NFL Week 12: Super Password

"It's Password......

It's Super Password!"

Password was a hit game show in the 60s and 70s that it came back in two forms in the 1980s! We are going with the later revival, hosted by Bert Convy from 1984-1989, which captured all the fashions and style of the 1980s.

The original Password was hosted by Allen Ludden and was a big hit on network TV due to its simplicity. A contestant-celebrity pair made up a team; one of them was the "giver" and one was the "receiver". The giver tried to make the receiver say the "password" by giving one word clues. In the original version, points were given in accordance to the number of times a clue was given....

The new versions of the show tried to make it a bit more complex and add a bonus round. In these versions, each password was a clue to a puzzle - and after each clue, the contestant given the opportunity to solve the master puzzle.

Here's an example: the first password was "Youthful" , the second was "practical" - and the answer to the master puzzle was "Dick Clark".

Three or four puzzles were played of varying value ($100-$400) to hit the number needed to win the game - usually, it was about $500. The winner got to play the bonus round - Alphabetics! This was simply - the team needed to get 10 words in 60 seconds; the words were in alphabetical order, starting with a letter and continuing in consecutive order...... for example, 10 words starting with "A" and going to "J". The bonus prize started at $5,000 and went up $5,000 every time someone did not win.

Alphabetics was always fun to watch, especially if the letters chosen were "Q", "Z", "U" or something. How many words were appropriate for Password with these letters? For U - it was always Ukelele or Unicycle. For X - obviously Xylophone. For Q? Quail, Quintuplet and maybe Quarter. Those were the staple words that always appeared.

(and yes, that is Richard Simmons as the celebrity in that photo).

In this version, they tried to add a few surprises - like the Ca$hword. The Cashword was given to the leading contestant in the middle of the game; a difficult word was chosen and the celebrity had three chances to give a clue to have the contestant say it. The words were hard, and not words you can easily guess while high on cocaine.

The cashword was brought out on a device where you push individual buttons down for each clue - it was given the nickname of the "toaster" as it had the same shape. In more than one occasion, the toaster broke - the buttons couldn't be pressed down, and it had a reputation of being clumsy. Betty White finally busted the toaster in a late episode.

Allen Ludden - the original Password host from the 60s - hosted the first re-launch of Password (Password Plus) in 1978; that show had a more serious vibe about it as an actual competition. The mid-80s version was hosted by Bert Convy. He bought a much more lighter attitude to the show, making it more entertaining and less about the competition. Bert was the owner of several bloopers (where he would accidentally give the clue) and the guest starts seemed to be given more leeway to shine. This probably was the right direction for the show, and that was the direction of TV at the time - toward more entertainment and less of the competition. Maybe it foreshadowed the rise of the daytime talk shows in the 90s.

For me, this show acted as filler and ear candy. It's a nice show, nice to have on in the background but certainly it was not appointment TV. Password is a time-tested format, but since it has been on for 30 years or so, how new/innovative can you make it? There's not too many gimmicks you can put in there to spruce it up and make it feel fresh.

Talking about filler and ear candy - that would describe the Monday night game this week. Will anyone out there really pay attention to this game? The exploits of Johnny will be used as material constantly and be overblown. There will likely not be any fantasy games riding on the MNF contest. ESPN will try to sell this as NBC sold Super Password - as a celebrity fun fest with the game being secondary. Oh gee, can't wait to watch. ....

On to the games....

Atl 24, Min 17. I think the Packers exposed the Vikings last week as a offensively limited team. Not sure how they keep up in a dome vs. a team desperate for a win.

Cin 23, Stl 13. On the face of it, this would be a mismatch, but I think there are starting to be concerns with the flow of Cincinnati's offense. They should shut down the Rams outside, however.

NO 27, Hou 23. New Orleans is off a bye with a new defensive coach. I'm not sold yet on Houston being a sudden contender; I think the Saints will pull it together to find a win here.

Ind 26, TB 23. Interesting game - is Tampa ready for prime time? Is Indy's D improved enough to stop an improved Bucs' offense?

Jax 24, SD 17. Really disappointed in the Chargers last week. Have they mailed it in? Playing an east coast 1 pm game against a Jags team that suddenly has something to play for. What is the mind state of San Diego right now, with the move looming?

KC 23, Buf 16. How does Buffalo move the ball against the Chiefs? How do the Chiefs fare against a team that actually tries to win and doesn't lay down? Fascinating game.

NYJ 27, Mia 13. The Jets are desperate for a win and they have the Dolphins' number. They have more talent on both sides of the ball, and I'm still not sold on Miami's offense.

