15 Years in the Making: My Postseason experience at Camden Yards

The magical season that was the 2012 Baltimore Orioles came to an abrupt and disappointing end on Friday night in the Bronx.  A season that literally came out of nowhere.  A season that most thought would end like any other, with 90-98 losses or even more.  However something was different in Baltimore this season and as the months went by and the momentum built the city of Baltimore become more and more anxious with anticipation that this might be the year.  Not only did the Orioles end the 15 years of losing they also clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1997.  I was 11 years old when the O's were last in postseason and trust me the way the O's were going it didn't seem like they would ever get back.  Once the Orioles announced they were selling playoff tickets I jumped all over the opportunity to be a part of that atmosphere.  Just like all season the Orioles didn't make it easy on themselves and they had to win a 1 game playoff against the 2 time defending AL champs on the road, which they did and it set up a tremendous homecoming.

Starting Lineups for Game 1

So its the morning of Game 1 and of course the night before I couldn't sleep.  The game was scheduled for 6 pm, I woke up at 9 am, 9 hours before first pitch.  This day was the slowest day ever, but finally the time came when we headed to the ballpark.  The minute we entered Oriole Park you could feel the excitement, the fans of Baltimore were ready to unleash 15 years worth of frustration, then the heavens opened up.  It almost seemed like a cruel joke mother nature was playing on Baltimore.  Fifteen years we had to wait and the rain was making us wait more.  Finally after 2 and a half excruciating hours they were ready to play ball.  The wait didn't temper the enthusiasm of the Baltimore crowd, the game could've started at 2 am and the reaction would've been the same.  I would be re missed if I didn't mention the first pitch ceremony.  Perry Hall student Daniel Borowy, the special needs student who was shot on the first day of school, threw out that first pitch not many dry eyes in the house.  Then the towel waving began (they handed them out before the game) and playoff baseball was back.  It was everything I imagined and more, I have been to dozens of games over the years and never have I been part of a crowd that hung on every pitch.  Game 1 in the ALDS was like every other O's-Yanks game, hard fought and down to the wire.  Nate McLouth's go ahead 2 run single in the 3rd sent to crowd into a frenzy.  The Yanks quickly tied it up and it stayed that way for most of the game.  The loudest the crowd got in my opinion was the top of the 7th.  Troy Patton started the inning by walking the first two guys and it looked bleak for the birds.  Darren O'Day came into an impossible situation especially after Jeter's sac bunt.  But O'Day got the next 2 outs without a run scoring that included a strikeout against A-Rod that ended the inning, wow is all I can say about the noise of the crowd.

Here is a link to O'Day's escape in Game 1 http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25357305&c_id=mlb

Game 1 didn't end the way O's fans wanted it to with a 7-2 loss but despite the loss the crowd, the atmosphere and just seeing playoff baseball back in Baltimore was so special, but I had Game 2 on the horizon.

Johnson reacting to the O's Game 2 Win

Game 1 was disappointing which made Game 2 all that more important for the Orioles.  Yet again mother nature did her best to piss off Orioles fans, the delay wasn't nearly as long but enough to irritate us.  Game 2 started and you could feel the sense of urgency in the crowd.  Game 2 nearly followed the same script as Game 1.  The Yankees took a first inning lead after a nifty little move by Ichiro to avoid a Matt Wieters tag.  The Orioles would respond with a 2 run third inning after a Chris Davis single.  The only difference was the Yankees never tied or took the lead back.  However that didn't make the game any less stressful.  You would think after all of the one run games and extra inning wins that id be used to it by now.....nope.  The Yankees threatened in the 6th, 7th and 8th and only mustered one run, so we headed into the 9th with the O's up 3-2.  Usually this is automatic for Baltimore since Jim Johnson had 51 saves, but he got hammered the night before and maybe a little doubt crept in.  It also wouldn't be easy with the top of the Yankees lineup hitting.  Johnson however did what he did all year, shut it down.  It came down to a 3-2 pitch to A-Rod and swing and miss ball game over, the first home playoff win in 15 years and it kind of felt like they won the World Series.  The fireworks started going off, im slapping high fives with random people and yelling at the top of my lungs.  For at least a brief moment all the heartache of 15 years gone and forgotten.  Baseball was back in Baltimore and it felt fantastic.

