Food Buy or "Bye"

            Today on this edition of "Food Buy", I take a look at KFC and their "Nashville Hot Chicken." Is it really as hot and spicy as it's advertised? Let's find out. Because this shit will eventually kill me.

"Buy?" Honestly, my first impression of looking at this piece of food, I thought it was going to be "OMG THIS IS SO SPICY!! MY MOUTH'S ON FIRE!! AAAAAAGH!!" But, it wasn't. Instead, I was treated to a piece of chicken that had a sauce that wasn't too spicy and was a little sweet. It even had a little pickle on top, which was good presentation. If you like spicy food and I mean really spicy food, you might be underwhelmed by this concoction. Otherwise, this is for the average Joe or Jane to try.

Free Agency Hit-Or-Miss (Or Foul)

            Now that most of the quality MLB free agents have been signed to teams, it's time to look at who did the best with their deals, who did the worst, and whose deals will be one of waiting and seeing.

Hit: Jason Heyward's eight-year, $184 million contract with the Cubs Jason Heyward didn't get $200 million, but this isn't that bad of a contract for him or the Cubs. Heyward may be a career .268 hitter, but he's only 26. He's also a spectacular fielder (Four errors in the past 409 games) who batted .293 and stole 23 bases last season. He also spent a majority of his young career at Turner Field, a hitter's nightmare of a park.
Hit: Yoenis Cespedes' three-year, $75 million contract with the Mets Even though Cespedes didn't get the six-year deal that he wanted, he does get to return to the team that he admires in the Mets. Included in his deal is an opt-out clause after a year so that he can seek his six-year deal next year if he wants. Cespedes doesn't just rake in hits (.291, 35 HR, 105 RBI). He also has the most outfield assists in all of baseball in the past two years with 29.
Hit: Jordan Zimmermann's five-year, $110 million contract with the Tigers Detroit was once known for having a stellar rotation, but have fallen to the wayside as of late. As for Zimmermann, 2015 wasn't his best season (3.66 ERA, 13-10, 1.20 WHIP) and he won't strike out 200 batters in a season. However, he doesn't walk many batters either and should form a solid pitching duo with the re-emerging Justin Verlander.
Hit: Justin Upton's six-year, $132.75 million contract with the Tigers As long as Upton's committed to playing in Detroit, then this deal will work out fine. Adding another bat to an already-intimidating lineup with the likes of Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez will help immensely. Upton also gets the luxury of finally not having to play in a pitcher's ballpark like he has done for most of his career. Plus, the Tigers don't have to acquire his brother Melvin Upton, Jr., who's all kinds of disaster.
Foul: Johnny Cueto's six-year, $130 million contract with the Giants Cueto's coming off a questionable 2015 campaign with Kansas City (4.76 ERA, 4-7, 1.45 WHIP), but he should benefit nicely from the transition back into the NL. Plus, he goes into a pitcher's park in AT&T Park. If everything goes right, then San Francisco could have a good pitching duo in Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto.
Foul: David Price's seven-year, $217 million contract with the Red Sox While the Red Sox do have a dire need for starting pitching, I do have a bad feeling about this contract. It might be due to Price going to Fenway or it might be due to his postseason woes. However, Price is a pitcher who can go the distance in games and is coming off a solid 2015 season with Detroit/Toronto (2.45 ERA, 18-5, 225 SO, 1.08 WHIP).
Foul: Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto and his flurry of trades For the Mariners, their time to win is now, especially in the rising AL West. Felix Hernandez and Robinson Cano aren't getting younger and they have a barren farm system to boot. So Jerry Dipoto worked out some deals (actually a lot) and acquired relief pitcher Joquain Benoit, starting pitchers Nathan Karns and Wade Miley, first baseman Adam Lind, and outfielder Leonys Martin. If a good majority of these trades work out for Seattle and they make the postseason, Dipoto will be a good candidate for Executive of the Year.
Miss: Chris Davis' seven-year, $161 million contract with the Orioles The richest contract ever paid out in Orioles history, Baltimore shells out a ridiculous amount of money to a player who batted .262 and struck out 208 times in 2015. Yes, Davis has a ton of power, hitting 126 homers in the past three seasons. However, shelling out record money for a player who strikes out way more than he walks or hits isn't usually a good investment.
Miss: The Dodgers' offseason First, they didn't lock up Zack Greinke, who went to division rival Arizona on a six-year, $206.5 million contract. Then, they had a three-year deal with Hisashi Iwakuma that fell through due to a bad physical (Iwakuma wound up going back to Seattle). Then, they settled for Scott Kazmir (3.10 ERA, 59 walks, 1.21 WHIP), who is sadly not Zack Greinke. They did get Kenta Maeda from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. Otherwise, it was an offseason to forget for Los Angeles.
Miss: The Washington Nationals They had a chance to add bats and protection for MVP Bryce Harper along with some rotation arms, but failed. Yoenis Cespedes turned down a five-year offer to go back to the Mets. Justin Upton went to the Tigers. Wei-Yen Chen went to the Marlins. They acquired NLCS hero Daniel Murphy, who actually didn't have a bad 2015 regular season with the Mets (.281, 14 HR, 73 RBI) along with Ben Revere (.306 BA, .347 OBP, 31 SB). However, that won't do a lot for Harper as he'll have to carry the Nationals' lineup once again.