Oak 24, Ten 20. Tennessee off of 10 days rest, but still have lots of injuries in the secondary. Oakland has laid an egg in 2 straight games...not sure what's going to happen here.

Was 27, NYG 24. I think Washington is a solid middle of the pack team, and will always be competitive; they can take advantage of the Giants secondary.

Az 31, SF 14. Yes, this could be a possible let down for the Cardinals, but the Niners just have no weapons against a solid defense like the Cardinals.

Pit 30, Sea 20. Seattle is still a fraud, and the Steelers need this game ...and Pittsburgh have the weapons to take advantage of the secondary issues in Seattle. A win over the Niners does not mean the Seahawks are back, people.....

NE 27, Den 20. Trying to see how Osweiller outsmarts Belicheck here....I'm sure Bill will have something for the young QB. Denver's defense is good, but I don't think Brady will have too much trouble moving the ball.

Best bets: 12 of them. Last week: 3-7-2; overall: 79-66-6

Atl -2.5
StL/Cin under 42 1/2
NO +3
Jax -5
NYJ -4
Oak -1
Was +2
NYG/Was over 47
Az -9.5
Pit +3.5
Pit/Sea over 45 1/2
NE -2.5

Supercontest picks: 1-4 last week; overall: 28-26-1. Ugh.
Atl pk
NO +3
Jax -4
NYJ -3.5
Pit +3.5

NFL Week 11: $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime

This is $1,000,000. In a moment, Couple A will compete with Couple B as they battle for the biggest prize in the history of television. Just one single word can turn one of our couples into millionaires, all on the $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime!

You want the definition of cheesy 80s game shows! This one sets the standard! The $1M Chance of a Lifetime show was a syndicated program in the mid 80s - I think it was from 1985-87. It wasn't on a network schedule, so stations picked it up and used it for filler in the afternoon. This - of course - were the days before 86 million talk shows were invented, so this show was perfect for independent stations to show around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. For me, this was the perfect show to come home to after a rough day in middle or high school.

Where do I start with the gimmicks here? First, the grand prize was - yes! - $1 million dollars. I'll explain how you win it in a moment. The $1 million dollars was placed on stage during play for all to see - I guess to heighten the suspense. A security guard was positioned by the money during the opening until the host came out . There must have been problems with the studio audience coming up and stealing part of the money, so a Brinks employee was needed.

This was  a couples' game - that adds the fun! Can you imagine playing a game show for $1 million dollars with your spouse? Janice and I can't even play Pictionary without getting into fights. (Who doesn't know where Oregon is? -ed). The main play just needed one of the spouse playing against one of the others....and no help can be given by the non-playing spouse. What was the divorce rates of the losing contestants?

The game play was a bit complex - it was a combination of Password and Wheel of Fortune. Three puzzles were played - a puzzle consisted of a multi-word phrase or thing. Then clues were given one at a time .....and the contestants had to guess the clue when the letters of the clue were filled in one by one. Very much like the speed round of Wheel of Fortune.

Once you got a "clue" - then you tried to solve the main puzzle. The contestant went up to the main computer and picked letters for the main puzzle. The did this literally - letters were lit on the computer that were in the puzzle - plus one "stinger"! that was not included - and the contestant pressed a giant key on the keyboard to choose a letter.

If they could get the puzzle, great! If not, they went back and another clue was given. I love this keyboard. It's like a giant size Vic 20...remember kids, this was the breakthrough technology of the day!

Three puzzles were played - the winner went to the bonus round, where the couples were placed in the "isolation" chamber....they had to get 6 words in 60 seconds; the words were all part of a category that were chosen (like First Aid Items or Summit Conference Colleges). Letters were placed one by one for each word - the couple could blurt out any guess they wanted as the letters appeared. They needed to get all 6 words in 60 seconds to win.

The million was won if a couple can win the main game and the bonus game 3 days in a row. This was a great soap opera aspect of the game - I could watch on Monday, see somebody lose the bonus round, and then I realize I can skip Tuesday's and Wednesday's episode if necessary since no one can win the million.

Our host for the show is Jim Lange. He hosted the Dating Game in the 70s and another show in the 80s that will be coming up. I'd certainly consider Jim to be on the B-list of hosts - friendly, does the job, but there's just something missing. Seems forced at times.

