Hello.
As I’m sure at least some of you realized, this column was absent last week. I apologize, and I promise it’s not because my Week 3 picks were god awful. I was at Rush University Hospital in Chicago all of Monday doing tests to be put on the transplant list, and I didn’t get back until late Tuesday afternoon. I immediately got sick upon returning, and didn’t have time to put this together. I could have done an impromptu quick column, but that didn’t sit right with me. If I put something out there, I want it to be the best it can be.
So now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
The MLB regular season came to an end this past weekend, and I’ve never been happier to say goodbye.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a fan of the Chicago White Sox. Most years, that fact is enough to bring me some ridicule. This year however, was beyond embarrassing. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the White Sox lost 121 games this season, setting a record for the modern era of baseball (1900 and beyond). My colleague Roger Grossman put together a column a few months ago detailing how historically bad this team was, so I won’t spend too much time rehashing it.
The 41-121 record was so bad, that the Sox finished 20 games behind the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in baseball. The Sox were so bad, two teams in their division made the playoffs solely because they played against them so many times. The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals combined to go 22-4 against Chicago this season, 149-147 against everybody else. They were a complete laughing stock, and deserved to be.
This team hardly ever tries to field a competitive roster, never spends any money and repeatedly shoots itself in the foot. It is not a serious franchise, and hasn’t been for most of my life.
But you know all of this already. This column is about how it makes me feel.
My first love in this world was baseball. From a young age, I was enamored with the game. Playing it, watching it, collecting cards and going to the ballpark. A big part of that was the White Sox winning the World Series in 2005. I was not even 10 years old, staying up late to watch every playoff game with my dad (and sometimes even having to wake him up to tell him we won). A huge Sox fan himself, he introduced that love to me and it was something that brought us closer. When Bobby Jenks recorded that final out in Houston to clinch the first Sox title in 88 years, it was a moment I still remember vividly all of these years later.
That was 19 years ago. Since then, the Sox have made the playoffs exactly three times. They’ve finished in last place or second to last in the AL Central nine times. Even through that, my family continued to go to multiple games a year, as my dad split a season ticket package with his buddies. My love for the team never diminished, no matter how hard it got.
The last few years though, things started to deteriorate.
You see, the White Sox were on the up and up a few years ago. They had a core of young players with tremendous upside all coming up together. It resulted in a pair of playoff appearances, the first since 2008, but no series wins. This core was supposed to be here for quite some time though, so it was all going to work out.
It didn’t.
After injuries, underperformances and more than a few trades later, that core is all but gone, and the worst team in baseball history is all that remains. How this ended was so devastating and sudden that it ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back. I finally gave up. I watched maybe five games this season. I hardly watched last year either.
It makes me sad. This team has taken my first love in the world, took it out of my chest, spit on it, and stepped on it in front of me. I don’t know how this team improves from here, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to convince myself to buy back in when that happens. The White Sox have made me indifferent about a sport I used to love more than anything, and that stinks.
Here’s to you, 2024 White Sox. May you forever live in infamy.
Quick hitters:
I hope you all watched the Georgia-Alabama game Saturday night. While it looked to be a snoozer when the Tide took a 28-0 lead, it ended up being an amazing contest as the Dawgs’ comeback fell just short. Ryan Williams is that dude.
Rest in peace to Pete Rose and Dikembe Mutombo.
I watched a documentary about the making of The Sopranos this week. It was so awesome. I’ve watched that show countless times and watching that has me ready to restart it once again.
We are not too far away from it already being playoff season for our local sports. Abbey Peterson will compete at the IHSAA state golf finals this weekend, boys tennis sectionals start today and soccer sectionals begin next week. We’ve already reached the beginning of the end!
Let’s get into the picks. It’ll feel good to get back into a groove.
Here we go.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (-1.5)
Both teams are coming off of Week 5 wins, with the Bucs beating down on the Eagles while the Falcons won at the buzzer against the Saints. Atlanta has found ways to win games it shouldn’t while Tampa Bay has looked really good for a majority of the season. The fact that they are underdogs in this game is far too juicy to pass up. Give me Tampa.
The Pick: Buccaneers +1.5
ACROSS THE POND
New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5)
We’ve reached the first overseas game of the season. The Jets and Vikings will meet in London Sunday morning. The Vikings have to be the surprise of the year up to this point. Sam Darnold is playing like an MVP and the team is undefeated. The Jets have been pretty middling so far, not so good, but not too bad. The defense has been pretty solid, but that unit will have its hands full with one of the best receiver rooms in the league. I’ve been hesitant to believe in this Minnesota team this season, but I’m not doing so this week.
The Pick: Vikings -2.5
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears (-3.5)
Thank goodness for the Bears defense. That unit shined in a win against the Rams Sunday. With the offense struggling to get going for the first half, the D kept LA out of the end zone and kept them in striking distance. Caleb Williams has looked better and better each week, and I’m excited to see him continue to develop. The Panthers have looked so much better since going to Andy Dalton as the quarterback. At the end of the day, Chicago has a much better defense. This is a perfect opportunity for Williams to have a coming out party, and this is the week I think it happens. Bear down.
