Thanskgiving Thoughts

Time for a data dump of thoughts & events that occured over the Thanksgiving Holiday....

The plans for the weekend included:

- traveling up to Columbus for the day for Thanksgiving
- On Friday & Saturday, Janice's mom would come down to bake cookies for 2 straight days with Janice....and I would be watching the kids most of the time
- And on Sunday, we'd make the trip up to Cleveland for the Browns game.

So - with us being at home and me not having definte plans, what better way to test my mental acuity than to pick every conceivable game in the NFL, NCAA F, NCAAB, NBA,and NHL during those 4 days! And since Derek was at his house too for the weekend, this couldbe (and turned out to be) a record-setting weekend in terms of phone calls, completely obscure picks and desperate parlays/teasers.

Wed night - after the kids are in bed, Janice is getting some food together - turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes. What is that for?

"It's to take to my brother's house. He flies back from Austria tomorrow. But's it's late - and I need to get ready for tomorrow....."

Would you like me to take it down for you?

"Sure!"

Great......let me hop on the computer, put in a couple of late night parlays......off we go! The night ended up with the last team in my parly - getting 8 - losing in overtime by 11.

Thursday was the drive up to Columbus - and a good Thanksgiving dinner with Janice's family. I was taken aside by one of the cousin - someone who is a golfer, lived in Cincinnati for a while before moving back to Columus - and was admonished for not joining a Country Club. In time, in time. Took a walk with Warren on the 13th hole of Royal American Golf Course. I wouldn't let him build sand castles in the greenside bunker.

That night, Janice and I talked about our plans for the next day. We needed to get a Lego Star Wars X Wing fighter for Freddie - and one option was to get up and hit target & Toys R Us at 6 am on Friday. Ugh. I volunteered.

Friday morning - the alarm did not go off; we awoke at 6:15. I threw on a hat and sweats and was heading out the door and Janice started with the cookies.

I was downstairs ready togo when I see Janice's mom there, dressed,with purse in hand.

"Is Janice ready to ehad out shopping?"

Well, uh, no...I'm heading out on the toy hunt.

"Oh. Mind if I join you? I need to get one thing at Target...."

Now, I have no problem with my mother-in-law, but the thought of:

- shopping

-with her

- at 6:30 in the morning the Friday after Thanksgiving

was not my idea of fun.......

We got back by 9 am; frightened by what I saw on Black Friday I retired to the bathroom with my laptop and made my picks for the day.

The rest of the day consisted of taking the kids to Chick-Fil-A (while cursing my page that it didn't give me updates on the 10:30 am Penn St- Rider game), going to the pool (where Warren had an accident....argh), and a last-minute call from my neighbor for a poker night (which I came ahead $70!). As far as picks, I had a 5-team CF teaser which came down to Boise +9.....it's a layup!

Saturday: A late start; I took Freddie, Warren, and a friend of Freddie's to the Bee Movie. Had an insight that afternoon to take the infamous Jackson St-Hartford over, which just missed going over by 25 points. Went shopping for tailgating; I distinctly remember waling up and donw the bread aisle looking for buns as Derek let loose on a strem of profanities talking about the Stanford football team.

Sunday: 6:30 leave the house with Janice (not bad!)

10:10: Arrive in the Burke Lakefront lot. Temperature was a cool 37 degrees. What a wonderful atmosphere. When I took Freddie up for the Miami game, it was 65 degrees, sunny, adn the Browns were 2-3. No one was really sure where this reason was going. And - I think this is teh most important - the Tribe was still alive and the Miami game was just after the game 2 marathon. The atmosphere then was more frivolous and fun.

Sunday's tailgate was more like the tailgates I remember from 94 (and a little in 02). there was a clear sense of aniticipation. There was excitement - the team was 6-4, and a win would be another big step toward the playoffs. The weather helps- the colder it gets, the more intense it gets. It's a different type of fun - a more serious fun, if that is clear.

