NFL Conference Championship Bettors Guide.

Last Week: 1-3 straight up; 2-2 against the spread.
Overall: 3-5 straight up; 4-4 against the spread.

New York Jets (+8) @ Indianapolis Colts: I could say so much about this game and break it down to a T...but I'm too lazy to and besides it has been reiterated time and time again. The Jets as I stated last week have only lost two games this year by double digits...meanwhile the Colts have six wins in double digits this year...however only two in their past 9 wins (including postseason; to BAL and DEN). It's gonna be tough for the Jets to really stop Peyton Manning who is the master of the chess game; and if the Jets are forced to play from behind it may get difficult. With that said, the Colts' fast D can be had and will be worn down by the Jets' O. It'll be close, but in the end my heart will be broken. By the way this is the first time in history that a conference championship game will be coached by 2 rookies (but really, Peyton Manning is the one in charge here). Indianapolis 20 NY Jets 16

Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) @ New Orleans Saints: The Saints had a virtuoso performance last week against Arizona; completely dissecting that sieve of a defense while keeping Kurt Warner & company out of sync. It'll be much tougher this week against a defense that also played flawlessly last week in Minnesota. The Vikings' D-Line completely dominated the Cowboys last week and if they can pressure Brees, it will get VERY interesting. Keep in mind although the Vikes are 4-4 on the road this year, they are 11-1 in games played indoors (9-0 at home; 2-1 on the road with the only loss at Arizona). The Superdome will prob be the most raucous it has ever been and if any other team was going there, I'd have the Saints easy. But with Brett Favre...ugh. Minnesota 34 New Orleans 27

And so on.

Haitian Earthquake & The Media.

As everyone by now knows, Haiti was rocked with a 7.0 earthquake Tuesday afternoon...with subsequent aftershocks thereafter. For me, this hits about as close to home as 9/11 did since Haiti is the country where my parents & grandmother are from...as well as many of my fellow Haitian-Americans; a couple of whom are my childhood friends. The outreach has been massive (as with any tragedy of this magnitude) and it's much appreciated. But beyond all of this...there is one thing that disturbs me the most & that's them showing off the dead bodies laying on the street.

Now granted, the news is trying to tell a story & the more disturbing of an image they show the more sympathy. And I know that it's almost unavoidable all things considered. However, I thought that the US media (at least) doesn't show these things? You didn't see it in 9/11, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Iran's earthquake, etc. Why is it now all of a sudden okay to show these kind of images like they did with Hurricane Katrina and now with this earthquake? Doesn't make sense to me. Yes I am riled up because those are my fellow Haitians so I do feel like it's a form of disrespect but either do that sensationalism shit with everything or don't do it at all. Since when was it okay to pick and choose?

Other random thoughts about it:
- I'm not even mad about the overflow of tragic stories, because people need to understand how this has affected the Haitian-American communities...especially in NYC, Boston and Miami where many of us reside.
- I can't complain about the response times for aid to come through. The disturbing things though to look for in the coming days & weeks are that an already desperate country that had little pre-disaster are gonna become 10x more so...and with little police/security this can get very ugly.
- For people on Twitter (per example) who complain about Haiti not being a trending topic at times; or not being at #1...sometimes it's okay to divert attention from a said disaster, even if it's for a few minutes. Plus, we get it. Donate, donate, donate.
- For people who have asked me about my family that lives out there, I don't know how they are but I do appreciate you asking me.
- Don't get me started on Rush Limbaugh & Pat Robertson because hey, they're just looking for attention and to push buttons. Remember, there's never a 100% wholly accepted opinion; regardless of how outlandish.

And so on.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Bettors Guide.

Last Week: 2-2 straight up & against the spread.

