Author: Armadillo Sports

Trends for every major league team
(thru Tuesday’s games)

— Arizona (77-75)
Arizona won five of its last seven games.
Diamondbacks are 19-27 in one-run games.
Arizona is 25-20 vs NL West foes, 52-55 vs everyone else.
Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games. 

— Braves (69-83)
Braves won their last four games.
Atlanta is 36-39 at home, 33-44 on the road.
Braves are 27-21 vs NL East rivals, 42-62 vs everyone else.
Under is 12-5-1 in their last 18 games.

— Cubs (87-64)
Chicago is 6-1 in its last seven games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 7-1-1 in their last nine road games.
Cubs are 68-44 vs righty starters, 19-20 vs lefties.

— Reds (75-76)
Cincinnati lost four of its last five games.
Reds are 56-53 vs righty starters, 19-23 vs lefties.
Under is 7-3-1 in their last 10 road games.
Reds are three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (41-110)
Colorado lost 13 of its last 15 games.
Over is 5-2 in Rockies’ last seven games.
Rockies are 7-33 vs lefty starters, 34-77 vs righties.
Colorado scored first inning run in only one of last 37 road games.

— Dodgers (84-67)
Dodgers won six of their last nine games.
LA leads San Diego by two games in NL West.
Dodgers are 62-44 vs righty starters, 22-23 vs lefties.
Over is 6-1 in their last seven games.

— Marlins (71-80)
Marlins are 5-1 in their last six games.
Miami is 36-42 at home, 35-38 on the road.
Over is 6-2 in Marlins’ last eight games.
Marlins are 52-55 vs righty starters, 19-25 vs lefties.

— Brewers (92-59)
Brewers are 13-14 in their last 27 games.
Milwaukee is 49-27 at home, 43-32 on the road.
Over is 20-8-2 in their last 30 home games.
Milwaukee has clinched a playoff spot; they lead NL Central. By 5 games

— Mets (78-73)
Mets are 2-8 in their last ten games.
Mets are 47-29 at home, 31-44 on the road.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Mets lead Arizona by 1.5 games for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (91-61)
Phillies are 15-4 in their last 19 games.
Phillies are 68-38 vs righty starters, 23-23 vs lefties.
Over is 8-0 in their last eight games.
Phillies have clinched the NL East.

— Pirates (65-87)
Pirates lost 10 of their last 11 games.
Pittsburgh is 42-35 at home, 23-52 on the road.
Under is 9-2 in their last 11 games.
Pirates are 51-68 vs righty starters, 14-19 vs lefties.

— St Louis (74-78)
St Louis is 2-6 in its last eight games.
Cardinals scored in first inning in only two of last 27 home games.
St Louis is 42-35 at home, 32-43 on the road.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven home games.

— Padres (82-69)
San Diego is 6-8 in its last 14 games.
Padres are 47-28 at home, 35-41 on the road.
Padres are 59-46 vs righty starters, 23-23 vs lefties.
San Diego have a 4-game for the #2 Wild Card slot in NL.

— Giants (75-76)
Giants lost five of their last six games.
Giants are 59-49 vs righty pitchers, 16-27 vs lefties.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
SF is three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Washington (62-90)
Nationals are 2-6 in their last eight games.
Washington is 46-62 vs righty starters, 16-28 vs lefties.
Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.
Nationals are 21-16 in one-run games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 17th:
Phil Jackson, 80
Junior Bridgeman, 72
John Franco, 65
Anthony Carter, 65

Kyle Chandler, 60
Rasheed Wallace, 52
Dan Haren, 45
Marcus Semien, 35

José Ramírez, 33
Patrick Mahomes, 30
Brandon Sproat, 25
James Wood, 23

— Orioles (71-80)
Baltimore won 10 of its last 14 games.
Orioles are 51-57 vs vs righty starters, 20-23 vs lefties.
Under is 11-0 in their last eleven home games.
Orioles are 19-23 vs AL East rivals, 52-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (82-69)
Red Sox are 1-4 in their last five games.
Boston is 45-31 at home, 37-38 on road.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Red Sox have 2.5-game lead for last AL Wild Card slot.

— White Sox (57-95)
Chicago lost five of its last seven games.
White Sox are 32-45 at home, 25-50 on the road.
Under is 5-1 in their last six games.
Chicago is 42-74 vs righty starters, 15-21 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (79-71)
Cleveland is 10-1 in its last 11 games.
Guardians are 2.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 61-47 vs righty starters, 18-24 vs lefties.
Under is 11-2 in their last thirteen games.

— Detroit (85-66)
Detroit is 7-13 in its last 20 games.
Tigers are 29-18 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 5.5 games.
Over is 10-3 in their last thirteen games.
Detroit is 20-9 in one-run games. 

— Houston (83-69)
Astros are 5-2 in their last seven games.
Astros are 12-19 in their last 31 home games.
Astros trail Seattle by half a game in AL West.
Over is 6-0 in their last six home games.

— Royals (75-76)
Royals are 11-15 in their last 26 games.
Kansas City is 58-64 vs righty starters, 17-12 vs lefties.
Over is 4-0 in Royals’ last four games.
Royals scored in first inning in 14 of last 24 home games.

— Angels (69-82)
Angels lost 20 of their last 30 games.
Over is 8-3 in their last eleven games.
Angels are 58-67 vs righty starters, 11-15 vs lefties.
Angels are in last place in AL West ($206M payroll)

— Twins (66-85)
Twins lost 22 of their last 33 games.
Minnesota is 37-39 at home, 29-46 on the road.
Over is 13-4 in their last 17 home games.
Twins are 2-9 in last 11 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (84-67)
New York is 8-7 in its last 15 games.
Over is 11-5 in their last 16 road games.
New York is 68-51 vs righty starters, 16-16 vs lefties.
Right now, New York has the #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (71-80)
A’s have won their last five games.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight games.
A’s are 53-65 vs righty starters, 18-15 vs lefties.
A’s are 9-4 in extra innings this season. 

— Seattle (83-68)
Mariners won their last 10 games, scoring 78 runs.
Seattle is 33-10 in its last 43 home games.
Over is 10-4 in their last fourteen games.
Seattle leads Houston by half a game in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (73-78)
Tampa Bay lost five of its last six games.
Rays are 38-38 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
Rays are 7-13 in last 20 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (79-73)
Rangers lost their last three games.
Texas is 3.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Texas is 62-51 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 47-28 at home, 32-45 on road.

— Toronto (89-62)
Blue Jays are 11-4 in their last 15 games.
Blue Jays won 25 of their last 34 home games.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Toronto leads New York/Boston by three games in AL East.

I’m not sure if/when you’ll be reading this; had some major Internet issues at Armadillo World HQ late Monday night. Hopefully you’re reading this and all is well with the world…….

Buccaneers 20, Texans 19
Bucs drove 80 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:06 left.
Tampa Bay opens up 2-0 for the fifth year in a row.
Bucs’ first two drives: 23 plays, 147 yards, two TD’s
Last two years, Tampa Bay is 12-2 ATS as a road underdog.

Houston took a 19-14 lead on a 25-yard run by Chubb with 2:10 left.
Tampa Bay outgained the Texnas, 360-266.
In two games, Houston has converted 4-18 third down plays.
Since 2019, Texans are 6-15-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Chargers 20, Raiders 9
Chargers picked off three passes, outgained Raiders 317-218.
Chargers led 17-6 at halftime.
Chargers are 6-2 SU/8-0 ATS last 7 games vs AFC West rivals.
Chargers are 10-3 ATS in last 13 games as a road favorite.

Raiders had drive of 19 plays, 62 yards; it took 11:07, but they kicked a FG.
Three drives after that, Raiders ran 14 plays for 27 yards, no points.
In two games (1-1), Raiders have run ball 43 times for 124 yards.
Since 2018, Raiders are 14-15-2 ATS as a home underdog.

— Tom Brady is part-owner of the Raiders; he was wearing a headset during the game Monday night, it is said that he consults with Raiders’ OC Chip Kelly on the game plan during the week.

How the BLEEP is he allowed to also broadcast games on network TV, where he meets with coaches of other teams during the week?!?!?!??

Raiders play Chicago in Week 4; if you’re Ben Johnson, do you want him in a production meeting where you will discuss your strategy??? I don’t think so.

NFL needs to put a stop to this.

— Through two weeks of the NFL…….
Home underdogs in divisional games are 1-5 ATS
Home underdogs in non-divisional games are 3-4 ATS

Home favorites in non-divisional games are 5-6 ATS
Home favorites in divisional games are 4-3 ATS

Overall, favorites are 17-15 ATS.

