Richard O'Malley: O'Malley & Goldstein

UEFA Champions League - Round of 16 Draw + Mini Previews

2010-12-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

In my opinion there is not a better soccer tournament than the UEFA Champions League. Earlier in life I would have said that the World Cup is a much better tournament but as good as the World Cup is to watch the UEFA Champions League to me at least is even better. This years round of 16 drawing has lead to some very interesting match-ups. Some of these match-ups were seen in last years competition and some of these match-ups have been seen in past competitions but all of them should end up being very exciting match-ups to watch. The first leg of this year's round of 16 begins on February 15th & 16th and 22nd & 23rd, the drawing was as follow:

* AS Roma (Italy) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
* AC Milan (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)
* Valencia CF (Spain) vs FC Schalke 04 (Germany)
* FC Internazionale (Italy) vs FC Bayern Munchen (Germany)
* Olympique Lyonnais (France) vs Real Madrid CF (Spain)
* Arsenal FC (England) vs FC Barcelona (Spain)
* Olympique Marseille (France) vs Manchester United FC (England)
* FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) vs Chelsea FC (England)

AS Roma (Italy) vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - This should be a great match-up to watch, especially if AS Roma can enter into the tie in good form. AS Roma should be on watch for a tough set of matches against Shakhtar, a team that has never made it this far in Europe prior. While this should be a great hard fought battle on the pitch, the Shakhtar General Director, Serhiy Palkin has been quoted as saying, "We are up against very strong opponents, but I'm glad we avoided the likes of Internazionale Milano, AC Milan and Valencia". I would expect this match to be very tight and should come down to who's defense can rise to the occassion.

AC Milan (Italy) vs Tottenham Hotspur FC (England) - AC Milan are 7 time champions of Europe but in my opinion have drawn a very difficult match-up with Tottenham Hotspur FC. The last time that Tottenham played a team from the San Siro was in the group stage when they played Internazionale. Tottenham gave it their all in Milan but leaked goals, losing 4-3. However, Tottenham was able to beat Inter in the return leg at White Hart Lane 3-1. Because of the results in the group stage I don't believe that Tottenham will be intimidated going back to the San Siro and in my opinion have a decent chance at advancing through the Round of 16.

Valencia CF (Spain) vs FC Schalke 04 (Germany) - Schalke has a challenge in front of them having drawn Valencia, however I think that it is very helpful to them that the first leg will take place at Mestalla on February 15th, and the second leg will be in Gelsenkirchen on March 9th. If they can get out of Mestalla with a draw then Schalke will have improved their chances to advance with the deciding match being played at home. When these two clubs met in the 2007/2008 group stage Schalke lost 1-0 at home but were able to obtain a 0-0 draw in Spain. One thing Schalke has going for them is Raul Gonzalez. Gonzalez having recently left Real Madrid after 18 years knows Valencia very well and has scored plenty of goals against them. Gonzalez has scored 12 goals in 24 La Liga matches against Valencia and will need to be in great form to increase Schalke's chances of advancing through to the next round.

FC Internazionale (Italy) vs FC Bayern Munchen (Germany) - Hopefully this match-up sounds familiar to you as it happened just last year in the UEFA Champions League Final. Inter right now is in a crisis, having just fired Rafael Benítez and currently sitting in 7th place in the Serie A (13 points behind leaders AC Milan). I personally do not think this is a good draw for Inter. When I watched the drawing live on the internet and this match-up was drawn it appeared to me that Bayern Munchen was very excited to get the chance to play Internazionale again after losing 2-0 in the final last year. Bayern lost to Internazionale 2-0 in the final on two goals from Diego Milito and it was an Inter squad under the coaching of the great Jose Mourinho who of course now manages Real Madrid. Even in the media of late, there has been a lot of talk from the Bayern side about "settling scores", I just think that Bayern will be so motivated in this match-up that Inter will find it a very difficult task to advance through to the next round.

Olympique Lyonnais (France) vs Real Madrid CF (Spain) - I think that what is so intriguing about this match-up is that just last year these two teams met in the Round of 16 and it was Olympique Lyonnais that came out on top, eliminating Real Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. This years Real Madrid to me are a much better squad and as mentioned earlier now has Jose Mourinho at the helm. Mourinho has already proven that he can win in Europe and I for one would be surprised if the results of last year's Round of 16 happen again this year. Both teams feature very good defenses and it will be interesting to see who can crack in the first goal of this match-up but I would think that Real Madrid's chances of advancing through to the next round are very good.

Arsenal FC (England) vs FC Barcelona (Spain) - This is actually the draw that I am most looking forward to. Going into the drawings I think there was a 50/50 chance that Arsenal was going to draw Barcelona or Real Madrid and sure enough they drew Barca. This is also a rematch from last season that saw Barcelona advancing through on aggregate (6-3) after a masterful second-leg match by none other than Lionel Messi. Last season these two squads played to a 2-2 draw in the first leg in north London. In the second leg at the Camp Nou it was Arsenal who took an early lead but then Messi scored all 4 of Barcelona's goals in a 4-1 second leg victory that saw them through. Barcelona's European dreams were then cut short in the very next round as they ended up losing 3-2 to eventual champions Internazionale. What can you say about Barcelona? Their reputation precedes them in both European and Domestic competition. Arsenal is currently fighting to be the top of the English Premier League and made a statement just the other day beating a currently struggling Chelsea squad at the Emirates. For Arsenal to advance through to the next round Fabregas and Walcott will need to be great. This is a Barcelona team that has pretty much dismantled everyone they have played this year, including an absolute beat-down of Real Madrid a few weeks back. To me this will be the best match-up of the Round of 16. If you can only watch one game on the day(s) these two play, it should be this match-up.

Olympique Marseille (France) vs Manchester United FC (England) - While the possibility of drawing Internazionale or AC Milan was very real for Manchester United they instead drew Olympique Marseille. Manchester United are in good form and currently sit atop the table in the English Premier League with a couple of games in hand. To date they have yet to lose a league match this season with 10 wins and 8 draws to their credit. Marseille currently find themselves 5th in France Ligue 1 but only 3 points behind leaders Lille. I think that what is good news for Manchester United is that Wayne Rooney has been showing signs of returning to his good form of late. If Wayne Rooney can get going again, Manchester United can be a very dangerous team to not only advance through to the next round but also to contend for the UEFA Championship. The key for this match-up will be Manchester United's play away at Olympique de Marseille's Stade Vélodrome. Marseille are a pretty tough squad who get great support and are really good at home. Their domestic record at home is currently 4 wins 4 draws and 1 loss outscoring opponents 14-7 in those 9 games. Manchester United should hope for at least a draw in France and get a win at Old Trafford to see themselves through to the next round.

FC Kobenhavn (Denmark) vs Chelsea FC (England) - On February 22nd the first leg of the tie will take place, as Kobenhavn will welcome Chelsea to Parken Stadion. Parken Stadion has been a great place for Kobenhavn as they have not lost a UEFA Champions League match at home this year including a 1-1 draw against Barcelona on match day 4 of the group stage. FC Kobenhavn is the first Danish team ever to progress from the group stage and they will be hoping that their terrific play at Parken Stadion can continue. Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea squad is at the moment in a bit of a "crisis" by their standards anyway. Chelsea just recently beat Bolton to give them their first league win in their last 7 matches. Chelsea currently sit 4th in the Premier League, 4 points behind leaders Manchester United. The key to this tie will be the play of Didier Drogba who is very hungry for a UEFA Championship title. While I have seen stranger things in my life, I would lean that Chelsea should be able to pull it together and advance through to the next round knocking off FC Kobenhavn who may come up just short.

As the time gets closer to the start of all of these matches I would like to post some more detailed analysis of some of these Round of 16 match-ups. No matter if you are a fan of these teams or just a fan of soccer in general, this year's UEFA Championship League Round of 16 drawing has surely promised all of us some great matches to watch and enjoy!

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#1 Alabama (3-0) @ #11 Arkansas (3-0)

2010-09-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

While there are many great games this weekend, one that I and many other people are looking forward to is the showdown between (#1) Alabama and (#11) Arkansas at Razorback Stadium, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. While both teams come into this game with perfect 3-0 records, this will be Alabama’s first game versus a SEC opponent and Arkansas’s second game.

Last Week:
Last week Alabama rolled into Duke and blew them out (62-13) and it could have been much worse, as Alabama was able to put up 28 points in the first quarter alone last week. The questionable decision of playing Mark Ingram for the first time this season did end in disaster, but a disaster for Duke. Mark Ingram managed to put up 151 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 9 carries. In a lot of ways this was not only a message that he is healthy, but a message to Trent Richardson just to make sure he remembers who the starting running back on this team really is. Greg McElroy had a great day through the air as he went 12 of 20 for 258 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception in an absolute rout of Duke. Through their first 3 games Alabama has not really been challenged, they were challenged some by Penn State but ultimately Penn State’s untimely turnovers helped to do them in.

Arkansas had a tougher battle in their game last week as they went on the road to Athens, Georgia to face the Bulldogs. Arkansas came into the game 1.5 point underdogs at most shops, but it did not take them long to let everyone know they came to play. Arguably one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation Ryan Mallett started the scoring off in the first quarter with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Chris Gragg. Arkansas then went on to really control the first half of play, taking a 17-7 lead into halftime. In the second half of the game, Georgia’s defense began to assert itself more, especially when the fourth quarter came around. Georgia even came back to tie the game late at 24-24. However, Ryan Mallett was able to lead his team down the field for one final drive, capped off with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Greg Childs, to give Arkansas a 31-24 in Athens.

