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Mets Players Hold a Meeting After Another Horrible Loss in Pittsburgh

by Aaron | June 28, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets followed up their 9-1 loss in Pittsburgh on Friday night with a 9-2 loss on Saturday evening. This one got off to a decent start with Francisco Lindor hitting a leadoff double and scoring on a seeing-eye single by Juan Soto. However, after the game was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain in the top of the second, Carlos Mendoza made the decision to keep Paul Blackburn on the mound in order to save the bullpen. That turned out to be disastrous as Blackburn allowed five straight singles without recording an out. Jose Butto came in to put out the fire, but Adam Frazier hit a sac fly off of him to charge a third earned run to Blackburn and give the Pirates the run they needed to win the game.

Butto, Brandon Waddell, and Reed Garrett all did a good job keeping the Mets in the game, but they only scored once more when Pete Alonso doubled with one out in the fifth and was driven in on a Brandon Nimmo single. The Mets blew a golden opportunity an inning earlier when Brett Baty led off with a double, but he was tagged out on a bizarre play when Luis Torrens hit a chopper to third that was misplayed by Ke’Bryan Hayes on the infield grass. Baty would have advanced to third easily if Hayes had fielded the ball cleanly, but instead Isiah Kiner-Falefa picked up the ball behind Hayes and tagged Baty out while he was sliding into third. Even the least superstitious person on Earth can look at that play and say, “Wow, these Mets are cursed.”

Carlos Mendoza was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz in the fourth inning, but New York only mustered one hit the rest of the way following Nimmo’s RBI single in the fifth. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, would get a lot more hits because Huascar Brazoban has devolved into the worst pitcher on the planet. He walked Joey Bart and Spencer Horwitz in the bottom of the eighth to set up Ke’Bryan Hayes’ RBI single that added a key insurance run for the Pirates.

Colin Poche then came in to make his Mets debut and allowed the rally to continue for five more Pittsburgh runs. Now there was an extra embarrassing score to go with another depressing result, and it appears that the Mets players have had enough.

Oh boy. Nothing like a players-only meeting to fire up the boys and end the losing streak. According to Pete Alonso, the meeting was productive.

He definitely just swore a lot and yelled “LFG!” Maybe that will be enough with Frankie Montas back on the hill Sunday afternoon. He pitched five scoreless innings in his Mets debut, and the team needs more starts like that with Paul Blackburn and a mystery starter taking up a pair of rotation spots these days. Either that, or the Mets need to pay a touching tribute to Dave Parker, who passed away on Saturday, and start mashing some dingers.

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Mets Suffer Most Pathetic Loss of the Season in Pittsburgh

by Aaron | June 27, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets were supposed to come to Pittsburgh to grow their winning streak that began with two big wins over the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, but instead the Pirates handed New York a 9-1 loss that is the most pathetic of the season. David Peterson has been so great for the Mets this year. He’s been a de facto ace of the no-name starting rotation that has been the strength of the team. He should have at least flirted with a complete game against Pittsburgh’s feeble lineup, but instead he allowed a four-run rally in the second inning that the Mets did not recover from. You just can’t allow guys like Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jared Triolo, and Alexander Canario to rack up consecutive base hits when the first two are below .300 in both on-base percentage and slugging while Canario was let go by the Mets in spring training.

New York’s offense wasn’t much better as Mitch Keller allowed just one run on a Juan Soto solo shot. Part of the reason why Soto hits so many home runs with the bases empty is because opposing pitchers fear him and don’t give him much to hit when there are ducks on the pond, but it’s also ridiculous how unproductive he is with runners on base. The Mets were gonna need a crooked number to catch up in this one, and Soto’s bomb did not provide it.

Blade Tidwell was also disappointing in this game and he allowed Pittsburgh to get very comfortable on Bryan Reynolds’ three-run home run in the sixth inning. Tidwell keeps proving that he doesn’t belong in the big league rotation or the bullpen, so hopefully someone else is tabbed to fill Griffin Canning’s role when his spot comes up. I am thinking that Justin Hagenman will get the first crack at the job, but you can’t rule out a bullpen game.

While I’m typing this, the Phillies are up 11-0 on Atlanta, so it looks like the Mets will be in second place in the morning. Over in the Bronx, the Yankees only got four hits, but they beat the Athletics 3-0 thanks to Jazz Chisholm’s solo shot and a shutout thrown by Will Warren combined with four relievers.

At least Penn State has shown up for me lately with Yanic Konan Niederhauser being surprisingly chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of the NBA Draft’s first round. Two nights later, the Columbus Blue Jackets chose Jackson Smith in the first round of the NHL Draft, and that meant that Penn State had a player selected in the first round of the NBA, NHL, and NFL Drafts. That is awesome for someone like me who is a PSU alum and loves watching a variety of sports. It still sucks that Konan left us after showing so much promise, but that’s just what happens when you cheer for a basketball school.

The selection of Smith led to more hype that next year’s projected top NHL pick Gavin McKenna is headed to Penn State.

McKenna had already been linked to Penn State, but Emily Kaplan saying that she believed the move was happening added to the hysteria. I’ll still wait to believe it until I see it. The idea of an elite hockey prospect choosing to play at PSU is exciting not just because of the growth of the program, but because it will probably lead to more games getting on television.

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The Mets Return to First Place but Get Hit with Another Pitching Injury

by Aaron | June 26, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets shutout the Braves 4-0 on Thursday night and vaulted back into first place thanks to the pathetic Phillies only scoring one run during their entire three-game series in Houston. Staying in first place, however, will once again prove to be a stiff test since Griffin Canning went down with an Achilles injury in the third inning. I usually try not to speculate on injuries, but in this case I don’t think we need to wait for the Twitter doctors or the regular doctors to confirm that Canning is out for the rest of the season. The Mets already have Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill on the injured list, while Sean Manaea recently suffered a setback to his recovery from a strained oblique he suffered at the start of spring training. Thank goodness for Frankie Montas, right? But even with Montas in the rotation, the Mets need someone to step up and fill Canning’s role.

That will probably come down to Blade Tidwell or Justin Hagenman since both guys have helped out the Mets with spot starts this season. I am thinking that Hagenman is the guy since he was solid in two big league appearances this season while Tidwell failed to finish the fourth inning in both of his starts. The Mets have an off day on Monday, so they can probably drag their decision out until the Yankees come to Queens on Independence Day Weekend.

