Chuck and Duck

2006-11-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

NFL WEEK 12

Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions
Thanksgiving tradition often will lend itself to some exciting football, and occasionally the historically mediocre Lions provide surprise wins. This season finds a fairly equal matchup as Miami is also mired in mediocrity -- although the Dolphins have recently played much better. The Dolphins' defensive front seven will control Detroit, stuffing the run and putting pressure on Kitna all day. Look for an exciting and entertaining game, but in the end Miami will prevail.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys enter this Thanksgiving matchup as one of the hottest teams in the NFL, while the Buccaneers continue to keep their slim playoffs hope alive. Romo and the Cowboys' offense will look to exploit a depleted Buccaneers defense that has played well over the last few weeks. Gruden must find a way to keep the Cowboys off balance with Gradkowski. Both teams will look to establish the run, while setting up the play-action attack. Look for the Cowboys to control this game and extend their winning streak to three games, while keeping pace with the New York Giants in the NFC East race.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Green returned the lineup last week and it was a bit of a struggle for the Kansas City offense. After all they were playing the hapless Raiders. That said, look for the Kansas City offense to come out and play a little more aggressively this week. Denver may have no choice but to be conservative this week. Plummer is just not getting the job done. Sucks that Plummer has a short week or we may be getting ready to see rookie QB Jay Cutler. This game is in Arrowhead and the Chiefs are tough to beat in their building. Denver is coming off a home loss and has to get ready for another division opponent on the road. This game will come down to which team can run the ball the most effectively and which QB makes fewer mistakes. For that reason, I like the Chiefs to defend their home turf.

Short week, don't have time to write about the other games right now.

Here is how I am picking:
Cincinnati at Cleveland - CIN
Jacksonville at Buffalo - BUF
Pittsburgh at Baltimore - BAL
New Orleans at Atlanta - ATL
Carolina at Washington - CAR
San Francisco at St. Louis - SF
Arizona at Minnesota - MIN
Houston at NY Jets - NYJ
Oakland at San Diego - SD
Chicago at New England - NE
NY Giants at Tennessee - NYG
Philadelphia at Indianapolis - IND

MON, NOV 27
Green Bay at Seattle - SEA

2006-11-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

NFL PICKS - WEEK WHATEVER

The best part of mid to late season is that the bye weeks are gone so if you are trying to gain success by betting straight odds on overall games, you have more games to choose from. This week could be a nice week to use a 4 or 5 teamer and succeed easily using NFL only. I've said that before and paid the price, but this week looks more promising. Julian Peterson (right) makes his return to the team that didn't want to pay him (49ers).

Atlanta at Baltimore (-4) Worse defenses have given Michael Vick absolute fits, as his prestige and marketability have been spiraling downward after losing to the Lions and Browns. The Ravens have a better defense than those chumps, and should be able to check him once again. The Ravens are 3-0 with Brian Billick working the sidelines as the offensive coordinator, and scoring is not as much of a concern as it once was. Safe to say the Ravens will get this one, and likely cover the 4 points.

Buffalo at Houston (-2.5) I open my eyes and to my surprise the Texans are favored. They certainly played the Jags tough last week after locking horns with the Giants the week before and keeping that one close. Look for this to be a letdown game as I think the Texans have peaked, and the Bills will sneak out with a win. Not exactly an "upset special", but I'll take this as one of my upsets. Can't see myself writing "Hey, the Texans have won three in a row at home" next week.

Chicago at N.Y. Jets (+7) The Bears got serious last week and played a great second half after looking tamed in the first half against the Giants. Same stadium, same result. Can the Bears keep the momentum against the weaker Jets? Shouldn't be too much of a problem if they can remember what worked against the G-Men (Grossman throws wild against a soft secondary, Jones goes outside left tackle for big gains, Hester returns punts inside the 15 for long TDs.) Bears won't go 7-1 in the second half of their schedule, but they will win most games where they are favored by a touchdown, starting with this one.

Cincinnati at New Orleans (-3.5) A close spread for a close game indeed. The game stuck in my memory was the Eagles/Saints game where the two teams decided to run track and score boatloads of points late in the game. The Bengals just played that same game last week with SD. Palmer and Brees have similar QB ratings because they play the same tempo and have similar tendencies of finding streaking receivers for long gains. Take the over and the Saints in a shootout.