All statistics provided by baseball-reference.com

NFL Championship Picks

            Well, it's time for the picks, championship edition. We have a good couple of games for the championship slate including a rivalry game between two legendary quarterbacks. Here we go!!

New England vs. Denver: It's Brady vs. Manning again, but this could be the last time we ever see these two go at it. But this isn't the match-up to be watching for. How will Tom Brady fare against the best defense in the NFL this year? The good news for the Patriots is that they get Julian Edelman for this game, so Brady should have another weapon at his disposal. If this is the last Manning/Brady match-up, one can hope that it can live up to the hype and deliver right down to the last minute. Patriots 30, Broncos 27.
Arizona vs. Carolina: Arizona's offense has looked spectacular this season. However, they face a Carolina defense that led the NFL in give/take ratio this year. Cam Newton also had a fairly convincing game against the Seahawks last week, aiding in the huge pileup of points in the 1st half. Panthers 24, Cardinals 23.

Random GIF Post

            I don't really have a lot on my mind, so I'm just going to post some GIF images that I think are funny or interesting. I scoured the internet and found certain images that I hope will strike your fancy. Here we go!!

C'mon friends. You know like the Donald. Right? Guys??

This Week's Picks

            Last week saw four road teams win in the wild card round; a first in NFL history. I managed to pick all four of those games correctly sans the scores (Lucky for me that Blair Walsh missed that 27-yard field goal). I don't think I'll be duplicating last week's success. However, let's hope for the best.

Kansas City vs. New England: The Chiefs are riding an 11-game win streak and are playing some of their best football in franchise history. However, the playoff-tested Patriots will scratch out a victory here. Patriots 31, Chiefs 20
Green Bay vs. Arizona:  Revenge will be on the minds of the Packers, who got whipped in their Week 16 loss at Arizona. However, Arizona seems to be too much for Green Bay and is coming off some rest. Too loaded on offense and Patrick Peterson will hold the secondary together. Cardinals 34, Packers 20
Seattle vs. Carolina: Revenge will also be on the minds of the Seahawks, who are hoping to avenge a Week 6 loss at home to the Panthers. The Seahawks' defense has only allowed one touchdown in the past six road games, but Carolina led the NFL this season in Give/Take ratio. This game will come down to who wants it more. Seahawks 19, Panthers 17
Pittsburgh vs. Denver: I would pick the Steelers here. But, Ben Roethlisberger isn't 100% and his best receiver in Antonio Brown is out. Still, this should be a close game since Peyton Manning's not the best playoff quarterback. I will go with the Broncos based on how spectacular their defense has been this season. Broncos 16, Steelers 13

Next Relocation Spot?

            With the NFL finally settling into Los Angeles, speculation about which team will head to Southern California can end (at least for now). However, that doesn't mean that relocation talk has ended. Here's a small list of cities that will likely be at the forefront of relocation talks.