Starting rotation depth could be an issue for the Mets in the long term, but at least they thrived in the short term. A lot of credit goes to Austin Warren, who completed the third inning for Canning and then pitched two more scoreless innings after just being called up today. Dedniel Nunez looked like the guy who took New York’s bullpen by storm last year. He pitched two scoreless frames of his own and struck out the side in the seventh inning. No matter who the fifth starter ends up being, that guy will probably need a lot of bullpen help, so having Warren and Nunez step up is a big deal.

The Mets’ offense on Thursday started out very frustrating when Francisco Lindor wasted a couple of singles by Brett Baty and Ronnie Mauricio in the third inning. He struck out and failed to drive in the runner from third with less than two outs, but New York got some redemption in the fourth when Tyrone Taylor hit a sac fly to score Juan Soto. Speaking of Soto, he and Pete Alonso did a great job setting the table in the fourth as well as the seventh, when they both reached on two-out hits before Jeff McNeil plated them with a two-run single. Alonso also had a clutch RBI hit in the fifth after Soto popped up in a big RBI spot. As raging hot as Soto is, his inability to hit with runners in scoring position this season remains baffling.

The Yankees didn’t play today, but they scored a huge win by announcing a George Constanza bobblehead promotion. The Bombers host the Athletics this weekend while the Mets travel to Pittsburgh, where they will not face Paul Skenes since he just pitched on Wednesday. The Mets have done a good job getting fat on second-division teams this season, and this is another opportunity.

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Celtics Respond to Jayson Tatum Injury with a Pair of Smart Trades

by Aaron | June 25, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Boston Celtics were supposed to start a dynasty when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston had a pair of young stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to build around and all of their great role players were under contract for the near future. A lot has changed in the year since then with the Celtics blowing two big leads at home to my New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That led to Boston’s early exit from the Playoffs, but perhaps more troubling for the future of the franchise was the torn Achilles tendon suffered by Tatum in Game 4.

The injury puts a serious dent in Boston’s chances to compete for the Eastern Conference title in 2026, but instead of sitting on a team that is still talented enough to make some noise in the Playoffs, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is pivoting and raising Boston’s ceiling for a future where Tatum is at full strength.

On Monday, Stevens sent Jrue Holiday and the three years remaining on his contract packing and got back an exciting playmaker in Anfernee Simons as well as two second-round draft picks. Holiday has disappointed during his two years in Boston and still has over $100 million left on his contract. Maybe he would have stepped up his game with Tatum out of the lineup, but I think the cap space that the Celtics get from sending him to Portland more than makes up for it in the long term. Boston also gets Simons from the Trail Blazers, and while he’s not the most efficient scorer, he is on an expiring deal and should help replace Tatum’s production in the upcoming campaign.

The next day, Boston sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and got back Georges Niang. Niang won’t be as productive a scorer as Porzingis, but he can shoot 40 percent from three-point range and saves the Celtics more than $20 million in salary this year. Both Porzingis and Niang are on expiring deals, so this move doesn’t save Boston money beyond 2026. However, it’s another example of Stevens make his team more flexible while also getting an asset that can help the team compete in the upcoming season. With the Pacers and Bucks also reeling from Achilles injuries to key players, it’s smart of Stevens to not punt on 2026 even if he is taking a step back in order to bolster Boston’s future upside.

The Celtics shifting most of their focus to the future just makes it more important that the Knicks find the right coach and win the East in 2026. New York is +290 to reach the NBA Finals, but you’d think that would be a little higher if it had just held onto the coach that led them to relevancy.

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The Mets Continue to be Pitiful on Offense in 3-2 Loss to Braves

by Aaron | June 24, 2025 | 0 Comments

I was all set to blame the latest Mets loss on Paul Blackburn. He got off to a slow start on Monday night against the Braves with three runs allowed in three innings, and it could have been a lot more. Jeff McNeil saved one run for Blackburn when he threw behind Ronald Acuna Jr. for a tag out at third base after the Atlanta superstar froze on Marcell Ozuna’s hard-hit ground ball. Acuna made up for the mistake by launching a home run to begin the third inning and celebrating all the way around the bases. That made the Braves’ lead 2-0 since the inning before Ozzie Albies was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and was driven in on a sac fly by Michael Harris II.

The real trouble for Blackburn started when he walked Ozuna and Austin Riley following the Acuna bomb. That loaded the bases with nobody out and it looked like Atlanta could put the game out of reach, but Blackburn got Albies to pop up and Sean Murphy had to settle for a sac fly when his line drive to left field was caught by Brandon Nimmo. Harris also hit the ball very hard, but his was snagged by Pete Alonso on the infield to end the threat with the Braves leading 3-0.

Blackburn would settle down in the fourth and I thought he had a shot at the quality start, but Carlos Mendoza took him out in the fifth and let Jose Butto finish the frame before retiring the side in order in the sixth. The Braves wouldn’t score the rest of the way, which made the real villain of this game the Mets’ offense. It’s been putrid lately with the exception of that 11-run outburst on Saturday night in Philadelphia, but it appeared to be on the upswing when Juan Soto followed a walk by Nimmo in the sixth with a two-run blast to left-center field. If only Francisco Lindor hadn’t taken himself and Brett Baty out of the equation with a double-play ground out, the home run might have given the Mets an extra run or two.

It still felt like the Mets had the momentum they needed to get the comeback win, and the pitching certainly did its part. Unfortunately, the Mets’ feeble bottom of the order went down one-two-three in the seventh and recorded the first two outs of the eighth. With the lineup turned over, Lindor and Nimmo knocked base hits into right field to set the stage for Soto to drive in another clutch run, but after getting ahead in the count 3-1, he was struck out by Braves southpaw Dylan Lee. So anticlimactic. Lee dominated the Mets in the ninth to bring the game to a sad end.

The Mets shouldn’t have to wait until the trade deadline to make improvements to the lineup. Sending down Luisangel Acuna and Francisco Alvarez was a nice start, but what about designated hitter? I’m sure there are several teams that have guys wasting away in Triple-A who can give the Mets more at that spot than they’re getting from Jared Young and Starling Marte. Maybe Mark Vientos can play DH when he comes off the injured list, but for that move to be effective, Brett Baty has to start hitting consistently at third base. Despite a surge last month that had many fans to declare that he had finally arrived as a productive big league player, Baty is hitting .216/.266/.404 for the season. That’s really bad, but it’s still better than what Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens are doing, and both of those guys are lineup regulars for the time being.