Minnesota at Miami (-3.5) This one could be a coin flipper, and is sure to be low scoring (most over/unders are set around 33 points).

New England at Green Bay (+6) I am sure Favre won't have a game like he had last week against the NE defense, who allowed a season-high 17 against IND. If Brady can keep from throwing TDs to Packers DBs, New England is looking at a win. Watch for Maroney to have a big game against a run defense that hasn't seen speed through the middle like his.

Oakland at Kansas City (-10) Trent Green returns, screwing with the adage that you CAN lose your job to injury. I would have liked KC to cover with MVP candidate Damon Huard under center, but I can see Oakland's D welcoming him back with a flurry of a pash rush that will make it difficult to reestablish his timing. KC will win, but not cover the 10 points.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland (+3.5) I would have a hard time picking the Steelers to beat Rutgers. Until Pittsburgh fans start to boo him into holding a clipboard, this team will keep playing like it is a decade removed from last year's Super Bowl title. Watch closely as Cleveland plays a business-like game and manages a victory against the Steelers.

St. Louis at Carolina (-6.5) Carolina hasn't played well enough to justify being a 6.5 point favorite. The Rams look to break a 4-game losing streak, but with injuries all around it could be tough. Orlando Pace is out for the season and Travis Fisher (the likely Steve Smith-stopper) missing this game with something broken, the defense will have a hard time getting off the field.

Tennessee at Philadelphia (-13) This could end up being a closer game than most people think. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is a master at coming up with a defensive game plan to stymie powerful offenses. The Titans are close to as healthy as they have been all season and are apt to come out with fire in their eyes after a tough loss to a strong Ravens team. The key will be to limit the number of explosive plays they allow the Eagles and how well Tennessee is able to control the clock. However, Philadelphia just has too many weapons.

Washington at Tampa Bay (-3.5) Joe Gibbs will turn to former Auburn stub Jason Campbell in hopes of turning around this disappointing season, while Gruden will continue to rely on the rookie Gradkowski. Both teams will look to establish the run to take pressure off their young QBs. This game will come down to whichever team makes the least amount of mistakes and doesn't turn the ball over in critical situations. Look for the Buccaneers to win a close game.

Detroit at Arizona (-2) The Lions have given strong efforts in road losses in St. Louis and Minnesota, but failed to finish with a victory. Detroit is an improving program, but is not quite ready to win close games, having lost seven of nine games decided in the last two minutes, especially on the road. With these two programs struggling, yet desperate for a win, the advantage goes to the home team.

Seattle at San Francisco (PICK EM!!) Easily the most important game in 2 years for the 49ers, with a chance to pull themselves within 1 game of the division lead. Did I really just say that? Hasselbeck and Alexander return in time to make this a very interesting game, and Julian Peterson returns to the team that drafted him but didn't pay him the 18M/season he was asking. The way I see it, he is one more slip-up to that Achilles tendon and his career would be over. I'm glad they didn't pay him, and am glad he is doing well in Seattle. Hope he really stinks during this game, though. Prediction: 49ers win it doing what they did to the Vikings. Lots of D and some timely FGs from team MVP Joe Nedney.

Side note: Coach Nolan will be wearing the full suit on the sideline ala Tom Landry and his dad, former 49ers coach Dick Nolan. That's serious pimpin. No way the NFL lets this go on for too long, as Reebok will soon file a suit forcing all coaching personnel to sport their licensed gear.

Indianapolis at Dallas (+2) This game has all the makings of a high-scoring game with the potential of these two offenses. Peyton Manning and the Colts are looking to remain undefeated and stretch their winning streak to 10 games by beating the Cowboys at home.

Tony Romo has been playing great for Dallas since he became the starter and has provided a spark to this team. Romo and the Cowboys offense will score enough points in the end to upset the Colts and give them their first defeat in a close game that could go down to the wire.

San Diego at Denver (-2.5) San Diego QB Philip Rivers and RB LaDainian Tomlinson are playing as well as they have played at any point during the season. That said, the Broncos defense will pose a much stiffer challenge then the Bengals did last weekend. There are also some concerns about the San Diego defense ,which will be missing OLB Shawne Merriman and most likely DE Luis Castillo. The game is in Denver and the crowd will be a factor. I'd go with the Broncos here.

