Harden to Houston

The beard is moving one state to the south with last night's trade of James Harden from the Thunder to the Rockets.

NFL Picks: Week 8

I made a Thursday Night pick on my twitter page (@WilliamBotchway) and I immediately regretted it:
VIKINGS (-5.5) over Buccaneers.
I knew it was bad at the time, but I couldn't talk myself out of it. As a result, I'm 2-6 on early week games, 0-1 this week, and 49-54-4* on the year. The Monday Night Massacre in Week 3 is the reason for the asterisk. I've yet to have my big breakout week, but it's coming. I hope.

"UPSET ALERT" next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not only cover. Also, home team in CAPS.

Weekly Awards 10/24/12

Best Player in Baseball- Trout! No, not the fish, the person.
Right Tackle of the Week- Kelechi Osemele got out of Houston without allowing a sack to J.J. Watt. While he wasn't lined up directly across from Watt, I'm giving him credit.
J.J. Watt Award- Speaking of...
Jets Touchdown of the Week- Dustin Keller finally get back into the action.
Game of the Week- The Redskins/Giants game was great. Both quarterbacks put on a clinic.
Time to Jump off the Bandwagon- The Patriots are going to win their division, but by default. They aren't exactly that great of a team, and I will not trust them at all in the playoffs. They will probably get to 11-5, but that is not what I expected.
Time to Jump on the Bandwagon- My New York Jets are definitely better than I thought. Maybe Rex Ryan is the smartest man on the face of the Earth.
King of the Bottom of the Hill- Now that Brady Quinn is the starter, Matt Cassel has earned his crown. Once you are replaced by Brady Quinn, you should probably retire.
Worst Team in the NFL- The Jaguars. I have no more words.
Panda of the Week- The World Series is over, the Tigers aren't hitting, and they haven't faced Vogelsong or Cain yet.
Coach of the Week- I'm going with an offensive coordinator, Tony Sparano. Devin McCourty of the New England Patriots fumbled the kickoff with a tied score with two minutes left. Unfortunately, the Jets relied on the playcalling of Sparano and lost 7 yards in the process. Had the Jets hired a functional offensive coordinator, they would not have used a Tebow direct snap on first down, could have gotten into the endzone while taking more time off the clock, and probably won the game.
Best Team in the NFL- Out of nowhere, the Chicago Bears have by far the best defense in the league. Everyone knew that unit would be good, but not like this. Combined with a competent offense, they are the best team in the league, right up there with the Texans.
My Fantasy Team Player of the Week- Not Kyle Rudolph... I still won however.
Amar'e Stoudemire/Javale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- The aforementioned Sparano debacle, sending Prince Fielder home (from first base) in the second inning of Game 2 of the World Series, and the Stephen A. Smith situation. Yikes.
Amar'e Stoudemire Injury of the Week- Ruptured cyst in his left knee. Originally thought to be 2-3 weeks, but instead it will take about 4-5 weeks for him to heal. This man...
Birthday of the Day- Good ole Corey Dillon. Also, that Wayne Rooney fellow.
Bye Week, Still the G.O.A.T.- Peyton Manning was amazing sitting on his couch. Great performance, he really mastered that guacamole.
Mike Trout Award- He should win World Series MVP. Because he exists.

NFL Picks: Week 7

I won yet another Thursday Night pick! On my twitter (@WilliamBotchway) I correctly chose:
Seahawks (+8.5) over 49ERS. 
This is one of the most outrageously stupid lines I've seen in a while. Under what circumstances should a 49ers team coming off of a blowout loss at home against the Giants should be giving 8 points to a Seahawks team straight off of a comeback win over the Patriots. Easy money. So now I'm 1-0 this week, and 43-47-3* on the season. You can thank the replacement refs for that asterisk.

"UPSET ALERT" next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not only cover. Also, home team in CAPS.

