Cereal Offender

Kevin Garnett is a well-known trash talker who will say anything to get under an opponent's skin. His tactics worked on Carmelo Anthony who completely lost his cool because of Garnett's physical and verbal assault.
Melo tried to confront Garnett after the game, waiting in the tunnel for him to board the Celtics team bus.



Why was Melo so angry? KG reportedly told him that his wife, LaLa tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios. Melo got a one-game suspension for this which I felt was totally unjustified. Melo didn't actually do anything. He may have contemplated something, or attempted something, but like attempted murder, it's unfair to punish someone for a crime they didn't commit. If anything, for infractions actually committed, Garnett should have been whacked.

But at least LaLa has a good sense of humor about it, suggesting on Twitter that they all deserve a check from Honey Nut Cheerios for all the free advertising.

Weekly Picks

Another week, another ill-fated best bet. What else is new?

baltimore +9 DENVER
I think Denver will win. I think they are the eventual Super Bowl champions, I just think this game could be a little more difficult than we expect.

SAN FRANCISCO -3 green bay
This is probably the toughest game of the weekend to call but I'll go with the home team and the better defense.

seattle +2 1/2 ATLANTA
The Seahawks might be a team of destiny. They're really good and Atlanta seems to be one of those teams we've seen recently, really hot start to the season, coast down the stretch and never reach that level of play in the playoffs. Plus, they may not have been that good to begin with.

BEST BET
NEW ENGLAND -9 1/2 houston
The Patriots killed the Texans when they played in the regular season and that was only 1 month ago. It's been proven that blowouts in the regular season don't have a correlation to the playoffs but everything about this game says New England blowout to me.

Last Week: 2-2 (1 point)
Season: 38-51 (28 points)
Best Bets: 0-1 (4-14)
Home Favorites: 1-0 (13-22)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (6-4)
Road Favorites: 1-0 (11-15)
Road Underdogs: 0-2 (8-10)

I Wanted to Punch Him Too

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman is a professional shit-stirrer. Redskins lineman Trent Williams had enough of his shit by the end of the playoff game last week. Sherman was miked up for NFL Films, you can see him throughout the game being a dick to opposing players, the referees, and even the fans.



I'm surprised that Sherman didn't retaliate, and that a punch from a guy as big and strong as Williams didn't hurt more.

Song of the Week

"My Ship is Comin' In" - Jimmy Radcliffe
"You can throw away that shabby dress
Buy yourself the finest things in town girl.
Dry your eyes, we're celebratin'
Oh there's so much happiness waitin'
Baby, my ship is coming in"

A Few Things On Which Murray Chass and I Agree

My dislike for baseball writer Murray Chass is now well-known. It started in 1997, when I asked him if steroids were a big part of baseball and he dismissed me with a sneer. Now Chass is taking my position (a position I have grown into) steroids users should not be in the Hall of Fame. He also agrees that he shouldn’t have a vote, he’s giving his up. But not before he casts one – or two – defiant votes in favor of Jack Morris.
Let’s start with the steroid users. I’ve made a minor adjustment in my position and I would seek to ban all steroid users from the Hall of Fame. I admit that’s is hard-line, and my strict adherence to this principle may end up being capricious and unfair but it’s better than any other way of voting.
Some voters just say let everyone in, forget steroids, just judge based on performance whether it was steroid-aided or not. I can’t stomach that.
Others say vote in the guys who would have been Hall of Famers based on their pre-steroid performance.
Others want to punish anyone linked to steroids but not cast aspersions on those whose names (if not their bodies) have remained clean.
Here’s why I feel so absolute: It’s impossible to know when players started taking steroids. They’re liars, we can’t believe them. It’s impossible to know how their careers would have turned out fir not for steroids keeping them healthy and prolonging their primes.
It’s not fair to allow those who didn’t get caught or admit it while other better players who did the same thing got left out. If anything, we should let in the admitted users, in hopes to smoke everyone out and to get a better understanding of what exactly went on.
Please don’t tell me: players in the 50s and 60s were using amphetamines. It’s not even close to being the same thing in terms of effect on performance.
Steroids weren’t against the rules. Yes they were. They were against the law. Using illicit drugs was against baseball’s rules. Failure to enforce those rules is shameful, but it doesn’t absolve the rule breakers.

So here’s what I’ve got: Bonds and Clemens are out because they’re known steroids users.

Palmeiro and Manny are out because they failed tests.
Sosa, Bagwell and Piazza are out because of serious suspicions about them. I put Craig Biggio in that group too.
So that could result in an entire era of players, stars from the 90s and 00s, pretty much wiped out of the Hall. I’m ok with that. Hopefully a new breed of stars like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Buster Posey will fill those vacancies in the Hall and in our hearts.

Now, if I had a ballot for this year I would cast one vote: for Tim Raines. He was one of the greatest players at his position during his time period. No he wasn’t Rickey Henderson but he was close enough that he warrants induction as well. I would never vote for Jack Morris. His 3.90 ERA would be one of the worst of any pitcher in the Hall. His career ERA+ (adjusted for park and run-scoring environment) of 105 means he was barely an above-average pitcher. Yes he had a few great postseason games which is nice, but not enough to elevate an above-average pitcher to greatness.

The Best Part of the BCS Title Game

If you watched the BCS National Championship between Alabama and Notre Dame you probably turned it off at some point as Alabama kicked Notre Dame's ass. But I hope you stuck around long enough to see this:

The ESPN crew shows AJ McCarron's incredibly hot beauty queen, model girlfriend, Katherine Webb in the stands. No problem there. The problem came when Brent Musburger who is legit 50 years older than Webb started fawning all over her.

"When you're the quarterback at Alabama, you see that lovely lady there. She does go to Auburn, don't admit that but she's also Miss Alabama and that's AJ McCarron's girlfriend. "You quarterbacks, you get all the good looking women. What a beautiful woman."
"Wow!" Herbstreit said.
"Whoa!" Musburger chimed in.
"AJ's doing some things right down in Tuscaloosa," Herbstreit said.
"If you're a youngster in Alabama, start getting the football out and throw it around the backyard with pop," Musburger said.

