It's a new year (close enough) with a new game and I'm bringing a whole new commitment to winning as well, so it might be a little tougher to Beat The Blogger in 2009. Here are my picks for the first contest of 2009. As always, make sure you get your picks posted a 1/2 hour before the start of the first game which is 11 a.m. on Saturday this week. Good luck.

1. Pittsburgh over Georgetown
2. Minnesota over Ohio St
3. Buffalo +5 over UConn
4. Texas -9 over Ohio State
5. Arizona +2 over Atlanta
6. Indianapolis +1 over San Diego
7. Baltimore -3 over Miami (Doubler)
8. Philadelphia -3 over Minnesota
9. Carmelo Anthony more points than Chris Paul
10. Lakers to lead Blazers at Halftime

With the NFL season winding down, I was forced to come up with another way for our readers to win some of the great items we have in our prize vault. For those of you who have been playing Beat the Blogger, you know the drill. Each week I'll post several games and their corresponding point spreads. From there, you pick your winners factoring in those point spreads and sit back and see how many picks you got correct. If your total is higher than the Blogger's (ie..me) and is the highest among all of the other entries, you win an authentic signed 8-by-10 photo featuring stars such as LaDainian Tomlinson, Gale Sayers, Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk, Santonio Holmes, DeAngelo Williams and others.

While the game has only consisted of NFL matchups in the past, the new version will feature College Bowl games, NBA games, College Basketball, NHL and basically anything else you can wager on. The other new twist is that I'll only list 10 matchups each week. But of these 10 matchups you can designate one matchup as your "Doubler" with that matchup earning you you a bonus point if picked correctly. So if for example you pick eight games correct but one is your "Doubler" you would score a nine for the week. Just remember to designate your "Doubler" or you won't receive the bonus point. The other new feature will be if any player can pick all 10 games correctly, they will win two authentic signed 8-by-10 photos. 

Each Thursday (Wednesday this week), that week's Beat The Blogger matchups will be posted right here on the 7th Inning Stretch Blogzone. I will always list the start time of the first game of the week so remember to get your selections posted 1/2 prior to the start of the first game to be eligible to win. Then check back to see how you did and if you were able to Beat The Blogger and win.

This Week's Matchups                                      You Make The Call

College Football
Jan. 3 UConn -5 vs Buffalo
College Football
Jan. 5 Texas -9 vs. Ohio St.
College Basketball
Jan. 3 Pittsburgh at Georgetown
Jan. 3 Ohio State at Minnesota
NFL
Jan. 3 Atlanta -2 at Arizona
Jan. 3 Indianapolis -1 at San Diego
Jan. 4 Baltimore -3 at Miami
Jan. 4 Philadelphia -3 at Minnesota
NBA
Jan. 3 Denver vs. New Orleans
Who will score more points?
Carmelo Anthony (Denver) or Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Jan. 4 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland
Which team will lead at halftime?
Lakers or Blazers

Don't forget to factor in the point spreads if given and don't forget to indicate your "Doubler" to earn an extra point if correct. The first game for this week starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3 so make sure you get your picks posted no later than 10:30 a.m. to be eligible to win. Good luck and Happy New Year.

St Louis +14 over Atlanta

NE -7 over Buffalo

Cincinnati -3 over Kansas City

Detroit +11 over GB

Indianapolis +3 over Tennessee

Minnesota -7 over NY Giants

NO +2.5 over Carolina

Cleveland +11 over Pittsburgh

Tampa Bay -14 over Oakland

Chicago +2.5 over Houston

San Francisco -3 over Washington

Baltimore -12.5 over Jacksonville

NY Jets -2.5 over Miami

Dallas +1 over Philadelphia

Arizona -7 over Seattle

Denver +9 over San Diego

Good Luck

 

Here are this week's Beat The Blogger Matchups. With the holiday week there will likely be a smaller turnout so your odds of winning will be higher so good luck. Make sure to get your picks in 1/2 before the start of the first game to be eligible to win.

St. Louis +14 at Atlanta

New England -7 at Buffalo

Kansas City +3 at Cincinnati

Detroit +11 vs Green Bay

Tennessee -3 at Indianapolis

NY Giants +7 at Minnesota

Carolina -2.5 at New Orleans

Cleveland +11 at Pittsburgh

Oakland +14 at Tampa Bay

Chicago +2.5 at Houston

Washington +3 at San Francisco

Jacksonville +12.5 at Baltimore

Miami +2.5 at NY Jets

Dallas +1 at Philadelphia

Seattle +7 at Arizona

Denver -9 at San Diego

While the Blogger was able to get back on track by picking 9 of 16 correct picks, it wasn't enough to hold off "Sam" who picked 12 of 16 to win this week's Beat The Blogger contest.

