I Won't Sleep for a Week

Ever since seeing the performance of pairs figure skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, I haven't been able to get it out of my head.
Though their performance was excellent, it wasn't their skating that is haunting me.
It's the song they skated to. A cover version of U2's "With or Without You" sung by April Meservy.
It's sung even slower than the original and more quietly. The whole thing is performed in a low whisper, as if sung by an ex-girlfriend who is watching you from outside the window.
If you don't believe me, just watch their performance from the Canadian National Championships.

TON's New Favorite Olympian

Every four years, TON falls in love with a new Winter Olympian. First it was Peter Northug in 2010, in 2014 it was Henrik Harlaut and it is a short track speed skater from Hungary.

Shaolin Sandor Liu Shaolin has a Chinese father and Hungarian mother, which could explain the unusual name.
Let's wish him all the luck in the world as he represents Shaolin.

Super Bowl LII

New England -4 1/2 philadelphia

I am not rooting for either team. The Patriots are arrogant cheaters and the Eagles fans are obnoxious boors.
I have tried to pick a side but I just can't.
I admire the Patriots but I am not in awe of them. If not for two of the dumbest coaching decisions in Super Bowl history they could well be 0-4 in Super Bowls over the past 12 years.
I like the Eagles as underdogs but I am the rare person who roots for favorites, especially when the team and players are all-time greats (but not cheaters).
Plus the Eagles are a divisional rival of my beloved Redskins.
So what do I do?
I watch and enjoy and eat my troubles away.
Enjoy the game!

They Had a Hard Time Putting Together His Coffin

Billionaire IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad, who turned a business he launched as a teenager into one of the world’s best known furniture brands, has died at the age of 91, the Swedish company said on Sunday.
IKEA’s simple but sturdy designs and self-assembly products are now familiar in homes around the globe and the retailer is aiming to generate 50 billion euros ($62 billion) in annual revenues by 2020.
Kamprad started IKEA in 1943 when he was just 17, but his big break came in 1956, when the company pioneered flat-pack furniture.
He got the idea when he watched an employee taking the legs off a table to fit it into a customer’s car and realized that it could be developed to save money on transport, storage and sales space.
The business now has around 400 stores, many of them cavernous warehouses in out-of-town malls and roughly 1 billion people visited them last year.
“One of the greatest entrepreneurs of the 20th century, Ingvar Kamprad, has peacefully passed away, at his home in Smaland, Sweden, on the 27th of January,” the company said.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven praised Kamprad as an inspirational figure whose influence had reached far beyond his native land.
“Ingvar Kamprad was a unique entrepreneur who had a big impact on Swedish business and who made home design a possibility for the many not just the few,” national news agency TT quoted Lofven saying.
Born on March 30, 1926, in southern Sweden, Kamprad started off selling matches to neighbors at the age of five and soon diversified his inventory to include seeds, Christmas tree decorations, pencils and ball-point pens.
Despite his wealth, Kamprad prided himself on being frugal, driving an old car and encouraging staff to write on both sides of a sheet of paper to avoid waste.
Kamprad was also controversial figure.
He was forced to apologize for his time as a member of the New Swedish Movement, a nationalist, far-right group that supported fascist parties around Europe, in the 1940s.
His decision to live abroad, mainly in Switzerland, to avoid Sweden’s high income taxes was also widely criticized.
In recent years, Kamprad had stepped away from the day-to-say running of the empire he created, though he remained an advisor.
His sons -- Peter, Jonas and Mathias -- still sit on the boards of various IKEA entities, but the family is no longer at the helm.
“Ingvar Kamprad was a great entrepreneur of the typical southern Swedish kind - hardworking and stubborn, with a lot of warmth and a playful twinkle in his eye,” the company said.
“He worked until the very end of his life, staying true to his own motto that most things remain to be done.”

Weekly Picks

MINNESOTA -3 philadelphia
Nothing to do with destiny, just a better team, but only because it's Foles and not Wentz.

BEST BET
NEW ENGLAND -7 1/2 jacksonville
There is nothing wrong with Tom Brady's hand. It's more bullshit gamesmanship from the Patriots. They don't need it. They will dominate this game.

Weekly Picks

atlanta +3 PHILADELPHIA
I just don't think the Eagles can do it with Nick Foles. The Carson Wentz injury ruined their season. I would feel bad for Eagles fans, but they're such assholes.

new orleans +5 MINNESOTA
I trust Drew Brees to put enough points on the board to win this game.

jacksonville +7 1/2 PITTSBURGH
I still think the Steelers are going to beat the Patriots next week but I just have a feeling that this game will be closer and lower scoring than many people think.

BEST BET
NEW ENGLAND -13 1/2 tennessee
The Patriots love to put 40+ on their first round opponents.

You DIdn't Think I Would Miss This One

Though all the dresses were black at the Golden Globes, a few stars still let their golden globes shine through including Kate Hudson and my beloved, Halle Berry.

Weekly Picks

The Playoffs are here. No more time to mess around, pick every game, try to go 11-0.

KANSAS CITY -8 tennessee
I'm guessing that the Chiefs are back to how they were earlier in the season, explosive on office and solid on defense. The Titans are just pretty good. Hard to win on the road in the playoffs.

LOS ANGELES RAMS -5 1/2 atlanta
I really like the Rams and have developed a mistrust of the Falcons this season.

buffalo +8 1/2 JACKSONVILLE
Everyone loves the Jaguars but I don't trust Bortles, and think this could be a tough low-scoring game.

