10 College Football Predictions - Week 9

The point spreads got me last week.  I expected the big names to come through and they didn't for me.  I am 5 games under the breakeven mark and time is starting to run out.  But I am expecting a big week since I am real warm with prognostigation since Thursday night.  The Bucs-Vikings NFL game got my groove back on and I have been seeing things clearly the past 48 hours.  So it is time to get back to the winning ways that I had the previous weeks and get a little bit of pride back.

Dallas Ice Girls - Pontoon Video

Cheerleaders have way too much time on their hands.  And of course it is the southern teams whose cheerleaders have fun with making music videos to big hit songs.  This time it is from Dallas, where the Stars Ice Girls did a video to Little Big Town's "Pontoon".  It isn't as good as the Tampa Bay Bucs or the Miami Dolphins videos, but what do you expect from cheerleaders of a hockey team.  Especially from Dallas.

Hockey has to be the worse sport for cheerleaders.  They can't cheer together during the game because there is no place to stand.  Then during intermission they can't be out on the ice because of resurfacing.  So they get to cheer before the game and be ambassadors during the game.  Such a waste

More like a sigh of relief

Yeah, I cheered to learn the Yankees lost (and certainly felt a little glee that they were swept) but for me and I think most Red Sox fans it's more a sigh of relief that they aren't going to win yet again.  There were plenty of things leading up to their loss to the Tigers that had all the earmarks of a typical Yankee post season run that made us here feel like, "Oh, here we go again!"

Let's enumerate:

• They go from barely making the playoffs to winning the Division and then having the best record in the AL thanks to the Rangers' collapse.
• They end up in an AL field with the Tigers, Orioles, A's and Rangers.  If you're a Yankee fan or fan of any other team really, do any of those teams scare you going into the playoffs?  NOPE. 
• Then the Orioles do the Yankees a favor by seemingly beating the only team capable of beating them.
• Then you see the typical and expected Yankee magic start happening in the series with the Orioles, most famously a pinch hit HR to tie a game and then the same guy wins it in extra innings with a grand slam.  Paaahlease, that stuff doesn't happen to other franchises but once in a century but stuff like that happens for the Yankees a few times a decade, at least.

So don't necessarily mischaracterize that big sigh of relief as reveling in your rival's misfortune bad play.  And if you're from someplace else, you may not understand; but here it's ALMOST as good seeing them lose as us winning, meaning if we're not going to win, it makes it much more palatable when they don't also.  Put another way:  I don't mind if we don't win a championship as long as they don't win yet another.

10 College Football Predictions - Week 8

It is all good right now.  Another winning week and it looks like the Hawkeyes might be able to squeeze into a bowl game.  I am now 3 games under .500 and this week I should hit the break even point.  Start slow and finish strong.  Sort of like how that goes.  I am stopping the predicted scores.  After finally getting one on the button last week, it is time to stop.

Hypocrisy Is Thy Name, NHLPA

There was a glimmer of hope that the NHL Lockout might be in it's last stages when the league moved off it's draconian cuts in salary and proposed a 50/50 split.  I understand that the players union wouldn't accept the proposal as is, but let's get real here.  A 57/43 split for the players is ludicrous.  But I thought that the proposal might get the two sides to start negotiating and hammer out a deal.  Boy was I wrong.  And you will never guess the main sticking point from the player's side of the deadlock. 

From Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks:

Toews, who went to Toronto for today’s negotiations, told the media “we want the league to honor current contracts. That’s pretty much all we’re asking.”
Sorry for the strong words, but what damn planet does Johnathan Toews live on?  Or more precisely, where in hell has his words been over the past 5 years when the players don't honor the contracts that they have signed?  Where has the NHLPA been saying to the people in their union, that you signed the contract and we expect for you to play under the terms of that contract?

The NHLPA is arguing that a contract is a contract.  Fine, but then it goes both ways.  After all, there are two people that sign the contracts,not just one.  The players that are going to get hurt because of the NHLPA's insistance that the current contracts be honored from the league side aren't those that are the superstars, it is the rank and file.  Those that are the third line players or the fifth and sixth defenseman on a team.  I am sure that Mr. Toews is willing to share some of his fortune with those teammates that will fall on hard times if the league and the NHLPA continue their petty game of chicken.  He will, won't he?

Here's to AA, Our Week 6 Pick 'Em Champ!

 

CONGRATULATIONS to Aaron for joining the Winners Circle for winning Week 6 of the BoSox Tavern NFL “Pick ‘Em” Challenge.  AA picked six (6) winners, but wins the tie breaker against Brent (who also had six (6) wins), but AA picked the winning team on MNF--the Broncos.  Man, what an NFL week this was—upsets abound:  the Steelers, Bengals, Cardinals, Vikings, Patriots, 49ers, and Texans all laid the big stinky--they flopped on the ground like dead fish!  I guess it just goes to show that even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes!

So, BANG!  ZOOM!!!  Here’s to AA for taking us to the woodshed!