This Week:
Alabama comes into this game with the nation’s 4th best overall offense and 10th best overall defense. Arkansas is sporting the nation’s 15th best overall offense and 11th best overall defense. The line for this game has not moved very much from where it opened and is currently sitting at Alabama (-7) at most shops with the total at 56. Last year Arkansas went to Alabama and get pushed around in a 35-7 beat down. I actually expect this year’s meeting to be a much closer game. I feel that Arkansas will definitely be Alabama’s biggest challenge so far this season and will be one of their biggest challenges this entire season.

Arkansas Wins This Game If:
So far this season Alabama has looked to be unstoppable on both offense and defense, however there have been some times where their defense has looked vulnerable. If not for throwing mistakes by some of their opponents, the Alabama defensive backs would have been exposed on numerous occasions. Ryan Mallett, being as good as advertised will relish the opportunity to exploit the Crimson Tide defensive backs and take advantage of soft spots in the zone. On defense Arkansas needs to be concerned about stopping the run. The run sets up many other offensive opportunities and is one of Alabama’s strong suits. This task however is much easier said than done, but if it can be done, Arkansas may very well find themselves playing in the SEC Title game if they can grab a victory at home over Alabama.

Alabama Wins This Game If:
Most of Arkansas’s offense rides with the hot hand of Ryan Mallett. So far this season Ryan Mallett has thrown for 1,081 yards on 70 of 100 passing with 9 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. So far this season Alabama has given up 132.7 yards per game through the air, while Arkansas has averaged 367.7 yards per game passing. There is no secret here, stop Ryan Mallett and you can stop Arkansas. However, as mentioned earlier the Alabama DBs will be tested and will need to have much better coverage against the Arkansas wide-outs than they have shown in previous games this season. On offense, Alabama should try and pound the ball with their Heisman winning running back Mark Ingram. This will allow them to tire out the Arkansas defense for later in the game, and will allow them to set up pass threats from Ingram to Alabama’s leading receiver Julio Jones.

We do not currently have a recommended play or even a lean on this game. My suggestion would be grab your favorite football food, kick back in your favorite chair, and enjoy every minute of this game. My only opinion on this game would be that it will be a lot closer than last year’s meeting. I would be very surprised to see this game be a blow out, I would also be surprised if Alabama wins that they cover much more than the (-7) spread. Enjoy every one, this should be a classic SEC battle!

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Michigan Wolverines - '10 Football Preview

2010-07-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

While I do agree with most "pundits" that this upcoming college football season is very big for Rich Rodriguez I do not think that it is a make or break year. I feel that he gets at least one more opportunity if his Michigan Wolverines struggle during the 2010 season. I think that the 2010 college football season is going to be a great one and the Michigan Wolverines will be a season long story to keep your eyes on. The Michigan Wolverines started the 2009 college football season very promising winning their first 4 games of the season, including a 4 point win as 3 point dogs over Notre Dame (38-34) in front of 110,000+ fans at The Big House. However, after an OT loss to their in-state rivals Michigan State, the Wolverines season took a turn for the worse. Michigan would not win another game against a FBS team in 2009 after week 4. The 2009 season for Michigan continued to spiral downward as they ended the season losing 5 straight including a loss at home to Purdue while being a 6 point favorite and worse than that a 38-13 beating at the hands of a horrid Illinois team in Champaign as a 7 point favorite. The loss to Illinois was huge because it essentially cost Michigan the chance to be bowl eligible. Michigan then ended the 2009 season with a 21-10 loss at home to eventual Rose Bowl winners Ohio State. The 2009 season was not only gloomy for Michigan straight up, but they also managed to post a 5-6-1 record against the spread in '09. 2009 also marked the 2nd straight year that the Michigan Wolverines did not make it to a bowl game. On a bright note, Michigan did improve from 2008 where they posted a 3-9 straight up record to 5-7 in 2009.

Michigan Wolverines - 2010 - Schedule:

Date:     Opponent:
09/04     Connecticut
09/11     @ Notre Dame
09/18     Massachusetts
09/25     Bowling Green
10/02     @ Indiana
10/09     Michigan State
10/16     Iowa (HC)
10/30     @ Penn State
11/06     Illinois
11/13     @ Purdue
11/20     Wisconsin
11/27     @ Ohio State

Michigan's first game of the season at home vs Connecticut could be very telling to how their 2010 season will unfold. I think that a benefit to Michigan is 2010 is having games against Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Iowa at home. I am not saying that Michigan will win all 4 of those games, but it at least will help them a little bit to have those as home games. The Iowa game is especially intriguing as it is home coming and the Wolverines have a decent record against Iowa (24-7-1, with 5 of those 7 losses by 3 points or less). Michigan also has a QB controversy that Rich Rodriguez has said will remain an open competition in August, between Forcier, Robinson, and freshman Devin Gardner. My early lean would be that Tate Forcier will get the starting QB job. Looking through their schedule I can see Michigan getting at least 6 wins and making it to a bowl game for the first time since 2007. A 6 win season will also keep the developing trend of Michigan improving their straight-up record each year from 2008 through 2010.

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World Cup Preview - Group A

2010-06-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Current FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking:
France: {9}
Uruguay: {16}
Mexico: {17}
South Africa: {83}

France - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Defender(s): Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla FC)
Midfielder(s): Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Forward(s): Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Djibril Cisse, Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

Mexico - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Luis Michel, Guillermo Ochoa, Oscar Perez
Defender(s): Paul Aguilar, Efrain Juarez, Jonny Magallon, Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar), Ricardo Osorio (VfB Stuttgart), Francisco Rodriguez (PSV Eindhoven / Atletico Junior), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Jorge Torres Nilo (Atlas)
Midfielder(s): Pablo Barrera, Israel Castro, Giovani Dos Santos, Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna), Alberto Medina, Gerardo Torrado
Forward(s): Adolfo Bautista, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Guillermo Franco (West Ham United), Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela (Arsenal)

South Africa - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Moneeb Josephs, Itumeleng Khune, Shu-Aib Walters
Defender(s): Matthew Booth, Siboniso Gaxa, Bongani Khumalo, Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth), Anele Ngongca, Siyabonga Sangweni, Lucas Thwala
Midfielder(s): Lance Davids, Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham), Thanduyise Khuboni, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Teko Modise, Surprise Moriri, Steven Pienaar (Everton), MacBeth Sibaya (FK Rubin Kazan), Siphiwe Tshabalala
Forward(s): Katlego Mphela, Siyabonga Nomvete, Bernard Parker (Twente Enschede)

Uruguay - 23 Man Squad:
Goalkeeper(s): Juan Castillo, Fernando Muslera (Lazio), Martin Silva
Defender(s): Martin Caceres (Barcelona), Jorge Fucile (FC Porto), Diego Godin (Villarreal), Diego Lugano, Andres Scotti, Mauricio Victorino
Midfielder(s): Egidio Arevalo Rios (San Luis / Penarol), Sebastian Eguren, Alvaro Fernandez (Nacional / Universidad de Chile), Walter Gargano (Napoli), Ignacio Gonzalez (Newcastle United), Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax Amsterdam / Nacional), Alvaro Pereira (Argentinos Juniors / FC Porto), Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica), Diego Perez (AS Monaco)
Forward(s): Sebastian Abreu, Edison Cavani (Palermo), Sebastian Fernandez, Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Luis Suarez (Ajax Amsterdam)

Preview:
While every host nation has always qualified for the round of 16, the buzz going around is that South Africa will be the first host nation not to qualify for the round of 16 in the history of the World Cup. Despite playing horrid international friendlies, France is still probably the team to beat in this group. They have a lot of individual talent, who played very well for their clubs and will probably have their chemistry figured out by the time the World Cup starts on June 11th. Uruguay can also be a threat to advance into the round of 16, especially with a star player like Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid). Mexico despite being a very young inexperienced team is still a very good squad and even though it was just a friendly, anytime you can beat Italy you will gain lots of confidence. Les Bleus on the other hand, despite all their talent has struggled through their friendlies including an embarrassing loss to China, whom we can assume France scheduled as a morale booster that went terribly wrong.

Group A - Game(s) to watch
[June 11th] - Mexico vs South Africa - The first game of the World Cup should always be a game to watch!
[June 17th] - France vs Mexico - This game can should go a long way to decided who finishes 1st and who finishes 2nd in Group A.

Suggested Lean:
Team to finish 1st and 2nd in Group A. In correct order to qualify to round of 16: {Bookmaker}
1st France - 2nd Mexico [+350]

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New York Gets Super Bowl in 2014!

2010-05-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Today it was announced that the great states of New York / New Jersey will get Super Bowl XLVIII (48) in 2014! That to me is great news. I cannot however begin to fathom why it took 4 ballots, come on people. Miami was eliminated after the 2nd ballot, and the final vote came between New York / New Jersey and Tampa. The 3rd ballot did not have a clear cut winner, so the voting went to a 4th ballot where all you need is a simple majority of 17 votes. Finally it was announced that New York / New Jersey will get the Super Bowl in 2014.