Monday, Nov. 20

N.Y. Giants at Jacksonville (-3.5) The Giants will need to rebound after the Sunday night loss to the Bears, a game that they should have won if it wasn't for poor coaching and a struggling Eli Manning. Tom Coughlin will have his team fired up to play his former team and they will take the frustration of Sunday night's loss out on the struggling Jaguars.

Coughlin will stick with the running game this week and should get Jacobs the ball more. The Jaguars do not have enough weapons on offense and will not make enough plays to stay close with the Giants.

2006-11-17T07:49:00.000-08:00

NUMBER ONE STUNNA

After the stunner last week that we all saw coming, but couldn't avoid, I must admit I am less enthusiastic about scouring the NFL prospectus and figuring out who is least likely to disappoint. The wife is still encouraging me to fire up my 4-team parlay career by suiting myself up with an offshore sports book. I used to kill it going down to Caliente in Tijuana on Friday nights and placing bets, then coming back Sunday evening and picking up $300-1000. It was like taking candy from a baby. The NFL has changed though, and this season is especially rocky. The house is cleaning up fools left and right and really steering a strong ship of profitability.

Moral of this story: Shelling out cash for online gambling? No word on if that's gonna happen, but don't bet on it (no pun intended).

I'll keep posting my thoughts on the week's NFL matchups until further notice. Since I get an average of 25 hits when I post this, that tells me someone finds it useful/entertaining/otherwise.

2006-11-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

DOWN HOME COOKING AIN'T TOO EASY

The wife decided to give me a chance to make dinner last week, which is a frightening thought. Since she went back to work after maternity leave, she has made dinner just about every night right before she skips out for work. This makes life very easy for me and my boys, as we basically just have the job of enjoying her delightful meal, then I knock out the dishes.

Paradise? No too far from it anyway. The woman can flat out cook.

So one day she kept herself extra busy during the day and didn't have time to throw a meal together for us boys, so I decided to make meatballs and mashed potatoes, green beans, a very downhome meal. It probably should have taken about an hour to prepare everything, but because this fool doesn't appreciate how hard it is to *not* screw up the gravy, it took about 2.5 hours.

First I tried to make it from a packet of gravy in the microwave. I followed the directions to a tee, but it came up looking like a scoop of chocolate ice cream and hard as a rock. So I threw it away. Next I tried the same packet of crap in a saucepan on the stove. I hovered over that damn stove and never stopped stirring, only to have it taste like Thanksgiving in hell. It was so grainy despite my constant mixing that I would have been better served in a sandbox.

Then I jumped online to allrecipes.com to find a recipe from scratch that, surprisingly, I had all the crap for. It was pretty much a pain in the arse to make it this way, and if it didn't work out I was going to have to order a pizza.

Moral of this story: Don't they sell gravy in a can?

Thanks to the hot arab for mentioning how difficult it is to make gravy, which piqued my thoughts this morning.

2006-11-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

MOST ADDICTING GAME EVER?

Check this one out, and don't forget to drop bills in the mail. You won't be turning this game off any time soon.

Also, a Dodger fan gets tasered by refusing to take his hat off at a city council meeting. Justice is served on this day. Watch the video to see the police haul his limp body out of the meeting hall.

2006-11-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

NFL SURVIVOR TEAM REACHES WEEK 10, TOUGH DECISIONS LIE AHEAD

Of the teams we have available to use, the most highly favored are:

Jacksonville -10.5 (4 of 4 remaining players have this pick available)
New England -10.5 (3 of 4)
Philadelphia -7 (2 of 4)
Dallas -7 (2 of 4)
Detroit -6 (4 of 4)
Minnesota -5 (4 of 4)
Pittsburgh -4 (4 of 4)
Seattle -3 (3 of 4)
New York Giants -1.5 (only 1 of 4...US! This is our silver bullet.)
Kansas City -1 (4 of 4)

We had talked about using Jacksonville here. Is that still the plan? All three others who are still alive also have JAX available, so you can guess we won't be the only ones using them. I am guessing that one of the others might use New England here.

If we survive this week, it was brought up that the Chiefs at home against the Raiders would be the best option for week 11. We need to get there first, and I'm not sure if we should use the Jaguars this week or not. State your case!

2006-11-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

NFL WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS

Baltimore (-7) at Tennessee - Brian Billick's success taking over the offense has proven crucial so far, and should continue through this week. Until the Ravens slow down and their overrated defense gets lit up once or twice, keep picking them in almost any situation.

