Shouldn't They Have Let Albany Score 5 More Points?

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim got his 800th career victory in a 75-43 win over Albany.
In 1976, Syracuse beat Harvard 75-48 to give Boeheim his first career win.

Note: Syracuse forced Albany into 32 turnovers with its trademarked 2-3 zone. In the previous game, a loss to LeMoyne, SU worked on its man defense -- and allowed 50 points in the second half





Boeheim didn't let the occassion stop him from displaying some classic stupid faces.






I feel old because I was at the game when Boeheim won his 500th.
Even though I hate Boeheim I do kind of like the t-shirt which Manny's is selling for $15, only problem is, shipping is $10. But if anyone wants to order one maybe we can join forces and defray shipping costs.


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I'm Not a Playa I Just Crush A Lot

Tali:



Cora:



Marissa:



Sarah:



Shayna:



Isabella:



Alyssa:

Harbinger

Syracuse lost to LeMoyne, a Division II cross-town rival. There's a chance this just was just a temporary blip, one that doesn't even count because this was just an exhibition game. It's possible Syracuse will be galvanized by this loss and with Arinze Onuaku inside, Andy Rautins outside and Wes Johnson in between they will make another run to the Sweet 16.

What I fear is more likely is that with the departure of Jonny Flynn, and Boeheim having run off two other good players (Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf), this could be an entire season full of embarrassing losses -- which could (looking on the bright side) finally lead to the retirement of Jim Boeheim and the ascension of Mike Hopkins.

If the latter situation is to happen one of those losses will come December 29th. That's because Nails and I are going to see the Orange play Seton Hall at the Prudential Center in Newark. Anyone wishing to join us should notify Nails soon because we are getting the tickets shortly.

Can't Blame the Cat for Trying

Uri Man hits on Fox News's Ainsley Earhart during an interview. Only problem is, he was too transparent. First rule of pick-up lines, the girl shouldn't know they're pick-up lines. But looking at her in the yellow dress I can understand what motivated his feeble attempt.

Weekly Picks

Damn, I can't seem to get anything going. But I do have a new guiding theory this week -- there aren't just two types of teams in the league (the really good and the really bad) there's also those that are good enough to beat the really bad but not good enough to beat the really good. The hard part is deciding which teams fit in that category, do the Giants?

INDIANAPOLIS -9 houston
The Colts are definitely one of those top teams. They played poorly last week but the offense will rebound this week.

ATLANTA -9.5 washington
I can't explain how bad the Redskins are but we're going to find out as they get into a tougher stretch of schedule.

detroit +10 SEATTLE
I think this is too big for a bad team like Seattle to cover. Even against a bad team like Detroit.

PHILADELPHIA -3 dallas
Dallas's last three wins came against Kansas City, Atlanta and Seattle, they might be one of those teams I was talking about. Or maybe the Eagles are. But with Philly's newfound firepower I think they can outscore Dallas.

BEST BET
SAN FRANCISCO -4 1/2 tennessee
The Titans burned me last week but I am trusting my read here. They did it all with the running game and I think the 49ers have a much better defense than Jacksonville. They played a pretty good game against the Colts but couldn't get the win. They should have better luck this week.


Last week: 1-4 (0 points)
Season: 19-21 (19 points)
Best Bets: 0-1 (4-4)
Home Favorites: 1-1 (5-4)
Home Underdogs: 0-1 (1-1)
Road Favorites: 0-0 (8-7)
Road Underdogs: 0-2 (5-9)

This is Why I Created the "Oversensitive Babies" tag

Suicide prevention groups aren't laughing over a scene in "The Office" where Steve Carell's character tries to scare young children by struggling in a hangman's noose.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other mental health organizations say NBC and other entertainers should stop using suicide as a punchline. They worry that depiction of a method of suicide might encourage mentally ill people to take their own lives.
"We try not to be zealots about this," said Robert Gebbia, the foundation's executive director. "But this one ... kind of crossed the line."
"The Office" Halloween episode last Thursday opened with the paper company hosting a haunted house for young children. Carell's socially clueless office manager Michael Scott promises a scare, and pops out with his depiction of a hanging.
Afterward, Scott speaks like an exaggerated public service announcement: "Kids, just remember, suicide is not the answer. It is the easy way out."
Gebbia said it's impossible to imagine a death due to breast cancer, for example, being used as a joke. He said he wants entertainers to be aware of the impact of their work.
Two years ago, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention protested a General Motors commercial that showed a robot leaping off a bridge, and a Volkswagen ad with a man standing on a ledge threatening to jump.
"We're not trying to be censors or fall into the trap of wanting everything to be PC, politically correct," Gebbia said. "But on the other hand, it's offensive to some people who have lost relatives to suicide by hanging.



