NFL Week 8: Law And Order

For those of you who have been following my twitter account, I re-tweeted another apology from the NFL on a key call that went against the Browns. Last week (against the Bucs) was the head to head hit against Baker; a flag was thrown but then ultimately picked up after a lengthy discussion. Head referee Shaun Hochuli (yes, Ed's son) said that since Bake was a runner, he was not protected and head to head hits on him were legal.

Um, what?

The NFL had to issue an apology this week on this incorrect call and explanation. This is getting old. We had the false start non-call vs. the Chargers (a call that led to the Line Judge getting fired, mid-season, a first for the NFL in 50 years) and the Derek Carr strip that was ruled down in the Oakland game.

How do all these obvious calls go against us all the time?  There's a big issue with the Law in the NFL. I think we need Sam Waterson and Benjamin Bratt to be a lead ref for the NFL now....

Show: Law and Order

Network: Too Many to count

When: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on various channels

Main Characters: So many....Benjamin Stone, Adam Schiff, Jack McCoy, Abbie Carmichael, Lennie Brisco, Anita Van Buren, …

With my whining about the NFL Refs complete, there's no better week to review the Law and Order franchise! I won't go into the details of the show here - everyone should know it by now. In February, when I was in bed for 21 hours of the day, I could always count on some Law and Order show to be on at any point in time. It seems there are at least 8 cable networks that show re-runs of L&O:

- TNT
- Lifetime
- ID
- Paramount
- Sundance
- FYI

and maybe some others.

Try this for a gambling game when you are at home with your friends: at any moment, wager if there is a L&O show on cable at the moment. You'd win 80% of the time, I believe. It's 7:25 am on a Sunday morning right now - and yep! There it is! L&O on Sundance!

Here are some fun facts about L&O that I'll share with you, since we all know the plot and structure of the show:

- The original debuted in September, 1990. That's 28 years ago! That's crazy. I'm so old.
- L&O-SVU almost has as many episodes as the original! The original L&O has 456 episodes; SVU has 436. One more season for Ice-T and his franchise will take the lead!

- My personal favorite police character: Jerry Orbach. Did you know he was a broadway star in the 60s and 70s? I happened to hear him sing "Promises, Promises" on Sirius - what a voice! He was also the first person to sing the famous song "Try to Remember" on stage in the musical "The Fantastiks".
- Jerry was also on Super Password! I will have to find that episode on You Tube.

(and here it is! What a pairing for the guest stars...….whatever happened to her?)

- A close second for best Police character is S. Epatha Merkerson. She was on the show for 17 seasons - 395 episodes - longer than any other character. However, what was her first TV role? S. Epatha was first on TV as …….Reba the Mail Lady on Pee-Wee's Playhouse. Incredible.

- And I have a soft spot for the prosecutor Michael Moriarty. He was the first DA under Adam Schiff to start the series. Michael is an interesting character. He left the show after 4 years in 1994...he was suing Atty. General Janet Reno for comments she made about shows being violent. Moriarty said that Reno wanted to take not only L&O off the air, but also......Murder, She Wrote. Anyone who thinks someone is out to get Angela Lansbury has got to get an honorable mention here in the blog...

...oh yes, he announced in 2005 that he was running for president in 2008! I wonder what happened to that campaign.

OK, enough reminiscing. On to the games....

Phi 20, Jax 16.  We all talk about how Bortles can't run the Jags' offense, but the Eagles are struggling too. They are incapable of putting up a 30 spot. This may be closer than we think.

Bal 27, Car 17.  I continue to believer Carolina is a fraud, and it will show up here. Bal's defense will travel and they are pissed after losing last week.

Chi 27, NYJ 16. The Bears are a much better home team than on the road, and should be able to stop the Jets' running attack.

Cin 31, TB 24. Tampa is one-dimensional, and the Bengals should contain the Bucs' passing attack; Dalton should move the ball with ease to score 30+ points.

Sea 27, Det 24. Seattle's D is starting to get better and the bye helps; Detroit is giving up lots of points, 21 to Brock and Miami and should have lost to Green Bay (a very similar team to Seattle).

KC 31, Den 20. What to say about this? KC is unstoppable, and will score in the 30s; we saw this game before, and Denver threw everything at them and couldn't win.

NYG 24, Was 16. Washington has just won 2 games in a row at home; I don't see them winning 3. Barkley should get 100+ yards and the Giants will get their second win.

