White Suburban Punk

The Red Sox managed to win two games with walkoffs against the Rangers before being shut out last night.  Clay Buchholz was excellent before tiring, however, so that’s a good sign.  New hero Darnell McDonald was finally kept hitless, although he did have a walk.  Tonight Jon Lester tries to straighten things out against Baltimore at Fenway.

The Bruins look to wrap up their surprising series with Buffalo tonight in Buffalo.  Where this team was all year, no one knows, but they have been an absolute joy to watch in this series.  Johnny Boychuk and Vladimir Sobotka are my new favorite players, and Tukka Rask has been fantastic.

The Celtics go on the road for game 3 of their series against the Heat after blowing them out in game 2.  Once again, I have no idea what will happen tonight, but it’s possible the C’s could put up another dominating performance.  They’ve been strong on the road all season, and now they have KG back.  Of course, with all signs pointing up, that probably means they’re due for a stinker.  Glen Davis has been awesome in the first two games of this series, while Rasheed Wallace only made the news for getting another fine by the league.

The Patriots ready for rounds 2 and 3 of the draft tonight, where they have three picks in the second and one in the third.  They went with a DB out of Rutgers in the first round, Devin McCourty, who Bill Belichick claims was who they wanted.  Today there are the usual overreactions from the media, stating that the secondary was the only area that didn’t need any help this offseason.  Belichick is apparently close with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, which should provide him with added insight, but the experts in the Boston media know that Belichick hasn’t done anything here in New England to prove he has any idea what he’s doing, so they’re feeding off each other like maggots today.

The 2000s were a great decade for the New England Patriots, the only period of sustained excellence in franchise history.  Dan Shaughnessy even wrote articles about how Patriots fans were spoiled.  That’s all over now.  It’s a new decade, and now it’s time to see if Bill Belichick can prevent the team from slipping to mediocrity.  They’re clearly not among the elite anymore. 

What started as a tough, ball control team with a great defense early in the decade morphed into the ultimate finesse team at the end of the decade.  The defense is no longer stout, and, with several young players,  its remaking has already begun.  Vince Wilfork is the biggest contractual question this offseason, but it still looks like the team needs more and better talent at both linebacker and in the secondary.

Offensively, Tom Brady was simply awful yesterday, and pretty inconsistent all year.  He was supposedly suffering from rib, finger, and shoulder ailments, and I actually hope that’s the case.  A lot of his passes were ducks yesterday — more were fluttering around than seemed to have the characteristic Brady zip.  Sure, it was a comeback year from the knee injury.  But to get back to being a threat to go to the Super Bowl, this team needs far better play from its quarterback.

There are other issues with the offense.  Laurence Maroney had one carry yesterday.  What will happen with him this offseason?  Wide receiver depth is clearly an issue.  The team really never had a #3 wideout all season.  The Joey Galloway signing was a disaster, but who really could’ve predicted that?  The offensive line has been together for a long time, but it may be remade this offseason.  Stephen Neal may retire, Logan Mankins is a free agent, and Matt Light has seen better days.

Belichick is actually facing a more difficult task now than when he took over the team.  Back then, expectations were low and the region was so starved for a winner that everything was gravy.  And sure, a lot of things broke the right way for the Patriots last decade.  Belichick built a legitimate dynasty here, but it is now crumbling, as they all do.  It will be interesting to see if BB makes any changes to his coaching staff.  The defense didn’t seem as inventive or creative as in years past, and it may be time to get a legitimate offensive coordinator, too.

The team has stockpiled numerous draft picks in the next two drafts, and the next two seasons will be uncapped, too.  The Patriots are entering a crucial period in their history, and it will be a great challenge for Bill Belichick.  But there’s no one I’d rather have in charge.

The Patriots win an ugly one in Buffalo, but a win is a win at this point.  Especially on the road.  Randy Moss’ comments after the game were hilarious.  I wonder if there will be any talk that Wes Welker quit on the team after his quiet day.  Laurence Maroney continues to look good, really fighting for yards.  I had to admit I was worried after the Bills’ first drive, but then they reverted back to what they are, and the Patriots defense played well against an awful team.  Jacksonville is up next, and supposedly New England still has an outside shot at the #2 seed if San Diego loses its final two games.  I still can’t figure out the Patriots offense, though.  The same personnel as 2007, but it sure doesn’t look like it.  Is it all Brady?

