By Diane M. Grassi

The 2010 thoroughbred horse racing season has seen its Triple Crown races pass, yet thoroughbred racing fans can still look ahead to some key summer races such as the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Track in upstate NY this August, and of course the Breeder’s Cup World Championships in the first weekend of November, to be held for the first time at Churchill Downs. So, we will now see the end of the 2010 thoroughbred racing season in the same venue in which it began, for a historic first.

This year’s Triple Crown races, however, not only did not produce a Triple Crown champion again, leaving 1978 champion, Affirmed, as the last to do so, but what was most unsettling was the fact that each leg was won by a different horse; with Super Saver winning the 136th Kentucky Derby, Lookin’ At Lucky wining the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes and Drosselmeyer prevailing in the 142nd running of the Belmont Stakes.

And the contending Triple Crown horses’ trainers and owners had no small part in creating a Triple Crown drought. Both the Kentucky Derby winner, Super Saver, as well as Preakness Stakes winner, Lookin’ At Lucky, were not even entered in the Belmont Stakes. And at a time when the horse racing industry is in a seemingly fiscal freefall, if ever there was a time necessary to create interest for the casual fan, it is now.

In fact, just days before the very running of this year’s Preakness, its future to remain in Maryland was in serious doubt. And equally remarkable, the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown, the 142nd running of the Belmont Stakes, coming up June 5, 2010 at Belmont Park, in Elmont, NY, also remains in a fiscal crisis. It was loaned $25 million by the state of New York just days before the running of the Belmont, in order for it to remain open for the rest of the 2010 racing season.

And it is with the Triple Crown races, still clearly in mind, that it is worth exploring the present state of the thoroughbred industry’s challenges away from the track, especially in those states now hurting, that once could be counted on to provide the essential businesses necessary to support those horses we get to see on race day.

Largely, it comes down to the horse breeding farms and all of the ancillary businesses that have evolved from it and that earn their livelihood by benefit of the horse racing industry, in their respective states, which have taken a big hit over the past 2 years. However, the global recession has but exacerbated an industry clearly in decline for the past decade.

Yet, the actual running of thoroughbreds is dependent upon the farms and businesses in various support cast roles, in order to remain in business. As such, the entire horse racing industry is intertwined and therefore collectively now faces one of its biggest challenges in its history.

And that most horse racing fans both in attendance at Pimlico on May 15th as well as bettors across the United States as well as internationally were unaware that the fate of Pimlico was in peril, was in part done by design by the powers-that-be. For an industry, within an ongoing recession, cannot afford to suffer any further negative publicity.

For it was not until May 7, 2010 that a deal was finalized to keep the Preakness Stakes in Maryland. MI Development, Inc. (MID), a Canadian real estate conglomerate, and Penn National Gaming, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based national racino-casino owner and para-mutuel betting operator, announced a joint-venture to own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club, that conducts Pimlico Race Course thoroughbred racing as well as Maryland’s Laurel Park thoroughbred racing.

The prior owner, Magna Entertainment Corp., a subsidiary of MID, and the largest owner of race tracks throughout North America, also including California’s Santa Anita Park, declared bankruptcy in 2009. The MID-Penn National transaction is expected to get approval from the Maryland Racing Association and close by the summer of 2010, after all regulatory matters are met. Prior to the deal being struck, Magna intended to sell Pimlico at auction.

However, although MID’s ownership will guarantee that racing remains in Maryland at least for the short term, over the next few years, a new approach in raising revenues for the industry and counted on by many by way of slot machines at the race tracks, remains in doubt.

And also, in light of an aging generation, which once regularly patronized race tracks in the U.S., opportunities to keep a younger generation engaged may have been lost. And with Maryland and New York State both competing for corporate sponsorships and ticket sales, states once flush with certain race track revenues are losing out to other states who subsidize their tracks and racing bonuses with slot machines, video lottery terminals or video poker machines at track racinos.

So, therefore, there remain the haves and the have-not states. And while state politicians nationwide embrace slot machines as the only answer to keep the racing industry solvent, the industry, too, has largely embraced such.

Maryland’s local breeders have seen promises for slot machines as the magic bullet required to sustain their industry in order to continue to compete with Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey nearby, in addition to Kentucky and California.

And as the road to slots, through the state legislature of Maryland has failed and a drought in business has ensued, so too has interest in Maryland horse racing. As a result, foals born in Maryland dropped by approximately 38% between 1998 and 2008, as per The Jockey Club, the breed registry for North America.

