NFL Picks Week 2 Review


Okay, so let's take a look at Week 2!


New York Jets @ New England - New England - CORRECT!


St. Louis @ Atlanta - Atlanta - CORRECT!


Carolina @ Buffalo - Buffalo - CORRECT!


Minnesota @ Chicago - Chicago - CORRECT!

Washington @ Green Bay - Green Bay - CORRECT!

Miami @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis - WRONG. Miami is a little better than I thought they'd be. Or is Indianapolis worse?


Dallas @ Kansas City - Dallas - WRONG. Dallas continues to baffle. Is KC for real this year?


San Diego @ Philadelphia - San Diego † - CORRECT!


Cleveland @ Baltimore - Baltimore § - CORRECT!


Tennessee @ Houston - Houston - CORRECT!

Detroit @ Arizona - Detroit - WRONG. I once picked Detroit thirteen weeks in a row before picking against them. They started 1-13 that season. 

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay - New Orleans # - CORRECT!

Jacksonville @ Oakland - Oakland - CORRECT!

Denver @ New York Giants - Denver - CORRECT!


San Francisco @ Seattle - San Francisco - WRONG. Seattle utterly dominated the Niners, thanks in large part to the crowd, which set a Guinness Book Record for loudest sporting event.


Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati - Cincinnati - CORRECT :(

§ = Smart Centipede's Survival Pick of the Week! (Survived!)

† = Smart Centipede's Upset of the Week! (As predicted!)
# = Smart Centipede's Iron Lock of the Week! (Rock solid!)

End Total: 12-4. Season Total: 20-12. This is more like it! Email me at kenn.beck@gmail.com by 9 AM Thursday to get a full slate of games for Week 3, just $15 with a per-game money back guarantee!

NFL Picks Week 1 Review

OK, a rough Week 1 may have left some doubters. We'll go over these picks, explain what went wrong, and then I will post my Week 2 picks for free, showing that everybody has one off week, and that we're back on track for a successful season!


Review of Week One:


Baltimore @ Denver (Again, I was too late to pick Denver, but I would have gotten a win on this one.) We'll call it a push.)


New England @ Buffalo - New England - CORRECT

Cincinnati @ Chicago - Chicago - CORRECT

Miami @ Cleveland - Miami - CORRECT

Minnesota @ Detroit - Detroit - CORRECT

Oakland @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis #,§ - CORRECT


Atlanta @ New Orleans - Atlanta - (Here, we hit the first snag. Atlanta made a game of it, but two excellent defensive plays in their own end zone, preserved the win in the final minute for the Saints.)


Tampa @ New York Jets - Tampa - (I forgot that Mark Sanchez was out. Now that he's gone (likely for good) the Jets should do much better LOL)


Tennessee @ Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh - (I am a diehard Steeler's fan, and would rather not discuss the fact that after being gifted 2 points by Tennessee on the opening :03, the Steelers offense failed to produce anything for the next 58:34, thanks largely to TWO Isaac Redman fumbles (ONE INTO THE ENDZONE, GOD HELP ME). The loss of Maurkice Pouncey and Larry Foote for the year will mean I need to pick with my head rather than my heart.)


Seattle @ Carolina - Seattle - CORRECT

Kansas City @ Jacksonville - Kansas City - CORRECT


Arizona @ St. Louis - Arizona † - (St. Louis was favored, but I didn't think they deserved to be, so this would have been an upset only according to the odds-makers. But this truly was an upset, as the St. Louis Rams won it late despite trailing and, in general, looking like the lesser football team.)


Green Bay @ San Francisco - Green Bay - (Kaepernick is here to stay, folks. This is a wake up call to those who doubted the Niners as the heavy favorites in the NFC.)


New York Giants @ Dallas - New York (Six turnovers. SIX. Oy vey.)


Philadelphia @ Washington - Washington (So Philly will be running the hurry-up offense for the entire season? Yeah, THAT'LL work.)


Houston @ San Diego - Houston - CORRECT


† = Smart Centipede's Upset of the Week! (Upset.)

§ = Smart Centipede's Survival Pick of the Week! (Survived!)


