NFL Week 13: Golfing

Well, here we are couting down the days to our imepding departure from Guangzhou. With this comes the inevitable list of "final" things I will be doing in China. Today was my final round of golf in China (at least for a long while). My friend Mike set up the round at Mission Hills and even though I hacked, it was a great time.

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What are the lasting memories of golfing in China? I'll take home a few! In no particular order:

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1. The caddies. Hoo boy, I could go on and on about them. Caddies are ever-present in the golf rouds in China; you can't walk by yourself on a course- you are required to takea  cart, adn with a cart comes a caddy. They are glorified trap-rakers. I'm sorry, but it's true.

I have a reputation here in the ex-pat group of being - shall we say- gruff with our caddies. And I can't deny that! I've had my fill of caddies that:

a. Can't read greens; they will go ahead (without telling you) of reading the putt and then lining up the ball on the intended "line"; this line has a margin of error of about 2 feet either way. .

Caddies have lined it up straight in the hole and then say "ooh, break right lot!"; they will also line up an 8 footer 1 foot left of the hole on a slightly rolling putt. .

b. Have no etiquette. Man oh man, I blew up at one who jiggled the clubs in the bag just as I was taking the club back. (I think my frirend paid her to do that). They talk constantly in your backswing; they will step on your line on the green, and they will tell you a putt is "downhill" just as you are taking the club back.  .

c. Have no tact. I just smile now when I hit a bad shot, a hook that goes over the trees and out of bounds - and then, 3 seconds after the ball disappears, they say "O.B.". Really, Sherlock?

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I forgot to inquire if I could get a caddy helmet to take back with me; that's one thing I'll try to do in the next 3 weeks.

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2. The courses: the courses we play on could be described as "advanced" layouts; there are some really nice holes, some strategic risk/reward holes that really make you think. It's a great challenge for a 10-15 handicap and better.

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Problem is, there aren't that many of those in China. You miss the fairway, that's it - it's gone. The courses make a fortune in golf balls since so many are lost.

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3. The routine........there is no procedure of hitting balls before the round. That's unheard of. You show up, head to the locker room, enjoy a pre-round smoke (if you are a native), find your caddy and head to the tee. After the round - due to the oppresive humidity - you have to take a shower and have lunch. Lunch is not quick. So a 4 1/2 hr round becomes 6, 6 1/2 hours, not including the 2 1/2 hours of travel time. I won't miss that at all.

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The golf here is solely for the time to get away from it all with friends- it's not a place to get serious and improve. (At least that is what I will tell myself afer 4 years of poor golfing here).

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What a big game for the Browns coming up - and a big weekend for the AFC. So many teams in the mix here.....the Browns just need to keep focused and play one game at a time. I feel good about this game in Buffalo - I don't think Orton will have much success in our secondary, so it's up to our run defense. Let's hope they come through.

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To the games:

Bal 27, SD 13. Can't see how the banged up Chargers move against the front 7 of the Ravens.

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Ten 24, Hou 20. Zach is getting better at QB for the Titans, and the Houston offense is now a mess.

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Ind 30, Was 20. I think Colt will score more that 17 for the Skins, ut it's not even close to enough in Indy.

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NYG 20, Jax 17. I still believe Jax has a full-game defensive effort in them at some point - if it is here, then Eli will throw 3 interceptions.

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Min 27, Car 13. Carolina in imploding, and Teddy and the Vikes play well at home. 

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Pit 28, NO 24. Anything can happen here. I could see Brees lighting it up against the weak Steelers secondary. 

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StL 23, Oak 10. Oakland is a little bit fat and sassy after their win, and the St Louis defense will eat the Raiders' line alive. 

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TB 23, Cin 17. The Bengals' 3rd road game in a row, and the Bucs' offense is slowly improving. 

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Az 27, Atl 20. Don't understand this line. How are teh Cards not a favorite? The Falcons offense is weak. 

