NFL Week 6: Beijing

Hello everyone from the United States! I am back in the homeland for 1 week for meetings all week in Cincinnati starting Monday - where I can meet my new boss for an introductory breakfasy over Bob Evans Sausage gravy - and also here in Baltimore this weekend to celebrate my Mom's 70th birthday coming up later this fall. This weekend has of course been filled with good, wholesome American food like steak, prime rib, "double-churned" ice cream and, of course, more sausage....so my stomach is thanking me for that right now.

In honor of being here seeing Mom and Dad, we will look back at Beijing for this week's vacation review. We've been to Beijing twice, once as a family (Janice and I and the kids) and then once with me, Freddie and Warren, and Mom and Dad. It was great to share the sights of Beijing - China's #1 tourist destiantion - with them.

The itinerary for touring Beijing is fairly standard for all expats. Day 1 is a tour of Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City; Day 2 is usually an outing to the Great Wall. If there is a Day 3, it can be to go to Summer Palace or the Beijing Zoo.

Day 1 - Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City - is impressive and intimindating at the same time. The square is acres and acres of flat concrete -w ith Soviet-style government buildings all around it. I won't say anything about possible historical events that may or may not have happened there; however, it was thrilling and weird to pull out my mobile phone and pull up "The Drudge Report" while standing next to the flagpoles where the China flag is formally raised and lowred exactly and sunrise/sunset.

Across the street is the Forbidden Palace - which is where the old Chiense dynastys (and their relatives, and concubines) lived and isolated themselves from the Chinese people. Walls and walls separated difference sections of the compound - it is a series of hundreds of buildings, not just a single "palace". By the end, it became monotonous, to be honest. And I was trying to define the word "concubine" to my 11 and 9 year old.

One thing we realized quickly, during our first vist, is that the Square and the Forbidden City is where the Chinese go on their vacation. So you have literally thousands of people each day from the rural parts of China coming to Beijing (a big city) for the first time. And - for the first time - they see someone with blonde hair.

Warren was a superstar both trips; he was continually approached like a movie star would be from the adoring media. Once one person stood next to him for a picture, several others would come over and join in........ it is understandable, since these people have literally never seena white person before. Maybe on TV they have....but here they are, in the flesh in front of them! A Westerner! Our tour guide did a good job at the end in protecting us from the mobs, altough here is one mob scene that I took on my camera.

The second day was the Great Wall - which I can't really do justice in a quick recap. It is massive, and fairly unfathomable to understand how this 1,000 mile wall was built by just manpower a millenium ago. The wall is a good 20-30 feet built on top of the mountain on rcoks and stone - it feels perfectly stable, but the steps are all irregular, so walking it is an adventure.

I think Mom and Dad's best part of the trip was to quiz the tour guide about daily life in China while we were in van driving around. What does the governmentsay you can and can't do? Is everyone guaranteed a job? What if they don't want to work? Can you move? They could have spent 2 days just in conversation with our excellent tour guide, Helen.

It was extremely satisfying to share this with them when they came over. 

(Also - a memory of this trip; it was the second week of April, 2012...Masters week.  I had to get my Masters pick in onWednesday; I half-jokingly asked Dad for his thoughts.
"I got a dark horse for you....Bubba Watson!" he said, seriously.

I laughed it off.....ooh, that was an expensive mistake. )

As for the Browns, a win would bring us a 4 game winning streak. That would be something for the memory bank as well....if we don't count the 4 Mangini wins at the end of the 2009 season (where we went from 1-11 to 5-11), the last real, important, 4 game win streak for the Browns was....

....1994.

The streak started before I started my first job out of college.Wow. It's about time for another 4 game win streak. Let's beat the Lions. Oh, and if Calvin Johnson wants to take another week to heal up, that's fine with me.

On to the games:

KC 24, Oak 13.  I watched most of the Raiders game last week  - and the Chargers gave Oakland 2 touchdowns. Let's now crown Pryor as the savior just yet.

Phi 28, TB 24. When did the MRSA bug travel from Cleveland to Tampa?

Bal 27, GB 20. It's awfully difficult to pick against the Ravens at home. They seem to have some magic there to score points in strange ways -punt returns, pick 6's, etc.

Car 27, Min 23. I have got to believe that Minnesota's poor D is the right elixir for Carolina to get out of their slump.

Hou 30, StL 13. And the Rams are the perfect punching bag for the frustrated Texans.

NYJ 17, Pit 16. I have no idea what to think of this game. I think LeBeau will shut Geno down....but the Pit offense is horrid.

Cin 20, Buf 13. I did like what Thad Lewis showed when he started game 17 for us last year vs. Pit.

Sea 30, Ten 13.   I just can't see Fitzpatrick going in there to Seattle and having a whole lot of success.

Den 38, Jax 17. This will be 35-3 at halftime - and that's right where the Jags want them! Manning wil be pulled in teh 3rd quarter, and 2 late touchdowns by Henne will cover the 27 pt spread.

NO 31, NE 28. I want to be confident in the Saints, as the should win on paper....but I'm sure Belicheck wil have something up his sleeve.

SF 27, Az 13. I know Arizona's got a good defense, but Carson Palmer on the road? No.

Dal 27, Was 20. I have to believe that Washington will try to stay close here by running the ball 50 times, running the clock and preventing Romo from taking the field.

SD 30, Ind 24. A gut play - with INdy hosting Denver next week, are they looking ahead?

This is the one weekend a year I get to watch the games with Derek - always a lot of fun. This year, we will be in Baltimore watching the games and yelling at each other.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 6-8; overall: 35-38-2.
KC -7 1/2

Phi/TB over 46

Bal +2 1/2

Car +2 1/2

Car/Min over 44

Hou -7 1/2

Pit/NYJ under 41

Cin/Buf under 41 1/2
Sea -13

Jax +27

NO +2 1/2

NO/NE over 50 1/2

SF -10

Was/Dal under 53

SD +1 1/2

Supercontest: A very disappointing 1-4 last week. Overall: 9-14-2. Not good.

Bal +2 1/2

Car +2 1/2

Hou -7 1/2

Jax +26 1/2

SD +1 1/2