I'm so sick of this crap. How do you depict a socially inept character if you can't have him do socially inept things?

Soccer Catfight

Unbelievable catfight at a women's soccer game between BYU and New Mexico.



What the hell does Elizabeth Lambert have to do to get a redcard?

The Worst Train Ride of My Life

I don't normally consider myself a friendly or outgoing person. I'd much prefer quiet and the comforts of my own thoughts to the awkward conversation of a stranger.

But I do try to be helpful and last night that put me on the worst train ride of my life. Even worse than when a suicidal teenager delayed my commute by two hours.

A British gentleman asked me which side of the tracks our train was arriving on. Then he asked which direction we'd be going, should he transfer at hoboken or secaucus and what time we'd arrive at Penn Station. When I answered all his questions he decided he'd just follow me to Penn Station.

Problem was, he didn't stop talking for 45 minutes. I tried to look disinterested. I pecked away at my blackberry, I stared out the window but nothing deterred him. Eventually I gave in and here's what I learned about David:

-he's Jewish but he didn't put on his yarmulke until I told him I was too
-as a kid his family used to go to a hotel every year for Pesach
-Dinkins was a bad mayor
-Giuliani was a good mayor (but he misses the working girls he used to see on the West Side of Manhattan)
-Koch was a good judge on "The People's Court"
-he was in the diamond business, which took him to India where he got his shirts custom-made
-the diamond business went south and now he is working at Jared (and I should come see him if I want to buy something nice for the Mrs.)
-he's recently divorced (why is he telling me this?)
-her father was a thief (he stole one of the custom-made shirts from India in a story eerily reminiscent of a run-in I once had with Pizza Parlor Derek)
-he thinks his former father-in-law is a cunt, or so he said five times (again, why is he telling me this?)
-him and his ex-wife never had much of a sex life. She just didn't turn him on, he faked headaches, pretended to be tired and she even accused him of being gay (seriously, can anyone tell me why?)

But this is the worst thing he said "I'll be taking this train every night from now on, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."

The Two Things I Hate About the Yankees and Their Fans

1) Right after the game YES Network fonted Derek Jeter as "5-time World Champion."
2) Everything else

Note: Every comment posted by TallSkott, the fakest Yankees fan ever will be deleted as soon as possible.

Congrats to Michael, for correctly guessing the winner of 6 of the 7 playoff series in our playoff predictions game.

Pizza Parlor Derek got 5 out of 6 but lost because the World Series was not canceled due to an H1N1 outbreak. Though I appreciate his plucky optimism.

Should I Give Her a Dollar?

For my birthday, Mrs. Poop got me this awesome Mitchell and Ness Mets jacket.



Because my birthday is in the summer I hardly if ever wore it until recently. One day when I came home from work Mrs. Poop asked if anyone at work liked my jacket. No one had said anything yet. The next day a Mets fan did say he liked my jacket. The day after that someone else complimented me on it as well. But the best compliment came from the crazy homeless lady who lives on 32nd street. I was so surprised at her "nice jacket" that I walked right by and didn't think about it until later that I probably should have given her a dollar.

Actually, I had been considering giving her money from an incident a couple weeks earlier (yes, I do see her every single day). As she was begging for money she said something to the effect of "please help me, I'm destitute."

A homeless woman with a good vocabulary and a love of the Mets, should I give her a dollar?

Penn State Pushes Christianity

Penn State's White Out T-shirts are emblazoned with the sign of the cross.
The vertical blue line intersects with the words "Penn State White Out" to create an unmistakable image of the cross.



Penn State says it has received six complaints about the shirt, including one from the Anti-Defamation League's Philadelphia branch, from people who say it connotes a Christian cross. The logo design also has become the focus of controversy in the student newspaper, "The Daily Collegian," which has received several letters to the editor on both sides of the issue.

Song of the Week

"Could It Be" - Jaheim
The age-old question, does she love me for me, or for my money?