I think I must be the only one to remember this show - it was short lived, and being on independent stations did not help its popularity. But it was a quick moving game show with the suspense of a million always hanging over the show. If a couple was there for the third time, it was required viewing and I had to fight to watch the show over Layup's insistence of watching "Inspector Gadget".

Most of you know my two guilty pleasures are game shows and politics; in doing research for this blog, I came across this episode of the show. You have to watch at around the 4:45 mark - a commercial was not edited out. Wow! How's that for a flashback......

What's the opposite of the suspense of having a coupe go for the $1,000,000 on the third episode? How about any meaningless Browns game from here on out? Thank God they are on the bye this week. This team is unwatchable. The penalties, mental mistakes are frequent and devastating. It's like we are starting over - again. We do nothing well......and this is even taking into account that Johnny may have a future here! He's not the problem! I really want to like Mike Pettine- especially after the 7-4 start last year - but since then, he is 2-13, and the team is degrading each week.

Oh - by the way- do you know the Monday Night Football game next week? you are welcome, America!

On to the games:

Atl 27, Ind 24. Can't figure out this game; both teams off a bye; I don't think there's that much of a dropoff to Hasselbeck.

Bal 27, StL 20. I just don't think the Ravens have it in them to give up. So disappointed in the Rams last week - they are certainly one-dimensional.

Car 26, Was 16. The Redskins are limited against a good D; Car won't outscore them, however, and will control the clock and the game without running away with it.

Chi 24, Den 19. Brock Osweiler's first start in the NFL, and who does he see? His old defensive coordinator on the other side of the field. I think Fox will have a lot of surprises for Brock.

Oak 31, Det 20. Detroit just played their Super Bowl - and it's clear they are not a good team. Oakland can beat bad teams on the road - see week 3!

NYJ 20, Hou 17. Too many injuries to count here. I think Houston's D is finally coming info form and this won't be a Jets rout.

Dal 20, Mia 16. Philly gave the game to Miami last week; I still don't think the Dolphins are very good. Dallas will be able to hold Miami and Romo should bring home the win.

Phi 26, TB 16. Just a feeling here. The matchup is horrible for Tampa; Philly's D will limit them and I think Tampa is not good enough defensively to stop Sanchez. Did I just say that?

SD 27, KC 20. San Diego is off the bye and will put up one last good effort. I think Kansas City is overrated and won't be able to score when needed.

Min 23, GB 20. Can't figure this game out. The Packers will be desperate, and they have to change their offensive strategy - a hurry up offense? If so, can Minnesota respond?

Sea 20, SF 16. The Seahawks should not be favored by double digits over anyone right now. Do people watch the games?

Az 30, Cin 20. I don't think the Bengals are firing on all cylinders offensively, and will have trouble to keep up with Arizona at home.

NE 31, Buf 24. I think this game will be close; NE is not as dominating as they were in teh beginning of the season.

Best bets: 12 of them. Last week: 9-6; overall: 76-59-4
Bal -3
Car -7
Chi +2
Oak +1
Dal -1
Dal/Mia under 46
Phi -6
SD +3
KC/SD over 45
SF +13.5
Az -4.5
Buf/NE over 47.5

Supercontest: Last week: 3-2; overall: 27-22-1
Oak -2
Dal pk
Phi -5.5
SD +3
SF +12.5

NFL Week 10: $ale of the Century

Today on America's biggest bargain sale, we are offering a 1985 Chevrolet Cavalier worth $8,500 for only $150! A trip to Hawaii worth $3,000 for only $21! Two of the incredible bargains

 on…..$ale of the Century!

I really loved this game show – it was a trivia show with a twist. The general basis was simple – 3 contestants playing a trivia game; they start with $20. Every correct answer is worth $5, and every miss took away $5. The contestant with the most points at the end wins! How simple can you get?

Two little wrenches were thrown into the game play to make it more interesting. First, there were three “instant bargains” during the match. At a random time, someone offstage would ring a bell, meaning it was time for the instant bargain. The leader at that point was able to use their point total to buy something. For instance, a refrigerator was shown and modeled. “Isn’t this nice? You told me offstage you were moving! You need a fridge!” And the host (more on him in a second) would try to entice the contestant to “buy” the prize for $11 or so. The $11 comes out of their point total for the game, however…..The host would throw in cash as well to sweeten the pot. And then he would start the countdown for the sale: “Going once! Going twice…….” Most of the time, it was a “no sale” as the contestant wanted to keep their lead – but later in the game they had nice prizes – trips, spas, etc. – that people bought.

