Degenerate Friday! 2nd Half Predictions

Since my baseball futures bet of the Mariners went so well in the first half of the season, I figured I’d make some predictions for the second half of the season. I mean, I believe I wrote that the addition of Milton Bradley combined with the veteran leadership of Ken Griffey Jr. would carry the M’s offense. Yeah, that didn’t work out all that well – it’s hard to lead when you’re sleeping in the clubhouse and retiring before the all-star break, and it’s hard to provide offensive punch when you’re taking time off for mental instability. Anyway, let’s hope my second half thoughts can burst on the scene like Jen Brown – the next Erin Andrews chosen to be the ESPN sideline princess during college football season. She seems to have all the assets, understands her role and judging by her outfit at the ESPY’s, is not afraid of the limelight.

AL Playoff Teams:
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Rangers
AL Wildcard: Red Sox

It’s a pretty boring picture in the AL, without many surprises. The Yankees have the best team in baseball, with a pitching staff capable of carrying them through even without their potent offensive line up. It’s a bad sign when you know that they will be involved before the trading deadline and all they are looking for is middle relief or set up help in the bullpen. It’s like having the assets of Brooklyn Decker and only having to worry about finding the right dress for the ESPY’s to showcase her talent – it’s not really fair to anyone else around.

The Red Sox have been fighting the injury bug all season and the continued absence of Dustin Pedroia will hamper the offense as they try to stay with the Rays for the wildcard. If they can get him and Josh Beckett back healthy and effective, they will reel in the Rays and pass them for the last playoff spot. The Sox pitching with Lester, Lackey and a healthy Beckett could make them a nightmare in the playoffs if they can qualify.

The Twins will be able to outlast the Tigers & White Sox in the Central and the Rangers will run away the west with the addition of Cliff Lee. Lee can carry the Rangers to the AL Championship Series and gives them a fighting chance with his dominance of the Yankees. Unfortunately the Yankees veterans will prove too much for the Rangers, despite the playoff experience of Lee & Vladamir Guerrero.

Divisional Round:
Yankees over Twins
Rangers over Red Sox

AL Champ: Yankees over Rangers


NL Playoff Teams:
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Rockies
NL Wildcard: Mets

The Braves made a smart trade getting rid of the immensely talented but mercurial Yunel Escobar for Alex Gonzalez. In Bobby Cox’s final season, the team is all pulling in the same direction and can’t afford the distraction of the often-disinterested shortstop. With the return to health of Jason Heyward and Nate McClouth, the Braves offense will be able to match their strong pitching and hold off the Mets and Phillies for the division crown.

The Reds have been among the surprises in baseball this season. While they had the talent to compete, no one knew if the youth would finally come through. They are much like the 2008 Brewer team in that they have a young core of talent that should be able to carry them, but they could definitely use an extra pitcher to give them the leverage to hold off the Cardinals. They should try to get involved in the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes, yet it might be more difficult to get a division foe to trade with than it would be to get a Vegas VIP hostess job without frontcourt enhancements.

The Padres have been a tremendous story during the first half of the year with a pitching staff that has kept them at or near first place most of the season. Yet the Rockies have been coming on as of late and all the experts seem to think they are still the team to beat in the NL West.

The Mets will also be heavily involved in the Roy Oswalt sweepstakes and may be the team capable of taking on his big contract. Also look for them to be there to get Ted Lilly from the Cubs. That addition of a pitcher combined with the return of Carlos Beltran, even if he is not at full strength, should be enough to hold off the injury-riddled Phillies for the Wildcard.

NL Divisional Round
Braves over Reds
Mets over Rockies

NL Championship: Braves over Mets

World Series: Yankees over Braves

Degenerate Friday - NBA Playoffs - EAST

Yesterday we broke down the Western Conference and now it’s time for the East……..By the way, great move by the Zen Master, Phil Jackson making his comments about Kevin Durant getting too many calls. It couldn’t have worked better. Yes, Phil had to make a donation to the league/charity, but he got in the head of all the officials before the series even began – just as he has done every single year he has ever coached (whining about the treatement of Shaq, the treatment of Jordan, etc.). And more importantly, Durant walked right into it, saying he felt disrespected. Durant should be focused on his team and his game, not comments from the opposing coach. Congrats Kevin, Phil now owns you and will destroy you from the inside out.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Chicago Bulls