Liverpool lost to last place Portsmouth, 2-0, over the weekend.  They now sit in seventh place.  Javier Mascherano got sent off for a bad tackle, and he managed to strain his MCL on the play, as well.  So he’s suspended and injured.  I don’t know if it can really get any worse for this team.  Wolverhampton is next in the Premiership on Saturday.  They drew a Romanian team in the Europa League, which will start in February.

The Champions League draw also took place, with Inter Milan getting Chelsea, The Chosen One’s current team and former team.  And AC Milan drew Manyoo, David Beckham’s current team and former team.  Should be interesting.

The Landon Donovan loan to Everton went through.

So Mike Lowell is back with the Sox.  Both player and team must be thrilled.  If he’s going to be ok by Spring Training, why didn’t the Rangers just go through with the trade?  They’d only be paying him $3 million.

The Cubs traded Milton Bradley to the Mariners for Carlos Silva.  So the M’s continue to improve, while all the Angels have done is sign Hideki Matsui.  That also means that Jason Bay will not be going to Seattle.  I’ve got to think that he’s not real psyched to play for the Mets, with the big ballpark and circus atmosphere.  I hope I’m wrong, but I still think the yankees are going to swoop in.  Speaking of, Brian Cashman claims that the yankees will “almost certainly add a starter by New Year’s,” according to the New York Post.  But no one seems to have any idea who that would be.

Coco Crisp is going to the A’s.

Bill James projects your Opening Day first baseman, Casey Kotchman, to hit .272 in 372 at bats (122 games), with 9 HR and 52 RBI in 2010.  His best year was 2007 with the Angels, when he played in 137 games, hit .296 with an OBP of .372 and slugged .467.  He finished that year with 11 HR and 68 RBI.  The next year he was traded (with a prospect) to the Braves for Mark Texeira and hit his career high 14 HR.  He was considered a top prospect by Baseball America for a number of years; in 2002 he was ranked 22nd, 2003 13th, 2004 15th, and 2005 6th.  He’ll be 27 years old in February.

Glen Davis will supposedly return to the Celtics in early January.

Everyone’s favorite whipping boy, the Big 10, has seven teams in bowl games.  Only two are favored to win, Minnesota by 2.5 over Iowa State, and Penn State by 2.5 over LSU.  The other five are underdogs.  Wisconsin is 3 point dogs to Miami, Ohio State 3.5 to Oregon, Iowa 4 to Georgia Tech, Northwestern 7 to Auburn, and Michigan State 8 to Texas Tech.  Does the fact that 5 of the teams are underdogs prove the conference sucks, or if they have another bad bowl year, can Big 10 fans say, “yeah, but 5 of the teams were underdogs?”

In the wake of the Mike Cameron signing, rumors persist that the Red Sox would consider sending Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury to San Diego in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez.  I can understand Padre GM Jed Hoyer asking for Ellsbury, but I seriously doubt Theo would bite.  Ellsbury is the only legitimate speed on the team and should continue to progress into a consistent lead off hitter.  The only move Ellsbury should make is to left field.

According to FanGraphs.com, 36 year old Mike Cameron was the third best defensive center fielder in baseball last season, based on Zone Rating, or UZR, at 10.0.  This measures the number of runs above or below average a fielder is in both range runs, outfield arm runs, double play runs, and error runs combined.  Jacoby Ellsbury was last in baseball, at -18.6. 

Offensively, Cameron may not be as much as a drop off from Jason Bay as the media projects.  2009 statistics:

Admittedly, Cameron’s stats are from the National League, but it’s not as big a discrepancy as one would think.  And Bay’s 2009 zone rating was -13.0.  It looks like he’s going to disappear into the abyss that is the New York Mets.

Meanwhile, what the hell is happening to the Disney Angels?  They’ve lost their ace, John Lackey, their sparkplug, Chone Figgins, and apparently will lose their aging superstar, Vlad Guerrero.  They did sign Hideki Matsui, so I guess all is well.  Their division rivals, the Mariners, have taken Figgins from them and added Cliff Lee to King Felix.  And the Mariners led the AL in ERA last year. 