London: Perhaps the main city of speculation. The NFL hopes to expand overseas one day and London is an ideal spot due to the interest of American football there. Plus, they have an NFL-ready stadium in Wembley Stadium. The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be the main team in this discussion, considering their deal to play in London once a year.
San Antonio: It's rumored that Mark Davis will try and settle his Raiders here since the Carson stadium deal fell through. There's good reason to do so: The Alamodome was the temporary home (one of two) of the New Orleans Saints during Hurricane Katrina. If Bob NcNair and Jerry Jones are okay with the Raiders relocating to San Antonio, then we could see the Texas Raiders in the NFL.
Hartford: The late Malcolm Glazer proposed Hartford as one of his relocation spots (along with Los Angeles, of course) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before they got their stadium issues resolved. In fact, the New England Patriots almost called Hartford their home. Hartford seems more interested in getting their Whalers back before the NFL. Plus, they might not have a population big enough to host a team. But if Green Bay can do it, why can't Hartford?
San Jose: A top-ten city in population, the Raiders could look into relocating here. There's plenty of industry here, especially in the technology industry. The 49ers might have a problem considering it's closer to San Francisco, but it's not too far-fetched of an idea.
Portland: This is unlikely since Seahawks owner Paul Allen will have a say in this. However, it's a fun idea to think about considering how popular the NFL is in the Pacific Northwest.
Columbus: Could the Horseshoe also be home to an NFL team? Possibly. After all, Columbus has a bigger population than both Cincinnati and Cleveland combined. Maybe if the Bengals start having issues or if the Browns can't get their act together, then this could be a destination for one of those two teams.

Postseason Picks: Part One

            The NFL postseason is upon us, which means that the football season altogether is winding down. Still, let us try and make the most of this remaining month of football. Check out this week's picks!

Kansas City vs. Houston: This should be a low-scoring game as two of the best defenses (since Week 8) square off. The Chiefs are riding a ten-game winning streak thanks to the likes of a potent secondary led by Marcus Peters (eight interceptions, 26 passes deflected, 60 total tackles) and Eric Berry (61 total tackles). They also a pass rush led by Justin Houston (7.5 sacks), Derrick Johnson (116 total tackles, four sacks), and Tamba Hali (6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles). The Texans have a solid pass rush as well thanks to J.J. Watt (17.5 sacks). Both teams have played well after slow starts (Kansas City started 1-5, Houston started 2-5). But I'm giving Kansas City the slight edge here. Chiefs 17, Texans 14
Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati: The Cincinnati Bengals haven't won a playoff game since 1990, the longest drought in the NFL. They'll miss Andy Dalton, but they do have some bright spots on defense. Reggie Nelson (eight interceptions, 77 total tackles) and Carlos Dunlap (13.5 sacks, 55 combined tackles) have been pleasant surprises for Cincinnati's defense. However, Ben Roethlisberger and crew (3rd-best offense in the NFL) will be too much for Cincinnati as the Bengals will miss their main QB in Dalton. Steelers 31, Bengals 24
Seattle vs. Minnesota: This game will be one of the coldest playoff games ever. It's expected to be in the single digits come game time. However, there has been one player that has been sizzling and his name's Russell Wilson. Leading the 4th-best offense in the NFL (6,058 total yards of offense), Wilson (4,024 passing yards, 34 touchdowns) has picked up the slack when times got rough in Seattle. He's had a completion percentage of 70% or higher in five of his last seven games and has only thrown one interception in that frame. Expect more of Wilson's stellar play here. Seahawks 35, Vikings 24
Green Bay vs. Washington: This could be a good opportunity for Washington to surprise some people. After all, the Redskins are 6-2 at home this year and Green Bay hasn't been up to snuff. However, they haven't been the Packers of old due to Jordy Nelson's ACL injury and some questionable play from Aaron Rodgers and the offense in recent games. However, if you're asking me to pick between Rodgers and Kirk Cousins in the playoffs, I'll take Rodgers every time. Packers 20, Redskins 19

Bonus Pick: Alabama 38, Clemson 21

1st Post of 2016... On the Playlist

            Here's another edition of "On the Playlist!" This month, we take a look at some video game music that I'm bumping through my headphones. Some of these games you'll remember playing during your childhood, while some others you'll be acquainted with quickly. So, check it out!!