BEST BET
NEW ORLEANS -6 1/2 carolina
I love the Saints and Drew Brees to make it all the way to the Super Bowl. And I don't trust Cam Newton.

NFL Playoff Predictions

AFC
Kansas City over Tennessee
Buffalo over Jacksonville

New England over Buffalo
Pittsburgh over Kansas City

Pittsburgh over New England

NFC
Los Angeles over Atlanta
New Orleans over Carolina

New Orleans over Philadelphia
Minnesota over Los Angeles

New Orleans over Minnesota

Super Bowl LII
Pittsburgh Steelers 31 New Orleans Saints 20

Weekly Picks

san francisco -4 LOS ANGELES RAMS
buffalo -2 MIAMI
new orleans -5 TAMPA BAY
SEATTLE -9 arizon

BEST BET
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS -7 oakland

Weekly Picks

los angeles chargers -6 1/2 NEW YORK JETS
seattle +5 DALLAS
cleveland +6 1/2 CHICAGO
NEW ORLEANS -5 1/2 ATLANTA

BEST BET
jacksonville -4 SAN FRANCISCO

Weekly picks

Bengals

Steelers

Jets

Chiefs

Best bet

Texans

Weekly Picks

tampa bay +2 1/2 ATLANTA
new england -8 1/2 BUFFALO
MIAMI -1/2 denver
philadelphia -5 1/2 SEATTLE

BEST BET
OAKLAND -6 1/2 new york giants

Weekly Picks

I haven't been paying much attention this season nor tabulating my points, but I should catch up eventually. Hopefully this week will get me motivated.

cleveland +7 1/2 CINCINNATI
Call it a hunch, but I think the Browns could actually win this week.

buffalo +10 KANSAS CITY
Things have to get better. And the Chiefs haven't exactly been dominating lately.

tampa bay +10 ATLANTA
I still don't believe in Atlanta.

PHILADELPHIA -13 1/2 chicago
The Eagles have been destroying teams.

BEST BET
OAKLAND -4 denver
The Broncos are atrocious.


PHILADELPHIA/chicago over 44
KANSAS CITY/buffalo under 46 1/2

Weekly picks

Chiefs

Bills

Eagles

Seahawks

Best bet

Lions

Weekly Picks

green bay +5 1/2 CHICAGO
The Packers can't be that bad without Rodgers, can they?

ny jets -2 1/2 TAMPA BAY
The line on this moved big time. But I have gotten these teams wrong too many times to keep making the same mistakes.

BUFFALO +3 new orleans
Love a good home dog but can rarely find one I like.

dallas +3 ATLANTA
The Falcons just aren't any good this year. We have to stop waiting for them to turn it around. Dallas will still be able to run without Zeke because their offensive line is good.

BEST BET
miami +10 CAROLINA
This is risky but I just don't believe in the Panthers.

Weekly Picks

tampa bay +7 NEW ORLEANS
Seems like a lot. But may I am just wrong on these two teams.

PHILADELPHIA -7 1/2 denver
I wouldn't take this game normally because I don't like picking against backup QBs, but in this case I think we know what we are getting with Osweiler.

CAROLINA -2 1/2 atlanta
The Falcons have not put it together this season.

los angeles rams -4 NEW YORK GIANTS
Todd Gurley versus a depleted Giants team.

BEST BET
TENNESSEE -3 1/2 baltimore
Hoping the Ravens are not the team we saw smoke Miami 40-0.

Weekly Picks

san francisco +13 PHILADELPHIA
The 49ers lost every game close until last week. Weather could be a factor. Plus Eagles dismantled Redskins on Monday Night, I always like to pick against teams coming off good Monday night performances.

BUFFALO -2 1/2 oakland
Bills defense is good. Raiders have struggled, got lucky to beat the Chiefs.

KANSAS CITY -7 1/2 denver
They have to stop losing right? They are really good, Broncos seem bad.

NEW ENGLAND -7 los angeles chargers
When in doubt, pick the Patriots.

BEST BET
indianapolis +10 1/2 CINCINNATI
The Bengals shouldn't be giving 10 and a half points to anyone.

PHILADELPHIA/san francisco under 45
NEW ENGLAND/los angeles chargers under 48
SEATTLE/houston over 45 1/2
KANSAS CITY/denver over 43

Things Just Ain't the Same

Diesel in Maine in 2007:



Diesel in Maine in 2008:


Diesel in Maine in 2009:


Diesel in Maine in 2010:


Diesel in Maine in 2011:

Diesel in Maine in 2012

Diesel in Maine in 2013

Diesel in Maine in 2014:

Diesel in Maine in 2015:

Maine in 2016:

Maine in 2017:

Weekly Picks

Going with an early pick and making it my best bet. Check back Sunday for the other four.

PITTSBURGH -5 cincinnati
A little unsure of this one because of an inconsistent team coming off a big win, but I like the matchup.

GREEN BAY +4 new orleans
Backup quarterback theory at work here.

dallas -6 SAN FRANCISCO
The 49ers are just brutal.

denver -1/2 LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
The Broncos will bounce back.

BEST BET
kansas city -3 OAKLAND
When you have the best team in the league coming off a loss and giving a field goal to a reeling opponent, you take that fuckin game. I know a lot of people don't like road favorites in division games, but those are just words.

MIAMI/new york jets under 38 1/2
GREEN BAY/new orleans under 47 1/2
SAN FRANCISCO/dallas under 48 1/2
NEW ENGLAND/atlanta over 56 1/2