33th Edition - 10/20/06

• His Mets (Cause they are no longer mine)

It's seems just a couple weeks ago readers voted for me to jump on the Mets' Bandwagon. Well, it was a bumpy ride that has come to an end.

Cardinals 3, Mets 1 (Cardinals win the series 4-3)
The Cardinals will move on to play the Detriot Tigers in the World Series. I want the Tigers to win, mainly because the Cardinals don't do anything for me, there is no story, the team is boring, and they weren't that good this season.

Anyway, I said His Mets because one of the readers is Miko Mendoza, a Mets lifer, so he gets to give the final word on the Mets...
++++++++++++++++
I love the amazin’s. I always tell myself that you gotta believe. But it is not easy. Because as you’re entering the playoffs, your pitching staff dwindles down to the arm of a 40-year-old veteran. Somehow, they pull off a sweep of the Dodgers with an improbable double play-at-the –plate (how do you score that 9-6-2-2 unassisted?) their bats seemed to be in full swing during that series. Then they come up against St. Louis, who on paper don’t have a chance against the Mets. But it’s the postseason and unlikely heroes like Weaver and Suppan pitched like they’ve been there before and Maine and Perez made some gritty performances. After a roller coaster of emotions this past week, the series came down to a fantastic game 7 again with unlikely heroes – Endy Chavez and Yadier Molina … but when I was about to believe, the Mets mighty offense let them down… It’s never easy being a Met fan. So I’ll hang up my Mets cap until next year and now I can go on with my regularly scheduled life…
++++++++++++++++++++

Well, it's back to the Cubs for me.

• The Hawkeyes

I will watch. I will cheer. I will not be expected a victory. Everything the Hawkeyes have shown me this year involves the word mediocre. They play the Wolverines in Ann Arbor at 2:30. I had thoughts of going to this game, since I have never been to the campus, but a lot can change when you lose to a Hoosier.

• The Problem

Right now, the top 4 headlines on ESPN involve criminal actions involving athletics. A Celtic might have been involved with shooting a rapper. The NFL is not going to be bombed this weekend ... I don't want to deal with any of this stuff. The more things that happen like this, the less sports become an escape.

• The Picks

j NCAA: 1-2 (Season 11-6-1)
billy z NCAA: 2-1 (Season 11-5-2)

j NFL: 0-3 (Season 9-7-2)
mike d NFL: 2-1 (Season 10-7-2)

j NCAA picks
Illinois (+17.5) over Penn State
Wisconsin (-6.5) over Purdue
Texas (-5) over Nebraska

j NFL picks
Chargers (-5.5) over Chiefs
Panthers (+3) over Bengals
Broncos (-4.5) over Browns
Under of the Colts/Redskins (48.5)

• Stuff

I am seeing a movie with my fiance on opening day! I missed the screening of the "Prestige," and have heard nothing but good things. So we are doing dinner and a movie. Just like a real couple.

John C. Reily is hosting SNL and I've heard a couple rumors that Will Ferrell will be making an appearance. I might actually laugh.

"Flags of our Fathers"
Wow. Just not good.
If you are going to watch this film, bring a team with you. Everyone should be in charge of one actor, and every time you are able to make the connection of recognizing them on-screen, your job will be to stand up and scream their name. Just impossible to keep these guys straight through the first half of the film. Plus, they add a naration in at the end out of nowhere, cause Clint Eastwood couldn't figure out how to end the film. It's a mess, though I did find it interesting to learn the history of the famous pose. The only good thing is that Eastwood's next film is the Japanese point of view during WWII, a story we Americans don't really hear about.
C

32nd Edition - 10/19/06

• My Mets

Yesterday I said, "A Game 7 is the only thing that could give this series some excitement."
Thank you baseball gods. Thank you.

Mets 4, Cardinals 2 (Series tied 3-3)
Maine outpitched Carpenter which probably surprised everyone except for Maine's mom and dad.
Maine had trouble in the first with no outs and runners on second and third, he got out of it. Maine had runners on the corners in the second, he got out of it ... Clutch.
And Jose Reyes hit a first run home run, to give the Mets the lead throughout.
It should be noted that the Cardinals scored their two runs off Billy Wagner in th e9th, which should set up some potential drama for tonight's game.