Cavaliers odds: 1/2 to win the East, 7/4 to win the NBA Title
Bulls odds: 100/1 to win the East, 175/1 to win the NBA Title

And so the quest to keep LeBron James in Cleveland begins again. The question is whether a title helps or hurts the Cavs chances of resigning James. If he wins the title, does he then feel like he brought a title to his hometown and he could then move on to bigger and better things? Or would he feel the pressure to stick around and defend that title and create a dynasty in his home town? The Cavs have all the weapons to win the title surrounding James. They have the big man in O’Neal and depth with Ilgauskas. They have a forward who can score and rebound in Antwan Jamison, and a capable point guard in Mo Williams. Is Mike Brown a good enough coach? Is Brooklyn Decker a genius? It doesn’t matter when you have the best talent.

The Bulls have a solid group of talent on the floor, but the unrest between the coaching staff and management will be difficult to overcome. Vinny Del Negro knows that he is going to be fired after the season regardless of how the deep the Bulls go which has to have a psychological effect on him and the rest of the team. Perhaps the cause of the fight between GM John Paxson and Del Negro started because of Joakim Noah’s minutes, but maybe what pushed Paxson over the edge was Del Negro asking him why he traded a proven playoff perimeter threat in John Salmons that the Bulls could desperately use to try and match up with the Cavs. The Bulls are like Angelina Jolie in that they have some tremendous assets, but when you put the package together their brain trust is pretty messed up and she comes with a bunch of young baggage.

The Cavs have no value for gambling to get out of the East, but they are my pick to win the NBA title. LeBron is at the absolute peak of his game and I would love to see a Kobe-LeBron match up almost as much as ABC would love to see it.

First Round Prediction: Cavs in 5 games

#2 Orlando Magic vs. #7 Charlotte Bobcats

Magic odds: 10/3 to win the East, 6/1 to win the NBA Title
Bobcat odds: 65/1 to win the East, 125/1 to win the NBA Title

The Bobcats are a great story making their first playoff appearance in franchise history and are another success story for the oft-traveled Larry Brown. They play tough defense and gave up the fewest points per game in the Eastern Conference, which they needed because they scored the third fewest points. With the exception of Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton, the Bobcats are a collection of cast offs and other teams’ unwanted assets – Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas, and Larry Hughes. Much like Kristin Cavallari, no one really likes her no matter what she does. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, their best all-around player, Gerald Wallace has struggled against the Magic, averaging only 11 points per game, more than 7 points below his regular season average. That will make it tough when their second scoring option is muffled.

The Magic brought in Vince Carter to be the difference maker and bring them an NBA championship. Prior to the season, I thought pairing a moody guy like Carter with a demanding coach like Ron Jeremy…errr…Stan Van Gundy sounded as dumb as Michael Kay’s pronunciation of Alex Rodriguez’s name on the YES network. Kay insists on calling him Alex Rah-DREE-giz unlike the other 99.99% of the world that pronounces it Rod-REE-gez. Just another example of why Kay stinks. Anyway…where was I? Oh yeah, Vince Carter. Carter gives the Magic a legit second scoring option behind Dwight Howard and makes the Magic the next best option to Team LeBron. Like Emmanuelle Chriqui, they have all the weapons needed, but they fly slightly under the radar. They present matchup problems for the Cavs if they both advance to the Eastern Finals and would be a good bet to win the title.

For gambling purposes, the Magic are a decent bet to win the East and might be worth throwing some cash at. For some reason, I can see the Magic winning the East but can’t see them beating the Lakers or Mavericks. That doesn’t make much sense since I see the Cavs winning it all, and if the Magic beat the Cavs, then they should be able to beat the West champ, right? Not in my mind.

