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