— Rough day for NFL quarterbacks………

Minnesota Vikings are expecting to start Carson Wentz this week, with JJ McCarthy nursing an ankle surgery.

Vikings are playing Cincinnati this week, which will be starting backup Jake Browning the next three months, after Joe Burrow had surgery on his foot/toe.

Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels (knee) is a ??? for Washington’s game with the Raiders this week. 

Also, Cowboys’ center Cooper Beebe is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a sprained ankle. 

— Famous birthdays, September 16th
Ed Begley, Jr, 76
Mickey Rourke, 73
Wilbert Montgomery, 71
Robin Yount, 70
Eric Hipple, 68

Jennifer Tilly, 67
Orel Hershiser, 67
Tim Raines, 66
Chad Harville, 49
Dan Dickau, 47

Brandon Moss, 42
Robbie Grossman, 36
Aaron Gordon, 30
Quinn Priester, 25
Sam Howell, 25

— In college football…….
AAC home teams are 3-6 ATS out of conference.
AAC road teams are 9-6 ATS out of conference.
AAC favorites are 7-5, home dogs are 0-4.

ACC non-conference home favorites are 4-8 ATS
Overall, ACC teams are 10-16 ATS out of conference.

Big 10 teams are 15-18 ATS out of conference. 

Big X teams non-conference favorites are 9-8, underdogs are 3-4.

Conference USA teams are 11-6 ATS out of conference, 8-4 as road underdogs.

MAC teams are 15-10 ATS in non-conference games.

Mountain West teams are 13-7 ATS, road underdogs are 7-3 ATS

SEC home favorites are 7-11 ATS out of conference; overall, SEC teams are 15-13 ATS in non-conference games.

Sun Belt teams 12-14 ATS in non-conference games.

— Over the weekend, UCLA/Virginia Tech fired their football coaches; September is half-over today, and two college/minor league teams have already fired their coaches. Yikes. 

— Phillies 6, Dodgers 5 (10)
Phillies clinch the NL East with this win.
Dodgers lead NL West by two games over San Diego.

Kyle Schwarber hit his 53rd home run; he has hit 22 homers off of lefties this year, tied with Stan Musial (1949), Matt Olson (2021) for most homers hit by a lefty off of lefties in one year.

— Diamondbacks 8, Giants 1
Arizona broke open a close game, scoring six runs in sixth inning.
Geraldo Perdomo was 3-fot-3 with 2 walks, scored a run.
Zac Gallen allowed two hits in six IP.

— Arizona is 1.5 games behind the Mets for the NL’s last playoff spot; Giants are now two games behind the Mets. 

— Reds 11, Cardinals 6
Sal Stewart was 3-for-5, with 3 runs scored, 2 RBI
Cincinnati is also within two games of the NL’s last playoff spot.

— Astros 6, Rangers 3
Jeremy Pena was 2-for-4, with three RBI
Oft-injured Yordan Alvarez left this game with a sprained ankle.
Houston’s bullpen got 13 outs, didn’t allow run.

— Blue Jays 2, Rays 1 (11)
Trey Yesavage allowed a run in five IP in his MLB debut.
Toronto has a five-game lead in the NL East; their magic number is 8. 

Cowboys 40, Giants 37 OT
Cowboys drove 42 yards, kicked 46-yard FG with 0:04 left in OT.
Dallas kicked a 64-yard FG at end of regulation to force OT
Giants had taken lead on a 48-yard TD pass with 0:25 left.
Giants are 0-9 SU/3-6 ATS in last nine visits to Dallas.

Wilson was 30-41/450 passing, with three TD’s.
Prescott was 38-52/361 passing with two TD’s.
Giants in 4th quarter: 14 plays, 186 yards, 21 points.
Giants in overtime: 6 plays, 3 yards, no points. 

Bengals 31, Jaguars 27
QB Burrow injured the big toe on his left foot (check status)
Backup QB Browning scored the game-winning TD with 0:18 left.
Cincinnati ran ball 17 times for only 48 yards.
Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2018. 

Cincinnati’s winning drive was 15 plays, 92 yards.
Ja’marr Chase caught 14 passes for 165 yards.
Jacksonville led 17-10 at halftime.
Jags’ QB Lawrence was 24-42/271 passing (3 TD’s, 2 INT’s)

Patriots 33 Dolphins 27
Patriots snap a five-game losing skid to the Dolphins in Miami.
Dolphins took 27-23 lead with 74-yard punt return for TD.
Patriots took lead back with 90-yard kickoff return for a TD.
It was first time since 1992 that a punt return TD was immediately followed by a kickoff return for a TD. 

Dolphins are 0-2, giving up 33 points in both games.
New England’s first three drives: 36 plays, 209 yards, 15 points.
Since 2021, Miami is 11-17-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Patriots were 7-12 on third down, Dolphins 4-10.

Colts 29, Broncos 28
Colts kicked 45-yard FG at gun to go to 2-0 for first time since 2009.
Colts missed 60-yard FG on previous play, but a 15-yard penalty on Denver gave Indy a second chance.
Indianapolis scored 4 TD’s, kicked 6 FG’s on its first 10 drives this season.
Indy hasn’t punted in its first two games.

Denver’s first four drives: 26 plays, 172 yards, three TD’s.
Denver rest of game: 29 plays, 147 yards, one TD.
Since 2017, Broncos are 7-11 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Steichen, Indy is 14-6 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Eagles 20, Chiefs 17
Game was tied 10-10 at halftime.
Barkley ran ball 22 times for 88 yards and a TD.
Philly is 11-5 ATS in last sixteen games vs AFC teams.
Eagles are 12-2-1 ATS in last 15 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Chiefs threw INT in red zone early in 4th quarter; Kelce dropped an easy throw.
KC’s first four drives of 2nd half: 24 plays, 90 yards, no points, 2 turnovers.
Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Chiefs are o-2 in one-score games; before this year, they had won 11 consecutive one-score game. 

]Lions 52, Bears 21
Goff passed for 334 yards, five TD’s, three of them to St. Brown
Detroit scored a TD on six of its last seven possessions.
Last 3+ years, Lions are 15-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 5+ years, Detroit is 11-5 ATS in home games vs NFC North rivals.

Since leading 17-6 in Week 1, Bears have been outscored, 73-28.
Chicago in 2nd half of this game: 32 plays, 131 yards, 7 points.
QB Williams is 5-14 as an NFL starter. 
Since 2020, Chicago is 10-14 ATS as a road underdog.

Rams 33, Titans 19
Tennessee led 13-10 at halftime.
Rams in 2nd half: 35 plays, 262 yards, 23 points.
Titans in 2nd half: 31 plays, 75 yards, 6 points.
Last 3+ years, Rams are 7-1 ATS as a road favorite.

Rams outgained Tennessee, 439-252.
In two games, Rams have allowed one TD on 20 drives.
In two games, Titans have kicked 8 FG’s, scored only one TD.
Titans are 3-10 ATS in last 13 games as an underdog.

Famous birthdays, September 15th:
Tommy Lee Jones, 79
Oliver Stone, 79
LeRoy Irvin, 68
Dan Marino, 64
Earnest Byner, 63

Sherman Douglas, 59
Jason Terry, 48
Mike Dunleavy Jr., 45
Terry McLaurin, 30
Easton Stick, 30

Seahawks 31, Steelers 17
Leading 17-14, Seahawks scored a TD when the Steelers didn’t cover a kickoff that went in the end zone and Seattle fell on it for a TD that made score 24-14.
Seattle in 2nd half: 33 plays, 207 yards, 17 points.
Seahawks outscored Pittsburgh, 395-267.
Seahawks are 10-3 ATS in last 13 games as a road underdog.

Pittsburgh led 14-7 at halftime.
Steelers in 2nd half: 33 plays, 183 yards, 3 points, 2 turnovers.
Steelers ran ball 21 times for only 72 times.
Last 3+ years, Pittsburgh is 4-10-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Cardinals 27, Panthers 22
Cardinals scored a defensive TD 1:33 into the game.
Arizona’s first four drives: 28 plays, 148 yards, 13 points.
Arizona led 20-3 at halftime, then hung on for dear life.
Down 27-22 with 1:58 left, Carolina recovered an onside kick, but was stopped on downs by the Cardinal defense.

Panthers in first half: 29 plays, 111 yards, 3 points.
Carolina ran the ball 19 times for only 49 yards.
QB Young is 6-24 as an NFL starter; Canales is 5-14 as a head coach.
Carolina is 9-16-2 ATS in last 26 games coming off a loss.

