Bill Belichick Loves Caroling

A lot is made of the Bill Belichick personality and his obnoxious non-answers at press conferences.
But there was one question he did answer explicitly and directly:



"Love caroling"

Weekly Picks

Well, it's been a long season, started poorly and I managed to turn it around and break a string of a few bad seasons in a row.
Now there is only one game left to select.

New England -3 Atlanta
As good as I think the Falcons are on offense, I think there is only one true way to beat the Patriots in the playoffs, and it's been said many times: get to Tom Brady with four rushers. If you commit 5, he eats you up. If you don't get enough pressure, he eats you up. I don't think the Falcons can do it. A lot is made of the Tom Brady revenge tour, but I don't buy any of it. I just think they have the better team, and the coach and the quarterback to execute better in a game like this. 7 Super Bowl appearances, 5 wins, maybe, simply amazing.

Last Week: 1-1 (0 points)
Season: 48-42 (51 points)
Best Bets: 11-8 (I forgot week 1)

Staten Island Shooting

The 52-year-old man who was killed in a double homicide in Dongan Hills has been identified by sources as Carl Clark.

Police already identified Michael Genovese, 57, of Edgewater, N.J. as the other man who was fatally shot execution-style at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at a lending business at 124 Buel Ave. Police discovered the bodies following a 911 call about gunshots.

A suspect remains at large and the investigation continues, a spokesman for the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information said.

The suspect is described by police as an adult male who was possibly wearing a mask. He fled the location in gray sedan, heading east on Dongan Hills Avenue toward Hylan Boulevard, police said.

A motive has not yet been established. Police do not believe it was a robbery since nothing obvious was taken from the scene, the spokesman said. The victims were believed to have been alone in the building with the suspect at the time of the shootings.

A preliminary police investigation indicates the victims were shot in the back of their heads in a rear office. The medical examiner's office will determine exactly how many times the men were shot, police said.

The address where the men were shot is the location of Universal Merchant Funding, an organization that provides loans for small businesses. Genovese is listed the owner of the business, according to his LinkedIn profile.

When you get killed in Staten Island and your last name is Genovese, people think it's a mob hit.

Song of the Week

"Buddy Holly" - Weezer
Nails heard this song the day before Mary Tyler Moore died, and thinks he killed her.

You Can Bet On It

Tonight is the last game Brent Musburger will ever call.
Musburger is leaving ESPN on very short notice in the middle of the college basketball season.
If you are a fan of a certain age you remember Musburger for hosting the CBS NFL pregame show along with Irv Cross and Jimmy the Greek.
When he famously said "you are looking live..." as they ran through the slate of games.



In 1990, he joined ESPN and through the years did play-by-play for college football and basketball. I was never a huge fan of his, but never had much of a problem with him either. When people freaked out over him pointing out that AJ McCarron's beauty queen girlfriend is pretty, I stood with Brent.

I even sided with him in his latest controversy over his comments about Joe Mixon.



The one thing I can't figure is why would he leave ESPN so suddenly. I can only imagine that because Musburger stated he was going to move to Las Vegas to help his family with a sports handicapping business, ESPN became uncomfortable with the possibility of a real or perceived conflict of interest and asked him to leave almost immediately.

Love is Blind

You may have heard the shocking news that Richard Marx intervened in a disturbance on an airplane, helping some female flight attendants gain control of an unruly passenger.

Even more shocking, that photo was taken by his wife, Daisy Fuentes.

Richard Marx is married to Daisy Fuentes?

This is like a 1990s dream come true. Surely they were married in 1993 at MTV headquarters, right?

Nope, they got married in 2015.

He kind of looks like a woman now. She still looks great, but not this hot.

Song of the Week

"Oh Oh Oh" - Matt Corby
Apparently this dude is an Australian indie rocker but I would have believed it if you told me he grew up singing in the black churches of Georgia.

What Happens When You Combine Two Really Annoying Things

Closer by the Chainsmokers, plus the New England Patriots equals what is actually a pretty decent parody as these things go

Funny Basketball Videos

Russell Westbrook travels



Siena's coach does a phantom handshake line after Rider's coach and team don't show up



Carmelo Anthony lets Ron Baker's locker room nickname slip

Weekly Picks

Didn't get it done last week and it's getting trickier, especially to find a best bet.

NEW ENGLAND -6 pittsburgh
I've been hesitant to exuberantly back the Patriots because of Gronk's injury, but I can't seem them losing this game. It might be a close one though.

BEST BET
green bay +6 ATLANTA
This is solely based on Aaron Rodgers. I think he will bring his team to victory.

