The Guest Picker Update:  Marcia Mayes ended Don Sweeting’s run as champ by doing just enough to get by.  Marcia picked had the only correct pick from the Savants and the Guest Pickers, so she advances -10 over -50 for the weekend.  So, how do we change the tide of negative picks?  We’ve brought in a true picking savant - well, at least a true fantasy golf picking savant - how do I know?  He had YE Yang in the PGA pool - you gotta be kidding.  So, we welcome Scott Holtzman, another financial consultant extraordinaire for golf properties that goes back a few years with both the Savants and his GP competitor, Marcia.  Will Scott’s arrival bring some much needed skill to the table?  Or, will the Savant crappy-pick vortex swallow him up with the rest of us?  Good luck, and let’s see some positive scores for the week. 

This Week’s Headlines:  The Savants Are Rumored to be losing their nickname. First, Frank Gore was stripped of his Goracle nickname.  Are the Savants next?  Editor’s Note:  probably not as long as one of the Savants continues to write this post. Last week was nothing short of a bloodbath.  Minus 200 combined by the Savants. Not a single positive pick in the group.  So, should we go the hammer pick?  2nd Editor’s Note:  the hammer pick is going opposite of a Savants’ pick on the belief that they are more likely to be wrong than right.  Well, at least no hammer picks this week as the Savants have vowed to turn this thing back to positive territory.  So which Savant will break out of the cold - or will we see a Plus 200 week?

Season through Week 13
Dick               -50 -50 = -100
Tom                -70 -10 = -80
Rand               -50 +50 = 0
Frank Gore     -150 +50 = -100

This Week’s Guest Pickers

Marcia Mayes +10 versus Scott Holtzman +30

This week’s picks
Dick: $50 on New Orleans -10.5. Dick was so pleased with his 50 on NO last week that he stays on the pick this week.  It looks like a better pick this week as Atlanta has its own health care crisis. XXX Cassidy stays in the ice box.  Even the Saints can’t carry him to victory.

 Tom:  $10 on Arizona -3.  Tom’s fantasy football team needs Kurt Warner to come up big this weekend - so that is reason enough for this pick.  And, the Cardinals are looking like they might make some noise in the playoffs again this year. XXX Arizona fumbles away Monday night - and Tom’s fantasy football team will watch the rest of the playoffs from the sidelines.
          $10 on New England -13.5. Has Belichick gone mad?  Sending home players for being late on a snow day?  Fortunately, Carolina may decide to go home early on Sunday allowing the Pats to break the losing streak in a big way. XXX A plodding day for Brady and Co.  A win, but no cover. 
           $10 on KC/Buffalo Under 37. Both teams are not good, but not awful either.  So, who in their right mind would go with an Under pick with T.O. involved? Tom. +++ These teams show they are bad, and get no where near the number.
          $10 on Minnesota/Cincy Under 43. Tom is not a believer in Cincy overall - but he thinks that the Bengal Defense is for real.  Is Brett in a December swoon like last year? +++ Tom was right about the Viking D, and that was good enough to slide by.  
           $10 on Seattle/Houston Over 44.5. Tom with his third over/under pick trys to figure out if he can be any better with this new strategy.  Don’t count on it.  XXX 31 at half, 41 after the 3rd, and no more points.  Ugh.
 
        Rand: $30 on Green Bay -3.  Rand leaves the comfort of his Titans for the road team Packers against the Bears.  As long as the Bears’ defense continues to stink it up, and Jeff George aka Jay Cutler is their QB, this pick looks solid. +++ Da Bears don’t disappoint and play as expected, and Rand picks up the easy win.
          $20 on Miami +2.5. Rand either likes the Dolphins or refuses to believe that Jacksonville may take the Titans’ rightful place in the playoffs.  Stick with the later explanation. +++ It wasn’t pretty, but Rand’s pick confirms Jack isn’t that good. 
                   
         Frank: $50 on Philadelphia +1.  Frank runs back to the safety of the NFC East after confirming that the division is not the problem with his picks.  Is this a signal that he’ll be flying high with the Eagles all the way to the playoffs? +++ Frank is back on top with the Eagles.  Now, will he stay on their bandwagon? 
             
             
This Week’s Guest Prognosticators - Marcia Mayes and Scott Holtzman

Marcia:  $20 on New York Jets -3.  Marcia is unfazed by the Jets starting their backup QB.  Are the TBuc’s really that bad?  +++ Marcia on the right side of the Jets wipe out of the TBucs.
          $20 on New Orleans -10.5. Marcia sticks with this pick even after hearing Cassidy take it.  Do they know something, or should Marcia have gone with the hammer pick? XXX Note to Marcia:  don’t pick the same as Dick.
           $10 on Green Bay -3. Marcia joins Rand with this pick.  Doesn’t she follow the results from the Savants’ picks?  This pick looks like a winner, so Scott will need to bring his “A” game. +++Marcia finishes the week in positive numbers with this solid pick.

           Scott:  $20 on Miami +2.5.  Scott also like Big Bill’s Fins against the overrated Jax Jags.  Which inconsistent team will show up on Sunday? +++Scott on the right side of the battle of Florida (TBucs don’t count).
          $20 on San Francisco +3. What is going on here? Is Scott going opposite Tom with a Hammer Pick?  Is Scott trying to get on Frank’s good side by picking the 49ers?  No.  The waiter suggested the pick, and that was good enough for Scott. +++ Scott (and the waiter) nail the Monday night pick as Scott takes the GP crown on an exciting Monday night.  
           $10 on Philly/NY Giants Under 44.5. Scott thinks these two teams will knock each other around - and not score in the process.  Makes sense, except have you seen the Giant defense backs cover fast receivers - not pretty.  XXX Never a good thing when one of the team passes the number, and the other one almost does.
          

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.

*Unlike last year, the guests will compete against each other.  The winner between the guest pickers each week will continue to pick the next week.  If they win that week, they keep going.  There is one asterisk to that sentence - we are attorneys you know - if a guest picker buys lunch for the Savants at the regular pick’em lunch, they will continue to the next week whether they beat the new guest picker or not.

** Perhaps the Savants have been spending a bit too much time concerning themselves with country club law, private clubs and resorts law, membership law, and related hospitality law matters.

Last Week’s Guest Picker’s Results

Don Sweeting -50 versus Marcia Mayes -10

This entry was posted on Friday, December 11th, 2009 at 4:11 pm and is filed under NFL Picks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.