Ravens 41, Browns 17
Lamar Jackson was 19-29/225 passing, with four TD’s.
Ravens scored 40-41 points in first two games, but split the pair.
Ravens lead was only 10-3 at halftime.
Up 27-10, Ravens scored defensive TD on 63-yard fumble return.

Ravens in second half: 24 plays, 158 yards, 24 points.
Browns in second half: 38 plays, 250 yards, 14 points.
Since 2021, Cleveland is 8-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 6+ years, Cleveland is 4-14 ATS in AFC North road games.

Bills 30, Jets 10
Buffalo outgained the Jets, 403-154.
Bills ran the ball 43 times for 224 yards.
James Cook ran 21 times for 132 yards, two TD’s.
Last 4+ years, Bills are 8-5 ATS in AFC East road games.

Bills were 5-14 on third down, Jets 0-11.
Buffalo led 20-3 at halftime.
Jets in first half: 24 plays, 78 yards, 3 points.
Bills won ten of last 12 series games.

49ers 26, Saints 21
Backup QB Jones threw for 279 yards and three TD’s.
49ers led this game 16-7 at halftime.
SF ran the ball 26 times for only 77 yards.
49ers were 8-15 on third down, New Orleans 4-11

Saints’ first four drives: 17 plays, 57 yards, no points.
Last 4+ years, Saints are 7-13 ATS as a home underdog.
Rattler is 0-8 as an NFL starting QB.
Saints are 7-13 ATS in last 19 games coming off a loss.

Falcons 22, Vikings 6
Falcons ran 63 plays for 326 yards, Vikings 46 plays for 198.
Minnesota turned ball over four times on 10 drives.
Falcons led 9-6 at halftime.
Only TD of game came on an 88-yard drive by Atlanta late in game. 

McCarthy was 11-21/158 passing with two INT’s.
Vikings in first half of their 2 games: 51 plays, 219 yards, 4 FG’s.
Last nine years, Minnesota is 1-7-1 SU in home openers.
Under O’Connell, Vikings are 8-10 ATS as a home favorite.

— Georgia 44, Tennessee 41, OT
Dawgs score TD in OT; they’ve beaten Vols nine times in a row.
Tennessee led 21-7 after the first quarter.
Vols missed a 43-yard FG with 0:03 left in regulation.

— Georgia Tech 24, Clemson 21
Yellow Jackets kicked a 55-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Tech QB King passed for 216 yards, ran for 103 more.
Clemson is is off to a disappointing 1-2 start.

— Ole Miss 41, Arkansas 35
Backup QB Chambliss (transfer from Ferris State) threw for 353 yards.
Ferris State won the Division II national title last year.
Arkansas was in Ole Miss red zone in last 2:00, but lost a fumble.

— Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 40
Aggies threw an 11-yard TD pass on 4th-and-goal with 0:13 left.
Notre Dame missed PAT after TD that put them ahead 40-34.
Aggies’ QB Reed threw for 360 yards, two TD’s. 

— West Virginia 31, Pittsburgh 24 OT
Pitt led 24-14 with 6:00 left in regulation.
WVU tied game on a TD with 0:11 left.
Mountaineers outgained Pitt, 434-349.

— Upsets of the Week:
New Mexico (+17.5) 35, UCLA 10
Stanford (+13) 30, Boston College 20
Delaware (+10.5) 44, UConn 41
Georgia Tech (+9.5) 24, Clemson 21

Middle Tennessee (+9.5) 14, Nevada 13
Old Dominion (+7.5) 45, Virginia Tech 26
West Virginia (+6.5) 31, Pittsburgh 24 OT

Texas A&M (+6.5) 41, Notre Dame 40
Bowling Green (+6.5) 23, Liberty 13
Vanderbilt (+5.5) 31, South Carolina 7

— Rangers 3, Mets 2
Mets led 2-0 after seven innings.
Texas has won six games in a row.
Mets have lost eight games in a row.
Juan Soto hit his 40th homer for the Mets.

— Milwaukee Brewers are first team to clinch a playoff spot this year; Brewers are in the playoffs for the 7th time in the last eight years.

— Famous birthdays, September 14th:
Larry Brown, 85
Alvin Scott, 70
Tim Wallach, 68
Stephen Bishop, 55
Tyler Perry, 55

David Bell, 53
Chad Bradford, 51
Brandon Hicks, 40
Deshaun Watson, 30
Bubba Chandler, 23

— LSU 20, Florida 10
LSU led 13-10 at half; they intercepted five passes.
LSU QB Nussmeier threw for 220 yards and a TD.
Florida outgained LSU 366-316, but the five INT’s were a killer.

— Vanderbilt 31, South Carolina 7
Commodores snapped a 16-game losing streak to South Carolina.
Vandy is 3-0 for the first time since 2017.
Gamecocks’ QB Sellers was KO’d in the 2nd quarter, didn’t return.

— Tulane 34, Duke 27
Duke QB Mensah passed for 313 yards, 3 TD’s against team he played for last year.
Tulane QB Retzlaff (transfer from BYU) passed for 245 yards, 10.7 yards/attempt.
Duke paid Mensah $4M to play for them this season.

— Iowa State 24, Arkansas State 16
Cyclones start season 4-0 for 2nd year in row; its the first time they’ve done that.
Iowa State ran ball 34 times for 187 yards.
Ark State had 10 penalties for 90 yards, Cyclones 3 for 31.

— Delaware 44, UConn 41, OT
Delaware gets its first I-A win as a I-A team.
Blue Hens kicked a 43-yard FG at the gun in regulation to force OT.
Delaware ran ball 45 times for 247 yards.

— Buffalo 31, Kent State 28
Buffalo threw a 22-yard TD pass with 1:03 left for the win.
Bulls’ QB Roberson threw for 318 yards, three TD’s.
Buffalo has won its last five MAC games. 

— Rangers 8, Mets 3
Texas scored six runs in top of the first vs rookie P Tong.
Jacob deGrom won in his first start against Mets at Citi Field
Mets have now lost seven games in a row.

— A’s 3, Reds 0
Cincinnati was 0-12 with runners in scoring position.
Reds remain 1.5 games behind the Mets for the last Wild Card slot.

Carlos Cortes homered twice in this game for the A’s; he played his 21st game in the outfield Friday, but he’s also played a game at third base. When he plays the outfield, Cortes throws left-handed, but when he plays the infield, he throws right-handed.

Never heard of anyone doing that before. 

— Giants 5, Dodgers 1
Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off grand slam for the Giants.
Justin Verlander allowed four hits in 7 IP.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed only one hit in 7 IP.

— NL Wild Card race:
3) Mets 76-72
Giants 75-72
Reds 74-73
Arizona 73-75

— Houston 36, Colorado 20
QB Weigman threw for 222 yards, ran for 83 more.
Cougars outgained Colorado, 431-300.
Houston ran ball for 209 yards; they were +2 in turnovers.

— Arizona 23, Kansas State 17
Arizona led 17-3 at halftime.
Ismail Mahdi ran ball 22 times for 189 yards.
K-State is 0-3 vs I-A teams, with losses by 3-3-6 points.

— New Mexico 35, UCLA 10
Lobos were a 17.5-point underdog in this game.
UCLA is 0-3 this season, outscored 108-43, with two losses to Mountain West teams.

— Famous birthdays, September 13th:
Jacqueline Bisset, 81
Rick Wise, 80
Kathleen Lloyd, 77
Clyde Kusatsu, 77

Rick Dempsey, 76
Jim Cleamons, 76
Jean Smart, 74
Mike Pagel, 65

Denny Neagle, 57
Bernie Williams, 57
AJ McCarron, 35
Troy Reeder, 31

— New York 4, Red Sox 1
Luis Gil threw six innings, didn’t give up a hit.
Aaron Judge hit his 47th home run of the year.
Red Sox fall to 4.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East. 

— Mariners 2, Angels 1
Mitch Garver hit a solo home run in the 7th inning.
Luis Castillo allowed three hits in six IP.
Mariners remain tied for first with Astros in AL West

— Guardians 4, White Sox 0
Tanner Bibee threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout.
It was Cleveland’s first complete game shutout in six years.
Guardians have won seven of their last eight games.

— AL Wild Card race:
3) Hst/Sea 80-68
Rangers 78-70
Guardians 76-71
Royals 74-74

— Nationals 6, Pirates 5
Pittsburgh led 3-0 in sixth inning.
Dylan Crews hit a 2-run homer for Washington.
LF James Wood threw out the tying run at the plate in the 9th inning. 

