78th Edition - 1/9/07

• The Florida Gators: next up, a lacrosse championship?

The Gators already own the basketball national championship, and after dominating THE ohio state buckeyes (they don't deserve capital letters, in fact, no more THE either) the Gators now have the BCS Championship. The final score of 41-14 was the perfect indication that the game wasn't close. Another stat that is just ridiculous is 82 total yards for ohio state's offense. They had more yards on the opening kickoff return.

The Gator players played the disrespect card about 3,752 times in the interviews to follow the game. Turns out, nobody believed in them. Poor kids. Finally, they can hold their heads high. I wish pure joy would win out in all post-game interviews. Plain-old happiness would be a nice change.

By the way, there is one undefeated college football team. Boise State finished #5 in the nation.

• NBA: Redd is out

For many, an NBA player being out for 4-6 weeks doesn't really matter, unless he's on your team, and then it only matters if home-court advantage is on the line (translation: in general, the regular season doesn't hold much drama or interest). But when I read this headline, my hopes went high. I am one of the few who plays Fantasy NBA. For a second, I thought the league leader had Redd and this would help my second place ball club, Dentyne. But instead, it turns out Slick Balls has Redd, who also happens to be Mike D. And he's in the middle of the back, so it really doesn't matter... I think I just rambled.

• The Tease: tomorrow

Mike Triplett from the New Orleans Times-Picayune will join us tomorrow to talk NFL playoffs. He's the lead writer for the Saints.

• Stuff

"Big day. Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as Speaker of the House. Experts say Pelosi is now the most powerful non-Oprah woman." ---Conan O'Brien

77th Edition - 1/8/07

• NFL: New York, ouch babe

Colts 23, Chiefs 8
Kansas City didn't have a first down in the first half. The Colts defense played better than Peyton Manning.
next week: Colts at Ravens

Seahawks 21, Cowboys 20
The last seconds were insanely good for Bledsoe fans. Tony Romo fumbled the snap of a 19-yard FG attempt, then tried to run it in only to be tackled from behind at the one yard line.
next week: Seahawks at Bears

Patriots 37, Jets 16
The announcers were trying to say it was a close game with the Patriots leading 16-30, until Pennington threw an interception, returned for a touchdown ... It wasn't that close before the pick.
next week: Patriots at Chargers

Eagles 23, Giants 20
The Ealges got outscored 10-3 in the 4th quarter, but those 3 came from a game-ending 38-yard FG by David Akers. Tiki Barber is retiring, and ever since he announced that, the Giants are 2-9.
next week: Eagles at Saints

• MLB: The Medium Unit going back to Arizona

The Yankees actually got rid of a player to create some financial space. Randy Johnson is 43-years-old and the Diamondbacks are giving him $26 million over two years. Then again, any pitcher going from AL to NL improves, but this guy is a shell of the man who made John Kruk weak in the knees during the '93 All-Star Game.

• College Football: What do you mean there's a game on tonight?

Just awful timing. I will watch, but my attention has drifted.

THE Ohio State Buckeyes vs Florida Gators. The winner gets to win. It has been 50 days since Ohio State has played. But I'm sure with all that extra time, the players have honored all their classes. Hats off to the NCAA, making sure education is always the top priority.

• Stuff

*Quick Film Reviews
Children of Men: A-, just a great Sci-Fi (bleak glimpse into the future) with some amazing suspense/action scenes.
The Queen: B, it was nice, I just don't see what all the fuss is about.

*Chevy Chase (used to be a comedian) wrote an op-ed about Gerald Ford dying. click here to read

75th Edition - 1/4/07

Yawn. Stretch. Yawn. Nap. Repeat.
I've been gone for a while. I admit I got a little bit lazy with my extended vacation. I promise it will never happen again. Except for future vacations, bachelor parties, weddings, honeymoons and again the most important, laziness.

But at least we didn't miss anything besides one of the greatest college football games ever (Bosie St. vs. Oklahoma), more Mike Tyson arrests, the Iowa Hawkeyes making it look easy against Texas and then blowing it, Bob Knight breaking the wins record, Gerald Ford dying, James Brown (the guy who sang in "Rocky 4") dying, Saddam Hussein getting hung, and probably about 125 other stories that were important while I was gone. But thankfully, nothing important.