Liverpool beat Wigan yesterday at Anfield, 2-1.  Once again no clean sheet, after Wigan scored one minute into second half added time.  Liverpool goals came from David Ngog and Fernando Torres, who came off the bench.  Ngog is looking better and better every game.  The team played with much more spirit and verve, unlike the seemingly indifferent play in the Arsenal game.  It was a very entertaining game, pretty open, chippy, and lots of scoring chances.  Torres now has 35 goals in 37 league games at Anfield.  Next up is at Portsmouth on Saturday.  Liverpool still sit in sixth place, 13 points behind Chelsea.  By the way, Fox Soccer has “upgraded” their website, and it’s a total disaster.  It was obviously done by people who have never surfed a sports website in their lives.

The US will play Honduras in January in a World Cup tune up.  Fine, but they would be much better off playing teams they haven’t played before, non-CONCACAF teams.

Wisconsin basketball beat Cal Poly 90-42 last night.  Not quite like in football in 2008, when Cal Poly took UW to overtime and only lost because they missed two extra points.

More Randy Moss analysis: From Merril Hoge, via Michael Vega at Boston.com: 

John Lackey and Mike Cameron to the Sox.  Sweet.  Lackey as a #3 starter?  That’s pretty freaking good.  It’s great that Theo kept these moves so quiet, too.  Just last week I wrote that I wished Lackey was more on the Sox’ radar, and it turns out he was.  I guess Theo isn’t writing off 2010 after all.  Lackey will fit in great with Beckett, Youk, Pedroia, and Victor Martinez.  I really like this plan of attack — there’s no way we’ll ever be able to outslug the yankees, but we could outpitch them.  And improving the defense is key to that.  Jason Bay never seemed like a particularly bad outfielder to me, but the defensive metrics apparently say otherwise.  And Mike Cameron is unquestionably an excellent defensive outfielder.  He can play any of the outfield positions, too, allowing Tito great flexiblity to sit Ellsbury or Drew against tough lefties.

I would also be fine with Adrian Beltre at third base.  Again, excellent defensively, but don’t expect too much with the bat.  If the offense is as bad as the Boston media says it will be, they can always try to add something during the season.  I’m afraid to mention it, but Big Papi claimed he was going to come into camp next year in the best shape of his life.  Just sayin’.

I guess an Adrian Gonzalez deal could still be in play, maybe even more so since they’ve added a quality starter without giving anything up.  It seems that would create a very left handed heavy batting order, though, without a real right handed power hitter.  Still, that would be a nice problem to have.

Ah, Randy Moss.  Sixth in the NFL in receiving.  Opponents double team him so much that it allows Wes Welker to have an absolutely crazy day.  In fact, Welker is #2 in receiving yards and Moss #6 in the league.  And Moss is #5 in the NFL in receiving touchdowns.  Not bad for a quitter.  Sure, his production Sunday definitely didn’t pass the smell test.  So he had a bad game, but the team won.  It appears the coach is behind him, the QB is behind him, and the rest of the team is behind him.  He’s still a captain.  As the Young Fresh Fellows say, everything’s gonna turn out great.

The Patriots should retire Kevin Faulk’s #33 when he retires.

The Celtics have won 11 in a row and have the best record in the NBA.  When is Big Baby coming back?  I thought it was supposed to be December.  Anyway, the only win over an elite team was opening night against Cleveland, but they’re definitely beating the teams they should beat, and looking good doing it. 

Big 10 to add a twelfth team?  I think it would be a good thing at this point.  It could even help in recruiting, and of course an elite conference shouldn’t be sitting home watching everyone else play.  But divisions will be awkward, especially for football.  Do you go east/west, or north/south?  I would think that Michigan and Ohio State have to be together, but then do you include Penn State with those two?  And who exactly is the twelfth team?  Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Missouri?  Don’t even freaking joke about Rutgers.

