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Much is required from fall’s It footwear: comfort, practicality, and versatility. These low-to high-heeled winners fill the bill — with style to boot.

The Best Low-Heeled Boots

You’re sure to stay stylishly grounded in any of the following boots.

Shown, clockwise from top:

Twenty Two, $450
Solid construction makes this selection stand up for the long haul. The distressed olive leather is “unusual but still versatile,” commented one tester. Available in two colors.
To Buy: 415-409-2277.

Geox, $280
This riding boot boasts a breathable sole, soft leather, “sophisticated” gold-tone details, and exceptional value for the money. Available in two colors.
To Buy: 212-319-3310.

Taryn Rose, $715
“Worth every penny,” said a staffer of this metallic-flecked suede boot. Designed by a former orthopedic surgeon, it’s stylish and sensible, with antishock cushioning that can decrease joint aches. Available in two colors.
To Buy: www.tarynrose.com.

Delman, $395
This refined suede boot “flatters the foot with its streamlined design,” said a judge. Rubber-capped soles make them easy to stroll in. Available in three colors.
To Buy: Bergdorf Goodman, 800-558-1855 for locations.

The Best Medium-Heeled Boots

At 3 to 3 1/4 inches, these heels add just the right amount of height without subtracting a bit of comfort.

Shown, clockwise from top:

Claudia Ciuti, $506
A staple gets a twist with lush dark green suede. The wedge heel relieves pressure on the ball of the foot, while the grooved rubber sole supplies traction. Six colors, available by special order.
To Buy: 212-535-3025.

Gianni Bini, $89
Practically a steal, this leather boot has a slender heel that “effortlessly dresses up an outfit,” noted a staffer. The pointed toe is fashionably sharp but doesn’t pinch. Available in four colors.
To Buy: www.giannibini.com.

Loeffler Randall, $685
You’ll fall in love with this leather boot’s flawless design, but its comfort is what will keep you happy. The cone heel provides extra support; the full calf, extra style. Available in three colors.
To Buy: Nordstrom, 888-282-6060 for locations.

Aerosoles, $160
“Perfect to tuck your jeans into,” said one tester of this brown-suede buckled beauty. And with the reasonable price, you can’t go wrong. Available in three colors.
To Buy: www.aerosoles.com.

The Best High-Heeled Boots

Elevate your look in more ways than one in these picks with heels of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches.

Shown, clockwise from top:

Coach, $378
Roam the full range of outfits, from work to weekend, in this modern take on the classic cowboy boot. The solid wooden sole can endure a good pounding, and one staffer loved the “perfectly snug” fit. In brown only.
To Buy: 866-262-2440 for locations.

Cole Haan, $550
The boost of cushioning, courtesy of the heel’s Nike Air technology, won plenty of praise. “I could wear them from day into night without worrying about aches or blisters,” one staffer said. In black only.
To Buy: www.colehaan.com.

Brooks Brothers, $448
Smooth, luxurious calfskin leather and a slim wooden heel add up to “timeless style,” in one tester’s words. In brown only.
To Buy: www.brooksbrothers.com.

Fioni, $35
Given its faux suede and man-made sole, this bootie isn’t really built to last, but you get plenty of style for the low price. A tester liked that it’s “a great match with tights or slim pants.” Available in two colors.
To Buy: www.payless.com.

The 905 is experiencing huge growth, especially in places like Milton – Canada’s fastest growing city over the last 5 years

Toronto is Canada’s largest city and its leading city internationally.

In 2007, Toronto was ranked by Foreign Direct Investment magazine as the best North American city for quality of life and placed second behind Chicago as North America’s “Major City of the Future.”

The Economist’s 2007 ranking lists Toronto as the fifth most livable city in the world.

POPULATION AND JOBS

The population of Toronto in 2006 was 2,503,281, up only 0.9 per cent since 2001, far less growth than had been projected.

From 2000 to 2006, the number of jobs in Toronto declined by 1.6 per cent.

