Saturday, October 31, 2015

NCAA football picks Week 9


By Rick Morris


NOTE: Last week’s picks were 3-2; picks for the season are 22-42-1.


Florida -2 ½ over Georgia

Kentucky +9 ½ over Tennessee

Minnesota +13 over Michigan

Temple +10 ½ over Notre Dame

Auburn +7 ½ over Mississippi

Georgia Tech -5 ½ over Virginia

Texas -3 ½ over Iowa State

Washington  -4 over Arizona

California +3 ½ over USC

Miami +12 over Duke

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Week 8 NFL power rankings


By Rick Morris


NOTES: Rankings from start of season are in parentheses.


TOP TIER

1 Green Bay (1-2-1-1-1-1-2)

2 New England (4-1-2-2-2-2-2)

3 Cincinnati (17-16-6-5-3-3-3)

4 Carolina (23-19-16-10-8-8-4)

5 Denver (3-3-3-4-4-4-5)

6 Arizona (14-7-5-3-5-5-6)

7 Atlanta (22-18-10-7-7-7-7)

8 Seattle (2-4-4-6-6-6-8)

SECOND TIER

9 Minnesota (12-17-12-9-11-11-11)

10 New York Jets (26-21-11-13-9-9-9)

11 Pittsburgh (10-13-8-14-15-10-10)

THIRD TIER

12 New York Giants (24-23-22-16-12-12-14)

13 Miami (11-10-14-17-24-22-16)

14 Philadelphia (6-12-23-23-25-20-12)

15 St. Louis (13-11-17-24-19-18-18)

16 Oakland (30-32-30-21-21-19-20)

17 Buffalo (18-6-13-8-13-14-15)

18 Washington (27-28-19-20-18-17-19)

19 San Diego (8-5-7-11-10-13-13)

20 Indianapolis (5-8-20-18-20-15-17)

21 New Orleans (21-20-25-27-26-29-26)

22 Dallas (7-14-15-15-16-21-21)

23 Tampa Bay (20-31-31-29-29-24-22)

FOURTH TIER

24 Kansas City (9-9-9-12-17-28-31)

25 Tennessee (32-26-27-25-23-23-24)

26 Chicago (15-27-32-32-30-26-25)

27 Houston (25-24-24-26-27-25-23)

28 Jacksonville (31-29-28-28-28-30-32)

29 San Francisco (29-25-26-30-32-31-29)

30 Cleveland (28-30-29-31-31-27-27)

31 Baltimore (16-15-18-19-14-16-28)

32 Detroit (19-22-21-22-22-32-30)


BIGGEST RISERS: Kansas City (7 spots), New Orleans (5 spots), Jacksonville and Oakland (4 spots), Miami and St. Louis (3 spots)


BIGGEST FALLERS: San Diego (6 spots), Houston (4 spots), Baltimore, Cleveland and Indianapolis (3 spots)


RANKINGS BY DIVISION – 1 POINT PER RANKING SPOT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM, LOWEST SCORE IS BEST

1 AFC East 42

2 NFC South 55

3 NFC West 58

4 AFC West 64

5 NFC East 66

6 NFC North 68

7 AFC North 75

8 AFC South 100

Monday, October 26, 2015

2015 World Series notes/oddities


By Rick Morris


^ We lead with one of the strangest items ever found for one of these features.  Exactly half of Kansas City’s four pennants have now come from dispatching Toronto.  Two other AL teams are 2-0 lifetime against other teams in the ALCS; Baltimore beat Minnesota in 1969-70 and New York beat Seattle in 2000-01 – thus, the Royals are the only other team to manage the feat in non-consecutive years.  Both teams are 1-1 in the World Series in this spot; the Orioles famously lost the 1969 World Series (to these very Mets!) and won in 1970 and the Yankees won the Subway Series (over these very Mets!), while losing the epic of ’01.  So the Mets, strangely, have factored into both of these scenarios before.  And the Royals cannot be very encouraged, as both of the teams to notch a 2-0 ALCS record over an opponent split their World Series and Kansas City, of course, followed up their comeback from being down 3-1 in the 1985 ALCS with the same feat in that “I-70 World Series.”