The NFL is Poop - Wild Card Playoffs

Good Enough, But Not Good
I don't think the Houston Texans proved anything to anyone with this performance. They put together plenty of drives but could not finish, kicking four field goals instead of touchdowns. And that almost cost them the game. The Bengals had that one final drive that stalled late, after which Houston ran out the clock.
I actually think the Bengals should have gone for it. 4th and 11 is very unlikely. I like their chances better had they kicked a 54-yarder (no gimme) and with 3 minutes left tried to stop them and get the ball back for a final drive for a game-tying field goal.

Over Before It's Begun
You knew the Vikings had no chance to win this game once we found out Christian Ponder wasn't playing. It wasn't just the Joe Webb was bad (which he was) but that any real threat of the passing game was taken away and the Packers were able to key on Peterson, even more than they normally would have. I have been saying this about backup/young quarterbacks for a while now, their offensive coordinators are often their worst enemies. They go to incredibly conservative game plans which force the inexperienced QB to pass only in obvious passing situations, making it harder, because the defense knows he's going to pass.
With the way Aaron Rodgers played it was very possible the Packers would win this game no matter whom the Vikings started, but it seemed right from the outset the Vikings had no chance.

A Tangled Webb
I hate comparing all black quarterbacks to Michael Vick but in this case the comparison is incredibly apt. Webb is fast, and had some great runs. He has a wonderfully strong arm. Did you see the pass to Jerome Simpson over the middle, overthrown by ten yards? Or the one down the sidelines intercepted by Sam Shields, which was only overthrown by 5? It wasn't just the strong arm that was completely inaccurate, it was his uncertainty in the pocket, waiting, waiting, waiting for a receiver to come open, and taking sacks. And at least two ridiculous passes where Webb flung the ball up in the air, in the middle of the field, instead of taking a sack. Neither was picked off, but both could have been. In all it was a positively Vick-ian performance from a QB who like Vick has all the physical tools but not of the intangibles needed to be a winning quarterback, especially in the playoffs.

Someone Cover Anquan Boldin
Despite some terrible offense and many failures in the red zone the Indianapolis Colts were actually in this game until they let Anquan Boldin run wild in the second half.
Here were his catches:
50 yards on 3rd and 19 (when it was still 10-6)
10 yards on 1st and 10 (to start a drive)
46 yards (to set up the TD that put the Ravens up 17-6)
21 yards (keying another promising drive that was short circuited by a Ray Rice fumble on the next play)
18 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory
5 catches, 145 yards, all in the second half, many of them incredible catches.
Andrew Luck wasn't good and he didn't make the plays that needed to be made the way Joe Flacco and especially Anquan Boldin did.

It Can't End Like This
Ray Lewis is one of the greatest players in NFL history and his career is almost over. He missed a big chunk of the season with a triceps injury but made a comeback for the playoffs, one final hurrah in front of the home crowd. But this wasn’t Willie Mays limping around during the 1973 World Series. Lewis though diminished, (2000 Ray never would have dropped that interception) still had 13 tackles and was a major force on defense, and I suppose more of an inspirational leader for his defense than I thought he could be.

In fact, they love him so much in Baltimore they gave him one last chance to perform his dance, even at the risk of being bad sports. On the final play, the kneeldown, Lewis took the position as deep back behind the quarterback. And after Flacco took a knee, Lewis launched into his famous dance, wowing the home crowd for one final time. If he decides to stick to his retirement promise.



A Brief Rant About the Redskins
Why must my teams not only lose, but do so in the most painful fashion possible? Not just a loss, a playoff loss at home. And not just a playoff loss at home, a playoff loss at home, after blowing a 14-0 lead. And not just a playoff loss at home after blowing a 14-0 lead, the star quarterback also got hurt, who knows how seriously.
Let’s start with the game. There is no question Mike Shanahan should have taken RG3 out. There were plenty of chances to do it. The first time he got hurt, after that run when he limped to the sidelines, after the offense became ineffective because Seattle knew he couldn’t scramble, after he got sacked because he couldn’t run through the wide-open lane. If Shanahan has some balls he takes RG3 out then and Cousins at least gives the Redskins a chance to win.
I don’t blame RG3 for wanting to stay in, I blame Shanahan for not doing what was best for the team.
And now not only did we lose that game, there’s a possibility he could have suffered an even more serious injury that could affect him next year and perhaps beyond.
Maybe this is the downside of having a quarterback who plays this style, he’s going to get hurt, and we just have to live with it. But where there was once so much promise, now there is just a lot of worry.

Weekly Picks

A horrible regular season is over so now I can begin a horrible postseason.

cincinnati +4 ½ HOUSTON
I never believed in the Texans though they seem to have all the weapons. I don’t much believe in momentum but there’s definitely something to teams that either improve or get worse as the season goes along. I actually think the Bengals have a decent chance to win this game so I will gladly take the points.

GREEN BAY -7 ½ minnesota
Same exact spread as last week when the Vikings covered. I normally love when teams play twice in a row or in short proximity, just pick the first winner to win again, probably because they’re better. But in this case I think the Packers are better. They got totally run over twice in a row by Adrian Peterson. I think they’ll be able to do more to stop him this time and Aaron Rodgers will put up enough points to cover this spread.

seattle -2 ½ WASHINGTON
There was no chance I was going to pick the Redskins in this game, no matter the opposition, no matter the spread. But I do think the Seahawks are going to win this game. Their defense is great, ours is adequate. Both teams have great running games and dynamic, young quarterbacks. Both teams are better than their records indicate because they’re both on long winning streaks. Maybe because I’ve watched every Redskins game I’m more familiar with their warts, but the Redskins need to force turnovers to win. If Wilson protects the ball, the Seahawks will prevail. Assuming their secondary is all hopped up on Adderal and Viagra as they normally are.

BEST BET
indianapolis +6 ½ BALTIMORE
I actually think the Colts are going to win this game. The Ravens time has come. I love Ray Lewis and will miss him dearly but his impact on this game will be minimal, and the impact of his retirement announcement as a motivator for the rest of the defense.