Chris Davis' 2 Run Single to put the O's up for good http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25364151&c_id=mlb

Jim Johnson gets the Save and tied the ALDS at 1-1 http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=25365099&c_id=mlb

Maybe the most enjoyable part of these two games was enjoying it with my family.  Its amazing what affects sports have on you and I saw that first hand in those 2 games.  The city of Baltimore has been aching for a winner and in 2012  they got one.  Will this lead to more winning seasons?  Only time will tell but being excited for next baseball season is a weird and wonderful feeling.  No the Orioles didn't win the World Series and some would argue they should have actually won that series against the Yanks, none of that matters.  The Orioles gave the city of Baltimore a season none of us will soon forget.

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Maryland witnessing a Baseball revival

There are a lot of people who live in the state of Maryland, and among the masses a lot are baseball fans.  To be brunt baseball fans have not had a lot to cheer for in recent years.  Well forget cheering its been down right embarrassing to say you were a fan of either the O's or Nats.  However something has changed in 2012, and for some reason the baseball gods have smiled down on this region.  Unless you have been living under a rock you know that the Orioles and Nationals are playing some of the best baseball all year.  As of now the Orioles are 81-62 tied for first and the Nats have a 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East with a 89-54 mark.  I don't know how long it will last or if even both teams will even make the playoffs but damn this has been a fun ride.

Since the Nats moved from Montreal you could say that they have been mediocre at best (81-81 being best record until this year).  Then in back to back drafts they were lucky enough to land Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, both being huge parts of their success this season.  They traded for Gio Gonzalez in the off season, signed free agent Edwin Jackson and there was a buzz about this team.  Not many thought they would be this good but playoffs was not out of the question.  At times the Nats hitting has struggled, however when nobody in your starting rotation has an ERA above 4, you don't need to score a lot.  Other than maybe the Reds no other team has played better and more consistent than the Nationals.  The Nats caught fire early starting 14-4 and have never really looked back.  It's unfortunate that for the majority of this season the "Strasburg Shutdown" has been the main topic of conversation when it comes to the Nats.  I look at it this way, Strasburg pitches once every five days and even though he is a great pitcher, baseball is not a one man game and Strasburg is not the only reason the Nats are in first place.  That being said if the Nats fall short in the post season the shutdown will be questioned for a long time.

One of my favorite Orioles Moments

Now for the Orioles, just like everybody else I really don't know how they are playing as well as they are.  In a game where stats are more important than any other sport, the stats tell you the Orioles should really be in last place.  They have a negative run differential, which I hate talking about but its true, 16th in runs, 21st in batting average, and 18th in team ERA, and they are 19 over .500.....huh??  Now I know those numbers aren't great but the O's do have some impressive stats.  They are 27-7 in one run games which is the best in MLB history, and they have won 13 straight extra inning games.  Not to mention a bullpen that ranks top 3 in ERA in the American League.  The best way to describe the Orioles in 2012 is the song Orioles Magic.  "Every day there's a different star, that's the magic of Orioles baseball".  Its true, just look at the recent 3 game series against Tampa.  Game 1, JJ Hardy had 4 hits and 5 RBIs, Game 2 Nate McClouth game winning hit in the 9th, Game 3 Manny Machado game winning hit in the 14th.  This truly is a team that believes it can win every single game and through 5 1/2 months who's to argue with them.

The best thing about these teams playing well is the fans coming back to the ballparks.  Both for numerous reasons have struggled drawing fans over the past few seasons, with neither cracking the 2 million fan mark.  The last time the Nats had over 2 million was 2008 (first year of Nats Park), for the O's 2007 was their last time over 2 million.  In fact the O's and Nats have only drawn over 2 million in the same season twice, 2005 and 2006, well 2012 might be that year as well.  As of now (Sept 14) the Nats have already hit the 2 million mark with 2,078,208.  The Orioles have some work to do, right now its at 1,893,421 with 7 home games left.  Is it doable, i think so as long as they average 15,200 fans a game they will hit 2 million, and with Boston coming to Baltimore and Brooks Robinson statue being handed out, it should happen.  Bottom line its nice to see excitement for baseball in Maryland.

