13th Edition - 9/22/06

• Golf (Ryder Cup)

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk won their opening match in the Ryder Cup, the rest of the Americans didn't. Europe is currently leading 2.5 - 1.5. And if you know what that means, most impressive. I'll be watching this weekend, but it's always an odd experience to watch golfers, high-fiving, hugging and cheering each other on. Golf doesn't equal team, unless of course you are drunk out on the course with three of your friends playing best ball and trying to win crappy prizes from your company's outing.

• The MLB Bandwagon (continues)

I'll contiune to pimp my support until somebody takes it. Dear god, this has pathetic stamped all over it. Yesterday I posted this, and still haven't received any takers...

OK. The White Sox are done, and I really didn't like the idea of following and slightly cheering for them this year. I did that last year, and as a Cub fan some people feel like I spit on a grave or something. With that said, whoever wants me (and the power of this column) I'm yours. Just leave a message in the comments section and I will be a _________ fan for the playoffs. The best comment wins my support. Support = a little exicitement, a little space on the column. If wondering, yes, I'm, very nervous that NO ONE will leave a comment, proving that my time is not well spent.

• College Football

I am starting to get excited, and something always goes wrong when I start getting this excited. You see, Iowa is one week away from playing #1 THE Ohio State. All Iowa has to do is beat a pathetic Illinois team (at Ill.) and all THE has to do is beat #24 Penn State (at Ohio). Then the two teams will clash (both undefeated) in Iowa next weekend for the ABC Saturday night game. Yes, I think THE Ohio State is better than us, but Iowa is at home, where they barely lose. And, for one game, anything can happen. I just hope nothing ruins these teams meeting each other undefeated (besides the wedding I have to go to the night of the game).

• Baseball

Well, it's official. I just got excited about next year (and hopefully years) with the Cubs. Joe Girardi, the manager of the Florida Marlins who has done an amazing job with what most people considered a triple-A team, will NOT be coming back next year. That's the report from the South-Florida Sun Sentinel--a newspaper I didn't know existed, but I now love. Girardi will manage the Cubs (leap of faith). He's played for the Cubs and is a Northwestern graduate. Girardi will then teach the team: A. How to stay healthy, B: How to play defense; C: How to show you care, D: How to win... Not necessarily in that order.

• The Picks!

Don't know what a progressive parlay is? Well, that's what I am going to be betting on the combined picks of me, billy z and mike d. Oh, someone's knocking on my door, I assume it's retirement.
NCAA: season 4-2
Texas (-25) over Iowa State
Notre Dame (-3) over Michigan State
Minneasota (-3) over Purdue

NFL: season 5-1
Bears (-3) over Vikings
Jets (+5.5) over Bills
Ravens (-6.5) over Browns

As always, look for billy z to give his NCAA picks and mike d to give his NFL picks later in the day... And actually, it was somebody selling magazines at the door, not retirement. Unless I missed the signs somewhere.

• Stuff

Movies this weekend
"Jackass Number Two" = B+ (comedy)
Keep in mind, it is more. More stunts, more stupidity, more gross. But it's also hilarious, creative and at times scarey (putting a fish hook through your mouth and being bait). Ideally, they would get rid of the crap (literally). But, I'll take what I can get. And shouldn't they be able to do about two of these a year?
"All The King's Men" = B- (drama-suspense)
The film is based on the book, not the 1949 Oscar winning film. Tons of actors in this one, which is half the fun, half the problem. They are all trying on southern accents and barely any of them fit. The story seems scattered, and they depend on the technique of showing you past scenes just in case you don't understand. ALWAYS a mistake.