The underlying problem is that in a struggling economy, were there not other revenue generators in other states, such as racinos, racing would be on even-par, according to many breeders in the field. And as such, some Maryland breeders are now shipping their mares to Pennsylvania, breeding them there while racing their offspring there for larger purses and larger bonuses, specifically reserved for Pennsylvania-bred horses.

Simply put, the larger the purse, the more horses are attracted. So it becomes more cost-effective to cross state lines to at least keep some sense of proprietorship amongst these breeders, not only in Maryland but in other states as well.

Likewise, in New York State, its Belmont Stakes’ financial woes are being blamed on state politics, with legislators not yet approving slot machine operations there. But it is still difficult to fathom that the oldest of the Triple Crown races, which began in 1867 in Bronx, NY, might be no more, because of a lack of slot machines. Such thinking not only lacks ingenuity but is unfortunately both lazy and foolish thinking.

After two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and most recently, 9/11, the only time the Belmont Stakes was not successfully run was in 1911 and 1912, when betting was outlawed by the New York state legislature, during that time.

And ironically, as gambling is touted as the savior to the horse racing industry, it has also helped to cause its demise. Yet, unless legislated, racinos cannot legally conduct business at race tracks in order to attract more patrons. In turn, race track owners believe that revenue is necessary to attract more horses. Therefore, it is but a Catch-22 where both operations are set up to require dependence upon the other.

Of note, is that at one time the only way for bettors to legally wage a bet in U.S. was at the race track itself, with the exception of the state of Nevada. But state lotteries soon started to infringe upon the guaranteed racing revenues. Added to that around the same time, in 1970, New York State approved an off-track para-mutuel betting system, which became a national phenomenon.

And with evolving computer technologies, the writing was long ago on the wall and that race tracks and the horse racing industry at large should have been well prepared for changes. For the industry to hitch its horse to one wagon, so to speak, in solely banking only on slot machines as a revenue generator, is at best short-sighted.

However, unaccountability must come into play as well. As state legislatures such as New York State, which now runs New York City Off Track Betting (NYCOTB) as a state entity, as well as over-leveraged multi-national holding companies, without any racing industry ties now operating race tracks, they must be held to a higher standard in conducting their business responsibly.

The New York Racing Association (NYRA), with its oversight of the Belmont Park Race Track, the Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Race Track, amongst others, has found investors harder to come by. Amounts of breeding awards are dwindling and purses for races are shrinking. Thus, New York breeders and thoroughbred owners are also being forced out of business.

And but astoundingly not immune to the declining fiscal health of the horse breeding industry is Kentucky. And as a result, most of Kentucky’s race tracks, too, are toiling.

Again, with smaller purses and fewer race dates, trainers are defecting to other states. And contrary to popular belief, most horse farms are not necessarily owned by the extremely wealthy but rather by many smaller proprietors, collectively.

And like Maryland, in spite of deep connections to Kentucky, horse owners will continue to send their horses out of state to breed, without the necessary incentives in order to remain. Kentucky’s history boasts the first-bred Kentucky Derby winner in 1872. And even though Kentucky outpaces horse breeding by a wide margin over any other state, it too believes that expanding gaming is its only answer to keep racing in Kentucky.

But the question remains. In a global recession, with bankruptcies continuing in every industry in the U.S., while many of its states, including the once great racing state of California headed towards its own bankruptcy, will slot machines save the day?

Missing from any discussion by the horse racing industry, however, during the worst recession in 70 years, is the issue of consumers failing to part with their discretionary income, unlike when they did in the earlier part of the decade. And as evidenced by the revenues in casino gambling, having taken a big hit in the past 2 years from Las Vegas to Atlantic City to the race track, with a decent recovery not expected for another 2 years, such spending could remain flat, thereafter, for a good while.

Meanwhile, after a period of 4 or 5 years, discretionary spending habits may have changed enough that the gambling industry, and in particular the horse racing industry, may have been irreparably harmed by then. Let us hope not. Giddy Up!

Copyright ©2010 Diane M. Grassi
Contact: dgrassi@cox.net

We break down Super Bowl XLIV, talk commercials, and wrap up the 2009/2010 NFL Season.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

Ahhhh the Super Bowl. Despite all the hype, the 8 hour pregame show, and the 48 minute halftime, it’s still one of the best spectacles of the year. We break down the Super Bowl matchup and have some fun with prop bets.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

Here are are the latest Super Bowl Prop Bets and Super Bowl Odds.