Over the past 10 years (1996-2006) natural increase in Toronto’s population (birth minus deaths) has fallen by 49 per cent.

FINANCIAL STATUS

Toronto’s financial position weakened in 2006 as the municipal government continued to contend with a structural deficit estimated at $1.1 billion per year. The city has relied on unsustainable income sources — reserve funds and debt — to balance its budget.

Toronto’s reserve funds, at $537 per capita (in 2005) were already about half the Ontario average and about a quarter of the average in the region. The 2007 budget anticipates a further draw of $278 million from limited reserve funds.

Since 1998, the year of amalgamation, the city’s debt level has doubled and now represents the second largest component of the property tax bill behind police services.

THE REGION

The region as a whole is growing in both population and prosperity.

The region is home to 42 per cent of Ontario’s population and contributes 47per cent of its gross domestic product.

In 2006, the population of the region was 5,113,149, up 9.2 per cent since 2001 (4,682,897).

From 2000 to 2006 the number of jobs in the region excluding Toronto grew by 27.8 per cent.

OVERALL

The region outside Toronto is doing the growing. Toronto appears to have stalled.

ABOUT THE REPORT

Toronto refers to the former Regional Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, which consisted of the former cities of Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York and the Borough of East York.

The region refers to the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area, a group of municipalities considered by Statistics Canada “to have a high degree of integration with the City of Toronto.” Almost half of the population of the region resides in the city. The region is an area slightly smaller than the GTA.

The region is comprised of the City of Toronto plus 23 other municipalities: Ajax, Aurora, Bradford, West Gwillimbury, Brampton, Caledon, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, Georgina Island, Halton Hills, King Township, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Mono Township, Newmarket, Tecumseth, Oakville, Orangeville, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Uxbridge, Whitchurch-Stouffville and Vaughan.

Where primary sources have adjusted statistics for a previous period, corresponding updates have been made to Vital Signs historical and trend data.

Matt Holliday crashes in to score the winning run, clinching the a wild card berth for the Rockies and eliminating San Diego

After watching my beloved Padres get eliminated from postseason contention in the 163rd game of the year in heartbreaking fashion vs. a division rival, it’s time to look ahead and make my Division Series predictions…

Let’s start in the American League, where in my mind, all signs are pointing to a Yankees/Red Sox ALCS, which is always bittersweet. Do I really want to watch those clubs advance - two evil empires and perennial division rivals of the local team, the Toronto Blue Jays? Of course not. I hate both clubs with a passion and I’m just praying for a year in which both clubs’ big free agent signings totally backfire and each team misses the playoffs… Like that’s going to happen. BUT, if they have to play, it’s always good television. The two highest-spending clubs, steeped in tradition matching up is always chalk full of drama… Anyway, I just think it’s a New York/Boston kind of year - I don’t like the Angels and the Indians are good but young.

Boston Red Sox vs. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
I think Boston sweeps this one. The Angels are a little banged up, and even when healthy during the season, this club didn’t impress me. I know they ran away with their division, but when I got the chance to see them play the Jays earlier in the season, they were less than impressive. It seems like it’s Boston’s year — I have to take them until someone proves they can beat them.
Red Sox 3-0

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees
The Tribe are a great young club, but they’re just that: young. Other than the ageless wonder, Kenny Lofton, they have exactly zero playoff experience. Does that matter? Maybe not that much — but against a veteran Yankee club looking to make amends for two straight first round exits, I think it will. If the Yankees lose, it will be because their pitching let them down yet again, which was the case two years ago vs. the Angels and last year against the Tigers. Cleveland has the better pitching staff, but I think the Yankee lineup will wear them out. They’ll split in Cleveland and the Yanks will win both back in the Bronx.
Yankees 3-1

