Nick’s Picks: Rivalry Week
It’s rivalry week all across our viewing area! That brings some excitement into making picks this week after an ugly attempt last time out with a mark of 4-7. Not great. Not great at all.
Before we get to the picks, I just want to shed some light on the two losses the sporting world had this week.
At this point you all have probably heard about the passing of Arnold Palmer and the tragic and shocking death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez.
I can’t explain what made these two people so important, it’s beyond my ability to say in just a few hundred words how they both impacted their sports and the world as a whole. Arnold Palmer is obviously one of the great and most well-known athletes of all time. Fernandez was not that, but he was well on his way before Sunday morning’s boating accident.
When speaking of the Marlins franchise, most people recognize young slugger Giancarlo Stanton as the heralded “face of the franchise.” That would be a fair title to give Stanton. But if Stanton is the face, Fernandez was the soul. He had a huge impact in the Miami community and was a big role model for the youth there. I saw a great video of him giving an autograph to a young fan, and then made the kid’s day by asking for one in return. That’s fantastic now matter how you slice it.
He was a rising star in a professional sport that is currently thriving on a youth movement. His loss is one that will hurt the baseball community for years to come, but his impact is one that will fuel it for even longer. This isn’t just some jock that died tragically, it was a good person and a friend that will be missed.
The greatest moment to come out of all this was what happened in the Marlins first game after their teammate’s death. Dee Gordon, the leadoff hitter not known for his power, took a ball deep. I got something in my eye when I watched I first saw this.
Gordon’s quote about the home run was even better, “I told the boys, ‘If y’all don’t believe in God, Y’all might as well start.’ I ain’t ever hit a ball that far even in BP…We had some help.”
I won’t act as if I was some Fernandez fanatic. I knew who he was, I knew he was good, very good, and I knew he would be one of many fun players to watch in the coming years.
I was trying to find some articles to share on Palmer and Fernandez. Something to link to this week’s Picks, but I had no luck the past few days finding anything that I really liked. But this morning I tried once more and came across an awesome piece in the Washington Post, written by Chipper Jones. Seeing a baseball player’s perspective on not just Fernandez, but also Palmer is an interesting read.
I encourage everyone to check it out, especially the young athletes reading this. That’s what I’ll leave you with this week.
Let’s get to the picks.
Last Week: 4-7
Overall: 34-15
High School Football Week Seven 9/30
Warsaw (4-2, 3-1) at Wawasee (3-3, 1-3), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: What a game this is setting up to be. The Tigers enter on a three-game winning streak while the Warriors come in on a three-game losing streak. I’m going to jump out and say this right now, Wawasee should be 5-1 and Warsaw should be 6-0. Both these teams made silly mistakes in close games this season and both are paying for it right now. Both teams should be taking their frustration out on one another tonight and it will make for a great game. Warsaw is currently scoring 34.7 points per game, Wawasee is at 28. The Tigers defense surrenders around 15 per game, Wawasee’s D gives up 27. The stats are in Warsaw’s favor. It’s all in Warsaw’s favor on paper. Honestly, none of that matters in a rivalry game.
Wawasee is better than its record shows and it’s homecoming in Syracuse. Warsaw is the hot hand right now and that makes it hard to choose against the Orange and Black. Once again, look at the weather in this game, Wawasee would benefit from a rainy night. I wish I could be more in depth about what to expect tonight but that’s hard to predict with these two teams.
I’m sure Coach Ekovich is looking for something for his bulletin board, I’m happy to support the cause.
Nick’s Pick: Warsaw 28, Wawasee 20.
Whitko (5-1, 3-1) at Manchester (0-6, 0-4), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Well, last week did not go according to plan. The Wildcats took their first loss at the hands of Southwood and it wasn’t pretty. In short, I would not want to be Manchester this week. Whitko is going to be fired up to get back on the gridiron and play some smash-mouth football. The Squires were close to pulling out their first victory last week, but fell short. Manchester averages around 11 points per game, that’s not going to cut it against Whitko. Look for Hunter Reed and Garrett Elder to combine for a big night once again as Whitko gets back on track.
Nick’s Pick: Whitko 43, Manchester 13.
