NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 17

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-Digger's Daily-

This is it. The final games of our NFL 2011 season will be played New Year's Day. All eye's focused on teams battling for the final two playoff slots (one each in AFC/NFC). New York Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys in a winner take all for NFC East division honors after Big Blue knocked off stadium sharing rival Gang Green (NY Jets). The Jets loss all but ended their disappointing season - making a liar out of a Super Bowl Championship prediction by their head coach. Dallas is down after losing to Philadelphia. QB Tony Romo's status is uncertain after receiving a right hand contusion. In the AFC, Tebow gets one more chance to secure the AFC West. If Denver wins, they're in. Division winners are playing for first round bye's. Saints and 49ers tied at 12-3 (SF holds tie-break advantage). Pittsburgh (11-4) and Baltimore (11-4) trying to secure the AFC North and pass over New England (12-3) will become top seed.

Take nothing for granted this weekend. Green Bay is one of the few teams able to take advantage of resting starting players in preparation for the post-season.

Week 16 was kind as I nailed 12 of 16 upping the season total to 153-87 (63.8%).

Final regular season games of 2011.


Week 17 (home in CAPS)
Sunday
NEW ORLEANS 38 Carolina 17
NEW ENGLAND 31 Buffalo 20
MINNESOTA 24 Chicago 20
MIAMI 34 Jets 23
San Francisco 24 ST LOUIS 14
GREEN BAY 28 Detroit 24
PHILADELPHIA 37 Washington 10
JACKSONVILLE 20 Indianapolis 17
HOUSTON 21 Tennessee 20
Seattle 24 ARIZONA 23
DENVER 28 Kansas City 21
ATLANTA 28 Tampa Bay 16
CINCINNATI 23 Baltimore 17
Pittsburgh 20 CLEVELAND 10
San Diego 35 OAKLAND 21
GIANTS 31 Dallas 20

End of regular season

Brees Sets Passing Record vs Whiny Falcons

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-Digger's Daily-

New Orleans Saints (12-3) star QB Drew Brees bested Dan Marino's NFL record for passing yards in a single season on Monday Night Football. Brees hit halfback Darren Sproles with a 9 yard strike to set the record with 2:51 remaining in a 45-16 romp over Atlanta.

New Orleans fans showered Brees with a long standing ovation as their quarterback celebrated and received congratulations from Saints teammates. Marino passed for 5,084 yards during a magical 1984 season. Brees needed just 15 games, finishing with 5,087. He'll raise the bar further in the final week of regular season action becoming the only player to surpass 5,100 yards.

Not everyone was celebrating. A beaten down Atlanta Falcons team wasn't happy New Orleans continued throwing late in the game. Get over it Falcons!!! What did you expect? A record within reach - during a home game - on Monday Night Football - why shouldn't New Orleans head coach give the green light. This is the NFL - Not For Lightweights. Stop whining and give Brees the respect he deserves - especially after picking apart Atlanta's defense. This wasn't about running up the score against a beaten team. It was all about letting their team leader achieve record status. If Atlanta didn't want him to break the record then their defense should have stepped up. They didn't. Drew Brees did.

Congratulations Drew! The Saints finish up the regular season against a very porous Carolina defense on New Year's Day. Let's predict a final season ending total of 5,415.

NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 16

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-Digger's Daily-

Happy Chanukah & Merry Christmas! 

A few upsets in Week 15 doomed pick selections. Kansas City pulled off the upset of the season handing Green Bay their first loss. Washington bumped off a lethargic Giants club for the 2nd time this year. Indianapolis stunned Tennessee for their first win of the year. San Diego took advantage of a banged up group of Ravens. Before it was over - Digger only nailed 7 of 16 correctly. Season total 141-83 (62.9%).

It's do or die this weekend for teams fighting for playoff positions.

Week 16 (home team in CAPS)
Thursday
Houston 24 INDIANAPOLIS 13

Saturday
Oakland 30 KANSAS CITY 23
TENNESSEE 28 Jacksonville 17
NEW ENGLAND 52 Miami 10
CINCINNATI 23 Arizona 21
Denver 25 BUFFALO 17
PITTSBURGH 21 St Louis 3
Giants 34 JETS 24
WASHINGTON 24 Minnesota 20
CAROLINA 28 Tampa Bay 24
BALTIMORE 27 Cleveland 10
San Diego 33 DETROIT 31
Philadelphia 38 DALLAS 21
San Francisco 19 SEATTLE 13

Sunday
GREEN BAY 44 Chicago 14

Monday
NEW ORLEANS 30 Atlanta 24

The Battle for NFL Playoffs

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-Digger's Daily-

2011 NFL enters the final two weeks of regular season action. Plenty of great stories. Green Bay's run at perfection ended last weekend. Drew Brees on pace to shatter Dan Marino's single season passing record. Tim Tebow in Denver. Coach of the Year candidate Jim Harbaugh returned San Francisco 49er football to winning ways (and a division title). Houston Texans surviving multiple injuries to post their franchise 2nd winning season and first division title. MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards still up for grabs. Also up for grabs, coveted final playoff slots. Who's going to win and get in?

