Author: Armadillo Sports

13) The Fabulous Baker Boys— Two struggling musicians, who are brothers, team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer, who revitalizes their careers. Michelle Pfeiffer is the singer; Jeff/Beau Bridges are the two brothers. 

12) Bull Durham— Susan Sarandon is a minor league baseball groupie; Kevin Costner is a journeyman catcher brought in to mentor the team’s young pitching prospect. Durham Bulls were a Class A farm club when this movie was made (1988); they’re a AAA team now. 

11) Major League— The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a horrible team on purpose so they’ll lose and she can move the team to Miami, but it is the movies, so of course, they win the pennant. 

Couple of things:
— Moving a ball club to Miami turned out to be a terrible idea in real life.
— Bob Uecker steals the show in this movie as the team’s radio announcer. 

10) Prince of Tides— A high school football coach from the South (Nick Nolte) talks to his suicidal sister’s psychiatrist (Barbra Streisand) in New York City about their family history and, because it is the movies, they fall in love. George Carlin has a pretty good cameo as a neighbor of the psychiatrist.

9) Cousins— Ted Danson plays a dance instructor in a failing relationship who meets a woman (Isabella Rossellini) at a family wedding and they become great friends- her husband isn’t amused. Lloyd Bridges is excellent as Danson’s father. William Peterson played the unhappy car salesman/husband.

Danson/Peterson both wound being the star of CSI, at different times. Cousins ends with the happy couple literally sailing off into the sunset. 26 years later, in the last scene of CSI, William Peterson/Jorja Fox also sail off into the sunset, a very similar scene. 

8) The Bodyguard— A former Secret Service agent takes the job of a famous singer’s bodyguard,  whose lifestyle is a lot different than a President’s.

Of the 13 movies on this list, Robert Wuhl has a small role in three of them; he plays the host of the Academy Awards in this movie. He was a pitching coach in Bull Durham, and a basketball recruiting guru in Blue Chips. 

7) Leap of Fsith— A huckster faith healer (Steve Martin) is stranded with his entourage in a small Midwestern town that is going thru tough times financially, because of a drought. He decides to set up camp in the town for a few days and put on some shows to make money.

Liam Neeson is the town’s sheriff; Debra Winger, Meat Loaf and Philip Seymour Hoffman are part of his entourage. 

6) Last Vegas— Four longtime friends take a break from their day-to-day lives to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas for their last remaining bachelor friend. Morgan Freeman, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline; tremendous cast. Mary Steenburgen is a singer in Binion’s Casino who becomes friends with the group. 

5) A Star Is Born— A famous musician helps a young singer find fame/fortune as age and alcoholism ruin his own career; this is the fourth time this movie has been made.

Andrew Dice Clay adds to the movie as Lady Gaga’s father; the guitarist in Bradley Cooper’s band is Lukas Nelson, whose dad is Willie Nelson.

This Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper version is very similar to the 1954 version, with Judy Garland, James Mason. The 1976 movie, with Barbra Streisand/Kris Kristofferson, was a lot different. 

4) Rounders— A young gambler plays big stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks, while balancing his relationship with his girlfriend and his commitments to law school. Every movie star who gambles in the movies comes out ahead, except for Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler, who is very grateful to wind up even.

3) Moneyball— Would be ranked higher if the A’s won at the end, or in the beginning; oh well. This is the story of how Oakland GM Billy Beane put together a baseball team on a small budget by using computer-generated analysis to evaluate players.

I was lucky enough to meet Michael Lewis, who wrote the book Moneyball, in 2004. Nice guy. 

2) Blue Chips— A college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive; two of the players he recruits are played by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. Jerry Tarkanian/Dick Vitale/Jim Boeheim have cameos. Nick Nolte spent some time with the Indiana Hoosiers to prep for this role. 

Basketball scenes were filmed in a high school gym in Indiana; they have some really nice high school gyms in Indiana. 

1) American Underdog— What did you think I would have at #1? This is the story of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming a football star, leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title.

Seriously, this movie was better than I thought it would be; it is a great story, but they avoided making the movie too sappy. 

— What a mess they have in Cleveland; they’ve made the playoffs once the last 19 years, they signed QB Deshaun Watson to a huge, guaranteed contract, but he’s suspended 11 games by the NFL for alleged sexual misconduct- he didn’t play last year either.

Jacoby Brissett is Cleveland’s QB to start; the Browns traded the previous starter Baker Mayfield to Carolina, their opponent in Week 1.

— Mike Zimmer went 74-59-1 as coach of the Vikings from 2014-21, but went 2-3 in playoff games, so he was shown the door and in comes Kevin O’Connell, who has an offense-based background, but he’s never been a head coach.

Will QB Kirk Cousins/WR Justin Jefferson benefit from the coaching change? Defense-minded coaches like Zimmer tend to run the ball more, to protect their defense from being on the field too much. Minnesota figures to be more wide open on offense now. 

— Trey Lance is the new QB in San Francisco; he’s started only three football games the last two years, going 1-1 with the 49ers LY, after North Dakota State played only one game in the short 2020 season.

17 starts at the I-AA level, two starts in the NFL, he takes over a team that lost the NFC title game 20-17 last year. 49ers are in win-now mode; is Lance good enough right now to lead them to a Super Bowl?

— Brian Daboll is the guy who developed Buffalo QB Josh Allen into a big star; Daboll is now the head coach of the Giants. Allen will have a new voice in his ear; new OC Ken Dorsey. Buffalo is favored to win the Super Bowl; can Allen maintain his high level of play, with a new OC calling his plays?

— if Daboll can turn Daniel Jones into a top-flight QB the way he did with Allen, then he’s going to be known as an elite QB whisperer; last five years, Giants are 22-59. This is a made-or-break year for Jones in New Jersey; the 2023 draft is expected to be QB-heavy.

— AFC West is loaded; Raiders are the longest shot to win the division, and they were 10-7 LY, a playoff team. Mahomes, Wilson, Herbert, Carr; lot of good QB’s.

— Chiefs have hosted the last four AFC title games, but won only one Super Bowl- they played the Buccaneers in Tampa in the Super Bowl they lost. Kansas City has won the AFC West six years in a row; can they make it seven this year?

— Raiders, by the way, haven’t won a playoff game since losing the Super Bowl 20 years ago.

— Matt Ryan will be the Colts’ 5th different starting QB the last five years; they were 9-6 at one point LY, but gagged at the end, losing last two games to Raiders/Jaguars, missing the playoffs, which prompted the Carson Wentz-to-Washington deal.

Ryan went 124-108 as QB of the Falcons; he led a Super Bowl 28-3, but things went downhill after Atlanta lost that game in overtime. Now, at age 37, he starts the final chapter in his NFL career.

— Some numbers to consider:
Tom Brady was 249-75 as QB of the Patriots, 30-11 in playoff games.
Bill Belichick is 321-156 as a head coach, 31-13 in playoff games.

Do the math, subtracting the Brady games, and Belichick is 72-81 as a head coach, 1-2 in playoff games. 

— Sean Payton was 161-97 coaching the Saints, 9-8 in playoff games; he won a Super Bowl, but he is working on TV for FOX this year. His presence will hover over the Dallas Cowboys this year; Dallas is 18-15 in two years under Mike McCarthy- they haven’t won a playoff game since 2018.

Dallas was 12-5 last year, but lost their first playoff game; they haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1995. Jerry Jones ain’t getting any younger; there is pressure on McCarthy to produce this year.

If he doesn’t, Payton could very well be the Dallas coach next season.

— During a preseason game last week, Arizona QB Kyler Murray was calling plays in the fourth quarter; would Kliff Kingsbury ever let Murray call his own plays while he was playing?

Back in the day, quarterbacks called their own plays, but this off-season, Arizona questioned Murray’s willingness to study/prepare like NFL QB’s are supposed to do. They’re also paying him $46M a year, so they obviously think he is capable.

— Doug Pederson is Jacksonville’s third head coach in three years; he was 46-39-1 coaching the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl. Trevor Lawrence enters his second year as the QB; he should do a lot better with Pederson mentoring him.

— It has been 18 years since a team won consecutive Super Bowls; can the Rams repeat this season? They lost some veteran players from LY; Whitworth. Woods. Von Miller. Weddle. Hekker. Corbett. 

They’re being dismissed in preseason predictions; they still have a great coach, a great QB and Aaron Donald, the best defensive player in the game. We’ll see what happens. 

26) Bulworth— Warren Beatty plays a suicidal liberal politician who puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters. When he falls head over heels for a younger woman (Halle Berry), he tries to cancel the contract, but it turns out that the woman is the hit man. 

25) Molly’s Game— The true story of Molly Bloom, a young woman who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and later became an FBI target, when Russian mobsters joined the poker game. This movie is a continuation of a book she wrote about her experiences. 

24) Dave— Guy who runs an employment agency is recruited by the Secret Service to become a momentary stand-in for the President of the United States- he looks exactly like the President. But the President dies suddenly, and his henchmen keep the lookalike in charge, so they can run the country…….or so they think. 