• The Picks: revisited

Final standing for the 2006 College Football Season --
j : 4-6 for the bowls, not 10-0 like I was hoping, which would have won me $2500. Instead, I lost $10.
billy z: 8-2 for the bowls. Just insane, the only games he missed were the ones we had in common.

j NCAA: (27-22-1)
billy z NCAA: (35-14-2)

You have no idea how insane a record of 35-14-2 is. Billy should actually be doing this for a full-time job. I can't express this enough, so I will stop.

The funny (awful) thing ... I made more money than billy did this season. How? Because I bet on the games. He didn't. If he would have bet just $10 a game, he would have won almost $200. And that's not the way to bet, you have to change it up with the money-line, parlays and teasers. 2006 should have been the year billy retired. I hope this streak continues next year, so at least I can make money off him.

Mike d and I aren't done with the NFL, as both of us will be attempting to go undefeated in the playoffs. J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!

• Nick Saban: Is he really that important?

This whole honesty thing comes up every time a coach does this. Nick Saban has now left the Miami Dolphins and become the new Alabama coach and also got tons of cash to go along with it. Many sports writers are calling him out, saying he is not honest. Who cares?

Fans - Dolphin fans are upset. They should be, they thought they had a coach for a long time. But he left because another position was more attractive to him.

Media - It gives them an angle to talk about that is more jucy. Otherwise, it's just reporting how much he will make, what he NFL record was, and why he will fit/not fit at Alabama

But here's the thing we always forget--Sports is a passion for the public, it is a job (first and foremost) for Nick Saban. And in the real world, almost anyone you know will take a job that gives more guarenteed money in an environment they are happier with. Case closed.

• Stuff

*If you are curious when your TV shows return from the break, click here. A helpful list is provided. And hopefully, you didn't missed "Friday Night Lights" last night.

*Blender has given us 25 reasons to love 2007. #18 Kaiser Cheifs is nice to see, but for some reason I can't find The Arcade Fire. Click here to read

*A new music Web site with great live, in-stuido performances ... The odd thing, the studio is located in Rock Island, Ill. I am from the Quad-Cities and it is insanely surprising to hear that a quality music studio is there. Check it out.
www.daytrotter.com

53rd Edition - 11/20/06

• NCAA Football - Good game, good game.

Ohio State 42, Michigan 39
It was the most watched regular season college football game since Florida State at Notre Dame in 1993.
The rest of the year is still a bit confusing, with strength of schedule changing a couple more times ... the only thing that seems to be a guarantee is Ohio State playing USC, if USC beats Notre Dame and UCLA. Though, as of right now, Michigan is still #2 in the BCS standings.
Current BCS Standings

The Iowa Hawkeyes started the season in the top 15. They finished 8th in the Big Ten after a 24-34 loss to Minnesota. Insanely, they still get to go to a bowl game. Perhaps Detriot's Motor City Bowl is a callin'. So sad.

• Chicago Cubs: Damn, they are REALLY trying

Cubs sign Alfonso Soriano to an 8-year, $136 million contract.
Here's the thing I have finally realized. Contracts in baseball don't matter. There is no limit for teams like the Cubs, Yankees, Red Soxs. They can just spend. So simply getting the player is all that matters, not whether or not you will have enough left over to get a pitcher (which the Cubs need).
Reportedly, Soriano will be playing center field (he has a good arm, but only one season of experience in the outfield). He'll also be leading off. Last year he had over 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Cubs will win more than the 66 games they did in 2006. I don't love him leading off, and he's not a proven winner, but I love his talent.

• NFL: Ouch

The Colts lost to the Cowboys. Brett Farve hurt a nerve in his arm. Donovan McNabb is out on a season-ending injury for the third time in five years. LaMont Jordan is probably out for the year. And my two fantasy running backs (Kevin Jones and DeShaun Foster) left their games with injuries.
Luckily, out of it all the Bears improved to 9-1, with a 10-0 defeat of the J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets! This win proved the Bears could win with great defense, running the football, and not turning the ball over.