The final regular season matchups will be posted on Wednesday so make sure you get your picks posted 1/2 prior to the start of the Thursday night game so you can be eligible to win.

Good luck and thanks for playing. 

After my worst week of picking games ever, I'm getting a little bold this week with hopes of turning things around. The following are the Beat the Blogger picks for this week. Remember to factor in the point spreads when making your selections and get your picks posted 1/2 hour before the start of the Thursday night game. Good luck.

Indianapolis -6 over Jacksonville
Baltimore +4 over Dallas
Pittsburgh -2 over Tennessee
Kansas City +4 over Miami
New England -8 over Arizona
Cincinnati +3 over Cleveland
Washington +5 over Philadelphia
San Francisco -5.5 over St. Louis
Atlanta +3 over Minnesota
New Orleans -7 over Detroit
NY Giants -3 over Carolina
NY Jets -5 over Seattle
Houston -7 over Oakland
Denver -7 over Buffalo
San Diego +3.5 over Tampa Bay
Green Bay +4 over Chicago

Here are the matchups for this week's Beat the Blogger contest. Please remember that the point spreads below need to be factored into your selections. The Blogger picks will be posted tomorrow so you can check back to see what your up against. Whoever has the highest total for the week and beats the Blogger's total, wins the weekly prize. Remember to get your picks in 1/2 hour before the start of the Thursday night game to be eligible to win. Good luck.
                                              YOU MAKE THE CALL
Indianapolis -6 at Jacksonville
Baltimore +4 at Dallas
Pittsburgh -2 at Tennessee
Miami -4 at Kansas City
Arizona +8 at New England
Cincinnati +3 at Cleveland
Philadelphia -5 at Washington
San Francisco -5.5 at St. Louis
Atlanta +3 at Minnesota
New Orleans -7 at Detroit
Carolina +3 at NY Giants
NY Jets -5 at Seattle
Houston -7 at Oakland
Buffalo +7 at Denver
San Diego +3.5 at Tampa Bay
Green Bay +4 at Chicago

Let me preface the following by saying that I am fully aware that no athlete is perfect and the ones that appear to be the closest thing we've got to being perfect, are usually the ones who are the exact opposite.

Take for example, Michael Jordan. While Jordan was undeniably the best player I've ever seen and is regarded by many as the best to ever lace'em up, he was anything but a model citizen off the court. He had his share of extra-marital affairs that ultimately cost him his marriage not to mention the hundreds of thousands he won and lost on illegal gambling ventures, but he knew how to play "the game."

The game I'm referring to basically boils down to surrounding yourself with image-restoring experts and advisers who can make sure your private affairs stay just that, and if some secrets do leak out, they provide you with a way to come across in the best light possible and move on. 

Another person who knows that mega-stardom comes with a hefty price tag is Tiger Woods. Arguably the best golfer ever, Woods might just be more adept off the links than he is on them. Anybody who thinks Tiger is as perfect as he comes across during post-round interviews has never seen him whip a club in frustration or curse out a camera-clicking member of the gallery. But instead of adding fuel to the fire and further tarnish his image after an incident like that, Tiger recalls the tips his advisors have drilled into his head since he was 12, and extinguishes the flames before they spread like a T.O. wildfire.

Tiger's longtime caddie Stevie Williams recently made some harsh remarks about Woods' rival Phil Mickelson. 

Williams was quoted as saying: "I wouldn't call Mickelson a great player, cause I hate the p---k."

It's well known that Tiger and Phil aren't the best of friends and while neither has made that a secret in the past, both are quick to pull out the superlatives when referring to the other and deflect any questions regarding their relationship along the way. In typical Woods fashion, and much like Jordan would do back in the day when asked about his relationships with Bird or Magic, he took the high road and quickly turned what could've turned into a media frenzy that would've likely been fanned at every PGA stop they participated in and put it out before it spread.

Woods reaction: "I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Steve Williams about Phil Mickelson, a player that I respect. It was inappropriate. The matter has been discussed and dealt with."

Watch as the ever-present, non-relenting media will try and fan the flames again and again with this one, but also watch how Tiger is always quick to switch the topic back to golf and avoid any further damage. While I'm sure Tiger and Williams giggled behind closed doors about Stevie's comments, I'm also guessing Williams got a slap on the wrist for his comments.

Maybe in the future Jordan, Woods and a few of the other athletes who "get it" can hold a "Spin Doctoring 101" class and foot-in-the-mouth, speak-before-thinking specialists like T.O., Barry Bonds and Bobby Knight can sign up and learn a few tricks of the trade.