AFC:
New England's superior offense camouflages their porous defense. Patriots defense is tough to handicap since opponents play catch-up football - usually large deficits. Tom Brady is masterfully putting together a MVP-type season. No NFL coach is better at game planning and execution than Bill Belichick.

Baltimore Ravens are a Super Bowl caliber team. They're a bit banged up on defense but this team has it all when in synch. Defense is their best offense. Translation - superior defense gives Baltimore offense great field position for short drives.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger's gimpy ankle needs to heal - quickly. Pittsburgh's playoff survival weakens considerably without a healthy and roaming Big Ben. Defense pounds but susceptible to big plays. Clock management has been surprisingly abysmal most of the year. Never count these guys out.

It's been the much publicized Tebow leading Denver. Defense and late game heroics have become the norm as Tebow's antics place him squarely in bulls-eye's of friends and foes alike. Denver's ground game is the key to success on offense. Red Zone attack needs to step it up a notch, especially when playoff football begins.

Playoff picture:
4 of 6 teams in. New England (11-3), Baltimore (10-4), Houston (10-4) & Pittsburgh (10-4) secured playoff slots.
Denver (8-6) wins the west with a victories at Buffalo and home closer vs Kansas City. Tebow's inspiring play and Broncos tenacious defense hope to rebound after New England showed why their AFC's #1 seed. Two wins (or combination of win/loss by Oak/SD) and the West belongs to Denver.
Oakland (7-7) remains in the hunt but needs help to catch Denver. Winning remaining games is their only option.
Remember when San Diego (7-7) began the season 4-1? Then lost 6 straight? Riding a 3 win streak, Chargers must win their final 2 games and hope for both Denver & Oakland to collapse. Good luck.
New York Jets (8-6) control their Wild Card destiny. Win two and they're in. They also own tie-breaker over Cincinnati. Big game vs stadium sharing playoff seeking New York Giants (7-7).
All sorts of implications/possibilities could trigger tie-breakers kicking in to determine eventual playoff teams. Playoff seeding also at stake. Patriots currently #1 followed by Baltimore. AFC North is still up for grabs (Baltimore owns tie-breaker).

Predictions:
Division winners: (1) Patriots, (2) Ravens, (3) Texans, (4) Broncos. Wild Card: (5) Steelers, (6) Jets.

NFC:
Can you believe it? For much of the season Green Bay's 13 game winning streak took a backseat to Tebow fever. Packers offense plays nearly flawless football. Aaron Rodgers is one of football's greatest players. He's amassed 4,360 yards - 40 TD's and only 6 interceptions. It doesn't get much better than this folks. 13 wins in 14 games isn't too shabby either. Defending Champs fine tuning to defend their crown.

Has anyone been paying attention to San Francisco football outside of the NFC West? Better take notice. 49ers defense is making a name for themselves. They're getting stronger as confidence grows. This current 49ers teams reminds me of 80's style Giants football. Opportunistic team gains advantage while most focus on NFC's Packers & Saints.

Drew Brees might give himself a Christmas present this weekend - and - possibly giving Hall of Famer Dan Marino a lump of coal. Brees is on the verge of breaking Marino's single season passing record - a remarkable accomplishment. He needs just 305 yards to set a new record.

What is up with the New York Giants (7-7). Stunning losses to weaker teams leaves this group - and head coach - battling for their short and long term futures. Two losses to Washington, one to a Vick-less Eagles squad and Seattle cost them from clinching the NFC East. These were all ugly losses. Coughlin will be gone if Giants get eliminated. Big New York vs New York match-up this weekend. Loser's season in jeopardy.

Playoff picture:
Top seed Green Bay's (13-1, North) run at perfection ended last weekend. San Francisco (11-3, West) & New Orleans (10-4, South) won their division.
Dallas (8-6) currently leads the East over New York (7-7). East is there's if they beat Philly coupled with a Giants loss this weekend. Expect a final game showdown at MetLife to decide who wins. I'm betting Eagles and Giants win this weekend forcing a winner take all final game.
Atlanta (9-5) and Detroit (9-5) appear to have a lock on Wild Card status but it's not said and done until the final gun sounds.

Predictions:
Division winners: (1) Packers, (2) 49ers, (3) Saints, (4) Giants. Wild Card: (5) Lions, (6) Falcons.

All World All Sports NBA 2011-12 Preview

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-Digger's Daily-

Short season on the way. Players still changing teams, negotiating new contracts and shaking off the rust from an extended work stoppage. Many were plenty put off once Commissioner Stern began cancelling games weeks at a time. How will fans react once the new season begins? Will they return in droves - or - driven away? Time will tell.

Crystal ball time. All World All Sports 2011-12 NBA forecast...

