By Mike Luce
This week’s preview is brought to you by: Chris Berman, Corie “The Other” Blount, Dr. James Andrews, the phrase “game-time decision,” the Wildcat formation, and the Florida State University Board of Trustees.
As always, the following is for entertainment purposes only.
Game: #21 Nebraska (-3) @ #24 Missouri (8:00 p.m., Thursday)
Comment: I have some roots in The Show Me State. While that side of the family claims ties to Washington U and KU, rather than Mizzou, I still have a soft spot in my heart for the Tigers. Plus, talking about the University of Missouri gives me a chance to bust out the “Mizz-er-uh” pronunciation used by Ma Luce. That always gives me a kick.
As for things more football-related, I am taking the Tigers Thursday night. Why not? I’ve had worse ideas.
Mizzou entered the Top 25 this week with a 4-0 record, although those wins have come against teams with a combined record of 6-12. (Including Illinois’ very own Fightin’ Illini, who lost 37-9.) The Tigers record against the number is a respectable 2-1 thus far, and I like the idea of getting points at home in prime time.
Nebraska still seeks an impressive win after spending most of the season on the right side of the Directional School Creampuff Equation. The Cornhuskers have had a lengthy break since walloping Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0 on September 26. I wonder if Nebraska has had too long to think about the 52-17 drubbing they suffered against the Tigers last year.
The history of this series suggests the game will be lopsided in one direction or another – none of the past 10 games have been decided by less than 10 points. (For gamblers, this means you might as well take the money line.) If the first “away” outing by Cornhusker freshman QB Zac “INT” Lee (136 yards, 2 INTs at Va Tech) is any indication, Nebraska might be hard-pressed to produce big plays with the passing game. I like the Tigers to hang in the game and pull away in the second half.
One last note – for those of you enticed by the “over” in this game, keep an eye on the weather. Heavy rain could start late Wednesday and continue through kickoff.
Go Missou-RAH!

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Posted on October 8, 2009

By Eric Emery
Do you know anything about investing? Of course you don’t. That is why you read an expert’s analysis. But do they know anything? If an expert really knew anything, they wouldn’t bother writing about it and would instead spend the time actually investing and making mounds of money .
The same goes for NFL prognosticators. My record is below .500, so I’m perfectly suited to predict which 2-2 teams will finish with a winning record:
Team: Dallas
Buying sign: Team packs in 100,000-plus for first home game in new stadium. Roughly 20,000 fans pay $29 for standing-room-only tickets to watch game on the massive screen over the 50-yard line.
Selling sign: Roughly 20,000 fans discover they can watch it at home for free.
Advice: Buy and while you are at it, just invest in a better TV and stay home. It’s cheaper.

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Posted on October 8, 2009

By Dan O’Shea

Believe it or not, Johnny “Opportunity” Knox (Okay, its obvious and a mouthful. Any better ideas?) is not the most surpising performer at wide receiver so far this season.
The Bears’ latest Abilene Christian find has scored three touchdowns, one of them on a kick return, in the first four weeks of the season. But you can make a pretty good case for Houston second-year man Jacoby Jones as being the most surprising performer at the WR position. A non-draftee in most fantasy leagues, he’s also come up with three TDs, one via KR, and is currently second to the formidable Cleveland KR specialist Joshua Cribbs in total return yards among wide receivers.

World Series Preview Ofman’s Picks Predicted Storylines

We love KR yards as nice additional points when they make sense – there are some KR men who just don’t otherwise get enough catches or touches for it to make sense to pick them up.
Another one of our KR favorites is San Diego RB Darren Sproles, second to Cribbs among all position players in total return yards (Jones is third). Sproles arguably didn’t see enough touches last year until the Chargers discovered their bounty late in the season, and this year, he has been getting more chances with LaDainian Tomlinson out.
In any case, Jones, Knox, Cribbs and also Minnesota rookie Percy Harvin have been among the top 10 WRs this year in fantasy points, with KR points as a big contributor in all cases.
Meanwhile, some other big WR names like Randy Moss, Brandon Marshall, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings and the Carolina version of Steve Smith all have been slow starters this year.
Our Fantasy Fix Action Ratings this week size up notable WRs:

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Posted on October 7, 2009

By George Ofman
A year ago both the White Sox and Cubs were in the playoffs. Federal investigations were called off when Major League Baseball confirmed this rarity actually occurred.
Neither team fared very well. The Sox were ousted in four games by the Tampa Bay Rays while the Cubs . . . It’s truly not necessary to hash over this disaster again, is it?
Well, at least we don’t need Jacques Rogge to announce our Chicago teams won’t get past the first round.
That’s because they didn’t make it past the regular season.
But it won’t stop me from telling you who win the World Series.

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Posted on October 7, 2009

By The Beachwood Homer Hanky Affairs Desk
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: The most classic, media-saturated, bi-coastal Series possible. Fox and MLB wet their pants.
Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: The next best thing; all-Manny all the time.
Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: The loser has to replace “Los Angeles” with Anaheim. West Coast starts make Fox and MLB cry. Rest of nation doesn’t care.
Minnesota Twins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: A replay of the 1965 World Series that only people in Minnesota will recall or care about.