^ Here’s another extremely weird note.  When the Royals won the 1985 World Series, they were culminating a decade-long era of success that faded quickly in part due to the tragic loss of their beloved manager Dick Howser.  The Mets won their second and most recent World Series the next year, opening their short window of contention that ended with an NL Championship Series appearance in 1988.  This World Series marks only the second time ever that teams who won the championship 29 and 30 years ago are matched up: 1962 World Series pitted the 1932 World Champion Yankees and 1933 World Champion Giants.  The Yankees won the ’62 clash in seven games.  The 2009 World Series came close to this distinction, pitting the 1980 World Champion Phillies against the 1978 World Champion Yankees – a matchup of teams who had won exactly 29 and 31 years ago.


^ As has been widely noted, this is the first World Series ever contested between two teams who both hail from baseball’s expansion era, which dates back to 1961.  What hasn’t been as widely noted is how long the odds were against this development happening: while the Yankees were the only “old school” franchise in the American League playoffs, the Mets were the only “new school” franchise in the National League playoffs.  Literally any other team in the NL field would have precluded this development.


^ There’s not a tremendous amount of historical connection between the cities of Kansas City and New York in the sports arena, especially given that there is none at all in the NHL and almost none of note in the NBA.  In the AFL, the Chiefs did capture their only Super Bowl, #IV, by taking out the defending champion Jets in the divisional playoffs, so there’s that.  In baseball, the connection comes in two significant ways: the Kansas City A’s famously serving as the “farm team” for the 1950s New York Yankees by way of numerous lopsided trades and the 1976-80 playoff rivalry between the Royals and the Yankees.  New York won their battles in the AL Championship Series from 1976-78, before succumbing in 1980 when the Royals took home their first-ever pennant.


^ With all the recent hoopla about the anticipation circa 1985 with Back to the Future about the Cubs winning the World Series this year, it’s worth noting that the Royals’ window was obviously still open that year and the Mets were in the midst of a three- year progression from respectability to greatness, earning 90, 98 and 108 wins, respectively, from 1984-86.  So anyone coming forward to the future from 1985 would be completely unsurprised to see these franchises battling for a world championship and could be forgiven for their confusion upon hearing of the many lean years since for both of them.


^ The last team to lose the World Series and return the next year was the Texas Rangers and they dropped their second consecutive clash in 2011.  It’s a fairly rare feat in the modern era; you’d have to go back to the 1991-92 Atlanta Braves to find another team trying to climb the hill in the second try and they, too, failed (against the same Toronto Blue Jays that Kansas City just beat).  Before that, the 1988-89 Oakland A’s saw successive World Series appearances with the first one being unsuccessful; in the famous “Bay Area Earthquake” World Series, they did win on the second try.
 

^ There have been several World Series appearances in the last decade featuring teams with little or no previous such experience (Astros, Rockies, Rays, Rangers).  But the combined tally of a scant nine pennants between the Royals and Mets is the lowest since 2008, when Philadelphia’s seven league championships represented the only such history present in their matchup with Tampa Bay.


^ This is only the third World Series ever contested between teams from the AL Central and the NL East.  With the Braves and Marlins having won over the Indians in 1995 and 1997, the NL East is 2-0 in these meetings.

 

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #625 – 2015-16 Chicago Blackhawks analysis


By Rick Morris                                          

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days.  We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #625 features analysis of the 2015-16 Chicago Blackhawks season with Gerry Clarke of Fox Sports Radio Chicago.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #624 – 2015 Chicago Cubs analysis


By Rick Morris                                          

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days.  We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #624 features a review of the 2015 Chicago Cubs season with Gerry Clarke of Fox Sports Radio Chicago.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2015 Week 7 fantasy football preview


By Rick Morris

Here is Mini-Episode #623 of THE FDH LOUNGE, an edition of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER, presenting Week 7 of our fantasy football coverage for 2015.


       


       


       


       


Lounge on YouTube: Fargo Episode 2.3 preview


By Rick Morris

Here is Mini-Episode #622 of THE FDH LOUNGE, previewing Episode 2.3 of Fargo.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #621 – 2015 NFL Week 7 preview


By Rick Morris                                          

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days.  We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #621 features a preview of Week 7 of the 2015 NFL season with FDH Lounge Dignitary and Vegas handicapping veteran Kyle Ross.


       


       


       


       

Friday, October 23, 2015

NCAA football picks Week 8


By Rick Morris


NOTE: Last week’s picks were 4-6; picks for the season are 19-40-1.