Maybe Syracuse Needs Their Players to Get Hotter Girlfriends

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach blames his team's poor performance on their fat little girlfriends.

Ah-Nuld's Fuck You to the Legislature

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed a spending bill and included this evidently not so subtle message in the letter attached to his veto.



I've read the chances of spelling FUCK YOU with the first letter of seven lines of a letter are approximately 8 billion to 1. Now that seems totally high, but in the course of human history I'm sure 8 billion letters have been written, making this event a statistical likelihood -- eventually (something to do with the Infinite Monkey Theorem).

But if you only include the letters that were likely to be subjected to this level of scrutiny and public attention, the odds are Arnold meant to say fuck you.

Story suggested by Master Bates and the Concierge

Manu Ginobili Kills a Bat

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (whom I blame for ruining the NBA by popularizing the head down run into defender at full speed offensive move that has become so popular recently) killed a bat during a game Halloween night.
Someone released a bat (evidently) during the game and after several failed efforts to catch it, Ginobili took a swipe at it and knocked it out of the air.



Notice Ginobili got a spritz of Purell from the trainer, just to make sure.

Funny or Douchey?

John Savio and Reko Rivera had this great idea for Halloween, they are going to be "guyphones" -- life-sized iPhones.
Basically they hooked up their iPhones to 42" flat-screen TVs which they used as the display. They're powered by a battery which hangs between their legs.
The costumes cost $1000 but the duos planned to make that money back by winning costume contests.
It took 90 hours of work to create the guyphones which are heavy, hot and hard to walk in.

Happy Halloween

Chase in 2009:




Chase in 2008:



Chase in 2007:

Weekly Picks

Giants fucked me last week which really sucks because the favorites came up big last week meaning it was easy pickings. I'm a little worried about the favorites this week coming off a week like that, especially those trying to cover big spreads, so I'll go with some unusual tactics and see what happens.

denver +3 BALTIMORE
I'll believe until someone beats them. This could certainly be the game they get their first loss but I just have a feeling.

BUFFALO +3 houston
Time for another home underdog.

CHICAGO -13 cleveland
Something tells me the Bears and Jay Cutler will bounce back from last week's embarrassment with a strong performance against the putrid Browns.

INDIANAPOLIS -12 1/2 sam francisco
I know I said I was a little nervous about the big favorites this week but this is Alex Smith versus Peyton Manning.

BEST BET
jacksonville +3 TENNESSEE
How do the Titans give points to anyone? I am going to keep picking against the Titans until the oddsmakers figure out how bad they are.



Last week: 3-2 (2 points)
Season: 18-17 (19 points)
Best Bets: 0-1 (4-3)
Home Favorites: 0-1 (4-3)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (1-0)
Road Favorites: 3-0 (8-7)
Road Underdogs: 0-1 (5-7)

I Before E

British schools are asking teachers not to teach their students "I before E."
That's because there are too many exceptions to that mnemonic device.
And not just "except after C or when sounding like A as in neighbor or weigh."
The old saw "is not worth teaching" because of words like sufficient, veil and their.

Hotel Clerks Presumably Also in Cahoots with Erin Andrews's Videographer

The guy who taped Erin Andrews naked has been arrested and we are learning more about his scheme -- and thus far nothing to incriminate Andrews as being in on it.

Michael David Barrett was actually arrested for this "crime" and the whole thing kind of reminds me of George Costanza's famous speech in "The Fire."

"Instead of castigating me you should all be thanking me. What kind of topsy-turvy world do we live in where heroes are cast as villains, brave men, as cowards."

Note: his entire speech begins at about 55 seconds of this clip



Barrett risked his personal freedom to perform a great service to mankind and by all accounts never profited from his selfless act.

If we are to hold anyone responsible it should be the hotel clerks who granted Barrett's request when he asked for the room next to Erin Andrews.

I mean seriously how do you work at a hotel for even five minutes and think it's a good idea to grant someone's request for the room next to a hot sexy bitch like Erin Andrews. The only way I can understand it is if Barrett paid them a huge bribe.

Based on her actions in the clip (who straightens her hair naked?), all the hoopla and attention she garnered, as well as her faux outrage, I thought for a minute Andrews might have covertly or possibly overtly been involved in this scheme. But I am now starting to doubt that and I'm ready to believe she really was victimized by a crazed stalker.