NFL 2009/2010 Super Bowl XLIV Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.
]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/02/05/super-bowl-xliv-picks-and-podcast/feed/ 0 http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/21/2009-nfl-playoffs-conference-championship-games-picks-and-podcast/ http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/21/2009-nfl-playoffs-conference-championship-games-picks-and-podcast/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:28:46 +0000 Editor http://www.sportscolumn.com/?p=3913
The Conference Championship Games are always the best Sunday in the entire football season. This week we discuss whether the Jets can continue their run and whether the Saints can make their first Super Bowl. You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed. If you use iTunes, just click [...]]]>

The Conference Championship Games are always the best Sunday in the entire football season. This week we discuss whether the Jets can continue their run and whether the Saints can make their first Super Bowl.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL 2009 Conference Championship Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.
]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/21/2009-nfl-playoffs-conference-championship-games-picks-and-podcast/feed/ 0 http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/14/2009-nfl-playoffs-round-2-picks-and-podcast/ http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/14/2009-nfl-playoffs-round-2-picks-and-podcast/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:27:12 +0000 Editor http://www.sportscolumn.com/?p=3908
After a little bit of a letdown for wildcard weekend (with the exception of the phenomenal GB/ARI game), the NFL playoffs should heat up this weekend. We analyze all the games in depth and pick the winners of the divisional round of the 2009/2010 NFL playoffs. You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 [...]]]>

After a little bit of a letdown for wildcard weekend (with the exception of the phenomenal GB/ARI game), the NFL playoffs should heat up this weekend. We analyze all the games in depth and pick the winners of the divisional round of the 2009/2010 NFL playoffs.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL 2009 Playoffs Round 2 Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.
]]> http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/14/2009-nfl-playoffs-round-2-picks-and-podcast/feed/ 0 http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/07/2009-nfl-playoffs-round-1-picks-and-podcast/ http://www.sportscolumn.com/2010/01/07/2009-nfl-playoffs-round-1-picks-and-podcast/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 03:29:36 +0000 Editor http://www.sportscolumn.com/?p=3901
Now the real fun starts. Despite a deja-vu feeling from week 17, this week’s games are the real deal. We analyze all the games in depth and pick the winners of the first round of the 2009/2010 NFL playoffs. You can download the podcast directly (running time 70 mins) or subscribe to the feed. If [...]]]>

Now the real fun starts. Despite a deja-vu feeling from week 17, this week’s games are the real deal. We analyze all the games in depth and pick the winners of the first round of the 2009/2010 NFL playoffs.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 70 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL 2009 Playoffs Round 1 Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.

While all of the playoff participants in the NFC have been determined and only seeding remains, the lower seeds in the AFC are all wide open. We discuss all the likely playoff scenarios and project seeding in this podcast.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL Week 17 2009 Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: (5-10-1, Balance =$0) Looks like Vegas Vinny is moving to Reno next year. With this piss poor showing, I’ve lost my shirt and have to leave town. However, what I have been great at this year is absolutely jinxing teams. With that in mind, I love the Cowboys as my Lock of the Week. As only 3 point favorites, there is no way the Cowboys don’t cover the spread against an Eagles team playing on the road. With the NFC East Division crown at stake, I fully expect Tony Romo and company to come out and lay a whooping on the Eagles. I’ll bet my last quarter to win 20 cents. Then I gotta call my sponsor.

BostonMac: (10-6, Balance = $1,370) St. Louis is done. Their only motivation is to clinch the worst record in the league and the subsequent Ndamukong Suh sweepstakes that come with a loss. With the possibility of Steven Jackson not playing again after being beaten up all season long, the 49ers will run away with the last game of the season. I’ll put whatever I have to beat R.J.’s double-up, plus $1, on SAN FRANCISCO (-7).

RJ: (6-9-1, Balance = $945) Oh, that Lamarr Woodley. He should go on the road and do stand up comedy, because he and his Pittsburgh Steelers sure can’t play football on the road (2-5 SU, 1-6 ATS). In case you missed it, Woodley claimed that the Patriots and Bengals were going to just “lay down” and lose their respective games to the Texans and Jets in order to avoid the Steelers in postseason play. That’s fine; it can even be considered a sort of motivational ploy to question the Pats and Bengals integrity. But alas, the Steelers outside linebacker forgot one thing:

The Steelers are not going to beat Miami on Sunday, which they need to do in order to even worry about these scenarios. The Steelers have developed a bad habit of assuming victory (see: losses against KC, Oakland and Cleveland) when they’re favored. Miami, despite being virtually elimanted, is always a tough out, especially at home. I can see Joey Porter enjoying sending his old team packing without a playoff spot.