Last Week: 3-2 (2 points)
Season: 36-49 (27 points)
Best Bets: 0-1 (4-13)
Home Favorites: 3-1 (12-22)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (6-4)
Road Favorites: 0-1 (10-15)
Road Underdogs: 0-0 (8-8)

NFL Playoff Predictions

AFC Playoffs
Houston over Cincinnati
Indianapolis over Baltimore

Denver over Indianapolis
New England over Houston

Denver over New England

NFC Playoffs
Green Bay over Minnesota
Seattle over Washington

San Francisco over Green Bay
Seattle over Atlanta

San Francisco over Seattle

Super Bowl
Denver 31 San Francisco 23

Song of the Week

"New York Minute" - Don Henley
One of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I've heard.
"In a New York minute, everything can change."

Extreme Makeover: Paulo Edition

Due to a bout of indifference stemming from my job-borne frustration, I grew my normal winter beard, but instead of keeping it neat and trim as I normally do, I let it grow wild and unruly until I looked Hasidic. But because I am starting a new job, and you never get a second chance to make a first impression (I'm going to do my George W. Bush), I had to cut my hair, shave my beard and trim the goatee portion of my facial hair. This massive transformation took place over the course of about 15 minutes in my kitchen and bathroom.

New Year, New Job

A few months ago my friend and supervisor left my place of employment to take a better job at a competitor. Someone else was elevated to his role, it was widely assumed, especially by me, that I would be elevated to that vacancy. For reasons too complicated and aggravating to explain here, that did not happen.
I was shocked, saddened, angry, confused and hopeless. But as always, the Universe takes care of me. The reason I didn't get that job is so the Universe could reward me with a better one instead. The aforementioned friend and supervisor has recruited me to join him at his new place of employment.
I will be making more money, getting a key promotion I have been seeking for 5 years, and working much closer to home. Because I no longer have to commute, in addition to the increase salary I will be saving thousands on parking, gas and tolls.
And the biggest perk of all, I get free dinner every night. Which leads me to the worst part of this new job. By the way, isn't that always the case, the best part is the result of the worst part.
My new hours will be 11a to 8p. I won't have to wake up early, or even set an alarm, I won't get dressed in the dark, which may seem better to some. But to me I will miss my afternoons off. I will be devastated when summer rolls around and I don't get to come home at 3p and take the boys to the park. And I won't eat dinner with my family every night.
But that is a small sacrifice to make in the face of all I am going to gain from this new job. And Mrs. Poop who is making the biggest sacrifice of all, facing these monsters alone everyday, is also reaping the rewards, beginning with a brand new iPhone5.
And that is how life goes, you always have to let go of what you have to open your hand to get something better. It is fitting I start this job on the beginning of a new years, because it represents new challenges, new rewards and stuff we're going to buy with all that new money.

Note: please use discretion when commenting about my past or current employers.

Note: my e-mail account and blackberry had to be surrendered when I left. So you can't e-mail me at that address or text or call me on that phone number. Stand by for new information and if you need to reach me most of you know my personal address or can contact me through social media.

Black Monday

7 NFL head coaches were fired on Monday, the day after the NFL season ended.
12 coaches made the playoffs. 5 coaches just completed their first year (hired after their predecessors were fired on last Black Monday.
The leaves just 8 coaches who missed the playoffs and kept jobs they've had for more than a year (Ron Rivera, Jason Garrett, Jim Schwartz, Sean Payton, Tom Coughlin, Mike Tomlin, Mike Munchak and Rex Ryan).
I can understand most of those, except Rex Ryan.
The Jets did fire GM Mike Tannenbaum who certainly was a large part of the problem. When the Jets were contending for AFC titles Tannenbaum pursued a very polarized salary structure (a few high-priced players, mostly low priced roster-filler) and it backfired due to injury and underperformance. He also made a huge bad gamble on by giving Mark Sanchez more money. I don't blame him for the Tebow deal, because it was low risk and never given a chance to pay off.
And that's where Ryan comes in. He continued to insist his strategies were working when everyone else knew they failed. His stubbornness in refusing to replace Sanchez, was a major failing. And it's not as if the Jets have real hopes to turn this around next season, with such weak quarterback prospects. What's the point of giving Ryan one more year when he's likely to fail anyway. Better to completely clean house, bottom out and start to rebuild.

If there's any fired coach I would have given another chance to, it would have been Lovie Smith. The Bears finished 10-6 but missed the playoffs, particularly hard to swallow given their 7-1 start. Smith has been unable to get the best consistently out of Jay Cutler. I'm starting to believe that no one will ever be able to do that. But Smith continued to field a strong defense intent on forcing turnovers and keeping the team in games. The Bears are getting older on defense, but I think Smith could have been given another season or two to try to make this work.

Unlike Andy Reid who had long since overstayed his welcome. 14 years is a long time, and despite his early success, there comes a time when change is necessary for change sake. Like Smith and Cutler, Reid wasn't able to reform Michael Vick into a quarterback who could play without turning the ball over. Unlike Smith, he's an offensive coach who should have had more success than that.

Norv Turner also was there too long. Turner is a terrible a coach. His teams always underachieve and though it's hard to pinpoint his exact problem I think it's clear at this point that he should never be an NFL head coach ever again. I think there is a good chance Andy Reid gets this job and tries to make something out of Philip Rivers.

Ken Whisenhunt is another coach who had success early on (almost won a Super Bowl) but has since faded horribly. Remember when the Cardinals won their first 4 games this season, including a win over the Patriots? Well, they lost 11 of the next 12, and that was the end of Whisenhunt. But I'm not sure any coach can win with that array of quarterbacks.

Pat Shurmur in Cleveland was also dealt a difficult hand. He got only two years and shitty quarterbacks. The team and Brandon Weeden showed promise towards the end of the season. I would have given Shurmur more time but I understand a new owner wants to come in and pick his own guys.

Chan Gailey coached the Bills for 3 seasons. They lost at least 10 games and finished last all three years. This season the team sank a ton of money into its defense, which stunk. Gailey deserved to be fired, but good luck to the next guy.

And lastly, Romeo Crennel. He took over with 3 games left in last season and was given the full-time job. Then the Chiefs went 2-14. Crennel is a nice man but not a very good head coach. But like most coaches on this list, he was the victim of poor quarterback play. His season as head coach of the Chiefs will always be remembered for Jovan Belcher committing suicide as Crennel watched and tried to convince him not to. "You're taking the easy way out," Crennel yelled, to no avail.