— Astros 11, Braves 3
Zach Cole went 3-for-4, homered in his first MLB at-bat.
Astros had scored a total of 8 runs in their previous four games.
Houston-Seattle are tied for first in the AL West.AL West

— Twins 9, Diamondbacks 8
Arizona scored four runs in top of the 9th
Minnesota scored three runs in bottom of 9th.
Kody Clemens hit three home runs for the Twins; he has 19 this year.

— Packers 27, Commanders 18
Green Bay had early TD drives of 96-92 yards, grabbed a 14-0 lead.
Jordan Love threw for 292 yards, two TD’s.
Last 4+ years, Packers are 24-16-1 ATS coming off a win.
Since 2019, Packers are 27-16-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Washington’s first three drives: 12 plays, 13 yards, three punts.
Green Bay outgained the Commanders, 404-230.
Washington ran the ball 19 times for only 51 yards.
Last 4+ years, Commanders are 11-14 ATS as a road underdog.

— NC State 34, Wake Forest 24
Wake Forest led 24-14 with 4:00 left in 2nd quarter.
Deacons ran the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a TD.
3-0 Wolfpack ran the ball 44 times for 205 yards.

— Phillies 6, Mets 4
Mets scored four runs on five hits in top of first inning.
Mets didn’t get another baserunner the rest of the game.
Mets have lost six in a row; their lead for last Wild Card slot is 1.5 games.

— Mariners 7, Angels 6 (12)
Seattle won in 13 innings Wednesday, 12 innings in this game.
#9 hitter JP Crawford knocked in three runs for Seattle.
Mike Trout hit his 399th career home run in the 5th inning.

Mariners/Astros are now tied for first in the AL West.

— Guardians 3, Royals 2
Rookie CJ Kayfus hit a 2-run homer in bottom of the 8th inning.
Guardians have won six of their last seven games.
Royals’ 1B Vinnie Pasquantino has 33 RBI in his last 30 games.

— New York 9, Tigers 3
Aaron Judge hit two home runs, has 46 this season.
New York led 9-1 in the fourth inning.
New York leads the Red Sox by half a game for the AL’s first Wild Card slot.

— Padres 2, Rockies 0
Randy Vasquez struck out a career-high nine in six shutout IP.
Jackson Merrill homered in the fourth inning.
Padres pulled within 2.5 game of the Dodgers in the NL West.

— Famous birthdays, September 12th:
Mickey Lolich, 85
Linda Gray, 85
Joe Pantoliano, 74
Rachel Ward, 68

Deron Cherry, 66
Vernon Maxwell, 60
Ki-Jana Carter, 52
Luis Castillo, 50 (Marlins’ 2B)

Yao Ming, 45
Freddie Freeman, 36
Andrew Luck, 36
Kyle Bradish, 29

— Blue Jays 6, Astros 0
Kavin Gausman threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout.
This was the 27th complete game of the season (28 last year)
Astros are 4-8 in their last 12 games.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: Red Sox, New York, Mariners

Elsewhere in the world…….
— NFL needs to re-do its onside kick rule; one of the spring football leagues had/has a rule which is good, and the NFL should adopt it.

If a team wants to onside kick, they simply get the ball on their own 30 (or 35) yard line, it is 4th and 15 and they play on from there. Gives them a chance to come back

— Mac Jones is expected to strata QB for the 49ers in New Orleans Sunday, with starter Brock Purdy nursing toe/shoulder injuries. Jones is 20-30 as an NFL starter, for Patriots/Jaguars.

— Packers star Micah Parsons is making $47M/year, but now that he lives in Green Bay, he is subject to Wisconsin’s 7.65% state income tax, which reduces his salary to $43.4M/year.

Texas doesn’t have state income taxes, but the Cowboys were offering him $40.5M, so he is still making $2.9M more per year now than if he had signed with Dallas. 

— Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is under the weather, has been away from the team for a few days; it is unclear who will call defensive signals for New England Sunday.

— Carlie Irsay-Gordon, daughter of the late Jim Irsay, is the Indianapolis Colts’ new owner/CEO; she was on the sidelines during last week’s win over Miami, listening to the coaches on her headset. You don’t see that every day.

— In Week 1 of the NFL season, 75.6% of kickoffs were returned, up from the 33.1% in Week 1 of the 2024 season. There were 3,074 kick return yards, the most in any week since Week 15, 2010. 

— If you’re planning ahead, there are two Monday night football games this week:

7:00 Tampa Bay plays at Houston
10:00 Chargers visit the Raiders in Las Vegas

— Kyle Schwarber is the 34th big leaguer to hit 50+ home runs in a season; he is also a free agent this winter. Really good timing on his part.

Schwarber, Phillies teammate JT Realmuto are both free agents this winter; GM Dave Dombrowski is going to have an interesting winter. 

— Mets have used 45 pitchers this season; 17 of them have started at least one game.

— Since the All-Star break, 57% of the Miami Marlins’ hits have come from rookies; during that time, no other team has more than 35% of its hits from rookies.

— Was watching Cleveland-Tampa Bay game last week; the Guardians’ TV guys were critical of Rays’ star Junior Caminero, citing lackadaisical play by Caminero as a reason Cleveland won a game in Tampa. Seemed like an odd comment at the time.

But back in November 2021, Cleveland traded Caminero to the Rays for P Tobias Myers, who the Guardians dealt to San Francisco the next summer. Not a good look for the Cleveland front office, seeing how Caminero has 41 homers this year and is only 21 years old.

— Rough week for MAC football teams last week; two of them lost to I-AA opponents. LIU beat Eastern Michigan 28-23, UMass lost to Bryant 27-26. Not great.

— If your kid can snap a football 15 yards behind him to a punter, he might want to call up the football office at Oregon State. He might get a scholarship.

Last week against Fresno State, Beavers bounced at least five snaps to their punter or holder for kicks in a 36-27 loss to the Bulldogs. Poor kid who was snapping for Oregon State had never done it in a game before, and it showed- the Beavers’ regular long snapper is hurt.

I’m guessing they held tryouts this week, trying to find another kid to snap the ball.

— Famous birthdays, September 11th:
Jeff Newman, 77
Rod Perry, 72
Kristy McNichol, 63
Gerald Wilkins, 62

Ellis Burks, 61
Harry Connick Jr, 58
Bern Brostek, 57
Christopher Bridges, 48 (Ludacris)

Ed Reed, 47
Shaun Livingston, 40
Andrew Cashner, 39
Zay Flowers, 25

— Phillies 11, Mets 3
Max Kepler homered, drove in five runs.
Mets have lost five games in a row.
Phillies’ magic number to clinch NL East is 7.

— Reds 2, Padres 1
Cincinnati scored twice in the 8th inning.
Andrew Abbott allowed five hits in his 8 IP.
Reds are two games behind the Mets for the last NL Wild Card slot.

— Astros 3, Blue Jays 2
Carlos Correa hit his 200th career home run.
Yainer Diaz had the game-winning homer in the 9th inning.
Toronto had tied the game with two runs in bottom of 8th.

— Orioles 2, Pirates 1 (10)
Rookie OF Beavers, hitting .305, had a walk-off single.
Paul Skenes threw only 64 pitches in a short, 5-inning start.
Spencer Horwitz homered for the Pirates’ only run.

— Royals 4, Guardians 3
Royals scored twice in top of 7th for the winning runs.
Vinnie Pasquantino got to 100 RBI for first time in his career.
Cleveland had its five-game win streak snapped.

— A’s 5, Red Sox 4
Lawrence Butler had the walk-off single for the A’s.
Nick Kurtz hit his 30th home run; he is the 32nd rookie to hit 30+ homers.
Just the 5th win for the A’s in their last 21 games against Boston.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: Red Sox, New York, Mariners

Trends for every major league team
(thru Tuesday’s games)

— Arizona (72-74)
Arizona lost its last three games.
Diamondbacks are 18-26 in one-run games.
Arizona is 22-20 vs NL West foes, 50-54 vs everyone else.
Arizona is 15-31 in last 46 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Braves (65-80)
Braves are 4-8 in their last 12 games.
Atlanta is 35-36 at home, 30-44 on the road.
Braves are 24-21 vs NL East rivals, 41-59 vs everyone else.
Under is 8-3 in their last eleven games.

— Cubs (82-63)
Chicago is 2-4 in its last six games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 27-8-2 in their last 37 games.
Cubs are 64-43 vs righty starters, 18-20 vs lefties.

