Bik's Week 4 Picks: Replaced?

Following the debacle that was Monday Night Football, you probably heard 2 *thuds*. It was near impossible to not hear it because both were so loud and so evident.

The first was every fan’s palm meeting their face.... the second was Roger Goodell’s heart sinking to the ground. After ticking for 47 games, the bomb that was his gamble for replacement refs finally blew up in his face on Game 48 of the NFL Regular Season with the entire continent watching on Monday Night Football no less. Twitter erupted, his office number was posted, and his e-mail was released by a Wisconsin radio station. Pandemonium. The world had witnessed enough.

You Were Terrible, But Thank-You

The life of an Official, in ANY sport, is not easy. You are never right, never fast enough, and you become a punching bag for any and all sports fans. It comes with the territory. When you choose a life of officiating it's just part of the job description. You will be hated and you will be heckled. When you hold the outcome of the game in your hands though, you need to be ready for it. That's why we need regular officials.

Bik's Week 4 Thursday Pick: Replacing Life

HUZZAH! THE ORIGINAL REFS ARE BACK (more on this tomorrow in Friday’s feature). But after the debacle that was Monday Night Football and the rapid resolution of the situation, here’s a What If list of other Replacement Scenarios, along with an estimated timeline:

• Replacement Reindeer (Dec 26^th): Imagine trying to explain to kids that Santa was too cheap to front some cash for Rudolph and the crew so in the meantime we have replacement reindeer that don’t have the power and precision that the original reindeer have. No guarantees they get to your house in time for a kid to wake up.

• Replacement Pilots (About 15 flights worldwide): It’s almost immeasurable how much of a catastrophe this would be. Remember that scene in “Snakes On A Plane” when Russ Tyler (the actors name is actually Kenan Thompson and he’s great on SNL but he’s forever Russ Tyler to me from his D2: Mighty Ducks days)  takes over the plane when its careening towards the ground. Now imagine every flight being like that – but without Samuel L. Jackson

• Replacement Cops (2 weeks): Those first few days would be hilarious because the public wouldn’t know how far they could push the limits, and the cops with really no fear of reprimands could really push the limits their own way. But after a while the public would realize, much like we did with the replacement officials, that they don’t know all the laws and it would be chaos.

• Replacement Players (A Month): Wait – DON’T GIVE GARY BETTMAN IDEAS! DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!

Onto the Week 4 Picks.

Home Team is in CAPS.

Browns (+12) over RAVENS

I want to rate this game as a loss for everybody. The Browns are maybe the worst team in the league. If you don’t have anything nice to say about a team you shouldn’t say anything about them.

So why am I taking the Browns? This is the Ravens 4^th game in 17 days. Take a second to read that again. 4^th National Football League Game in 17 days. What an immense toll that puts on your body. To compare that to let’s say Arizona who will finish their 4^th game this Sunday in a span of 28 days. The physical toll that is going to have on the beleaguered Ravens could result in some sloppy play allowing the Browns to flirt with that 13 points long enough to keep them in it. Not to mention the potential let down game after a Sunday Night Game versus New England that was controversial in its own right. So with the regular officials back, we might not see the home teams be the beneficiary of scared replacement refs (Seriously – what if the Official on Monday Night was just scared to say it was an interception?) What better way to welcome them back with some favourable calls to the away team leading to another spirited chant by the Ravens Fans.

Last week: 7-8-1

Season: 24-22-2

Fantasy Football Running Diary Pt 2

The roller-coaster of emotions I experienced in my first week of fantasy football was only preparation for even higher highs and lower lows over weeks 2 and 3. It has been like a movie script where just when you think it is a happy go lucky movie BOOM, surprise serial killer out of nowhere. Let me explain.

Bik's Picks Week 3: Simulating Madden 13

If you read yesterday’s piece (click here if you didn’t.... just try not to pay attention to the pick *gulp*) you saw that I demanded that NFL Coaches play EA SPORTS Madden to better understand clock management skills. So I’m going to back up my talk and use Madden 13 as a comparison for my picks this week. ESPN does Madden 13 Simulations every week and so far this season the simulator is 17-15 in picking winners this year. As it happens I’m 17-14-1 after 2 weeks. Let’s see how this goes:

Home Team is in CAPS 

Bik's Picks: Thursday Week 3 Game

Go back in your memory and search that moment when you handed your parents your report card. Ever have that moment where you thought you crushed 5 subjects but your folks focus on the 1 you stumbled in. Now no matter how good you feel about the others, you’re just insanely infuriated about that 1. Well that was me last week... Despite going 10-5-1 in the Week 2 Picks, the 1 tie was the Bengals - Browns game, which robbed me of 11-5 and which has led me to the following rant:

PAT SHURMUR (Cleveland Browns Coach) – WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?! I understand that NFL coaches have infinitely more experience than I ever might hope to achieve, but how is it that coaches still make strategic game management blunders routinely. I’m now campaigning that coaches should have to play EA SPORTS MADDEN and accrue 1000 hours in the off-season to know how to work timeouts and late-game strategies. Down 10, with 20 seconds left, 4^th down and on the oppositions 7 yard line.... Shurmur calls on his field goal unit in some sort of misguided hope that kicking the FG, then recovering the onside kick, and SCORING ON A HAIL MARY was the best course of action to tie the game at 34. Instead of you know, going for the TD from 7 yards out, recovering the onside kick, and trying to get 20 yards to kick a game tying field goal.