Okay, now the National League. Yes, it still hurts seeing the Rockies travel to Philly, but I think my Padres were a flawed team. They rely too much on their pitching staff, which just hasn’t come through in the clutch the last two playoffs. Factor that with an anemic offence, and I think the Phillies make quick work of them in 3 or 4 games. Padres: go and re-tool - bring in a couple of bats and continue to tweak the pitching staff and come back next year. Until then, go away - you don’t have the tools to win in October. The Rockies are a well-balanced team (and they’re also red hot, winning 14 of 15 down the stretch) who should give the Phils all they can handle. The Cubs/DBacks series should be good too, although I won’t be watching the first two games in Phoenix with those late start times…

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs
Well, the Cubbies are back to the postseason, so here we go again: How will they screw it up in dramatic fashion yet again? Well, lucky for Cubs’ fans with heart problems, I think they’ll be gone quickly before having the chance to perform another monumental collapse in the NLCS on the verge of the World Series…. The DBacks are young and scrappy, have a great pitching staff, home advantage and are playing with a nothing-to-lose attitude. The Cubs have some loose cannons on their team, including their manager. That will cost them at some point. Oh, and they’re not really that good, either.
DBacks 3-2

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are red hot, amazingly winning 14 of 15 down the stretch, including a dramatic 13-inning come-from-behind victory in a one-game playoff vs. the Padres to qualify for the dance. The Phillies played well down the stretch also, winning the division on the last day, a game earlier than the Rockies. Will the Rockies continue their run, or are they running on empty now after making the playoffs? Normally, we fall in love with the hot team down the stretch when in fact, in the last few seasons, teams that struggled in September were able to right the ship and knock out the up-and-comers (see last year’s World Series Champion Cardinals, and the White Sox before them). So take the Phillies right? Well, no. The Phillies still had no right being in the playoffs — I think it had more to do with the Mets’ unfathomable collapse than their play. The Rockies earned it. They have a young, balanced team with some solid pitching and Holliday and Helton tearing the cover off the ball. The Phillies’ big slugger, Ryan Howard on the other hand, has a high strikeout total. He’s the kind of player that puts up big regular season numbers but falls flat on his face in the playoffs when the pitching is tougher and the pressure is on…
Rockies 3-1

Now Milton, what do you think?

Sidney Crosby models the new RBK Edge NHL uniforms the league has switched to for the 2007-08 season

The NHL is all wet — literally. The combination of intense activity, indoor arenas, and full-body uniforms with loads of padding creates a lot of sweat, plus the skate blades are constantly creating ice spray, which condenses as it hits the players. So when the Reebok folks were designing a new uniform system for the NHL, they devised a series of moisture-repellant fabrics. For months now league officials have been doing this little party trick where they pour a glass of water onto one of the new jerseys, so everyone can see how the water rolls right off.

But here’s the thing: All that moisture has to go somewhere. And according to a growing chorus of complaints from NHL players, it’s going mainly into their gloves and skates, which have become a sloshy, saturated mess.

Another unintended consequence of the new uniforms: They’re so stretchy and, in some cases, so prone to tearing along the seams that they’re easy to pull over an opponent’s face during a fight, which can lead to major problems.

All of which shows that changing an entire league’s uniforms en masse, as the NHL and Reebok have done this season, is a tricky proposition. There’s no precedent for it among the major team sports — the closest parallel is the sea change in baseball triggered in 1970 by the Pirates, who switched from button-up vests, belted pants, and flannel fabric to a pullovers, elastic waistbands, and double-knit polyester. Within three years, all 24 MLB teams had gone to polyester, 14 had switched from button fronts to pullovers, and 16 had switched from belts to waistbands.

But that gradual transition happened incrementally, whereas the NHL changes — which involve graphics and aesthetics as much as new fabrics and tailoring considerations — are being thrust upon us all at once. With the regular season slated to begin this weekend, every single team has new uniforms, although some of the changes are more modest than others.

We’ll get to the new designs in a minute, but first here are some leaguewide provisions to keep in mind:

• There are no “third” or alternate uniforms this season — just home and road. Alternate unis may reappear next season.

• The league is sticking to the same home/road protocol that’s been used in recent years: colors at home, white on the road.

