Daytona 500 Preview

Before I begin with the NASCAR stuff, I'd like to take the time to officially, officially wrap the NFL season up. I silenced all my critics with a correct pick in the only game that matters all season, the Pro Bowl. Yes, the NFC won 30-21. Take that Ruel!!!

I kid. I kid. Seriously though, the Bud Shootout was spectacular. I mean, I wasn't too fond of the first wreck with David Ragan and the rookies. But the rest of that race was insane! I kind of liked the Paul Menard/Bobby Labonte wreck. But not the Menard and Labonte part, just the part when the blue and white #88 went sliding all over the place.

Again, I kid.

Not really.

As you probably know by now, Kevin Harvick won. However, there was no finish, because NASCAR jumped the gun on throwing the caution flag(it's kinda their thing). That was disappointing. Hopefully, the Daytona 500 doesn't end the same way(I mean, with the yellow flag thing, not the Harvick thing).

That brings me to the Daytona 500. Now, for anybody who did not watch the Gatorade Duels this afternoon, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch came away victorious(congrats Grandpa), while Scott Riggs, Jeremy Mayfield, and AJ Allmendinger raced their way in(much to my pleasure). The winning teams from the Duels resemble that of last year's, when Dale Earnhardt Jr.(Gordon's teammate) and Denny Hamlin(Busch's teammate) found Victory Lane. Wanna know what else happened last year? A Dodge won the 500.


Ironically, almost every car/driver that made headlines this afternoon had something to do with Ray Evernham at some point. Jeff Gordon(winner of Duel #1), had Evernham as his crew chief during the 1990s. Jeremy Mayfield and Scott Riggs(raced their way into the 500) were former drivers for Evernham Motorsports. Their owners(Tommy Baldwin and Jeremy Mayfield) were either a crew chief(Baldwin) or a driver(Mayfield) for Evernham. AJ Allmendinger(raced his way into the 500) is currently a driver for Evernham's old team, which he has sold majority ownership of to George Gillett and Richard Petty.

Couple that with the fact that I picked Kasey Kahne to win the Daytona 500 on www.playerpress.com and you get this top 5 prediction:

5.Tony Stewart
4.Brian Vickers
3.Scott Riggs
2.AJ Allmendinger
1.Kasey Kahne

While it's true that I only(and I use that term lightly) correctly picked 2 top 5 finishers last week, they happened to be Stewart and Allmendinger. So, they were rewarded with a return visit. Another prediction is that there will be a 15-car wreck. Last week, I predicted at least a 5-car wreck, and got a 6-car wreck. A win for me. However, it was not caused by Earnhardt Jr. and Busch like I said it would be, but this one might be. Also, if Kahne doesn't make it to Victory Lane, then another Dodge will. That's all for this week. Have a Happy Sunday.

Bud Shootout: Let's Go Racin'

Before I begin, let me just extend a warm thanks to all of you who stuck with me through a rough NFL playoffs. Thank goodness that's over(except for the Pro Bowl; NFC will win!).

Now, onto NASCAR season. Saturday night marks the opening exhibition event, the Budweiser Shootout(Saturday 8:00 P.M. EST; FOX). Starting now, I will be guiding y'all through the 2009 season, giving you my thoughts on previous races, and predictions on upcoming ones.

So now begin my predictions for the 75 lap, 28 car affair. I think that there will be a wreck consisting of at least 5 cars(as I will plenty of times throughout the season), and I believe that Darrell Waltrip will refer to Dale Earnhardt Jr. as "Junebug" at least once during Saturday night's telecast. After all, it's been a long time for 'ol DW, and he'll have to nauseate me at least once.

Okay, here is my Top 5 prediction for the Budweiser Shootout:

5. Tony Stewart
4.David Ragan
3.Jeff Gordon
2.Joey Logano(what the heck)
1.AJ Allmendinger

That's right. The driver whose season is on the line in the first 5 races of 2009 will open with a bang. And, oh by the way, that 5+ car crash that I was referring to will be triggered by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch, both of whom will still be mad at each other after a practice crash on Friday afternoon. Have a happy Saturday, and a happy racing season!

Hopper's Super Bowl Pick: Part 2

Previously on: Hopper's Super Bowl Pick



Hopper's 2009 Super Bowl Pick is:



And now, the stunning conclusion...



The Arizona Cardinals!!!



Yes, the Cardinals are my pick to win it all. Based on what sports statistic? None, except the fact that this decade has been filled with Cinderella stories like no other. Teams like the Anaheim Angels, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and many others have pulled off the unthinkable in this decade, which sadly, is almost over(for the record, I'm predicting the Cubs to win the Series in '09).

So, Sunday brings an end to this long journey. Football season will officially be over. You may be thinking to yourself, "What will I ever do until Hopper returns with his razor sharp NFL predictions?".

Don't fret. I'm sure I'll find something to occupy this otherwise useless space. Doesn't NASCAR season start back up next weekend?

Have a happy Sunday. I'll see you next week to kick off a brand new season of NASCAR.

Hopper's Super Bowl Pick: Part 1

After another perfect weekend, I was able to improve my glorious playoff record to 9-1(P.S. It's opposite year). Alright, I can tell I'm fooling no one. Let's just discuss what's happened so far this postseason.

Football season was over for me after Wild Card weekend. That's right, my team got burned in the desert(unnecessary bad pun) by the NFC champs. However, my only postseason winner came in the Wild Card round. Granted, it was in overtime, but a win is a win. Oh yeah, the Ravens and Eagles advanced, too.