Some guys just get it and others don't and probably never will.

Beat The Blogger Results
Posted by Tuff stuff

It just keeps getting easier and easier to win in the Beat The Blogger contest and this week was no exception. The Blogger correctly picked a dismal 4 of 14 games correctly while "nancy" and "wildthing4vr" scored 9 of 14 (two games tied after point spreads factored in) to win the week. This week also produced our first multi-week winner, as "nancy" also won a few weeks back as well. For their efforts, "nancy" and "wildthing4vr" will receive an authentic signed 8-by-10 photo.

Here are the blogger's picks for the week so you know what you're up against. Don't forget you need to beat my total and post the highest number of correct picks of all the participants to win the authentic signed photo. Make sure you remember to factor in the point spreads when making your selections and make sure you post your picks before the start of the Thursday night game. Good luck.

Blogger Picks

New Orleans +3 over Chicago
Green Bay -2 over Jacksonville
Indianapolis -17 over Detroit
Washington -7 over Cincinnati
Atlanta -3 over Tampa Bay
Miami -6.5 over San Francisco
Seattle -3 over St. Louis
NY Jets -7 over Buffalo
Houston +3 over Tennessee
Baltimore -2 over Pittsburgh
Carolina -7.5 over Denver
San Diego -5 over Kansas City
Arizona -3 over Minnesota
New England -7 over Oakland
Dallas -3 over NY Giants
Cleveland +14 over Philadelphia

With just three weeks left in the regular season, the time is now to enter and win the Beat The Blogger contest. After struggling the last several weeks, the Blogger bounced back with 9 correct picks last week but it wasn't enough to take down "ejh" and his 12 of 16 total. Please remember to factor in the points spreads when making your picks and get them posted by 7 p.m. on Thursday night to be eligible to win. Good luck.

This week's Beat The Blogger matchups are below but for those of you who need your contest fix right now, click here to play our Expose The Experts contest where one lucky participant will walk away with a $500 prize package of sports memorabilia. It's the readers vs. the Experts in a battle of wits, as we all try to forecast the future of sports and the sports memorabilia industry in a scored survey. Enter as often as you wish and make sure you check back to the www.tuffstuff.com Home page often to see how you're doing.

OK Billy, your secret is finally out and I'm guessing you feel as though an enormous weight has been lifted from your back. It's probably been tough to keep up this charade for almost 20 years, but talk about locking it up in the vault. Very impressive. I'd feel safe making a mob hit with you riding shotgun because I know you wouldn't squeal until I was long gone.

For those not familiar with the story of the now infamous Billy Ripken "error" card, it goes something like this. Ripken's 1989 Fleer baseball card made its public debut that year with Ripken posed holding his bat, with the photo taken during pre-game warm-ups at Fenway Park. When the 1989 Fleer set hit the public, collectors quickly noticed that the knob on Ripken's bat displayed the words "F*@k Face" and many angry fans and collectors wanted to know why Ripken would be so disgraceful.

Feeling the heat and public backlash (remember this was 1989) Ripken denied any knowledge of the his new signature phrase, explaining that he must have been the victim of a prank by one of his teammates. Fleer reps put their best spin on the situation as well, saying because of time restraints, the image had slipped past its editors and into production with the phrase going undetected. While most within the hobby had little faith in Fleer's explanation (especially when the media got a hold of the story and it created quite a stir not to mention soaring values for the card) most of us did believe Ripken's original version of the story. Until now that is.

Although times were much different 20 years ago and few would bat an eyelash if the story leaked out today, it's hard for me to understand why it took this long for Ripken to come clean. Sure, what he wrote affended a few people and likely taught some youngsters a new word to add to their vocabulary, but isn't it just a funny story vs. being something to feel ashamed of? I guess Billy must have been out in the back yard when Cal senior was giving the "honesty is the best policy" lesson to his brother. Either that, or Billy is just a really slow learner. Either way, thanks for giving us something to chuckle about for the last 20 years.  

To read the entire story, click here.

While the Blogger got back on track with 9 correct picks, it wasn't enough to take down "ejh" who correctly picked 12 of 16 games to win this week's Beat The Blogger contest. For his efforts, "ejh" will receive an authentic signed 8-by-10 photo.

This week's matchups will be posted on Wednesday but for those of you who need your contest fix right now, click here to play our Expose The Experts contest where one lucky participant will walk away with a $500 prize package of sports memorabilia. It's the readers vs. the Experts in a battle of wits, as we all try to forecast the future of sports and the sports memorabilia industry in a scored survey. Enter as often as you wish and make sure you check back to the www.tuffstuff.com Home page often to see how you're doing.