*The Mets are undefeated when facing elimination at home
*The home team is 7-4 in Game 7 since '85
*The last 11 teams to force a game 7 (down 3-2) at home have won.
(Stats provided by my New York source)

Game 7 at 7:19 on Fox
Suppan vs. Perez
Perez has a 7.94 ERA and a victory in the post-season.
Suppan is 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA.

Get nervous Mets fans, and get hopeful.

Here's some crap to get you more excited.

The 1986 Theme Song

Meet the Mets

Letterman's tribute to the 86 Mets

Game 6 of the Mets vs Red Sox on RBI Baseball

• Bears

The Mike Brown injury happened again this year. If it wasn't for fantasy football, Brown's annual injury would be more popular than Fred Taylor's groin. Brown had foot surgery and they are listed him out indefinitely. Sounds like a long time. The defensive coordinatoor Ron Rivera has 1.5 weeks to get someone else ready thanks to a bye week.

• Stuff

I don't remember this commercial, but here are the actors from "Lost" selling football. Good times.
Click here

31st Edition - 10/18/06

• My new manager: Is Piniella an idiot?

The following item is going to get very little press in the Chicago area. But it shouldn't. In multiple interviews yesterday the Cubs new manager Lou Piniella claimed to not know about the curse of the goat. Piniella said he just found out about it on Monday. I read this, and I hear it when he gave an interivew on ESPN Radio 1000.

When Piniella spoke of the curse, there was no joke in his voice, there was no obvious benefit of lying about this, it seemed he was serious, he didn't now about the goat. If indeed he was serious, this is a problem.

First things first, I don't believe in the curse. I never have. But I KNOW about it.

Piniella is a baseball lifer. He has been in the game for over 40 years and played for the Yankees.

*How did the curse of the goat NEVER come up socially when someone talked about the Curse of the Bambino?
*There are only two curses in baseball. It's not a broad subject that requires a lot of research.
*Did Piniella never watch a Cubs playoff game? In 2003 FOX showed images of the goat about 2,000 times.
*Piniella was an analyst for FOX, did he never have to do research on the teams?
*In the Cubs interview process, do they not ever bring up the fan base or history of the club?.. as in, "Lou, how do you think you'll handle questions about Cubs fans or the curse with the media?" - after all, he is now the face of the ball club.

All of the above applies, IF Piniella didn't know about the goat. If he did, then the answer to my very first question is yes, Lou Piniella is an idiot. If he lied about his knowledge to somehow prove the curse doesn't matter, then he isn't very good at interviews. Or perhaps it is simply a matter of a 63-year-old man starting to lose his grip. If so, managing the Cubs isn't going to help him. So annoyed right now, moving on...

• My Mets: On life support

Mets 2, Cardinals 4 (Cards lead the series 3-2)
Hmmmm, looks like trouble. The Mets had a 2-0 lead but Glavine couldn't hold it, in fact he only lasted four innings. A Game 7 is the only thing that could give this series some excitement.

Tonight's game
Game 6, 7:19 on FOX
Carpenter vs. Maine

• Stuff

I just watched "Dazed & Confused" again last night. I don't understand how two of the most popular seniors WANT to hang out with two freshmen, so they both (seperately, mind you) invite them to the party and make sure to hang out with them the whole night. It's not a tradition at this school, because NO ONE else does it. I'm interviewing Linklater tomorrow, we'll see if I bring this up.

Anything else I should ask him?

30th Edition - 10/17/06

• MNF: Insanity

During the Bears vs. Cardinals game last night, perhaps you went to bed when the Bears were losing 3-23. Or maybe you stuck it out until Rex Grossman had 4 INT, along with his two fumbles. But hopefully you stayed up until the very end, when the Caridinals' Rackers (a VERY good kicker) missed a 41-yard field goal, somehow giving the Bears a 24-23 win.
Some facts:
*The Bears were losing 3-23 with less than a minute to go in the 3rd quarter.
*The Bears scored two defensive TDs to close it to 17-23.
*Matt Leinart threw for 2 TD, no INT. and over 250 yards.
*Again, worth repeating, Grossman had 4 INT, 2 Fumbles -- in Fantasy terms he was -9.2 points.
*With just over three minutes left, the Bears were getting the ball back, and it looked like Grossman would have to try and march the team down the field for a TD. Instead, rookie Devin Hester returned the punt 83 yards for a TD. The Bears took the lead.
*Edgerian James carried the ball 36 times for 55 yards.
*The Cardinals are the only team in the history of the NFL to lose two games in the same season after leading by 14 points at half. They did it in back-to-back games against the Chiefs and Bears.

