Ouch, last week I went a disappointing 5-9. I got my Mortal Lock and Upset of the Week correct, but that was about it.

Overall Record: 75-39 Winning Pct: .658

Here are Week 9's Picks (Winners in Bold)

Chiefs @ Rams
Texans @ Giants
Titans @ Jaguars
Saints @ Bucs
Cowboys @ Redskins
Dolphins @ Bears
Packers @ Bills
Bengals @ Ravens
Falcons @ Lions
Vikings @ 49ers
Broncos @ Steelers
Browns @ Chargers
Colts @ Patriots
Raiders @ Seahawks

Upset of the Week: I've got only two upsets picked this week, the Colts and the Bengals. Rather than tempt fate by picking the Colts 2 weeks in a row for Upset of the Week, I'll go with the Bengals over the Ravens. (6-1 in this category)

Mortal Lock of the Week: There are quite a few heavy favorites in this week's slate of games, but I'll pick the Giants over the Texans for this week's Lock.

Tigers Update: Pitcher Kenny Rogers and Catcher Pudge Rodriguez, both won the American League Gold Glove in their respective positions. It is Kenny's 5th Gold Glove and Pudge's record 12th. Johnny Bench is second all-time on the Gold Glove list; he earned 10 in his Hall-of-Fame career.---Don Slaught the Tigers hitting coach resigned, citing that being away from his family is the main reason. He lives in California and has 4 children that are all still in school. I can't really blame the guy, Jim Leyland hasn't yet named a replacement.

Colts Update: The Colts are flying high at 7-0 and face their nemesis the Patriots in a huge showdown in New England. Last week against the Broncos, the Colts' run defense looked horrible and once again Manning and the offense pulled out another victory in the 4th quarter. I had mentioned that watching the Colts is almost boring, knowing they are going to win nearly every week. But this week I certainly wouldn't mind if the Colts just destroyed the Patriots. However, this game will probably end up being a barnburning shootout where whoever has the ball last, Manning or Brady, will win.

Added 11/5 12:26

I wanted to add some color to my blog so here it is.

This is a shot of Arbutus Lake in Traverse City, MI taken on 10/21/06


Same lake, also taken the same day.

Last week I went 7-6 thanks to a handful of unforeseen upsets. My Upset of the Week in the Packers was correct, however my Mortal Lock of the Week, the Chargers, suffered a surprising loss at the hands of the Chiefs.

Overall Record: 70-30 Winning Pct: .700

Here are Week 8's Picks (Winners in Bold)

49ers @ Bears
Falcons @ Bengals
Seahawks @ Chiefs
Texans @ Titans
Cardinals @ Packers
Bucs @ Giants
Jaguars @ Eagles
Ravens @ Saints
Rams @ Chargers
Steelers @ Raiders
Colts @ Broncos
Jets @ Browns
Cowboys @ Panthers
Patriots @ Vikings

After checkeing out the point spreads at USA Today, I see that I have picked 5 upsets. The Seahawks, Texans, Rams, Colts, and Jets.

Mortal Lock of the Week: Go figure I'm 4-2 with my Mortal Locks while I'm 5-1 with my upsets. Oh, well. This week I've got the Bears over the dredful 49ers at home. Hopefully that will run my record to 5-2 in this category.

Upset of the Week: As I said I've got 5 upsets picked this week, but the one I'm obligated to feel most confident about and do feel most confident about is the Colts over the Broncos. With respect for the Broncos defense; the Colts offense really stepped up in the 2nd half against the Redskins and got into a groove last week and I look for the offense to really get on a roll for the entire game this week, regardless of what defense they face.

That's all the time I've got for this week, I was late in posting this, and I've got to hurry up and get ready for church.

