24-year old righty starting pitcher Felix Hernandez of the Mariners is the best pitcher in all of baseball right now.  He should win the Cy Young Award this year but he likely won’t because he has only won 13 games playing on a lousy team.  Hernandez has started 34 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 13-12 with a 2.27 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.  Hernandez leads the major leagues in ERA and also is leading the American League in innings pitched with 249 2/3 and he is leading the majors in whiffs with 232 so far this year.  No pitcher has been better than Hernandez the last two seasons.  Hernandez has started 68 games the last two years for the Mariners and he is 32-17 with a 2.38 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.  It’s amazing to watch Hernandez realizing that he is only 24 years old as this is his sixth year in the majors already.  Hernandez has pitched in 172 games (all starts) in his major league career and he is 71-53 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  He has only given up 1,057 hits in 1,154 2/3 innings while whiffing 1,042 hitters showing just how good he has been.  The scariest thing for opponents of Hernandez is that he likely is just going to get better.  If the Cy Young Award is supposed to go to the best pitcher in the American League……then it better go to Hernandez.

30-year old QB Michael Vick has taken full advantage of Kevin Kolb’s injury (a concussion) and a very weak Eagles’ schedule to get off to a very fast start.  He has played in 3 games (2 starts) for the Eagles so far this year and he has completed 54 of 89 passes (60.7%) for 750 yards with 6 TD passes and 0 INTs (110.2 QB Rating).  Vick has also carried the ball 23 times for 170 yards (7.4 ypc) with 1 TD run so far this year.  But before anyone goes overboard thinking that Michael Vick is all the way back you have to consider who he’s played against.  The Lions are giving up 413.7 total yards of offense and the Jaguars are allowing 404.3 yards of offense so far this season.  The schedule is going to get tougher which will give us a real look to see if Vick has really found himself.  After all, his career numbers are not that impressive as a passer.  He has played in 89 games (70 starts) in his NFL career to date and he has completed 990 of 1,832 passes (54%) for 12,341 yards with 78 TD passes and 52 INTs (77.5 QB Rating).  Vick is probably the best running QB in the history of the NFL as he once rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season.  Vick has now carried the football 576 times for 4,124 yards (7.2 ypc) with 24 TD runs in his career.  Even if Vick makes the Pro Bowl it will never change the fact that he is a convict.

There are some games that really jump off the page at me this week but there are also just as many that are too hard to call.  Here is my forecast of the NFL games this weekend:

BET THE HOUSE ON THIS ONE:

Cincinnati Bengals over the Carolina Panthers:  The Panthers don’t get much of a pass rush on teams with Julius Peppers playing with the Bears.  That means that Carson Palmer will have a lot of time to throw the ball to Chad Ocho Cinco, Terrell Owens, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham.  I like the Bengals to win this game 27-7 so lay the three points and count your cash.

GOOD MONEY MAKING OPPORTUNITIES:

Oakland Raiders over the Arizona Cardinals:  The Raiders look like a new team with Darren McFadden stepping up and the Cardinals are allowing 153.0 yards rushing and 4.4 ypc so far this year.  Also, in a battle of Browns’ rejects at QB, I see Bruce Gradkowski doing a much better job of protecting the ball than Derek Anderson will.  I like the Raiders to upset the Cardinals 21-17 on Sunday so the 4.5 points the Raiders are getting is window dressing.

Green Bay Packers over the Chicago Bears:  I have a feeling that OLB Clay Matthews is going to be in Jay Cutler’s face all night long forcing him into some big mistakes.  He has only thrown 1 interception so far this year but he threw six of them in two games against the Packers last year.  I like the Packers to win 31-20 on Monday Night easily covering the 3 points they are giving the Bears.

San Francisco 49ers over the Kansas City Chiefs:  The 49ers are only allowing 63.5 yards rushing and 2.7 yards per carry so it will be hard for Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones to get a lot of yards this Sunday.  I also think that Vernon Davis and Frank Gore are going to give the Chiefs’ D big problems in this game.  I like the 49ers to win this game 27-17 so take the Niners and lay the three points.

Jacksonville Jaguars over the Philadelphia Eagles:  The Jaguars aren’t getting any respect in the line being an underdog at home.  I think Maurice Jones-Drew is going to have a big game which will allow the Jags to keep Michael Vick and his crew on the sidelines.  I like the Jaguars to win this game 27-24 so you won’t even need the 3 points you’re getting.

New England Patriots over the Buffalo Bills:  I think the Patriots are going to be in a bad mood after getting pushed around by the Jets last weekend.  A return home against a helpless Bills team is just what the doctor ordered to get the Patriots back on the right path.  I like the Patriots to win this game 37-17 and cover the 14.5 points they are giving the Bills.