For some reason some people really seem to have a problem with this, and I can't really grasp why. First of all, there is why to much complaining and whining about things in the world today anyway, my goodness people grow up! That mini rant aside, one of the biggest problems people have with having the Super Bowl in New York / New Jersey is the weather. Realistically most games that are considered to be the best and most memorable happened to be played in inclement weather. Weather is part of the game, that's just how it should be. When we were all growing up playing football with our friends, did we care that it was cold or snowing or windy or warm? No, no way we just played football and I'm sure that all the NFL players growing up did the same thing. Some people think it would give certain teams an advantage, but does playing the Super Bowl in doors or in warm climates give greater advantages to teams from the South or from warmer climates? Again the answer is no. What I can't believe is that there are so many wimps out there afraid to go outside in winter, boo who, there might be wind or a flake of snow. Actually going on how the climate is reacting, it could be a nice clear 55 degree day or warmer.

What better area is there really to have the Super Bowl? New York and New Jersey will absolutely make this a huge 2 week party leading up to the game. There will be events probably at Liberty State Park in New Jersey and around Giants Stadium, and of course there will be events at the Javits Center, Radio City, and of course MSG will all be involved in pre Super Bowl week festivities. I think this could and should open the door for other "cold climate" cities to have the Super Bowl in the future, like Chicago would also make a great city to have the Super Bowl. I'm actually surprised that anyone would be criticizing New York / New Jersey getting the Super Bowl, this is going to be fantastic.

The bottom line here is that weather elements are part of football, they are just part of the game. I just think that this is great for the NFL and for New York and New Jersey, Super Bowl XLVIII should be fantastic and hopefully this leads to more Super Bowls being played out doors in cities that may have "undesirable" weather at that time of the year. With the Super Bowl being played in the New York area in 2014 you can expect about a year long media build up to the event nationally and world-wide, the NFL has struck gold yet again!

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Blackhawks vs Sharks

2010-05-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

Game 1 between the Sharks and the Blackhawks was an all out war. Normally when I think of the western conference I think speed and finesse from every team top to bottom. However, that was not the kind of game we were treated to in game 1. The Sharks and Blackhawks came out hitting and played physical hockey for all 60 minutes. There were a total of 62 hits between the two teams in game 1 and while I do not see the pace of 62+ hits per game, I do see this continuing to be a very physical and long series.

I feel that the San Jose Sharks, who have never been to the Stanley Cup Finals, controlled much of the 1st game. Nabokov let in an "easy" goal to give the blackhawks their first goal of the game, a save attempt im sure he would like back. The Sharks were not only able to controll much of the game but they also managed to put up 45 shots on goal and only Niemi's goaltending brilliance held the Sharks at bay. At the same time the Sharks did a great job at disctracting Byfuglien while he camped out in front of the Sharks net. It was though Byfuglien's powerful slapshot with 6:45 to go in the 3rd period that sealed the deal for the Blackhawks in game 1.

The Blackhawks owned the Sharks in the regular season, winning 3 out of their 4 matchups, which includes winning both games at the Shark Tank {4-3 [OT] & 7-2}. I feel that the Sharks played better in game 1 than what the final result was. I still think this series is pretty much a toss up. I expect this series to be 2-2 after 4 games. With all of that said I think that there is great value and I suggest taking the San Jose Sharks (+185)[@ BookMaker] to win the Western Conference Finals Series.

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So Who's Destiny Is It?

2010-05-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

We are now into the 3rd round of one of the wildest and unpredictable NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs ever. However, its unpredictability is exactly what helps make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs arguably the best playoffs in all sports. I know handfuls of people who do not even watch hockey all season, but they will make it a point to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The sacrifice and the passion that every single player has in these playoffs are unmatched in any other sport. This is definitely not a sport for those who aren't brave, and its not a sport if you don't think the Stanley Cup is the most important thing in your life.

This year we have a somewhat predictable #1 vs #2 seeds, facing off in the Western Conference finals. However, it is a different story in the Eastern Conference finals. In the east we see the #7 vs #8 seeds, both now meeting up against unprecedented odds.

How They Got Here:
In the first round the Flyers (after going into a shoot-out vs the Rangers on the last day of the season to qualify for the playoffs), got what was probably their most favorable match-up; the New Jersey Devils. If anyone was surprised that the #7 Flyers beat the #2 Devils then you hadn't been paying attention all season. The Flyers owned the Devils in the regular season winning 5 of their 6 meetings, and they continued their dominance over the Devils in the 1st round of this years playoffs. The Montreal Canadians were given a much tougher task, the #1 Washington Capitals. The Canadians won game 1 vs the Capitals only to then lose the next 3 and find themselves down 3 games to 1 and on the brink of elimination. It was then that Halak began to seemingly flip a switch and make one remarkable save after another game after game after game. The Canadians then stunned the Capitals in game 7 in Washington; by a score of 2 to 1.

The Canadians reward for coming back from down 3 games to 1 to eliminate the #1 seed in the east, was to play the #4 seed in the east; the Pittsburgh Penguins. After splitting the first 4 games of this series the Canadians once again found themselves on the brink of elimination down 3 games to 2. Much like the first round it was Halak's brilliance and great team play all around that allowed the Canadians to again win in 7 games thus now officially shedding their Cinderella tag and showing the World that they came to play in these playoffs. If that series was not good enough, it was the series between the Flyers and the Bruins in round 2 that stole the show. Down 3 games to 0, the Philadelphia Flyers were able to become only the 3rd team in NHL history (and 4th team in sports history) ever to come back from being down 3 games to 0 to win a 7 game series. What was even more special was the Flyers found themselves down 3-0 in Game 7 in Boston and were able to pick themselves up and win the game, securing themselves in NHL history.

Canadians vs Flyers
So looking at how the two teams got here, anyone can argue that its the Canadians destiny or its the Flyers destiny to play in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. However, I feel that the Canadians will need heroics greater than what they showed in both round 1 and round 2 to be able to overcome the challenge that they face playing the Philadelphia Flyers. Shocking? Not really. Both teams that the Canadians played in the the past 2 rounds of the playoffs have similar styles offensively and defensively. Offensively the Capitals and the Penguins play with a lot of finesse and speed. They make great moves and they take shots from anywhere; straight on and off to the sides. As far as defense goes, the Capitals and the Penguins are not really known for their great defensive abilities. As I explained on Twitter about an hour before the start of game 1 against the Flyers: The Flyers are a totally different team than whom the Canadians have played against thus far. The Flyers have some speed but what the Flyers love to do is be physical and grind out goals. You will not see them make the fancy finesse moves or shots from all angels. The Flyers will place men in front of Halak all game long, every game and just pound away offensively at the front of the net. They will just drive over and over crashing the net and working hard for their goals. That is just the Flyers style. Also as the Canadians saw in game 1, unlike the Capitals and Penguins, the Flyers can play great defense. Chris Pronger will be everywhere throughout this series, and he will make it a point to make Cammalleri and the other Canadians forwards lives, a living hell.

While I do not think this series will be a sweep, as the Canadians have shown much resilience in the playoffs thus far, I do think that the Flyers will win this series and go on to play for Lord Stanley's Cup. An hour before the game started I posted on Twitter (if you are not already following me my name on twitter is omalleypicks) for everyone to take the Flyers to win the series against the Canadians at (-110) on bookmaker. Now since game 1 has already past, bookmaker has the Flyers to win the series against the Canadians at (-205), I advise to take if you missed getting on them at (-110).

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Big 10 Expansion

2010-05-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

There is a rumor that the other day the Big 10 officially invited 4 teams to join the Big 10 conference as they look to expand. The 4 teams that got the invites were; Notre Dame, Rutgers, Nebraska, and Missouri. However, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has since denied this. I personally think that it is a great idea for the Big Ten to expand and hopefully get a conference championship game, to help with exposure late in the season like the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 to name a few. Now as it is, the Big 10 is finished weeks before the bowl selection process is done. Expansion will also make the conference a much tougher conference and push respect for the Big 1o higher than it already is.

I see nothing wrong with inviting Missouri, Nebraska, or Rutgers, however I do not think that the Big 10 should invite Notre Dame. Notre Dame had their chance years ago but turned the Big 10 down. So I say they should not have been asked again, or ever again. Sure Notre Dame carries a huge national following, but my goodness they are hyped up every year for nothing, every year. I think it would have been better for the Big 10 to invite Pitt to join in on the expansion of the conference. Hopefully Notre Dame would say no and Pitt will get their chance. While I am not personally a fan of Pitt themselves, I think that Pitt is a great team, a strong team and have only been getting better and will only get better in the years to come.

Even if just Nebraska agrees to join the Big 10 that will be huge for the conference. However, adding Rutgers, and Missouri and possible a Pitt or Notre Dame is definitely a great decision by the Big 10. Not only their great athletics, but the invited schools also have great academic achievements that will fit in nicely with the tradition of the Big 10 in athletics and academics. On word that the Big 10 would like to expand, the SEC and PAC 10 have also mentioned expansion. The Big 12, ACC, and Big East are understandable nervous. I have heard rumors that the SEC would go out to try and add, Florida State, Miami, Texas A&M, and Texas. So plenty of things to keep our eyes on building up to the start of the 2010 College Football season and what a season it should be!