Liverpool lost to Arsenal 2-1, this weekend, and the misery continues.  They didn’t even look passionate, which is extremely worrying.  So far this year, they’ve really risen to the occasion against the big teams, but not so in this game.  The Europa League draw is Friday.  Juventus and Marseille joined Liverpool in dropping out of the Champions League.

Flight of the Conchords is over after two seasons.  Great show, but probably a good decision.  How far could these guys really go before things got tired?  It was just too creative to go on for too long.  Hopefully they’ll come up with some one-off type stuff, and maybe some HBO specials.

On another TV note, Friday Night Lights has been incredible this season.  Best show on television, bar none.

The news from Patriots camp is pretty insane, with the two losses in a row, the inability to win in someone else’s stadium, the four players being sent home, Adalius Thomas essentially blasting BB, and now Brady supposedly has a rib injury.  Things really seem to be falling apart, but BB has four games to rally them.  It’s been a confusing year.  They still have so much talent on offense, but stunningly can’t execute, especially in crunch time.  I think Bill O’Brien has to get a lot of blame for the play calling.  It seems that whenever they start running the ball effectively, they immediately go away from it.  Please come back, Charlie Weis.  The defense has probably played about as well as anyone could have expected, with the youth and all the new players.  Adalius Thomas and Derrick Burgess appear to be bums, and the lack of a pass rush is killing them.  Any secondary would look bad put in that situation.  It’s incredible that they’ve already lost as many games this year as last year, especially considering how Matt Cassel has played this year.  Four games to get their act together, get back to basics, and PLAY TO WIN THE GAME.

The Sox are reportedly close to consummating the deal trading Mike Lowell to the Rangers.  Great guy, 2007 World Series MVP, but the team just has to have better defense on third base.  Of course, they now have to replace his bat, too.  I would think they’re either going to trade for Adrian Gonzalez or sign Adrian Beltre.  If they trade for Gonzalez, Roy Halladay is obviously out.  My guess is that Jason Bay will re-sign here, but if not, I don’t think they’ll get Matt Holliday.  LF would probably end up being a platoon between Jeremy Hermida and somebody like Xavier Nady. 

Is everyone excited about Marco Scutaro?  No.  Boof Bonser?  No, but I’ve actually always liked him.  He was a first round pick in 2000, and is now coming off shoulder surgery.  Good risk, but probably not lots of upside.  After the yankees traded for Curtis Granderson, if they get Bay or Matt Holliday or, god forbid, Doc Halladay, just forget 2010 and 2011.  Although Doc is probably out for them now after trading away one of their top prospects in the Granderson deal.  They could sign John Lackey, though, which would be almost as bad.  I’ve always liked him; it’s too bad the Sox don’t seem to be looking at him any closer.  Theo did have a comment about 2010 being a “bridge” to the future, and it’s getting to the point where no one will be able to compete with yankees next year anyway, so why bother.

The only good news this offseason has been the report that Peter Gammons is leaving the four letter network to join MLB Network and NESN.  Welcome home, Commish.

Badger football doesn’t get a New Year’s Day bowl game after the Outback Bowl bizarrely picked Northwestern.  Sure, they beat the Badgers, but we had a better overall record.  Anyway, I much prefer the matchup against Miami.  Better team than Auburn, and Miami is a team I truly hate.  Incidentally, ESPN’s 30 For 30 show is doing “The U” this Saturday night.  I’ve watched all the episodes so far of this thing, and it’s really good.

Badger hoops got themselves ranked after beating Duke, and then lost in OT at UW-Green Bay.  Harsh, but it looks like UWGB is actually a pretty good team, so hopefully that loss won’t look so bad later in the season.  Marquette is up this Saturday at 6:00 Eastern on ESPN2, in Madison.  Gotta win that one.

Badger hockey is on a nice roll, and they look like they could be for real this season.  They’re #11 in the country now, and they play at #3 North Dakota this weekend.  Friday night’s game will be televised on the NHL network, and I think they usually use the Badger announcers for those games.  The trend this year is for the Badgers to massively outshoot their opponents, at least with shots that reach the goalie.  Five of Wisconsin’s six defensemen have been drafted in the first two rounds of the NHL draft.

