October 1st Picks

Well another month finally over. Glad to finally get a fresh start and move on from another month of Streak for the Cash. Looking forward to seeing this blog grow even more than it has. Thanks to everyone who follows this blog and I hope it continues to help you.

Pick #1 #15 Baylor Bears


  Offensively Baylor outmatches Kansas State completely; averaging twice as many points per game, and averages 594 total yards a game compared to Kansas State's 345. However, Kansas State's defense has outperformed Baylor dramatically on paper. Kansas state ranks 6th overall on defense allowing an average of 10 points per game, while Baylor ranks 59th and allows about 26 points per game.

   I think Baylor's offense should get the job done. I cant help look as Kansas State's 10-7 home opening win against an aweful Eastern Kentucky team without scratching my head. It may have been a fluke, but either way I'm sure Baylor is better than that. Baylor by between 10 to 14.

Confidence rating: 80%     Baylor 80% ----------------><---- K State 20%


     
Pick #2  # 3 Alabama Crimson Tide 

    A great game for Streakmaster to put up. A very talented, strong and fast Alabama team, vs. a very talented, strong and fast Florida team. It should be a great game to watch.
  
    Alabama goes into this game 4-0 , coming off an impressive 38-14 win over the then-ranked #14 Arkansas and a 27-11 win at Penn State two weeks earlier. Most of Alabama's scoring success has come from running backs Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy, who average about 230 combined rushing yards a game.


Florida will host this game holding a 4-0 record after blowing out Kentucky 48-10 last week. Probably their most impressive win by far, was thier 33-23 home win to a good but rebuilding Tennessee team. Homefeild advantage, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps will be thier biggest key against an Alabama team that ranks 2nd in the nation defensively (behind Michigan State), though I'm not sure it will be enough to win.


   Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis probably feels as though he’s back in the NFL after watching video of Alabama’s defense this week. I don’t doubt that he has figured out a way to score on the Tide. But I'm not sure he has figured out a way to score enough. Florida’s pedestrian receiving corps will be too much to overcome against Alabama, which can cover the Gators with minimal manpower and relegate more defenders to contain Chris Rainey and pressure quarterback John Brantley. As good as Florida’s defense has been, you have to consider the competition. Other than UT, which is ranked 54th nationally in total offense, the Gators’ stats have been compiled against Florida Atlantic, which is last out of 120 FBS teams; UAB, 116th; and Kentucky, 113th.


    I think this will be a very close game. Both teams are very strong, but I beleive Bama is stronger because of their experience on defense. With that said, playing in the swamp will be a great test for Alabama. As one of the toughest places to play in college football, I expect Alabama to struggle at times under the pressure of the crowd. Bama by between 3 to 7


Confidence Rating: 75%      75% Alabama ---------------><----- Florida 25%




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Blog closing for the month, Back up October 1st; Blog Updates/Changes

  I'm going to go ahead and officially stop blogging for the rest of the month. The next post will be for October 1, posted on the 30th of September (at night).

  The blog finished 31-9 for this month (77.5%), 45-10 in August (81.1%), and 76-19 (80.8%) overall.

 Next month I am going to try to get this blog more organized like it was in August. Below is a post I put up a couple of days ago going into a bit of detail on what I plan to do.

  Please be sure to become an official follower of this blog by clicking the "join this site" button near where the followers box is and then click "follow" on this page. You can email me about any questions you have or anything you want with my contact info I have below. Also be sure to join the blog's group called "streakhelper" if you would like to interact with other followers and be part of a solid group.

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9/24/11 Post:

  I think I'm going to close this blog down for the month here pretty soon. I can tell traffic is slowly starting to fade. I will get some picks up on here though a little later. I will probably stop on Monday. So the 26th will be the last day I post picks.

  I have gotten a lot (a lot) of emails from you about how I feel about certain picks and how confident I am in them. I think next month I will try something like a "confidence rating" or something corny like that that. For instance...

 Pick #1 Tampa Bay Rays

    dadadadjavbkjvfmabnfamkvfmaklfmabfa,fkabmfabfabfambkfb flkabf akbfa.... (Do my whole writeup thing)

  At the end of the writeup put- Confidence Rating: 86% (or however sure I am about the prop)

   And of course that would be ranging from 1-100%

  Just to kind of give you an idea of how good I feel about a particular pick.

 I will probably post a poll on what you guys think about it. I think it would be a pretty good idea.

 Next month I am going to try to get on more of a pattern/schedule as far as getting picks up at a certain time. This month I got so busy and didn't even take time out to get organized and put up picks at a consistent time like I did last month. They were always up in time before a pick, but you guys had no idea what I was thinking for a pick and had to just keep checking in and out of this site.

  What I will probably do is post something at night for any morning or noon props for the following day, and then something around noon or the afternoon for an evening/night pick.

  Thanks to everyone who follows and supports this blog. Over 110,000 blog views is increadible for just the first 2 months of this thing starting up.

   Enjoy your weekend, Streakhelper

September 25th Picks

Yesterday's (8/24/2011) Results

Pick #1 Clemson- Won 35-30
Pick #2 Geno Smith more first half yards- Won with 202 compared to Lee's 129

Record for day 2-0

I have a couple today. I never got up a couple because I was unable to post this morning. Anyway, here it is.

Pick #1 New York Yankees (game 2)

  Two words; John Lackey (shaking my head...). Despite pitching for Boston, I think he will be the Yankees biggest weapon. A lot of you probably know, Lackey has really struggled this year. Posting a 6.49 ERA, 1.63 whip, and 104 strikouts with a 12-12 record, the main reason he has managed 12 wins is thanks to Boston's great batting. New York will place Ivan Nova on the mound, posting a 3.62 ERA, 16-4 record, 1.33 whip and 95 strikeouts. Nova helped the Yanks beat Boston 9-4 back in April. Lackey is 2-1 this year against the Yankees, but has yet to play them on the road. His most recent game he lost 5-2 back on August 30th at home. The only thing that concerns me is New York only has to beat Boston one more time for a sweep. I really don't think Boston wants this, but at the same time I think New York wants to give a final blow to a much hated rival. Hopefully the rivalry goes deep enough for New York to be motivated to beat them a final time.