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Pittsburgh Steelers - 2010 Regular Season Outlook

2010-05-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh Steelers - 2010/11 Regular Season Schedule
Week:	Date:	Time:	Opponent:
1	Sunday, Sep. 12	1:00pm EDT	Falcons
2	Sunday, Sep. 19	1:00pm EDT	@ Titans
3	Sunday, Sep. 26	1:00pm EDT	@ Buccaneers
4	Sunday, Oct. 03	1:00pm EDT	Ravens
5	Sunday, Oct. 10	BYE	--------
6	Sunday, Oct. 17	1:00pm EDT	Browns
7	Sunday, Oct. 24	1:00pm EDT	@ Dolphins
8	Sunday, Oct. 31	8:20pm EDT	@ Saints
9	Monday, Nov. 08	8:30pm EDT	@ Bengals
10	Sunday, Nov. 14	8:20pm EDT	Patriots
11	Sunday, Nov. 21	1:00pm EDT	Raiders
12	Sunday, Nov. 28	1:00pm EDT	@ Bills
13	Sunday, Dec. 05	8:20pm EDT	@ Ravens
14	Sunday, Dec. 12	1:00pm EDT	Bengals
15	Sunday, Dec. 19	4:15pm EDT	Jets
16	Thursday, Dec. 23	8:20pm EDT	Panthers
17	Sunday, Jan. 02	1:00pm EDT	@ Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin the 2010 NFL regular season trying to rebound from a disappointing 2009 season. In my opinion the suspension of Roethlisberger for the first 6 games, plus the arrangement of their 2010 schedule does not help the Steelers one bit.

Missing Roethlisberger for the first 6 games will of course be crucial. Who know where the Steelers will be come the first game Roethlisberger gets to play in. Steelers have their bye week in week 5. I think that you never want to have you bye week to early or to late. If it was up to me, I would say the ideal bye week would be somewhere around weeks 7, 8, or 9. A bye week that is too early just means that you have to go a really long stretch without rest. Rest that may be needed to aide injured players or just to take time to catch your breath and analyze where you are and what needs to be done. In the case of the 2010 Steelers, they are in the position of having to play 12 straight games, but breaking their schedule down further I see more concerns.

I know that it took the Ravens overtime to beat the Steelers without Roethlisberger last year and I think that Dennis Dixon is a good QB and will only get better in time, but this years Ravens squad will be even better than last years team.The Steelers will play a home game, week 4, against the Ravens without Roethlisberger and I would be surprised if the Steelers are still in the game late. That is not a knock against the Steelers but more of an appreciation for the 2010 Ravens. What bothers me most about the Steelers schedule though is that they have to play 5 of their first 8 games on the road. That would be hard enough for any team, let alone a team missing their starting QB for 6 games. Within those first 8 games the Steelers have to play a stretch of 4 very difficult games, including 3 straight games on the road. Week 7, the Steelers have to go to Miami which will not be an easy game. After that, week 8, the Steelers travel to the Saints followed by a trip in week 9 to the Bengals. If having 3 straight road games was not bad enough, in week 10, the Steelers finally get to come back home; their reward is that they have to play the New England Patriots. Needless to say, this will be the toughest stretch in their schedule.

Now its not all bad for the Steelers. If the Steelers are still in contention late in the season I think their schedule finally begins to favor them, with 3 of the last 4 games being at home. If they are in contention they have to play home against the Bengals, home against the Jets, home against the Panthers, and finish the year on the road against the Browns.

I think that as far as games of interest are concerned, of course any divisional games will be huge, but for games outside of the division their are 3 games that should be circled on your calendar as a football fan. Week 8 at the Saints, Week 10 home against the Patriots, and a really intriguing game week 15 at home against Santonio Holmes and his New York Jets.

Giving just an early and quick look through their schedule I have the Steelers going around 11-5 or 10-6 which I think given the circumstances most Steelers fans would be very pleased with.

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National League Central Division: Cardinals

2010-04-03T14:41:00.001-07:00

MLB Futures: NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals

Odds to win the 2010 MLB National League Central Division

Chicago Cubs +175
Cincinnati Reds +825
Houston Astros +1200
Milwaukee Brewers +790
Pittsburgh Pirates +2500
Saint Louis Cardinals -150

The St. Louis Cardinals will be going for their 2nd straight Nation League Central Division title this upcoming season, and realistically they should not find too much trouble along the way. The other teams in their division (Cubs, Brewers, Astros, Pirates, and Reds) are at least one step back from where the Cardinals are. This St. Louis Cardinals team may be one of the most complete teams in all of Major League Baseball, led by two dynamite starting pitchers who finished 2nd and 3rd in the National League Cy Young voting in 2009. Chris Carpenter (17-4, 2.24 ERA in 2009 {Best ERA in the National League in '09}) and Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA in 2009) will be looking to at least match what they were able to do last season, the scary thought is they may be able to surpass what they did last season. The best move that the Cardinals made in the off-season was retaining Matt Holliday. The Cardinals offense sputtered out of the gate last season until Matt Holliday joined the club, and now they get to have the services of Holliday for the entire season! Not only are the Cardinals a very complete team, but they are very well balanced. They have great offensive players backed by terrific pitching and superb defense and as they showed last season they are very dangerous at home and on the road (Home Wins: 46 Away Wins: 45 in 2009).

In 2010 the 3 time National League MVP ALbert Pujols will be gunning for a milestone, as he goes for 400 career home runs. He currently has 366 HRs and has been able to hit at least 34 HRs every season with the exception of 2007. When he passes this milestone this season he will be only the 5th player all-time to eclipse the 400 HR mark before he turns 31. He will be joining a prestigious group that boasts the names of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, and Jimmie Foxx. Retaining Matt Holliday will serve crucial in the quest as he provides great protection for Albert Pujols.

Make no bones about it, this Cardinals team not only has strong starting pitching but a great bullpen as well that will act as a safety net in close late games. This Cardinals pitching staff managed the 4th best ERA in the majors in '09 with a 3.66 and ranked 12th in the majors in '09 in saves with 43. The only question mark in the pitching staff may actually be their All-Star closer Ryan Franklin who has to redeem himself from a not so stellar end to the '09 season. However, I believe that Franklin will rebound nicely. Franklin and the entire pitching staff including the addition of Brad Penny in the off-season will make the Cardinals a huge threat to not only win the National League Central Division title, but possibly the National League Pennant as well.

Free Blog Pick: St. Louis Cardinals -150 (To win the National League Central Division).

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AL Central Division Preview

2010-04-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

MLB Futures: AL Central

To many people the American League Central Division is probably the most competitive division in all of Major League Baseball. It may not boast the best teams in MLB but it can always be counted on as a division where 3 of the 5 teams (sorry Kansas City & Cleveland) have a real chance of winning the division. In the 2009 season, the race to win the AL Central title came all the way down to the wire, and I expect this season to be close to the same thing. While there is not much of a chance for the Royals to win the division, I would say that the other 3 teams all have a decent shot and I would not be surprised to see any of the favored 3 end up in 1st place in the AL Central, when the 2010 season is all said and done. Below are a list of odds from BookMaker (odds of 04/02/10), to win the American League Central Division title:

Odds to win the American League Central Division:

Chicago White Sox +140
Cleveland Indians +700
Detroit Tigers +295
Kansas City Royals +2500
Minnesota Twins +140

Kansas City Royal fans should be excited for the 2010 season, but not blinded to the fact that they are not yet on the same level with the Tigers, Twins, and White Sox. However, they are going to be in a tight race for 4th place in the division with the Cleveland Indians and may even edge them out. Zack Greinke will once again be the ace of the pitching staff as he will look to be even better than his 16-8 record last season. Despite all of Greinke's accolades and his 2.16 ERA from last season, the Kansas City Royals pitching staff managed to finish 26th in the majors in ERA with a 4.83. The 2010 Kansas City Royals pitching staff will need to be very sharp this season, especially in the first 12 games of the season which could be a disaster for the team. In their first 12 games of the 2010 MLB regular season the Kansas City Royals will play 6 straight home games (3 vs Detroit Tigers & 3 vs Boston Red Sox) and then a very difficult 6 straight divisional road games (3 @ Detroit Tigers & 3 @ Minnesota Twins) before continuing their road trip at the Toronto Blue Jays. If the Royals want to do well in the upcoming season, they will have to do exceptionally well in the month of April and hope that they can get things rolling from there.

The Cleveland Indians have shown (during Spring Training) that they have some pop in their bats and could be a threat based on their offensive production, however I believe that it is their pitching that will let them down this season and keep them from reaching any of the top 3 spots in the division. The Indians have no one to blame but themselves, they made no big off-season moves to try and help a pitching staff that was 29th in the majors last year in ERA (5.06) and tied for 29th in the majors in Saves (25). In a division where all the teams can hit, you need to be able to pitch to win games, I mean how many games can the Indians really win, when they need to score about 5 runs per game every single day to have a chance? Perhaps it will be the Indians new manager, Manny Acta that can get this young team ready to compete with the top 3 teams in this division.