23) The Verdict— Paul Newman plays an outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer who sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling. Jack Warden is his friend/co-counsel; one of the great supporting actors of all-time.

22) Lost In Translation— A movie star on the down side of his career and a neglected young woman form an unlikely friendship after crossing paths in Tokyo. Bill Murray is great in this; Scarlett Johansson is the young woman. 

21) Good Will Hunting— Matt Damon plays a janitor at M.I.T. who has a gift for math, but needs help from a psychologist (Robin Williams) to find direction in his life. Robin Williams is great in this, and Ben Affleck is excellent as Damon’s best friend. 

20) The Hangover— Three friends wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the fourth friend (the bachelor) missing. They make their way around the city trying to find their friend so he can drive back to Los Angeles to get married.

This movie had two sequels; Hangover Part 2 is one of the worst movies ever, Hangover Part 3 is pretty good. 

19) Let It Ride— A cab driver gets a hot tip on a race horse and wins big, but he can’t seem to stop gambling. Hilarity ensues; Richard Dreyfuss is the gambler, Teri Garr is his frustrated wife, Robbie Coltrane adds a lot as the ticket seller at the racetrack. Jennifer Tilly is in this, before we knew she was hanging out with professional poker player Phil Laak. 

18) One on One— A small-town basketball star goes to a big-time college and tries to impress his tutor, teammates, and coach. He isn’t always successful. Robbie Benson was excellent as Henry Steele, the ballplayer. G.D. Spradlin was the coach; he also played Tom Landry in North Dallas Forty. Melanie Griffith has a cameo appearance as a hitchhiker early in the movie. 

17) Begin Again— A chance encounter between a down-and-out music executive and a young singer-songwriter, new to Manhattan, turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents. If you like music, you’ll enjoy this movie; Mark Ruffalo is the music executive, Keira  Knightley the singer. James Corden adds a lot as her friend from back home.

16) Any Given Sunday— Al Pacino plays an aging football coach with a struggling team that is owned by an impatient young lady (Cameron Diaz). Jim Brown is an assistant coach, Lawrence Taylor is a linebacker. Two of the team’s three QB’s are Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx.

Pacino’s Miami Sharks play teams all coached by Hall of Famers: YA Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Bob St Clair, Warren Moon, Dick Butkus. 

15) Heaven Can Wait— An NFL quarterback, accidentally taken away from his body by an overanxious angel before he was meant to die, returns to life in the body of a recently murdered millionaire. I was 18 when this movie came out, at a time when the Rams made the playoffs every year but never won the Super Bowl. 

For the next 20 years, I was convinced that this movie was the only time I was ever going to see the Rams win the Super Bowl— I still have the actual movie poster from the theater.

Warren Beatty, Jack Warden, James Mason are in this: Beatty/Warden were both in Bulworth, Mason/Warden were both in The Verdict. 

14) Fast Break— Gabe Kaplan plays a New York City basketball enthusiast who works in a deli, but he really wants to coach ball. He is offered the coaching job at a small Nevada college; he recruits some players, who are a bit odd but good- one of his starters is a young lady.

Bernard King, Michael Warren played big-time basketball for real; they’re on his team, too. 

Thursday game
Bills @ Rams
— Last three years, Buffalo is 16-7-1 ATS on the road.
— Bills are 12-2-2 ATS last 16 games where spread was 3 or less. 
— Buffalo is 10-3 ATS in last 13 games vs NFC teams.
— Buffalo won last three road openers.
— Bills are 5-3 ATS in last eight road openers.
— Bills are 7-5 ATS last 12 games as an underdog in road openers.
— Last two years, over is 10-4-2 in Buffalo’s road games.
— First game for Dorsey as Buffalo’s new OC.

— Rams won/covered last seven home openers.
— Under McVay, Rams are 5-0 SU/ATS in Week 1.
— Last three years, LA is 14-10 ATS at home. 
— Last two years, Rams are 2-7-1 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Under is 4-2 in last six home openers.
— Last three years, under is 17-7 in their home games.

— Buffalo leads series, 8-5
— Bills won last meeting 35-32, two years ago.
— Bills lost two of three series games played in LA (2-0 in St Louis)
— Matthew Stafford’s brother-in-law is WR coach for Buffalo.

Sunday’s games
49ers @ Bears
— Last two years, San Francisco is 6-4 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last three years, 49ers are 16-9 ATS on the road.
— Won last three road openers, scoring 31-31-41 points.
— Since 1994, they’re 2-8 ATS as a favorite in road opener.
— Under is 7-5-1 in last 13 road openers.
— Shanahan is 14-7 ATS vs AFC teams.

— Last four years, Bears are 6-9 ATS as a home underdog.
— Chicago started out 0-1 seven of last eight years.
— Bears won three of last four home openers.
— Under is 5-0 in their last five home openers.
— Last two years, over is 10-7 in Chicago home games.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.

— Teams split last six meetings.
— 49ers won 33-22 here LY, throwing for 322 yards.
— 49ers won three of last four visits to Chicago.

Patriots @ Dolphins
— 17-16 SU since Brady left; 4-5 ATS as a road underdog.
— Won/covered five of last seven road openers.
— Since 1998, they’re 6-1 ATS as an underdog in road opener.
— 6-6 ATS in AFC East road games since Brady left.
— Last two years, they’re 5-7 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— New England is Week 1 underdog for 2nd time since 2003 (won 23-21 in ’16)
— Last six years, under is 31-16-1 in their road games.
— Who is calling plays now, with McDaniels off to the Raiders?

— Last two years, Dolphins were 12-5 ATS at home.
— Last four years, Miami is 10-7 ATS in games where spread was 3 or less.
— Last four years, Miami is 7-4-1 ATS in AFC East home games.
— Over is 11-2 in Miami’s last 13 home openers.
— Dolphins are 6-4 ATS in last ten home openers.
— Since 2003, Miami is 2-5 ATS as a favorite in home opener.
— First game for the new coaching staff in Miami.

— Third straight year these teams are meeting in Week 1.
— Dolphins won three in row, six of last nine series games.
— Miami won last year’s meetings, 17-16/33-24.
— New England lost four of last five visits to Miami. 

Saints @ Falcons
— Last five years, New Orleans is 18-8 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last four years, Saints are 10-2 ATS in NFC South road games.
— Saints lost four of last five road openers.
— Since 2010, New Orleans is 2-10 ATS in road openers, 0-6 if favored.
— Under is 4-2 in their last six road openers.
— First game for new HC Allen; first game since 2012 without Sean Payton.
— Last four years, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 0-10 ATS as Week 1 favorites.

— Last two years, Atlanta is 3-12 ATS at home.
— Last three years, they’re 4-8 ATS as a home underdog.
— Falcons lost last two home openers, after a 14-2 SU/ATS run.
— Since 1999, Atlanta is 7-2 ATS as an underdog in home openers.
— Falcons started out 0-1 five of the last six seasons.
— Last three years, under is 15-9 in Atlanta home games.

— New Orleans won seven of last nine series games.
— Saints won their last four visits to Atlanta.
— Road team won five of last six series games.

Ravens @ Jets
— Last year, Baltimore was 0-5 ATS as a road favorite.
— Ravens are 9-5 ATS in last 14 road openers.
— Last six years, Baltimore is 5-1 ATS in Week 1 games.
— Last 15 years, over is 10-4-1 in their road openers.
— Under is 10-6 in their last 16 road games.

— Last two years, Jets are 11-20 ATS as an underdog.
— Last four years, Jets are 11-13-1 ATS as a home underdog.
— Jets lost last four home openers (0-4 ATS), scoring 11.8 ppg.
— Jets started out 0-1 five of last six seasons.
— Under is 4-1 in their last five home openers.

— Ravens won nine of last 11 series games.
— Baltimore won three of last four series games played here.

Steelers @ Bengals
— Since 2017, Steelers are 14-7 ATS as a road underdog.
— Pittsburgh is 9-2 ATS last 11 games as an AFC North underdog.
— Pittsburgh is 4-1-1 SU in last six road openers.
— This is 8th straight year Steelers are opening on road.
— Their last five road openers stayed under the total.
— Last eight years, under is 42-18-3 in Pittsburgh road games.

— Last 19 years, team that lost Super Bowl is 4-15 ATS in Week 1 the next season.
— Last five years, Bengals are 7-11 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, Cincinnati is 6-3 ATS in AFC North home games.
— Bengals lost four of last six home openers.
— Cincinnati started out 1-0 five of last eight seasons.
— Over is 4-2 in their last six home openers.
— Last three years, over is 19-11-3 in Bengal home games.

— Bengals won last three series games, all by 10+ points.
— Last time Bengals won three straight series games; 1989-90.
— Steelers lost last two visits here, 27-17/41-10

Browns @ Panthers
— Last 10 years, Browns are 17-64 SU on road.
— Last four years, Browns are 11-6 ATS vs NFC teams.
— Last three years, Cleveland is 7-12-1 ATS in games where spread was 3 or less.
— Cleveland is 3-0 ATS as a favorite in road openers.
— Since 2005, Browns are 0-16-1 SU in Week 1
— Under is 5-1 in their last six road openers.

