86th Edition - 1/22/06

• Bears: Fate? Probably not.

Today is my 86th post on The Daily Score. And in 1986 the Bears won Super XX. Fate? Probably not, but I really don't care today. I get to watch the Bears in the Super Bowl, that is all that matters.

The Chicago Bears beat the America Saints 39 - 14. The defense showed up, allowing the Saints to score a long drive before the first half came to a close, and in the second half giving up a long pass to Reggie Bush. Otherwise, the high-powered Saints offense did nothing. And the Bears offense? No turnovers. That is really all that matters, but on top of that Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson combined for 196 rushing yards as well.

It was 16-14 when the Bears forced Drew Brees into a safety to make it 18 - 14. Most people say when the Bears went up 16 - 0, they "knew" the Bears would win. I didn't feel comfortable until the Bears made it 25 -14.

Now we can have two weeks of listening to "Miami" by Will Smith!.. I guess I shouldn't complain about two weeks of over-hype, after all only two teams are "lucky" enough for that.

• The Other Game: (The much more exciting one)

On Saturday, talking with my fiancee, I asked her who else was playing on Sunday.
She said, "The Colts and the Patriots."
I said, "Who is the quarterback for the Colts?"
"Not Brady?" she said.
"And who's the quarterback for the Patriots?"
"Brady," she said.

I went on a four- to five-minute explanation of how for a sports fan, that was very deep. After all, Manning is the anti-Brady as far as playoffs were concerned ... That was of course, until the Colts beat the Patriots 38-34. This game was incredibly fun to watch. Back and forth the entire second half (which is why I don't consider it the greatest comeback for a championship game, anybody watching didn't feel like the Colts "came back" in the forth quarter from a major deficit). I found myself wishing the Colts would win, because it would be a more exciting match up for the Bears, but wanting the Patriots to win the game.

After the game was over, my fiancee said, "Oh wait, Manning's the one we saw home videos of playing football when he was a kid ... I like him, I'm glad he won."

• The Picks (revisited)

NFL Season Standingsj : 26-25-4
Mike D: 28-25-2

NFL Playoffs
j: (1-1) 4-6 -- but I also took the over in both games, and the Bears winning the first quarter.
Mike D: (1-1) 6-4

NFL Overall
j: 29-30-4
Mike D: 33-28-2

So it all comes down to who win the Super Bowl. I say this because everyone knows the Super Bowl is worth five picks, which is funny because that's EXACTLY how many I need to win the Overall record. That is fate.

• Stuff

*I've watched 2/3rds of SNL and can't officially decide if it's a funny one or not. Stay tuned.

*Quick Movie Reviews:
"The Last King of Scotland" - a great film. And an amazing job by SUPPORTING ACTOR Forrest Whitaker. I have no clue why he is considered the lead. He's in a third of the film. Whereas the LEAD ACTOR James McAvoy is in every single scene, and he does a great job. I hate the business of the awards. Bigger name does not mean lead actor.

"The Painted Veil" - a great film. Reminded me a little of "The English Patient," but more importantly it had an amazing score, Ed Norton and Naomi Watts are top notch, and the love story/tension felt real.

Here is a competition to decide the 40 Greatest Internet Superstars. Clips included. Click here