The NFL is Poop - Week 17

Yo, Adrian
An amazing season by Adrian Peterson comes to an end 9 yards short of breaking the NFL's single-season rushing record. The passing record fell in 2011, the receiving record in 2012, maybe next year is Peterson's year. Regardless of a record Peterson was absolutely incredible this year, especially in this game. He didn't even seem to know how few yards he fell short by when Pam Oliver referenced it in the postgame interview. And even more amazing because he tore his ACL a year ago. Amazing player, amazing season, the lack of a record doesn't diminish it at all.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
A beautiful game following the formula the Redskins have followed all season. Run the ball down the opponents throat, give up tons of yards on defense and then force the key interception. The Redskins picked off Tony Romo 3 times, the first one thwarted the Cowboys when they were poised to take an early lead. The last one pretty much sealed the game and snuffed out any hopes of an heroic Romo comeback. RGIII was clearly not himself, he rushed for 63 yards (but you could see he was holding back) and completed only 9 passes for 100 yards. But that's because the Redskins didn't need more.

The Forgotten Rookie
This year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award is going to go to Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III with an outside chance of Russell Wilson.
Note: Perhaps I'll analyze this rookie of the year race at a later date.
And though Alfred Morris is probably going to finish 4th, his season is no less remarkable just because it happened to occur in conjunction with three exceptional rookie QB seasons. Morris's 1613 yards is the best 3rd best rookie total ever. In the past 20 years, 11 running backs have won the rookie of the year (Faulk, Martin, Bettis) and Morrs's numbers compare favorably with all of them. I'm not saying Alf deserves to win. I'm just pointing out that for a guy who was a 6th round pick out of Florida International, he had a hell of a rookie season. And the 6th round pick the Redskins used to take him, that was acquired from Minnesota in the Donovan McNabb trade.

Why the Super Bowl Isn't Played in October
For much of the season the two teams competing in my mythical Today Super Bowl were the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. Now neither team is seen as a favorite to get there. The Falcons played well enough to clinch home-field last week so they can't be faulted for losing the to the ExpensiveCornPrices and falling to 13-3. But what was the Texans' excuse? They completely shit the bed against a Colts team with little to play for and now they don't even get a first round bye. Last year the Texans, with TJ Yates starting at quarterback for the injured Matt Schaub, beat the Bengals in the first round of the playoffs. This year they draw the Bengals again but I'm not so sure the result will be the same this time.

Game of the Week
Minnesota Vikings 37 Green Bay Packers 34
This game was not just great because of all the great things Adrian Peterson did. Both quarterbacks played awesome. Rodgers's 73 yard pass to Jordy Nelson that set up the touchdown that got Green Bay back to within 3 late in the 3rd, was surpassed in beauty and accuracy only by the 65-yarder from Christian Ponder to Jarius Wright that got Minnesota back on top 34-27. After that Green Bay tied it up setting up Peterson's dramatic final game-winning drive.

Game of Next Week
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Who doesn't want to see a rematch of that one. Division rivals, Peterson vs. Rodgers. Let's see who can adjust better to stop what the other team did the previous week.

Picture of the Week
San Diego Chargers lineman Antonio Garay shows off his unique haircut. This year NFL Films Presents, one of my favorite shows, did an interesting piece on Garay.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Denver Broncos 31 Seattle Seahawks 13
Denver is one of very few things I got right this year. After Week 5 they were 2-3 but had played a very strong schedule. Their remaining games were considerably weaker, and I thought they would win most of them, but I explicitly said not all. They did win them all and thanks to the collapse by the Texans they have home-field throughout the playoffs. Seattle is still hot, but didn't play great against the Rams.

The Most Obvious Hanukkah Present Ever

Two very obvious things happened on Hanukah:
1) I got a Robert Griffin III jersey
2) RG3 got hurt the next day

I can't say this enough times, and I probably mention every week in my brief rant about the Redskins, I love RGIII. He is a great player, and a great role model for my children.
Over the summer, Chase had to create an alphabet book using a picture of an item or two starting with each letter. Normally, Q is difficult one, but not for us. We printed a picture of RGIII from the internet and said "that's our quarterback."
With his superior play, his leadership, his grace, his smile and his panache this is a player Chase and Julian will grow up watching and loving.
And by the time RGIII retires (hopefully after 15 years with the Redskins), they may fit into this jersey.

My Week With New York's College Team

Syracuse's efforts to brand itself as New York's College Team are going to take a big hit next year when it joins the Atlantic Coast Conference. One showcase it will lose is access to the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium, which has obligations to take teams from the Big East and Big XII.

This is the third season of the Pinstripe Bowl and SU's second appearance. I missed the debut game against Kansas State in 2010, which SU won thrillingly. But I wasn't going to miss their second and perhaps last appearance, so as soon as it was officially announced I ordered the tickets for Poppy and me through the Dome Box office. $60 each and only $7 total for shipping and handling, no other fees. Seats were in section 226, the third baseline, second deck 6th. Pretty good seats, along the goal line in the end zone reading Syracuse.

The game was great, SU dominated on the ground, rushing for almost 400 yards, 208 for Prince-Tyson Gulley and 157 for Jerome Smith. SU pulled away in the second half, for a 38-14 win.
The weather really stymied both teams, but I will readily admit that Syracuse is much better equipped to deal with a day such as this when it's hard to throw or catch a pass. The Orange got two safeties, and neither QB threw for 200 yards. At a certain point Syracuse stopped even trying to throw the ball.

The weather actually wasn't that bad from a fan's perspective. The first quarter it rained, which really sucked, but it makes your clothes cold and heavy. But into the second quarter it started to snow lightly which was actually cool. And by the end of the game you could look up and see the perfectly white snow trickling down, set against the pitch black sky.