I understand the Bears were supposed to win this game, but not after they were down 3-23. I can't stand all the people saying they KNEW the Bears would come back. I understand the mentality of a player such as Urlacher saying they never gave up, but fans didn't KNOW the Bears would come back. It was one of the most surprising, insane, impossible comebacks I have ever seen. Not only did the Bears have to beat the Cardinals, they had to beat Grossman who had one of the worst games a QB has EVER had. You don't win games like that. Too bad I don't believe in destiny.

• Cubs: Sweet Lou wants A-Rod

I will not get excited. I will not get excited. I will not get excited.
So, Lou Piniella is now the manager of the Chicago Cubs. This is much better than Dusty Baker. Piniella will actually care when the Cubs don't try, or make mistakes. Dusty would normally give them more praise in those situations.
There is talk that Piniella wants Alex Rodriguez to join the team. I like the idea. We need another big bat in the line-up, and Rodriguez is a better SS than 3B. It is not worth doing the deal if the Cubs trade 3B Ramirez for A-Rod.

• My Mets: Game Five is ours

Tom Glavine is rested. Thank the rain gods. His ERA in October is zero. The only problem is that Glavine won't be pitching in Game 6 or 7, so the Mets will have to win the series without him.

29th Edition - 10/16/06

• Iowa: Ouch Babe

The Iowa Hawkeyes decided to end their season early this year ... with a loss to the Indiana Hoosiers 28-31. They simply couldn't stop the Hoosier jugernaut. Recently, Iowa has had a chance to be great, and every year they make a mistake. Last year was Northwestern, the years before that it was Iowa State.
Next week the Hawks play Michigan. I don't think I want the Hawkeyes to win, because if they do it's just another season with another HUGE mistake (the Hoosiers loss). I still assume we will lose to the Buckeyes and the Wolverines in any given year, as does most every other team in the BIG TEN. It's what we do against those other teams that truly matters.

• NCAA Football: The Computers

The BCS poll is out with Ohio State as #1, USC at #2, and Michigan is #3.
USC beat an unranked team by 7. Michigan beat an unranked team by 7.
The AP Poll has Michigan at #2. I assume this is because the press would like to see Ohio State and Michigan play each other later in the year at #1 and #2.

• NCAA Football: The Fight

Miami vs. Florida International. Thirteen players are suspended from the Hurricanes, also known as "The U" since players can't remember the name of their school. Florida International suspended 18 players.
Click here to see the fight.
Look for fists, helmets, cleats and the insane amount of cheapshots.
Lately, it seems like it is getting harder for players to understand fans want insane amounts of violence, but only when it is in a legal play.

• My Mets

Mets 12, Cardinals 5 (The Series is Tied 2-2)
OK, so I was wrong. The series won't be decided by stolen bases. It's the long ball with Beltran and Delgado showed up last night. I hope the rain shows up in St. Louis tonight. Glavine is pitching on three days rest. He isn't good at it, and he knows he isn't. That's trouble
Name of the Game: Shawn Green. Why? Why not?

• NFL: Where Oakland is the only team that truly sucks

The Titans, Buccannears and Lions, oh my, they all won their first game of the season. The Raiders continue to shine in the loss department.

The Defeateds: Raiders
The UnDefeateds: Bears (play tonight vs. Cardinals), Colts (Bye week)

Speaking of the Bears, this is the first time in a long time when NO ONE is mentioning the possibility of the a loss. No talk of a "let-down" game, or Leinart being an unknown factor ... OK, I'm going to stop, I'm making myself nervous.