Buffalo at Indianapolis (-11.5) - The Colts look to maintain their perfect record against a Bills team that is great at beating bad teams, but rarely shows up against the AFC's elite. The Colts near-loss to the Titans still comes to mind, but I have a feeling they will play big in this one after a tough bad weather win in Foxboro.

Cleveland at Atlanta (-7.5) - The Browns are coming off a loss in San Diego. They played the Bolts tough for 3 quarters and showed that they play on continuing the trend of keeping games close regardless of the opponent. No reason for Atlanta to lose this game, save the fact that they just got bombed by the hapless Detroit Lions. I have a feeling this home game will help them get back on track to winning the division.

Green Bay at Minnesota (-5) - Brett Favre typically plays some of his best road football in the Metrodome, and with the way the Vikings offense played last week, the Pack may not need his best game this week to steal a win. The way the parody in the NFL has treated fans this year, I wouldn't be surprised if the Vikings win this one in a squeaker.

Houston at Jacksonville (-10.5) - This has been a dangerous meeting for the Jaguars, despite the Texans tendency to suck on the road. I noted the Jaguars struggles against Houston last week, but I have a feeling that the way David Garrard is playing right now the trend of the Texans sneaking out with a win may have to wait until next year. This is our pick for the survivor pool unless anyone objects.

Kansas City at Miami (+1) - Miami was the surprise winner last week, taking out the previously unbeaten Bears in a laugher. Can they carry the momentum into this home game against the high-scoring Chiefs, who hung 31 more points on the Rams last week? I doubt it. Go with the Chiefs here.

N.Y. Jets at New England (-10.5) - We all know that the Patriots don't lose games back to back. Coach Belichick does not allow it. I am sure the Jets will be hungry to pick up a big division win and get to within one game of the division-leading Patriots, but after losing to the Colts, Tom Brady will look to get the Pats back on track. I see it happening.

San Diego at Cincinnati (+1) - The Chargers look for their first win outside of California this year, and the Bengals look to break .500. These suddenly average Bengals were pushed aside by the Ravens last week, a team that was also able to beat the Chargers this season. In a measuring stick game, I would say the Chargers played them tougher, and I think the edge will probably go to the Chargers here. The on-again, off-again Bengals offense will probably struggle to score as the Chargers substitutes, who are seeming to jell at the right time. Chargers should win this one, but it will be up to the success of Martyball on the road.

San Francisco at Detroit (-6) - I am all about trends, and the Lions were hot last week, passing all over the Falcons in a huge upset. The 49ers defense played up to task last week in holding the Vikings under 200 yards and just 3 points. I can see the Lions passing all day against this inconsistent 49ers defensive unit. The 49ers only chance at success relies on their ability to get back on track offensively, and to light up the Lions using Frank Gore as the primary weapon. 49ers could pull this one out if they can minimize the damage Kitna's arm proved capable of last week.

Washington at Philadelphia (-7) - The Redskins should have lost last week, but Dallas was kind enough to misplay their hand. The Eagles should be well rested and should take this one easily.

Denver at Oakland (+9) - Denver is red hot, having taken the wind out of the Steelers' sails and look to continue their winning ways against an amazingly bad Raider team. If you saw any of their Monday night flop against the Seahawks, you'll understand how incredibly easy it will be to pick the Broncos here.

Dallas at Arizona (+7) - After showing some promise early, the Cardinals have regressed back to the team everyone expected. Dallas has more talent on defense and should be able to contain Arizona's young weapons. However, I have a feeling that the Cards will be hungry here as this is one of the more attractive games on their home schedule, so maybe they look to make a statement here. I'll take the Cards, without much of an explanation.

New Orleans at Pittsburgh (-4) - The Saints are blazing right now, and the Steelers are slumping. Coming in to this game, Cowher is still hearing from his faithful fans that he should be replacing Big Ben with Charlie Batch, and maybe it is time for that move. Willie Parker is unable to pick up the slack, and the Saints may have the leverage to steal a win here.

St. Louis at Seattle (-3) - These teams met up a few weeks ago with the Seahawks sneaking by 30-28 in St. Louis. After the lack of offense Seneca Wallace and Maurice Morris put up against the Raiders (16 points?), one wonders if they will be able to score enough to hold off the Rams. One would still pick the
Seahawks, as their is a smattering of hope that Shaun Alexander will be back for this game.

