Poker, Football, and everything sports

It truly is. Its December. Christmas is around the corner. Everyone is in the holiday spirit. But thats not what I'm most excited about. I'm stoked about football post season. Lets start with college football.

This post season could turn out one of two ways, and it all boils down to Auburn and South Carolina. If Auburn wins, the BCS can rest for another year. Auburn will play Oregon, TCU will probably play Wisconsin. Stanford against Big 12 champ. The Orange bowl won't matter, and the sugar bowl might produce an interesting matchup.

If South Carolina beats Auburn, which I pray to god happens, well then prepare for utter anarchy. Oregon will be at the top, awaiting one of three teams: TCU, Wisconsin, and Stanford. For my money, Stanford is the best of the 3 teams(called me biased lol). But I don't see anyway that two pac-10 teams can play for the title. So I think they are out. Then it would be TCU and Wisconsin. I've always been a proponent of the little guy getting a shot at the title. But this year, I'm not sure that TCU is better then Wisconsin or Stanford. Ultimately though, I don't see how Wisconsin can get into the championship considering that Michigan State beat them and is 11-1 as well. So my money would be on TCU to play Oregon. Either way, lets pray for Auburn to lose....and then 5 years from now get probation for 2 years hurting the 14 year olds of the world who want to go to Auburn.

Then, there is the NFL. I can't remember a time where there has been more parity at the top, and I just love it. Consider this: 11 of the 12 teams in the playoffs will all have a legitimate shot of winning the Super Bowl. The only team that won't will be the NFC West Champ, making the race for the #5 seed and top wild card that much more important, as that team will be a heavy favorite on the road in the playoffs. Crazy. Here are some games to look out for that will shape the playoff picture, starting in the AFC.

New York Jets at New England- Next Monday night. Talk about the game of the year so far. The winner of this matchup will be in the drivers seat for the #1 seed. The Patriots are under more pressure, as a loss would mean a sweep by the Jets and would almost guarantee a wild card for the Pats. Given that its in New England though, I like the Pats here.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore- Next Sunday night- Get the picture. Next week is huge for the playoffs. Another case of the winner gets the 2 seed and the loser likely falls all the way to 6. The Ravens have already won at Pitt, and I like them to sweep the Steelers here on Sunday night with a hard fought 17-14 win.

In the AFC South, pick any division game. The Jags are 6-5, Colts 5-5, Texans 5-6, Titans 5-6. I think the Jags and the Titans are out of the race. The Colts and Texans are just superior teams. The Texans know how to turn it on down the stretch. I like the Colts here. Not just because of their veteran leadership, but they have a much easier schedule then the Texans.

Kansas City at San Diego- Sunday Dec 5- Who would have thought this would be a division decider. The Chargers are the favorites here, and will likely win, but the season won't be over for the Chiefs, who have a 1 game advantage at the moment, and won their 1st matchup.

Philadelphia at New York Giants- Sun Dec 19- Alot can change from now till then, but you have to figure this will shape the division. I like the Eagles here. Despite losing yesterday, I think they are a better team then the Giants. I think the Giants will desperately be fighting with the Bears for that last wild card spot.

Chicago at Green Bay- Last week of season- Talk about a big one. But honestly, the Bears have a brutal schedule. After Detroit, they close out with the Patriots, Vikes, Jets, and Packers. Likely a 1-3 ending to give them a 10-6 record, which could be good enough for the wild card, but won't be good enough for the division imo.

New Orleans at Atlanta- Monday night Dec 27. No matter the outcome of this game, both teams figure to be in good or decent shape. Assuming they both win out save for this game, the winner should be the #1 team in the NFC, while the loser will get the coveted 5 seed, and have a walk in the first round of the playoffs. Given that its at Atlanta, i like the Falcons here, but if they meet a 3rd time in the playoffs, I like the Saints.

I won't even waste my time on the horrible NFC West, but right now my money is on the Hawks. I think they suck the least. With all these teams so tight, I look at playoff experience as the ultimate decider. Given that, I'm going to go with New England and New Orleans in the Super Bowl. Thanks for reading.

After an "inexplicable" two game losing streak, virtually all talks of a 70 win season are over in Los Angeles. Congratulations, 1996 Chicago Bulls. Your record of 72-10 will likely not be challenged, and for another year, you can rest assured that you are the greatest team of all time. But isn't it possible that the Lakers could win less then 72 games and still be a better team then those Bulls? Of course it is. But in our society, it is all about the numbers: wins, losses, etc. So lets forget the numbers and simply break down both rosters. I think you will be surprised by the results.

Starting PG: Ron Harper vs Derek Fisher

Two players that are very similar in their games, with the exception of Harper being a few inches taller. But Fisher has proven that he is a better shooter and passer, and has made clutch shots his whole career. I give the nod to D-fish here.

Advantage: Fisher. Lakers-1 Bulls-0

Starting SG: Michael Jordan vs Kobe Bryant

I'm not naive enough to say that Kobe is better then Michael. I understand that Mike is the best of all time, and only once his career is over can Kobe be considered greater. But its very possible that at the end of the day, these could be the two greatest players of all time.

Advantage: Jordan(as close to a push against Mike as you will get) Lakers-1 Bulls-1

Starting SF: Scottie Pippen vs Lamar Odom

An interesting matchup here. On one side, you have the ultimate Robin when it comes to Batman and Robin in sports. On the other side, you have Lamar Odom, who might be the most confusing player in NBA history. Here's an average 10 games for Odom: 6 average/subpar games at best, 3 terrible games, and one incredible game with 24 pts and 20 rebounds that leaves you with you scratching your head wondering how someone so talented could be so inconsistent. Odom has been much more consistent this year, but again, I'm no fool here. Pippen wins easy.

