Thoughts From My Couch

Late September to mid-June is the best time of the year because it means there is hockey on television. As training camp begins, it's time to look at my often incorrect predictions. To give you an idea of how wrong I usually am, here are some of the big predictions from last season that were painfully wrong. I picked Boston, New Jersey, Winnipeg, and Seattle to finish 6th in their respective divisions. All four of them made the playoffs.  In their place, I predicted Ottawa, St. Louis, Vancouver, and Calgary to all make the playoffs, while the eventual Stanley Cup Champions were outside of the playoffs.  My Stanley Cup Final was Carolina vs. Colorado. While Carolina made it to the ECF, Colorado was eliminated in the 1st Round.  I picked Jonathan Quick to be a Vezina finalist. I'm sure there are many other egregious predictions from last season, but there were some of my favorites. However, I'm still going to make predictions because it's fun, and I like to. Instead of pr...

After a disappointing end to the series in Baltimore, the Rays are in the same spot they were when the series began. However, there's no time for them to feel sorry about it. The only thing they can do at this point is to win games. They'll have to fight off one team out of the race and one trying to fight for one of the final two spots in the Wild Card race. They can't watch the scoreboard to see how Baltimore is playing. If they handle their business, they may return to the top and win the division.  Tuesday 9/19 Rays 6, Angels 2 WP- Robert Stephenson (3-4), LP- Aaron Loup (2-3) The Rays returned home to begin their final homestand of the regular season. They immediately found themselves ahead after a lead-off double by Yandy Diaz and a two-run home run by Randy Arozarena put them up after two batters in the bottom of the first. The offense went quiet after that. Taj Bradley put in a strong start, pitching five innings and striking out six, with his only mistake coming on...

The schedule for the weekend was loaded with six Top 25 matchups, including a Top 10 duel in South Bend. It was a huge weekend for the PAC-12, sporting three of the six big games. Every conference had a premier game on the docket, giving us fun games to watch in every time zone. With many teams playing their conference opener, it allowed fans a first glimpse of who the real contenders are.  Game of the Week-  #6 Ohio State 17,  #9 Notre Dame 14  (Notre Dame, IN) The marquee games have delivered every week this season. The battle between two historic programs was about what we expected. The defenses came to play, but the quarterbacks made big plays when they needed to. The first half was a defensive struggle as the Buckeyes kicked a field goal late in the second quarter to take the lead into halftime. They added to their lead early in the second half on a 61-yard touchdown run by TreVeyon Henderson to make it 10-0. The Fighting Irish drove the ball down the field and ...

The Rays hit the road for the most consequential week of the season. They start the week with a three-game set against a postseason team, the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. A good series could be important as they head to Baltimore to battle the Orioles with the fate of the AL East on the line. The work they put in against the Twins could get them in a good position to lead the division once the week it finished.  Monday 9/11 Rays 7, Twins 4 WP- Tyler Glasnow (9-5), LP- Sonny Gray (7-7), SV- Pete Fairbanks (23) As we remember a solemn day in American history, the Rays took their talents to Minnesota to begin a three-game set. They did so in a convincing fashion. The offense exploded early to aid another great start from Tyler Glasnow. RBI singles by Josh Lowe and Jose Siri got the Rays ahead 2-0 after three innings. Max Kepler homered in the bottom of the fourth, but Taylor Walls' three-run homer in the fifth extended the lead to four runs. Yandy Diaz hit his 20th home run of ...

It was not a fun weekend to be in the Top 15. While most of the nation's best teams survived their tests, some struggled. There were a few surprising results, including an SEC record being broken to ensure an upset. The ACC continued to surge despite their top team struggling to keep their lead. The SEC continued to beat up on itself, allowing the #1 in the country to tighten its grip on the conference. It was a fun time as we played through the third week of the season.  Game of the Week- #18 Colorado 43,  Colorado State 35 (2OT) (Boulder, CO) The mist of Deion Sanders and this Colorado team continues to cover the nation. ESPN and Fox were on hand for the rivalry game between in-state combatants. The words were flying early, adding tension to an already volatile situation. For as much love as Shedeur Sanders gets, Shilo is often lost in the mix. He earned his moment to open the scoring, returning an interception 80 yards for a touchdown. Colorado State struck back for 14 stra...

There is no rest for the Rays as they play for seven days straight, but they get to do it from the comfort of their own home ballpark. The week starts with a three-game inter-divisional battle with the Boston Red Sox before welcoming the Seattle Mariners for four games in a potential preview for the Wild Card Round. The stakes are high, with Baltimore on a roll and not relinquishing any ground in the division. A strong week sets them up for an epic clash next weekend.  Monday 9/4 Red Sox 7, Rays 3 WP- Brayan Bello (11-6), LP- Chris Devenski (3-4) If games were decided in the first inning, the Rays would've won this game. A two-run single by Brandon Lowe and an RBI double by Harold Ramirez got the Rays out to a 3-0 lead. Even after Boston got one back in the fourth inning, things looked like they were looking good for Tampa Bay. All of that changed with one swing of the bat by Triston Casas in the sixth inning. After Aaron Civale exited the game after 5.1 innings and 12 strikeouts, ...

The second week of college football brought more action and a lot of fun storylines. With one of the most highly anticipated non-conference games of the year taking place in primetime, there was a lot of hype surrounding Texas and Alabama. The slate was full of fun games that came down to the wire. There was plenty of potential movement as we got an idea of which teams are legit and which aren't.  Game of the Week- #11 Texas 34, #3 Alabama 24 (Tuscaloosa, AL) The best matchup of the week went down in Tuscaloosa. Beating the Crimson Tide in Alabama is no small feat, but on this night, the Longhorns were up to the challenge. The first half wasn't much to write home about. The only touchdown of the half came on a beautiful throw from Quinn Ewers to Xavier Worthy as Texas held a 13-6 lead at the break. The game became much more interesting in the second half. An early Alabama field goal would be the only points of the third quarter until Jalen Milroe launched a 49-yard strike to gi...