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GB 27, NE 24. One of these teams will decide to slow down the game with the run - it will probably be the Pats. Can't pick a winner here. 

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Den 28, KC 17.  I just don't see the Chiefs having the offensive firepower needed vs. Manning. 

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Mia 27, NYJ 16.  Is this, again, too easy? Geno is back for the Jets vs a team that really needs the win.

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Best bets: 13 of them: Last week: 5-8; overall: 72-94-3. God, I hope none of you are tailing me.

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SF -1 (Thu - already 0-1 on the week)

Bal -6 1/2

SD/Bal under 46

Ten +7

NYG/Jax under 44 1/2

Min -2 1/2

StL -6 1/2

Oak/StL under 42

TB +3 1/2

Az -1 1/2

NE/GB under 58

Den -1

Mia -6 1/2

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Supercontest: Last week: 1-4. Overall: 33-27

SF -1 (Loss)

Ten +6 1/2

Min -2 1/2

TB +3 1/2

Az -2 1/2

NFL Week 12: The Guangzhou Marathon

Well, I made it! Today was the big day - my first half-marathon at the Guangzhou Marathon. I blogged a few weeks back about the qualification process and what a disaster that was. Today's race was just the opposite - fairly well organized with nothing too much out of the ordinary.

I have to admit, I didn't train very well for this half marathon. I kept jogging 3-4 times a week, but never built up the endurance I needed for the run. The longest I ran during the training period was about 12K. (For those of you that are metric-challenged, the half marathon is 21.1 K). But - what could go wrong? I felt halfway fresh after that 12K; I could push through that final 9K (!) on race day.

The day was hot and muggy - the sun was out at 7:30 coming through the haze and pollution; the weather felt fine at the 8:00 start time but we all knew it would get worse quickly. This sign near the start was ominous....

I planned to run at a 6 min pace per KM; I set it a little faster on the treadmill when training, so a 6:00 pace seemed doable - for a while. The first few splits came in at 6:05, 6:10 - uh oh. I knew we would have some sort of problem.  It wasn't getting any faster, and my legs weren't responding; my legs felt tired already at the 8 km mark. My upper body - head, chest, lungs - were all fine. The legs just weren't there.

The crowd was into the race; there were plenty of groups of spectators lining most of the course. One notable group was a group of 15 old ladies doing Tai Chi next to the course. Not sure if this was meant to help the runners, or if they were pissed at all of us disturbing their Sunday morning routine.

I hit the 10 km mark at about 1:04 - not bad, but I did feel unexpectedly spent. I made it to the 12.5 km marker before I had to stop and walk for a bit; I resumed running at the 13 km mark. But I was no where near the pace I had set before. Now I was doing 7:30, 7:45 minute km's.

We turned to go over the Pearl River at about the 15 km mark - and that's when I started to get a slight second wind; this picture of the bodies running over one of the iconic bridges in Guangzhou will be a keeper for years to come. However, the minutes crawled from 16 km - 19 km; won't this race ever end?

It was now about 10:15 am, the temperature was 85 and climbing with the trademark humidity. I had to stop one more time - at about the 19.5 k mark - for another walking session. Feeling a little better, I "ran" (if you could call it that) for the last 750 m or so to the finish, completing my first half marathon in 2:24. I did not feel an immediate sense of relief or elation. All I wanted was a banana, Clif bar or water. The P&G nurse was there, seeked me out, and asked if I was OK multiple times. Did I really look that bad?

Nothing too dramatic happened during the race; I did see a stretcher being rolled past me going the other way around the 11 km mark; no idea what was going on behind me. Almost all the runners had appropriate running outfits on. It felt like any normal road race in the US.

I got home, crawled upstairs, laid down on the bed - and was out for 90 minutes. I woke up - of course my whole body was sore - and pains in places that never hurt. (Is ass cheek chafing a thing for runners?) . Now that I've been done for 10 hours, I feel better and there is a little sense of accomplishment. Give me a couple weeks and I will probably want to do that again.