— Reds (73-72)
Cincinnati is 6-10 in its last 16 games.
Reds are 55-49 vs righty starters, 18-23 vs lefties.
Under is 16-6-1 in their last 24 road games.
Reds are three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (40-105)
Colorado lost 14 of its last 18 games.
Under is 6-1 in Rockies’ last seven road games.
Rockies are 6-32 vs lefty starters, 34-73 vs righties.
Colorado hasn’t scored a first inning run in its last 32 road games.

— Dodgers (81-64)
Dodgers won their last three games.
LA leads San Diego by two games in NL West.
Dodgers are 61-43 vs righty starters, 20-21 vs lefties.
Under is 11-6-1 in their last 18 home games.

— Marlins (66-79)
Marlins are 9-21 in their last 30 games.
Miami is 32-41 at home, 34-38 on the road.
Over is 4-1-1 in Marlins’ last six games.
Last five weeks, Marlins are 3-6 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Brewers (89-57)
Brewers are 10-12 in their last 22 games.
Milwaukee is 46-26 at home, 43-31 on the road.
Over is 17-7-2 in their last 26 home games.
Milwaukee leads the Cubs by 6.5 games in NL Central.

— Mets (76-69)
Mets are 1-5 in their last six games.
Mets are 45-27 at home, 31-42 on the road.
Under is 4-1-1 in their last six games.
Mets lead the Giants by only 2 games for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (85-60)
Phillies are 9-3 in their last 12 games.
Phillies are 65-38 vs righty starters, 20-22 vs lefties.
Under is 4-1 in their last five home games.
Phillies lead the Mets by nine games in NL East.

— Pirates (64-81)
Pirates lost their last four games.
Pittsburgh is 42-33 at home, 22-48 on the road.
Under is 18-10-3 in their last 31 games.
Pirates scored in first inning in nine of last 18 games.

— St Louis (72-74)
St Louis is 7-5 in its last 12 games.
Cardinals scored in first inning in only one of last 25 home games.
St Louis is 41-34 at home, 31-40 on the road.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.

— Padres (79-66)
San Diego won 17 of its last 23 home games.
Padres are 44-26 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Padres are 56-44 vs righty starters, 23-22 vs lefties.
San Diego is 26-19 vs NL West rivals, 53-47 vs everyone else.

— Giants (74-71)
Giants won 13 of their last 16 games.
Giants are 58-47 vs righty pitchers, 16-24 vs lefties.
Over is 18-11-2 in their last 31 road games.
SF lost 11 of last 14 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Washington (60-84)
Nationals are 7-1 in their last eight games.
Washington is 18-22 vs NL East rivals, 42-62 vs everyone else.
Over is 14-7-4 in their last 25 games.
Nationals are 6-1 in last 7 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Famous birthdays, September 10th:
Charlie Waters, 77
Gary Danielson, 74
Amy Irving, 72
Randy Johnson, 62

Ben Wallace, 51
Joey Votto, 42
Neil Walker, 40
Paul Goldschmidt, 38

— Orioles (67-77)
Baltimore won six of its last seven games.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Under is 9-0 in their last nine home games.
Orioles are 19-20 vs AL East rivals, 48-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (76-62)
Red Sox are 13-6 in their last 19 games.
Boston is 9-4 in last 7 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.
Under is 7-2 in their last nine road games.
Right now, Red Sox are tied with NY for first AL Wild Card slot.

— White Sox (55-90)
Chicago won six of its last eight games.
White Sox are 30-43 at home, 25-47 on the road.
Over is 10-4 in their last 14 games.
Chicago is 41-70 vs righty starters, 14-20 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (74-70)
Cleveland won eight of its last 12 games.
Guardians are 2.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 57-46 vs righty starters, 17-24 vs lefties.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.

— Detroit (83-62)
Detroit is 5-9 in its last 14 games.
Tigers are 29-17 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 8.5 games.
Detroit is 18-6 in home series openers.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.

— Houston (78-67)
Astros are 19-24 in their last 43 games overall
Astros are 11-18 in their last 29 home games.
Astros lead Seattle by one game in AL West.
Over is 4-0 in their last four home games.

— Royals (73-72)
Royals are 9-11 in their last 20 games.
Kansas City is 57-60 vs righty starters, 16-12 vs lefties.
Under is 13-3 in Royals’ last 16 home games.
Royals scored in first inning in 14 of last 23 home games.

— Angels (68-77)
Angels lost 15 of their last 24 games.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven road games..
Angels are 57-62 vs righty starters, 11-15 vs lefties.
Angels are 33-19 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Twins (64-81)
Twins lost 18 of their last 27 games.
Minnesota is 35-36 at home, 29-45 on the road.
Over is 18-5 in their last 23 games.
Twins are 1-7 in last 8 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (80-64)
New York is 4-4 in its last eight games.
Over is 9-2 in their last 11 road games.
New York is 65-49 vs righty starters, 15-15 vs lefties.
Right now, New York/Red Sox are tied for #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (63-75)
A’s are 2-4 in their last six games, didn’t score last two nights.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven games.
A’s are 48-60 vs righty starters, 15-15 vs lefties.
Last 12 weeks, A’s are 10-5 in games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Seattle (73-64)
Mariners won their last four games, scoring 37 runs.
Seattle is 28-10 in its last 38 home games.
Over is 6-2 in their last eight games.
Right now, Mariners hold the #3 Wild Card in AL, by 1.5 games.
Seattle is also only a game behind Houston in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (72-72)
Tampa Bay won 11 of its last 16 games.
Rays are 38-36 at home, 34-36 on the road.
Tampa Bay is 4.5 games out of the last Wild Card slot.
Rays are 6-11 in last 17 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (76-70)
Rangers are 10-3 in their last 13 games.
Texas is 59-48 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 46-28 at home, 30-42 on road.
Texas is 1.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Toronto (83-61)
Blue Jays are 5-3 in their last eight games overall.
Blue Jays won 21 of their last 29 home games.
Under is 4-0 in their last four games.
Toronto leads New York/Boston by three games in AL East.

September’s Too……..is a good bar
1165 Central Avenue in Colonie, just west of Osborne Road

Golfers, bring your scorecards:
If you played nine holes, 9% off your bill
If you played 18 holes, 18% off your bill

Tuesday- $5 drafts all day long…….very good food
Wednesday- they have 12 TV’s to watch games
Thursday- Open Mic night, Commanders-Packers on TV
Friday- Jukebox karaoke, 8:00
Saturday- College football on TV, lot of music
Sunday- Watch NFL games, from 4:00-midnight

Comedy is coming on Tuesday, September 9th

They have 12 TV’s and good food/drinks.
You can order food from them via Door Dash
Check it out, it’s a fun place

———————————————————————

Week 2 NFL info coming later this week

Tuesday’s 6-pack:
Since 2023, TD rates on plays run inside the 3-yard line:
85.7%— Ravens
70%— Saints
61.5%— Bears
61.1%— Cardinals
58.8%— Broncos
57.7%— Buccaneers

Quote of the Day
“You don’t demand respect, you earn it.”
Steve Spurrier

Tuesday’s quiz
Who played QB for the Chicago Bears, last time they won a playoff game? 

Monday’s quiz
Before Sunday, Andrew Luck was Colts’ QB the last time they won a Week 1 game, in 2013.

Sunday’s quiz
Davey Johnson managed five different major league teams, led four of them to the postseason; Dodgers were the only team he didn’t make the playoffs with. 

— Vikings 27, Bears 24
Vikings’ first nine drives: 30 plays, 122 yards, 6 points (and a pick-6)
Vikings’ last four drives: 21 plays, 183 yards, 21 points
Vikings are 15-11-4 ATS in last 30 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Under O’Connell, Vikings are 27-9 SU in games decided by 8 or fewer points.

Chicago led 17-6 when they got a pick-6 early in third quarter.
Bears in second half: 33 plays, 145 yards, 7 points
Vikings won nine of last ten series games.
Minnesota is 6-0 SU/5-0-1 ATS in last six visits to Chicago.

— Biggest questions for teams who draft a QB; when do you start him?

Titans. Giants. Saints. Browns.

Tennessee’s Cam Ward is the only one of the four who started this week; all four of these teams lost in Week 1. It is a fascinating decision as to when the rookie QB becomes a starter. 

— A quick look back:
Patrick Mahomes started one game (the last game) as a rookie
Jared Goff didn’t start until the 10th game his rookie year.
Jalen Hurts started four games as a rookie.
Justin Herbert started in Week 2 his rookie year.
Josh Allen started in Week 2 his rookie year.