Liverpool finished up their Champions League schedule with yet another hard luck loss, this time to Fiorentina at Anfield, giving up the game winning goal basically at the death.  They play a huge game against Arsenal Sunday at Anfield.  I think it will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel.  It looks like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard will both start for the first time since October.

Everton is supposedly in talks to get Landon Donovan on loan from the MLS.  Hopefully it happens, but I’m skeptical.  The league owns all the contracts in the MLS, and they have a history of asking for exorbitant sums for players on loan.  It would be great for Landycakes, though, and I would be really curious to see how he performs in the Premiership.

That’s all I got.

Perfect 8-0 on college picks last week, and 8-8 on pro games, all against the spread.  That makes me 38-32 overall on pro games.  On to Turkey Week:

College:

Clemson (-2.5) over SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina has lost three straight and four of five, while Clemson has won six straight and is one of the hottest teams in the country.  Stephen Garcia still makes a lot of stupid decisions that tear Steve Spurrier’s heart out.

GEORGIA TECH (-7) over Georgia

Georgia blew a halftime lead and lost at home to Kentucky last week, while Georgia Tech has won eight straight and is looking forward to its ACC title game vs. Clemson.

Ole Miss (-7) over MISSISSIPPI STATE

Ole Miss will have something to prove in the Egg Bowl after winning the bizarre LSU game last week.  Mississippi State isn’t going anywhere.

North Carolina (-5.5) over NC STATE

UNC has won four straight, including over Virginia Tech and Miami, while NC State is not going bowling and has lost six of their last seven.

COLORADO (+8) over Nebraska

It’s a rivalry game, at least for Colorado, and they have no hope for a bowl game, so this is it.  This game doesn’t matter in the least to Nebraska, who is waiting to be destroyed by Texas in the Big 12 championship next week.  Plus, Nebraska’s offense is weak, and Colorado has actually showed a little life lately, with the close loss to Oklahoma State.  Dan Hawkins may not even get fired, but that’s because of budget constraints.

Wyoming (+3) over COLORADO STATE

Border war, and Wyoming is coming off a thrilling comeback win against San Diego State.  They become bowl eligible with a win.  Colorado State is 0-6 in the conference and one of the worst teams in FBS.

Marshall (+1) over UTEP

UTEP lost to Rice last week, for chrissake, and has completely fallen apart down the stretch.  Marshall beat a pretty good SMU team and is still alive for a bowl bid.

SOUTH FLORIDA (+1) over Miami

Miami continues to be inconsistent and has motivation problems, while South Florida considers this to be a big game, and it’s at home.  They’re both going bowling, but Jacory Harris mistakes will cost Miami.

IDAHO (+1) over Utah State

Idaho is at home and needs a win to lock down a bowl bid.  Utah State isn’t going anywhere and their best win was against San Jose State.

NFL:

Green Bay (-11) over DETROIT

The Lions will be without Player of the Week Matthew Stafford, so Daunte Culpepper will start.  The Packers are fourth in the NFL in total offense, while Detroit is last in scoring defense and 31st in total defense.

DALLAS (-14) over Oakland

The Cowboys desperately want to get their offense going, and Oakland will be coming in happy with their upset last week.  Bad combination.

NY Giants (-6) over DENVER

Denver is reeling, having lost four straight, and hasn’t scored an offensive TD in its last two games at home.  It looked like the Giants got untracked last week with the OT win over Atlanta.

ATLANTA (-12.5) over Tampa Bay

The Bucs are in turmoil with their demotion of the defensive coordinator and Atlanta needs a big win at home to turn things around after two straight road losses.

Miami (-3) over BUFFALO

The Dolphins have won two straight close ones, while Buffalo has lost three in a row. 

CINCINNATI (-15) over Cleveland

Bengals were upset last week in Oakland, so they’ll be focused.  Browns had the stupid pass interference to lose to Detroit in a heart breaker.

Carolina (+2.5) over NY JETS

The Jets just won’t shut up, while Carolina has quietly gone 4-3 after losing three straight to begin the year.

Washington (+9) over PHILADELPHIA

‘Skins have been playing terrific defense, while the Eagles have played three straight close games.