The Best
QB
Jake Delhomme: 365 yards, 2TD, 2INT (against the Raven's D)
Marc Bulger: 360 yards, 3TD, 1INT (had a 21-7 lead and lost)
RB
Tiki Barber: 185 yards
Travis Henry: 178 yards, 1TD
worth noting: LaDainian Tomlinson had 4TD
WR
Steve Smith: 189 yards, 1TD (surprisingly, also against the Raven's D)
Roy Williams: 161 yards, 1TD
worth noting: Terrell Owens had 3TD

• The Land of Make Believe: Fantasy Recap

*The College Football Pick'em:
1. Chuck Long's Arm (me): 76 - my lead increased by one
2. Taste it (mike d): 73

*Fantasy Football:
I won again, in fact, I posted 142 points, with Gould still to play, my opponent had 62.
I am 4-2 and just hitting my stride. The league will be mine, oh yes, the league will be mine ... by the way, I still haven't won a fantasy league in my life 0-7.

• The Picks: Revisited - Oops

I for one, was a bit too confident. It's always a problem when you are SHOCKED when you lose a bet. Means you need to refocus a little and realize you are never as good as you think you are. I went 1-5 this weeknd. I have Michigan to thank for my one win. In fact, I ended up watching the Michigan vs. Penn State game at a Michigan bar in Chicago. Now I realize what my friends and I must look like at an Iowa bar: Idiots.

j NCAA: 1-2 (Season 11-6-1)
billy z NCAA: 2-1 (Season 11-5-2)

j NFL: 0-3 (Season 9-7-2)
mike d NFL: 2-1 (Season 10-7-2)
*That extra game that mike d picked last week is killing me.

28th Edition - 10/13/06

• My Mets

Mets 2, Cardinals 0 (Mets lead series 1-0)
Carlos Beltran blasted a 440 foot homer and Tom Glavine continued to pitch like it was 1999. Actually, he was 14-11 with the Braves in '99, but you get the reference. My "name of the game" Jose Reyes went 0-4. But the Mets do currently lead in stolen bases 1-0 (which I predicted was going to be a key stat, and so far, I'm wrong since the Mets scored their runs on the HR).

Game 2. Tonight. 7:05 on Fox.
Carpenter vs. Maine.
Clearly the Cards have the pitching advantage tonight, since La Russa has moved him up a start. Though it should be noted, at home Carpenter sports a 1.81 ERA, and on the road a 4.70 ERA. Hopefully the New York crowd will get a typical Carpenter start.
Name of the Game: Beltran has found his playoff groove, I shall ride that train.

• MLB: The Others

A's lead the series 2-0 over the Tigers.
Rich Harden takes on Kenny Rogers. If you watch the pregame, the term "must win" win be used about 25 times. So we've got that to look forward to.

• The Worst Story Ever (Why I Hate People)

The complete story is here. As Mark Downs was escorted out of a court room he told reporters, "I didn't do nothing."
Well, that's not true, and thankfully he's going to jail for it.
Downs was a little league coach and told one of his 8-year-old players to intentionally throw at an autistic kid so he couldn't play.
There are moments where I wish adults had to take many, many hours of classes in order to teach, coach, and most importantly pro-create and parent. But then I realize our government would have to oversee something like that, and I realize we're stuck with idiots doing idiotic things, which brings me back to my original point -- I hate people.

• The Picks

Dough is not rolling in, but it's pretty close.
Season Stats
j NCAA: 10-4-1
billy z NCAA: 9-4-2
j NFL: 9-4-2
mike d NFL: 8-6-2

NCAA
N. Illinois (-3) over W. Michigan
Iowa St (+19.5) over Oklahoma
Michigan (-6) over Penn State

NFL
Bengals (-5.5) over Buccaneers
Texas (+13) over Cowboys
Eagles (-3) over Saints

Look for billy z and mike d with their picks and amusing commentary later today in the comments section.

• Stuff

I didn't see any of the flicks coming out this weekend ahead of time.
Hear's the buzz -
"Grudge 2" is not scary.
"The Queen" will get nominations and everyone enjoys it, but it's a drama about an old woman.
"Man of the Year" looks SO bland. Not one thing in the trailer has made me laugh, so why would I want to see it?

