NFL Week 17: Chang Bai Shan

Hello from Bai Shan, China! We are in a Holiday Inn room in a China Ski resort names Chang Bai Shan. It is in Northeast China – east of Beijing – about 10 miles from the North Korea border. I guess this will be the closest I will ever come to the forbidden kingdom!

The boys whine every winter about not seeing snow….the 55 degree, rainy winter in Guangzhou does not do it for them. So we decided to really take an adventure as the 5 of us headed north in a 5 hour plane ride to this ski resort.



No one here speaks English. We were left waiting in the airport to see a Holiday Inn bus near the terminal – until the terminal emptied out from our flight and no Holiday Bus was to be seen. A young lady urged us to go on one of the unmarked buses parked in the parking lot; we did, reluctantly, and we were taken to the resort. The resort is about 20 buildings with 8 or 9 hotels around a village. We saw a sign for the “Holiday Inn Suites” – and drove right past it… .Um, I think that was our stop.



Today was our first day on the slopes…I told Mom and Dad about this trip; my Mom said “Um, I didn’t know you skied….”, I don’t. The last skiing I did was in 1994 on the big slopes of Mansfield, OH. I haven’t even made it to Perfect North near Cincinnati yet! So we got a late start this morning, as I 1) don’t’ know the right skiing protocol of getting the electronic “pass” first, and (2) not knowing Mandarin. We did line up a private instructor for Freddie and Warren , and a separate one for Martin. Not sure what the cost will be just yet.



About 10 minutes into the lesson, I saw that Fredie and Warren didn’t have their skis on yet. I tried to tell Freddie to put the toe in first, and the instructor yelled at ME. “NO! I am teacher!” They were doing stretching. Ok, Ok, I will leave you guys alone.



An hour later all three of them appeared on the slopes; Freddie got off the “moving walkway” first , with the instructor near Warren; Freddie took a couple of strokes with the poles to get moving, and then started down the slope. He looked like he knew what he was doing……until he never slowed down. There was a crash landing at the bottom. “I accidentally went down the hill!” he explained to me later. Yeah, sure.



Warren got the hang of it near the end; there were a couple of falls along the way near the fence, like his dad 20 years ago – but did well on his last 2 runs. And Martin seemed to love it, although he was going extremely slow the whole way down with the instructor right in front of him, going backwards. No way in hell can I go backwards yet.



After lunch, we did some sledding where Martin went flying over his first “bump” down the hill, and here we are in the room, at 3:20 pm local time as the sun is setting. A pool run is coming up later, and then Freddie and I may go night skiing. We head back New Year’s Eve night, ladning 1 hour before 2014 comes to China.



I don’t understand the allure of skiing at all –too much prep time to get ready for such little payout on the slopes, where it is -15C and breezy – but maybe the bug will hit the kids. We shall see.



Not much to say about the Browns. I can’t believe this team is 4-11, and yet we have 5 Pro Bowlers. It was party time a year ago when Phil Dawson finally got recognized for excellence by going to the Pro Bowl. Maybe we are this year’s version of the 2012 Chiefs – loads of talent, but just needs a new QB…and that new QB will be coming for us next year.



On to the games:



Car 27, Atl 17. Still a lot of motivation for the Pantehs.



Bal 23, Cin 20. I do believe the Ravens will fight back after last week.



Ind 27, Jax 14. I’ve had it with picking the Jags!



Mia 24, NYJ 10. I watched almost all of that Browns-Jets game last week. The Jets aren’t that good. Our defense was horrid.



Min 31, Det 20. Count me among those that thinks the Lions have packed it in.



NYG 27, Was 16. The Skins are done after last week.



Ten 24, Hou 13. Talking about teams that are done…..



Chi 37, GB 23. I know Rodgers is back, but that Packers defense is horrible.



NE 31, Buf 20. I think NE has to win to keep the 2 seed, correct?



NO 27, TB 17. It would be nice to see the Bucs somehow win this to knock the Saints out…but it won’t happen.



Az 20, SF 13. See above.



Den 30, Oak 20. Is Pryor really the answer for the 2014 Raiders?



SD 20, KC 17. I can’t believe that Andy Reid will have a second straight bad outing before the playoffs.



Sea 27, StL 10. The Seahawks still need this, and will roll over the Rams who have nothing to play for.



Phi 31, Dal 28. How can this game NOT be a field goal?



Best bets: 17 of them. Last week: 12-6; overall: 119-113-6



Car -6

Bal +6 1/2

Mia -6

NYJ/Mia under 41 1/2

Min -2 1/2

NYG -3 1/2

Ten -7

Hou/Ten under 44

Chi +3

GB/Chi over 52

NE -7 1/2

Az +1 KC +9 1/2

KC/SD under 44 1/2

Sea -11 1/2

Dal +7

Supercontest selections: last week: 3-2; overall: 40-36-4

Bal +6

Min -3

GB +4 1/2

KC +9 1/2

Sea -10 1/2

NFL Week 16: Phu Quoc

Hello from Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam! We are live from an island resort for week 16; Janice's parents are in Asia, and we wanted to get away from the "cold" weather in Guangzhou and head to a beach for a few days. We came here on Friday and will return back on Christmas Eve.

By "cold", I mean a high of about 61 and a low of 43. The low of 43 - about 5 Celsius - threw all the natives into a panic in Guangzhou. It's freezing! It's so cold that Freddie even had to wear long pants to school!

Phu Quoc is an island at the southwest tip of Vietnam; it is separaated from the mainland and did not see any activity during the war. The northern tip of the island is about 2 miles from Cambodia - if that helps to place it any better.

This island is not yet fully developed - but there are grand plans to get there in 5-10 years. The main beach is beautiful - it faces west, so the sunsets are gorgeous - and there are only a few 4-star resorts on the island. The rest is filled with bungalows and small villas rented out by locals or foreigners who landed here. The government has plans, however; a new airport was built; a golf course is in the works (not yet open, however), and there are talks of a casino to be placed in the center of town. There are many Europeans here - it seems to be a big German and Russian destination, although there are a few Americans.

The trip started a bit rough in immigration is Saigon; we got off the plane - and the immigration lines were very long all over the place. We saw one line called "Sky Priority" - which is Delta's version of the red carpet preference for frequent flyers. Vietnam Airlines is a partner of Delta, so we went into that line.

We waited a while - the kids were acting up a bit, as we shooed them back in line. I looked back, and caught the eye of a Russian about 8-9 people behind me.

"You Sky Priority?"

Yes, I declared.

"This is Sky Priority. You Sky Priority?" He held up some sort of badge I could make out.

I pulled out my Platinum and Janice's Gold Card. See? See this? Eat it. I may not have said that, as I did not want to get into a fight against a 35 year old Russian in Saigon. I know it's hard to believe, but I didn't like my chances.

We go to the island the next morning and relaxed. The next day - yesterday - was for boating and snorkeling, which all of us like to do. Lunch was served on the boat- and the delicacy was Sea Urchins! This is a blakc prickly sphere that you slice open and eat the guts out. The guts are like peanut butter; you can put lemon sauce in there and mix it up, or wasabi, or barbeque with peanuts. It was....good? I guess. Not repulsive. Is that a good enough recommendation for you?

After the boat trip all day, we stopped to see the fish sauce factory. Apparently, all the "good" fish sauce served in Vietname\ comes from this factory - and it is a prized brand around the world. We were greeted by 56 barrels of fish and salt - the fish stay in there for up to 1 year, and are pressed regularly.After a year, time is up! The juice is extracted and bottled, and shipped. The ideal content is 42% salt.

And yes, of course, the factory smelled to high heaven of fish. Not pleasant at all.

Today was an easy day at the resort, except Freddie got sick, probably from something he ate last night. He and I were walking to breakfast, when he stopped, started wretching, and threw up 3 times in the gardens. Nice! He said he felt fine after that; we got him some water, and off we went to breakfast.

At breakfast, he said he wanted to try poached eggs. And I let him.......

Mistake #1.

