Fall Sports With Scratch

It’s finally fall, and while it might not be my favorite season, for a sports fan it’s the best time of year this side of March Madness! The baseball wildcard race is down to the final stretch, college and professional football are back on the tube, and of course the FedEx Cup crowns a new PGA Tour champion!

Let’s start with baseball. In the American Leauge, Boston’s been gaining some ground over Texas for the last playoff spot in the AL, but Detroit’s still in first place by only a handful of games with games scheduled against the 2nd & 3rd place division rivals to finish the year. Until things settle down, I’m holdin’ off on making my picks. I will say that the Yankees have been on a tear and with the best record in baseball, it’s tough not to expect them to go pretty deep into October. Any bets on if A-Rod can shake his rep as a post-season ghost this year?

Over in the NL, the Phillies, Cardinals and Dodgers seem to have things under control in their divisions. It’s a nail-biter between Colorado and San Fran for the wild card, but I’m pickin’ the Rockies to roll into another strong finish and maybe even a good playoff run. My early money is on the Dodgers – they kept winnin’ without Manny and proved they weren’t a one-trick team, which is an important thing to know down the stretch.

Now over to college football. Just about every Saturday is going to have a couple “must-watch” games, but this weekend is a weaker line-up than most. But when even one loss can knock your team out of contention, every snap counts. I guess it’s hard to avoid the Tim Tebow love and not pick Florida to do well, but with Oklahoma’s QB Sam Bradford hurt, the Big 12 is Texas’ to lose. USC’s got another young QB/RB combo to watch for, but the Big Ten looks weak outside of Penn State and Ohio State. Any early-season predictions from my Rock Heads?

It’s WAY too early to know how this NFL season is going to turn out, but I can’t say I was impressed with the return of Tom Brady. The Patriots didn’t win their game, the Bills lost it, and mistakes by the other guys won’t save you every week. I’m holdin’ my tounge until a few more games are played. This Caveman WILL take the Colts over the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, though.

Alright sports fans, enjoy the weekend and the great sports on TV but be sure to get out and get in a round if the weather co-operates – nothin’ better than fall rates! I’ll be back next week with some in-depth coverage ahead of the PGA Tour Championship and lots more!

-Scratch