Eastern Conference
Atlantic
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
New Jersey Nets
Toronto Raptors
Central
Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Cleveland Cavs
Southeast
Miami Heat
Orlando Magic
Atlanta Hawks
Charlotte Bobcats
Washington Wizards

Western Conference
Northwest
Oklahoma City Thunder
Denver Nuggets
Portland Trailblazers
Utah Jazz
Minnesota Timberwolves
Pacific
LA Lakers
LA Clippers
Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings
Southwest
Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs
Memphis Grizzlies
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Hornets

Champions: Boston Celtics

NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 15

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-Digger's Daily-

Tick tock. Tick tock. Three regular season NFL weeks remain in the 2011 season. Division winners Green Bay (13-0), San Francisco (10-3) & Houston (10-3) will be fine tuning their games and battling for playoff seeding while somehow trying to remain healthy. Houston's season has been nothing short of remarkable. So many key players banged up - and - they're on quarterback number 3. Green Bay is heading towards history. Who will beat them?

New York Jets and Giants fans roller coaster emotions put to the test all season long. Giants (8-5) breathing new life after edging division rival Dallas. Sanchez finally looking good for Jets - perhaps pre-game boo's from home crowd snapped him to life?

Baltimore (10-3) owns tie-breakers vs AFC North division rival Pittsburgh (10-3) based on sweeping their season series. Roethlisberger banged up for a big game vs San Francisco this weekend.

Tim Tebow magic leading Denver (8-5) to the top of AFC West. Oakland (7-6) was blown out in back to back games needs a big victory this weekend to stay alive.

Digger correctly nails 13 of 16 in Week 14! Season total advances to 134-74 (64.4%).

Week 15 (home in CAPS)
Thursday
ATLANTA 27 Jacksonville 10

Saturday
DALLAS 38  Tampa Bay 14

Sunday
HOUSTON 27 Carolina 23
GIANTS 34 Washington 20
BUFFALO 28 Miami 17
CHICAGO 12 Seattle 10
New Orleans 45 MINNESOTA 21
Cincinnati 28 ST LOUIS 3
Tennessee 30 INDIANAPOLIS 7
GREEN BAY 35 Kansas City 3
OAKLAND 24 Detroit 23
New England 33 DENVER 17
PHILADELPHIA 27 Jets 21
ARIZONA 24 Cleveland 13
Baltimore 24 SAN DIEGO 20

Monday
Pittsburgh 16 SAN FRANCISCO 13

Keep the Faith! Tebow Strikes Again!

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-Digger's Daily-

Believe in your faith. Tim Tebow's religious beliefs guide his life on and off of football fields. He's been criticized heavily for public displays of deep devotion. Tebow's detractors openly and often criticize his throwing ability as much as Tebowing. Guess what? Denver Broncos starting quarterback Tim Tebow is now 7-1. The 7th victory was another thrilling late game come from behind victory - 4th in a row.

Yesterday's game caught most by surprise - again. Denver's offense wasn't clicking at all before the final three minutes in regulation during Sunday's overtime 13-10 victory against Chicago. The Bears defense shadowed Tebow all game long. Denver receivers dropped passes at key moments throughout. Eight consecutive Broncos drives ended in 5 plays or less until the hurry up offense went into effect.

Trailing 10-0, with just over 4 minutes remaining, Tebow went to work guiding Denver 7 plays for 63 yards culminated by a 10 yard strike to Demaryius Thomas with 2:08 to go. Denver nearly recovered a perfect onside kick almost (2 players collided, Chicago recovered). All the Bears had to do was run the ball and keep the clock moving to secure victory. This would have left approximately 13-15 seconds in regulation. Denver used up all of their timeouts leaving no way to stop the game clock. Trailing 10-7, Denver's 5 game win streak was coming to an end.

"If you believe," Tebow said, "then unbelievable things can sometimes be possible."

On Chicago's first play (2nd down) after the 2:00 minute warning Bears running back Marion Barber bounced a left tackle run to the outside - way outside - and was inexplicably knocked out of bounds stopping the clock at 1:55. All Barber had to do was fall down in bounds. Forty precious seconds would have ticked off the clock. Instead the clock froze at 1:55 with 3rd down on the way.

Television viewers, Broncos fans and anyone within ear shot knew this game was about to change. Change it did. After Chicago punted Tebow had 53 seconds left from his own 20 yard line in regulation to perform another football miracle. One quick strike after another set up a long shot field goal attempt for the tie. Broncos kicker Matt Prater blasted a Denver record 59 yard field goal in front of 76,487 delirious home town fans. Most of America was stunned at the sudden turn of events. 10-10 and headed to overtime.

Chicago won the coin toss and quickly drove down the field. A new sense of determination coming from Chicago coaches who were overly cautious during the 4th quarter. Chicago neared field goal position. On 3rd and 7 from the Denver 38 Barber ran towards a gaping hole. At first quick glance it seemed as though if Barber exploded through the hole he was going for a massive gain - or perhaps and touchdown. Barber hit the hole hard as did Broncos LB Wesley Woodyard. Barber was gone if he was able to avoid the ball jarring hit - FUMBLE! Broncos recover... Tebow time!

Watching events in this game at the end of regulation and overtime was surreal (in football sense). Tebow got the ball back. Seconds earlier most thought Chicago was about to line up for a game winning overtime field goal attempt. This is minutes after most thought Chicago was going to win in regulation. I'd like to read a stat of how many fans switched channels with the score 10-7 at the 2:00 minute warning. Bears fans had to return in stunned disbelief... while Denver fans returned to stunned exuberance.

