Iggy’s Baltimore Sports Report – November 24, 2015

News and Personal Thoughts:
I had this done on Thursday, but forgot to post it, so I tweaked a few things before posting. DOH! Anyway, the GoogleDoc ticket sharing status: Still tickets available for people who want to sit in the freezing cold in the middle of December… er… I mean the Seattle and Pittsburgh games. Check it out at Ravens Roost 4 Ticket Exchange.


Ravens:
As the Ravens continue their record of now 10 straight games decided by 1 score (8 points) or less, the team needs to make a decision of rebuilding for next year or continuing their feeble attempt to regain respectability. Each win, pushes us further down the draft board, but is winning the best option right now? As messed up as the AFC is right now, the Ravens are 2 games behind KC for the 6th playoff spot, with 6 games left. But also keep in mind that Houston, Buffalo, the Jets, Oakland, Jacksonville, and Miami all sit between us the promised land. On the other side of the coin Cleveland, San Diego, Tennessee and now Dallas stand between us and the #1 pick. It starts this weekend. A win pushes Cleveland further into the basement, and us down the draft charts, while hopefully moving us up the playoff picture. A loss, on the other hand, commits us to the rebuilding plan. The other problem is that with so many guys on IR, half our team is fighting for 2016 roster spots. The teams need for a “future” QB will become evident now. Schaub and Clausen are not them.

Orioles:
Peter Angelos has become heavily involved with the negotiations for Chris Davis, and does not seems opposed to paying a team record deal to keep the slugger, but it is also being speculated that the Orioles best offer might not be good enough compared to what some of the other teams in the league might be willing to offer… Orioles continue to look for outfield help to support Adam Jones… Orioles have expressed interest in Yovani Gallardo. He is 29 with a career 102-75 record and 3.66 ERA, with all but last year (TX) spent in the NL with Milwaukee. Although he is 20th on the list of top free agents, there are better candidates out there, but probably a relative cost savings needed to offset signing Davis, should that occur… The Orioles have reacquired OF LJ Hoes from the Astros for cash considerations. Hoes is a former Oriole with a career .237 average over 4 season with Baltimore and Houston… Orioles have signed 1B Ji-Man Choi (South Korea), 24, to a minor league deal. This, along with off-season speculation regarding 1B Christian Walker’s 2016 rookie of the year possibilities are more signs that the Orioles may be failing in their bid to keep Davis, or are preparing for the worst.

Alouettes
Both #1 seeds advance to the 103rd grey cup Sunday, featuring Ottawa versus Edmonton.

Blast (MASL):
The Blasts improved to 3-0 and a 1.5 game lead in their division. They are 1 of 2 remaining undefeated teams (Missouri 6-0)

Chesapeake Bayhawks: (Home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
The Bayhawks open the season on April 23 in Atlanta, before 3 straight home games.

Capitals (See website for more details):
The Caps have improved to 16-5-1, 1 point behind the Rangers, and 4th best record in the NHL.

Wizards (See website for more details):
The Wizards continue to struggle, fallow below .500 at 6-7, and losing 3 straight now.

Mystics (See website for more details):
Nothing to Report.

D.C.United (See website for more details):
Portland and Columbus have both won the first leg of a 2 game aggregate series, but 2 goals. Game 2 is Sunday to determine who will face off for the MLS cup.


What do you want to see in the Ravens report? What should be scrapped? Actually, never mind. No one is reading this anyway so you probably won’t know the difference. Send an email to iggy at tealdragon.net. Thanks!


Relevant Football Links


Iggy’s Predictions


“Past performance does not guarantee future success, but it sure is the way to bet!”

  • NFL, Week 11
    • Titans (+2.5) over Jags. Titans are 5-2 as the underdog. Jags win to stay in playoff hunt (Is it me, or does that sounds weird?)
    • Rams (+2.5) over Ravens. We are cursed. Ravens win!!!
    • Panthers over skins (+7.5). Don’t get fooled by the skins win last week. They still stink. 1 controversial call leads to a route.
    • Denver (+.5) over Chicago. Manning is out, but they still have a decent Defense. Broncos squeak past while Manning watches.
    • Dallas over Miami (+.5). Romo is back. May not be much, but it will be enough to beat Miami. Romo’s back!
    • Raiders over Detroit (+1.5). Raiders to make a push for the playoffs this year. Detroit wins 2nd in a row!
    • Jets over Houston (+2.5). Houston may be tied for first, but that doesn’t say much in that division. Houston wins to stay tied for first.
    • Colts (+5.5) over Atlanta. Falcons have been flat for a while. Colts make a late comeback for the win.
    • Philly over Tampa (+5.5), but take the points. Anticipating a close game. Philly has fallen way down.
    • KC over SD (+3.5), but take the points. Chargers need a boost, especially when they keep coming up just short. SD is phoning it in.
    • Vikings over Packers (+.5). How often does GB become the underdog? That says something. Packers got back on track this week.
    • Seattle over SF (+12.5), but take the points. Expecting Gabbert to spark the office to cover the spread. Points not enought
    • Cards over Bengals (+3.5). Too close to call, so I flipped a coin. Last Monday night didn’t help my decision making process either. Tight game gives AZ the win, but Cincy covers.
    • Pats over Bills (+7.5), but take the points. Patriots haven’t been blowing people out, so going with the points. Pats win by 7.
    • This Week: 8-6 SU (Straight Up), 6-8 ATS (Against the Spread)
    • This Season: 97-63 SU, 85-75 ATS
  • NFL, Week 12
    • Detroit (+0.5) over Philly. Hard to go against Lions on Turkey day.
    • Panthers (+1.5) over Dallas. Romo is back, but that is not enough for Dallas against Carolina.
    • Packers over Bears (+8.5). Pack are back on track with win last week.
    • Chefs over Bills (+3.5), but take the points. Both fighting for a wild card.
    • Benalgs over Lambs (+8.5). Bengals need this to keep comfortable division lead, and end losing streak.
    • Houston over Saints (+3.5). Saints are done.
    • Indy over Tampa (+3.5), but take the points. Colts are 0-5 as the favorite this year.
    • Jags over Chargers (+3.5). Not sure the Chargers can improve much over last weeks drubbing.
    • Jets over Fins (+3.5). Late November, and Miami is going North for a game? That means they are going South fast.
    • Vikings (+2.5) over Atlanta. Atlanta has been horrible lately (2-6 as favorite), but they keep favoring them. Why?
    • Giants over Skins (+1.5). Taking the Road team again in NFC Match-up.
    • Titans (+1.5) over Raiders. Raiders 0-3 as favorite, Titans 5-3 as underdog.
    • Cardinals over Niners (+10.5). 12.5 wasn’t enough points last week, and Cards are better than Seattle.
    • steelers (+4.5) over Seawhawks. As much as steeler fans whine about their injuries, they are still in the 5 seed.
    • Pats over Broncos (+5.5), but take the points. Pats to win, but not by much.
    • Browns over Ravens (+2.5). Just how many starters from week 1 are left? Not enough!

Please send comments to Iggy at tealdragon.net