Catcher and center field could be targets for trade acquisitions, but it would also help the Mets if Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil hit like they’re capable of doing. McNeil has been very productive this year with his OPS rising above .900 less than two weeks ago, but he’s got one hit in his last 16 at-bats. We know how important Alonso has been to the Mets, but he went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in the last two games while the team scored just three combined runs. With the top of the order performing consistently, the Mets’ offense can take off if they can just get down to one or two guys who have no chance to get a base hit instead of four or five.

Around the majors

In Cincinnati, the Yankees had to call up former Braves right-hander Allan Winans to make a spot start after Ryan Yarbrough landed on the injured list. He held up for the first three innings, but then Elly De La Cruz’s RBI triple sparked a three-run Reds rally and they went on to win 6-1. Nick Lodolo needed 94 pitches to get through four and a third innings against the Yankees, but the Cincinnati bullpen allowed just two hits and a walk the rest of the way.

The Orioles shut out the Rangers 6-0 thanks to a career-high eight strong inning from former Miami lefty Trevor Rogers. Jackson Holliday powered the Baltimore offense with three hits, including a home run, and four RBI.

The White Sox also scored zero runs on Monday night in an apparent effort to make the Mets feel better. Arizona blew up Shane Smith for five runs in the first two innings on its way to a 10-0 whomping. “That’s So” Pavin Smith hit a pair of bombs while driving in four runs and Eduardo Rodriguez struck out 10 Chicago batters in six innings.

The Pirates won an exciting back-and-forth affair in Milwaukee with Isiah Kiner-Falefa driving in the winning run with a triple in the top of the sixth. Pittsburgh second baseman Nick Gonzales went off for five hits in the 5-4 win. That’s a pretty big accomplishment considering the rest of his team struck out 16 times. What a BABIP game!

In other National League Central action, the Cardinals pounded Ben Brown and the Cubs 8-2 with Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Nolan Gorman all going yard between the fourth and sixth innings. This is a big series for the division with St. Louis now four games behind Chicago in the loss column. It’s also big in the Wild Card hunt with the Cardinals creeping up on the Mets.

Cal Raleigh hit his 32nd home run of the season to cap the scoring in Seattle’s 11-2 win at Minnesota. Julio Rodriguez, Luke Raley, and Dominic Canzone also went deep for the Mariners. Big Dumper now has five home runs in his last four games and with 77 games in the books, he’s on pace to challenge the single-season home run kings in September.

The Angels scored four runs in the eighth off of Boston’s Garrett Whitlock to break a 5-5 tie and win 9-5. Before the late rally, all of the Angels’ runs came in the first with Walker Buehler forcing three of them in with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. The Red Sox would walk 11 batters as a team in the ugly defeat.

In the other west coast game, the Nationals pounded San Diego with 15 hits in a 10-6 win that featured home runs from James Wood and Josh Bell. The top six hitters in Washington’s lineup all had multiple hits in this one.

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OKC and LSU Win Championships While Tommy Fleetwood’s PGA TOUR Slump Continues

by Aaron | June 23, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets might have laid an egg on Sunday night, but there was still plenty of excitement in the sports world with the NBA and college baseball naming champions and a thrilling finish on the PGA TOUR. Let’s see what everyone is buzzing about on a hot, hot summer Monday.

Thunder bring first NBA title to Oklahoma City

What a monumental upset it would have been if the Indiana Pacers had one more surprise left in them. Unfortunately for all of you sick and twisted people who were hoping for an Indiana victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder used a strong third quarter to vanquish the Cinderella Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and claim a championship for the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists while earning Finals MVP honors, but what most people will remember about this game is the horrible injury that Tyrese Haliburton suffered after making three three-point shots in the first quarter. Haliburton was already playing through a calf injury, but he appeared to suffer an Achilles injury when he went down while trying to dribble past SGA.

The score was tied 16-16 at the time of Haliburton’s injury, so we’ll never know what would have happened if he had played the full time. Indiana got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin off the bench as well as 15 points and six assists from Andrew Nembhard, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Thunder, who led by more than 20 in the fourth quarter. If the opinion of the Twitter doctors is confirmed by MRI and Haliburton has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, he’ll be the third player in these NBA Playoffs to go down with that injury. It already happened to Damian Lillard in the first round and Jayson Tatum in the Eastern Semifinals. As much as I rag on Haliburton, it sucks to see him get hurt so seriously when he is close to his dream. I wanted to see him stay healthy and go 0-for-10 from the field. It’s going to be tough for Indiana to return to the Finals if he’s out next season, but the East remains wide open.

For the Thunder, this could mean the start of the next NBA dynasty with how young the core of SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren is. On the other hand, there is more than enough competition to keep them busy in the West with Anthony Edwards continuing to mature in Minnesota and Denver still lurking with Nikola Jokic. The most serious threat to the Thunder could be in Houston with the Rockets trading for Kevin Durant on Sunday afternoon.

The Phoenix Suns will get Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and five second-round draft picks from Houston. Green is still a promising young scorer who led the Rockets with 21 points per game this season, but Durant’s much greater efficiency and veteran savvy make his new team a title contender. Following the acquisition of Durant, Houston’s title odds jumped from +1800 to +800 while Indiana’s fell from +1000 to +4000 after the Haliburton injury. OKC remains the favorite to repeat at +220.

LSU sweeps championship series after Coastal Carolina has two coaches ejected

The LSU Tigers have a little more experience winning championships than the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Sunday afternoon, LSU claimed its eighth College World Series title when it defeated Coastal Carolina 5-3 to polish off a two-game sweep of the championship series. With ace right-hander Jacob Morrison on the mound, the Chanticleers boosted their hopes of forcing a rubber game when Dean Mihos gave them an early lead with a solo shot in the second inning. However, the Tigers tied the game on Ethan Frey’s RBI double in the third and then rallied against Morrison for the four runs in the fourth that would end up deciding the title.

