2012 NFL Week 1 Predictions

Ladies and Gentlemen the NFL season is upon us and its now time for weekly predictions and point spreads. The teams highlighted in bold are the ones who I think will be victorious each week. So here we go. As the weeks go on I will offer up more explanations on why I pick the teams I do but for the first weeks lets just say I am basing my picks on what I saw towards the end of last season and in the preseason.

Wednesday, September 5
Cowboys at Giants 

Sunday, September 9
Eagles at Browns
Redskins at Saints 
Rams at Lions 
Falcons at Chiefs
Jaguars at Vikings 
Colts at Bears 
Patriots at Titans
Dolphins at Texans 
Bills at Jets
Panthers at Buccaneers
Seahawks at Cardinals 
49ers at Packers
Steelers at Broncos 

Monday, September 10
Bengals at Ravens
Chargers at Raiders

Here are the lines from Vegas.com

National Football League
Time		Caesars- Hilton	MGM- Mirage	Stations
Sep. 5	Dallas
5:30 p.m.	at N.Y. Giants
Favorite		NYG	NYG	NYG
Point spread		-4	-4	-3½
Total		47o/u	47o/u	47o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Indianapolis
10 a.m.	at Chicago
Favorite		CHI	CHI	CHI
Point spread		-10	-9½	-9½
Total		42½o/u	42½o/u	43o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Philadelphia
10 a.m.	at Cleveland
Favorite		PHI	PHI	PHI
Point spread		-8	-8	-8½
Total		41o/u	41o/u	41½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Buffalo
10 a.m.	at N.Y. Jets
Favorite		NYJ	NYJ	NYJ
Point spread		-3	-3	-3
Total		40½o/u	40½o/u	40½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Washington
10 a.m.	at New Orleans
Favorite		NOR	NOR	NOR
Point spread		-9½	-9½	-9½
Total		49½o/u	49½o/u	50o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	New England
10 a.m.	at Tennessee
Favorite		NWE	NWE	NWE
Point spread		-6½	-7	-6½
Total		47½o/u	47½o/u	48o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Jacksonville
10 a.m.	at Minnesota
Favorite		MIN	MIN	MIN
Point spread		-4½	-4½	-4½
Total		38o/u	38o/u	38o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Miami
10 a.m.	at Houston
Favorite		HOU	HOU	HOU
Point spread		-10	-10	-10
Total		43o/u	43o/u	43o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	St. Louis
10 a.m.	at Detroit
Favorite		DET	DET	DET
Point spread		-9	-9	-9
Total		46½o/u	46½o/u	47o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Atlanta
10 a.m.	at Kansas City
Favorite		ATL	ATL	ATL
Point spread		-1½	-1½	-1
Total		41½o/u	42o/u	41½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	San Francisco
1:25 p.m.	at Green Bay
Favorite		GNB	GNB	GNB
Point spread		-5½	-6	-6
Total		45o/u	45o/u	45½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Carolina
1:25 p.m.	at Tampa Bay
Favorite		CAR	CAR	CAR
Point spread		-2½	-2½	-2½
Total		46½o/u	46½o/u	46½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Seattle
1:25 p.m.	at Arizona
Favorite		SEA	SEA	SEA
Point spread		-2½	-2	-2
Total		40½o/u	40½o/u	40½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 9	Pittsburgh
5:25 p.m.	at Denver
Favorite		DEN	DEN	DEN
Point spread		-1	-1	-1
Total		44½o/u	44½o/u	44½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 10	Cincinnati
4 p.m.	at Baltimore
Favorite		BAL	BAL	BAL
Point spread		-6	-6	-6
Total		41o/u	40½o/u	41o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110
Sep. 10	San Diego
7:15 p.m.	at Oakland
Favorite		SDG	SDG	SDG
Point spread		-1½	-1½	-1½
Total		47½o/u	47½o/u	47½o/u
Total money line		-110	-110	-110

Why Change Sports History? You can't change what happened

By: Byron Marsh

I am the last person on earth you would ever see watch a Tour De France, but I have been hearing quite a bit about Lance Armstrong being stripped of his 7 titles due to “blood doping”. Now it is my understanding that all the other athletes that were second, third, fourth and others behind Lance also have a history of blood doping as well. Therefore disqualifying them from receiving the titles as well. Are they just going to keep moving down the line until they find a clean cyclist? If so, it being proven thats its little harder than it looks.

