tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69117911521880035982024-03-28T17:13:26.396-04:00Rob Q. Ink - A Philly Sports BlogOpinions on Philly sports, national stories, and the media. Also, posting picks against the spread. All from a writer who started as a <i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i> freelancer. Rebooted in Fall '23!Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.comBlogger913125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-16479660344909359522024-03-26T16:00:00.002-04:002024-03-26T16:00:44.757-04:00Phillies 2024 Preview: Did they do enough?The
Phillies open the 2024 season . . . Thursday. Because nothing says “opening
day” like late March in Philadelphia with a forecasted high temperature of 51
degrees and rain (per 6abc.com on
Tuesday early afternoon). The low is 41.
I
guess I shouldn’t complain. Dodgers and Padres fans got to watch their teams
open the season for the American pastime last week in South Korea in the middle
of theRob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-17842327862569074472024-03-19T21:05:00.006-04:002024-03-21T11:15:49.250-04:00NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament Brackets and Picks, and a Quinn’s QuickieThe “Madness” truly begins on
Thursday around noon as the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament tips. For
fun only, I’ve created a group on ESPN.com for readers to post their brackets.
After everything is locked, I will be posting my brackets in the comments. I’ll
also be posting any picks for the Tournament below (prior to tip-off) and in
the comments for the first four days and possibly Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-47705728512382062262024-03-18T15:26:00.001-04:002024-03-18T15:26:56.689-04:00A Shift in Sports Media? My Interview with Harry Mayes“Shut up, and pitch!”Mayes’ half of the split screen as he does “Ah Jeez.”Harry Mayes dropped some
memorable lines as a talk show host for 97.5 The Fanatic. My favorite was from
his rant against the at times over-sensitive ace of the Phillies during the run
highlighted by the 2008 World Championship, Cole Hamels. For the record, Mayes
said he loved Hamels and often defended the pitcher.
Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-40350930552875176162024-03-15T11:22:00.002-04:002024-03-21T11:17:54.639-04:00Quinn’s Quickies: Missanelli Returning, Too Much Talk about the Talkers, College Basketball Picks I had a few quick thoughts
going into the weekend.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->Last night I heard Jon Marks
talk about Mike Missanelli reportedly going back to sports talk radio with 97.5
The Fanatic. I recently
interviewed Missanelli, and I wonder if it puts a new light on some of what
he said, especially about young guys not Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-13932968037150453622024-03-14T08:48:00.026-04:002024-03-14T08:55:56.395-04:00College Basketball Picks 3/14/24Conference tournaments are in full-swing, and I’m going to try a
strategy that has paid off in the past – parlaying heavy favorites on the money
line. The spreads can get a little crazy in these games, and parity makes the
strategy a bit riskier these days, so I don’t go as heavy as I used to with it.
Today, I’m going with:
Duke -715 over NC State
North Carolina -590 over Florida State
Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-39457065226065741982024-03-09T12:09:00.000-05:002024-03-09T12:09:15.825-05:00College Basketball Picks for Saturday 3/9/24I like a few games today, so I’ll get right to it.
Creighton -1.5 over Villanova for $5 to win $4.55. I don’t quite
get this spread. The Wildcats are playing better and they’re at home, but I
just don’t think they are as good as the Bluejays.
Connecticut -9.5 at Providence for $5 to win $4.65. I know Joe
Lunardi took the Friars, but UConn is rolling.
Duke -5.5 over North Carolina for $5 to winRob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-60568321854882466062024-03-06T12:08:00.001-05:002024-03-06T12:08:39.493-05:00Men’s College Basketball Pick for Wednesday 3/6/24I was told how boring it was to pick Connecticut to repeat as the
Men’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament Champion. Well, this pick might be
just as dull to some.
Tonight, I’m taking UConn -5 at Marquette for $10 to win $9.10.
