Red Sox; Football Picks

I know this is my chance to (poorly) make my weekly football picks but I have to spend a few minutes on the Red Sox. As depressing as the Local 9 have played these past few weeks, I still firmly believe that they will win the World Series. That's not just some yahoo, local talk either ... if you really look at it, the Sox still have the best team in the American League and all of baseball. The Yankees just don't have the pitching. They hit harder than Ike Turner getting Tina ready for a show but what has that done for them the past few years? Good pitching kills them. The Angels have as much trouble producing runs as the Red Sox and they don't even have a tandem of Ortiz, (when he returns) Ramirez and Lowell. I'm not sold on their pitching either. The Indians have some potential but in my mind, they're still a year away. Sabathia is a stud but is Carmona playoff ready? Is that bullpen playoff ready? Doubtful. The one team in the A.L. that really scares me is the Tigers with Justin Verlander leading a solid rotation and Magglio Ordonez driving in runs like Manny used to but they lost too many games this summer when Joel Zumaya was out and their bullpen tanked. Maybe next year. In the National League the Mets do scare me but they're playing worse than the Red Sox right now. Don't be shocked if the Cubs take the National League pennant -- Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Rich Hill are an underrated foursome and Kerry Wood is throwing bullets in relief. Plus, a lineup with Soriano, Lee and Ramirez could carry that club through October. So, as bad as the Sox have been, stay positive. Manny will be back (I applaud the Sox for not rushing him back so quickly in a time when they seem to really need him -- October is much more important). Okajima and Gagne will get their stuff together. J.D. Drew looks like he might hit, finally. The kids (Pedroia, Ellsbury, Buchholz) give them an edge. And Beckett and Schilling give Francona two playoff horses he can ride to his second title. As for the picks... My initial college day went off well, other than Charlie Weis' Fighting Irish. At the rate ND is going, Matt Ryan and the BC Eagles are going to do some serious celebrating in South Bend on October 13. Shaping up to be a special year at The Heights (that is until they realize they are BC and aren't supposed to win important games) and a miserable one in South Bend. (Quick ND prediction: Weis gets bought out at year's end and takes the New York Giants job. His replacement will be Bobby Petrino who will hate the NFL so much, he'll crawl to Indiana.) As for my Sunday ... ouch! Back to normal for TheBostonInsider. NCAA Penn State (-3) over MICHIGAN TEXAS CHRISTIAN (-21) over Southern Methodist Washington (+7) over UCLA Purdue (-14) over MINNESOTA USC (-25) over Washington State Season: 4-1 TEXANS (+6.5) over Colts Chargers (-5.5) over PACKERS Vikings (+3) over CHIEFS Lions (+7) over EAGLES PATS (-17) over Bills Dolphins (+3) over JETS 49ers (+9) over STEELERS RAVENS (-8) over Cardinals BUCCANEERS (-4) over Rams BRONCOS (-3) over Jaguars SEAHAWKS (-3.5) over Bengals Browns (+3) over RAIDERS Panthers (-4) over FALCONS REDSKINS (-4) over Giants Cowboys (+3) over BEARS SAINTS (-4) over Titans (LOCK OF THE WEEK) Last Week: 4-11-1 Season: 12-17-2 Lock of the Week: 1-1 (P.S. Go Wildcats this week. Can't believe I'm going to miss it but I know the boys will come through! Have a dozen or so for me at The Hillside.)