Arizona Cardinals (+7) @ New Orleans Saints: Don't get it twisted here. The Saints are gonna be riled up playing in front of their home fans. They may have the rowdiest fans in the NFL. But if you think that warrants them being a touchdown favorite you are sadly mistaken. The Saints are reeling; offensively they've been slowing down...while their D hasn't been forcing as many turnovers & big momentum-changing plays as they were earlier in the year. The LAST QB you want to face is Kurt Warner. Don't look into the Cards not having Boldin...last week proved they don't need him with Early Doucet being more than capable of filling that role. And besides, Steve Breaston is their X-Factor. Brees & company will get their shots against a gambling Cards' secondary that can be really good or really bad; ultimately though the Cards can run & pass...so the defending NFC Champs move on. Arizona 34 New Orleans 28

Baltimore Ravens @ Indianapolis Colts (-6.5): The Colts have something to prove this Saturday night. They're being questioned because they opted to rest guys as opposed to going 16-0 and may come out rusty initially. The Ravens were the most impressive team by far last week on both sides of the ball, and in their previous matchup nearly beat the Colts at home. I believe though that with Peyton Manning chomping at the bit, they're gonna take some frustrations out on this good, but aging Baltimore D. The Ravens MUST be able to run the ball effectively like they did last week because the game can't be trusted in Flacco's hands. Indianapolis 27 Baltimore 17

Dallas Cowboys (+2.5) @ Minnesota Vikings: I am finally sold on the Cowboys. Their defense is on one helluva hot streak and they're making enough plays offensively. The Vikings looked good last time they played...but it was to a Giants team that literally didn't want to be on the field. Favre has regressed a bit in December...but at home he's been great. However, I just get this feeling that he will make a momentum-changing INT that will finally break this talented squad. If Adrian Peterson doesn't get his looks, the Vikes are in trouble. Meanwhile, as long as the Cowboys give Romo time in the pocket against Minnesota's aggressive D-Line, they will be fine. Dallas 23 Minnesota 14

New York Jets (+7) @ San Diego Chargers: I really think my boys can win this game. I won't pick them to here...but this matchup is a very good one for them. First off, Mark Sanchez gets to play in sunny California. Secondly out of the eight teams remaining, the Jets have the least amount of pressure on them. And on some real shit, their running game vs. a Chargers run D without Jamal Williams has an edge; as well as the Chargers not having a run game. Phillip Rivers will get his using his arsenal of weapons (that aren't locked up by Revis) and the one thing that worries me more than anything is that these Chargers are hella resilient. The X-Factor is Darren Sproles not only in the backfield; but also in the return game. Also, the Jets have only lost by double digits twice this season (at New Orleans and at New England- games in which Mark Sanchez was dreadful...and before they implemented the red light system ha). A game-winning FG by the very accurate Nate Keading will do us in, but a helluva season nevertheless. San Diego 23 NY Jets 20

NFL Wild Card Bettors Guide.

Last Week: 10-6 straight up & 9-6-1 against the spread.
Season: 154-86 straight up & 120-114-5 against the spread.

Not bad...but now it's hammer time.

New York Jets (+2.5) @ Cincinnati Bengals: Not even being a homer here...but where do people get this idea that the Bengals are "far superior" to the Jets?? Look closely to the Bengals' 10 wins. EIGHT of them are by single digits and the 9th was a 10 point win over Detroit at home. Carson Palmer is supposed to be the "much superior" QB and the stats are in the pudding, but really he's only been real good on final drives. Only ways Cincy have a chance honestly are if they win the turnover battle, force Sanchez to take shots downfield and if they get the ball last ha. I don't see either 3 happening so...NY Jets 17 Cincinnati 9

Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5) @ Dallas Cowboys: No NFC team comes in hotter than the Cowboys...yet for some reason I still cannot trust them, especially since now they've probably earned the trust of the nation once again. The Eagles didn't really show much in week 17 especially defensively; you hardly saw any blitzes being dialed up and their big play was completely taken away. That being said, it's real hard to beat a team 3x in a season. Philadelphia 27 Dallas 23

Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-3.5): As much as I hate the Pats obviously, they're 8-0 at home. The weather suits Baltimore's run game no doubt, but Tom Brady airs it out in the cold, heat, sun, snow , it doesn't matter. And against a vulnerable & inexperienced Baltimore secondary that'll be the difference. Baltimore isn't built to come from behind. New England 27 Baltimore 17

Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (+1): I noticed that the line shifted 2.5 points towards the Cheeseheads, indicating that the nation still has no respect for the Cardinals. Not so fast. Look closely at Green Bay's 11 wins. TWO were against playoff teams (DAL & BAL at home). The other 9? Rams, Browns, Lions x2, Bears x2, Seahawks, 49ers and the B-Team Cards. Other than the Niners, none of those are impressive whatsoever. But hey, they've feasted on the poor teams unlike this team from Pittsburgh. Anyways...the Packers have struggled against the elite teams this year especially defensively. Kurt Warner is gonna get his. Aaron Rodgers will too as he always does, but the Cheeseheads find themselves on the short end of the stick. Arizona 31 Green Bay 24

Priorities.

So last night, I went to a poetry slam/jazz open mic up in East Harlem and while I was listening to some of the music...I was motivated to write a 16. I may or may not read this at a poetry slam in the near future; here goes:

How'd we go from I Have A Dream by Dr. King
To worryin about those who on the streets got STDs.
Once we used to be all about the struggle
Now lookin at cats sideways will get you in a tussle.
United we stand, divided we fall
We only unite when we see our brethren fall.
Our knowledge used to be harnessed with books in the library
Kinda scary that now they know everything bout Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey.
Aspiring to be a librarian, no more, now you wanna be a Kardashian
Or to practice for hours to be a highlight on ESPN.
Our parents preached for us to grab goals we can reach
But it feels like a contract we breached watchin intelligence bein put under siege.
Keep your eyes open, mind right all day & night
And you'll never lose sight of what's wrong & what's right.
To conclude we all have the intelligence to overcome ignorance
So set a precedent to rediscover the relevance that we hold to be self-evident.

Dear Jets Haters,

So fans of teams like the Dolphins, Texans, Steelers, Jaguars and Broncos are now all upset because the Jets are in the playoffs. Many of them feel as though we backed into it and the Bengals will beat us this Saturday.

GET OVER IT.

It's not the Jets' fault that Jim Caldwell decided to pull his starters in the 3rd quarter. Besides, although the Colts were up 15-10 at the time, it's debatable as to whether or not they would have held on. It wasn't as if Peyton & company were dominating us. It's not the Jets' fault that we needed four teams to lose in week 16...and guess what? They all did. Oddly enough, two of those teams I mentioned at the top (the Steelers & Texans) helped us with victories in Week 16. It's not the Jets' fault that the Bengals only had the ball for 5 minutes in the first half...tell the Bengals' D to stop us on 3rd down. It's not the Jets' fault that the rest of you bums equaled our "mediocrity".

-Steelers: losing to the Raiders, Chiefs, Bears & Browns get you no brownie points (pun intended).
-Texans: how many games this year did you blow opportunities?
-Dolphins: sure you guys swept us, but there were 2-3 games in which you couldn't finish yourselves.
-Jaguars: 4 game losing streaks at the end of the season don't get the job done.
-Broncos: way to crash back to earth after starting 6-0.

Sure, we have the worst QB of the bunch in Mark Sanchez...and we're not gonna thrill you with our #1 running game. Thomas Jones is no Chris Johnson to excite you, sorry. We play a thing called defense. If you don't like it, watch college football. You want shootouts? Watch Arena Football on Youtube. People think low-scoring games are boring and that's all well and good...but as a defensive player, it ain't about the highlights; it's about the final score. You wanted the Texans in? For what, a 28-24 game? I'm sure you saw Baltimore-Tennessee last year the 13-10 game and that was a barnburner.

Sidenote: assuming the Colts went for the win & won...they'd be going into Buffalo 15-0. Citing the weather conditions there (Lake Effect Snow- about 6 inches fell in that game); do you really think the Colts' starters would have wanted to play in that and risk potential injury? Who knows, but as a Jets' fan...I don't care.

