2017 Week 9 Rankings

Banditland is still a house of horrors for Toronto who have not won in Buffalo since 2013. Toronto as a result didn't help themselves gain ground on Georgia atop the East. Colorado defeated the Black Wolves on Sunday, but only to keep pace with a Saskatchewan overtime win against the Roughnecks at home.

Power Rankings:

1. That Jones/Greer trade finally paying noticeable dividends. (1)
2. Rest well deserved here, especially after Toronto loss. (2)
3. Tough loss, but should be a lock for the postseason. (3)
4. Greer has done them well, but still missing Jonesy a little, I think/ (5)
5. Keep on rockin' in the free world Banditland... (6)
6. Should be second best only to Georgia in the division. (4)
7. Makes it seem like almost anyone can beat the Stealth. (9)
8. To answer last week's question, I think so... (8)
9. Lost to a team that got doubled-up by Saskatchewan twice - even if KHawks always lose to Rush. (7)

Pick Recap:
Toronto @ Buffalo
Calgary @ Saskatchewan
Rochester @ Vancouver
Colorado @ New England

     Season Total: 25-13 .658 (3-1)

Below are the totals of Ricky and the four NLL staffers Tyson Geick, Mia Gordon, Andy McNamara, and Brian Shanahan, beginning with Week 3's games.

Team                 Wins      Losses     GB

1. Ricky                   23              9           --
2. Shanny                18             14            5
3. Mia                      18             14            5
4. Tyson                  18              14            5
5. Andy                   17              15            6

*Shanny does not have BUF/TOR pick listed.

UNDERLINE indicates pick.
ITALICS indicates winner.

2017 NLL Week 9 Preview

Picks:
Top Attractions:
Calgary Roughnecks (3-4) @ Saskatchewan Rush (5-2)
Time: Sat 25 FEB 2017 8:30p, SaskTel Centre
Line: Saskatchewan -2.5
The Scoop: The former Battle of Alberta is still holding true to it's shenanigans, well beyond the move from Edmonton to Saskatchewan. But the Rush are on the up and Calgary not. By far and large, this is the game of the week. I'm going to leave the game to do my talking for this one.
Outlook: Saskatchewan by 1

Best of the Rest:
Toronto Rock (5-2) @ Buffalo Bandits (2-3)
Time: Sat 25 FEB 2017 7:30p, KeyBank Center
Line: Toronto -2.5
The Scoop: The Bandits have finally picked up their second win. Toronto has not won in Buffalo since 2013 trying to buck the trend. This will be the first of two home games in six days before the second half of a home-and-home with Rochester. The Rock will want to keep pace with Georgia for top spot in the East. But a loss could start a downward spiral based on their forthcoming schedule.
Outlook: Buffalo by 1.

Rochester Knighthawks (2-6) @ Vancouver Stealth (3-5)
Time: Sat 25 FEB 2017 10p, Langley Events Centre
Line: Rochester -2.5
The Scoop: Vancouver patiently waited for it's chance to get another win since opening day. They took it. Now Rochester needed to rebound after their second crushing loss to Saskatchewan. This would be the easiest test for them to do so. If the travel doesn't bother the KHawks, this is doable, but Vancouver are rebounding after a Family Day win.
Outlook: Vancouver by 1.

Dog of the Day:
Colorado Mammoth (4-4) @ New England Black Wolves (3-5)
Time: Sun 26 FEB 2017 1p, Mohegan Sun Arena
Line: Colorado -2.5
The Scoop: Despite the scoreline between these two the last time out, I'm not expecting much from this. Despite their struggles, Colorado is still Colorado. New England on the other hand, has been living too close for comfort. They cant catch that twice against the Mammoth - even if it is at home. But the Black Wolves have seen an attendance increase to over 10K. They're the key to the home team's success.
Outlook: Mammoth by 4.

*All times Eastern.

2017 Week 8 Rankings

The Rush continue their hot streak as we are nearing the halfway point of the season. Following next weeks rankings, I will have a mid season report card for each team. Have fun figuring this one out - lots of moving parts throughout the weekend. I'm partially having difficulty with it all myself.

