After a week on vacation (St. Barts) the Ro-Pick is back for some more eeeeeeasy money!

Not so great in week 12, 1-5, Jose’s girlfriend put a cruse on my computer, so that’s that.

The Ro-Bank is now up 1.5k Ro-Dollars for the year...here we go:

MIN -10
ATL +3
CLE +15
MIA v BUF over 42
KC +9.5
SF +4

/crosses fingers

Our winning ways continue here at the number two sports handicapping service in my house! (Number one is the Daisy-Pick System)

The Ro-Pick System went 3-2-1 last week bringing our winnings for this year up to 3.5k Ro-Dollars.

These are #%%^ing results you can’t argue with!!!

Stop trying to argue with them.  I guarantee you won’t win the arguement.  Ro-Pick -6.5 at Your Aruguement!!!!!!!!

teh pixxors…

The greatest rivalrty in the history of November!!

THE University of Michigan +21

...and the pros

BAL even
PHI at BAL under 39.5
TB at DET under 42
STL +9
NYJ at TEN over 40

There it is...like a gift card from your aunt to Applebee’s...free money!!

The Greatest Sports Handicapping System of all times is back!!

After going 4-2 last week (despite the haters!!), the Ro-Pick System is now up a fantastically Gi-Normus 3K Ro-Dollars!!

If you bet a million dollars on every piece of advice I gave, you’d be up 6 million dollars!!!!

But you’re not, ‘cause you didn’t, ‘cause you’re an idiot!!!

Basketball--Tonight!
Pistons +10

Fussball--Sunday
DET at CAR Over 39
GB -3.5
KC +5.5
MIA -10
BAL vs NYG Over 40

Can you smell what the Ro-Pick System is cooking?!!!!

Stir-Fry and $crilla!!

The wicked awesome blog Fire Joe Morgan, where “Bad Sports Journalism Comes To Die”, is closing its doors. This really does sadden me.  This is one of just a few blogs I read with regularity.  The fellas over there got it done with out the sex and scat and sensational things some of the other guys use (not that I’m not entertained by that too).  All they did was tear apart brutally bad baseball journalism with a quick wit and a Bill Jamesian philosophy.  Their site was one of the reasons I thought it would be cool to do SODS.  I even bought the tshirt. So goodbye FJM, you’ll definetely be missed.

What the hell was that?  How are you going to blow a 5-2 lead like that?  I was seriously thinking until about halfway through the third period:

“They’re not playing too bad, this is more like what I’m expecting out of this team”

Let’s talk about the first 80% of the game.  Detroit didn’t look too bad.  They had a little bit of secondary scoring out of McCarty.  Franzen netted one from Hudler and Samuelsson.  Osgood looked alright

And then, the shit.

Datsyuk falls apart, forgets that there’s 12 minutes of hockey left - whoops, make that 17.  Even lidstrom looked shaky during the end there.  Penalties, traffic in front of the net.  Horrible.  Simply horrible.

Alright, so I’m not sure how to solve these defensive problems we’ve been having, but they’ve been across the board.  You wouldn’t know it from the record but this is ugly.

A few immediate concerns:

1. I gave Dan Cleary a hard time but he did have blurry vision in one eye a litle while back and it clearly hasn’t gotten better since he’s scratched with an “eye infection.” In order for the team to do well, they need reasonable production out of guys like Cleary, Filpulla, Samuellson, and Hudler.  it’s just not happening consistently enough.
2. Zetterburg’s talent is being wasted.  He needs some time rotated onto the first line.  He need some time with either Datsyuk or Hossa.  Franzen is fine if you want to keep him next to Henrik, but rotate Datsyuk or Hossa into the spot occupied by Cleary/Filuplla/Hudler/Samuellson once in a while.  Just try it.  Jeez.  Switch up Homer and Franzen.  Juggle up that first line, do something, Henrik is getting the shaft

Did anyone else notice Kirk Maltby getting time on the second line during that last game vs. New Jersey?  Does that speak about how well he’s playing or how relatively unimpressive Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson have been?