In a region that is mostly dominated by football with the Ravens and Redskins, baseball is making a strong push, of course this hinges on the O's and Nats playing well consistently and not being one year wonders.  You know what would really help, a battle of the beltways World Series.  What?? it could happen, and just remember when it does you heard it here first.

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No More Excuses, O's Fans need to fill Camden Yards

Fourteen years, that's how long its been since the Baltimore Orioles last had a winning season. Its a very long time, I was 11 years old in 1997, I'm 26 now. So obviously all the years of losing and a very good football team right across the street attendance numbers are sure to take a hit. The one constant I always heard however is that as soon as they start winning again the fans will come back. Well, as I write this its August 21st and the Orioles are 10 games over .500 and own the second wild card spot. Yet during the last home stand their biggest crowd was 25,000 plus, well actually the paid attendance for Eddie Murray's statue game was 40,000 but a three hour rain delay chased people away. So Baltimore your O's are winning where are you?

So lets get into to the excuses a lot of Orioles fans make.  Maybe the most popular is its too much money.  Now look the last thing I'm going to do is judge people on what they decide to do with their hard earned money and if you don't want to go that's fine but don't tell me its too expensive.  The most expensive single game ticket is $65 and that's right behind home plate.  A little steep yes but you don't have to sit behind home.  A favorite spot of mine is the Center field seats, where the O's have the "2110 Eutaw Street" promotion.  Tickets out there are $15.  Now the one thing ill agree with most O's fans are the extra charges for tickets.  For instance if you buy a ticket the day of the game its usually 4-6 dollars more than if you bought it a few days earlier, it might stop people from deciding a few hours before to go to the game.  The second charge is for prime games (Red Sox and Yankees), however this happens at pretty much every ballpark so if you want to see the better teams you will have to pay.  Still there are plenty of promotions and deals that should help you save a buck if you want to go to the ballpark.

Another popular complaint is the price of food and drinks at the game.  Ill be the first to admit I think beer and food are way too expensive but nothing says you have to buy refreshments at the game.  Oriole park may be the only ballpark that at least I know of that allows you to bring food and drinks into the ballpark.  Of course there are restrictions but at least the give you the option.  Another way to avoid the high prices at the game is real simple eat before you go.  There are plenty of restaurants either in the Baltimore area or from where you are coming to eat at and save some money.

This is the only thing that I wont meet the Orioles fans half way on, not going to O's games because of who they are playing.  Maybe 3 or 4 years ago, OK I get it but this year who cares who the Orioles are playing, you should be going to watch the Orioles, especially now.  Adam Jones is having a career year, Manny Machado making his debut, Matt Wieters, JJ Hardy and the way this pitching staff is performing.  There I gave you plenty of reasons to watch your own team, it shouldn't matter if the Rays or Royals or the Yankees are in the other dugout.  In fact when they play lesser teams you should want to go more, better chance of seeing an Oriole victory.

One last thing I'll comment on is the ownership of the team.  Now I work at a Baltimore radio station and have heard several fans say that as long as Peter Angelos is the owner they wont support the O's.  Now I understand that the radio audience is a small portion of the entire Baltimore area but I tend to think a lot of people think that way.  Angelos does not have a great track record as the O's owner but an owner alone shouldn't keep you away.  Look right down the street, Dan Snyder might be the most hated owner in sports but Redskins fans still support the team.  I know football and baseball are completely different but supporting your team is universal.  Why would you deprive yourself of maybe witnessing something special because of your hate for a man I'm sure most of you have never met?  Don't punish Jones, Wieters, Hardy, Markakis, Machado and others over something so silly.

It has been a long time since the O's won and maybe that's a large part of it.  I understand it I just don't like it too much.  The Orioles are averaging a little over 25,000 a game, which is actually about 4,000 above last years average and that's definitely something to be proud of.  I guess just a large part of me aches for the day that a ticket to Oriole park is actually hard to get.  I want 40,000 to be the rule more than the exception.  I will also practice what I preach when the O's come back home I plan on going to a handful of games on that home stand.  I just don't want to miss a moment of what might turn out to be a special season, hopefully the rest of Baltimore feels the same way and soon.

