NFL 2010 - Week 8 picks.....

Another NFL week, another round of scratching your head wondering what is happening this NFL season. The Bills bringing the Raven to overtime, in Baltimore, while the Super Bowl champs look like chumps in losing at home to Cleveland by 20 points and now have the Steelers coming to town. This week we send the Broncos and 49ers to London for the NFL's annual trip "over the pond". Why are we punishing the English?

Below the point spread games are the win/lose picks of Mike, myself and our guest picker and podcast listener, Shaun.

NFL Week 8 picks (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week: Bears, Browns, Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Ravens

Dolphins (+3) over BENGALS
COWBOYS (-7) over Jaguars
LIONS (-1 1/2) over Redskins
CHIEFS (-7 1/2) over Bills
Panthers (+3) over RAMS
Packers (+4 1/2) over JETS
Broncos (+1) over 49ERS
CHARGERS (-4) over Titans
RAIDERS (-2) over Seahawks
PATRIOTS (-4) over Vikings
CARDINALS (-3) over Buccaneers
SAINTS (-1) over Steelers
COLTS (-5) over Texans

Week 7 picks: 7-7
2010 season: 50-46-8


Win/Lose picks:
Guest picker for week 8: podcast listener, Shaun

Week 7 results: Mike (9-5) / Sal (6-8) / Guest (6-8)
2010 season: Mike (64-40) / Sal (62-42) / Guest (50-54)

Week 8 picks:
Sal / Mike / Shaun --- Dolphins at Bengals ---
--- Jaguars at Cowboys --- Sal / Mike / Shaun
Mike / Shaun --- Redskins at Lions --- Sal
--- Bills at Chiefs --- Sal / Mike /Shaun
Sal --- Panthers at Rams --- Mike / Shaun
Sal --- Packers at Jets --- Mike / Shaun
Sal / Shaun --- Broncos at 49ers --- Mike
Mike / Shaun --- Titans at Chargers --- Sal
--- Seahawks at Raiders --- Sal / Mike / Shaun
Mike --- Vikings at Patriots --- Sal / Shaun
Mike / Shaun --- Buccaneers at Cardinals --- Sal
Mike /Shaun --- Steelers at Saints --- Sal
--- Texans at Colts --- Sal / Mike / Shaun

College Football 2010 (Week 9).....

Last Saturday marked the third week in a row where the #1 team in the country lost a road conference game. The latest victim was Oklahoma dropping their game to an undefeated Missouri team. This week it is Oregon on top of the polls traveling to face USC, while the BCS #1 is Auburn and take it to the road against Mississippi State.

Now let's see if I don't fall off the perch after last week's 6-0 record.

Week 9 games:

Oregon (#1) over USC (#24)
Auburn (#3) over Mississippi State
Michigan State (#5) over Iowa (#18)
Nebraska (#14) over Missouri (#7)
Florida State (#16) over North Carolina State
Michigan over Penn State

Week 8: 6-0
2010 season: 33-15

More NFL Craziness - The SFB Podcast (10/27/2010).....

This NFL season has been as confusing as any I can remember and I am not sure if it we will see "normal" this year, or maybe this craziness is this year's "normal". The Ravens needing overtime to beat the winless Bills and giving up 30+ points in the process, while in New Orleans, the Saints lost to the Browns. I'll take a look back at week 7 and a glance forward at week 8.

Plus tonight is Game 1 of the World Series between the Rangers and Giants. Also, the NBA season got under way last night and we already know the Heat will not go undefeated. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 27, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Rangers and Giants, Oh My! - The SFB Podcast (10/25/2010).....

Baseball is down to two teams as the World Series starts on Wednesday. Now, raise your hand if you had either the Texas Rangers or the San Francisco Giants before the season started. Didn't think so. Paul Lebowitz joins me to discuss how the Giants and Rangers got through each LCS and what we think will happen in their match-up. Plus a look at the front office and manager movement going on around baseball. Enjoy.

Rangers over Giants in 7 - Been behind the Rangers the whole post-season and I will ride them again to get their first Word Series title. The Giants will be with them the whole way, but I just think the Ranger bats will produce enough offense against this very good Giant staff to lead them to the four victories. San Francisco gets an advantage by having the four home games as that will keep Vladimir Guerrero on the bench for Texas, but there are enough bats in the Ranger lineup to overcome it. Meanwhile the Rangers will have Cliff Lee starting off the series for them and hope it just keeps doing what he has been doing. Plus at the end, who doesn't want to see (besides Giant fans) Nolan Ryan up on the championship podium?