10:30: Steve and Susan shows up; the grill is fired up. Steve beats me at cornhole, 2 games to 1. I have 3 Italian Sausages and 3 Killians.

12:10: Time to leave the lot for the game. But - we brought pumkpin pie and Cool Whip but we haven't opened it.....what do we do? Easy solution - take a paper plate and plastic fork, put a piece of pie and a lot of Cool Whip - and walk to the stadium with pie in hand!

Most of the hard core tailates were drinking their last beers while walking in - and there's me, with my William Green #31 jersey, with pumkpin pie. Steve completely disagreed with my actions - pie should not be eaten while walking - but I will tell you, I'm sure there were 300 pound drunk men walking in ogling my pie! (wait, should I rephrase that?)

4:30: I should have a separate post about jerseys people see at the stadium. I think Browns fans are put in a unique situation - we have a history of tradition and supporting our teams, but the jerseys you see exhibit the ineptness of our players over the past 10 (20?) years. Some jerseys seen at the game:

Willie Green (me!), Tim Couch (at least 100 of these), Wali Rainer, Leroy Hoard, Vinny Testaverde, Darren Chiaverini, Kelly Holcomb, Clay Matthews, Webster Slaughter....the list is endless.

And at the end of the weekend, we are 7-4 and 1 game up in the wild card race. Go Browns!

(PS - Good news for everyone here but me; the Case Spartans ended up losing on Saturday. A 2nd round exit for their first visit to the playoffs....)

Please note for future reference

Hello there. I'll have am ore substantive post coming, one that epxplains some of the Jackson St. Action from this weekend....

...but I want to post this for future reference. This is Dr. Z's analysis of the New England Patriots as listed in his power rankings on CNNsi.com today:

New England Patriots (11-0)The defensive scheme in the secondary is to overplay the boundaries, thus it is vulnerable to in-cuts and crosses over the middle, provided the opposing QB has enough time. That information was furnished by John Madden on Sunday night, one of the many helpful insights he offered during NBC's telecast of the game, and I am thankful for it. What I saw was that two of the four starters back there, Asante Samuel and Rodney Harrison, are guys not to be messed with, but RCB Ellis Hobbs and FS James Sanders can be exploited. But which teams coming up have the highly sophisticated passing attack, and that includes the protection, to do the exploiting? If Brett Favre and his run 'n shoot, five-receiver gnat attack were on the horizon, I'd say look out. But the slate now lists the Ravens, Steelers, Jets, Dolphins and Giants, and I don't see a highly developed pass-catch game anywhere there. Just more grist for the "Will-they-go-undefeated?" mill.

Just want to note this...for now.

What the hell is going on out there????

Reason number 2304 why I should of stayed a bookie. So far this week, Eric and I have placed 88 wagers on NBA, College Hoops, College Football, and the NHL. I didn't get involved until Wednesday night if that tells you anything. Eric and I have combined for 21 parlay and teaser bets ranging from a 5 team 1st half college basketball parlay to a Jackson St vs Hartford over at 152 (layup). It has gotten out of control. So much so that VIP.com (our online site) gave us a $15 bonus for our frequent play. Its just that there are so many college and pro games going on during these next four days. And when they through out those 1/2 juice lines, its almost a crime not to take it.

Happy Thanksgiving

From the Zahn Family....I think Eric either just found out that he hit the grand salami bet or that the Indians just resigned Tadano for 4 years.

No words to describe it!

At this point, I give up trying to analyze the Browns' season. I'm just enjoying the ride. Unbelievable.

Don called and asked what the hell happened? Well, try explaining the last 30 seconds in under 100 words. You can't. Hell, I don't even know if there is a technical name for the thing that Dawson's FG hit off of...the curved support that holds up the uprights? The thingamajig?

6-4.....6-4.....6-4.....wow. And I'm going next week to see if the team can go 7-4 against a surprising Texan team. Things are getting really interesting now.