Ind 23, Oak 16. Got to see how the bye week helped/hurt the Raiders. I'm not convinced their offense is dead now that Cooper is gone- Cook will more than make up for it.

Az 20, SF 17. Maybe the Niners did leave everything on the field at Lambeau. 10 days for the Cardinals to prepare?

LAR 34, GB 23. The back door will be in play here - but the Rams D will contain the Packers' 1 dimensional offense. The Packers D is in dire straits.

NO 27, Min 24. What a great SNF game. I just think Minny's D is not quite good enough to stop the Saints, and the Saints have revenge on their mind.

NE 24, Buf 17. Let's be clear - Buffalo is not a bad home team, and their D is actually fairly decent. I think they contain the Pats somewhat and Derek Anderson will somehow get 17 points.

Best bets: 12 of them. Last week: 6-6; overall: 46-47-3
Phi/Jax under 44
Bal -2.5
Chi -9.5
Cin -3.5
Sea +3
Sea/Det over 48.5
NYG +1
Ind -3
Ind/Oak under 51
Az +1.5
LAR -8
Buf +14

Supercontest picks: Last week: 2-3; overall: 18-15-2
Bal -2
Chi -7
Sea +3
NYG pk
Buf +13.5

NFL Week 7: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Predictability. That's what I would like the most out of my NFL team. I want to know what I am getting each week. If a team, such as - oh, the 2018 Cleveland Browns - is rated #2 in total defense, then let's get that effort week in and week out! But no. We get the 45 point affair at Oakland (which, to be fair, was inflated due to turnovers) and then the 38 point giveaway last week vs. the Chargers. I know, the Chargers may be good, but so are the Saints - and look what we did to them!

The same applies when I was (and am) trying to veg out in front of the TV. Sometimes I want to watch something predictable, formulaic, and warm...… And the perfect person and show that defines all 3 is....Triple D!

Show: Diners, Drive Ins and Dives

Network: Food Network

Star: Guy Fieri

Times: Various, but usually they have Friday evening/night marathons from 3 pm - midnight

Yes, I know it's fashionable to make fun of Guy Fieri as not a "real" chef. That's fine. But he is entertaining (for a while) and this show is the perfect filler for those nights when you are waiting for your sons to come home from work or a movie night that should have ended at 10:30 but now it's 11:30 and the parents of the host haven't kicked the kids out yet....

OK, enough editorializing. Guy was born in Columbus, OH - I did not know that! - but ended up on the West Coast as a kid. He went to UNLV to major in restaurant management, and quickly rose in the SoCal dining scene. He won a contest on the Food Network for "The Next Food Network Star" in 2006 and Triple D was born in April, 2007.

There's been 26 (!) seasons of the show and 260 episodes. You all know how this goes. In 30 minutes, Guy visits 2-3 out-of-the-way, local restaurants featuring good food. The pattern of the segment goes like this:

- Guy drives up to the restaurant in his trademark red convertible
- Montages of diners eating there are interviewed - "Oh, this place is soooo good!"
- We meet the head chef
- The head chef prepares 1 or 2 of his signature dishes
- Guy watches and provides humor and puns while the chef cooks
- Guy sticks his finger in the bowl and licks it while still cooking
- Dish is finished, Guy samples it in the kitchen. "Off the hook!" "Wow!" "Speechless!"

I haven't seen an episode yet where Guy is indifferent to the food. There had to be a SNL skit of DDD where Guy tries the food and says "Meh. There's better food down the street".

Guy and Triple D has done an episode with Blue Ash Chili here in Cincinnati; it's a Cincinnati chili place that serves alcohol. For those of you not in SW Ohio, you have to try Cincinnati chili just once. Should have fed it to Leland when he visited in February.

Triple D has also gone to a Pho place downtown; that's now on my list of places to try. Pho Lang Tang is supposedly the best in town. I have loved Pho ever since I went to Saigon in 2012.

No writeup of Guy Fieri would be complete without a comment about his restaurant he opened up in 2012 in Times Square; the New York Times reviewed it, and the review was called "the most scathing review in the history of the NYT". Something tells me Guy was not going for the Upper West Side audience.

OK, let's get an off the hook review this week and have our defense show up against the Bucs. If they do, we will win and get back to .500 after 7 games.

On to these games:

Arz 23, Den 16. I think Denver's defense is overrated and I don't trust Keenum on the road. I see the Cards rallying at home in prime time....what?