If you've been curious about Roger Ebert, here is an article about his recovery and here is a link to his first review in months, "The Queen."

Is this funny? click here - these two guys just got a one year deal from NBC. I've only watched this one clip, but supposedly if you watch more, you'll laugh. So far, I'm 0-1.

Oh. My. God. SNL is awful. This Saturday night they are showing the repeat of Dane Cook hosting. Please keep in mind it originally aired TWO WEEKS AGO! It's best if I just end this post now before I say something I will regret.

26th Edition - 10/11/06

• Bears, Bears, Bears: Slow Down

Wow, hype is a dangerous thing. I feel like it will already be considered a terrible season if we don't go undefeated and if we lose in the Super Bowl. Everybody needs to just SLOW DOWN and repeat this sports cliche after me, "ONE GAME AT A TIME!"

I mean, next thing you know, someone will make a t-shirt which has all the Bears opponents on it, and come with a orange Sharpie, so after every victory, you can check off that team on the way to a 16-0 season.
Yup, that idea already exists. sixteenstraight.com --- And because Chicago is so fat, it's only available in XL, 2XL and a small for kids.

• My Mets

Game One.
Tonight at 7:19 p.m. on FOX.
Jeff Weaver vs. Tom Glavine.

Game Two, Thursday, Suppan vs. Maine.
Game Three, Saturday, Trachsel vs. Carpenter.

Mets are winning tonight. They are also taking the series in six games. Chris Carpenter will prove a little too tough on the Mets, and he'll win when he pitches on Saturday. Mainly because you can't steal bases against him. Base-running will be a key to the series, and to prove it, I'll keep track of stolen bases.
Tonight's Name of the Game: Jose Reyes, I can't say base-running will be the key and NOT pick him. By the way, out of the five "name's of the game" that I picked, three hit home runs and one pitched six scoreless innings. Yes, I am gloating.

• MLB: The others

Tigers 5, A's 1 (Tigers lead series 1-0)
Game Two, Tonight.
Verlander vs. Loaiza.
The Tigers couldn't handle Barry Zito ... through eight at-bats. Then they figured him out and sent him packing in the 3rd inning. Zito gave up all five earned runs and the A's were 2-20 with runners on base.

• NBA: There's no whining in basketball

NBA officials are telling teams there will be a zero-tolerance policy toward complaining about fouls post-whistle. Players can expect a quick technical if they curse, throw their hands up or act overly annoyed. I love this decision. I hope football can adopt this for guys that motion they just made a first down when their team is losing by 21 points.
Rasheed Wallace immediately began complaining when he heard he couldn't complain.

"It just means I must be doing something right," Wallace said. "Any time they change the rules of the game for one specific player, you must be doing something right."

Nope Rasheed, it just means everyone is annoyed you have to complain about everything.

• Stuff

Do you like Stephen Colbert? Sorry, that's not going to be good enough. You'll need to love him in order to get through this massive story. Click here to read.

23rd Edition - 10/6/06

• MLB Playoffs

Three close, well-pitched ball games yesterday. Quite surprising considering most of the pitchers involved were over 40-years-old.

Tigers 4, Yankees 3 (Series Tied 1-1)
Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer, but the Tigers chipped away.

Cardinals 2, Padres 0 (Cards lead 2-0)
Have the Cardinals forgotten they stunk down the stretch? What is their problem?

My Mets
Mets 4, Dodgers 1 (Mets lead 2-0)
Tom Glavine pitched six scoreless innings. Billy Wagner got his second save, and Jose Reyes drove in two RBI. The Mets are in control. At least half the teams I jumped on the bandwagon of, are doing fine (Twins being the other).
Yesterday's name of the game: Glavine, he might not have gone the 8 innings I promised, but he didn't give up a run and proved to be an oldie, but goodie.

My Twins
At 3:00 central it's the Twins vs. A's (A's lead 2-0). Radke vs. Haren. Either the Twins find a way to win and begin an amazing comeback, or the A's start getting dressed for the AL Championships.
The Name of the Game: Torii Hunter shakes off the diving catch, which led to an inside the park home run.