The second wrinkle was the “fame game”. This was a biographical type of a question – and the person who buzzed in correctly with the answer got a shot at the “money cards”- 9 cards on a board; one or more of them would have $10, $15 or $25 bonus for the player. The others had gifts from Ron Popeil, and the contestant would have to look interested in a year’s supply of Lee Press-on Nails.

These fame game questions were not easy. The question always start with “I am ……” and then the host would take a meander through the biography of the person/ “I was born in 1547, in a little farm in Germany. My mother couldn’t read, nor could my father….”. It was like Paul Harvey reading the questions. They were not trivial questions – I really appreciated that in a game show.

The main game ended after the last “fame game” with the “speed round”. 60 seconds of rapid fire trivia questions at 5 points a piece. If you buzzed in, you were expected to answer right away. If you didn’t, a voice offstage would yell (and I mean yell) “TIME!”.; 5 points were deducted and we move on.

Our host for $ale of the Century was Jim Perry. I think Guy Smiley from Sesame street was based off of Jim (although Jim probably came on to the scene after Guy made his debut). Jim was a bit corny, but most importantly he played the role of salesman with excellence. He tired to cajole the contestants into the instant bargains. He had a voice that was perfect for the speed round, and could “act” the part out while reading the questions in the fame game. I liked him a lot, and I think we will talk about him more in another blog (for his hosting of another show).

Oh – the hostess – her name was Summer Bartholomew. That names just rolls off the tongue; apparently she is an ex-Miss America with a graduate degree. Brains and beauty together! She was around for most of the show.

The one weakness of the game was the bonus game. What do you do with the winner of the trivia contest and you still have 8 minutes left and have to create a bonus round for the winner? They tried putting the winnings in a bank – and the person could “buy” a grand prize item with the money – and leave – or keep the money save it for bigger items in the future (or they could buy the whole kit and caboodle with enough money). Then they tried a random match board to give away a prize every game. Nothing really worked nor caught on.

The show was on NBC for 6 years – that’s the black hole for game shows; nobody watched NBC. Sometimes they had this on a 10:30 going up against Press Your Luck; I always chose $ale over the Whammy. Sometimes they had it at 11:00, which made $ale or TPiR a tough call.

The Browns almost had their Sale of the century with this year’s trade deadline; Joe Thomas’s name continually came up but no deal was reached. You never know how close any team was to agreeing on a price. I can’t fault the Browns for trying to see what he is worth. Joe is by far the Best Brown of the past 20 years, and is Hall of Fame worthy…..but he dseres to play for a contender instead of the idiots we have here. Joe is pure class and the model for any future Brown.

On to the games; handicapping them from high in the air aboard a Singapore Airlines flight…

Bal 27, Jax 24. Bal is off a bye and should get a little healthier; Jacksonville is playing well but always gives up the turnovers at the wrong time. Should be closer than the line indicates.

GB 23, Det 17. I’m sure there are plenty of “what’s wrong with the Pack” stories in the US right now; maybe the answer is “well, they’re not that good!”. They are one-dimensional and their defense is getting worse.

Phi 23, Mia 20. I don’t understand how the Eagles can be favored by more than a field goal over any one. They let the Cowboys back in the game multiple times last week.

StL 23, Chi 10. This defense isn’t the Charger defense. I think Cutler will be hassled all game will be forced into multiple turnovers.

Dal 24, TB 16. Tampa Bay is good enough to win offensive shootouts, but I remain impressed with the Dallas D. If the Giants shut down Tamps fairly well, I expect the Cowboys to do even better.

Car 27, Ten 20. How many times have I said that I like Mariota? Why didn’t I pick them last week?

Was 31, NO 20. How many times can I say that New Orleans is a fraud? Outdoors with that shaky defense – I think the Skins will control the lines and have a comfortable win.

Oak 27, Min 17.  I’m just not convince that Minnesota can score enough to keep up with the raiders. Maybe I’m basing this too much on the Raiders playing an awful Steelers D …. But I expect the Radiers to be in the high 20s here, and I haven’t seen the Vikes put those kind of numbers up.

Den 24, KC 17. The numbers say this should be extremely close, but Denver is the kind of team that has a mental lock on the Chiefs. The Chiefs can be 14-1 and still find a way to lose to the Broncos, just because of past ghosts.

NE 31, NYG 24. I am just not interested in this game. Offenses will control the game and it will be decided by a late PI call in favor of Brady.

Sea 27, Az 24. Just think the Seahawks are too desperate to show up flat for this one. Both teams aare off the bye – I expect improvement by the Seahawks on both lines. Should be a classic Sunday night game.