Weekly Awards 10/17/12

Best Player in Baseball- He's not in the World Series, but he's still Mike Trout.
Right Tackle of the Week- Marcus Gilbert. He was part of the quartet of Steelers linemen helped off the field in Thursday's loss against the Titans. His health is a key to the perpetually injured Steelers offensive line.
J.J. Watt Award- A beast, a monster, a freak, and a predator.
Jets Touchdown of the Week- That beautifully executed play between Mark Sanchez and Stephen Hill. Hill impressed me by recognized that he needed to adjust his route, and it was great on Mark's part to see this and not just go with the original route, as most passers would have done.
Game of the Week- The G.O.A.T. Peyton Manning put on a show against the Chargers on Monday Night.
Time to Jump off the Bandwagon- Surprised I haven't mentioned them in this space yet, but the Philadelphia Eagles are not good. At all.
Time to Jump on the Bandwagon- The Cincinnati Bengals still aren't very good, but in the AFC, that gets a team into the playoffs.
King of the Bottom of the Hill- Russell Wilson decided to morph into Tom Brady on Sunday, so I need a new man to award the crown. I'm very tempted to give it to Alex Smith, hoping that none of you forget how atrocious he was in the pre-Harbaugh era. But instead, I'll honor both Chiefs QBs. Yes, two kings, Matt Cassell and Brady Quinn.
Worst Team in the NFL- Yes, they beat the Steelers and the Lions, but the Tennessee Titans are beyond terrible.
Coach of the Week- Jason "Clock Management" Garrett. Learning from the king of messing up the clock, Andy Reid, he cost his team a chance to run another play at the end of the game against the Ravens. I have no idea what he was thinking there. Oh yeah and Norv is just being Norv out in San Diego.
Newest Boy- I'm done with being an A.J. Green skeptic. He's amazing.
Best Team in the NFL- Still tempted to put the Texans in here, but instead I'll go with the Atlanta Falcons. They have struggled against some bad teams, but they found a way to win.
My Fantasy Team Player of the Week- The best running back in the NFL, Ray Rice.
Amar'e Stoudemire/Javale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- Yet another extreme opinion on A-Rod, stop blaming him for everything and wanting the Yanks to eat a giant portion of his salary just to get rid of him. He's above average and should be on the Yankees roster next year unless some crazy team wants to take a major part of the contract. You also need to realize that Cano, Granderson, and Swisher deserved a lot of the blame for the team's .188 batting average in 9 playoff games.
Birthday of the Day- Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas. My boy AVB is still top form, carrying over from his Chelsea days. I love this man.
The G.O.A.T.- Peyton Manning is amazing. Period.
Mike Trout Award- My boy!

NFL Picks: Week 6

Once again, a Thursday night loss, I made my pick on Twitter (@WilliamBotchway):
Steelers (-6) over TITANS. 
Perfect, just perfect! I am now 1-5 on early week games, 0-1 this week, and 35-40-3* this season. The Packers and Seahawks know why there is an asterisk there. There are 13 games left this week, and my goal is to get to at least even.

"UPSET ALERT" next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not only cover. Also, home team in CAPS.

Weekly Awards 10/10/12

Best Player in Baseball- He's not in the playoffs, but he's still Mike Trout.
Right Tackle of the Week- The winner of this award will never be a guy who faced the Texans...
J.J. Watt Award- He is too good.
Jets Touchdown of the Week- I said it on the facebook page and I'll say it again, Kick Returns are the most exciting plays in football. Joe McKnight delivered.
Game of the Week- Packers/Colts had an amazing second half. It seemed like the game was out of hand when the Pack went up 21-3, but Andrew Luck chipped away at Green Bay's defense and came away with a shocking upset.
Time to Jump Off the Bandwagon- Maybe that game wasn't that shocking... Green Bay has looked unbelievably out of sync on the offensive side of the ball all season, and didn't even look as good as they should have against the Saints. Outside of a Thursday night game versus Chicago, the defense has been bad again. With the Bears playing so well on defense and the Vikings not being a fluke, I'm seriously wondering if the Packers can make the playoffs. Oh, and there goes my Super Bowl pick.
Time to Jump On the Bandwagon- Ryan Tannehill is still bad, but I'm liking his team. As long as their running backs can stay on the field, they have a balanced two-headed monster. Defense is the hallmark of this team, and it's very hard to challenge their front seven. One of the best run defenses in the game. In fact, they rank #1 in yards per game currently. They won't lose games without a fight.
King of the Bottom of the Hill- Russell Wilson was still mediocre against the Panthers. I have a feeling that he will be mentioned here for a long time.
Worst Team in the NFL- Okay, picking the Saints may have been an overreaction, but even though they won (thanks to a gift from the refs) they are still near the bottom of the league. New cellar dweller, the Bills. They have surrendered 97 points in two weeks after they spent the offseason improving that unit.
Coach of the Week- Harbaugh is still using his best QB, my boy King Kaepernicus, to his advantage. Shoutout to Norv Turner being Norv Turner.
Newest Boy- Welcome to the club Percy Harvin.
Best Team in the NFL- They somehow struggled against my Jets on Monday, but they still won. They can't be tamed.
My Fantasy Team Player of the Week- Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Marshall, and JULIO! Jones all got at least 25 points.
Amar'e Stoudemire/Javale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- All people getting angry at Joe Girardi for pinch-hitting for A-Rod. Stop acting like the player is amazing. Right now, he's slightly above average and in a major slump.
Birthday of the Day- Crazy name club! Paul Posluszny and Troy Tulowitzki.
The G.O.A.T. Got No Help!- Willis McGahee cost the Broncos their game in New England.
Mike Trout Award- The true MVP is sitting on his couch.

