EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL

Announcing the official “Little Cuzzy Baby Pool,” in which entrants are challenged to guess specifics about the future offspring of Michael and Katie.

Just so everyone is starting off on even footing: The due date given by the doctor is Sept. 20. That is all the info we can give you.

Entries are judged on the following criteria, in this order by process of elimination:

1) Gender

2) Date of Birth

3) Weight

4) Time of Birth

I based the order on the most asked questions we get (”Do you know the gender? When’s it due?”) So in other words, get the gender correct and you move on to the next level of judgment.

Get the date right but the gender wrong and you’re SOL. The person who gets gender and DOB correct wins. If more than one person gets gender and DOB right, we move on to tie-breakers such as weight and time of birth. That way we dont’ have to referee if multiple people guess the same gender and DOB, because the other criteria will certainly determine a winner.

What’s the winner get? Nothing but pride and bragging rights. Oh and if you are in the Halifax area, a free place to stay and a night of babysitting while we go out.

All entries should be entered right here on this post. That way everything’s open for everyone to read.

So just to make that clear for the Internet-ly challenged.

Copy and paste the follow into a comment and fill in your answers.

1) Gender

2) Date of Birth

3) Weight

4) Time of Birth

Good luck everyone.

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Man it has been a  long time since I updated this blog but the good new is it has been because I have been so busy.

Doing a lot of work for Chalk.com including writing daily blog posts for bodog beat. Now if you go to the posts on the site it will have different author names attached but trust me when I say it is me. They like to use ghost names I guess.

Here are some samples of what I do every day.

NHL Odds: Boston at Montreal

NHL Odds: Phoenix at Chicago

NFL Week 7 Picks: Baltimore at Miami

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From time to time I like to help out friends or I get asked to do a guest post for another blog or website.

Here are a few that display my knowledge of the subject and how to add a creative style to it.

Posted on The Sports Dollar

25 Traits of Successful Sports Bloggers Part 1

25 Traits of Successful Sports Bloggers Part 2

Posted on GrandmasterB

How Do You Size Up To The Dirk Digg-lers of The Internet?

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This is a preview for the upcoming PAC-10 season that I wrote for Chalk.com that was featured in Blitz magazine in the United States.

SEC

Alabama

The Tide ended the year with a convincing Independence Bowl win over Colorado, but at mid-season, backers were primed for a whole lot more. At 6-2, expectations in Tuscaloosa were very high but a lack of depth and consistency brought the program back to earth with a four-game losing streak to close out the regular season (7-6 SU, 3-9 ATS). Head coach Nick Saban has the pieces in place for a huge year with nine starters returning on offense and six on defense including building blocks Andre Smith on the O line and Rashad Johnson in the secondary. On paper the Tide should profit thanks to a weak non-conference schedule. They face Tulane, Arkansas State and Western Kentucky before getting into SEC play where they have home dates against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Getting by Clemson on opening day could lead to a big first half of the season.

Arkansas

The Razerbacks ended 2007 hot, winning five of their final six regular season games (covering four), to finish 8-5 (7-5 ATS). With a chance to end the season ranked, however, the Razorbacks got smoked by Missouri 38-7 in the Cotton Bowl. In 2008 new head coach Bobby Petrino should bring a new fire and a new look to the offense even though he still needs to find his ideal quarterback. For now the Hogs are going to live and die with Casey Dick (1695 yards). He has to be far more efficient and a more dangerous passer with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones gone. Looking at the schedule, things gets tough with the first two dates in October when they host Florida and visit Auburn. Arkansas has potential to be an exciting young team that should get better but at the same time it could be a long season for Petrino.

Auburn

After starting the 2007 season with three ATS losses in a row, the Tigers were on the brink of destruction in September. From there they were money in the bank for backers finishing the year on a 7-2 ATS run. Auburn ended the season with an overall 9-4 record including a Chick-fil-A victory against Clemson. Now, eight starters are back on offense and six of seven starters return in the defensive back. If the new coordinators and defensive line changes can be worked out early on, there will be no excuse for the Tigers to not be in the national title hunt. There are plenty of big-time games on the 2008 schedule, but luckily for the Tigers, almost all of them are at home. Going on the road to face West Virginia is the only road date problem until the season-ender at Alabama.