— Last three years, Carolina is 15-34 SU
— Last three years, Carolina is 6-17-1 ATS at home.
— Last seven years, Panthers are 17-12 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Since 2011, Panthers are 7-4 ATS in home openers.
— Last eight years, Carolina is 5-3 ATS in Week 1.
— Under is 6-3 in their last nine home openers.

— Obviously, Baker Mayfield played for the Browns (2018-21; 30-31 W-L)
— Does he have any special insight into their schemes?
— Panthers lead series, 4-2
— Browns lost both visits to Charlotte, 20-12/17-13

Eagles @ Lions
— Last year, Philly was 6-3 SU on road, 3-5 at home.
— Last two years, Eagles are 2-5 ATS as road favorites.
— Eagles lost three of their last four road openers.
— Since 2005, Philly is 4-8 ATS as a favorite in road openers.
— Eagles started out 1-0 in nine of last 11 seasons.

— Lions were underdog in every game LY (3-13-1 SU, 11-6 ATS)
— Lions were 6-2 ATS LY as a home dog; (10-21-1 from 2012-20)
— Detroit lost its last four Week 1 games (favored in 3 of 4)
— Detroit’s last eleven season openers went over the total.
— Since 1999, Lions are 7-4 ATS as an underdog in home openers.
— Over is 9-3 in their last dozen home openers.

— Eagles ran for 236 yards, hammered Detroit 44-6 here LY.
— Lions won three of last four series games.
— Teams split last four meetings in the Motor City.

Colts @ Texans
— Colts went 20-13 SU last two years, with +24 turnover margin.
— Under Reich, Indy is 7-4 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last four years, Colts are 7-5 ATS in AFC South road games.
— Colts lost 10 of their last 12 road openers.
— Indy started 0-1 seven of last eight years.
— Over is 5-1 in their last six Week 1 games.
— Ryan is Colts’ 6th different starting QB the last six years.

— Last 10 years, Texans are 11-16-1 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last two years, Houston is 4-2 ATS in AFC South home games.
— Texans are 8-4 in last dozen home openers.
— Houston covered its last three Week 1 games.
— Over is 3-1 in their last four Week 1 games.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.

— Colts won five in row, nine of last 11 series games.
— Colts won last year’s games, 31-3/31-0.
— Indy won won five of last six visits to Houston.

Jaguars @ Commanders
— Last four years, Jaguars are 9-17-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— While HC in Philly, Pederson was 9-13 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last nine years, Jaguars are 6-31 ATS vs NFC teams.
— Jaguars covered four of their last five road openers.
— Jacksonville is 10-8 ATS as an underdog on road openers.
— Their last three Week 1 games went over the total.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.

— Last four years, Washington is 3-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, Washington is 4-9 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Washington lost eight of last ten home openers.
— Since 2009, Commanders are 1-5 ATS as a favorite in home openers.
— Over is 7-4 in their last eleven home openers.
— Last two years, under is 12-4 in Washington home games.

— Washington won last four meetings, two of them in OT.
— Jaguars lost all three visits here, by 12-6-31 points.
— Jacksonville’s only series win: 2002.

Chiefs @ Cardinals
— Last three years, Chiefs are 20-4 SU on the road.
— Chiefs are 17-6-1 ATS last 24 games with a spread of 3 or less.
— Last seven years, Kansas City is 13-16-1 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Last two years, Chiefs are 6-8-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Kansas City started 1-0 the last seven years, scoring 35.1 ppg.
— Chiefs won five of last seven road openers.
— Over is 7-3 in their last ten road openers.
— Last five years, over is 25-15 in Kansas City road games.

— Since 2016, Cardinals are 14-22 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— Last 10 years, Cardinals are 18-13-1 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last three years, Arizona is 8-5 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Arizona won its last two home openers, scoring 30-34 points.
— Average total in their last three Week 1 games: 49.7
— Under is 7-3 in their last ten home openers.
— Last three years, over is 14-10 in Cardinal home games.

— Chiefs lead series, 9-3-1
— Home side won six of last seven series games.
— Teams split four meetings in the desert.

Packers @ Vikings
— Last three years, Packers are 17-8 SU on road.
— Last six years, Green Bay is 10-13-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last six years, Packers are 8-10 ATS in NFC North road games.
— Packers are 10-6-2 ATS last 18 games with spread of 3 or less.
— Green Bay is 4-7 ATS in last eleven road openers.
— Packers allowed 31+ points in four of last five road openers.
— Over is 7-2 in their last nine road openers.

— Over last decade, Vikings are 17-6 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last seven years, Minnesota is 12-8-1 ATS in NFC North home games.
— Last two years, over is 11-5 in Minnesota home games.
— Vikings won/covered six of last seven home openers.
— Last eight years, Minnesota is 5-3 ATS in Week 1.
— Under is 7-1 in their last eight home openers.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.

— Green Bay won four of last six series games.
— Teams split last four meetings played here.
— Average total in last four series games: 59.8.

Raiders @ Chargers
— Last three years, Raiders are 11-6 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last six years, Raiders are 7-11 ATS in AFC West road tilts.
— Raiders are 7-1-1 ATS in last nine road openers.
— Las Vegas won its Week 1 games five of last six years.
— Last 23 years, over is 14-8-1 in Raiders’ road openers.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.
— Last two years, Raiders are 18-15 SU, despite a minus-20 turnover ratio.

— Last 8 years, Chargers are 16-29-1 ATS as home favorites (4-3 under Staley)
— Last ten years, Bolts are 9-20-1 ATS in AFC West home games.
— Over was 8-3 in their games LY when Chargers were favored.
— Chargers covered once in last five home openers.
— Bolts started out 1-0 the last three years, giving up 17.7 ppg.
— Over is 14-5 in their last nineteen home openers.

— Raiders won four of last six series games.
— Raiders beat Chargers in OT in Week 18 LY, knocking them out of playoffs.
— Raiders split last six road series games.

Giants @ Titans
— Last four years, Giants are 19-10 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last three years, Giants are 3-10 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Giants lost 10 of their last 12 road openers.
— Giants lost last five Week 1 games, scoring 12.4 ppg.
— Since 2004, Giants are 6-9 ATS as an underdog in road openers.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.

— Titans have had six winning seasons in a row.
— Last four years, they’re 10-11 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last seven years, Tennessee is 17-11-1 ATS vs NFC teams.
— Tennessee lost six of last eight home openers.
— Since 2013, Titans are 0-5-1 ATS as a favorite in home openers.
— Under is 7-3 in their last ten home openers.

— Titans won five of last six series games.
— Giants lost three of four visits to Tennessee.
— Daboll was OC in Buffalo LY; they lost 34-31 in OT here LY

Buccaneers @ Cowboys
— Last two years, Tampa Bay is 7-8 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last two years, Tampa Bay is 3-6 ATS on artificial turf.
— With Brady at QB, Bucs are 2-0 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less points.
— Bucs lost last two road openers, 34-23/34-24.
— Over is 10-4 in their last fourteen road openers.
— Since 2013, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 13-7-1 ATS as Week 1 underdogs.

— Last four years, Dallas is 6-0 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last three years, Dallas is 6-10 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— Last three years, over is 16-8 in Cowboy home games.
— Dallas won its last five home openers (4-1 ATS)
— Last three years, Cowboys scored 35-40-41 points in home openers.
— Dallas lost five of its last eight Week 1 games.

— Cowboys won seven of last nine series games.
— Tampa Bay (-9) beat Dallas 31-29 in LY’s season opener.
— Bucs lost last five visits here; their last win here was in 2001.

Broncos @ Seahawks
— Broncos started 1-0 in eight of last ten seasons.
— Last ten years, Denver is 24-15-2 ATS vs NFC teams.
— Last five years, Broncos are 5-6 ATS as a road favorite.
— Denver lost four of last five road openers.
— Under is 3-1 in their last four road openers.
— Last four years, NFL coaches in their first year with a new team are 0-10 ATS as Week 1 favorites.
— New coach, new QB, who is playing against his old team here. 

— Last ten years, Seahawks are 8-2 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last four years, Seattle is 11-5-1 ATS vs AFC teams.
— Since 2003, Seattle is 14-5 ATS in home openers.
— Under is 8-3 in their last eleven home openers.
— Seahawk trends reflect Russell Wilson at QB; he plays for Denver now.

— Russell Wilson (113-60-1) played the last 10 years for Seattle.
— Teams split last eight series games.
— Teams split last six meetings played here. 
— Teams were division rivals from 1978-2001

Arizona Cardinals
— Since 2015, they’re 11-24 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, they’re 12-3-1 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2016, they’re 14-22 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— started 7-0 last year; went 4-7 from that point on.
— played one playoff game the last six years (lost 34-11)

Atlanta Falcons
— last made the playoffs in 2017; 25-40 SU since then
— Last four years, they’re 6-13 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last two years, they’re 2-8 ATS coming off a win.
— Last two years, they’re 7-2 ATS vs AFC teams
— Last three years, under 15-8 in Falcon home games.