• The Picks

I'm back baby. I went a combined 5-1 last weekend. Before this, I had never had the chance to roll in money. Actually, it's not as cracked up as I thought it would be. Plus, I still can't find $20.
j NCAA: (Season 7-4-1)
Iowa -11 over Purdue
Pitt -7 over Syracuse
Nebraska -6.5 over Iowa State

j NFL: 2-1 (Season 8-3-1)
Titans +19 over Colts
Redskins +4.5 over Giants
Rams -3 over Packers

• The Movie

The Departed

Plot: Based on the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs," "The Departed" gets a South Boston makeover. The Massachusetts State Police are waging a war against crime lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) from the inside. Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover to try and gain Costello's trust, while Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) has worked his way up the Special Investigations Unit and is assigned to take down Costello's crew. What no one knows is that Sullivan grew up with Costello in South Boston.

Bottom Line: Hype. The big movies in 2006 have been surrounded by hype with very few payoffs. Superman was back and boring. Jack Sparrow took us on a pointless roller coaster ride, and no one bothered to see the all-star cast in "All the King's Men."

So, although I am a huge Martin Scorsese fan and Nicholson, DiCaprio, Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin were involved, I didn't want to get too excited about "The Departed."

Well, go ahead, get excited. The story of good guys being bad, bad guys being good and the layers in between have this film immediately becoming a classic.

Whether it is a random at a bar getting a glass smashed in his face, a gun going off, or Costigan slowly losing his grip while undercover--every moment is intense. And beyond the intensity is a great touch of humor with everyone trying on their Boston accents and Baldwin coming away as the funny guy in the group. And of course, Nicholson shows off as the mob boss you don't mess with, plus bad hair and worse outfits.

The one knock on "The Departed" is that half the music is great. The other half ("Gimmie Shelter" from the Rolling Stones starts us off) feels like Scorsese just lifted songs from his previous films.

Hype, we finally have a movie in 2006 that has lived up to it.
Grade: A

22nd Edition - 10/5/06

• My Twins: Dead Twins Walking

A's 5, Twins 2 (A's lead 2-0)
I'm sure there are a million stats going against the Twins and for the A's, but the thing about a baseball game is, there really isn't a reason why one team can't win three in a row. It's unlikely, but baseball has a lot more ups and downs than any other sport. I haven't given up on the Twins yet, and the crowd was still in the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Torii Hunter's misplayed dive, which led to an inside the park home run by Mark Kotsay will be the play everyone remembers, but just before that there was a double play that didn't get turned.
My name of the game yesterday: Morneau, 2-4 with a HR (I'm getting better at this)
The Twins play again on Friday, so it is highly unlikely that they will lose another game before then. Crafty verteran Brad Radke will be pitching on Friday.

• My Mets: Meet my Mets greet my Mets

Dodgers 5, Mets 6 (Mets lead 1-0)
Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew were both called out at home on the same play in the 2nd inning. That's the sort of thing that leads to a loss. The Mets beat the Dodgers 6-5, with Jeff Maine starting for the Mets and giving up 1 ER in 4 1/3 innings.

I even got to speak to a couple of Mets fan at the game yesterday. One of them missed the whole play, the other missed the second out because he was busy cheering from the first. I know the sample size is only two here, but that's a pretty poor showing from Mets fans.

If you want a running journal of the Mets - Dodgers game. Here is it, from ESPN's The Sports Guy.

My name of the game yesterday: Cliff Floyd, 1-3 with a HR (Yes, I'm brilliant)

They play again today with crafty veteran (all veterans are crafty) Tom Glavine going for the Mets.
My name of the game: Glavine, too much has been made about the Mets not having pitching, Glavine goes into the 8th today and the Mets get a second win.

• MLB Playoffs : The Others

The Yankees and Tigers were rained out. The play today, along with the Cardinals vs. Padres.

• NHL

It began. I think. Though I'm not totally sure.