THIS WEEKS PICK ‘EM RESULTS		WEEK 7 SCORES
Aaron	6 Wins	TITANS:  26	STEELERS:  23
Brent	6Wins	REDSKINS:  38	VIKINGS:  26
George	5 Wins	FALCONS:  23	RAIDERS:  20
Zeb	5 Wins	BROWNS:  34	BENGALS:  24
Rick	5Wins	DOLPHINS:  17	RAMS:  14
Jim	4 Wins	JETS:  35	COLTS:  9
Shelly	4 Wins	LIONS:  26	EAGLES:  23
Robbie	4Wins	BUCCANEERS:  38	CHIEFS:  10
		RAVENS:  31	COWBOYS:  29
LEADER BOARD		BILLS:  19	CARDINALS:  16
WEEKLY WINS	POINTS	SEAHAWKS:  24	PATRIOTS:  23
Shelly:  2	Shelly:  54	GIANTS:  26	49ERS:  3
Zeb:  1	Brent:  52	PACKERS:  42	TEXANS:  24
George:  1	Zeb:  51	BRONCOS:  35	CHARGERS:  24
Jim:  1	Rick:  51
Aaron:  1	AA:  50
Robbie:  0	Jim:  48
Rick:  0	Robbie:  46
Brent:  0	George:  43

 Time to get your picks in for next week (Week 7):

SEA/SF              WAS/NYG         TEN/BUF          CLE/IND            GB/STL              ARZ/MIN
NO/TB               DAL/CAR          BAL/HOU          JAX/OAK            NYJ/NE              PIT/CIN
DET/CHI

BYE WEEK:  Falcons, Broncos, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, Chargers

10 College Football Predictions - Week 7

A 5-5 record during a week that saw 9 ranked teams get upset has me feeling good.  Who forsaw LSU and Air Force laying eggs and USC deciding that they would allow Utah to score early and often and have to rally to win.  KIFFIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Anyways, let's see if I can eat into this 6 game under .500 deficit this week.

Easy Money & Black Eyed Peas

Now that Opening Night of the upcoming(?) NHL season has come and gone I can’t help but think of all the time and money I invested in my favorite teams over the years – and how little the NHL appreciates it. What really pisses me off is ticket prices and the cost of NHL Center Ice and souvenirs are at an all-time high, yet Gary Bettman and the owners he works for can’t agree on how to divide their bounty with the players.

How have I handled the lockout? It depends on your point of view and it’s a complex answer. I love hockey. Or at least I thought I did. If there’s one thing I learned during this latest pissing match –err, lockout – between the NHL and its players is that life will go on without them.

Case in point. Earlier this evening I was overjoyed when I learned NBC Sports Network carried the Notre Dame – Maine hockey game. I stumbled on it early in the third period, and the Irish were up 1-0. It looked like a good game, but ten minutes later I switched to HBO and decided watching Bridesmaids for the umpteenth time was more entertaining.

Yes, being without pro hockey in Southern California can drive you into the arms of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph for two hours of laughter. But now that the movie’s over I’m no longer laughing. It’s mid-October and we still don’t have an NHL season to look forward to.

Last time, I had minor league hockey to get me through the lockout. This time, I’m not as lucky. The San Diego Gulls no longer exist, and in the mother of all ironies Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the owners of the Los Angeles Kings, also own the decrepit Valley View Casino Center, the arena the Gulls once played in as well as the ECHL’s Ontario Reign, now the closest thing to professional hockey Southern California has.

A few years ago the owner of AEG stated minor league hockey would never return to San Diego because six Black Eyed Peas concerts were more profitable than forty AHL or ECHL home games. Who the hell still listens to the Black Eyed Peas? And why would I want to give the Reign $20 or more of my hard earned cash for a game ticket when its owner won’t give me a local team to root for?

In 2004, I gave the NHL and the NHLPA a free pass because they were going to fix the game once the lockout was over. What have they done since then? They’ve made things worse. Here’s a few examples:

• Scott Gomez was paid $3.75 million per goal last season by the Montreal Canadiens – and they have yet to buy him out.
• Wade Redden got paid $5 million for each of the last two seasons by the New York Rangers to play in the AHL.
• Jeff Finger was paid $7 million over the past two seasons to play for the Toronto Marlies, but at least he got to play in a playoff game this past spring. (BOOM!)
• Since 2008, Darcy Tucker has been paid $1 million a season by the Toronto Maple Leafs to stay away. He will continue to collect this annual salary until 2014.
• The NHL allowed the Atlanta Thrashers to take flight to Winnipeg without resistance, yet keep pumping millions of dollars into a terminally ill Phoenix Coyotes franchise that should have moved or folded two years ago.

I really feel sorry for the players this time around. The NHL may be irreparably broken for good and the only thing the players ever did “wrong” was sign the contracts NHL owners shoved under their noses every July 1st or shortly afterward.

As for the owners and Bettman, they can all piss off. This lockout is all about a bunch of billionaires who don’t care about the game, its players or its fans. All they want is more money.

I’ve decided the NHL has had enough of mine. No more jerseys. No more hats. And especially no more NHL Center Ice. My days as a revenue source for those greedy bastards are over.