Power Rankings:

1. "I'm on fiiiiiire!" -Kasabian (1)
2. "These guys are good - scary good!" -Rick Jeanneret. (2)
3. To rock, or not to rock - that was the question; still not answered. (3)
4. They've started to get results, but that needs to continue. (5)
5. May have just given Saskatchewan the division... (4)
6. A split and changes, sounds like a wake-up call to me... (7)
7. This team can still get a playoff birth after that win - I don't believe that, but the win was genuine. (8)
8. What happened to this team over the past week, did Saskatchewan burn them out? (6)
9. And I thought the Bandits were bad in the East, silly me. (9)

Pick Recap:
Georgia @ Toronto
New England @ Buffalo
Toronto @ Rochester
Colorado @ Saskatchewan
Vancouver @ Calgary
Buffalo @ New England
Rochester @ Georgia
     Season Total: 22-12 .647 (5-2)

Below are the totals of Ricky and the four NLL staffers Tyson Geick, Mia Gordon, Andy McNamara, and Brian Shanahan, beginning with Week 3's games.

Team                 Wins      Losses     GB

1. Ricky                   20              8           --
2. Mia                      17             11            3
3. Shanny                17             11            3
4. Tyson                  16              12            4
5. Andy                   14              14            5

UNDERLINE indicates pick.
ITALICS indicates winner.

2017 NLL Week 8 Preview

Picks:
Top Attractions:

Colorado Mammoth (4-3) @ Saskatchewan Rush (4-2)
Time: Sat 18 FEB 2017 8:30p, SaskTel Centre
Line: Saskatchewan -1.5
The Scoop: This top of the division tilt could start to separate the pack as the Rush did with Calgary in recent weeks. Plus, every time Colorado comes to play, they don't get any momentum going in the standings. This all while the Rush have not lost since their second game.
Outlook: Rush by 2.

Georgia Swarm (5-1) @ Toronto Rock (4-1)
Time: Fri 17 FEB 2017 7:30p, Air Canada Centre
Line: Georgia -1.5
The Scoop: This one would indicate that Georgia will win based on their last meeting this season, despite being in TO this go around. Both teams will be busy next week and neither will be willing to drop a beat against eachother
Outlook: Swarm in OT.

Best of the Rest:

New England Black Wolves (2-4) @ Buffalo Bandits (1-4)
Time: Fri 17 FEB 2017 7:30p, KeyBank Center
Line: New England -1.5
The Scoop: A storm is a brewin' in Buffalo. Changes will be made by the end of the weekend next week in the 716. Bob Hamley is the notable coaching name on the market while the team would need to make trades to acquire players. New England may be able to sit back and relax if the games start like the rest for the bandits.
Outlook: Buffalo by 1.

Toronto Rock (4-1) @ Rochester Knighthawks (2-4)
Time: Sat 11 FEB 2017 7:30 p, Connors and Ferris Field at Blue Cross Arena
Line: Toronto -2.5
The Scoop: Toronto will be tired against a very good Georgia team and Rochester had ought to pounce on the opportunity. Especially when said Swarm team will be the Knighthawks opponent the following day. Pivotal weekend in the East, mostly because of the Rock.
Outlook: Ro-cha-cha by 1.

Vancouver Stealth (2-5) @ Calgary Roughnecks (3-3)
Time: Sat 18 FEB 2017 9p, Scotiabank Saddledome
Line: Calgary -1.5
The Scoop: The Necks have to get this win after falling to third in the division. A loss will put them last by way of the season series despite their winning percentage. Vancouver has show that they can score, heck their Fifteen against the Bandits last month wasn't enough, but they do have it in them.
Outlook: Riggers by 1.

Buffalo Bandits (1-4) @ New England Black Wolves (2-4)
Time: Sun 19 FEB 2017 1p, Mohegan Sun Arena
Line: New England -2.5
The Scoop: The loser of the Friday game will get a quick shot at redemption. This for the Bandits could be what they need - a weekend sweep, or at least winning this game. The Black Wolves have seen tremendous dividends from former Bandit Chad Culp. But they will need to counter by silencing former Knighthawk Brad Self.
Outlook: Buffalo by 1.

Dog of the Day:

Rochester Knighthawks (2-4) @ Georgia Swarm (5-1)
Time: Sun 12 FEB 2017 6p, Harrah's Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena
Line: Georgia -3.5
The Scoop: Georgia is no Saskatchewan, but they are another difficult opponent for Rochester. The KHawks must win not only to keep with the Swarm and Toronto, but to not let New England and Buffalo catch up. The Swarm though a little tired from Toronto, will have the solace of finishing the weekend at home.
Outlook: Georgia by 4.

*All times Eastern.