Advantage: Pippen Lakers-1 Bulls-2

Starting PF: Dennis Rodman vs Pau Gasol

The untliamte bad boy vs the mild mannered Spainard. Obviously Rodman is a beast on the glass, but other then that, he never did much. Gasol might average a couple rebounds less then Rodman, but more the makes up for it with his 10+ more pts a game and better blocking.

Advantage: Gasol Lakers-2 Bulls- 2

Starting Center: Andrew Bynum vs Luc Longley

I think alot of people are forgetting that Bynum is hurt right now. For the sake of argument, we are going to assume he's healthy. If he is, he clearly blows Longley out of the water. Bynum is bigger, faster, and stronger. If only he could stay healthy, he would be an all star almost every year.

Advantage: Bynum Lakers-3 Bulls-2

Sixth Man: Ron Artest vs Toni Kukoc

These are two vastly different players who were important to their team for very different reason. Kukoc was a solid shooter who would make all of the easy plays and most of the tough ones. Artest is one of the greatest defensive players of all time, who for all his bad decision making, makes the occasionally great play.

Advantage: Push Lakers-3 Bulls-2 Tie-1

White Veteran Point Guards: Steve Kerr vs Steve Blake

I have a soft spot in my heart for both of these guys. I was always a Kerr fan. A hard worker who gained the trust of one Michael Jordan, and buried the big shot in the finals the next year to clinch the title. Steve Blake led my Terps to their 2002 NCAA title game, and has been a solid NBA player who is finally on a team where his talents cane be showcased. Oh yeah, and there was also his game winning three pointer against Houston on opening night. Ultimately, Blake is a better passer and rebounder, and is not quite the 3 point shooter Kerr was, but he's close.

Advantage: Blake Lakers- 4 Bulls-2 Tie-1

Rest of the Bench:
Let me just list off a few names: Bill Wennington, Jud Buechler, Dickey Simpkins vs Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes, and Derrick Caracter(lets forget about Sasha and Luke lol). This one goes without saying.

Advantage: Lakers bench. Lakers-5 Bulls-2 Tie-1.

Well would you look at that. The Lakers dominate the Bulls on paper. If this isn't enough for you, think of it this way. In 1996, the Bulls lost 3 playoffs games, and no team was even close to competing with them. This year, the Lakers have 5-8 teams that could run with them any night. The reason is simple: the NBA is bigger, faster, and stronger then it was in 1996. Think of it this way: the Celtics and Lakers dominated the NBA in the 60's and the 80's. Can anyone seriously say with a straight face that those teams would be able to beat the Lakers and Celtics of today. Its a matter of science. So is 72 wins the mark of the greatest team ever? I hope that this makes you think otherwise.

Well so far this week I have a 1-2 record locked up with two other leagues that I have a good feeling about going into the Monday night game. Oh, and on a side note, the Green Bay Packers are my second favorite team. The Saints are still my first love, but the Packers are not only one of the teams I bet on in Vegas, but Aaron Rodgers, Brandon Jackson, and Green Bay have all at one point won a game for me today, and last night was no exception.

In my family league, I was losing to my uncle by 25 points going into Sunday night, and I ended the night up 43 points. Going into tonight, my uncle has Hines Ward and Pittsburgh defense. Now Ward is very capable of a 10 catch 100 yard game, and Pitt's defense can get 25 at any point, but I am pretty comfortable right now, and hoping for a 6-3 record.

In my Taylor league, I have lost one matchup, but in the other, I am dead even against my mom, and I have Carson Palmer and Jermaine Gresham vs her who has Terrell Owens. On paper, this is a great situation for me. In theory, the only way I can lose if is TO gets a huge touchdown, where the yardage would hurt me. Thankfully, the Pitt defense is known to not allow big plays, and all I really need is a non TO Carson Palmer TD, and it will make it very difficult. So even though I usually manage to find a way to lose these kind of games on Monday nights, I like my chances here.

At this point, my live draft public team and my family league team look like they are primed to make runs at the league title. Here's hoping I can keep it up. Thanks for reading.

Last week I really struggled, going 1-3-1 on the week, which accounts for the worst week of my year so far. Still waiting for my 4-1 week lets hope its this week!

5. San Diego at Houston(+3)- It looks like Vegas is back on the Chargers band wagon after last week's big win. I think two things are apparent in this game: San Diego isn't as good as years past, and Houston isn't as good as they were earlier in the year. But I can't pass up a home underdog here when I still feel that the Texans are the better team.

4. New England(-5.5) at Cleveland- The Patriots have quietly managed to get the best record in the league this year. Meanwhile, the Browns are showing improvement, but are still not a fantastic team. I'll take the top team in the NFL over a bottom 5 team by a touchdown any day of the week.

3. New York Jets9(-4.5) at Detroit- Basically, just look above. Same reasoning here. The Jets are too good to not beat the Lions by a touchdown, even though the Lions continue to impress me.

2. Miami at Baltimore(-5)- For my money, the Ravens are still the best team in the league. The Dolphins have been solid this year, especially on the road, where they are undefeated. But I definitely see that ending against this juggernaut of a team.

1. Chicago(-3) at Buffalo- There seem to be alot of common themes this week. Another case of a team that isn't as good as we thought they were, and another case of a game where the favorites have no business winning by less then a TD. Despite the newly high powered bills offense, there defense is atrocious, and not even the freak in his prime could help them, let alone the shell of the player he once was that he is now.

Well those are my thoughts. Let me know what you guys think!