A Few Things...

First, a few things I'm missing:  I'm missing the NHL and the Boston Bruins most of all.  Can't you folks figure this out for the good of the game -- hell, for the survival of the game.  NESN was showing a tape delayed broadcast of a game from Eastern Europe, I suppose,  because Zdeno Chara was playing.  Good grief!  I didn't watch.

I'm missing the Red Sox in the playoffs.  Well, I am.  That doesn't make me selfish or not recognizing how lucky we've been but a horrible season on the heels of an epic collapse last fall heightens that a little.

A few things I'd like to see:  I'd like to see Kasey Kahne win this or any Sprint Cup Championship.  That's unlikely to happen this year.  So I'd like to see anyone other than Jimmy Johnson win it but while we're at it I'd love to see Brad Keselowski win it since he's driving a Dodge and this is Dodge's last year (AGAIN) in NASCAR.  I know I haven't talked about this but I am very disappointed that Dodge and NASCAR couldn't find a way to keep Dodge in the sport.  I don't know if I shared this article (I don't think so) but there was a great opinion article I saw on Nascar.com several months ago where the author suggested that Dodge could be the chosen manufacturer of all the little teams in the sport, and I think the Pettys still qualify and they could have been the engine builder perhaps.  But I don't think the Pettys wanted to take a step backwards at this time, and Dodge couldn't apparently lure an anchor team.  So I'd love to see Dodge go out with their first championship since the '70s.  I'll add this too:  You have no idea how much I'd love to see the 43 in victory lane again.

And lastly, a few things -- nah, really just one.  I'd like to live long enough to see the Yankees run out of luck.  You bench ARod for a pinch hitter, who immediately ties the game with a homerun, only to hit another homer in the 12th inning to win it.  You wouldn't believe that was possible, until you heard it was the Yankees who did it and it doesn't sound impossible anymore.  That shit doesn't work for other franchises...it certainly doesn't work seemingly every year for nearly 100 years.

Feel free to add to any of these categories in the comments.  Did I say I miss the NHL?  Guess I'll be writing (albeit very little) about the Portland Pirates and the Maine Black Bears this winter.

GIRL POWER!! Shelly Wins Week 5 Pick 'Em!

CONGRATULATIONS (again) to Shelly for being our dominant BoSox Tavern NFL “Pick ‘Em” Week 5 Champ with 13 wins!  YEA!!   Had it not been for a pretty poor showing by the Pack this week (losing to the Colts), Shelly would have run the table, making testosterone highly overrated!  (smile)  So, Shelly’s got her mojo back and giving the fellas what fer!  With this week’s win, Shelly has the outright lead in all categories:  This Week’s Win (13), Total Wins (50), Weekly Wins (2)! 

Once again, with the Skins being on the losing end (as usual), I don’t have much to say in the form of commentary, except unless RGIII is unable to answer the bell for Round 6, we may have to turn to our other “RG3” (Rex Grossman, 3^rd String), since Cousins couldn’t handle the pressure down the stretch. 

Sooooo….how about those Nationals!!!  And whether or not the umps did the right thing in that Braves/Cardinals game, the one good thing that came from it is—we don’t have to listen to that annoying tomahawk chant for the next two months! 

THIS WEEK’S RESULTS:                                                                       SCORES:

- Shelly:             13 wins                                                          Rams: 17               Cardinals:  3
- Rick:                 11 wins                                                          Ravens: 9               Chiefs: 6
- Brent:              10 wins                                                          Giants: 41              Browns: 27
- Robbie:           10 wins                                                          Steelers: 16          Eagles: 14
- AA:                   10 wins                                                           Colts: 30                 Packers: 27
- Jim:                  9 wins                                                             Falcons: 24           Redskins: 17
- Zeb:                 9 wins                                                             Dolphins: 17        Bengals: 13
- George:           7 wins                                                             49ers: 45               Bills: 3 

                                                                                                         Vikings: 30           Titans: 7

                         STANDINGS:                                                    Seahawks: 16      Panthers: 12
   Weekly Wins                      Points                                    Bears: 41               Jaguars: 3
- Shelly:             2            Shelly:                50                         Patriots: 31          Broncos: 21
- Zeb:                  1            Rick:                   46                         Saints: 31              Chargers: 24
- George:           1            Zeb:                     46                         Texans: 23             Jets:  17
- Jim:                   1            Brent:                 46                        
- Aaron:             0            Jim:                      44                                       
- Robbie:           0            AA:                       44                                                      
- Rick:                 0            Robbie:              42
- Brent:              0            George:              38

Time to get your picks in for next week (Week 6):

PIT/TEN           STL/MIA          DAL/BAL         CIN/CLE           DET/PHI          KC/TB

IND/NYJ           OAK/ATL         BUF/ARZ          NE/SEA            NYG/SF             MIN/WAS
GB/HOU            DEN/SD (Monday Nite)

BYE WEEK:  Carolina, Chicago, Jacksonville, New Orleans