Two weeks left in the NFL regular season and there are too many playoff scenarios to count. What makes the penultimate week great is that the many many tiebreakers means that every game potentially can affect playoff seeding. This is the week where NFL Sunday Ticket earns its keep.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL Week 16 2009 Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: (5-9-1, Balance =$440) San Diego has won 9 in a row and could be the hottest team in the AFC come playoff time. So why are the Titans 3 point favorites at home? I have no idea. Normally, I would say that Vegas is nuts on this one but something tells me that Vegas knows something (or a lot of things) that I don’t know. But my LOTW record has been horrendous this year with the thinking that I know more than Vegas. For once, I’m not going to try to outsmart a seemingly crazy point spread and just go with the bookmakers. The only weakness that the Chargers have is in the run defense. Perhaps Chris Johnson will take advantage and keep the ball out of Philip Rivers’ hands. That’s the only way I see the Titans winning this one. But I’ll go against my ten cent head and put all my money $440 on the Titans (-3) to win $400.

BostonMac: (10-5, Balance = $1,425) I am going to ride the mathematical anomaly (or maybe it is expected) of the Atlanta Falcons’ mediocrity. Let the record show that I correctly picked the Falcons to be 3-point victors and continue their string of having a .500 record with a single-digit net points (and often a net of zero). Assuming that the Falcons will beat the Bucs next week, that means that they must lose to the Bills this week by an equal margin that they will beat Tampa Bay. Strange mathematical forces are at play here– it is supernatural, kind of like that “divine ratio” mentioned in the DaVinci Code. Throw in the fact that Bills’ offense didn’t look bad against the Patriots last week and this has the makings of a road upset. I’ll put $55 to win $50 on BUFFALO (+8.5) over Atlanta.

RJ: (5-9-1, Balance = $745) I don’t get the Pittsburgh Steelers. One week they fail to score a single touchdown against the the league’s worst defense, the next week they put up 503 yards passing against the league’s 2nd best pass defense. I do know one thing: Pittsburgh won’t bother trying to run the ball against the Ravens, and it will play right into Baltimore’s hands. Also, the Steelers pass defense is still terrible and they will still be without Troy Polamalu (very unlikely to play). They also didn’t have any answers for Ray Rice in the fourth quarter and overtime in the previous meeting. Despite the early Festivus Miracle of a dramatic last second win against the Packers and the fact that the playoff scenarios actually favor them if they can win out, the Steelers are DONE. I repeat: DONE. That’s D-O-N-E DONE. The Steelers haven’t covered in their last seven games despite being favorites in all of them. Why would that change now? Baltimore (+3) has been playing like a playoff team recently while the Steelers have vomited all over what was once a promising chance to defend their title. $220/200 and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Colts have already kept their streak alive, can the Saints do it on Saturday night? Didn’t know there was a Saturday night game? Well there is and it could be a great one, except for the broadcasters that is. There are some other intriguing matchups this weekend such as Cinci at San Diego, Miami at Tennessee, and the NFC East battle between Washington and NY is always entertaining.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL Week 15 2009 Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: (5-9, Balance =$440) Let me jump on the Green Bay Packers bandwagon for just a little bit. The Steelers haven’t been officially eliminated from the playoffs yet but they might as well have been. After watching that horrendous loss to the Browns, it seems to me that the Steelers have packed it in for the season. When you think Steelers, you think defense but right now that defense is missing. They don’t create turnovers and they can’t stop the run. That’s a recipe for not winning in the playoffs. And since every game is a must win from here on out, this is a virtual playoff game for Pittsburgh.

This pick is more about the demise of the Steelers rather than the Packers (see, I’m trying not to jinx you Packers fans) but the Packers are playing tremendous football since their shocker loss to the Bucs. I will put $110 to win $100 on the Packers and take that one measly point.

BostonMac: (10-4, Balance = $1,480) I am putting it all on the Houston Texans this week, the perpetual team-of-the-future, but more so I’m going against the Rams. The Rams are getting progressively worse, and managed a paltry seven points last week in getting waxed by the Titans. Houston has a lot of confidence after beating up on the Seahawks, and they finally seem to have found some offensive rhythm. I’ll put $55 to win $50 on HOUSTON (-12.5) to keep rolling over St. Louis.

RJ: (5-9, Balance = $745) This is a special time of year for me. The snow starts falling, people from work that I barely know start shoving delicious food into my face, and many NFL teams who have been or are about to be elimated from playoff contention finally start packing it in. I hate the cliche of Teams Going In the Opposite Direction, but there is no better example of this in Green bay travelling to Pittsburgh. If anybody believes the Steelers have any fight left in them, then they must be one of the millions who still don’t get NFL Network on cable.The Steelers, with their playoffs hope on the line, served up a complete frozen turd against a 1-11 team whose quarterback threw for 90 yards.