Now here we are in overtime. Regulation goat Marion Barber became game goat Marion Barber after a devastating overtime fumble. Tebow and the Broncos went to work from his own 34. 8 plays later Denver was set up for a 51 yard field goal attempt... there was never any doubt. Prater nailed a 51 yard game winning kick at the 8:34 mark.

Tebow's antics, game play, come from behind victories, and now division leader (Denver 8-5) has probably been the most discussed in 2011 NFL action. Fans love him for many reasons. Reason #1 is winning. What I'll never understand is players & media attacking his faith. Why? Tebow is a devout faith believer. Good for him. It's his choice and should be respected. Tebow lives his life by a code - faith in his religion. Tebow is of strong moral character. A 5 tool competitor who plays football with belief in his ability, determination, guts, strength and heart. Results: 7-1 propelling Denver (8-5) into first place. Yet, relentless attacks by players and media for courage to show and discuss faith.

Question: how many times does a baseball player make the cross sign before stepping into the batters box? Kiss a cross after a crossing home plate with a winning run? On a home run? How about football players celebrating after touchdowns? Wins? How about when faith and thanks to faith are the first spoken words? Not a peep of discontent - and there shouldn't be - so why Tebow?

I will never understand the clear and present danger of accelerating disrespect displayed towards religion in the United States of America. From educators in schools to elected government officials to influential media outlets. Somehow the Ten Commandments have been eradicated from select public buildings. The Pledge of Allegiance banned. In God We Trust under attack. Public displays of Christmas or Channukah ornaments being outlawed. And now, sports figures public displays of faith scrutinized. Does this mean our national anthem will soon be outlawed? Or, 7th inning stretch God Bless America? Let's hope not.

Standing ovation for Tim Tebow's 7-1 record. He's done it all with people mocking his every move. Keep the faith!

NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 14

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

**Apologies to All World All Sports Blog readers - this was originally posted on our main web site but never copied onto eBlogger**

Week 13 treated us to thrilling games. Giants vs Green Bay was one of the years best. Tebow's prayers were answered again in another Denver come from behind victory. Five consecutive late game heroics has Denver tied for first place. Arizona scored a TKO of Dallas in OT after another Cowboys coaching error.

11 of 16 last weekend brings my season total to 121-71 (63%). All remaining games are must wins for teams seeking a shot at post-season play - especially teams on the outside looking in. Not too many must see type games on this weekends schedule. One standout game is Sunday night when the Giants travel to Dallas.

Week 14
Thursday
PITTSBURGH 31 Cleveland 3

Sunday
JETS 28 Kansas City 6
Tampa Bay 24 JACKSONVILLE 20
New England 48 WASHINGTON 14
Atlanta 30 CAROLINA 28
BALTIMORE 23 Indianapolis 3
Philadelphia 27  MIAMI 17
DETROIT 27 Minnesota 20
New Orleans 27 TENNESSEE 23
CINCINNATI 23 Houston 21
DENVER 24 Chicago 13
San Francisco 26 ARIZONA 20
SAN DIEGO 33 Buffalo 23
GREEN BAY 42 Oakland 21
Giants 38 DALLAS 27

Monday
SEATTLE 23 St Louis 16

Baseball's Winter Heating Up

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-Digger's Daily-

Miami Marlins making early waves went out on a limb by signing Jose Reyes. Marlins have a new name - Miami. Soon to be new stadium - Sun Life Stadium. New uniforms. New attitude. New spending spree - a first in recent memory for Marlins teams.
A new generation of baseball is coming to Miami. Their organization is waving long term deals at key franchise-type players in a effort to solidify a solid, competitive Miami future. A generous deal by the City of Miami (now under investigation) affords Miami a long overdue opportunity to keep their star players and attract new ones. Just signed - NL batting champion Jose Reyes for 6 years, $106,000,000.00. Reyes is a great player with one major downside. Reyes has been sidelined extensively throughout his career in New York. If he stays healthy then count Miami as a serious NL East contender for years to come. Hanley Ramirez will shift from SS to 3B giving Miami an outstanding left side of the infield offensively and defensively.
Free agent closer Heath Bell was Miami's second major signing in two days (3 years, $27,000,000.00) and they're hot on Albert Pujols trail. Another name mentioned often is Mark Buerhle. Nobody should expect the Marlins to toss around Red Sox or Yankees kind of money. This is a team grooming very good talent and now adding a few select top veterans. Shrewd long range plans in the works. Marlins baseball will be a must watch when 2012 season begins.

Hall of Fame
It's about time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron Santo (wikipedia.com) is finally heading into the Hall. I will never understand how Santo wasn't voted in during the 15 year eligibility votes. Then comes the HOF Veterans Committee which basically has the power to elect players who never received enough votes. Here's the real injustice. Veterans Committee had 12 years - 12 - to right a wrong. Is it their inner guilt taking over? Ron Santo died one year ago. Now, he gets in? Why not when he was alive allowing him the feeling of being a Hall of Fame inductee? How utterly miserable. Bittersweet.