I laid off Creighton against Marquette on Saturday because a
commenter said the Golden Eagles were a sleeper in the Big East. The Bluejays
won by 14, but Marquette Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-52006130949923210252024-03-01T12:42:00.023-05:002024-03-01T13:05:03.777-05:00Quinn’s Quickies: Embiid Returning Shouldn’t be Questioned, Bye-bye Dollar Dog Nights, Court Storming Fixed, moreWho
doesn’t want a Friday afternoon quickie:
· Joel
Embiid plans to return to the Sixers after knee surgery . . . get this . . .
regardless of the team’s record. Ignored in the written
story on ESPN.com, the accompanying video has audio of a
reporter asking the Sixers’ center if he would consider not playing for the rest
of the season. “My question to you is Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-73267155737718244182024-02-24T11:30:00.001-05:002024-02-24T11:38:18.603-05:00College Basketball Pick for Saturday and NCAA Tournament Champion“March Madness” is right around the corner and I’m diving in with
two picks today. The University of Connecticut has been dominating all season,
and I expect them to bounce back big time today after a loss to Creighton earlier
in the week. Unfortunately, Villanova is in the way, but you don’t bet with your
heart. I don’t like giving 12 points in basketball, but I think this gets ugly.
I’m taking Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-16209961668979874812024-02-22T12:00:00.005-05:002024-02-22T12:49:06.504-05:00A Shift in Sports Media? An Interview with Jon MarksJon
Marks recently left his role as part of an afternoon drive time sports talk duo
with former Eagles player Ike Reese on 94.1 WIP, a role Mike Missanelli called
one that everybody in the field aspires to get.Jon Marks doing his YouTube show.So,
when I asked Marks for an interview on the topic of a shift in the sports
media, I had to ask about his decision to leave WIP. He was emphatic about hisRob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-74017997786966978232024-02-19T20:14:00.003-05:002024-03-21T11:22:09.722-04:00Quinn’s Quickies: NBA All-Star Sham, Ionescu’s Night, moreI knew I needed to do a Quinn’s Quickies after watching just a few
minutes of last night’s so-called game.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game should be the last one to be played for
a long time. I stomached about five minutes of the fourth quarter. Guys
literally walked up and down the court – ALL OF ‘EM! TheyRob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-80569299052057569752024-02-15T12:00:00.009-05:002024-02-16T11:27:07.307-05:00A Shift in Sports Media?I
had questions. So, I started asking them.Newspapers used to bethe source of news formany. What is it going tobe in the future?Sports
is a billion-dollar industry. Yet, local coverage seems to be evaporating. In
Philadelphia, we’ve seen Comcast SportsNet dwindle to pretty much airing games
along with pre- and post-game shows, along with a couple original shows. The
local news gives sports Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-28814968902755153952024-02-12T17:36:00.008-05:002024-03-21T11:18:51.340-04:00Quinn’s Quickies: Super Bowl Thoughts, Wrapping Up Picks, and . . . Did I Miss the Endorsement?It’s been a while since I did a
Quinn’s Quickies, but I had a few thoughts as we bid adieu to the NFL season.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->Kansas City’s overtime win over
San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII put me in the black for the season on my
football picks on the blog. I finished 31-51-3 for +$210.98. That total includes
a $5 loss Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-51360474629702158222024-02-09T16:43:00.003-05:002024-02-09T16:43:40.650-05:00Super Bowl LVIII Pick It’s
the Super Bowl so I had to try something special. Check out my pick for the
game on video!Closed captions available. (Did my best on new systems!)I
had a rough Championship weekend going 0-2 for -$200, plus -$5 on a college
hoops parlay. My overall record fell to 30-51-3 for -$56.52.Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-355110505110604902024-01-30T21:11:00.001-05:002024-01-30T21:11:16.598-05:00NFL Conspiracy Theories QuestionedEarly
this season the National Football League put out a commercial poking fun at conspiracy
theories that their games are fixed or the season is scripted.
Doth thou protest too much?I
was sent two conspiracy theories about the NFL last week. The first came
completely unsolicited from someone I know quite well who has posted about at
least one other conspiracy theory on social media. The other Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-23093072940092231282024-01-26T15:34:00.001-05:002024-01-26T15:46:58.336-05:00AFC / NFC Championship Game PicksJust
three games remain in the NFL season. It’s conference championship weekend. I
wasn’t sure I’d make it this far giving my picks in college football and the
NFL. Admittedly, I had to take a two-week break to clear my head at the end of
a tough regular season as I let my pick on Michigan to win the college football
championship ride. But with three straight winning weeks, including going 2-1
Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-47160348896240367172024-01-24T13:39:00.002-05:002024-01-24T14:28:10.867-05:00Is sports talk radio dead?Jon
Marks is the latest Philadelphia sports talker to launch his own podcast. The former
drive-time host on WIP, who was also on The Fanatic, joins Harry Mayes,
Jason
Myrtetus, and Mike Missanelli, in
leaving one of the local sports talk stations for various reasons and starting
their own podcast.