Paul on Twitter
Paul's Website

The SportsFan Buzz: October 25, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Big Hits / Smaller League - The SFB Podcast (10/23/2010).....

NFL looking at big hits has been the most covered story this week. Is the NFL going too far or are they correct? Personally, I think a little of both. Also, we have one World Series team in the Texas Rangers, while the NL team will be determined this weekend. Plus, the NBA commissioner is talking about salary reductions and possibly contracting teams. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 23, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NFL 2010 - Week 7 picks.....

Got back on the winning side with my picks last week, but four of the games ended in ties with the point spreads. Those are losses in Vegas, but just tie games for me here on the blog. Week 7 is filled with a very interesting slate of good match-up games. Enjoy.

Below the point spread games are the win/lose picks of Mike, myself and our guest picker, Nate Heldman. Nate is a gaming buddy of mine who works in the inner city of Chicago. A good man.


NFL Week 7 picks (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week: Colts, Jets, Lions, Texans

Bengals (+5 1/2) over FALCONS
Redskins (+3) over BEARS
TITANS (-3) over Eagles
CHIEFS (-1) over Jaguars
DOLPHINS (+2 1/2) over Steelers
SAINTS (-11 1/2) over Browns
Rams (+3) over BUCCANEERS
49ers (-3) over PANTHERS
RAVENS (-12) over Bills
SEAHAWKS (-3) over Cardinals
BRONCOS (-7) over Raiders
Patriots (+3) over CHARGERS
Vikings (+3) over PACKERS
COWBOYS (-3) over Giants

Week 6 picks: 8-2-4
2010 season: 43-39-8


Win/Lose picks:
Guest picker for week 7: Nate Heldman

Week 6 results: Mike (11-3) / Sal (11-3) / Guest (7-7)
2010 season: Mike (55-35) / Sal (56-34) / Guest (44-46)

Week 7 picks:
Sal --- Bengals at Falcons --- Mike / Nate
Sal / Mike /Nate --- Redskins over Bears ---
--- Eagles at Titans --- Sal / Mike / Nate
--- Jaguars at Chiefs --- Sal / Mike / Nate
Mike / Nate --- Steelers at Dolphins --- Sal
--- Browns at Saints --- Sal / Mike / Nate
Sal / Nate --- Rams at Buccaneers --- Mike
Sal / Mike / Nate --- 49ers at Panthers ---
--- Bills at Ravens --- Sal / Mike / Nate
Nate --- Cardinals at Seahawks --- Sal / Mike
--- Raiders at Broncos --- Sal / Mike / Nate
Sal --- Patriots at Chargers --- Mike / Nate
Sal / Mike / Nate --- Vikings at Packers ---
Mike --- Giants at Cowboys --- Sal / Nate

College Football 2010 (Week 8).....

For the second week in a row we saw the #1 team in college football fall. Wisconsin made sure Ohio St. didn't get comfortable at the top of the heap and ran all over the Buckeye defense. Now Oregon is the top team in the land, but will they hold it, or will we see another upset at the top? Plus another week of good top 25 match-ups.

Week 8 games:

Oregon (#1) over UCLA
Oklahoma (#3) over Missouri (#18)
Auburn (#5) over LSU (#6)
Michigan St. (#8) over Northwestern
Wisconsin (#10) over Iowa (#13)
Nebraska (#14) over Oklahoma St. (#17)


Week 7: 3-3
2010 season: 27-15

Sorry Agent - The SFB Podcast 10/19/2010

Josh Luchs tells us he decided to open up to Sports Illustrated so that his reputation was not defined by his suspension of his agent's license. He seems to be sweeping under the rug his 20 years of breaking rules and feels he did right to provide for his family. After reading his account, I come away with a much different feeling as to why he told his story.

Plus for the second straight week the top college team lost as Ohio State fell to Wisconsin and now it's Oregon's turn at #1, while Boise St. just waits its turn for the big boys to fall. Also a look at the MLB League Championship series through the first few games. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 19, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NFL 2010 - Week 6 picks.....

