An Ode to Fall

               As every Fall usually goes, all of the focus of the sporting world is on Football. Questions such as: “How far will Wisconsin drop in the BCS standings?” and “Will the Bills Make the playoffs?” are incredibly common. ESPN never fails to show me how much this wonderful country loves its football. Every year it is very surprising to me that the World Series is sometimes drowned out.  Our National pastime’s greatest moment is being over shadowed by the NFL Sunday. I guess I can see the logic. World Series games not airing until 8:00, a very slow game, and uninteresting match ups were all a buzz kill to the Series. This year was completely different.

                I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this series when a first looked at it. Slowly but surely I saw the true potential of it. Albert Pujols looking for a second ring verses a young Rangers team looking to avenge last year’s loss to the Giants, sounds like a great Series! I saw the potential of it going to seven games and my mind really started to race. I couldn’t wait for the Series now! I wanted to see which bull pen could hold the explosive line of the opposition and whether the hitters could capitalize on the chances they would be given. Then on October 19^th, all my energy for the Series could finally be let out as I watched maybe one of the most unforgettable World Series ever.

                The Cardinals were not to supposed to get into the playoffs. Many people wrote them out when they trailed Atlanta in the wild card standings by double digits with only a few weeks left in the season. Even if they made it all the way back, there was no way they would be able to beat the Phillies right? Well, we were all wrong. Carpenter and the Cards went on an amazing streak and accompanied by the Braves meltdown, they made it in. Once in they didn’t stop there. They thrashed the Phills in five, then took the Brewers down in six. On the AL side, it was supposed to be all about the Red Sox and the Yankees. No one was talking about the reigning champs. The Rangers took care of business out west by handing the Angels down the stretch, taking down the Rays in four, and throttling the Tigers in six. Two teams that weren’t in the conversation at the beginning of the year were now in a series for all the marbles.

                As the World Series started, I was sure of a Rangers win in seven and one of the best series in recent memory. All but a Rangers win was proven to me over the next seven games. I was thrilled by Carpenters gem in the first game. All the passion and drama was seeping out of the field. A one run game was the icing on the cake of this World Series opener. The Rangers responded with a one run game of their own in game two. At this point, I was hooked by this series. There were so many story lines to follow now. Would Ron Washington get his first ring? Would Larussa finally call it quits after this series? And where in the hell was Pujols going if they lost? Well, he did his best to make sure that they wouldn’t. Albert caught fire in game three to give us one of the all time greatest games in World Series history. Not only was his 5-6 night with three home runs going to be remembered forever, but I was sure that this series was over now. There was no way the Rangers could come back after a loss like this. Their bullpen was shot, they would have to walk Pujols every time he came to the plate, and their fans looked to be losing hope. Oh how naïve I was. Behind a great outing from Derek Holland and a MVP showing from Napoli, the Rangers made a 4-0 statement game and breathed life back into the series.

                By this time I was nearly exploding with excitement; a best of three to decide everything in the 2011 baseball season. I don’t know too many fans that wouldn’t get excited about that. Game five lived up to all the hype. I know it’s cliché, but this was a must win game. Napoli wouldn’t disappoint and Feliz would record his second save of the series.  With a little help from a bullpen phone (trust me, I could do a whole blog post on that fiasco), the Rangers were now a game away from closing out the Cardinals and winning their first series in franchise history, but then came game six. To me, the first six innings of this game were ugly. I hadn’t seen such an ugly game since the Phillies took on the Rays in the rain. Then, just before I was going to change the channel (I thought it was that bad!), Beltre and Cruz hit back-to-back home runs. Now the series was over. It looked as if the luck had run out on the Red Birds. Just as every good sports fan should do, I decided to keep watching. I am so glad I did. The Cardinals worked their way down to their final strike. David Freese was up to bat and I was sure I was about to witness a happy Nolan Ryan and a celebration from the Rangers. As the pitch was released I got ready to put one of the first “Congratulations Rangers” tweets on Twitter, but he lined it out toward the wall. Nelson Cruz was there for the out, but it was lined off the wall. It was a big triple from the home town kid when his team needed it the most. I went crazy as the tying run crossed the plate. Never before had a seen a clutch hit such as that one. Now I know a lot of people coin football as a game of inches, but the truth is all sports are a game of inches. If the ball would have hit that pitch just a quarter inch higher, we could be looking at a Rangers championship. The best part is that the game wasn’t over. It once again looked very grim for the Cardinals as they were down to their final strike again. This time it was Lance Berkman with the big play. I was in disbelief as the tying runs came around again. The game would end on a walk off home run from Freese and ensured a game seven.