After about 20 minutes at breakfast, he said he didn't feel well, and wanted to go back to the room. Sure - go ahead. No one went with him.

Mistake #2.

5 minutes later, I was the first one done, so I went to check up on him. As soon as I got in, he said "uh, Dad? Don't go in the bathroom.....". Great. I opened the door and....he didn't make it to the toilet.

But anyway, he is feeling better now, so we are going for pizza for dinner tonight. Mistake #3?

 Anyway - the island here is great, and in 5-10 years it will be modernized as the go-to beach destination in Vietnam. It's nice to be here when it is quiet before all the building comes.

We should have a gambling proposition - which will happen first? First casino in Phu Quoc or first playoff game for the Browns under Haslem? Both are works in progress....maybe Phu Quoc has the edge now.....

On to the games:

Buf 20, Mia 16.  Can't help but think Miami will have a hangover.

Car 27, NO 24. Feels like a 3 point game either way.

Cin 27, Min 13. Cinci, at home, needs to make a statement after last weeks' debacle in Pittsburgh.

Den 34, Hou 20. Hard to believe that Denver still hasn't sewed up the division just yet.

Jax 27, Ten 20. Jax moved the ball up and down the field last week - turnovers did them in.

KC 31, Ind 24. No one will show their defensive hand - they will wait until 14 days from now.

StL 23, TB 10. Did not like the effort that Tampa showed last week.

Dal 31, Was 20. I know, I know, I know, I know.....it's soooooo tempting to take the Cowboys again. I can't help myself.

Det 27, NYG 24. I guess the only other team that could compare to the Browns in terms of last second losses is the Lions.

Sea 23, Az 16. Love the way the Cardinals' D looks.

GB 27, Pit 24. I am hopelessly biased here. I hope Flynn tears apart the fraud of a cheating Steelers team.

SD 30, Oak 20. I have no idea how Oakland will play here.

NE 23, Bal 20. It still is possible that New England can miss the playoffs. I'm betting they show up here.

Chi 31, Phi 28. I like how the Bears continue to roll on offense.

SF 26, Atl 13. Who doesn't love Candlestick Park?

Best bets: 18 of them this week....need to make up some ground. Last week: 5-10-1; overall: 107-107-6.

Buf +2 1/2
Mia/Buf under 43
NO/Car over 44 1/2
Cin -8 1/2
Min/Cin under 47 1/2
Den -10
Jax +5
StL -3 1/2
TB/StL under 43
Dal -3
Ind/KC over 46 1/2
NYG +10
Az +10
Az/Sea under 49
Pit/GB over 44 1/2
NE +1 1/2
Chi +3
Atl/SF under 45

Supercontest picks: last week: 1-4, to take me out of any contention. Overall: 37-34-4
Cin -7
Jax +5 1/2
Dal -3
NE +2 1/2
Chi +3

Having problems with loading pictures....will edit later...

NFL Week 15: Taipei

Week 15 of the NFL Season brings up to Taipei - our first real weekend getaway when we got here to China. Taiwan always seemed like an exotic destination - I remember growing up in the early 80s when all of our electronics had the tag "Made in Taiwan"...Ooh! A technically advanced island! I wondered how different Taiwan would be from the mainland.



Some quick history on Taiwan, if you don't know; Taiwan was the place where the leaders of capitalist China fled to during the Civil War after WW II. Obviously, the communists won, and the leader of the losing side - Chiang Kai Shek - landed up in Taiwan. They set up shop there, calling themselves "The Republic of China" (the old name of China before Mao) - and that still is the official name of Taiwan. Some old people that have connections to that regime still believe that the Taiwanese government will rise up and "reclaim" mainland China - as it is al rightfully the Republic of China. Some maps in China still have Taiwan and China as one country, called "Republic of China". They even had a congress with representatives from all over mainland China until the 80s.

So it was a bit of a jolt to see the passport stamped as "Republic of China". No Visa required for us Americans! We landed in the afternoon and went to our hotel; that night was January 1 and we were going to visit Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world from 2004-2010. It had an observation deck, engineering exhibits, and all sorts of souvenirs to buy.

Before that tour, we went to the food court at the basement of Taipei 101; the family had Subway but no, I wanted to be cultured and got some soup and pork. Asian food for me!

The tour of Taipei 101 was good - the kids were enthralled and everyone got a T-shirt. We were able to see for miles on the observation deck on the 90th floor. We returned back to the hotel that night, where it was 55 degrees but Freddie and Warren insisted on going into the roof-top hot tub. That was fine, until the two of them wanted to go swimming in the (unheated) pool next to the hot tub. Uh, no.

The next thing I remember was being up at 2:30....and my stomach was not feeling so well.....I tried to close my eyes....uh oh....everyone knows the feeling. This isn't going to end well.

At 3:30 my stomach was empty, and I slept a little bit more.

Everybody awoke and got dressed for the hotel buffet...well, I wasn't ready for that. I laid in bed watching the God-awful 2011 Fiesta Bowl between UConn and Oklahoma (I guess I remember that because that was Randy Edsall's last game as UConn coach before coming to Maryland).  I met them down there an hour later and had an orange and some tea. I still wasn't feeling all that well.....

....so of course it's time to trek to a museum! The one historical place we went to was the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial palace. It was a large stone courtyard with a few buildings; the main building was an impressive temple-ish building with over 100 steps; in there was one large room and plenty of guards. That room is the final resting place of Chiang Kai Shek.

The lasting memory of this trip is Martin being fascinated with all the pigeons in the square - and he kept feeding them popcorn and trying to chase them. We prayed he would never catch one so as not to catch SARS of bird flu.

The afternoon was spent at the Taipei Science Center; a Burger King was inside - and , as everyone knows, the BK Original Chicken Sandwich is the best thing for an upset stomach. (This is no lie. I had plenty of these in college the day after throwing up from drinking; there's nothing better).  The Science Center was great - and the Human Anatomy exhibition was surprisingly blunt.

The night ended in the hot tub again; we left the next day in the morning back home to Guangzhou. In all, it didn't seem that much different than Hong Kong - except you didn't have the British influence. It seemed like a larger Chinese city that spoke more English. The only reason to return would be because that's where the closest Costco is to us. Old friends of ours (who have left GZ now) used to go once a year to Taipei - at least - just for the Costco.

Some good highlights, with nausea and disease-laden birds....sounds like a metaphor for the 2013 Browns! I think I suffered some nausea last week with the loss to the Pats......I watched that in Macau, so add that game to the list of the heartbreaking Browns losses I've seen there (2010 vs Jets, 2012 vs Cowboys).

I'm over it now - this was not as bad as the loss to the 2001 Bears, where we let up 14 points in 35 seconds (giving up an onside kick as well) and lost in overtime when Timmy threw a pick 6. That team was 4-2 with our new brilliant coach at the helm (Butch!)...and that loss hurt for 5 straight days. We finished 7-9 that year, missing out on the playoffs by 2 games, and that included the bottlegate game later......

I have a lot of thoughts on the game last week - the main thing I heard a lot was "well, the Pats got screwed by the refs against the Jets and Carolina, so this evens it out". I understand that thought process....I do.....but.....when will it even out for us? We have the evil Steelers go ahead and knock Campbell out with a blow to the head - no call - and then this. I feel like I'm on the bottom of a Bernie Madoff chain. Everyone else uses us to even out there calls.
Do we get cards for bad calls to be used in the future? "This entitles bearer to one free gift call in a future NFL game". If so, I'm sure we have a pile somewhere in storage in the stadium in a closet. Haslem, send a lackey out to look for it.

Oh well. Thank GOD we were 4-8 going into the pats game and not 6-6 or something.

On to the games.....

Atl 27, Was 24. Something tells me Kirk Cousins == Scott Mitchell.

Ind 30, Hou 13. Hasn't Houston given up on the season?

Jax 24, Buf 17. I don't understand this line. Have you watched the Jags play over the last 5 weeks?

Mia 27, NE 26. I expect the Pats to make a better showing this week; this pick is purely with my heart.