I am very high on the Detroit Tigers this season. While the Tigers had a number of key losses in the off-season including Curtis Granderson, Aubrey Huff, Placido Polanco, and Fernando Rodney (just to name a few) I feel that they added some great players as well. I love the acquisitions of Johnny Damon and Phil Coke, along with Max Scherzer. I also expect that despite a poor showing last season with only 9 HRs and 50 RBIs, Magglio Ordonez will be back in his previous form this season. I expect him to have much better and bigger numbers than last season and when you put his bat in the line-up with Austin Jackson and of course Miguel Cabrera this offense could be deadly to opposing pitchers. I can also see great things from the Tigers pitching staff this season as well. Justin Verlander will have another great year, putting up numbers similar to his past season when he went 19-9 with a 3.45 ERA. With the offensive support he will have, Justin Verlander should win 20 games this year.

While I am not as high on the Chicago White Sox as I am the Tigers, I do think that the White Sox will be improved this season and will probably finish 2nd in the division (in a very tight 3 team race for 1st). While finishing 3rd in the division last year, the Chicago White Sox are ready to make another legitimate run at the AL Central crown. Mark Buehrle will once again be the ace and anchor of this pitching staff that had an ERA of 4.14 last season, good enough for the 7th best ERA in the majors. The veteran Paul Konerko will once again be the clean-up hitter in a very dangerous offensive line-up where new acquisition and lead-off man Juan Pierre should be able to get on base often creating lots of RBI chances for Gordon Beckham, Carlos Quentin, and Paul Konerko. For all of you fantasy players who may not have a very strong outfield, keep your eyes on Carlos Quentin (if he is not already drafted by someone else in your league). I also expect Mark Buehrle to pitch much better this season compared to his 13-10 ; 3.84 ERA last season.

The only major move that the Minnesota Twins made in the off-season was their move to a new stadium. A stadium where at last report has already sold more tickets for the 2010 season, than it sold for all of the 2009 season. The Minnesota Twins I feel are just a slight step ahead of the White Sox and the Tigers and should win the American League Central Division yet again. Their offensive line-up is amazing top to bottom, with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau probably being the 2nd best 3-4 hitting combo in the majors (2nd to Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez). Those two offensive powerhouses along with their fellow team-mates managed to have the 5th best batting average in the majors last season at .274 and were also tied for 5th in the majors in Runs (817) and RBIs (770). The only problem they may have is the HUGE loss of their closer Joe Nathan who is out for the season. Last year the Twins were 4th in the majors in saves (48) and Joe Nathan will be greatly missed. The Twins however have named Jon Rauch to the all important closer roll for the start of the 2010 season. Jon Rauch should be pretty good in that role, assuming he can handle the pressure of being a closer. Last season Rauch was 5-1 with the Twins with a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings. With all of the excitement of the upcoming regular season focused on the Twins and their new ball park they will be playing their first 7 games of the 2010 season on the road (4 @ Angels, 3 @ White Sox) before opening their stadium to its first regular season game on April 12th against the Boston Red Sox.

Free Blog Pick: Minnesota Twins +140 (To win the American League Central Division).

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Odds To Win The Nascar 2010 Sprint Cup

2010-02-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

While the Daytona 500 is less than a week away, Sunday February 14th, we were able to quench some of our thurst for Nascar racing action this past Saturday during the Budweiser Shoot-Out. While I have not yet seen any odds on any Head 2 Head match ups yet for the Daytona 500, I do see that the odds to win the Nascar 2010 Sprint Cup are out and it comes as no surprise that Jimmie Johnson is the odds on favorite at 5/2. The odds to win the Nascar 2010 Sprint Cup championship, are listed below:

Jimmie Johnson 5/2

Mark Martin 7/1

Jeff Gordon 8/1

Kyle Busch 8/1

Tony Stewart 10/1

Denny Hamlin 10/1

Carl Edwards 10/1

Juan Pablo Montoya 12/1

Kurt Busch 15/1

Greg Biffle 20/1

Matt Kenseth 20/1

Kevin Harvick 30/1

Clint Bowyer 30/1

Jeff Burton 30/1

Dale Earnhardt Jr 30/1

Kasey Kahne 30/1

Ryan Newman 40/1

Brian Vickers 40/1

Martin Truex Jr 100/1

David Ragan 100/1

Brad Keselowski 100/1

Sam Hornish Jr 100/1

AJ Allmendinger 100/1

Jamie McMurray 100/1

Joey Logano 100/1

David Reutimann 100/1

Marcos Ambrose 100/1

Field (Any Other Driver) 50/1

I do not believe that Jimmie Johnson can win an unbelievable 5th straight Nascar Sprint Cup championship and while Mark Martin may be as good as last season, I do not believe that he will be near contention either. Below I have listed my pick and 3 leans for who I believe offers the best chance to win this years Nascar Sprint Cup championship:

Our Pick: Tony Stewart at 10/1

Our Other Suggestions: Jeff Gordon at 8/1 & Kyle Busch at 8/1

Long shot Suggestion: Joey "Sliced Bread" Logano at 100/1

I am very confident that Tony Stewart will win his 3rd Cup championship this season, and while failing to make the chase last year, I feel that Kyle Busch will not only make the chase this season but has a real good chance to win it all. Jeff Gordon is always a threat, but has recently been riding in the shadows of his teammate Jimmie Johnson, I think that will change this season. Finally, while Joey Logano had a great rookie season, I expect him to be even better in 2010. A huge long shot at 100/1 but to me, he is probably the best pick out of all the 100/1 long shots available.

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Ohio State vs Michigan

2009-11-20T19:15:00.000-08:00

Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2) @ Michigan Wolverines (5-6)
Game Time: 12:00pm EDT Saturday November 21st, 2009
Lines at time of blog post: Ohio State (-12) Over/Under (47.5)

As high noon strikes this Saturday, two teams will renew their great rivalry. Ohio State visits Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines in what is arguable one of the greatest rivalry's in all of college sports. Personally I place this right up there with Duke vs North Carolina in basketball. However, this great rivalry has been pretty lop sided the past 5 years, as the Buckeyes look for their 6th straight victory in this series between two teams rich in tradition and prestige, that absolutely hate each other.

Last season at the Horse-Shoe in Columbus Ohio, the Buckeyes were 20.5 point favorites, a line that was unheard of in this rivalry until last year. All Ohio State did was cover the spread with ease, embarrassing Michigan in a 42-7 win. The game played tomorrow will have a more conservative line compared to last seasons. Some books have the line as high as 12.5 and as low as 11.5, but mostly they are settled around the 12 mark (at the time of this blog). Ohio State brings with them the 65th ranked offense in the nation, averaging 369.1 yards per game. The Ohio State offense is averaging 194.8 yards rushing and 174.3 yards passing per game, so far this season. Ohio State's offense mainly flows around the play of their terrific young sophomore QB from Jeannetter, Pennsylvania, Terrelle Pryor. This game will be no different than all the others this season. The game will go, as Pryor goes and in such a big rivalry game, Terrelle Pryor will want to be electrifying. Pryor is not having the best of seasons thus far, but has gotten the job done. He has 15 passing touchdowns, but has thrown 9 interceptions this season and has completed only 55.8% of his passes. Terrelle Pryor's mistakes have not come back to haunt him thanks to the Buckeye's fantastic defense. So far this season the Buckeye defense ranks 5th in the nation in total yards, 4th in the nation in rushing yards, and an incredible 6th in the nation in points allowed, giving up an average of 12.4 points per game.

Despite Michigan's overall record, the Wolverines are 5-2 at home this season. Michigan's 56th overall ranked offense is averaging 37 points per game at home this season. The Wolverines are putting up on average 441.9 yards per game at home, compared to 378.4 on the road. The Wolverines can expect the house to be rocking for this rivalry game, with over 107,000 dressed in the Maize and Blue hoping for nothing short of a miracle to happen. Despite losing 4 games in a row and 6 of their last 7, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez has asked his team to stay focused, mentioning that this is their biggest game of the year. A win on Saturday will mean a lot to Michigan. A win on Saturday against Ohio State will end the 5 game win streak OSU has in this series, it will assure Michigan of a bowl berth, and give the Wolverines their first win against an FBS opponent since Sept. 26th against Indiana. For Michigan to at least keep this game close they need to try and keep Terrelle Pryor from running around. If the Wolverine defense can keep Pryor in the pocket, it should allow them to frustrate Pryor which can lead to some interceptions for the Michigan defense. If the Wolverine defense can keep Pryor in check, the rest of the game falls completely on the shoulders and arm of their freshman QB Tate Forcier. So far this season Forcier has thrown 12 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions, sporting a 58.4% completion percentage. Forcier will need to play smart and have a great game for Michigan to have a realistic change to keep this game close, however he has to face one of the toughest defenses in the nation.

Suggested Lean: Michigan +12 (The defense for Michigan will step up with the help of the crowd and keep Pryor contained in the pocket leading to some turnover opportunities that the Wolverines will need to keep this game close. There is a lot riding on this game for Michigan and I expect them to play like this is their championship game).

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Kansas State @ Nebraska

2009-11-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

Kansas State Wildcats (6-5) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3)
Game Time: 7:45pm EDT Saturday November 21st, 2009
Lines at time of blog post: Nebraska (-16.5) Over/Under (44.5)

The weather conditions should be perfect for this HUGE Big 12 North football game at Memorial Stadium, in Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday when Kansas State comes to town to face off against the Cornhuskers. The winner of this game will control their own destiny in the Big 12 North for the right to face Texas in the Big 12 Championship game in December. Many people feel that if Nebraska can win this game, they match up very well on both sides of the ball against the team from Austin, Texas. However, time will tell and Nebraska better not look past the challenge that lies in front of them on Saturday.