Naturally the field goal decision destroyed the spread and left me with a tie. Moving onto Week 3 #CoachesNeedToPlayMadden

Home Team is in CAPS

PANTHERS (-3) over Giants

There’s nothing quite like getting a lay-up game to break out of an offensive slump. That’s what the Panthers had last week with the Saints as they just trounced that team. The Giants waited till the 4^th quarter vs. Tampa Bay to finally explode as Hakeem Nicks and Eli Manning put on a freaking clinic. This game has high scoring written all over it, and considering that the Giants can’t seem to stop anyone (58 points through 2 games), plus let Josh Freeman torch them AAAAAAAAAAAAND have a ridiculous amount of injuries - taking the Panthers. If you have Steve Smith on your fantasy roster, enjoy the party.

Rest of Week 3 Picks on Friday

Last week 10-5-1

Season 17-14-1

CBA Hat-Trick from The Extra Period

Now that you've had 24 hours to deal with whichever emotions have been evoked from the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring, we present to you: The Extra Period CBA Hat-Trick

Lockout Imminent. What else is there?

So the NHL and the NHLPA are still apparently 8% apart on revenue sharing. For the players a lockout seems all but imminent. The current collective bargaining agreement has expired and another NHL season seems to be in jeopardy. The preseason is most likely going to be the first casualty of these ongoing negotiations between the two sides. Really any hockey fan isn't going to care all that much until the regular season which is supposed to start in October when we start losing a portion of those 82 games that we love to watch. Whether you sit in front of your television with specific food and beverage that goes with that game of the night. Or maybe you're unable to be seated in front of your tv and you are constantly checking your phone or computer for updates on all of your favorite teams that might be playing that night. You are still going to need to find other sports or hobbies to fill the void these unfortunate events have caused.

Bik's Week 2 Picks: Wedding Version

The Week 2 Picks are a day late thanks to a wedding I was at on Friday. I was initially skeptical about a Friday wedding having usually only been to Saturday affairs, but gotta admit, not having a hangover on Sunday in the fall-winter during football season has turned me into a proponent into Friday Weddings. Not to mention there isn’t the overlying dread of those who don’t want to face the Two-Day Hangover from a Saturday Night binge-fest in celebration of a wedding. Factor in the day off work you can take, I’m not seeing much downside to a Friday wedding. So with that in mind, your Week 2 Picks will have a wedding theme to it.

Friends Off

Imagine that you are friends with me.

We've been friends since you found me. We’ve had our highs, we've had our lows. We see each other at least 82 times a year. Usually I come visit you in the comfort of your own home but on some rare occasions, roughly once or twice a year, you visit me. In fact, you pay good money to see me. It doesn’t bother you, you're glad to do it especially since it helps me and you're thrilled to see me do well. The 3 hours we visit are great. Sometimes it’s a winning visit, sometimes a losing one, but you're happy to see me because I entertain you.

Bik's Week 2 Picks

So let me get this straight. The NHLPA and NHL are squabbling over money. There might not be a hockey season – and the longest I have to wait for a football game is 3 days? Why should I care about anything the NHL is doing right now? A Wednesday game, then an epic Sunday of football watching, then 2 Monday Nighters...... all with football back on Thursday to start Week 2. I think the NFL just knows how to do things. How great is this: Monday-Thursday-Sunday. You won’t ever be that far away from football. I can’t stop smiling. Then again, I went 7-9 last week.... *frown*

Let’s get back on track in Week 2

C'mon Guys Let's Sort This Out

It's the same old song and dance. Once again the NHL and the NHLPA are on the verge of locking out the start of a season because the two sides can't seem to find a middle ground for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement. Once again fans sit by, anxiously waiting for any good news to reassure them that hockey is coming this fall. Once again...it doesn't look promising.

With only days until the previous CBA expires and the players are locked out, neither side seems confident in a season happening. Which isn't good news. Not just for the fans but the league and it's players as well. Simply put, they can't afford a lockout. They just CAN'T.

I was hoping I wouldn't have to write this piece but I am at a point where I just don't have faith in either side to come to an agreement beforehand. After a little inspiration from this video I felt I needed to outline a few reasons why the NHL can't afford to lock it's players out again.

My First Year Fantasy Football Running Diary

After 4 or 5 years of fantasy hockey I decided it was time I branched out. Despite never winning a fantasy hockey league (three 2nd place finishes last year still hurts) I felt I needed to take the step to the next avenue of Fantasy sports. FANTASY FOOTBALL! So over the next couple months of the football season I will be taking you along for the journey with me, in my Fantasy Football Running Diary.

Bik's Week 1 Picks: UPDATED

The first full weekend of NFL Football is finally here after that Wednesday Night game. A Thursday night game is always great because once it’s done you only have to get through a mild Friday workday before the weekend is upon you and football is back on the TV. Friday is full of water-cooler talk of how great the game was. We play “Armchair Quarter-Back” and break down the game to see how we would have done it differently. And it makes Friday go by even faster. Yet here we are, nearly 48 hours removed from the kick-off to Week 1 and it’s still only Friday. Well thanks a lot Barrack Obama. Thank you very much. Thanks to the Democratic National Convention and that big show-piece, we’re left to go 88 hours without seeing 22 men on a gridiron. I’m not necessarily rooting against you (especially considering I have no vote) but if you do lose the election, you can point to this moment as to why the voting public turned against you. It’s a big gamble and a big risk to pull a stunt like this and it could be damaging beyond repair. If only I had an empty chair nearby to ask you personally...

Now onto the rest of the Week 1 Picks