47-year old former Reds’ shortstop Barry Larkin has been elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.  He got 86% of the vote from the Baseball Writers and he will be inducted along with Ron Santo who was elected by the Veteran’s Committee.  Larkin played all 19 of his seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.  He played in 2,180 games for the Reds in which he was 2,340 of 7,937 (.295 avg, .815 OPS) with 1,329 runs scored, 198 homers, 960 RBIs and 379 stolen bases.  Larkin was the MVP of the National League back in 1995.  He played in 131 games in 1995 for the Reds and he was 158 of 496 (.319 avg, .886 OPS) with 98 runs scored, 15 homers, 66 RBIs and 51 stolen bases.  Larkin was a 12-time N.L. All-Star.  He also won six Silver Slugger Awards and 3 Gold Gloves in his 19 years in the majors.  Larkin is deserving of his election to the Hall of Fame, but his overall numbers are not that much better than Tim Raines or Alan Trammell’s.

It’s likely going to be a tough betting weekend as far as the NFL Playoffs is concerned.  The better deals might be in the totals this weekend.  Here’s a look at how I see the games going down this weekend:

Houston Texans (-4) over the Cincinnati Bengals:  I like the Texans to win this game because of their defense and running game later today.  I like the Texans to win this game 23-16.

Detroit Lions (+10.5) over the New Orleans Saints:  This game wreaks of a back door cover.  I like the Saints to win this game 37-27, but I like the Lions to cover.

Denver Broncos (+8.5) over the Pittsburgh Steelers:  I think the Steelers will find a way to win this Sunday, but it won’t be easy.  I like the Steelers to win 16-13, but the Broncos to cover the pointspread.

Atlanta Falcons (+3) over the New York Giants:  Michael Turner is going to make the difference in this game.  I like the Falcons to beat the Giants 33-30, so think seriously about taking the money line.

As far as the totals go, I would probably only bet on the over (47.5 points) in the Falcons/Giants game this Sunday afternoon.

This is going to be an exciting year for the playoffs, as some teams are crashing the party that have not been in them for a while.  The Texans, Bengals, Broncos, 49ers and Lions have been away from the playoffs for quite some time.  This will be the Texans’ first venture into the playoffs.  Here is how I see things going down in the NFL Playoffs this year:

AFC:

ROUND #1:

Texans over the Bengals:  The Bengals are going to put up a fight in this game, but they are going to have big time issues stopping Arian Foster and Ben Tate.

Steelers over the Broncos:  This game is going to be much tougher than the Steelers anticipate it being.  That is because they are banged up.  I still see them shutting down the Broncos’ offense in this game.

ROUND #2:

Patriots over the Steelers:  The Patriots are going to be well rested and they will be looking for revenge against the Steelers who beat them earlier this year at Heinz Field.  Brady is going to torch the Steelers’ secondary this time around.

Ravens over the Texans:  Joe Flacco is going to make enough big throws for the Ravens in this game to make the difference.  I think T.J. Yates will make a couple of big mistakes in this game.

AFC Championship:

Ravens over the Patriots:  This will be Ray Rice’s big coming out party in Foxboro.  He’s going to have a monster game on the big stage.  The defense will make Rice’s work stand up.

NFC:

Round #1:

Saints over Lions:  The Lions will keep this game close because of Matt Stafford and his receivers, but they are going to fall short as the Saints are almost unstoppable at home.

Falcons over the Giants:  Matt Ryan is going to be motivated to make up for his poor performance last year in the playoffs.  The Giants’ D is overrated and it will show in this game.

Round #2:

Saints over 49ers:  The Saints are going to win this game on Drew Brees’ right shoulder.  He is going to have a good game and Alex Smith won’t be able to keep up with him.

Packers over the Falcons:  The Packers are going to overwhelm the Falcons’ secondary and it’s going to be the reason for a rather lopsided game.

NFC Championship:

Packers over the Saints:  These two teams mirror each other talent wise.  I’m taking Aaron Rodgers and the crowd at Lambeau Field over the Saints.

SUPER BOWL:  The Packers are going to beat the Ravens in a close, hard fought game.  Rodgers is just going to put too many points on the Ravens’ D for Baltimore to win another Super Bowl.

The NFL this week is kind of strange.  There are a handful of games that will be really good to bet on, but a lot of games that are too close to bet on.  Here is how I see the games going against the spread:

PRINTING MONEY:

Carolina Panthers (+7.5) over the New Orleans Saints:  The Saints are going to be pulling players out of this game as the 49ers will be smacking down the Rams.  That means that Cam Newton is going to steal this game from the Saints.  I like the Panthers to win this game 31-23.

San Francisco 49ers (-10.5) over the St. Louis Rams:  The San Francisco 49ers can lock up the #2 seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs with a win over the Rams.  I like them to get the job done today beating the Rams 27-3.

