Wednesday’s 6-pack:
Interesting college football spreads for this week:
— West Virginia (-2) @ Pittsburgh
— Indiana (-3) @ UCLA
— Colorado (-7) @ Colorado State
— Central Florida (-2.5) @ TCU
— Maryland (-2.5) @ Virginia
— Rice @ Houston (-4)
Quote of the Day
“They’re definitely not sending cash. It’s funny. When they lose money, they want their money back. But when they win money on a parlay, no one’s ever sent me any of the money.”
Auburn QB Payton Thorne
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie Bull Durham, what well-known actor plays the Bulls’ pitching coach?
Wednesday’s quiz
Jim Bunning is the only major league pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and later become a US Senator after his playing days were done.
Tuesday’s quiz
Aaron Rodgers played his college football for the Cal Bears.
***************************************************
“They’re definitely not sending cash. It’s funny, when they lose money, they want the money back, but when they win money on the parley, no one’s ever saying they want to pay the money.”
Thorne threw 4 INT’s in Auburn’s upset loss to California last week; I’m thinking that these college teams have to have security teams around the players in their dorms, making sure some nitwit doesn’t try to make an appearance on Law & Order.
— Arizona State plays Texas State in football tonight; the QB for Texas State is Jordan McCloud, who has had an interesting college career:
2019- He threw 224 passes for South Florida (4-8)
2020- He threw 194 passes for South Florida (1-8)
2021- He threw 73 passes for Arizona (1-11)
2023- He threw 412 passes for James Madison (11-2)
2024- He’s thrown 57 passes for Texas State (2-0)
Six years, five seasons, four colleges. Someday he can write a hell of a book. He’ll be 25 in early November, older than any of the three rookie QBs starting in the NFL this month.
— Not only did Northern Illinois upset Notre Dame 16-14 last week, they banked a check for $1.4M on the way home, the guarantee $$$ they got for visiting South Bend.
Teams in the MAC/Sun Belt usually get their butts kicked in these guarantee games, but they bank big checks which help finance their mid-major programs. Every once in a while an upset happens. NIU actually outgained Notre Dame 388-286 in that game.
— Random trivia: When the New York Jets started playing in the AFL in 1960, they were the New York Titans, not the Jets- they became the Jets in 1963.
When the Tennessee Titans started playing in the AFL in 1960, they were the Houston Oilers; they moved to Tennessee in 1997. Oilers won the first two AFL titles, way back when.
This week, the old Titans (the Jets) meet the current Titans (the old Oilers) in Nashville.
— Famous birthdays, September 12:
Mickey Lolich, 84
Joe Pantoliano, 73
Rachel Ward, 67
Deron Cherry, 65
Vernon Maxwell, 59
Ki-Jana Carter, 51
Yao Ming, 44
Andrew Luck, 35
Freddie Freeman, 35
— Should the Carolina Panthers sit QB Bryce Young? The 2nd-year QB is 2-15 as a starter; would it help him to sit back for a few weeks and watch veteran backup Andy Dalton play?
Carolina lost its last three games by a combined 82-10; it isn’t Young’s fault that the morons in the Carolina front office traded Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers and DJ Moore to the Bears, but getting pummeled every week doesn’t seem to be working very well. Maybe a change of pace would slow the game down for Young and help him improve
(subtle reminder that Patrick Mahomes’ first career start was the last game of his rookie year)
— In addition to betting totals on games, you can bet over/unders on team totals; in Week 1, over was 16-13-3 in team totals. I actually think team totals are a fun way to bet NFL games.
— San Diego Padres were 82-80 last year, they’re 82-65 this year.
Last year’s Padres were 2-12 in extra innings, 80-68 in nine-inning tilts.
This year’s Padres are 8-1 in extra innings, 74-64 in nine-inning tilts.
— Is it a bad thing (yes, it is) when your favorite NFL team signs three new offensive linemen two days after their first game of the season?
LA Rams signed C Dylan McMahon off the Eagles’ practice squad.
They also signed Ty Nsekhe and Geron Christian off the street. Nsekhe played for the Browns LY, has played the Rams before. Christian has played for four different NFL teams.
— Pittsburgh Steelers lost P Cameron Johnson (knee) for the year last week; he was also the holder for kicker Chris Boswell, who was 6-6 on field goals in the win at Atlanta.
— Word of the Day: Potpourri- a mixture of things, especially a musical or literary medley.
This used to be a category on the old daytime Jeopardy! TV gameshow; you never knew what the question was going to pertain to. “Art, I’d like Potpourri for $60, please”
— New York Mets are only team in the major leagues that hasn’t had one at-bat taken by a rookie this season.
Mets 6, Blue Jays 2
Toronto P Francis had a no-hitter thru 8 IP (110 PT)
Francisco Lindor hit his 111th pitch out of the park to tie the game, 1-1. Mets then scored five more runs off the Toronto bullpen.
It is the second time in 18 days Francis had a no-hitter thru 8 IP; both times, the leadoff guy in the 9th inning hit a home run. The home run against the Angels came on his 117th pitch.
Francis has been great the last month or so; you’d think a non-contender like Toronto would want to protect him some, keep him healthy for next year, but no, the genius who manages the Blue Jays won’t take him out— not brilliant.
— Dodgers 10, Cubs 8
Dodgers hit four home runs in the first inning, then blew a 7-3 lead.
Shohei Ohtani homered, now has 47 taters and 48 stolen bases.
—Arizona 14, Rangers 4
Eugenio Suarez went 4-4, with two HR’s, scored four runs.
Ketel Marte went 3-4, with four RBI
— Red Sox 5, Orioles 3 (10)
Tyler O’Neill hit a walk-off, 3-run homer in the 10th inning.
Orioles are now 1.5 games out of first place in AL East.
— A’s 5, Astros 4
Backup C McCann hit the go-ahead HR in the sixth inning.
Houston’s lead in AL West is down to 3.5 games.
— Phillies 3, Rays 2
Zack Wheeler struck out nine hitters in 6 IP.
Philly’s magic number to clinch NL East is 9; this will be their first NL East title since 2011.
— Mariners 5, Padres 2
Bryan Woo had a perfect game thru six innings.
Luke Raley, JP Crawford both knocked in two runs.
Interesting college football spreads for this week:
— West Virginia (-2) @ Pittsburgh
— Indiana (-3) @ UCLA
— Colorado (-7) @ Colorado State
— Central Florida (-2.5) @ TCU
— Maryland (-2.5) @ Virginia
— Rice @ Houston (-4)
Quote of the Day
“They’re definitely not sending cash. It’s funny. When they lose money, they want their money back. But when they win money on a parlay, no one’s ever sent me any of the money.”
Auburn QB Payton Thorne
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie Bull Durham, what well-known actor plays the Bulls’ pitching coach?
Wednesday’s quiz
Jim Bunning is the only major league pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and later become a US Senator after his playing days were done.
Tuesday’s quiz
Aaron Rodgers played his college football for the Cal Bears.
***************************************************
Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud……..
— Auburn QB Payton Thorne said angry bettors sent him Venmo requests after they lost their bets on Auburn:“They’re definitely not sending cash. It’s funny, when they lose money, they want the money back, but when they win money on the parley, no one’s ever saying they want to pay the money.”
Thorne threw 4 INT’s in Auburn’s upset loss to California last week; I’m thinking that these college teams have to have security teams around the players in their dorms, making sure some nitwit doesn’t try to make an appearance on Law & Order.
— Arizona State plays Texas State in football tonight; the QB for Texas State is Jordan McCloud, who has had an interesting college career:
2019- He threw 224 passes for South Florida (4-8)
2020- He threw 194 passes for South Florida (1-8)
2021- He threw 73 passes for Arizona (1-11)
2023- He threw 412 passes for James Madison (11-2)
2024- He’s thrown 57 passes for Texas State (2-0)
Six years, five seasons, four colleges. Someday he can write a hell of a book. He’ll be 25 in early November, older than any of the three rookie QBs starting in the NFL this month.
— Not only did Northern Illinois upset Notre Dame 16-14 last week, they banked a check for $1.4M on the way home, the guarantee $$$ they got for visiting South Bend.
Teams in the MAC/Sun Belt usually get their butts kicked in these guarantee games, but they bank big checks which help finance their mid-major programs. Every once in a while an upset happens. NIU actually outgained Notre Dame 388-286 in that game.
— Random trivia: When the New York Jets started playing in the AFL in 1960, they were the New York Titans, not the Jets- they became the Jets in 1963.
When the Tennessee Titans started playing in the AFL in 1960, they were the Houston Oilers; they moved to Tennessee in 1997. Oilers won the first two AFL titles, way back when.
This week, the old Titans (the Jets) meet the current Titans (the old Oilers) in Nashville.
— Famous birthdays, September 12:
Mickey Lolich, 84
Joe Pantoliano, 73
Rachel Ward, 67
Deron Cherry, 65
Vernon Maxwell, 59
Ki-Jana Carter, 51
Yao Ming, 44
Andrew Luck, 35
Freddie Freeman, 35
— Should the Carolina Panthers sit QB Bryce Young? The 2nd-year QB is 2-15 as a starter; would it help him to sit back for a few weeks and watch veteran backup Andy Dalton play?