A crazed stalker, through whose efforts we were able to see Erin Andrews's titties, but a crazed stalker nonetheless.

What Do You Give Me For? Chase and the Cobra Kai on Halloween

For Halloween/Laurie Berkner pajama party concert Chase dressed up in the same costume the guys from Cobra Kai wore on Halloween.

My Personal Crusade to Cure America's Social Ills

I have long said the biggest problem confronting America today is a lack of personal responsibility. In this country we don't make mistakes, we make excuses. We don't hold each other to a high standard of behavior, we don't hold one another accountable for misdeeds. But I do.

Note: for those of you bitterly remembering an incorrect answer on my Facebook quiz, that question referred to the most DISTURBING trend in America. Under that criteria the women who pay thousands of dollars to have their lips look like mine still disturbs me more than anything else.

Today while swiping my metrocard to pay $2.25 for a subway ride a young man hopped the turnstile. As I walked past him I said "next time you should pay like everyone else."
He replied, very dismissively, "ok."

If Mama Poop is reading this she is about to plotz thinking "are you crazy? He could have had a gun."

But I didn't say it in a confrontational manner and being somewhat bigger than this guy I didn't fear a physical reaction.

I just wanted him to know that his criminal behavior did not go unnoticed in my city.

Maybe if more people were as diligent in policing each other as I am the MTA wouldn't have to constantly jack up fares.

Song of the Week

"Love Like This" - Natasha Beddingfield featuring Sean Kingston

I know I'm not supposed to like pop music but everything this chick does is fire.

Can We Finally Stop Talking About This Now?

I'm sick of hearing reports that Mets owners the Wilpons lost millions in the Ponzi Scheme and therefore can no longer afford players and may be forced to sell the team.
Like any Ponzi scheme those who are first in make out like bandits while everyone else was holding the bag.
The Wilpons throughout the years invested $522.8 million dollars with Madoff. And over that time they withdrew $570.6 million.
Yes, they made money.
Now psychologically the Wilpons -- like many of Madoff's other "victims" -- took a huge blow because they thought they still had millions of dollars and all that went poof and disappeared.
But facts are facts, the Wilpons made money on Madoff, and may even be forced to repay some since they made out so well.
I hope that ends this discussion once and for all and get back to calling them cheap Jews when they fail to spend like the Yankees this offseason.

David Spade Mixing Drinks Octagonside

During UFC 104 during they showed David Spade sitting in the crowd. When he raised his hand to acknowledge the camera you could see he was drinking a Coke but in between his fingers was one of those little airplane bottles of Jack Daniels.

I wonder if they actually sell or provide those liquor bottles at Staples Center or did Spade make an alcohol run before the fight then sneak them past arena security.

Thoughts on the fights below the picture.



Obviously the Lyoto Machida decision victory over Shogun Rua was very controversial. I kind of agree that overall Rua did more to win the fight but if all three judges scored it the same then maybe it wasn't a fix and Machida really won three of those rounds. Each of the first two rounds probably could have gone either way. Also, do you judge strikes to the head the same way you judge kicks to the leg. Yes Shogun landed a lot of kicks, and they did damage, but Machida landed many more blows to the head.

I also think the announce team influenced general opinion on this fight (though the in-arena crowd reacted as well). Mike Goldberg was harping on the scoring the whole time and Joe Rogan tried to dismiss him several times by saying basically "who knows what the judges see, forget about it and watch the fight." But Goldberg kept going leading to an argument over Machida's strategy, Goldberg saying he needed to do something desperate, Rogan saying desperation can get you knocked out, and Goldberg saying without desperation you get decisioned out of your title.

I love Machida and I'm glad he won but this is the problem with him sometimes. He's so elusive and so patient that some of his fights lack action. This one was kind of interesting from a technical standpoint, and there was action, there just weren't any decisive moments.

I think whichever way the decision ended up on this one would have been disappointing. Obviously, Rua losing pissed some people off but it would have been kind of hollow for him to take the belt with that performance.

What's the Beef?

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is caught on the sidelines eating a hot dog during his team's 38-0 win over the Raiders. Look at his technique, he's trying not to let the cameras see:



For some reason he had to apologize after the game. I don't understand why. He was hungry so he ate. How does that constitute showing up the opposition? Is it just because he was eating a hot dog? What foods are acceptable to eat on the sidelines.