DECENT OPTIONS:

Tennessee Titans over the New York Giants:  I think that Chris Johnson & Vince Young just can’t wait until tomorrow afternoon.  The Giants are soft against the run having allowed 124.5 yards rushing per game so I look for the Titans’ top two playmakers to have big games.  The Titans’ D is only giving up 206.5 yards and 16 points per game this year so I think they are going to have success slowing down the Giants offense just enough to beat them.  I like the Titans to win tomorrow by a score of 21-20 and they are getting 3 points.

Washington Redskins over the St. Louis Rams:  I just don’t think the Rams have the firepower to match scores with the Redskins tomorrow.  I do think they will keep the game close but not close enough to cover.  I like the Redskins to win 24-17 as 4-point favorites tomorrow.

San Diego Chargers over the Seattle Seahawks:  I have a feeling that the Chargers just have too much firepower for the Seahawks to pull an upset in this game.  The Chargers will win the turnover battle and on the scoreboard tomorrow.  I like the Chargers to win this game 27-17 and cover the 5.5 points they are giving the Seahawks.

Indianapolis Colts over the Denver Broncos:  The Broncos don’t have the running backs to take advantage of the Colts’ biggest weakness.  With that in mind I just can’t see them winning a shootout with Peyton Manning and his boys on offense.  I like the Colts to win 41-31 tomorrow and cover the 5.5 points.

BACK DOOR COVER ALERTS:

Cleveland Browns over the Baltimore Ravens:  I think the Ravens are going to beat the Browns tomorrow but the Ravens are giving the Browns 10.5 points while they are only averaging 10.0 points a game.  I look for a low scoring game with the Browns getting a late field goal to cover the spread.  I like the Ravens to win this game 21-13 but the Browns to cover the game.

Detroit Lions over the Minnesota Vikings:  This game screams backdoor over to me.  The Vikings are clearly the better team despite being 0-2 and they will show it most of the game.  A late score by the Lions breaks the hearts of everyone betting on the Vikings.  I like the Vikings to win 27-17 but the Lions to cover the spread.

Atlanta Falcons over the New Orleans Saints:  I like the Saints to win this game at home but I have a problem with the hook on the pointspread.  I think the Falcons will keep this game just close enough to cover the pointspread.  I like the Saints to win 30-27 but the Falcons to cover the 3.5 points.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Pittsburgh Steelers over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  The first team to 10 points will likely win this game.  Wait a minute……neither team is going to score in double figures tomorrow.  I like the Steelers to win this game 9-6 and cover the 2.5 points….barely.

Miami Dolphins over the New York Jets:  The Dolphins swept the Jets by a combined 61-52 last season.  They know how to beat the Jets and Darrelle Revis isn’t playing.  I like the Dolphins to win 16-14 on Sunday Night covering the 1.5 point spread.

PUSH CITY:

Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans:  This will be a fun game to watch but I wouldn’t bet on it.  I think the Wise Guys have the perfect line in this game and I think it will push as I like the Texans 34-31 in this game.

So there you have it.  Week #3 advice for free so go make some money with it.

The Nuggets watched the Cavaliers twist in the wind last season held hostage by LeBron James.  They wanted no part of a similar soap opera this year and they are close to dealing Anthony to the Nets in a four team deal.  The deal hinges on Anthony signing an extension with the Nets which I have a feeling that he will.  The Nets have a rich owner and Anthony wanted to get back near New York.  The 26-year old Anthony played in 69 games (all starts) for the Nuggets last season and he averaged 38.2 minutes, 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Anthony has now played in 514 games (all starts) in his seven years in the NBA and he has averaged 36.5 minutes, 24.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Anthony makes the Nets a clear playoff contender while pushing his Nuggets back to the lottery.  It’s stunning to me the power the players have in the NBA to dictate to owners what to do and this is no different as the Nuggets were more than willing to offer Anthony a max-deal.

Despite his team being pathetic this season, Ichiro keeps rolling along.  Ichiro has played in 153 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 202 of 640 (.316 avg, .759 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 6 homers, 40 RBIs and 41 stolen bases.  This is the 10th straight year that Ichiro has gotten at least 200 in a year which is a major league record to start a career.  He also has scored over 100 runs in a year 8 times and he has stolen at least 30 bases in nine years.  He has played in 10 All-Star Games, has 9 Gold Gloves (he will likely get #10 this year) and he has 3 Silver Slugger Awards in his 10 years in the majors.  The Mariners knew that they hit the jackpot with Ichiro back in 2001 when he was both the A.L. MVP and the A.L. Rookie of the Year.  In 2001, Ichiro played in 157 games for the Mariners in which he was 242 of 692 (.350 avg, .838 OPS) with 127 runs scored, 8 homers, 69 RBIs and 56 stolen bases.  Ichiro has now played in 1,579 games in his major league career so far and he is 2,232 of 6,739 (.331 avg, .807 OPS) with 1,043 runs scored, 90 homers, 555 RBIs and 382 stolen bases.  Ichiro is showing no signs of slowing down which is great news for the Mariners.