I know no one cares...

Really, Eric, I don't want to go all Allen Iverson on you....

but this is Division III football we are talking about here.

Not Div I. Not BCS.

Division III.

Not the BCS.

Division III.

Well, to all of you: too bad. The picture is of Jeff Mayer scoring the winning touchdown with 2 seconds left. Did the ball break the plane? Thank God there is no instant replay in Div-3.

Game Story: Case takes pride in win

NFL Picks Week 11: Bizarro Seinfeld

How about those Spartans! Next Saturday, in Cleveland, vs. Wabash at noon. I'm actually going up for the Browns game on Sunday, but I don't think we will be able to make it to the CWRU football game the day before. No matter - I'll post the live internet video feed for all 3 of you that are interested.

Anyway, I've been waiting all season to break out this Seinfeld reference at the right time, and I think this week is the week.

There are a lot of teams out there where public opinion sways wildly everyday. Those opinions certainly judge the line and how people think about games. What we have to do is cut through the instant analysis and get to the soul of the team....what does their body of work say about them? How does this week's hot read differ from what you know about this team throughout the season?

Let's start:

Hou 27, NO 24. Well, maybe a bad example to start. However, we have a clean slate here with Houston - Schaub and Johnson are back - and is this the beginning of another losing streak for the Saints?

Cin 26, Az 17. Current wisdom: Cincinnati sucks. Real wisdom: You going to only give 3 to Kurt Warner on the road?

Ind 23, KC 14. Current wisdom: Indy is steaming mad and will punish anyone this week. Real wisdom: Punish how? With what weapons? Harrison & Gonzalez are out.

Min 16, Oak 15. I really have nothing much to say here. But Minnesota being favored by 4 1/2 without a quarterback or A Peterson does not make a lot of sense.

GB 24, Car 20. Current wisdom: Favre! Lambeau! 14-2, here we come! Real wisdom: A desperate Carolina team is coming in with their own aging, magic quarterback and a coach that can play defense.

Det 27, NYG 24. I've gone back and forth on this one. Not sure.

TB 20, Atl 10. Current wisdom: There's a team in Tampa this year? Real wisdom: Your 2007 NFC South champions (and you don't think they'd be feovred over the Lions in a playoff game?)

Pit 27, NYJ 13. Again, not a lot of comment here.

Chi 20, Sea 19. Current wisom: Chicago sucks! Hasselbeck can move the ball through the air! Real wisdom: Seattle is completely one-dimensional, and they are not good on defense (Monday night does not count). This will be an upset.

Jax 20, SD 16. I have no idea which team on either side will show up.

SF 19, StL 16. Classic game. Current wisdom: All of a sudden the Rams are back! Real wisdom: Do you really believe that? Really? This is an outdoor game, too.

Phi 20, Mia 17. Current wisdom: McNabb! The Eagles are back in it! Real wisdom: Miami doesn't quit, and Philly is due for an other head-scratchign game.

Dal 27, Was 20. Don't feel good about this, but this could be a trap for the Cowboys.

NE 34, Buf 16. I don't think Buffalo will keep this close. The line is set right.

Ten 24, Den 17. Browns need a Titan loss, so I will pick them to hedge my bets. Titans win, I win! Titans lose, Browns fans win!

Best bets this week: (last week: 8-9-1; overall: 70-76-10).

Hou -1

Cin -3

Cin/Az Under 48

KC + 14 1/2

Oak + 4 1/2

Mia +9 1/2

Car + 9 1/2

GB/Car over 37 1/2

Det +3

TB -3

Pit -9 1/2

Chi + 5 1/2

SF +3

Was +11

Ten +2

only 4 favorites, and 9 underdogs. Hoo boy, the dogs better be a trend this week.

More on Case Western!!

Actually, no. I thought I would post some random thoughts to break up the casewesternfans.com talk.

