Week 4 picks and reverse-jinxie

Before I get to my Week 4 NFL picks, I need some reverse-jinxie for the Minnesota Twins.

You see, I'm pretty sure I messed up what could have been a huge weekend by basically saying the Twins were destined for the playoffs. I mocked the USC Trojans for losing to Oregon State, calling out USC's biggest fan, Steve Bortstein, in the process. Steve, of course, told me a few weeks back that the Twins would fold down the stretch. So after they swept the White Sox, I started treating this weekend like a three-day coronation.

And here we are, with one day left in the regular season and Minnesota clinging to a slim half-game lead in the AL Central. Both the Twins, under Ron Gardenhire, who thinks it's a felony to let a starting pitcher throw more than 100 pitches, and White Sox, under schizophrenic manager Ozzie Guillen, are playing like homeless dogs.

Still, there's hope for a playoff berth today, if Chicago loses and Minnesota wins. My game plan? Go for a run and clear my head, think good thoughts and pray. Also, admit in a public forum (that would be here) that I like the USC Trojans and feel horrible about their collapse against the Beavers. That's my plan for a little reverse-jinxie: admitting I counted chickens before any hatched, touting USC, and praying.

Let's move on.

My picks for Week 4 of the NFL slate, which, given the enormity of MLB's final day, means nothing to me aside from my fantasy football team (called Team Jake Taylor). That's less a reflection of my fondness of football (love it) and more a reflection of how I feel about my team, the Vikings, who have made an art form of doing less with more.

OK, for real this time, NFL picks.

Today's Games
* Arizona at N.Y. Jets (Jets, 21-17)