The American League Pennant and a trip to the World Series; that was all she wrote this year for the 2006 Detroit Tigers. What a strange, memorable, and thrilling roller coaster ride it has been. The idea that the Tigers would be competing for the World Series trophy in '06, was a thought not shared by many. Including those in the organization. This season was full of many exciting comebacks, and many agonizing defeats. It was a season that helped bring back Tigers fans in the state of Michigan and across the country, and gave the fans a competitive team to be proud of. In the end the Tigers go down 4 games to 1 against a deserving Cardinals team that capitalized on the Tigers' dreadful defensive play. I can't really bring myself to pick apart their World Series performance. It is sad to see the season come to an end, my wife and I have followed the Tigers passionately all year round and I can guarantee that this is one off-season that Tiger fans can't wait to see end; April can't come soon enough.



My dogeared and well used pocket schedule. Every morning after a game, I marked a win with an O and a loss with and X. This sucker even survived a trip through the washing machine when my wife accidentally washed my wallet still inside my blue jeans. It will be retired from my wallet, and I will eagerly await the new 2007 Tigers pocket schedules next year.

This really was an awesome season! Here's to continued success for several more years to come!

Thanks Tigers!!

Tigers Update: The World Series is now tied at 1 game a piece, and Tuesday night's Game 3 matchup features hard-luck pitcher Nate Robertson against Cardinal ace Chris Carpenter in St Louis.

Well, the hunting trip was successful. On Saturday night I observed and filmed 10 deer: 6 does, 2 bucks and 2 fawns. My Brother-in-law and I sat in trees about 20 yards apart and along the edge of a field roughly the size of 2 football fields sitting side-by-side. At about 5:45 the deer started to come in and feed and hang out in the field until dark. The two bucks were young, both 4-points, and played around and butted heads with each other for a while. If it was rifle season, my Brother in-law could have shot any deer he wanted, but none of them came in close enough for a shot with his bow.

When it was time to get down out of our stands, we made our way back to the truck, where my Father-in-law was already waiting. (He was hunting about a quarter mile to the North-East of us.) My Brother-in-law and I were exited and busy telling the stories of the 10 deer we had just seen, while my Father-in-law calmly listened and told us that he had only spotted one doe. As we headed back to the cabin in the truck, my Father-in-Law suddenly pulled over to the side of the road near where he had been hunting, turned to us, smiled and said, "C'mon let's go track my deer."

My Brother-in-law and I had been fooled, but we eagerly helped track my Father-in-law's deer, which turned out to be a small 8-point buck. Fun was had by all and even though the weather was in the low 40's windy and a little rainy, spending quiet time out in the woods is always a relaxing change of pace.

And in stealing an idea from IndianaMom here are a few pictures.


A section of the Boardman River south of Traverse City, Michigan. Taken on Saturday.


A view from my tree stand this weekend.

Go Tigers!!

To start, Happy Sweetest Day to my wife who is staying home and has to work this weekend. I love you, Babe. I however, am headed off to Traverse City for the weekend with my Father-in-law and Brother-in-law, to go bow hunting. I myself will not be hunting, but ever since I've been around my wife's family, I grab a tree stand and sit with someone with my video camera on my lap, hoping to catch some cool footage. Over the past 5 or 6 years I've captured a lot of deer on tape, but I have witnessed and captured only one kill on tape. For any non-hunters out there or those opposed to hunting, be assured that my wife's family isn't the, "Let's go up to beer camp and bag us a deer just for the heck of it, Marty, heh heh!" type. (My name isn't Marty, I just thought it sounded funny, "McFly!") Anyway, they hunt for the sport and for the meat; vension is pretty good if prepared well.

Well, onto the picks: Last week I went 8-5, there were quite a few upsets, but I got my Upset and Mortal Lock of the Week right. Which makes me 4-1 in both of those categories.

Overall Record: 63-24 Winning Pct: .724

Here are week 7's picks (Winners in Bold)

Lions @ Jets
Packers @ Dolphins
Eagles @ Bucs
Chargers @ Chiefs
Panthers @ Bengals
Patriots @ Bills
Steelers @ Falcons
Jaguars @ Texans
Broncos @ Browns
Redskins @ Colts
Vikings @ Seahawks
Cardinals @ Raiders
Giants @ Cowboys

I've got only 4 home teams this week which could make for an interesting Sunday afternoon for me.