And how about Brett Lebda getting scratched again?  Well, that’s probably not as much in the mass hysteria category.  I wonder how much he was shopped around at the beginning of the year.  There’s a lot of teams that he could be a second liner on, but Detroit?  Not so much.

Quick recap of the rest of the Wings/Devis game:

1. 20 minute fight
2. Hossa is awesome
3. Stick save osgood
4. Hossa is awesome

Coming off another HUGE week!!  The Ro-Pick System was 4-2 including the correct prediction of the President Elect!!

The Ro-Bank is now up 2k Ro-Dollars!!  HUGE hUgE huge!!!!

Do you like money?  Yes?  Then go sell these paintings/cologne with cold calls.

...or…

Invest in the number one sports handicapping system in Southeastern Ferndale!!  The Ro-Pick System!!

TEN -2.5
DET +7...and the over (43.5)
GB +2.5
STL @ NYJ...over (44)
OAK +10

The Ro-Pick System does it again!!

The number 4 sports handicapping system in the universe is back!!

And we’re up 1k Ro-Dollars due to last week’s make-up picks...congrats to the Phightin’ Phils on their championship, and my ca$h money made upon their success.

This week’s winners:

DET at CHI o/u 43.5....over
BAL +3
OAK +3
NE +6.5
DEN -3
Obama -700 (3.5k to win 500)

The Ro-Pick System does it again!! 

According to John Clayton over at the World Wide Leader, the Lions have signed Daunte Culpepper.  Of course, this is a mind-boggling move and therefore suits the Lions perfectly.  Just when I was little happy about the team’s future now that they have cleaned house and look to make significant changes for the future, they pull a bonehead move like this.

The question is:  Why would they sign Culpepper?  He is an aging player, his best years behind him, the injuries that forced him to retire from football still a question.  I’ll tell you why.  It’s a fan grab.  For the first time in the history of Ford Field, the Lions did not sell out last week’s loss to Washington.  Thus, by NFL rule, the game was not broadcast on television in the Detroit area.  The average fan’s interest in this brutal team has to be low, and when they’re not on television, it’s even lower.  I watched a different game, took a nap, and listened to some of the inevitable loss on the radio.  I mean, what’s the point, right?

With likelihood high that the Lions will not sell out any of their remaining games (except Thanksgiving), the team had to make a move to regenerate interest in the 0-7 club.  And this is it.  Of course, this does nothing but stall any movement towards future success.  It’s a stop-gap to pique the waining interest of fans.  After offensive coordinator Jim Colletto stated this week that Drew Stanton is not getting a chance to start because he’s not ready and added that he’s (Colletto) “not going to embarrass the kid just to prove a point to somebody else”, any chance that we’d see anyone but Dan Orlovsky was dashed, crushing the hopes (albeit small hopes) that we’d see something positive on the field this season.

It’s a young team that is really going to have to rebuild in all aspects of the organization.  I haven’t given up on Stanton or Orlovsky...yet.  Let them play.  There really is no reason to sign an aging QB now and stunt their possible growth. 

So, I’m watching the Detroit - LA game on FSN Kings or whatever this is on center ice.  They’ve got these robotic cameras at the Staples Center and they make me feel like I’m actually there in the arena watching the game.

I feel like I’m sitting in really shitty seats and so drunk that I can’t move my head fast enough to focus on the play

The cameras are making this game borderline unwatchable.  There’s two cameras over each goaltender that only give you a good view when someone is in a corner.  When players are behind the net all you can see is the top of their heads.  Every view of the action is either from directly above or zoomed out so far that you can’t read the numbers on the back of the players’ jerseys… Let alone see the puck.  There’s also a camera over the glass at center ice that’s constantly behind the play because it’s being controlled remotely.  The fact that the cameras are clearly being controlled by someone watching a tiny screen on the other side of the stadium is made worse by the jerky robotic camera movements.