Did you guys think the 2000 Ravens team with Trent Dilfer at QB was boring? They got a world title. DEFENSE BITCH. The 2001 Rams with the greatest show on turf...so exciting right? Lost in the Super Bowl, oops. 2007 Patriots- exuding greatness blah blah blah. 18-1. What do you want? Ultimately, it's to see YOUR team win the Super Bowl; much less get into the playoffs. Would you complain if breaks went your teams' way? Nope. Perfect example- last year's Philadelphia Eagles. They needed to win their game at 415...but before that needed Chicago to lose and Oakland to travel 3,000 miles to upset Tampa Bay. Guess what, they got both and that energized them to their 44-6 blowout victory.

Long story short, you play to win the game. You can't worry about who the opponent throws out at you, no matter if it's their B-team or if you're facing the Lions & Browns back to back (like the Bengals did earlier this year). You need to worry about YOUR own momentum, no one elses. Don't like the Jets? Turn off your station 4:30pm Saturday. Simple.

And so on.

NFL Week 17 Bettors Guide.

Let's finish strong and with a winning ATS record. Last week I got too cute with some upset specials that didn't come close ha.

Lat week: 8-8 straight up; 9-7 against the spread.
Overall: 144-80 straight up; 111-108-4 against the spread.

All odds courtesy of Oddsmaker.

New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings (-7.5): Both teams are limping down the stretch. However two things. First, the Giants sounded after last week that they just want the season to end now. Secondly, the Vikings are much better at home than on the road. AP will have a field day. Minnesota 31 NY Giants 17

Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills (-8): I doubt the Indy starters even see the field. Curtis Painter looked god-awful against my boys last week and although the Bills' defense is bleh...he's no Peyton Manning so whatever. Buffalo 24 Indianapolis 10

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) @ Miami Dolphins: The Steelers will win this game & then kick themselves for losing games to OAK, KC and CLE. Pittsburgh 23 Miami 16

San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams (+8): Singletary's boys will be looking to finish strong and with a .500 season. They will accomplish this. However, it is disturbing to know that in wins against Arizona & Detroit they have forced 13 combined turnovers and yet have only won 24-9 and 20-6 respectively (barely covering against DET). The Rams will play hard & cover. San Francisco 20 St. Louis 14

New England Patriots (+7) @ Houston Texans: I honestly do believe that Belichick will play his starters throughout this game unless he finds that Houston jumps to another quick lead (i.e. 21-0). It's a huge game for the Texans' franchise as not only do they still hold hopes for a playoff berth, but also their first ever above .500 season. You know how the Texans do tho. New England 27 Houston 23

Chicago Bears (-3) @ Detroit Lions: The Bears are who we thought they were. Makes sense that the spread is weighted -125. Chicago 24 Detroit 17

New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers (-7): With the way the Panthers are finishing up this season, combined with the immortal Mark Brunell starting for NO...this is the lock of the week. Carolina 31 New Orleans 13

Atlanta Falcons (-1.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Both teams are finishing strong but let's be real we know who the better team is. Take the under all day. Atlanta 21 Tampa Bay 14

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Cleveland Browns (-1): Did I just do that??? Hey look, the Browns have won 3 straight games and in fact have not allowed an offensive TD in their last 2 home games. With how shitty the Jags looked up north at New England last week, you must take the under at the minimum. Low 20s and snow showers screams Browns football ALL DAY. Cleveland 13 Jacksonville 7

Green Bay Packers @ Arizona Cardinals (-3.5): If this were a game in the middle of the season I'd probably look for the Packers' upset but since they're stuck in the #5 spot & may even return to play the same Cardinals team next week they don't have much to play for outside of momentum. Arizona 27 Green Bay 17

Kansas City Chiefs (+11) @ Denver Broncos: No Brandon Marshall security blanket for Kyle Orton huh? The Cowboys get all the notoriety for choking in December...but the Broncos have been pretty bad themselves. Not saying Denver loses this game...but CAREFUL. Denver 20 Kansas City 17