Mortal Lock of the Week: This week I've got the Chargers over the Chiefs. San Diego crushed the 49ers last week and the Chiefs got crushed by the Steelers last week. I look for the trend of the Crusher and Crushee to continue.

Upset of the Week: I've got two upsets picked this week in the Packers and the Giants, who are both road underdogs. The one I feel most confident in is the Packers over the Dolphins. I've got a feeling Favre will have a good game in Miami; remember this:

Pat Healy: What the hell is Brett Favre doing here?
Brett Favre: I'm in town to play the Dolphins, you dumb ass.

The quote is from the movie There's Something About Mary. I hope I didn't offend anyone with the French, but that quote came to mind when I saw that the Packers were playing the Dolphins this week.

Stat of the Week: Who leads the NFL in total recieving yards so far this season? Why, it's Mr. "The score means nothing to me, and I celebrate like an idiot on first downs because I'm a stupid moron." Roy Williams of the Detroit Lions with 552 yards.

Colts Update: The Colts picked up defensive tackle Anthony McFarland from the Tampa Bay Bucs. They needed to shore up their run defense, which is struggling mightly lately plus they needed to replace DT Corey Simon who is out for the season. Hopefully Manning and the offense can get rolling and the defense will have a good game against Washington this weekend at home.

Tigers Update: As I write this blog I just watched the Cardinals beat the Mets in an awesome Game 7. Check out the highlights if you can, there was an awesome double play in the 6th inning, I won't ruin it by takling about it here. So, it's a rematch of the 1968 World Series. Which saw the Tigers defeat the Cardinals in seven games and featured Tigers starting pitcher Mickey Lolich winning 3 decisions himself in the Series. Game One is Saturday night and I'll be wearing my dusty old Tigers hat up north as we watch the game.

And also apparently I'm now a meber of the 500 club as evidenced by my new emblem. Hopefully I won't lose it over the weekend as I won't be able be online until Sunday night.

Let's Go Tigers !!

Edited at 7:15 AM 10/20

Here's hoping for this, only 2006 style.

Let's Go Tigers!!

Last week I went a whopping 13-1, with my only loss coming at the hands of the Steelers, who were my Upset of the Week. They lead the Chargers at the half, but ended up losing 23-13 by the end. Still I'll take only one loss.

Overall Record: 55-19 Winning Pct: A blazin' .743

Here are Week 6's picks (Winners in Bold)

Bills @ Lions
Panthers @ Ravens
Giants @ Falcons
Texans @ Cowboys
Titans @ Redskins
Bengals @ Bucs
Eagles @ Saints
Seahawks @ Rams
Dolphins @ Jets
Chiefs @ Steelers
Chargers @ 49ers
Raiders @ Broncos
Bears @ Cardinals

Only 13 games on the docket this weekend, as 6 teams get the bye this week.

Mortal Lock of the Week: 3-1 so far this year, and this week I'm going with the Broncos over the Raiders. This is usually a tight and heated rivalry, but the Broncos are looking really strong this year and the Raiders...well there's not much to say about the Raiders.

Upset of the Week: Well I've picked 3 upsets this week, the Giants, Saints and Rams. Each team is a 3-point underdog, but the pick I feel the most confident about is the Saints over the Eagles. I've got a feeling the Eagles are going to have a letdown game after an emotional win over the Cowboys, plus the Saints have been riding high in the newly refurbished Superdome.

NFL Stat of the Week: Remember how I didn't have much to say about the Raiders well how about this: The Raiders rank dead last in total yards gained, points scored,  passing yards per game, and are in the lower third of the league in: sacks allowed, passing TD's, passing interceptions, rushing TD's, points allowed, defensive sacks and rushing yards allowed.