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I Need a new hobby

I live a very simple life, it doesn't take to much for me to have a good time.  One thing I enjoy more than most is watching sports.  Quite honestly I just don't watch sports, I live them.  Whether its the Ravens, Orioles or Caps I get emotional invested like many other people do.  I don't watch a lot of reality TV or sitcoms so for me its sports or practically nothing.  There is just one problem, when you get so emotionally attached to something it makes it that much tougher when your team fails.  Sports is the worst to get so attached to, because only one team a year wins it which plainly means the odds are against your team winning.  I bring up this topic because Monday night sent me to the brink.

Being the sports nut I am of course I planned my night around Game 5 of the Capitals-Rangers playoff series.  Just like the first series the Caps were in this one has been extremely close.  The Caps lost a marathon Game 3 and then rebounded to tie the series in Game 4.  Game 5 didn't start well Rangers took an 1-0 lead into the first intermission.  But like most of their games the Caps did not give up and took a 2-1 about midway through the third.  The Capitals then started playing their gritty defense until a minute was left in the game and it seemed Washington was going to steal one in MSG.  As rewarding and enjoyable as sports can be for players and fans it can be just as cruel.  In the first round Joel Ward scored a game winner in Game 7 to send the Caps into the second round.  On Monday Ward committed a awful penalty with 28 seconds left to essentially give the Rangers a 6 on 4 power play.  They didn't waste any time and scored with 6.6 seconds left to tie the game.  Let me say that again 6.6 seconds, that's how close the Caps were from winning Game 5.  Instead they lose later in OT to fall behind 3-2 in the series.

Gut-punching is just the first term that comes to mind.  I compare this loss to the Ravens AFC Championship game loss with only one difference.  When Cundiff missed the kick against New England the Ravens season was over, the Caps are still alive even if they are on life support.  To say I was a little perturbed throughout the day on Tuesday that would be an understatement.  I was ill-tempered, short with people and honestly probably not the best to be around all day.  It still amazes me that even after working in sports that a loss still affects me the way it does.  For those who don't follow sports as closely as I probably think I'm insane well I cant really argue that.  As much as I would like not to watch the Game 6 match up between the Caps and Rangers because of the fear of a giant letdown I will watch.  And whether ill admit it or not win or lose for the Caps ill enjoy every minute of it.   I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.  GO CAPS!

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Dontrelle Willis Situation: Another black eye for the Orioles



Last time you'll see Willis in an O's uniform

For fifteen years the Orioles have been what many consider as the laughing stock of baseball.  Being an Orioles fan as much as I want to dispute it I cant.  Whether it be horrible free agent signings, terrible draft picks or god awful trades the O's have been tough to love.  This off season in my opinion was not any different.  First Dan Duquette gets hired a guy who hasn't worked in baseball in 10 years, and there is probably a reason for that.  Then for a time the Orioles were rumored to be interested in Manny Ramirez, someone who is currently serving a 50 game suspension.  Now for the icing on the cake Dontrelle Willis was signed to a minor league deal.  This seemed harmless until this week.
First of all let me start by saying Dontrelle Willis is lucky to have any sort of contract in baseball.  In the early 2000s Willis looked to be the next great lefty in the game.  However since 2006 Willis hasn't had an ERA lower than 5.00 and has only won 14 games in that same time.  Willis signed with the Phillies early in the spring and didn't last too long and was quickly released.  That's when the Orioles swooped in and signed the well traveled lefty.  Much wasn't thought of the deal and it looked to be a low risk move, that was until this week.

Apparently Willis thinks hes better than the Orioles think he is.  Willis wants to be a starter, whereas the O's see him as a situational lefty, hes actually neither but that's another discussion.  Willis isn't exactly lighting the world on fire either at Norfolk, hes 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in just 3.2 innings pitched.  With those numbers how can you not make him a starter.  So after a disagreement Willis just left.  That's right got up and left the Tides without any explanation.  Oddly enough that is not the worst part of this whole debacle.  In his infinite wisdom Orioles GM said he would welcome Willis back if he decided to return.  ARE YOU F#%&!$^ KIDDING ME!?!?!  Why in the world would you welcome someone back who walked out on your team.  What kind of message does that send to not only your team but the entire organization.  Willis is a selfish player who is only worried about himself and could care less about the good of the team.