Carolina Panthers
— last made the playoffs in 2017; last playoff win was in 2015.
— 10-34 SU the last three years (minus-27 turnovers)
— Last three years, they’re 1-8 ATS in NFC South home games.
— Since 2012, they’re 8-18-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— Mayfield will be their 5th different starting QB the last five years. 

Chicago Bears
— Last 11 years, Chicago is 0-2 in playoff games.
— Have one winning season the last nine years.
— Last two years, Bears are 3-9 ATS vs NFC North rivals.
— Since 2018, Chicago is 13-8-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— Last three years, they’re 9-15-1 ATS coming off a loss.

Dallas Cowboys
— Last time they made playoffs in consecutive years: 2006/2007.
— since 2010, they’re 2-4 in playoff games
— covered last six games as a home underdog.
— since 2014, they’re 24-11-1 ATS on natural grass.
— were +14 in turnovers LY (minus-5 previous three years)

Detroit Lions
— 2016-17, Lions went 9-7/9-7, fired the coach- they’re 17-46-2 since then
— 0-9 SU in last nine playoff games; last playoff win was in 1991.
— Over is 17-6-1 in their last 24 home games.
— Were underdog in all 17 games last year (11-6 ATS).
— Last three years, are 4-7-1 ATS in NFC North road games. 

Green Bay Packers
— Last three years, are 39-10 SU (+37 in turnovers), but 2-3 in playoffs
— since 2012, they’re 1-5 SU in second playoff game of a season
— Last three years, Packers are 16-7 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last three years, Packers are 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— 10-6-1 ATS last 17 games with spread of 3 or less. 

Los Angeles Rams
— 55-26 SU under McVay (no winning seasons in previous 13 years)
— 15-8-1 ATS in last 24 games coming off a loss.
— Rams are 7-3-1 ATS last 11 games as a road underdog.
— They’re 23-17-1 ATS in last 41 road games.
— Last three years, under is 16-7 in their home games. 

Minnesota Vikings:
— Last 17 years, Vikings are 3-6 in playoff games.
— Since 2012, Minnesota is 17-6 ATS as a home underdog.
— Since 2017, they’re 12-7 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last 10 years, Vikings are 18-11-1 in NFC North home games.
— Last 10 years, favorites are 19-11 ATS in their NFC North road tilts. 

New Orleans Saints
— 47-18 SU last four years, with +23 turnover ratio.
— 14-6-1 ATS in last 21 games with spread of 3 or less.
— Since 2014, they’re 20-29-1 ATS as a home favorite
— Last four years, they’re 10-2 ATS in AFC South road games
— Allen was 8-28 coaching the Raiders from 2012-14. 

New Jersey Giants
— Last 10 years, they’re 0-1 in playoff games.
— Last five years, Giants are 22-59 SU.
— Since 2017, they’re 23-13 ATS as a road underdog.
— Since 2013, they’re 15-26 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last two years, under is 13-2-1 in their home games. 

Philadelphia Eagles
— Last four years, Eagles are 1-3 in playoff games.
— they’re 13-20 ATS last 33 games as a road favorite
— since 2012, they’re 9-14 ATS as a home underdog.
— 8-13 ATS last 21 games with spread of 3 or less.
— Last six years, they’re 14-22 ATS in NFC East games. 

San Francisco 49ers
— 33-32 SU last four years, despite minus-36 turnover ratio.
— last five years, they’re 5-9-1 ATS in NFC West home games
— Last three years, they’re 11-4 ATS as an underdog.
— under Shanahan, they’re 8-16-1 ATS as a home favorite.
— under Shanahan, they’re 15-10-1 ATS as a road underdog. 

Seattle Seahawks
— 7-10 LY, after making playoffs eight of previous nine years.
— Seahawks are 8-2 ATS last ten games as a home underdog.
— 11-5-1 ATS last 17 games vs AFC teams.
— Since 2012, they’re 33-18-3 ATS coming off a loss.
— In the NFL, Pete Carroll is 39-24-6 ATS as an underdog. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
— 24-9 SU in regular season with Brady at QB (+18 in turnovers).
— previous three years, they were 17-31, with minus-31 turnover ratio
— 3-7 ATS in last ten games on artificial turf
— From 2003-19, they were 0-2 in playoff games; last two years, 5-1.
— 8-2 ATS last ten games coming off a loss. 

Washington Commanders
— last 16 years, they’re 0-3 in playoff games.
— Last five years, they’re 31-50 SU
— Last three years, Commanders are 8-15-1 ATS at home.
— 8-4-1 ATS last 13 games with spread of 3 or less.
— Wentz will be their 5th starting QB the last six years. 

Baltimore Ravens
— Won Super Bowl in 2012; since then, they’re 2-4 SU in playoffs.
— Last three years, they’re 9-0-1 ATS as an underdog.
— Harbaugh is 13-9-1 ATS as a road favorite in division games, 24-29-1 out of division.
— 5-1 ATS in last six series openers.

Buffalo Bills
— Last two years, they’re 3-2 in playoffs; previous 18 years, they were 0-2.
— Last four years, they’re 9-0-1 ATS as an underdog of 3 or less points.
— Under McDermott, Bills are 24-14-2 ATS on the road.
— Last two years, over is 10-4-2 in their road games.

Cincinnati Bengals
— Last year was first time they won a playoff game on the road. Ever.
— Bengals were even in turnovers LY; previous two years, they were minus-21.
— Last two years, they’re 6-3-2 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last seven years, they’re 13-7-1 ATS in AFC North road games (2-0 as road favorite)

Cleveland Browns
— Last 20 years, they’re 1-2 in playoff games; Baker Mayfield was QB for the win.
— Under Stefanski, they’re 7-12-4 ATS as a favorite.
— Last three years, they’re 7-14-2 ATS coming off a loss.
— Last ten years, Browns are 10-19-1 ATS in AFC North home games.

Denver Broncos
— Denver hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2015.
— In his 10-year career, Russell Wilson is 9-7 in playoff games.
— Last five years, Broncos are 6-12-2 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last five years, Denver is 4-10-1 ATS in AFC West road games.

Houston Texans
— Last two years, they’re 8-25 SU; Smith is their third HC in three years.
— Last three years, Texans are 2-8 ATS as a home favorite.
— Since 2016, they’re 1-5-2 ATS as a road favorite.
— Smith went 89-87 as head coach of the Bears (3-3 in playoff games)

Indianapolis Colts
— Ryan will be the Colts’ 6th different starting QB the last six years.
— Last seven years, they’re 1-2 in playoff games.
— Last two years, Colts are +24 in turnovers; they were 9-8 LY with a +14 ratio.
— Last five years, they’re 14-3-1 ATS as a favorite of 3 or less points.

Jacksonville Jaguars
— Last four years, Jags are 15-50 SU; Pederson is their 3rd coach in three years.
— Last three years, they’re 8-15 ATS in Jacksonville.
— Last four years, they’re 3-7-2 ATS in AFC South road games.
— Pederson went 42-37-1 coaching the Eagles, and won a Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs
— Mahomes is 50-13 SU in regular season, 8-3 in playoffs.
— In the 16 years before Mahomes, KC was 1-7 in playoff games.
— Last six years, they’re 13-5 ATS as an underdog.
— Under Reid, Chiefs are 43-26-1 ATS on the road.

Las Vegas Raiders
— Since losing Super Bowl in 2002, Raiders are 0-2 in playoff games.
— Last two years, Raiders are 18-15 SU, despite minus-20 turnover ratio.
— Last five years, they’re 2-7-1 ATS as a road favorite.
— In two years in Las Vegas, over is 11-5-1 in Raider home games.

Los Angeles Chargers
— Chargers made playoffs twice in the last 12 years.
— Last seven years, they’re 12-8-1 ATS in AFC West road games.
— Last 10 years, they’re 22-34-5 ATS in games with spread of 3 or less.
— Last 20 years, their starting QB’s: Brees-Rivers-Herbert. Pretty good QB’s (5-7 in playoffs)

Miami Dolphins
— Last 20 years, Miami is 0-1 in playoff games (game was in 2008)
— Last two years, Dolphins are 19-14 SU, missed playoffs both times.
— Last three years, they’re 20-14 ATS as an underdog.
— Last four years, they’re 11-6-1 ATS as a favorite.
— Week 17 last two years: lost 56-26 at Buffalo/lost 34-3 at Tennessee.

New England Patriots
— 17-16 SU in two years since Brady left town.
— Last seven years, they’re 31-17-3 ATS as a home favorite.
— Last 10 years, they’re 34-16-1 ATS in non-divisional home games.
— Last eight years, under is 35-19-1 in their road games.

New Jersey Jets
— Haven’t made playoffs since 2010, when Rex Ryan was coach.
— Last six years, they’re 27-70 SU (39-54-4 ATS)
— Last five years, Jets are 0-4 ATS as a road favorite.
— Last four years, they’re 2-10 ATS in AFC East home games. 