The Best
QB
Drew Brees: 510 yards, 2TD, 3INT - L
J.P. Losman: 340 yards, 3TD, 1INT - W
Carson Palmer: 275 yards, 3TD, 1INT - W
RB
Frank Gore: 212 yards - W
Larry Johnson: 154 yards, 2TD - W
Travis Henry: 143 yards, 1TD - W
WR
Lee Evans: 265 yards, 2TD - W
Chad Johnson: 190 yards, 3TD - W
Devery Henderson: 169 yards - L

• The Picks (revisited)

j NCAA: 0-3 (19-12-1)
billy z NCAA: 3-0 (22-8-2)
j NFL: 2-1 (14-18-3)
mike d NFL: 0-3 (13-20-2)

52nd Edition - 11/17/06

• NCAA Football: Game O' The Year

No. I am not talking about Northwestern vs. Illinois. Nor am I speaking of Iowa vs. Minnesota (even though the winner gets a pig).

#1 THE Ohio State University vs #2 Michigan Wolverines

As an Iowa Hawkeye alum, I think I am supposed to have hatred for both these teams, probably one more than the other ... But on Saturday afternoon at 2:30, I really won't care. All I hope is that the score is close. Hype has a way of making these "once in a lifetime" games a disappointment. If the score can be within eight points, I will be in college football heaven.

Speaking of heaven, ESPN has decided the game is "Judgement Day." It would be SO awesome if the loser got banished to hell. That would probably make the kids play harder.

* Also - USC starts a streak of playing Cal, Notre Dame and then UCLA. If they win out, expect to see them play the winner of the Big Ten in the BCS Championship game.

* Iowa is currently bowl eligible. Montana was the division II team, not Northern Illinois. But I guess we can count that as a win every so often. So here's a sarcastic yippee! to the Iowa Hawkeyes for making it to a bowl game (can you tell I have gotten used to them finishing in the top 10?).

• NFL

Game of the Week is the Chargers vs. the Broncos, Sunday night. I know this because NBC has told me about the "flex" schedule and all of its glory. "Flex" stands for "Flexible," which is WAY to big of a word for the TV world. The idea is that NBC makes sure there is a good game on Sunday night. Thank you NBC, especially for dumbing it down.

NFL Real Talk with Jason Whitlock

• The Picks: As always, look for billy z and mike d's picks in the comments

so far this season:
j NCAA: 19-9-1
billy z NCAA: 19-8-2
j NFL: 12-17-3
mike d NFL: 13-17-2

j NCAA:
Illinois -2.5 over Northwestern -- I like Juice.
Iowa +2.5 over Minnesota -- The word is fight, Fight, FIGHT for Iowa!
Ohio State -7 over Michigan -- I believe Ohio State is going to win. Seven is a lot of points, and it makes me want to take Michigan, but Michigan's offense can disappear at times, Ohio State's can't.

j NFL: On the road again ...
Colts -1 over Cowboys
Steelers -3 over Browns
Bears -7 over Jets

• Stuff

Quick Film Reviews

Fast Food Nation
Richard Linklater has taken the non-fiction bestseller and make it into a drama about all angles of the fast food corporation. Unfortunately, none of the punches he takes hits hard enough. The cast is impressive as always with a Linklater film (Ethan Hawke, Avril Lavigne, Bruce Willis, Wilmer Valderrama, Greg Kinnear, Luis Guzman, Patricia Arquette, Kris Kristofferson). Willis' cameo is probably the most fun, but the movie is a bit slow and the impact scene is supposed to be the kill floor at the end, though interesting, I didn't feel like I was learning anything new. All that being said -- Linklater was fantastic to sit down and talk to -- click here to read the interview.
Grade: C+

Happy Feet
It's creepy. This animated flick is about an Emperor Penguin who dances instead of sings. It felt like I was watching "Moulin Rouge" and "March of the Penguins," good in theory, not in practice. But more importantly it answers questions such as --
Q: What if Elvis and Marilyn Monroe had a child?
A: It would sound a lot like Frodo Baggins.