• Back in January, at last season’s All-Star Game, the refs wore silver armbands, instead of their usual orange. At the time, it was announced that this change would be made permanent this season. That plan has now been scrapped, and refs’ arms have been orange-banded as usual during preseason games.

OK, now let’s look at those much-ballyhooed new team uniforms, which Reebok reportedly worked on for 37 years, at a cost of $19 trillion (give or take a billion). With so many new designs, a team-by-team breakdown would be too unwieldy (if you want to see how your favorite team looks, there’s an excellent series of photo galleries here). Instead, let’s examine some of the trends and tropes that run through many of the new designs. In fact, in honour of these trends, I’ve categorized the teams into seven ‘divisions:’

THE APRON STRINGS DIVISION

Description: Apron-like piping that runs down the front of the jersey, or sometimes from the collar to the sleeves. Often repeated on the back (and, in the case of the Blues, onto the pants). Sometimes clashes with captaincy designations.

Teams Affected: Panthers, Oilers, Capitals, Predators, Blues, Avalanche, Thrashers, Flames.

Milton Sports Guy says: Worst thing to happen to hockey since Gary Bettman became commissioner. In fact, since this happened on his watch and seems to sum up everything that’s gone wrong during his tenure, we should henceforth refer to the piping as “Bettman stripes.”

THE DIAPER EFFECT DIVISION

Description: Unfortunate flap of white created by the new jerseys’ rounded shirttail hemlines. Somewhat less egregious version sometimes seen in other colors.

Teams Affected: Most teams with straight waistline stripes, including the Rangers, Blackhawks, Canadiens, and several others.

Milton Sports Guy says: For generations hockey jerseys have had straight hemlines and straight waistline striping. But the new jerseys all have these scooped hemlines (I still haven’t heard a decent explanation for why), which just don’t work with a hockey jersey’s traditional abdominal striping — the straight stripes and the curved shirttail invariably clash. One way around this problem, as several teams have figured out, is to put curved piping right along the hemline edge (compare the two approaches here — it’s no contest); another is to eschew lower striping altogether as the Leafs and Coyotes have done. But a much better solution would be to go back to straight hemlines.

JERSEY SQUEEZE DIVISION

Description: Narrower chest area than before, due to all the new stretch panels and seams that have been added in the upper-chest/shoulder areas of the jersey, leaving less room for chest graphics.

Teams Affected: The Rangers have had to make their diagonal insignia more vertical (compare last season to this season), several teams have been forced to move their captaincy designations either too close to the collar and crest or to the other side of the jersey, and Dallas’ star-based design had to be scrapped because the new jersey’s construction made it impossible to reproduce.

Milton Sports Guy says: Textbook case of engineering trumping design.

READ ANY GOOD UNIFORMS LATELY? DIVISION

Description: The use of words and/or numbers on the front of the jersey.

Teams Affected: Islanders, Sharks, Lightning, Stars, Canucks.

Milton Sports Guy says: The trend of front-jersey numbers began last season with the Sabres, and I still doesn’t see the point of it. You’ve already got numbers on the back and on the sleeves, so the additional number feels extraneous, plus it clutters everything up. But I kinda like what Vancouver and Dallas are doing, in part because it hearkens back to NHL history. It’s hard to argue with the elemental simplicity of a well-executed jersey crest, but I’m intrigued by the alpha-numeric trend — let’s see where it goes.

THE REE-BOX DIVISION

Description: Little contrast-colored tab to showcase the Reebok logo (as opposed to just having the logo be the same color as the surrounding fabric, as had been standard practice in the past).

Teams Affected: Avalanche, Panthers, Blues, Predators.

Milton Sports Guy says: Most offensive case of logo creep ever. It’s one thing to slap your logo onto a design; it’s another to make it part of the design. Then again, maybe I’m being too harsh. After all, it’s not as though the Reebok folks have plastered their logos on helmets, gloves, hip pads, sticks, goalie mitts and blockers, goalie pads, or the blue line, have they?