Carolina lost its last three games by a combined 82-10; it isn’t Young’s fault that the morons in the Carolina front office traded Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers and DJ Moore to the Bears, but getting pummeled every week doesn’t seem to be working very well. Maybe a change of pace would slow the game down for Young and help him improve
(subtle reminder that Patrick Mahomes’ first career start was the last game of his rookie year)
— In addition to betting totals on games, you can bet over/unders on team totals; in Week 1, over was 16-13-3 in team totals. I actually think team totals are a fun way to bet NFL games.
— San Diego Padres were 82-80 last year, they’re 82-65 this year.
Last year’s Padres were 2-12 in extra innings, 80-68 in nine-inning tilts.
This year’s Padres are 8-1 in extra innings, 74-64 in nine-inning tilts.
— Is it a bad thing (yes, it is) when your favorite NFL team signs three new offensive linemen two days after their first game of the season?
LA Rams signed C Dylan McMahon off the Eagles’ practice squad.
They also signed Ty Nsekhe and Geron Christian off the street. Nsekhe played for the Browns LY, has played the Rams before. Christian has played for four different NFL teams.
— Pittsburgh Steelers lost P Cameron Johnson (knee) for the year last week; he was also the holder for kicker Chris Boswell, who was 6-6 on field goals in the win at Atlanta.
— Word of the Day: Potpourri- a mixture of things, especially a musical or literary medley.
This used to be a category on the old daytime Jeopardy! TV gameshow; you never knew what the question was going to pertain to. “Art, I’d like Potpourri for $60, please”
— New York Mets are only team in the major leagues that hasn’t had one at-bat taken by a rookie this season.
Mets 6, Blue Jays 2
Toronto P Francis had a no-hitter thru 8 IP (110 PT)
Francisco Lindor hit his 111th pitch out of the park to tie the game, 1-1. Mets then scored five more runs off the Toronto bullpen.
It is the second time in 18 days Francis had a no-hitter thru 8 IP; both times, the leadoff guy in the 9th inning hit a home run. The home run against the Angels came on his 117th pitch.
Francis has been great the last month or so; you’d think a non-contender like Toronto would want to protect him some, keep him healthy for next year, but no, the genius who manages the Blue Jays won’t take him out— not brilliant.
— Dodgers 10, Cubs 8
Dodgers hit four home runs in the first inning, then blew a 7-3 lead.
Shohei Ohtani homered, now has 47 taters and 48 stolen bases.
—Arizona 14, Rangers 4
Eugenio Suarez went 4-4, with two HR’s, scored four runs.
Ketel Marte went 3-4, with four RBI
— Red Sox 5, Orioles 3 (10)
Tyler O’Neill hit a walk-off, 3-run homer in the 10th inning.
Orioles are now 1.5 games out of first place in AL East.
— A’s 5, Astros 4
Backup C McCann hit the go-ahead HR in the sixth inning.
Houston’s lead in AL West is down to 3.5 games.
— Phillies 3, Rays 2
Zack Wheeler struck out nine hitters in 6 IP.
Philly’s magic number to clinch NL East is 9; this will be their first NL East title since 2011.
— Mariners 5, Padres 2
Bryan Woo had a perfect game thru six innings.
Luke Raley, JP Crawford both knocked in two runs.
Friday’s 6-pack:
— Bronx 2, Boston 1 (10)- Juan Soto had a walk-off single.
— Brewers 3, Giants 0- Frankie Montas tossed 6 shutout IP.
— Rangers 5, Mariners 4- Texas scored three runs in top of the 8th.
— Rockies 4, Tigers 2- Detroit was -300 with Skubal pitching.
— Cardinals 6, Reds 1- Sonny Gray struck out nine in 6 IP>
— Rays 5, Guardians 2- Cleveland had one hit in the last seven innings.
Quote of the Day
“Nothing ends well, or else it wouldn’t end.”
Coughlin’s Law, from the movie Cocktail
Friday’s quiz
Who replaced Marv Levy as coach of the Buffalo Bills?
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie Bull Durham, Robert Wuhl plays the Bulls’ pitching coach.
Wednesday’s quiz
Jim Bunning is the only major league pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and later become a US Senator after his playing days were done.
***********************************************
Buffalo had three TD drives: 37-85-49 yards.
Bills are 10-3-1 ATS in last 14 games as a road underdog.
Buffalo is 14-3-1 ATS in last 18 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Bills are 20-9-3 ATS in last 32 games on natural grass.
Awful night for Miami; bad loss, QB Tagovailoa left with a concussion.
Before he left, Tagovailoa threw a horrific pick-6 that made score 31-10.
Under McDaniel, Miami is 4-6 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Buffalo won 11 of last 12 series games.
— Tagovailoa’s concussion looked fairly severe; Miami’s other two QB’s are Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, who have a combined seven NFL starts (1-6). Not good.
Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000; this year isn’t looking too good, either.
— Arizona State 31, Texas State 28
Texas State outgained ASU 400-347, but they turned ball over three times (minus-2)
Game was tied 21-21 at halftime.
Texas State QB McCloud threw for 268 yards and four TD’s in a losing cause.
— Pac-12 is back in business, kind of; Oregon State, Washington State hung around, will now be joined by San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State. More teams are on the way; there are murmurs that UNLV/Nevada have to be a package deal, but the Pac-12 might not be interested in adding the Wolf Pack.
Memphis, Rice, Tex-San Antonio and North Texas are rumored to be in the mix, further screwing up every kid’s grades in Geography. (do they still teach Geography?)
Cal/Stanford/SMU in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference
Memphis and two Texas schools in the PACIFIC-12.
Oy.
— Famous birthdays, September 13:
Jacqueline Bisset, 80
Rick Wise, 79
Kathleen Lloyd, 76
Rick Dempsey, 75
Jim Cleamons, 75
Mike Pagel, 64
Brad Johnson, 56
AJ McCarron, 34
Troy Reeder, 30
One quick question for every NFL game this weekend:
— Chargers @ Carolina- Panthers lost their last three games by a combined score of 82-10; they were down 30-3 at halftime last week. Would they ever bench QB Bryce Young?
— Buccaneers @ Lions- Detroit won a playoff game LY for first time since 1991; is this the year they get to their first Super Bowl?
Lions won NFL titles in 1952, 1953, 1957, but that was before there were Super Bowls.
— Saints @ Cowboys- New Orleans scored five TD’s last week, averaged 8.0 yards/pass attempt; Cowboys held the Browns to 2.7 yards/pass attempt last week, can they shut down the Saints’ offense this week?
— Jets @ Titans- Tennessee lost last week without giving up an offensive TD; they had a punt blocked for a TD and their suspect of a QB threw a pick-6. Jets have a good defense; will they score more points than the Jets’ offense?
— Seahawks @ Patriots- All three of Seattle’s TD’s last week were on plays of 23+ yards; New England held Cincinnati to one TD. Will the Seahawks be just as explosive in their road opener?
— Giants @ Commanders- Minnesota’s defense outscored the Giants’ offense 7-6 last week; at $40M a year, how much rope does QB Daniel Jones get, before backup Drew Lock gets a look?
— 49ers @ Vikings- QB Sam Darnold played really well last week; what happens if Darnold has a great year and Minnesota makes a run to the playoffs? Would they keep rookie JJ McCarthy or look to pick up some draft capital and trade him?
— Colts @ Packers- Jordan Love’s injury is the big question here; Malik Willis, Sean Clifford are the backups. Green Bay is in a position very close to Miami’s right now unless Love can get back on the field fairly soon.
— Raiders @ Ravens- How much is Baltimore going to use RB Derrick Henry? 13 carries for 46 yards doesn’t seem like a lot. 41 passes for Lamar Jackson seems like a lot.
— Browns @ Jaguars- The whole Deshaun Watson debacle is a huge ??? for the entire league. You see Tua Tagovailoa get knocked silly (again) and you understand why teams don’t want to have guys with fully guaranteed contracts.
— Steelers @ Broncos- What went on between Sean Payton/Russell Wilson in Denver? Seems like they didn’t get along too well. Wilson won’t start for Pittsburgh this week, but he must have a pretty good handle on the Broncos’ offense, right?
— Bengals @ Chiefs- Carson Wentz has one of the best jobs in America; he is Patrick Mahomes’ backup. Wentz has already banked $128M in his career, has a Super Bowl ring. Now he gets to learn from the best. Will he ever get another shot at being an NFL starter?
— Rams @ Arizona- Sean McVay’s offensive line has a lot of injury concerns; can they keep Matthew Stafford in one piece? Pretty important question for this week; they get LT Alaric Jackson back next week.
— Bears @ Texans- Rookie QB Williams didn’t do too well in his NFL debut; how will he do in his first road start, against a playoff team from last year?