Phi 28, Min 20. The Vikes have not quit at all, and should give the Eagles a fight.

Sea 23, NYG 20. Giants pass offense should move the ball against the Seattle's depleted secondary.

SF 17, TB 10. Still not a believer in the Niners offense yet.

Car 20, NYJ 13. A defensive struggle.

KC 31, Oak 20. I know, too obvious, but I think the Chiefs offense is starting to re-assert itself.

NO 26, StL 13. Yes, the Saints aren't a good road team, but this is in a dome, against a team that can't move when facing a good defense.

Ten 19, Az 16. A good Ten pass rush vs Carson Palmer on the road.

Dal 30, GB 20. Dallas will have something to prove defensively...oh look, Matt Flynn....

Cin 27, Pit 23. How many weeks will I have to say that people are still overrating the Steelers?

Det 34, Bal 20. Detroit will come to play, and pass the ball all over Baltimore, and the Baltimore O will have no answer.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 9-7; overall: 102-97-5

Ind -4 1/2
Jax +2 1/2
NYG +7
SF/TB under 41
NE/Mia over 45 1/2
NYJ +10
NYJ/Car under 41
KC -5
KC/Oak over 41
NO -6
NO/StL under 47 1/2
Ten +2 1/2
Az/Ten under 42 1/2
Dal -6 1/2
Cin/Pit over 43
Det -6

Supercontest: Last week: 4-1. Overall: 36-30-4
Ind -5 1/2
Jax +2 1/2
NO -6
Ten +2 1/2
Dal -7 1/2
 

NFL Week 14: Bali

Our attention this week turns to Bali, where we went last October (2012) with another family from Guangzhou – and Don and Mike and their wife flew in. This was a destination that caused some disagreements in the review afterward – was Bali really the tropical paradise that it is made out to be?

Let’s just start off by saying that the place where we stayed was unbeatable. We rented out a property that had 3 separate “houses” on it, with 4 master bedrooms and another kids’ sort of bedroom. The place had a pool, and was staffed with a cook and cleaners/housekeepers during the day, and security detail 24 hours. Oh, and it was 100 m from the beach, with an unobstructed view. Even 15 months later, the memory of that place still is stunning.

 

The week started with me watching NFL football at 5 am on the lounge chair by the pool (with the security guards absolutely perplexed as to what I was doing) as the waves could be heard lapping on the shore closeby. Pure relaxation for me.

(The vacation started a bit differently for Don, as he spent the majority of 4 hour flight from Hong Kong to Bali in the airplane bathroom. He got over the bug in 2 days and made a solid recovery).

We didn’t venture off the property until the 3rd day – when I took the boys and their friends to the water park. When heading off the property, you got the feeling that you left paradise and are now in a typical Asia country. Traffic was horrible across the island. People everywhere walking/biking on the streets. Roads that twisted and turned and made no sense. Every outing off the property took an hour, at least.

Midweek, we took a day long adventure to head to the volcano in the middle of the island and bicycle down. The bike tour itself was wonderful – great weather, multiple stops to see a Indonesian’s family’s home, a rice paddy and several processions on the local streets where we were traveling. (Apparently, it seems that there is a reason to have a festival on every day of the year, so this is a common occurance). My bike riding skills were put to the test ; I had a child seat in the back of the bike to carry Martin. He was a fine passenger until the last 2 hours;I started feeling this “thump” of a dramatic weight shift every so often. Martin was out cold – and he’s flopping around back there with the ride. It took a while to get used to the sudden random shift of weight going on back there!

The adventure itself took about 5-6 hours, which was the length of the round trip car ride to and from the volcano. Yes, I exaggerate, but not by much. It took a good 1;45 to get there and 1:30 to get back….The total distance was probably about 15 miles from the villa to the volcano…that’s the most frustrating part.
The week flew by with swimming in the ocean and pool, eating and drinking plentifully, competitive 6-person Hearts games (don’t mess with Michelle) , and massages. But it ended on a sour note - again involving leaving our little slice of heaven of a villa.

We sometimes had to walk to the ATM for cash for groceries; there are no sidewalks on the strees where we stayed; instead, there was a concrete drainage ditch on one (or both sides) of the street – and there is no protection from the street to the ditch. The ditch was a good 1 foot below street level, was about 2 feet wide and had “water” in it that was the color of Hershey’s syrup.

Well, on the last trip to the ATM, I crossed a driveway intersecting with the street; in trying to walk back on the street, I got distracted and missed the road, and my foot went into the sludge while scraping the concrete on the way down. So not only is my foot covered in goop, the concrete caused a nice open scratch in my foot/shin – that then went into the water. Gangrene, anyone?

I guess I don’t see why Bali is just “paradise” to many – if we consider the island. The island is not naturally beautiful, and it’s congested and a lot of stores with tourists crap stuff. But oh, the place we stayed. If people refer to that – an idyllic villa – as Bali paradise, well, yes, I can be on board with that.

No real neat segue to the Browns this week – maybe the beatdown this week will be a bit better than the concrete scraping above – but I do recall the last time we played the Pats, at home in 2010. This was a game where the back up QB, on the road, took a knee- as the losing team! Somehow the Mangini-led Browns beat the Pats by 21+ in a November game in Cleveland. I’m pretty sure that won’t be happening this week.

On to the games:

Bal 27, Min 21. Can the Ravens actually lose this game? The Vikes are playing well – but Baltimore will eke this one out at home.

Cin 23, Ind 20. I have a feeling this will go down to the wire with Luck having the ball.

Oak 20, NYJ 16. I’m done with the mess of a Jets team.

Phi 31, Det 24. Does anyone give the Philly D any credit at all???? It’s like Foles is playing defense too, with the media attention.

Mia 20, Pit 17. I think this Steelers team is way overrated – but you knew that.

TB 27, Buf 20. What a demoralizing loss for Buffalo last week. I think they will be playing with a hangover.

KC 27, Was 23. No idea here. I hate both these teams.

Atl 23, GB 20. Rodgers is still out; the Falcons are full of vets that still are going to play hard.

Den 31, Ten 21. Will the cold get into Peytons’ head? Not going to touch this.

Az 19, StL 16. I still like Jeff Fisher…I’m a sucker.

SD 27, NYG 13. I still don’t believe the Giants are any good……it was Jeff Triplette who gave that game away to the Gians last Sunday night.

SF 27, Sea 21. Let down game for the Seahawks and nothing to play for, and a desperate SF team that is playing better.

NO 31, Car 14. I’m riding the Saints at home until I fall off.

Chi 34, Dal 33. Neither team has a good defense; should be a shootout.

Best bets: 16 of them. Last week: 4-9; overall: 93-90-5

Ind +7
Oak +3
Phi -3

Mia +3 1/2

TB -2 1/2

Buf/TB over 42

Atl +3 1/2
KC/Was over 44
StL +5 1/2
StL/Az over 41 1/2

SD -3

NYG/SD under 48

SF -2 1/2

Sea/SF over 41

NO -3 1/2

Dal/Chi over 49

Supercontest: Last week: 2-3; overall: 32-29-4

Ind +6

Phi -2 1/2

Atl +3 1/2

SD -3

NO -3 1/2

NFL Week 13: Chiang Mai

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend to all - my stomach is resting comfortably after 3 Thanksgiving dinners; one on Thursday night held by the housing complex; one on Friday night here with a few friends, and then a bigger friend gathering on Sunday night at another complex (where we have been going for 4 years). I think it's time to eat salads all week to recover.

Week 13 brings us to the northern Thailand town of Chiang Mai, one of our few vacation destinations that did not involve a beach. (Well, that's not fair; we went there for 3 days for the 2012 Chinese New Year; for 6 days after this trip we went to a Thai island).

The town was a perfect "small town" getaway for some family town. The city has about 150,000 and reminds me of a college town in the US (think Iowa City). There is a central night market that was the activity of the city after dark....where my bargaining skills were no match for the professional vendors. The shops along the market were specializing in massages, both human and "fish". These fish massages was when you put your feet in a tank of water, and little fish come up and bite the dead skin off he bottom of your feet; it is supposed to feel good and revitalize the skin on your feet at the same time. Only one of us - Warren - liked it and wanted to do it again and again.