Confidence rating: 72%           New York 72% ---------------> <----- Boston 28%

Pick #2 20 yards or more, longest touchdown play in the second half.

  The thing that concerns me is Collins. The Colts offense has definitely been struggling without Peyton so far this season. I'm really leaning on the Steelers making a play 20 yards or more. Unless Indy does something on special teams or defense. 20 yards isn't a lot to ask for either way.

Confidence Rating 78%     20 yards or more 78% ----------------> <----  19 or less 22%

September 24th Picks

  Pick #1 Clemson-

  With FSU missing EJ Manuel, I think Clemson may have a huge chance to capitalize with a win at home. Trickett looked ok at home against Florida State, but he will definitely be tested on the road by Clemson. Clemson defeated Auburn 38-24 last week at home. With homefeild advantage and no Manuel, I think Clemson pulls it out in a close one. Clemson by 3-7.


   Confidence Rating: 65%      Clemson 65% -------------><-------- FSU 35%


   Possible Pick: Geno Smith Compiles more 1st half total yards-

  Geno Smith already has 1008 passing yards and -3 rushing yards in a span of West Virginia's first three games against Marshall, Norfolk State and Maryland. Granted LSU is much better defensively, Smith's numbers have been inpressive. Jarrett Lee has only compiled 444 passing yards and -22 yards rushing against Oregon, Northwestern State, and Mississippi State. LSU's defense is the only thing that concerns me. Geno Smith hasn't really been tested by a great defense yet, but then again neither has Jarrett Lee. West Virginia has about as good a defense as anyone LSU has played. Geno Smith for the pick.

      Confidence Rating: 65%             Smith 65% -------------><--------- Lee 35%

September 23rd Picks

  Sorry this post is so late. I have been having network problems and just now have been able to get it up with no issues. I wsnt able to get this posted in time for Frankfort, but here are the other picks I feel pretty good about.

Pick #1 UCF Knights

  UCF (2-1) will be on the road today against BYU (1-2). UCF's defense ranks 3rd in the nation in points against, only giving up 20 points in its first three games to Charleston Southern, Boston College and FIU. Shutting out Charleston Southern isn't increadibly impressive, but holding Boston College to 3 isn't to bad for a team who has traditionally been a pretty solid program. Their one red flag by far has been thier 17-10 loss to 3-0 FIU on the road. FIU is off to a better start than many predicted, opening with a blowout win to North Texas (41-16), followed by a win on the road to Louisville (24-17), and most recently a home win to UCF. So far FIU ranks 21st in points against, so I think UCF lost within 7 to pretty good football team.

    Looking at BYU's schedule results, they beat a very poor Ole Miss team 14-13 who was blown out by Vanderbilt 30-7. Thats pretty bad. BYU only managed a 1 point win to a team (Ole Miss) who was blownout traditionally the worst team in the SEC (Vandy). In the following week, they lost to then ranked #24 Texas 17-16 on the road. Who I think at the time was very overrated with Gilbert under center (and possibly still is overrated). Still, in that kind of envroment I think BYU deserves some credit for holding up pretty well to a team with a tough home crowd. After that they were blown out 54-10 by unranked Utah at home.

    Just from comparing each team's strength of schedule, I like UCF so far. But with BYU at home, this may give them an advantage they need to get a much needed win. However, BYU will need to get their running game going tonight to help out their passing game. BYU has struggled very much on the ground this season. Averaging about 48 yards a game (ranking 118th in the nation). Their passing though has been a good median, averaging about 253 yards a game (ranking 42nd in the nation). With BYU's struggling offense and UCF's good defense I'm not sure I see BYU scoring a whole lot.

    UCF is averaging about 223 (ranking 23rd) rushing yards a game and 204 passing yards a game (ranking 80th). On paper, UCF seems to have a better offense and defense, plus the one team they lost to is pretty good. BYU has struggled against teams that are struggling themselves. UCF for the win.

 Good luck tonight

I may have one more up later

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New Picks Up Coming for September 23

    Sorry there was no post today. There wasn't really anything I could justify as a good pick. I may pick Zack Collaros goes over 125 1st half yards, but I'm still undecided. I see some stuff I like for tomorrow and I will get those picks up soon.

 I will get the picks up soon,

       Streakhelper

Yesterday's results...

FC Honka- Won 5-2
Texas Rangers- Won 3-2
CJ Wilson record strikeout in the first- Won (threw 2)

Record for day- 3-0
Record for month- ? (I'll get it all add up soon)


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September 21st Picks

Here is one pick I really like, that I am getting up because I won't be home till about noon tomorrow. I will be busy all morning.


Pick #1 FC Honka

   This looks like a very good pick. It could almost be Honka win by 2+ in some ways. Rovaniemen hasn't won or drawn on the road since May 19, 2011. Making them 0-0-9 in their last 9 away matches. Honka is 11-6-4 overall at home in 2011 Including a 1-0 home win in May over Rovanieman. Overall Honka's goal difference is +6 while Rovanieman's is -31. Thats insane. I will try to put more up on this tomorrow if I can. But in case I don't, just know that Honka is a huge favorite. I've seen them as high as -600. Absolutely ridiculous.

Pick #2 Texas Rangers

  Similar scenario compared to yesterday. However, tonight the Rangers will start CJ Wilson (2.97 ERA, 16-7 record, 1.17 whip, 198 strikeouts) at pitcher,  and the A's will start Brandon McCarthy (3.35 ERA, 9-8 record, 1.15 whip, 116 strikeouts). CJ Wilson looked good when he played them on 9/11. Leading Texas to a 8-1 win. In McCarthy's last start against Texas (9/9/2011), he fell well short of defeating the Rangers, losing 4-13.