— Falcons @ Eagles- Atlanta used the 8th pick in the draft on QB Michael Penix; how long before they give him some playing time? Falcons gained 226 yards last week; they lost without giving up a TD (Steelers kicked six FG’s). How much patience do they have?
— Bronx 2, Boston 1 (10)- Juan Soto had a walk-off single.
— Brewers 3, Giants 0- Frankie Montas tossed 6 shutout IP.
— Rangers 5, Mariners 4- Texas scored three runs in top of the 8th.
— Rockies 4, Tigers 2- Detroit was -300 with Skubal pitching.
— Cardinals 6, Reds 1- Sonny Gray struck out nine in 6 IP>
— Rays 5, Guardians 2- Cleveland had one hit in the last seven innings.
Quote of the Day
“Nothing ends well, or else it wouldn’t end.”
Coughlin’s Law, from the movie Cocktail
Friday’s quiz
Who replaced Marv Levy as coach of the Buffalo Bills?
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie Bull Durham, Robert Wuhl plays the Bulls’ pitching coach.
Wednesday’s quiz
Jim Bunning is the only major league pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and later become a US Senator after his playing days were done.
***********************************************
Friday’s Den: Looking ahead to a football weekend……..
— Bills 31, Dolphins 10Buffalo had three TD drives: 37-85-49 yards.
Bills are 10-3-1 ATS in last 14 games as a road underdog.
Buffalo is 14-3-1 ATS in last 18 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Bills are 20-9-3 ATS in last 32 games on natural grass.
Awful night for Miami; bad loss, QB Tagovailoa left with a concussion.
Before he left, Tagovailoa threw a horrific pick-6 that made score 31-10.
Under McDaniel, Miami is 4-6 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Buffalo won 11 of last 12 series games.
— Tagovailoa’s concussion looked fairly severe; Miami’s other two QB’s are Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, who have a combined seven NFL starts (1-6). Not good.
Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game since 2000; this year isn’t looking too good, either.
— Arizona State 31, Texas State 28
Texas State outgained ASU 400-347, but they turned ball over three times (minus-2)
Game was tied 21-21 at halftime.
Texas State QB McCloud threw for 268 yards and four TD’s in a losing cause.
— Pac-12 is back in business, kind of; Oregon State, Washington State hung around, will now be joined by San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State. More teams are on the way; there are murmurs that UNLV/Nevada have to be a package deal, but the Pac-12 might not be interested in adding the Wolf Pack.
Memphis, Rice, Tex-San Antonio and North Texas are rumored to be in the mix, further screwing up every kid’s grades in Geography. (do they still teach Geography?)
Cal/Stanford/SMU in the ATLANTIC Coast Conference
Memphis and two Texas schools in the PACIFIC-12.
Oy.
— Famous birthdays, September 13:
Jacqueline Bisset, 80
Rick Wise, 79
Kathleen Lloyd, 76
Rick Dempsey, 75
Jim Cleamons, 75
Mike Pagel, 64
Brad Johnson, 56
AJ McCarron, 34
Troy Reeder, 30
One quick question for every NFL game this weekend:
— Chargers @ Carolina- Panthers lost their last three games by a combined score of 82-10; they were down 30-3 at halftime last week. Would they ever bench QB Bryce Young?
— Buccaneers @ Lions- Detroit won a playoff game LY for first time since 1991; is this the year they get to their first Super Bowl?
Lions won NFL titles in 1952, 1953, 1957, but that was before there were Super Bowls.
— Saints @ Cowboys- New Orleans scored five TD’s last week, averaged 8.0 yards/pass attempt; Cowboys held the Browns to 2.7 yards/pass attempt last week, can they shut down the Saints’ offense this week?
— Jets @ Titans- Tennessee lost last week without giving up an offensive TD; they had a punt blocked for a TD and their suspect of a QB threw a pick-6. Jets have a good defense; will they score more points than the Jets’ offense?
— Seahawks @ Patriots- All three of Seattle’s TD’s last week were on plays of 23+ yards; New England held Cincinnati to one TD. Will the Seahawks be just as explosive in their road opener?
— Giants @ Commanders- Minnesota’s defense outscored the Giants’ offense 7-6 last week; at $40M a year, how much rope does QB Daniel Jones get, before backup Drew Lock gets a look?
— 49ers @ Vikings- QB Sam Darnold played really well last week; what happens if Darnold has a great year and Minnesota makes a run to the playoffs? Would they keep rookie JJ McCarthy or look to pick up some draft capital and trade him?
— Colts @ Packers- Jordan Love’s injury is the big question here; Malik Willis, Sean Clifford are the backups. Green Bay is in a position very close to Miami’s right now unless Love can get back on the field fairly soon.
— Raiders @ Ravens- How much is Baltimore going to use RB Derrick Henry? 13 carries for 46 yards doesn’t seem like a lot. 41 passes for Lamar Jackson seems like a lot.
— Browns @ Jaguars- The whole Deshaun Watson debacle is a huge ??? for the entire league. You see Tua Tagovailoa get knocked silly (again) and you understand why teams don’t want to have guys with fully guaranteed contracts.
— Steelers @ Broncos- What went on between Sean Payton/Russell Wilson in Denver? Seems like they didn’t get along too well. Wilson won’t start for Pittsburgh this week, but he must have a pretty good handle on the Broncos’ offense, right?
— Bengals @ Chiefs- Carson Wentz has one of the best jobs in America; he is Patrick Mahomes’ backup. Wentz has already banked $128M in his career, has a Super Bowl ring. Now he gets to learn from the best. Will he ever get another shot at being an NFL starter?
— Rams @ Arizona- Sean McVay’s offensive line has a lot of injury concerns; can they keep Matthew Stafford in one piece? Pretty important question for this week; they get LT Alaric Jackson back next week.
— Bears @ Texans- Rookie QB Williams didn’t do too well in his NFL debut; how will he do in his first road start, against a playoff team from last year?
— Falcons @ Eagles- Atlanta used the 8th pick in the draft on QB Michael Penix; how long before they give him some playing time? Falcons gained 226 yards last week; they lost without giving up a TD (Steelers kicked six FG’s). How much patience do they have?
Completed Picks
Past Completed Picks| Date | W-L-T | % | Units | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/13/2024 | 6-4-0 | 60.00% | +800 | Detail |
| 09/12/2024 | 0-2-0 | 0.00% | -1100 | Detail |
| 09/11/2024 | 2-4-0 | 33.33% | -1200 | Detail |
| 09/10/2024 | 5-1-0 | 83.33% | +1950 | Detail |
| 09/08/2024 | 7-3-0 | 70.00% | +1850 | Detail |
| 09/07/2024 | 0-2-0 | 0.00% | -1100 | Detail |
| 09/06/2024 | 4-4-0 | 50.00% | -200 | Detail |
| 09/05/2024 | 3-1-0 | 75.00% | +950 | Detail |
| 09/04/2024 | 2-0-0 | 100.00% | +1000 | Detail |
| 09/03/2024 | 4-4-0 | 50.00% | -200 | Detail |
| 09/01/2024 | 6-4-0 | 60.00% | +800 | Detail |
Saturday’s 6-pack:
Highest-paid CB’s in the NFL:
$24.1M/year— Jalen Ramsey, Mia
$24M— Patrick Surtain, Den
$21M— Jaire Alexander, GB
$20.3M— AJ Terrell, Atl
$19.5M— Marlon Humphrey, Belt
$19.4M— Marshon Lattimore, NO
Tweet of the Day
“Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.”
Frank Tyger
Saturday’s quiz
In the old Batman TV series, what well-known actor played the Egghead?
Friday’s quiz
Wade Phillips replaced Marv Levy as coach of the Buffalo Bills.
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie Bull Durham, Robert Wuhl plays the Bulls’ pitching coach.
**************************************
UNLV scored winning TD with 2:00 left, ending an 18-play, 75-yard drive.
UNLV QB Sluka ran for 113 yards, completed only 7-18 passes.
Rebels threw a 27-yard TD pass on last play of second quarter.
UNLV is 3-0 for first time since 1984, when Randall Cunningham was QB.
— Kansas State 31, Arizona 7
K-State ran ball for 235 yards, Arizona 56.
Dylan Edwards ran a punt back 71 yards for a TD.
Loss ended Arizona’s nine-game winning streak.
— Tigers 1, Orioles 0
Four Detroit pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter.
Gunnar Henderson’s 9th inning triple was Baltimore’s only hit.
Kerry Carpenter homered on Zach Eflin’s 3rd pitch of the game.
— Bronx 5, Red Sox 4
Boston led this game 4-0 in 7th inning.
Aaron Judge hit a grand slam for the game-winning hit.
Bronx has a 3-game lead in the AL East.
— Mariners 5, Rangers 4
Julio Rodriguez hit a 3-run homer in the 8th inning.
Rangers led this game 4-0 in 7th inning.
Jacob deGrom made his first start since April 28, 2023; he threw 61 pitches.