Cin 23, Hou 16. I have to point out that the Bengals are a 7-0-1 against the spread. Wow. I think they are due for a letdown….but do I really have faith in Hoyer to keep it close?

Best bets: 15 of them. Ugh, I don’t like these. Last week: 6-5; overall: 67-53-4

Det +10.5

Det/GB under 48 1/2

Mia +6

Mia/Phi under 50

StL -6.5

Chi/Stl under 42 1/2

Dal +1

Car -4

Car/Ten over 44

Was pk

Oak -3

Den -4.5

Az/Sea over 44

Hou +10/5

Hou/Cin under 47.5

By the way, no one got the game show from last week? It's Layup's favorite slot machine game. 

Supercontest picks: Last week: 3-2; overall: 24-20-1

Det +11.5

StL -7

Dal +1.5

Was pk

Hou +10.5

NFL Week 9: ?????????

It's a special mystery week here at the blog! I am leaving to go back to the homeland later today - not sure if I will be able to access the blog for a week! With that background, here's a mystery game show for you fans out there.....

This should be easy if you have an encyclopedic memory of game shows from the 1980s; we'll see how many of you are true fans out there.


So - who is this person playing for the Chargers and what game show is he associated with?

OK, is that too hard? Let's see his face ....will that help?

Again, should be fairly easy....

Quick picks for the games; if I have time and access, I will add comments to these. I'm a little despondent after last night's debacle of a 21 point loss to the Bengals....

Buf 27, Mia 17
Car 19, GB 16
Min 20, StL 17
NE 31, Was 24
NO 30, Ten 20
NYJ 27, Jax 21
Pit 34, Oak 20
SF 23, Atl 20
TB 31, NYG 27
Den 24, Ind 20
Phi 23, Dal 20
Chi 29, SD 27

Best bets: 11 of them. Last week - thanks Carolina! - 5-9-1; overall: 61-48-4

Buf -3
Car +2.5
GB/Car under 45 1/2
Was +14
Pit -4.5
Oak/Pit over 48
SF +7
TB +2.5
NYG/TB over 49 1/2
Chi +4
Chi/SD over 49

Supercontest: still undecided as of this writing. Last week: 1-4; overall: 21-18-1.  Leans:

Buf -3
Car +2.5
Pit -4
SF +7
TB +2.5

NFL Week 8: Love Connection

"Welcome to Love Connection, where old-fashioned romance meets modern-day technology. Where you'll hear all the intimate details of a first date. Sometimes our dates have a happy ending, and sometimes there's just an ending. But it's always unpredictable when two strangers meet and try to make that....Love Connection!"

C'mon - who doesn't remember this show? I guess this should could be summarized as the family version of the Dating Game (which, I recall, we were not allowed to watch).

If you forget how this show worked, it's simple.  Love Connection featured a contestant that got to choose between three "choices" for a blind date. We got to know the main contestant - their background, dating preferences, personality - and then the audience got to see about a 15 second of the video snippets from each of the possible choices.

From that comprehensive personality screen, the audience got to pick what they thought would be the best match for the contestant. The contestant had already picked a choice, and they had gone on the first date before the show. We then see the choice on camera set up in the back room, and then everyone talks about the details of the date.

If the date went well, the lovers come out and meet each other and the show would pay for a second date. If not - well, they don't meet on stage and the show would pay for a date if the audience picked another person. That's it! No bonus round, no chance at $1000 jackpot.....

Chuck Woolery was the host for this show - and I have to saw he was the perfect fit for this type of show. For this show to exist in the 80s, you have to have an "innocent" host - and Chuck certainly fits this bill - but can make sly, subtle innuendos when needed. It can't be overt! I can't see someone like Wink Martindale or Dick Clark being able to do that second part.

I think this was the first show where most of the viewers - especially as a teenager watching - wanted to see the car wreck dates on the show. Who cares if a real "connection" was made and the couple hit it off? No! We wanted to see the arguments, yelling, and crying! It wasn't rare that the date went bad - but most of the times the conversations were civil. However, there were a few episodes when they couple went at each other and Chuck had to step in. That's when Layup or I would call each other to come to the TV room to watch.

One word: mullets. It was the majority of the hair style for the men in the profiles....it was the late 80s, you know!

The dating profiles of the candidates were always fun to watch. It showed their occupation -"car salesman" was never a good signal - and their marital status. Remember, this was the 80s, so "divorced" was still a stigma. I think the show never offered divorcees to "never been married" folks and for a divorced contestant, they only offered divorced profiles.

