Standings after Week 13
Dick       +80 +50 = +130
Tom        -20 - 50 = -70
Rand         +10 - 50 = -40

Guest Pickers (combined)  -240 -10 = -250

This week’s picks
Dick: $50 on NY Giants - 3.5 + just like taking candy from a baby picking the Giants - why didn’t I think of that.

Tom: $50 on Buffalo -7 X after coming up with 3 picks for the week, NYG, Tenn and Buff, I decide to put the load on Buffalo - what could I possibly have been thinking at that moment.

Rand: $50 on Indy -4.5 X Rand decides to keep Tom company by missing this week as well.

This Week’s Guest Prognosticator is Steve Robinson, a longtime football guru who is the Chief Manager of Phoenix Commerical Builders out of Nashville, TN (or thereabouts).  Steve goes back a few years with Tom from their SMU days.  Steve vows to leap forward with the momentum that Ernie started last week.  Let’s hope so.  Steve is using the strategy that Tom used to use - successfully, so obviously that is why Tom no longer uses it, but I digress - no team is as good as it appears, and no team is as bad as it appears.  Good Luck this week. Oh well, not a positive week, but losses were minimized.

Steve:  $30 on Green Bay -3 X ouch, the big pick for the week goes down in flames as Carolina shows maybe it is for real
         $10 on Philly -3 + good pick, memo to self, pick against AZ unless they are playing other NFC West teams
         $10 on Houston -3 + took down the Jacksonville Pigs, where is Mike Smith nowadays - oh, coaching the winning Atlanta Falcons - hmmm, maybe of genius of Jack del Rio has been exposed.

The Savants must strongly deny the rumour that they select guest pickers who are doomed to fail, so as to make the Savants’ collectively weak seasons look better. We select them so we can make fun of them. Guests have now passed the Mendoza line of prognostication, the minus $200 barrier.

Note: The Sports Savants do not gamble with real money and do not endorse, recommend or promote doing so. The dollar figures above are in “pretend” money, as a way of measuring our success in the game. Not only is gambling illegal in many jurisdictions, it is also pretty dumb. In the end, the house always wins. That’s why the house has gold plated ceilings, dancing girls, magic shows and enormous fountains out front.

BEAT THE SAVANTS

Come to this blog each week to send in your picks for the week. Each week we will feature a guest prognosticator and see how he or she stacks up against the Sports Savants.

Standings after Week 11
Dick      -20 +50 = +30
Tom       +60 -30 = +30
Rand       -70 +30 = -40
Guest Pickers (combined) -200 -50 = -250

This week’s picks
Dick: $50 on NYGiants -6.5, + Dick shows that he can ride this horse to the top - Will Dick start wearing his NYG jersey in public?

Tom: $20 on Miami -10.5, X Big Bill’s boys are still winning, but winning ugly against the pigs from the west coast
        $10 on Atlanta -6, X they can’t beat that no-defense Denver team, no longer my ATL
         $10 on New England -3, X memo to self, never ever go with the same pick as a guest picker
         $10 on San Francisco -6, + perhaps this should have been my first pick

Rand: $10 on Pitts -4.5, X the cover that wasn’t, hmmm
          $10 on Arizona -3, + maybe a little closer than expected, but the Warner Bandwagon rolls on
          $10 on Tampa Bay -3.5, + TB in the playoffs, almost
          $10 on Carolina -14, X memo to Rand, never ever go with the same pick as a guest picker
          $10 on Miami/Oakland under 38.5, + DeMarcus Russell equals UNDER, only a punt return caused this to be close

This Week’s Guest Prognosticator is Lynn Conto of ClubCorp fame handling Business Club HR.  Lynn, an avid Redskin fan, passes on the chance to bet on them against the Cows from Dallas.  Interesting that both Lynn and Dick avoid the head to head confrontation on this one.  Maybe they know to stay away from those Jekyll and Hyde teams.  Can Lynn bring respect to the Guest Pickers who continue their downward spiral?  We’ll see.

Lynn:  $20 on New England -3, X Thursday night’s defeat was an omen of things to come - but, Lynn does take Tom down with this pick
         $20 on Indy -8, X only 2 points short of the push, and close gets you, well we know the answer
         $10 on Carolina -14, X close, but can’t cover the big spread - but, Lynn does take Rand down with this pick

The Savants must strongly deny the rumour that they select guest pickers who are doomed to fail, so as to make the Savants’ collectively weak seasons look better. We select them so we can make fun of them. Guests have now passed the Mendoza line of prognostication, the minus $200 barrier.

Note: The Sports Savants do not gamble with real money and do not endorse, recommend or promote doing so. The dollar figures above are in “pretend” money, as a way of measuring our success in the game. Not only is gambling illegal in many jurisdictions, it is also pretty dumb. In the end, the house always wins. That’s why the house has gold plated ceilings, dancing girls, magic shows and enormous fountains out front.

BEAT THE SAVANTS

Come to this blog each week to send in your picks for the week. Each week we will feature a guest prognosticator and see how he or she stacks up against the Sports Savants.

Standings after Week 9
Dick     -70 +50 = -20
Tom      +30 +30 = +60
Rand      -60 -10 = -70
Guest Pickers (combined)    -170 -30 = -200

This week’s picks
Dick: $50 on NYGiants +3, riding the Eli train another week +Best team in football

Tom: $10 on Atlanta -1, Buyin’ into Ryan +Falcons are real
         $10 on Tenn  -3, The man has taste! +Thanks, Rex
         $10 on Jacksonville -6.5, Jags gave Cincy it’s first win…the Lions, too? +Kicking the LB out of practice worked
         $10 on Green Bay +2.5, No more Favre problem in dome +Punt return TD saves this cover
         $10 on NYG/Phil U43, Eagles play D at home xSo close to a perfect week

Rand: $20 on Miami -8.5, Seahawks stink xFish get lazy after big early lead
          $20 on NE -3.5, only thing I’ve had right all year is that Buffalo is overrated +Easy money
          $10 on Arizona -9.5, Singletary will succeed….someday xStupid kickoff return TD…grrr

This Week’s Guest Prognosticator is the Rev. Mike Kinman, director of Episcoplaians for Global Reconciliation (www.e4gr.org.), and a former Missouri sportswriter of the year. With that kind of knowledge AND God on his side, it would be embarrasing if he didn’t beat the savants.

Mike:  $20 on KC/SD O47.5, Chiefs actually participating xBut where was SD?
         $10 on NO +1, going head to head with Tom xNeeded more than just God’s help
         $10 on Hou/Balt U42, No faith in Flacco! xBalt almost went over by themselves
         $10 on Jets -9, Hatin’ on his hometown Rams +Should’ve been a $50 bet

The Savants must strongly deny the rumour that they select guest pickers who are doomed to fail, so as to make the Savants’ collectively weak seasons look better. We select them so we can make fun of them. Guests have now hit the Mendoza line of prognostication, the minus $200 barrier.

Note: The Sports Savants do not gamble with real money and do not endorse, recommend or promote doing so. The dollar figures above are in “pretend” money, as a way of measuring our success in the game. Not only is gambling illegal in many jurisdictions, it is also pretty dumb. In the end, the house always wins. That’s why the house has gold plated ceilings, dancing girls, magic shows and enormous fountains out front.

BEAT THE SAVANTS

Come to this blog each week to send in your picks for the week. Each week we will feature a guest prognosticator and see how he or she stacks up against the Sports Savants.