Welcome to The Winter Classic

The World Series might just be on hold until Thanksgiving.

Okay, chances are, they’ll get it in before then. But you never know. Thanks to the extra round of the playoffs, television demands, and owners refusal to even think about shortening the season, the World Series is being played in wet, freezing, and miserable conditions.

From my couch, I could care less. I’m warm.

But is the baseball as good as it could be? And how much fun is it for the fans sitting around with winter parkas, getting soaked?

When the Tigers and Cards tangled in 1968 in the World Series, Game 6 took place on October 6th. Right now, we’re on pace for Game 6 on the 29th. But, it could be worse. The 1911 World Series between the NY Giants and Philadelphia A’s got postponed for 6 straight days of rain!

This much we can all agree on. The World Series is now starting too damn late in October, and producing a rotten weather environment even when the games are played.

How do we fix it?

The solutions are easy, even though they’ll never happen.

Shorten the season to 154 games (and tell the stat nerds to stuff it when they complain, which they would), and include a few more scheduled double-headers during the summer.

Yeah, I know. IT COSTS THE OWNERS MONEY!!

Just for once, wouldn’t it be nice if sports leagues or teams, WILLINGLY took LESS money for something, because they just believed the cause was too important to sacrifice it on the altar of greed?

Just once.

Think of all the NEW revenue streams coming into MLB. Internet, satellite radio, World Baseball Classic, and on and on and on. Surely, a rational man could say: “You know, shortening the season will cost us money, but look at all this new stuff coming in. It’s a worthwhile deal.”

I liken this to any other business, which sometimes must sink a whole bunch of money into something that the business just KNOWS won’t actually increase its sales. Say a popular restaurant, for example, decides to put in an expensive landscaped patio as a waiting area.

Will it increase sales? Doubtful. But it will provide a much nicer place for the patrons to mill around waiting for their name to be called. So the restaurant, wanting to be FIRST CLASS all the way, goes ahead, bites the bullet and makes the investment.

I think businesses do this kind of thing all the time.

So why can’t baseball? Hey Bud. Tell the owners, that sometimes doing something FIRST CLASS, is worth a little less revenue.

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Chad Johnson has had enough of being quiet and classy. He’s back to being the mouthy trashtalker that has made him an NFL A-Lister in the first place.

With all the celebrations, Mohawks, and smack talk, #85 is all over every slice of NFL promotional media. Without it, he’s Anquan Boldin. Beloved by fantasy geeks, but anonymous to the rest of the world.

So I get it. Chad wants to get paid, and this is just entertainment. Good for him.

But something still does rub me the wrong was as a sports fan. It’s when guys like Johnson get so damn pouty, just because they’ve been asked by their coach to “tone it down” like Marvin Lewis has done.

Seriously, the look on Chad’s face last week, was almost to say: “If I can’t do all that extra stuff, playing football in the NFL is almost not even worth it.”

How come Chad Johnson needs to trash talk to “motivate” himself? Shouldn’t the concept of winning, and constant improvement in your craft be enough to do the trick?

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David Stern has come out and told his league to “please, leave your guns at home.”

Now, pretend for a minute, that you have been in a coma since, oh… say 1985. Your last memory was watching the Magic Johnson Lakers polish off the Larry Bird Celtics in 6 games for the NBA Title.

Then, upon waking up from your coma and being given a glass of orange juice, THIS is the first story you read.

STERN TO PLAYERS: ‘LEAVE YOUR GUNS AT HOME’

I mean, you would probably say: “What in the hell…..”

Having known nothing about Palace Brawl, Kobe’s rape case, Rueben Patterson, Isiah Rider, Ron Artest, and all the other various headline stories this league has authored in the last 20 years off the court, you might be wondering: “what’s going on in the league now?”

The mere fact that a standing commissioner, feels compelled to go ON RECORD with the media, asking his own players to leave their GUNS at home, says a lot. And the fact that such a statement by Stern, barely caused a RIPPLE of discussion in talk radio or elsewhere, also says a lot.

And what it says is not good. It says the NBA’s perception is so bad, that perhaps nothing can clean it up at this point. Which is a shame. Because for every Stephen Jackson, there are 9 other guys who are real pros, and lead pretty normal, pretty average, sometimes downright Ward Cleaver-esque lives when they leave the gym.