• I'm a little bit concerned with the Bills this weekend. Brady has never played well up there for whatever reason, and making that game a night game will help the Bills. The Bills hung around in the first half in the meeting earlier this year, then the Pats blew their doors off. Lynch not playing is a HUGE plus, but I would caution bettors out there that Brady has mentioned several times in the past that he hates that field for some reason.
  
• Since the Celts are 8-0, the Pats are 9-0 - the last "meaningful" Boston loss was game 4 of the ALCS. Haven't had a loss since Wakefield toed the rubber. Now THAT is a nice stretch!
• If the Pats end up getting a top 5 pick from SF, they will certainly trade down to pickup a couple mid 1st round picks (or future picks). I can't see a way that they could fit that mega salary structure into their cap.
  
• Bonds, Arod, Bonds, Arod, Bonds, Arod.
• Well, it looks like I might be close to joining the dark side of employment. I interviewed with a group HQ-ed in Bethesda (CSGP) and they are likely going to give me an offer next week. We'll see. Damn, I'll be a regular working stiff!! If anyone has any inside info on these folks let me know.
• Sheesh, Maryland probably couldn't beat Case Western at this point. We have sunk like a stone, back to the good ole Vanderlinden days.
  
• I went out to eat at Ruth Chris with Laura a few weeks ago. I got dressed up a little for the occasion wearing a suit and tie. When my son saw me he said "Dad, why are you wearing a long string on your neck?". Ha! I'm pathetic.
• Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. How great is it to completely chow down, then have a bunch of dessert?? My favorite thing is around 8:00PM (we always eat at halftime of the Detroit game), to heat up the leftover turkey and make a hot sandwhich, then have another round of pie. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
  

Case Wins!

Case Western Reserve wins their first round playoff game!

Case 21, Widener 20, on a touchdown pass from Dan Weldon to Jeff Meyer with 2 seconds to play.

Next week is round 2; location and opponent TBA.

Terry Pluto actually writes about Case football here.

Three work pet peeves

Of course, have to start this game day post with the Case logo to the right. If anyone else is interested, internet audio of the biggest football game in Ohio* this weekend can be found here.

PS - Let's stuff the ballot box for 2007 Coach of the Year! Vote here for Coach Greg Debeljak!

OK - three work pet peeves from this week:

1) A lot of the doors at work have now been equipped with a automatic-open system. There is a button about 10 feet from the door that people can push to have the door automatically open. The handicap icon is on the button - so the intended use is for people with disabilities to use those buttons to open the doors. I've got no problems with that.

BUT - if you are an able-bodied 25 year old, you have no need for that button. Hey Lazy ass, open the door yourself. I'm walking on the other side of the door toward the door, and 2 25-year olds push the button - and the door swings open and almost hits me. Hey jackass, open the door yourself. How lame are you? I swear, I think I am the only one to actually not be lazy and open the door manually.

2) Why did God make chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies look so similar? It's a terrible feeling when you are in a lunch meeting at work, you grab your lunch, grab a couple of choclate chip cookies on your plate, sit down.... and then 15 minutes later you find out they are actually oatmean raisin and not chocolate chip. Damn - now you are stuck.

3) I understand why people would send an email requesting a receipt that the note was read, but I had a first the other day - someone (who is on this blog, by the way) sent me a note that wanted to send a note back when I deleted the message. Come on! How vain and Ludicrous is this? How much of an Ego do you have to have to track exactLy when your distribution throws your emAils iN the Delete folder? I swear......

Playoffs! Playoffs!

I can't believe this has slid under the radar so much, but with the Tribe, Browns, and work - I haven;t caught the best story (so far) of Cleveland sports.
I was waking up this morning, lying in bed watching ESPNEWS, when the ticker rolled by.... Division III playoffs start on Saturday:

"Widener at Case Western Reserve"


Wait, what? How did this happen?


Apparently, we are the #18 ranked team in Division III. We won the UAA this year (and finally beating those inbreds from Carnegia Mellon, 20-17, in OT. We ended up 10-0, and are rewarded with our first playoff appearance ever.