Q: Will it offend anyone that Robin Williams overdoes impressions of a black voice and an Argentinian voice?
A: Probably not, somehow everyone will think that's great.

Q: Why would humans want to save penguins?
A: Because they are cute and dance when we want them to.

The film is fluff through the first 2/3. Then Mumble (Elijah Wood) leaves his parents Memphis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) to discover why their food is disappearing. Will kids find the zoo creepy? Will anyone understand the timeline doesn't make sense in this film? I have no idea. It's best not to think about.
Grade: C-

Casino Royale
Plot: Bond is back. “Casino Royale” is based on the original novel by Ian Fleming and is considered a prequel to all the other adventures. This time Daniel Craig (“Road to Perdition,” “Layer Cake”) is Bond, James Bond. On his first “007” mission Bond must stop Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) from winning a high-stakes poker game.
Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a Treasury official, is assigned to assist him. There is plenty of time for chases, romance, martinis and torture since the film is two hours and 24 minutes long.

Bottom Line: Since this is Bond’s first mission, he’s rough around the edges and Craig’s Bond has a bigger ego than all that have come before him. This remains the highlight of the film. Unfortunately, the rest doesn’t keep up with Craig and we are left with similar problems the recent Bond films have had. There is not a great bad guy, just guys who report to other guys. I thought I was getting the story of how James Bond got his start, but that really only takes five minutes, and then we are off to the races with over-the-top action sequences, which are easy on the eyes.
The film comes to a stretching halt when Bond … “bonds” with Vesper … It takes so long you’ll think you are watching “James Bond: The Love Story.”
Two more things, the film does a terrible job assuming the audience doesn’t know how to play Texas Hold’em, and the ending is simply a “to be continued …” to the next installment.
I know, I sound like I am ranting, but I had high hopes that this would be the beginning of something brilliant. After all, in the cinematic world, “B” stands for Bond. Unfortunately, I have to add a minus to it.
Grade: B-

48th Edition - 11/13/06

• Bear with me: It's a play on words

Bears 38, Giants 20
I was convinced Rex Grossman was one interception away from being benched last night for Brian Griese. But thanks to a draw play with 2:00 left on 3rd and VERY long, the Bears went from looking horrendous, to dominating the Giants. At the 2:00 mark it was 3-13, with the Bears only having 50 yards of offense.
Also - Devin Hester returned a FG 108 yards. He even played it up like he was going to down the missed FG in the end zone. Hester is a train wreck, you have to watch, and it will be ugly. We just never know if it will be ugly for the Bears or their opponents.

• NFL

Chargers 49, Bengals 41
Steelers 38, Saints 31
There was scoring in the NFL, let's see how that affected the best.

The Best
QB
Carson Palmer: 440 yards, 3TD
Drew Brees: 398 yards, 1TD
Steve McNair: 373 yards, 3TD, 2INT
RB
Willie Parker: 213 yards, 2TD
Frank Gore: 159 yards, 1TD
Tiki Barber: 141 yards
WR
Chad Johnson: 260 yards, 2TD
Donald Driver: 191 yards, 1TD
Marques Colston: 169 yards

• Hawkeyes: don't look, I'm hideous

The Hawks lost to Wisconsin. They are 2-5 in the Big Ten, 6-5 overall. I might be wrong, please correct me if I am, but the Hawks must beat Minnesota to be bowl eligible. You need six wins and the Hawks only have five since one was against Northern Illinois, not a Division I school.

• NCAA Football: Real Quick

Here are the latest BCS rankings. Doesn't matter much right now, since USC still has three games to play. I find it very annoying that Big Ten teams have one game left and others still have three to play. Can't a schedule be made that has everyone wrap up at the same time? Also, it would help if AP and Coaches polls didn't start until week 5. That way people wouldn't have to explain the reason Rutgers isn't No. 3 right now--because no one thought they would be good.