— A’s 2, White Sox 0
Rookie P Basso got 16 outs, didn’t give up a run, got his first MLB win.
Oakland is 28-22 since the All-Star break.
White Sox were shut out for the 18th time this season.
— Famous birthdays, September 14th:
Larry Brown, 84
Alvin Scott, 69
Tim Wallach, 67
David Bell, 52
Chad Bradford, 50
Brandon Hicks, 39
Jimmy Butler, 35
Deshaun Watson, 29
— Royals 8, Pirates 3
Kansas City scored six runs in the second inning.
34-year old Salvador Perez has 27 home runs, 104 RBI
Loss snaps Pittsburgh’s 4-game winning streak.
— Blue Jays 4, Cardinals 3 (11)
Alejandro Kirk knocked in the game-winning run.
St Louis was 2-19 with runners in scoring position.
Cardinals 2B Thomas Saggese hit his first MLB home run.
— Reds 8, Twins 4
Elly De La Cruz hit his 24th home run, his first career grand slam.
Minnesota lost for 7th time in its last ten games.
Twins lead Detroit for the last AL playoff spot, by 2.5 games.
— Movie of the Day: The Company Men (2010)— A major company downsizes, and the lives of three men are affected in different ways.
Great cast: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Craig T Nelson, Mario Bello.
Kind a sad movie with something of an upbeat ending. Good movie, though.
— Padres 5, Giants 0
Dylan Cease struck out 10 in six shutout IP.
Fernando Tatis Jr hit a 2-run home run.
Giants were shut out for the second game in a row.
— Brewers 2, Diamondbacks 1
Rhys Hoskins hit a 2-run homer for the Brewers.
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by 10 games.
Freddie Peralta allowed 10 baserunners in 5 IP, but only one run.
— Mets 11, Phillies 3
Jose Quintana tossed seven shutout IP.
Mets won for 12th time in last 14 games.
Phillies still lead NL East by seven games.
— Nationals 4, Marlins 1
DJ Herz allowed only one run in 5 IP.
Luis Garcia homered for first time in 101 AB’s vs lefty pitchers.
Three of Washington’s four runs were unearned.
— Rockies 9, Cubs 5
Hunter Goodman homered twice, including an 8th inning grand slam.
Cubs are now six games behind the Mets for the NL’s last playoff spot.
— Braves 6, Dodgers 2
Braves led this game 5-0 in second inning.
Schwellenbach threw 6 IP, giving up two runs.
Atlanta is a game behind the Mets for the NL’s last playoff spot.
Highest-paid CB’s in the NFL:
$24.1M/year— Jalen Ramsey, Mia
$24M— Patrick Surtain, Den
$21M— Jaire Alexander, GB
$20.3M— AJ Terrell, Atl
$19.5M— Marlon Humphrey, Belt
$19.4M— Marshon Lattimore, NO
Tweet of the Day
“Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.”
Frank Tyger
Saturday’s quiz
In the old Batman TV series, what well-known actor played the Egghead?
Friday’s quiz
Wade Phillips replaced Marv Levy as coach of the Buffalo Bills.
Thursday’s quiz
In the movie Bull Durham, Robert Wuhl plays the Bulls’ pitching coach.
**************************************
Saturday’s Den: Wrapping up a fall Friday……..
— UNLV 23, Kansas 20UNLV scored winning TD with 2:00 left, ending an 18-play, 75-yard drive.
UNLV QB Sluka ran for 113 yards, completed only 7-18 passes.
Rebels threw a 27-yard TD pass on last play of second quarter.
UNLV is 3-0 for first time since 1984, when Randall Cunningham was QB.
— Kansas State 31, Arizona 7
K-State ran ball for 235 yards, Arizona 56.
Dylan Edwards ran a punt back 71 yards for a TD.
Loss ended Arizona’s nine-game winning streak.
— Tigers 1, Orioles 0
Four Detroit pitchers combined to throw a one-hitter.
Gunnar Henderson’s 9th inning triple was Baltimore’s only hit.
Kerry Carpenter homered on Zach Eflin’s 3rd pitch of the game.
— Bronx 5, Red Sox 4
Boston led this game 4-0 in 7th inning.
Aaron Judge hit a grand slam for the game-winning hit.
Bronx has a 3-game lead in the AL East.
— Mariners 5, Rangers 4
Julio Rodriguez hit a 3-run homer in the 8th inning.
Rangers led this game 4-0 in 7th inning.
Jacob deGrom made his first start since April 28, 2023; he threw 61 pitches.
— A’s 2, White Sox 0
Rookie P Basso got 16 outs, didn’t give up a run, got his first MLB win.
Oakland is 28-22 since the All-Star break.
White Sox were shut out for the 18th time this season.
— Famous birthdays, September 14th:
Larry Brown, 84
Alvin Scott, 69
Tim Wallach, 67
David Bell, 52
Chad Bradford, 50
Brandon Hicks, 39
Jimmy Butler, 35
Deshaun Watson, 29
— Royals 8, Pirates 3
Kansas City scored six runs in the second inning.
34-year old Salvador Perez has 27 home runs, 104 RBI
Loss snaps Pittsburgh’s 4-game winning streak.
— Blue Jays 4, Cardinals 3 (11)
Alejandro Kirk knocked in the game-winning run.
St Louis was 2-19 with runners in scoring position.
Cardinals 2B Thomas Saggese hit his first MLB home run.
— Reds 8, Twins 4
Elly De La Cruz hit his 24th home run, his first career grand slam.
Minnesota lost for 7th time in its last ten games.
Twins lead Detroit for the last AL playoff spot, by 2.5 games.
— Movie of the Day: The Company Men (2010)— A major company downsizes, and the lives of three men are affected in different ways.
Great cast: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Craig T Nelson, Mario Bello.
Kind a sad movie with something of an upbeat ending. Good movie, though.
— Padres 5, Giants 0
Dylan Cease struck out 10 in six shutout IP.
Fernando Tatis Jr hit a 2-run home run.
Giants were shut out for the second game in a row.
— Brewers 2, Diamondbacks 1
Rhys Hoskins hit a 2-run homer for the Brewers.
Milwaukee leads the NL Central by 10 games.
Freddie Peralta allowed 10 baserunners in 5 IP, but only one run.
— Mets 11, Phillies 3
Jose Quintana tossed seven shutout IP.
Mets won for 12th time in last 14 games.
Phillies still lead NL East by seven games.
— Nationals 4, Marlins 1
DJ Herz allowed only one run in 5 IP.
Luis Garcia homered for first time in 101 AB’s vs lefty pitchers.
Three of Washington’s four runs were unearned.
— Rockies 9, Cubs 5
Hunter Goodman homered twice, including an 8th inning grand slam.
Cubs are now six games behind the Mets for the NL’s last playoff spot.
— Braves 6, Dodgers 2
Braves led this game 5-0 in second inning.
Schwellenbach threw 6 IP, giving up two runs.
Atlanta is a game behind the Mets for the NL’s last playoff spot.
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Some interesting college football spreads for next week:
— Stanford @ Syracuse (-9.5)
— Illinois @ Nebraska (-8.5)
— Kansas @ West Virginia (-2.5)
— Arkansas @ Auburn (-5)
— USC (-6) @ Michigan
— Utah @ Oklahoma State (-1.5)
Tweet of the Day
“We’re not gonna be working heavy in free agency. We’ve got guys on the field right now who need to improve their game. A lot of young players who just need to make adjustments to be more productive.”
White Sox general manager Chris Getz
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, what actor/comedian played Lady Gaga’s father?
Saturday’s quiz
In the old Batman TV series, Vincent Price played the Egghead.
Friday’s quiz
Wade Phillips replaced Marv Levy as coach of the Buffalo Bills.
*************************************
#1 team in the country has a very narrow escape.
Kentucky led 9-6 after three quarters.
Georgia scored only TD of game with 12:20 left.
— LSU 36, South Carolina 33
Gamecocks led 17-0 early in second quarter.
LSU drove 55 yards, scored game-winning TD with 1:12 left.
Gamecocks ran for 243 yards, but missed a 49-yard FG at the gun.
South Carolina turned ball over three times, had 123 penalty yards.
— Memphis 20, Florida State 12
Seminoles were 13-1 last year, are 0-3 so far this year:
L21-24 vs Georgia Tech (-10)
L13-28 Boston College (-16.5)
L12-20 Memphis (-7)
Mike Norvell is a good coach, but he is squarely on the hot seat now; this is his contract situation going forward:
2024- $10M
2025- $10,150,000
2026- $10,300,000
2027- $10,450,000
2028- $10,600,000
2029- $10,750,000
2030- $10,900,000
2031- $11,050,000
— Meanwhile, in Gainesville……..
Texas A&M 33, Florida 20
Aggies led this game 20-0 at halftime.
A&M averaged 10.5 yards/pass attempt.
Gators lost their first two I-A games, 41-17/33-20; they’ve now lost their last seven I-A games, with only win in that span 45-7 over I-AA Samford.
Safe to say, the natives are restless in northern Florida.