Craig Stanfield gave LSU the lead with a two-run single after his team loaded the bases on a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Morrison got two key outs and was on his way to limiting the damage, but then Derek Curiel came through with another two-run single to put the Tigers up 5-1. Wells Sykes got two back for Coastal with a home run in the seventh, but Chase Shores dominated the final two innings on the bump to clinch the championship for LSU.

Just like with the NBA Finals, though, the great victory wasn’t the only story. Way back in the first inning, Coastal had its head coach Kevin Schnall and first base coach Matt Schilling ejected from the game by NCAA umpires. There better be a good reason for tossing two coaches from a championship game in the first inning, but it seems like the umpires let a little argument over balls and strikes get out of control.

“There’s 25,000 people there, and I vaguely hear a warning issued,” Schnall said. “As the head coach — I was an assistant for 24 years. As an assistant, you’re almost treated like a second-grade — second-level citizen. And you can’t say a word.

“As a head coach, I think it is your right to get an explanation of why we got warned. I’m 48 years old, and I shouldn’t be shooed by another grown man. When I come out to ask what the warning is, a grown man shooed me.”

Schnall went on to describe his perspective of the moment he got ejected.

“So at that point, I can now hear him say ‘it was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes,'” Schnall continued. “At that point, I said, ‘because you missed three.’ At that point, ejected.

“If that warrants ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize. … But if that warranted an ejection, man there’d be a lot of ejections. As an umpire, I feel like it’s your job to manage the game — the national championship game — with some poise, some calmness and a little bit of tolerance.”

Should Schnall really be chirping the umpires about calls so early? Probably not, but it is the responsibility of the umpires to have a feel for the moment and not treat the deciding game of the College World Series like a regular season game in March. You’d like an umpire would have enough self-awareness to know that ejecting a coach in a spot like that is a bad reflections on one’s self. Maybe other umpires have that awareness, but this one did not.

Tommy Fleetwood still can’t win on the PGA TOUR

Even before Keegan Bradley came from behind to defeat Tommy Fleetwood and win the Travelers Championship on Sunday, there was a lot of talk in golf circles about Bradley pulling double duty at this September’s Ryder Cup. He had already been named a captain, but would he select himself to play in the competition if he deemed himself worthy? Bradley’s victory in Connecticut indicates that the United States could use his talents at Bethpage Black in the battle against Europe, but smart golf people scoff at the idea of someone becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer led the Americans to victory in 1963.

“In my opinion there is just no way that you could be a captain nowadays of a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup and play,” said Trevor Immelman after commentating for CBS on Bradley’s latest victory.

“There are so many responsibilities at the feet of the captain. So many decisions that have to be made before the tournament and then during the week.

“You want your players to be single-minded, focused on themselves. To be focused on the high pressure situation they are in.

“But now you’ve got a guy in Keegan Bradley, who absolutely should be playing.”

If the US loses the Ryder Cup at home, it will either be because Bradley chose himself or didn’t choose himself. You can make sure of that. Meanwhile, this drama could have possibly been kicked down the road if not for Fleetwood making bogey on two of the last three holes to cost himself the tournament. The English golfer has won seven times on the DP World Tour and finished in the top five at every major, but still hasn’t won a PGA TOUR Event. That fact might not be as fascinating as Rory McIlroy’s chase for the career grand slam that he completed in April, but it’s still pretty wild for a player as accomplished as Fleetwood to be lacking a single win.

The Mets are back to awful

It was nice to get a break from the Mets’ losing streak when they hammered Philly with seven home runs and won 11-4 on Saturday night, but then Sunday came and the Mets returned to lifelessness with a 7-1 loss. David Peterson got off to a good start, but then he gave up a solo shot to Kyle Schwarber in the fourth inning and a three-run oppo taco by Edmundo Sosa soon followed.

That was pretty much the game since New York only reached base four times in six and two thirds innings against Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo. It’s a good thing that Mark Vientos is on his way back from the injured list, because the Mets need something to change in the lineup. Ronnie Mauricio went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts to lower his batting average to .180, and he’s the obvious candidate for demotion. Luisangel Acuna is also not hitting and there isn’t a reason to leave Jeff McNeil out of the lineup going forward, especially considering he can play both infield and outfield.

The Mets are back home to face Atlanta tonight with Paul Blackburn on the hill against Spencer Schwellenbach. That is a pretty big pitching mismatch, so it’s time to get back to hitting dingers.

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The Mets Get Back to Winning and Drop Seven Bombs on Philly

by Aaron | June 22, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets finally busted their seven-game losing streak on Saturday night with a triumphant 11-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. With President Trump announcing a military strike in the middle of the game, it reminded me of the Mets playing in Philadelphia on May 1, 2011 when Osama Bin Laden was killed. The Mets won that night as well, but they didn’t hit seven home runs like they did in the present day. Brandon Nimmo led the charge with a solo shot in the first, and he added another two innings later as part of back-to-back-to-back home runs with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. The third-inning barrage was supplemented by Soto adding his second home run in the fifth inning, and the massive blast allowed the Mets to keep the lead for the rest of the night.

Griffin Canning got off to a slow start by allowing three hits in the first inning, including an RBI double by Nick Castellanos, that led to two runs. The Phillies added another run in the second inning when Otto Kemp doubled and came around to score on Brandon Marsh’s soft ground ball and a wild pitch that Francisco Alvarez failed to get his body in front of. That gave Philly a 3-1 lead, but the Mets answered with three straight home runs as well as Soto’s second bomb to go ahead 5-3 in the fifth. Canning failed the shutdown inning after Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo nearly collided on a fly ball hit by Trea Turner. He would score on Alec Bohm’s RBI single to bring the Phillies within one, but Lindor answered with a two-out RBI double in the sixth that Castellanos overran badly in the right field corner.

That sixth inning may have been more impressive than the three home runs in the third because in the sixth, the Mets got singles from both Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio to set the table. That seems like a very rare feat based on how those guys are playing. As for McNeil, it’s nice having him play center field because he gives the Mets some offense at the position, but it is asking so much for him to communicate with Nimmo properly? They’ve only played together for six years!

