Day 40: 'Melo, Ricketts and Sunday picks

HEADLINES

1) Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points in the Nuggets' road win in Portland moving Denver to 2-0 with win over two Western Conference playoff contenders. Can Carmelo compete with LeBron and Kobe for MVP honors?

Ben: I think he could, but the media won't allow him to win. He plays in a media-lacking area, for a team that is probably 3-5 in the rankings out West. Therefore he won't get the attention Kobe and LeBron will. He team won't do as well as either of the other two teams do, and his offensive numbers won't be as mind-boggling as the other two because he can share the load with Billups and others.

I like 'Melo, and I think he's going to be a great player for a long time, but he won't get a chance to sniff the MVP award for awhile.

Boz: I think that he can compete, but it won't be easy to hang with Kobe and LeBron in stats for 82 games. Carmelo is a great player who doesn't just put up points. He can also get on the boards and rack up his double-double totals for the year. It's crazy to think about how good that draft class was with Carmelo, LeBron and D-Wade all in the top-5 picks. By the end of their careers, the question will be whether or not that was one of the best draft classes of all time.

2) The new Chicago Cubs' owner Tom Ricketts stated in his press conference that the Cubs will win a World Series and end the drought that has lasted since 1908. He just didn't say when. Do you agree?

Ben: Of course I agree. At some point the Cubs will win a World Series, you cannot dispute that. If baseball is played for another, 25,50,100 years, they will win one championship. When, is the big question. I like that Ricketts didn't put a timeline on it. I like that he wasn't forceful in his pursuit of a title -- but I think it was a little vague. Look, I don't want him to be like George Steinbrenner was for all those years in New York, but I do want him to be visible and demand production. This was a step in the right direction.

Boz: Well you have to hope that this awful streak would end eventually so it's not taking too much of a risk by saying that. I'm just hoping that the end of the streak comes sooner than later. I like that a new owner comes in with confidence but that confidence will only get you so far. Now it comes down to Ricketts, along with GM Jim Hendry, bringing in the right pieces and getting rid of the wrong pieces (cough...Milton Bradley...cough). I'm just glad that Ricketts wants to keep Wrigley Field.

3) There is a very exciting weekend on tap in the sports world with the Vikings visiting Lambeau, World Series Game 3 and USC at Oregon. What are you most excited to watch?

Ben: I'll probably go with USC at Oregon. I love college football on Saturday's, it is almost the best day of the week. I like it even more because my brother will be playing a playoff game for high school before this game and it will seamlessly flow into an entire weekend of football. That's what I'm most excited about.

Boz: I would say the Vikings at Packers, but since they play in the same time slot as the Cardinals, our network will be showing the Panthers at Cardinals and I won't get to see how the Packers fans accept Brett Favre's return. Therefore, I'm excited about the World Series. This has been a very good series for the first two games and I only think it'll get better. The series has featured such great pitching and with more starts coming from Sabathia and Lee, this could be a great World Series.

4) SEC officials have stated that they will start fining and suspending coaches who criticize officials in the media. Do you agree with this move?

Ben: No. They made bad calls. EVERYONE IN THE NATION KNOWS IT! Hold them accountable. If you are going to hold the coaches accountable for what they say, and threaten suspension or fines -- you have to do the same for the officials. The SEC must hold them to a standard that says, you have to be unbias and make by-the-book calls.

Look, I agree with Boz that these were not the only plays in the game that cost the teams the upset. And I agree that calls have gone both ways throughout the history of time -- BUT, the evidence is there that these were the wrong decisions, you have to hold the officials accountable. Make them stand trial as well.

Boz: Even though the officials in the SEC have been as bad, if not worse, than MLB umpires in the postseason, I do agree with this statement from the SEC. No matter how bad the refs might be, you can't blast them in the media about favoritism and what not. I can understand the frustration that comes when the outcome of a game against Florida could have been changed with a couple calls going the other way. However, there are more reasons for a loss than just the calls by the official. It's also not the first time officials have made bad calls and I'm sure those coaches that are complaining have had some favorable calls go their way in a win before.

NFL PICK 'EM

Last week             Ben: 4-2            Boz: 2-4
Season                  Ben: 19-18        Boz: 21-16

1) New York Giants (5-2) at Philadelphia (4-2)

Ben: NEW YORK GIANTS. The G-men are too good to lose 3 in a row, and Philly's offense still doesn't look in sync. Brian Westbrook most likely won't play and that hurts their chances.

Boz: NEW YORK GIANTS. I'm not sold on Philadelphia's offense yet. Their third down conversion rate is bad and without the big plays from Jackson last week, they might have lost to the Redskins. Giants play tough on the road and they want to bounce back from a disappointing loss at home.

2) St. Louis (0-7) at Detroit (1-6)

Ben: DETROIT. The first time in nearly 4 weeks since I've been confident in this predicition.

Boz: DETROIT. I said after the Lions beat the Redskins that the Rams would be the Lions' second win of the year and I'm sticking with that.

3) Cleveland (1-6) at Chicago (3-3)

Ben: CHICAGO. If they can't beat Cleveland, just give up on the season.

Boz: CHICAGO. The Bears have lost two in a row and they need this win at home against a weak Browns team.

4) Miami (2-4) at New York Jets (4-3)

Ben: MIAMI DOLPHINS. Surprise pick here, but I think Henne is improving that offense, and Sanchez has taken a step backward. I'll take the Fins in a close one.

Boz: NEW YORK JETS. I really like the Dolphins and their running game. But I have to think that the defensive minded Rex Ryan came up with a better game plan after the Dolphins won in Miami.

5) Denver (6-0) at Baltimore (3-3)

Ben: BALTIMORE. No way the  Broncos go cross-country and beat up on the Ravens. I'm pretty sure both teams are coming off the bye-week, so I'll take the rested Ravens to win this one.

Boz: BALTIMORE. I admitted that the Broncos are a good team but I'm STILL not on the bandwagon yet. The Ravens have lost three in a row to tough teams and they need this win. They'll come out ready to play.

6) Minnesota (6-1) at Green Bay (4-2)

Ben: GREEN BAY. Minny hasn't had the bye week yet, they've played several physical games in a row, and it'll finally catch up to them. That and the crowd at Lambeau will probably be in rare form.

Boz: GREEN BAY. The Packers held Adrian Peterson to 2.2 yards per carry the first time they played this season. I think they'll have a better game plan for Brett Favre this time around and they won't let him come into Lambeau and win on his old turf.

7) Atlanta (5-2) at New Orleans (6-0)

Ben: NEW ORLEANS. Drew Bress. Superdome. 'Nuff said.

Boz: NEW ORLEANS. The Falcons can beat the Saints and will later on when they host the Saints. But this time around, it's all Drew Brees and the Saints at home.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 9th Anniversary Bob Brenly. On this date in 2000 Brenly signed a three-year, $2 million contract to be named as manager of the Diamondbacks. The former major league catcher replaces Buck Showalter. Brenly went on to win a World Series in 2001 and then be fired 2 years later. For now, he's the color commentator for the Cubs and has a good on-air relationship with Len Casper -- to bad they had to suffer through all 162 games the Cubs played last year. Brenly will be back as top man in the dugout soon enough.

Boz: Happy 60th Birthday to Larry Holmes. The former WBC and IBF world champion had an overall record of 69-6, including 44 KO's. Holmes won his first 48 professional fights, falling one short of Rocky Marciano's streak of 49 when Holmes lost to Michael Spinks in a controversial decision.