To
quote the once familiar Mayes sound drop, “What is going on back there?”
This
topic really Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-44401286280072399422024-01-19T09:48:00.001-05:002024-01-19T11:25:15.306-05:00NFL Playoff PicksMy
readers / commenters deserve ALL the credit for my picks ending up at +$15 last
week. I went 1-2, winning with only the Bucs, who Angry Mike was on as a lock,
and JZ liked them as well. I’ll admit, I was leaning the other way, and those
guys swayed me.I
actually probably went too big last week, putting $100 on the Cowboys and the
money line with the Bucs. (And, of course, I lost a parlay Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-38818940569869488292024-01-16T12:46:00.006-05:002024-01-16T12:46:56.670-05:00Fire Sirianni?Would
you fire Nick Sirianni?
The
Eagles collapse ended with a Wild Card playoff loss last night in Tampa Bay,
32-9. From 10-1 to 11-6, the Birds went from Super Bowl contender to a team in
disarray. Symbolic of the seemingly inexplicable 1-5 finish plus a one-and-done
playoff was the sudden change of defensive coordinators – a panic moved that accomplished
nothing.
The
Eagles were buried by Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-90757732429303451522024-01-12T14:19:00.002-05:002024-03-21T11:23:14.391-04:00Quinn’s Quickies: NBC’s Idea of History; NFL Wild Card PicksI
finished the college football season with a nice 1-0 week for +$215 as Michigan
took the championship. My best pick of the year, the win got me out of the red
on the blog for the season, leaving me at +18.48. A frustrating total to say
the least. Alas, the NFL playoffs are calling.Of
course, I can’t watch all of the NFL playoff games this weekend because the
league decided to up its game in Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-13115205593210192592023-12-28T16:04:00.000-05:002023-12-28T16:04:19.567-05:00Looking Forward to NFL, College Football PlayoffsAfter an 0-3-1 week for -$75, I’m going to let my pick on Michigan
to win the National Championship ($100 to win $215) ride for a bit. I definitely
need to regroup, but like Frosty the Snowman . . . I’ll be back someday (with picks). Likely by the NFL playoffs. Of course, the comments are open for your picking
wisdom.Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-3952158175059794502023-12-22T17:58:00.001-05:002023-12-22T17:58:57.699-05:00NFL Week 16 PicksThe Eagles absolute choke against Seattle cost me a winning week
as I finished 1-2 for -$28.38. I know no one wants to hear a losing gambler
grouse, but letting a Drew Lock drive his then 6-7 team down the field with
less than 2 minutes left in the game for the go-ahead touchdown is pathetic.
Then we (at least, I) find out Nick Sirianni changed defensive coordinators
mid-week on a 10-3 team. And,Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-69689326462389340102023-12-15T16:52:00.004-05:002023-12-15T16:57:09.702-05:00Week 15 NFL PicksAn 0-2 week for -$30 brought the winning streak to an end. I’m
still annoyed I didn’t jump on Dallas solo after Baltimore didn’t cover,
killing the first parlay. The “same game parlay” was a shot in the dark, which was
looking ok when CeeDee Lamb scored for the Cowboys. Who knew the Eagles offense
would completely disappear?
Here’s what I’m looking at this week:
Chiefs -8.5 at the Patriots
Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-32524198813191756192023-12-12T18:00:00.006-05:002024-03-21T11:19:25.537-04:00Quinn’s Quickies: “Success” of NBA In-Season Tournament Raises QuestionsApparently,
I’m wrong. The NBA In-Season Tournament was a success. All the
reports that I can find say that TV ratings for the NBA were up during the
tournament compared to the same time last year. Players were enthused by it, including
Trae Young, who I’m a big fan of.In the end,
it’s not hard to understand why this worked – money. The league incentivized
the tournament – players Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6911791152188003598.post-17293876867520592652023-12-08T17:43:00.002-05:002023-12-10T17:40:50.407-05:00NFL Week 14 PicksThe winning streak ran to four weeks into December with a 1-1
record for +$45. If the 49ers and the Eagles played more often, I might be a
rich man. Then again, if I stayed away from college football the last couple
weeks, I’d at least be in the black this season. It’s all NFL this week, so
maybe that will happen this week. I choked not grabbing Washington over Oregon last
Friday, but I still Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0