— Pittsburgh 38, West Virginia 34
WVU led 34-24 with 3:30 left in the game.
Pitt had TD drives of 75-77 yards to pull out a dramatic win.
Teams combined to convert only 4 of 22 third down plays.
These rivals didn’t play from 2012-21, kind of an expen$ive deci$ion.
— Upsets of the Week:
UNLV (+10.5) 23, Kansas 20
Toledo (+10.5) 41, Mississippi State 17
Georgia State (+10) 36, Vanderbilt 32
Memphis (+7) 20, Florida State 12
Washington State (+5.5) 24, Washington 19
— Washington State 24, Washington 19
Coogs stopped Washington on 1-yard line with 1:07 left.
Apple Cup was played in the Seahawks’ stadium, lot earlier than usual.
Washington gained 452 yards, but had 16 penalties for 135 yards.
Coogs beat Washington for just third time in last 15 meetings.
— Oregon 49, Oregon State 14
Teams that got left behind went 1-1 vs their arch-rivals this weekend.
Ducks led by only 22-14 at halftime.
Ducks outgained the Beavers, 546-309.
Oregon had lost its previous two visits to Corvallis.
— Indiana 42, UCLA 13
Curt Cignetti is the new coach at Indiana; he is a really good coach.
Cignetti was 52-9 the last five years at James Madison.
Indiana was 9-12 on third down, Bruins 2-8
Total yardage: 430-238, Indiana.
Hoosiers overcame having 14 penalties for 127 yards.
— Auburn 45, New Mexico 19
Auburn’s new starting QB Hank Brown passed for 235 yards and 4 TD’s.
Auburn’s starting QB last week (Payton Thorne) was complaining this week about gamblers bugging him after Auburn lost games; he threw 4 INT’s last week. Then he got benched.
— Famous birthdays, September 15th:
Tommy Lee Jones, 78
Oliver Stone, 78
LeRoy Irvin, 67
Dan Marino, 63
Earnest Byner, 62
Sherman Douglas, 58
Jason Terry, 47
Mike Dunleavy Jr, 44
Tyler Fitzgerald, 27
— Central Florida 35, TCU 34
UCF threw a 20-yard TD pass with 0:36 left for the winning score.
Arkansas transfer Jefferson threw for 230 yards, 3 TD’s.
TCU led 31-10 with 5:00 left in third quarter.
Horned Frogs blocked two field goals and an extra point.
— Eastern Michigan 37, Jacksonville State 34 OT
EMU led this game 31-20 after three quarters.
Gamecocks kicked a 51-yard FG to tie game with 0:34 left.
Eagles were 10-19 on third down, Jax State was 3-12.
— Buffalo 34, UMass 3
Marquis Cooper had a 105-yard pick-6 for Buffalo.
— Texas 56, Tex-San Antonio 7
Texas QB Ewers was 14-16/185 passing before he got hurt.
Backup QB Manning (Peyton’s nephew) was 9-12/223, with 4 TD passes.
UTSA lost its last two games 49-10/56-7; they’re not good.
— How conferences did in non-league games this week:
AAC 2-0 ATS as favorite, 3-6 as underdog
ACC 2-2 ATS as favorite, 2-2 as underdog
Big X 7-4 ATS as favorite, 1-0 as underdog
Big 18 3-3 ATS as favorite, 0-2 as underdog
Conference USA 1-0 ATS as favorite, 1-3 as underdog
Mid-American 2-0 ATS as favorite, 1-3 as underdog
Mountain West 2-0 ATS as favorite, 3-6 as underdog
SEC 5-5 ATS as favorite
Sun Belt 1-2 ATS as favorite, 3-2 as underdog
Some interesting college football spreads for next week:
— Stanford @ Syracuse (-9.5)
— Illinois @ Nebraska (-8.5)
— Kansas @ West Virginia (-2.5)
— Arkansas @ Auburn (-5)
— USC (-6) @ Michigan
— Utah @ Oklahoma State (-1.5)
Tweet of the Day
“We’re not gonna be working heavy in free agency. We’ve got guys on the field right now who need to improve their game. A lot of young players who just need to make adjustments to be more productive.”
White Sox general manager Chris Getz
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, what actor/comedian played Lady Gaga’s father?
Saturday’s quiz
In the old Batman TV series, Vincent Price played the Egghead.
Friday’s quiz
Wade Phillips replaced Marv Levy as coach of the Buffalo Bills.
*************************************
Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a college football Saturday……..
— Georgia 13, Kentucky 12#1 team in the country has a very narrow escape.
Kentucky led 9-6 after three quarters.
Georgia scored only TD of game with 12:20 left.
— LSU 36, South Carolina 33
Gamecocks led 17-0 early in second quarter.
LSU drove 55 yards, scored game-winning TD with 1:12 left.
Gamecocks ran for 243 yards, but missed a 49-yard FG at the gun.
South Carolina turned ball over three times, had 123 penalty yards.
— Memphis 20, Florida State 12
Seminoles were 13-1 last year, are 0-3 so far this year:
L21-24 vs Georgia Tech (-10)
L13-28 Boston College (-16.5)
L12-20 Memphis (-7)
Mike Norvell is a good coach, but he is squarely on the hot seat now; this is his contract situation going forward:
2024- $10M
2025- $10,150,000
2026- $10,300,000
2027- $10,450,000
2028- $10,600,000
2029- $10,750,000
2030- $10,900,000
2031- $11,050,000
— Meanwhile, in Gainesville……..
Texas A&M 33, Florida 20
Aggies led this game 20-0 at halftime.
A&M averaged 10.5 yards/pass attempt.
Gators lost their first two I-A games, 41-17/33-20; they’ve now lost their last seven I-A games, with only win in that span 45-7 over I-AA Samford.
Safe to say, the natives are restless in northern Florida.
— Pittsburgh 38, West Virginia 34
WVU led 34-24 with 3:30 left in the game.
Pitt had TD drives of 75-77 yards to pull out a dramatic win.
Teams combined to convert only 4 of 22 third down plays.
These rivals didn’t play from 2012-21, kind of an expen$ive deci$ion.
— Upsets of the Week:
UNLV (+10.5) 23, Kansas 20
Toledo (+10.5) 41, Mississippi State 17
Georgia State (+10) 36, Vanderbilt 32
Memphis (+7) 20, Florida State 12
Washington State (+5.5) 24, Washington 19
— Washington State 24, Washington 19
Coogs stopped Washington on 1-yard line with 1:07 left.
Apple Cup was played in the Seahawks’ stadium, lot earlier than usual.
Washington gained 452 yards, but had 16 penalties for 135 yards.
Coogs beat Washington for just third time in last 15 meetings.
— Oregon 49, Oregon State 14
Teams that got left behind went 1-1 vs their arch-rivals this weekend.
Ducks led by only 22-14 at halftime.
Ducks outgained the Beavers, 546-309.
Oregon had lost its previous two visits to Corvallis.
— Indiana 42, UCLA 13
Curt Cignetti is the new coach at Indiana; he is a really good coach.
Cignetti was 52-9 the last five years at James Madison.
Indiana was 9-12 on third down, Bruins 2-8
Total yardage: 430-238, Indiana.
Hoosiers overcame having 14 penalties for 127 yards.
— Auburn 45, New Mexico 19
Auburn’s new starting QB Hank Brown passed for 235 yards and 4 TD’s.
Auburn’s starting QB last week (Payton Thorne) was complaining this week about gamblers bugging him after Auburn lost games; he threw 4 INT’s last week. Then he got benched.
— Famous birthdays, September 15th:
Tommy Lee Jones, 78
Oliver Stone, 78
LeRoy Irvin, 67
Dan Marino, 63
Earnest Byner, 62
Sherman Douglas, 58
Jason Terry, 47
Mike Dunleavy Jr, 44
Tyler Fitzgerald, 27
— Central Florida 35, TCU 34
UCF threw a 20-yard TD pass with 0:36 left for the winning score.
Arkansas transfer Jefferson threw for 230 yards, 3 TD’s.
TCU led 31-10 with 5:00 left in third quarter.
Horned Frogs blocked two field goals and an extra point.
— Eastern Michigan 37, Jacksonville State 34 OT
EMU led this game 31-20 after three quarters.
Gamecocks kicked a 51-yard FG to tie game with 0:34 left.
Eagles were 10-19 on third down, Jax State was 3-12.
— Buffalo 34, UMass 3
Marquis Cooper had a 105-yard pick-6 for Buffalo.
— Texas 56, Tex-San Antonio 7
Texas QB Ewers was 14-16/185 passing before he got hurt.
Backup QB Manning (Peyton’s nephew) was 9-12/223, with 4 TD passes.
UTSA lost its last two games 49-10/56-7; they’re not good.