 (Possible) Pick #3 Wilson records a strikeout in the 1st

  He strikes people out pretty often. Last time against the A's, he had two strikeouts in the first inning. your taking about a 60/40 chance in this.

September 20th Picks

Pretty bland day for the most part. Not really any gimmes like the Wisla pick yesterday. There are a few I do like though...

Pick #1 Detroit Tigers

  The Tigers will start Brad Penny on the mound today, who hasn't really put up anything impressive (5.07 ERA, 10-10 record, 1.53 whip, 71 strikeouts). He did however, manage a 3-0 victory over the Royals back in May. Pitching his best game ERA-wise with a 4.11 ERA.

  The Royals will start Luis Mendoza who hasn't started a game since 2008. Posting a 8.43 ERA 4-9 record, 1.84 whip and 43 strikeouts in his MLB experience. He has done very well in the Pacific Coast League, where he won pitcher of the year and put up a 10-3 record with a 1.85 ERA. We will see how he will translate that to the majors tonight.

   Detroit is a very good batting team. Ranking 4th in runs, 3rd in batting average, 5th on base and 4th in slugging percent. If Mendoza has pitched the way he has before in the majors, I think Detroit could score very quickly and often early in the game. My biggest concern is that Detroit doesn't have a whole lot to play for, besides homefield advantage (we saw how that worked out for the Phillies a couple nights ago).  Also Penny says he wants to win (if that really means anything, talk is cheap), and I think he could use the win on his mediocre resume for this season. Pick with caution, but a really bad pitcher from previous games in the MLB vs. a top 5 batting team, may be a problem for the Royals.

Pick #2 Texas Rangers

  Probably the best pick of the day in my opinion. After Real Sociedad, this will probably be my next pick. The Rangers will start Derek Holland on the mound today, posting a 4.02 ERA, 14-5 record, 1.38 whip and 148 strikeouts. So far Holland has been 2-1 against the A's in his five career games agianst them, posting a 1.72 overall ERA. Holland has been pretty hot lately. He looked great in his last game against the Indians which resulted in a 9-1 win and has won 3 of his last 4 starts. Texas has a lot on the line in order to make it to the postseason. I think they will do everything they can to beat Oakland tonight to help keep their hopes alive.

   The A's will bring out Rich Harden, compiling a 4.76 ERA, 4-3 record, 1.37 whip and 83 strikeouts. Rich Harden lost to Texas (6-7) back in August. He gave up 5 hits and posted a 4.5 ERA.

   Conclusion:

    With Texas having so much to play for, and also being the better team on paper, I have to say Texas. Texas also has a great batting team. Ranking 3rd in runs, 2nd in batting average, 4th on base and 2nd in slugging percentage. It may be close but I have no reason to pick the A's. Even if Texas loses I wont regret the pick.


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September 19th picks

I'm going to just make this blog pretty plain for the next day. I need a little time to recover from a blown W15. http://streak.espn.go.com/en/entryStats?entryID=4321690

Guess I should have taken the Yes K after all.

Heres how I will start my day tomorrow though...

Wisla- Won 2-0
Coventry City- Loss 3-0
Rockies-

September18th Picks

September 17th results-

Milwaukee- Won 10-1
West Virginia- Won 37-31
Auburn- Lost 38-24

Record for dayh 2-1
Record for month 23-5

I'm going to take tomorrow off as far as writeups go, but here are a few picks you should be interested
in.

Green Bay wins by double digits-

Drew Brees throws for 251+ yards- Hard to turn this down. Brees almost always goes well over 251+

Phillies win- Hamels is a great pitcher, and he has the leisure of pitching at home. Carpenter is a good pitcher. I'll take the great over the good.

Hamels records a strikeout in the 1st- Goes back to him being a great pitcher. He averages about 8 strikeouts a game. I usually hate risking picks like this, but this one isn't that bad.

These are all picks I would make. I hope it helps tomorrow...

Would love to hear any comments you have about anything. Good luck

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September 17th Picks

I will get results from today up soon.


Pick #1 Milwaukee Brewers

  After defeating the the Reds 6-3 last night with Randy Wolf, the Brewers look to continue that same success tonight with Yovani Gillardo. Gillardo, who has posted a 3.66 ERA, 16-10 record, 1.24 whip and 183 strikeouts, saw some action against them back in April and struggled a bit. However, Gillardo has looked pretty good ever since. The Reds will start Edinson Volquez who has put up a 5.80 ERA, 1.63 whip, 5-5 record and 88 strikeouts. Gillardo looks a lot better on paper and with batting being pretty even, I like Milwaukee.


Possible Pick #1 West Virginia Mountaineers

  West Virginia heads into Maryland tomorrow bringing with them a 2-0 record and a very good passing attack. West Virginia has looked decent so far, but wasn't as productive as expected against Marshall (which they won 34-13) and trailed the barely known Norfolk State 12-10 at halftime before a 55-12 blowout win. West Virginia has looked very good in the passing game. West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith has completed 46 of 69 for 620 yards, 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. While West Virginia's wide receivers Devon Brown (8 catches, 151 yds, 1 TD) and Stedman Bailey (7 catches, 116 yds, 1 TD) have given great support and have been very productive. However, West Virginia's running game may be a concern. Only averaging 72 yards in their last two games to pretty mediocre opponents. Both of which I feel are definitely not as good as Maryland. If West Vrginia can't get their running game going, that will put a lot of pressure on their passing game, and I believe that will make them pretty predictable. If Maryand can adjust to West Virginia's passing game and shut it down, the Mountaineers will be in trouble.