Now I was all smiles. I had gotten the game seven I wanted and a great series that had been played before it. I was positive now that the Cardinals would win the series because it would be so hard for the Rangers to swallow the bitter pill they took the night before. Sure enough, I was right. The party in St. Louis was much deserved. A team that looked like they were dead in September was now on top of the Baseball world. I was so happy to see quality people like Larussa and Pujols get their second ring. Now that the dust has settled, we can really look back at the 2011 World Series and say wow. Almost in story book fashion, Tony Larussa retired on top and rightfully so. Now the questions turn to next season. Who are the teams to beat? Will the Cardinals repeat? And were in the hell is Pujols going? I say let’s not even focus on 2012. Let’s give the Cardinals all the respect that World Series Champions deserve. Congrats Cardinals, you really deserved it.

A Wild Night in Sports (Football Picks too!)

     Welcome back sports fans! I hope you enjoyed last night's sports scene as much as I did. Never have I ever seen such an amazing night. Of course I'm talking about the incredible World Series game, but let's not forget Case Keenum threw Nine TDs in a game and that the Jets and Flyers combined for 17 goals last night!
     So let's start from the biggest story of the night. The Rangers had a chance to win their first World Series in team history. All they had to do was beat the Cardinals in St. Louis. It was not going to be an easy task. The first six innings of this game were a joke. Errors all over the place and other big flops. Then in the 7th, the Rangers got two big home runs. At this point, it looked like the game could be over. Thank God I didn't change the channel. Over the next three and a half innings the Cards came down to their last out twice and escaped both situations. David Freese was as clutch as anyone could be and the home town kid came up big twice. Is this the most memorable World Series in recent memory? Defiantly. Every game has been intense and I'm so glad that this game is going to seven games. I can't wait to see this final game tonight because which ever team wins will have really deserved it and baseball will be going out with a bang.
      While this crazy game was going on, there was another one going on in the heart of Texas. Case Keenum exploded for nine touchdowns in a game against Rice. He burned the secondary nearly every time he touched the ball. Houston ended up with 73 points and a huge statement win. I find this so impressive. I haven't heard of any quarterback at any level achieve a feat such as this. Move over Andrew Luck because here comes Case! I know that Houston doesn't play the same caliber of opponents as Stanford, but nine touchdown passes are impressive. If I was a NFL owner, I would give this kid a good long look. I feel that he has the skills to really make a name for himself as a pro and still has plenty more to do in college. Can I see Houston in a big bowl game this Winter? You bet I can!
     Hockey is often lost in the buzz of football and the World Series, but last night one game stood out to me. The Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers put up a football score last night as the Jets won 9 to 8. Let me say that again 9 to 8. it was the highest scoring game in the past 15 years. All I can say is wow, what a terrible game for the goalies. The Flyers have had a terrible time trying to get a good goalie and by the looks of it, the search continues. Maybe it was a bad game for both net minders, but no matter what, it was a great game to watch. I'm so glad that hockey is back in Winnipeg and to see the Jets get a great win was a joy!
     With last night out of the way, its time to get to those picks!

#5 Clemson vs Georgia Tech- After a big loss to Miami last week (called it!), the Rambling Wreck will be back to try to beat Clemson. I see another upset in the ACC and I think the Techies will win 24-21!