STRIPES THAT DON’T STRIPE (Sleeve Division)

Description: The odd phenomenon of sleeve stripes that wrap only part of the way around the sleeve.

Teams Affected: Oilers, Panthers.

Milton Sports Guy says: Look, it’s simple: You either have sleeve stripes or you don’t. You can’t have it both ways.

STRIPES THAT DON’T STRIPE (Hosiery Division)

Description: Slanted sock stripes that don’t wrap all the way around.

Teams Affected: Senators, Lightning.

Milton Sports Guy says: When the new Reebok uni system was unveiled at last season’s All-Star Game, the sock stripes were the silliest design element. I figured it was just one of those ill-advised “innovations” that so often afflict all-star uniforms. Surely nobody would want to incorporate that sock concept into a regular team design, right? Wrong.

I know I sound like a big curmudgeon here, but what other option is there when so many of the new design elements are so insipid? Here are some bright spots: The Original Six teams have all pretty much stayed true to their roots; the Sharks and Coyotes have done excellent updates; and the Wild have taken one of the league’s best alternate uniforms and turned it into one of the league’s best home uniforms.

“OK,” you’re saying, “but those are all pretty old-school looks. Don’t you like anything new?” Actually, yes. One team has come up with a new design that feels at once classic and contemporary: the Blue Jackets. Sleeve piping instead of ‘Bettman stripes,’ hemline piping instead of waistline stripes — looks good, right? Even from the back. This, friends, is the future of hockey uniforms. Or at least it should be.

What do you think, Milton?

The following column is by Robert Benzie, Queen’s Park Bureau Chief

What is MMP?

MMP or mixed-member proportional representation is a political system used in places like New Zealand and Germany, where voters cast a two-part ballot, selecting both a preferred local candidate and a political party.

In Ontario’s version, voters would choose “local” MPPs in the traditional way in 90 newly created, larger ridings instead of the existing 107 constituencies. With their vote for the party of their choice on the second part of the ballot, they would also select an additional 39 MPPs from lists of candidates compiled by the parties.

These “list” MPPs would be elected based on their parties’ popular vote, to top up a party’s tally of “local” MPPs and more accurately reflect results across the province. The Legislature would be expanded to 129 MPPs to accommodate the changes.

What are the advantages of MMP?

Smaller parties like the Greens, the Family Coalition, and the Freedom Party would have a chance at winning seats in the Legislature even if they cannot win a riding outright. Any party that wins at least 3 per cent of the popular vote will be awarded “list” seats. It would mean the end of majority governments when a party has won less than half the vote and prevent scenarios like former NDP premier Bob Rae’s landslide victory in 1990 with 37.6 per cent of the vote.

What are the disadvantages of MMP?

Critics charge the 39 “list” MPPs would not be directly elected and the parties could use the lists as a sort of Senate to reward party apparatchiks, financial donors or others. As well, it would likely spell the end of decisive, majority governments since no party has won 50 per cent or more of the popular vote since 1937.

What is “first-past-the-post”?

First-past-the-post, or FPTP, is the current method of electing MPPs and is how Canadians have traditionally chosen federal and provincial representatives. It is a winner-take-all system, where the candidate with the most votes wins a riding. The political party that wins the most electoral districts forms the government.

What are the advantages of FPTP?

Simplicity and familiarity. The system is in use in countries around the world, including Britain and Australia and has served Ontario and Canada for generations.

What are the disadvantages of FPTP?

The winner-take-all nature of it means that the majority’s voting intent may not be honoured. In recent history, most Ontario voters did not want Dalton McGuinty, Mike Harris or Bob Rae as premier, yet all three were elected with majority governments. It also means the ballots of dissenting voters in ridings won by the Liberals, Tories, or New Democrats are meaningless province-wide. In theory, a party could win all 103 seats by winning every riding with a little over one-third of the vote.

Who selected MMP as the alternative to FPTP?

The new system was proposed by the Ontario Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform, a group of 104 people – 103 selected to represent every riding and George Thomson, a former judge and senior civil servant, who chaired the panel – which prepared a report for the government after holding public hearings.