Free Agents
Albert Pujols is the big fish on the market. He can pick whichever team he wants. Plenty of speculation as to where he'll end up. Plenty of teams will make offers - unless Pujols seeks ARod money. Then again, one never knows what kind of crazy contract might come from fickle owners in bidding wars? Miami is a great place to live. Will be a great place to play in a brand new hitters friendly stadium. Star studded lineup. Solid pitchers? Theo Epstein's chasing hard after Pujols. Esptein helped remove one curse. Can he work magic for the Cubs? Time will tell. Giants need to step up after losing out on Reyes. Perhaps Albert's just testing the market for leverage in St. Louis?
Big question marks surrounding many teams. The usual characters - Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies and perhaps Braves - will keep throwing big bucks around. What has me wondering is strategy of low budget teams or teams in financial distress? LA Dodgers and NY Mets with cash flow problems. LA secured a new SS signing utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. Mets might be willing to sell off everything possible. David Wright should beg to get out of NY. Angels, Cardinals, Red Sox & White Sox would be great fits if Mets follow a path of quietly severing ties with big salaries to gain useful prospects.
Kansas City & Washington have me curious too. Their once young talent is maturing. They need pitching and veteran leadership. How will front office's respond? It isn't easy attracting star pitchers to KC or Washington just yet?
Believe it or not, I've been reading how the most coveted free agents might be utility type (multi-position) players. Adam Kennedy and Hairston off the board quickly with more to follow soon. Prince Fielder sweepstakes has been rather quiet.

Plenty of rumors and headlines soon to follow. Can't wait to see how the dust settles.

Bobby Valentine to Red Sox

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

Bobby Valentine has enjoyed celebrity status. ESPN's former baseball commentator's name was often mentioned whenever a managerial vacancy existed. His popularity rose to championship quality praise. Not bad for a fellow never to manage an American team to a division title. High praise to a former manager out of MLB since 2002.

Enter the Boston Red Sox. One of baseball's top organizations committed to winning. A team coming off a rough 2011 season filled with in-fighting, clubhouse drinking during games and a manager who suddenly quit. Terry Francona was at the helm for Boston's two World Series championships. He was the man who beat the Yankees and broke Boston's curse. Somewhere during the '11 season, Francona lost control of the Red Sox. Various injuries and terrible front office decisions (especially with starting pitching) could be largely to blame. Francona's sudden departure stunned many. He took Boston's bad season to heart. Perhaps, he realized Red Sox players didn't play with any? Perhaps he just wanted out at any cost. End of chapter.

A new page in Boston history is about to be written. GM Theo Epstein is gone - off to Chicago Cubs for millions of dollars. Francona out. New GM Ben Cherington is betting Bobby Valentine is the right man for the job. Question is - what kind of job will it become? A championship opportunity or caretaker for a rebuilding club?

Boston isn't necessarily rebuilding. Or, will they be forced to rebuild? Mostly due to over-inflated salaries of underachieving players. Carl Crawford's first stint in Boston was a complete failure ($20M+/year thru 2017). Lackey pitched like a drunk lackey without any consistency ($15.25M/year thru 2014). Daisuke Matsuzaka ($10M in '12) bombed. As of this moment, Boston has only 12 players signed costing $126,000,000.00! What will Boston due? Rebuilding in the mighty AL East will not be easy or cheap.

Bobby V steps right into the thick of things. Is he just a colorful caretaker until Boston finds a way to reclaim glory days of the 2000's? Or, is this team getting set for some serious wheeling and dealing? This team is carrying expensive dead weight which could curtail aggressive free agent maneuvers. Boston fans will soon find out the direction their team will take once baseball's winter meetings conclude.

Free agency is off to a very slow beginning. Maybe due to economic uncertainties? Maybe owners are finally realizing their players are way over paid? (doubt it). The silence of active free agent signings is slowly becoming deafening. Jose Reyes name was tossed about early on. Pujols to Chicago could be in the works. However, to this observer, a game of chicken seems in play. No teams making big offers to the coveted free agent pitchers. Not much discussion beyond scuttlebutt when it comes to position players. Something will give. I'm guess Epstein's Cubs will be the first to make headlines.

Bobby Valentine in Boston to help discipline a clubhouse drinking team is a bit funny. After all, when managing the Mets Valentines players were caught playing poker in the clubhouse during playoff series vs rival Braves. Bobby V was never known - or respected - as a tough taskmaster. Boston is rolling the dice with Valentine's happy go lucky attitude. I don't see it paying off. Valentine proved many times he's no match for bloated ego's of overpriced ballplayers. Red Sox fans will keep their collective fingers crossed hoping and praying a new face at the helm is all that's needed to restore winning ways.

The only good news seems to be Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury & Kevin Youkilis. These players represent the heart and sole of Boston Red Sox baseball. Boston's pitching is in shambles and should be primary focus #1 from rotation to relievers.

Newcomer's Valentine and Cherington have much work to do. 2012 is filled with vital challenges. Decisions made during this off season will have a lasting effect. Hold on Boston fans - turbulence expected.