  Maryland will host West Virginia after defeating a Miami team consisting of ineligible players, injuries, and off-season suspensions. So we really don't know the quality of the Miami team Maryland beat. Judging from what we saw in that game, Miami seems to be a middle-of-the-pack team. Maryland's offense was very effective in that game. In both the passing game, where Danny O'Brian completed 31 of 44 for 348 yards, 1 TD and 1 interception, and the running game where Maryland racked up 151 total yards on the ground.

  Maryland is a good team and at home they make me nervous. However, we still don't know where they stand as well as we do with West Virginia. West Virginia hasn't played pretty, but they have played hard every quarter and have performed well in both the first and second half. If they play 4 quarters like they have in their 2 opening games, I don't think they will have a problem getting the win. Not that it will be easy, but West Virginia I think will pull this out by at least 3.

Possible Pick #2 Auburn Tigers

  This game starts in 20 minutes so I dont have a lot of time. Anyway, a very ugly but winning Auburn team travels to play Clemson today. Auburn hasn't looked pretty in either of its two opening season wins. Beating Utah State after recovering an onside kick to win 42-38. Clemson looked impressive against Troy but struggled a bit against Wofford at home a week later, resulting in a 35-27 win. Auburn needs to be on upset alert for sure, but after beating Mississippi State last week, I think Auburn's quality of wins is better than Clemson's. Utah State blew out Weber State 54-17, I think they are a middle of the pack team. Not really good or bad. This one will be close, but if Auburn takes the same amount of luck they have had into Clemson today, I think they will pull out the win. Auburn by 3.

I will be staying away from both the Auburn and West Virginia game just to let you know. Hopefully this helps those that are considering the two.

September 16th Picks

September 15th pick result

LSU- Won 19-6

Record for day 1-0
Record for the month 21-4

Possible Pick #1 Dynamo Dresden W/D

   Ingolstadt is just an aweful team. However, at home they tend to play pretty well. Ingolstadt is 1-2-4 so far this year, and has scored just 5 goals with a -9 goal difference. Dynamo, going on the road, is 2-1-4 scored 7 goals and has a -1 goal difference. Dynamo isn't a whole lot better, but Dynamo's defense and draw option are what should give them an advantage. I do not think homefeild advantage will be enough for Ingolstadt to pull out a win, so a draw to me seems like the most appropriate outcome between these two teams.

Possible pick #2 Boston

  With Beckett pitching they should stand a pretty good chance. I expect a close game since Sheilds will be pitching for Tampa (sorry such a plain writeup).

Possible Pick #3 Arizona Diamondbacks

   Wade Miley hasn't played enough games to impress me whole lot, but from his 4 starts he looks like a pretty decent pitcher. Posting a 4.5 ERA, 3-1 record, 19 strikeouts, 1.75 WHIP. He helped lead Arizona to a 6-5 win in his last start at home. The Padres will start Tim Stauffer who has been pretty impressive despite his 8-12 record. He has posted a 3.87 ERA, 122 strikeouts, 1.28 WHIP this season.

Honestly,  I would stay away from this one and the Boston game unless you are desperate for a win. I'm not adding those 2 games to my record. Dynamo however, I was sadly mistaken.

 Tomorrow I will have a lot up. I have a lot to write about thanks to college football. It will have much more information and more detail than today.

September 15th LSU vs. Miss State Pick Overview

September 14th pick results

LA Angels- Won 4-1
4 pitches or more- Won (11 pitches)

Record for day 2-0
Record for month 22-4

This will be my only writeup for tomorrow more than likely...

Pick #1 LSU

   LSU goes into Mississippi State's revived hostile environment tomorrow night. Taking with them a 2-0 record that includes an impressive 40-27 win aginst then-ranked #3 Oregon. LSU will play once again without quarterback Jordan Jefferson and reciever Russell Sheppard. So far it hasn't been a major problem. LSU Senior quarterback Jarett Lee has proven to be a simple yet, effective quarterback. He has certainly gotten the job done for LSU over the last couple of weeks. However, LSU's offense as a whole has been pretty average at best overall and very poor for a top 5 team. Ranking 89th in total yards, 101st in passing and 40th in rushing, LSU's defense will have to continue to step it up. I think they can. Though giving up 27 points to Oregon, you have to remember, it's Oregon. Oregon had an increadibly high powered offense last season and already ranks 9th this season in scoring after beating Nevada 69-20. With the return of Darren Thomas and LaMichael James, you have to assume they will have similar results this season more or less. Oregon has a better offense than Mississippi State, and I think LSU can contain things pretty well tomorrow night.

  Mississippi State has just 5 days to prepare after a heartbreaking loss to a struggling Auburn team. Auburn nearly lost to Utah State a week before hosting the Bulldogs. If the Bulldogs can't beat a struggling (but pretty good) Auburn team, I don't see them pulling off a win against and LSU team that handled Oregon very well. I'm not saying Mississippi State doesn't have a shot, but with such a devastating loss so recently, I think the Bulldogs passion will be a little down. Or it may have the opposite affect. Possibly it will be what fuels the fire playing rival LSU to show the nation they are more than a top 25 team. Either way, I like my chances with LSU overall. Even if they lose, I'll let my streak go down with them.

September 14th Picks

September 13th pick results:

Texas Rangers- Won 10-4
Kansas City Royals- Won 4-0
Arizona Diamondbacks- Won 5-4

Record for the day 3-0
Record for month 20-4

 I really caught a break yesterday with Arizona. Great ending to a great game.


 I don't really have a lot of time to go into a lot of detail today, but I do see a couple of picks I like...

Pick #1 LA Angels

 The Angels will start Jared Weaver on the mound today. Arguably the best pitcher on the Angels, he is already 3-0 this season against the A's. Posting a 2.44 ERA, 16-7 record, 187 so, 1.01 WHIP in 23 starts. With batting being pretty equal for both teams, I think Weaver will be the difference. The Angels may only need a few runs to win.

 Oakland will start Rich Harden, who helped the A's defeat the Angels 4-3 back in July. Posting a 5.00 ERA and giving up 4 hits. 2 of which were homeruns.