# = Smart Centipede's Iron Lock of the Week! (Locked!)


Okay, so let's right this ship with some Week 2 picks, this time in time for the Thursday tilt!


Week 2:


New York Jets @ New England - New England (Geno Smith is doing the work, and doing the homework. But this would be too early in the Cinderella story for such an upset. Tom takes care of it this week).


St. Louis @ Atlanta - Atlanta (Matt Ryan and company will win their home opener against an overconfident St. Louis squad.)


Carolina @ Buffalo - Buffalo (Carolina is favored by a slim 2.5 pts., but Buffalo brought it against the Pats last week. The ONLY professional football team that plays in NY wins in a squeaker.)


Minnesota @ Chicago - Chicago (Bears are already in mid-season form, defensively, and Minny looked weak against Detroit.)


Washington @ Green Bay - Green Bay (The Redskins got beat by the hurry up offense. In the first half. Yes, they adjusted, but Rodgers needs no shenanigans.)


Miami @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis (Miami isn't Oakland, but Indianapolis is NOT Cleveland. That makes perfect sense, if you think about it.)


Dallas @ Kansas City - Dallas (They won't get six turnovers again, but KC isn't so far removed from their 2-14 campaign of last season.)


San Diego @ Philadelphia - San Diego † (The hurry-up didn't work for very long against the Redskins. Meanwhile, the Chargers offense got off to an equally hot start, but couldn't keep it up against the Texans. The Eagles should show far less resilience against Rivers.)


Cleveland @ Baltimore - Baltimore § (Cleveland IS Cleveland, and Baltimore are the defending champs. Don't let last week's torching at the hands of Peyton Manning fool ya; this Ravens team is not going to fall too far.)


Tennessee @ Houston - Houston (The Titans return team scored more for Pittsburgh than Pittsburgh did for all but 2 minutes of last week's match-up. Houston showed they can score, and score late. Tennessee is the one with the problem here.)


Detroit @ Arizona - Detroit (Detroit might have a running game again? Bush won't make anyone forget Barry Sanders, but the Lions have more tools at their disposal than the St. Louis team that dumped Arizona in Week 1.)


New Orleans @ Tampa Bay - New Orleans # (Brees gets #55 against a "revamped" Tampa secondary that allowed a win by a rookie QB who was originally behind Mark "Butt-Fumble" Sanchez on the depth chart.)


Jacksonville @ Oakland - Oakland (Because you have to pick someone to win. The only safe bet is this will be the most boring game in the NFL this week.)


Denver @ New York Giants - Denver (Battle of the Mannings! I'm honestly torn on this one. But I think big-brother wins out this time.)


San Francisco @ Seattle - San Francisco (This is the QB match-up of the week here. Both QBs are coming off career-best performances, but while Kaepernick's resulted in a 34-28 win against NFC North perennial powerhouse Green Bay, Wilson's was a 12-7 win against... Carolina? There's a drop off, there.)


Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati - Cincinnati (This is the earliest in the season that I've ever picked against my Steelers. With the loss of Pouncey and Foote, the struggles of the Pittsburgh running game, and Cincinnati keeping it close against Chicago... sorry, boys. I have to go with my head, not my heart.)

§ = Smart Centipede's Survival Pick of the Week! (Baltimore over Cleveland)


† = Smart Centipede's Upset of the Week! (San Diego over Philadelphia)

# = Smart Centipede's Iron Lock of the Week! (New Orleans over Tampa Bay)

2013 NFL Pick 'Em!

Last season, I finished in the top 1% of all Yahoo! Fantasy Football Pick 'Em players. I went 175-81, which, at $1 a game, would have made a $94 profit. I was a pass interference non-call away from a perfect week 6!

This season, I am willing to share my picks. For just $15 a week, I will send you a full slate of 16 picks,  with a money back guarantee! That means if my pick doesn't win their game, you'll get $1 back for that game.*

As a free sample, I will give you my Week 1 picks right here, for free! I only make money if my picks win, so it's literally a win-win scenario!

Email me at kenn.beck@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up! Individual weeks available! Discount for entire season package! Survival Football Picks also available!

*Maximum Refund is amount paid for that week's picks. Weeks with fewer than 16 games will be charged at $1 a game.