MLB Postseason Predictions

Yeah, I get that I probably should have written this a very long time ago. That's a lot to ask of a high school student. Don't worry, these picks have not been effected by the results.

Wild Card Round

Braves over Cardinals. Kris Medlen has been the best pitcher in baseball for a while. Eh, well thanks to the outfield fly rule, I was wrong here.

Orioles over Rangers. Texas looked terrible down the stretch. Somehow the Orioles sustained their level of play even though they aren't a very good team.

Division Round

Tigers over Athletics. Los Tigres will have a better pitcher in every game this series, and you are only as good as your starting pitcher.

Yankees over Orioles. I have legitimate issues with the Yankees and their pitching staff, but they are better than Baltimore. Unless of course Mark Reynolds continues to be a true Yankee killer.

Nationals over Braves. Would have been an amazing matchup if a certain umpire (along with the Braves defense) would have let this happen. Washington is better.

Reds over Giants. A lot of people think that the Reds can't do well in the playoffs, but I say that their bullpen will be hard to match up with. Not to mention that they have Joey Votto.

Championship Round

Tigers over Yankees. I can't believe that the Tigers even snuck into the playoffs after the White Sox decided to fall apart. Once again their pitching staff is much better than that of the Yankees.

Nationals over Reds. Strasburg who? They are in general a better team than Cincinatti, but it should be a fun series.

World Series

Nationals over Tigers. The not-AL MVP Miguel Cabrera won't do that well against this Nationals pitching staff.

NFL Picks: Week 5

I'm back to my losing ways on my Thursday Night Twitter picks! (@WilliamBotchway). I chose:
Cardinals (-1) over RAMS.
Yep. Thank you to the Cardinals left and right tackles for trying to get Kevin Kolb killed. Alliteration! Now I  am 1-4 on Wednesday/Thursday games, 0-1 this week, and 28-33-3* on the year. The asterisk is of course for the Fail Mary in Week 3. I need to pick it up with the remaining 13 games this week.

"UPSET ALERT" next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not only cover. Also, home team in CAPS.

Weekly Awards 10/4/12

Best Player in Baseball- Mike Trout. He didn't win the Triple Crown, but he sure is better than Miggy.
Right Tackle of the Week- Wayne Hunter is back!
Jets Touchdown of the Week- Well.........
Game of the Week- Saints/Packers was a very good game, even though it's apparent that referees hate Green Bay.
Time to Jump off the Bandwagon- I'm done with the Raiders. They are still as bad as ever.
Time to Jump on the Bandwagon- It looks like the Browns can be a very pesky team this year. Weeden is improving.
King of the Bottom of the Hill- Speaking of improving, Tannehill is still bad, but throwing for 400 yards means that he gets stripped of this crown for now. I have a feeling that he'll get it back, but the new monarch, Russell Wilson. I'm starting to feel a Tebow-mania feel about him. Stop it.
Worst Team in the NFL- The Saints!
Replacement Ref of the Week- NOOOOOO! The fun is over! R.I.P Replacement Refs 2012. See you guys in 15 years during the next referee lockout.
Hey, You've Done It!- Weeden! Stop! I can't be a Weeden fan!
Coach of the Week- Jim Harbaugh did the right thing this week. He brought in the best QB on his team, and while he did it to spite Rex and the Tebow offense, my boy Colin Kaepernick got some snaps. Harbaugh deserves a ton of credit. Now if only he benched Alex Smith for good... Shoutout to Sean Payton's abscene making his team lose yet again.
Newest Boy- Speaking of my boys, welcome to the club Christian Ponder. It only took four weeks, but you've converted me.
Best Team in the NFL- The Texans are just taking care of business. It's scary. My boy J.J. Watt is the best defensive lineman in the NFL.
My Fantasy Team Player of the Week- Let's say that it was not JULIO! Jones.
Amar'e Stoudemire/Javale McGee Stupid Act of the Week- The season of stupid acts culminated with Bobby Valentine being let go. Excuse me while I act surprised.
Birthday of the Day- Chansi Stuckey! No, just kidding, it's Jered Weaver.
Puck You to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks- Bettman. I hate you Bettman.
Just Kidding, the G.O.A.T. is Indeed Back- Peyton Manning demolished Oakland last week. But then again, they are the Raiders.
Mike Trout Award- MVP! MVP! MVP!