2017 College Football Picks vs The Spread - Week 9

Still 4 over .500. If you feel that I am wrong or just spewing nonsense, all comments are welcome.

1. (5) Wisconsin at Illinois (+27) - The Badgers will win this game. But on the road, it won't be a 4 touchdown win. Even though the opponent is Illinois.

Wisconsin 34, Illinois 20
Actual Score: Wisconsin 24, Illinois 10

Winning The American League Is Not Enough

Sorry Zeb. I had to put this on the blog. All of the fans of the non-legendary teams should be rooting for the Astros.

2017 College Football Picks vs The Spread - Week 8

Went 5-5 last week. Still 4 games above .500. The Arkansas/Alabama game is why I don't bet real money on this. Lost by 1/2 a point. Lost Michigan/Indiana by 1 point.

1. (10) Oklahoma State (-7) at Texas - The Longhorns look better than they did at the start of the season, but the letdown from losing to Oklahoma will be seen this week.

Oklahoma State 38, Texas 24
Actual Score: Oklahoma State 13, Texas 10 (OT)

As Seen On TV

I don't know if any of you watched last night's Boise State - San Diego State game on CBS Sports Network, but I saw this Aztec Shops commercial for the first time. This 30-second promo is an excellent way to illustrate what has happened to San Diego since the Chargers left for Los Angeles.

Why do I bring this up? It's worth noting that even though the Aztecs played their worst game of the season last night, the attendance for the game was 49,053. Or as I cracked on Twitter last night, two StubHubs.The best part? Unlike Chargers home games in the soccer stadium up the road, most of the fans in attendance for the Aztecs game at SDCCU Stadium were wearing red for the home team.

I hope this game is a wake up call for the City Council. We don't need the NFL here in San Diego. We're just fine being a college football city. Renovate SDCCU Stadium for our team, or build a smaller one and kiss the NFL and their greed goodbye.

2017 College Football Picks vs The Spread - Week 7

Coming off a 4-6 record last week, we have a week where there is no ranked teams facing each other. Where are the upsets coming from? I have three.

1. (6) TCU at Kansas State (+6.5) - The Horned Frogs can take control of the Big 12 if they can get past the Wildcats. I don't expect them to.

TCU 31, Kansas State 34
Actual Score: TCU 26, Kansas State 6

Will the Red Sox adapt or be content

We all watched as the Boston Red Sox fell to the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series 3-1. And as an Astros fan, it would be fun putting over the Astros as this team that will be on top for the next 5 years. Just look at the roster. Two position players are over the age of 30. That is it. Our pitching is starting to show up in the minors so there are some prospects that will start showing up in the rotation in the next couple of years. We look like we could be a power for the foreseeable future.

But that isn't what I am going to do. Instead this post will look at the Red Sox. I am impressed with the outfield, not so much with the infield. I am interested in how the Front Office comes up with solutions to the problems with the lineup and pitching staff. Also, what are they looking for in terms of Manager.

The outfield should be around for a while. Jackie Bradley Jr. in Center Field is good. He needs to figure out how to bring the batting average up a bit. And while I understand that he isn't the prototypical CF, some more stolen bases would be nice.  Mookie Betts seems to have taken a step back in 2017, but at age 25, that is to be expected the first time that you are talked to be a great player. Andrew Benintendi looks like he could also be a stud. A great first year for the kid, he might be the future CF and shift Bradley to left. However you put these three in the outfield, you have a foundation that you can rely on as the infield gets it makeover.

The infield will go through some personnel changes. I don't believe that Eduardo Nunez is an answer for third base. Rafael Devers is a prospect, but I think he needs a couple more years of seasoning to be a piece to help push towards a pennant. At shortstop, Xander Bogaerts is an upper echelon player. The defense is good, but the offensive production has gone down two straight years. He will still put up good numbers but not be the breakout star that he was projected to be a couple of years ago.

On the right side of the infield, Dustin Pedroia is starting to show his age. He is a great player that has the playing style of take no prisoners at all times. The body wears out quicker doing that and I believe that is what is starting to show. He might have one more great year in him, but I think that the decline will start to show fairly quickly. Maybe you put Brock Holt here instead of the DH or as the fourth outfielder. At 1B, Moreland and Ramierez are OK for now, but there needs to be a guy that can hit for power and have a decent average. 25 HR, 70 RBI, and a .250 average isn't what is needed.

At catcher, Christian Vazquez is growing. The offensive stats are increasing, he is a good defensive catcher and seems like the calling of the game is improving as well. And at age 27, he has time to grow into that veteran catcher who can call the game to give his team the best chance to win.

Now let's get to the achilles heel of the Red Sox, the pitching staff. Chris Sale and David Price are making lots of money. They need to be those workhorses that win 20 games and are the steady influences in the playoffs. For Price, that means you have to be a starter, not a reliever. For a guy who excelled in Tampa, it is like he is a different pitcher now who doesn't know exactly what he needs to do. For Sale, it is figuring out that the postseason is totally different than the regular season. With the White Sox, Sale did not pitch in the postseason. He will make the adjustments. Craig Kimbrel is a great save guy. But after that the pitching staff is in need of a shakeup. The starting staff has an ERA about 4.50. That isn't going to help the Sox in the postseason. You need two dominant starters. Sale is one of those, but you need to find a number 2. Price if he can come back to prior form should be that number 2. And you need a third guy who is dependable. I don't see that in the current pitching staff. The bullpen is dependable enough to get to Kimbrel.

Overall, the Red Sox have enough currently to do what they did this past year. Win the AL East and make the playoffs. That should not be acceptable for what the Red Sox are paying for their players. The team needs to get back to the Epstein theory of building a team instead of acting like the Yankees little brother. Until that happens, be happy with winning AL East pennants.

2017 College Football Picks vs The Spread - Week 6

Still 6 games above .500 after treading water the past 2 weeks. Need to get more of a cushion before the big boys play each other later this season.

1. Wake Forest at (2) Clemson (-21.5) - The Demon Deacons might be able to cover if this were basketball. Not on the football field.

Wake Forest 13, Clemson 48
Actual Score: Wake Forest 14, Clemson 28