Well, I hope you followed my advice and did not bet the house, because if you did, you are reading this in a cardboard box. Only 4 wins for the week against the spread? Yikes. Well, we wipe the slate and move forward to week 6. Some interesting match-ups this week, including the battle of the two unlikely 1-3 teams when the Cowboys visit the Vikings. Plus the two worst teams in the NFL (Bills and Panthers) get the week off. Enjoy.

Below the point spread games are the win/lose picks of Mike, myself and our guest picker, childhood friend and podcast listener, Joe Cuomo.

NFL Week 6 picks (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week: Bengals, Bills, Cardinals, Panthers

BEARS (-7) over Seahawks
Dolphins (Even) over PACKERS
Chargers (-7 1/2) over RAMS
Ravens (+3) over PATRIOTS
GIANTS (-8) over Lions
EAGLES (-3) over Falcons
STEELERS (-13) over Browns
Saints (-4) over BUCCANEERS
TEXANS (-4) over Chiefs
Jets (-3) over BRONCOS
49ERS (-7) over Raiders
VIKINGS (-1 1/2) over Cowboys
Colts (+3) over REDSKINS
Titans (-3) over JAGUARS

Week 5 picks: 4-10

2010 season: 35-37-4


Win/Lose picks:
Guest picker for week 6: Longtime friend and listener, Joe Cuomo

Week 5 results: Mike (6-8) / Sal (6-8) / Guest (6-8)
2010 season: Mike (44-32) / Sal (45-31) / Guest (37-39)

Week 6 picks:
--- Seahawks at Bears --- Sal / Mike / Joe
Sal / Mike --- Dolphins at Packers --- Joe
Sal / Mike / Joe --- Chargers at Rams ---
Sal / Mike / Joe --- Ravens at Patriots ---
Sal / Mike / Joe --- Saints at Buccaneers ---
--- Lions at Giants --- Sal / Mike / Joe
--- Falcons at Eagles --- Sal / Mike / Joe
--- Browns at Steelers --- Sal / Mike / Joe
Joe --- Chiefs at Texans --- Sal / Mike
--- Raiders at 49ers --- Sal / Mike / Joe
Sal / Mike / Joe --- Jets at Broncos ---
Joe --- Cowboys at Vikings --- Sal / Mike
Sal / Mike / Joe --- Colts at Redskins ---
Sal / Mike --- Titans at Jaguars --- Joe

Baseball LCS predictions - The SFB Podcast (10/15/2010).....

The Division Series are in the books and I am happy with picking three of the four series correctly, but upset that the Twins were my one incorrect choice. Paul Lebowitz picked the same teams and joins me on the podcast to review the Divisional playoffs and look ahead to the League Championship Series match-ups. Plus we cover the General Manager search for Paul's New York Mets. Enjoy.

Below is a quick recap of my predictions, with a detailed look at each series in my discussion with Paul.

Phillies over Giants in 6 - This is a classic series to me as I love good starting pitching and this series has a ton of it on both teams. The Phillie offense is a little better than the Giants, but I am not overly confident for either team to score many runs against the other's staff. Scores of 3-2 and 4-3 will dominate the series. Philadelphia matches the "Wiz Kids" and win their third straight NL Championship.

Rangers over Yankees in 6 - AJ Burnett hit the backstop and two of his teammates in a simulated game and he is scheduled to start Game 4. Never thought I would say the Texas Rangers have the better pitching staff, but in this match-up they do. The Mariano Rivera against Neftali Feliz match-up in the closer role does scare me, but I think the Rangers hit enough to not have Rivera be the deciding factor of the series.

Paul on Twitter                    Paul's website

The SportsFan Buzz: October 15, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

College Football 2010 (Week 7).....

A rough week for some college football favorites last week, including South Carolina knocking off the top team in the nation, Alabama. Major kudos to Steve Spurrier for getting his Gamecock team back to the ready after their heartbreaking loss to Auburn. Plus for the second week in a row both Florida and USC lost on the same weekend. Yikes.