The next day - Monday, the day of the AFC/NFC championships in 2012- was when we split up; Janice and Martin went around town looking at temples; Freddie, Warren and I went out zip lining in the jungle. We drove 1 hour into the middle of nowhere to a large forest valley. (On that way, we found out that SF kept fumbling punts and handing over the game to the Giants. I woke up earlier that morning to Billy Cundiff having a 32 yard field goal attempt to tie the Pats.....so needless to say, the day started with me in a good mood....)

We zip lined for about an hour and a half with 8-10 complete strangers from all over Asia. It was a lot of fun having the boys to be old enough to do this - and they were freaking out at the beginning (which is healthy!) The day ended with lunch, and then some noises in the neighboring area - we went over and saw cockfighting practice. The boys were enthralled.

The next day was elephant day. A full day with the elephants where you fed them, got to know them - and then take them for an hour ride in the woods, followed by a bath. (for the elephants; our shower was later). It's something the kids will still remember - except for Martin, who hated it and screamed 1/2 way through that he wanted to get off. So that's my memory - carry Martin on my shoulders, walking next to the elephants and the workers, for 30 minutes through the mosquito infested woods.

Bath time - and Warren was able to coerce his elephant into spraying water out of his trunk onto Janice and Freddie. Good times! All the tourists took showers in the provided stalls, where I think I contacted athlete's foot that I still have not gotten rid of.

It was a great start to that year's Chinese New Year vacation, and the experiences in the jungle and with the elephants will last us a lifetime.

Well, our big elephant - Brandon Weeden - will be starting for us for the foreseeable future. This is good news, I guess: if he does well, that's good! We stay in the periphery of the playoff hunt. If he does bad - well, good; we can release him at 7:30 pm on Sunday night. We signed the trick-shot QB from the Dallas practice squad this week; I don't even remember his name, which means I will see him in the 3rd quarter.

The line here is Cleveland -7, which everyone thinks is waaaay too high; this usually means the Browns will win 35-10.

I also feel like an elephant here picking some of these games; I can't believe how many favorites I have. That's not a good sign; I feel like an African elephant waiting for the bookmakers to strike.

On to the games:

Car 23, TB 17. I'm still not impressed with Carolina's offense.

Ind 31, Ten 20. Tennessee let Oakland go up and down the field last week; they were luck to escape with a win. Indy has to show up one of these games....and this is to wrap up the division.

Min 27, Chi 24. Not real sure here. Yes, the Vikes will score, but can they stop the Bears' passing attack?

NYJ 23, Mia 10. Miami's offense can't score in the red zone; the Jets' D is good, and the Jets are a different team at home.

Phi 27, Az 17. The Cards have not played well on the road all year.

NE 24, Hou 17. I want to take the Pats soooo badly, but this game screams danger.

Buf 27, Atl 13. The Falcons' Super Bowl was last Thursday, and they lost; their motivation is mil for the rest of the year.

SF 20, StL 17. Jeff Fisher has the Niners' number, and their offense is starting to come around.

Den 34, KC 20. I don't see how the Chiefs will stop Denver.

SD 27, Cin 24. What will give here? The Bengals tendency to give games away on the road, or the way the Chargers give games away all the time this year?

Was 31, NYG 23. Again, the Giants have beaten no one, and this is the Skins' last stand.

Sea 30, NO 17. This is Seattle's Super Bowl; win this to lock up home field for the playoffs. They have to win this.

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 9-5; overall: 89-81-5
Ind -3 1/2
Ten/Ind over 45
NYJ -2
Mia/NYJ under 40
Phi -3 1/2
NE/Hou under 48
Buf -3 1/2
Atl/Buf under 48
StL +7 1/2
Den -6
Was -1
NYG/Was over 46
Sea -5

Supercontest picks: Last week: 3-1-1; overall: 30-26-4
Ind -4 1/2
NYJ -2
StL +8
Was +1
Sea -4 1/2





 

NFL Week 12: Macau

It's time for the tried and true escape destination for us while we live in China - and that, of course, is Macau! Like that's a surprise to anyone who remotely knows me. We just got back from another long weekend in Macau - landed Friday from India to meet the family, and then left today. As always, it's a great escape from the drudgery of mainland China life.

The kids usually have some random Thu/Fri or Monday off in the fall - and for those 3 day weekends, we head on down to Macau. I still have specific memories of watching Browns games in the hotel room at the Venetian:
2010: a painful OT loss to the Jets
2011: a barnburner 6-3 win over the Seahawks
2012: a classic come from ahead OT loss to the Cowboys.

I think I have been to Macau at least 12-15 times; we go at least twice a year with the family; I'll meet Wiz down there when we visits (3 times so far) or if my friend Ken comes in (twice), and then I've been down a few other times (40th birthday, Xmas shopping...). We've taken both sets of parents down there.

The first 2-3 times we visited, we never left the Venetian. A typical day was McDonald's for breakfast, Fatburger for lunch and then either room service or the Hard Rock café for dinner. The day would be either mini golf and swimming at the pool (on the fabulous 36 hole mini golf course at the Venetian), or shopping and the Qube play area (complete with 8 foot slides).

As soon as Martin got older, we decided to leave him in the room with F&W, and Janice and I went to Morton's....and that's now a staple of our trip. (and, of course, the Gin Martini for Janice...)

After a few visits, we got brave enough to actually leave the Venetian and Cotai strip to see the rest of the island.... like:
- the St Mary's cathedral downtown (on black-and-white cobblestone streets)
- The "old" Portuguese consulate, a pastel estate in the middle of the crowded Macau streets;
(but we still haven't made it to the premier historical landmark, St Paul's cathedral front, from the 1600s)
- the "House of Dancing Water" show (where the management says 10 times before the show that cameras are not allowed....and the first picture was taken by a spectator at 0:02 into the show)
- the Macau Grand Prix
- and, of course, my CBS This Morning appearance!
- a "CSI" exhibition in the Sheraton across the street where we could feel like a real CSI detective....which caused us to watch CSI marathons for 4 weeks after that
- and, for this trip's adventure, the Science Center.

On the first several visits, we had to pass through the main gate from the Mainland to Macau - a border you can walk over. This immigration gate was the terminus for 37,294 bus tours from China daily.....it can take you 30 minutes or 3 1/2 hours to get across the border. A new gate has opened up that is much closer to the Venetian; the first trip down there took us 3 1/2 hours....from leaving our house to get into the hotel room at the Venetian.

I've talked about the gambling many times here....and it still is impressive. This trip I saw someone win a HK$600,000 tie bet in Baccarat- that paid $6.4MM!!! There were only three staffers around the table when that payout was made.....which tells you how "in stride" they take those sort of bets. I have never been in the VIP rooms, but I can assure you that the bets made in there are 10x that size.

(Oh- the three staffers around the table? That was the same amount of people that watched Janice and another P&G friend (Carin) play baccarat at the $800 tables, the lowest available minimum....I don't think they get too many native Ohio women to play at the Venetian. Of course, I taught her husband Baccarat the day before....)


This was also the weekend of the big fight between Pacquiao and Rios; unfortunately, we were trying to head to the buses today at 1:30 pm, just as the fight was letting out. Here's what we had to take 3 kids, 2 suitcases and 4 bags through.

So many experiences of Macau so far - like memories of our oldest rivals, the Steelers. God I hate them and their fans. Please, Rob, let's beat at home. I have several memories of 41-0 blowouts where the Cleveland Stadium was full of fans waving those piss colored towels. Let's beat them up good.

And to get you hyped, I urge all readers to watch this...20 years ago.....if this doesn't give you chills, then get the hell off the blog......I still vividly remember this (especially the second return).
(And Collinsworth was doing the game? Wow....)

On to the games:

Det 34, TB 17. Tampa won their 2 at home, now going on the road against an angry Detroit team. I don't think Tampa can stop them.