2011 Football Power Rankings

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

NCAA
LSU remains #1. Look out for Cinderella team of 2011 - Houston (12-0). Cougars slow and steady rise might get a boost against #24 ranked Southern Mississippi December 3rd. This marks Houston's only top 25 opponent. Houston's offense ranks top dog averaging 52.7 points per contest behind a spectacular passing attack.

This weekend will be teams final shot at making a strong bowl bid, run at number one & Heismann push. Good luck teams.

Top 20
1 - LSU
2 - Alabama
3 - Virginia Tech
4 - Stanford
5 - Houston
6 - Arkansas
7 - Oklahoma State
8 - Boise State
9 - Oregon
10- Oklahoma
11- Georgia
12- Wisconsin
13- South Carolina
14- Michigan State
15- Kansas State
16- Michigan
17- Baylor
18- TCU
19- Nebraska
20- Clemson

NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 12

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

I rebounded nicely after a disastrous Week 10. Week 11 produced 11 correct picks out of 14. It would have been 13 if the two New York teams played to their potential. Instead, both the Jets and Giants thoroughly embarrassed themselves. Their season's now in turmoil. To the victor goes the spoils - the losers could become spoiled.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thursday's turkey day games could be very entertaining (finally). Undefeated Green Bay travels to surging Detroit. Red hot Miami visits equally hot Dallas. NFC West leading 49ers squares off against AFC North leading Baltimore.

11-3 last weekend improves my season record to 97-63 (61%). Time for Week 12... (home in CAPS)


Thanksgiving Thursday
Green Bay 38 DETROIT 17
Miami 26 DALLAS 23
San Fran 21 BALTIMORE 17

Sunday
Houston 20 JACKSONVILLE 16
JETS 21 Buffalo 20
CINCINNATI 27 Cleveland 10
ATLANTA 27 Minnesota 14
Arizona 24 ST LOUIS 10
Carolina 42 INDIANAPOLIS 3
Tampa Bay 23 TENNESSEE 20
OAKLAND 27 Chicago 7
Washington 24 SEATTLE 20
Denver 31 SAN DIEGO 24
New England 34 PHILADELPHIA 14
Pittsburgh 30 KANSAS CITY 0

Monday
NEW ORLEANS 31 Giants 28

How did Verlander win AL MVP?

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander was unanimously selected as 2011 American League Cy Young winner. Hands down, the very best "pitching" season helping to lead his Tigers to the AL Central division title.

Verlander caught much of the baseball world by surprise when it was announced earlier this week of another award for his collection. JV also captured the AL Most Valuable Player Award. With all due respect to Verlander - selecting a starting pitcher as MVP is just flat out wrong and an insult to deserving players who played an entire season! Let the debate rage on. There's no way a pitcher appearing in only 34 of 162 games - a mere 21% - gets the nod here. 24-5 record is tremendous. Rightfully selected as Cy Young. Categorically wrong selection as MVP! I'll say it again - the voters messed up picking a man who played in only 21% of his teams games.

Scarier is AL voting wasn't even close. Verlander received 13 first place votes. The next closest was Jose Bautista with 5 (finished 3rd overall). Take your pick, any of these players were hands down more deserving of this esteemed award - Jacoby Ellsbury (finished 2nd), Bautista (3rd), Curtis Granderson (4th), Miguel Cabrera (5th). Look them up, study their statistics, then explain to me how Verlander won?

Nobody claims sportswriters are geniuses. Their lack of fundamental understanding for selecting an MVP is quite stunning. Again, Verlander pitched in only 21% of Detroit's games. 34 games out of 162. Ellsbury was the most dominating leadoff hitter. Bautista won the HR crown. Granderson was clutch all season. And Detroit goes nowhere without Cabrera's big bat.

The sportswriters got it wrong in 2011.

NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 11

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

Sorry folks. My crystal ball was turned upside down last weekend. Never before in my history of picking winners and losers did I ever experience anything so dreadful. Green Bay, Houston, New England, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville represent 5 correct picks. Utterly embarrassing. Won/loss record took a big hit - now rests at 86-60 (59%).

Big divisional games slated for this coming weekend in NFC East action. Dallas (5-4) travels to Redskins (3-6) territory. Under performing Philadelphia (3-6) battles the surging Giants (6-3). Every game is big from here on in. One slip up can cost a team an entire season.

Question of the day surrounds Houston Texans (7-3). One of football's best teams lost their starting quarterback - Matt Schaub. New QB Matt Leinart needs to take advantage of this bye week to grasp the Texans offense. A few Super Bowl championship teams have won after overcoming key losses at quarterback. Two quickly come to mind - 1972 Miami Dolphins lost Bob Griese and finished 14-0 (plus 3 playoff wins) - in 1990 Jeff Hostetler took over for an injured Phil Simms and guided the New York Giants to a stunning victory over the Buffalo Bills in one of the greatest Super Bowl games ever played.


