I'm With Oakley

When Master Bates texted me to tell me that Charles Oakley had been ejected from Madison Square Garden and arrested, I thought he was messing with me. I thought Nails (who frequently tells me my favorite players have been traded, killed or photographed in bed with hookers) had put him up to it.
Unfortunately, it was another sad chapter in the sad story of the New York Knicks.

We will never know what truly happened, because there are such differing accounts, but clearly this went back a while, and rightly or wrongly security would keep an eye on Charles Oakley whenever he entered the Garden.

We don't know if Oakley was drunk, we don't know if he was abusive, we don't really know if Dolan ordered security to eject him.
We only know what we see on tape, which makes Oakley look pretty bad. He is physically assaulting the security personell and refusing to leave.

As the headline indicates, I am with Oakley on this one, but when you are in a private place, and security in charge asks you to leave, you have to leave. That's the law, and the decent thing to do.
Oakley resisted, which led to the ugly incident and his arrest.

But that's only one night. As a Knicks fan who has been subjected to years of mismanagement of the team by James Dolan, if anyone has to be banned from the arena for life it should be Dolan.

What Do You Give Me For? Carson Wentz and Prince Harry

This one comes from the mind of Julian who asked why Carson Wentz was on the cover of daddy's magazine and mommy's magazine.

Song of the Week

"Let Me Explain" - Bryson Tiller

He's Got To Be the Sickest Man in America Right Now

Two years ago Dan Quinn got a front row seat to one of the worst coaching decisions in Super Bowl history when Pete Carroll elected for a pass instead of a run on the one-yard.

Here's what I wrote about that move at the time:

"That was a terrible play call, absolutely the worst. How do you not try with Marshawn Lynch there, at least on second down, if it doesn't work call time out and then consider your options? Nothing else needs to be said about it, it was a terrible move, a risk he didn't need to take. There is no argument in favor of it. Even though the Patriots would know it was coming, their odds of stopping it were low."

Dan Quinn was the defensive coordinator of that team and now he can sympathize with his old boss, and if Pete Carroll had any class -- which I highly doubt -- he would have called his former employee to console him for making an even worse decision. Or maybe thank him for taking Carroll's name out of the memories of all football fans for making the biggest bonehead move at the worst possible time.

Julio Jones had just made a ridiculous sideline toe-tapping catch that would have and should have gone done as a nail in the Patriots coffin, putting the Falcons at the 22-yard-line with four minutes and 40 seconds to go.

Freeman lost a yard on first down. The clock ticked under 4 minutes, and the entire Falcons coaching staff had a simultaneous brain fart. They called for a pass. All they needed to do was run the ball twice, not fumble and kick a field goal and take a two-score lead with 3 and a half to go. You have to put their chances of being able to do that at close to 90%. Passing adds very little in terms of reward, but opens up to so much risk. Like an interception, or a sack!

Some of the blame of course goes to Ryan who needed to be aware and throw the ball away, but here's why the coaches deserve more blame: the idiots did it again. With a 53-yarder well within Matt Bryant's range, all they needed to do was hand off, get 5 yards, and feel secure. Instead, the passed again, disaster struck again and a holding penalty knocked them out of field goal range.

What happened next was amazing. Tom Brady, perhaps the best quarterback ever, led his team on two consecutive touchdown drives to win his 5th Super Bowl.

I don't dispute for a second that he is an amazing quarterback, capable of great things because of his physical gifts and his mental makeup.

I don't deny that curmudgeonly Bill Belichick is among the best coaches in NFL history.

And I can't argue that Julian Edelman's catch deserves a nickname because it belongs up there with "The Immaculate Reception" and "The Helmet Catch" as the luckiest, most improbable catches in football history.

But it's likely that none of these heroics would have been possible or relevant, if not for a completely and utterly stupid decision by the Falcons coaching staff led by Dan Quinn.

And it's not just once, this is the second time, the Patriots were gifted a chance to win a Super Bowl. They could be 3-4 in the Brady-Belichick era instead of 5-2.

The stupid coaching marred the game for me. While exciting and thrilling, the first overtime game in a Super Bowl, I can't call it a great game, because of the stupidity and ineptitude involved in it.

Greatness needs to have both teams playing great and making plays. Which is why I still favor Super Bowl XLIII, Steelers 27 Cardinals 23.

And Billy Can Climb Through the Window

The house where the Matthewses lived in Boy Meets World is for sale.

It's listed for $1.29m and it's actually is Studio City, California, not Philadelphia, which increases the value exponentially.
Unfortunately, because real life is not a television show, on the inside it looks nothing like the house were Cory and Eric grew up. Those rooms were of course sets on some lot at a TV studio.
But it would still be cool. If Billy were able to kick half a mil, and move to California, I'm sure were could get 300k JLeary.

To Storm or Not to Storm

Syracuse fans were criticized nationally for storming the court after the team's upset victory over then #6 Florida State.

The thinking goes, that yes, this year Florida State was having a better season than the Orange, but when you compare the histories of the programs, a win over Florida State should be expected.

That debate was rekindled, a little, today, when the Orange beat a top ten team at home for the second straight week, this time knocking off #9 Virginia.

This game had some added juice to it because it would have been Jim Boeheim's 1000th win had some wins not been forfeited as part of the NCAA's sanctions against the coach and the program.

I will say I agree with the old grumps that it is "beneath" Syracuse to charge the court after a win over Florida State.

But I charged the court after a big win over Georgetown, and I charged the field after Donovan McNabb's famous "throwback to Brominksi" victory over Virginia Tech. Both were indelible experiences of my college experiences and I don't blame the students one bit for wanting to have their own special memories.

Note: One of my favorite posts is about an NC State student who did the same. Please click if you don't remember the story.

Super Bowl Prop Bets

Every year I comb through the serious and the ridiculous to find prop bets to enjoy the Super Bowl more. I already picked the Patriots to win the game and cover the spread, here's my thoughts on almost everything.

Under 58 1/2
Everyone and their mother is going over in this thing but the Patriots have a pretty good defense and even more importantly, I think they know they need to keep the ball away from the Falcons, so they will try to chew up some clock and control the ball.

Matt Ryan MVP 5/2
Yeah, it's probably going to be Tom Brady. But he's basically 1 to 1. So Ryan pays 2.5x and probably is half as likely to win. It's a better price.

LeGarratte Blount First TD 8 to 1
It's always hard to pick a running back when two pass-oriented teams are on the field, but I have feeling the Patriots are going to try to run it.

Total QB sacks under 4
Neither team has a threatening pass rush and both passers like to get rid of it.

Tom Brady under 2 1/2 rushing yards
Seems drastically low, but this would have been a winner in 6 of his last 7 games. Even if he gets 4 yards, he could reverse that with two kneeldowns.

Length of first reception by Chris Hogan Over 11 1/2
He's not an underneath receiver

Julio Jones under 95 1/2 receiving yards
The Patriots try to make you beat them with someone other than your best player

And now, to the non-football

Luke Bryan will come out wearing blue jeans 1/2
No way a country star sings the National Anthem in a nice pair of dockers.

National Anthem under 1 minute 58 seconds
Luke Bryan seems like a no-nonsense kind of guy.

Lady Gaga's First Song: Edge of Glory 6/1
Internet rumors that it was going to be "Poker Face" but I don't believe anything I read on the internet.

Deflategate mentions over 1 1/2
It has to come up.

Coin toss
Heads, easy

Guest Performers during halftime show over 1/2
Isn't Lady Gaga like BFFs with Tony Bennett?

Red Gatorade Poured on winning coach 6/1
It is the best flavor, and a primary color for both teams.

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)