That Lindor double was very important because of how shaky New York’s bullpen has been lately, but it turns out that Huascar Brazoban would pitch two scoreless innings before Ryne Stanek and Chris Devenski shut the door in the eight and the ninth, respectively. The solid relief work didn’t stop the Mets from adding on, though. Jared Young joined the home run part to make the score 8-4 and Juan Soto followed with a two-RBI single to blow the game open. Alvarez crushed a solo shot in the ninth to cap the scoring.

I have an issue with people saying that the Mets’ seven-game skid was inevitable because even good teams lose games. There are plenty of good teams that go through a season without losing seven games in a row. Instead of moping about how “you can’t win ’em all,” the Mets had to start smashing opponents’ pitching, and that finally happened on Saturday.

In college ball, LSU defeated Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the College World Series Championship with a 1-0 score thanks to Kade Anderson’s complete game shutout. With 10 strikeouts and five walks, it took Anderson 130 pitches to finish the job. That made me think if a major league starter would ever be allowed to throw 130 pitches, even in a World Series game. I think the babying of pitchers has less to do about avoiding injuries and more to do about pro coaches and front office people not wanting to lose their jobs in case a pitcher does get injured.

We should be in for a thrilling sports Sunday with LSU trying to clinch a national title at 2:30 PM and the NBA Finals wrapping up with Game 7 at 8:00 PM. There’s also the Mets trying to regain first place and the USMNT looking to go undefeated in Gold Cup group play at 7:00 PM.

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Bullpen Blowup in Seventh Inning Costs Mets in Seventh Straight Loss

by Aaron | June 21, 2025 | 0 Comments

It wasn’t surprising that the Mets extending their losing streak to seven games last night with Blade Tidwell starting at pitcher against Zack Wheeler. What was so disappointing about the 10-2 defeat in Philadelphia was that the Mets got past the starting pitching portion of the game and quickly tied the score 2-2 on back-to-back home runs by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil. They were the first two batters faced by Taijuan Walker when he relieved Wheeler in the top of the sixth. The Mets seemed to have momentum on their side with Wheeler gone and Jose Butto shutting the Phillies down the fifth and the sixth, but the game turned in the seventh because Reed Garrett could not get anyone out.

Brandon Marsh, who had previously given the Phillies a 2-0 lead with an RBI single off of Jose Castillo, led off the frame with a double, and he was quickly doubled home by Trea Turner to give Philadelphia the lead. Garrett then walked Kyle Schwarber and allowed an RBI single to Alec Bohm before being replaced by Justin Garza without recording an out. Garza has been solid for the Mets so far, but he couldn’t stop Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott from blowing the game open with big RBI hits.

The Mets had a chance to get to Wheeler early after Brandon Nimmo singled in the first inning and moved to third on walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. However, Wheeler got Jeff McNeil to ground into a double play to end the inning and the Mets would not get a better chance to put a dent in Wheeler’s ERA. It’s tough to say that a play or two might have swung the game when the Mets lost by eight runs, but I think the Mets lost a chance at a rally in the top  of the seventh when Brandon Nimmo hit a sharp one-hopper to Trea Turner. The throw to first was a little high and wide, forcing Otto Kemp to stretch at first base. Nimmo was called out, but the replay made it seem like Kemp was off the base by an inch when he received the throw. The Mets let the play slide without a review and Juan Soto ground out to Kemp on the next play to end the inning.

If that play was overturned, Kemp is probably holding Nimmo on first during the next play and Soto’s ball could have gotten by him to start a Mets rally. Instead, New York went down in order and the Phillies scored six runs in the bottom of the inning. These huge rallies for opponents are becoming an issue for the Mets during this losing streak as their pitching regresses.

Speaking of pitching, Blade Tidwell went three scoreless innings before allowing the bases to be loaded in the fourth on two singles and a walk. He might have gotten out of that jam if Kemp’s ground ball had been a little faster, but he busted the Mets’ double play attempt by beating the throw to first and Marsh followed with his RBI hit off of Castillo. Even if Tidwell didn’t allow a run, though, he probably still doesn’t get through Philly’s lineup a second time and that brings into question his future as a starting pitcher. He’s probably more of a reliever, especially on a Mets team that can afford to pay more proven rotation guys instead of bringing Tidwell along slowly. The Mets should have the pitching depth to avoid using Tidwell in an important game, but Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill couldn’t stay healthy with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas already on the shelf.

The Mets should have a better shot at the Phillies with Griffin Canning on the mound tonight against rookie right-hander Mick Abel.

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Pacers Force Game 7 and Mets Get Swept Again

by Aaron | June 20, 2025 | 0 Comments

I really thought that the Thunder were going to take care of business in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Everything was going according to plan when Oklahoma City jumped out to a 10-2, but after those first four minutes, the Indiana Pacers dominated the game like they have not dominated before in these NBA Finals. Pascal Siakam and company led by three at the end of the first quarter and then outscored OKC by 19 in the second. At halftime I was hoping for a Thunder comeback so I could mock Tyrese Haliburton with the choke sign, but OKC never got close and Mark Daigneault pulled his starters at the start of the fourth quarter with the deficit at 30. The Pacers went on to win 108-91.

The Thunder ended up shooting 8-for-30 from beyond the arc, but most of the makes were from bench guys in the final period. I think OKC only made a single three-point shot while the game was competitive while Indiana got long-range accuracy from Obi Toppin (4-for-7) and Andrew Nimrod (3-for-5). Those guys combined for 37 points on the night and were Indiana top two scorers. That goes to show you how deep of a team the Pacers are and also what an overrated bum Haliburton is. He was probably the fifth-best player on his own team in Game 6. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Indiana would be better off having Haliburton back up T.J. McConnell and not the other way around. McConnell was at it again on Thursday night with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in just 24 minutes. He is more than just a pest; he is a difference-maker.

The Thunder has to get its act together in Game 7 and win at home like it did in Game 2 and Game 5. I can’t deal with watching the Pacers win an NBA title after beating the Knicks because of the luckiest shot in league history. I’m having a hard enough time watching the Mets play worse and worse every night while blowing their five-game lead in the National League East in a week’s time.

Thursday night was another horror show in Atlanta with the Mets unable to do anything on offense after the third inning and Clay Holmes losing the strike zone in the fourth and the fifth. Holmes walked Matt Olson to begin the fourth inning and saw him score after singles by Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies. In the fifth Holmes started with a walk of Ronald Acuna Jr. and later walked Olson again to load the bases before walking Drake Baldwin to force in the go-ahead run. Huascar Brazoban relieved Holmes, but he was no better. Brazoban walked Albies to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead and then allowed Olson to hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth to blow the game open. The Braves won 7-1 to sweep the Mets and hand them a sixth straight loss.