Hou 23, Jax 20. These picks were sent in before my friend Mike (who we met in Macau) was able to stop me from taking the Jags.

GB 27, Min 17. I think the Pack defense will stop the Vikes and Ponder just enough.

KC 23, SD 13. Yes, I will bite on this sucker pick.

Mia 16, Car 13. "Sell high" - that's what I am doing with Carolina. They will have a letdown here.

StL 24, Chi 20. I can't figure any of these teams out.

Bal 27, NYJ 20.  The Jets are one-dimensional and I have to believe the Ravens will take advantage of that at home.

Ten 26, Oak 24. One of these teams will still be in the wild card race after this??

Az 31, Ind 20. I think the Cards are for real, especially at home.

Dal 30, NYG 17. The Giants, on their win streak, have beaten Josh Freeman, Matt Barkley, Terrelle Pryor and Scott Tolzien. Enough said.

NE 27, Den 24. I can't turn down points with the Pats at home.

SF 27, Was 16. After watching the Browns for 15 years since 99, I know when bad teams start to quit. And the Skins are resemebling that.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 6-7-2; overall: 80-76-5
Det -8
Jax +10
GB -5 1/2
KC -3 1/2
SD/KC under 43
Mia +4 1/2
Car/Mia under 41
NYJ/Bal over 39
Ten/Oak over 41 1/2
Az -3
Ind/Az over 45
Dal +2 1/2
NE +2 1/2
SF -5 1/2

Supercontest: Last week: 3-1-1; overall: 27-25-3
Jax +10
GB -5
Mia +4
Dal +2 1/2
SF -5 1/2



 

NFL Week 11: Boracay

We will start this week with the Browns, as they travel to Cincinnati for a huge AFC North game. In case you haven't seen the standings, this is a battle of the top 2 teams in the North, with Cincinnati (6-4) with a 1 1/2 game lead on the Browns (4-5). If we win, we pull into a tie in the loss column with the Bengals and own a season sweep against them.

The Browns board has been calling this the third biggest regular season game since the return, behind:

- Week 17 vs. Atlanta in 2002 - when we clinched a playoff spot "Run William Run!"
- And Week 16 at Cincinnati, where we threw the division title and a playoff spot away because Winslow and Anderson had a lover's quarrel on the field. Derek threw 4 interceptions as the Bengals upset us...I was there, and it was painful.

I'm not making any predcitions on this game - as per most division games, I am hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I can see any sort of outcome here. We do have 2 weeks to prepare for this game - as we were on a bye last week. So that's a lot of thinking and anticipation for the fans to get ready for this game.

Which brings us to Boracay - an island in the middle of the Phillipines that was our first Chinese New Year vacation getaway. At the time, we had all sorts of anticipation for this trip - really? 2 weeks where the country shuts down? And we are going on a 9 day vacation to a resort that claimed to have one of the best beaches in the Phillipines.... well, we expected a lot.

The anticipation grew as we found out it was one of those places where you "couldn't get there from here". Our itinerary to get there was simple!
- Fly to Manila
- Layover for 2 hours
- Domestic flight of one hour to some remote airport
- Bus ride of 90 minutes
- Then a boat ride to the island

That was not easy with a 2 year old that was in the middle of the terrible twos.

But it was well worth it. Boracay was a mix of isolation, pampering (of course we stayed at the Shangri-La), and a bit of East Coast-boardwalk atmosphere in the city.

The main beach was spectacular - white sands, juice/shake shops and bars up and down a 3 miles stretch where it is the most populated. It was a boardwalk atmosphere -without the boardwalk; you just walk up and down the beach in barefeet from one "store" to another. Yes, there were the hawkers tryign to sell you shell necklaces and other junk, but it was far from high pressure sales.

We took tuk-tuks down to the main part of town 4-5 times during the stay. The kids loved it. Remember, this is 6 months removed from the US-based smothering safety laws; the idea of riding in an open-air golf-cart type vehicle on the main roads was fascinating to the kids - and it still is!

On the other side of the island - where the beach wasn't so good - was a spot for kitesurfing. We got to the beach area there - and saw 50 kites in the air in this large open water area - each attached to a kitesurfer. We spent two hours there just fascinated by those guys....how is there not a tangled mess of wires every 10 minutes?

The resort itself was nice - how could it not be? - and they had ocean-based activities every day for the families and kids. One of the days was a father-son kayaking competition in the ocean.....oh yeah, I'm a first class kayaker. So Warren and I go first, go out to some buoy and turn around (it's freaking hard to turn around!!!) and drag ourselves back. Warren was 7 at the time, so he was little/no help in the paddling.

We got back to shore, clocked in, and I fell down on the beach, tired.....and 30 seconds later, Freddie comes up. "OK, now it's my turn!!!!" hoo boy.....

This was our first vacation where we experienced:
- the laid back attitude of the Phillipines (and South-East Asia, in general); Martin was screaming and wanted a Sprite; we went to the bar to get him one...the 6 people behind the bar all nodded, "yes sir" ....and stood there. No, I mean NOW! Do you not see this kid screaming???
- how close the Asian ex-pat community is. We saw a random American couple on the beach; they lived in Shanghai...We told them we were from Guangzhou. "Oh", they said..."Do you know the..." and named a family that works on our floor at P&G. It is a small world.

Other than the one night where Martin screamed from 1-3 am in the hotel room due to a sunburn, it was the vacation we anticipated.Hope week 11 turns the same anticipation for the Browns into reality....

On to the games....

Buf 26, NYJ 16. The Jets are a horrid road team, and the Bills should disrupt Geno.

Chi 27, Bal 20. Bal is a pure one-dimensional team now, and easy to plan for.

Hou 20, Oak 13. I know Pryor is out...but are we sure Houston can score points?

Az 27, Jax 10. I believe last week's showing was an aberration for the Jags.

Phi 34, Was 20. Possbily too easy - how can you turn down Philly's offense vs. the horrid Washington pass D?

Det 20, Pit 16. No real idea. Nothing would surprise me here.

TB 20, Atl 13. I'm impressed the Bucs have not given up yet; it sure looks like the Falcons have.

Mia 24, SD 20. Just a hunch here.

NO 31, SF 17. The Saints are a juggernaut at home, and they have tje defense to contain Kapernick.

Sea 27, Min 20. The Seahawks run game can be exposed....and does Minnesota have a running back?

NYG 27, GB 23. I think both teams will move the ball here.

Den 30, KC 27. Hoo boy. It will be fascinating to see if the Chiefs are for real and can score with Denver...or if the rush can stop Peyton.

Car 24, NE 20. I have no real feeling on this game...Anything can happen. Great D for Car...Pats off the bye...Brady looks better....Can Cam handle it? Too many questions.

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 8-5-1; overall: 74-69-3
Buf +1 1/2
Chi -3
Bal/Chi over 42 1/2
Oak/Hou under 41
Az -8 1/2
Phi -4 1/2
Det/Pit under 45
TB +1 1/2
Atl/TB under 43 1/2
Mia +1
NO -3
Min +12
GB/NYG over 40 1/2
KC +7 1/2
KC/Den over 49

Supercontest picks: Last week: 4-1; overall: 24-24-2 (back to .500, finally)!
Buf -1
Az -7
TB +1 1/2
NO -3
Min +12 1/2

Caption time!

Time to let your imagination run wild!

Martin and I were walking back from soccer on Saturday - and as we entered our housing complex, we saw a big commotion by the sidewalk next to the lake. There were at least 10 people from the housing staff gathered around.

We went closer - and this is what we saw.

So many questions from this picture:

1. Yes, that is a golf cart in the lake. The staff have golf carts that they use to run around the complex.

2. Yes, that is a guy crawling out of the lake.

3. That's a nice oil sheen on the lake.

4. Yes, that's about a 3-foot tall metal fence that protects the sidewalk from the lake. It is actually very sturdy, and there was no gap in the fence all along the lake (before the cart busted it down).

Thoughts on possible explanations on how this occurred?
 