Chicago at N.Y. Giants (-2) - the battle for home field advantage begins on Sunday night, and the G-men have to be considered the favorites. The Bears look to regroup and search for the other Rex Grossman, and not the one who threw 3 INTs and completed just 42% of his passes in a home loss to the Dolphins. Eli is clicking with Plaxico, and the Tiki Barber retirement show is going well, especially after he finally scored his first TD of the year.

Monday, Nov. 13

Tampa Bay at Carolina (-9.5) - I am still in shock from Carolina's last nationally-televised home game, when they stunk up the field after jumping out 14-0 against the Cowboys, only to lose 35-14. Thankfully I feel more at ease against a Buccaneer team that is still a work in progress with Bruce Gradkowski under center. They may play this one close, but the Panthers really ought to win this one.

2006-11-06T08:37:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN EXPRESSION

Back during the summer, I saw this magazine advertisement featuring a large picture of a soft embrace between Tiger Woods with his mother. Underneath was a form of sorts, with a few bulleted questions and Tiger's handwritten response. I attempted to save the magazine so I could answer the same questions and send them to the wife and gauge her response. I am sure I threw it in the trash at some point, probably wondering why I had saved it in the first place.

To my amazement, the advertisement resurfaced in Wired magazine a few months later, so here we go...

my name: (chuck)

childhood ambition: to fly in a F-14 Tomcat with Maverick and Goose

fondest memory: roughhousing in the pool or shooting hoops with my Dad, getting tickled silly by my Mom, watching Golden Girls or Murder She Wrote with my Grandma

soundtrack: Dean Martin

retreat: Cabo San Lucas

wildest dream: Some recent ones...playing shortstop naked for the Giants, navigating around Manhattan as a young boy with only my dog as a guide, walking with my sister through a dark forest as she relies on me to calm her fears

proudest moment: entering into holy matrimony in Vegas of all places, the births of my boys was pretty amazing, earning a college degree

biggest challenge: moving up the corporate ladder, making ends meet while owning a home in San Diego, talking to unbelievers about Christ

alarm clock: 4:00am on weekdays, 6:00am on the weekends

perfect day: baseball in the morning, beach in the afternoon, dinner with friends and family in the evening, study Bible/talk about how good God is, roll around in the hay with the Mrs. and doze off

first job: building maintenance for office complex

indulgence: music, graphic design, sports

last purchase: new laptop from Dell (via Costco.com...much cheaper than buying from Dell direct)

favorite movie: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, A Christmas Story, The Sandlot, Edward Scissorhands (too many to list)

inspiration: the sinless life and exponential grace of Jesus Christ, my desire to make sure those I care about know Him like I know Him

My Life: is unlimited joy
My Card: is American Express

2006-11-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

NOV. 3RD: KNOW YOUR YIDDISH DAY

If you are a meshugina like me you constantly strive to dive feet first into the dialect of other cultures and learn their language just well enough to butcher it badly when speaking to someone who speaks it quite well. Satisfy your inner goyim by incorporating a few tidbits of Yiddish into your day. Yes, you will likely mispronounce some terms and sound a little fahrblunget, but if you come across someone who understands you they may get ferklempt and ooze with pride. You may not know this, but even those who do not speak Yiddish will appreciate your embrace of a foreign tongue and may no longer accuse you of schlepping around town wasting your days.

Here is a primer on some important terms you will need today.

It will only take a bissel of time, and with all of the other chazari on the Web, this will be time well spent.

Feh.

2006-11-02T14:15:00.000-08:00

YOU WANT TO DO WHAT WITH THE JAGS?

Since I didn't heard back from Team Cano on this week's survivor pool pick, I went ahead and used the Chargers. Assuming we win with SD this week, looking ahead to next week we may need to do something different instead of gambling by using HOU vs. JAX.

Houston has won 3 of the last 5 meeting between these 2 teams, and the Texans just beat them on Oct. 22.(Final score: HOU 27 - JAX 7).

This causes me great pains in my spleen and would be tough to pick JAX with any sort of confidence. Tell me I'm not alone here. I'll breakdown those matchups when we get to them, but we still need the Chargers to win this week.

On a positive note, I am having a fantastic day at work today. Thank you very much for asking.

2006-11-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Ten years down the road, Alex Smith will finally turn the corner, John York will likely die or be assassinated (team will be sold to Joe Montana Management Group) and the Niners will have a new stadium built at Candlestick Point that is considered by many as a successful design despite missing a oversized Coke bottle and bay views. This will signify that the glory days have returned, i.e. watchable football. 12-14 wins per year is what Coach Ronnie Lott averages during his long tenure as head coach.