Ohio -3 over Buffalo

USC -3 ½ over Utah

Alabama -15 over Tennessee

Mississippi -5 ½ over Texas A&M

Ohio State -21 over Rutgers

Monday, October 19, 2015

Week 7 NFL power rankings


By Rick Morris


NOTES: Rankings from start of season are in parentheses.


TOP TIER

1 Green Bay (1-2-1-1-1-1)

2 New England (4-1-2-2-2-2)

3 Cincinnati (17-16-6-5-3-3)

4 Carolina (23-19-16-10-8-8)

5 Denver (3-3-3-4-4-4)

6 Arizona (14-7-5-3-5-5)

7 Atlanta (22-18-10-7-7-7)

8 Seattle (2-4-4-6-6-6)

SECOND TIER

9 New York Jets (26-21-11-13-9-9)

10 Pittsburgh (10-13-8-14-15-10)

THIRD TIER

11 Minnesota (12-17-12-9-11-11)

12 Philadelphia (6-12-23-23-25-20)

13 San Diego (8-5-7-11-10-13)

14 New York Giants (24-23-22-16-12-12)

15 Buffalo (18-6-13-8-13-14)

16 Miami (11-10-14-17-24-22)

17 Indianapolis (5-8-20-18-20-15)

18 St. Louis (13-11-17-24-19-18)

19 Washington (27-28-19-20-18-17)

20 Oakland (30-32-30-21-21-19)

21 Dallas (7-14-15-15-16-21)

FOURTH TIER

22 Tampa Bay (20-31-31-29-29-24)

23 Houston (25-24-24-26-27-25)

24 Tennessee (32-26-27-25-23-23)

25 Chicago (15-27-32-32-30-26)

26 New Orleans (21-20-25-27-26-29)

27 Cleveland (28-30-29-31-31-27)

28 Baltimore (16-15-18-19-14-16)

29 San Francisco (29-25-26-30-32-31)

30 Detroit (19-22-21-22-22-32)

31 Kansas City (9-9-9-12-17-28)

32 Jacksonville (31-29-28-28-28-30)
 

BIGGEST RISERS: Philadelphia (8 spots), Miami (6 spots), Carolina (4 spots)


BIGGEST FALLERS: Baltimore (12 spots), Kansas City and New Orleans (3 spots)


RANKINGS BY DIVISION – 1 POINT PER RANKING SPOT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM, LOWEST SCORE IS BEST

1 AFC East 42

2 NFC South 59

3 NFC West 61

4 NFC East 66

5 NFC North 67

6 AFC North 68

7 AFC West 79

8 AFC South 96


RANKINGS BY CONFERENCE

1 NFC 253

2 AFC 285

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Lounge on YouTube: Fargo Episode 2.2 preview


By Rick Morris

Here is Mini-Episode #620 of THE FDH LOUNGE, previewing Episode 2.2 of Fargo.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2015 Week 6 fantasy football preview


By Rick Morris

Here is Mini-Episode #619 of THE FDH LOUNGE, an edition of THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER, presenting Week 6 of our fantasy football coverage for 2015.


       


       


       


       


 

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #618 – 2015 NFL Week 6 preview


By Rick Morris                                          

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days.  We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #618 features a preview of Week 6 of the 2015 NFL season with FDH Lounge Dignitary and Vegas handicapping veteran Kyle Ross.


       


       


       


       


 

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #617 – Robert Flores


By Rick Morris                                          

As we referenced previously, our pals at Sportsology are hooking us up for live segments that we’re doing with guests and remote FDH Lounge Dignitaries these days.  We’re happy to report that we’ve been able to produce many segments on our own, but we’re thrilled for the help on some of these with guests and the thanks all go to our great friend Russ Cohen.

Mini-Episode #617 features a conversation with Robert Flores of ESPN.


       


       


       


       


 

Friday, October 16, 2015

2015 LCS Notes/Oddities


By Rick Morris


^ As the ESPN stats department correctly notes, this is the first time that the LCS is comprised of four teams without a world championship in the last 20 years between them, so some fanbase without a title for some time is going to be sated.  To build on that note, Toronto is the most recent world champion (1993) of the bunch (with only one other team, the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, winning consecutive titles since, although the 1992-93 championships led to a weird decline that led to them being the team out of the postseason for the longest period of time until now), with the New York Mets (1986), Kansas City (1985) and the Chicago Cubs (19FREAKING08) as the others who have been suffering.  Do not hold your breath waiting for Cubs fans to salute another fanbase for their patience amidst long periods of misery.