NFL Week 10: Xi'An

It's bye week! The Browns are on a bye this week, so I don't have to spend 2 paragraphs this week discussing the pros and cons of our various quarterbacks, who change as much as lead characters on "The Edge of Night". The bye week is a good time to step back and take stock of where you are with the season - is your record really indicative of how you are playing? Are you lucky to be where you are at, or are you really a 7-2 team trapped in a 4-5 record? (Don't answer that, Chargers fans.). In short, at the bye week, you ask: "Is this real?"

And that was a question we asked a few times in Xi'An last year. In September, another family and us took a weekend trip to the inland city of Xi'An, home of the Terra Cotta warriors. We left on a Friday, landing in time for dinner - and going to a Brazilian steakhouse at the hotel with the boys. After the first 30 minutes, they were in heaven - meat! more meat coming! - but then I was pissed as they asked for so much but didn't finish it all. What the F are you doing? There are ex-pats in China that would DIE for that meat! You WILL finish your plate!

Saturday was the big day - a full day tour of the town with the focus on the Terra Cotta warriors in the afternoon. The morning was spent going to a market - a clear tourist trap, with the kickbacks from the shopkeepers to our driver/ tour guide barely hidden from us. A few "ancient" China coins were bought, and we were on our way.

The next stop was a cave dwelling - in the side of a mountain, we were able to visit a hole in a cave where two families actually lived. The tour guide talked a bit how this is culturally important, and how we need to preserve this way of living for the native residents - but, again, how much of this was real, and how much was staged?

In the afternoon, we visited the Terra Cotta Warriors. What a site. A 100 acre area - at least - was roped off into a national park, with a good entrance fee. There were three structures - each about the size of a college field house (like Cole Field House, for instance) that were excavation sites. They clearly built the structure around the site. Inside, you could see about 1/2 of the site - the area that was exposed contained the re-constructed terra cotta warriors as they were guessed to have been laid in the earth some 600 years ago.

We watched a video at the beginning of the tour that gave some details on how this all came about: in 1971 or so, a farmer was innocently out farming his field, when - voila! - he found one of the Terra Cotta bodies. He dug some more - and found another, then another, and kept going! The government was then called in.....and soon after that, they started mass-digging the area as they realized what was going on.....

(and in 1972, Nixon came to China and China was opened up...Coincidence?)

So they built these strucutres/buldings - brick museums next to the field houses, pavement all over the place leading into the three houses.....and I was struck by one thought....


How do they know there isn't more underneath the concrete sidewalk? Or under the big entrance plaza?

Janice is convinced the whole thing is staged.....that this is a government ruse to "create" worldwide tourism to a depressed part of China. I'm not so sure....In any event, it is very impressive; the soldiers are massive, about 7' tall....and there are thousands of them in the area. If you fully buy into the idea, it is mindblowing.....but.....you just have this nagging feeling.....

..... We left the next day back to Guangzhou - and we were happy to leave as the pollution that day was especially bad. We did not see the sun on the whole trip to Xi'An, and this picture may be a small reason why..... So when you complain about the smog in LA, or the air quality in Cincinnati, it can always be worse. A lot worse.

....about that nagging feeling, however.....where are we with the Browns? Is this really a 7-2 team that got trapped with a bad QB for a few games, and are stuck with a 4-5 record? Or are we really a true 4-5 team, a team with no running game, inconsistent passing and pass coverage? The second half will tell.

On to the games:

Ten 27, Jax 10. So many people say this is atrap game for the Titans, as the Colts are next.....they could be right, but I can't take the Jags.

GB 30, Phi 20. The Pack have a stellar run game and a solid D, and they are at Lambeau.

Pit 23, Buf 20. I would not be surprised by any result here.

NYG 34, Oak 17. Yes, I'm swallowing the bait here. The Giants are a pass-first offense, off a bye, against a team that let up 49 last week.

Ind 23, StL 20. How many lives do the Colts have?

Sea 20, Atl 16. Boy, Seattle is struggling offensively. Is this an upset in the making?

Bal 23, Cin 20. The Ravens make magic at M&T stadium, especially in division games.

Chi 33, Det 27.  Seems like a crazy, back and forth game with a late Stafford interception.

SF 20, Car 13. I will refuse to believe in Carolina until they beat somebody. This would count.

Az 27, Hou 17. The Texans have a one-dimensional offense (pass), going against a stellar pass D.

Den 34, SD 24. Yes, yes, I know. Too easy.

NO 34, Dal 23. Same thing, but I can't see the Saints coming out flat after a loss like last week.

TB 23, Mia 16. Tampa is starting to play a bit better, and will win on the Mnday night stage.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 6-7; overall: 66-64-2

Ten -12 1/2
GB +1 1/2
NYG -7
Oak/NYG over 43 1/2
StL +9
Sea/Atl under 44 1/2
Bal +1
Chi -1
Det/Chi over 52 1/2
Car/SF under 43
Az -3
Den -7
NO -6 1/2
TB +2

Supercontest picks: last week: 2-3; overall: 20-23-2

GB -1 1/2
Bal +1 1/2
Chi +2 1/2
Az -2 1/2
NO -6 1/2
  

Random Notes

1. It's a bad idea to put Lotrimin on what turns out to be a mosquito bite on your foot. Just nasty.

2. What does Lotrimin do - rip off the top 1/8" of your skin chemically?

3. Should all this Lotrimin talk be filed under "Too Much Information"?

4. Had to have an alcohol talk with Freddie this week - a 13 year old girl (Italian, if that matters!) bought a bottle of vodka at the corner shop and drank half of it last weekend. She was found unconscious on the sidewalk next to her vomit. Better do the sex talk now, while we are at it.

5. I heard the story from a parent last Sunday --- so I asked Freddie on Sunday if he had knew this girl. "No" was the answer. I asked again on Tuesday.... "yes! She's the one that drank the vodka, right?" Middle school networks are very effective.

6. Tried to play rugby (touch!) with the older kids over the last 2 weekends. I have no idea what I am doing. I lateral the ball, then go downfield 5 yards. "What are you doing???" Oh yeah, no forward passes. No blocking in this league, either.

7. Thanks for finally moving your clocks back, guys. I now get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday nights.....
 

NFL Week 9: Cambodia

Cambodia. For those of us ages 30-50, I think the word "Cambodia" brings up one image. Not the Khmer Rouge....but Sally Struthers.
I remember so many commercials in the afternoon of the 80s where Sally implored us to donate to the poor Cambodian kids, as they were holding out a empty bowl begging for food...Won't you do something?


So last December, we decided to go to the Siem Reap, Cambodia, to visit the ancient temples of Ankhor Wat....and all I could think of before I went was of those commercials. Was there abject poverty everywhere? Was I safe? What in the hell is Cambodian cuisine?

Siem Reap turned out to be a pure treat, if you stayed on the beaten path. We landed in the afternoon and quickly went downtown (which was all of about 6 blocks). There were several markets and plenty of Western restaurants - including a Swensen's Ice Cream shop. Oh yes, we visited that twice. I got my fill of Adidas golf shirts (the Tangerine one that I wore in Vegas was from there), and Warren and Martin got PSY shirts with "Gangnam style" all over it. Yes, that was the craze a year ago.


At dinner, Janice announce we are going to the templates the next day - that's fine. Oh but wait, we are not going during the "day", but supposedly it is magical when the sun rises over the temple in the morning - so we will be there at sunrise. We did the calculations.....sunrise, getting tickets, when the tour guide suggest we leave the hotel....so it was a 3:30 wake up call. With three boys! Nice!

The  next morning, we get out of the hotel and out the door, and arrive at the park around 5 am in pitch black darkness. And it was packed. We get to the location of the main temple where there is a reflecting lake in front - and we are no better than in the 3rd row of tourists. All Asian, of course, so they are all packed in with more coming behind and elbowing you.

It's unfortunate - clouds blocked the sunrise from being fully seen - but it still was impressive. As the morning became lighter and lighter, the temples became more and more massive. These temples were constructed by hand and no "adhesives" were used in the rock structure - no mortar, for instance. The rocks were custom-cut to fit perfectly on each other. Fascinating.

