18th Edition - 9/29/06

• TO (Terrell Owens)

Oops. That's what the police are saying. "Accidental overdose" is the official classification and the case is now closed (by the police).
Here is the link to the 911 transcript.
I'm done with this story.

• My Mets

There's trouble. Right here in New York City. And is starts with T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pedro. Oh, we've got trouble. My beloved Mets just announced Pedro Martinez will not pitch in the postseason. A torn tendon in his left calf muscle has the Mets without their No. 1. Two days ago I would have said the Mets are done. But not now, now I believe this simply adds to the drama of a World Series run, with Pedro as the ultimate cheerleader.

• My Twins

Torii Hunter was on PTI yesterday.
"I'm a competitor, you make a mistake on one pitch, I GOTCHA."
I love my Twins. Plus they tied the Tigers for the central division lead (loser getting the wildcard). Though I would rather have the Twins as the wildcard (underdog, plus wildcard has had alot of success getting to the World Series lately).

• College Football (The Biggest Game EVER, of ALL-TIME)

Well, here we are ... a day, some hours and lots of minutes away from the Iowa Hawkeyes inviting THE Ohio State Buckeyes to dance Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium. I won't be watching live. A wedding of good friends needs to be attended. Latest word is they will not put a TV in the bar, which everyone agrees is a good call.

This is the biggest game in Kinnick history (in my 30-year-old lifetime). IF (a BIG if) we win, there will be nothing bigger. I think my strategy will be this ... About every 10-15 minutes, I will make a phone call to one of two friends and alums. I will live through them. Then, when I get home from the wedding, I will watch the game immediately if we won, Sunday morning if we lose.

I'm assuming there are some other football games going on this weekend. Feel free to leave comments about them.

• THE PICKS

All Big Ten for me this weekend.
College Season: 4-4-1
*Ohio St (-7) over Iowa (it's a reverse jinx, and it's a good line after watching all of Iowa's games this year - this does not make me a traitor, just realistic)
*Michigan (-9.5) over Minnesota
*Wisconsin (-11) over Indiana

NFL Season: 6-2-1
*Bears (-3.5) over the Seahawks (I got my bet in on Monday at -2.5)
*Vikings (+1) over the Bills
*Browns (-2.5) over the Raiders

• Stuff (Just one movie review)

"School for Scoundrels" - The first half starts off strong, almost like a comedic "Fight Club." They even borrow the "pick a fight with someone" idea. In fact, a lot of the film feels borrowed. But the second half of the film goes downhill fast. As soon as Roger (Jon Heder) starts competing with Dr. P (Billly Bob Thornton) it's just not funny. Heder as a leading man just doesn't cut it and Thornton looks like he is wearing too much make-up. To top if off, Ben Stiller's cameo and accent don't generate one laugh. I hate when I movie starts out good and then tails off, the reverse of that ALWAYS leads to a better review. C+

By the way, I tivo'd "The Office" last night and for some reason, the first five minutes didn't record. No reason I can think of, anybody else have this problem?

17th Edition - 9/28/07

• The Bandwagon (REVEALED)

After some good thinking, real good thinking, I have decided to jump onto two bandwagon's, but with different weight.
My first (and lesser) bandwagon is the
New York Mets because:
*I had two requests to be a Mets fan
*I am still a sucker for Pedro as a mild Red Sox fan for the past ten years
*David Wright and Carlos Beltran normally set-up in big moments
*It's always better if the Mets win more than the Yankees
*They have a crafty verteran: Jose Valentin - age 37
*They have an ex-Cub: Steve Trachsel
*Plus I hate when a team is TOO GOOD and then somehow forgets how to win. Which might happen to the Mets, so I hope my cheering for them will turn that around.

But my real team, my new favortie all of time (for a couple of weeks):
Minnesota Twins because:
*Small market teams should have a chance
*Joe Mauer could have been a Cub (instead of Mark Prior)
*I went to my first Twins game this year, and they beat the Cubs
*Justin Morneau was on one of my fantasy baseball teams (I had two)
*Rondell White and Phil Nevin were Cubs and everybody knows the more ex-Cubs you have on your team the more likely you are to win
*Johan Santana is so fun to watch right now. He's been in a groove for four months.

So - IF one of the teams is eliminated, all my attention goes to the other.
AND - IF both make it to the World Series, I cheer for the Twins and spit on the Mets (but secretly just wish for seven games of good baseball).