Week 7 games:

Ohio St. (#1) over Wisconsin (#20) - I thought Alabama was going to run the table, but after their loss, I started to wonder if we might see even more shuffling at the top of the rankings. Don't think it happens this week and the Buckeyes protect their #1 ranking. Key for the Buckeyes is to keep the Badger running game contained and I think their defense is good enough to do it.
Nebraska (#5) over Texas - Nebraska's revenge game, but they won't even breathe a word of it. Texas is on a down year and will get run over by this tough Husker team.
Auburn (#8) over Arkansas (#12) - I am leary making this choice, but the Tigers look strong and seem to be getting better each week. Ryan Mallett needs to step up for the Razorbacks to get the victory and I'm not sure he has it in him on the road in a tough envirnment.
Iowa (#15) over Michigan (#18) - The Wolverine offense was shut down by the Michigan ST. defense last week and Iowa has a better defense than the Spartans.
North Carolina State at East Carolina - NC State looking to get back into the Top 25 and a non-conference win against an in-state rival will boost them back into that position. Tom O'Brein has a healthy Wolfpack team and is showing what the fan base expected when he first arrived in Raleigh.
USC over California - Just because I can't see Lane Kiffin suffering a three game losing streak. The offense is good and I think dad tweaks the defense enough to get the win.


Week 6: 2-4
2010 season: 24-12

NFL Week 5 review - The SFB Podcast (10/12/2010).....

The Saints lose to a team with a free agent rookie starting at quarterback that does not score a running or passing touchdown? Tampa Bay comes back on the road against a Bengal team is getting terrible quarterbacking from Carson Palmer. The Raiders block two punts and hand another loss to the Chargers, while in Dallas, the Cowboys rack up over 500 yards, but still lose to the Titans and fall to 1-3. What is going on here in the NFL. I'll try to make sense of this confusing year. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 12, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Down goes Alabama - The SFB Podcast (10/11/2010).....

So there is some life with the "Ol' Ball Coach", as Steve Spurrier coached his South Carolina Gamecocks to an upset victory over #1 Alabama. Ohio St. now takes the top spot, but will they be on top of next week's first BCS ranking? Anyone have Florida and USC losing again on consecutive Saturdays? I'll take a look at the college games from this weekend.

Plus, the Yankees and Phillies have advanced after each swept their Divisional Sereis, but for me the Yankees advancing was a "yawn". Will anyone but Yankee fans care if they keep moving forward? Also, besides ratings for Fox, are the Yankees winning good for baseball? We'll explore. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 11, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NFL 2010 - Week 5 picks.....

Four weeks down for most of the NFL (sans the Cowboys, Vikings, Chiefs and Buccaneers who had last week's bye), so the kinks need to be out as we head into the second quarter of the season. Plus we now have Randy Moss moving from New England to Minnesota, which could shake up division races and the power of each conference.

Below the point spread games are the win/lose picks of Mike, myself and our guest picker, podcast listener Mark Felty.

NFL Week 5 picks (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week: Dolphins, Patriots, Seahawks, Steelers

Jaguars (-1) over BILLS
BENGALS (-5 1/2) over Buccaneers
Falcons (-3) over BROWNS
LIONS (-3) over Rams
Chiefs (+7 1/2) over COLTS
Packers (-1) over REDSKINS
Bears (-3) over PANTHERS
Broncos (+6) over RAVENS
TEXANS (-3) over Giants
Saints (-7 1/2) over CARDINALS
COWBOYS (-5 1/2) over Titans
Chargers (-5) over RAIDERS
49ERS (-3) over Eagles
Vikings (+6 1/2) over JETS


Week 4 picks: 7-6-1
2010 season: 31-27-4

Win/Lose picks:
Guest picker for week 5: SportsFan Buzz listener, Mark Felty

Week 4 results: Mike (6-8) / Sal (9-5) / Guest (6-8)
2010 season: Mike (38-24) / Sal (39-23) / Guest (31-31)

Week 5 picks:
Sal / Mike / Mark --- Jaguars at Bills ---
Mark --- Buccaneers at Bengals --- Sal / Mike
Sal / Mike / Mark --- Falcons at Browns ---
Mark --- Rams at Lions --- Sal / Mike
Mark --- Chiefs at Colts --- Sal / Mike
Sal / Mike --- Packers at Redskins --- Mark
Sal / Mark --- Bears at Panthers --- Mike
--- Broncos at Ravens --- Sal / Mike / Mark
--- Giants at Texans --- Sal / Mike / Mark
Sal / Mike / Mark --- Saints at Cardinals ---
--- Titans at Cowboys --- Sal / Mike / Mark
Sal / Mike / Mark --- Chargers at Raiders ---
Mark --- Eagles at 49ers --- Sal / Mike
Sal / Mike --- Vikings at Jets --- Mark

College Football 2010 (Week 6).....