• The Picks: revisited

j NCAA: 2-1 (19-9-1)
billy z NCAA: 3-0 (19-8-2)
It's insane how good billy and I are.
j NFL: 1-2 (12-17-3)
mike d NFL: 1-1 (13-16-2) he has the Bucs +9.5 tonight
It's insane how bad mike and I are.

• SNL: We have a winner

Funniest Saturday Night Live in years.
The show had Christina Aquilera, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Tony Bennent and Paul McCartney ... not to mention Alec Baldwin hosted.
The funniest sketch was Baldwin and Kristen Wiig as new carpool partners.

So, for the season -- SNL: 3-2
Funny: Alec Baldwin, John C. Reily, Hugh Laurie
Not Funny: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson

*I'll talk about the Cubs (Ramirez and Woods signing) tomorrow.

47th Edition - 11/10/07

• NCAA Football: Rutgers sucks ... Rutgers is AWESOME!

Rutgers was losing to the Louisville Cardinals 25-7. That's a wide margin, especially when Louisville has an offense that won't quit ... that was until the 2nd half of the game when Rutgers held them to 52 yards, and came back to win 28-25. They got two chances to make a late FG thanks to an offsides call, but Rutgers now joins Michigan, Ohio State and Boise State as the only unbeatends in college football.

• The Hawkeyes

*Iowa is getting 1.5 points against Wisconsin. Keep in mind Iowa has recently lost to Indiana and Northwestern (at home). There is a strong possibility the Hawks lose out and don't make a bowl game this year.

*The Iowa Basketball team will enter the 2006-07 season with 18 straight wins in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a streak that ranks first in the Big Ten Conference and third in the nation behind only Gonzaga (40 games) and Connecticut (19) ... Too bad the Hawks are expected to finish 9th out of the 11 Big Ten teams.

• Plaxico Burress is a moron. This is one of the reasons:

"I don't think they're the best corners I've played against or we've played against this year. By far, no," Burress told the Newark Star-Ledger. "Those guys make plays [on] the balls that are thrown straight to them, but they're not just covering guys straight up and just shutting them down. I haven't seen any of that.
"They're very beatable."

Thank you Plaxico, sometimes NFL players need to feel "disrespected" to get motivated. I am liking the Bears chances against the Giants on Sunday night a little more.

• The Bull (2-3)

Bulls 94, Cavs 113
LeBron James only scored 19 points = good. James getting 12 assists = bad. The Cavs went on an 11-2 run and put the game out of reach in the 4th. I'll look forward to the day when they aren't under .500 anymore for the rest of the season. Hopefully that's in two games.

• NBA: That was quick

The undefeateds: none
The defeateds: Nuggets at 0-3. Though some teams have already played 6 games.

• The Picks

j NCAA: 17-8-1
billy z NCAA: 16-8-2
j NFL: 11-15-3
mike d NFL: 12-15-2

It's insane how close I am to these two guys. This is the weekend where I create a gap. Then after that, I shall widen that gap.

j NCAA
Wisconsin -1.5 over Iowa
Temple +36.5 over Penn State
Notre Dame -11.5 over Air Force

j NFL
Cheifs over Dolphins (no points)
Chargers -1.5 over Bengals
Saints +4.5 over Steelers

• Stuff

Quick Movie Reviews

Stranger Than Fiction: Will Ferrell is great as Harold Crick. I needed the reserved, toned down Ferrell and I am a sucker for any film that attempts something new. Having Harold hear the voice of a narrator (Emma Thompson) might be too much for some people, but the film is very nice. And it's good to see Dustin Hoffman steal the show as a literary professor trying to help Harold discover if he's in a comedy or tragedy. B+

A Good Year: Just not worth seeing. Russell Crowe doesn't fit as the lead, and the film actually comes off as a failed physical comedy. The best part of the film should be the wine but even that gets overlooked for most of the film. There is no heart, just a businessman releasing there might me more to life. And we've seen that before. D+

Come Early Morning: Simple. And it works. Ashely Judd gives a great performance about a woman from a small town in Arkansas struggling. The most powerful, uncomfortable scene is when Judd's character tries to have sex without being drunk. The film is written and directed by Joey Lauren Adams, who I happened to interview (click here to read). B

Studio 60 has been picked up for a full season (click here to read)

Do you like Johnny Cash? Well, maybe you like these people more - Kanye West, Johnny Depp, Justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crow, Chris Martin, Keith Richards, Kate Moss, Chris Rock, Iggy Pop, Bono. They all appear in Cash's new video "God's Gonna Cut You Down."
click here to watch

46th Edition - 11/9/06

• NBA

A couple of game winning shots went up last night. Perhaps the best coming from the rainbow Chris Bosh sent up giving the Raptors the victory over the 76ers.