Pittsburgh Steelers
— Last four years, Steelers are 0-2 in playoff games (previous 16 years- 15-8).
— Last four years, they’re 4-0 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last six years, they’re 20-13 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
— Last three years, they’re 7-2 ATS in AFC North home games.

Tennessee Titans
— Last two years went 23-10 SU, but were 0-2 in playoffs, both at home.
— Last five years, they’re 9-3 ATS as a home underdog.
— Last three years, over is 17-7 in their road games.
— Last five years, they’re 18-12 ATS in AFC South games. 

13) I’m still amazed that the pitching coach of the Minnesota Twins was making $350,000, so he quit and became the pitching coach at LSU, where he now makes $750,000.

13 pitchers on a team that has 26 players on it; pithing coach is basically the manager for half the team, and he makes half what the minimum wage is for a player ($700,000)? Wow. 

12) Can we just give Baltimore skipper Brandon Hyde Manager of the Year right now? Last year, Orioles were 52-110, a dreadful team. This year, they head to the All-Star break 46-46.

Part of the improvement goes to management, which made left/left-center in Camden Yards way bigger, which has to have helped their pitchers’ confidence.

11) Further evidence of the excellent job Hyde is doing:

Baltimore’s total payroll for 2022: $32,918,626
Max Scherzer’s salary for 2022: $43,333,333

10) All five teams in the American League East are .500 or better; last time a division had all of its teams at .500 or better on July 17? Back in 2005, the National League East. 

9) Freddie Freeman heads into the All-Star break 16 for his last 24; he is probably sad not to play again until Thursday.

8) Red Sox P Chris Sale has been on the injured list seven times since 2018; he is headed for trip #8. A line drive broke the pinky on Sale’s pitching hand Sunday- it didn’t look good. 

7) Apparently the business of baseball is doing well:
— Aaron Judge turned down a contract $31M a year.
— Juan Soto turned down a 15-year, $440M deal

Agents for both players obviously think their client will wind up making more $$$. 

6) Since June 28, Los Angeles Angels are 3-0 when Shohei Ohtani pitches, 0-13 when anyone else is the starting pitcher. 

5) Texas Rangers’ SS Corey Seager has a .976 OPS in his home games, which is really good; his OPS on the road is .634, which is terrible. Weird thing is that Texas has a pitchers’ ballpark, so you figure he would hit better on the road.

OPS is on-base %age plus slugging %age. 

4) Boston Red Sox are 12-26 against their division rivals, 36-19 against everyone else. Boston has fallen out of the playoff picture; they’re still really close, but they need to pick it up against their AL East rivals.

3) Philadelphia Phillies are 27-14 since they changed managers, 11-8 since Bryce Harper broke his hand. 

2) Colorado is 28-22 at home, 15-27 on the road; do opposing teams struggle playing in Denver, and if so, why? Rockies haven’t gotten much from newly-signed Kris Bryant until recently; will they be a better team after the All-Star break?  

1) Trade deadline is August 2nd; with 12 teams making the playoffs now, will be interesting to see which teams sell off players for prospects and which teams try to fortify their roster. 

Arizona Cardinals
— Last three years, they’re 18-8 ATS as an underdog.
— Last three years, they’re 18-7 ATS on the road.
— Last two years, they’re 5-11 ATS at home.
— #1 in $$ spent on their offensive; #17 at QB. When will they pay Murray?

Atlanta Falcons
— 7-2 LY in games decided by 8 or less points; 0-8 in games decided by 9+ points.
— Last three years, they’re 5-10 ATS as a favorite.
— Averaged 2.2 yards/rush on 3rd down LY; NFL average was 4.5.
— 31st in NFL in $$$ spent on QB’s salary.

Carolina Panthers
— Averaged 4.9 yards/pass attempt on 3rd down LY; NFL average was 7.2.
— 2-6 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Last two years, they’re 4-8 ATS as a favorite.
— Since 2019, they’re 6-18 at home; 4-9 as favorite, 2-9 as underdog.

Chicago Bears
— Favorites covered all eight of their home games LY.
— Last three years, under is 17-7 in their home games.
— Last three years, Bears are 9-15 ATS at home.
— Chicago is 31st in NFL in $$ paid to players on offense.

Dallas Cowboys
— Went 12-5 LY with +14 turnover ratio, but lost first playoff game at home.
— Over is 17-7 in last 24 home games; under 11-6 in last 17 road tilts.
— #2 in $$$ spent on offense, #31 on defense.
— Covered eight of their nine road games last year.

Detroit Lions
— Last three years, Lions are 11-37-1 SU
— 0-9 SU in last nine playoff games; last playoff win was in 1991.
— Over is 17-6 in their last 23 home games.
— Were underdog in all 17 games last year (11-6 ATS).

Green Bay Packers
— Went 13-4 LY with +13 turnover ratio, but lost first playoff game at home.
— 5-1 last year in games decided by 3 or fewer points.
— Last three years, Packers are 8-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— Last three years, Packers are 31-17-1 ATS in regular season.

Los Angeles Rams
— averaged 9.8 yards/pass attempt on 3rd down LY (NFL average 7.2)
— 11-2 last year in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Rams covered five of last seven games as an underdog.
— Cooper Kupp had 46 red zone targets LY (next highest Ram: Higbee, 20)

Minnesota Vikings:
— Last two years, over is 21-12 in Viking games.
— Minnesota was 8-9 LY despite a +11 turnover ratio.
— 14 of their 17 games LY were decided by 8 or less points (6-8)
— 30th in $$ spent on cornerbacks; does that mean more zone defense?

New Orleans Saints
— 9-8 LY with +7 turnover ratio, after going 25-7 previous two seasons.
— 2-3 last season in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Last three years, they’re 11-5 ATS as an underdog.
— Last three years, they’re 7-2 ATS as a road dog, 11-5 as road favorite.

New Jersey Giants
— Last five years, they’re 22-59 SU.
— Giants led at halftime in only 21 of those 81 games.
— Last two years, under is 23-9-1 in their games.
— Last three years, they’re 2-5 ATS as favorite, 8-16 ATS at home.

Philadelphia Eagles
— 9-8 last year; 2-4 in games decided by 8 or less points.
— Last three years, they’re 10-15 ATS as an underdog.
— Favorites covered seven of their eight home games LY.
— Have four road games this year where they’re on a short week.

San Francisco 49ers
— 10-7 LY, 5-5 in games decided by 8 or less points.
— averaged 8.7 yards/pass attempt on 3rd down LY (NFL average 7.2)
— Last three years, they’re 10-4 ATS as an underdog.
— 16-9 ATS in their last 25 road games. 

Seattle Seahawks
— 7-10 LY, 0-5 in games decided by 3 or fewer points.
— Seahawks went 7-10 despite a +5 turnover ratio.
— Last three years, Seattle is 7-5 ATS as an underdog.
— Moving on from Russell Wilson at QB presents a BIG downgrade.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
— 24-9 SU with Brady at QB; how does coaching change affect things?
— +10 in turnovers LY, +24 in sacks.
— Last two years, were 11-4 ATS at home (0-6-1 in 2019)
— were favored in all 17 games last season.

Washington Commanders
— 7-10 last year, even with 3-0 record in games decided by 3 or less points.
— Last two years, under is 20-13 in Washington games.
— Last three years, Commanders are 8-15-1 ATS at home.
— covered three of last four games as a road favorite. 

Baltimore Ravens
— Lost last six games LY, with five losses by 3 or less points.
— Minus-11 in turnovers for season.
— Their AFC North road games are in Weeks 14-15-18
— Were #1 in rushing defense, #32 in pass defense. 

Buffalo Bills
— Were 0-6 last year in games decided by 7 or less points.
— Have 11 Sunday games, 3 Thursday games, including Thanksgiving in Detroit
— Have a new OC this season; Brian Daboll coaches the Giants now.
— scored 83 points in splitting two playoff games LY.

Cincinnati Bengals
— Brought in three new starters on offensive line this year.
— Have five night games, three others at 4:25.
— 6-6 last year in games decided by 5 or less points.
— McPherson made 12 field goals of 50+ yards.

Denver Broncos
— Week 1, Russell Wilson visits his old team in Seattle.
— Four of their first six games are night games,
— 0-4 last year in games decided by 5 or less points.
— Their games with Kansas City are in Weeks 14/17.

Houston Texans
— Lovie Smith was 89-87 as head coach of the Bears.
— play 11 games in domes, only six games outside.
— Had 5 draft picks in top 75; took four SEC players.
— Only one nite game; have three 4:00 games.