Florida

The 2007 season was all about retooling for Florida. Despite sporting Heisman winner QB Tim Tebow (3286 yards) and one of the most prolific offenses in the country, the Gators struggled to fill the gaps on a defense that was gutted by graduations and defections to the NFL. The end result was a solid 9-4 record (8-4 ATS) and a Capital One Bowl loss to Michigan. In 2008 the Gators come out loaded with eight starters returning on offense, including Tebow, eight on defense and punter Chas Henry, who helped them finish first in the SEC in net punting. Once again, the gators will not have an issue with finding the red zone after a stellar 9-3 O/U record in 2007. If the defense shores up, the Gators could be a favorite to walk away with a National Title and possibly go unbeaten in 2008.

Georgia

The Bulldogs caught fire following After an ATS loss to Tennessee on Oct. 6 the Bulldogs caught fire and never cooled off. They closed the season with seven straight wins (covering five) including a blowout of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. Even better than the Dawgs’ 11-2 overall record, was that it was achieved with a slew of freshmen and sophomores that entered the season with limited relevant experience. Nine starters are back on defense and eight are back on offense including RB Knowshon Moreno (1,334 yards), who is emerging as a superstar. Georgia’s odds of being a contender could be decided by as early as week four with road trips to South Carolina and Arizona State and a home date against two-time defending MAC champion Central Michigan. If Georgia can get through their schedule with just one blemish, they have a great shot at being in the national title game.

Kentucky

For the second straight year, the Wildcats posted an 8-5 record (6-5-1 ATS) with a Music City Bowl win over Florida State. Riding the strong arm of QB Andre Woodson (3,709 yards), Kentucky started the year 4-0 ATS but tailed off in the second half as injuries mounted and the schedule stiffened. With Woodson gone, the offensive line will revolve around three decent starters and RB Tony Dixon, at least early on, while the defense gets back eight starters and both kickers. The Wildcats might not be as good as last year but given their weak non-conference schedule, they may earn some line value because of it in their early conference games. Avoiding LSU and Auburn will be a big plus, but given Kentucky’s back-heavy slate of games from October 25th on, another eight-win season would represent a commendable effort.

LSU

The Tigers won a second national championship in five years but it was not easy. They lost twice in triple-overtime as the No. 1 team, and squeaked out a number of close games to get to New Orleans. Those close games added up to a poor 6-7-1 ATS record for a team that ended the season at 12-2. This season the LSU offense was going to be focused around QB Ryan Perrilloux but he is no longer at LSU. So head coach Les Miles has to hand the reigns over to Jarrett Lee or Andrew Hatch. With Tyson Jackson coming back along with Marlon Favorite and Ricky Jean-Francois, the defensive line will move forward without Glenn Dorsey. The defending national champions don’t get much of a break from the SEC scheduling gods having to travel to Florida and South Carolina before hosting Georgia in Death Valley.

Ole Miss

When you have a record of 3-9 and fail to win a league game for the first time since 1982, chances are there will be changes. Ole Miss pulled the plug on head coach Ed Orgeron to close the chapter on a failed three-year experiment with an inexperienced head coach. The Rebels at least put some cash in backers pockets by covering six times including games against Florida and Alabama. This season new head coach Houston Nutt does have some nice pieces to work with, including Texas transfer QB Jevan Snead. The offense has to start scoring more this season. It moved the ball at times, but closing was a huge problem averaging only 20 points per game. The road schedule looks harsh playing at Wake Forest, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas and LSU but only having the five games away from home could play a huge factor in the Rebels improvement.

Mississippi State

After another three win season, head coach Sylvester Croom’s team finally began to deliver signs of progress. Despite quarterback problems all season, the Bulldogs clawed their way to eight wins (six ATS), capped by victories over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl and UCF in the Liberty Bowl. Expectations are sky-high in 2008 with eight starters back on a senior-laden defense, and seven starters back on offense. QB Wesley Carroll (1,392 yards) was forced to survive a baptism under fire in 2007 and now has almost an entire season of experience, good news for the league’s worst offense. Overall the Bulldogs schedule is not that bad getting a pretty easy non-conference schedule and dates with Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Three killer road games, at Georgia Tech, at LSU, and at Tennessee, will make it hard to improve on last season’s breakthrough campaign.

South Carolina

In 2007 South Carolina started out 6-1 (4-1 ATS), ranked No. 6 in the country, and playing like it planned on fighting for a national championship. Then the wheels fell off and just over a month later, the Gamecocks were 6-6 (5-6 ATS) and completely out of the bowl picture. This season the pressure is on head coach Steve Spurrier to finally show off some of that legendary magic. If everyone stays healthy this team could be a true SEC title contender with solid replacements for the losses on offense, and ten starters returning on defense. USC gave it away 28 times and only came up with 21 turnovers to finish 101st in the nation in turnover margin last season. To have any sort of a shot at winning the SEC East, players like QB Chris Smelley have to be better, and there can’t be as many mistakes.