First Round Prediction: Magic in 5 games

#3 Atlanta Hawks vs. #6 Milwaukee Bucks

Hawks odds: 10/1 to win the East, 28/1 to win the NBA Title
Bucks odds: 65/1 to win the East, 150/1 to win the NBA Title

If someone asked you to name the top 3 teams in the East last weekend, you probably would have said, Cleveland, Orlando and Boston. The media is so hung up on the aging Celtics that they have failed to notice that the Hawks actually took care of the #3 seed with relative ease. The Hawks are loaded with talent, but all talent that doesn’t get many headlines. Most people know Joe Johnson because he is going to be a great booby prize that the Knicks land after they fail to land LeBron this summer as a free agent. Can you name the Hawks leading rebounder? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? It’s Al Horford, who averages 9.9 rebounds per game to go with his 14 points. They also have a veteran point guard in Mike Bibby, a scorer in Jamal Crawford, and an athletic wingman (that can match up with Rashard Lewis, Antwan Jamison or Paul Pierce) in Josh Smith. The Hawks are like John Malkovich in that they are tremendously talented and can fill a bunch of roles, but you never really think of them as a great leading actor.

The Bucks were dealt a death blow when Andrew Bogut suffered his elbow injury. With Bogut, they had the potential to beat the Hawks or the Celtics and put a scare into the Cavs or Magic in the second round. Unfortunately without him they are scrambling to have any sort of inside presence that would allow them to hang with any of those teams. The addition of John Salmons was pure genius and when combined with the signing of Jerry Stackhouse the Bucks found a perimeter game that more versatile and dangerous that what was being offered from Michael Redd. Scott Skiles has done a great job this season but the loss of Bogut will be too much to overcome when combined with the fact that rookie point guard Brandon Jennings is too small and not tough enough defensively. Jennings is an awesome offensive talent, but is a huge liability on defense. Atlanta is going to run continual screen and rolls with veteran Mike Bibby and Jennings doesn’t fight through the screens well enough, causing others to help out, leaving Joe Johnson or Jamal Crawford open jumpers. Like Lt. Dan from Forest Gump, the Bucks “ain’t got no legs” without Andrew Bogut.

The Hawks are an intriguing bet to win the East because of their ability to match up with any team in the East. The problem they have is that they don’t have a guy that can take over a game and carry the team on his shoulders. Joe Johnson can be clutch and Jamal Crawford could get hot, but do they have the ability to carry a team over an entire series? I’m not sure.

First round prediction: Hawks in 6

#4 Boston Celtics vs. #5 Miami Heat

Celtics odds: 13/2 to win the East, 12/1 to win the NBA Title
Heat odds: 40/1 to win the East, 90/1 to win the NBA Title

The Celtics are the Pam Anderson of the playoffs. They have aged considerably, but still have the headline grabbing assets and the ability to turn it on every once in a while. However, every time they make that big run and expend more energy, it’s going to take a toll on them and they will be slower to recover. Kevin Garnett was my favorite player in the league for nearly 12 years and it’s almost sad to see how much his knee has deteriorated and taken away his explosiveness. Ray Allen still has a quick and accurate trigger and together with the lightning quick play of Rajon Rondo they will be able to contain the Heat’s strength in the first round. Unfortunately, I see this as the final year of the Celtics window to win, and the window is not open wide enough for Big Baby Davis’s rear end or Pamela Anderson’s front court to fit through.

The Heat have quietly put together a nice season and are hoping that they have done enough to show Dwayne Wade why he should stay in South Beach and sign an extension this summer. They have allowed the second fewest points per game in the Eastern Conference and have the electric scoring option that has proven that he gets all the calls from the refs in Dwayne Wade. The question is whether the Heat has enough in their supporting cast to get them out of the first round and put some fear in the top teams. Jermaine O’Neal has played fairly well, but watching his old bones do battle against the ghost of Garnett will be painful to watch. Michael Beasley has shown strong improvement and maturity this season, but is still only shooting 45% from the field and is not a consistent threat. Like Sophia Veraga, the Heat have one outstanding asset that can only carry them so far.

Stay away from these teams for gambling purposes. The Celtics odds are a terrible value and should be avoided at all costs. The Heat are going nowhere even if they get out of the first round.