ST. LOUIS (+2.5) over Seattle

Although both teams are just playing out the string, St. Louis has lost close ones to New Orleans and Arizona the last two weeks.  Seattle is playing its third straight road game and has looked awful.

Kansas City (+14.5) over SAN DIEGO

The Chiefs have won two straight and look much better than when San Diego blew them out in KC.

SAN FRANCISCO (-3) over Jacksonville

Tough call, but I like the ’49ers.  The Jags have overachieved to reach 6-4, while SF has underachieved to 4-6.  Long road trip for the Jags.

MINNESOTA (-9.5) over Chicago

I keep picking against the Vikings and losing, but there’s no way I’m picking Jay Cutler.

TENNESSEE (-3) over Arizona

Cards are 5-0 on the road, but I guess I believe in Vince Young.  WTF?

Pittsburgh (+2) over BALTIMORE

Both teams are hurting, and it’s a big game for playoff implications.  I still don’t believe in Baltimore.  Their defense isn’t as good as they think it is.

Houston (+2) over INDIANAPOLIS

What the hell.

New England (+2.5) over NEW ORLEANS

Could be a classic, and I’ll never pick against Belichick when his team has a chip on their shoulder.

Wrapping up the weekend, Liverpool tied Man City 2-2 at Anfield Saturday.  The Reds got goals from Martin Skrtel and Yossi Benayoun, who returned from what looked like a severe hamstring injury in the previous game.  He received treatment from a woman in Belgrade with horse placenta.  Yes, horse placenta.  Steven Gerrard played the whole game, but he still looks rusty after missing so much time.  Fernando Torres is still out and will miss the Champions League match with Debrecen Tuesday, and probably will miss the Everton derby next weekend.  The Reds need to beat Debrecen and hope Fiorentina does not beat Lyon tomorrow to have any hope of continuing on the Champions League.  They are still seventh in the Premiership.  The World Cup starts in 199 days.

Wisconsin basketball has their first real test of the season tonight at midnight eastern in Hawaii against Arizona.  Remember these were the two last at-large invites to the tournament last year, but both proved they belonged.  Wisconsin is generally picked seventh or eighth in the Big 10, and are not projected to make the tournament field.  However, they have never missed under Bo Ryan and the strength of this year’s team is two senior guards, Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon.  If Jon Leuer becomes the force they were hoping for, I think they’ll be in the mix again.  Unusually, most prognosticators are saying that the Big 10 is strong this year.  It sounds strange when all you hear is Big 10 bashing all the time.

The Sanchize didn’t look to good in Foxboro yesterday.  In fact, he looked absolutely bewildered.  Maybe we can add a Sanchize face.  8-21, 136 yards, 4 interceptions, and 1 fumble.  And I haven’t heard much mouthiness from them since the game, either.  That loss effectively knocked them out of the playoffs so Rex The Mouth Ryan will have to find another way to motivate his team the rest of the year.  Crying failed, what else you got?  Wes Welker was awesome and the defense only gave up 1 score.  The hype for Monday night in New Orleans has already started, and I’ll be interested to see what the line is.

Wisconsin football lost at Northwestern, 33-31, a game I was frightfully afraid of.  I haven’t still haven’t watched it, and I’m not sure if I will.  The Badgers apparently had three possessions to win it and punted once and turned it over twice.  At Hawaii in two weeks, and then wait for the bowl assignment.  They deservedly dropped out of the top 25 in both polls, although it still looks like a New Year’s Day bowl in Florida.  Tennessee would be interesting matchup.

Les Miles completely bungled the clock in LSU’s loss to Ole Miss, and then lied about it after the game.  He claimed he didn’t know who told his QB to spike the ball with 1 second left, but TV cameras showed him making the arm motion.  Plus he let 17 seconds go off the clock before he called a timeout.  It’s hard to believe that national championship was only two years ago, when he blew off Michigan.  Speaking of Michigan, Rich Rod managed to blame Lloyd Carr for his team sucking the last two years, saying that they’ve had bad Februarys the last four years.  The guy just seems like he’s over his head in Ann Arbor.  Jim Harbaugh is a Michigan man, isn’t he?  Although he will probably be considered the favorite for the Notre Dame job after they fire Charlie Weis.  I wonder if Charlie will come back to the Patriots.