• TO (Terrell Owens)

He reportedly attempted suicide. Then he reportedly didn't attempt suicide. Owens says he was groggy and incoherent when police arrived at his house because of an allergic reaction to painkillers and vitamin supplements. Police arrived because Owens' publicist Kim Etheredge (not many players have publicists) called. Though she doesn't know why the police report said he told authorities he was depressed. Owens doesn't remember anything.

Clearly, either portions of the police report or Owen's statement are misleading. Sure, more will come out on the subject, but we'll never know.

The worst statement came from Etheredge who said, "Terrell has 25 million reasons why he should be alive." That was a reference to the 3-year contract he signed with the Cowboys.

What I find most worrisome is the amount of sports commentators who are saying things like, "When I saw the report, I didn't believe it for a second."

WE don't know Terrell Owens. WE only think we do. I have no clue what actually happened. But, depression can easily be disguised. It is POSSIBLE that Owens, or any professional athlete can be depressed. But the outcome of it is uncomfortable for the public. Fans want to admire, and depression is WAY too confusing to wrap your head around. Especially compared to how this might affect your fantasy football team.

On a side note ... There will be tons of continuing coverage, things will be leaked, 911 tapes will be made available ... and this is all because we WANT to know. This is not information that will help the human race, send a guilty person to jail or protect society ... it's entertainment.

• Baseball (And down the stretch they come)

The Cardinals finally won a game ... and the Astros were losing 6-1. But somehow, someway they came back and beat the Pirates in 15 innings, 7-6. Here's hoping a one-game playoff decides it. Currently the Cards maintain their 1.5 game lead.

• NFL

Quick News
* Odell Thurman of the Bengals is done for the season. Six Bengals have faced charges since December (twice as many wins, but infinite compared to the losses: 3-0). The team finally said enough is enough after Thurman's DUI.
* Shaun Alexander will not play. He had said he was feeling better, but a second x-ray revealed the same bone chip in his foot. This means I still look very smart getting an early bet on the Bears -2.5 this Sunday night vs. the Seahawks.

• Coming Soon (Tomorrow)

As always, the mildly confident picks are coming. Plus a quick review of "School for Scoundrels."

16th Edition - 9/27/06

• 11:13 a.m. - late update, Terrell Owens reportedly attempted suicide last night. I will talk about this Thursday once more news comes out.
  
  
• The Wednesday Fluff

I was going to dedicate the entire day to fluff and all future Wednesdays, but there does need to be some sports talked about today...

• Baseball: Kill the Cards

One week ago, the Cardinals were enjoying a comfortable lead on the Reds, and a 8.5 game lead on the Astros. Today, the Cardinals are freaking out at the killer in the back seat of car. That killer is the Astros and they are only 1.5 games back. That's what happens when you lose seven in a row (Cardinals) and win seven in a row (Astros). This is almost that same as your football team somehow losing two games on one Sunday.
As a Cub, I dislike both teams. Don't want either to do well. Plus the collapse is huge. It will sting the Cardinal fans for a while.
And as far as the Bandwagon: I have some tough choices to make for which team I give my love to for the playoffs ... Twins, Dodgers or Mets. I think I'll make my decision tomorrow. And thanks to the readers for the comments.

• And now the Wednesday Fluff

Every Wednesday I will focus my attention away from sports (if possible). Focusing more on the fluff of life (entertainment). Sure the argument could be made that entertainment = sports and sports = entertainment.
The example of that could be this photo, which clearly proves in some situations javelin is entertaining to look at... moving on.

I could not make it through this video ("Baby Got Back" + Jesus) ... I want to hear from anybody who can sit through the whole thing.

I was thinking about the Muppets last night, and had a craving for "Muppet Babies," thank you youtube. Here is the opening theme.

I saw Sufjan Stevens play in Chicago last night. Good stuff. He mostly played from his album "Illinoise." His stuff is mainly fantastic background music, allowing your mind to drift. He ended with "Chicago" and of course the crowd loved it. Stevens doesn't have great stage presence, but when you have seven string, three brass, three guitars, drums and piano on stage with you, it makes up for it. Did I mention they all had butterfly wings on?

And finally, on my other site Stuff I Wrote, I have two new interviews, one with Todd Phillips and some movie reviews I finally scanned and posted.