With that being said Lance was doping and so were all the other competitors, so doesn’t that make it a fair field? If all these other competitors can’t beat Lance while having their blood doped, then why take the titles away, because if everyone was clean they clearly wouldn’t have stood a chance either way. I say let it be a lesson learned for the officials who run the race that they should maybe TEST ALL THE ATHLETES BEFORE THE RACE,  and not years later after the fact. They need to let it go because it’s a hard lesson learned.

The same goes for all these NCAA punishments that keep getting handed down because a player here and a player there excepted gifts and gratuities. That is far more ridiculous then the Armstrong case, but they to go back thru all the record books an rewrite history.  The only difference is that Armstrong’s actions only effect him. The NCAA punishes the team(s) as a whole, because of one player getting greedy. Call me crazy but the last time I checked when a player excepted a little bit of money IT DOESN’T MAKE THE TEAM AS A WHOLE GUILTY! It's a team game so why take away all those wins,  titles, and scholarships? One players selfishness should make the NCAA go after the player, not the record of the team. All the players on those teams busted their butt to win those championships but now because one guy took some money, or because one sick bastard molested children, the whole team gets punished for something they had no part in. Joe Paterno like him or not should STILL be the winningest coach in NCAA history period. Sandusky being a sick twisted pedophile had nothing to do with Paterno’s mastermind play calling and the way the team played.

The USC Trojans, Buckeyes and all the other college teams that have had their championships and stats wiped clean due to players excepting gifts should have never happened. The institutions should go after the guilty players and coaches solely, and leave all the other team players that have busted their butts to win those championships out of it.

Baseball has it right to some degree because although some players have used PEDs their records and stats still stay intact because they realize that everyone probably is taking advatange of the game. Barry Bonds record is intact as well as A-Rods MVP Award in 2003. The only thing I dont agree with in baseball is not allowing Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame. His betting did not effect the on field activities of the game. How can their even be a Hall of Fame when the all time leader in hits is not even in it. How can you eliminate someone from the history books?

They’re rewriting the history books and it’s stupid. When you reference Tour De France you think Lance Armstrong, but now we wait until they find a clean competitor that finished 23rd in the race and give him the title. Even that guy probably feels a bit guilty for taking the title knowing that he isn’t the better athlete. Its no different for the college teams  who got beat in the championships. THEY STILL GOT BEAT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIPS! Just because a committee says a collegiate athlete took money we need to go back 4 years and take away all the wins. It does not mean that the second best team is now the best. They still lost the game and when people think back to that game they are going to forever think on who won and who lost. It's not who the authority’s say whom due to some stupid stipulation.

Leave history how it is and move on. Learn from your mistakes and crackdown in the future to prevent this stuff from happening again. Do not go back in time and change history!

The Current State of WWE

Recap, Review and Results of Summerslam 2012

Summerslam celebrated it's Silver Anniversary tonight and it was a pay-per-view that had a lot of good moments to it. From a wrestlers point of view it would be hard to follow the first match because the first match between Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler was phenomenal. I really enjoyed the style of the match and was actually quite surprised that Chris Jericho went over on Ziggler.

Even thought Kane and Daniel Bryan had a really weird buildup I thoroughly enjoyed the match because it was a true little guy vs. big guy battle that made sense. Daniel Bryan got the victory which sent Kane into a rampage and saw Josh Matthews get thrown around like a rag doll. I was disappointed that Charlie Sheen was not there to confront the man he picked on all of Raw 1000. Speaking of disappointments, I was disappointed in three things. The first thing is that Ziggler did not cash in his briefcase after a very boring match between Sheamus and Del Rio. I have been saying it for awhile that neither of them are believable as champion while Ziggler has the charisma and the look to be World Champion. I was also disappointed that The Prime Time Players did not win the WWE Tag Team Championships. I think they are a more believable tag team and more marketable as a team. Lastly, I thought Kevin Rudolph's performance sucked and had no business being aired. That time should have slotted for Damien Sandow and Brodus Clay who were expected to be on the card earlier in the week.