Will Josh Gordon be this sore after his first game back with the Browns? Lord, we need the help on offense....and I hope Atlanta is just the right opponent for Flash to ease into the league. Big game here.....should be a close one; Hoyer needs to have a steady game and we should be in it at the end.

On to the games:

TB 24, Chi 23: I think TB has the passing attack to exploit the weak Bears' secondary.

Hou 20, Cin 17. Well, I'm even more convinced at the strength of the Texans' D after last week; I think they will pressure Dalton into multiple turnovers.

Ind 27, Jax 17. How many big games can the Colts have in a row? This has to be a bit of a letdown for them.

GB 24, Min 20. Outdoors, on the road, the Pack have not been that impressive. Taking the points here with the improving Vikes.

NE 23, Det 20. The Lions have the D line that can dominate the Pats O-line and cause Brady to rush his throws. The reason I'm not calling the outright upset is because Detroit has limited offensive potential.

Phi 31, Ten 17. Tennessee threw everything at Pit last Monday; I expect them to have nothing in the tank for this road game.

SD 27, StL 13. Yes, Rivers may be hurt - but the Rams can't score at all. I expect the Chargers to get into the 20s, and that will be enough.

Sea 24, Az 17. The last stand for the Seahawks; I expect multiple trick plays from Pete Carroll.

Den 34, Mia 20. Peyton will be determined to fix the offense here at home vs. a decent Miami team.

SF 23, Was 17. You all know I hate the Niners, but I can't predict the upset here.

Dal 27, NYG 16.  I know, this is a huge trap game for the Cowboys. Why am I falling for it? Because the Dallas O is multi-faceted. The pass will set up the run.

NO 31, Bal 20. The Saints will have fun, at home, against a still banged-up Ravens secondary.

NYJ 19, Buf 16. I think Buffalo is imploding now after some horrible recent losses. Hope the implosion continues into next week as well!

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 7-8; overall: 67-86-3. Wow.

TB +5 1/2
Cin/Hou under 43 1/2
JAx +13 1/2
Jax/Ind under 50
Min +7 1/2
Det +7
Phi -11
SD -6
Den -6 1/2
Mia/Den over 47 1/2
Dal -4
NO -3
NYJ +2 1/2

Supercontest picks: Last week: 4-1; overall: 32-23
NYJ +4 1/2
Min +9 1/2
Det +7
SD -4 1/2
NO -3 1/2



 

NFL Week 11: Overloaded Bicycles

For anyone who has spent any appreciable amount of time in China, this image will be of no surprise - and will feel common. We're talking about how the Chinese love to carry cargo on their bicycles on public streets. And when I mean cargo, I mean 4 or 5 bike-loads of stuff all tied together in one load.

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For whatever reason, styrofoam is a common cargo for these bikes. This is a typical bike we see on the    street on any given morning. Some enterprising man is collecting used blocks of styrofoam to be "returned" to God-knows-where in exchange for a small fee. So - the more you can cram on the bike, the larger the fee! These guys must think it's a big lego puzzle to do this.