LAC 23, Ten 20. I really like Vrabel. He is doing a lot with nothing. This is the kind of team that the Chargers always slip up against. I don't see Lynn matching wits with Vrable. Look for lots of fakes.

NE 26, Chi 20.  Really disappointed in the Bears D last week vs the Dolphins. If the Pats can protect Brady a bit, they should be able to move the ball and pull out a win.

Ind 27, Buf 20. Our good friend Derek Anderson is back! I have no faith in the Colts D to stop him, and I like the Colts O too much here.

Jax 27, Hou 13. This is it. The Jags have too much talent to be messing around. They need to stop the Texans D, and being at home, Bortles will play well and move the ball through the air.

Mia 27, Det 24. Not sure if Detroit's D can shut down Brock. It is possible, however, that Brock will shoot himself in the foot. Look for a shooutout here.

Min 23, NYJ 20. Boy, the Jets play well at home, and could take advantage of the Vikes' poor pass D. Do I trust Cousins on the road? Not really....

Phi 30, Car 27. I have stated here numerous times that the Panthers D is awful. Philly should move the ball with ease. However, I don't think the Eagles are back to full effectiveness yet on D.

Bal 24, NO 23. I'll pass on wagering on this game and just watch. Is the Ravens D really that good? Can the Ravens score enough to win against a good offensive team?

Was 23, Dal 20. Let's not get carried away with the Cowboys just yet. Got a nice spot last week. The Cowboys are a weaker version of the Panthers on O, and the Skins stopped them last week.

LAR 27, SF 23. I think the MNF loss will strengthen the NIners, and this is the Rams' 3rd road game in a row. I see a close game here.

KC 31, Cin 20. KC was clearly nervous under the lights at NE last week in the first half; those jitters will be gone this week and I see a blow out.

Atl 30, NYG 20. I don't know. I feel the Giants have one more good game in them here, but Atlanta is just as desperate and can score pretty much at will.

Best bets: 12 of them. Last week: 7-5-1; overall: 40-41-3
Arz +1.5 (L)
Ten +6.5
NE -2
Jax -3.5
Mia +3
Det/Mia over 46.5
Car/Phi over 45
Was +1
SF +9
KC -6
Cin/KC under 57.5
Atl -4

Supercontest: Last week: 3-2; overall: 16-12-2
Arz +1.5 (L)
Ten +6.5
Jax -5
Was -2
SF +9.5

NFL Week 6: Dog the Bounty Hunter

We did it! A division win! I can't believe we went two full years without a division win. That's just pathetic. There were years where I would realistically hope for a 3-3 or 2-4 record in the division - and get it. Now? A win against the Ravens is a reason to have a big celebration. (And I think the Ravens are pretty damn good!). We must have gotten serious and hired someone to go search out and capture our first win …. someone like....a Bounty Hunter!

Show: Dog the Bounty Hunter

Network: A&E

Times: Weekdays, 8-10 am 

Main Characters: Dog, Beth, Leland, Tim, Duane, Baby Lyssa

This is a show that has filled a lot of my mornings in the spring and summer. A&E had this on as a staple starting at 8 am every weekday. I'd get Martin on the bus at 8:05 and relax in the recliner with my coffee and watch Dog until I had enough energy to get back out of my chair and take a shower. (When I had the IV attached, I didn't need a shower, so I could watch uninterrupted episodes!)

Dog started on A&E in 2004 and lasted 8 seasons. Most of you probably know the story of Dog; Dog was convicted of murder in the 70s and went to jail in Texas; he was a model prisoner (turned his life around) and actually assisted in capturing a possible escapee in an escape attempt at the prison. He was paroled in 1979 and started his own Bounty Hunting company - trying to capture those people who have skipped bail/court appearances.

Not sure how he ended up in Hawaii -but he did - and had a successful company when the reality series "Take this Job" came a-calling. That show profiled those in odd/interesting jobs, and one episode profiled Dog. He was so popular that the network decided to spin it off and start another show starring Dog - and the show was born.

Dog runs the place with his wife Beth, brother, two eldest sons and his eldest daughter. He's had 3 marriages (I think) so not sure who is the mother for all the kids. There are other small kids running around that Dog had with Beth - some episodes center on those kids - I usually turn on Match Game for those episodes.