In front of a home crowd that should exceed 81,000, Bo Pelini will have to have his Blackshirts charged up and ready for this game. The Nebraska offense, which is ranked 77th in the nation and averaging 353.4 yards per game, takes a very balanced approach. The Cornhuskers offense is averaging 152.4 yards on the ground and 201 yards passing per game. It is this potent balanced offense that should keep a suspect Kansas State defense on its heels especially late in the game. At home this season Nebraska is averaging around 28.2 points per game, while the Kansas State defense is giving up around 37 points per game on the road. The defense for Nebraska is a different story. Nebraska's overall 10th ranked defense has been down right nasty this season and even more so at home. Kansas States 76th ranked offense may find it very difficult to move the ball on this stingy Cornhusker defense. Nebraska's defense is only giving up 9.2 points per game at home and only giving up 11 points per game overall this season.

Kansas State staggers into Lincoln with a (1-4) away record this season and having just come off a home loss to Missouri (12-38). Playing on the road has not been very kind to the Wildcats thus far this season. Their offense which scores around 24.8 points per game, has found points hard to come by on the road, only scoring around 17 points in opponents stadiums. Their offense will have to be in great form, if they expect to keep up with Nebraska in this game. For Kansas State to keep this game close, and keep themselves in the football game, they will need a big day from their junior running back, Daniel Thomas. Daniel Thomas is averaging around 5.1 yards per carry this season and has 11 rushing touchdowns. He is currently the leading rusher and currently leading the team in touchdowns as well. Kansas State will need him to have a monster game against a pretty good rush defense in Nebraska. Nebraska is giving up on average 94.7 rushing yards per game, making them the 11th ranked rush defense in the nation.

We do feel that in a game of such high emotions with lots on the line, perhaps risking 16.5 points with Nebraska may not be the best pick for this game, of course given everything above taking the 16.5 points with Kansas State is certainly no gimmie ither. If the Nebraska offense can play at a high tempo against a vulnerable Kansas State defense, and the Kansas State offense moves the ball well with Daniel Thomas leading to a few points, we think that the best bet here may be on the total.

Suggested Lean: Over 44.5 (Over is 10-1 in the last 11 meetings between K-State & Nebraska. Also the O/U opened up at 43 at some books, and has jumped up to 44.5 suggesting that money has already begun to come in on the Over.)

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A Key Match-Up In Group F

2009-11-04T08:40:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday November 4th, FC Internazionale Milano will travel to FC Dynamo Kiev for a very important match in the Champions League Group F. Right now Inter sits in last place in Group F, but only 1 point out of 1st place. Group F seems to be, at least during the first 3 match days a very evenly matched group, however the two powerhouses that would normally be penciled in to advance are struggling. Barcelona is in a 3 way tie for first place (on points) with 4, while Inter has only 3. In the first 3 matches in this group Inter has managed just 3 draws, while everyone else in the group is 1-1-1. Is it time now for Inter to get their first win, in Group F against a very focused Dynamo Kiev squad ?

To say this is a must win for Inter is not exactly true. The truth is that any of the 4 teams in the group can win tomorrow and no-one will have clinched a spot in the second round. However, in my opinion Inter Milan cannot afford to lose or draw this next match against Dynamo Kiev, because Inter will have to travel to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona on November 24th. I do not think that Inter Milan wants to go into Camp Nou knowing that a loss could mean a possible early exit in this years Champions League.

The last time these two squared off was on match day 3, October 20th. The game ended in a 2-2 draw and was a match were Inter Milan had to come from behind twice just to earn a point. Watching this game Inter seemed to have no interest and for almost the entire first half played sluggish football, while Dynamo Kiev came out flying and controlled much of the first half. To Inters credit they did play that game without some of their key attackers such as Mario Balotelli and Diego Milito. Also, striker Samuel Eto'o was recovering from injury. This time around Inter Milan will have the help of Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito, but Mario Balotelli is currently listed as doubtful with an illness. Most current team news is listed below:

Dynamo
Out: Badr El Kaddouri (ankle), Olexandr Shovkovskiy (stomach), Pape Diakhate (knee)
Doubtful: Andriy Nesmachniy (knee)
Misses next match if booked: Leandro Almeida, Gérson Magrão, Artem Milevskiy

Inter
Out: none
Doubtful: Thiago Motta (thigh), Wesley Sneijder (thigh), Sulley Muntari (heel), Cristian Chivu thigh), Mario Balotelli (illness)
Misses next match if booked: Chivu, Maicon

The weather will be cold in the Ukraine, but I do not expect that to be much of a factor or slow Inter down. To win this game Inter needs to control the beginning of the half and keep an eye on Andriy Shevchenko, the Ukrainian former World Player of the Year. If Inter plays with the passion that they need to start to show in this tournament, their forwards should be too much for the Dynamo defense.

Suggestions:
Inter Milan to win @ +110 (Bookmaker)

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Florida State Squares Off Against BYU, in Provo Showdown

2009-09-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Florida State (1-1) @ #7 BYU (2-0) - September 19th (7:00pm EDT)
Spread: (BYU - 8) Over/Under: (54.5)

LaVell Edwards Stadium will be packed with over 64,000 fans ready to help extend BYU's home winning streak to 19 straight games on Saturday when the Florida State Seminoles come to Provo, UT for a huge game for both teams.

The weather for Saturday's game is said to be perfect for BYU's first home game of the 2009 college football season. Florida State has looked awful so far this season but perhaps a trip out of the state of Florida will be exactly what this team needs to get back to form.

The BYU Cougars have looked unstoppable so far this season and are 2-0 ATS while the Florida State Seminoles have looked like a train wreck, and are 0-2 ATS this season. While Florida State brings with them great team speed, BYU is a team that is very disciplined and will be focused on continuing their winning ways at home.

Max Hall's 638 yards passing and 71.4% completion percentage plus BYU's staggering defensive play has helped lead them to a 2-0 start with wins over Oklahoma (14-13) and Tulane (54-3), both games featured BYU as the visiting team. This is a big game for BYU and their fans who can taste a real chance at a BCS title game if they win on September 19th. BYU's schedule following the Florida State game is very favorable all the way down to the game on November 28th against Utah (a game that is going to be a home game for BYU).

BYU has the 30th ranked offense in the nation, averaging 442 yards per game. It will be up to the speed of the Florida State defense to try and control this seemingly uncontrollable Cougar offense.

Florida State so far this 2009 season is 1-1, after a close loss to the Miami Hurricanes (34-38), (who after last nights beat down of Georgia Tech, has a lot of people around the nation paying very close attention), and a struggling win over Jacksonville St (19-9) has to turn things around and in a hurry. Florida State does have the fire power to hang around BYU in a shoot out, (FSU has the 50th ranked offense in the nation, 401.5 yards per game)m but to win this game they will need their defense to step up big and try to find a way to keep Max Hall in check.

Bobby Bowden has expressed some concern however about his secondary keeping up with Max Hall and the BYU passing attack: "Their quarterback can throw the heck out of the ball," Bowden said. "He can thread it."

Greg Reid (#5) the talented 5'9 175lbs DB from Valdosta, Georgia already has 1 INT on the season and may be counted on to come in and at least grab one more INT in Provo on Saturday night; where turnovers may be the key to who wins this game.

Interesting Trends:
The Under is 8-3 in BYU's last 11 home games (Current O/U line 54.5).
Florida State is 2-0 all time vs BYU (both games road games for BYU)

*** Not sure to pick this weekend? You can purchase all of our NCAAF and NFL football picks for the entire '09-10 season, from the moment of purchase through ALL the bowl games, the National Championship Game, the NFL Playoffs & even the Super Bowl, with our "Football Pass"! ***

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My NCAAF Preseason Top 25 ...

2009-08-01T07:39:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the month of August. I know its crazy, the steamy summer months of June and July, Which were not so steamy here in New Jersey, have flown by. That is perfectly fine with me, as I fancy myself more of a fall kind of guy. With eight days until the Hall of Fame Game between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans [8pm EDT, NBC], and only 26 days until the start of college football, our minds are shifting away from baseball slightly. With all the upcoming football excitement, there are unofficial pre-season top 25 NCAAF polls all around the internet, so I have created my own. Enjoy!

Florida

Texas

Southern California

Oklahoma

Virginia Tech

Penn State

Oregon

Mississippi

Ohio State

Alabama

Boise State

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

California

Iowa

Utah

Brigham Young

Oregon State

Nebraska

Georgia Tech

Notre Dame

Cincinnati

Florida State

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Big Ben .. May Be In Big Trouble

2009-07-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

It came out last night, I believe courtesy of profootballtalk, that Ben Roethlisberger has been served a civil suit which alleges that he sexually assaulted a Harrah's casino employee in 2008. The plaintiff, Andrea McNulty, has said that the incident occurred on Friday July 11th, 2008 during the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship.

Allegedly McNulty says that Roethlisberger summoned her to his hotel room to fix his TV, which he reported as not working properly. McNulty said that upon her arrival into Roethlisbergers hotel room, he was wearing just a t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts, and showed her the TV that was not working, which happened to be located in Roethlisbergers suites bedroom.