Over the course of the next week, I saved a ton of money by switching my car insurance to Geico. Then, I lost all of my games as Pittsburgh, Philly, Arizona, and Baltimore all advanced to the next round.

Monday morning I woke up to find that my car had been egged, which apparently Geico doesn't cover(I'm making this all up, just so you know). I then switched to the "Tricked out name tag lady's" car insurance. A guy told me later that week that I had earned him a parking space at Wal-mart because he bet against me and won so much money. I don't care. I shop at Target.

Sunday came. I lost all my games, yet again. The same dude who won all that money came back the next week and told me that he and his family had enough money to live comfortably forever. And he refused to share any with me! This greatly upset me, so yesterday I parked my egged car in his parking space at Wally World. It was towed away, and now I have no car.

Alright, so it's just Pittsburgh and Arizona left. Two teams that are downright nasty. I don't like that it's come to this, but I have to pick one. So, without further ado:



Hopper's 2009 Super Bowl pick is:




Stay tuned for the stunning conclusion next week on: Hopper's Super Bowl Pick: Part 2

Playoff Picks; Championship Week

After last week, I felt like a weather man. I felt like the Detroit Lions. I felt so lonely, that not even the money I'm saving with Geico cheered me up. I even had one guy brag to me about how much money he's made betting against me.

All of this made me contemplate a name change. It made me contemplate ever picking an NFL winner ever again. It made me contemplate selling this very website for a discounted price. I contemplated retiring from writing all together...

In all honesty, I couldn't have cared less about going 0-4 last week. Just as long as somebody doesn't try to hunt me down and kill me, because they lost money to the mob because of me, I think I'll be just fine. It's for that reason that I have included a note stating that I am not responsible for any money you may lose because of me. However, you may feel free to share any money with me that you may earn betting with or against me. I will have you know that I am quite poor.

All right, time for some picks:
Last week: 0-4 Overall playoffs: 1-7

PHI:27 ARI:24
BAL:17 PIT:13




I owe a personal thanks to the San Diego Chargers. It is because of them that I have mustered up any sort of dignity during this playoff run, and even that took overtime. Readers, see you next time... maybe. Have a happy Sunday.

By reading this article I am hereby not responsible for any money you may lose betting with/against me. However I would be happy to claim any money that you have made betting with/against me. Every little bit helps.

Playoff Picks; Round 2

No good came out of Wild Card weekend for me. I went 1 of 4 in my picks. My boys were eliminated in the first round. And every other team I hoped in the slightest would win, failed to do so. However, there is some good news:





I saved a ton of money on car insurance by switching to Geico.





That is perhaps the most overused phrase in the United States of America, so I figured that I was entitled to it eventually. Anyway, the Cards beat the Falcons in game 1 of the weekend. There should have been a "TV MA" warning before it started, because there was some explicit celebration going on out there. Game 2 featured my only winner, San Diego, who defeated Indianapolis in an overtime thriller.

On Sunday, Baltimore defeated Miami, and Philly beat Minny. So those sorry Eagles' fans can keep their mouths shut about McNabb's poor play for at least another week. Oh, and to the guy who told me that I was "As good at picking playoff winners as Dallas is winning them", I have 2 things to say: The first one is ":(", and the second is, "At least I won one." Just messin' bud. You're entitled to your own opinion, no matter how messed up it may be.

Time for some picks:
Last Week: 1-3 Overall Playoffs: 1-3


SD:24 PIT:21
ARI:24 CAR:28
BAL:17 TEN:19
PHI:17 NYG:24


That's all for now. Have a happy Sunday.

Playoff Picks

Happy New Year everybody! As you know, the playoffs are finally here. Last week, the Carolina Panthers secured the NFC South thanks to a last second field goal(sniff, sniff). They snatched the #2 seed(the Giants are #1) in the NFC, and relegated the Atlanta Falcons to a 5th seed. The Vikes snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, while the Bears snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. This sent the Vikings into the playoffs as the #3 seed, and the Bears were sent home. And since the Bucs lost to Oakland, and Dallas choked like they were, well, choking, the Philadelphia Eagles fell through the back door and into the playoffs. They have the #6 seed. The unmentioned Cardinals have the #4 seed.

In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans have the #1 seed. Pittsburgh has the #2 seed. The Dolphins beat the Jets with their old weapon(Chad Pennington), while Brett Favre would have done himself a lot of good by simply not showing up. Hey, he did it during practices, why not do it when it could help your team? Anyway, the Fins captured the division and the #3 seed, leaving the Jets and the Pats in the cold. The Chargers beat the broncos on Sunday night, capturing their division and the #4 seed with an 8-8 record. The Colts took the #5 seed, and the Ravens took the #6 and final seed.

So now, onto my picks. To cap off the season, I went 12 and 4 once again, ending up with 92 overall wins. Not bad for a rookie. Hey, this is a funny story. Last week, I got my first hate mail. It was from an ex-nun from Minnesota. She was upset that I "made fun" of her Vikings. So I want everybody to know that, when I pick the Vikings to win, it's because the situation could get very, very hostile if I don't, and not necessarily because I believe they're going to win. Just so everybody knows. Ok, time to pick.
Last week: 12-4 Overall: 92-45-1

ATL:38 ARI:24
IND:23 SD:24
BAL:19 MIA:23
PHI:17 MIN:20 (This one's for you Aunt Marlene)

Alright, that wraps up my playoff picks for the Wild Card round. Hopefully it all works out. Have a happy Saturday, Sunday, and New Year.