2017 NLL Week 7 Rankings

Saskatchewan continues to dominate the Knighthawks. Though it isn't recognized by the league, I wonder if that extends to the Ottawa Rebel and Syracuse Smash, whose assets were picked up by the Rush. But how did the Stealth let this one slip away and it was another tight game in consecutive weeks for the Black Wolves - surely a result will come their way eventually.

Power Rankings:

1. Almost doubled up KHawks again, but in Rochester! (1)
2. It's hard to replicate success against the same team in the same building. (2)
3. Old times appear to be alive and well in the Six indeed. (3)
4. Lucky to escape with the W on the road given that it's "only Vancouver." (5)
5. Bowling for dollars;  the worse of the "native casino-sponsored arena" teams. (6)
6. What happened to this team over the past week, did Saskatchewan burn them out? (4)
7. They'll get a chance to redeem themselves against New England at home. (8)
8. Window of opportunity missed to get out of their losing funk. Can't keep relocating... (9)
9. Between the two, we know which is the far superior (if it wasn't clear last season). (7)

Pick Recap:
New England @ Georgia
Saskatchewan @ Rochester
Toronto @ Calgary
Colorado @ Vancouver
     Season Total: 17-10 .630 (3-1)

Below are the totals of Ricky and the four NLL staffers Tyson Geick, Mia Gordon, Andy McNamara, and Brian Shanahan, beginning with Week 3's games.

Team                 Wins      Losses     GB

1. Ricky                   15              6           --
2. Mia                      14              7            1
3. Shanny                14             7            1
4. Tyson                  13              8            2
5. Andy                   12              9            3

UNDERLINE indicates pick.
ITALICS indicates winner.

Mike Ilitch

This weekend, it is with great sadness that we discover the passing of Mike Ilitch. "Uncle Ilitch" (transliterated from Macedonian) as he was known by the community of his heritage, was a pioneer for pizza and sports - a combination that at least turns people away from their personal and public problems for a portion of their day and for making the people of his descent a way to succeed. We have made our own patch for him, as it is for internal fantasy sports purposes, but also to be left here.

-Ricky

2017 NLL Week 7 Preview

Last Week:
2-2; 4-0 against the spread; 1-0 best bet

Picks:
Top Attraction:

Toronto Rock (3-1) @ Calgary Roughnecks (3-2)
Time: Sun 12 FEB 2017 4p, Scotiabank Saddledome
Line: Toronto -2.5
The Scoop: This could shape up to be like one of the opening day meetings between these two. By far the best rivalry of the Canadian teams in the NLL, also featuring the two most dominant. Despite their loss to Saskatchewan, they were in that game until the dying embers where they began to run out of steam. Toronto meanwhile was actually to-to-toe with Buffalo after the Bandits pulled Cosmo in favor of DiRuscio. Bryan Hickey got the offense Toronto needs from him after a so-so start to the year. This game is a push but someone has to win.
Outlook: Riggers in OT.

Best of the Rest:

Saskatchewan Rush (3-2) @ Rochester Knighthawks (2-3)
Time: Sat 11 FEB 2017 7:30 p, Connors and Ferris Field at Blue Cross Arena
Line: Saskatchewan -3.5
The Scoop: Rochester can't be too down on themselves for losing last week. But they can return the favor to double up the Rush at home this Saturday. If they can stick it to Toronto immediately after that loss, they can do it to their guests. Speaking of, Saskatchewan started a three game winning streak that game to both break an 0-2 start to the season, but also get them quickly back into the race for the West. The Adam Jones thing didn't seem to be working out having lost Zack Greer in that deal, a Rush rafter number someday perhaps, but have steadied the course.
Outlook: Rush by 3.

New England Black Wolves (2-3) @ Georgia Swarm (4-1)
Time: Sat 11 FEB 2017 7:05p, Harrah's Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena
Line: Georgia -2.5
The Scoop: New England is looking for blood after Georgia humiliated them in their last meeting, which was in this building. However they did squeak out with another overtime home winner, which isn't enough to convince me that they're contenders by a long shot. That doesn't mean they can't beat Georgia, whose undefeated run to open the season vanquished at the hands of the Mammoth by four goals. It certainly wasn't for a lack of effort, I mean look at the West - three teams have three wins.
Outlook: Georgia by 3.

Dog of the Day:

Colorado Mammoth (3-3) @ Vancouver Stealth (2-4)
Time: Sun 12 FEB 2017 10p, Langley Events Centre
Line: Colorado -3.5
The Scoop: To think this might be finally Vancouver's year again. That lasted all of two games and their opening weekend. There's so much talent on this team that it continues to baffle me how their play is so poor. The Mammoth are holding a grudge and broke a winning streak. The Stealth torched them that week at the Pepsi Center. Another bad element to mix into the formula. This spells Ring of Fire all over it. I don't know what else Vancouver can do to get their old mojo back or to shake things up. I really don't.
Outlook: Mammoth by 4. - best bet

*All times Eastern.