Alabama sure looks like the best team in college football as they crush their rival Florida Gators, while my favorite team to watch are the very exciting Oregon Ducks. Meanwhile Denard Robinson is turning into a player I want to watch and normally I don't look at individual players in the college game. Four match-ups of ranked teams this week, including a couple of in-state rivalries and two SEC match-ups.

Week 6 games:

Alabama (#1) over South Carolina (#19) - Maybe the "Old Ball Coach" can have his Gamecocks pull the upset over Alabama, but after seeing the Tide dismantle Florida last week, I think it will take a perfect effort and I just don't see it happening.
Michigan (#18) over Michigan State (#17) - What a game for the state of Michigan as both teams come in ranked and undefeated, which not many predicted at the start of the season. This will be another video game shootout with both offenses going up and down against these defenses. Denard Robinson makes the plays to lead the Wolverines over Sparty.
Miami (#13) over Florida State (#23) - Another in-state rivalry game, but Miami has too much speed on both sides of the ball and handles the Seminoles.
Notre Dame over Pittsburgh - Notre Dame has been looking good on offense and gets a win in a game that should be close and entertaining.
Florida (#14) over LSU (#12) - Both teams have been shaky all year, but more so for LSU and I think this is the game they finally get their first loss of the year. Florida bounces back from getting whipped last week against Alabama.
Stanford (#16) over USC - The USC defense is young and a little slow. Not a good match-up against a Stanford team that is hurting after blowing a 21-3 lead and getting outscored 49-10 the rest of the game against Oregon.


Week 5: 4-2
2010 season: 22-8

Dropping the Puck - The SFB Podcast (10/7/2010).....

The NHL season kicks off this afternoon with the Hurricanes facing the Wild in Helsinki and then four more games tonight. Will the Blackhawks, after moving multiple players to get under the cap, be able to make a run at repeating? Will the Capitals make up for last year's playoff disaster and make the finals? Or maybe it is Sidney Crosby and the Penguins again, or how about the Sedin brothers in Vancouver?

Plus Randy Moss gets traded, the baseball playoffs have started, college football is cranking along and the NBA preseason has started, which means the hype surrounding the Heat just starts getting louder. Enjoy.

As for my NHL predictions, for me it is very much "chalk" with my picks. I think hockey fans get Sidney Crosby and the Penguins against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in the Eastern finals, while in the west, we get those Sedin brothers taking on Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks. In the end, I think the Penguins once again lift the Cup in a great series against the Vancouver Canucks.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 7, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

MLB Playoff Predictions & Award winners.....

It has been another good year for baseball and we even had to wait for game 162 until we found out the NL West and Wildcard winners.  There were also quite a few great player performances this year. Well, here is what my crystal ball says as we start the playoffs and also who I think should get the year end awards.

Overall, I think the Philadelphia Phillies will be Word Series champs for the second time in three years.

NL Divisional Series:
Giants over Braves
Phillies over Reds

While neither team knocks the cover off the ball, I think the Giants have more offense than the Braves and better starting pitching and closer. As for the Phillies / Reds, I just can't see a way for Cincinnati to stay with Philadelphia unless the Phillies' starting pitching completely comes off the rails in this series.

AL Divisional Series:
Twins over Yankees
Rangers over Rays

Both of this series predictions are more of gut feelings. Common sense says the Rays and Yankees were the best of the AL all year and should meet in the ALCS, but there is something about the Twins and Rangers that draws me towards them to move forward. The Twins overcoming the loss of their long time closer, Joe Nathan, at the start of the year and and then losing Justin Morneau in July, while still playing at such a high level. For the Rangers, it is Nolan Ryan being the face of an organization that just three months ago was facing bankruptcy and the story of Josh Hamilton's comeback never gets old to me.

NL MVP: Joey Votto (Reds)
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Phillies)
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez (Mariners)
NL Rookie of Year: Buster Posey (Giants)
AL Rookie of Year: Neftali Feliz (Rangers)

I am of the belief that MVP does mean most valuable player, so I do not consider great individual years for players who were on teams never in contention during the year. That is why both Votto and Hamilton got my picks. Votto leading the surprising Reds to the NL Central crown get the nod over Albert Pujols, while despite missing the last month of the season, Josh Hamilton meant everything to Texas as they reached first place in the AL West and then ran away with the division.