^ The Mets are defying tremendous historical odds in their World Series quest.  Since the American League expansion of 1961, there has ALWAYS been at least one team in the World Series that was around before that time.  The AL is guaranteed to send a post-1961 franchise to the World Series, as the Royals were created in 1969 and the Blue Jays in 1977.  With the Mets having been formed in 1962 and the Cubs as the only “old line” franchise left, they are seeking to defy 54 years of history in terms of the makeup of the World Series.


^ The cities of Toronto and Kansas City are not bound in any major way in the sporting world outside of their epic ALCS exactly 30 years ago (making this one of only nine ALCS combinations with the same teams), when the Royals became the first team in American League Championship Series history to survive a 3-1 deficit (in fairness, they were the first because it was the first year for the best-of-7 format).  New York and Chicago of course have a deeper history across many sports, but perhaps not as deep as you’d think.  The cities have only clashed three times in baseball playoffs, all of them in the World Series: in 1917, when the White Sox beat the Giants, in 1932 , when the Yankees beat the Cubs (with the Babe Ruth “point to the fence” moment) and in 1938, when the Yankees beat the Cubs again.  The Bulls and Knicks knocked heads a lot in the 1990s, but only once in the East finals, won of course by Chicago in 1993.  With the sparse number of teams before the NHL’s “Original Six” era ended in 1967, you’d think that the Rangers and Blackhawks might have squared off at least a few times for the Stanley Cup, but it never happened!!!  Perhaps the biggest impact historically between the cities has come with the NFL, which saw the Bears and Giants square off for the first league championship game in 1933, with the Bears coming away the winners.  They would meet five more times for the championship (and, once in the same conference, in many important games – although none of them NFC Championship Games – in the 1980s when they, San Francisco and Washington ruled the NFL), with Chicago (1941, 1946 and 1963) and New York (1934 and 1956) each winning some.


^ Having faced Baltimore last year in the ALCS and previously not reaching this far since before the three-division split of 1994, Kansas City continues their run of only ever facing teams from the Eastern Division in this round.


^ With the Giants and Dodgers, among other teams, accounting for several recent LCS appearances, this is the first time since 2011 that none of the teams represented come from the West Coast – and before that, you’d have to go back to 2007 (that’s sticking by the letter of the law and not counting Arizona, still a very far western team if not on the coast).  So it’s not just fresh faces in this round in terms of the past several years, it’s teams that won’t feature travel extremes in either this round or the World Series.
 

^ The AL West marks its fourth consecutive season of not being represented in the ALCS, the first time that’s happened since 1996-1999.  As such, this is the fourth consecutive East vs. Central showdown, with the Central having taken two of the last three.  Neither the AL East nor the AL Central (dating back to its creation in 1994) has ever had even one streak of being excluded as long as four years.


^ Likewise, the NL East just ended a streak of being shut out of four consecutive editions of the NLCS (with the West and Central having split the last four NLCS matchups).  Previously, the Central had been shut out of the NLCS exactly that long, from 2007-10 and the same was true of the West from 2003-06.  So between the two leagues, no division has EVER been shut out of the LCS five years in a row, so somebody from the AL West is guaranteed to be there in 2016!


^ Related to the above stat, the NL Central has now been represented for five consecutive years in the LCS, thanks to the Cubs this year and the Cardinals the previous four.  The longest streak in the three-division era belongs to the NL East (thanks largely to that Braves run, but also the Mets and Marlins) from 1995-2001.  The second-longest streak is owned by the AL East from 1996-2001, with New York, Boston and Baltimore all making it over those six years.  The Central just tied the third-best streak, also notched by the NL Central, from 2002-06, when the Cubs, Cardinals and Astros all made it this far.


^ Since the three-division split happened in 1994 and allowed for the possibility of teams from the same division to meet in the LCS, it has not happened decreasing frequency.  In the AL, it happened five times from 1995-2008, with the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry accounting for three of them.  It has not happened once since then.  In the NL, the last time two teams from the same division met in the LCS, it was 2011 with St. Louis and Milwaukee.  Similarly in the Senior Circuit, the frequency is declining: five times from 1995-2007 and just that 2011 happening since then.