(Which is odd...if I have a chance, I check the USA today for the Division III scores to see how Case did, and I swear I thought I saw a loss for them this year. I guess I was wrong!)


Our first round game is Saturday at noon vs. Widener. Who the hell is Widener? I have no idea.


What a proud day for Case sports. Wow. The closest moment like this that I can remember was in 2002, when we made the Women's Basketball Tournament - and won a first round game on a half court shot.


The field of 32 is announced here: just 5 wins to the Championship!


Go Spartans! (And, since I am biased here (Case '93, G'94), I need someone else to set the line. Do they have lines for Div III playoff games? Derek? Wiz? Leland? Don? Anyone want to set a line?)

How do I feel?

Ask me how do I feel

Ask me now that we're cosy and clinging

Well sir, all I can say, is if I were a bell I'd be ringing!

From the moment we kissed tonight

That's the way I've just gotta behave

Boy, if I were a lamp I'd light

And If I were a banner I'd wave!

Ask me how do I feel, little me with my quiet upbringing

Well sir, all I can say is if gate I'd be swinging!

And if I were a watch I'd start popping my springs!

Or if I were a bell I'd go ding dong, ding dong ding!

Ask me how do I feel from this chemistry lesson I'm learning.

Well sir, all I can say is if I were a bridge I'd be burning!

Yes, I knew my morale would crack

From the wonderful way that you looked!

Boy, if I were a duck I'd quack!

Or if I were a goose I'd be cooked!

Ask me how do I feel, ask me now that we're fondly caressing

Well, if I were a salad I know I'd be splashing my dressing

Ask me how to describe this whole beautiful thing

Well, if I were a bell I'd go ding dong, ding dong ding!

OK, enough lyrics for now. I'm not sure how I feel after that game today vs. the Steelers. I feel like I should be a lot madder than I am now.

Going into the game, I knew three things:
- Our defense sucks;
- I'm not convinced Romeo knows how to handle challenges/handle timeouts;
- We can't run out the clock if we have the lead.

So - all three of those things came back to bite us in the end. It's not a shock - Romeo cost us a timeout; our defense let up numerous 3rd and longs in the second half, and we couldn't run and pick up a first down with a lead.
(I didn't figure that Derek would play like an ostrich in the 2nd half).

Winnable game? Sure. Are we as good as Pittsburgh? No. That's clear. But we have significant weakenesses that will cost us against good teams. HOWEVER - this may be the last good team we play this calendar year.

I don't know why, but if we lost like that to.... the Jets? Bengals? Ravens?.... instead of the Steelers, I think I would be extremely more pissed. I had this chalked down as a loss; our weaknesses came back and bit us in the end and we ended up with that loss.

I don't know. Am I mellowing? I hope not. I was still screaming like a girl on Cribbs' return....this time, however, it was in a restaurant.....

NFL Picks, Week 10 - the Whale

Well, as I did my picks this morning, I feel like the Whale from Seinfeld. I'm making my picks, and this overwhelming sense of doom comes over me. I have too many favorites - lots of them - and I feel good about each one individually, but I know that Vegas makes their money off of people betting favorites. With each pick, I feel the golf balls hitting my back coming from the shore. This may be the week that a ball plugs into the blowhole and sets me back for good -unless Marine Biologist George comes out and rescues me in time.

Will George come out and save me from teh favorites in week 10? Let's find out.