Now to makes matters even better Willis has filed a grievance against the Orioles for putting him on the restricted list.  This seems like an awful lot of trouble for a mediocre player at best.  The reason this is a black eye for the Orioles is because they refuse to cut ties with him.  Would the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies (obviously not they already cut him)or any other good team put up with this crap? I doubt it.  In fact knowing the way the Orioles do things they will probably promote him to starter, call him up to the majors and put him in the rotation.  Look I'm no genius and I'm not saying that i could run a ball team but this one seems easy to me.  Willis is washed up and is not worth the trouble just cut him now before this gets any uglier or more embarrassing.

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Baseball is Back!!!

This by far is my favorite time of year, the start of baseball season. The only problem is being where I am from its difficult to get overly excited about the upcoming season. However this post will be mostly positive. Tonight the Marlins introduce their new stadium to the baseball world and hopefully tonight will be the start of another unforgettable baseball season. So now its time for the predictions that will be way off come October.

AL EAST (*Wild Card Teams)
1. Yankees
2. Rays*
3. Red Sox
4. Blue Jays
5. Orioles

The Yankees offense is just too strong and though their pitching is not great but its good enough. Tampa will edge out Boston again this year only this time no epic comeback is needed. Toronto should keep the race close in what is quickly becoming not just the toughest but most competitive division in baseball. As for the Orioles.....I got nothing.

AL CENTRAL
1. Tigers
2. Royals
3. Twins
4. White Sox
5. Indians

This may turn out as the least competitive of all the divisions. Barring major injuries its hard to see any team other than Detroit winning this division. Really you can put those other 4 teams any order you want none of them will be within 10 games of the Tigers when its all said and done.

AL WEST
1. Rangers
2. Angels*
3. Athletics
4. Mariners

The American League West did its best to steal all the off season headlines, with the Angels getting Pujols and CJ Wilson and the Rangers getting Yu Darvish. This race should be one of the most entertaining of the entire season. I give the slight edge to the Rangers because of their recent run of success but both teams will make the postseason.

NL EAST
1. Marlins
2. Phillies
3. Nationals
4. Braves
5. Mets

I have hopped on the Marlins bandwagon, with the additions of Reyes, Bell, Buehrle and Guillen at the helm the Marlins are primed to take the East. The Phillies are hard to go against with Lee and Halladay but early season injuries to Howard and Utley could be too much for Philly to overcome. Also don't sleep on the Nats they should make some huge strides in 2012.

NL CENTRAL
1. Reds
2. Cardinals*
3. Brewers
4. Pirates
5. Cubs
6. Astros

Cincinnati got dealt a huge blow by losing Ryan Madson for the season but I still feel they are the best in the Central. St. Louis will obviously take a step back losing Pujols but are still good enough to make the postseason. Milwaukee will hang around but losing Fielder will be too much. Pittsburgh, Chicago and Houston will be battling for fourth place.

NL WEST
1. Diamondbacks
2. Giants*
3. Dodgers
4. Padres
5. Rockies

Arizona came out of nowhere last season to win the West and I expect more of the same this season. San Francisco was plagued with injuries last season, but healthy they should be back in the postseason. LA's biggest headline was being purchased by a group that included Magic Johnson, it will probably be its only one this season. Not much excitement coming from either San Diego or Colorado, other than Jamie Moyer being the number 2 guy in Denver at age 49, yikes.

AL Champ: Detroit Tigers
NL Champ: Arizona Diamondbacks

World Series Champ: Arizona Diamondbacks

Probably not a team most people have winning it all but I hate going with the trend. Arizona has an exciting up and coming team and they are looking top build on last years amazing run. Detroit signed a Prince and have a pitcher coming off maybe the most dominating performance by a pitcher ever. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter I'm just happy baseball is back.