Pat Hill will take a job with the San Antonio Texans (they finally got their NFL team)to try to revive what is left of David Carr's battered remains. Fresno State will decide to return to the Big West so they can again dominate in football and hoops. Instead of expanding Bulldog Stadium, boosters will force the removal thousands of seats and announce the return of the grass berms. Alcohol will be sold throughout the stadium again, and you will be allowed to return to your tailgate at any time during the game for another bratwurst and boilermaker should you choose. In this new 20,000 seat version of the stadium, ticket prices will be raised to about $80 a game so as to keep out the thuggish gangstas that seem to roam around inside the confines selling bootleg shirts and powdery substances.

The Safeway Giants (as they will be known) will select Nikolai Bonds with a late round draft pick, who they will rush through the farm system with the help of Victor Conte, Jr. so he can man left field alongside Ken Griffey, III and some random Giles brother. The pitching staff is anchored by 5-time Cy Young winner Matt "Lights Out" Cain, and some other kids named Sanchez, Wilson, and Rick Rueschel, Jr. OH SH--- WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES? WHY I AM NAKED STANDING ON MY DESK AT WORK! I wonder if the CEO can see me? Don't act like you're not impressed. LOOK SONNY BONO IS TALKING TO RONALD REAGAN, WHO IS SITTING NEXT TO FERDINAND MARCOS?

(yawning) ....heck of a day dream. I need to get some coffee in me BAD.

2006-11-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

NFL WEEK 9 PREVIEW

Atlanta (-5) at Detroit: Well, I can't use Atlanta, and I wouldn't want to use Detroit. Michael Vick is playing above average at the moment (3 TD passes almost makes him sound like a QB), but don't worry, he will regress soon as he always does.

The Falcons shocked many by going into Cincinnati and punching the Bengals in the mouth last week, and I am sure they can navigate their way through the Detroit Lion defense. Atlanta is #1 in rushing YPG, and Detroit doesn't do particularly well against the run. These two teams playing indoors on carpet spells shootout, with the Lions no doubt getting the short end of the stick.

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-3): Before the season started, it seemed that the only way to stop this Bengal team in 2006 was to put them in jail. The book is out on these Bengals, and it seems the better teams in the NFL are having their way with Cincinnati. The Ravens return home after their 35-22 upset of the Saints, stopping their 2 game losing streak.
The football wagering mantra of "always go with a tough defense at home" just became a better argument now that it seems McNair remembers how to throw TD passes. The Carson Palmer/Ocho Cinco Show looked very average against the Falcons defense, and will probably hold last year's NFL TD leader Palmer in check once again.

Dallas (-3) at Washington: Nobody knew that the Cowboys would have such success on offense Sunday night at Carolina, especially in QB Tony Romo's first NFL start. Hanging up 35 improbable points on that CAR defense is a nice statement, and Dallas carries a nice bit of momentum going into this battle. However, this is one of those annual games where you throw the records out enjoy what always seems to be a pretty close game. The Skins have an offense that just doesn't score much despite being stocked with speedy weapons, and they employ an unpredictable defense that somehow gives up tons of yards, but no too many points.

I wouldn't throw down a dime here, but with Washington having lost three in a row I would be forced to go with the Boys. Of course, in this year's NFL this is a game where the Skins would bust out and play their best game of the year against their hated rivals. Flip a coin, but don't wager it.

Green Bay at Buffalo (-3.5): Brett Favre played mistake-free football last Sunday and really reminded GB fans of his glory days with the team, but the real story was how the Pack ran the ball against the Cards. Two 100-yard rushers in one game is nothing to turn your nose at, and if they can manage even half of that production against the Bills they could be in line for their third road win of the season.

The Bills have lost three in a row and are seeking just their second home win of the season. With the third-worst offensive production in the NFL, it is going to take a motivated J.P. Losman to get the Bills back on track. Summary: You'll be watching two no-frills, low-scoring cold weather teams duking it out. It probably will come down to who takes care of the ball. Takeaways and clock management often determine who wins a game like this.

Houston at N.Y. Giants (-13): The Giants move the ball and score points, points that the Texans seem to allow a ton of despite a Herculean effort. That is pretty much all you need to know about this game. Sage Rosenfels will not start, and it will not matter against a Giants team that is firing on all cylinders right now.