Tennessee

The 2007 season was a profitable one for those backing the Volunteers. They won 10 games (nine ATS), captured the SEC East, and the Outback Bowl over Wisconsin. After a 41-17 upset loss to Alabama on Oct. 20th, Tennessee rallied to win six of their last seven games to end the year. This season ten starters return on offense including the entire offensive line that led the nation in fewest sacks allowed. RB Arian Foster’s (1,193 yards) decision to come back for his senior season is a big plus as well. The two biggest changes in 2008 will be a new head coach in Dave Clawson and the replacement of QB Eric Ainge. That job will likely go to Jonathan Crompton. The Vols season hinges on how they come out of their top-heavy early schedule. Trips to UCLA, Auburn and Georgia and a home date with Florida fill two-thirds of Tennessee’s first six games.

Vanderbilt

For the third consecutive year, the Commodores entered November within striking distance of bowl eligibility, only to lose their final four games (failing to cover in three). Looking ahead to 2008, the QB situation looks in excellent shape with Mackenzi Adams (1,043 yards) and Chris Nickson providing solid veteran options. The defense that finished 16th in the nation will see everyone return to the secondary, led by top corner D.J. Moore and big hitting safety Reshard Langford. The team’s two best pass rushers, DE Broderick Stewart and LB Patrick Benoist, are back also. This unit played a large part in Vandy only playing over the total twice in 12 games in 2007. Vanderbilt could have problems in the back half of the year with no easy November home games playing Florida and Tennessee to go with two tough road games at Kentucky and Wake Forest.

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This is a preview for the upcoming PAC-10 season that I wrote for Chalk.com.

Pac-10

Arizona

In 2007 it took some time for Arizona’s offense to start getting the hang of coordinator Sonny Dykes’ air-it-out offense, but by the end of the year things started to click. The Wildcats ended the season with a 5-7 record (6-5 ATS) which included covering the final four games of the year and a three game winning streak (two games playing over) in late October through November where the offense hung 48 points on Washington, 34 on UCLA and 34 on Oregon. With ten starters returning on offense, this is a team that could put up a whole lot of points in a hurry once again. QB Willie Tuitama (3,682 yards) has just about all of his weapons returning including the addition of junior college transfer Derick Barkum. The defense has the potential to be decent and that could be enough for the Wildcats to reach their first bowl game since 1998.

Arizona State

Last season the Sun Devils unexpectedly rose to No. 6 in the country with an 8-0 start (covering six) before being outclassed down the stretch in double-digit losses to Oregon, USC, and Texas in the Holiday Bowl. In the end the Devils posted a 10-3 (6-7 ATS) which included failing to cover the spread in the final five games of the season. Now that head coach Dennis Erickson has momentum, he needs to parlay that into more speed and depth along both lines. The return of QB Rudy Carpenter (3,202 yards) provides stability, but to remain a favorite in the Pac-10, Arizona State needs to develop reinforcements on the offensive line and in the secondary. A Pac-Ten crown is dependent on whether the Sun Devils can snap an eight game losing streak against the Trojans, and beat either Cal or Oregon for a shot at a Rose Bowl bid.

California

You can almost break down 2007 into two very different seasons for the Bears. In the first, Cal beat Tennessee and upset Oregon to start out 5-0 start and a No. 2 national ranking. In the second, Cal fell off the map going 1-6 to end the regular season and barely qualifying for a bowl game. The Bears did beat Air Force as favorites in the Armed Forces Bowl, putting an end to seven straight ATS losses to finish 2007 at 7-6 (4-9 ATS). This year the first decision head coach Jeff Tedford is who will be the starting QB. Nate Longshore (2,566 yards) did not put up great numbers last year and Kevin Riley led the team to victory in the bowl game. The Bears catch a break in terms of schedule with only five road games; Washington State, Maryland, Arizona, USC and Oregon State.

Oregon

Oregon started the 2007 campaign with an 8-1 ATS record and looked like a gold mine for bettors. Then QB Dennis Dixon (2,129 yards) got hurt and the team lost their three final regular season games, failing to cover in all three. In 2008 head coach Mike Bellotti has two real question marks to answer and they are at quarterback and running back. How he replaces Dixon and RB Jonathan Stewart will go along way in determining the fate of the Ducks this year. The good news is the Ducks have a solid offensive line that will give the new quarterback and running back plenty of opportunities. Can QB Justin Roper carry his gutsy play from the end of 2007 through a full season? Backers hope so because the schedule is full of tough tests including hosting Washington in the opener and road games at Purdue, USC, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon State.