Here are the matchups for this week's Beat the Blogger contest. Please make sure you factor in the point spreads and get your picks in 1/2 hour before the start of the Thursday night game. I'll post my picks Thursday morning so you can see what you're up against. Good luck.

Oakland +10 at San Diego                                     YOU MAKE THE CALL
Jacksonville +6.5 at Chicago
Cincinnati +13.5 at Indianapolis
Houston +6 at Green Bay
Cleveland +13.5 at Tennessee
Minnesota -10 at Detroit
Washington +5.5 at Baltimore
Philadelphia +7 at NY Giants
Atlanta +3 at New Orleans
NY Jets -4 at San Francisco
Buffalo -1 vs. Miami (at London)
Kansas City +9 at Denver
St. Louis +13.5 at Arizona
Dallas +3 at Pittsburgh
New England -5 at Seattle
Tampa Bay +3 at Carolina

Want another chance to win, play our Expose the Experts and win a prize package valued at $500. Simply fill out our sports survey and see how you fair against our panel of experts and you could be the winner. It's just that easy. To play, click here.

This week's Beat The Blogger contest produced several firsts, including the Blogger failing to reach the .500 mark and a thee-way tie for the top spot. Donald, Art and Sandy each picked 10 of the 16 games correctly to win the week and earn their authentic 8-by-10 signed photos. Meanwhile, The Blogger posted a season-worst 6 correct picks, making it just that much easier to take him down and win the prize.

This week's matchups and points spreads will be posted on Wednesday so make sure you check back to then to see what you're up against and make your selections. Remember to get your picks in a 1/2 before the start of the Thursday night game and good luck.

Also, if you like contests and winning free stuff in general, click here to found out more about our "Expose the Experts" contest we have going on. Simply test your sports knowledge by taking our multiple choice survey and you could win $500 in great prizes. To take the Survey now, click here.

With November in the rear view and December typically flying by, I figured I'd toss out my list of resolutions for the New Year a little early this year. I'm hoping if I establish the resolutions early I'll have a better chance of actually sticking to them and making them a reality.

First off, I vow to stop procrastinating. No more putting off til the last minute what I can get done today. Looks like I'm off to a good start with that one with a resolution list on Dec. 1. Check.

I also vow to never again make a bet based on who my heart tells me to pick. After getting burned time and time again by picking my favorite instead of the "favorite," I'm going to try and take the best team regardless and see if that saves me a few dollars. Took Carolina over my beloved Packers yesterday and an ill-timed jump from Charles Woodson helped make me a winner and a loser at one time. Check.

I also vow to never again bring my gun with me when I go out to the club. While it does make me feel safer than the three bodyguards I typically roll with, it's a bitch getting it by security at the front door, it weighs me down when I'm trying to get my groove on, and I'm tired of trying to explain to the ladies I'm slow dancing with that I'm not that excited to see them and I do actually have a gun in my pocket. Not to mention the city wants me to keep getting it registered every year and sometimes I forget to put the safety on and we all know what can happen when you forget to do that. I also vow to root for a Plaxico-less Giants team and booh that glock-touting idiot every time I see him.

I vow to never again watch a matchup on TNT or ESPN until they start mixing up the teams being featured. I'm well aware that the Lakers, Celtics, Suns, Spurs and Rockets are good teams with stars that help drive ratings but enough already. Last time I checked, there were 30 teams in the league so let's mix it up a little. Don't get me wrong, I'm not holding my breath for a Grizzlies-Clippers, T-Wolves-Wizards doubleheader, but if I turn on TNT and see Ernie Johnson, Kenny "The Jet" Smith and the Chuckwagon previewing yet another Lakers vs. anybody matchup, I'm going to go ballistic.

Speaking of the NBA, I also vow to never again make the argument that Allen Iverson is "more mature" now and thus, ready to finaly get the championship ring he deserves. I've been a huge fan of AI's since his Georgetown days and while I will still argue that he's the best under 6-foot player the league has ever seen, I'm not sure he'll ever truly "get it." I truly believed that upon his arrirval to Detroit, he would welcome a lesser role in the offense, find his niche on the veteran-laiden team and simply blend in with the others. After getting pissed about his coach's decision to have practice on Thanksgiving, Iverson voiced his concerns about the holiday session by skipping it altogether. After his history of practice-related conflicts you'd think AI would do whatever it takes to put those conflicts behind him but his actions prove he still doesn't get it and probably never will.  

And while my actual list of resolutions is as long as the list of teams that qualify for the NHL playoffs, I'll save the rest for another day. Now, get working on your own, we can all find something we need to work on. I would suggest showering more often. I'm not going to get into who should jump on that one, you know who you are.