15th Edition - 9/26/06

• Baseball

The regular season ends October 1.
AL Playoff teams: Yankees, Tigers, Twins and most likely the A's (currently a 5 game lead over the Angels)
NL Playoff teams: Mets
In the central, out of nowhere, the Astros are only 2.5 games behind the Cardinals.
In the west, the Dodgers are 2 games behind the Padres.
In the wildcard, the Dodgers are tied with the Phillies.

Wow, when your team (the Cubs in my case) is out of it for the last three months, the playoffs cannot get here quick enough. So boring. Yet, playoff baseball is currently my favorite post season.

• The Bandwagon (continues)

OK, the White Sox are officially eliminated from the playoffs, thanks to a 1-14 beat down by the Cleveland Indians. I need a baseball team to care about for the playoffs. So far, I have two requests - The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Any other offers? Any Twins, A's, or dare I say Yankees fan out there that wants in-depth pre- and post game analyze, some cheering and positive vibes?

I will make my decision later in the week. Again, leave requests in the comments section.

• MNF

Last night New Orleans celebrated. The city and the football team. They smacked the Falcons 23-3. I was thinking about discussing the annoyance of the announcers last night, or what this could mean for the Saints this season, but I am no one to talk about this situation.

Insert Mike Triplett. Triplett is the Saints writer for the Times - Picayune in New Orleans. He is also a good friend (from the University of Iowa). Here is the article that ran in their paper this morning...

Block party is no fun for Falcons

Six years ago, Saints safety Steve Gleason was on the field for perhaps the biggest play in Saints history, when fullback Brian Milne recovered Az-Zahir Hakim's fumble to seal their playoff victory over the St. Louis Rams.
On Monday night, Gleason made a play of his own that will rival Milne's in Saints lore.
(click here to read the rest)

Hopefully later today, Triplett can leave some commentary on what it was like to cover the game. Look for it in the comments.

14th Edition - 9/25/06

• NFL

Sunday's Best
QB
Jon Kitna: 342 yards, 2TD, 1INT
Brett Farve: 340 yards, 3TD
RB
Willis McGahee: 150 yards
Willie Parker: 133 yards, 2TD
WR
Andre Johnson: 152 yards
Roy Williams: 138 yards, 1TD

The Still Undefeateds:
Chicago, Seattle, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Indianapolis. San Diego is 2-0 and on a bye. MNF tonight has the Falcons (who look great at 2-0) and the Saints (who are looking ordinary at 2-0) playing.
The Defeateds:
Tennessee, Houston, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Detriot. Oakland and Kansas City are 0-2 on a bye. But we can assume Oakland will be going 0-3, and 0-4 and so on.

Game of the Week:
I'm giving it to the Bears. They beat the Vikings 19-16, just like the spread said they would. After Rex Grossman threw a terrible toss to the Vikings are a touchdown, logic was not on the side of the Bears. But they later forced a fumble, and Grossman hit Davis for the game scoring touchdown.

• College Football

Undefeated Iowa will play undefeated THE Ohio State Univeristy this Saturday night. Again, I'll be at a wedding (happily) and the groom is still debating whether to put a TV in the bar area or not, stay tuned.
Notre Dame beat Michigan State. The Spartans had a 17-0 lead and a 27-17 lead. Final score was 40-37. The Irish outscored them 26-6 in the 2nd half. When will teams STOP going into prevent with the lead? Playing a completely different gameplan than the one that got you the lead is ignorant.

• Ryder Cup

I need someone to do some sort of analysis on why Americans suck at international competitions. The Americans got smacked around 18.5 - 9.5. Tiger posted a 3-2 record which actually improved his overall record. Europe isn't even a team (just golfers we force to join together for this competition) and they killed us. Basketball, Baseball, Golf ... these are the sports we are currently proving we aren't the best at. Well done. Just like Hulk Hogan I'm proud to be an American.

• The Picks (revisited)

Ouchtown, population 3. Life has decided reality needs to be back in the lives of j, billy z, and mike d.

NCAA
j: 0-2-1 (season 4-4-1)
billy z: 1-1-1 (season 5-2-2)
NFL
j:1-1-1 (season 6-2-1)
mike d: 0-3 (season 6-3)

I guess mike d was right, you don't mention a no-hitter while it's going on. Now we have to be that crafty old veteran and work ourselves out of the jam.