GB 20, Min 13. I think the Packers have the run defense to counter Peterson.
NO 31, St L 17. New Orleans is back on track.
KC 24, Denver 17. Is Denver ready to implode? I think so- they are one of a couple teams that may start to pack it in now.
Ten 20, Jax 10. Again, I'll ask: How exactly is Tennessee's opponent (Jacksonville this week) supposed to score points?
Mia 19, Buf 16. My last hunch that involved the Dolphins was to take them and the Giants over in London - where they did not cover the over/under BY 25 POINTS!
Was 23, Phi 13. Another team ready to pack it in?
Car 17, Atl 10. What a oddly fascinating game this will be. It's going to be like watching 2 4-year olds try to play mini golf - one might win a hole with a "9" vs. the opponent's "10". How will these offenses move?
(Hint to Leland: take the over, then. Maybe this will be a 35-30 turnover fest.)
Cin 31, Bal 21. I refuse to believe that the Bengals will give up yet, and I continue to state that the Ravens are still a fraud.
Chi 20, Oak 10. If the Bears lose this -they'll be done. I can't believe I am going this way.
Dal 28, NYG 23. Should be a good game. (there's some good insight for you).
Det 27, Az 20. Again, what's wrong here? You have God's team (Kitna and the Lions) against a banged up Cards team. At 7:15 tonight, I'll find out why the line was this way.
Ind 28, SD 17. I have no faith in the Chargers tonight.
Sea 28, SF 13. Wow. Just a terrbile game.

Best bets: 18 of them (!). Last week: 12-3; overall record: 62-67-9.

GB/Min under 40.5
NO -10.5
KC -3
Ten -4.5
Ten/Jax under 35
Mia +3
Mia/Buf under 41
Was -3
Car -3.5
Car/Atl Under 36
Cin +3.5
Cin/Bal Over 44.5
Chi -3.5
Chi/Oak Under 38
Dal -1.5
Det + 1.5
Ind -3.5
Sea -9.5

I hate YouTube

My God...I just wasted about 2 hours this morning on YouTube. I found out that old game show clips are on there. Geesh, I could spend the whole weekend watching 3 minute clips from Pyramid...... Match Game.......The Price is Right.......$ale of the Century....... Scrabble......and so on.

(and do you know that the correct search term on YouTube is $ale of the Century, not Sale of the Century. Some people are more anal about their game shows than I am. Instant Bargain, anyone?)

PS - Summer Bartholomew was hot.

Who is worse?

Who is the king of the cable TV idiots?

1. Anderson Cooper (CNN)
2. Donnie Deutsch (CNBC)
3. Glen Beck (Headline News)

The True "Game of the Year"

Honestly, you wont' find a more entertaining game than the late game on Fox on Sunday. It wasn't the highest quality football - but it was a 3 3/4 hour rollercoaster.

I know we all like to give fellatio to the Pats and Colts in an "epic" game, but the Browns-Seahawks game was a nailbiter for 2 hours - filled with good plays on offense, defense, and plenty of reviews.

(For those of you who missed it, I'm talking about Browns 33, Seahawks 30, OT).

5-3, baby. 5-3. Wow.

How did that other game on CBS go?

Wiz's wedding

I'm no shape to write up a long blog about Wiz's wedding, but let's say that his reception involved Lee on roller skates, Michael McDonald, an old Bullet's flag, and me doing a Championship celebration on the dance floor and hitting some older lady with beer all down her back.

NFL Week 9: Mickey Abbott

So the Pats-Colts game is Kramer, and the rest of the schedule is his friend Mickey - the swarf. I'm too lazy to come up with a better analogy for this week.

On to the predictions:

NYJ 20, Was 17. I think Clemens will give this team a lift (and too much is being made of the "don't worry about the Skins" angle after the loss last week. The Skins aren't that good.

TB 24, Arz 14. I think Arizona is a sinking ship......

Det 27, Den 20. Speaking of sinking ships.......Detroit is playing with a lot of confidence right now.

GB 23, KC 20. Is Arrowhead still a really tough place to play?

Ten 20, Car 10. How exactly will the Panthers score points?

Atl 19, SF 10. Folks, the Niners are miserable.

NO 31, Jax 20. The Saints are like Kellogg's Corn Flakes. "Take them again....for the first time". I think we have officially erased the first four weeks of the season from our memory.