Caleb Williams started every game last year.
Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray started every game when they were rookies.

— Week 1 of the NFL:
Home teams were 8-7 ATS
Favorites were 9-7 ATS
Under was 13-3.

— In college football so far:
AAC teams are 8-8 ATS out of conference; 5-1 as road dogs, 1-4 at home.
ACC 8-12 ATS; 3-7 as home favorite, 3-1 as road favorite, 2-4 as an underdog.
Big 18 11-15 ATS; 9-10 as a home favorite.

Big X 8-11 ATS; 3-5 as a home favorite, 1-4 as an underdog.
C-USA 7-4 ATS; 6-3 as a road underdog.
MAC 11-9 ATS; 9-6 as a road underdog.

Mountain West 12-5 ATS; 9-3 as an underdog.
SEC 11-10 ATS; 5-8 as home favorite, 3-1 as underdog.
Sun Belt 8-10 ATS; 2-4 at home.

— Since 2000, Cleveland Browns have started 20 different QB’s; Washington Commanders have started 17 QB’s.

— Russell Wilson is the ninth QB to start for the Giants in the last 5+ seasons. 

Sunday vs Washington, Giants ran seven plays inside the 3-yard line; they had a net minus-1 yard on those seven plays.

— Famous birthdays, September 9th:
Dick LeBeau, 88
Joe Theismann, 76
Hugh Grant, 65
Jack Trudeau, 63
Todd Zeile, 60

Adam Sandler, 59
Eric Stonestreet, 54
Mike Hampton, 53
Edwin Jackson, 42
Otto Kemp, 26

— Phillies put SS Trea Turner (hamstring), 3B Alec Bohm (shoulder) on the IL; playoffs start in three weeks, Phillies need Turner healthy by then.

— Phillies 1, Mets 0
Aaron Nola allowed only 5 baserunners in six IP.
Nick Castellanos knocked in only run with a 2nd inning single.
Phillies lead Mets by 8 games in NL East; their magic number is 11.

— Nationals 15, Marlins 7
Josh Bell went 4-6 with six RBI; he homered from both sides of plate.

— Giants 11, Diamondbacks 5
San Francisco hit five home runs; game was 4-4 after five innings.
Giants are within three games of Mets for NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Mariners 4, Cardinals 2
Seattle was down 2-0, scored four runs in bottom of 6th.
Bryan Woo improved to 13-7, 3.02 with the win.
Mariners lead Texas by 1.5 games for AL’s last Wild Card spot.

— Padres 4, Reds 3 (10)
Cincinnati led 3-0 in sixth inning.
Fernando Tatis had the walk-off sacrifice fly.
Reds are 5-12 in their last 17 games.

— Dodgers 3, Rockies 1
Dodgers lost a no-hitter in 9th inning for second time in three nights.
Tyler Glasnow struck out 11, didn’t allow a hit in his 7 IP.
Ryan Ritter had Colorado’s only hit. 

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners

— Steelers 34, Jets 32
Steelers kicked a 60-yard FG with 1:03 left for the win.
Aaron Rodgers was 22-30/244 passing, with four TD’s.
Jets outgained Pittsburgh, 394-271, led 26-17 after three quarters..
Steelers’ last four drives: 20 plays, 115 yards, 17 points.

Jets’ first four drives: 31 plays, 212 yards, 19 points.
Jets rest of game: 33 plays, 162 yards, 13 points.
Jets were 0-2 on two-point conversions.
Justin Fields looked good; he threw for 218 yards, ran for 48 more.

— Bills 41, Ravens 40
Buffalo kicked a 32-yard field goal at the gun for a comeback win.
QB Allen was 33-46/394 passing, with two TD’s.
Buffalo is 20-5-1 ATS in last 26 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Bills’ last five drives: 36 plays, 264 yards, 22 points.

Ravens’ first five drives: 34 plays, 277 yards, 27 points.
Baltimore’s last three drives: 8 plays, 17 yards, no points.
Ravens led 34-19 after the third quarter.
Ravens ran ball 29 times for 238 yards, converted 6-11 on 3rd down.

— Bengals 17, Browns 16
Cleveland missed an extra point and a 36-yard field goal.
Cincy was 7-14 on third down, was +2 in turnovers.
Bengals won despite being outgained, 327-141.
Bengals gained only 7 yards the whole 2nd half, the fewest yards any winning team has scored in the 2nd half of a game over the last 25 years. 

Browns’ first four drives: 43 plays, 189 yards, 16 points.
Browns rest of the game: 30 plays, 129 yards, no points.
Last 2+ years, Browns are minus-35 in turnovers.
Last 3+ years, Cleveland is 7-2 ATS in AFC North home games.

— Buccaneers 23, Falcons 20
Mayfield threw a 25-yard TD pass to Egbuka with 0:59 left.
Falcons missed a 44-yard FG that would’ve forced an overtime.
Last 3+ years, Tampa Bay is 10-4 ATS on artificial turf.
Bucs won five of last seven visits to Atlanta.

Falcons outgained Tampa Bay, 358-260.
Atlanta had an 18-play TD drive that covered 91 yards, took 8:46.
Since 2019, Atlanta is 7-12 ATS in NFC South home games.
Last two years, Falcons are 7-17 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

— Rams 14, Texans 9
Rams improved to 7-2 in season openers under Sean McVay.
Puka Nukua caught 10 passes for 130 yards.
Last 2+ years, Rams are 7-3-1 ATS vs AFC teams.
Last 2+ years, Rams are 8-4-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Rams were 7-13 on third down, Houston 2-9.
Matthew Stafford went over 60,000 career passing yards (#10 all-time)
Texans in first half: 34 plays, 119 yards, 9 points.
Texans rest of the game: 26 plays, 121 yards, no points.

— 49ers 17, Seahawks 13
49ers drove 68 yards, scored game-winning TD with 1:34 left.
San Francisco outgained the Seahawks, 384-230
49ers won/covered last four visits to Seattle.
Last 3+ years, 49ers are 6-2-1 ATS in NFC West road games.

Seahawks led 10-7 after the third quarter.
49ers turned ball over on three of first four 2nd half drives.
Last 3+ years, Seahawks are 8-16-1 ATS at home.
Last 4+ years, Seattle is 4-9 ATS in NFC West home games.

— Packers 27, Lions 13
Green Bay’s first 3 drives: 21 plays, 184 yards, 17 points.
Packers led 17-3 at halftime.
QB Love was 16-22/188 passing, with two TD’s.
Packers won their 13th straight home opener, NFL’s longest streak since 1988. 

Lions in first half: 32 plays, 69 yards, 3 points.
Total yardage in game: 266-246, Green Bay.
Detroit ran ball 22 times for only 46 yards.
Lions didn’t score a TD until a garbage time score with 0:55 left. 

— Commanders 21, Giants 6
Giants scored only 3 points on two trips inside Washington’s 5-yard line.
Last three years, Giants were outscored 89-12 in their Week 1 games.
Last nine years, Giants are 1-8 SU/ATS in Week 1 games.
Washington outgained the Giants, 432-231. 

Commanders ran ball 32 times for 220 yards.
Washington scored twice on first four drives, led 14-3 at halftime.
QB Daniels is 15-6 as an NFL starter.
Deebo Samuel caught 7 passes for 77 yards, also had a 19-yard run.

— Cardinals 20, Saints 13
Arizona’s first five drives: 39 plays, 229 yards, 20 points.
Cardinals led 17-10 at halftime.
Saints were in Arizona red zone on last drive, but couldn’t score.
Under Gannon, Cardinals are 4-3 ATS as a favorite.

QB Rattler is 0-7 as an NFL starter; they need to play rookie QB Shough.
Saints in second half: 48 plays, 171 yards, 3 points.
New Orleans had 13 penalties for 89 yards.
Last 4+ years, Saints are 7-12 ATS as a home underdog.

— Colts 33, Dolphins 8
Colts win a season opener for first time since 2013.
Indy scored on all of their seven drives: 70 plays, 418 yards.
Colts outgained Miami, 418-211, 211-43 in first half.
Under Steichen, Indy is 13-6 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Colts QB Jones was 22-29/272 passing, also ran for 26 yards.
Dolphins’ first five drives: 28 plays, 123 yards, 2 turnovers, no points.
Miami was minus-3 in turnovers; they ran only 46 plays.
Since 2021, Miami is 11-16-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

— Raiders 20, Patriots 13
Geno Smith was 24-34/362 passing, with a TD.
Since 2019, Las Vegas is 22-16 ATS as a road underdog.
Raiders are 8-3 ATS in last 11 road openers.
Last 2+ years, Raiders are 11-5-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

New England led 10-7 at halftime.
Patriots lost four of last five season openers.
NE is 8-17-3 ATS last 28 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
QB Maye is 3-10 as an NFL starter. 

