NEW WEBSITE

Due to the fact that this site is a pain to operate on, I have changed sites, but it is the same everything you have always loved, check it out...

greeniessports.weebly.com

NFL Week 9 Predictions

Alright, let's just get right to it...

Kansas City 23, Miami 20

Atlanta 34, Indianapolis 17

New Orleans 31, Tampa Bay 28

NY Jets 27, Buffalo 24

Dallas 30, Seattle 15

Cleveland 26, Houston 21

San Francisco 21, Washington 13

Cincinnati 28, Tennessee 22

Oakland 19, Denver 16

NY Giants 35, New England 31

Arizona 31, St Louis 24

Green Bay 30, San Diego 25

Pittsburgh 24, Baltimore 20

Philadelphia 37, Chicago 21

Quick and precise, you are welcome

Prince to Texas? You Bet!

Look, I know a lot of people are going to call me a homer and say that I am simply a wishful thinking fan, but this article will spell out the reasons why Prince will be a Texas Ranger by February...

Alright, Pujols will stay in St Louis in my opinion, which creates a very unusual, non-traditional market for Prince. Boston, New York, and Philly all have established First Basemen, which means they will not be pursuing Fielder. So right there are 3 teams that will not pursue him, which leaves 27 more. St Louis will not pursue him, obviously, because they will have Pujols returning. 26. More teams with established 1B are the Chicago White Sox, the Atlanta Braves, the Dodgers (who don't have any money anyways), the Mariners have Smoak and seem to be set but don't count them out as they need some serious fan interest quickly, the Tigers, the Twins, the Royals, and the Reds. 18. Okay, now the teams that, by my estimation, do not have enough money: the Brewers, the A's, the Indians, the Rays, the Orioles, the D-Backs, the Padres, the Mets, the Pirates, the Astros, and I will say the Giants, even though they conceivably could probably swing it, but probably won't. 7. The places that are possible, but it is doubtful for financial reasons or the team has a 1B they probably believe in (this sounds similar to the last two categories, but these are teams with more of a gray area in these two spots). The Angels have Trumbo and Morales coming back from injury, the Rockies just locked up Tulo with a massive contract and could maybe stretch it, but probably not. 5. Alright, we are down to 5, let us examine each team and decide on the possibilities...

FLORIDA MARLINS

The Marlins. Look, I know they are getting the new stadium and want to bring in a guy that will bring fans out and make their ballpark investment worthwhile. I will be honest, I cannot imagine any professional athlete besides LeBron going to Florida of his own accord. It would be like Drew Brees, in Free Agency, going to Jacksonville over somewhere that actually cares about sports. Professional Sports do not work in Florida, and I will believe that until I die. Mark my words, he will not go to Florida, and I cannot imagine anyone thinks so.

These last 4 are all extremely viable options, so let's take it alphabetically...

CHICAGO CUBS

Alright, this is a very logical place for all parties. Prince will get paid and have the confidence and trust in the organization that they will continue to spend money and improve the team to make title runs. The Cubs would get that middle of the order power hitter that they can build a lineup around. If Prince is all about the money, he could easily end up in Chicago. However, they are at least 3 years away from contending, and, being almost 28, he may not want to wait until he is 31 to MAYBE compete for a World Series Title. Don't ever count out Theo Epstein, though, as he always seems to get his man. They will throw some money at Prince, and he could very well end up playing at Wrigley.

TEXAS RANGERS

The Rangers' one black hole has been at 1B, and this could immediately change the entire dynamic of the Texas Rangers. The good thing about the Rangers is that they have the lineup to compete for the next 5 to 6 years, and have already been to back-to-back World Series. This is an extremely logical choice for Prince, as Texas should be able to match the Cubbies in dollars. Jon Daniels now has the leeway and the money to work with under the new ownership and he is obviously capable of working some magic. Texas has one of the top minor league systems and is probably the most proactive organization in Latin America. Prince would be able to have the confidence that this team can compete for the next decade and even beyond that. Not to mention that sweet, sweet RF Porch.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