#6 Stanford vs USC- Luck will be play at the top of his game and will has a Heisman performance as the Cardinal beat the Trojans 42-31

#9 Oklahoma vs #8 Kansas State - KSU is possibly the surprise team of the year. The passing game will need to give a little support to the Wildcats run game. I see the Sooners losing for the second straight week as the Wildcats continue their storybook season 28-21

#11 Michigan State vs #14 Nebraska - The Corn huskers have been a bit shaky all year. MSU has had a crazy couple weeks and I think they are vulnerable. Nebraska takes care of the Spartans defense and wins 19-14.

Other Picks

CMU vs Akron ~ Chips win 31-21.

#15 Wisconsin vs OSU ~ Badgers win 21-17

Redskins vs Bills ~ Bills win 42-7

Cowboys vs Eagles ~ Eagles win 21-14

Patriots vs Steelers ~ Steelers win 24-10

Well their are the picks for this week! Hope you enjoy the weekend and thanks for reading!

Another Week of Football

Well sports fans, it's the weekend again and that means football this time of year. Last week I did pretty good in the college game, getting 4 out of 5. On the other hand, my NFL picks were terrible. Let's see how I do this weekend as I pick the top games.

College Football Picks

#6 Wisconsin @ #16 MSU - The Spartans will be riding high after their huge win against Michigan. With ESPN College Game Day in town and another chance for a big upset, MSU will be absolutely pumped for this game. They will need a huge game from Curt Cousins if they even want to contend. On paper, MSU has the 4th best defense in college football, but you have to look at their opponents to really see how good they are. Quiet frankly, it doesn't take much to hold Florida International to 0 points. People can talk about how they were able to hold the explosive Michigan offense to 14 points, but Robinson isn't Wilson. Russell Wilson is arguably the best quarterback in all of college football. He has amassed over 1,500 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, and even caught one touchdown from Monty Ball. The Badgers have the best scoring offense (50.2 points a game) and one of the best defenses (allowing 9.7 points a game) and I don't see that stopping in East Lansing. Sparty puts up a fight early, but Bucky dominates the rest and wins 35-10.

#25 Washington @ #8 Stanford - Andrew Luck as been playing out of his mind for the past two seasons. He turned down the NFL to finish what he started  and even lost his coach. So far, it looks like he made the right decision. The Cardinal is now 6-0 and doesn't look like it will be turning back anytime soon. The Huskies make for a formidable opponent, but they won't be able to stop the passing game. Stanford's big tight ends will be key in beating Washington and Stanford will roll 42-10.

#22 Georgia Tech @ Miami- This is my upset alert for the weekend. I can see the Rambling Wreck finding some major issues in South Beach. Miami's Jacory Harris looks like a new man. he is taking care of the ball and finding the end zone efficiently. A tough early schedule has plagued the 'Canes early, but Al Golden will rally the troops. The Miami defense has done a good job at stopping the run. Georgia Tech has nothing but the run. When Miami is able to stop that, they will be able to get the turnovers they need to win 24-21.

Texas Tech @ #3 Oklahoma - A home test for the Sooners is evident this week. By no means should they overlook the Red Raiders. Tech has a great offense and has been able to put a scare into both Texas A&M and Kansas Sate. Oklahoma has it's 10th ranked defense though and will be able to stop the Tech offensive attack. The Sooners will then have no trouble scoring and go on to win 45-21.

Other Picks

#20 Auburn @ #1 LSU - This game will be closer because of the LSU suspensions, but still no trouble for the Tigers (LSU that is) as they beat Auburn 28-17.

#4 Oklahoma State @ Missouri - A close game for OSU. They will still win 24-21.

CMU @ Ball State - Ball State's offense has trouble scoring as the Chips go on to win 35-10.

NFL Picks


San Diego @ New York - The Jets playing good at home and the Chargers making a cross country trip equal a very happy Rex Ryan. Jets 17-10.

Chicago @ Tampa Bay - The Bear offensive line is so bad...so so so bad. Josh Freeman has a great day and leads the Bucs to a 24-10 win.