• Stuff

Oh, what's this? A pedestal? All right, maybe I'll stand on it for a litte while... I think the number of times I have now fast-forwarded a DVD and expected the "jump back" feature from Tivo to kick in, is now up to double digits. So the question is, why don't DVD players adopt this feature? The two-second "jump back" is exactly what I want, especially when I am watching a bad movie such as "The Jacket" and I'm just waiting to see if Keira Knightley has a sex scene (the answer is yes). Now, I understand if you are watching "Usual Suspects" and you accidentally see Kevin Spacey lose his limp, but if you were fast-forwarding that part, you couldn't have cared that much anyway, and if I just destroyed "Usual Suspects" for you, fine go ahead and hate me, I already hated you ... Anyway, DVD player makers, give me the option at least of turning on the "jump back." That is all.

21st Edition - 10/4/06

• Last Wednesday I decided every Wednesday would be "The Wednesday Fluff," focusing on life outside of sports. Well, I'm not sticking to my guns already. Fluff will happen when and where it can. No day can officially be fluff when ...

• My Twins (Hurting)

A's 3, Twins 2 (A's lead series 1-0)
Barry Zito (a free agent after this season who would look great in a Cubs uniform) outpitched Johan Santana mainly because of Frank Thomas. A year ago Thomas was washed up, and the Sox happily dumped him, now he is a Hall of Famers who might lead his team to the promised land. Don't you love when sports analogies get religious? Punto was my name of the game (new phrase I am trying out that means pick to click). He went 0-3.
And now Bonser (a rookie) is pitching against Loaiza (another ex-White Sox) today at noon.
Name of the Game: Morneau, time for him to show the season stats weren't a fluke.

• My Mets (Hurting even more)

No Pedro, and now El Duque (Orlando Hernandez) felt discomfort in his leg during a jog, but at this stage, he's going to pitch. The pitching staff just doesn't look good, but the great thing about baseball is that the Mets could put up 8 runs a game and it just wouldn't matter who pitches. The Mets play at 3:00 central this afternoon.
Name of the Game: Cliff Floyd, he's hurting with a sore Achilles, but it won't matter when he hits a home run.

• MLB (The others)

Cardinals 5, Padres 1 (Cards lead 1-0): Pujols homers, Carpenter pitches a gem and the Cards forget they have sucked recently.
Yankees 8, Tigers 4 (Yanks lead 1-0): Jeter, Abreu and Giambi all have great days.

• My Cubs (My real team)

Dusty Baker is gone. Joe Girardi is available. I am nervous. It makes too much sense. And the Cubs aren't good at making sense. Before Baker the Cubs never had a real manager (except for Don Zimmer) in my life. Though after being at Wrigley with my girlfriend (now fiancee) for Game 6 of the 2003 NL Championships, I realized Baker is not a good in-game manager. He lost control of his ball club after the Bartman thing, and putting in Farnsworth instead of a rested Zambrano, or a change of pace lefty (Prior had started) are still decisions that bug the hell out of me today.

• NFL (But, really let's just talk about the Bears)

There is a new number one NFL team in the power rankings on ESPN. Click here to read. The short version is, everyone is starting to realize the Bears are good.

• Stuff

Did anyone bother watching "Friday Night Lights?" I have it on Tivo, haven't watched yet.

Also - I was talking to friends about the best movies of the year for me. Here's the list.

The quick list (in no order)
Little Miss Sunshine
The Heart of the Game
Mission Impossible 3
Thank you for Smoking
Beerfest
The Inside Man
Jackass Number Two
Brick

It's a short list, and it's not official. Am I forgetting anything?

20th Edition - 10/3/06

• Fantasy (Everybody's doing it)

I hesitate to talk about Fantasy Sports. Supposedly it is the biggest crime of the new century. But last night, in my league, "Shane Falco" led "Bo Knows" 110-109.58 (both had more points than anyone else in our league). Falco is in Italy for 10 days with his wife, but still managing his team. He started Brett Favre, interceptions get negative points, QB yards aren't worth much ... final score Falco (108.2) - Bo Knows (109.58). Hurts.

