After a really lame performance last weekend, I'm back to try and redeem myself.  Baseball season is finally over and basketball season is just getting started.  As always, read the disclaimers in the first blog, and then proceed with the rest of this weekend's edition. 

Blog Records:

MLB Playoffs:  5-3, +325

College Football:  9-8-1, +20

NFL:  1-5-1, -450

NBA

     One season ends (MLB), and another begins.  There are a lot more games to choose from on Friday nights, but those lines aren't up yet, and I want to play the Thursday night college football game.  When the college football season is over, this blog will probably come out on Fridays, so I'll have Friday night NBA games and Saturday college basketball games to choose from.  Only three games tonight, and here's your winner:

Utah -4  (Thursday Night)

     I LOVED the Jazz on opening night as 3.5-point underdogs against the Warriors, who traded Jason Richardson in the offseason and had Stephen Jackson sitting out with a suspension.  That's the kind of line that makes you drool, you know, if you live somewhere where sports wagering is legal.  Tonight's line is not as ridiculous, but the Jazz have everybody healthy, they're playing at home where they've handled the Rockets pretty easily, and the Rockets are breaking in a new coach and playing style.  Go with the small home favorite tonight.

College Football

     I ended up 3-3 last week, which they say is sort of like kissing your sister.  The guy who came up with that saying has some issues to work through.  Maybe Angelina Jolie's brother was the first person to use that phrase.  On to the picks:

Georgia Tech -2.5  (Thursday Night Game)

     Both teams have really solid defenses, although the Yellow Jackets' numbers in that department are slightly better.  Offensively, neither team can throw the football, but the Ramblin' Wreck has an extremely potent rushing attack, while the Hokies cannot move the ball effectively by any means.  Tech's Tashard Choice on the ground and home-field advantage will be the difference in this one.

Temple +7.5  (Friday Night Game)

     Temple has been a nice money-maker for their backers so far this season, with a 6-2 record against the point spread.  Because of their horrendous season last year, they have been underrated all year.  They might win straight up at Ohio this week, but you only need them to hang within a touchdown to get the win.

Alabama +7.5

     A few weeks ago I picked Florida to cover the spread as an underdog against LSU.  I got an e-mail from a friend of mine asking how I could pick against the best team in the country.  My 4-word response was:  "LSU is a fraud."  LSU has now failed to cover 5 games in a row now with no end in sight. 

Michigan State +4

     When I broke down the statistics for this game, it was amazing how similar Michigan and Michigan State are.  They are virtually identical across the board, and in that situation, I've got to take the home team getting the points.  Michigan State seems to play poorly against bad teams and well against good teams.  In a rivalry game against a good team, I'm predicting that the effort will be there this Saturday.

NFL

     I think I said in the first blog that the NFL is the toughest sport to beat, and my record so far is proving that to be true.  Awful.  Here's another likely loser:

Colts +6

     I got burned last week picking against the powerhouse Patriots, but I obviously haven't learned my lesson yet because I'm going to do it again.  If anybody can stop this runaway train, the Colts at home have the best shot.  Hopefully, karma will work against the Pats this week after they went out of their way to try and embarrass a class act like Joe Gibbs.  If I were the Redskins coach, I would have ordered a Code Red on Brady when he came back into the game up 38-0 and 45-0.  Who cares about a couple of roughing the passer penalties when you're down 45-0 in the 4^th quarter?  There's no excuse for piling on like that, and hopefully Peyton and crew get the chance to show them how it feels this Sunday.