Possible Pick #1 4 pitches or more

  I feel like these are usually the most upredictable. However, It seems most everytime this prop has been up, it has been about 3 or 4 pitches. Depending on who gets the start, you may want to go 4 or more. If Jeter starts though, I would probably stay away or possibly go 3 or less.

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September 13th Picks

Newcastle- Won (ended as a 0-0 draw)
Tampa Bay Rays- Won 5-2
Arizona Diamondbacks- Won 7-2

Record for day- 3-0
Record for month- 17-4

Alright. I finally have some free time and I can explain the theory/reasons for my pick projections.

Be sure to comment on my posts on the picks I put up. I love hearing your feedback and discussions.



Pick #1 Arizona Diamondbacks

 It is a little hard to pick against Arizona's Ian Kennedy. Kennedy has been 19-4 this season posting a 2.90 ERA, 178 strikeouts and 1.11 WHIP. His record speaks for itself. He has been a solid pitcher this year. In fact, he has already helped the Diamondbacks defeat the Dodgers 3 times this season (4-3 [3.20 ERA], 3-2 [3.39 ERA], 4-1 [3.05 ERA]). What scares me a little though is how close the last 2 were.

  The Dodgers will place Chad Billingsley (4.30 ERA, 10-10 record, 142 so, 1.47 WHIP) on the mound, who is 1-2 against the Diamondbacks this season. Billingsley has been to inconsistent for comfort this season. Pitching one game only giving up 2 or 3 hits, and then the next game give up 10-13 hits (a couple times against the same team).

  I will put a little more up on this game tomorrow. More than likely I will pick this game.



Possible Pick #1 Texas Rangers (pending)

Possible Pick #2 Kansas City Royals

   I'm not really a huge fan of this pick. However, with Streakmaster taking down the Boston pick, I wanted to post something to make up for it. Just to make this post a little fuller. Here's a post on a game I got from an odds site. Usually I dont like their picks a whole lot, but this is just for the occasion...

    I definetely wouldn't risk a decent streak on this. but it might be a good pick for a streak of 3 or less.

  "The Royals look to finally escape the basement in the AL Central, as Minnesota has taken up residence there this season. They have gotten a lot of mileage out of retread starter Bruce Chen. Chen has roamed baseball, finding a temporary home with 10 different teams along the way, but with very little success. He had just one season where he posted 10 wins or more, but in his last two seasons with Kansas City, he has reached the 10 win mark in both of them. Carl Pavano reached the majors in 1999, and has had two good seasons, but otherwise has been below average. Pavano was 35-19 in his two best years, but just 64-72 in all other years. This year his 4.52 ERA is in line with what he has been for the most part. The Twins have been no-shows vs. teams with a losing record posting a 1-10 mark in their last 11 against them, and they are just 3-13 in their last 16 series openers. Rejuvenated Chen has led the Royals to a 10-3 mark in his last 13 starts. Play on Kansas City."

September 12th Picks

Today I have a few picks I like from a glance. I'll try to get a writup on them tomorrow. Today I didn't feel good about writing anything. NFL props are sketchy right now as we saw today. It will be a couple more weels before we even start to know where everyone is at. The baseball props were about the same as well. However, in the end I did take "no homerun in innings 4-6" at the last minute. Luckily it payed off.

Possible Pick #1 Newcastle United-

     Sorry this is such late notice, but I am changing this to a "possible pick". On paper Newcastle is the obvious choice, but QPR recenlty received some prettty notable players, while Newcastle will be without a few thanks to the flu. This one will be much closer than expected I believe.

Possible Pick #2 Tampa Bay Rays- (post pending)

Possible Pick #3 Arizona Diamondbacks (post pending)

September 10 Pick Results

 What a day for college football. Michigan and South Carolina each had some close calls today.

Pick Results-

Wisconsin Winning Margin- Won
South Carolina- Won (45-42)
Chelsea- Won (2-1)
Michigan- Won (35-31)

Record for day 4-0
Record for the month 14-4

I'll try to get some more up tomorrow.

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September 10th Picks

 Sorry there hasn't been a post in a couple days. Here are a few I like tomorrow...

Pick #1 #8 Wisconsin: Winning Margin-

   Oregon State does not have a lot going into this game. Judging from last season's players gone, Wisconsin should blow them out by at least 20 or 30. Oregon State will also be without their starting freshman running back Malcolm Agnew, who ran for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns on 33 carries. Even with Agnew's numbers, they still lost last week to Sacramento State (who?) in overtime. Wisconsin is such a better team. The only way I can see this prop being bad for Wisconsin pickers, is if somehow Wisconsin's defense doesn't show up, and Oregon State bring their A-game (which probably isn't that great) and scored a few touchdowns. Oregon State just doesn't have the depth and personnel to match Wisconsin. I'm not sure they even have enough to win the the prop. Wisconsin for me.


Pick #2 South Carolina (NCAAF)-

   South Carolina looks to extend their record to 2-0 in Athens this weekend. 5th year Senior quarterback Stephen Garcia, won back his starting job after sharing playing time with South Carolina's sophomore quarterback Connor Shaw. South Carolina has looked strong since last season. Making it to their first SEC Championship game last year representing the SEC east, where they lost 56-17 to Auburn. South Carolina seems like they could be on the rise this season to be something special with some of what they have coming back. A very experienced quarterback in Stephen Garcia, who has been with the team since 2007. Marcus Lattimore, who just as a freshman last season, tore it up on the ground with 1,197 yards on 249 carries and 17 touchdowns. Last year's leading reciever for South Carolina Alshon Jeffery (junior), who racked up 1,517 yards and 9 touchdowns off of 88 catches. Overall South Carolina has 13 returning starters (7 offense, 6 defense).