How do I vote in the referendum?

There will be a separate referendum ballot that can be cast when you submit your election ballot. Both ballots will go in the same box.

What does it take for the referendum to pass?

The proposal must be approved by a “super majority” of 60 per cent of the votes cast across Ontario and by at least 50 per cent of the voters in 64 of the 107 ridings.

If passed, when would the new system take effect?

It would be in place for the next provincial election scheduled for 2011. However, if there is a minority government, the next election could come as early as 2008.

On a mixed-member proportional representation ballot, voters are asked to make two marks: one for a party (on the left) and one for a local candidate (on the right). The local candiate with the most votes is elected as with the current system, but additional seats are apportioned based on the party vote. This is a sample only - Elections Ontario would design its own if MMP is approved.

Your questions:

Could a candidate run in a riding, be defeated overwhelmingly by the voters, but be appointed by the party to represent them regardless via the “list” route? Would the “list” candidates be elected by the party membership as a whole rather than selected by a committee party insider group whose reasons for “list” inclusion might be suspect?
Russell G. Wilkinson,
Creemore, Ont.

Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Robert Benzie replies:
Yes. For example, each party is almost certain to have its leader at the top of its list. Senior government cabinet ministers and top party veterans or star candidates would also be atop a party’s list because these would be the MPPs the party most wants to elect. While not every party would qualify for a list seat – the party that wins the most directly elected seats of the 90 up for grabs may not even get one of the 39 appointed seats because their popular vote tally might not be high enough – parties would be shrewd to use their lists as a safety net for their leader.

Are the list members selected by the parties chosen in a predetermined order? Do the parties publish a list of ranked individuals they will choose depending on the number of list members they can chose?
Robert Taylor,
Toronto

Yes and yes.

I have read a lot about the MMP but can’t get a clear answer about how the “list” candidates will be chosen.
Patricia Beurteaux,
Elliot Lake

Thirty-nine members to be chosen from the “list” provided by each party. Will these members be chosen from the party faithful who are owed favours, or will they have to be nominated and campaign for the opportunity to be shoehorned into the legislature?
Rob Jackson,
Beamsville

How each party selects its list remains to be seen. Even in the current system, the parties have different nominating systems: Premier Dalton McGuinty is allowed to appoint five candidates of the Liberals’ 107 without any competitive nomination process, while Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory’s party doesn’t allow for any appointed candidates. How each party selects its list candidates would likely up to the party: Some may opt for an open, all-party vote, while others may just have party insiders choose the list.

Since there will now be 129 members in the legislature instead of 107, can I assume that the new system will cost me (the taxpayer) approximately 20 per cent more than the old?
Andre Cyr,
Belleville

Yes, having 129 MPPs will definitely cost more than having just 107. However, it’s worth noting that we used to have 130 before then-premier Mike Harris trimmed the number to 103 (to match the boundaries of Ontario’s federal ridings) for the 1999 election.

How will the riding boundaries change if the new system is put in place and who will decide this?
Jo Rogge,
Parry Sound

Any changes to riding boundaries would be determined by Elections Ontario, a non-partisan agency of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that works under the direction of the province’s chief electoral officer.

What would these list candidates do day to day? Traditionally, MPPs have constituent duties that these list MPPs would not have. How would they earn their salaries?
Elizabeth Sloan, Ajax

List MPPs would be considered “at large” representatives, and would have legislative obligations on committees.

Do both the candidate vote and the party vote count towards tallying the percentage of the popular vote that parties receive in order to determine how many of the 39 filler seats they are given? In other words, if 1,000 ballots are filled out with both votes on each ballot, is the popular vote determined by 1,000 or 2,000 votes?
Adam Roberts, Ottawa

List seats are based on the total number of votes for both individual candidates and parties. So, using this example, all 2,000 votes would be counted in the calculation.

What will the total cost be to implement an MMP system if it is approved in the upcoming referendum?
Karen Golec, Pickle Lake, Ont.