First Round Prediction: Celtics in 7 games

Tuesday Ramblings - Set Up For Failure

Maybe I should take it as a sign about the people that live in my apartment building. Or maybe like that ridiculous movie coming out “Hot Tub Time Machine” my elevator is a portal into “Crazy World.” Either way, I should know that when I enter my elevator with other people, it’s set up for failure. I’ve written in the past about the crazy old lady who didn’t want her cat to make any friends or hear that it was on its way to be put to sleep. I’ve also shared the elevator with a guy in a full “American Ganster” fur coat & hat – head to toe fur. Well yesterday I ran across another interesting person in the elevator. As I enter the building and head to the elevator, the slightly older woman (probably late 50’s?) is at the elevator already. I’m generally the type of person that doesn’t talk to strangers in the elevator other than a head nod with a smile and a slightly audible “hi” at most. Well this lady is looking at me and it’s obvious she wants to talk or at least say something. So what are my options? I’m trapped in the elevator with her and I can only stare down for so long while her look is burning a hole in the side of my head. So I look up and casually mention something about the weather warming up. And then the craziness begins………..she starts in on how it’s the brightness, not the temperature that makes her happy every morning. She can handle cold weather if it’s bright out and the sun is shining. It just makes her feel better and she’s a happier person and her bird sings prettier when the sun is out, and on and on. I immediately regret my decision to make an innocent comment about the weather. Thankfully we get to her floor, and she steps out and the door finally closed. All I could think to myself was, “Well, that’s what you get for talking to people in the ‘Portal to Crazy’ elevator.”

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People continue to talk about whether the NHL will be able to parlay the success and interest in Olympic hockey into an increase in fans for the sport. It won’t. Unfortunately for the hockey players, while the other Olympic heroes like Lindsey Vonn (debatable, but she has good management), the figure skating guy – Evan something? – and the others are all on the talk show tour for the next week and securing endorsement deals, the hockey players are right back to work. Ryan Miller doesn’t have a chance to sit down with Jay Leno or Jimmy Kimmel and wear a Canadian tuxedo, or a mounty costume to settle a bet. He has to get ready for a rematch with Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. The NHL is using the Olympic success to set itself up for disappointment.

In addition, it wasn’t the hockey that drew us in. If it was the US versus Canada in the curling gold medal match, the ratings would have been similar. It was the border battle in an event where they were on the field/ice/court at the same time (unlike skiing, bobsledding, skating, etc) in a sport that is among the competitors – along with NASCAR, soccer and golf – for the #4 sport in America. We were watching for national pride and rivalry, and not for hockey. Just like we are going to watch the newest Dancing With The Stars because of Erin Andrews, not because of the dancing. And Andrews appears to be the favorite to win considering she was a dancer in college – not a pole dancer, sorry – and she’s up against people like Pam Anderson, Chad Ochocinco and Buzz Aldrin. Yes, the 80-something year old Buzz Aldrin. I hope they have a defibrillator on set.

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Michael Jordan is in the process of finalizing his majority ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats. Should the people of Charlotte be excited or fearful? I think Jordan is setting the Bobcats up for continued disappointment. After cementing his place as the greatest player to ever live during his time with the Chicago Bulls, his post-Bulls career has been…well…basically a clusterf#ck. He returned to play with the Wizards when it was obvious his skills had withered and his body didn’t have the burst he needed. He then moved on to the Wizard’s director of player personnel, where he drafted Kwame Brown with the first pick and five years later took Adam Morrison with the third pick. He was fired and bought a part of the Bobcats. He brought in his friend Rod Higgins as the GM, and hired fellow Tar Heel Larry Brown as the head coach. He was regularly accused of being absent from the team and having a lack of interest. And now he’s taking a majority owner position?

Does Jordan really want to be involved in basketball or does he just not know what else to do? He has enough money and freedom to live on an island and never have another worry in the world. It seems like MJ wants to get away from the game, but that competitive nature and fire that drove him to be the best ever flares up every once and a while and he finds a way to get back into the game. Then once he’s there, he realizes why he left and doesn’t have the dedication to go through with it.

It’s a strange place for Jordan to be – unlikely to succeed. Look at past stars that went on to the front office and it is littered with failure: Wes Unseld, Elgin Baylor and Isiah Thomas. Brooklyn Decker is a great swimsuit model. Does that mean she can act? We’re going to find out as she has been cast in her first movie.