Week One:

Baltimore @ Denver (Too late! I forgot the season started on Thursday, now. I would have picked Denver, but fair is fair and I can't count this one.)

New England @ Buffalo - New England
Cincinnati @ Chicago - Chicago
Miami @ Cleveland - Miami
Minnesota @ Detroit - Detroit
Oakland @ Indianapolis - Indianapolis #,§
Atlanta @ New Orleans - Atlanta
Tampa @ New York Jets - Tampa
Tennessee @ Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh
Seattle @ Carolina - Seattle
Kansas City @ Jacksonville - Kansas City
Arizona @ St. Louis - Arizona †
Green Bay @ San Francisco - Green Bay
New York Giants @ Dallas - New York
Philadelphia @ Washington - Washington
Houston @ San Diego - Houston



# = Smart Centipede's Iron Lock of the Week!
† = Smart Centipede's Upset of the Week!
§ = Smart Centipede's Survival Pick of the Week!


DISCLAIMER: This site does not endorse, participate in, or facilitate any form of gambling. These picks are for entertainment purposes only. Any money wagered by subscribers is solely their responsibility. This site will not take bets in any form.

The 2nd Annual SC:TSE MLB Prediction Post!

Welcome to the 2nd Annual SC:TSE MLB Prediction post. We're going to try to predict that most fickle of animals, the MLB Season, and take a look at our results from last year!

First let's look at 2012 and see how we did! We'll see the prediction, and then the actual results in parenthesis next to it. (Close predictions (records within 2 games) will be in green, shockers (records 10 or more off) will be in red.)

Predicted Standings:

AL EAST

New York Yankees: 94-68 (95-67)

Tampa Bay Rays: 90-72 (90-72)

Toronto Blue Jays: 82-80 (73-89)

Boston Red Sox: 73-89 (69-93)

Baltimore Orioles: 66-96 (93-69)

AL CENTRAL

Detroit Tigers: 86-76 (88-74)

Chicago White Sox: 84-78 (85-77)

Cleveland Indians: 81-81 (68-94)

Kansas City Royals: 72-90 (72-90)

Minnesota Twins: 68-94 (66-96)

AL WEST

Texas Rangers: 101-61 (93-69)

Los Angeles Angels: 93-69 (89-73)

Oakland Athletics: 80-82 (94-68)

Seattle Mariners: 64-98 (75-87)

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies: 94-68 (81-81)

Altanta Braves: 88-74 (94-68)

Miami Marlins: 85-77 (69-93)

Washington Nationals: 83-79 (98-64)

New York Mets: 70-92 (74-88)

NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds: 88-74 (97-65)

Milwaukee Brewers: 87-75 (83-79)

St. Louis Cardinals: 82-80 (88-74)

Pittsburgh Pirates: 79-83 (79-83)

Chicago Cubs: 68-94 (61-101)

Houston Astros: 62-100 (55-107)

NL WEST

San Francisco Giants: 95-67 (94-68)

Arizona Diamondbacks: 91-71 (81-81)

Colorado Rockies: 86-76 (64-98)

Los Angeles Dodgers: 75-87 (86-76)

San Diego Padres: 63-99 (76-86)

AL East Champions: New York Yankees

AL Central Champions: Detroit Tigers

AL West Champions: Texas Rangers (Wildcard; Oakland Won)

AL Wildcard Host: Los Angeles Angels (Missed Playoffs; Texas Wildcard)

AL Wildcard Visitor: Tampa Bay Rays (Missed Playoffs; Baltimore Orioles)

NL East Champions: Philadelphia Phillies (Missed Playoffs; Washington Nationals)

NL Central Champions: Cincinnati Reds

NL West Champions: San Francisco Giants

NL Wildcard Host: Arizona Diamondbacks (Missed Playoffs; Atlanta Braves)

NL Wildcard Visitor: Atlanta Braves (Hosted Wildcard; St. Louis Cardinals)

ALDS: Texas vs. Tampa

ALDS: Detroit vs. New York

NLDS: Phildelphia vs. Cincinnati

NLDS: Arizona vs. San Francisco

ALCS: Texas vs. Detroit

NLCS: Arizona vs. Philadelphia

AL Champion: Texas

NL Champion: Arizona

World Series: Arizona vs. Texas

World Series Champion: Texas

World Series MVP: Nelson Cruz (RF - Texas Rangers)