The Mets’ offense has been putrid lately with zero or one runs scored in three of the last four games, but it’s also disturbing how their pitching has fallen off since the injuries to Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill. Holmes, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn have disappointed lately, and now the Mets have called up Blade Tidwell to make a spot start in the crucial series opener at Philadelphia. In Tidwell’s lone major league appearance, he allowed six runs in three and two-thirds innings at St. Louis on May 4. Zack Wheeler is on the hill for the Phillies, so they are pretty big favorites with the division lead on the line. Wheeler has been excellent as usual lately with six innings pitched and one earned run allowed in each of his last two starts.

The USMNT may be playing against inferior competition, but at least it has won two straight matches and punched a ticket to the Gold Cup quarterfinals. Chris Richards broke through in the 63rd minute last night against Saudi Arabia on a brilliant feed from Sebastian Berhalter and the Yanks won 1-0. Over at ESPN, Ryan O’Hanlon wrote an interesting story about why the USMNT is such a mess right now. It has a lot to do with many of the players having full-time soccer jobs overseas and playing in dozens of matches each year before even considering the national team.

There’s a vision of a unified American soccer model… The players add up to something greater than the sum of the parts, and everything makes sense every time they take the field.

This will never happen. How do I know this? Because it hasn’t happened anywhere else. You can’t achieve this when all of your players are spending 75% of their time doing the same job for someone else. Although the situation arose by accident, the current constraints on the international game force it into dysfunction.

O’Hanlon writes about how in the past the national team matches were the most important events for all of the players because they weren’t playing in the Champions League or other important club tournaments. Now that the US has a bunch of talent in Europe, many players have to balance their priorities, and there is not much continuity on the roster. The hope is that all of the best American players come together and form a somewhat cohesive unit at the World Cup next year.

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Will the Mets End Their Losing Streak Against Spencer Strider and the Braves?

by Aaron | June 19, 2025 | 0 Comments

The Mets face the Braves tonight in the final game of a three-game series in Atlanta. New York is looking to avoid a sweep after blowing a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning of the opener and getting completely shut down by Chris Sale last night. Even if the Mets win tonight, they will be on very little sleep for the series opener in Philadelphia on Friday night because the plane probably won’t even take off until close to midnight. Why don’t the Mets get an afternoon start on getaway day?! The June Swoon continues getting worse.

The Mets will have Clay Holmes on the bump against Spencer Strider tonight. After striking out 281 batters during his sophomore season of 2023, Strider missed almost all of 2024 to a surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. Plus, he has already spent two stint on the injured list this season. Strider hasn’t looked much like a dominant strikeout pitcher this season, but he was more like his old self during his last start against the Rockies. In that one, he pitched six shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and one walk. No doubt Braves fans will be talking themselves into the old Strider being back, in which case he could destroy the Mets like Sale did.

Holmes has been as steady as they come for the Mets. He hasn’t dominated the opposition, but he keeps the Mets in every game. During his last start, he held the Rays to one run in five innings, but then Carlos Mendoza took him out of the game with just 79 pitches thrown because he was apparently tired from pitching in the thin Denver air six days prior. That’s right, not only did Mendoza take out a guy early who had grown accustomed to throwing more than 90 pitches with regularity, but he did so while that pitcher was on FIVE DAYS OF REST. Because of one start in Denver. It’s unbelievable how soft the Mets are. Anyway, of course Paul Blackburn and Max Krannick combined to blow the Mets’ 5-1 lead as soon as Holmes was removed. That was the loss that started this five-game skid.

Francisco Alvarez is back in the lineup after Luis Torrens had a horrible game last night. Ronny Mauricio is still in there hitting below the Mendoza line at third base because of Brett Baty’s injured groin that the Mets still don’t know what to do with. The good news is that Starling Marte has been useful lately with seven hits in his last four games. This lineup goes six deep, but those last three are totally feeble.

We also have the NBA Finals possibly concluding tonight with the Thunder holding a 3-2 series lead over the Pacers. Indiana finally looks like it has met its match after suffering consecutive defeats for the first time in these Playoffs. Plus, Tyrese Haliburton made zero field goals in Game 5. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers respond at home.

Plus, the United States is taking on Saudi Arabia in Gold Cup action. The Yanks are heavily favored after they crushed Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 to end a four-game losing streak. I need the US to keep winning so that the World Cup next year isn’t totally depressing.

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Make your violent playoff Saturday complete with the “The Other Cleat Just Spiked Your Meat” CDST Show…

by | Jan 10, 2025

In a few hours, it’s gonna be the start of Wild Card Weekend, and things’ll be getting hot and heavy in the NFL Playoffs. Who’s about to become extinct and who’s putting their feet down with maximum authority…. we’ll banter the subject, and plenty more, on the “The Other Cleat Just Spiked Your Meat” CDST Show. Is Mike Tomlin about to take that Steeler 4-wheeler carreening down Lookout Mountain for another sadistic spill? Can Sam Darnold get the hawk tuah girl off his mind, long enough for the Vikings to stage a real fun desert funeral for the sacrificial Rams. We ponder this and other questions that have been left curiously unanswered for far too long…. like how our own Abe Miranda conquered Barb-fire in the spread pool, and why Karen “Big Mouth” Bass had so little to say at her recent press conference. And time permitting, there’s the college football BS (sorry BCS) finale to consider; ChabDog hasn’t checked, but perhaps making Notre Dame a 5 point dog (is that right?) is just what the joint doctor ordered in South Bend.