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Syracuse ascended to the #1 ranking this week for the first time since the 1989-90 season. In that season, they had Derrick Coleman, Sherman Doughlas & Billy Owens but the top ranking was just a set up for failure in the tournament against Willie Burton and Minnesota. Consider this a teaser for tomorrow’s article……it will be a Wednesday Ranking for college basketball linking in 1990. 1990 was the year when mall hair was in, Quantum Leap was a top television show, Kathy Bates won an Oscar for best actress in Misery, and the Dow was at 2,600.

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Degenerate Friday - Week 14 - Christmas Vacation!!

Well the holiday season is definitely upon us, which means it is time to light a fire, dump some rum in the egg nog, and settle it to watch some great holiday movies. And we’re not talking movies like The Holiday, or Miracle on 34th Street. I don’t want some sappy story about some down on her luck hot girl suddenly finds some British dude that sweeps her off her feet. I want something that gets better and better as the rum from the egg nog kicks in. So while Elf is a hilarious movie, it still doesn’t quite have the perfect appeal of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. This week’s games are broken down by some of the best quotes from the movie. So Merry Christmas. S#itter’s full.

Standard disclosures as always: Recreational use only, home teams in CAPS, spreads from the NY Post, etc.

Clark: Can’t see the line, can you Russ?

Bills (Pick) over CHIEFS
I think Vegas just decided they really didn’t care who wins this game, and they didn’t want to waste any time trying to put a line on it. So I’m not willing to waste any of my time trying to figure out which team is going to win. Then again, ‘tis the season to be merry. That’s my name. No s#it?

RAIDERS (+1) over Redskins
Bruce Gradkowski has given the Raiders some belief that they can win, and they’ve played well at home, beating the Eagles, Bengals and Eagles. And since the game is in Oakland, it should definitely be hooter, errrr, I mean hotter than the nipply …..nippy weather on the East Coast.

Clark: Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f#cking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white @ss down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of a$$holes this side of the nuthouse.

TITANS (-13) over Rams
The Titans bubble was burst last week with their loss to the Colts. The 6th seed in the AFC is likely going to get to 10-6 (the Steelers, Ravens, Jets & Dolphins are all 6-6 & Jacksonville is 7-5), and the best the Titans can do is 9-7. So they have to put on their jolliest smiles and hope someone falters. The Rams can’t stop the run, so Chris Johnson has a chance to post another 200 yard game.

Seahawks (+6) over TEXANS
The agent for Barry Bonds announced that Bonds will not play next season. That’s interesting because I thought the 31 major league GMs that didn’t offer him a contract told us the exact same thing last year. That same agent also announced that the Houston Texans will not be participating in the NFL playoffs this year.

Eddie: Every time Catherine revved up the microwave, I'd piss my pants and forget who I was for about half an hour or so.

Jets (-3) over BUCCANEERS
Sometimes you have to wonder if Rex Ryan has a metal plate in his head the way he has handled the media and his rookie quarterback. With Kellen Clemens under center, the Jets will be going for the new world land-speed record almost exclusively with their rushing game. In their win last week, Clemens only attempted two passes in over a quarter of action. With Thomas Jones and Shonn Green, that’s all they’ll need to overwhelm Tampa Bay.

Clark: Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?

PATRIOTS (-13.5) over Panthers
The weather is expected to be cold in Foxboro, and it’s not just the chill from the icy stare Belichick has been giving his team all week. Everyone is ready to write off the Patriots because they lost back to back games for the first time in 3 years, Belichick locked players out of practice for being late, and Tom Brady keeps talking about more effort. Well, that means they are officially starting to feel underappreciated and like underdogs – and that’s exactly what Coach Belichick loves. Now that Brady’s baby is born, it’s time to plow through to the playoffs. The Panthers will offer little resistance as they just want to get back home to the warmer climate in Charlotte.

Packers (-3) over BEARS
The Packers appear to have found ways around their leaky offensive line, and their passing game will be able to torch the Bears secondary. Jay Cutler threw four interceptions in week one against the Packers, and that was before they had found their groove in the newly installed 3-4 defense. This could get really ugly, really quickly. This will be the last time the Packers get to beat up on Lovie Smith as the Bears coach. And since it is Packers-Bears week, it’s probably time to remind everyone of why it must suck to be a Bears fan.