The computer generated statistics for the audience choices! Remember that? The high technology involved in tallying the audience votes? It was statistically significant that 43% picked the insurance salesman from Riverside over the 42% that picked the accountant from Bakersfield.

Sometimes, if the first match didn't work out, the contestant would come back on and talk about the second date - the date with the audience pick. If that didn't work, Chuck seemed to get a little suspicious of the contestant and seem to tell him "hey, it's not us, maybe you need to work on things...."

Finally, who can forget Chuck's signature line as they cut away to commercial - we will be back in "two and two"....two minutes and two seconds for the commerical break. Been using that line at the craps table asking for a hard four for 20 years.....

Oh - for those that care - out of the 22,000 or so couples on Love Connection, there were a recorded 31 marriages.....about 0.15%. Not the best success rate....

I think the Browns fans need to stage an intervention and revive the Love Connection game show for....our friend Johnny. Hey Johnny, we've got three dating choices for you. One of them is a Hollywood actress, the other two are quiet single ladies from Waterloo, Iowa and Troy, Ohio. Mr. Manziel has already been on the date with the wild actress - we learned it ended on the highway - and now we, as Browns fans, will pay for him to date a quiet girl to stay out of the lime light. Please, Johnny, take us up on our advice (and Chuck's advice) and tone it down.

On to the games:

KC 26, Det 13. Can't figure out how the Lions will score here, given their complete inability to run the ball. I think the Chiefs will get enough pressure on the Lions to force mistakes and easy scores.

Atl 30, TB 23. Maybe the Falcons aren't all that good after all. That's 3 games in a row now where they came out fairly flat vs. inferior competition. Tampa can score, but there's no defense there.

Bal 31, SD 20. I think the Chargers are done - like 1995 Browns done. It's clear they are leaving San Diego - so it's time to mail it in. I also believe Harbaugh can make the case for the Ravens to keep playing hard at 1-6; their schedule is so easy now....

Chi 27, Min 23. What exactly has Minnesota done so far this year? They have a fairly good D, but have no passing game to keep up with any kind of a shootout - and that's what I expect here.

Ten 20, Hou 17. LeBeau game planning against a limited Brian Hoyer and no Arian Foster? Zach M is not that much of a letdown from Mariota. I like the Titans here.

NYG 27, NO 20. Time for a letdown for the Saints. They've played 2 good games in a row; the Giants have laid 2 stinkbombs. Time for the Giants to take advnatange of the horrible Saints secondary.

Cin 30, Pit 27. No real idea who will win here. Should be a shootout, since I still think Pittsburgh is vulnerable to a good passing offense.

Stl 20, SF 19. I watched the Rams last week - they are very limited offensively; I think the 49ers can shut down the run and keep it much closer than expected.

NYJ 27, Oak 16. The Jets' pass rush vs. Derek Carr should cause major problems for the Raiders. An let's not forget, the Raiders' D is not all that good. I think the Jets win easy here.

Dal 19, Sea 16. I'm sorry, did the Seahawks' record move to 5-2 when I was not looking? They still have multiple problems on each line, and Dallas' O-line strength will take advantage.

GB 26, Den 24. Can't figure this game out, as there are so many questions on both sides. How good is Denver's D, really? Green Bay could only score 27 vs. the weak Chargers' D? How bad is Peyton? Let's sit back and get answers before diving in.

Car 23, Ind 13. Carolina is good, people. Their secondary is excellent and will take away a lot of the Colts' strength. And that front line getting pressure on Luck will force him into mistakes....


Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-5-1 ; overall: 56-39-3
KC -3
Det/KC under 45
Bal -3.5
Chi +1
Min/Chi over 42
Ten +4
Ten/Hou under 43
NYG +3
Cin/Pit over 48 1/2
SF +8
NYJ -3
Dal +4.5
Sea/Dal under 41 1/2
Car -6.5
Ind/Car under 46 1/2

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3. Thanks a lot, Flacco. Overall: 20-14-1
Bal -3.5
Chi +1.5
SF +8.5
NYJ -2.5
Dal +6

Dean Chance 1941-2015

Thanks to Steve for that memorial for the 1964 Cy Young award winner, Dean Chance. For those that can't put the name to the face, here are two pictures.....

One from the Angels - when he was (at the time ) the youngest Cy Young winner,
and one from 2000 during a boxing event.

I never got to meet Dean personally, but felt I knew him through the adventures he and Steve's family had. He is a character in history that will be missed.....