The Miz had his awesome bubble entrance and had a really solid match against Rey Mysterio. For being gone as both of these guys were they have been having some excellent matches and his turned into a pretty decent rivalry. I think Miz is more believable as Intercontinental Champion, then he is WWE Champion. I will very be very curious to see how long Miz holds the title and who his challengers will be. The other championship match was CM Punk defending his title against John Cena and Big Show. Someone who has wrestling brains must have been behind this match because they used Big Show in the way he should be. It took a lot to take him down which is how it should be always. The match was good for what it was but the ending is leaving me with one question, and that is can CM Punk be fully turned as a heel or will become another Steve Austin? Even when Punk got a shorthanded victory tonight the crowd cheered. The crowd doesn't want a heel Punk, they want a heel Cena. It's about time Cena turns heel and goes back to Thuganomics for good. It will be interested to see how the rest of Punks year turns out.

The main event was Triple H and Brock Lesnar and I know people are going to criticize this match because of the pace. Most people don't know ring psychology and don't know what it means to tell a good story in the ring. Triple H and Lesnar told a story in the ring much like Triple H did with Kevin Nash in December. I loved how each man attacked the others weaknesses and exploited them. Both had their moments of offense but in the end Triple H tapped out after hitting two Pedigrees. It looked like as the show was going off the air, Triple H may have signaled the end of his career. I don't think it's the end of his career. I think it's a part of a storyline that will unfold very shortly.

Summerslam was a solid show that had very solid matches to it. I am really looking forward to seeing where they head towards Survivor Series in November. Keep staying tune for more on WWE's road to the Survivor Series, which is the last of the big four in 2012. Remember, only the strong will survive.

Experiencing the West Michigan Whitecaps

Since 1994 I have been fortunate to live in the Grand Rapids area and been able to watch some of the best starts in Major League Baseball before they made they big show. The West Michigan Whitecaps were founded in 1994 and have produced some great talent. I have been to many Whitecaps games but I really enjoyed myself on August 18th 2012 and really took more time to observe the ballpark and it's features. 5/3rd Ballpark has some wonderful feature like a great view from anywhere in the park. I love the box seats and the Miller Lite deck and hope to watch a game from one of those two spots someday. For those who like the picnic type atmosphere they have lawn seating which allows you to bring a blanket and relax on the grass.

On this particular night I realized their is something fun for everyone like guessing your pitch speed, getting a personalized t-shirt, watching the fireworks and getting involved with the activities. The group I was with did everything from the chicken dance, dinosaur dance and singing Sweet Caroline. I still think after all these years that baseball is the most interactive and fan friendly sport there is. The home fields always love to get the crowd involved and West Michigan is very good doing that. A lot of people don't realize that Grand Rapids is a great sports town. They have the Griffins, and use to have the Rampage football team as well as the Hoops basketball team. The sports bars are always packed for Tigers, Lions and Red Wings games as well as UFC fights. It's no surprise that the Whitecaps are successful with such a devoted fan base.

Fans have got to see many players start in West Michigan and make it to the Detroit Tigers or another MLB team. Some of those names include Brennan Boesch, Francisco Cordero, Andy Dirks, Omar Infante, Brandon Inge, Matt Joyce, Jair Jurrjens,Fernando Rodney, Cody Ross and Joel Zumaya. The excitement doesn't end there as many stars have made rehab starts in West Michigan. Some of those include Kenny Rogers, Curtis Granderson, Magglio Ordonez, and Jeremy Bonderman. Anytime they showed up it was not hard to sellout.