Kansas City Chiefs
— Three of their first five games are at night.
— 6-4 LY in games decided by 6 or less points.
— converted 52.2% on 3rd down LY, best in NFL
— How do they replace Tyreek Hill’s production? (1,524 yards, 15 TD’s)

Las Vegas Raiders
— Chiefs pounded them twice LY, 41-14/48-9
— won last four games LY, all by 4 or less points.
— were 7-1 in games decided by 6 or less points, 3-7 in other games
— McDaniels was 11-17 as Denver’s HC, in 2009-10.
— Made playoffs LY, despite minus-9 turnover ratio

Los Angeles Chargers
— 1-5 last year if they scored less than 27 points.
— averaged 39 yards/drive (#2), were #5 in scoring
— were 30th LY in rush defense.
— brought in new special teams coach, punter, long snapper

Miami Dolphins
— won 8 of last 9 games, after a 1-7 start.
— figure to use Tyreek Hill the way 49ers used Deebo Samuel
— are on road three weeks in row (weeks 13-15), then go to Foxboro Week 17
— ranked 30th in yards rushing last year.

New England Patriots
— 10-2 LY allowing less than 27 points; 0-6 giving up 27+
— 2nd-year QB will have a new voice in his ear when he is in huddle.
— weeks 12-15; all night games, three of them on road.
— Belichick’s career record without Brady at QB: 72-81

New Jersey Jets
— Were 0-8 last year in games decided by more than 7 points.
— allowed 37.4 yards/drive (31st)
— minus-13 in turnovers; how much has young QB Wilson improved?
— 13 of their first 16 games are at 1:00; not lot of hope from schedule makers

Pittsburgh Steelers
— Who is the QB? Trubisky? When does rookie QB Pickett get first start?
— Week 7: Steelers at Miami. Brian Flores is a Pittsburgh assistant.
— allowed 36+ points in their last five losses LY.
— two games against Ravens are weeks 14/17.
— 32nd-ranked rush defense last year.

Tennessee Titans
— were #1-seed in AFC, lost first playoff game at home; that leaves a scar.
— 6-3 last year in games decided by 6 or less points.
— Is Derrick Henry healthy? New WR Woods blocks well in run game.
— drafted Malik Willis; what does that say about Tannehill’s status? 

13) Cleveland Browns traded QB Baker Mayfield to Carolina Wednesday, for either a 4th or 5th-round draft pick in 2024, depending on how he does.

Panthers will pay $4.85M of Mayfield’s salary this year, while the Browns will pay $10.5M; Mayfield agreed to convert the remainder of his $18.8M salary into incentives to facilitate the trade.

Mayfield was 30-31 starting games for Cleveland, winning a playoff game two years ago, Browns’ only playoff win since re-joining the NFL in 1999 (the old Cleveland Browns are the Baltimore Ravens now).

Sam Darnold (17-32 as an NFL starter), PJ Walker (2-0 as a starter) and rookie Matt Corral are Carolina’s other quarterbacks. 

12) Where does this leave Cleveland? Deshaun Watson doesn’t figure to play much, if at all, this season; Browns’ other QB’s are Jacoby Brissett (14-23 as a starter), Joshua Dobbs. 

11) One of my favorite things is when the NFL releases its schedule in the spring; it tells you stuff, if you read between the lines.

Week 1, this fall: Cleveland at Carolina. We should have known.

There are no coincidences. Someone in New York knew something. 

10) Brian Griese worked on TV for ESPN the last 12 years; this season he’s going to be the QB coach for the 49ers, one of four new assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball for San Francisco, which lost OC Mike McDaniel to the Dolphins.

9) Miami fired coach Brian Flores, even though his team was 19-14 the last two years; here’s the thing- Dolphins flopped badly in Week 17 both of those years, which cost them a playoff spot.

2021- lost 34-3 in Tennessee
2020- lost 56-26 in Buffalo

8) Last six years, Denver Broncos are 39-58; during that time, they’ve started 10 different QB’s. Now they’ve got Russell Wilson, who is 113-60-1 as an NFL starter, a huge upgrade. 

7) Kliff Kingsbury has been a head coach for nine years, counting college/NFL; here is how his teams break down:

first seven games: 42-20-1
from Game 8 on: 17-45

6) 20 years ago,  Oakland Raiders lost the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay; since then, they’ve moved to Las Vegas, but they haven’t won a playoff game.

2016— lost 27-14 at Houston
2021— lost 26-19 at Cincinnati. 

5) Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow was sacked 70 times last year, 19 times in four playoff games; if the Bengals are going to get back to the playoffs this year, they need to keep Burrow upright.

By the way, Jacksonville’s new offensive coordinator is Press Taylor, younger brother of Bengals’ coach Zac Taylor.

4) When Matt Ryan starts for the Colts in Week 1, he’ll be the sixth different QB to start for Indy the last six years.

2017- Scott Tolzien
2018- Andrew Luck
2019- Jacoby Brissett
2020- Philip Rivers
2021- Carson Wentz
2022- Matt Ryan

3) Big X hasn’t had a player drafted in the first round of the last two NFL Drafts; they had 25 players drafted this past spring, but none in Round 1. 

2) WR Stefan Diggs is going to miss OC Brian Daboll, who is now head coach of the Giants; in his two seasons with Buffalo, with Daboll as OC, here are Diggs’ numbers:

2020- 127 catches, 1,535 yards, 8 TD’s.
2021- 103 catches, 1,225 yards, 10 TD’s.

1) Players taken after the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft:
47th pick (2nd round) Bobby Wagner, by Seattle
75th pick (3rd round) Russell Wilson, also by Seattle
102nd pick (4th round) Kirk Cousins, Washington

To our neighbors to the north, Happy Canada Day.

Unusually busy day for a summer Thursday…….
13) USC/UCLA are jumping from the Pac-12 to the Big 14 (Big 16 now?), crippling the Pac-12 Conference. College sports are off the rails with greed; looks like the Big 16/SEC are going to be two super conferences, with other schools scrambling to climb aboard, or find the next best thing.

This catches me completely by surprise; had no idea it was in the works. Changes the landscape of college sports, in a big way. 

12) Where does the Pac-10 go from here? Add San Diego State/UNLV to replace the LA schools? Or Fresno State? Gonzaga (doesn’t have football)? Boise State?

Or does the rest of the Pac-10 jump ship and hook up with the Big X? Crazy stuff. 

11) NBA free agency started Thursday night; ridiculous sums of money are being tossed around.

Kyrie Irving opted in for his $36.9M deal for next year. Three days later, Kevin Durant asks for a trade; go figure. Ben Simmons is supposed to make $33M, but he never plays. Nets must’ve been a fun group to hang out with this past season. 

Durant makes $44.1M this year, $47.7M next year, $51.2M in 2024-25. Going to take quite a haul of players to trade Durant and keep the payrolls balanced within the salary cap.

By the way, in an 82-game season, $51.2M works out to $624,390.24 per game; Durant will be 36 when that season starts. 

10) Zion Williamson is supposed to make $13,534,817 this season; so far in his three-year NBA career, he’s missed 63.4% of the Pelicans’ games with injuries.

9) Portland Trailblazers signed Anfernee Simons to a 4-year extension worth $100M; last year was the first time in his 4-year career he scored more than 8.3 ppg. He scored 17.3 ppg in 57 games (30 starts), shooting 40.5% on the arc. 

8) Bradley Beal re-upped with Washington for five years, $251M. Lot of cabbage for a team that, over the last four years, is 126-182. 

7) Phoenix Suns are going to sign Devin Booker to a 4-year, $214M contract, which works out to $53.5M a year, $652,439 a game.

Denver Nuggets signed Nikola Jokic to a 5-year, $264M supermax extension, the biggest contract in NBA history

Pretty sure I’m going to cancel my NBA package on DirecTV; they obviously don’t need my $300 anymore. Guys making $652,439 a game is a bit much; what would Kareem or Wilt be making if they played today? What would Jordan be making?

6) There was a weird play in the Pirates-Nationals game the other day; because Washington didn’t know a rule, they cost themselves a run, in a game they wound up losing 8-7.

Top of the 5th, Pirates had guys on 2nd and 3rd, one out. Batter hits a soft line drive that the first baseman catches; both runners took off on contact, the 1B throws to third, where they tag the runner coming down from second. Inning over.

Problem is, because Washington never appealed that the runner on third left early, his run counted. Had they appealed his leaving early, the “4th out” would’ve prevented the run from scoring. 

5) Giancarlo Stanton went 2-4 with two singles Thursday; they were his first singles since June 12 (72 AB’s ago). In his last 17 games, Stanton is 8-51 with six home runs. He also hit a line shot right at the shortstop for an out- it went 116 mph— he looked way better last night. 

4) Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is the only baseball commissioner who played Little League baseball; he grew up in Rome, NY, wound up playing tennis in high school.

3) Miami Marlins fired VP of player development Gary Dembo Thursday; Dembo was the first person Derek Jeter hired when he was running the Miami franchise. Now with Jeter gone, Dembo was also told to take a hike. 

2) Auburn-Memphis are playing a non-conference basketball game in Atlanta December 10.

By the time that game is played, who knows what league Memphis will be in.

1) USFL championship game, at Canton, OH:
Philadelphia Stars (7-4)
— Stars won six of last eight games.
— Last eight weeks, they’re +11 in turnovers.
— Gave up 23+ points in nine of 11 games (over 6-2 last eight).
— Were outgained in every game but their three games vs New Jersey.
— 2-3 ATS as an underdog.
— 6-1 if they score more than 17 points. 