Baltimore Ravens @ Oakland Raiders (+10.5): Last year, the Raiders did the near-impossible. 14 point underdogs traveling 3,000 miles east to take on a squad (Tampa Bay) and given no chance whatsoever...yet they pull off the upset perhaps of the year. The Ravens are in that same category. This year, OAK is 4-1 SU/ATS as an underdog of 9 or more which means they step up to the level of competition. LOOK OUT. Oakland 21 Baltimore 17

Tennessee Titans (-5.5) @ Seattle Seahawks: Give Chris Johnson his 2,000 yard season against a team that has all but packed it up this season. Tennessee 27 Seattle 14

Philadelphia Eagles (+3) @ Dallas Cowboys: The Eagles sit at the 2 seed right now...but would drop to 6 with a loss and catapult the Cowboys to as high as #2 if the right breaks fall. Don't count on it tho. Philadelphia 24 Dallas 21

Washington Redskins @ San Diego Chargers (-4): There's a reason why even with a bye and being stuck with the #2 seed that the Chargers are STILL favored. Do you trust the Redskins...or rather Deadskins on the road whatsoever?? Plus, the Chargers like to go into the playoffs with momentum so their starters will play enough to make the cover a non issue. San Diego 30 Washington 16

Cincinnati Bengals (+10) @ New York Jets: All bets are off if the Pats pull out the victory in Houston...since the Bengals will be locked into the #4 seed. If the Patriots lose however, I can see Marvin Lewis getting aggressive. Being the cynic that I am, I do NOT trust my boys EVER and with night time lows in the mid 20s...NIGHTMARES for Sanchez. The run game better be cranked up. No way we cover unless CIN pulls their starters. This game may give me heart palpitations honestly. NY Jets 17 Cincinnati 14

The Art of the Fistpump.

I was hangin with some of my brothers last night over at Nevada Smith's just shootin the random shit as always. No matter where you go, it seems as if you cannot avoid the inevitable topic of discussion- Jersey Shore. That show has taken on a life of its own...really the first show that actually makes a race other than African-American look subhuman. Instead of hearin them brag about being niggaz, you hear them brag about being guidos and guidettes. It may seem staged...but I know that it really ain't.

I digress though.

One of the main things brought to the forefront is when they go out clubbin & you hear that house music pumpin. Oh yeah. See, house music at least to me is nearly impossible to dance to...or at least truly dance to. Personally I could do ballet pirouettes with some hops & it will look like I "own the dance floor". I wonder if the Irish Jig/Riverdance & shit like that are distant relatives of this house music flavor. In efforts however to curtail this embarrassment for many, the fistpump was developed. Similar to when you do the 1-2 step when hip hop is played, you must first feel the beat. Typically the beat has to go BOOM BOOM BOOM DUSH or some variant. I do not know any house artists persay outside of Boris but you'll hear it. Then, what I personally do when I'm gettin ready to mock the pump is crank the arm, get my shoulder ready, cock the arm to 90 degrees and like a tomahawk, pump that mothafuckin fist in the air!!! That shit is fire. Sometimes when the beat is intense you gotta get both in the air but you're not wavin them around like you just don't care so be careful. I don't think people appreciate it however when I fistpump bc they think I am mocking their culture. Yes, and no. By the way, the fistpump is most effective when done randomly. Don't fistpump to Day and Night by Kid Cudi either.

What was once confined to the mean streets of LI and the Jersey Shore can now make its way to places such as Minneapolis, Des Moines, Denver and perhaps even Boise. Thanks to MTV, Jersey Shore has opened up horizons and doors which otherwise would never have been opened for these folks. You're motivated to get into the gym, pump it up (the iron), take fresh fruit & blend it with Bacardi for pregaming and so forth. The fistpump however, is the one thing you MUST take from it. You'll fit right in, it's a simple yet very powerful move. And for the fellas, combine that with a girl grinding her upper body all up on you when she got her hands up...fuhgetabowtit. You just need to handle the situation & take care of the rest from there.

And so on.