Kansas City at St. Louis (-2.5): A couple of 4-3 teams square off in the cross-state rivalry that should turn out to be an amazing backfield expedition. LJ went for 155 against the Seahawks last week, while Steven Jackson had over 130 total yards on the road against the Chargers. With both Bulger and retread Damon Huard playing well, I can see this being a slugfest, and a game I can see the home team prevailing in.

Miami at Chicago (-13.5): The Bears (#1 in total defense) dismantled the 49ers last week, wasting no time after taking a 24-0 lead after the first quarter. All four remaining players in the survivor pool used them with their pick last week, so this game is off the board for all. Too bad because it will be more of the same for the Bears.

New Orleans (-1) at Tampa Bay: This will be a fun game to watch, too bad it won't be on TV in San Diego. I can see a final of 34-31, with the Saints winning on a last-second 67 yard John Carney field goal. No play here for the survivor pool, just too close for comfort.

Tennessee at Jacksonville (-10): Jacksonville played arguably their best defensive game of the season lasy week in Philly, holding the Eagles offense to just 6 points and earning a huge road win. Tennessee is dead last in total defense, surrendering an average of 372 total yards per game, but has won two in a row. I don't think it matters if Leftwich is ready for this game or not, Jacksonville takes this one easily.

Minnesota (-5) at San Francisco: Uh oh, another winnable game lurks for the underachieving, under-performing 49ers. If they could somehow follow the strategy on how the Pats disassembled the Vikings on MNF, they may play themselves into a close 4th quarter. That may be too optimistic, as the lasting memory I have of my beloved 49ers is the boatrace they were treated to in Chicago.
My heart says they could win this game, and will play up to their competition. My brain tells me that the Vikings went into Seattle and did the Seahawks like the Bears did the 49ers last week. Why wouldn't they be able to do the same against the lame 49ers? If the Niners can't find their own arse using both hands, this will be a double-digit loss.

Cleveland at San Diego (-12.5): No Shawne, no problem. Cleveland doesn't show up for road games, and has no business being on the field with this talented Chargers squad. Chargers in a big blowout, with LT running downhill all day.

Denver at Pittsburgh (-2.5): How is Pittsburgh a favorite in a game against a tough defense, even at home? The Steelers are the NFL's version of John Kerry, flip-flopping all over the map. One week they lay a beatdown of the Chiefs, the next week they lay down for the Raiders. If I were Bill Cowher, I would bench Big Ben until he gets right and roll with Charlie Batch in the meantime.

Denver lost a wicked tough game against the Colts and is looking to rebound in Pittsburgh using the Raiders formula of turning in points on defense since the offense can't handle the load. If Roethlisburger starts, look for Champ Bailey to have more touchdowns than the Broncos offense. I predict the Steelers will get rolled.

Indianapolis at New England (-3): New England looked awfully good against an average Minnesota team on MNF and has now won three in a row. At 6-1 they are running away with the AFC East. It took a late Indianapolis field goal to sneak out of Denver with a win. This was also the first time I have heard anyone mention the new term "walkoff field goal", which is just a shame. Ten years ago it didn't even apply to baseball, and now it is stretching into football? I can already hear it now "...and Tiger wins it at Augusta with a walk-off chip in for eagle!"

This is going to be the game of the week, and I am sure the Colts will win, since this regular season matchup doesn't mean anything. If it was January the Pats would win this going away, and the talk of Peyton not being a big game QB would ensue.

Monday, Nov. 6
Oakland at Seattle (-7.5): So, it is naturally hard to win any game when you give up 500 yards of offense as the Seahawks found out Sunday in KC. Remedy? A home game against the Raiders. Seneca Wallace played admirably in his first NFL start (and really his first substantial regular season action), and would have earned his first NFL win if he could have lined up and tried to stop Larry Johnson. On the flip side, the Raiders had no business beating the Steelers (as weak as they are), and should have lost that game 10-3 if it were not for 2 INT's returned for TDs. Their offense sputters along like molasses, and despite the Raiders being the kings of MNF, will not be a factor in this game. Seattle wins this one. This would be a VERY interesting use of the survivor pool pick. Any takers?