   Georgia looks to rebound after a disappointing 35-21 loss against 5th ranked Boise State. Georgia, more specifically, Georgia head coach Mark Richt needs a win. Richt has been on the hot seat for the last couple years. Since coaching a Georgia team predicted to be a national championship contender in 2008 who came well short of the expected goal, Mark Richt has felt the seat becoming warmer season by season. South Carolina would be a huge win. It would raise eyebrows across the nation and put a lot of faith in the University of Georgia organization and football team. As well has buy Richt more time to prove to the Bulldog nation he still has the ability to to get Georgia reconized by the BCS.

   With everything above said, Georgia isn't impossibly outmatched. Some of Georgia's circumstances give them some advantages that might make it possible. Homefeild advantage for one. I have always thought homefield advantage was one the most overrated advantages to any team of any sport. However, in college football (especially SEC football) homefeild advantage can be huge. Georgia will also start Aaron Murray who posted some pretty good numbers last season (3,049, 61.8% completion, 24 TD, 8 INT). Georgia's backfeild will see a new face in highly touted #1 running back recruit Isaiah Crowell. Who ran for 60 yards on 15 carries agaist Boise State last week.

    Its hard to say how much better Boise State is (or isn't) compared to South Carolina, but either way South Carolina is significantly better than Georgia from what I can judge. Its hard to say where everyone in college football is right now, but South Carolina seems to be ok for the most part and Georgia seems to need a bit of tweaking within the next couple of weeks. South Carolina by 10 (31-21).

Possibe Pick #1 Chelsea- (Post pending) sorry I never got this post up. Overslepted.

Possible Pick #2 Michigan

   Michigan (1-0) will host rival Notre Dame (0-1) tonight at the Big House, for the first night game in their stadium's history. Michigan opened their season with a 34-10 win over Western Michigan last weekend. Denard Robinson only threw for 98 yards and no TDs in that game. He did however manage 46 yards on just 8 carries (5.8 yds average) contributing to Michigan's 190 total yards. Denard Robinson was pretty quiet last week, both running and especially passing the ball. Michigan's offensive success came mainly from Michigan's dual running game in running backs Fitzgerald Toussaint (11 carries, 80 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Michael Shaw (4 carries, 54 yards, 1 touchdown).

   Notre Dame lost their opener 20-23 against South Florida at home. Notre Dame really needs to get it together for Michigan tonight. They didn't win at home, and they are about to enter a stadium on the road  that holds as many as 114,000+ fans. If Notre Dame can stop the run tonight and contain Denard Robinson, I think they will be in pretty good shape. Tommy Rees will also have to show up and post some good numbers in the passing game to take pressure off the defense and create scoring opportunities.

   Overall I like Michigan. Homefield advantage will be huge here and Denard Robinson will have an opportunity to show the nation he can still perform as he did early last season. Michigan by 7 (24-17).

More to come... the South Carolina pick I wanted to put some depth into.

I almost forgot to review my picks from September 7th.

Giants- loss 1-3
No, no run scored in the 3rd- Won

Record for day 1-1
Record for month 10-4

I skipped the Giants and went with no run scored in the 3rd.

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Blog won't be updated till Tomorrow night

 This blog won't be updated until tomorrow night. I have had a lot going on and I havn't seen any good picks I like lately. If I see something I like tonight for Friday I will update my blog. I havn't really had a lot of time to update this blog and research picks very well. So I will wait till tomorrow to write for Saturday's (9/10/11) picks. College football is a lot easier to write about. No picks I like today besides Greece and maybe the Phillies. Nothing worth writing or risking a streak on to me.

September 7th Picks

September 6th "Possible pick" results

China- loss 2-1
Texas- Won 8-0

Record for day 1-1
Overall record for month 8-3

     I have to say, this has been one of the driest months I have played in a while on SFTC. Streakmaster has put up some pretty difficult props. I havn't even put up a single sure pick in the last couple of days and I have yet to risk my measly W4 on anything. I may be taking such a low streak to seriously, but there has just been nothing I have felt very good about. I havn't made a pick in 2 days! I really missed out on Texas yesterday though. I told myself I would pick them no matter what, but got cold feet within the last 30 minutes before the game.

     Also I just have to apologize for how little I have been able to put into this blog the last few days. This blog hasn't looked near as it did at the start of last month. Work has really picked up and I have had so little time to squeeze in writeups. I am going to try to work out a schedule to where I can make posts at a consistant hour of the day.

Moving on to the picks...

Another day of iffy picks. Here is what I have so far.

Possible Pick #1 San Francisco Giants

    Cain (2.85 ERA, 11-9, 157 strikeouts, 1.07 whip) is a good pitcher. Plain and simple. However he has struggled a bit against the Padres (1-2 against them this season). The Padres just look horrible right now though, I cant really find a great reason to pick them. They will be starting Aaron Harang (3.86 ERA, 12-5, 109 so, 1.41 whip) today against the Giants, who struggled against the Giants last time he played. Both pitchers have struggled to get wins in each of their last 10 games (Cain 4-6 , and Harang 5-5). Both teams are horrible at batting ranking near the bottom of the MLB. So why do the Giants have the advantage? Their bullpen and the fact that they have been hitting like a team ranked in the top 20th for batting. Pretty weak I know, but when you look at how much the Padres have been struggling lately, and how slightly improved the Giants have been, San Francisco is to me the best choice. I just have no reason to go with the Padres in this one (not to mention their 29-42 home record).

Possible pick #2 No run scored in the 3rd

More to come and I pan on getting this site back to where it was a month ago. I have just not had as much free time

September 6th Picks

September 5 pick results

Peru W/D- Won (drew 1-1)

USA Nationality of tournament winner- Won

Arizona Diamondbacks- Won 10-7

Record for day 3-0

Record for month 7-2

I will have to get September 6th's picks up tomorrow sometime. Today was just to hard to get to it and I am busy tomorrow morning. In the meantime I have to say China looks like a pretty good pick at a glance.