If you are ever looking for a daily wrap-up of the NBA - check out ESPN's the Daily Dime.

The undefeateds: Hornets
The defeateds: Mavs, Nuggets

Biggest Point Differential: Bulls (+12.8), Wizards (+6.8)
Worst Point Differential: Mavs (-14.5), Heat (-10.5)

Larry Brown got $18.5 million for being fired by the Knicks.

• NCAA on Thursday (it rhymes, but then again it would rhyme with any day of the week)

#3 Louisville at #15 Rutgers (both teams are undefeated)
Everyone is talking about how Louisville might get into the BCS Championship Game with a win tonight. I think it would be more interesting if either team wins and DOESN'T play in the Championship.
Imagine this scenario for the bowl games - Ohio State/Michigan (undefeated) plays USC (one loss) and USC win. Meanwhile, Louisville plays a team with one loss and wins - thus giving Louisville the only perfect season in college football. You would HAVE to give them the Championship after that, correct?

Once again, give me a six to eight team playoff. Six teams would give the top two seeds a first-round bye. Eventually, the tournament would expand to 16 teams, but it would probably take 10 years for that to happen.

• Stuff

A new episode of "The Office" is on tonight. Here's a Youtube tribute to Dwight and Michael.

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.

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.

10th Edition - 9/18/06

• NFL

The best Sunday
QB
Peyton Manning: 400 yards, 3TD
Eli Manning: 371 yards, 3TD, 1INT
RB
Rudi Johnson: 145 yards, 2TD
Michael Turner: 138 yards - Since the Chargers were cruising, this back-up messed around.
WR
Joey Galloway: 161 yards
Donald Driver: 153 yards

*The Eagles handed the Giants the game late, they had a 17 point lead going into the 4th quarter.
*It appears the Bears will be playing the Falcons in the NFC title game, and the Ravens will challenge the Colts in the AFC. Take it to the bank, after all they've already played two games, nothing more to figure out.
*For a split second I actually starting thinking about adding Rex Grossman to my fantasy roster. But someone else beat me to it, which means now I have to continue to cheer for the Bears but hope that they score all of their touchdowns running the ball. Yes, this is just a typical day in the life of an idiot male fantasy football player.

• College

You have to love halftime headlines that read "Ohio St. Stunner" when they are losing to Cincinnati 7-6. And then they change it to "Ohio St. Rolls" when THE Ohio State Buckeyes end up winning 37-7. By the way, the spread had been 30 points all week, and on Friday it changed to 29.5 which mean the Buckeyes covered.

• Baseball

The Mets are still on the magic number 1. This is because they got swept by the Pirates. Pedro Martinez held back tears after his awful performance on Friday. If you are a Mets fan, how do you deal with this news? Do you immediately distance yourself from him because there is no crying in baseball? Or do you try and believe this is the new improved kind of athlete who is more in touch with his feeling? I would love to know your thoughts.

The Cubs Derrek Lee had tears for a much better reason, he could miss the rest of the season after an emotional admission to his Chicago Cubs teammates that his 3-year-old daughter Jada has "lost some vision" in one eye. "Until it's cleared up, I won't be with the team," said Lee.

• The Picks (revisited)

j NCAA 2-1, Season: 4-2
billy z NCAA 4-1-1, Season: 4-1-1
j NFL 2-1, Season: 5-1
mike d NFL 3-0, Season: 6-0

Do you people realize how insanely good all of this is? Between the three of us, 19-4-1 AGAINST THE SPREAD. No one does this, which means reality is going to come knocking on the door any second. But until it does, I will continue to ride this streak just like I road horses in my youth--nervous, hopeful, and hurting the whole time.