The Secret to A-Rod's Sudden Post-Season Success

For years A-Rod has been an enigma, one of the best players in baseball history, but every year of his Yankee career he failed and failed miserably in the playoffs.
But this year something changed. Through 8 post-season games this year A-Rod is batting .400, with a ridiculous 1.453 OPS. He has 5 homers several of which came in clutch situations late in games.
So what's changed?
Some are saying A-Rod is playing free and easy this year because he split with his wife, his marital infidelities are out in the open. So too is his steroid use. Those revelations may have freed A-Rod to just play -- without the pressure that may have been holding him back.

But I have a different suggestion. I think A-Rod is following a decades old baseball slump-busting ritual. He's enlisted the help of a "slump-buster" an ugly girl you fuck to break your streak of bad luck.




Nick Swisher on the other hand is batting .118 in the playoffs.
His girlfriend is Joanna Garcia of "Gossip Girl" and "Reba" fame:

Weekly Picks

Survived another week thanks to getting my best bet. Some surprising games last week but I went with the Pats and had the easiest victory of my career. A few games I like this week but the spreads are big so I had a hard time deciding on a best bet.

philadelphia -7 WASHINGTON
I never do this. This is the first time I remember picking a Redskins regular season game. But they are in such disarray I can't imagine them scoring more than 10 points in this game. After an embarrassing loss to the Raiders I think the Eagles need this game. We've seen this before from Philadelphia and McNabb, after a bad game they come with a good offensive performance.

minnesota +6 PITTSBURGH
When do you ever see an undefeated team getting this many points. Especially against a team that isn't playing all that well. Even in wins over Detroit and Cleveland the Steelers didn't cover which seems to be a sign the handicappers are still overrating them based on last year.

ny jets -6 OAKLAND
The Jets have a chance to send their season down the toilet with a loss here. Even JaMarcus Russell doesn't throw 5 interceptions two weeks in a row. Nor will Russell win two weeks in a row.

new orleans -6 MIAMI
The Saints are quite simply the best team in football and there's no way the Wildcat can keep up.

BEST BET
NY GIANTS -7 arizona
The Giants are due for a strong bounceback here. But there's another factor at work here. The old West Coast team coming to the East. Yes, it's late in the day and yes the Cardinals have already won twice in this situation this season and yes, I don't even believe in this cockamamie theory, but people are talking about it, we'll see. But really the Giants are just really good and they are going to want to put on a better performance than they did last week.

Last week: 2-3 (3 points)
Season: 15-15 (17 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (4-2)
Home Favorites: 1-1 (4-2)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (1-0)
Road Favorites: 0-1 (5-7)
Road Underdogs: 1-1 (5-6)

I Am the Drew Brees of Photographing Children

And Mrs. Poop is the Jason Campbell.

Anyone with kids will tell you how difficult it is to photograph a child. They won't stand still. They won't stand up straight and they certainly won't smile.

To combat this juvenile restlessness I employ the Drew Brees method. I aim and fire at the spot I think my receiver will be.

Mrs. Poop on the other wants for her receivers to get open, then she waits another second to make sure they're still open but by then it's too late.

This picture was taken with my grip it and rip it technique. I literally just stuck my arm out and snapped.

Another Sociological Trend I Pioneered

Before I came along the whole world was eating chicken wings and getting sauce all over their fingers and faces. Then thanks to my OCD I started eating boneless buffalo wings. Now boneless has become such a trend there's a great article in the New York Times about the trend.
The article foolishly credits an unusual shift in chicken pricing for the popularity of bonelessness.
The convenience, cleanliness and cool factor I've brought to boneless is what's really driving the trend.

Not Sure Who is More Embarrassed About This One

MSNBC's Contessa Brewer makes an embarrassing mistake while introducing Jesse Jackson.




Jackson's face while waiting to correct her was priceless. I love the way she threw the producer/writer under the bus. And even if the script did say Sharpton she had to have known who was coming on.

The Tubby Temptress

Whenever a sex scandal breaks the first thing everyone wants is pictures of the girl. Well Steve Phillips is likely to be more embarrassed by these photos today than he was about the birthmark revelation. The New York Post which has a bad habit of using the term "beauty" loosely when describing women used the term "Tubby Temptress" for Brooke Hundley. Even the Post can't put lipstick on this pig.

Steve Phillips Has a Birthmark Above His Penis

And also one on his inner thigh.

