By Brian Edwards
Posted 07/15/2007 at 02:19 PM

Mercifully, the worst sports week of the year is almost over. Unless you’re a really sick gambler and wager on the Home Run Derby, this past Monday and Wednesday were the only days of the year (the day before and the day after the All-Star Game) when there’s nothing to bet on in sports.

Therefore, this is the first blog entry in some time. I’m not saying I’ve got writer’s block, but I’d consider sacrificing my left pinky finger if we could hit fast-forward to Week 1 of college football season right friggin’ now!

Anyway, let’s jump around to several different sports and a number of different topics in this rant.

For starters, I absolutely LOVE the Cubs today. They aren’t nearly as hot as Marisa Miller, but they’re on fire nonetheless. And Wandy Rodriguez is terrible on the road with a 1-5 record and 6.60 ERA. Can you say pound game? And get a little taste of the run-line payout also (+165 at most spots).

I’m also on the Braves-Pirates game to go ‘over’ today. The ‘over’ is just on a ferocious tear right now in Atlanta games. To be exact, the ‘over’ has hit at a 12-1 clip in the Braves’ last 13 games. The Pirates plated a run in the first and the Braves have runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom frame. I like it!

Since Chipper is up, I’ll touch on a topic I threw out in my NBA Draft blog – Guaranteed Hall of Famers. I’ve only thrown that label out twice ever in terms of players before their pro careers started.

Those two Guaranteed Hall of Famers (GHF’s) are Chipper (who just hit into a double play) and Greg Oden. That a way to be right on cue for me, Chipper. Thanks.

Anyhow, I was getting ready to say that my Chipper forecast is going to come true despite that chafe DP from a minute ago. Just go look at the numbers.

Speaking of Oden, 19 fouls in two summer league games and tonsil/ESPY-induced DNP’s aren’t the start I was looking for. Then again, Chipper’s torn ACL in spring training of his rookie year wasn’t the best start, either.

Completely useless Chipper info: He played on a football state championship team as a star wide receiver at The Bolles School in Jacksonville. Three good friends of mine were on that team: Brian Turner (a chafe ‘nole), Curtiz Hazel (pulling guard, die-hard GATOR) and Greg Boree.

Also on that state title team: QB Danny Wheeler, who had an outstanding college baseball career at Florida as the team’s closer; Sam Cowart, who was a star LB for FSU before having a pretty good NFL career; Brian Jones, who was a reserve LB for Georgia in the mid-90’s.

This might be the most productive Sunday I’ve had in a decade: Seriously, it’s 20 after one and I’ve already performed the following:

1-Enjoyed a splendid breakfast at the White House in Buckhead. Today I went with three eggs over medium, four sausage links, hashbrowns, white toast, grits and the AJC sports page.

2-Three loads of laundry done. I mean done, as in dried, folded, the works.

3-Went to the gym, three full-court games of hoops, three sets of bench press, two sets of 20 sit-ups (and I’m talking with the legs elevated).

4-Washed the dishes.

5-Walked the dog – twice.

6-And now I’m writing a blog entry on my day off. Hey, that’s pretty good for a Sunday morning. At least for me it is.

Just a few more random thoughts…

--I know Calvin Johnson is a badass. I know Roy Williams is damn good too. But seriously, what the hell is Jon Kitna smoking? The Lions are going to win more than 10 games? He’s obviously taken twenty-2-many shots to the head in a pretty good career. Let me put it like this: I like the chances of my Falcons going undefeated and winning their first super Bowl better than the Lions’ chances of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy this season.

--Here’s my sleeper pick for Hottest Chick of 2010: Emma Roberts, who is only 17 now. She’s the niece of Julia Roberts. Nice feature on Emma in the Summer 2007 edition of the Atlanta Peach.

--Question: What do you get when you have Matt Millen and Pete Babcock in the same room? Answer: Two idiots and the two worst GMs in the history of pro sports.

--I might change my pre-season college hoops pick of Louisville to win the ’08 national title. I might change it to Tennessee. Seriously, Bruce Pearl can do no wrong. The Vols lost Dane Bradshaw, but that’s it. Pearl has brought in a stellar recruiting class, and he lucked out when Iowa’s Tyler Smith (14.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG as a frosh) transferred to UT and was declared immediately eligible by the NCAA thanks to a special waver issued because Smith’s father is battling cancer in Tennessee.

--Bruce Pearl Factoid of the Day: He owns a 3-1 record against Billy Donovan.

--My Top Five Choices for the Heisman:
1-Darren McFadden (Arkansas)
2-Chad Henne (Michigan)
3-Percy Harvin (Florida)
4-Colt Brennan (Hawaii)
5-Steve Slaton (West Virginia)

Sleepers: Tim Tebow (Florida), C.J. Spiller (Clemson) and LaMarcus Coker (Tennessee)

--I say Butch Davis gets UNC turned around in a few years, but I’ve got news for Davis as far as his first season in Chapel Hill: You’re going to take 10 L’s. Ten! The two wins will come over James Madison and Duke (does that even count?).

--Here’s an outstanding under-the-radar matchup in Week 3 that I’m glad to see will be the Thursday night ESPN game: West Virginia at Maryland.

--That’s all I’ve got other than “get your Cubs bets in” as you’ve only got a few minutes left. I’m out…