— Jaguars 26, Panthers 10
Liam Coen wins his first game as an NFL head coach.
Jaguars’ first five drives: plays, 129 yards, no points.
Jacksonville ran ball 32 times for 200 yards.
There was a 76-minute lightning delay in the 2nd quarter.

Carolina was 8-15 on third down, but had 3 turnovers on 9 drives.
Panthers are 7-14 ATS last 21 games vs AFC opponents.
Last 4+ years, Panthers are 11-21-1 ATS as a road underdog.
QB Young is 6-23 as an NFL starter.

— Broncos 20, Titans 12
Titans kicked 4 FG’s, but 3 of those drives started in Denver territory.
Tennessee 133 yards of total offense, 131 penalty yards.
Last 2+ years, Tennessee is 4-12 ATS as a road underdog.
Titans’ defense had four takeaways (+2).

Denver outgained the Titans, 317-133.
Broncos ran ball 30 times for 151 yards.
Broncos led only 13-12 after the third quarter.
Denver has covered nine games in a row when favored.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners

— South Florida 18, Florida 16
You pay a team $500,000 to show up and play you, you’re not supposed to lose to that team.

South Florida not only upset the Florida Gators, they banked a half-million bucks.

USF kicked a 20-yard field goal at the gun for the win.
Bulls have started season with upsets over Boise State/Florida.
Florida committed 11 penalties for 103 yards.

— Iowa State 16, Iowa 13
Cyclones kicked a 54-yard field goal with 1:54 left for the win.
Iowa had won the previous six series games played in Ames.
Total yardage was only 238-214, in State’s favor.

— Baylor 48, SMU 45 OT
Baylor QB Robertson was 34-50/440 passing, for 440 yards, 4 TD’s.
SMU led 38-24 with 6:00 left in the game.
Baylor outgained the Mustangs, 601-458.

— NC State 35, Virginia 31
State QB Bailey was 16-23/200 passing, with a TD pass.
Cavaliers led 24-14 at halftime.
Virginia was 13-19 on third down, NC State 1-7

— Michigan State 42, Boston College 40 OT
Spartans’ QB Chiles threw for 231 yards, 4 TD’s.
BC led 21-14 at halftime.
Eagles threw for 390 yards, outgained Michigan State 457-380.

— Upsets of the Day:
South Florida (+17.5) 18, Florida 16
Army (+17.5) 24, Kansas State 21
Missouri State (+8.5) 21, Marshall 20
Jacksonville State (+7.5) 34, Liberty 24
Texas State (+3.5) 43, Tex-San Antonio 36

— Fresno State 36, Oregon State 27
Fresno drove 44 yards, kicked game-winning FG with 0:04 left.
Bulldogs scored on a pick-6 on the last play for the final margin.
Beavers’ QB Murphy was 31-48/371 passing (4 TD’s, 2 INT)

— Oklahoma 24, Michigan 13
Oklahoma outgained the Wolverines, 408-288.
Sooners led 14-0 at halftime.
Michigan QB Underwood completed only 9 of 24 passes, for 142 yards.

— Syracuse 27, UConn 20 OT
UConn led 14-6 at halftime.
UConn tied the game on a 41-yard FG with 0:01 left.
Syracuse QB Angeli was 33-53/417 passing, tin two TD’s.

— Clemson 27, Troy 16
Trojans led 16-3 at halftime on a rainy day in South Carolina.
Clemson was favored by 31 points; they ran ball for 103 yards in 2nd half.
Troy committed 10 penalties for 97 yards.

— UNLV 30, UCLA 23
Rebels outgained UCLA 250-110 in the first half, led 23-3 at half.
Bruins were on UNLV’s 25-yard line in last minute, but threw an INT
Lot of flags: UCLA had 14 penalties for 129 yards, UNLV 13 for 130.

— Famous birthdays, September 7th:
Joe Rudi, 79
Susan Blakely, 76
Bert Jones, 74
Corbin Bernsen, 71
Bill Schroeder, 67

Jason Isringhausen, 53
Kevin Love, 37
Sandy Alcantara, 30
Donovan Mitchell, 29
Heliot Ramos, 26

— Orioles 4, Dodgers 3
Yamamoto had a no-hitter going, led 3-0 with two outs in last inning.
Jackson Holliday homered, then Baltimore scored three more runs for an unlikely win.
Dodgers are 22-32 since the 4th of July.

— Astros 11, Rangers 0
Hunter Brown allowed four hits in 6 shutout IP.
Yordan Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a home run.
Astros lead AL West by 3.5 games over Seattle, 5 games over Texas.

— Cardinals 3, Giants 2
Jordan Walker’s walk-off 2-run double was the game-winner.
Justin Verlander allowed three hits in 6 scoreless IP.
Game ended the Giants’ streak of 18 straight games with a home run.

— Padres 10, Rockies 8
San Diego scored six runs in 2nd inning, cruised to an easy win.
Luis Arraez was 3-6 with two RBI for the Padres.
San Diego moves within a game of the Dodgers in the NL West.

— Diamondbacks 5, Red Sox 1
Brandon Pfaadt pitched six strong innings for Arizona.
Boston trails Toronto by 4.5 games in AL East.
Arizona has won six games in a row against the Red Sox.

— RIP to former player/manager Davey Johnson, who passed away at age 82.

Johnson played 13 years in the majors, had a .744 OPS; he hit 43 home runs for the Braves in 1973. He then managed five teams in the major leagues for 17 years, winning the ’86 World Series with the Mets.

He is an integral part of Mets’ history, on both sides; as an Oriole, he made the last out of the 1969 World Series.

RIP, sir.

— Most popular picks in Circa Casino’s survivor pool:
Broncos 7,173 entries
Cardinals 4,171
Eagles 1,811 (already won)
Jaguars 1,636
Bengals 1,231

— Chargers 27, Chiefs 21
Loss snaps Chiefs’ 11-game win streak in games decided by 8 or fewer points.
Chiefs’ first three drives: 12 plays, 28 yards, three punts.
Last 5+ years, Chiefs are 10-21 ATS vs AFC West rivals.
Over last 23 years, team that lost the Super Bowl is 6-17 ATS in its season opener the next year.

Chargers in first half: 31 plays, 181 yards, 13 points.
Bolts were 7-13 on third down, Chiefs 5-14.
Just 4th win for the Chargers in last 23 games vs Kansas City.
Last seven years, Chargers started season 1-0 six times.

— Louisville 28, James Madison 14
Game was tied 14-all after the third quarter.
Louisville’s winning TD was scored by their defense with 13:05 left.
JMU had 12 penalties for 95 yards, Cardinals 5-49.

— Maryland 20, Northern Illinois 9
Maryland won its 17th consecutive non-conference game.
Malik Washington threw for 254 yards, two TD’s.
NIU ran ball for 180 yards, but averaged only 4.1 yards/pass attempt.

— Three NFL teams have two #1 picks in next year’s draft:

Rams, Cowboys, Browns

— August 30, 1990, the Astros traded 37-year old reliever Larry Andersen to the Red Sox, for a young 1B who was playing AA ball.

Andersen helped the Red Sox win the AL East that season, making 15 relief appearances and posting a 1.23 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22 IP, but the young player wound up in the freakin’ Hall of Fame.

You may have heard of Jeff Bagwell; he hit 449 home runs, with an OPS of .948, while playing his whole 15-year career for Houston. Pretty good deal for the Astros.

— St Louis 1B Willson Contreras had his six-game suspension reduced to four games; he started serving it Friday night, won’t be back until Tuesday’s game.

— Still strikes me as weird when I see a pitcher with a single-digit uniform number; not sure why, but it does. Jack Flaherty, MacKenzie Gore, Blake Snell come to mind.

— Famous birthdays, September 6th:
Ron Boone, 79
Jane Curtin, 78
Kevin Willis, 63
Rosie Perez, 61

Idris Elba, 53
Eric Zeier, 53
Derrek Lee, 50
Jerry Blevins, 42

Mitch Moreland, 40
Sam Acho, 37
John Wall, 35
Dustin May, 28

— AL Wild Card race:
as of now, the three Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners
0.5 games behind- Rangers
1 game behind- Royals
2 games behind- Rays
2.5 games behind- Guardians

— White Sox 7, Tigers 5
Not for nothing, but the White Sox are 5-0 this week.
Colson Montgomery homered, had four RBI.
Detroit still leads AL Central by 8.5 games.