Roy Halladay was a pretty easy choice for Cy Young in the National League. While Ubaldo Jimenez and Adam Wainwright had very good years, Halladay was simply the best. In the American League, I had to go back to "who was the best pitcher"? When looking at everything, that best pitcher was Felix Hernandez. His 13-12 record will be questioned by many, Hernandez was the best pitcher and had better stats than David Price, CC Sabathia, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz in all categories except for the number of wins.

For the Rookie of the Year choices, I added the fact that both of my choices also played for division winners, and while Jason Heyward was in the Atlanta lineup all year, while Posey came up at the end of May, it was Posey catching the Giant pitching staff along with the offense he put up that put him over Heyward in my opinion. Same thought for Neftali Feliz, as his 40 saves for the Rangers was an important and unexpected part of this year's success.

NFL Week 4 review - The SFB Podcast (10/5/2010).....

A quarter of the season is complete for most teams and I am not sure that we have more answers than questions still after 4 games. One of my questions is, "are we seeing good football"? Week 4 was the first of the seven bye weeks, so we did not have a full slate of 16 games, but we still had games. I'll take a look a what happened in week 4 and how things are looking as we head into the second quarter of the season. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 5, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

Baseball Playoffs & Ichiro - The SFB Podcast (10/4/2010).....

It is October, and that means playoff baseball. Paul Lebowitz joins me to discuss how the final weeks of the season played out as the Braves, Padres and Giants battled until the final day. We also let you know who we think should get the year end awards and will preview the playoffs and give our predictions. Plus we will discuss Paul's article where he takes on Ichiro Suzuki. Enjoy.

Paul on Twitter
Paul's website

The SportsFan Buzz: October 4, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
You can subscribe to have The SportsFan Buzz delivered to your inbox.
The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

NFL 2010 - Week 4 picks.....

Three weeks are done and we have three surprising teams at 3-0. Teams that needed wins (Dallas and Minnesota) got them and now a bye week to get their teams in order, while one (San Francisco) took a tough loss and doesn't see its path getting easier with a cross country trip to Atlanta on tap. As for the picks, week three was a hard week on my picking record and my ego.

Below the point spread games are the win/lose picks of Mike, myself and our guest picker, Cassie (my daughter who better not show up daddy).

NFL Week 4 picks (Home Team in Caps)
Bye Week: Buccaneers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Vikings

49ers (+6 1/2) over FALCONS
Atlanta got a huge win against the Saints last week on the road and now they gets a struggling San Francisco team who looks like the team we expected coming into the season. While I think the Falcons win this game, I think there will be a bit of a letdown from last week and they allow the 49ers to keep it close before pulling out the victory.

Jets (-4 1/2) over BILLS
This seems like a small number for two teams on opposite ends of the NFL "good scale". Jets will be without Darrelle Revis again this week, but it will not matter against the anemic Bills' offense. Expect a big day from LaDainian Tomlinson as New York pounds the ball against the Buffalo defense.

Bengals (+3) over BROWNS
The Bengal offense has been terrible and you have to wonder if it is all on Carson Palmer's shoulders? This week will be the test as the Cincinnati offense should be able to move the ball against a Browns team that gave up three TD passes through the air last week. Bengals' offense does get on track and they roll Cleveland.

PACKERS (-14 1/2) over Lions
This is a huge number, but the Packers gave Monday night's game to the Bears with multiple penalties and mental breakdowns and they take out their anger on the Lions' defense. Long day for Detroit at Lambeau Field as Aaron Rodgers leads a Packer team that knows they let one slip away against the Bears.

Broncos (+8 1/2) over TITANS
The Denver offense has been moving the ball well through the air, but need to put more points on the board. Tennessee has not looked great the last two weeks, despite the win against the Giants, and this game is close until the Titans pull off the victory late in the fourth quarter.

Seahawks (-1 1/2) over RAMS
There is a part of me that wants to give more love to the Rams after their first victory last week, but I just can't pull the trigger on them unless Steven Jackson is 100% healthy. Seattle needed two kickoff returns to beat the Chargers, but they were tough when needed in keeping the San Diego offense out of the end zone. Seahawks have enough to get the win and take early control of the bad NFC West.

SAINTS (-13) over Panthers
Carolina is a mess and Jimmy Clausen will have to learn on the job. That lesson will be tough against an opportunistic Saints defense. The New Orleans defense was exposed the last two weeks with both the 49ers and Falcons running against them, but because they won't be afraid of Clausen, they will stack the line and stuff DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Drew Brees has a big game and the Saints get back into the win column.

Ravens (+3) over STEELERS
Pittsburgh is playing with "house money" as they sit at 3-0 coming into the last game of the Ben Roethlisberger suspension. The Steeler defense has been great, but the Raven offense is better than any of the first three Pittsburgh has faced and they will put up enough points to get a tough divisional victory on the road.

Texans (-2) over RAIDERS
Houston looked like the Dallas team they were facing last week as they made mistakes that cost them chances and possibly the victory on Sunday. The Raiders suffered a tough loss in Arizona when the game winning field goal was pushed left by Sebastian Janikowski. Oakland has been running the ball well with Darren McFadden and will try to shorten the game against an explosive Texan offense. Some concern over Andre Johnson's ankle, but the Texans have too much for the Raiders.

Colts (-7) over JAGUARS
Jacksonville has been a turnover machine the last two weeks and having Peyton Manning and the Colts coming in will not make things easier for them as a shootout is not how the Jaguars want to play the game. Colts defense came up big when Denver threatened them last week and will step up to frustrate David Garrard and the Jag offense.

Redskins (+6 1/2) over EAGLES
Donovan McNabb returns to Philadelphia and it will be interesting to see how the Philly fans greet him. Washington did not look good in losing to the Rams, while the Eagles are riding Michael Vick sparking the offense, but it should be tempered a little as it has been the Jags and Lions the past two weeks. Eagles win, but the Redskins keep it close.

CHARGERS (-8) over Cardinals
The "slow start" curse has again hit the Chargers after their loss up in Seattle. Ryan Mathews should be back this week which will help San Diego balance their offense. The Cardinals ran the ball more with the return of Beanie Wells to help Tim Hightower and will probably try it against a suspect Charger running defense. Look for Philip Rivers and the offense to get the ball into the endzone more and get back to even for the season.

Bears (+3) over GIANTS
Does this Chicago team have the look of the 2006 team? A defense that is good and takes advantages of their opponents mistakes, while the offense does enough to put up the points to get victories. This Giant team is the perfect foe for them as they have been terrible protecting the ball and have self-destructed the past two weeks. New York needs to get back on track, but it may not happen against a Bear team still riding their early season success.

DOLPHINS (Even) over Patriots
Miami hurt themselves with a few defensive breakdowns against the Jets, especially against Dustin Keller and on third downs. Not a good combination against a Tom Brady led offense his passing weapons. On the flip side, the Dolphin offense moved the ball very well against the New York defense and the New England defense is nowhere nearly as good. Look for another big game from Brandon Marshall as the Dolphins take advantage against the young Patriot secondary.

Week 3 picks: 7-9
2010 season: 24-21-3

Win/Lose picks:
Guest picker for week 4: Cassie (my daughter)

Week 3 results: Mike (9-7) / Sal (8-8) / Guest (7-9)
2010 season: Mike (32-16) / Sal (30-18) / Guest (25-23)

Week 4 picks:
--- 49ers at Falcons --- Sal / Mike / Cassie
Sal / Mike / Cassie --- Jets at Bills ---
Sal / Mike / Cassie --- Bengals at Browns ---
--- Lions at Packers --- Sal / Mike / Cassie
Sal / Cassie --- Broncos at Titans --- Mike
Sal / Mike / Cassie --- Seahawks at Rams ---
--- Panthers at Saints --- Sal / Mike / Cassie
Sal --- Ravens at Steelers --- Mike / Cassie
Sal / Mike --- Texans at Raiders --- Cassie
Sal / Mike / Cassie --- Colts at Jaguars ---
Sal --- Redskins at Eagles --- Mike / Cassie
Cassie --- Cardinals at Chargers --- Sal / Mike
Sal / Mike --- Bears at Giants --- Cassie
--- Patriots at Dolphins --- Sal / Mike / Cassie