As a Tigers fan it is great to see the future stars in action and be apart of a lot of fun. I suggest anyone in traveling distance of 5/3rd Ballpark or if your visiting the area, go check out a Whitecaps game. It's inexpensive and something the whole family can enjoy. For more info towww.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t582

Review of The Expendables 2

I usually don't write movie reviews but considering Stallone was Rocky, Lundgren was Drago, Randy Couture is an MMA legend and Terry Crews was in the NFL. So it has some sports related figures to it not to mention Van Damme and Norris has been involved with Martial Arts for years. This movie was awesome and fun to watch. I like how in this movie the team faced adversity and had more obstacles to overcome in the movie. In the first movie it really felt like the team was invincible and nothing bad could happen to them. In this movie some bad things to happen and they have to fight harder to overcome it all.

The other thing I liked is Jean Claude Van Damme as a villain. I have never liked Van Damme as a villain but in this movie he played his role well and I wanted to just jump out of my seat and beat the crap out of him. You know you played your role well when you get that type of reaction. I loved that everyone got a lot of scree time in the movie because when you have that many stars in a movie. I think the movie could have been about 30 minutes longer to add to the story.

The one great thing I love about this movie is how the actors in the movie picked on characters that they played in previous movies. It added some great little comedy moments which is needed in a movie like this because of the intensity of the action. If you are a fan of any of these megastars then I would recommend this movie to you because each star has their personality, own traits and in the movie has their own issues. I also loved the addition Yu Nan which gave the team a female presence and attitude that gave them a new dynamic.

Finally, once you see the Van Damme-Stallone fight scene you'll be thinking that you are watching Frank Dux vs. Rocky Balboa. Atleast that's what I thought at first. The Expendables 2 was great, if not better then the first one. For those who love these movies, good news is in order because a third one is coming. Some of the names being rumored for the final movie are Steven Seagal, Clint Eastwood, Nicholas Cage, Wesley Snipes, and Harrison Ford. For now enjoy The Expendables 2 because it's an action packed movie that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Preview and Predictions for Summerslam 2012

This Sunday is the 25th Anniversary of Summerslam and the card looks top notch this year. The buildup has been good and has been a lot better on TV then we have seen in awhile. When doing my predictions I don't just look at whats going on in the eyes of television. I also look at what's going on behind the scenes ans backstage. With that being said here is the card for Summerslam 2012

UNITED STATES CHAMPION SANTINO MARELLA VS. ANTONIO CESARO

A lot of people been having mixed feelings about Antonio Cesaro but considering Santino hasn't really had many title defenses and he's been apart of the mid-card uprising that has been speaking out about pay I have a feeling we will see a new champion. They have been humiliating all the talent speaking out against how they are being paid. Just ask JTG and R-Truth. 

KANE VS. DANIEL BRYAN

No matter what the WWE does, people love Daniel Bryan or love to hate him in a good way. His YES! and NO! chants draw such a crowd reaction that it's hard not to respect him. There have been rumors that Charlie Sheen might show up and get into a confrontation with Bryan. If that's the case then I am going with Kane for the win. Sheen will come out and distract Bryan or show up after Bryan loses. 

CHRIS JERICHO VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Both men have similar attitudes and were inspired by greats from the past. Chris Jericho has become his own person after many years of idolizing Shawn Michaels and Ricky Steamboat. Dolph Ziggler has gotten a lot of comparisons to Mr. Perfect which are well deserved. However Dolph isn't looking to be the next Curt Hennig. He is looking to be Dolph Ziggler and I believe this match will help him get there. With Chris Jericho going on tour look for Dolph Ziggler to get the win. Also don't be surprised to see Dolph again during this pay-per-view.

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS KOFI KINGSTON & R-TRUTH VS. THE PRIME TIME PLAYERS

Both these teams have had some issues as of late. R-Truth is one of those who has been complaining about pay and The Prime Time Players lost AW as their manager. However at this point in time the Players are a more marketable team and have a better look as a tag team. I am going with The Prime Time Players to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.

INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION THE MIZ VS. REY MYSTERIO

These two have had different paths this year. Mysterio being injured and suspended while The Miz was in the doghouse and filmed a WWE movie. I am totally unsure of the outcome of this match but considering The Miz has a movie due out soon I will put my money on him to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION SHEAMUS VS. ALBERTO DEL RIO

I am not sure about this match because in my opinion neither of them are believable as champion. I personally don't like either man in the World Championship picture. I think because of Triple H's philosophy of having longer title reigns Sheamus will retain. Don't be surprised though if someone sneaks up on cashes in their Money in the Bank briefcase. It could be a good way to make Dolph Ziggler a face or keep him going strong as a heel. It depends on what WWE does.

WWE CHAMPION CM PUNK VS. JOHN CENA VS. BIG SHOW

As we all know The Rock is due to wrestle for the WWE Championship at the 2013 Royal Rumble. I believe this match will determine who is Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania 29. Instead of predicting the winner I am going to give you three scenarios and you can predict for yourself.

1. Big Show wins the WWE Title and loses it to The Rock at the Royal Rumble. Then The Rock goes on to defend the title at Wrestlemania 29 against Punk or Cena or perhaps both.

2. John Cena wins the WWE title and loses it to The Rock at the Royal Rumble. Then The Rock goes on to defend the title at Wrestlemania 29 against CM Punk.

3. CM Punk retains the title and loses it to The Rock at the Royal Rumble. Then The Rock goes on to defend the title at Wrestlemania 29 against John Cena.

All the scenarios are good but its going to depend on what the people backstage want. I personally do not want to see another Cena-Rock match at Wrestlemania. I think Punk can get a way better match out of The Rock, not to mention CM Punk gave The Rock the G.T.S. at RAW 1000. No matter the outcome I believe CM Punk and The Rock will cross paths at some point in 2013. 

TRIPLE H VS. BROCK LESNAR

The perfect storm as it's being called is now going to be a fight that's gotten personal. Paul Heyman has talked about Triple H's children and Brock Lesnar has broken Triple H and Shawn Michaels arm. Shawn Michaels Summerslam appearance is in jeopardy due to Lesnars attack but if I know the Heartbreak Kid he will come through for Triple H. I believe Lesnar will win the match and regain some momentum headed into his next match and next pay-per-view where ever and who ever that will be.  This fight is going to be one for the ages and I think Triple H and Brock Lesnar are going to have a better match then Cena did with Lesnar at Extreme Rules.

Summerslam looks great on paper and there is rumored to be one or two more matches added. I have heard   the possibility of Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes or Damien Sandow vs. Brodus Clay as extra matches. I am looking forward to biggest show of the summer. Be sure to check back for a recap of the show and how it will effect the rest of the year.

NBA Off-Season Moves as of 8/13/2012

Since I last reported there have been some intriguing signings and trades. Most of the last two weeks has been focused on Team USA in the Olympics but one move stood out and when you're reading the list you'll know which on it is. Here is a recap of some of the moves so far.

-L.A Clippers signed forward Ronny Turiaf to a one-year contract.

-Chicago Bulls signed center Nazr Mohammed. Also signed guard Nate Robinson.

-Minnesota Timberwolves signed forward Andrei Kirilenko.

-Milwaukee Bucks signed center Joel Przybilla.

-Orlando Magic sent center Dwight Howard, guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark to the L.A. Lakers and guard Jason Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Lakers sent center Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia and forward Josh McRoberts, forward Christian Eyenga and a 2017 first-round draft pick to the Orlando Magic. Philadelphia 76ers sent forward Andre Iguodala to Denver and forward Moe Harkless, center Nikola Vucevic and an undisclosed first-round draft pick to the Magic. Denver Nuggets sent guard Arron Afflalo, forward Al Harrington and the lower of its 2014 first-round draft picks to the Magic.

As you can see the balance of power has shifted to the Lakers. I truly believe the Western Conference is going to be dominated by the two Los Angeles teams. The Eastern Conference will more then likely come down to the Bulls, Celtics and the defending champion Miami Heat.

Keep staying tune to more NBA Off-Season moves because it's getting closer to training camp and eventually the preseason. I will be back with any breaking news on the NBA.