Possible Pick #1- China

  China (8-2-1) will play Jordan (4-2-1) today. The percents are extremely skewed if you ask me. From what I saw last night, I thought China was a pick that was to good to be true. Turns out it probably is, sadly. With this being an international friendly, it can really be hard to pin-point exactly what is most likely going to happen. I think most people are picking China mainly based on their record. However, Jordan has one of their best teams they have had in years. This game will more than likely be a draw, but Jordan will definitely have a great shot at winning by a point. I say China, but dont be shocked if Jordan wins. I wish I could go into more detail on this game, but I have to be somewhere right now and can't go much further. You get the idea of the pick though.

Possible Pick #2 Texas Rangers

   Texas (80-62, 36-34 away) will head into Tampa Bay, where the Rays (77-63, 38-32 home) will host Texas. C.J. Wilson (3.28 ERA, 14-6, 173 so, 1.20 whip) will look to help Texas rebound from last night's 5-1 loss in the series opener. Wilson is 2-0 this season against the Rays recording a combined 4.08 ERA. Also he has made 13 relief appearances against the Rays.

   Tampa Bay will start Jeff Niemann (3.69 ERA, 9-6, 91 so, 1.20 whip) who lost to Texas 2-7 in his last game pitched last Thursday. He gave up five runs and two homers in that game.

Texas' batting batting ranks (by far) this season; 3rd in runs, 2nd in batting average, 5th on base, 3rd in slugging percent

Tampa Bay's batting ranks (by far) this season; 14th in runs, 26th in batting average, 15th on base, 15th in slugging percent.

    Overall I think Texas is the best pick. Tampa is a good team and is very good at home, but I think with Wilson and the Ranger's batting they take this in a close one

More to come...


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September 5th Picks

September 3rd pick results

Pick #1 Minnesota; Total points or tie in 2nd half- Won (final score 19-17 USC)

Pick #2 LSU- Won 40-27

Record for day 2-0
Record for month 4-2

Fan request pick- AOR (OSU vs. Akron) Loss 42-0

LSU looked strong even without Jordan Jefferson (QB) and Russell Sheppard (WR). If they play like that all year, I could easily see them in the BCS National Championship game this season. Jarret Lee played pretty well Saturday night for the Tigers. Even with his relatively simple performance(s), he has still proven to be a very effective quarterback. Even against elite teams such as Oregon.

Minnesota was somewhat a shocker. Lane Kiffin loves to run up the score when he is winning, and score every point he can when he is losing. I mean, even in the sense of it being a completely meaningless touchdown or feild goal, he is just trying to make it a pretty loss as best as he can. So I have no doubt USC wasnt taking it easy as far as playcalls and coaching was concerned. Minnesota just showed up to play and came pretty close to winning.

Today I took Bubba Watson and should have had him up today on my blog. It was a solid pick to make. He had the tie option, but ended up scoring higher than Charl Swartzel. 

I think for future reference I will put up at least one pick if I decide to take a day off. 

I hope all of you are enjoying your labor day weekend and had a successful weekend of picking as well.

Here is what I have for tomorrow...

Pick #1 Peru win/draw

  I'm still trying to figure out why Peru has the draw option. Bolivia hasn't won in 14 games, and Peru is a pretty solid team. Last week these 2 teams drew in an international friendly. Peru may win.


Possible Pick #1 USA Nationality of Tournament winner (post pending)

Possible Pick #2 Arizona Diamondbacks

  Arizona will place Miley Cyru... I mean Wade Miley (3.94 ERA, 2-1 record, 12 SO, 1.75 WHIP) on the mound tomorrow for Arizona. Judging by previous records (his last game actually), he pitched pretty well against Colorado helping his team overcome the Rockies 9-4 (3.94 ERA, 0 hr). Colorado will start Esmil Rogers (5.94 ERA, 6-4 record, 53 SO, 1.79 WHIP), who suffered a 2-4 loss to Arizona last week (5.94 ERA, 1 hr). Arizona has performed well on the road this season. Arizona in a close one (I dont know why the pick % is so high for Arizona).

Much more tomorrow...


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September 3rd Picks/Overview of September 2nd

Wow rough day. I almost just skipped the day altogether because there was nothing I liked. However, I felt obligated to make a pick since the month was so young, and bit on the Boston game. Worst pick I have made in a while outcome-wise. You may have noticed all of my picks today were "possible" picks, and tomorrow's pick so far don't seem a whole lot better...

Possible Pick #1- LSU

 With all the drama that has occured at LSU recently, Oregon may be the best pick. I will be pulling for LSU as an SEC football fan, but with a couple key players out (QB Jordan Jefferson, WR Russell Shepard) it puts a lot more pressure on the rest of the LSU offense and team. Oregon will be without cornerback and punt returner Cliff Harris.

LSU is still a solid team and stands a pretty good shot at winning. If Les Miles has the kind of luck he did last season (against Tennessee and Florida), LSU has this easy. If it comes down to circumstances and typical feild performance (which is what I expect) I like Oregon here. I probably wont pick this game just because I hate picking against teams I want to win. Unless the odds are ridiculously stacked against them.

*Update for this pick

I just changed my prediction to LSU. Their defense is ridiculous and stacked. Jefferson didn't really have a huge impact last season. Jarrett Lee was a good QB last season. Better than Jefferson at times. The biggest loss to me for LSU is Shepard.

Possible Pick #2- Minnesota total points or tie

    I think USC will do a majority of their scoring in the first half, and Minnesota will score enough toatal points to contend with USC's 2nd half points. Despite Minnesota losing Adam Weber to the Broncos, they will still have a few of their key offensive players from last season. Including their dual running game with running backs DeLeon Eskridge and Duane Bennett. The biggest concern for me though is their offensive line. USC really underperformed last year. I dont see them being a lot different this year. Also Minnesota should be about the same as well, but I think they will have a slighlty better defense (9 returning starters). We will see. After watching TCU, it made me realise how little we know about some of these teams with the season so young.