9th Edition - 9/15/06

• Blatant Self-Promotion

Have you ever dreamed of writing an article about the Chicago Bears and comparing them with films due out in the next month and a half? Me too... Me too. Click here to read

• Baseball

The Minnesota Twins are dealing with the loss of Francisco Liriano by winning. They are now just a game back from the Tigers in the AL Central.
My Twins insider had this too say, "Twins have been winning without [Liriano] ... They're playing well and are confident, I think they'll pull it off."
So there you go, bet the farm on the Twins. If you don't have a farm, I wouldn't recommend betting anything else. Please keep in mind, the insider is just a guy I know who lives in Minneapolis.

• College Football

Uge college football weekend. Especially considering we have started conference play. And no, the "uge" isn't a typo. I'm just trying out my radio voice on paper. On sports talk, they never say H's, and typically they overpronounce whatever letter follows.
*(6)LSU at (3)Auburn
*(11)Michigan at (2)Notre Dame - which, typically the underdog always covers the spread.
These are two of SEVEN games that have top 25 teams playing each other. If other words, find a bar or friend with a big arse TV, sit and enjoy.

If they prove that Reggie Bush's family did receive $100,000, the school with be sanctioned and Bush's life as a millionaire will continue without any real bumps in the road. Future college kids suffering because of this is ridiculous. If the allegations are true, Bush should be disciplined for not being able to wait, Coach Pete Carroll should be disciplined for not being able to pay attention (a percentage of his salary), and USC (the entire insitutuion) should be disciplined for not keeping a closer eye on their athletes, but future football shouldn't be touched.

• THE PICKS!

Every Friday I make picks on college and NFL games that are can't missed. Except once ... And I've only been doing it for a week, so I guess I could miss again ... proceed at your own caution (odd saying if you think about it, when don't you proceed at your own caution? who else's?)

NCAA - currently 2-1
Syracuse (+3) over Illinois
Oregon (-5) over Oklahoma
Michigan St (+2.5) over Pittsburgh

NFL - currently 3-0
Panthers (-1) over Vikings
Chiefs (+11) over Broncos
Colts (-13.5) over Texans

Later today, look in the comments section for...
NCAA picks by "billy z"
NFL picks by "mike d"

• Stuff

Movies this weeknd
Gridiron Gang: B- (typical sports movie, with the occasional gun)
The Last Kiss: B- (Zach Braff stars in a heavy drama that could be Garden State 2)
The Black Dahlia: B (not a great ending, most smoking in a film - ever)

The new CBS sitcom "The Class" is not worth watching. Mainly because it involves a group of 20 or 30 something's that are WAY to nastolgic for things that happened in the 3rd grade.

2nd Edition - 9/06/06

• NFL

I hate the rule that says NFL players can't remove their helmet for a TD celebration. I mean, just look at Chad Johnson. Anyone willing to look like Welsey Snipes from "Demolition Man" deserves to show it off.

We are two days away from the first NFL game (on Thursday of course), and I just happened to watch an old SNL (airing sometime around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning) with host John Madden. It was from 1982 and had Joe Piscapo, Eddie Murphy and no one else you would recognize in the cast. Anyway, the man told stories for two skits. He just sat there and told stories. Buckwheat sang kids song in one skit & Andy Kaufmann made an odd appearance, so it wasn't a complete waste.

So now Madden and Michaels are calling Sunday night games for NBC. Does anyone under the age of 40 care? Can you get excited about Madden? If he isn't accidentally mocking his video game self ("Boom, he's on his back!") then what is the point?

• College Football

Thank goodness. The polls have Texas at #2 and THE Ohio State University at #1. Now these two teams can play for all the marbles ... Can you believe at one point, people were just dying to get their hands on ALL the marbles? Perhaps a new phrase can start. Any suggestions? If you are playing for ALL of something, what do you want it to be?