— How conferences did in non-league games this week:
AAC 2-0 ATS as favorite, 3-6 as underdog
ACC 2-2 ATS as favorite, 2-2 as underdog
Big X 7-4 ATS as favorite, 1-0 as underdog
Big 18 3-3 ATS as favorite, 0-2 as underdog
Conference USA 1-0 ATS as favorite, 1-3 as underdog
Mid-American 2-0 ATS as favorite, 1-3 as underdog
Mountain West 2-0 ATS as favorite, 3-6 as underdog
SEC 5-5 ATS as favorite
Sun Belt 1-2 ATS as favorite, 3-2 as underdog
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
| Game | Time(ET) | Pick | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIN at NY | 03:00 PM | MIN +6.0 U 159.5 | +500 +500 |
| ATL at WAS | 03:00 PM | WAS +1.5 U 154.0 | +500 +500 |
| DAL at IND | 03:00 PM | DAL +9.0 O 185.5 | +500 +500 |
| LA at SEA | 06:00 PM | SEA -9.0 U 160.0 | +500 +500 |
| CON at LV | 06:00 PM | LV -4.5 U 159.0 | +500 +500 |
| PHO at CHI | 06:00 PM | CHI +2.5 U 158.5 | +500 +500 |
Armadillo Sports
Monday’s 6-pack:
NFL spreads for Week 2:
— Patriots @ NJ Jets (-7)
— Chargers @ Pittsburgh (-1.5)
— Bears @ Indianapolis (-2.5)
— Texans (-4) @ Minnesota
— Giants @ Cleveland (-6.5)
— Eagles (-3.5) @ New Orleans
Quote of the Day
“It doesn’t feel great losing.”
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase
Monday’s quiz
In the movie Moneyball, what actor played A’s manager Art Howe?
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, Andrew Dice Clay played Lady Gaga’s father.
Saturday’s quiz
In the old Batman TV series, Vincent Price played the Egghead.
************************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday
Chiefs 26, Bengals 25
Butker kicked 51-yard FG with 0:03 left for a dramatic win.
Bengals led 16-10 at halftime.
Chiefs turned ball over three times (-2), were only 1-8 on third down.
Last 4+ years, KC is 15-18 ATS as a home favorite.
In two games, Bengals have only three TD’s on 17 drives.
Cincinnati is only 8-24 on third down conversions.
WR Chase (in a contract dispute), has caught 10 balls for 97 yards in 2 games.
Last 4+ years, Cincinnati is 18-10-1 ATS coming off a loss.
Steelers 13, Broncos 6
Steelers held first two opponents to 226/295 yards in two road wins.
Pittsburgh was +3 in turnovers last week, +2 this week.
First two opponents converted 4-21 third down plays.
Steelers are 18-9-1 ATS in last 28 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Rookie QB Nix does NOT look ready to play in the NFL.
Denver was held to 231/295 TY in two games; they’re 7-30 on third down.
In this game, Broncos ran ball 19 times for only 64 yards.
Broncos are 9-18-1 ATS in last 28 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Cardinals 41, Rams 10
Arizona’s first three drives: 20 plays, 219 yards, 21 points.
Cardinals led 24-3 at halftime.
Cardinals ran for 231 yards, outgained LA, 489-245.
Arizona averaged 11.7 yards/pass attempt.
Arizona was 7-11 on third down, Rams were 2-11.
Last 2+ years, LA is 4-8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Rams had won their previous nine visits to Arizona.
Rookie WR Harrison had 130 RY, all in first quarter.
Texans 19, Bears 13
In two games, Chicago has one offensive TD on 21 drives.
In two games, Bears gained 148/205 yards, on 119 plays.
Bears have converted 8-30 third down plays.
This week, the 3 rookie QB’s combined for one offensive TD on 30 drives.
Houston’s first three drives: 24 plays, 158 yards, 13 points,
Texans overcame 12 penalties for 115 yards.
2nd-year QB Stroud is 12-7 as an NFL starter.
Houston is 4-8 ATS in last 12 games coming off a win.
Vikings 23, 49ers 17
49ers had 15-play, 83-yard drive that took 9:18, but they were stopped on downs
Darnold then threw a 97-yard TD pass to Justin Jefferson.
Vikings averaged 8.6 yards/pass attempt.
Ty Chandler ran ball 10 times for 82 yards.
Minnesota was 7-12 on third down, 49ers 2-10.
RB Mason ran ball 20 times for 100 yards and a TD.
Both teams turned ball over twice.
49ers are 0-5 SU/1-4 ATS in last five visits to Minnesota.
Saints 44, Cowboys 19
Saints’ first six drives: 39 plays, 379 yards, six TD’s.
New Orleans led this game 35-16 at halftime.
RB Kamara ran for 115 yards, three TD’s.
In their two games, Saints are 12-21 on third down.
Dallas scored on five of first six drives, but only one TD, four FG’s.
Zimmer’s defense allowed 14.2 yards/pass attempt.
In their two games, Cowboys are only 10-32 on third down.
Over is 32-17 in last 49 Dallas home games.
Buccaneers 20, Lions 16
Lions ran 83 plays for 463 yards.
Tampa Bay ran 47 plays for 216 yards.
With 0:53 left, Lions were stopped on downs on Bucs’ 6-yard line.
With 0:02 left, Lions were stopped on downs on Bucs’ 26-yard line.
Bucs were 2-10 on third down, Detroit 7-13.
Under Bowles, Tampa Bay is 8-3 ATS as a road underdog.
QB Mayfield is 44-48 as an NFL starter, 12-9 with Buccaneers.
Last 3+ years, under is 17-9 in Tampa Bay road games.
Famous birthdays, September 16th:
Mickey Rourke, 72
Lenny Clarke, 71
Wilbert Montgomery, 70
Robin Yount, 69
Eric Hipple, 67
Orel Hershiser, 66
Jennifer Tilly, 66
Tim Raines, 65
Sam Howell, 24
Chargers 26, Panthers 3
Chargers ran for 176 yards last week, 219 yards in this game.
Chargers were 9-16 on third down, Carolina 1-12.
Bolts are 2-0 for the first time since 2012.
Charger defense has allowed one TD on 23 drives this season.
Panthers lost their first two games by a combined 73-13.
Carolina was outgained 728-352 in those two games.
2nd year QB Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter.
Panthers averaged only 2.5 yards/pass attempt.
Raiders 26, Ravens 23
Raiders outscored Baltimore 13-0 over final 9:24 of game.
Raiders’ first 7 drives: 34 plays, 113 yards, six points.
Raiders’ last 4 drives: 29 plays, 206 yards, 20 points.
Since 2019, Las Vegas is 20-12 ATS as a road underdog.
Baltimore is 0-2 for first time since 2015.
Ravens led 9-6 at halftime; five field goals.
Ravens ran for 151 yards, were only 3-11 on third down.
Since 2021, Ravens are 9-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Browns 18, Jaguars 13
Cleveland’s first three drives: 36 plays, 182 yards, 13 points.
Cleveland’s last four drives: 29 plays, 115 yards, 3 points.
In two games, Browns are 4-29 on 3rd down, 6-8 on 4th down.
QB Watson is 37-32 as an NFL starter, 8-5 with Browns.
Jaguars’ first five drives: 33 plays, 124 yards, three points.
Jaguars are now 0-7 against Deshaun Watson.
In two games, Jaguars are 5-19 on 3rd down conversions.
QB Lawrence is 21-33 as an NFL starter.
Seahawks 23, Patriots 20 OT
Seattle kicked 38-yard FG with 0:58 left, to force OT.
Seahawks drove 51 yards, kicked walk-off 31-yard FG in OT.
Seattle scored TD’s on 2 of first 3 drives, led 17-13 at halftime.
QB Smith is 32-37 as an NFL starter, 20-18 with Seattle.
Patriots held Bengals to 224 TY in LW’s 16-10 upset win.
First two games, NE ran ball for 355 yards, threw for only 245
Last 2+ years, New England is 1-8-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Patriots QB Brissett is 19-31 as an NFL starter.
Packers 16, Colts 10
Colts in first half: 15 plays, 78 yards, zero points.
Colts gained 237 yards on last five drives, but threw 2 INTs, missed a FG.
Indy was 2-9 on third down, Packers were 10-17.
2nd-year QB Richardson is 2-4 as an NFL starter.
Packers’ first two drives: 19 plays, 124 yards, 10 points.
Green Bay’s only TD drive was 82 yards on 11 plays.
Green Bay is 20-9 ATS in last 29 games as an underdog.
Packers ran ball for 261 yards (4.9 yards/carry).
Jets 24, Titans 17
RB Allen scored game-winning TD on 20-yard run with 4:31 left.
Jets’ first three drives: 12 plays, 20 yards, three punts.
Jets rest of game: 44 plays, 245 yards, 24 points.
Rodgers is 160-86-1 as an NFL starter.
In its first two games, Tennessee was outscored 38-7 in second half.
Titans are first team since 2012 to have punt blocked in each of their first two games.
QB Levis is 3-8 as an NFL starter.
Titans slip to 13-8-1 ATS in last 22 games as a home underdog.
Commanders 21, Giants 18
Washington had seven drives, kicked seven field goals.