This is insanity.

So, with the 5-6 shootout win last night, we’re 8 games into the season.  I was hesitant to make any real decisions about how I felt about everyone’s play until we were a few games in but I think we’re about there so here goes.

I feel pretty good that they’ve been netting a lot of goals, but not so good that they’ve been giving a lot up as well.  I’m not really blaming either Conklin or Osgood - I think they’ve both played acceptably.  I think the team is getting out of them what they expect.  When you’ve got less than 1.5 million locked up in your goaltending and you’re getting what we’re getting out of these guys, I think you can’t not be happy.  Would it be nice to have a superstar goaltender?  sure - but I’d much rather be where we are than where a lot of teams with pricy fancy goaltenders are.  Chicago?  the Islanders?  No thanks.  I think if you rank “overall goaltending situations” instead of salaries and performance and everything else individually, Detroit’s near the top of the league.

Moving back to defense, I’m not impressed with the second defensive pairing’s play so far this year - especially Brad Stuart.  Are they just getting bad matchups?  Stuart is a -4 right now, I don’t think these guys are dominating quite as much as they did last year.  I’m a bit worried (just a tiny tiny bit) that we’re going to see more of the Brad Stuart that kings fans knew and loved.  Ok, he didn’t play horrible last night, but if things continue like they have, Babcock would do well to consider moving Lilja up to the second pairing with Kronwall.  Andreas has played pretty well this year.  I guess having your job on the line has that affect - well, sometimes.  Brett Lebda is a -7 right now.  Rotate Meech in a little more often, it definitely couldn’t hurt.

In the front, I’m warming up to Datsyuk and Zetterberg being split up.  Hossa is starting to get comfortable and we’re beginning to see some production with him.  On the second line, Franzen has had some mediocre shifts but generally has looked pretty good.  Samuelsson has settled into the second line during the past few games and he’s playing ok there.  It would be really nice if Filppula could fill that role on that line, but maybe he’s not quite there yet.  Unfortunately it looks like Franzen’s now going to be out a month because of last night’s knee sprain.  Dan Cleary will need to step up and play in Franzen’s spot; he’s shown he can do it but he can be streaky sometimes so it’ll be interesting to see how the line plays out in the next month.  The checking line with Draper, Maltby, and Kopecky has been alright I guess.  There were hopes that Kopecky could fill Dallas Drake’s shoes, but it’s not happening.  Maybe McCarty will be able to take on a little more of that role.

Speaking of Darren McCarty, he was put on and cleared waivers.  I was a little surprised by that.  I guess in the salary cap world teams are more adverse to taking on a risk like him.  It seems to me that a guy like him pulling in league minimum might not be a bad gamble.  There must not be a lot of teams hard up for a checking line forward.  What exactly does that mean anyway that he was put on waivers you ask?  If he plays less than 10 games or before 30 days is up, he can be sent down to grand rapids to free up cap space.  I’m not sure I understand the strategy since McCarty stayed with the Wings - maybe they were opening that option in case an emergency happened and they needed some space.  In any event, he remains with the organization.

Bruce said Lieno was called up but then backed off the claim.  Maybe we’ll get to see him once Franzen is put on long-term injured reserve (I hope).  I’ve been looking forward to seeing what the kid can do.  If he’s not called up and Helm is instead I won’t complain.  Darren played well in the two games he was called up for a week or two ago.

LA tomorrow.  Keep an eye out for Kyle Quincey.  If you go by stats alone, he’s outplaying Brett Lebda.

Big Winners!  BIG WINNERS!!

The Ro-Pick System was 3-2 last week putting the Ro-Bank back up to even. 
The number one sports handicapping system in AMERICA is looking to go up BIG this weekend!!

Number one Super VIP guaranTEED SUPER MONKEY money makers!!!