I actually went 8-0 on my college picks against the spread, so I would’ve doubled my money if gambling were legal.  But I don’t live in Vegas, so it’s not.  I was actually kind of curious about this, so I did a bit of research.  Here’s what I found out:

Sports betting had been left up to the states until The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which effectively outlawed sports betting nationwide, except for a few states.  It passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate.  Sports lotteries in Oregon and Delaware were exempt, as were licensed sports pools in Nevada.  Then in 2006, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act was passed and signed by President Bush, which had an online gambling measure called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.  It prohibits the tranfer of funds from financial institutions to illegal internet gambling sites.  The Congressional supporters were Republican Jim Leach of Iowa and Republican Robert Goodlatte of Virginia.  Republicans Bill Frist and Jon Kyl are credited with ensuring passage in the Senate.  The Bush Administration had previously stated that it would not finalize any rules after November 1, 2008, but the final regulations were issued on November 12, 2008 and came into effect on January 19, 2009, the day before President Obama took office.  Democrat Barney Frank introduced a bill in May, 2009 seeking to overturn the gambling aspects of the Act, and he also introduced a bill to delay the implementation of the Act for one year, until December 1, 2010.  Neither have been acted upon.

Last week was the definition of mediocrity.  11-11 on the top 25 college games, 7-8 in pro games, all against the spread.  That makes me 30-24 over the last four weeks in pro, and 20-24-1 over the last two weeks in the college top 25.  So I’m going to try something a little different this week with the college games, just picking a select few.  As always, every pick is against the spread.

College Picks:

SMU (+3.5) over MARSHALL

Marshall was eliminated from the conference title race with a loss to Southern Miss. last week, while SMU is still in the mix after beating UTEP.

North Carolina (+3.5) over BOSTON COLLEGE

This should be a defensive battle, as both offenses frankly suck.  BC was only able to put up 14 points on Virginia last week, while UNC lost to UVA in Chapel Hill early in the season.  North Carolina is coming off a big win over Miami in which the D got four picks.

Iowa State (+13) over MISSOURI

Mizzou played their best game of the year last week, crushing Kansas State 38-12, but they had lost 4 of 5 before that.  Iowa State became bowl eligible with a 17-10 win over Colorado.

Kansas State (+15) over NEBRASKA

This game is for the Big 12 North title and the privelege to get waxed by Texas in the conference championship.  The game is in Lincoln, but Nebraska’s offense is weak.

TEXAS TECH (+4.5) over Oklahoma

Sticking with the awful Big 12, this will be a shootout, and Texas Tech is at home.  Oklahoma destroyed Texas A&M last week, so they’re due for a letdown.  Landry Jones is wildly inconsistent (especially on the road), and Texas Tech is able to pressure the QB.

Army (+2) over NORTH TEXAS

North Texas’ defense is horrible, while Army could go to a bowl with a win this week and over Navy.

Penn State (-3.5) over MICH STATE

Michigan State put up 40 points on Purdue last week but only had 12 first downs, while Penn State’s D has been good against mediocre teams.  Penn State also needs to look impressive to stay alive for an at-large BCS spot, although I really hope that doesn’t happen.

Connecticut (+6) over NOTRE DAME

The humiliating loss to Pitt, all the questions about Charlie Weis’ future, and UConn is coming off a bye.  UConn has had so many heartbreaking losses this year, but they play everyone close.

PRO:

Miami (+3.5) over CAROLINA

I still don’t believe in the Jake Delhomme or the Panthers.  Delhomme should revert to his pick happy self.

Washington (+12) over DALLAS

The Skins showed some life last week beating Denver, while Dallas had a completely uninspired loss at Green Bay.  They should bounce back, but Washington should be able to keep it close.

San Fran (+5.5) over GREEN BAY

The Pack got back with a solid win over the Cowboys, while SF was gifted a win by Jake Cutler.  This should be low-scoring, but the Pack should win at home.

JAX (-8) over Buffalo

It’s always tough to predict what will happen in the first game after a coaching change, but Jacksonville has won 2 straight and seems to be pulling it together, although both wins have been close.  I say they roll through Buffalo’s disarray.