• Steriods (Everybody's probably doing this too)

A federal prosecutor said there were "significant inacurracies" in the report the Los Angeles Times made, sighting Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel Tejada and others to steriod use. So who knows what that means at this point. Here's the thing, WE'LL NEVER KNOW. We won't know officially who did steriods, HGH or anything else. I don't know if the public would even care unless Bonds was going after the all-time home run record. Take that away coupled with the fact that most reporters hates Bonds because he hates them, and it doesn't become front page.

IF baseball didn't have the home run race between McQwire and Sosa, it would have taken a lot longer for baseball to come back. IF someone (reporter, commissioner, manager, player, fans) would have demanded a steriod investigation back then, this wouldn't be a problem. NO ONE wanted to stop the home runs.

We need to move on, the only way that happens is to decide it was the Steriod Era, allow all the stats, and cheer like hell that someone like Pujols or Howard destroy all home run records.

I'm sick of players making comments such as, "I have never tested positive." Then reporters decide that means he found a way to pass all his tests.

• NFL (Hopefully not everybody is going to do this)

Albert Haynesworth is suspended for five games. Click here for the full story and video. He stomped on the head of Andre Groude, who's helmet had already been knocked off. Five games is a ton, and he deserved it. Keep in mind, for something that happened on the field, this is the longest suspension EVER. The pervious long was when a Green Bay Packer threw Jim McMahon to the ground in 1986. He got two games.

• My Twins (moving on to happy thoughts)

Home field advantage and at least two pitching performances by Johan Santana. That should be enough to get past the A's. I don't care for the best-of-five series, it doesn't give an accuarate test of who's the best team ... But in this case, I'll take it.

By the way, it's the afternoon game, so fire up the espn.com at 12:09 central, and enjoy the rest of your work day.

Player of the Game (Besides Santana): Punto.

• My Mets (a little nervous, we'll talk tomorrow)

• Stuff (Saturday Night Live)

I forgot to talk about SNL on Monday (a new weekly feature, since I am the only one who watches it religiously). Dane Cook isn't all that funny. He's lost something for me. Brian Williams had a nice cameo during the news, but Seth Myers looked nervous and talked WAY too fast during his first time doing "Weekend Update" with Amy Poehler. "Weekend Update" also has a new set, which looks like my elementary school's wallpaper, high class all the way.
Funny SNL's for 2006/07: 0-1 (Dane Cook)

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."

6th Edition - 9/12/06

• MNF (if you didn't know that meant Monday Night Football, I question why you are reading this page)

Well, the Vikings beat the Redskins 19-16 and after that, while most of us were sleeping the Chargers knocked off the Raiders 27-0. Philip Rivers only needed 11 pass attempts (8/11) to make the Raiders question their ability in-between the goal posts. LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 131 yards and a score, but more importantly, people calling him "LT" needs to stop. A group of guys can't have two with the same nickname. And the football world already has one LT (Lawrence Taylor). Could you have two guys named Bud in your group? No. I was thinking T2 could work, but it's probably not the best out there. Suggestions? We're standing by to take your calls now.

• Baseball

If you are wondering what is going on in baseball, that is what today is for ...
Most teams have about 18-20 games left. It is possible to make up 5 games in the standing, but pretty unlikely.

This means the Yankees with the AL East, the A's win the AL West ... and the AL Central and Wild Card is between the White Sox, Twins and Tigers.

The Mets have the NL East and the Cardinals the NL Central. The West is tight with Dodgers, Padres and Giants. Those teams plus the Marlins, Phillies, Reds and maybe Astros are fighting for the wild card.

• Selling Out

Two friends have already asked me to start pushing their teams. So now I will try to find something interesting to say about them, in the hopes that they pimp my site throughout their insanely different states (Georgia and New York).

The Mets have a magic number. It is the number 4. Every year, I get confused by the magic number, how it is calculated and what it means. That ends today. I will memorize if it kills me (really shouldn't affect my health though). Click here is learn about magic numbers. By comparisons sake, the Cubs magic number is 39.

Georgia. The Georgia Bulldogs are #10 in the AP Poll. Their former defensive coordinator Erk Russell died last week. This proved as motivation against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and they shut them out 18-0. I love stories like this, even though I am having a hard time focusing knowing some guy had to live his life saving, "No, it's spelled E-R-K, that's it."

Pimping is always easier than you think it will be.