Birmingham Stallions (10-1)
— Led 21-14 at half last week, most first half points they scored this year.
— Trailed at halftime in five of their 11 games
— Outscored opponents 143-79 in second half.
— 1-4 vs spread the last five weeks (6-0 first six weeks)
— Four of their last six games went over the total.
— Stallions are favored for 11th time in 12 games (6-4 ATS as a favorite)

First meeting:
— Stallions (-6) beat Philly 30-17 in Week 5.
— Stars led 17-14 at the half; Birmingham outscored them 16-0 in second half.
— Birmingham outgained Philly 377-253; both teams had two turnovers. 

There are turning points in all walks of life; if this hadn’t have happened, then that wouldn’t have followed. The flowchart of life takes some interesting turns. Here are some memorable turning points that I remember:

13) In 1965, Richard Nixon was offered a $100,000 salary and an unlimited expense account to become commissioner of baseball. He turned it down: “Don’t tell Pat. She’d kill me for turning you down.” Pat was Mrs Nixon. 

The history of our country would be vastly different had he accepted the job. 

12) 1984 NBA Draft; Houston Rockets took Hakeem Olajuwon with the first pick; that turned out very well. Houston won a couple of NBA titles.

Portland then took Sam Bowie with the #2 pick; he played 10 years in the NBA, but started only 349 games, scoring 10.9 ppg.

History of the NBA would be a little different if Portland had chosen the guy the Bulls took with the #3 pick that year— Michael Jordan. 

11) In 2006, Nick Saban was coaching the Miami Dolphins; they went 9-7 in his first season, but were looking for a QB to upgrade from Gus Frerotte. There was a free agent QB who had played for the Chargers, going 30-28 as San Diego’s starter. QB was well-regarded, but he tore his labrum in his shoulder in 2005, and the Chargers had a young Philip Rivers, so they moved on to the younger QB.

Miami’s team physician recommended passing on the free agent QB, so they signed Daunte Culpepper instead. Culpepper played four games for the Dolphins.

Imagine how football would be different had the Dolphins signed Drew Brees:
a) Saints might’ve never won a Super Bowl.
b) Saban would probably still be coaching the Dolphins and never would’ve gone to Alabama, where he became, arguably, the best coach in college football history. 

10) Robert Irsay bought the Los Angeles Rams on July 13, 1972; he then immediately traded the franchise to Carroll Rosenbloom, who was the owner of the Baltimore Colts. Rosenbloom made the deal in part because he saved $4.4M in taxes.

— 11 years later, Irsay moved the Colts to Indianapolis, right after he drafted John Elway and traded him to Denver.
— Irsay’s son Jim now owns the Colts; he is a much better owner than his dad was.
— In 1979, Rosenbloom died in a swimming accident; his wife Georgia inherited the team, and in 1995, moved the Rams to her hometown of St Louis.
— After Georgia Frontiere died (Rosenbloom was her 6th husband, Dominic Frontiere her 7th) Stan Kroenke bought her 70% of the team and moved the team back to Los Angeles.
— As of 2019, according to Forbes Magazine, the Rams were worth $3.8B, the Colts #2.65B. After last season, Rams might be worth more now.

9) Dell Curry played 16 years in the NBA, scoring 12,670 points; he played his college ball at Virginia Tech,  not a traditional hoop power.

Curry’s two sons were pretty good high school players, but Virginia Tech didn’t recruit either one of them. Bad move. 

Seth Curry started at Liberty, then transferred to Duke; he’s scored 11.3 ppg in his eight years in the NBA.

Steph Curry played college ball at Davidson; they made the Elite 8 in 2008, while Virginia Tech made the NCAA Tournament once in Seth Greenberg’s nine years as the Hokies’ coach.

Greenberg does a very good job as ESPN’s studio analyst, but had he recruited Steph Curry, he might still be coaching Virginia Tech.

Steph Curry, obviously, is an all-time great in the NBA, one of only seven players ever to win 4+ championships and 2+ MVP awards. 

8) Speaking of Steph Curry, he was the 7th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Smart move. Golden State has won four championships in the Curry/Klay Thompson era. Warriors are 101-54 in playoff games, since they drafted Curry.

Minnesota Timberwolves had the 5th and 6th picks that season; they needed guards but took Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn instead of Curry. Bad move.

In 13 years since then, Minnesota has made the playoffs twice, going 3-8 in playoff games. 

7) In the fall of 1979, Jack McKinney was coach of the Los Angeles Lakers; they had a rookie point guard named Earvin Johnson, and were off to a 10-4 start. On an off day, McKinney went out for a bike ride but had an accident and had a brain injury. He never coached the Lakers again, though he did coach the Pacers/Kings down the road.

Paul Westhead took over from McKinney; Lakers won the NBA title that year, but two years later, he had a falling out with Earvin Johnson and the Lakers fired him, after a 7-4 start.

The new coach was Pat Riley, who prior to McKinney’s bike accident, was the color analyst on Lakers’ radio broadcasts. Riley turned out to be one of the best coaches in NBA history (he won five NBA titles) and is still running the Miami Heat franchise, but the fact is, had McKinney’s bike accident never happened, Riley may have never gotten his chance to be a coach. 

6) August 12, 1987, the Detroit Tigers acquired P Doyle Alexander from the Atlanta Braves, trading away a minor league pitcher. Guy named Smoltz.

Detroit went 98-64 in 1987, winning the AL East; they lost the ALCS to Minnesota, but this was only the second time Detroit had made the playoffs in 15 years. They didn’t make the playoffs again until 2006.

Meanwhile, John Smoltz went on to a Hall of Fame career, winning 213 games and saving 154 others; dealing Alexander in 1987, when Atlanta went 69-92, helped the Braves make the playoffs 14 times in 15 years, starting in 1991.

5) Dodgers bolted Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season; they needed a second team to move to the west coast, to make travel feasible for the other six teams in the National League. Move has obviously turned out to be a great one for the Dodgers.

At the time Dodgers/Giants/Bronx were all in New York City; the Giants were doing the worst of the three on the field, and attendance at the Polo Grounds wasn’t good, so they agreed to move, figuring a move to the Bay Area would be more lucrative then splitting the financial pie with a more successful team in the Bronx.  

Problem is, Candlestick Park wasn’t such a great ballpark; very windy, had to share it with the 49ers. Giants didn’t do their due diligence on Candlestick Point, and wound up, for 40 or so years, with a sub-standard stadium.

Their new stadium is way better and now the Giants have a good deal, but think about it; would you rather own the Giants or the Mets, who came into being in 1962, filling the void left by the two teams bolting to California?

4) When Brett Favre was Green Bay’s quarterback in 1994, his backup was Mark Brunell, who wound getting traded to Jacksonville the next year, the Jaguars’ first season.

Green Bay had another QB in camp in 1994, but they cut him. Guy wound up playing in the Arena League for three years, then in NFL Europe, before signing with the Rams in 1998. Now he is in the Hall of Fame— Kurt Warner.

Had Green Bay kept Warner instead of Brunell, they might mot have made a movie about him.

3) Baseball’s 1970 All-Star Game in Cincinnati went 12 innings; National League won 5-4 when Pete Rose bowled over catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run, even though Fosse didn’t have the ball yet.

Fosse suffered a separated shoulder and wasn’t the same player after that. Cleveland traded him to the A’s two years later. Fosse helped the A’s win two World Series and wound up being a TV analyst for Oakland for 35 years after he retired. 

2) In 2017, Chicago Bears traded up (gave up a 3rd and 4th round pick) to the #2 spot in the NFL Draft, in order to take QB Mitchell Trubisky, who went 29-23 as Chicago’s starter in his four years there. Not a bad record, but the Bears lost both playoff games in the Trubisky era. 

Problem is, Chicago could’ve kept those 3rd/4th round picks and taken Patrick Mahomes, who was the 10th pick that year. NFL would look a lot different had that happened.

Of course, Chicago could’ve also taken Deshaun Watson that year; then they would have a much different kind of mess on their hands. Watson was the 12th pick in that draft. 

1) Tom Brady was the 199th player picked in the 2000 Draft, a 6th-round pick. He became the starter in New England because Drew Bledsoe got hurt in a 2001 game.

Since then, Brady has won seven Super Bowls and is one of the best QB’s ever. Every team in the NFL passed on him multiple times, including the Patriots.

Brady’s record in New England: 249-75
Bill Belichick’s record as a head coach: 321-156
With Brady: 249-75
Without Brady: 72-81

— Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop retired Friday, after 33 years coaching the Wildcats. McKillop had a career record of 634-380; he led Davidson to the Elite 8 in 2008, with a pretty good guard named Curry playing for him.

Davidson was in the Southern Conference back then; they’re in the Atlantic 14 now. Since that run to the Elite 8 in ’08, SoCon teams are 1-13 SU in the NCAA Tournament.

McKillop’s son Matt is taking over the Davidson job; he’s been an assistant for his dad the last 14 seasons, after playing at Davidson.