Rochester (0-6, 0-4) at Tippecanoe Valley (1-5, 1-3), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: The more rivalry, the better. The Bell is on the line tonight in Akron. This is why I love trophy games. This season has not gone the way that either team could have envisioned. But instead of packing it in and just waiting until the sectional, these two teams have something important to play for. If you’re not part of these two communities, you don’t get why it matters and that’s okay. If you’re not part of the Wawasee or Warsaw communities, you don’t understand why the ‘W’ Trophy matters and that’s okay. It matters to these schools and these players and that should make for a good game tonight.
Valley enters this game with a two-game losing streak to the Zebras. I was foolish and picked against the Vikings last week. I had no faith. I will not make the same mistake again.
Nick’s Pick: Valley 27, Rochester 14.
Triton (0-6, 0-5) at North Judson (2-4, 2-3), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: It’s been a bumpy ride for the Trojans this season. The schedule is finally starting to become easier and that should provide the Trojans with a chance to get a win in the next few weeks. I thought Triton had a good chance last week but that never came to fruition. This week is another good opportunity for the Trojans, but their offensive production is what worries me. Triton has struggled to score consistently, which is obviously an issue when you’re trying to win games. North Judson’s offense has been shaky as well, but the Blue Jays have done enough to pull out two wins, including a win over Caston, a team that Triton lost 6-0 to at the start of the season. The win is coming for the Trojans, I’m just not sure this will be the week.
Nick’s Pick North Judson 20, Triton 6.
College Football 10/1
Notre Dame (1-3) at Syracuse (2-2), noon
The Scoop: Oh boy, what a mess South Bend has become. This team is lethargic all around. I have faith in the offense, but that defense is just putrid. But, hey, Brian Van Gorder is GONE. That has to count for something! Right?
Nick’s Pick: Notre Dame 31, Syracuse 20.
Northern Illinois (0-4) at Ball State (3-1), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Hey, it’s another rivalry! The Bronze Stalk is up for grabs in Muncie this weekend. I’m not making that up. The Bronze Stalk is a real trophy. A bronze corn stalk. Yep. Welcome to Midwest football, baby! First-year head coach Mike Neu has his Cardinals in a good position, why stop now? The Huskies have won this contest the past seven years, that needs to stop.
Nick’s Pick: Ball State 38, Northern Illinois 17.
Purdue (2-1) at Maryland (3-0), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: The Boilers are above .500 for the first time since the Carter administration! Actually, don’t quote me on that.
Purdue is off to a great start compared to recent years but they are about to run into another program off to hot start in Maryland and first-year head coach DJ Durkin. The Terps are playing good football right now and I can’t imagine that will be stopped by Purdue. Maybe this is a coming out party for the Boilers instead. Who knows?
Me. I know.
Nick’s Pick: Maryland 37, Purdue 17.
No. 17 Michigan State (2-1, 0-1) at Indiana (2-1), 8 p.m.
The Scoop: MORE RIVALRY. Sparty rolls limps into town after getting crushed by Wisconsin at home. The Hoosiers are more than ready to take on one of the weaker MSU teams in recent memory in hopes of getting back one of college football’s weirdest trophies: The Old Brass Spittoon. Yes, this is another real trophy. A spittoon. If that spittoon could talk, it would have some horror stories of what it has seen on those two Big Ten campuses during victory parties.
This is not Sparta, this is Bloomington and the Hoosiers are about to catapult to the front of their division’s standings.
Nick’s Pick: Indiana 34, Sparty 28.
NFL Week Four 10/2
Indianapolis (1-2) at Jacksonville (0-3), 9:30 a.m. Wembley Stadium in London
The Scoop: Division rivalry!
Andrew Luck spent much of his childhood playing soccer in Europe. This is playing right into his hands. You cannot and will not stop him on foreign turf! After all the hype in the offseason for Jacksonville’s Glitter Kittens, they are still a hot pile of garbage. Earl Grey approves this message.
Nick’s Pick: Colts 38, Jaguars 21.
Detroit (1-2) at Chicago (0-3), 1 p.m.
The Scoop: Another division rivalry!
Speaking of hot piles of garbage. The Lions look to pull back to .500 in the Windy City this week while the Bears are just looking for a reason to show up the rest of the season. Seriously, what a mess Chicago has become. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Bears get the win, but I just can’t pick them to win. I can’t. I won’t. I like Dwayne Washington of Detroit to have a big day on the ground for the Lions.
Nick’s Pick: Lions 27, Bears 17.