Pittsburgh (-10) over KC

The Steelers are coming off the tough division loss to Cinci, while KC beat Oakland.  Pittsburgh should be able to circle the wagons on the road.  Remember, the Steelers had been really rolling before last week, having won 5 in a row, including wins over San Diego, Minnesota, and Denver.

Seattle (+11) over MINNESOTA

The Seahawks have been moving the ball pretty well, while the Vikes just went through the motions against Detroit last week.  Favre has got to start throwing dumb picks again at some point, doesn’t he?

TAMPA BAY (+11.5) over New Orleans

The Saints keep winning, but they keep getting closer.  Tampa is awful, but has been better with Josh Freeman at QB.  The Saints should keep finding a way to win, but it will be close again.

ST. LOUIS (+9) over Arizona

The Cardinals are better on the road than at home, but St. Louis has looked better lately.  Steven Jackson is still a stud, and they had a good showing against the Saints last week.

NEW ENGLAND (-10.5) over NY Jets

With everything that has gone on in the last week, plus the fact that the Jets beat the Patriots earlier in the year, the Patriots should be on a mission this week at home.  New England can put a stranglehold on the division with a win, and this team will want a BIG win.

Cincinnati (-9.5) over OAKLAND

Letdown for the Bengals on the long trip west?  Probably, but that doesn’t seem to matter against the Raiders.  Jamarcus Russell is out, so Oakland should be better, but still not within 10 points.

Philadelphia (-2) over CHICAGO

Jay Cutler will get booed at home and handle it with all the maturity of Jay Cutler.

Indy (+1) over BALTIMORE

Baltimore’s defense isn’t as good as people say it is.

DETROIT (-3.5) over Cleveland

Detroit is at home.  That’s all I have to say about that.

Atlanta (+7) over NY GIANTS

I’m still picking against the Giants.  The bloom is off the rose and they’re going to regret signing Eli to that massive contract extension.  Upset Special.

San Diego (-3) over Denver

San Diego is hot and Denver is not.  The Broncos really aren’t very good.

HOUSTON (-3.5) over Tennessee

A Monday night game in Houston, with Vince Young in prime time.  Good for the Texans, bad for the Titans.

So I went 9-13-1 on college picks and 5-9 on pro picks last week, all against the spread.  Not so good.  Interestingly, underdogs went 14-8-1 in the college top 25 and 10-3 in the pro games.  I am 23-16 overall on pro picks since I started picking three weeks ago.

This week’s top 25 college picks against the spread:

#1 Florida (-15) over South Carolina

Baylor (+25.5) over #2 Texas

Miss. St. (+12.5) over #3 Alabama

#16 Utah (+17.5) over #4 TCU

#5 Cincinnati (-9.5) over West Virginia

#6 Boise State (-28) over Idaho

#7 Georgia Tech (-10.5) over Duke

#8 Pitt (-7) over Notre Dame

#9 LSU (-24) over La. Tech

#10 Ohio State (-13.5) over #15 Iowa

#25 Stanford (+11.5) over #11 USC

North Carolina (+3.5) over #12 Miami

#13 Houston (-5.5) over Central Florida

#14 Oregon (-17) over Arizona State

#17 Oklahoma State (-3.5) over Texas Tech

#18 Arizona (-1.5) over Cal

Indiana (+22) over #19 Penn State

#20 Virginia Tech (-17) over Maryland

#21 Wisconsin (-9) over Michigan

New Mexico (+27) over #22 BYU

#23 South Florida (-1) over Rutgers

#24 Clemson (-6) over NC State

PRO:

San Fran (-3) over Chicago

Atlanta (-1) over Carolina

Tampa Bay (+10) over Miami

Detroit (+15.5) over Minnesota

Jacksonville (+7) over NY Jets

New Orleans (-14) over St. Louis

Buffalo (+6.5) over Tennessee

Oakland (-1) over KC

Arizona (-9) over Seattle

Dallas (-3) over Green Bay

San Diego (-3) over Philadelphia

New England (+2.5) over Indy

Cleveland (+12) over Baltimore

Cincinnati (+7.5) over Pittsburgh

Denver (-4.5) over Washington