Toronto is probably the most intriguing team in the running for Prince. It has been awhile since they made a huge splash like this in free agency, and have really been irrelevant for the better part of a decade. But, Alex Anthopoulos, the Jays' GM, is literally a worker of magic, and could very well land Prince. They have a hitter's park, which I'm sure Fielder would appreciate so as to pump up his potential Hall of Fame numbers. They have the money to spend as they have not used a whole lot in recent years, and their pitchers, most of which are solid, are fairly cheap. Plus, hitting behind Jose Bautista would be a real treat, as Prince could re-create the tandem he had in Milwaukee with Braun. Look for this situation to play out more and more as we go deeper into free agency.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

This is the one that most people seem to think will come to fruition, and, once again, it just comes down to whether or not he wants money or titles. If he wants the money, Washington is the place for him, much like Jayson Werth, but if he wants titles, soon anyways, he will not pursue the Nationals. Although, don't get me wrong, there are some advantages to going to Washington. They have a young, good pitching staff that will only continue to improve. Zimmerman is top notch and Strasburg, when healthy, could be as good as there is in the Majors. Also, hitting between Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth would provide protection and many RBI opportunities for Fielder. Washington is a very logical place for the Prince to go.

Look, all 4 of these final places make sense for Fielder, but there is only one place where he can step in and be given a shot at a ring in year one, and that is Texas. Now, I cannot say with certainty what kind of guy Prince Fielder is, and whether or not money or championships is his main goal, but I know for most players, the opportunity to win titles is what drives them to get better. If I were a betting man, I would say Prince Fielder winds up playing First Base for the Texas Rangers for the next 7 years, at 23 million a pop. Book it.

Look at this week's CFB Predictions below...

CFB Top 25 Predictions for 11/3-5

Alright, the biggest weekend in SEC History is coming up, and you have come to the right place for predictions and analysis, so let's get started with my Top 25 Predictions...

#25 Southern Miss 44, East Carolina 31

Should be a high scoring affair, but I think USM stays in fine form and takes down the Pirates on the road.

#24 West Virginia 30, Louisville 21

WVU has been struggling lately on both sides of the ball and on the flip side, Louisville has been hitting their stride in the last couple weeks. I think WVU wins in Morgantown, but it won't be easy.

#23 Georgia Tech is off this week (Next: vs Virginia Tech, Nov. 10

#22 Auburn is off this ween (Next: @ Georgia, Nov. 12)

#21 Texas 37, Texas Tech 24

Texas is playing adequately right now, and should win out before the hate-match that will be Thanksgiving Day in College Station.

#20 Wisconsin 35, Purdue 19

Wisconsin is far better than they have been playing recently, and, I believe, are still the best Big Ten team. They should handle Purdue in Camp Randall without much problem.

UCLA 31, #19 Arizona State 26

UCLA has been playing very well recently and are threatening to become bowl eligible, and I think they will take down overrated Arizona State in the Rose Bowl this weekend. The Pac-12, outside of Oregon and Stanford, is a complete mess this year.

#18 Georgia 31, New Mexico State 10

UGA is without its top 2 RBs, and may struggle a bit on offense, but either way, this is an off week before Auburn comes to town for the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry.

#17 Michigan State 33, Minnesota 14

MSU has been playing well, but Minnesota finally got a win last week also. Still, no problem for Sparty in East Lansing.

#16 Penn State is off this week (Next: vs #10 Nebraska, Nov. 12)

#15 Michigan 31, Iowa 24

Michigan is good, not great, and Iowa is always tough at home, always. The Wolverines will struggle but pull out a win as they head towards a showdown for the Legends Division of the Big Ten.

#14 Kansas State- see #3 Oklahoma State

#13 Houston 55, UAB 14

Houston should have absolutely zero problem with the Blazers in Birmingham this weekend.

#12 Virginia Tech is off this week (Next: @ #23 Georgia Tech, Nov. 10)

#11 Clemson is off this week (Next: vs Wake Forest, Nov. 12)

Northwestern 38, #10 Nebraska 34

Alright, look, it's a long shot, but Northwestern seems to have one of those big upsets every season, and, even though this is in Lincoln, I think the Huskers are overrated and the Wildcats have a shot at surprising them.

#9 South Carolina- see #7 Arkansas

#8 Oregon 41, Washington 26

The Huskies have been so impressive this year and nobody is a bigger Sarkisian fan than myself, but Oregon is playing some good ball right now and I don't think Washington can score with the Ducks.

#7 Arkansas 38, #9 South Carolina 14

In a game that could settle the East, yes, the East, Arkansas should run away with it. Carolina's only form of offense was Marcus Lattimore, and they have been struggling mightily ever since he went down with the injury. The Hogs have barely survived the past couple weeks and are vastly overrated, but they should handle this one no problem.

#6 Oklahoma 52, Texas A&M 35

Note: Texas A&M will lead 35-3 at half before failing to score or stop OU in the 2nd half and will lose by 17. Oh, I only wish I was kidding. Seriously though, OU should take care of business at home, but the Ags will put up a fight and should stay in it almost all the way through.

#5 Boise State 49, UNLV 17

No problem yet again for the Broncos as they breeze towards another Fiesta Bowl berth and another massive payday.

#4 Stanford 52, Oregon State 21

Andrew Lu--- I mean Stanford should win yet again this week and remain as the team that seems to be just hanging around, waiting for their opportunity to jump into the National Championship mix.

#3 Oklahoma State 62, #14 Kansas State 24

Kansas State is by far, FAR, the most overrated team in America. And, while the Pokes are also overrated, they are far better than the Cats, and should beat them down terribly in Stillwater on Saturday.

GAME OF THE WEEK

#1 LSU 23, #2 Alabama 17

In what is being dubbed by some (by "some" I mean "me") as the Game of the Century, we got #1 vs #2 in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. This will be one of those games we remember for a long time. However, I think the road team gets it done, as LSU's defense is probably the best in the nation, and their offense has been a model of efficiency. Alabama's defense is basically equally as good, and their run game is on an equal plateau as LSU, and probably even better. This game, as so many do, will come down to QB play, and the experience on the LSU side will pay great dividends as they head to victory. Although Lee may not be the most talented, both he and Jefferson have experience in games like this, while McCarron has never been in anything close to this. So, let's get this thing going!

#1 LSU @ #2 Alabama

In our lifetimes, there will only be a handful of games of which you will remember every last detail. For me, it is, unfortunately, Game 6 of this year's World Series and the '03 Fiesta Bowl, but, on a better note, the '02 Rose Bowl, Game 2 and Game 6 of this year's NBA Finals, Game 6 of the '99 Stanley Cup, and, oddly, stuck in my mind forever is the '10 National Championship basketball game that Butler almost won. But, anyways, I digress. Saturday's game at Bryant-Denny Stadium between top-ranked Louisiana State and second-ranked Alabama has a chance to be one of those games that you will remember forever. We remember these games for the game itself, obviously, but, more importantly, we remember the atmosphere, the crowd noise, the people we are with, and much more. So, when you watch this game on Saturday, pay extra attention to the atmosphere. Pay extra attention to the love of College Football in, without a doubt, football's best conference at one of college football's most tradition-rich schools. This is going to be a game, but also, an environment for the ages.

It is so rare that a game comes along that even the casual sports fan is required to clear his Saturday night schedule in order to watch it. People have asked me why I support the BCS. Listen, I am pro-playoff all the way, but as long as we have this system that clearly is not going anywhere, we may as well embrace it for some of its good parts, of which it has many. This game on Saturday night IS that good part. This is, in a sense, a National Championship Game in its own right. At the very least, it is a very important playoff game. College Football under the current system is the only sport than can provide the drama that we are seeing this week in CFB. If this were the NFL, this game would be essentially meaningless. If this were the NBA, the MLB, CBB, NHL, this game would mean absolutely NOTHING. But, lucky for us, this game is College Football, and now we have one of the greatest regular season games to ever come to fruition.

Enjoy this game on Saturday night. There is no telling how long it will be before we witness another game of this magnitude between the 2 de facto best teams in America. Enjoy this, I beg you. Don't get to looking ahead and don't try to think of Fantasy Football on Sunday or another game that is going on at the time. Don't even sit in misery replaying certain baseball games from last weekend over and over in your head like I have been for days now. Just watch this game, and enjoy the spectacle, the glory, the uniqueness that is College Football. It is flawed in many ways, but it is great in so many more. Set your TV and your minds, Saturday, 7 pm on CBS. Take advantage of the opportunity laid before you and watch this game. College Football, 'nuff said.