McNulty says that after checking the TV which was working properly, she tried to leave the room, but Roethlisberger was blocking her path and he then grabbed her and began to kiss her. McNulty admits that she didn't try to fight off Roethlisberger due to his size and strength, although she does admit to having communicated her lack of consent to him, however he continued to sexually assault her. McNulty then claims that Roethlisberger pushed her on the bed and began to penetrate her

Afterwards, once realizing that there are cameras throughout the hotel that would show her entering his room, McNulty claims that he told her "If anyone asks you, you fixed my television[...] Now go!"

These are only allegations in a civil suit. From what I understand there is no criminal case and Roethlisberger through lawyer David Cornwell has strongly denied the allegations. There are two things that I think are kind of fishy, one is why did McNulty not involve the police after it happened, and second why wait an entire year before going forward with pressing charges? This may or may not have happened, but how many times must people (especially professional athletes and celebrities) be told that you cannot allow a member of the opposite sex or anyone be alone with you in your bedroom or really anywhere else. I even know this and I am just a common person. This has the potential to become a really ugly situation for Roethlisberger.

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What Money Can Buy ...

2009-06-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

Donte' Stallworth took full responsibility for killing 59-year-old Mario Reyes, while driving drunk (1.2 blood alcohol level). Stallworth on June 16th pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter after killing Mario Reyes with his car after a night of heavy drinking at a hotel bar. Mario Reyes was a construction crane operator who was rushing to catch a bus after finishing his shift at about 7:15 a.m. Stallworth was drunk at 7:15 a.m. How drunk must you be to not see someone crossing the street in daylight ?? Stallworth told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy the following:

"I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy.
I will bear this burden for the rest of my life."

Stallworth was going to face up to 15 years in prison, but according to a plea agreement he will only have to serve 24 days of his reduced 30 day sentence. 30 days, thats right its not a typo, 30 days !! After he is released from jail he will have to serve two years of house arrest and 8 years on probation, however he will be allowed to play football during those 2 years of house arrest. He also has to perform 1,000 hours of community service and will have his driver's license suspended for life. This does not count whatever disciplinary action Roger Goodell (NFL commissioner) decides to hand down on Stallworth. I just hope that it is something that will match the crime. Stallworth according to reports reached a "financial" settlement with the Reyes family. I am sure that Mario Reyes is happy to know to his family he was worth just a lump sum of money rather than justice. The family could have sued Stallworth anyway in a civil suit after he was convicted. It would have taken them a longer time to get their money but they would have gotten it and still be able to get justice for the killing of their father/husband Mario Reyes. Reports have said that the Reyes family, particularly the victim's 15-year-old daughter, wanted the case resolved to avoid any more pain.

What kind of sleaze bag lawyer was the Reyes family listening to ? What is wrong with this judge ? How do you let someone get away with 30 days in prison for the killing of another human being ? I remember another high profile court case in the news recently involving another NFL athlete, Michael Vick. Michael Vick was sentenced to prison, for running a dogfighting operation, for up to 23 months. So you get 30 days for killing a person and two years for killing a dog, does this make sense to anyone ???

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Weekend Recap ... June 12th - 14th 2009

2009-06-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

The weekend of June 12th through June 14th of 2009 was a defining moment in different sports history. For starters there were two sports championships decided within the aforementioned time span and many exciting major league baseball interleague games, including a finish that should not have been and that's where we will start.

Friday June 12th, began another season of the hallowed Subway Series between the New York Mets and the New York Yankees. This game was the first Subway Series in the new Yankee Stadium and the city of New York was primed and ready for what would be a great weekend series. After a not so stellar starting pitching match-up, David Wright put the Mets ahead 8-7 with an RBI double in the eighth inning. So it was time for closer Francisco Rodriguez to come in the game in the 9th and close it out. However, he got into some trouble in the ninth. He gave up a single to Derek Jeter, who went on to steal second, then struck out pinch hitter Johnny Damon for the second out. After falling behind 3-0 to Mark Teixeira, K-Rod intentionally walked Teixeira, which brought up A-Rod. The intentional walk was called by Jerry Manuel from the dug-out. It appeared to be a bad idea as K-Rod fell behind A-Rod 3-0 before bringing the count to 3-1. It was on his next pitch that A-Rod popped the ball up to short right field. A-Rod in disgust throw his bat and I myself shouted many names towards him through my TV screen for once again not coming through in a big spot. It was then that I noticed Louis Casillo seemed to be moving sideways and never got set to catch the ball. I never really thought it would happen, but for a brief second my mind went "oh wow he's still drifting", then the unthinkable happened. The ball pops out of Louis Castillo's glove and to the grass. The Stadium erupted with cheers as Teixeira came across the plate to score the winning run in a 9-8 stunner. Much of the credit I think has to go to Mark Teixeira who could have just gave up on the play but instead continue to motor around the bases at full speed, never giving up and doing what a player is taught to do. After the game Castillo said, "I have to catch that ball. I have to make that play. I feel so bad. I feel like, you know, I don't feel good." One of the funnier moments in that play was when K-Rod started doing his fist pump celebration before the game was even over. That even got some laughs out of the Phillies announcers during their broadcast that night.

While all of that was going on Friday in New York, there was a pretty important game being played in Detroit, Michigan. This was not baseball but Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In all of the different sport playoffs, there are not many more exciting than the NHL Playoffs and not many more exciting than a Game 7. In this series the home team managed to win every game, and the Penguins came in as sizeable underdogs. Most people did not think the series would even go 7 games, let a long give the Penguins any shot at winning the seventh game, but that is exactly what they did. They did it without one of their young stars, Sidney Crosby, playing any minutes in the 3rd period due to an injury suffered earlier in the game. They also were able to hold off the Red Wings while having little to no shots on goal the entire 3rd period. The pivotal moment came on a Marc-Andre Fleury save on a breakaway chance by the Red Wings late in the 3rd period. After Pavel Dastyuk returned to the Red Wings and the Red Wings chased Fleury out of the game early in a 5-0 Game 5 it seemed impossible for the Penguins to come back, but they did. Winning the game by a score of 2-1, Sidney Crosby became the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup. It was the most watched NHL game in 36 years.

Sunday June 14th saw the crowning of the 2009 NBA Champion LA Lakers. They clinched their 15th NBA Championship in Game 5 at Orlando. They started out of the gates with a mission to close out the series and they never really looked back. The Lakers cruised to a 99-86 victory on Sunday as 3-point underdogs. LA Lakers +3 was omalleyandgoldstein's Guaranteed Pick of the day and they did not disappoint. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points in the game on his way to finals MVP trophy honors and Phil Jackson notched his record 10th NBA championship, cementing him in as perhaps the greatest NBA coach of all time. Kobe Bryant also finally proved to his doubters that he does not need Shaquille O'Neal to win a NBA championship.

Saturday June 13th and Sunday June 14th were also kind to us at omalleyandgoldstein.com as we went 9-1 (90%) overall.

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Is Pay-Per-View the Future of the NFL and NCAA ?

2009-06-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

While listening this morning to a sports talk show broadcast online from a major network, a topic was brought up. The topic was the possible (and seemingly imminent) idea for college football and the NFL to begin doing a Pay-Per-View service to watch the games. The host suggested that anyone who is a fan of the SEC would gladly pay $40+ to watch their team every weekend. He also went on to say that most fans of NFL teams around the league would be more than happy to pay upwards of about $80 per game to watch their favorite NFL team play or to watch any other game that may interest them.

These numbers are not per season for a league, conference, or even your favorite team, but per game. For some reason I feel I need to express that over and over in hopes that it will eventually make sense, but so far it still seems stupid. Examples where given for NCAAF such as paying to see USC play Ohio State, and Florida play Ole Miss and so on. At first I thought to myself that people would probably pay this amount, however I was thinking that it was per big game. So you have your regular games during the day that you can watch but then have to pay money for any big key match-up game. However the idea involves every game being paid for, not just big games. I have think that this would be a terrible idea, granted the NCAA and NFL would make money for sure people would pay, but during a recession when people are struggling to pay their bills on time I think this would be a disastrous idea and highly irresponsible of the NFL and NCAA to sanction such things.

Maybe you get together with some buddies and order the game and split the price, but even that would get expensive after a while. The host brought up that people are willing to spend around $1000 a ticket to go to some game, and that may be true, but I just cannot imagine people who can't make their bill payments laying out that kind of cash to watch one football game.

Now of course this was just an idea by the host of the talk show program, the NFL and NCAA have not said anything about doing such a thing in the future. I know that advertising revenues are probably going down, just because businesses are disappearing right and left, but if the NFL and/or NCAA ever gave this serious thought, they should attempt to find another solution first. One that would be a little more responsible in this current economic state.

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Paterno wants a 12th in the Big Ten

2009-05-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

Joe Paterno has expressed his interest for the Big Ten conference to expand to 12 teams. He has several reasons for doing this and he is 100% right on all of them. One of his main reasons is that for numerous weeks at the end of the season the Big Ten goes into "hiding" because they are doing nothing while other conferences are playing conference championship games on national tv. He also mentioned that a 12th team should come from the east coast a place with a big media market such as New York.