— Mets 5, Reds 4
Cincinnati had bases loaded, no one out in 9th inning, but didn’t score.
Mets now lead the fading Reds by six games in the NL Wild Card race.
Mets are 7-4 in last 11 games, Cincinnati 3-11 in its last 14.

— Orioles 2, Dodgers 1
Samuel Basallo hit a walk-off homer for Baltimore.
Dodgers have lost six of their last seven games.

— Blue Jays 7, New York 1
Kevin Gausman allowed four hits in 8 IP.
Toronto extends its AL East lead to four games.
Blue Jays are 8-3 vs New York this season.

— Giants 8, Cardinals 2
San Francisco has won 11 of its last 12 games.
Rafael Devers has homered four times in his last five games.
Giants trail the Mets by four games for the NL’s last Wild Card spot.

— If the playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Mets, Padres
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners

— Eagles 24, Cowboys 20
There was an hour-long lightning delay in the third quarter.
Eagles’ DL Jalen Carter got ejected before the first play; he spit on Dallas QB Prescott, while standing right next to an official.

There were 7 possessions in first half: 5 TD’s, 2 field goals. Eagles led 21-20 at half.

Eagles in first half: 30 plays, 216 yards, 21 points.
Eagles in second half: 34 plays, 83 yards, 3 points.
Cowboys lost five of their last six visits to Philadelphia.
Last seven years, Eagles are 4-3 SU/1-6 ATS in home openers.

Dallas in first half: 32 plays, 177 yards, 20 points.
Dallas in second half: 26 plays, 136 yards, no points.
Cowboys have covered their last five road openers.
Under is 7-3 in Cowboys’ last ten season openers.

— Buffalo Bills signed K Matt Prater to their practice squad; their regular kicker, Tyler Bass, has been banged-up with a hip injury. This would be Prater’s 20th year in the NFL.

— Bill Belichick has banned New England Patriots’ staff from watching his North Carolina team practice; his disdain towards the Patriots’ organization after his departure from the team two years ago apparently hasn’t lessened any.

Scouts from other teams are limited to watching just three sessions of UNC practice, but three sessions are better than none; not sure how this will help his recruiting going forward.

— Obscure Stat of the Day:
Milwaukee P Jose Quintana faced three batters in an inning Wednesday; all three guys hit a ground ball back to Quintana, the first time that happened in a 1-2-3 inning since 2017.

— New York Mets are going all-in on young starting pitchers; they’re calling up Brandon Sproat to start Sunday’s game in Cincinnati. Sproat is 8-6, 4.24 in 25 AAA starts this season.

— Detroit Lions signed QB CJ Beathard to their practice squad, to be their #3 QB, behind Jared Goff and Kyle Allen. Beathard has started 13 NFL games, for the 49ers/Jaguars.

— 20-year-old Kendall George, the 36th overall pick in the 2023 baseball draft, has stolen 97 bases in 110 games this year- he is hitting .290 with a .406 on-base percentage. George is one of the LA Dodgers’ top minor league prospects.

— Washington Nationals VP of Amateur Scouting Danny Haas has bolted Washington for the Baltimore Orioles.

— Famous birthdays, September 5th:
William Devane, 86
Billy Kilmer, 86
Michael Keaton, 74
Willie Gault, 65

Jeff Brantley, 62
Brad Hopkins, 55
Ryan Spilborghs, 46
Colt McCoy, 39

TJ Warren, 32
Jarren Duran, 29
Steven Kwan, 28
Mac Jones, 27

William Devane is a great actor who grew up here in Albany; his father was Franklin D Roosevelt’s chauffeur when FDR was governor of New York.

— Phillies 2, Brewers 0
Game was scoreless after six innings.
Trea Turner had the go-ahead hit in the 7th.
Jhoan Duran got his 26th save this season.

— Pirates 5, Dodgers 3
Paul Skenes threw six shutout innings.
Dodgers got swept three straight in Pittsburgh.
Pirates are 42-30 at home, 22-47 on the road.

— Rays 4, Guardians 2
Tampa Bay has won seven games in a row.
Ryan Pepiot threw five no-hit IP (90 PT), got the win.
Rays are only two games out of the last AL playoff spot.

— Royals 4, Angels 3
Bobby Witt’s 8th inning home run was a game-winner.
Adam Frazier got his 1,000th career hit.
Royals are only two games out of the last AL playoff spot.

— New York 8, Astros 4
Trent Grisham hit his career-high 30th home run.
New York holds the AL’s #1 Wild Card slot.
Astros still lead AL West by 3.5 games.

— White Sox 11, Twins 8
Minnesota led 7-4 after six innings.
Kyle Teel was 3-4 with three runs scored, four RBI
White Sox sweep the four game series in the Twin Cities. 

— If the playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Mets, Padres
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners

— There are five teams within three games of the AL’s last Wild Card spot
New York
Red Sox
Mariners
1.5 games behind- Texas
2.5 games behind- Royals, Rays
3 games behind- Guardians

— Red Sox OF Roman Anthony has an oblique injury, might miss the rest of the regular season; Boston is tied with New York for the AL’s top two Wild Card slots. 

Cleveland OF Steven Kwan has hit .355 (22-62) in his 13 career games at Fenway Park.

— A week ago Monday, Cardinals’ 1B Willson Contreras got thrown out of a game for bitching at the home plate ump; he tossed his bat in disgust, hitting one of his own coaches. MLB gave him a six-game suspension, which he appealed. 

10 days later, still no appeal; WHY?!?!?! St Louis only has 21 games left this season. What is taking so long? Have they ever heard of Zoom? Hear the damn appeal, make a decision and move on. 

— Giants 10, Rockies 8
Matt Chapman also got suspended, for one game, for his part in Tuesday’s fracas at Coors Field, he also appealed, and he hit two home runs in this game, as the Giants won for the 4th time in a row- they’re 10-1 in last 11 games, are within four games of the NL’s last Wild Card spot.

— Braves 5, Cubs 1
Cubs rookie P Cade Horton didn’t allow a hit in his 5 IP.
Chicago bullpen then allowed five runs in four innings.

— Orioles 7, Padres 5
Baltimore hit back-back-back homers in the 3rd inning.
Mason Miller had an immaculate inning in 8th inning, only the second one in Padres’ history.
San Diego is 2-8 in its last 10 games; they’re three games behind the Dodgers.

— Arizona 2, Rangers 0
Zac Gallen allowed four hits in six shutout IP.
Rangers are two games out of the AL’s last Wild Card spot.
Diamondbacks are 5.5 games out of the NL’s last Wild Card spot.

— Famous birthdays, September 4th:
Wendell Tucker, 82
Doyle Alexander, 75
Khandi Alexander, 68
Mike Piazza, 57
Ione Skye, 55

Beyonce Knowles, 44
Scott Tolzien, 38
Adam Duvall, 37
Andrelton Simmons, 36
Andres Giminez, 27

— LA Clippers may be in hot water with the NBA; there are reports that Kawhi Leonard was given a no-show, $28M job, to circumvent the NBA’s salary cap.

— The format for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game is likely to be a round-robin tournament with three eight-player teams — two USA teams and one World team. The two USA teams and one World squad would play each other in 12:00 quarter games.

— Gonzaga’s basketball team is going to have a hard schedule before Christmas:
November 8th- Oklahoma
November 11th- Creighton
November 24th- Alabama
November 25th- Maryland
December 5th- Kentucky
December 13th- UCLA
December 21st- Oregon

— Want to win a bar bet? 

Which major league team has hit the most first inning home runs in MLB history?

2023 Atlanta Braves hit 47 first inning home runs, 2019 Reds hit 46.

— North Carolina’s backup QB, Max Johnson broke his leg last year; he had five surgeries on the leg— at one point, there was concern as to whether part of the leg might need to be amputated, but he is healthy now and played a lot for the Tar Heels Monday night. He threw a TD pass to his brother in that game, so good for him.

— Current starting QB’s in the NFL who have started the most games:
262- Aaron Rodgers
232- Matthew Stafford
216- Russell Wilson
207- Joe Flacco
143- Jared Goff
133- Patrick Mahomes

— If the playoffs started today (they don’t):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Mets, Padres
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners