The NFL is Poop - Week 14

You Wanna Crown Em, Then Crown Their Ass
A funny thing happened on the way to a second straight Super Bowl. The Giants played like crap against the Eagles (zero points generated by their offense in the first 58 minutes) and now they will have to fight the Panthers for home field advantage in the playoffs. If the Panthers win this week (at home against Denver) or the Giants lose (in Dallas), when the two teams meet in Week 16 (a game that was flexed by NBC to the Sunday night slot) it will be for that number one seed in the NFC.

And Meanwhile Across Town
The New York Jets went from Subway Super Bowl talk to possibly missing the playoffs. How does a team beat the Patriots and Titans then lose to the Broncos and 49ers? And Brett Favre wasn't even really to blame in this one. Sure he threw an interception but a bigger culprit was the defense which got pushed around by the 49ers and allowed them to hold the ball for nearly 40 minutes. Third downs were also key (as indicated by time of possession). San Francisco converted on 8 of 16 while the Jets were only 1 of 10 on third down. The Jets play Buffalo and Seattle but their fate could still be decided in Week 17 against the Dolphins.

A Team That Will Go Down in Infamy
The Detroit Lions may have let their last best chance for a victory slip through their fingers. With games remaining against the Colts, Saints and Packers, beating the Vikings seemed to be their shot to avoid the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Note: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went winless, but during a 14-game schedule. The Lions had a 13-10 lead entering the 4th quarter and the normally inept Tarvaris Jackson was in at QB for the Vikings. But Jackson led the Vikings on two scoring drives and the Vikings won 20-16, sinking the Lions even deeper.

Game of the Week
Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Dallas Cowboys 13
A gutty win for the Steelers but a game the Cowboys never should have lost. Dallas did just about everything wrong yet they were still winning 13-3 with 9 minutes left in the game. To that point they had overcome 2 interceptions, a fumble and 2 short failed attempts on fourth down. But it was Romo's last interception that stuck the dagger in their hearts. After the Steelers first touchdown of the game with 2 minutes to go, the Cowboys took over at their own 15 yard line on their second play, a miscommunication between Tony Romo and Jason Witten led to an interception returned for a touchdown by Deshea Townsend. Just another on the growing list of heartbreaking losses for the Cowboys in the Tony Romo era.

Game of Next Week
Pittsburgh Steelers are Baltimore Ravens
There's going to be some hitting in this one. Two great defensive teams will be on display meaning it could be the offenses that decide this one. Ben Roethlisberger seems to have a clear advantage over Joe Flacco but I could see Big Ben making a key mistake and getting picked by Ed Reed. Plus this one is in Baltimore. A lot is at stake here. The winner could very well earn the second seed and a bye in the AFC playoffs. While the loser would be the 5th seed even though it could quite possibly have a better record than the division winners from the West and the East.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
They are absolutely horrible right now. They can't do a thing on offense. They have now scored 53 points in the their last 5 games, combined. I know they've played some good defenses (Pittsburgh, Giants, Baltimore) but this is ridiculous. Jason Campbell went to an MVP candidate to a question mark for the future. I know the offense line hasn't been protecting him (and now Samuels is out for the season) but Zorn's playcalling has become so vanilla he's putting the team in difficult 2nd and long situations too often.
Oh, and Shaun Suisham has to be cut.

Cheerleader of the Week
Lisa of the Carolina TopCats






If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Tennessee Titans 20 New York Giants 14
The Giants loss was disheartening but probably just a blip on their radar screen. If they don't play well against the Cowboys and Panthers, it could reveal a serious problem, namely missing Plaxico Burress a little more than expected. The power conference for years has been the AFC. When Tom Brady went down it seemed like the NFC was taking over. But right now Tennesse, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Baltimore are all on fire while the NFC doesn't seem so strong anymore.

Weekly Picks

Tough week as 2 of my losses came by half a point, but that's the way it goes sometimes. We're heading down the home stretch of the season where desperate teams start to play out-of-it teams. That leads to a lot of big spreads, but those games don't always turn out how we expect them to. After a phenomenal week for the road team, 14 of 16 favorites are at home this week.

DENVER -9 kansas city
The Chiefs beat the Broncos once this year. It won't happen again.

miami +1 BUFFALO
The Dolphins are the better team here and this game is being played in Toronto which makes it something of a neutral-site game.

NEW YORK GIANTS -7 philadelphia
I'm going to this game, the Giants always win when I go to their games. Usually because they are playing the Redskins. I did see Eli Manning's infamous performance against the Vikings last year, but this time I expect the Giants to blitz McNabb and renew calls for his head.

jacksonville +7 CHICAGO
Even though Jacksonville sucks this spread it a little high for an iffy Bears team to be able to cover.

BEST BET
new york jets -3 1/2 SAN FRANCISCO
Exactly the game I'm looking for, good team coming off a bad loss, bad team coming off a good win. No way the Jets don't win this game and they could win by a field goal and let me down as they have done so often, but I think they'll come out with a strong performance in this one.

Last week: 2-3 (3 points)
Season: 35-30 (42 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (10-3)
Home Favorites: 0-1 (9-13)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (2-1)
Road Favorites: 1-1 (16-6)
Road Underdogs: 1-1 (7-9)
Road Pickems: 0-0 (1-1)

Is This the Way the Rooney Rule is Supposed to Work?

The NFL has a policy called the "Rooney Rule" which requires teams to interview a minority candidate for a head coaching vacancy. Even though this sometimes results in a dog and pony show it's a good rule because the biggest challenge for a young black head coach is getting seen as head coach material. Also, once the name is out there it gives the prospective coach the chance to interview, to get used to the process, and maybe impress some people.
But an unintended consequence of the rule is manifesting itself this year.
The St. Louis Rams, evidently happy with their interim head coach Jim Haslett probably intend to give him the head coaching position. However, doing so would violate the Rooney Rule, so they can't name Haslett without a full offseason interview process.
The San Francisco 49ers are equally impressed with their head man Mike Singletary and if they intend to give him the permanent title, no such obstacle stands in their way because Singletary is black.
Haslett is taking the high road saying he believes in the Rooney Rule so much that he wants it to be followed, even to his own detriment.
Kudos to Haslett, to the Rooneys who followed through on the rule by naming Omar Epps, I mean Mike Tomlin as their head coach, and to the NFL for having such a rule.
But isn't there a way to avoid a system where white coaches aren't penalized for essentially, being white?

Awesome!

Meadow and Turtle have phone sex on Entourage

A Minor Concession

I've always been the foremost (and perhaps only) defender of the BCS for determining college football's champion.
My main defense has always been simple, it preserves the integrity of the regular season and it works. But this year may be a little different. Throughout its checkered history the BCS has almost always managed to secure a national title game between the top two teams as recognized by just about everyone. It hasn't always been "fair" but the games have usually pitted the two best teams against each other, which is much better than the hold system and likely better than the title games we'd get with a playoff.
Here's what's different about this year: the 3-way dance in the Big 12 South. With Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech each going 1-1 in round robin play there's no fair way to determine a winner.
Most evaluators would say Oklahoma is the best team but Texas beat them. But you can't make a simple case of head-to-head because Texas Tech, also with one loss, beat Texas.
The best thing that could happen would be for Oklahoma to lose the Big 12 title game to Missouri giving Texas the spot in the title game against the Alabama-Florida winner. No one would argue with the fairness of that except the idiots from USC and Penn State who would say only conference winners should get to play in the title game.
But the truth is Oklahoma is going to beat Missouri and play Florida for the title. And while I still think those are the best two teams out there, Texas would be the first 1-loss team to legitimately say they were screwed by the BCS.

Even the Mascots at Penn State Are Criminals

The Penn State senior who plays the Nittany Lion mascot will miss the Rose Bowl after being suspended for violating team rules.
The school suspended James Sheep after he was charged with DUI.
The university says Sheep will not participate in school events or attend the Rose Bowl game or events. Penn State cheerleading coach Curt White says Sheep will resume his duties in 2009.
University police say Sheep was pulled over on campus around 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 22, hours before Penn State's game against Michigan State.
The school says another member of the cheerleading squad will serve as mascot until Sheep returns.

The Universe Gives Mrs. Poop Candy

I have often rambled on about the strange ability of the Universe to bring us exactly what we need and deserve.
During a stroll through CVS in early November I bought a bag of candy on sale for 50% off. Mostly I wanted the lemonheads but the package promised a wide assortment of candy. When I cracked open the bag, Mrs. Poop was anxious to try the Chewy Atomic Fireballs advertised on the package, and was very dismayed that we got 5 boxes of Appleheads but no Chewy Atmoic Fireballs.



So I sent an e-mail to the Ferrara Pan Candy Company:

"I recently purchased a bag of your Halloween assortment. The bag was advertised to include Lemonheads, Grapeheads, red hots and chewy atomic fireballs. I was very disappointed to find that were no chewy atomic fireballs in my bag. Not one. I realize that product assortment might vary, but not including the product at all? Very disappointing."

And this was their reply:

"An equal mix of all flavors are blended on a common conveyor then fed into the scale area where the bags are packed by weight."

That is the letter in its entirety.

Mrs. Poop was furious. Angrier than when no one comments on a cute picture of Chase.
But a few days later one of her co-workers brought in some leftover Halloween candy and amongst the goodies was a box of Chewy Atomic Fireballs, which Mrs. Poop brought home for us to share. The Universe comes through again.

And by the way, Mrs. Poop ate one, said they were too hot and I ate the rest.

Funny or Douchey?

Betty James, the woman who came up with the name "Slinky" for her husband's toy invention, died at age 90.
She fell down the stairs.

When I told Mrs. Poop that joke she didn't laugh at all. But I know you Poopheads have a much better sense of humor. So is that joke about Betty James funny or douchey?



She really died of congestive heart failure.

Song of the Week

"Live Your Life" - T.I. featuring Rihanna
Two of the worst artists out there right now combine to come up with a pretty good song.

The NFL is Poop - Week 13

You're Hot Then You're Cold
The Denver Broncos lost at home 31-10 to the Raiders, and the next week they beat the Jets 34-17 on the road. The Jets kill the Titans on the road, then lose to the Broncos at home. The Raiders destroy the Broncos in Denver, then come home and lose to the Chiefs. It makes no sense. The Buffalo Bills score 54 points one week, then the next week at home against the 49ers they score 3. And Matt Cassel comes off two of the best weeks ever for a QB and goes 19 for 39 with 2 interceptions. And Donovan McNabb gets benched, his career obituary is written, then he throws 4 touchdowns and Eagles fans love him agian. Hard to figure.

Road-Field Advantage
I always say the home-field advantage is vastly overrated in the NFL, especially by those who set point spreads and those who wager on them. But to see 10 of 11 road teams win on Sunday afternoon surprised even me.

The Giants Are Awesome
Too bad they laid that stinker against the Browns on Monday Night earlier this season otherwise they could very well be headed for a perfect 19-0 sesaon. Over the last two years they have lost Tiki Barber, Jeremy Shockey, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and now Plaxico Burress and they are playing better than ever. They quickly excised the Plaxico distraction with a suspension and they seem to have receivers (Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon). I really don't see anyone beating this team the rest of the year and I fully expect them to win their second straight Super Bowl. And that's not an attempt at a reverse jinx.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
This week the Redskins just got beat by a better team. But what happened to the strong ball control offense the Redskins used to run off a 6-2 record to start the season? They could hardly get a first down in this game. They only had the ball for 24 minutes in this game, but that's only because they had it for the last 6 minutes. Before the Giants stopped playing it was 36 to 18 in time of possession. Jim Zorn needs to open the playbook a little and let Campbell pass more on first down. The offense is too predictable.
The Redskins have to win all 4 of their remaining games to make the playoffs, which is unlikely. If they only win they'll need some help from the Falcons and Cowboys.
And Shaun Suisham should be cut.

Game of the Week
Carolina Panthers 35 Green Bay Packers 31
The Packers actually outplayed the Panthers in this one but they settled for three Mason Crosby field goals, whereas the Panthers got it in each time, scoring on 5 1-yard touchdown runs (four from DeAngelo Williams). The third Mason Crosby field goal gave the Packers a 31-28 lead with 1:57 to go. Some have said the Packers should have gone for it on 4th and goal from the one knowing they couldn't stop the Panthers. But I think they made the right move on 4th down (could have tried a pass on 3rd down though). Unfortunately for them the Panthers got a big kick return, a big pass play, and then the game-winning touchdown.

Game of Next Week
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
Both of these teams sit at 9-3 and the winner can essentially lock up the 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. The Bucs are perennially overachieving, and the Panthers are prone to underachieving but the matchup of styles here should be an interesting one. And it comes on Monday Night so it should get good ratings even though neither of these teams necessarily has a high-profile among NFL fans.

Cheerleader of the Week
Lindsey Dudley of the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders
Lindsey is in her second year on the squad and when she's not cheering or working she likes to take baths, paint her nails and nap. I'm with her on two out of three of those. But I hate bathing. She describes herself as dedicated, genuine and sassy. A sassy black woman, I like it.




If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
New York Giants 31 Tennessee Titans 14
I knew the Jets weren't going to stay here long but they dashed hopes of an all-New York (subway?) Super Bowl. Right now there is no team out there that can beat the Giants and I don't expect that to change over the course of the next four weeks.

The NHL Will Not Tolerate Insults Aimed at Elisha Cuthbert, and Neither Will I

Former Ranger Sean Avery's greatest skill as a hockey player is making himself a pest. And his greatest skill off the ice is banging hot chicks, even if some suspect he does it to hide the fact that he's a homo. Avery dated a Poop favorite, Elisha Cuthbert, and had some interesting comments about her when he arrived in Calgary to play the Flames, the team of Cuthbert's new boyfriend Dion Phaneuf.



The NHL suspended Avery indefinitely for his comments, which were deemed "inappropriate public comments." While I totally disagree with him calling Elisha "sloppy seconds" and I would take after she gang banged the entire NHL, I don't believe Avery said anything that bad. So he is angry at his ex-girlfriend and doesn't like her new boyfriend. It's not like he called her a cunt, or even a bitch. There shouldn't be a rule that you have to be nice to everyone all the time.

Poor Mrs. Poop

I just dropped her off at the emergency room because she's been in horrible pain for the last two days. She thinks her kidney stones may have come back.
She didn't want me to stay with her because she didn't want Chase to be in the ER.
So poor Mrs. Poop is sitting there alone, she even refused to bring a book or portable DVD player.

UPDATE: Mrs. Poop is home from the hospital. She has a 4mm kidney stone and an enlarged spleen. She has to piss out the stone and hopefully the spleen will return to its normal size on its own.

A New Twist on an Old Saw

I often tell people who complain about aging "the only thing worse than getting older is not getting older."
Well my current situation has led me to rethink that old platitude and I've decided "the only thing worse than going to work everyday is not going to work everyday."

Maybe the Dingo Ate Your Baby

Outtakes from Chase and Diesel's Holiday Card Photo Shoot.

Cougar Has No Couth

A 38-year-old Iowa fan and her lover were cited for having sex in the bathroom at the Metrodome as the Hawkeyes played the Minnesota Gophers.
Police were tipped off by the crowd of 15 people in the men's room cheering. When the cop approached he saw 2 pair of feet in the handicapped stall, both with underwear around the ankles.
The woman, 38, was turned over to her husband. The man, 26, was turned over to his girlfriend.
That's how awesome cougars are. Her husband was at the game but she's fucked him before. She wanted something new and younger and if she had to get it in the filthy stall in the men's room at a football stadium, well then, that's what she would do.

The Eloquence of Jim Lampley

Everything in life is better when Jim Lampley is describing it. The same goes for this unusual display of boxing by Trenton Titsworth.

Jessica Alba Appreciates the Finer Points of Parenthood

Jessica Alba may have a reputation for looking glum in paparazzi pics, but she says life has been filled with nothing but joy -- and joyfully overflowing diapers -- since the arrival of daughter Honor in June. "Everything is cute, everything is fun, including the explosive diarrhea -- the best ever."

I couldn't agree more. Especially about the poop. It's hysterical.

The Naked Man

I'm sure millions of impressionable youngsters (I would do it) are already enacting the latest bit of genius from an episode of "How I Met Your Mother."
The "naked man" seems just crazy enough to work.
The entire episode was completely awesome, but nothing was as funny as Ted and Barney discussing the naked poses.






And did we catch a little bit of foreshadowing? When Ted was talking about the strange things he walked in on at the apartment, the scene with the goat pointed to May 8, 2009, right around sweeps, maybe for the season finale?



The goat has actually been mentioned a couple of times before but the story was never told completely. I think we can expect the denouement soon.

A Lot to be Thankful For

Admittedly, things haven't exactly gone my way lately but I would be missing the point -- of life, and especially of Thanksgiving -- if I didn't take this time to be thankful for all the things I do have.

Most of all, I'm thankful for Chase. I can't describe how great it is to have someone around who is happy 100% of the time and can always do something to make you laugh or smile. With his buck-toothed smile, or his rudmentary command of the English language (dog, duck and book all sound the same) or especially a sneeze, the simplest things are the source of great laughter. And for that I am thankful.

I'm thankful for Diesel. My best friend, who can sometimes be a huge pain in the ass (but best friends are like that). I could hardly find a better walking, game-watching companion than that lovable black beast. Sure, I wish he were better behaved, but the point of this holiday is to be thankful for what we do have, not regretful about what we don't. Also, I can't imagine too many other dogs who would tolerate so placidly Chase's constant attacks with toy shopping carts, wagons, drumsticks and anything else Chase can find. And all Diesel does is give out a low growl, then get up and walk away. And for that I am thankful.

I'm thankful for my three beautiful nieces. The chatty one, the high-energy one, and the little one who isn't even old enough to have a personality. Few things are more enjoyable than hearing Cayla squeal when Diesel barks into the phone, or seeing Jenna running around like a crazy person. And now we have Lyla, who I'm sure is going to be just as fun as the other two. And for that I am thankful.

I'm thankful for the Mets. Sure, they drive us crazy by losing all the time, usually in spectacular fashion, but nothing brings a father and son together like a baseball team. And now that I've got my own son, the special feeling it gives me to see him wearing Mets clothes, to high-five him when the Mets score, and eventually to take him to his first game, those are things that wouldn't be in my life without the Mets. And for that I am thankful.

I'm thankful for my parents, in-laws and brothers and sisters. Family get-togethers have been a lot more fun recently, now that we have a bunch of kids running around. And one of the most special times of this past year was our family trip to Baltimore.

I'm thankful for all my friends or as you are known, The Poopheads. My life is a lot more enjoyable because I get to share it with all of you. And for that I am thankful.

But of course most importantly, I am thankful for Mrs. Poop. Without her none of the other things (especially Chase and Diesel) would be possible. No matter how bad things get she loves me unconditionally. Whether I'm being sad, mad, crazy, up or down, she's always there to encourage me there's nothing we can't get through together. And I believe her. There is no doubt in my mind that we'll have another 50 Thanksgivings together. And for that I am thankful.

Weekly Picks

I've had so many 3-2 weeks this season, which is good especially under this format as I'm hitting 75% of my best bets, but I know I can do better. I'm making my picks early this week because I'm going with 2 Thanksgiving Day games. I wantd to make it all 3 but there are better choices than the Cowboys giving 13.

arizona +3 PHILADELPHIA
This looks like the classic trap game where a spread looks so out of whack that it draws you in and you get caught in its trap. But this is different. Here's why, the Cardinals are really good and the Eagles are pretty bad. The Cardinals are coming off a loss (which I like) but it was to the Giants, the best team in the NFL. The Cardinals can put a lot of points on the board, and the Eagles can't. The problems with the Eagles run a lot deeper than just Donovan McNabb. Look at the stats, he was having a pretty decent year until the last two weeks. But it's not all his fault, the offensive line hasn't been doing well, they can't run block or pass protect. And the play calling has put too much pressure on McNabb. And speaking of pressure on McNabb, the fans are going to boo him lustily from the first incomplete pass. Here's what happened with McNabb in Philly. The idiot fans booed him on draft day and even though they were dead wrong they never admitted it. And he always gave them just enough ammunition so they could say "see, I knew he was never going to be any good." Instead of giving the guy a chance, they've run him out of town.
Oh and one more reason I'm taking this game. I think this spread is partially based on this stat that no western time zone teams have won in the eastern time zone so far this year. But that's because teams from the West suck this year. You're talking about the 49ers, Seahawks and Raiders. That's why they're losing, not the time difference.

atlanta +5 SAN DIEGO
One of my rules of betting is to believe what you see, not what you believe. Sure we all thought at the beginning of the season that the Falcons suck and the Chargers are loaded with talent. But what matters is the way they are playing. And consistently this season the Falcons have shown themselves to be a good team and the Chargers have played like a bad one. I do fear the trap aspect of this spread and the fact that the Falcons are coming off a big win and the Chargers are off a tough loss, but with 5 points, I'll take my chances.

TAMPA BAY -3 1/2 new orleans
At various points this season New Orleans's record has been 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5. That trend should continue as they fall to 6-6. Another of my rules is to be wary of teams coming off great performances on Monday Night. They tend to get overrated because everyone is watching. A good defensive team should be able to slow down the Saints offense.

indianapolis -4 1/2 CLEVELAND
After a false start earlier this year I now believe the Colts are back. And there's a reason Derek Anderson was benched for Brady Quinn. He makes too many mistakes. And if you give Peyton Manning extra possessions he will make you pay.

BEST BET
tennessee -11 DETROIT
They couldn't have made this spread big enough for me. I'd give 27 here. I really think the Titans are pissed off and they are going to come out and pound the Lions. I haven't been this confident about a game in a really long time. I just don't see any way the Lions keep this game close. Unless they are down 27, score a late touchdown, get the 2-point conversion, recover an onside kick and get another TD and 2-pointer to make it 11, against the Titans backup defense. Barring that, the Titans pound them by 30.

Last week: 3-2 (4 points)
Season: 33-27 (39 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (9-3)
Home Favorites: 0-1 (9-12)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (2-1)
Road Favorites: 2-0 (15-5)
Road Underdogs: 0-1 (6-8)
Road Pickems: 1-0 (1-1)

Song of the Week

"Cater 2 U" - Destiny's Child
Before Beyonce ruined them with her ego and designs on superstardom, Destiny's Child was one of the best girl groups since the Supremes. This is an underappreciated song with a good message for women, take care of your man.
Also, listen to how Beyonce used to sing, simple, clear, elegant, not that shit she does where she drags out every note.

Why Not Call It Freedom Field?

Now that the government has had to bail out Citigroup, some reactionary, populist idiots wants to change the name of the Mets new stadium.
And even worse, these schmucks are from Staten Island.
City Councilmen Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo (never trust a palindrome) want the stadium to be called Citi/Taxpayer Field instead of just CitiField.
Admittedly it looks bad that a spanking new stadium has the name of a troubled bank, and even worse, the troubled bank is paying $400 million over 20 year for those naming rights.
But this was a deal signed a long time before the current financial crisis.
And I think barring a Citigroup bankrutpcy (or court-ordered reorganization of some kind) or Citigroup's own magnanimity (neither of which is likely) it's going to stay CitiField for the next 20 years.
This is not like Enron or PSINet which ceased to exist, this is a big company going through a down time.

Story suggested by SCZA

I'm Taking a Dime Out of Chase's Piggy Bank

I opened my latest cell phone bill and checked the charges:
29 minutes used (I must have been really chatty last month)
82 text messages sent and received (PPD has been ignoring me lately)
1 minute of internet service usage

But I never use the internet on my phone.
Damn Chase steals my phone constantly and he always tries to remove that plastic sheet that protects the display from scratches.
He must have pressed the right series of buttons to connect to the internet, and they charged me ten cents for it.

The NFL is Poop - Week 12

When Points Come Out
54-31, 48-28, 45-28, 37-29, 51-29. Those are final scores from five of the games on the highest scoring week in NFL history. The 837 points scored averages out to 52.3 points per game, the third highest average game score on any given week. The two higher were in 1987 (the last scab games) and 1983, the biggest offensive season in the 31-year history of the 16-game schedule. Right now NFL games are averaging 45 points this season, which would surpass the record of 43.7 set in 1983.

And Mercury Morris Pops the Champagne
With a dominating performance, the New York Jets knocked off the Tennessee Titans, the last unbeaten team in the NFL. While Brett Favre deserves a ton of credit for the Jets 5-game winning streak, an increased focus on the running game is the real reason for the Jets success against the Titans. The Jets racked up nearly 200 yards rushing while holding the ball for more than 40 minutes, running a previously stout Titans defense ragged. And the Jets proved that sometimes the best offense is a good defense, as they stifled the Titans running game (45 yards on 11 attempts). On the Titans first 5 possessions, they got exactly 1 first down, and therefore 4 3-and-outs. That allowed the Jets to overcome 2 turnovers and take a 10-0 lead. The Jets had 3 drives of 7 minutes or longer (ok, one was 6:54, close enough) and that was the key to this game, a very possible AFC Championship Game preview.



End of an Era?
Watching Donovan McNabb standing on the sidelines during the second half as the Eagles got trounced by the Baltimore Ravens, he looked like a little kid who just got yelled at by his mother. He had the hood over his head, his sleeves hanging limp by his sides with his arms tucked in his parka, and the saddest look on his face.



The Donovan McNabb era in Philadelphia is officially over. No matter that Andy Reid announced him as the starter for the Thanksgiving night game against the Cardinals, this was the end of McNabb's tenure as the Eagles starting quarterback. Reid is only re-inserting McNabb because Kevin Kolb isn't ready, and Reid doesn't want it to be the end of the Andy Reid era too.
McNabb never had the support of Eagles fans, who booed him on draft day and barely ever let up. Sure he never won the Super Bowl (and his Super Bowl performance, and some of his championship game performances too, left a lot to be desired), but being a pretty good quarterback over a long period of time should have earned him a little more patience from fans.
Unless McNabb surfaces somewhere (Minnesota? Chicago?) and has a late season resurgence, his career will be remembered most for its failures, and that wouldn't be fair.

Game of the Week
New England Patriots 48 Miami Dolphins 28
The final score didn't realy indicate it but this game was a real back and forth affair until the 4th quarter. The teams alternated scoring with the lead changing hands six times before Randy Moss's second touchdown catch of the day put the Patriots ahead for good. Moss added one more touchdown because he was so pissed off that the Dolphins dared to disrespect him by single covering him. And speaking of pissed off, Matt Light and Channing Crowder were both ejected for a fight, one that Light got the better of, seeing as how he was still wearing his helmet.

Game of Next Week
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
Even with the big win over the Dolphins the Patriots are still in tenuous playoff position. Both teams are being threatened by the Ravens (who play the Bengals this week) so the loser here will have some work to do. Matt Cassel is coming off one of the best 2-game stretches for a quarterback in NFL history. But now he's facing a real defense so we'll see how he responds.

Cheerleader of the Week
Julia Williamson of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders
There's a lot to like about Julia's bio. She has a dog, sort of. It's a pomeranian, but she named it Marley, presumably after one of the greatest books ever written and the upcoming movie.
Her favorite guilty pleasure is S'mores, maybe I'll invite her over to make S'Mores some time.
She lists "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" has one of her favorite movies and her favorite quote is from my second favorite transcendentalist, Thoreau. But here's what puzzles me, her favorite actor and actress are Steve Carrell and Rachel McAdams. Pretty disparate selections. I guess it shows that she's a girl with a sense of humor, but still a girl.







A Brief Rant About the Redskins
A win is a win, but you'd love to see the Redskins pound these bad teams a little bit. A few things that worried me: the offense had a couple long drives that stalled just short of field goal range. They need to convert more third downs in big spots. I think conservative play-calling hurts them. Both of the Seahawks touchdowns came right after Redskins touchdowns. I want to see more killer instinct out of the defense. It's like a pitcher in baseball who gives up runs everytime his team scores. It hurts morale. And finally, the field goal kicking. Shaun Suisham is good for one miss in every close game. He's already missed 7 field goals so far this year. It cost them in the Dallas game, but the rest of his misses all came in wins. But his inconsistency could kill them down the stretch.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
New York Giants 31 New York Jets 23
To the victor go the spoils. The Jets knocked the Titans off so they deserve this spot for now. I still think the Titans are a better team and the Jets will have a really tough time beating them again in Tennessee in the AFC Championship game (should that come to pass). Neither the Jets nor the Giants have lost since week 7 (the Jets stinnker against the Raiders) and this section is all about the hot team.

It's Gotta Be the Shoes

The latest hint that LeBron James loves New York and wants Knicks fans to love him back (eventually) was unveiled last night as James led his Cavaliers to a demolition of the Knicks.
LeBron unveiled a new pair of sneakers called the "Big Apples."



Knicks fans did their best to welcome LeBron, sporting makeshift LeBron Knicks jerseys. Personally, I would have started a "We've Got Cap Space clap clap clap-clap-clap" chant.

Some Syracuse Thoughts

Things I thought while watching Syracuse beat Kansas 89-81 in overtime.

Too bad Bill Raftery wasn't calling this game because that Flynn shot would have gotten an "ONIONS!"

That really was a game-winning shot. They would have lost without it.

I loved that when they got a 6 point lead in overtime they attacked the basket and tried to score instead of killing the clock and getting an empty possession.

The team will be much better this year. Andy Rautins's outside shooting adds a key dimension to the offense. But the biggest difference is Devendorf. He can steady the team when they're starting to turn the ball over and he hits big shots and penetrates and dishes at the right time.

I'm so relieved Boeheim seems more willing to play man defense this season. I've always said the 2-3 defense is fine, but in certain circumstances you need to change things up. Just to throw off the other team, or to create matchup problems, or to slow down a hot outside shooter, you need another defense for a change of pace. I've been shouting this since Howard Triche was in short pants. Now Dick Vitale agrees with me, and Boeheim seems to also. Boeheim even credited the man defense for turning the game around. Something to remember when they get down 13 later in the season.

I wish Dick Vitale wouldn't choose crucial moments of the game to talk about his all-diaper dandy team, or his pregame conversation with Robert Montgomery Knight.

But I do agree with him that Arinze Onuaku needs to be a bigger part of the offense.

Dan Schulman has an unusual understanding of handshake. When the referee counseled Flynn and Collins during a timeout, he said they "shook hands" but really they patted each other on the ass. I hope I never run into him on the receiving line at a wedding.

I think a lot of the problems SU had were created by Kansas's good defense.

They still need to work on their free throw shooting.

I really like this team and unless Florida really falls off and has a horrible season, these early tough games (and the tough conference schedule) will really help SU on Selection Sunday.

Postseason Wrapup

Only two of you (Scat and JLeary) elected to join Master Bates and I in our annual preseason baseball predictions. This is something MB and I have been doing for years, probably dating back to the early 90s when we wrote down our picks (we had to use paper back then) and stuffed them in an envelope and put them in a drawer until the end of the year. We had no links back then!

Reviewing the picks, here's how it broke down:
Teams: TallSkott got 4 division winners, which is very impressive, but MB and I each got three playoff teams, though we had the Red Sox as division winner, not wild card.
World Series: None of us got a single World Series team correct.
Individual awards: These are so much tougher than the teams, and once again I dominated. JL, TS & MB combined for one correct individual award (MB predicted Longoria for Rookie of the Year -- but only because I badgered him into drafted Evan in his fantasy league). I beat them by myself, nailing Longoria and Lou Piniella as Manager of the Year.

I hope more of you will choose to participate next season.

I Sure Nailed That One

If anyone had a better Election Night than Barack Obama, it was probably me. I almost couldn't have been anymore correct in my predictions.

Here's what I said:
Electoral College:
Barack Obama 360
John McCain 178

Popular Vote:
Barack Obama 53% (67.3 million votes)
John McCain 46%
Nader/Barr 1%

Here's what actually happened:
Electoral College
Barack Obama 365
John McCain 173

Popular Vote:
Barack Obama 53% (66.9 million votes)
John McCain 46%
Nader/Barr 1%

Do you realize how dead on that is? I mean nailing the total number of votes within a few hundred thousand (and votes are still being counted, I will get even closer when every vote is tabulated), that's just unheard of. Especially because everyone was predicting a huge turnout (which didn't really materialize, total votes were up by about 3 million or about 2.5%), I correctly predicted voter apathy as well.

Just another example of my genius.

What Do You Give Me For? Omar Epps and Mike Tomlin

"House" star Omar Epps (best known for playing Darnell Jefferson in "The Program" and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.




The resemblance is more evident when you see Epps in a similar get-up of Steelers hat and headset. By the way, "Best Damn" put him up to this.

What Would Happen?

Right now it looks like the New York Giants are going to seal up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
If that happens, they'd need to win one playoff game in order to host the NFC title game at the Meadowlands.
And as it stands right now, the New York Jets are in a great position to win the AFC East, and if they can somehow pass the Steelers (or beat them in the playoffs), they could host the AFC Championship game if the Titans get knocked out before then.
A lot needs to happen but just for the sake of discussion, what would the NFL do if both conference title games were to be played at the same stadium?
They can't force one team to give up homefield, not even to the extent of them using another field in New York (not that there is one). I don't think they could move one of the games to Saturday.
I think if this happens (unlikely though it may be), they would have to play one game at 1 pm and the other game at 8 pm. It would sure make for an interesting situation in the parking lot at around 4:30.

Weekly Picks

I was off to a great start last week nailing my first three games until the officials robbed me in the Steelers-Chargers game, and Trent Edwards robbed me in the Browns-Bills game. I never should have picked the Bills as my best bet anyway. That mistake threatens to derail a great season but I'm not going to let that happen.

new england pick'em MIAMI
I really think the Patriots offense is coming around under Cassel and the loss to the Jets showed they have the ability to make a crucial late-game drive and put points on the board. This game is almost like a playoff game for them sine they already lost to the Dolphins -- and the Patriots don't lose playoff games.

chicago -8 ST. LOUIS
The Bears got absolutely destroyed by the Packers last week. And that's exactly why I like them to rebound this week against the horrid Rams, even though they're on the road. The Bears are still in the mix in the NFC North and need a win here to remain so.

TENNESSEE TITANS -5 1/2 new york jets
I haven't had much luck this season picking games involving the Jets, but I've done pretty well with the Titans. I just don't believe that Brett Favre can go on the road and play turnover free against this aggressive defense. It will be interesting to see what the Titans do on offense however. The Jets have a good run defense led by Kris Jenkins but recently Kerry Collins has been carrying the offense by throwing a good deep ball.

philadelphia +1 BALTIMORE
I trust Donovan McNabb to bounce back after an embarrassing week. I also think the Eagles will blitz the shit out of rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.

BEST BET
new york giants -3 ARIZONA
I know this looks like a matchup of two of the best teams in the conference, but the Cardinals aren't in the same league as the Giants. All the Cardinals have is a great short passing game but the Giants will be able to at least control that by blitzing Kurt Warner, and making tackles once their receivers catch the ball. On offense the Giants should be able to run against an undersized but speedy Cardinals defense. Time of possession will also help keep the ball out of Warner's (and Fitzgerald's and Boldin's hands).

Last week: 3-2 (2 points)
Season: 30-25 (35 points)
Best Bets: 0-1 (8-3)
Home Favorites: 0-2 (9-11)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (2-1)
Road Favorites: 3-0 (13-5)
Road Underdogs: 0-0 (6-7)
Road Pickems: 0-0 (0-1)

Don't Call It a Comeback, She's Been Here For Years

Many people had written of the career of Meadow Soprano aka Jamie-Lynn Sigler. They said she was typecast as the mob boss's daughter. But I knew she was more than that.
And in one short span of time she showed what kind of actress she can be.
On Sunday night she was a foul-mouthed slut, playing herself on "Entourage" and phoning Turle for a late-night booty call.
But Meadow came back, the very next day, and killed it as a foul-mouthed slut, playing a "wooo girl" on "How I Met Your Mother."
And damn did she look good riding that mechanical bull.

Nice Catch

I remember hearing about an old-time football announcer who used to call games on radio before the explosion of TV ownership. Whenever he misidentified the ballcarrier, instead of correcting himself, he would make up a lateral that never happened.
For example, "Campbell throws it to Santana Moss, Moss has it and he's running down the sideline, and he laterals in to Antwaan Randle-El and touchdown!"
And of course the second player, Randle-El in our example, had the ball the whole time.
Tom Hammond just pulled off something not quite as dishonest, but equally as artful. After a good run on first down by Curtis Brinkley, the handoff on second down went to Antwon Bailey, and Tom Hammond said:
"Antown Brink -- uh Bailey, replacing -- Brinkley and Brinkley -- will watch Bailey spin to the 50-yard line."

A Plan for the Future

The New York Knicks finally gave their fans something we haven't had in several years -- hope. By dealing Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph as well as uselss Mardy Collins for Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas, the Knicks made it clear that they are going hard after free agents in the summer of 2010.
That group includes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki.
These trades enable them to do that because Crawford and Randolph are scheduled to earn $27 million in 2010-2011, money the Knicks no longer have to pay.
All three of the players the Knicks acquired have deals expiring after next year, clearing almost exactly $40 million from the cap.
That leaves the Knicks with only four players under contract for 2010-2011. That's Eddy Curry (11.3m), Jared Jeffries ($6.9m), Danilo Gallinari ($2.8m) and Wilson Chandler ($1.8m).
Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson and David Lee all come off the books after next year as well but could potentialy be re-signed.
Donnie Walsh and Mike Dantoni even admitted that clearing cap space was the reason for these moves (and the reason Marbury will not be traded this year), so you'd have to view these trades as effective in reaching that goal.
But the Knicks still have two whole seasons to play. Losing Randolph for two spare parts hurts the performance of the team. And I think Crawford was the Knicks best player, mostly because he was the one guy with the guys and ability to take, and more importantly, make, a late-game shot. But Donnie Walsh loves Al Harrington and he probably thinks he's better and more unique in his talents than Jamal Crawford.
So even if the Knicks take their lumps for two more years we at least have something to look forward to, maybe even two somethings.

We Have a Couple Years Until This Happens

But knowing Chase and the havoc he wreaks on Diesel, some day Diesel will exact his revenge, and this is how he'll do it.


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Maybe They Need Lute Olson Back

The Arizona Wildcats lost a game to UAB in the most inexplicable, mind-boggling and absolutely retarded way possible.
With 30 seconds left down 3 Arizona was at the line. The players were obviously told to foul after the second free throw.
Well instead Arizona made the first, missed the second, got the rebound, scored, tied the game and then Kyle Fogg (who just made the shot) fouled! In a tie game!
But don't worry UAB missed the front end of the 1-and-1, giving Arizona a chance to win. They called timeout and set up a play. It didn't work, they missed the shot but with only 1 second left at least they were going to overtime.
But wait, they fouled AGAIN! This time UAB made the shot and won the game.
Something tells me interim coach Russ Pennell is not going to have the interim removed from his title before he's removed from the position.
My words don't do it justice. You have to watch this (I know it's long) to fully appreciate the horror of what went on.

Mrs. Poop's Miracle Cure

Mrs. Poop has been struggling this week with a bad cold, quite possibly strep throat.
In addition to being the worst patient ever (she's just used to being on the other side) she is taking some unusual steps to feel better.
She is using something called a "Neti pot."
If you are unfamiliar, this is what Mrs. Poop does. She fills the Neti Pot with water.



She then sticks the spout in her nostril and pours the water in. Since everything is connected in there, the water just spills out the other nose-hole. She repeats this process on the other side then blows out about 6 tissues full of snot.
And five minutes later she's stuffy again.

This definitely sounds like something The Concierge has tried.

The NFL is Poop - Week 11

Collision Course
Right now there are two dominant teams in the NFL, the Giants and the Titans. They are 19-1 combined this season. And they seem destined to play each other in the Super Bowl. Other than one hiccup agains the Browns, there doesn't seem to be a team capable of beating the Giants. And though the Titans seem beatable, they certainly are not. They have shown the ability to win a bunch of different ways. Both these teams are set to lock up homefield throughout the playoffs. Now the last thing to worry about is how they will play down the stretch. The Titans could very well be 14-0 heading into two meaningless games against the Steelers and Colts. The Giants credit playing tough against the Patriots last year for their amazing playoff run. Will they attempt to duplicate that effort even with nothing at stake this year?

Point Spreads are Only for the Gamblers Right?
One of the craziest plays you will ever see has cost gamblers millions. The Pittsburgh Steelers should have covered the spread by beating the Chargers 18-10. The final touchdown came with no time left as Troy Polamalu recovered an errant backward lateral. After calling the play correctly, reviewing it, and upholding it, the officials somehow disallowed the touchdown. They ruled a forward pass (an illegal one) hit the ground, ending the play. First of all, none of the laterals were forward, and the one that fell to the ground certainly wasn't. I'm not sure quite sure how, but the mistake cost gamblers millions. According to SCZA, there was a betting imbalance with the action going 2-to-1 for the Steelers. I thought spreads were designed to keep the action even, but oh well. So it seems the incorrect call, earned casinos an extra $32 million, instead of costing them $32 million. The NFL admitted the call was made in error, but they won't fix their mistake. One can't help but wonder if their refusal to do what is right comes at the behest of casinos which have already paid out winning Chargers tickets.

What Are They Teaching Those Guys at Syracuse?
Donovan McNabb, in his postgame press conference after an embarrassing tie with the Cincinnati Bengals confessed he didn't even know ties were allowed in the NFL. I know there hadn't been one since 2002 (he was in the league back then) but still, it's inexcuseable for him not to know that. And shouldn't that be one of the things you don't confess to once you do find out, just nod and say nothing. Like I did the time I found out fingernails grow from the bottom, not the top. Oh yeah, I knew that, sure I did. And one more point. Against McNabb's Eagles Eli Manning apparently encouraged Tom Coughlin to challenge a call because he knew the rule regarding a forward pass was that if any part of the passer's body is behind hte line of scrimmage, then the pass is legal. Manning knew that, but McNabb didn't know there were ties.

Game of the Week
Cleveland Browns 29 Buffalo Bills 27
Even though this game was poorly played (mostly by Trent Edwards) a number of things made it the most exciting game of the weekend. For three quarters it was just your average sloppy game but business picked up in the 4th quarter. In the first 30 seconds Cleveland scored on a Jerome Harrison 72-yard touchdown run and Leodis McKelvin returned the kickoff 98 yards to get the Bills back in striking distance. And it ended with a furious finish as Phil Dawson nailed a 56-yarder for the lead, and Rian Lindell missed a game-winner, wide right.

Game of Next Week
New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
This would be a huge statement game for the Jets. They already emerged with a big win over the Patriots, knocking off the undefeated Titans would be an incredible two in a row. But most interesting about this matchup is Tennessee's ball-hawking defense against the Jets' turnover prone quarterback.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
The Redskins took an early season advantage and a favorable schedule and they blew it. For the second game in a row they had chances early and didn't take advantage of them. By the time this game turned around in the second half the Redskins should have been up by at least 14 points. Instead, they failed on so many chances, and gave the Cowboys the opportunity to get back in it. But really it all came down to the Redskins not making that one play to get them over the hump on offense. I don't blame the defense, they got worn down and pounded in the fourth quarter, but the offense curled up and died for the second week in a row.

Cheerleader of the Week
Lauren Rasys of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders
She is a 22 year-old rookie who does interior design when she's not dancing for Bucs fans.




If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Tennessee Titans 24 New York Giants 21
This game is impossibe to pick but as long as the Titans are undefeated, they deserve the top spot. Neither team is going to be fell from this spot unless they should lose in the playoffs.

Fa Shizzle Dizzle, Snoop Dee Owe Dubble Gizzle on Around the Hizzle

Snoop Dogg appears on ESPN's "Around the Horn" and offers some insightful commentary on LeBron James's pending free agency.

Song of the Week

"My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" - Moxy Fruvous
I heard this song a long time ago and it was so silly I fell in love with it. I never knew who sang it, or even the correct title until recently, but it makes me laugh so I thought I'd share it.
"I'm pounding the Ouzo with Mario Puzo."

Let's Sell Salads

The time-honored tradition of raising money for school activities with bake sales is fast becoming obsolete in this day and age of obese video gamers.
California has instituted strict policies about foods that can be sold on school grounds. Snacks sold during the school day contain no more than 35 percent sugar by weight and derive no more than 35 percent of their calories from fat and no more than 10 percent of their calories from saturated fat.
How do you regulate that? You can't, so most homemade goodies are banned.
Its admirable that the school district is trying to prevent their students from diabetic comas, but once again their solution serves to do nothing but punish.
Access to treats and goodies is not the reason why kids are fat. Teach the kids how to live a healthy lifestyle and let them have a brownie once in a while for a good cause.
Oh, and you know what's next? Bringing in cupcakes for a birthday party will soon be replaced by carrot sticks and lowfat peanut butter.

We All Have Our Words

I cannot say cholesterol. When I say it fast in a sentence it comes out like "Clestrol." Evidently Fred Smoot can't say "extraordinary."
But that's only a small part of the wonder of Smoot evidenced in this clip.



And the tour of his house is even better.

Still Not Worth It

One-point-two million dollars. That's the going rate for a fastball to the groin.
Lhyvann Felipe was helping pick up the baseballs at a batting cage in Florida two years ago when a pitching machine unexpectedly (the round was finished and its lights were off) fired, hitting the poor schlub right in the onions. And whenever onions are smashed, someone cries. And Felipe did.
He was hospitalized for several days incurring $160,000 in medical expenses.
The extra million was for pain and suffering.
I couldn't find out what happened to his nuts, but I imagine had the fastball rendered him infertile he would have gotten a lot more than a million.
So, if there was no permanent damage, just excrutiating pain, several days in the hospital perhaps an operation, was it worth it?
I say no.

Love is Blind

It looks like it is true, Jamie-Lynn Sigler aka Meadow is dating Jerry Ferrara aka Turtle aka Sal.
Evidently Meadow is a method actress because when she was working on Entourage playing a girl who likes losers, she fell in love with a loser.
I guess it does provide a little bit of hope for the rest of us regular Joes.

I Hope My Name Doesn't Come Up

One of Mrs. Poop's cousins has just been hired to work on Barack Obama's transition team. He's also angling for a spot in the administration. That means he has to fill out this incredibly invasive 63-question employment survey. Most of these questions are of no consequence as he never had any domestic help from a foreign country working here illegally, nor does he own property, nor has he ever been convicted of a crime.
But question 20 might pose a problem:
Please provide the names and details of any individuals and organizations with which you or your spouse have been associated with which might present a conflict of interest with your proposed federal office, or have the potential for embarrassment.

I definitely have the potential for embarrassment, but thankfully not the kind of embarrassment they're talking about.

Syracuse Season Preview

After two disappointing seasons when they missed the NCAA Tournament (the only time that happened under Jim Boeheim) the Syracuse Orange trying not to make it three in a row.
Unfortunately despite initially indicating he would come back, Donte Greene left for the NBA. That leaves the Orange with a deep team, but not one with an ascendant talent. Jonny Flynn is probably the best player on the team, and his Niagra Falls buddy Paul Harris showed great strides at the end of last year. The frontcourt will be manned by Arinze Onuaku with some help from Rick Jackson.
Eric Devendorf is coming back from a serious injury to provide some fire and hopefully some veteran leadership.
Andy Rautins (also back from injury), Scoop Jardine (talented but inconsistent) and a group of promising freshman round out the bench.
I think Onuaku can be a dominant inside force as most teams don't have a big guy of his size and agility.
But SU also has the horses to run, with Harris and Devendorf on the wings and Flynn pushing the ball.
But the most important thing is that they play heady ball at the end of games. Too many times SU chokes away leads with scared late-game play. A lot of this comes from Jim Boeheim who plays not to lose in tight situations.
But avoiding the turnover, or hitting the free throw, those are things the players control, and if they could do them just a little better, they would have made the tournament both years.
And remember, before the two years of NIT play, SU had two major disappointments in the tournament, first round losses to #13 Vermont and #12 Texas A&M. SU hasn't won a tournament game since 2004, the year after the title that now seems so long ago.
While this team is full of talent, Boeheim has once again given them a tough non-conference schedule to boost their postseason resume. Unfortunately, what Boeheim seems not to understand (judging by his constant complaining), is tough games do you no good if you lose them all. And that's what SU does consistently, beat the bad teams, pull off one victory against a good team, and stockpile 8 to 10 losses against RPI top-50.
This year SU gets Florida (they could be decent), then either Washington or Kansas (big difference there) in the O'Reilly Auto Parts classic.
Also looming on the schedule is Memphis (greatly diminished from last year) as well as conference games against Louisville, Connecticut and Pittsburgh.
If SU can't figure out how to get a couple victories in those tough games the Jim Boeheim Era could possibly end with 3 straight trips to the NIT.

Shocking Display by President Bush

President Bush meets with and poses for pictures with NCAA Champions for the last time as President. In the photo with the Arizona State track team he makes the shocker.



Apparently they duped him by telling him it was the Arizona State Sun Devils' pitchfork.
Well played college students who will forever be immortalized in a photo holding up the Shocker alongside the President. Well played.

Why Let Him Coach The Last Two Games?

Syracuse finally fired Greg Robinson. It sure took them long enough. Honestly I'm not sure what went wrong during his tenure, but the program plummetted so low it may never recover.
The most important factor in determining who is going to win a game, is talent. And in college securing the talent is up to the recruiter, the head coach.
That must have been Robinson's biggest failing because his teams just didn't have enough good players.
His boundless optimism was grating to fans and alumni but I don't know if it had an appreciable impact (one way or the other) on the team's performance on the field.
In his four years at Syracuse Robinson went 9-35 and 3-23 in the Big East. He will coach the final two games of this season against Notre Dame and Cincinnati.
That doesn't seem to make much sense. I understand why they want to let him go now instead of at the end of the year, so they can pursue a new coach, send a message to recruits, fans and alumni. But why not get rid of him and let an assistant coach the team in what are sure to be 2 more losses?
If the simple record wasn't enough to demonstrate how bad it has been under Robinson, here a few more facts:
The Orange have been outscored 300-169 in 2008.
In 21 homes games over Robinson's first three seasons, more than 260,000 seats were not sold.
In April, The Daily Orange, reported that the football team lost money in 2006 for the first time since 1995, when athletic departments were first required to report their finances to the government.
Average attendance fell to a 21-year low in 2007, and attendance numbers are again abysmal this season. Only 27,549 turned out for Pittsburgh in September, the smallest Carrier Dome crowd in 22 years.

Chef Paul Cooks Brisket

This is by far the easiest, and possibly the best-tasting of the new dishes we've tried.
Here's the recipe, write it down:
A 2 - 3 lb. brisket (it was called a deckel in the kosher butcher I went to)
A bottle of BBQ sauce

Pour about a cup or a little more if you want, of the sauce into the slow cooker
Put in the brisket
Set for 4 hours
Walk away.
About 15 minutes before it's ready added another cup or so of bbq sauce and stir it around.

And it was so fuckin good. It really tasted like an authentic slow-cooked brisket you'd find in any good BBQ joint. The only problem was that the 2 1/2 pound cut I bought shrunk somewhat and yielded few leftovers. Otherwise it was perfect.

Weekly Picks

Thanks to a crazy spread in the Giants game we got back on the horse with another good week. Overall our percentage is 54% which is barely enough to scrape by with some winnings if you count the vig. But an outstanding 8-2 record on best bets makes this a very good season for this format.

tennessee -3 JACKSONVILLE
I still don't understand why the Titans are not getting any respect. They're 9-0 for pete's sake. The Jaguars are terrible and in the last two weks they faced teams that had 0 combined wins entering the game. And they went 1-1. Now they're against the best team in the NFL. Two reasons this is not my best bet: it looks too obvious, and the spread is exactly a field goal.

new orleans -5 KANSAS CITY
The Chiefs played 3 tough games in a row (Jets, Bucs and Chargers) and they lost all 3. I think the psychology of results may begin to come into play here. I also think the disappointing Saints need a victory here and the spread is not too huge.

arizona -2 1/2 SEATTLE
Even though they won the Cardinals played a very bad game Monday night. The Seahawks are absolutely awful. They played tough against the Dolphins and lost. So that makes this an interesting game for me. Normally I look for a bad team that won against a good team that lost the week before. Here I'm going with a good team that won but played poorly against a bad team that lost but played well.

PITTSBURGH -4 1/2 san diego
The Chargers are so disappointing and the Steelers defense looked so good against the Redskins. They're coming off a loss to the Colts but that gives me even more reason to believe they will bounce back at home.

BEST BET
BUFFALO -4 1/2 cleveland
I worry about picking all favorites, and I worry about picking the Bills. After their loss to the Dolphins I thought I'd stay away from them for the rest of the year. But this is more of a selection against Cleveland than a pick for Buffalo. Brady Quinn was very impressive in his debut but rookie quarterbacks are by nature up and down. I expect a down week with a couple of interceptions from the kid.


Last week: 3-2 (4 points)
Season: 27-23 (33 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (8-2)
Home Favorites: 0-1 (9-9)
Home Underdogs: 0-1 (2-1)
Road Favorites: 2-0 (10-5)
Road Underdogs: 1-0 (6-7)
Road Pickems: 0-0 (0-1)