90 YARDS!!!

If that doesn’t convince them, then Steelers’ DL Casey Hampton’s thoughts after his team’s 6-13 effort in Cleveland should: “It’s a (bleep) wrap, man.”

The Packers, on the other hand, are heading uptown. They’ve cleaned up their pass protection problems, not that the Steelers will bother putting pressure on Aaron Rodgers. Plus, the Steelers secondary is atrocious and Troy Polamalu has been ruled out (again) for Sunday. Also, look for a soild Packers’ defense to put enough pressure on Roethlisberger to force some bad throws to an outstanding Green Bay secondary. Plus, Chris Kemoateu, the Steelers best offensive lineman, is out.

So, I hope everybody has a great holiday. Drive safely in all that snow, enjoy the wonderful food and take the Packers (+1) so you’ll have some extra money to buy your friends here at Sportscolumn.com something nice. $220 to win $200 should take care of all of us. It’s a bleepin wrap, man.

There are some great early and late games this week so Sunday should be a fine football day. Clear out your calendar and make sure you don’t have to leave the house, the playoff race is heating up. The featured games this week are Denver at Indy, Cincy at Minnesota, San Diego at Dallas, and Philly at the NY Giants.

You can download the podcast directly (running time 90 mins) or subscribe to the feed.

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

NFL Week 14 2009 Picks

Straight Up

Against the Spread

* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.

Locks of the Week

Vegas Vinny: (5-8, Balance =$550) I believe the metaphorical expression is dead in the water. And if I were actually betting these games, you’d find me somewhere dead in the Delaware river. Even though I’m down $450 for the season and I seem to have lost the touch, I’m going to give you my lock of the week and hope that I didn’t just jinx your team. The team I’m going with this week are the Arizona Cardinals. They have been playing outstanding on the road, especially Kurt Warner, and after their beatdown of the Vikings, they are my darkhorse to win the NFC again this year. With all the attention on the Saints and Vikings, everyone is looking past last year’s NFC Champs. And all the Cards have done is get better.

I really don’t understand why this is only a 3 point spread. Arizona looks great on defense and their offense is always clicking. On top of that, rumors are that the Niners have quit on Singletary. Gimme Arizona in a blowout. $110 to win $100 on the Cards (-3).

BostonMac: (9-4, Balance = $1,380) I like the way the Packers seem to be clicking and firing on all cylinders, seemingly at the right time. Their offensive line is finally protecting Aaron Rodgers, who continues to have a fine Pro Bowl-caliber season with a minimum of mistakes. With the way their offense is playing and the physicality their defense plays with, they are playing as well as any team in the league right now. Meanwhile over on Lake Michigan, Jay Cutler finally doesn’t throw up a stinkbomb, but passes for a whopping 143 yards against an awful Rams team last week. Packers should keep it rolling. I’ll put $110 to win $100 on GREEN BAY (-3) over the Bears.

RJ: (5-8, Balance = $855) Being from Pittsburgh, the 2009 edition is my least favorite of my football watching lifetime (goes back to 1983). They are arrogant, poorly coached with more guys flapping their gums about leadership than actually doing anything of substance on the field. Certain players have horribly regressed (Lamarr Woodley, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, Jeff Reed) while others are too old (Hines Ward, James Farrior Tyrone Carter) and some just plain stink (William Gay, Lawrence Timmons). Of course, the guys who are performing (Rashard Mendenhall, Melwede Moore, Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller) are being under-utilized while the MVP of the team (Ben Roethlisberger) is being unfairly chastised by horrible teammates (Ward) for being legitimately injured.

Can you tell I’m pissed at the Steelers?

That rant aside, the Football Gods have smiled–for some unknown reason–on Pittsburgh this week. Luckily, they have some things going for them in a Thursday night tilt in Cleveland. First, it’s Cleveland and they’re playing in Cleveland, where they’ve lost once in the last 15 years. The Browns offense has been a little frisky (come back, Trevor) by scoring 37 against the Lions and backdooring the mighty Chargers last week. Second, the weather is going to be awful in Cleveland (low teens and 35 mph winds) so it should favor the Steelers who do have a solid running game while the Browns have none. Also, I never go against the Tomlin Prime Time Thing (13-2 but the last loss was under extreme circumstances and 4-0 in their last 4 Thurs. nights). The reeling Steelers (-10) seem to be giving up too many points for their recent struggles, but the Browns are still way overmatched in this game. Plus, a TD and FG isn’t really that much of a margin. 110/100