But the 10% layer of criminal slime the NBA has allowed to form on its league, has left a seemingly indelible stain.

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Jimmy Masterlock Time!!!

Last Week:
Prime Picks: 1-3
Barking Dog: Winner!
O/U: 3-3

Season Totals:
Prime Picks: 14-13-1
Barking Dog: 6-1
O/U: 21-18

Overall, it’s been an ice cold three week stretch for ol’ Jimmy. But, that can’t last! And if you want, just ride the ‘Dog baby, because you cannot argue with 6-1. Approaching mid-season, we’re positive on all three categories, and we’ll get it rocking in the second half, now that Jimmy has the league “figured out” (snicker) for 2006.

Week 8 PICKS

Kansas City -6 vs. Seattle
Looks to me like Seahawks are STILL living off last year’s reputation. They are easily the WORST 4-2 team in the league, and are now missing a Pro Bowl QB and their MVP running back. (PS: Does everybody now fully believe in the power of the “Madden Curse?” If not, then it’s YOU who is crazy, not everybody else. That shit is real!) Seattle has a 3 point win at Detroit and a 2 point win at St. Louis, with two complete HOUSINGS by Chicago and Minnesota. Wake up people. They aren’t very good. Period.

New York Jets +2 at Cleveland
How come it took me so long to hop aboard the Eric Mangini train? While every Bill Belichick disciple thinks he TOO is Bill Belichick, looks like the Jets got a winner in this kid. Hell, Leon Washington is turning into a top flight RB. How does that happen? Coles is up there in receiving, and Pennington’s arm hasn’t fallen off. All that, plus how snakebit have the Browns been. First, they lose their C on opening day of camp. Then this freaky Gary Baxter double-knee blow-out. Dude, call Wendell Davis and ask him how that worked out. Ouch. Cursed year for the Browns, and firing Maurice Carthon – while satisfying – won’t make much difference.

St. Louis +9 at San Diego (BARKING DOG!!)
Wow, that’s a big fat number to dangle out for a team that after all, is still 4-2. I’m gonna bite, so call me a sucker. While I know Shawne Merriman will play like …. Um.. like an accused ‘roider on roid rage… the Chargers have even more problems with injuries on defense. Stephen Jackson vs. LT. I like that. Bulger vs. Rivers. I like that. Holt vs. Gates. I like that. This is going to be a great game to watch, and I don’t think the Rams will lay down and get their doors blown out. Oh yeah, one more thing. My research shows that NFL teams who have a sister team in the World Series at the same time, coming off a rained out home game, playing an opponent from a state where that football team once played? That’s a 117-6-3 all time ATS spot for a team like St. Louis. Take the points.

Green Bay -3.5 vs. Arizona
Sometimes betting on sports is not real complicated. Such as here. You always bet AGAINST perennial road skunks like Detroit and Arizona when they have to get on an airplane. Ah-ta-ta-ta! I don’t want to hear it. Just bet it. Now. Trust me. It’s the right play. Always and forever. I could pull out all kinds of stats on Arizona’s road record, but do you really need that? No. Yes, Green Bay’s pass defense is more flimsy than Paris Hilton’s morals, but that doesn’t mean Matt Leinart will be able to exploit it.

OVER UNDER 6-Pack
TEN-HOU: U/42
PHI-JAX: O/42.5
CIN-ATL: O/43.5
KC-SEA: U/38.5
NO-BAL: U/37
CLE-NYJ: U/37.5

Full Slate of Games
(Note: I give these out on my radio show every Friday, and believe it or not, but I’m 50-25 so far this year. It only made sense that I would at least put the FULL rack of ribs out here given how tasty the picks have been. This also almost ensures that they will begin to FREEFALL from here on out. So at least you can say I warned you.

Atlanta +4.5 at Cincinnati
New Orleans -2 vs. Baltimore
Carolina -5.5 vs. Dallas
Philadelphia -7 vs. Jacksonville
San Francisco +16 at Chicago
Kansas City -6 vs. Seattle
Green Bay -3.5 vs. Arizona
NY Giants -9.5 vs. Tampa Bay
Tennessee -3 vs. Houston
Oakland +9 vs. Pittsburgh
New York Jets +2 at Cleveland
Denver -3 vs. Indianapolis
Minnesota +2 vs. New England (MNF)

AND NOW, YOUR PIC O’ THE DAY!!