• Baseball

Yesterday, I stupidly attempted to make predictions about the MVP award and playoff race. I hate people like that. How do I know? It's more of what I hope, and I really only have one hope. I follow the White Sox because I am in Chicago, and once I stopped watching every Cub game (in late June) I decided to pay a little more attention to the Sox. Ideally, the last weekend of the season will have the Sox, Tigers and Twins tied. The Sox and Twins will go head-to-head with the Tigers playing the Royals. It will be the Royals first meaningful games in the last decade.

Johan Santana just ptiched himself into the Cy Young lead last night (8 innings, 2 hits, 12 K's). He's the first to 17 wins. More importantly, I was able to trade Scott Posednik and Scott Kazmir for Santana right before the All-Star break. On paper, it looked kind of equal ... And sorry for breaking the rule about talking about my fantasy team, but I'm playing the guy in the playoffs right now.

1st Edition - 9/05/06

• Football

College Football is back. Which means the NFL is moments away, and men everywhere finally can start ignoring their families/yard work/the rest of the world on the weekends ... Monday nights, some Thursday nights and random moments during the week while they are updating their Fantasy Football teams.

So what did we learn?
*Texas has the greatest name for a quarterback ever (Colt McCoy - 177 yards passing, 3 TD).
*Ohio State is potent on offense and impotent of D. And either THE Ohio State University or Texas will be out of the national championship picture after they play next weekend.
*Notre Dame is perhaps, just perhaps, slightly overrated. They eeked out a victory over Georgia Tech, 14-10. Next week - Penn State.
*It's always amusing to listen to local guys. During the Iowa vs. Montana game, they were talking Drew Tate as a Heisman candidate. The only way this is happening is if Iowa doesn't lose a game all season, and if Tate's new receiver Brodell actually hangs on to the ball. He dropped four by my count.
*Miami's season is now dependent on playing perfect football for the rest of the season and hoping that everyone else messes up at least once. Perhaps playing a highly ranked opponent early in the season isn't the smartest path, even if it's more entertaining for the viewers. The rest of college football knows this. Which is why only two ranked teams (Miami and Cal) lost this week.

• Baseball

The Cubs are a half game away from being the worst team in the worst league ... But, if Dusty had his horses healthy, I'm sure it would be a completely different story. Zambrano might be done for the season, so they can stop pretending he had a chance at the Cy Young. With less than a month left in the season, it's time to make some pointless predictions that are sure to go wrong ... But if they're right, you won't hear the end of it.

AL MVP: Derek Jeter
NL MP: Ryan Howard
AL playoffs: Detriot, Chicago, Oakland, New York
NL playoffs: St. Louis, New York, Florida, Los Angeles. World Series: Yankees vs Mets. Yawn.

• Golf

Tiger Woods won his 5th in a row at the Deutsche Bank Championship. He is tied for second with Ben Hogan for 6 in a row. Byron Nelson won 11 in a row. This streak is just as impossible as Joe DiMaggio's 56. But here's the difference, NO ONE in baseball is as good as Tiger is in golf. The sport is fairly boring when Tiger is winning every third tournament, but this streak is now becoming must watch for sports fans.

• Tennis

Andre Agassi is done with tennis. I can't imagine a reason I watch the sport now. He lost to Benjamin Becker in a four-set match that was much closer on paper. Agassi was a shell of his former self. I was just hoping he could pull a Jimmy Connors and make a run. After the match, Agassi sat and sobbed in his chair, soaking up the center court moment for the last time. That was a much better moment than his prepared speech to the crowd. But he deserved whatever he wanted to do after his final match. If it wasn't for his personality, tennis would have been very boring the last 21 years.

Good Day: Andy Roddick rolled over Becker and gives hope to America tennis, for at least one more day.

Bad Day: QB Jeff George was cut by the Raiders after just six days. Making this article, from ESPN Page 2's Jason Whitlock VERY pointless.

Worse Day: Cubs Catcher Michael Barrett was hit in the groin by a ball. He had bleeding inside his scrotum. Amazingly, he took an at-bat before stopping play. If you were curious, a bleeding scrotum takes about two to three weeks to heal.