The worst part of the game were the hooligans seated in front of us. A group of about 10 recent alumni, totally wasted. At first they refused to sit down. At some point they moved to an adjacent section, and remained standing, but out of our line of vision. One of them got so drunk he passed out in the bathroom and security came down to notify his next of kin. Eventually they carried that drunk dumbass back to his seat, literally carried him. But he last only about 5 more minutes before either going underneath or going home. One of his idiotic cohorts almost got into a fistfight with a West Virginia fan, but eventually they calmed down and Poppy and I were able to enjoy the game.

Which is more than I can say about the SU game I went to the previous week, basketball, at Madison Sqaure Garden in something called the Gotham Classic. Seems like a trumped up reason to get a home away from Dome game at MSG.

Billy, who is a baller now, got us some awesome tickets. We were on the sidecourt, opposite the SU bench, looking down the baseline, about 6 rows up in the first section of permanent seats (they have some risers they use for basketball games). Incidentally Scoop Jardine sat in those seats in front of us in the second half and his pants were sagging so low I saw his drawers.

The game was a total disappointment as SU went into an offensive funk early in the second half allowing Temple to take a big lead. SU closed it several times, and actually had the chance to take the lead late when on a fast break Brandon Triche pulled up for 3, inexplicably and missed, giving Temple control of the ball and the game.

The usual suspects hurt SU, shooting 56% from the line and allowing Temple to get 16 offensive rebounds on 36 missed shots.

3 things about Hall of Fame Coach, 900 game winner, Jim Boeheim. He has never figured out how to teach his guys to shoot free throws. And unlike times when he had big men missing free throws and skewing the average, in this game his point guards, Michael Carter Williams and Brandon Triche, shot 9 of 19. I have no idea why he played DaJuan Coleman so sparingly when SU needed rebounding, and boxing out. And I still don't know why he insists on playing such incredibly weak non-conference schedules.

But you win some you lose some and as a fan of SU in New York I will try to keep being there for all of it.

Weekly Picks

Thank God this year is almost over.

NEW YORK GIANTS -6 1/2 philadelphia
I don't think the Giants have quit even though they've played horribly two straight weeks when a lot was on the line.

NEW ORLEANS -4 1/2 carolina
The Saints seem to still be playing hard. This is a pretty small spread for a home team. But hard to figure when two teams are out of it.

DENVER -16 kansas city
Last time they played Kansas City kept it close. Not this time.

NEW ENGLAND -9 1/2 miami
Patriots were disappointing against Jacksonville last week. And disappointed against San Francisco the previous week. They will go into the playoffs playing better than that.

BEST BET
chicago -3 DETROIT
The Bears need this game (and a Vikings loss) to make the playoffs. Detroit is done, and probably have nothing left to care about after getting Calvin Johnson the receiving yards record last week.

Last Week: 2-3 (1 point)
Season: 33-47 (25 points)
Best Bets: 0-1 (4-12)
Home Favorites: 0-0 (9-21)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (6-4)
Road Favorites: 1-2 (10-14)
Road Underdogs: 1-1 (8-8)

Washington's Real First Lady

The whole country is smitten with our First Lady Michelle Obama. And they love her even more in Washington DC. Her normal stay-at-home mom wardrobe, her perfectly toned arms and her wonderful caring anti-childhood-obesity program are enough to make you swoon. But there are some holdouts, probably racists and right-wing nuts.
But Washington does have a first lady we can all agree on, Rebecca Liddicoat, soon to be Mrs. Robert Griffin III.
By all accounts, Liddicoat and Griffin have a great relationship. They met and fell in love at Baylor and RG3 proposed to her last year with a love song he wrote himself. The fact that they are different races doesn't matter to them, or anyone who is not Rob Parker.
They certainly look happy.

But there's one thing that nags at me about this, she isn't that hot. Yes, she is pretty, and she'd be attractive enough to date just about any other man. But not the star quarterback, one of the best players in the league. Doesn't RG3 need a smokin' hottie like Lauren Tannehill? Or an international supermodel like Giselle?
But then again, do I really want my star QB involved with some shrew? Don't I want him to have a loving supportive wife who always stands by him and never causes trouble? I think the Mannings have done this right, Peyton Manning's wife Ashley and Eli Manning's wife Abigail are both low-key, but they're also gorgeous, more attractive than the future Mrs. Griffin III.

Poppy Didn't React Like This for His Pinstripe Bowl Ticket

A very touching video is making the rounds on the internet since Christmas. An Alabama fan gets a ticket to the BCS National Title Game, Alabama vs. Notre Dame.



Strange that Poppy didn't react that way when he got a ticket to the Pinstripe Bowl for Christmas.
I love the way the guy tried to seem happy about the hat, and they had to say "what size is it?" in order for him to notice the ticket.

Song of the Week

"Die Young" - Ke$ha
Congratulations on surviving the end of the world prediction from the normally infallible Mayans. But don't rest on your laurels and think you are going to live forever. Take Ke$ha's advice and make a New Year's resolution to live like you're going to die young. But do so in a fiscally prudent matter, just in case you do make it into your golden years.

He Was Asked to Leave His Place of Residence

Jack Klugman died on Christmas Eve at age 90. Klugman, no relation to Razor or FatScat, had been a smoker and had throat cancer and even lost a vocal cord because of it.
He was in one of my favorite old movies, the simple but elegant "12 Angry Men." He was the last surviving actor from the movie.
But he is most famous for his role as the slovenly sports reporter Oscar Madison on the sitcom adaptation of the play/movie, "The Odd Couple", which had one of the best opening themes in TV history.

The Poop's Christmas Message

A lot has been lost this year, a massive hurricane destroying the East Coast, a horrific mass shooting devastating the entire country, and a presidential election saddening about 50 percent of Americans.
It's been a crazy year, but when so much has been lost the best thing to do is to be thankful for that which we do have.
So whether you're spending this time with family celebrating Christmas, or spending it with the proprietors of your local Chinese food restaurant, take a minute to reflect on all that you have gained this year, while others have lost so much.

The NFL is Poop - Week 16

For Real
Four weeks ago I watched the Seattle Seahawks play the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks were 6-5, with one of those wins being the screwjob against the Packers. The Bears had a 14-10 lead late in the game and seemed likely to make the Seahawks 6-6, but really should have been 5-7. Then the Seahawks struck. They scored a late TD in regulation to take a 17-14 lead, then another one in overtime to win the game.
If there were such a thing as momentum, that game started it all. In the three games since the Seahawks have outscored opponents 150-30. Granted, two of the opponents were weak, but they pounded a pretty good San Francisco team.
Seattle has a great defense, with big, strong fast players up front, and in the secondary. They have a great running game which opens things up for Russell Wilson who is putting up numbers just as good or better than his more highly regarded rookie counterparts.