Cin 24, Buf 17. Woo hoo! So the Bills beat the Ravens at home!!! You want to crown their ass, then crown them! I still think they are in the bottom 5 of the AFC.

SD 27, Min 13. Too easy! Too easy! Look out!

Oak 16, Hou 13. How many look-ins will Jim Nantz and CBS do for this game during Super Bowl 41 1/2?

NE 31, Ind 24. Should live up to the hype. Colts are +210 on the Money Line, by the way. Not a bad bargain there.....

Phi 27, Dal 24. Just a hunch.

Pit 24, Bal 10. I was wavering until I remembered that the Ravens won last year's games by a combined 59-7 or something. That will be remembered.

Best bets: (last week: 7-6-1; overall: 50-64-9)

NYJ +3.5

TB -3.5

Det -3

GB +2.5

GB/KC over 37.5

Ten -4

Atl -3

Atl/SF Under 37

NO -3.5

Jax/NO Over 40

Cin pk

SD -7

Hou/Oak Under 41.5

Phi +3.5

Pit -9.5

2 overs, 2 unders....7 favorites and 3 dogs. Ugh - not sure about that.

Halloween Candy Ratings

I'm staring at our dining room table, still filled with the sorted candy from the loot from Wednesday night. Warren (our 4-year-old) really got into it, running from house to house in search of a house "with a light on".

We need to rate the different candy types in order from most to least desirable. My rankings:

Beg, Borrow and Steal to get:
1. Kit Kat
2. Reese's Cups
3. Butterfinger
4. Almond Joy
5. Mr. Goodbar

Nice to Have
6. Hot Tamales
7. Dots
8. Rolo
9. Skittles
10. Sweet Tarts

Average, and usually overrated
11. Hershey's candy bars
12. Nestle Crunch
13. Snickers
14. Krackel
15. M&Ms

Fillers (role players)
16. Dum Dum's
17. Dubble Bubble
18. Jolly Ranchers
19. Hershey Kisses
20. Bit O Honey

Pac-Man Jones (may look good, but are Team Cancers and should be thrown back)
21. Three Musketeers (God, I hate this)
22. Candy Corn
23. Any Reese's Knockoff
24. Taffy

Thoughts?

Gotta get that picture off the screen

I think I can finally rationalyl talk about the Red Sox win. Two quick comments that popped into my head after last weekend:

1) The A-Rod thing. Yes, of course, it was horrible timing to have A-Rod and Boras announce his free agency during game 4. Of course they should be villified.

But who's the silent partner in all this? It's the media. To hear:
a) Gammons go OFF on the timing of the announcement, and then
b) hear ESPN sportscenter devote 10 minutes to the subject that Monday
is pure hypocrisy, plain and simple.

Look, if ESPN, Fox and such think that A-Rod shouldn't upstage the World Series, then don't let them. Buck doesn't have to talk about it. ESPN could put it at minute 45 of SportsCenter. But no, they are willing players in all of this. It makes me sick.

2) So you are Bill Belichick. You have, in your mind, the greatest team ever assembled in NFL history. Last Sunday - however - you felt delegated to second-class citizens because the Red Sox were about to win the World Series.

Monday morning would be focused on the Sox sweeping the Series and not being focused on the pure domination of the Sox. So - what could possibly upstage the Sox on Sunday?

That's right - running up the score against a classy guy, thus ensuring that you will be talked about even as the Sox win the Series that night.

It's a plausible explanantion that no one has covered yet. Belichick did that against the Skins to try to upstage the Sox.

3) Football: Yes, I can't wait for the 4:00 game on Sunday between two teams with exciting quarterbacks, thick in the middle of the division race, playing in front of a raucous crowd with a lot on the line. The result will go a long way in determining playoff position. I will be watching intently.....
oh yeah, and the Pats-Colts are on at the same time as well........hmmmm... maybe I'll catch 5 minutes of that meaningless Pats-Colts game.