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Posted on October 7, 2009

By Jim Coffman
And then, withdrawal kicks in, as it always does when the bye week arrives for a team on a roll. What are Bears fans supposed to do for the next week-and-a-half? I suppose a little scouting is in order and Monday night was a prime opportunity to break down the foes that matter most. Host Minnesota beat Green Bay 30-23 in a game that wasn’t that close to improve to 4-0. The Packers fell to 2-2.

PLUS: The Cub Factor The College Football Report

The Vikings: So much for the idea that Brett Favre would simply manage games this year, avoiding mistakes and handing the ball off to star running back Adrian Peterson. That plan, which Minnesota employed successfully in its first two games this fall, went out the window when the Vikings needed a touchdown in the final minute to beat the 49ers at home last Sunday. Favre delivered a spectacular 30-plus yard strike to Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone with :02 on the clock to break the collective heart of the Singletary-coached team that has otherwise been a huge hit so far this season. More on Favre later.
One of the best parts of Monday’s broadcast was when analyst Jon Gruden revealed that during Favre’s early years under Mike Holmgren’s tutelage in Green Bay (1992-94), Holmgren had Favre making several “thousand throws a day.” Clearly this has something to do with Favre’s continuing, amazing durability.

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Posted on October 6, 2009

By Mike Luce
I’ll keep the preamble to a minimum this week and get right to the recap of last week’s action. Later this week, expect an update on a few issues that have caught our attention here at the Report. In the interim, we’d like to share with you the single best independent web site on college football: the full TV coverage schedule. I don’t know anything about it, other than it seems to be manually compiled. I can’t tell you how long I have been looking for a single list of every game broadcast on TV. It’s the little things in life.
–
Game: Utah State 17 @ #20 BYU 35 (-24)
What was supposed to happen? BYU must feel like the door to a BCS bowl game is still ajar. The Cougars just need to tread water for a few more weeks. If TCU shows up on October 24 undefeated, BYU will have a shot. In the meantime, teams like Utah State keep making the trip to Fort Worth.
What actually happened? While BYU kills time, they need to pay a little more attention week to week. Struggling a bit against the Utah State Aggies isn’t a good way to regain national attention. Even if BYU pulls together for a run through TCU and the remainder of the schedule, they close the year at home with the Holy War. Yes, the BYU-Utah rivalry is known as The Holy War. That game will also be known as the 2009 Lock of the Year. Bet on the Mormons – you can’t lose.

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Posted on October 6, 2009

By Marty Gangler
Now that’s more like it. This is the kind of October I remember. Who really wants the hand-wringing and stress involved in a playoff series? I mean, c’mon, we’re in a recession people. Who can afford playoff tickets?
And what if the Cub actually got further than the first round, or dare I say the championship series, or even the big one? Think about how many more people would go absolutely broke mortgaging everything for a chance to see the Cubs in the World Series. It would be pretty bad for a lot of people – not to mention the disappointment if they inched closer to the ring and got knocked out. People these days have enough things to worry about, that would put them over the edge.
No, this is a good thing. This I can handle. I don’t need a wife at home who doesn’t want to watch a playoff game with me because I am “WAY to into it.” How many marriages could handle another post-season series loss? How many dogs will now be saved from being kicked?

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Posted on October 6, 2009

By George Ofman
If the Bears have proven anything after four games, it’s that they’re 3-1, still a mystery, a bit lucky and perhaps, a bit overrated.

PLUS: Chicago 2016’s Next Move The White Sox Report The Cub Factor will appear Tuesday

Deception works for magicians, not football teams.
If scoring 48 points against the Lions is a measuring stick, the Bears best find a longer stick. Better yet, they might find answers to a big problem.
It’s called big plays . . . not theirs, but the oppositions’.
When a rookie quarterback on a bad team engineers of drives of 72, 73 and 95 yards, someone has to take notice. When that same quarterback throws 18 passes of 10 or more yards, someone has to be responsible. This would be the head coach who happens to be the defensive coordinator of a team that allowed nearly enough acreage to declare a state park. Whether Lovie Smith also is in charge of dumb penalties is a matter pending.

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Posted on October 4, 2009

By Andrew Reilly
Winning? Keeping division rivals from advancing through key moments? Who do these White Sox think they are? How dare they not sputter out and die like any self-respecting loser would?
Oh, sure, there are those lovely sound bites about fighting to the end, respecting the game, et al et cetera, which all certainly sounds cool but you know when fighting and winning would’ve sounded even cooler? August.
So we leave this season on a relatively high note the way we want to, so full of hope at what this recent burst of baseball vitality suggests, but also down and out because, you know, they were terrible. And they pretty much always were, even when they were good. Yes, there were those few days they spent at the top, but what good did any of that get them?
Mark Buehrle didn’t throw a perfect game because the 2009 Sox were a good team.
Gordon Beckham didn’t shine as a rookie because the 2009 Sox were a good team.
Jake Peavy didn’t end up in Chicago because the 2009 Sox were a good team.
But the Sox, those marginally useless and mostly non-spectacular Sox we just spent the past six months cheering and cursing, showed us once and for all that, in baseball, teamwork trumps all. Because while any individual good came about in spite of the Sox, they ended up with nothing to show for the season for the exact same reason: the 2009 Sox didn’t finish in a sub-.500 third place by being a good team. But you know that already. And, I suspect, so do they.

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Posted on October 4, 2009