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Never mind that he can't see anywhere to the side or behind him- that's your problem to worry about. The traffic laws in China are kind of like "every man for himself" - if you crash into someone, it's your fault since you didn't move. That's why the streets seem chaotic, but it all works somehow.
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Back to the cargo - besides styrofoam, other "loads" of goodies that are hauled away by these bicycle Santas:
- Cardboard ; all folded up and attached in a similar method to the bike. I thought I had a picture of this, too, but I can't find it at the moment. I'll attach if I do.
- Water cooler bottles! Again, each one is worth something, so you better attach as many as you can. In this case, the bottles are attached laterally, so a bike is wider than some cars as they try to get 4-wide with the jugs.
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Life is a bit like this for me at the moment; traveling right now to finish up transition of my role here in preparation for the move home, but so many things to do at home to get ready. Trying to handle a mortgage application from China is excruciating. All of the Vegas crew is getting ready for Vegas in February and comparing travel itineraries; I can't see past January 1 at the moment.
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But a Browns win this week will help that! My goodness - I am scared that we are going to lay an egg here against a rested Texans. And we never do well vs. a rookie quarterback. (I think this started way back in 1993, when a young Scott Mitchell replaced an injured Dan Marino and tore us up; Detroit then signed him to an enormous, undeserved contract). Mallett will pas for 350 and then sign with teh Jets in teh off-season, where he will lead the Jets to numerous 5-11 seasons.
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On to the games:
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Min 26, Chi 23. What more needs to be said about the Bears? Can teh Vikes exploit the swiss cheese secondary?
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KC 20, Sea 17. I don't like Seattle's chances of scoring at Arrowhead.
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Car 20, Atl 17. Just a hunch; I think Atlanta is overrated and does nto play well on the road- and this is their 5th week away from Atlanta.
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NO 31, Cin 20. The Saints are desperate and need this win and will take it out on the weak Bengals defense.
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Was 27, TB 24. Washington should not be favored by this much over anybody. I like the McCown-to-Evans connection for the Bucs.
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Den 27, StL 23. Another game where we will see plenty of trick plays from the Rams. 3rd straight road game for Denver.
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NYG 23, SF 20. I really don't like how Kapernick looks this year. Yes, yes, they won last week, but they got lucky to send it into overtime.
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GB 31, Phi 20. Motivation for the Pack? How about if the playoffs started today, the Browns would host a game and the Pack would be out???
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SD 28, Oak 24. Why do I irrationally like Derek Carr?
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Az 24, Det 17. Yes, The lions D is excellent, but does anyone notice that they have problems scoring, even with Megatron?
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NE 23, Ind 20. I can't see Belicheck letting this turn into a shootout in Indy. Take the under, and I like my chances with Belicheck in a close game.

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Pit 27, Ten 17. The Titans will be amped up (a little) for this game, but the Steelers will force themselves to concentrate here and not stumble again. 
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Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 7-6; overall: 60-78-3

Min +2 1/2

GB -6

Car +1 1/2

Atl/Car under 47

NO -7

TB +7

TB/Was over 45 1/2

StL +9 1/2

NYG +4

Oak +10

SD/Oak over 44 1/2

Az -1

NE +3

NE/Ind under 57

Pit -6 1/2

Supercontest: Last week: 3-2; overall: 28-22

Az - 2 1/2
NO -7

StL +9 1/2

TB +7

NE +3

NFL Week 10: Trucks

OK, it's late, and I am just getting started on the post. Wanted to share this video of normal everyday traffic in Guangzhou - especially the overloading of trucks that are on the roads highway. This is shot on the main road where our complex is located on - this is my jogging path. I had to stop my run and take a video of this monster turning left.

Trucks like this of this length are commonplace; most of the time the load is covered up tightly with blankets/cover and roped down multiple times. I asked our driver once what would be under the covers for the load of a giant truck -- he replied: "Oh, anything, really. Furniture, garbage, metal...."

Um, yeah, sure.....anything.

It's amazing we haven't seen more accidents with trucks of this size up and down the road. The truck drivers themselves are not bad drivers - usually very safe and they obey the speed limit - it's the other drivers of the cars they have to watch out for.

But let's move to more important things - like THE FIRST PLACE CLEVELAND BROWNS! 6-3, with these games coming up (not in order):
Home: Indy, Houston, Cincinnati
Away: Baltimore, Atlanta, Carolina, Buffalo

I will leave it as an exercise for the reader to project the win total for the 2014 Browns - and, as extra credit, predict the win total of the AFC North Champion and the 2 AFC wild cards.

About my picks: I feel as though I have been run over by one of those trucks in the video with the results of my picks. Another horrid week - everything has been going wrong. I think I'm taking the easy way out on some of these games, and it is costing me.