We went to two other temples; some had trees growing in them (with roots all over the ground in the temple); it really gave off a "Indiana Jones" vibe. I believe that the "Tomb Raider" movies were shot there. By then, it was 11:00 am, and it was already 95 degrees. We decided we'd had enough - and back to the hotel, pool , and markets for the day.

The next day we went on a riverboat ride to see the floating villages. This is where Sally's kids have been hiding all the time. It's not near the temples, but in the outlying locations. As you made your way from the docking station to the main lake where you had lunch, these kids - no more than 6  or 7 years old - would be in a tiny metal bowl rowing up to you. The bowl was no more than 3' in diameter, and the kids had no clothes on. "Dollar? One dollar?"

You immediately figured out that this is like seagulls on the East Coast - you feed one, then 59 more of them come up. So of course we gave one a dollar, which resulting in more impoverished kids rowing up to us. It was hard to say no....but then you look in the floating villages, and almost all of them had TV antennas and TV's in there "hut". So how much was real poverty, and how much was a show for the tourists?

I played golf the next day at Nick Faldo's signature golf course just outside the city; a nice course - nothing spectacular - and from the 17th hole, I looked over to my left - outside the walls of the course - and there is a basketball court; four children are playing on the dirty court, again without clothes.

So the poverty is out there. The city (country?) just does a great job of sweeping it under the rug and having it hidden from the tourists that come in. It's a good strategy. You can close your eyes to it for a good 3-4 days if you want, or you can look out just a bit and you will find it easily. It all depends on what you want to see on your vacation.

To the Browns: we've lost 13 in a row to the Ravens - which makes us seem like the Sally Struthers victims of the AFC North. (The last win was November 2007, where Dawson miss/made that crazy FG to send it into overtime....where we kicked another FG to win and essentially knock the Ravens out of the playoff chase.). We need to stand up - finally - and not be the little brother in this relationship. I have a good feeling about this one. We will be hiding our poverty (Brandon Weeden) and putting our best face forward. I expect a lot of trick plays here as we pull out all of the stops, going into the bye.

(And if we do win here, we have Cin, Pit x2, NYJ, NE, Chi, Jax left. Not exactly murderer's row. Can you say 5-2 finish???)

On to the games:

KC 19, Buf 16. It all depends on Buffalo's QB here. Who is it? I was surprised how well a good D line (like the Browns) got to Alex Smith.

Car 27, Atl 24. This is the last stand here for the Falcons - and Carolina has beaten up on pansies the last 3 weeks.

Dal 30, Min 24. Dallas plays to the level of competition.

NO 23, NYJ 20. Brother vs Brother in New York. I like the Jets' running Offense vs. the poor run D of the Saints.

Ten 23, StL 13. This seems to easy - why is Tennessee only a 3 pt favorite? St Louis gave its all last week...and lost.

Was 30, SD 27. Just another gut feeling - Washington plays well at home.

Oak 24, Phi 13. I have faith that Oakland will move the ball vs. the poor Philly D. Go Pryor!

Sea 24, TB 10. Seattle's struggling O vs. a team ready to quit on their coach.

NE 20, Pit 17. Another 4 pm Eastern classic that goes down to the wire.

Ind 27, Hou 23.  I think Case Keenum will keep the Texans in the game, at home, vs. a shaky Indy defense.

GB 31, Chi 20. How can you pick against GB after what they have showed the past several weeks?

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 8-6; overall: 60-57-2
Atl +7 1/2
Atl/Car over 45 1/2
Min +9 1/2
NYJ +6
Ten -3
Was -1
SD/Was over 51
Oak -1 1/2
Phi/Oak under 44 1/2
TB/Sea under 40 1/2
Pit -6
Pit/NE under 44
Ind/Hou over 44

Supercontest: Last week: 3-2; overall: 18-20-2
Atl +7 1/2
NYJ +6
Was +1
Oak -2 1/2
Pit +6 1/2

 

NFL Week 8: Vietnam

Week 8 takes us to Vietnam - a fascinating country that was the first destination that Janice and I had split opinions on. I loved it; she would be fine if she never went there again. In summary, the country is Asia in miniature. It seemed to be overcrowded like China's cities; pulsating 24 hours a day like Bangkok; strove to be like the USA while "officially" hating it, and a government that was vainly and futilely trying to control the population.

It was alive. With tons of motorbikes!

I wrote a blog post earlier about Vietnam and my impressions - see here - and today I'll expand on a few things:

1. Motorbikes; when I first came to China, I was expecting to see motorbikes (or at least bicycle) everywhere I went. Not so in Guangzhou; motorbikes are outlawed, and bikes are somehow not that prevalent down here. (In the north of China, however....). The government has clamped down on motorbikes in order to control the pollution here in Guangzhou; in Vietnam, no such ordinance. There are 100 motorbikes on the road for every car. There are many families of 4 riding on a single motorbike across town. At a stop light, it looks like the start of a 100-cycle BMX race. 10 of them at the starting line, 10 deep.

2. How do you cross a busy street full of bikes when there is no cross walk? Easy - just raise your hand. Our tour guide led us across a busy street by raising one hand over her head, and walking straight out into the street. Immediately, the bikes moved left to give her room. It took us 2-3 seconds, but we then jumped into the street and followed here. She kept her hand up the whole time as the bikes saw her and veered out of the way. She was a modern day Moses.

3. Gambling! There is gambling in Vietnam! Our hotel had a "casino" in it that seemed to be a medium size conference room with all sorts of electronic games. I settled on the electronic blackjack - $5 minimums, and yes, the units were all in US dollars. They had the video screen that "dealt" cards - and there was an actual human dealer! The "dealer" hit the buttons to activate the computer dealing. No chips changed hands - the accounting was all on the computer. The "dealer" was just there for show to have someone official running the game.

I lost a million that night in blackjack....a million Vietnamese Dong, if the units were in the Vietnamese currency. The 20,000:1 exchange rate is still wild.

4. The Vietnam war memorials still creep Janice out, and they are discomforting. The government clearly wants to communicate that the evil Americans caused all this - but the general public (at least in the South) does not go along. I've gone back for work and heard this sentiment several times. They had the Agent Orange museum that the tour guide "forced" us to see - we left Warren and Martin in the day care center, while Freddie went with us. Somehow, Janice and I both lost track of Freddie and he got separated from us; we found him in one section staring at the victims with burned-off legs and arms. "What happened to them???" Uhhhhhhh.......

5. The food....spectacular. The French influence served them well.

6. They are on relatively the same longitude as Guangzhou - maybe a bit more to the West - yet they are an hour behind us. It gets light here early in the morning (I have had a 6:00 tee time here in GZ: now, the sun rises at 6:15).....so in Vietnam, it is very bright at 5:30 am. There is activity on the street at that time. it seems like the action never stops.

7. I won't go into the waterpark adventure we had again - but here were the waterslides we rode in the middle of a random Thursday afternoon....we were 5 of the 40 people at the park that day.

Vietnam just feels....alive and real. The motorbikes, the food, the craziness of the currency, the official party line of hating the USA while everyone is out to make a buck....it's fascinating, it's chaotic. I'd love to go back to Vietnam - the south part. I hear the north part is just like China.....

But chaos for a vacation is refreshing. Chaos for a football team....well, that's the norm with the Browns. We are not even into the third month of the NFL yet, but we are on our third quarterback! Hello Jason Campbell! To be a success, all you need to do is not fire 100 mph bullets as screen passes, and try to scramble for 5 yards once a quarter. That will put you ahead of Mr. Weeden for good.

If he can limit the mistakes........our defense is good enough to stop KC.....can the upset happen???? I will hope for it until it is 14-0 after 1 quarter again.

On to the games:

Det 31, Dal 24. I'm not liking what I see in the Cowboys offense.

SF 27, Jax 10. Mike A - I know you are reading this. Please stop me if I ever talk to you about taking the Jaguars again. You have permission to slap me.