The 30 minute show is formulaic; we are introduced to the fugitive; he usually is a "bad guy" or "dangerous dude". About 15 minutes in, there's a close call at the Honolulu 7-11 or K Mart where they just miss him; then they finally capture him (with some assistance from the fugitive's snitching friends) and Dog drives him to the sheriff's station. The fugitive is always offered a cigarette in the car and Beth tries to get him/her to turn around their life and find God.

The show ended in 2012 and unfortunately now Beth has throat cancer so Dog and the family are supporting her in her struggle.

Let's continue the hunt for wins and for ugly game-winning field goals this week against the Chargers! This game should show off two of the all-time worst special team units. Over/under for missed field goals in the game? 3.5?

On to the games:

Atl 34, TB 27.  I can't help myself here in falling for the Falcons. I don't trust Jameis in his first start back, even after the bye.

Pit 26, Cin 23. I except an el-foldo from the Bengals again in the 4th quarter when playing the Steelers.

Hou 24, Buf 10. I do not see how Buffalo scores any points here, absent turnovers. Hou will shut down McCoy and I am supposed to believe that Allen will get 14-17 points? no.

Mia 23, Chi 13. Quiet - Mia has a pretty good defense. I don't trust Trubisky on the road - yet. Should be a low scoring game.

Min 24, Az 13. Another low scoring game here. Arizona has a good defense and Minny is turning into a one-dimensional team, which is dangerous.

Ind 23, NYJ 20. Just a hunch here. I'm impressed that the Colts can move the ball even with zero receivers; the Colts D is good enough to limit the Jets' run game.

Sea 28, Oak 26. Both of these defenses are trash. I expect a shootout here, and both teams have he weapons to do that. this game is in London, so of course it will probably be a 9-6 game.

Was 27, Car 20. Another defense I don't respect - Carolina. Alex Smith is a perfect opponent for this defense and will dink and dunk his way to scores. I'm worried about McCaffrey vs. the Wash run D.

Den 24, LAR 23. Should be snow in Denver today. Love the matchup of the #1 Den run offense vs. the weak Rams run D. Can Den slow down Goff at all???

Jax 20, Dal 17. Dal will be able to stop the Jags run game - so the Jags will have to win with Bortles passing on the road? Yikes. But the Cowboys can't move the ball.

Bal 23, Ten 17. Tennessee has yet to score over 20 in any game, and that will continue here. I think Baltimore can get to 23.

NE 27, KC 20. Belichick special. He will take the air out of the ball(ha ha! I'm so funny) and eat clock. He'll figure out something to slow down Mahomes just enough.

GB 31, SF 20. Ugh. So disappointed in the Niners last week - they can move the ball, and the Pack D is weak. But Rodgers at home Monday night?

Best bets: 13 of them. Last week: 5-7-1; overall: 33-36-2.
Atl -3
Pit +1.5
Hou -10
Buf/Hou under 40
Mia +4
Az/Min under 44
Ind +2.5
Sea/Oak over 48.5
Was +1
Den +7
Bal -2.5
NE -3.5
KC/NE under 60 (60!!!!! 60!!!!! anyone ever seen that???)

Supercontest picks: Last week: 2-2-1; overall: 13-10-2
Hou -9.5
Mia +3
Ind +2.5
Was -1
Den +6.5

NFL Week 5: Judge Judy

Well, last week's Browns game was heartbreaking - what else is new? - due to some questionable officiating calls. I don't need to hash them out here - you all know the big 2 calls that were missed. When the ex-dean of officiating is called on the game broadcast and says "I don't see any way this call can be overturned", and then it's overturned, it's annoying.

Now I understand why Raiders fans still hate Walt Anderson. He was the ref in the tuck game, I think. So 17 years later, Walt pays them back. So I expect Walt's son to be the ref of our game in 2035 and give us a favorable call against the London Jaguars in a playoff game.

Oh, and Miles Garrett was held throughout the second half.

Anyway, let's focus on our favorite daytime TV official - Judge Judy!

Show: Judge Judy

Network: Syndicated. I'm sure you all know what channel it's on in your area. For us, it's WXIX Channel 19.

When: 3:00, 3:30, 5:00, 5:30. They changed the schedule about a month ago and it messed up my routine!

Main characters: Judy, Petri Hawkins-Byrd

So Judge Judy is part of my daily routine - so much so that I think it annoys the boys now. If I have to do some computer work or emails, Judge Judy is the perfect background noise to have on to do that mindless task. And the 5:00, 5:30 Judge Judy is nice to have on when I run out of energy during the day, and the boys are all set doing homework (or not around due to activities).