(Will I fall for some similar traps this week? You betcha!)

On to the games:

Bal 27, Ten 17. Something tells me the Titans will keep it competitive against the banged up secondary of the Ravens.

Buf 23, KC 20. Just don't feel like the Chiefs can score enough on the road in Buffalo. I never get this team right.

Det 27, Mia 20. Who has Miami really beaten? I don't give them much credit for a win vs. a San Diego team that didn't show up last week.

Dal 20, Jax 17. Yes, I know Romo is probably going to start (right?). How effective can he be?

NO 26, SF 24. This is the last stand for the Niners; they will throw everything they can at the Saints in a place where Kaepernick plays well.

Pit 24, NYJ 17. I don't see a way for the Jets to stay in it against a Steelers team that needs a win to stay ahead of...ahem....the Browns. Will this reverse jinx work?

Atl 23, TB 17. Betting the bye to work wonders for Atlanta.

Den 30, Oak 20. Will be interesting to see if Carr can keep up his growth in this game.

Az 27, StL 13. Not sure how the Rams will score points; I am scared that the Cardinals are due for a clunker sometime soon.

Sea 24, NYG 20. The Giants need to get out of New York, and maybe I am starting to realize the Seahawks can be beat - especially deep. If the NY O-line can give Eli some time.....

GB 27, Chi 24. I don't believe that both inter-divisional games will be blowouts; one of them will be close. The Pack won 38-17 or something 5 weeks ago.....this one will be closer.

Phi 31, Car 17. Not sure if Carolina is an average defense any more, especially on the road.

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 2-12. Holy crap...Overall: 53-73-3. This has got to change....NOW!

Buf +1
Det -3
Jax +7
Dal/Jax under 45
SF +5 1/2
Pit -3 1/2
Pit/NYJ under 47 1/2
Atl -2 1/2
Atl/TB under 47
Az -6 1/2
NYG +8 1/2
Chi +7
Phi - 7

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3. Overall: 25-20

Det -2 1/2
SF +5
Az -7
NYG +9 1/2
Chi +7
 

NFL Week 9: Planes

Airline travel in China is painful, for several reasons. First, afternoon and evening flights are usually

always delayed. This is because the government owns about 80% of the air space in China, so the air routes to/from the big cities are very limited. It's like if there was 3 two-lane roads entering and exiting Cleveland. The morning flights are usually on time, but whenever there is a small blip - bam! things get backed up in a hurry.

Customer service is not seen as a quality that the airlines want to deliver. Whenever delays occur, those delays are announced late - maybe 10 minutes before the original ETA, when it's obvious that the flight will be delayed but no one wants to admit it. A new ETA is never given, so you are just stuck there at the gate with no idea when you will go. And once you are on the plane, there's no guarantee of taking off; my parents and Janice and the kids and I sat on the tarmac for 4 1/2 hours heading to Singapore. It was hell.

Finally, air travel is exploding in popularity, but the airports aren't being expanded fast enough, so planes are "parked" way out in the tarmac for boarding and disembarking. This means you have to file into busses that take you out to the plane, where you get off the bus and head right on the plane to find your seat. There's usually two buses that leave from every gate; the first bus is jam packed with 200 people squeezed up against the windows, where you then sit on the plane for 15 minutes as the next bus with 40 people comes along. It's insane.

The Chinese are fascinated with airplanes. So when we pack in the bus and head out to the plane, many people do not just head directly to the stairs. They loiter around the plane, taking pictures of the nose, tail and body, and even pose for pictures underneath the plane. I have seen Chinese be shooed away from going to the other side of the plane on an active runway.

This first picture is extremely typical of the boarding process and where the Chinese travelers flutter to when boarding. Sure, let's go under the nose and pose! You may even be able to make out the peace sign that the subject is making with her left hand for the pictures.