Last Week: 2-2 (1 points)
Season: 47-41 (51 points)
Best Bets: 11-7 (I forgot week 1)

Billy is Furious

I got an anxious text from Billy yesterday asking what the hell is wrong with Blake Griffin.

From Rolling Stone:
Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris have teamed to remake the 1992 basketball buddy comedy "White Men Can't Jump."

Mike and Tony on PTI had some good lines including "why would I watch this, when I could just watch that one?"

And "this is the stupidest thing Blake Griffin has ever done, including punching the equipment manager."

I wondered who would play the Rosie Perez character, Sofia Vergara?

I think it's a comment on Hollywood that they have run out of good ideas, but also about those millennials. They don't want to watch a movie from 1992. It's not even in HD.

But remember how you were in 1992? Would you have wanted to watch a movie from 1967?

Song of the Week

"Represent Me" - Next
You hear what he says at the very beginning? "Divine style in 9-7 y'all."
That 9-7 means this song was released in 1997, which is 20 years ago.
I am old, but I love this jam that you love that don't be getting no airplay.

Weekly Picks

Playoffs are tough. Last week was all home teams and favorites. This week I'm hoping for a reversal.

houston +15 1/2 NEW ENGLAND
Too many points

pittsburgh +1 KANSAS CITY
Not really sure about this game. It really seems very even.

green bay +5 DALLAS
Sometimes Aaron Rodgers just gets on a roll.

BEST BET
seattle +4 ATLANTA
Russell Wilson makes plays. Seahawks defense grabs and holds receivers.

Last Week: 1-3 (2 points)
Season: 45-39 (50 points)
Best Bets: 11-6 (I forgot week 1)

Song of the Week

"Everything I Am" - Kanye West
Remember when Kanye West actually made music that had a point, music that said something?
In this jam he talks about his own insecurities, his haters, and the glorification of violence in rap music.

"I know that people wouldn't usually rap this
But I got the facts to back this
Just last year, Chicago had over six hundred caskets
Man, killin's some wack shit
Oh, I forgot, 'cept for when niggas is rappin'
Do you know what it feel like when people is passin'?
He got changed over his chains, a block off Ashlin"

Where Have All the Boobies Gone

While so many large-breasted women at this year's Golden Globes chose to let their boobies fall by the wayside, like Jessica Biel

and Mandy Moore

We can always count on Sofia Vergara to push hers up and together. And to make a bad anal joke.

Weekly Picks

Finished with an ok week, but hoping to go 11-0 in the playoffs.

oakland +4 HOUSTON
I'm not as fearful as most people about the 3rd-string quarterback. They are a deep enough team to overcome that. Especially against the Texans and their lousy first-string quarterback.

new york giants +4 1/2 GREEN BAY
Everyone thinks the Packers are so hot right now because Aaron Rodgers said they would run the table and they did. But no team is consistently luckier than the Giants. They get every call and every break. And they're actually pretty good too, especially on defense.

miami +10 PITTSBURGH
I think the Dolphins will lose, but there is so much room in this spread for them to lose and cover.

BEST BET
SEATTLE -8 detroit
The Seahawks will turn it on when it matters. And the Lions will choke at the same time. Last Week: 2-3 (3 points) Season: 44-36 (48 points) Best Bets: 10-6 (I forgot week 1)

NFL Playoff Predictions

AFC
Raiders over Texans
Steelers over Dolphins

Steelers over Chiefs
Patriots over Raiders

Patriots over Steelers

NFC
Seahawks over Lions
Giants over Packers

Falcons over Seahawks
Giants over Cowboys

Giants over Falcons

Super Bowl
Patriots 21 Giants 16

Song of the Week

"My Way" - Calvin Harris

Often Imitated, Never Duplicated

Many Celebrities and wannabes have donned the gold bikini for various reasons, but none ever rocked it like Carrie Fisher.

Jennifer Aniston in an episode of Friends:

Kim Kardashian of course:

Kristen Bell:

Olivia Munn:

Weekly Picks

So we finally had a stinker. Not unexpected. Though I am still in shock the Chargers blew that game. Now comes the tough part Week 17 when you have no idea how hard teams are going to play. And there are very few teams that are actually playing for something. There are only 14 teams still alive for the 12 spots and the ExpensiveCornPrices need a miracle. Division titles and home field are in play though.

I really have no idea so let's go with this:

MIAMI +9 1/2 new england

INDIANAPOLIS -4 jacksonville

buffalo -3 1/2 NEW YORK JETS

MINNESOTA -6 1/2 chicago

BEST BET
DENVER -1 1/2 oakland

Last Week: 1-4 (0 points)
Season: 42-33 (45 points)
Best Bets: 9-6 (I forgot week 1)