Atlanta @ Detroit - Lions looked flustered after the home loss to San Fran. I plan to see a charged up Lions team that will knock off the Falcons 31-28.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me on twitter @neilandsports and watch out for video soon!

The World Series

     It's finally here: The Fall Classic. After 6 months of glory and pain, two teams now find themselves on the cusp of glory. The Texas Rangers are no strangers to these parts. A trip to the series last year proved to be too much as they lost to the Giants handy. This year, they flew through the AL West, handled the Rays in the ALDS, and absolutely slugged past the Tigers. As everyone was obsessing over the Red Sox and Yankees, this team endured the talk and showed why they are going to the World Series for the second straight year. On the other side, the Cardinals have been away for a while. Since their 2006 series, the Cards have been a contender every year, but just haven't been able to push past the rest of the National League. This year, they finally put it all together, but just barely. They got into the playoffs with some major help from the Brave's monumental September collapse. Then, they had their backs against the wall as the squeaked by the fantastic Phillies and capped it all off by handing Milwaukee a NLCS loss.
      So what is to come of this? Only one of the best series that we will have seen in many years. This Series has the star power (Pujols, Cruz), hitting power (Both teams average over 4 runs a game!), and of course, pitching power. The keys to this match up will be the hitting. Early run support will be key because both teams have very explosive bats. Home runs should be plentiful with players the Pujols and Cruz who always have the potential to smack one out of the yard. Like many baseball series, it will all come down to the bullpen. Whoever can pitch better will win the series and with the staff the Rangers have, it is hard not to pick them. You heard it folks. I think the Rangers will win in an epic game seven, sealing on of the best series in recent memory.

Thanks for reading and be sure to look out for my Football picks (out tomorrow) and my end of season grades for the rest of Major League Baseball.

Follow me on Twitter @sportsandneil or email me at sportsaccordingtoneil@gmail.com!

Football Picks for This Weekend

     Another exciting weekend of Football is just around the corner. After a great Monday Night game from Detroit, Michigan's sports fans will be looking toward two great in-state rivalries. Outside of Michigan, there are numerous top 25 match ups in college football and big NFL games. There's also this little thing called the ALCS. I'll be looking at what the Tigers should do to win the final two games. So without further ado, to the picks!

20 Baylor @ 21 Texas A&M  - The Aggies have had a very tough start to the season. Their two biggest games, Oklahoma State and Arkansas, have both been let downs. Leading at halftime in both, poor play in the second proved to be fatal. They now have a chance to redeem themselves, but it will not be an easy task. The Baylor Bears and Griffin III look like a Dark horse in the Big12. They have one of the best offenses in the NCAA. The Bears average 47.6 points a game and haven't scored lower than 35 points this season. I expect them to explode on the A&M defense. The only question will be the Baylor defense. If they can control Cyrus Grey and possibly get a few turn overs, I see the Baylor Bears winning a close one to the tune of 42-39.

6 Oklahoma State @ 22 Texas - Oklahoma State should be on upset alert for this game. Texas got crushed last week and would like nothing more than to knock the number six team off their high horse. The problem for the Longhorns is that they are versing the number one offense. The Poke's put up 70 on Kansas and I'm sure they could put up big numbers on almost anyone in the Big12. Weeden is nearing 2000 yards already and I expect a huge day from him. In the end, OSU will just be too much for a pumped up Texas. I expect the Pokes to win 56-28.

17 Arizona St @ 9 Oregon - LaMichael James is in the for something else than putting up huge numbers for once. If you haven't heard, he really messed up his arm in last week's game against California. Now the keys to Chip Kelly's run game are in Kenjon Barner's hands. Everyone has been talking about how the Ducks should be on upset alert and they have the right to. It's scary looking at the ASU defense especially without James, but Barner is just as good as James. He has the speed and size to put the team on his back. Plus the Duck defense plays so good at home. With all that for the Ducks, I still have to give the Sun Devils some love. They have a great defense filled with a bunch of play makers. They will really give Thomas fits when he tries to throw and will probably stop the run at the start. I see a battle in Eugene, but the Ducks will wear down a good ASU team and win 31-28.