The former Mets GM who screwed Mets fans for years is now screwing Production Assistants at his new job calling games for ESPN.

During a road trip to St. Louis Phillips who is 46 slept with a 22-year-old PA named Brooke Hundley.



Phillips says he fucked her three times in total, and when he decided to break it off with her that's when things went crazy.

Hundley would call his house, she even showed up and backed her car into a stone wall while fleeing his wife. She stalked Phillips son on Facebook pretending to be his high school classmate.

Hundley sent this letter to Phillips's wife, telling her about their affair, their sexually explicit text messages and his desire to leave her.

As a means of proof she closed the letter with this: "Steve has a big birthmark on his crotch right above his penis and one on his left inner thigh, so you know I'm not being fake."


Phillips has done this before, banging a team employee while he was running the Mets.

Last time, his wife stood by him, this time Mrs. Phillips is filing for divorce. I hope she takes everything he's got, leaving him with nothing but a birthmark above his penis.

Song of the Week

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" - Phil Collins
There are so many great songs about couples fighting and breaking up but since Mrs. Poop and I seldom have a serious fight lasting longer than five minutes, I never get to post any of them.
Last night I picked a fight with her just so I could post this song.

"We've had our problems but I'm on your side."

Paul From Staten Island

In "Big Fan" Patton Oswalt plays a sports-obsessed toll collector who calls talk radio shows as "Paul from Staten Island" and scripts what he is going to say.
The movie was only in very limited release (though it did play at The Atrium on Staten Island) so you might have to catch it on DVD. It got pretty good reviews and looks promising but it sort of calls to mind another movie with a similar plot and a similar name which is frequently discussed as one of the worst movies ever, "The Fan."

This About Sums It Up

The Redskins are 2-4 despite having played only winless teams.
After the Giants in Week 1 the Reskins five oppponents have been St. Louis, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Carolina and Kansas City.
Those teams are 3-2 against the Redskins, 1-1 against each other and 0-22 against the rest of the league.
If the Redskins were just a reasonably bad team, instead of an historically bad one, they could easily be 5-1 at this point.

But their offense is so bad they can barely score a touchdown, settling for field goal after field goal when they do get lucky enough to get the ball into the red zone.

Jason Campbell is a big part of the problem. He just holds the ball too longm resulting in a ton of sacks. But watch Drew Brees, he throws the ball anticipating where his receiver will be. Campbell holds it until his receiver gets open, then holds it another second to make sure hs stays open, then gets sacked before he can release it. He's horrible and he'll never be a good NFL QB.

Jim Zorn is a shitty coach who is in way over his head and has too many responsibilities (until now where his play-calling duties were taken away).

Next year there will be no salary caps and I expect Daniel Snyder to spare no expense in trying to fix this team so the Redskins can be Super Bowl Champs during what would be the 2011 season (which will get canceled due to a labor dispute).

Weekly Picks

If you take off that miserable first week I'm actually on fire, hitting 65% of my games over four weeks.

CINCINNATI -5 houston
According to NFL gambling lore, if two perfectly even teams were playing each other, the home team would be a three point favorite. If that's the case how are the Bengals not giving 7 to 10 points in this one?

new york giants +3 1/2 NEW ORLEANS
Perfect example of the above stated theory. The Saints are giving these points because they are the home team. It really doesn't make any sense though because the Giants are definitely the better team.

philadelphia -14 OAKLAND
No spread seems too big for the Raiders to lose by. And the Eagles have been doing a good job scoring points this year.

denver +3 1/2 SAN DIEGO
Another game, similar situation. Why would anyone believe the Chargers are a better team than the Broncos this year?

BEST BET
NEW ENGLAND -9 tennessee
Until the handicappers who set these lines figure out the Titans are not the same team they were when they were 13-3 last season, I'm going to keep picking against them, maybe as my best bet every week.



Last week: 2-3 (3 points)
Season: 13-12 (14 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (3-2)
Home Favorites: 0-0 (3-1)
Home Underdogs: 1-0 (1-0)
Road Favorites: 1-2 (5-6)
Road Underdogs: 1-0 (4-5)

Big Fat Liar

Linda Brown rolls up to Burlington Coat Factory in Columbus, Ohio in a Hummer limo.



She tells everyone she just won $1.5 million in the lottery and has no family so she wants to use her newfound wealth to buy everyone a coat, up to $500.