AL Most Valuable Player: Miguel Cabrera (3B - Detroit Tigers)

NL Most Valuable Player: Matt Kemp (CF - Los Angeles Dodgers)

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (SP - Detroit Tigers)

NL Cy Young: Cliff Lee (SP - Philadelphia Phillies)

AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington (Texas Rangers)

NL Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson (Arizona Diamondbacks)

AL Rookie of the Year: Yu Darvish (SP - Texas Rangers)

NL Rookie of the Year: Paul Goldschmidt (1B - Arizona Diamondbacks)

AL Comeback Player of the Year: Adam Dunn (DH - Chicago White Sox)* (Player's Choice Winner, so this is a push)

NL Comeback Player of the Year: Buster Posey (C - San Francisco Giants)

AL HR Leader: Albert Pujols (1B - Los Angeles Angels) (41) 

NL HR Leader: Giancarlo Stanton (RF - Miami Marlins) (44)

Interesting to note: • I was within 1 game on 6 teams, including 3 that I guessed exactly. • If I had dropped the Rockies to last, but kept the records where they were, I would have been 4 for 5 in the NL West. • I was right about Dunn, but they went with Rodney anyway. • I was 4 for 6 in predicting Division Champs. • I predicted 41 HR would lead the AL, and 44 would lead the NL; 41 lead the NL, 44 lead the AL. • I was correct in predicting a team from 2010's WS would win the 2012 WS, I just predicted the wrong side. :)

And Now, on to 2013!

Standings:

AL EAST

Toronto Blue Jays: 95-67

Tampa Bay Rays: 91-71

Baltimore Orioles: 86-76

New York Yankees: 80-82

Boston Red Sox: 77-85

AL CENTRAL

Chicago White Sox: 87-75

Detroit Tigers: 86-76

Cleveland Indians: 84-78

Kansas City Royals: 79-83

Minnesota Twins: 64-98

AL WEST

Texas Rangers: 89-73

Oakland Athletics: 88-74

Los Angeles Angels: 84-78

Seattle Mariners: 74-88

Houston Astros: 52-110

NL EAST

Washington Nationals: 99-63

Altanta Braves: 90-72

Philadelphia Phillies: 81-81

New York Mets: 71-91

Miami Marlins: 63-99

NL CENTRAL

Cincinnati Reds: 98-64

Milwaukee Brewers: 88-74

St. Louis Cardinals: 85-77

Pittsburgh Pirates: 80-82

Chicago Cubs: 67-95

NL WEST

San Francisco Giants: 95-67

Los Angeles Dodgers: 92-70

Arizona Diamondbacks: 84-78

San Diego Padres: 71-91

Colorado Rockies: 65-97

AL East Champions: Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central Champions: Chicago White Sox

AL West Champions: Texas Rangers

AL Wildcard Host: Tampa Bay Rays

AL Wildcard Visitor: Oakland Athletics

NL East Champions: Washington Nationals

NL Central Champions: Cincinnati Reds

NL West Champions: San Francisco Giants

NL Wildcard Host: Los Angeles Dodgers

NL Wildcard Visitor: Atlanta Braves

ALDS: Toronto vs. Tampa

ALDS: Texas vs. Chicago

NLDS: Washington vs. Atlanta

NLDS: Cincinnati vs. San Francisco

ALCS: Toronto vs. Chicago

NLCS: Washington vs. San Francisco

AL Champion: Toronto

NL Champion: Washington

World Series: Toronto vs. Washington

World Series Champion: Toronto

World Series MVP: Jose Bautista (RF - Toronto Blue Jays)

AL Most Valuable Player: Mike Trout (LF - Los Angeles Angels)

NL Most Valuable Player: Bryce Harper (LF - Washington Nationals)

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (SP - Detroit Tigers)

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (SP - Los Angeles Dodgers)

AL Manager of the Year: John Gibbons (Toronto Blue Jays)

NL Manager of the Year: Davey Johnson (Washington Nationals)

AL Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers (RF - Tampa Bay Rays)

NL Rookie of the Year: Gerrit Cole (SP - Pittsburgh Pirates)

AL Comeback Player of the Year: John Danks (SP - Chicago White Sox)

NL Comeback Player of the Year: Ryan Howard (1B - Philadelphia Phillies)

AL HR Leader: Jose Bautista (RF - Toronto Blue Jays) (43)

NL HR Leader: Freddie Freeman (1B - Atlanta Braves) (46)

---------------------------------------

Great Sports Quotes...