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Week 18: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by | Jan 6, 2024

Hello everyone and welcome to another Chabdog Sports Blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9 Week 13: 7 Week 14: 7 Week 15: 3 Week 16: 9 Week 17: 8

SATURDAY PICKS

 STEELERS -3 | RAVENS

TEXANS -1 | COLTS

SUNDAE PICKS

  BUCCANEERS -4.5 | PANTHERS

  BROWNS | BENGALS -7

  VIKINGS | LIONS -3.5

  JETS | PATRIOTS -1.5

  FALCONS | SAINTS -2.5

  JAGUARS -3.5 | TITANS

  SEAHAWKS -3.5 | CARDINALS

  BEARS | PACKERS -2.5

  CHIEFS +3.5 | CHARGERS

  BRONCOS | RAIDERS -2.5

  EAGLES -4.5 | GIANTS

  RAMS | 49ERS +4

  COWBOYS | COMMANDERS +12.5

  BILLS -2.5 | DOLPHINS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 01/05/2024

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

 

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Week 17: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)

by | Dec 31, 2023

Hello everyone and welcome to another Chabdog Sports Blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:

Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9 Week 13: 7 Week 14: 7 Week 15: 3 Week 16: 9

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK

JETS | BROWNS -7.5

SATURDAY PICK

LIONS | COWBOYS -6

SUNDAE PICKS

PATRIOTS +13 | BILLS

 DOLPHINS | RAVENS -3.5

 TITANS | TEXANS -4.5

 RAIDERS | COLTS -3.5

 PANTHERS +6.5 | JAGUARS

RAMS -4.5 | GIANTS

 CARDINALS | EAGLES -10.5

 49ERS | COMMANDER +13.5

 FALCONS | BEARS -3

 SAINTS | BUCCANEERS -2.5

 BENGALS | CHIEFS -7

 STEELERS | SEAHAWKS -4

 CHARGERS | BRONCOS -3.5

 PACKERS +2.5 | VIKINGS

*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/27/2023 

Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials

| | @darthvaber99

 

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Aaron’s Week 5 NFL Picks

by | Oct 5, 2024

Thanks to last week’s brilliant 10-6 performance, I am 31-32-1, and that is a .500 record if you include the Atlanta win already in the books for this week. It took a while, but we finally climbed out of that Week 1 hole. Next stop, profitability?!

Tampa Bay at Atlanta -2.5

I booked it with Well Read before the game on Thursday, so it is going down as a win! Thanks go out to Captain Kirko and my fantasy darling Drake London!

NY Jets vs. Minnesota -2.5

Finally, the Vikings are favored, but this game isn’t in Minnesota; it is in London. The Jets looked legit when they stomped New England, but then they went right back into pretender mode with an ugly home loss to Denver. I will keep riding these Vikings!

Carolina +4.5 at Chicago

The Panthers came back down to Earth last week with a loss vs. Cincinnati, but the Carolina offense continued to look legit with Andy Dalton under center. That will help the Panthers defeat Chicago outright on Sunday!

Baltimore at Cincinnati +2.5

Speaking of offense, the Bengals have scored 72 points over their last two games. They might only need one or two stops on defense to beat Baltimore.

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Aaron’s Week 4 NFL Picks

by | Sep 26, 2024

Wow! It’s already Week 4! We should have all of these NFL teams figured out by now, right? I agree that I should have them figured out, but I have not yet obtained the level of sharpness to do just that. It has bee nice to hover around .500 for the last two weeks after a disastrous Week 1, but that still means we’re down overall. Time to start the comeback!

Dallas at NY Giants +6.5

Picking the Giants finally paid off against Cleveland, so why should I stop now? The Cowboys can’t run the ball, and that will allow the Big Blue pass rush to beat down Dak Prescott. It is a little sad how excited I am to see Daniel Jones’ face on the “Just checking in to see if y’all still dem Boys” meme.

Saints at Falcons -2.5

Atlanta might have had the toughest starting schedule in the entire NFL, so even though 1-2 isn’t great, the Falcons still have plenty of chances to improve their record. That starts against the rival Saints, who were finally slowed down by the Eagles last week.

LA Rams +3.0 at Bears

Did the Rams’ comeback against the 49ers just not happen? Sure, they still have a lot of injuries, but Caleb Williams is still very prone to mistakes with two interceptions in each of his last two games. This should at least be a pick ’em. It feels like we are stepping into a trap, but I will take my chances with the advantage at head coach and quarterback.

Minnesota +2.5 at Green Bay

Just keep riding the Vikings. That is the directive here. Yes, Green Bay has been very impressive with a close loss to Philadelphia followed by two wins with Malik Willis under center. I’m just going to keep riding this Viking ship as long as it is an underdog.

Steelers -1.5 at Colts

The Colts beat the Bears last week, but I am off of them until Anthony Richardson shows improvement. He is completing less than half of his passes on the season and not rushing enough to make up for it. The Steelers’ defense will eat him for lunch.

Denver +7.5 at NY Jets

I’m not taking Denver’s big win at Tampa Bay super seriously just yet, but both of the Broncos’ losses came by a touchdown, so I’ll ride with them here.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay +2.5

I am hoping the Bucs bounce back after their bizarre loss to Denver at home. They did blow out Philly in the Playoffs last season.

Cincinnati -5.5 at Carolina

It’s the Andy Dalton revenge game! But Joe Burrow and the Bengals need it much more and their offense was pretty great in the loss to Washington. They should score enough to cover this as long as the Red Rifle doesn’t play like an MVP again.

Jacksonville at Houston -6.5

Both of these teams were embarrassed last week. At least the Texans have played good football at some point this season.

Washington +3.5 at Arizona

I keep going back and forth on whether Arizona is good or not. Jayden Daniels is showing great poise for a rookie, though. He should keep this game close even if Washington’s horrible defense keeps bleeding points.

New England at San Francisco -10.5

The 49ers need to destroy someone to reestablish dominance. Last week was a disaster for them, and they can’t even use injuries as an excuse since Jauan Jennings was so good.

Cleveland at Las Vegas -2.0

This is so gross. The Browns are horrible, and the Raiders just laid an egg at home to Carolina. I don’t think Cleveland can score on anyone, though.

Kansas City at LA Chargers +7.5

I don’t know why this line is so high. I am sticking with Jim Harbaugh after the setback last week. He knows how to pound the ball and keep possession away from Patrick Mahomes, but it might not even matter with how mid he has been the last two weeks.

Buffalo +2.5 at Baltimore

The Buffalo offense is better without Stefon Diggs. It has scored over 30 points in all three games and we will keep riding it and circling the wagons.