People start going nuts in the store, grabbing everything they can find, and calling friends and relatives to come down and do the same.
Eventually it comes out that Brown is a liar. She didn't win the lottery, she doesn't have any money, and she's not paying for anything.
That set off a near-riot as people starting trashing the store and even stealing some of the things they thought they were going to get for free.

Brown's daughter says she thinks her mom must be off her medication.



Here's the video:

He Was Over Unger and Under Dunn

Kareem-Abdul Jabbar has an embarrassing moment on Jeopardy!

The President Slept on the Couch

At the Latina Fiesta with a whole hot of Hispanic hotties in attendance (including J.lo and Eva Longoria) the President got himself in some hot water. He got up to dance with Thalia and I don't think Michelle was too happy with him.
Watch carefully when he sits back down at the table.
He tries to talk to her and she gives him the "I know you didn't just dance with that Hispanic hussy and fan yourself because she's hot. You are in b ig trouble when we get home mister" face.

Why Drunk Drivers Survive Crashes

It's been an often quoted adage that a drunk driver is more likely to survive a crash than sober people. Now there's proof this is not just an urban legend.

"Trauma patients who were drunk before they were injured were more likely to survive than sober trauma patients, U.S. researchers have found. Another recent study had a similar finding.
The latest study of 7,985 trauma patients found that 7% of sober patients died compared to 1% of intoxicated patients. All of the patients were of similar age and had similar injuries.

The findings appear in the October issue of the journal American Surgeon.

"This study is not encouraging the use of alcohol," principal investigator Dr. Christian de Virgilio of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said in a news release. "It is seeking to further explore earlier studies that had found alcohol may improve the body's response to severe injuries. If alcohol is proven to improve the body's response to traumatic injury, it could lead to treatments that help patients survive and recover more quickly."

It's believed that alcohol may reduce the risk of death by changing the body's chemical response to injury.

A study published in the September issue of the Archives of Surgery looked at more than 38,000 head trauma patients and found that the death rate was 7.7% for those who'd consumed alcohol and 9.7% for those who hadn't had alcohol."

Song of the Week

"To Live and Die in L.A." - 2Pac
For this week at least L.A. is my favorite city in the country as I root vehemently for an L.A. World Series to save me from the indignity of watching the Yankees and Phillies play each other for the title.
As if I wasn't sure before, that would be the final proof that The Universe hates Mets fans.

Owen Schmitt is Certifiably Insane

Seattle Seahawks fullback Owen Schmitt is one crazy son of a bitch. The guy bloodied himself during the introductions on Sunday.





This is not the first time Schmitt went batshit crazy and hit himself on the head with a helmet. There are so many great stories about Schmitt. He would be the type of gritty, hard-nosed, make-the-most-of-limited-talent player I would love, if I didn't have the sneaking suspicion of steroid use.

Adam Dunn Falls Short and Other Statistical Observations

Adam Dunn hit exactly 40 homers in each of the past four season, and after he hits his 37th on September 11 I thought he had a pretty good chance of making it five in row. But Dunn went into a horrible slump, hitting only one more home run in his last 19 games, a span of 64 at bats.



But one guy who never misses a chance to pad his stats is A-Rod. Because he missed 30 games or so early in the year his 11-year stretch of at least 30 homers and 100 RBI was in jeopardy. He needed 2 homers and 7 RBI on the season's final day. And wouldn't you know it, that's exactly what he got.

Joe Mauer won his third batting title. Most ever for a catcher. No other catcher has won even one since World War II. His .365 batting average is the highest ever for a catcher.

Mark Reynolds struck out 223 times in in 578 at bats. That breaks his own record of 204 set last year. Reynolds made out 425 times, 52% of those outs were by strikeout. But as Reynolds himself said "who cares?" Reynolds had 44 homers which is great but only 102 RBI, which is probably fewer than a guy who puts the ball in play more. He walked 76 times and had an .892 OPS, but numbers which are respectable. But here's where you really see the impact of his Ks: 3 sacrifice flies, and only 8 grounded into double plays.



On Opening Day Adam Lind had 6 RBI, putting him on pace for 972 for the season (and 162 homers). When I e-mailed TallSkott about Lind's remarkable pace he replied "On pace for 972, will end up with 50." Lind ended up with 35 homers and 114 RBI making him one of this season's biggest offensive surprises.