RAVENS (-13.5) over Lions
Well, now that the politicians have taken care of the really important things like trying to force a college football playoff, maybe they’ll have a little extra time to deal with the nation’s health care problems, or unemployment, or the Lions. And you wonder why everyone thinks politicians are full of hot air and that they are greasy weasels? Why was this voted on by a subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee? Unreal. Anyway, back to the game – the Ravens are at home and hungry, with 3 of their 4 remaining games against teams under .500.

Clark: My cousin in-law, whose heart is bigger than his brain...

Eddie: I appreciate that, Clark.

Cardinals (-3) over 49ERS
The quote applies to Mike Singletary, who has the heart and the emotion to be a great coach in the NFL, but he either doesn’t have the ability to get his guys to play correctly, or he doesn’t have the players capable of playing well. It might be a combination of both. The Cardinals have the heart and appear to have the brains as well based on the way their defense confused Brett Favre last week. I can’t see Alex Smith not struggling against the attacking Arizona defense.

Chargers (+3) over COWBOYS
Wade Phillips is the walking version of that quote. The players love him, and he seems like a good enough guy, but there are legit questions of whether he is smart enough to lead the Cowboys to success in the playoffs. Their schedule could easily lead to another December swoon. The Chargers are hotter than Brooklyn Decker on the beach and as hard as it is to imagine Norv Turner (who also fits the quote) leading a team deep in the playoffs, Phillip Rivers is trying his best to make that a possibility. He should be able to throw through the Cowboys secondary much the way Eli and the Giants did last week.

Uncle Lewis: Hey Gris, if you're not doing anything constructive, run into the living room and get my stogey.
COLTS (-7) over Broncos
Peyton and company have one more constructive week, and then they will have plenty of time to get Uncle Lewis his stogey. They have already clinched their division title, and a win this week they will clinch home field throughout the playoffs (they hold the tie breakers with the Bengals and Chargers). The Broncos have proven that their fast start was not a complete sham, but they are not on the same level as the Colts. Has anyone noticed that Joseph Addai is second in the league with 12 touchdowns in 12 games?

Saints (-10.5) over FALCONS
The Saints will keep their foot on the gas all the way through the regular season, and they get a break this week if Matt Ryan sits out again as expected. The Falcons have seen a promising start of the season fizzle away, as injuries have depleted the offense. After getting lit up like Uncle Lewis does to the Christmas tree by the Eagles last week, Atlanta will feel like Aunt Bethany’s cat after getting toasted by Drew Brees and the Saints.

Eddie: You surprised to see us, Clark?

Clark: Oh, Eddie... If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now.

Bengals (+6.5) over VIKINGS
The Bengals have been the biggest surprise of the entire season, and this pick does not mean that I am buying into the hype that Brett Favre has started his late season swoon. The Bengals have an aggressive defense similar to the Cardinals defense that threw Favre for a loop last week, and they have played their best games against the best competition. That will afford them the opportunity to keep the game close and possibly steal a win late. If the Bengals win this game they will have swept all their games against the AFC North and NFC North with a perfect 10-0 record. They are 0-3 outside the North Divisions, losing to Oakland, Houston and Denver, and their last 3 games are outside the North Divisions – San Diego, Kansas City & the Jets.

Dolphins (+2.5) over JAGUARS
I’m not sure I’ve picked a game right for either one of these teams all season. The Jaguars continue to find ways to win and the Dolphins have been inconsistent all season. If Jacksonville somehow makes it to the playoffs, they will be like Uncle Eddie in that no one really wants him around, but they will make for great comedy when they get blown out by the Bengals or Chargers.

Todd: Hey Griswold. Where do you think you're gonna put a tree that big?

Clark: Bend over and I'll show you.

Todd: You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that Griswold.

Clark: I wasn't talking to you.

GIANTS (-1) over Eagles
The Eagles signed on for successful regular seasons followed by flame outs in the playoffs through 2013 with the extension they gave to Andy Reid. Philly has won the last three games in this heated series, including the playoff win last year in New York. Yet when Tom Coughlin has his team focused, they will blast off like the Santa Claus lawn ornament at the end of the movie. Giants move into a tie for the division lead with the victory.