College Selection:
Michigan +5.5

Pros:
TB +2.5
WSH -7.5
SD -3
PHI -9
CIN +10

All guaranteed!  All the time!!

The Ro-Pick System!!

UPDATE
The make up for the week on Monday Night

IND at TEN
o/u 41

OVER!! for 1k Ro-Dollars

also....PHI is -170 tonight...I’ll take it...1.7k to win 1k

The Lions lost to the Texans in Houston on Sunday, 28-21, but the the game was not nearly as close as the score indicates.  Eight of those points came from a ridiculously long bomb from Dan Orlovsky to Calvin Johnson and the subsequent two point conversion.  This touchdown also made Orlovsky and Johnson’s stats seem decent, but when you take away that near hundred yards their days become pedestrian, if not bad.  Six more points were due to team MVP Jason Hanson hitting two 50+ yard bombs when the Lions failed to sniff the redzone. 

The game started as all but one this season has, with the opponent coming out of the gate and dropping three scores upon a clueless Leo’s defense.  Then the Lions come back a bit as the team on the other side relaxes with their massive lead.  Then the Lions lose.  The season was over long ago, and some nice moves have been made for the future.  Marinelli and his staff must be next on the chopping block, though it doesn’t make too much sense to do it now with no suitable replacement waiting in the wings. 

This Sunday our beloved losers take on the Redskins.  I’m predicting Clinton Portis goes from something like 300 yards and 2 TDs.  Redskins 38, Lions 20.

I really don’t want to mention the whole Brett Favrver thing, but there’s not really much else to say about this team.  This is such a non-story, but blown all over place because it’s ole’ number 4, so that’s all the analysis you get.  Speaking of things that are over blown; If Frank TV did an impression of Favre, then found Caylee, would that unmake existance?  Let me rip off The Jim Rome show real quick:  Make the world a better place, punch Nancy Grace in the face.

Last night, game 6 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and the Rays didn’t hit the air until twenty minutes after the first pitch due to technical diffifculties in Atlanta at Turner Network Whatnot, home to TBS, TNT, CNN, and probably some others.  At about 8 o’clock I looked up from what I was doing and noticed that the pregame was not on and instead it was an episode of Dick Clark Presents:  Kids and Celebrities are Wacky Morons.  Where the hell was the game?!  I thought maybe a rain delay, but the Rays play in a dome (even though it’s named Tropicana Field).  And there’s no crawl on TBS telling me what the heck was happening.  Ugh.  I checked the other stations on the tele to make sure it wasn’t on some other network even though my digital guide assured me it was on TBS.  Fox...nothing.  ESPN...nothing.  I went online to see if there was some breaking news I was unaware of.  FoxSports...nothing.  TBS.com...nothing.  I even went to CNN to see if the terrorists or Yankee fans had done something horrible to affect my ability to watch this relatively meaningless sporting event...nothing.  Wait.  Where can I go to get up to the second updates, opinions, and lewd humor?  Deadspin!  I clicked on their ALCS post to see what the commenters were saying.  Ah-ha.  Before TBS even ran a crawl explaining their problem, Deadspin commenters were saying there was a power outage and nobody was seeing the game anywhere in the country.  Bingo!  Instant gratification!  A few minutes later the game came on and the Sox won.  Game 7 tonight.  Alledgedly on TBS.

Back up in that ass with the resurrection!

The Ro-Pick system is here to save you, degenerate!

Last week we went even...leaving the Ro-Bank at 9500 Ro-Dollars, that’s down only 5 dimes, idiot!!

If you fail to use the guaranteed winners doled out this week by the number one sports handicapping/film consultant system in the world, you’re dumber than a drunk frat boy!

*special college selection*-- Penn State -24

and...the pros:

DET +11
TEN -7.5
DAL -7
SF +12
DEN +3.5

Get a grip, point spread sucker!  These picks will save your wallet and failing marriage!!