Week 3

I improved from Week 1 but still a pretty bad week. Six wins, eight losses and one push.

ATL 6 KC
MY PICK = ATL

BUF 9.5 OAK
MY PICK = BUF

TEN 5.5 HOU
MY PICK = HOU

NYG 13.5 CIN
MY PICK = CIN

WAS 3 ARZ
MY PICK = ARZ

NE 13 MIA
MY PICK = MIA

CHI 3 TB
MY PICK = CHI

MIN 3.5 CAR
MY PICK = CAR

SEA 10 STL
MY PICK = STL

SF 4 DET
MY PICK = SF

DEN 6 NO
MY PICK = NO

PHI 3.5 PIT
MY PICK = PIT

IND 5.5 JAC
MY PICK = IND

BAL 2.5 CLE
MY PICK = CLE

DAL 3 GB
MY PICK = DAL

SD 9 NYJ
MY PICK = NYJ

Hindsight is 20/20

Ten years and ten days ago, the nation turned its watchful eye on St. Louis, Missouri where baseball history was made.

For many it was the first time since the 1994 player strike that they had given baseball the time of day. Many had sworn off the game forever. As an eleven year old boy I read the newspaper every morning as I slurped up the remaining milk from my daily bowl of Rice Krispies.

I wasn't concerned with the goings-on of the world around me. The truth was I couldn't care less about the escalating tension in the Middle East. I discarded every page dealing with legitimate journalism. Instead, I turned directly to the one page that could have been compiled by a monkey with a typewriter.

The box scores were all I cared about.

I hadn't developed the gambling addiction I carry today and the heart pounding fear I have when I check box scores now with my rent money on the line. The winners of the previous night's games worried me very little. Sure I checked to see if my beloved Cleveland Indians had managed to outscore their opponents but my focus was off the American League. The Senior Circuit reigned supreme in the nineteen hundred and ninety-eighth year of the last millennium. And two players in particular stood above the cut.

Big Mac and Slammin' Sammy.

When Mark McGwire finally hit the 62nd home run of the season, I sat wide eyed with amazement as the opposition, Mickey Morandini and Mark Grace extended their right hands for the congratulatory handshake. It was truly a life altering moment for me.

Fast forward to the present where we now know that the hallowed 61 home runs in a season record was broken using performance enhancing substances. I was always a fan of baseball but that moment thrust me into a full on obsession with baseball that has yet to subside.

I feel cheated.

It's like learning on your 21st birthday that you are really 22 and the monumental birthday that separates man from boy is no more.

What McGwire and Sosa did in the summer of '98 was magical and brought the game of baseball to where it is today, but the consequences of that statistical anomaly also known as the record breaking season have forever altered baseball history.

Week 2

I took last week on the chin, going a dismal 4-11. I'm predicting at least 8 wins this week.

KC 3.5 OAK
MY PICK = OAK

CIN 1 TEN
MY PICK = CIN

IND 2 MIN
MY PICK = IND

NO 1 WAS
MY PICK = NO

GB 3 DET
MY PICK = DET

CAR 3 CHI
MY PICK = CAR

NYG 9 STL
MY PICK = STL

JAC 5.5 BUF
MY PICK = JAC

TB 7 ATL
MY PICK = ATL

SEA 7 SF
MY PICK = SF

ARZ 7 MIA
MY PICK = ARZ

NYJ 1 NE
MY PICK = NYJ

HOU 4.5 BAL
MY PICK = BAL

SD 1 DEN
MY PICK = SD

PIT 6 CLE
MY PICK = CLE

DAL 7 PHI
MY PICK = PHI

Week 1

Every Friday I will pick each NFL game for the upcoming Sunday. Lines are courtesy of BoDogLife.com

CIN 2.5 BAL
MY PICK = CIN
NYJ 3 MIA
MY PICK = NYJ
NE 17 KC
MY PICK = NE
PIT 6.5 HOU
MY PICK = PIT
JAC 3 TEN
MY PICK = JAC
DET 3 ATL
MY PICK = DET
BUF 1 SEA
MY PICK = SEA
NO 3.5 TB
MY PICK = NO
PHI 8 STL
MY PICK = STL
DAL 6 CLE
MY PICK = CLE
SD 9 CAR
MY PICK = SD
ARZ 3 SF
MY PICK = SF
IND 10 CHI
MY PICK = IND
GB 2 MIN
MY PICK = MIN
DEN 3 OAK
MY PICK = DEN

Ocho Cinco

It's official. The Cincinnati Bengals no longer have a player on their roster named Chad Johnson. After an off-season full of distraction, the Bengals have finally removed Johnson from their roster. Unhappy with his contract, Johnson demanded a trade and threatened to sit out regular season games.

I'll take this opportunity to break another story from within the same team. The Bengals have a new No. 1 wide receiver in their clubhouse. His name you ask? Chad Ocho Cinco. Johnson officially changed his name from Chad Johnson to Chad Ocho Cinco. His new surname will appear on his jersey during games, as seen above.

Never has the NFL seen a character quite like Chad. They've fined him for his over-the-top celebrations after touchdowns. The "No Fun League" as Chad likes to refer to it has made several attempts to suppress the joy with which Chad plays. To sidestep their rigidness, Chad will now be officially referred to by announcers, in the media guide, and on his paycheck as Chad Ocho Cinco.

I love players expressing their individuality and think the precedent and defiance Ocho Cinco is showing is really going to stir the pot. The NFL kicks off its season tonight and with so many question marks in the league, anything is possible.