The Pick: Bears -3.5
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (-2.5)
Unfortunately for Colts fans, Anthony Richardson got hurt again in a win over the Steelers last week. As I’m writing this, it’s unknown if he or Joe Flacco is going to start this game this week. The Jaguars were in a good position to finally end a long losing streak in Houston last week, but gave up a touchdown at the end of the game to remain winless. I’d have to imagine Doug Pederson is coaching for his job, but I’m not sure it can be saved at this point. If this team has checked out at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised. I think a Joe Flacco led team wins this game.
The Pick: Colts +2.5
Buffalo Bills (-1.5) at Houston Texans
Outside of the Bears’ game, this is probably the contest I’m most excited for on Sunday afternoon. Two AFC contenders facing off early in the year to show what they’re made of. The Bills got waxed by the Ravens on Sunday night while the Texans earned that comeback win. The Bills were being viewed as potentially the top team in the conference before being served up that slice of humble pie. For the second week in a row, they’ll be tested. For the second week in a row, I think Buffalo ends up on the losing end. CJ Stroud is ascending, and he gets it done at home this week.
The Pick: Texans +1.5
Cleveland Browns at Washington Commanders (-3)
Along with the Vikings, the Commanders have been one of the biggest surprises in the league this year. Jayden Daniels seems to be turning into a star already, leading one of the most efficient offenses in the league. The Browns are also a surprise this season, although not for the right reasons. It’s been a bad year for Cleveland already, and I don’t see it getting any better here. While the defense is the better unit for the Browns, I don’t see the offense doing enough to keep up with the Commies.
The Pick: Commanders -3
Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) at Cincinnati Bengals
This is another entertaining game early on Sunday. The Bengals finally picked up their first win of the season over Carolina, while the Ravens crushed Buffalo last week. That win definitely moved Baltimore up a peg in the AFC power rankings. I don’t know how this week is going to go, but I think this is going to be a close one. I’m going to zig instead of zag here. I think a lot of people are going to be high on the Ravens coming into this game, but for whatever reason, I see the Bengals getting a win here and sneaking closer into contention.
The Pick: Bengals +2.5
Miami Dolphins (-1.5) at New England Patriots
This is going to be one stinker of the game. Two of the worst teams in the league at the moment facing off is never a good one, and I can’t imagine myself thinking about this game at all after I make this pick. Both teams are bad, but I think this version of the Dolphins is worse. Give me New England to pick up a win at home.
The Pick: Patriots +1.5
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers (-7.5)
The Cardinals looked really good for the first few weeks of the season, but haven’t been able to keep that momentum going in recent weeks. The Niners are getting a bit more healthy, though still missing Christian McCaffrey. Jordan Mason has been great in his place and the offense hasn’t missed a beat. This is the most lopsided spread of the weekend, and while that usually spells disaster for the favorite, I’m going to keep drinking the San Fran Kool-Aid and pick the Niners.
The Pick: 49ers -7.5
Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos (-2.5)
The Raiders have been an interesting team this season. A few big wins as underdogs and a few performances that haven’t looked so good. The Broncos looked horrible for the first two weeks but suddenly have strung two straight wins together. Even still, I am not high on this Denver team, and I do think the Raiders have another gear they have yet to reach. It’s hard going to Colorado and picking up a road win, but this is a division opponent that is more used to having to go up there than most. The Raiders cover and win.
The Pick: Raiders +2.5
Green Bay Packers (-3) at Los Angeles Rams
I told you all before the season started that Jordan Love is not that good. So far, the Packers are 0-2 when he starts a game and 2-0 when Malik Willis does. Quarterback controversy? One can only wonder. The Rams were stifled against the Bears last week, able to pick up yardage but being consistently held to field goals. I don’t think the Packers’ defense is better than the Bears, so I think we will see the Rams getting into the end zone this time around. We’ll see if Love looks any better, but turnovers have been an issue that can be tough to resolve.
The Pick: Rams +3
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks (-6.5)
Malik Nabers has been absolutely awesome for the Giants this season, single handedly making Daniel Jones look like an NFL quarterback. He may not be available for this week’s game after suffering a concussion last Thursday night, but he hasn't been ruled out yet either. The Seahawks lost an awesome game to the Lions on Monday night, but looked great in defeat. This is an offense that is feasting right now, and I think they keep that going at home with the 12s cheering them on.
The Pick: Seahawks -6.5
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers (-1.5)
This should be a pretty good battle on Sunday night. The Cowboys are definitely a little down this season, and the Steelers have looked solid, but at the end of the day, these teams look fairly even coming into this one. Micah Parsons got hurt last week and could be a very brutal loss for Dallas. The Pittsburgh defense has been awesome and Justin Fields has been serviceable. There are too many question marks still surrounding Dallas for me to like them here. Give me the Steel Curtain.
The Pick: Steelers -1.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5)
The Chiefs continue to win, no matter how rough they look. It must be black magic or something. The injury bug has hit the team bad though, with Rashee Rice being out for potentially the season with a knee injury. The Saints started off the season extremely strong but have lost two straight games now. I’m not sure they win this one, but I think they cover this spread. The games that Kansas City has won this season have all been close. This continues that trend.
The Pick: Saints +5.5
On the bye: Chargers, Eagles, Lions, Titans
I picked a lot of underdogs this week. Hopefully they can pay off for me. Two weeks ago, I picked so many favorites and it bit me in the butt. We’ll see.
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 5-11
Season Record: 21-27