Week 11
Thursday
Jers 27 BRONCOS 17

Sunday
GREEN BAY 38 Tampa Bay 14
DETROIT 31 Carolina 24
CLEVELAND 14 Jacksonville 13
Oakland 33 MINNESOTA 21
Buffalo 28 MIAMI 21
Dallas 34 WASHINGTON 10
BALTIMORE 20 Cincinnati 17
SAN FRANCISCO 24 Arizona 21
Seattle 27 ST LOUIS 23
ATLANTA 26 Tennessee 24
CHICAGO 27 San Deigo 21
GIANTS 31 Philadelphia 28

Monday
NEW ENGLAND 38 Kansas City 14

2011-12 NCAA Basketball Rankings

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

Get ready for another spectacular college basketball season. North Carolina opens the 2011-12 season on top of all major polls. Defending National Champion University of Connecticut will do their very best to retain their crown. Time for "All World All Sports" pre-season rankings.

NCAA Basketball Top 20
1 - North Carolina
2 - Ohio State
3 - Kentucky
4 - Connecticut
5 - Syracuse
6 - Duke
7 - Florida
8 - Vanderbilt
9 - Louisville
10- Pittsburgh
11- Memphis
12- Kansas
13- Baylor
14- Wisconsin
15- Xavier
16- Arizona
17- Michigan
18- Alabama
19- UCLA
20- Texas A&M

Prediction: Final ranking National & Tournament Champs - Kentucky

2011 Football Power Rankings

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

NCAA Football continues to be rocked by a Penn State scandal getting worse by the minute. More to follow in a separate column.

Top 20 (Week 10)
1 - LSU
2 - Oklahoma State
3 - Stanford
4 - Alabama
5 - Boise State
6 - Oklahoma
7 - Arkansas
8 - Oregon
9 - Clemson
10- Virginia Tech
11- Houston
12- Penn State
13- Georgia
14- Wisconsin
15- South Carolina
16- Kansas State
17- Texas
18- Georgia Tech
19- Southern Miss
20- Cincinnati

NFL divisional races heating up. Baltimore knocked off Pittsburgh for the second time this season. Week 10 features Oakland vs San Diego, New England vs New York Jets, New Orleans vs Atlanta, Detroit vs Chicago. Almost playoff-like atmosphere in mid-season. A great weekend for finding your favorite place to watch games.

NFL Top 15 (9 weeks completed)
1 - Green Bay
2 - Baltimore
3 - Giants
4 - Detroit
5 - Pittsburgh
6 - San Francisco
7 - Cincinnati
8 - Houston
9 - New Orleans
10- New England
11- Jets
12- Atlanta
13- Chicago
14- San Diego
15- Tampa Bay

NFL 2011 Predictions - Week 10

Check it out - "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

Coming off my worst week of the season, 7-7 (50%). Miami finally won their first game by scalping Kansas City 31-3. The Jets and Dallas won too effectively blowing out my upset selections.

Week 10 kicks off Thursday Night Football (on NFL Network). You don't get NFL Network? Same here. I really have a problem when prime time games are only afforded to subscribers. This just doesn't sit well with those of us left in the dark. And so it goes....

Looking to turn it up a notch. Even money last weekend was disappointing. 81-49 (62.3%). No bye's this week. Week 10 crystal ball says....

Thursday
CHARGERS 31 Raiders 20

Sunday
EAGLES 30 Cardinals 17
PANTHERS 28 Titans 24
Texans 28 BUCS 21
Redskins 14 DOLPHINS 13
Jaguars 17 COLTS 10
CHIEFS 31 Broncos 27
Bills 34 COWBOYS 24
FALCONS 31 Saints 30
BROWNS 21 Rams 14
Steelers 27 BENGALS 14
Ravens 20 SEAHAWKS 13
Giants 35 49ERS 21
Lions 24 BEARS 23
Patriots 23 JETS 20

Monday
PACKERS 45 Vikings 7

Scandals, Strikes & Fines

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-Digger's Daily-

It's been a week filled with ugly news coming from the sporting world. Shocking scandals ending a legendary coaching career, sickening NBA negotiating impasse and disgruntled NFL players reacting to another round of fines by Commissioner Goodall. What's next? Hopefully nothing else to shock our systems.

NCAA
Penn State's football program sent shock waves throughout America. The scoop is Paterno's former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was charged over the weekend with 40 counts of molesting eight young boys between 1994 and 2009 through his charitable foundation The Second Mile (for at-risk youths). Also charged - in an apparent cover-up from 2002 - Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz for failing to notify authorities.

It's an ugly scandal. Legendary coach Joe Paterno is taking the news hard. Earlier this afternoon, Paterno announced his retirement effective at the end of this season.

"I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today," Paterno said in his statement.
"That's why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.
"This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more. My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this university."