When landing and exiting the plane, the same behavior is seen; several people stop, turn around, and take a picture of the majestic plane they just flew on . This is a picture when returning on an evening flight (delayed, of course) from Shanghai; I think it was a Friday night when I was in a sour mood as I just checked my golfer's status for the 2nd round and he was well below the cut line. I just want to get to baggage claim to get my bag and go home; but no, I have to evade all these picture takers and then board the bus from hell to ride to the terminal.

My mood in this picture matches my current frame of mind with respect to fantasy football this year. I am in 3 leagues and struggling mightily in 2 of them. In the Guangzhou league, my team is a mess as I drafted Adrian Peterson with the first pick (and drafted Matt Prater, Mr. DUI). I'm 1-7 with no hope of the playoffs. In the league I have been in for 15 years (and am defending champion), I have the 3rd highest point total but am 2-6, always facing the top point-getter of the week. I am in one other league from my church back in Cinci; I am 5-3 but the scoring system for that league is so wacky that results are close to random.

So I just want fantasy to be over so I don't have to concentrate on it; I feel like the angry traveler leaving this plane in the night just wanting to get home and have the day be over, but I have to wade through the minefield of photographers all in my way. I have to keep pushing on in fantasy even though it's useless.

On to the games:

Cin 20, Jax 13: Hey, if the Bengals can give up 37 at home to an anemic Carolina offense, maybe the Jags have a shot here!

Dal 20, Az 17. Who knows if Romo is going to play? I'm not ready to wager on Romo not playing...just yet. I do see this being a low scoring game no matter who is the QB. (Of course, to spite me, Weeden will porbably put up 41 vs. the Cards).

By the way, I did no work last Tuesday morning for the hour of Monday Night Football where it was Weeded vs. McCoy. My God! What hath God wraught on the NFL this season when these two are in a prime time matchup?

Hou 27, Phi 17. What have the Eagles proven on the road? I still believe in the Texans' D; I think they will dominate the Eagles O line and give Foles & co trouble.

KC 23, NYJ 20.  I know, I know. The Jets' can't be any lower, and I think Vick will be mediocre with a full week of practice. And it will help that they are out of New York.

SD 27, Mia 24.  I've been burned by Miami before at home - there is no home field advantage, and San Diego has extra rest.

Min 24, Was 13. The Vikes are a sneaky good team with Teddy at the helm, and Washington is below average in both the passing and running game. I know RG3 is back, but ....Im expecting him to be a bit rusty. And this is a possible letdown game after the huge win on Monday night.

SF 27, StL 16. I've given up trying to figure the Rams out. I think they will show something in this 2nd game against the 49ers in 4 weeks....I hate those quick rematches; they never go the same way as the first.

Den 31, NE 24. I just think NE has no real answers on the defensive side to stop Manning. Denver's defense will get just enough stops to win by 7 or so.

Sea 27, Oak 10. The Browns do not have a good defense by any stretch of the imagination, and yet the Raiders went at least 1 1/2 quarters against us where they did nothing. Imagine what the Seahawks will do- in Seattle.

Bal 26, Pit 17. Bal will be revved up for this game; how many "big" games can Pittsburgh rise up for in a row? I just think the Ravens match up well vs. the Steelers.

Ind 24, NYG 20. Monday night, on the road, Coughlin will have something ready for Luck. But in the end, the Colts are just too talented.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 8-7 (woo hoo! finally, a winning week). Overall: 51-60-3

Jax +10 1/2
Jax/Cin under 43 1/2
Az/Dal under 44 1/2
Hou +2
NYJ +9
SD +2 1/2
SD/Mia over 45
Min -1
Was/Min under 43 1/2
Den -3
Sea -14
Oak/Sea under 43 1/2
Bal -2
Ind/NYG under 51

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3; overall: 23-17.

Jax +11
Hou +2
NYJ +9 1/2
Min -2 1/2
Bal -1