Pick Request (picks requested by followers) #1 Any Other Result  (Akron at Ohio State

 If this was last season, I would have said Ohio State. However, with everything that has been circulating around the Ohio State program, I think Akron can keep it within 35. Ohio State is in the process of a rebuilding season. With the scandal involving Jim Tressel and all of the trouble Ohio State got into almost a year ago costing them suspentions and players jumping ship, Ohio State wont be bring their A-game as they did last season.

I will have more soon...

Today will be a little different. Since I cant really guarantee any picks for tomorrow, you can leave a comment, or email me a pick or two you would like me to discuss. Granted it isnt golf...


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More September 2nd Picks will be up soon

Septmber 1st pick results

Phillies- Won 6-4
Texas- Won 7-2

Record for day- 2-0
Record for month- 2-0

 I will have tomorrow's picks up soon tonight or tomorrow morning. I already have a couple picked out. I may post one tonight.

Until then, be sure to officially follow by clicking "follow" in the corner of this page if you are not a follower yet, and help spread the word about this blog in the discussions boards and such.


Possible Pick TCU-

   Finally I get to research a football game. With that said, I really don't know for sure about this one yet. I still need to research Baylor a little more. Here is what I have dug up on TCU so far...

"TCU has entered a new level of prominence and stature as a program, but even with ample resources, the 2011 season will be a thorny one for the Horned Frogs. Head coach Gary Patterson had quite a run with quarterback Andy Dalton over the past four seasons. In 2011, Patterson must replace not only the winningest quarterback in school history, but a plethora of talented wide receivers in Jeremy Kerley, Jimmy Young, and Bart Johnson. Pitching and catching the pigskin is going to be a lingering issue, especially in the face of Boise State’s potency and defensive prowess.

Running back, however, will not be a concern in Fort Worth, Texas. Ed Wesley is back for TCU, along with Matthew Tucker and home-run threat Waymon James. Defense is the Frogs’ mainstay, and they have two of the best linebackers in the nation returning in Tank Carder and Tanner Brock. The defense returns just five starters from last season, but history is on the side of Patterson and defensive guru Dick Bumpas. TCU’s defense will be just fine, and that’s what will keep this program a factor in the top tier of the sport.

TCU has found itself in the top 7 of the final Associated Press ballot in each of the last three seasons. Folks in Fort Worth have become accustomed to success. The Frogs have won at least 10 games eight times during the past decade. With a swan song in the MWC on the docket for 2011, it will be interesting to see how the Frogs respond. TCU will find itself on the road or in a neutral site for all of its most difficult games. The Frogs travel to old Southwest Conference rival Baylor and Mountain West foe Air Force during the first two weeks of the year. TCU plays former MWC rival BYU in late October at Cowboys Stadium. Two weeks later, the Frogs travel to Boise in what should be the deciding game in the MWC. The real test is this: Can TCU fight through a tough road slate while breaking in a new quarterback? We shall see soon enough."

 "The #15 TCU Horned Frogs (0-0) might be the team coming off an undefeated season where they might have been the best college football team in the country, but that hasn’t stopped the online sportsbooks from releasing odds that indicate the Baylor Bears (0-0) might get the victory here.  TCU originally opened up as 10-point favorites on the spread before a huge line move knocked the odds down to -3.5 where they currently sit.  Close to 65% of tracked college football bettors are on the Horned Frogs, and our preview and score predictions will get this game figured out.

TCU was at home last season and destroyed Baylor to the tune of 45-10, while outgaining the Bears by 295 yards in the process.  You know Baylor will be looking for some revenge this time around and they should have a high-powered offense that can both run and pass the ball.  TCU lost quite a bit from their defense but this is a team that has a great scheme.  It’s nearly impossible to gain rushing yards on the Horned Frogs, but Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin should be able to find some room in the passing game.

The Horned Frogs lost long-time starting quarterback Andy Dalton to the NFL but I don’t think all is lost.  The points scored per game will go down for TCU but they have some highly touted quarterbacks on the roster.  Baylor’s defense was very poor at stopping the run last season but I see some potential for improvement with some experienced guys coming back on that side of the ball.

Predictions on the final score were not easy to make here, but I think TCU will be able to score some points while Baylor has the passing game to also get on the board.  This won’t be the blowout that we saw last season but I also don’t believe that the Bears have come far enough to win this game or cover the college football odds.  Look for TCU to have a more balanced offense than last season while Baylor will be forced to abandon the run in a pass-heavy game plan for the home team."

sources:

www.theonlinewire.com

www.streakhelp.blogspot.com

Possible Pick # 2 Boston


  This one is a little tricky. It is hard to pick against Texas' Derek Holland, but the Sox do have a pretty good shot at winning tonight.


  Boston (83-53, 41-27 home) will host the Texas Rangers (78-60, 34-32 away) tonight it what appears will be a good game. Boston will start Andrew Miller (4.42 ERA, 6-1, 39 so, 1.69 whip), who did well against Texas on August 27th (Boston won 6-0). Definetely his best game of the season. Tonight however, Texas will be starting Derek Holland (4.30, 12-5, 127 so,1.43 whip) who has been pretty consistant through this season. Though Holland hasn't played Boston this season, I think he will give Boston batters a bit of trouble tonight at the plate. I don't think it will be a huge problem for Boston, who in my opinion has the best batting in the MLB (2nd in runs, 1st in batting average, 1st on base, and 1st in slugging percent), but a significant amount to keep them in the game. Miller, who I mentioned pitched very well against Texas last time they played, did so against a team top 5 in everything when it comes to batting (3rd in runs, 2nd in batting, 5th on base, 3rd in slugging percent). If Miller shows up like he did last time against Texas when he played them on the road, then I think Boston will be able to ad another W to thier record. Boston for the pick.






I will have more up soon on the TCU pick and 1 other game I like. Sorry for the sketchy posts, its been a very busy day.

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