Choke Job
For the second week in a row the Steelers chances of winning the game and making the playoffs were erased by a bad decision by Ben Roethlisberger leading to an interception. This time the Steelers got the ball back with 44 seconds to go deep in their own territory. It probably would have been prudent to play for overtime, but Mike Tomlin trusted his veteran quarterback and Roethlisberger let him down again. Big Ben got intercepted and after one long pass by Andy Dalton the Bengals kicked the winning field goal knocking Pittsburgh out of the playoffs.
Once you win two Super Bowls you pretty much get a free pass for the rest of you career, at least in regards to choking under pressure. But clearly Ben knows the team he is on now is not nearly as good as the ones he used to play for. And tries to do too much, to win games by himself, and sometimes he ends up losing them.

Welcome to the NFL
So you want to be an NFL quarterback? Greg McElroy finally got his big chance and probably wishes Mark Sanchez had started and taken that ass-whipping. McElroy was sacked 11 times, and hit 16 times in total (sacks are included in that). But it's not just the offensive line that's decimated. McElroy was throwing to such luminaries as Clyde Gates, Hayden Smith and Konrad Reuland. The Jets are a terrible team right now and though I agree with giving McElroy the start, the players around him are so bad, it doesn't even seem fair to judge him based on this performance.

Game of the Week
New Orleans Saints 34 Dallas Cowboys 31
In a game the Cowboys absolutely needed to have, they dug themselves a hole, and had Tony Romo dig them out of it. Trailing 31-17 with 4 minutes to go, Romo led a furious comeback with some great passes to Dez Bryant for a big gainer, to Dwayne Harris for the first touchdown, and Miles Austin for the second.
Both quarterbacks threw for over 400 yards, Marques Colston had 153 yards, pretty good, but not compared to the 224 by Dez Bryant.
The good thing for the Cowboys was that this game was basically meaningless for them. Win or lose they still need to beat the Redskins in Week 17 to make the playoffs.

Game of Next Week
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Two bitter rivals, winner take all, most likely the loser misses the playoffs. Sunday night, last game of the season.

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
For many years in this space I bitched about the Redskins inability to create turnovers. This year's defense is much better at doing that. 27 turnovers (18 INTs, 9 fumble recoveries) for a +13 turnover margin. It's a good thing they can do that, because they can't stop anyone. The Eagles dominated this game early but the Redskins made the big plays to thwart their scoring opportunities. And eventually they tightened up, though the bend but don't break philosophy almost cost them, but luckily they put enough pressure on Foles to force him into a game-ending mistake.

Picture of the Week
Carolina Panthers cheerleaders dressed for the Christmas season.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Seattle Seahawks 31 Denver Broncos 24
I would not want to play the Seahawks right now, but please remember the Broncos have won 10 games in a row and face the Chiefs with a chance to earn home field throughout the playoffs.

All the Wright Moves

I have been calling for a total dismantling of the New York Mets since around 2009. I have blamed the Mets fans and their desire to keep up with their obnoxious neighbors for preventing the Mets from doing what they need to do to win a World Series.
Here is how you compete in baseball today: draft well, develop those draftees, sign the ones that show the most promise early in their major league careers to long-term deals to lock them up until at least their age 30 seasons. Something the Mets can afford to do, given their market size and revenues. And once you've done all that, and you have 5-6 really good players locked up to cost-effective contracts, then you sign a couple veterans to short deals, 1 or 2 years, 3 at the most.
The Mets are finally embracing that philosophy and it's promising to pay dividends, probably not in 2013, maybe not in 2014, but by 2015 the Mets should be on the road to contention. And trading R.A. Dickey was a huge part of it. I love R.A. Dickey. What a nice man, a class act and a great pitcher, but he had to go.
Even if the Mets were in position to be competitive this season, I still would favor this trade. Dickey is old (entering his age 38 season). He throws a knuckleball, which may mitigate some of the expected decline of aging, but can also be a fickle mistress, meaning his magic could fade quickly. Speaking of magic, let's take a brief interlude to appreciate just how awesome, Dickey's knuckleball is.



Plus, he's coming off a Cy Young season, even if the Mets were on the verge of contention, selling high on Dickey would be the right thing to do.
But the Mets aren't good. And Dickey was seeking a 2-year extension for $25 million, through his age 40 season. And the Mets got two very good prospects for him, Travis D'Arnaud who could be a solid hitting catcher for a long time for the Mets. And a hard-throwing righty Noah Syndergaard who will fit in the nicely with the young arms the Mets are already developing. Add that to Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Jon Niese and the Mets have a promising young rotation.

The lineup is another matter which is why I like resigning Daving Wright. The Mets lineup is very weak, and doesn't have the youthful reinforcements the way the pitching staff does. Wright is an excellent player at a very important position. His presence will likely help the development of younger players like Davis and Duda (who I think still has potential and should be given fielding lessons and the everyday left field job).

I'm also a pragmatist. I understand this is a business. Wright has marquee value and even though the fans are idiots, the Mets need those idiots to buy tickets and jerseys and to watch SNY so keeping Wright was a very important gesture to keep those fans. Sure, I would have liked the slew of prospects a trade for Wright could have brought in return, but I understand his value to the team goes beyond his contributions on the field.

And Wright is entering his age 28 season which means, when the team Sandy Alderson has expertly crafted is ready to compete, Wright should still be performing at a high level, hopefully high enough to return the Mets to the World Series.

Weekly Picks

Thanks to the Jets I finally got off my long schneid of losing best bets. Even more surprising considering I put my stamp of confidence on it.

atlanta -3 1/2 DETROIT
I normally hate this, team that dominated last week against a team that got abused, but the Lions are dead and the Falcons want to clinch home field.

indianapolis -7 KANSAS CITY
The Colts haven't clinched anything yet, and they are not going to lose this game to the Chiefs with so much on the line. Not sure they will win by 8, but I'm pretty sure they'll win.

san francisco +1 SEATTLE
There has to be a letdown coming from Seattle. And I know they are great at home, but...

new orleans +2 1/2 DALLAS
Maybe this is wishful thinking but there always seems to be a team that needs the game that loses to a team that doesn't.