Sorry Ryan but I just don't believe you

Since the announcement was made yesterday I have been pondering what exactly I would say about Ryan Braun winning his appeal. Well quite frankly I don't believe his claim to innocence is as strong as he makes it out to be. I hate the fact that I dont believe him because Braun is one of my favorite players but Ive been burned before. One thing that stuck out for me is Braun saying he was tested 25 times and passed all of them. So what, you can be in a fight 25 times and never kill someone but if you kill someone in fight 26 does that soften the blow? I know a little bit of a stretch but I think you know what I'm getting at. There are so many questions that have yet to be answered that maybe taking such a strong stance on this issue might be a little premature. My biggest problem with this whole thing is that the Braun camp is that they are attacking the credibility of the collector rather than trying to clear his name. I know there needs to be a protocol for these type of things but until you can show me how this guy did alter the sample, I will stay on the side of Ryan Braun tested positive for a PED.

The main reason Ryan Braun won his appeal was that the urine collector (who does it part time, weird) did not send the sample right away. He got the sample on a Saturday and did not send it to Montreal until Monday. This is directly from the MLB CBA "Absent unusual circumstances, the specimens should be sent by FedEx to the Laboratory on the same day they are collected." That obviously didn't happen and that's why Braun won. I have beat up on Braun this whole post but MLB only has itself to blame. First of all how do you not know that FedEx is open on Saturday? Last time i checked Sunday was the only day mail isn't delivered. In a way you cant blame them for taking that stance, and i also understand following procedure. If you don't have a protocol to follow it allows the opportunity for samples to be tainted or messed with. Plain and simple MLB screwed up and in principle they were right in that the collector did not follow the rules of the CBA. In my opinion however unless you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that either the collector deliberately tampered the sample or because it was kept in the basement it was altered, you cant overturn the suspension.

Whether or not you personally think Ryan Braun took any PEDs, his name will always be linked with Manny, Palmeiro, McGwire and everybody else associated with PEDs. Braun says he is a victim of the process but the real victims are the fans of major league baseball. Now we have to hear about another star player who will have that infamous cloud of suspicion over him. I want to be wrong about Ryan Braun and if I am I will be the first to admit it. I just cant get over the fact they were more worried about the process of the test rather than proving Braun didn't test positive. People will also doubt Braun because the year in question was his best statistically. All in all it is yet another black eye for the sport of baseball, one that might take a while to heal.

I'm going to post two Videos and let you all decide for yourself who you want to believe.

First this is Braun's press conference from earlier today.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7611725

Next is Dr. Gary Wadler who is the Chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7612292

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Divisional Round Predictions

Just like the regular season the playoffs even after just one weekend are just as unpredictable. We saw Tim Tebow perform another miracle and the Falcons only score 2 points. We also saw that the Saints offense hasn't slowed down at all. But now we get to see what the top 4 teams in football can do after a week off. This upcoming weekend may be the best football we see during the entire postseason. Now its time to see if i can improve on my 2-2 record from a week ago.

# 3 New Orleans Saints @ # 2 San Francisco 49ers
This game has created that old debate can a great defense stop a great offense. The 49ers definitely have one of the feel good stories of the year, that goes along with a hard hitting defense. New Orleans has put up over 40 points in four straight games, to say that they are clicking would be an understatement. Many think that the Saints are actually the best team in the NFC and that they have the fire power to beat GB. I however love SF's defense and if you look at the numbers New Orleans is not as prolific on the road, especially on grass. The big question is can San Fran score enough to win, i believe they will.
PREDICTION: 49ERS 26-21

# 4 Denver Broncos @ # 1 New England Patriots
Can Tim Tebow do it again, I don't think so. I will give Tebow credit he has done what most of us thought he could not, win. However the last time New England played Denver Tom Brady and the Pats offense proved to be too much for the Broncos. Now the Pats defense is nowhere near as good as Pittsburgh's, even a heavily injured Pittsburgh defense. The main difference is New England's offense is leaps and bounds better than the Steelers. Tebow and the Broncos will keep it close but the Pats are just too strong.
PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 31-17