GOOD BETS:

Kansas City Chiefs (+3) over the Denver Broncos:  This is going to be Kyle Orton’s big shot at revenge as he can make the Broncos pay the ultimate price for cutting him earlier this year.  The Broncos need this game to get to the playoffs, but they won’t get it, as I see the Chiefs winning this game 23-17.

New York Giants (-3) over the Dallas Cowboys:  The Giants and Cowboys are playing a do or die game tonight.  The winner is the NFC East Champ and the loser is going home.  Tony Romo’s bruised hand and Felix Jones’ hamstring is going to hamper the Cowboys’ effort in trying to keep up with the Giants tonight.  I like the Giants to win this game 34-23.

Detroit Lions (-4) over the Green Bay Packers:  The Packers have nothing to play for except pride in this game.  That means it’s likely going to be Matt Flynn and the backups against Matt Stafford and the starters.  The Lions can wrap up the #5 seed with a win today and they will get it 31-20 over the Packers.

Indianapolis Colts (+3.5) over the Jacksonville Jaguars:  The Colts have won two games in a row and the Jaguars are struggling right now.  The Colts’ players are going to cost them the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by beating the Jags 20-17 this week.

DECENT PLAYS:

Cleveland Browns (+6.5) over the Pittsburgh Steelers:   The Browns are going to be inspired to pay the Steelers back for some of their cheap shots a couple of weeks ago.  The Steelers are going to be resting some players this weekend.  That plays into the Browns’ hands, but they are still going to lose 20-17.

Buffalo Bills (+10) over the New England Patriots:  The Bills beat the Patriots the first time around and they are going to keep things close again.  I like the Patriots to win this game 34-27, as the Bills are a serious threat for a backdoor cover in this game even if they fall behind early.

Philadelphia Eagles (-8) over the Washington Redskins:  The Eagles are playing great football lately.  In Pat Benatar’s words……It’s a little too little and it’s a little too late.  The Eagles will win this game 27-17.

TO CLOSE TO CALL:

Baltimore Ravens (-2) over the Cincinnati Bengals:  Both of these teams need this game and it’s likely to be a slobberknocker. I like the Ravens to win this game 20-17 in Cincy.

Houston Texans (+1.5) over the Tennessee Titans:  The Titans need this game for a  shot at the playoffs, while the Texans are locked into the #3 seed for the AFC Playoffs.  I like the Titans to win this game 21-20.

Chicago Bears (+1.5) over the Minnesota Vikings:  The Vikings will be at home and the Bears have pretty much given up lately.  I like the Vikings to win this game 17-16, but for the Bears to cover….barely.

Atlanta Falcons (-10.5) over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  The Falcons will likely be playing backups in this game (if the Lions beat the Packers earlier in the day), but they are still going to thump the hapless Tampa Bay Bucs.  I like the Falcons to win this game 27-16.

PUSH CITY:

Miami Dolphins (-3) over the New York Jets:  The Dolphins are going to ruin any chance of the overrated Jets making the playoffs today.  I like the Fins 23-20.

Oakland Raiders (-3) over the San Diego Chargers:  The Raiders have a shot at the playoffs with a win today, so I look for Carson Palmer to get them there.  I like the Raiders to win this game 33-30.

Arizona Cardinals (-3) over the Seattle Seahawks:  This is going to be a knock down, drag out street fight.  I like the Cardinals to win this game 23-20.

50-year old Dan Marino saw his once NFL record 5,084 passing yards record broke last night by Drew Brees of the Saints.  The record stood for 27 years, but records are made to be broken.  I hear a lot of people saying that Dan Marino is the best QB to never win a Super Bowl.  That’s a bunch of crap as he was a lot better than a lot of QBs that won the Super Bowl (Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler and Trent Dilfer come to mind).  In his historic season of 1984, Marino played in 16 games (all starts) for the Dolphins and he completed 362 of 564 passes (64.2%) for 5,084 yards with 48 TD passes (#3 all-time) and 17 interceptions (108.9 QB Rating).  His Dolphins were 14-2 during the regular season in 1984 and they lost the Super Bowl 38-16 to Joe Montana’s 49ers.  Marino played 17 seasons (all with the Dolphins) and he played in 242 games (240 starts) in which he completed 4,967 of 8,358 passes (59.4%) for 61,361 (#2 all-time) with 420 TD passes (#2 all-time) and 252 interceptions (86.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 301 times for 87 yards (0.3 ypc) with 9 TD runs.  Marino was elected into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame in 2005.  Marino played in 9 Pro Bowls in his career and he compiled a 147-93 (61.3%) as the Dolphins’ starting QB.  His records might be starting to fall, but Dan Marino was one of the 5-10 best QBs in NFL history.