BEST BET
new england -14 1/2 JACKSONVILLE
After last week's loss to San Francisco I expect the Patriots to take no prisoners.

Last Week: 3-2 (4 points)
Season: 31-44 (24 points)
Best Bets: 1-0 (4-11)
Home Favorites: 3-1 (9-21)
Home Underdogs: 0-0 (6-4)
Road Favorites: 0-1 (9-12)
Road Underdogs: 0-0 (7-7)

We Are Not Doing Enough To Keep Our Children Safe

Shortly after the September 11th attacks I was talking to The Concierge's uncle and he shared with me his plan to prevent future airplane hijackings. If every passenger were shackled to his or her seat during the flight, with one passenger at a time allowed to be set free to use the bathroom, those horrible attacks never would have happened. Obviously we all want to be safer, but we have to make sure not to go too far in abridging freedoms in the hope for increased safety.

Benjamin Franklin said "People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both."
While I believe Benjamin Franklin had the right idea, some things have changed in the past 200, 220, 230 years. That's the same way I feel about the Constitution. I believe in the Constitution as the foundation for our land, but I also recognize its limits. In those days they needed the right to have guns to form a militia to protect themselves from an oppressive government.
I think the Constitution is great and we should uphold it as the framework for what we want our country to be. But it has been changed, amended and interpreted many times. And I don't some small curbs on gun possession will take away the right to bear arms as granted in the Second Amendment.
However, if this world were perfect, I would wipe away all the guns, no one can have one for any reason, like the U.K. Property crimes might go up, but murders would go way down, especially mass murders.

But that's not possible here so let's deal with the reality of the situation. I hate hunting, but I realize some people enjoy it as a hobby. I don't know why killing animals is so much fun for some people, but I was angry when the government took away my hobby (online poker) so I would be the last one to suggest hunters lose their rights.
I have read the stories, and even written about them, when someone has used a firearm to successfully and lawfully defend their home and property and protect their loved ones from someone wishing to do them harm. I'm sure you could find just as many stories, maybe more, of gun accidents, where little kids got killed playing with their fathers' shotguns.

I keep a kosher home. We have two sets of dishes, don't eat meat and milk together, etc. Outside the home I go nuts. I like the chicken parm at Carmine's. I have been known to devour shrimp at weddings. I like lobster and I love bacon. People often ask me (mostly non-kosher jews), "isn't that hypocrital?" The answer might be yes. But the better answer is, if I am unwilling and unable to do everything, should I do nothing, or should I do something?

We will never ever be totally safe. We will never be able to completely take guns away from people. We will never diagnose every mental illness. We will never have an armed guard, trained gunman in every place a gunman enters, and even if we could I still wouldn't feel safe sending my child to a school where a teacher/principal/security guard is strapped.

But that doesn't mean we should do nothing. Maybe we should place limits on certain "assault weapons." Maybe we shouldn't allow civilians to have magazines that can fire so many rounds per minute, like the one the Connecticut shooter used. You want to make those changes, I'm fine with it. Maybe the next deranged killer will murder 20 people, instead of 26. That would be a great way to save 6 lives, but still a horrible way to lose 20.

You want to loosen privacy laws. You want shrinks to be able to alert law enforcement about potentially violent patients. Fine. You want to ban the mentally ill from possessing guns, that's fine with me.

But let's be realistic about what your gun laws will accomplish: very little. The perpetrators of these crimes don't care that murder is illegal, they certainly aren't going to abide by your gun laws. If someone wants to do harm to someone else, they will do it.

You want to ban violent video games, and violent movies and violent song lyrics, go ahead. But again, remember what Benjamin Franklin said.

You may have read this entire post, looking for answers and not found any. Because I don't have any. I have only a thought, that I have harped on many times on this blog: personal responsibility.

When it comes down to it, it is up to the individual. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. It's an oversimplified cliche, but it is true. A gun without a bad person firing it is fairly benign. A bad person, a crazed, psychotic individual without a gun is just going to look for another way to do harm.

By putting the fault for these crimes in the gun, the mental illness, the violent video game or the bully who picked on the killer in 4th grade, we obscure the responsibility of the individual. We allow sick, scared, hopeless people to separate themselves from their actions.

We need to restore personal responsibility in America. What happens to me is because of what I do and what I choose. What I do and the consequences of my actions are mine and mine alone. We need to do that today. And it starts with you. And me.

God Bless America

With all the problems in our country right now, I think it's nice to also notice the good things we have going for us. Like the smoking hot Olivia Culpo, she became the first Miss USA to win the Miss Universe pageant in 15 years.

When Can We Expect a Kendall Jenner Sex Tape?

The shameless Kardashian-Jenner family is at it again, showing no compunction about sexualizing their daughters if that's what it takes to keep their entertainment empire rolling.
Next up on the slut list is Kendall Jenner, 17 years old and 3 to 4 years away from making her own sex tape. Look at how she is dressed in the Kardashians' 2012 Christmas Card. She's in a sleeveless dress, exposing a lot of leg.
Everyone else is fairly well covered up, including Kim, the harlot who started it all. As everything in pop culture does, the Kardashians will eventually fade, and that's when they'll pull out the old sex tape card.

Note: In a little box by Kim's feet is Mercy, a cat given to her by Kanye. She had the cat for a couple months, pawned it off on an assistant then euthanized it. She says the cat had cancer, I'm not so sure.

Song of the Week

"A Christmas Song For you" - Kem
One of my favorite R&B singers, Kem is out with a Christmas album this year. I wasn't sure whether to post one of his original Christmas songs or his take on an old classic. I tried to post "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" but the youtube Nazis got me. Enjoy this original instead.

Jim Boeheim's 900th Victory Postgame Speech

Jim Boeheim gets his 900th career victory in Syracuse's win over Detroit. And he uses the postgame press conference as a chance to share his views on gun control.