Commanders ran for 215 yards, outgained Giants, 425-304.
Rookie QB Daniels threw for 226 yards, ran for 44 more.
Washington is 15-9-2 ATS in last 26 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Giants’ kicker got hurt on opening kickoff, missed rest of game.
Giants scored 3 TD’s, were 0-2 on 2-point plays, 0-1 on PAT’s.
Only eight of the Giants’ 51 plays came on third down (4-8).
QB Jones is 23-39-1 as an NFL starter.
Monday’s 6-pack:
NFL spreads for Week 2:
— Patriots @ NJ Jets (-7)
— Chargers @ Pittsburgh (-1.5)
— Bears @ Indianapolis (-2.5)
— Texans (-4) @ Minnesota
— Giants @ Cleveland (-6.5)
— Eagles (-3.5) @ New Orleans
Quote of the Day
“It doesn’t feel great losing.”
Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase
Monday’s quiz
In the movie Moneyball, what actor played A’s manager Art Howe?
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, Andrew Dice Clay played Lady Gaga’s father.
Saturday’s quiz
In the old Batman TV series, Vincent Price played the Egghead.
************************************************
Monday’s Den: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday
Chiefs 26, Bengals 25
Butker kicked 51-yard FG with 0:03 left for a dramatic win.
Bengals led 16-10 at halftime.
Chiefs turned ball over three times (-2), were only 1-8 on third down.
Last 4+ years, KC is 15-18 ATS as a home favorite.
In two games, Bengals have only three TD’s on 17 drives.
Cincinnati is only 8-24 on third down conversions.
WR Chase (in a contract dispute), has caught 10 balls for 97 yards in 2 games.
Last 4+ years, Cincinnati is 18-10-1 ATS coming off a loss.
Steelers 13, Broncos 6
Steelers held first two opponents to 226/295 yards in two road wins.
Pittsburgh was +3 in turnovers last week, +2 this week.
First two opponents converted 4-21 third down plays.
Steelers are 18-9-1 ATS in last 28 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Rookie QB Nix does NOT look ready to play in the NFL.
Denver was held to 231/295 TY in two games; they’re 7-30 on third down.
In this game, Broncos ran ball 19 times for only 64 yards.
Broncos are 9-18-1 ATS in last 28 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Cardinals 41, Rams 10
Arizona’s first three drives: 20 plays, 219 yards, 21 points.
Cardinals led 24-3 at halftime.
Cardinals ran for 231 yards, outgained LA, 489-245.
Arizona averaged 11.7 yards/pass attempt.
Arizona was 7-11 on third down, Rams were 2-11.
Last 2+ years, LA is 4-8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Rams had won their previous nine visits to Arizona.
Rookie WR Harrison had 130 RY, all in first quarter.
Texans 19, Bears 13
In two games, Chicago has one offensive TD on 21 drives.
In two games, Bears gained 148/205 yards, on 119 plays.
Bears have converted 8-30 third down plays.
This week, the 3 rookie QB’s combined for one offensive TD on 30 drives.
Houston’s first three drives: 24 plays, 158 yards, 13 points,
Texans overcame 12 penalties for 115 yards.
2nd-year QB Stroud is 12-7 as an NFL starter.
Houston is 4-8 ATS in last 12 games coming off a win.
Vikings 23, 49ers 17
49ers had 15-play, 83-yard drive that took 9:18, but they were stopped on downs
Darnold then threw a 97-yard TD pass to Justin Jefferson.
Vikings averaged 8.6 yards/pass attempt.
Ty Chandler ran ball 10 times for 82 yards.
Minnesota was 7-12 on third down, 49ers 2-10.
RB Mason ran ball 20 times for 100 yards and a TD.
Both teams turned ball over twice.
49ers are 0-5 SU/1-4 ATS in last five visits to Minnesota.
Saints 44, Cowboys 19
Saints’ first six drives: 39 plays, 379 yards, six TD’s.
New Orleans led this game 35-16 at halftime.
RB Kamara ran for 115 yards, three TD’s.
In their two games, Saints are 12-21 on third down.
Dallas scored on five of first six drives, but only one TD, four FG’s.
Zimmer’s defense allowed 14.2 yards/pass attempt.
In their two games, Cowboys are only 10-32 on third down.
Over is 32-17 in last 49 Dallas home games.
Buccaneers 20, Lions 16
Lions ran 83 plays for 463 yards.
Tampa Bay ran 47 plays for 216 yards.
With 0:53 left, Lions were stopped on downs on Bucs’ 6-yard line.
With 0:02 left, Lions were stopped on downs on Bucs’ 26-yard line.
Bucs were 2-10 on third down, Detroit 7-13.
Under Bowles, Tampa Bay is 8-3 ATS as a road underdog.
QB Mayfield is 44-48 as an NFL starter, 12-9 with Buccaneers.
Last 3+ years, under is 17-9 in Tampa Bay road games.
Famous birthdays, September 16th:
Mickey Rourke, 72
Lenny Clarke, 71
Wilbert Montgomery, 70
Robin Yount, 69
Eric Hipple, 67
Orel Hershiser, 66
Jennifer Tilly, 66
Tim Raines, 65
Sam Howell, 24
Chargers 26, Panthers 3
Chargers ran for 176 yards last week, 219 yards in this game.
Chargers were 9-16 on third down, Carolina 1-12.
Bolts are 2-0 for the first time since 2012.
Charger defense has allowed one TD on 23 drives this season.
Panthers lost their first two games by a combined 73-13.
Carolina was outgained 728-352 in those two games.
2nd year QB Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter.
Panthers averaged only 2.5 yards/pass attempt.
Raiders 26, Ravens 23
Raiders outscored Baltimore 13-0 over final 9:24 of game.
Raiders’ first 7 drives: 34 plays, 113 yards, six points.
Raiders’ last 4 drives: 29 plays, 206 yards, 20 points.
Since 2019, Las Vegas is 20-12 ATS as a road underdog.
Baltimore is 0-2 for first time since 2015.
Ravens led 9-6 at halftime; five field goals.
Ravens ran for 151 yards, were only 3-11 on third down.
Since 2021, Ravens are 9-14 ATS as a home favorite.
Browns 18, Jaguars 13
Cleveland’s first three drives: 36 plays, 182 yards, 13 points.
Cleveland’s last four drives: 29 plays, 115 yards, 3 points.
In two games, Browns are 4-29 on 3rd down, 6-8 on 4th down.
QB Watson is 37-32 as an NFL starter, 8-5 with Browns.
Jaguars’ first five drives: 33 plays, 124 yards, three points.
Jaguars are now 0-7 against Deshaun Watson.
In two games, Jaguars are 5-19 on 3rd down conversions.
QB Lawrence is 21-33 as an NFL starter.
Seahawks 23, Patriots 20 OT
Seattle kicked 38-yard FG with 0:58 left, to force OT.
Seahawks drove 51 yards, kicked walk-off 31-yard FG in OT.
Seattle scored TD’s on 2 of first 3 drives, led 17-13 at halftime.
QB Smith is 32-37 as an NFL starter, 20-18 with Seattle.
Patriots held Bengals to 224 TY in LW’s 16-10 upset win.
First two games, NE ran ball for 355 yards, threw for only 245
Last 2+ years, New England is 1-8-1 ATS as a home underdog.
Patriots QB Brissett is 19-31 as an NFL starter.
Packers 16, Colts 10
Colts in first half: 15 plays, 78 yards, zero points.
Colts gained 237 yards on last five drives, but threw 2 INTs, missed a FG.
Indy was 2-9 on third down, Packers were 10-17.
2nd-year QB Richardson is 2-4 as an NFL starter.
Packers’ first two drives: 19 plays, 124 yards, 10 points.
Green Bay’s only TD drive was 82 yards on 11 plays.
Green Bay is 20-9 ATS in last 29 games as an underdog.
Packers ran ball for 261 yards (4.9 yards/carry).
Jets 24, Titans 17
RB Allen scored game-winning TD on 20-yard run with 4:31 left.
Jets’ first three drives: 12 plays, 20 yards, three punts.
Jets rest of game: 44 plays, 245 yards, 24 points.
Rodgers is 160-86-1 as an NFL starter.
In its first two games, Tennessee was outscored 38-7 in second half.
Titans are first team since 2012 to have punt blocked in each of their first two games.
QB Levis is 3-8 as an NFL starter.
Titans slip to 13-8-1 ATS in last 22 games as a home underdog.
Commanders 21, Giants 18
Washington had seven drives, kicked seven field goals.
Commanders ran for 215 yards, outgained Giants, 425-304.
Rookie QB Daniels threw for 226 yards, ran for 44 more.
Washington is 15-9-2 ATS in last 26 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Giants’ kicker got hurt on opening kickoff, missed rest of game.
Giants scored 3 TD’s, were 0-2 on 2-point plays, 0-1 on PAT’s.
Only eight of the Giants’ 51 plays came on third down (4-8).
QB Jones is 23-39-1 as an NFL starter.