No such figure has been published. However, it seems fair to assume that the ongoing cost for MPPs would be at least 20 per cent higher, because the number of MPPs would rise roughly 20 per cent (to 129 from the current 107).

The Bills get some national exposure this week on Monday Night Football coming off an unexpected victory over the Jets

Carolina at New Orleans (-3)
Here is the only thing the Saints have going for them this weekend – Panther starting QB Jake Delhomme will likely miss his second straight start with a bad elbow. Here’s just a few of the reasons why the Saints will NOT cover the spread – Carolina beat them both times last year (2 of the only 6 loses the Saints suffered last year), Panthers’ back-up QB (David Carr) has plenty of NFL experience and now is starting with a much better supporting cast than his previous team, the Saints are winless this year – with their defence being a non-factor having been beaten by a minimum of 17 points each game, the Saints have not scored over 14 points in a game thus far and they are not getting stellar performances from QB Brees nor from RB Bush. If you require another 5 or 10 reasons just let me know…
Panthers

Jacksonville (-2.5) at Kansas City
After a horrible start to the season with two losses, you’ve got to like the home team in this one, as they’re coming off of two big wins over a decent Vikings team (with a tough top-ranked rush defence) and then on the road over San Diego last week. After 4 weeks, the Chiefs have the 3rd best total defence, allowing 285 yards per game. These two teams played a high-scoring game in week 16 last season, with the Chiefs prevailing 35-30. The Chiefs look poised to win this game at home, but it will not be a cake walk.
Chiefs

Detroit at Washington (-3.5)
The Lions enter week five with the 4th best offense (387 yards per game) and the top ranked passing offense. The Redskins’ two wins this season were against a bad Miami team and a then-slumping Eagles squad – they simply do not stack up against a much improved 2007 Lions team.
Detroit

Atlanta at Tennessee (-8.5)
In their last ten regular season games, the Titans are 8 and 2, with their only losses being against elite teams New England (week 16 last season) and Indianapolis (lost by 2 points in week 2 this season). With the second-best rushing offense so far thus year, and the second-best rush defense as well, look for the Titans to feed it to the lowly Falcons on both sides of the ball.
Titans

Miami at Houston (-5.5)
You’ve got to like how the winless Miami D stacks-up against the Texan offense in this game – with Houston looking relatively ineffective with their running game thus far, while their passing game will go up against the 2nd best pass defense in the league. Houston beat Miami by just 2 points at home last season. Miami may not win (why start now?), but they will beat the spread.
Dolphins

Seattle at Pittsburgh (-6)
After starting the season 3-1 against four teams that each had losing records last season the Steelers will get face their first worthy opponent of the season, which will result in a MUCH closer game than their 3 blow-out wins this year. Seattle has had almost as easy of a schedule thus far as well, so this game will truly be a first look at how each of these teams can compete against good teams this season.
Seahawks

Cleveland at New England (-14.5)
Time for the Browns to get a heaping dose of reality in week 5 – facing an incredible 4-0 Patriots team that has won all four of their games by a minimum of 21 points (scoring a minimum of 34 points per game while allowing no more than 14 points per game to be scored against them). Cleveland is simply no match for the #1 ranked defense and #2 ranked offense of the league so far this year.
Patriots

Arizona (-3.5) at St. Louis
You are an NFL coach – after 4 weeks with 4 straight loses, where your starting QB has thrown a total of only one touchdown pass and is playing with two broken ribs. Don’t you think it’s time for a change? Welcome to what has to be a frustrating situation for not only Rams fans, but for their more-than-qualified back-up QB Gus Ferotte, who’s just gotta be shouting “put me in coach, I’m ready.” However, there is no sign this is in the works. Meanwhile they’ll meet another tough opponent this week – a Cards team that just upset the Steelers 21-14 last week, so winning by 4 points over the lowly Rams should be no problem.
Cardinals

N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants (-3)
The one-sided battle of New York! Consider these interesting facts: the Giants lost their first two games of the season against two teams that are now a perfect 8-0 combined (Dallas & Green Bay). Since then, they’ve come back with two straight wins against other worthy opponents (Washington and Philadelphia). Meanwhile the Jets are 1-3, with their only win against the 0-4 Dolphins. The Jets QB’s are fighting for the back-up job for this game, facing the red-hot Giants D that racked up an amazing TWELVE SACKS against the Eagles last week.
G-men

Tampa Bay at Indianapolis (-10)
Sure the Colts are 4 and 0 – but the Bucs are 3-1 AND the Bucs bring the 5th best defense with them (291 yards allowed per game this season). This game not only matches the third-best offense against the great Bucs’ D, it also matches the Bucs against their former coach, Tony Dungy – so this will be a hard-fought battle down to the end, with both coaches wanting to put their mark on this game. The Bucs will be challenged with 3 of their starting offensive players out for the season: FB Alstott was lost in the pre-season, while RB Cadillac Williams and LB Petitgout were both knocked-out last week, but their D will keep them in this one.
Buccaneers

San Diego at Denver (-1)
The Broncos last two games – both losses – is more indicative of their overall abilities, while the world is still waiting for the real Charger team to show-up. With Denver having the best pass defense so far this season the Chargers’ fate will lie with RB Ladanian Tomlinson, who is more than due to carry San Diego on his back for a few wins starting this weekend, especially when you consider San Diego beat Denver both times last year – 35 to 27 and 48 to 20. Charger Coach Norv Turner needs this win if he wants to keep his job much longer. Denver RB Travis Henry is out for this game, but replacement Mike Bell is no slouch.
Chargers

Baltimore (-3.5) at San Francisco
Things are not favourable for the 49ers in this match – their QB Alex Smith is out 3 to 4 weeks with a bad shoulder (not that he’s been playing that well anyway), leaving Trent Dilfer at the helm (0TD/2INT/6 sacks last week) to lead the team and star RB Gore will face his biggest challenge of the season against the 4th-ranked Raven run D.
Ravens

Chicago at Green Bay (-3)
These two teams had lopsided wins against each other last season (Bears won 26-0 in week 1 at Green Bay, while Packers won 26-7 in Chicago in their final game of the season). The difference this year is the Packers look fantastic at 4-0 while the Bears are floundering at 1-3, with their back-up QB Griese slated to make his second straight start after throwing 3 INT’s and being sacked 6 times last week in a loss to Detroit. You’ve gotta take Favre at home against a messed-up Chicago.
Packers

Dallas (-10) at Buffalo
The wings ain’t the only thing giving Buffalo residents heartburn! Coming off their high of a win over the Jets last week, the Bills will be b*tch-slapped back into reality with the nation watching in the Monday-nighter by Dallas. This game will be over before the half – with the 4-0 Cowboys’ top-ranked offense (440 yards per game) having lead their team to win all of their games by 10 points or more this season.
Cowboys

Survivor
(Pick one team to win outright each week, trying to put together the longest streak of consecutive winning picks while not able to pick any given team more than once during the season.)

Tip #1 on winning a Survivor pool – you can’t pick the top/elite teams every week if you want to make it all the way, you’ve got to leave some aces up your sleeve for later in the season (so I’m holding on to Indianapolis, New England and Green Bay until later, waiting to cash in on other teams like San Diego once they get out of their funk). For this week I’ll take the up-and-coming Tennessee Titans over Atlanta – they’re at home, they’re 8-2 over their last 10 regular season games, and oh ya, I forgot to mention: Atlanta sucks!

Here’s a summary of my correct picks in the first four weeks:

Week 1 - Denver over Buffalo
Week 2 – Pittsburgh over Buffalo
Week 3 – Carolina over Atlanta
Week 4 – Dallas over St.Louis

Now Milton, what do you think?

The Milton Pigskin Prognosticator is a weekly contributor to MiltonSearch.com. His NFL picks can be read on Fridays every week from now until Super Bowl Sunday. Submit your predictions vs. the spread and see how well you stack up!