In a meeting with boosters, Joe Pa gave his three teams that he would like to see join the Big Ten conference to become the 12th team. He mentioned the follwing schools; Pitt, Syracuse, or Rutgers. While many people have suggested that Notre Dame join the Big Ten for many years now, Paterno said, "There's some pressure, I would suppose, to maybe go back to Notre Dame and ask again, which I would not be happy with. I think they've had their chance." Referring to the time about a decade ago where Notre Dame was asked to join the Big Ten but turned it down.

I think that out of the choices Paterno has suggested be the 12th team in the Big Team, I think that the best team might be Notre Dame. I doubt if asked Notre Dame would say yes anyway, I think that they love being not associated with any conference and making up their schedule however they want to.

A few years ago I would have supported Rutgers joining the Big Ten, but it seems that they are a couple year wonders and I am not sure that they would make any real impact in the Conference. Its the same feeling I have for Syracuse. Sure Syracuse is a team from New York and could bring about more media coverage to the Big Ten, but when the reports all season long are "and Syracuse loses yet another game", I think that they would have a negative impact on the Big Ten. With all that said I guess Pitt would be the best choice (if Notre Dame says no again). Pitt has a good enough defense year in and year out to compete with most of the Big Ten teams and it would re-establish a nice older in state rivalry between Pitt and Penn State. However, even though they were not mentioned I would give my full support to West Virginia joining the Big Ten to become the 12th team as well.

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Sports Gambling - Delaware & Beyond

2009-05-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Do you know what bothers me about this whole sports betting issue in Delaware. The fact that everyone is making a big deal about it. Las Vegas can do it, right ? I know the NFL doesn't want it and people are up in arms about the possibility of it leading to fixed games. Correct me if I am wrong but aren't there lots of other places besides Vegas where people can bet on sports if they want to. Sure, they are called offshore bookie venues, or a guy named Vito who hangs out down the street.

People are going to bet on sports whether its legal or not whether they can do it conveniently online or not. The government should smarten up, pass it for every state and start taxing the winnings. I do not know a single person who bets on sports offshore or not, who wouldn't mind paying a little bit of tax on their winnings if it meant that it would be legalized in the states. Bettors are going to bet regardless, they will find a way, they need the action. Sports gambling being overseen by the government and being online or at a casino is safer than the alternative of betting with your local bookie down the street. The government if they were smart would tax it and make all sorts of money and use that money to; i don't know fix the economy or on education or things that are important. There would be a load of money to make. Also it would make sports gamblers feel safer that the government can then oversee the sports gambling industry and make sure everything goes smooth, like making sure sports books send payouts in a timely manner.

I hope that other states follow Delaware in pushing to make sports gambling legal in their state,and I hope that the NFL loses its lawsuit against Delaware. Atlantic City would love to have something like that added to their recession struggling casino businesses. In a poll, 63 percent of New Jerseyans said they support making sports betting legal in the state. In a time where states are struggling to make budgets and find money, legalizing and taxing sports gambling is the best way to help.

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NFL Week 1 Spreads ... Now Available !

2009-05-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

I was logging into a sports book site to check the line on the UEFA Cup game between Hamburg SV and Werder Bremen, scheduled for today. It is then that I noticed on the top of the screen an icon that said NFL. Not sure what it would be about (perhaps pre-season or maybe maybe even futures) I clicked it and much to my surprise it was a listing of all the spreads and over / unders for the first week of the NFL regular season. So I wanted to share them all with you: Enjoy as it is never to early to talk football !!

Thursday - September 10th;    Tennessee @ Pittsburgh;  –  Pitt -5.5  O/U [35]

Sunday - September 13th;    Miami @ Atlanta;  –  Atlanta -4  O/U [43]

Sunday - September 13th;    Kansas City @ Baltimore;  –  Baltimore -8.5  O/U [37.5]

Sunday - September 13th;    Philadelphia @ Carolina;  –  Carolina -1  O/U [44.5]

Sunday - September 13th;    Denver @ Cincinnati;  –  Cincinnati -2  O/U [44.5]

Sunday - September 13th;    Minnesota @ Clevland;  –  Minnesota -2.5  O/U [39.5]

Sunday - September 13th;    NY Jets @ Houston;  –  Houston -4  O/U [43]

Sunday - September 13th;    Jacksonville @ Indianapolis;  –  Indy -7.5  O/U [45]

Sunday - September 13th;    Detroit @ New Orleans;  –  New Orleans -12  O/U [48.5]

Sunday - September 13th;    Dallas @ Tampa Bay;  –  Dallas -3  O/U [42]

Sunday - September 13th;    San Francisco @ Arizona;  –  Arizona -6.5  O/U [47]

Sunday - September 13th;    Washington @ NY Giants;  –  NY Giants -6  O/U [39.5]

Sunday - September 13th;    St. Louis @ Seattle;  –  Seattle -7  O/U [43]

Sunday - September 13th;    Chicago @ Green Bay;  –  Green Bay -3  O/U [44]

Monday - September 14th;    Buffalo @ New England;  –  New England -10  O/U [46.5]

Monday - September 14th;    San Diego @ Oakland;  –  San Diego -7  O/U [44]

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Ohio State Spring Game Draws Record Crowd of 95,722

2009-04-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

On April 25th, while many people were focused on the NFL draft, "The" Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3 Overall; 7-1 Big 10 in 2008) played their annual Scarlet vs Gray spring game in front of a record 95,722 people.

The price for tickets to the game were $5 a piece with most of the proceeds going to charities in the local area. The fans were treated to a lack luster event until late in the first half when they got to see their sophomore quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, throw two deep touchdown passes in 30 seconds. One pass was a 44 yard pass to Taurian Washington while the other was a 42 yard pass to Ray Small; on route to a 23-3 Gray victory.

The record for most attendance in a spring game was held at the University of Alabama for Nick Saban's first year. The attendance for that game was 92,138. Despite losing 7 players to this years NFL draft (including underclassmen Chris "Beanie" Wells), it is safe to say that there is much anticipation for this years Ohio State Buckeye team.

A couple of key weeks that Ohio State fans should keep an eye out for in the upcoming 2009 season are:

September 12th - USC @ Ohio State
November 7th - Ohio State @ Penn State
November 14th - Iowa @ Ohio State
November 21st - Ohio State @ Michigan

November seems like a very difficult month for the Ohio State Buckeyes, one that will make or break their National and Big Ten Championship hopes for sure.

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NFL Schedule - Big Key Matchups Week 1

2009-04-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NFL season is coming upon us soon. First this coming weekend is the NFL draft. However the schedules were released last week for the upcoming season and there are a lot of big time key match-ups starting in Week 1. A couple of the games I (and any other NFL fan regardless of favorite team) should be looking forward to are:

Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers (Thursday September 10th, 8:30 pm NBC) – I don’t know about you, I am not a Steelers or a Titans fan, but ever since the “terrible towel” incident last season I have been sitting and waiting for the Titans to play the Steelers again, and even better come to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. In the past years the Steelers have not taken kindly to other teams who have disrespected them and their towel, but this time it was on national TV and if I was a Titans player I would be really nervous going into the "steel city" to face the defending super bowl champs who are looking for a little revenge and respect back from the Titans.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots (Monday September 14th, 7:00 pm ESPN) – Even though they will not be on the field at the same time, unless there is some strange happenings going on, the battle between Randy Moss and TO will begin. The first of at least two times these times will meet in the 2009 season should shape up to be a gem. The Patriots are such a great team and really strong playing at home, but it will be interesting to see if the Bills can make it into a much more interesting game, than what it would have been if TO did not sign with the Bills.

These are only two marquis matchups in week 1 of the 2009 season. There are plenty more huge matchups throughout the season and probably many more will develop, that may not be thought of right now by anyone. As the season unfolds and new storylines are written OmallyandGoldstein.com will be there with you enjoying every minute of it.

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C.C. Sabathia Makes Yankee History on Opening Day

2009-04-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Opening Day for the 2009 Major League Baseball season started yesterday. Most of the games were really good back and fourth battles, the weather also had its way with some games as well. The big news however came out of Baltimore were C.C. Sabathia and his 7 year 161 million dollar contract with the Yankees made Yankee history.

C.C. became the first pitcher in Yankee history on opening day to not record a single strike-out. None, not one. Probably not the kind of Yankee history C.C. wants to be a part of but, he can't do anything about that now. C.C. finished up his Yankee debut going four and a third innings giving up six earned runs and 5 walks.

As I sat with much enthusiasm watching the first inning, a shot of nausea came over me as C.C. gave up a lead off hit, he didn't stop their as he also gave up two wild pitches and a walk in the first inning and was lucky to get out of that inning giving up 0 runs. I thought that maybe he is just warming up, then the rest of the game happened and proved me wrong as he stunk up the field.

I know its early, but hey C.C. this is not Cleveland or Milwaukee, this is New York and you are going to realize that very very fast. The only thing C.C. has going for him is he should get at least one more start on the road before coming to make his first start in the new Yankee stadium. Whats important to note is that CC Sabathia started last season 1-5 with the Indians and then from June 10 until September 10 with Cleveland and Milwaukee, he went 12-0 in 18 starts. So This may not be as bad as we think. Perhaps a decent outing will allow Yankee fans to forgive the opening day blunders, but if C.C. has another bad game he could be in for a rude awakening, as only Yankee fans can deliver.

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