Colts Update: It's a good thing this is their bye week, because they sure need it. They had a dismal performance against the Titans at home, and had to come from behind in the 4th quarter again for the win. With their run defense in shambles right now they are not looking like a very convincing 5-0 team. However, the fact they aren't firing on all cylinders and still are undefeated is the sign of a good team...I hope.

Tigers Update:  The Tigers are up 2-0 on the A's and the ALCS in headed back to Detroit. Things are looking very good for the Tigers to return to the World Series for the first time since 1984. Watching them the past two games, I almost get the feeling that after defeating the Yankees the Tigers have a very confident air about them. Also, that slow motion replay of Sean Casey's calf muscle popping was pretty disturbing. The team has said that Casey will at least miss games 3, 4, and 5 of the ALCS and it is undetermined, as to whether he can return at all after that.


Let's go Tigers!!

Last week's record was 11-3. My three losses came at the hands of the Vikings, Jaguars, and the Bengals.

So now I'm 2-1 on my Mortal Locks, the Bengals were my Mortal Lock of the Week last week and they got blown out by the Patriots. That is the last time that happens, for now on I won't try to go with a bold pick like that one, and I'm going to allow myself to use the Colts this week.

Last week's Upset of the week was correct yet again, as the Ravens pulled out a last minute victory over the Chargers. This makes me 3-0 with the upsets, I hope to continue that success this week.

To summarize, my overall record is now: 42-18 Win Pct: A cool even .700.

Here are Week 5's picks: (Winners in Bold)

Dolphins @ Patriots
Bucs @ Saints
Redskins @ Giants
Lions @ Vikings
Browns @ Panthers
Bills @ Bears
Rams @ Packers
Titans @ Colts
Jets @ Jaguars
Raiders @ 49ers
Chiefs @ Cardinals
Cowboys @ Eagles
Steelers @ Chargers
Ravens @ Broncos

Mortal Lock of the Week: Colts over Titans. The Colts are 18.5 point favorites at home. In the NFL 18.5 is a huge point spread. Colts win easy.

Upset of the Week: Steelers over Chargers. For the second week in a row I'm picking the Chargers to be upset. Pittsburgh is a 3.5 underdog, but they are coming off a bye and they will be playing in prime time. I expect the Steelers to win a tough one in San Diego.

NFL Stat of the Week: How about a Colts Stat Pack through week 4? Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are both in the top 5 in receiving yards in the NFL at 413 (1) and 358 (5) respectively. The Colts are 20th in the league in Rushing Yards per Game at 100.8. However they are 1st in the league with Rushing TD's at 7. And finally, so far Peyton Manning has the most passing yards in a game this season with a even 400 yards in week 2 against the Texans.

Tigers Update: Funny how much difference a week makes last Sunday I was crying in my milk after the Tigers had let their Division lead slip away with 5 straight losses to end the season. Had they won the Division they would have faced the Oakland A's in the ALDS. Well now they get their chance to face them in the ALCS. After Saturday's picthing performance and offensive display, the Tigers sent the Yankees home in shambles. Oakland here we come. Game one of the best of 7 series starts on Tuesday. Nate Robertson will get a chance to redeem his sub-par outing in New York last week, as he is listed as the probable starter in game one. He will face A's starter Barry Zito. In my humble opinion, the A's have far less the dangerous hitting as the Yankees (watch out for Frank Thomas though). However their pitching is much better. A balanced Tigers attack should favor the Tigers in this 7 game series, even though the A's have home field advantage.

Oh, and to sweeten yesterday's win over the Yankees even more check out this link

Woohoo! Go Tigers!

2 Detroit Tigers ALDS Playoff Tickets.........................$128.85
Gas and parking for the Game.......................................$52.00
One program and scorecard...........................................$7.00
Bag of peanuts and a beer.............................................$12.00


Witnessing the Tigers shutout the Bronx Bombers
in their first home playoff game in 19 years................Priceless

What can I say, it was an awesome game. Kenny Rogers lasts for nearly 8 shutout innings and scatters 5 Yankee hits. The Tigers put up a 3-spot in the 2nd inning, tacked on two more in the 6th and the scoring was capped by the only home run of the night, a solo shot by Curtis Granderson in the 7th. Early on when the Tigers lead was only 3, I kept thinking we gotta get some more runs, because I knew the Yankees were eventually going to put some runs of their own on the board. But thanks to Kenny Rogers dominating pitching, they never did, and that was all she wrote for the Yankees.

They opened the gates at about 6:00 and as soon as we got into the park, my wife, my brother, a buddy of ours, and I, made our way down to field level to watch batting practice. Not more than two minutes after being down there someone shouts: Foul! You can hear a clunk behind us as a ball sails about a foot over our heads and hits an empty seat behind us. Tigers Rightfielder Magglio Ordonez hit it and my brother quickly scooped it up. That stinker always gets batting practice balls. Here's a perspective of where we were standing:


Tigers Manager Jim Leyland is in the middle, talking with some Yankee coaches. (Jim likes to talk trash and guarantee victory before every game....Just kidding)


Mariano Rivera warming up in right field. The two Yankees with their backs to us, I'm pretty sure are Robinson Cano (left) and Bobby Abreu (right).

Anyway, my wife and I made our way to our seats after batting practice. (My brother and our buddy had different seats) And I took these pictures of the early twlight in downtown Detroit:


In between the light towers and in the background is the historic Fox Theatre.


Some of the Detroit skyline.


And the Tigers scoreboard in left field.

Player introductions, the National Anthem by The Four Tops and the first pitch ceremony took a while and they got all that started at around 7:35.


The Four Tops sing the Star Spangled Banner.


Tiger Hall-of-Famer Al Kaline throws out the first pitch.


The actual first pitch of the game. It was called a ball.

Right about this point the crowd has really filed out well and it is pretty rockin' in the joint. Throughout the game I heard several different chants: Whenever Alex Rodriguez stepped to the plate everyone would mockingly chant: A-Rod! A-Rod! Whenever Jason Giambi was up to bat it was: Steroids! Steriods! Of course there was the obligitory: Let's Go Tigers! chant heard numerous times throughout the game. The most clever chant though goes to some guys sitting behind us: After Yankee pitcher Randy Johnson started sturggling and had allowed 3 Tiger runs in the 2nd inning, the guys behind us got our whole section to chant : Pull Your Johnson! Pull Your Johnson! A little crude, but I thought, it was pretty clever. These were the same guys who brought a large "Fire Millen" sign with an arrow pointing to Ford Field, which sits right next to Comerica Park.


A meeting of the minds on the mound as the Yankees pull Randy Johnson in the 6th inning after surrendering 5 runs on 8 hits.


Kenny Rogers receives a standing ovation in the 8th inning after being taken out of the game for Joel Zumaya.


The crowd goes nuts as Todd Jones come in and pitches a 1-2-3 9th inning for Detroit clinching the victory


That pretty much says it all.

The Tigers now have a 2-1 lead in the series with New York and play today at 4:00. One more win against the Yankees means the Tigers will face the Oakland A's (who swept the Twins yesterday) in the American League Championship Series. Last night was an awesome time, and something I'll never forget. To conclude:

Let's go Tigers!!

It's a whole new series now with the Tigers headed back to Detroit tied with the Yankees at a game a piece! Oh, yeah! Tigers win a nail biter this afternoon behind solid pitching and hitting! I about paced a hole in the floor at work today from, the 7th inning on, after the Tigers took the 4-3 lead. Awesome, just awesome! Before heading into class, my wife called between the 8th and 9th and told me to call her cell phone, which she set on vibrate, if the Tigers won. That had to feel good when is started humming. Woohoo! Tomorrow night is going to be crazy loud and rockin' at Comerica Park, and yours truly will be there, screaming his head off for the Tigers. A couple of veteran All-Star pitchers in Randy Johnson and Kenny Rogers will duel it out in front of a sold out electric crowd. I can't wait!

    Let's go Tigers!!