And since I didn't see any Judge Judy's from 2010-2014 when I was in China, every rerun is like a new episode to me! It's comforting.

Judge Judy started airing in September, 1996 - so she has been on for 23 seasons now. Wow! She first aired before I got married.  The first idea for the name for the show was "Hot Bench with Judge Judy" - glad someone came around and nixed that idea.

I don't know what I can say about the show that everyone doesn't know - usually, there are two cases per episode; one side in each cases is usually typecast as the "dumbass" - and Judy goes after them hard. It's rare that both sides are well prepared, intelligent, and has compelling cases to make.

That's my one critique about Judge Judy now - it seems that in the more recent episode, she isn't even giving one side a chance any more. It's almost as if she knows how she will rule just be reading the statements - and her mind is made up before even entering the courtroom. Just seems more so now than before.

It's almost like she is Walt Anderson and the unfortunate party that she doesn't like is the Browns!

(Am I really criticizing the editing of a reality show? You betcha!)

There are a couple of principles that we can take away from the show that provide great lessons for the kids.

First: when your opponent is flailing around and losing his/her case, don't interrupt them! There are so many times when Judy is ripping the plaintiff's case, showing obvious holes- and the defendant then interrupts Judy. No! You're winning! Shut up! It's the old adage from politics that is brought to life vividly. From Napoleon: "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

Second: Never pay anything in cash! Geesh. "I loaned somebody $2000. I want to be paid back. No - I have no receipt. I make minimum wage - of course I can save $2000 in cash". Get a receipt for anything, boys.

I should have gotten a receipt for last week's picks. Not good at all. Here's Judge Judy's opinion of those picks. 

On to this week:

Buf 23, Ten 20. Ten has not scored more than 20 in any game so far this year. What a perfect letdown spot here for the Titans. I think McCoy will get going today.

Car 31, NYG 24. Starting to become a little more impressed with the Panthers; not sure their D is all that great, so Eli and the Giants will be able to move the ball.

Cin 23, Mia 21. Miami has enough team speed to keep Cinci on their toes (see the Panthers game); Mia's defense is good enough to slow down the Bengals' passing attack.

Det 27, GB 24. No clue here. I think the Packers are a totally different road team than home team; I expect a very close game here.

KC 24, Jax 20. The big question - can the Jags offense take advantage of a weak Chiefs' D? How good is the KC offense - finally playing an elite D unit?  (hint: Denver does not count).

NYJ 27, Den 17. Speaking of Denver - what a letdown spot here. I don't think their D is that good. Their coaching is subpar. I think the Jets will surprise here with an offensive mix.

Atl 31, Pit 30. Two completely desperate teams. Ben looked awful last week. I'd love to see another Steelers loss - but this is in Pittsburgh against a swiss cheese Falcons D.

LAC 31, Oak 27. I think we know both these teams by now- the Chargers can move the ball up and down the field, but will shoot themselves in the foot at the wrong time. A shootout seems destined.

Phi 23, Min 17. Min will shore up their pass D - no question. However, they are one-dimenisional on offense now and Philly will exploit that.

SF 27, Az 14. Call me a believer in CJ Beatherd. Shanahan will design plays for him to excel; I don't trust Rosen on the road for his first road start, and the head coaching matchup here favors SF.

LAR 27, Sea 16. How does Seattle score points here? Their offense is awful. They will do just enough on D to slow the Rams, but can't get to 20.

Hou 26, Dal 16. Hou has the #2 rushing defense - so they don't need extra effort to stop Zeke, forcing Dal to rely on their passing game. How's that going to work?

NO 30, Was 24. I like Washington and Alex Smith, and this should be a close game. The ball control offense will keep the Skins in the game.

Best bets: 13 this week. Last week: 4-9; overall: 28-29-1

Buf +5.5
NYG/Car over 43.5
Mia +6
Mia/Cin under 48
NYJ +1
Atl +3
Oak/LAC over 52.5
Phi -3
Min/Phi under 47
SF -3.5
LAR -7.5
LAR/Sea under 50
Hou -3

Supercontest picks: last week: 2-3; overall: 11-8-1
Buf +3.5
NYJ -1
Mia +6.5
SF -4
Hou -3