Tuesday’s 6-pack:
— Padres 3, Astros 1- Yu Darvish tossed six shutout IP.
— White Sox 8, Angels 4- Chicago (36-115) has won three in a row
— Royals 7, Tigers 6- Detroit led 5-1 after four innings.
— Cardinals 4, Pirates 0- Andre Pallante struck out nine in 7 IP.
— Rockies 3, Arizona 2- Winning run scored on a throwing error.
— Falcons 22, Eagles 21- Cousins threw 7-yard TD pass with 0:34 left.
Quote of the Day
“I think everything’s on the table. Ultimately, my goal is to be in that batter’s box, in the field every single day. Whether that’s moving to a corner or DHing more, I’ll leave it up to the front office to come up with a plan. Where I’m at and what’s happened the last few years, I’m definitely going to try to explore every option that can keep me out there.”
Mike Trout
Tuesday’s quiz
Where did Kirk Cousins play his college football?
Monday’s quiz
In the movie Moneyball, Philip Seymour Hoffman played A’s manager Art Howe.
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, Andrew Dice Clay played Lady Gaga’s father.
****************************************
— Arizona is 57-37 vs righty starters, 26-29 vs lefties.
Over is 20-7 in Diamondbacks’ last 27 games.
— Atlanta is 9-4 in its last 13 home games.
Under is 13-3 in their last 16 home games.
— Cubs won 11 of their last 15 road games.
Over is 12-3 in their last 15 road games.
— Cincinnati is 9-5 in its last fourteen games.
Reds are 14-27 in one-run games.
— Colorado is 9-1 in last ten home series openers.
Under is 7-2 in Rockies’ last nine road games.
— Dodgers lost four of their last six games.
Dodgers are 33-17 against lefty starting pitchers.
— Miami lost six of its last seven games.
Marlins are 10-44 against lefty starting pitchers, 45-51 vs righties.
— Under is 7-3 in Brewers’ last ten games.
Milwaukee is 19-23 against lefty starting pitchers, 67-40 vs righties.
— Mets are 9-3 in their last 12 home games.
Mets are 11-1 in their last 12 home series openers.
— Phillies won 11 of their last 14 games.
Phillies are 26-25 in day games, 64-34 in night games.
— Pirates are 2-9 in last 11 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Under is 6-3 in their last nine road games.
— Cardinals are 1-11 in their last dozen home series openers.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight home games.
— San Diego is 9-1 in extra-inning games.
Padres are 8-1 in last nine road series openers.
— San Francisco is 33-30 in day games, 39-48 in night games.
Giants are 2-8 in last 12 ten home games.
— Washington is 10-8 in its last 18 home games.
Under is 8-4 in their last 12 road games.
Famous birthdays, September 17th
Phil Jackson, 79
Junior Bridgeman, 72
Mark Brunell, 54
Dan Haren, 44
Alexander Ovechkin, 39
Marcus Semien, 34
Jose Ramirez, 32
Patrick Mahomes, 29
James Wood, 22
— Orioles are 2-7 in game after their last nine wins.
Last five Baltimore games stayed under.
— Red Sox lost eight of their last nine road games.
Boston is 58-49 vs righty starters, 17-26 vs lefties; last two years, they were 47-31 vs lefties.
— White Sox are 6-43 since the All-Star break.
Chicago is 2-17 in its last 19 series openers.
— Guardians are 22-11 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Cleveland is 29-12 vs lefty starting pitchers; LY, they were 24-35.
— Detroit is 7-3 in its last ten games.
Under is 14-3 in their last 17 home games.
— Houston won its last four games.
Last two years, Houston was 70-33 vs lefty starters; this year, they’re 21-21.
— Royals lost eight of their last eleven road games.
Royals are 69-50 vs righty starters, 13-18 vs lefties.
— Angels lost seven of their last eight games.
They’re 2-11 in their last 13 series openers.
— Minnesota is 8-17 in its last 25 games.
Over is 6-0 in their last six games.
— New York is 7-3 in its last ten games.
Under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
— A’s are 9-7 in their last 16 games.
Oakland is 9-1 in its last ten series openers.
— Mariners are 13-9 since they changed managers,
Seattle is 7-19 in last 26 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
— Tampa Bay is 4-7 in its last 11 games.
Under is 20-6 in their last 26 road games.
— Texas lost five of its last six games.
Rangers are 16-22 vs lefty starting pitchers.
— Toronto is 4-1 in its last five games.
Under is 10-3 in their last 13 road games.
— Padres 3, Astros 1- Yu Darvish tossed six shutout IP.
— White Sox 8, Angels 4- Chicago (36-115) has won three in a row
— Royals 7, Tigers 6- Detroit led 5-1 after four innings.
— Cardinals 4, Pirates 0- Andre Pallante struck out nine in 7 IP.
— Rockies 3, Arizona 2- Winning run scored on a throwing error.
— Falcons 22, Eagles 21- Cousins threw 7-yard TD pass with 0:34 left.
Quote of the Day
“I think everything’s on the table. Ultimately, my goal is to be in that batter’s box, in the field every single day. Whether that’s moving to a corner or DHing more, I’ll leave it up to the front office to come up with a plan. Where I’m at and what’s happened the last few years, I’m definitely going to try to explore every option that can keep me out there.”
Mike Trout
Tuesday’s quiz
Where did Kirk Cousins play his college football?
Monday’s quiz
In the movie Moneyball, Philip Seymour Hoffman played A’s manager Art Howe.
Sunday’s quiz
In the movie A Star is Born, Andrew Dice Clay played Lady Gaga’s father.
****************************************
Tuesday’s Den: Trends all for 30 MLB teams…….
Trends for all 30 MLB teams…….(thru Sunday’s games)— Arizona is 57-37 vs righty starters, 26-29 vs lefties.
Over is 20-7 in Diamondbacks’ last 27 games.
— Atlanta is 9-4 in its last 13 home games.
Under is 13-3 in their last 16 home games.
— Cubs won 11 of their last 15 road games.
Over is 12-3 in their last 15 road games.
— Cincinnati is 9-5 in its last fourteen games.
Reds are 14-27 in one-run games.
— Colorado is 9-1 in last ten home series openers.
Under is 7-2 in Rockies’ last nine road games.
— Dodgers lost four of their last six games.
Dodgers are 33-17 against lefty starting pitchers.
— Miami lost six of its last seven games.
Marlins are 10-44 against lefty starting pitchers, 45-51 vs righties.
— Under is 7-3 in Brewers’ last ten games.
Milwaukee is 19-23 against lefty starting pitchers, 67-40 vs righties.
— Mets are 9-3 in their last 12 home games.
Mets are 11-1 in their last 12 home series openers.
— Phillies won 11 of their last 14 games.
Phillies are 26-25 in day games, 64-34 in night games.
— Pirates are 2-9 in last 11 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Under is 6-3 in their last nine road games.
— Cardinals are 1-11 in their last dozen home series openers.
Under is 7-1 in their last eight home games.
— San Diego is 9-1 in extra-inning games.
Padres are 8-1 in last nine road series openers.
— San Francisco is 33-30 in day games, 39-48 in night games.
Giants are 2-8 in last 12 ten home games.
— Washington is 10-8 in its last 18 home games.
Under is 8-4 in their last 12 road games.
Famous birthdays, September 17th
Phil Jackson, 79
Junior Bridgeman, 72
Mark Brunell, 54
Dan Haren, 44
Alexander Ovechkin, 39
Marcus Semien, 34
Jose Ramirez, 32
Patrick Mahomes, 29
James Wood, 22
— Orioles are 2-7 in game after their last nine wins.
Last five Baltimore games stayed under.
— Red Sox lost eight of their last nine road games.
Boston is 58-49 vs righty starters, 17-26 vs lefties; last two years, they were 47-31 vs lefties.
— White Sox are 6-43 since the All-Star break.
Chicago is 2-17 in its last 19 series openers.
— Guardians are 22-11 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Cleveland is 29-12 vs lefty starting pitchers; LY, they were 24-35.
— Detroit is 7-3 in its last ten games.
Under is 14-3 in their last 17 home games.
— Houston won its last four games.
Last two years, Houston was 70-33 vs lefty starters; this year, they’re 21-21.
— Royals lost eight of their last eleven road games.
Royals are 69-50 vs righty starters, 13-18 vs lefties.
— Angels lost seven of their last eight games.
They’re 2-11 in their last 13 series openers.
— Minnesota is 8-17 in its last 25 games.
Over is 6-0 in their last six games.
— New York is 7-3 in its last ten games.
Under is 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
— A’s are 9-7 in their last 16 games.
Oakland is 9-1 in its last ten series openers.
— Mariners are 13-9 since they changed managers,
Seattle is 7-19 in last 26 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
— Tampa Bay is 4-7 in its last 11 games.
Under is 20-6 in their last 26 road games.
— Texas lost five of its last six games.
Rangers are 16-22 vs lefty starting pitchers.
— Toronto is 4-1 in its last five games.
Under is 10-3 in their last 13 road games.