This is a bitter pill to swallow. Brooklyn born Joe Paterno "JoePa" is one of the most respected men in all of sports. A walking legend and Hall of Fame coach compiling over 400 victories. This is no way for a man of his stature to retire. However, this scandal isn't going away any time soon. Paterno will forever second guess, and be questioned, for not contacting law enforcement when learning of Sandusky's conduct with a 10 year old boy years ago in Penn State football's shower facilities. He did notify Athletic Director Tim Curley the next day. Paterno was cleared of wrong doing. But - On November 7, Pennsylvania state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said that though Paterno and others may have fulfilled their legal obligation to report suspected abuse, "somebody has to question about what I would consider the moral requirements for a human being that knows of sexual things that are taking place with a child," and that, "I think you have the moral responsibility, anyone. Not whether you're a football coach or a university president or the guy sweeping the building. I think you have a moral responsibility to call us" (from CBSSports.com).

Sandusky's story is certain to get uglier before it gets any better. Many will fall from ranks within Penn State. Stay tuned, more to follow.

NBA
What will it take for NBA owners and players to finally settle their differences? Caught in the cross fire are plenty of non-millionaire pay me more money non-players. Street vendors, parking attendants, concession stand employees, ushers, ticket takers, local transportation, restaurants, hotels and right on down the line. Wake up folks! Commissioner Stern has been slammed by pro-union media types. Owners called "Plantation owners" by NBAPA's executive director Billy Hunter (who seems less than honest in media dealings). 133 days of lockouts now threatens the entire NBA season for the first time in league history.

Hey players - when is enough enough? The world is burning. Finances of millions in ruins. The players holding out for more - despicable. Let's face it, next round (season) of tickets from arena to arena will skyrocket. Average families, already snake-bit by rising costs of everything from heat to milk, will now bear the burden of lining pockets of individuals least in need. I, for one, am fed up with sports labor negotiations. Days of owners taking advantage of players are long since over. Nowadays, it's clearly the other way around.

NFL
The Steelers have been fined 13 times for more than $182,000 this season for questionable tackles. Their latest fine has one player mighty miffed. NFL leveled a $40K fine against safety Ryan Clark and he's lashing out at Commissioner Goodall. NFL has levied many fines this season with the goal of curtailing head to head tackles which often lead to concussions. Players all know if they intentionally launch helmet first into another players helmet - a heavy fine is coming. However, during the natural course of a game, head to head hits will happen and aren't always intentional. In most cases, it's not intentional but NFL hands out fines nonetheless.
I suspect it's difficult to determine players intentions beyond clearly obvious launching hits. Defensive players around the league have become a bit miffed at Goodall's fines. How is a player to avoid helmet to helmet contact when players on offense often lower their heads a split second before a tackle is made. The original intent of fining players was for protection from clear helmet leading tackles. Not so anymore.

All Pro LB Ray Lewis:

"You can't stop playing defense the way defense has always been created to play," Lewis said. "When the receiver has the ball, your job is to disengage him from the ball. You never want to hurt nobody. I've been in this business too long. I just think once you start getting into these fines I don't know how they come up with the numbers most of the time."

It's time for the NFL to refine their system. Protecting player safety is always of utmost concern. But, let us not lose sight of the fact football is a dangerous game. There's a certain amount of risk on every single play. NFL needs to find a better way of determining avoidable hits from unavoidable hits - something they've yet to figure out.

NFL 2011 Predictions: Week 9

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-Digger's Daily-

Week 8 featured a few major upsets. Saints were caught by surprise by first time winners St. Louis 31-21. Philadelphia bludgeoned division rival Dallas 34-7. Kansas City capitalized on sloppy late game play by San Diego to grab their share of the AFC West lead. NFL has a few hot games on the slate for Week 9.

9-4 last week brings my season total 74-42 (63.8%). Now is the time of year when good teams must rise above early season imperfections on the field and start winning. Struggling teams aren't out of the picture yet and need to find a way to shine. Then we have winners with alligators chomping on their heels attempting to knock off division leaders. Mid-season crunch time.

Here we go. Week 9 picks.... (home team in CAPS)


Sunday
CHIEFS 34 Dolphins 7
Falcons 28 COLTS 7
SAINTS 30 Bucs 28
BILLS 35 Jets 24
Seahawks 21 COWBOYS 20
TEXANS 48 Browns 10
49ers 24 REDSKINS 20
TITANS 27 Bengals 24
RAIDERS 23 Broncos 17
Giants 31 PATRIOTS 30
CARDINALS 20 Rams 10
Packers 33 CHARGERS 21
STEELERS 17 Ravens 16


Monday
EAGLES 38 Bears 14

2011 Football Power Rankings

Visit "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

NCAA (9 weeks completed)
1 - LSU
2 - Alabama
3 - Oklahoma State
4 - Stanford
5 - Boise State
6 - Oklahoma
7 - Arkansas
8 - Oregon
9 - South Carolina
10- Nebraska
11- Clemson
12- Virginia Tech
13- Houston
14- Kansas State
15- Michigan
16- Penn State
17- Michigan State
18- Georgia
19- Arizona State
20- Wisconsin


NFL (8 weeks completed)
1 - Green Bay
2 - Pittsburgh
3 - Baltimore
4 - Detroit
5 - San Francisco
6 - New England
7 - New York Giants
8 - Cincinnati
9 - Buffalo
10- New Orleans
11- Houston
12- Kansas City
13- San Diego
14- Atlanta
15- New York Jets