— Steph Curry was the 7th pick of the 2009 NBA Draft; Minnesota had the 5th and 6th picks- they took a pair of guards, Ricky Rubio/Jonny Flynn. Whoops.

— From 1957-1986, the Boston Celtics won 16 NBA titles; since 1987, they’ve won one, back in 2008. Celtics/Lakers are tied with 17 NBA championships, with Golden State third with seven. 

— Cubs 1, Braves 0:
Braves came into this weekend on a 14-game win streak, Cubs on a 10-game losing skid; the last time a team on a double-digit losing streak beat a team on a double-digit win streak? Back in September, 1999 when the Phillies beat Houston.

— San Diego Padres entered this weekend in first place, the first time they’ve been in first place in June since 2010.

— Boston College’s football team lost G Christian Mahogany for this season; he tore his right ACL. Mel Kiper had Mahogany listed as the #2 guard prospect in next April’s draft.

— Former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam is going to buy the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Haslam is worth $2.3B; his brother and sister-in-law, Jimmy/Susan Haslam, are the owners of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.

— Bruno Mioto posted this information on Twitter this week, breaking down NFL rosters by which round of the draft each team’s players were taken in, and how many undrafted free agents each team had.

— Most first round draft picks on NFL rosters last year:
13— NJ Giants
12— Pittsburgh/San Francisco
11— Atlanta/Baltimore
10— Cleveland, Denver, Las Vegas

— Fewest first round draft picks on NFL rosters last year:
4— Indianapolis, Kansas City
5— LA Rams
6— New England, Seattle, Tennessee
7— Houston, Jacksonville, Minnesota

— Most second round draft picks on NFL rosters last year:
11— Tampa Bay
10— Jacksonville, Miami, NJ Giants, Seattle
9— Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, LA Rams

— Fewest second round draft picks on NFL rosters last year:
3— Baltimore, Detroit
4— LA Chargers, NJ Jets, New Orleans, Washington
5— Buffalo, Carolina, Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco

— Most undrafted free agents on NFL rosters last year:
23— Tennessee
21— Detroit
18— LA Chargers
16— Carolina, Denver, Miami

— Fewest undrafted free agents on NFL rosters last year:
6— NJ Giants
7— Pittsburgh
9— Minnesota, Seattle
10— Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, NJ Jets

Major league records in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on:
These are thru Thursday’s games
Home/Away….Total
Arizona 5-6/5-2….10-8
Atlanta 6-5/3-1….9-6
Cubs 4-6/4-2….8-8
Cincinnati 1-4/5-5….6-9
Colorado 5-6/5-4….10-10
Dodgers 2-2/2-4….4-6
Miami 2-4/4-5….6-9
Milwaukee 1-1/8-5….9-6
Mets 4-4/2-2….6-6
Philadelphia 4-7/3-4….7-11
Pittsburgh 6-3/3-5….9-8
St Louis 4-4/4-2….8-6
San Diego 5-5/7-6….12-11
San Francisco 1-5/4-3….5-8
Washington 1-1/2-2

Baltimore 5-3/2-3….7-6
Boston 4-4/4-7….8-11
White Sox 6-5/6-2….12-7
Cleveland 3-4/8-3….11-7
Detroit 6-4/7-3….13-7
Houston 3-1/5-4….8-5
Kansas City 2-6/3-4….5-10
Angels 0-6/2-4….2-10
Minnesota 2-6/2-4….4-10
New York 6-3/4-4….10-7
Oakland 3-9/4-4….7-13
Seattle 3-7/4-2….7-9
Tampa Bay 6-2/5-4….11-6
Texas 4-4/9-4….13-8
Toronto 4-4/6-4….10-8

13) 21 years ago today we started this blog; doesn’t seem like that long ago.

I’d like to thank you for reading; hope you enjoy it and maybe sometimes you learn some stuff, too. We’ll see if I can make it another 21 years 🙂

Happy birthday to the Big Dawg; hope he has an excellent day, sitting by his pool.

12) Read on the Interweb today that minor league games where the pitch clock is used are running 24 minutes a game shorter than the other games. MLB experts are assuming that the pitch clock will become a thing in the major leagues next season. 

11) There are many major league teams that completely suck; I’m not sure why you would own a team and deliberately not try to at least compete, but here we are:

A’s are a minor league team. It is depressing to see.
Pirates are bad, but at least they’re promoting some prospects, none of whom pitch
Royals are a bad team.
Washington is terrible, and they won the World Series in 2019
What the Cubs are doing is inexcusable; a big market team tanking. Makes no sense.
Cincinnati is also really bad, with no real solutions in sight.

This is why I’m in favor of a mandatory salary floor for MLB teams; at least pretend you’re trying. 

10) Doing local TV/radio for these bad teams is a tough job; you have to tell the truth, but you cannot be overly critical, seeing how you travel on the road with the players/coaches you’re broadcasting. Guys who do the Pirate games sound like they’ve been tranquilized before they do do games. They spent half the game Tuesday talking about how hot it was in St Louis. 

9) Coming into Tuesday’s game, White Sox’ #9 hitters led the team, with a .477 slugging %age; their #3 hitters have only a .303 slugging %age, which makes very little sense.

8) Angels have already lost ten games that they led in the 7th inning or later; they’ve spent a lot of money on payroll, but again, their pitching is bad. Pitching is kind of important in baseball. 

7) Diamondbacks have been shut out last three times Madison Bumgarner pitched; MadBum was a pretty good hitter. He probably wishes they’d ditch the DH and let him hit.

6) St Louis is a nice place, I mean, the people are genuinely nice. Was there a couple times when the Rams played there. At Cardinal games, when a visiting player makes his MLB debut, the PA announcer tells the crowd it is this guy’s debut, and they politely applaud him.

Could you imagine that happening in New York? Didn’t think so. 

5) Just about everything NFL Films does is really good; Tuesday afternoon, I watched an hour-long special on the 2006 Texas-USC Rose Bowl, which Texas won at the very end. The special centered around the two QB’s, Matt Leinart/Vince Young, how they were great college players who fizzled in the pros.

— The two coaches in that game, Mack Brown/Pete Carroll are still coaching 16 years later.
— Vince Young got drafted by the Titans, even though their coach (Jeff Fisher) and OC (Norm Chow) were USC guys. In this film, Fisher made it clear that it wasn’t his choice to take Young, who lasted only six years in the NFL, five with Tennessee.
— Fisher claims that Titans owner Bud Adams overrruled his football people and ordered them to draft Young.
— Leinart got drafted by Arizona; he also lasted six years in the NFL. They both mentioned that if they knew where they would be drafted, they would’ve stayed in college another year.

— This was also the last game the great Keith Jackson broadcast; when I think of college football on TV, I think of Keith Jackson. He was excellent.
— Friend of mine who I met maybe 6-7 years ago told me a great story about how he wagered a lot of money on this game in Las Vegas; luckily for him, he had Texas.
— Reggie Bush got drafted before Leinart/Young; he wound up scoring 54 TD’s in his 11-year NFL career. Key play in the Texas-USC game was the Trojans failing on a 4th-and-1 while leading with 2:13 left. Bush was inexplicably on the bench for that play. 

4) Passing yardage leaders in the USFL:
1,750— Kyle Sloter, New Orleans
1,502— Jordan Ta’amu, Tampa Bay
1,241— J’Mar Smith, Birmingham
1,028— Case Cookus, Philadelphia

3) Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson doesn’t have an NFL agent negotiating his pending mega-deal with the Ravens; how is this possible?

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes:
”If you are under the impression that Jackson is some naïve, out-of-his-depth, disengaged vessel in terms of his contract, you would be incorrect. Numerous sources close to this situation indicated he is quite well-versed in the NFL quarterback financial landscape……..”

Good for him, plus he saves the 3% agents usually get. 

2) There are 358 Division I college basketball teams; there are over 1,400 transfers this year, which means that October/November will be a nightmare, trying to piece together which teams did well and which teams are going to get hammered because of all the roster turnover.

1) There is a commercial on Minnesota Twins’ TV promoting pheasant hunting in South Dakota; an attractive young woman has herself a rifle and is out in a field firing that rifle at birds, who do not have a gun to fire back at her.

Add South Dakota to the list of states I’ll never visit. 

13) “I think everyone should go to college and get a degree, and then spend six months as a bartender and six months as a cab driver. Then they would really be educated”
Al McGuire

12) “It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer”
Albert Einstein

11) “Be nice to people on way up, because you meet them on your way down”
Jimmy Durante

10) “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”
Soren Kierkegaard

9) “Money won is twice as sweet as money earned”
Fast Eddie Felson, from The Color of Money

8) “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”
Thomas Edison

7) “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved”
George McDonald

6) “I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts”
John Locke 

5) “The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer everyone else up”
Mark Twain

4) “Success is never final”
Winston Churchill

3) “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more of it I have”
Thomas Jefferson

2) “The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made”
Jean Giraudoux

1) “Trust everybody, but cut the cards”
Fimley Peter Dunne