 35 – Dessert Shootout
3. Jacksonville at Denver – 4:05 PM – Broncos 24 – Jaguars 21 – Playoff Contenders?
4. Philadelphia at San Francisco – 4:15 PM – Eagles 30 – 49ers 28 – Rebound Game
5. Miami at Houston – 1:00 PM – Dolphins 28 – Texans 17 – Wildcat Attack
6. Chicago at Atlanta – 1:00 PM – Bears 21 – Falcons 14 – Sacked Ryan
7. Detroit at Minnesota – 1:00 PM – Vikings 38 – Lions 24 – Viking Quest
8. New York at Cleveland – Mon 8:30 PM – Giants 35 – Browns 17 – Giants Rock
9. Oakland at New Orleans – 1:00 PM – Saints 42 – Raiders 21 – Bush Returns
10. St. Louis at Washington – 1:00 PM – Reskins 28 – Rams 10 – Skinned Rams

Can the Steelers Avenge Last Years Playoff Loss?

Going to Miami!

Only 4 teams on bye this week, those being the Browns, Raiders, Jets, and Rams.  A few coaching firings happened this week, both not very surprising.  What should be noted is both teams decided to cut the coaches loss during the bye week.  This is not a coincidence, since this will give the new head coaches an extra week to straighten things out within their teams.  My opinion is that these “Win Now” owners need to relax and let teams build.  You can’t make the playoffs every year, and really all you can ask is to be competitive.  The main reason to fire a coach within the first 3 years of his employment, should only be if your attendance drops to the point where you aren’t making any money.  And if your attendance is decreasing it is probably because your team is not entertaining or just not very good.  If your team is competitive and just unlucky then calm down and let things build.  The Raiders have proved one thing though during the past 6 years and that is Coaching Instability Means Losing Records.

Home Field "Advantage"?

I went 7-3 last week to take my season record to 27 – 13.  Here are my picks for Week 5 all game times are EST with starting ticket prices below.

1. Washington at Philadelphia – 1:00 PM From $109 – Eagles 27 – Redskins 24
2. Pittsburgh at Jacksonville – 8:15 PM From $75 – Jaguars 28 – Steelers 27
3. New England at San Francisco – 4:15 PM – From $42 Patriots 42 – 49ers 21
4. Buffalo at Arizona – 4:15 PM From $35 – Cardinals 38 – Bills 30
5. Minnesota at New Orleans – Mon 8:30 PM From $42 – Saints 35 – Vikings 24
6. Tampa Bay at Denver – 4:05 PM From $64 – Buccaneers 24 – Broncos 17
   

   Fantasy WR pickup Lance Moore

7. Cincinnati at Dallas – 4:15 PM From $49 – Cowboys 42 – Bengals 24
8. Seattle at NY Giants - 1:00 PM From $77 – Giants 27 – Seahawks 20
9. Tennessee at Baltimore – 1:00 PM From $94 – Titans 27 – Ravens 14
10. San Diego at Miami – 1:00 PM From $23 – Chargers 38 – Dolphins 28

Les Canadiens de Montreal

Sid can now drink Legally

The NHL regular season start is today in the Czech Republic and Sweden.  The Senators, Penguins, Lighting, and Rangers will be representing the league in two games a piece.  If you have a chance to see one of the games in Europe, I am sure the experience will be very rewarding.  Ice hockey, in my opinion, is the best sport to see in person.  Watching the game on TV is not as rewarding because you can’t anticipate the play and are at the camera man’s mercy.  Since HD television has become more prevalent the game has been much more enjoyable to watch on TV then in the past.  Also since the addition of dedicated player camera’s and my favorite, on ice microphones the game broadcasts have become much better.  But, nothing beats being at a game in person.  I really enjoy watching the play away from the puck, seeing guys break into open ice and seeing the chippy/dirty stuff behind the play.  Having played hockey my entire life I am able to see a lot of the nuances of the game that isn’t necessarily talked about during tv broadcasts.  One of my hopes of this blog is to have my contributors and I introduce some of those things to the public.  So here are my top 16 teams to start the NHL season.

Alex the Great

1. Montreal Canadiens – Plenty of offensive scoring power and a solid young goaltender.  The Habs should be a lot of fun to watch.
2. Pittsburgh Penguins – So the Pens missed out on Hossa in the off-season, well they still have a solid group of young talent.  Missing Gonchar for almost the entire season could hurt, but could also give a big lift come playoff time.
3. Detroit Redwings – The defending Stanley Cup Champs actually got better in the off-season, imagine that.  The Wings should be able to dominate the west this season.
4. Washington Capitals – Probably the most exciting team to watch with the scoring of Ovechkin and Mike Green.  Should be years of fun for Caps fans.
5. Anaheim Ducks – A solid team has been built in Cali, and will always be a threat come playoff time.  Watch for Ryan Getzlaf to take the next step this season.
   

   Mighty Cheerleaders

6. Colorado Avalanche – The Avs have a lot of young talent and veteran leadership.  I think the Red Wing/Avalance rivalry will heat up again this season.
7. Tampa Bay Lightning – New look for the Lightning this year, new coach, new players, but same core talent that won a Cup.
8. Dallas Stars – Some people have been down on the Stars this season.  I don’t see it and think Marty Turco will be Mr. Stability.
9. San Jose Sharks -  I like the Sharks this season because they have a great group of Veterans and are starting to mix in young talent.  The West is a tough conference as usual.
10. Philadelphia Flyers – The Flyers actually might have benefited from not being too active this post season.  Look for this group to gel over the season.
11. Calgary Flames – The Flames play a solid defensive style game and will be in the playoff hunt.  Look out for the Oilers this season though.
    

    Look out for the Blackhawks

12. Ottawa Senetors – The Senetors became a mess during the start of the playoffs last year.  Hopefully they can straighten up the ship over the course of the season.
13. New Jersey Devils – When you have Martin Brodeur you are going to be a contender every night.  He is probably the greatest goalie of this generation.
14. Vancouver Canucks – The Canucks also have a similar goalie situation as the Devils.  Bobby Luongo is solid and enormous.
15. Chicago Blackhawks – One of my favorite up and coming teams.  A lot of great talent that is very young and a few solid free agents came in during the off-season.  The Blackhawks are going to make a playoff push this season.
16. Boston Bruins – I also like the Bruins this year, I think they have a similar mix of young talent and solid veterans like Zdeno Chara.