Tennessee at Miami -1.5

Miami needs to win this one after being shocked by the Titans last year in a game that cost the Dolphins a division title. Plus, Miami has a chance to stay relevant in the hunt for the Playoffs with upcoming games at New England and Indianapolis. I’m hoping Mike McDaniel can figure out how to win one without Tua Tagovailoa.

Seattle at Detroit -3.5

The Seahawks are 3-0, but they have played feeble competition. I’ll lay the points with the Lions.

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Aaron’s Week 3 NFL Picks

by | Sep 19, 2024

It’s always difficult to pick games in Week 1, but I had a nice bounce-back performance in Week 2. Now it is time for the rubber match. Do I know ball or not? I am banking on some surprising teams continuing to surprise and I will be betting on those teams until the oddsmakers catch up or until they turn into pumpkins. Whichever happens first.

New England +6.5 at NY Jets

New England is the first of the surprise teams I am talking about. They have covered the spread twice in a row and have beaten Cincinnati outright. The Jets need this game badly, but they will have to grind it out because Aaron Rodgers has yet to throw for 200 yards in a game for them.

NY Giants +6.5 at Cleveland

Congrats to Cleveland for bouncing back from that Week 1 disaster and beating Jacksonville. The Browns should still have to score 20 points in a game before they are favored to beat anyone by a touchdown. Remember, my Giants were not abysmal last week. Malik Nabers is the real deal, and now we have a kicker who can help us cover this spread! I bet we can even win if we keep the opponent out of the end zone again (sigh).

Chicago at Indianapolis -1.5

The Colts laid an egg last week, but they should still be laying at least a field goal against the Bears. Chicago’s defense won the game against Tennessee and kept the game in Houston close, but I think it is asking a lot for this team to win outright on the road.

Houston at Minnesota +4.5

The oddsmakers still don’t believe in Minnesota! I do, especially after Houston failed to put away Chicago last week until the final minute.

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Aaron’s Week 2 NFL Picks

by | Sep 12, 2024

Week 1 of the NFL is finally in the books and the veil of the unknown has been lifted, but now we have a new conundrum. Of what we saw unfold last week, what is real and what is a mirage? What is a fluke and what is a season-long trend? Hey, this is almost as hard to predict as Week 1. At least I won’t be quite as disappointed with the Giants when they play like garbage.

Buffalo at Miami -2.5

Both of these teams had a little more trouble with their first opponents than I thought they would. At least I had Arizona covering against Buffalo, but I thought it would be more of a backdoor cover than a legitimately close game. Miami, meanwhile, was a yard away from falling behind Jacksonville 24-7 before it was saved by a Travis Etienne goal-line fumble and an 80-yard touchdown strike from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill. Now many fans are wondering why the Dolphins are favored in a night game when the South Florida humidity won’t have as much of an effect. I’ll tell you why. This team is much better than it looked in Week 1! Miami gets a big win tonight!

Las Vegas +8.5 at Baltimore

Neither of these teams were impressive last week, but the Ravens came an inch away from almost beating the Chiefs when Isaiah Likely caught a last-second touchdown only to be ruled out of bounds by replay. It’s easy to remember that late surge by Baltimore and a little less easy to remember that it looked like the inferior team for much of the evening. Inferior to the Chiefs is nothing to panic about, but I think this number is a little too big against what I expect to be a spunky Raiders squad. Antonio Pierce’s super conservative 4th down decisions were a detriment last week, but they might help cover in a game like this one.

LA Chargers -6.0 at Carolina

Jim Harbaugh took care of business for me against the aforementioned Raiders last week, so let’s keep rolling with him. I sure as heck am not backing the Panthers for the second week in a row, so if they bounce back and play respectable football, I will tip my cap.

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Aaron’s Week 1 NFL Picks

by | Sep 5, 2024

Football is back! So what if it’s already been back for more than a week thanks to college football? It’s REALLY back tonight with the start of the NFL, tiny point spreads, and fantasy! I am a New York Giants fan, so I am predicting a season full of pain and suffering, but maybe some of you out there can get some joy out of the next five months. There’s always fantasy football, right? Nope, just more frustration and torture. But how about the ChabDog picks contest? Now, there is something that I have a chance to win.

Baltimore +2.5 at Kansas City

Everyone is going to love the Chiefs at less than a field goal. They just won the freaking Super Bowl and are at home in front of a raucous crowd. Plus, ChiefsAholic just got sentenced to federal prison, so you know the boys will be extra fired up to get the job done for him. HOWEVER, the Chiefs aren’t the elite offensive team they used to be. Last winter, they barely got by Baltimore in the Playoffs thanks to a great defensive effort. Patrick Mahomes is still looking for a go-to wide receiver and Travis Kelce might be over the hill. The defense is still good, but it’s tougher to repeat a great defensive season than a great offensive season. Give me the hungry Ravens with their new-look and more intimidating running game for the upset!

Green Bay +1.5 vs. Philadelphia

It is a sham that this game is even happening with the crime activity in Sao Paulo being so high that players are leaving their families behind. Player safety is a priority for the NFL until the owners can make a few extra bucks by putting a game in South America! Plus, it is a Peacock exclusive game, so even fans in America will feel like they are getting robbed. Anyway, this is an easy one for me. The Eagles were in full meltdown mode at the end of last season. Now, many fans are convinced that Saquon Barkley and a couple of new coordinators will solve all their issues. I’m not so sure. I’ll take the rising Packers after their exciting run in last season’s Playoffs.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta -2.5

This spread should be more than three points. Maybe not everyone realizes how much better the Atlanta offense is now that the team has a veteran quarterback under center. Kirk Cousins is coming back from a major Achilles tendon injury, but he won’t need to move around much when Bijan Robinson and Drake London are entering their primes. This offense is just as talented as the one that Cousins left behind in Minnesota. It will be tough for the Steelers and their new quarterback to keep pace, even with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s familiarity with Atlanta.

Arizona +7.5 at Buffalo

Arizona’s offense is on the rise due to the selections of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey Benson in the NFL Draft. Plus, Trey McBride emerged as a star tight end last season, and Kyler Murray is expected to have his best season yet after missing half of 2023 due to recovery from knee surgery. Does that mean that the Cardinals will stun Buffalo in Week 1? There’s a chance with Josh Allen breaking in a new-look receiving group. I still think Buffalo prevails, but I wouldn’t pick the Bills in survivor. Taking the points is the move here.

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