NE 23, Mia 20. I read some stats on Brady - and I couldn't believe it. He is the 29th rated QB in the league????

NO 34, Buf 17. Boy, the Bills are tempting here, but the Saints are off a bye, and maybe this Rob Ryan defense is good.

Phi 30, NYG 20. Can we really judge how well the Giants are after Freeman's debacle last Monday?

Cin 24, NYJ 13. The Jets will be exposed by a superior Bengals team this week.

Oak 24, Pit 23. Don't these two teams play every year in Oakland? And don't the Raiders always win a wild one over a jet-lagged Steeler team?

Az 24, Atl 16. Where are people getting the idea that the Falcons are any good?

Den 37, Was 17. I had the Redskins last week, and their defense is horrible. 42 points given up to McNown and the Bears!! Manning will be out for revenge - he better, since he's the only solid player on my GZ fantasy team.

GB 27, Min 24. Honestly, I'm not that impressed with GB. Yes, they have a good running game - but with all the injuries at receiver, their passing game is not where it should be. And Ponder will be a decent replacement for Freeman.

Sea 23, StL 17.  I think something is missing from Seattle's offense. Yes, they played well against Arizona - but look at the games; they are in the 20s against teams with average or better D's. Is St Louis at that level? No, but Fisher will get a rise out of them for Monday night.

Best bets: 14 of them. Last week: 6-9; overall: 52-51-2
Det -3
Mia +6
NO -10 1/2
Phi -5 1/2
Cin -5
Oak +2 1/2
Pit/Oak over 40
Az - 2 1/2
Atl/Az under 46 1/2
Den -11
Was/Den under 59
Min +8
GB/Min over 46 1/2
StL +12

Supercontest: disappointing 2-3 last week. Overall: 15-18-2
Mia +6 1/2
Cin -6 1/2
Az -2 1/2
Min +9 1/2
StL +10 1/2

 

NFL Week 7: Singapore

Hello from somewhere over the Sea of Okhotsk! I hate these cross-pacific flights where I can’t sleep; it truly is sobering to find out exactly how long 14 hours is when you are trapped in a seat but can’t sleep to make the time pass faster.

Anyway, we are at Week 7 in the NFL season – and that brings us to Singapore! We went here two winters ago for a long weekend between Christmas and New Years – it was intended as a chance to get some Western culture as a break from China. And it worked!

First off, the highlight of the trip was the hotel. As a stockholder in LVS (72 and rising!), I wanted to see the Marina Bay Sands in person. It did not disappoint! The hotel room itself was nothing special, but the rooftop pool on the 57^th floor was spectacular. Every day- in the afternoon at first, and then in the morning (more on that later), we went up there. Palm trees and a large, wide infinity pool greeted the guests. The kids had plenty of fun just sitting on the edge of the pool and looking out the sides into the city. They even had a kids’ infinity pool up there where Martin jumped in and out for an hour.

And yes, of course, the hotel had a casino. No craps when I was there, however. We played a lot of the Texas Hold Em bonus poker. An immaculate casino – modern design, clean, and fresh.

First of our tourist activities was to go to the science center and Snow City. The Science Center was good – nothing spectacular; we bought Martin a shirt that he is STILL too small for, but he wears it all the time. Snow City is an indoor sledding place; it’s a big barn with a hill inside made from artificial snow. The kids (and I!) were missing the snow and the cold – so we gave it a try.

Now, Singapore is 90 degrees year round. (Or, more correctly, it is 90 in the winter and 95 in the summer). They had a changing area before the entrance to the barn where you can rent the winter gear and change. It was quickly apparent that I had to think about the logistics here.

 What’s the plan to change clothes? Either:

-          You (the adult) putting on your snow pants, boots, and sweater, and then putting the clothes on the kids (while you swim in your own sweat, wearing all of that in 90 degrees?), or

-          Or you put all the kids stuff on first – and try to have them sit there in 90 degree temps, not move, while you change (and hope they don’t have to go to the bathroom)?

We chose option 2 – semi successful, with a moderate amount of whining. The whining came when Martin’s glove fell off 5 minutes into to – that was a 20 minute crying spree of “I can’t feel my hand! It’s too cold!”. Other than that, it was a big hit, and we hope to do it again soon.

 We explored downtown one of the days – it’s hard to describe where “downtown” is in a city-state of 25 square miles – and you can feel the European/British influence. I have never been to London – but my impression is that the city grid was set up by the English. Very orderly, financial buildings on each side of the street, regal names for the avenues (Victoria, Edward, …). It’s a different feel than Hong Kong – much more “Western” or “Civilized” than Hong Kong.

We did the big Ferris Wheel, we went to the night zoo, did a movie at one of the malls – and then realized – that’s it! That’s the country right there! Downtown is in the south part of the island, the zoo was in the way north, Snow City was on the Western Tip – bingo! Done!

One more word about the weather – you can set your watch to the afternoon storms that roll in. Every day – about 3:00 pm – the grey clouds would come and dump about 1/2 inch of rain on the city; it lasts for about 30-45 minutes, and it’s over. It was impressive to see this storm roll in from the rooftop pool at the Sands…..but we realized after that to do any outside activities in the morning.

Which is a good transition to Brandon Weeden. He’s like the Singapore rain squall that is coming – he may look good for a while, but the critical mistake is always out there, lurking – and it will happen. (Usually in the 4^th quarter). You can set your watch to it. We saw it in the Miami game, and then the Detroit game with the God-awful underhanded interception he threw. I did not see this live last weekend – not sure what I was watching or playing when this happened – but I can only shake my head when I was the highlights.

 Not sure how he is going to fare vs. the Green Bay defense, but I expect a close game, simply because our defense (and Joe Haden) should be able to hold GB in check. Maybe 20-27 points allowed? That would be a moral victory of sorts. It would be a stretch to think Weeden can lead the team to 20-27 points in GB.

On to the games:

Atl 20, TB 13. Who can figure out the Falcons? The injuries are taking a toll.

Car 27, StL 14. Just because you win a hole in match play because your 6 was better than your opponent’s 7, that doesn’t mean you are now a scratch golfer. The Rams are still bad.
 

Det 27, Cin 20. I just don’ t like this spot for Cincinnati – going to Detroit after two tough games.

SD 31, Jax 27. It would not surprise me to see Jax win this game. The Chargers defense got lucky as the Colts dropped many passes on Monday night.

Mia 23, Buf 17. I like Thad Lewis. There, I said it.

NE 22, NYJ 17.  It’s not that hard to see the Jets winning this game, is it? At home, against a Pats team with a hangover?

Dal 37, Phi 31. Philly has no defense; Dallas can only pass. Dallas has injuries in their secondary. Sounds like a fun shootout!

Was 24, Chi 20. Just a gut instinct. Chicago – I still maintain – is overrated. Their defense is not that good.

Ten 23, SF 19. The Titans have a solid team on both sides of the ball – and should be able to contain the Niners’ limited passing attack.

KC 19, Hou 16. If only I knew if Case Keenum can make less mistakes than Matt Schaub…….this will be a close game regardless.

Bal 20, Pit 13. Let’s not celebrate the Steelers just yet. They beat up a Jets team with a rookie quarterback off a bye. They still have issues all over the place.

Den 30, Ind 17. The only way Indy wins is by doing a ball control offense – to eat the clock. It won’t work.

NYG 27, Min 17. Eli vs Minnesota’s horrid pass D! Which will prevail?

Best bets: 15 of them. Last week: 11-4; overall: 46-42-2.

TB/Atl under 42.5

Car -7
Det -2
Jax +7 1/2
SD/Jax over 45.5
Dal +3
Dal/Phi over 54.5
Was +1
Ten +3 1/2
Hou +6 1/2
Bal +2 1/2
Bal/Pit under 41
Den -6 1/2


Den/Ind under 56.5
NYG -3
 

Supercontest: Last week : 4-1. Overall: 13-15-2

Car -6 1/2
Jax +7 1/2

Was -1

Ten +4

Bal +2