2017 NLL Week 6 Rankings

Let me tell you about my encounter with the Rock mascot Iggy... Iggy approached me since I had an aisle seat and took my hat off. I retaliated by taking off his since it was country night. I then offered a hand shake, which despite pleas from the ACC pa guy, he didn't and I shook his hand for him. Meh, better than other instances I've heard of. He also lost a thunderstix sword fight to Rax at the All-Star Game last time around.

Power Rankings:

1. Pulled away when it mattered most and followed-up on the pre-season brawl. (2)
2. Even in the loss to a respectable team, I feel bad for the fans in Minnesota. (1)
3. Had field day in the 1st quarter and some, but almost even after Buffalo goalie change. (4)
4. Can't fault them for getting tired a tad, but this still is their primary opposition. (3)
5. Solid win against an impressive team: now can they do that within the division? (5)
6. The most confusing team in this league - won't matter if they keep stringing results. (6)
7. Jamieson absence really hurting them right now. (7)
8. The first quarter is the problem quarter; start DiRuscio again. (8)
9. No words, just no words. What's left for the rest of the year? (9)

Pick Recap:
Buffalo @ Toronto
Rochester @ New England
Saskatchewan @ Calgary
Georgia @ Colorado
     Season Total: 14-9 .609 (2-2)

Below are the totals of Ricky and the four NLL staffers Tyson Geick, Mia Gordon, Andy McNamara, and Brian Shanahan, beginning with Week 3's games.

Team                 Wins      Losses     GB

1. Ricky               12              5           --
2. Shanny            12              5            --
3. Mia                  11              6            1
4. Andy                9               8            3
5. Tyson              9               8            3

UNDERLINE indicates pick.
ITALICS indicates winner.

2017 NLL Week 6 Preview

Last Week:
5-0; 2-3 against the spread; 1-0 best bet

Picks:
Top Attraction:

Calgary Roughnecks (3-1) @ Saskatchewan Rush (2-2)
Time: Sat 4 FEB 2017 9p, SaskTel Centre
Line: Calgary -1.5
The Scoop: If this were in Calgary would’ve been slightly less interesting as the Necks are unbeaten at on the road and the Rush the same at the SaskTel so far. But a win for Saskatchewan will keep this race tight for a little while longer. And of course, it was these two that got into it during the preseason leading to those suspensions. It is good for Riggers fans to see the team performing well after last season’s struggles. Saskatchewan has found their groove after starting 0-2.
Outlook: Rush by 2.

Best of the Rest:

Buffalo Bandits (1-3) @ Toronto Rock (2-1)
Time: Fri 3 FEB 2017 7:30 p, Air Canada Centre
Line: Toronto -1.5
The Scoop: Both teams are looking for a win, especially Buffalo who have just one through four games (Vancouver at home). This QEW rivalry reconvenes for the 50th time in the regular season (55th overall) and 23rd in TO (27 including the playoffs tied at 2 each) with the Rock leading 27-22 and 13-10 respectively.
Outlook: Rock by 3. - best bet

Georgia Swarm (4-0) @ Colorado Mammoth (2-3)
Time: Sat 4 FEB 2017 9p, Pepsi Center
Line: Colorado -1.5
The Scoop: Georgia can be summarized by two words: lights out. Colorado in three: slightly missing Jones. While Zack Greer has been producing, Adam Jones was an integral piece of the Mammoth offense, though he isn't completely nestled in north of the border yet. The three of the Thompsons that are with the Swarm are completing each others' passes before they even release the ball - imagine if all four brothers played on the same team. No thanks.
Outlook: Stingers by 3.

Dog of the Day:

Rochester Knighthawks (2-2) @ New England Black Wolves (1-3)
Time: Fri 3 FEB 2017 7:30p, Pepsi Center
Line: Rochester -2.5
The Scoop: Both sides look to increase their respective winning streaks to two games after defeating divisional opponents. However, the news coming out of this week is that the KHawks have lost Cody Jamieson for the remainder of the season to ACL surgery - not the first time he has had an injury cost significant playing time for him. It took New England home field to wake up their mojo, but after some close results, this team has improved every week.
Outlook: Rochester by 1.

*All times Eastern.