Oregon State

The Beavers did not get off to a great start in 2007 but ended up providing a lot of value by season’s end. Rebounding from a ragged start, Oregon State went 7-1 SU and ATS to end the year, including an upset win over Oregon and an Emerald Bowl victory against Maryland. Looking ahead to 2008, head coach Mike Riley will first have to make a decision on his QB. After a disappointing first season as a starter, QB Sean Canfield (1,661 yards) now has to be looking over his shoulder at Lyle Moevao, who was 4-0 after taking over Canfield’s spot when he was hurt. Whoever gets the nod, they will have WR Sammie Stroughter to throw to since he was awarded an extra year of eligibility after a kidney issue. The non-conference schedule features a trip to Penn State, at home to face Hawaii and then back on the road to play Utah.

Stanford

Stanford is far from being one of the favorites in the Pac-10, but at least first-year coach Jim Harbaugh has helped bring a renewed energy to the program. The 2007 season saw the Cardinal put up a 4-8 record (5-7 ATS) and one of the most memorable wins in school history, a 24-23 upset of USC as a 40-point underdog. They also upset Cal to end the season giving backers something to look forward to in 2008. In order to reach a bowl game the defense will have to be better than ninth in the conference. And with nine starters returning to the unit, that should not be a problem. While Harbaugh sorts out a passing attack that lost their QB and two top receivers, RB Anthony Kimble (509 yards) will have to carry the offense. A schedule featuring seven road games might be too much to handle in 2008.

UCLA

With 20 starters returning, the Bruins 6-7 2007 season qualified them as one of the biggest underachievers of the year, costing head coach Karl Dorrell his job. The silver lining for bettors was a profitable 9-4 ATS record, including covering the spread in the last four games of the year. This season Rick Neuheisel replaces Dorrell and will be inheriting a roster that will be missing a ton of last year’s regulars. If Neuheisel can get QB Ben Olson (1,040 yards) to max out his potential (and stay healthy), it will make this rebuilding season at UCLA that much better. The good news for backers is that the Bruins now have a superb coaching staff. The bad news is their schedule. Three of their first four games are against top 25 teams: Tennessee, BYU and Fresno State. This could be too brutal a schedule for such a young team to handle.

USC

In 2007 the Trojans posted a 11-2 record (7-6 ATS), won a sixth Pac-10 title in-a-row and bombed Illinois 49-17 in the Rose Bowl. Despite all of this, there was still a hollow feeling on campus due to the lack of a national title. After losing 10 players to the NFL, Pete Carroll’s Trojans look even stronger in 2008. Mark Sanchez (695 yards) becomes the team’s full-time starter at quarterback and he will be tossing to an arsenal of receivers that includes Patrick Turner, David Ausberry and Vidal Hazelton. For the Trojans to be successful the offense only has to be adequate because the defense is strong. Last year’s unit finished second overall in college football, giving up only 16 points per game (USC played under 10 times). USC’s title chances should be answered in the second week of the season when they play host Ohio State.

Washington

After getting bettors attention with a 2-0 ATS start including an upset of Boise State, the Huskies proved to be a tease, failing to cover in five of its next six games, and eventually finishing alone in the Pac-10 cellar with a 4-9 overall record. Head coach Tyrone Williams enters his fourth year knowing the team needs to get better and the best hope for improvement lies with the offense. QB Jake Locker (2,062 yards) is a superstar in the making and the offense will jump forward if Locker can better last year’s stats. But to do so he must throw to a young group of receivers that include the prize of this year’s recruiting class Chris Polk. The schedule will force this young squad to mature fast. The Huskies open on the road in Oregon and then follow with difficult home games against BYU and Oklahoma.

Washington State

In 2007 an 0-4 start (1-3 ATS) to the conference schedule ended any hope of a postseason run. Despite finishing the year 5-7 and covering four of the final five games, it was not good enough for head coach Bill Doba to keep his job. New head coach Paul Wulff hopes his seven winning seasons in eight years at Eastern Washington University transfers over. Redshirt senior Gary Rogers currently has the edge at quarterback but transfer Kevin Lopina is a better fit for Wulff’s no-huddle, spread offense. The wide-open attack should benefit returning receiver Brandon Gibson (1,180 yards). Last season’s leading rusher, Dwight Tardy (676 yards), returns to the backfield as well. Matching last seasons record will be difficult with USC, Oregon, California, and Arizona State on the schedule. A bowl invitation might be asking a little too much in Coach Wulff’s first year.

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