NFL Picks vs Spread & Sundin's Record Breaking Night

Hey Peeps and anyone else checking in. A special "Hey" goes out to Hazel Mae if she is checking in.

This week's pool picks vs spread - you know the drill; weighted pool with 16 being your best pick and 4 being the pick you are least sure of. It shouldn't come as a surprise that we are picking Dallas +4.5 over the Patriots in Big D. This week's selections:

16) Philadelphia -2.5 over NY JETS - this is the kind of game McNabb excels in. McNabb has a long and storied history beating up on some of the leagues worst teams. The Eagles D will pressure Pennington into rushing his throws and making some bad decisions. The Eagles will tease their fans with a great game - Eagles are dumb enough to forget that its just the Jets and they'll start all that stupid talk about a run to the playoffs.

15) ARIZONA -3.5 over Carolina - the Panthers are considering starting Vinny Testaverde or an undrafted rookie in place of David Carr who has a bad back - that should tell you everything you need to know. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner will be able to count on Larry Fitzgerald and an "80%" Anquan Boldin to make some plays against a Panthers D that will likely spend most of the afternoon on the field.
14) CLEVELAND -4.5 over Miami - the Dolphins have been bad all season, how bad are they going to be without Trent Green? The Browns have played tough in most of their games this year and playing Miami should be a welcome respite from the likes of New England. Cleveland should win this one going away.

13) CHICAGO -5.5 over Minnesota - we don't believe the Bears are back and ready to mount a charge - not with Brian Griese. But with Tavaris Jackson starting for the Vikings, can they even score a TD against the Bears on Sunday? We're thinking "no". As mediocre as the Bears have been - they'll get it done.

12) Cincinnati -3.5 over KANSAS CITY - Hazel rule still in effect. The Bengals are playing for their season on Sunday; Carson Palmer and Ocho Cinco, coming off a bye week, should be able to find some holes in the Chiefs D and pick up a win on Sunday.

11) Tennessee +2.5 over TAMPA BAY - the Titans have a smash-mouth defence, a quarterback who has a knack for making big plays, and are coming off a bye week and they are underdogs against a team who are coming off a beating against the Colts? Tampa Bay, missing their number one back, will have to rely on 38 year old Jeff Garcia to scramble around and try to create something with a one dimensional offence - he'll be running for his life all afternoon. This pick may get bumped up to number 13 or 14 by Sunday.

10) Houston +6.5 over JACKSONVILLE - the Jags D has been carrying them this season - the offence is just managing games. We're having trouble thinking the Jags can score enough points to comfortably cover this one - the Texans should be able to generate enough offence to keep it close. This one has all the markings of a back door cover.

09) SEATTLE -6.5 over New Orleans - the Seahawks are a different team at home, they are actually good, and they'll be looking to make up for last week's embarrassing performance against the Steelers. The Saints have been awful this year and we don't expect things to get any better in one of the toughest stadiums to play in.

08) SAN DIEGO -9.5 over Oakland - the Chargers finally showed up last week, a little later for our liking, spanking the Broncos in Denver. They won't be taking anything for granted on Sunday and should pound the Raiders into submission by the third quarter.

07) Washington +3.5 over GREEN BAY - the Redskins defence should keep them in this game; they have enough on D to pressure Favre into a few mistakes. Coming into the season, the Packers were looked at as a .500 at best - time for them to head towards that mark. As much as we hate to say it, Washington wins outright.

06) DALLAs +4.5 over New England - hi, welcome to Thoughts of Hazel Mae. Cowboys 31 - 27 over Patriots. You heard it here first.

05) St. Louis +9.5 over BALTIMORE - the Ravens will win this game, but there is no way they'll cover the spread - their offence has been awful and their defence hasn't been as dominant as in past years. The Rams will surprise people on Sunday and cover this one.

04) ATLANTA -3.5 over NY Giants - Eli Manning on Monday night...doesn't everything point to a meltdown? The Falcons will hope DeAngelo Hall can keep Burress in check - we think he can. Giants might win this one - but they have a history of playing down to their competition. Falcons cover this one on Monday night. Think Ron Mexico will be watching?


Finally a good night in the NHL - the Leafs spank the Islanders by a score of 8-1, and the Tards go down to the Canes by a score of 5-3.

We'd really like to be a bit more excited about the Maple Leafs' win, but it was just Wade Dubielewicz and the Isles (Rick DiPietro sat). Still though, one of the great things are the ACC last night was that Leafs Captain Mats Sundin had a goal to pass former Leafs great Darryl Sittler for most career goals, and points in franchise history - one more assist and he passes Sittler for all-time assists. Sundin's numbers since being traded from the Nordiques - 390 goals and 527 assists for 917 points; the second best Swede to ever wear the blue and white...Hazel would be able to tell you who the best was.

We're expecting that Tards fans will be whining about G Martin Gerber today - there was quite the love affair over the first four games of the season, but we think it'll go back to what it was last year.

The unofficial World Series starts tonight at Fenway with Josh Beckett vs C.C. Sabathia. If you read the page yesterday, you'd know that there is a bit of a difference in opinion between us here on who is going to advance. Tonight's game could very well set the tone for the Series with the Aces going head to head - hate to say it, but Sabathia wins it tonight. Sabathia has enough to keep Ortiz and Ramirez in check and with the top of the order not hitting right now, Boston is going to be in tough tonight. This could wind up being a 6 inning game tonight.

Terry Francona has stated that Bobby Kielty will start in place of JD Drew tonight - what an endorsement for Epstein's big free agent signing. What about Hinske????


THURSDAY'S THREE STARS
Toronto Maple Leafs C Mats Sundin - you just read why.

Toronto Maple Leafs C Matt Stajan had a goal and three assists to lead the Leafs to a win over the Islanders.

Toronto Maple Leafs G Andrew Raycroft stopped 29 of 30 shots.

Hey, give us a break - this might be the only time we get to name three Maple Leafs in one night.


FRIDAY THREE PLAY
A frustrating night 2-1 and breaking even; at least the Leafs won. Total for the week stays at - $155. Tonight's suggestions:

NY RANGERS over Washington - the Rangers are going to get their act together sooner than later; the Caps have been a pleasant early season surprise, but the clock strikes twelve tonight. Lay $100 on the Rangers - $175.

DETROIT over Chicago - the Red Wings still get up for games against the Hawks, no matter how bad Chicago is - an original six rivalry. Detroit won't let up tonight and should pound the Hawks. Lay $100 on the Wings - $320.


SUGGESTED LINKS FOR HAZEL
Mats on achieving the milestone

Damien being Damien

More on Mats

Leafs younger players stepped up last night

That's it for today gang - thanks for taking the time to check in. Have a great one peeps.

Hazel, we hope things are groovy in your world - enjoy the weekend with the Sox and Indians...don't forget about the Leafs on Saturday night.

We're Out!