# 3 Houston Texans @ # 2 Baltimore Ravens
The fans of Baltimore have been waiting for this game for 4 years, finally a home playoff game. Houston comes in on a roll beating Cincinnati pretty easily 31-10 on wild card weekend. This game is a rematch of a week 6 game between the two, a game Baltimore won 29-14. Two glaring differences, Andre Johnson did not play and Matt Schaub did. Houston will have to depend on Arian Foster to carry the load against the tough Ravens D. The last rookie QB to win at Baltimore was Jake Plummer back in 1997, if the game rest on Yates' arm, that doesn't bode well for Houston. This game should be close but the Ravens are just a better team.
PREDICTION: RAVENS 24-13

# 4 New York Giants @ # 1 Green Bay Packers
You better hop on now before the Giants bandwagon breaks down. It seems like everybody is saying that the Giants are primed to upset the best team in football. Now i will say if any team can do it, it is New York they have done it before. However lets not forget that this Giants team was 9-7 this year, lost to the Redskins twice and were embarrassed at home by Seattle, my point they are inconsistent. Green Bay is a well oiled machine and despite how well the Giants are playing GB is still the favorite. Also big thing about this game, NY has a very suspect secondary, so their D-Line MUST get to Rodgers to have a chance, my guess is they wont get to him enough.
PREDICTION: PACKERS 34-24

We are one step closer to the Super Bowl, and these games have the chance to be the best slate of games in the entire postseason.

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Wild Card Weekend Predictions

So after a long and at times strange regular season the playoffs are finally here. Which in Baltimore is partly good and partly bad. Good because the Ravens will host a playoff game for the first time in 5 years, bad because the football season is almost over and that means the Orioles are peeking their heads around the corner. But enough of the birds time to make some predictions for what should be an exciting wild card weekend.

#6 Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) @ #3 Houston Texans (10-6)

Out of all the games this is the less intriguing to me, good thing its first so we can get it out of the way. The Bengals season came out of nowhere, most had them finishing last in the AFC North. The rookie combination of Dalton and Green made for some exciting plays in Cincy. The one thing that worries me about the Bengals, they are 1-7 against teams with winning records. Houston might have been the number one seed without the injuries. Jake Delhomme had to make an emergency appearance in week 17. Arian Foster has to be licking his chops after Ray Rice ran for 191 a week ago. Houston should be rocking and lets not forget a T.J. Yates led Texans went into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals earlier this year, it should happen again.

PREDICTION: TEXANS 20-14

#6 Detroit Lions @ #3 New Orleans Saints

Amazing that in the same day we have games with two totally different levels of interest. By the time this game is over it might remind you of a game of Madden you would play with your friends. This game marks the first time two 5,000 yard passers will play against each other in the postseason. Every part of me want to pick the Lions but just last week the Lions let Matt Flynn throw for over 500 yards, in a game you needed to win to have better playoff seeding. So if Flynn can do it, what do you think Drew Brees can do. That being said New Orleans is not known for their defense. Saints win in a shootout.

PREDICTION: SAINTS 40-37

#5 Atlanta Falcons (10-6) @ #4 New York Giants (9-7)

The Giants had to win its last two games just to get into the postseason as the NFC East champs. The Giants might be one of the most head-scratching teams in the postseason. This is the same team that went into New England and beat the Pats, but also lost at home to the Seahawks. One thing that has been overlooked is the tremendous season Eli Manning has had. The Falcons come into the game trying to shake off numerous years of disappointment when it comes to the postseason. Last year the Falcons went 13-3 and were one and done. Matt Ryan needs to start winning playoff games if he wants to be in the same group as the elite, he at least gets one this postseason. I just don't trust the up and down Giants who by the way are just 4-4 at home this year.

PREDICTION: FALCONS 27-21

#5 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) @ #4 Denver Broncos (8-8)

This might be the most watched out of all the playoff games this weekend. People want to see if somehow Tebow can do the unthinkable, well in my opinion he cant. Tebow the last three weeks has a 41 percent completion percentage, 1 TD and 4 INTs. In other words Tebow picked the worst time to play his worst football. Also rumors that Brady Quinn is taking snaps with the first team doesn't bode well for Tebow. Pittsburgh is really, really banged up. Numerous star players are either not playing or coming into the game with some kind of injury. Pittsburgh will lose this game if they make mistakes and makes a lot of them. Avoid the mistakes and they will be playing next week.

PREDICTION: STEELERS 17-6

In the words of a player not in the Playoffs....."CANT WAIT!!!"

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