11 Michigan @ 23 Michigan State - This is a very intriguing match up. Denard Robinson taking on a tough Spartan defense makes many football fans drool. Michigan must be on alert for this game because this is a very winnable game for the Spartans. The concern for Michigan is that Shoelace has thrown 9 interceptions this year. Luckily, they have won all their games with the interceptions. Robinson can't make those same mistakes this week or it could be curtains for the U of M. Also, it's troubling that Robinson is the leading rusher for the Wolverines. On the other side, MSU has had a cupcake schedule and lost to Notre Dame. Overall, this will be an sightly ugly game, but MSU comes out on top 17-14.

Other picks :

NCAAF

CMU 35 - EMU 14 ~ Radcliff delivers on homecoming and looks towards the rest of the MAC.

NFL

49er's 31 - Lions 41 ~ Tough for the D early, but Megatron kills the 49er secondary late.

Saints 35 - Bucs 28 ~ Drew Brees > Josh Freeman. End of story.

Eagles 10 - Redskins 17 ~ Frustration sets in for the Eagles as nothing goes right.

Texans 17 - Ravens 24 ~ Ravens D is too good for a hurt Houston offense

Opinion

     Last night the Tigers fought back to get to game six in the ALCS against the Rangers. The celebration was great, but it better be brief. The real work starts now because the Tigers haven't done well in Texas. Plus, with the Rangers being one game away from the World Series the crowd will be absolutely pumped. I have a lot faith in the Tiger's starting pitching. Scherzer has been strong all season and will be sure to give the Tigers at least 6 innings so the hot and cold bullpen doesn't have to win the game. It's defiantly the offense that needs to step up to win the next two games. Tigers pitchers haven't much support this series. That coupled with Texas's explosive bats has equaled bad news. I picked the Tigers to win in six and I still see them winning. Cardiac Kitty's II? I think so.

Pick-A-Palooza!

My new video is up!

Watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auHNTm1jQzg

Thanks for watching and enjoy all of the great games!

Week 5 College Football Picks!

Well, we are already to week five! We are starting to get into some really big in conference games. Arguably, the biggest game of this week comes out of the Big Ten. So let's take a look!

#8Nebraska @ #7Wisconsin - Two hard nosed football teams clash in Madison. This could easily be a preview of the Big Ten Championship. With great running games on both sides, it could be a great shootout for the ages. Look for Wisconsin to come up big on defense and take care of Martinez, the Nebraska QB. After the dust settles, I see the boys from Wisconsin winning 36-31.

SMU @ #20TCU - A nice little Texas match-up here. TCU has been having a very shaky year. They haven't really had a game where the other team hasn't given them a scare. This will continue for the Horned Frogs as SMU gives them trouble early. Good QB play will save the Frogs in the second half as they win 41-21.

MSU @ OSU - This is another great match-up for the Big Ten. Though it is a bit lack luster due to both teams falling out of the top 25, it will still be an incredibly good game. Cousin's is key to the Spartan's success. He will need to be almost flawless at the Horse Shoe. The Buck's defense will make sure that doesn't happen. They will cause turn overs and possibly a score. The Bucks win 24-21.

#13Clemson @ #11Virginia Tech - Possibly the ACC match-up of the year! The Tigers will be riding high after beating Auburn, but Coach Beamer has his team looking better than ever! I am almost certain that the Hokies from Virginia Tech will win this game. They out match Clemson in speed and they have home field. The Tigers won't make it easy, but the Hokies will win 28-17.

#3 Alabama @ #12 Florida - This is a big road test for the Tide because Florida looks like it's old self and poised for a National Championship! Don't doubt the tide though. They will play good enough to get some quality scores. The Alabama defense will be a bit weak, allowing Brantley to his game will throw the ball with confidence. This game will come down to the wire, but I see the Tide squeaking by Florida for the 24-21 win.

And there you have it! Remember,I  will be tweeting during the CMU game and be sure to look for my NFL picks later today! Thanks for reading!