"If we in this country as Americans cannot get the people that represent us to do something about firearms, we are a sad, sad society," the Hall of Fame coach said as applause can be heard in the background.

"If one person in this world; the NRA president, anybody, can tell me why we need assault weapons with 30 shots in the thing. This is our fault. This is my fault and your fault. All of your faults if we don't get out and do something about this."

"If we can't get this thing done, I'm with (Mayor Bloomberg), if we can't get this thing done, I don't know what kind of country we have. This is about us. This isn't about the President or those other people down there. We have to make them understand somehow that this needs to get figured out. Real quick. Not six months from now."

I am not saying I disagree with Boeheim, and I hope to have my own thoughts on this issue written up shortly, but I don't think this was the appropriate place for these comments. This was supposed to be a celebration of his career, not a downer about 20 murdered children. But it was his night and he can do with his forum as he pleases.

The NFL is Poop - Week 15

And He’s Doing It All Without Rec Specs and Jheri Curl
Adrian Peterson is having one of the most remarkable seasons in NFL history. His latest great game (212 yards, including runs of 82 and 52) leaves him with 1,812 yards for the season. The most amazing part of this is that Peterson tore his ACL last December 26th against the Redskins. He made a full recovery in only about 8 months. To be having a season like this is crazy, too being doing it so soon after such a serious injury is really something special.

Peterson needs to rush for 294 yards (147 each) in the next two games to beat the record of 2,105 set by Eric Dickerson in 1984. He actually has more yards than Dickerson did through 14 games, on fewer carries, for a much higher yards per carry average. Right now the Vikings are one of five NFC teams tied with 8-6 records. One of those teams will win the NFC East, leaving 4 to battle it out for one spot, assuming Seattle holds on to the first wild card. The next two games are very tough (if the teams are motivated) against Houston and Green Bay. Maybe Minnesota gets down early and has to pass. But if the games are close, or Minnesota has a lead I definitely think Peterson can break this record. But I know he won’t look as good doing it as Dickerson did.

The NFL Has Its Own Cabrera-Trout Debate
With everything I just said about Adrian Peterson I think it is still very unlikely that he wins the MVP Award, or even the Comeback Player of the Year. That is because Peyton Manning is having an equally remarkable season. Manning missed the entire year with neck problems that required 3 surgeries. All he has done since then is lead the Broncos on a 9-game winning streak. He’s thrown for more than 4,000 yards (with 2 games left) and has 31 TDs and a 103 QB rating. So how does that compare to what Peterson has done? I think Peyton probably deserves the nod as far as value, if only because quarterback is the most important position on the field. But it’s not like he transformed his team the way Luck or RG3 has. With a horrible quarterback last season the Broncos won the division and even won a playoff game. Now they’re 11-3 and quite possibly the best team in football. Peterson hasn’t improved the Vikings record much, but you can tell he is single-handedly winning games for them. Now if we are to agree that both players are having great seasons and both had serious injuries, how the hell do you decide who deserves to be the Comeback Player of the Year. I think I would go with Peterson here, because his season is more historic, and his injury may have been more serious and devastating and his return was so quick and so sudden, his comeback is slightly more impressive.

Half a Hundy
For the second straight weeks the Seattle Seahawks dominated and embarrassed an inferior opponent. A week after winning 58-0, Seattle took it easy on Buffalo win 50-17. The Seahawks are the first team since 1950 to score 50 points in consecutive weeks. 108 points in two games is tied for 3rd most all-time, with the Patriots who scored 59 (vs. Colts) and 49 (vs. Jets) in consecutive games earlier this year. Peter Carroll took it easy this time, taking Russell Wilson out for good with 9 minutes left (which only amounted to one more possession) and giving Marshawn Lynch only 10 carries.
This was the Bills annual game in Toronto. They did not put on a good show for the Canadian fans. But thanks to halftime entertainment from Psy, I'm sure no one left disappointed.

Picture of the Week
The New York Giants wrote the letters S.H.E.S. on their helmets in honor of the people killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Idiot of the Week
Ok, fans wear paper bags over their heads to games all the time. It's not funny anymore, but I get it. What I don't understand is why this person needed someone to pour the beer into his mouth. Why couldn't he have done that himself?

A Brief Rant About the Redskins
It sure is nice to control one's own destiny. If the Redskins beat Philadelphia on the road and Dallas at home, at 10-6, the Redskins will be NFC East Champions. That's far from a sure thing considering RGIII may not be back, but if Kirk Cousins can repeat his performance against the Browns he will justify the Redskins selection of him, which like the trade for RGIII itself was roundly criticized.
When the game started Kyle Shanahan babied Cousins with a simple game plan, running on first down every time. Through four drives the Redskins had 3 runs for 7 yards on first down plays. And Cousins was 1 for 6 passing for 4 yards. Those drives ended punt, interception, punt, punt.
On the 5th drive, Cousins threw on first down and hit Leonard Hankerson for a 54-yard touchdown. After that Cousins got comfortable, Shanahan opened up the playbook and they carved up the Browns defense with the same play-action passes and crossing routes the Redskins have successfully used with RGIII.

Game of the Week
San Francisco 49ers 41 New England Patriots 34
Even in defeat the Patriots are amazing. They got down 31-3, thanks to 4 punts and 4 turnovers. Their next 4 drives were all touchdowns. But the 49ers held them off thanks to 4 touchdown passes by Colin Kaepernick, all 24 yards or longer.
A couple impressive streaks of December wins (13) and December home wins (20) were broken in this game, but one streak does persevere. Tom Brady has thrown touchdown passes in 46 straight games. He could pass Johnny Unitas in Week 17 and pass Drew Brees early next year.

Game of Next Week
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers clinch the division with a win. The Seahawks are undefeated at home and absolutely on fire. NBC did a good job flexing Jets-Chargers out of this spot to get this game instead.

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Denver Broncos 31 Seattle Seahawks 27
The Texans and Falcons can no longer live off their early season successes. Even after their big wins over decent teams, I think nearly everyone would pick the Broncos and Seahawks to go on the road and beat those teams. The Seahawks dominated weak opponents, but have the chance to earn this spot next week.