Opening Day. God, how I've missed baseball. 


"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come. " - Terrance Mann, Field of Dreams

People will come, Ray.

The 1st Annual SC:TSE MLB Prediction Show!

Welcome to the 1st Annual SC:TSE MLB Prediction... post. Here I will, using my knowledge of baseball, off-season moves, and past performance, make some predictions for the 2012 season of Major League Baseball.

Standings:
AL EAST
New York Yankees: 94-68
Tampa Bay Rays: 90-72
Toronto Blue Jays: 82-80

Boston Red Sox: 73-89

Baltimore Orioles: 66-96

AL CENTRAL
Detroit Tigers: 86-76
Chicago White Sox: 84-78
Cleveland Indians: 81-81
Kansas City Royals: 72-90
Minnesota Twins: 68-94

AL WEST
Texas Rangers: 101-61
Los Angeles Angels: 93-69
Oakland Athletics: 80-82
Seattle Mariners: 64-98

NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies: 94-68

Altanta Braves: 88-74

Miami Marlins: 85-77
Washington Nationals: 83-79
New York Mets: 70-92

NL CENTRAL
Cincinnati Reds: 88-74
Milwaukee Brewers: 87-75
St. Louis Cardinals: 82-80
Pittsburgh Pirates: 79-83
Chicago Cubs: 68-94
Houston Astros: 62-100

NL WEST
San Francisco Giants: 95-67
Arizona Diamondbacks: 91-71
Colorado Rockies: 86-76
Los Angeles Dodgers: 75-87
San Diego Padres: 63-99

AL East Champions: New York Yankees
AL Central Champions: Detroit Tigers
AL West Champions: Texas Rangers
AL Wildcard Host: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wildcard Visitor: Tampa Bay Rays

NL East Champions: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central Champions: Cincinnati Reds

NL West Champions: San Francisco Giants

NL Wildcard Host: Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wildcard Visitor: Atlanta Braves

ALDS: Texas vs. Tampa
ALDS: Detroit vs. New York
NLDS: Phildelphia vs. Cincinnati
NLDS: Arizona vs. San Francisco

ALCS: Texas vs. Detroit
NLCS: Arizona vs. Philadelphia

AL Champion: Texas
NL Champion: Arizona

World Series: Arizona vs. Texas
World Series Champion: Texas

World Series MVP: Nelson Cruz (RF - Texas Rangers)

AL Most Valuable Player: Miguel Cabrera (3B - Detroit Tigers)

NL Most Valuable Player: Matt Kemp (CF - Los Angeles Dodgers)

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (SP - Detroit Tigers)

NL Cy Young: Cliff Lee (SP - Philadelphia Phillies)

AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington (Texas Rangers)

NL Manager of the Year: Kirk Gibson (Arizona Diamondbacks)

AL Rookie of the Year: Yu Darvish (SP - Texas Rangers)

NL Rookie of the Year: Paul Goldschmidt (1B - Arizona Diamondbacks)

AL Comeback Player of the Year: Adam Dunn (DH - Chicago White Sox)

NL Comeback Player of the Year: Buster Posey (C - San Francisco Giants)

AL HR Leader: Albert Pujols (1B - Los Angeles Angels) (41)

NL HR Leader: Giancarlo Stanton (RF - Miami Marlins) (44)

---------------------------------------

My heart says The White Sox will do it this year (but my brain knows better.)
Braun may have better numbers than Kemp, but the writers will hold his alleged steroid use against him.
Trade Deadline News: David Wright to the Arizona Diamondbacks; Brandon McCarthy to the Atlanta Braves, Bobby Abreu to somewhere other than the Los Angeles Angels.

There you go. You heard it here first.