SURVIVOR POOL STRATEGY:

With the awful week that the Steelers had, the pool has been reduced to just 4 players, all of whom were lucky enough to go with the Bears over the 49ers (41-0). I am going to attempt to predict who the remaining four participants will choose over the next week. Let me know if you see other ways this could go down, but I'll do my best to stamp this out. Let's hash this out and make sure we get to next week!

The easiest games (largest point spread favorites anyway) to select from to get us to next week are NYG, JAX and SD. Only 1 of the other 3 participants has used SD, and everyone still has NYG and JAX available. Seattle is also an interesting pick against the Raiders, but they play in a weak division and could be used in a number if situations where they will be large point spread favorites soon.

Looking ahead, SD plays CIN and DEN the next 2 weeks, so I think now is the perfect time to use them. NYG plays Chicago next week, so a couple of people may opt to use them this week.

I think the one person who used SD back in week 6 will use either JAX or NYG. If we can agree that the Chargers are one of the better teams and strategize using their strengths, I would say that there is no better time to use them than now, as they won't be favored this heavily until they play the Raiders on Nov. 26th. Let's put our heads together and come up with a winning game plan!

2006-10-30T09:33:00.001-08:00

HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL FUN

Saturday I found myself working at my son’s elementary school Halloween carnival, which was the perfect opportunity for me to create chaos. I am stuck in the “Gone Fishing” booth right now as the guy hiding behind the wall attaching prizes to kids who get their fishing line in one of the holes. Techniques I was working on perfecting included:

* Giving smaller children very scary skeletons and spiders
* Making sure older boys left with some sort of pink prize or sticker, after I yanked on the fishing line hard enough to almost make them drop the pole
* Counting the number of unsightly tattoos I could see through the holes
* Letting the older children know that they shouldn’t be playing these elementary school games by yanking on their line (signifying that they caught something) only to come up empty handed
* Students who came back and played the game twice were rewarded with the exact same prize whenever I could remember their costume

Other observations:
* Apparently my son was the only Yoda this year, after being one of 18 Darth Vaders last year
* Some parents decided it would be best to dress themselves as mass murderers covered in blood and made sure their kids wore equally grotesque costumes as well (I counted 5 that were pretty nasty)
* I noticed this amazing hillbilly redneck costume complete with a glorious mullet and confederate flag arm tattoo, only to find out that was likely the attire worn the other 364 days by this offender

I also learned through my small hole to the outside world that little elementary school girls have very hairy legs. Eeeewww.

2006-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

HOT CHOCOLATE TO THE RESCUE

So I have had this problem for years where it feels like I can never really clear my throat, and it seemed like the best way to make this problem subside, at least temporarily, was to drink a hot fluid.My mother-in-law introduced this when she concocted me a "hot toddy", which is hot water, lemon juice and some hard liquor. I think she used some schnapps or something 60 proof. Decent nightcap I suppose, but when at the office it just makes for a pretty sloppy workday. Boozing at work is reserved for pizza delivery guys and executives, and I'm no executive.

How about coffee or hot tea you ask? I have yet to acquire the taste that would allow me to enjoy coffee like the rest of the world, and I drink hot tea only to keep my eyelids propped open when necessary. Either of those, if consumed regularly, would probably be a big assist to my woes, but I can't see myself drinking either with any regularity. Starbucks gets none of my money.

Just for a trial the wife picked up some hot chocolate packets from the store and that seemed to clear the problem up. Not only is it tasty (yet REALLY sweet, like kid sweet - kids who like Pixy Stix followed by Skittles and Fun Dip) it is soothing and takes my mind off the fact that I can never seem to clear my throat.

2006-10-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

MERROID - THANK YOU FROM ALL BAY AREA SPORTS FANS MISPLACED IN SAN DIEGO!

Living in San Diego, you get to hear what a jackass Barry Bonds is for *allegedly* taking steroids. As a Giants fan, there really is not response for this, as most are sick of trying to defend him. Unfortunately it is taboo to bag on Ken Caminiti since he is taking a dirt nap. So what is a frustrated, misplaced Bay Area sports fan to do?

Thanks to Shawne Merriman for solving this dilemma. Great timing! The Chargers are now looking very Raider-esque, what with thw wrap sheets lengthening and players getting popped for taking banned substances. This is a great day to be a SF fan in SD.

2006-10-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING?

Insomniacs everywhere can now delight in the evening hours, by just allowing Joe Buck into your living room to do play-by-play for the largest annual sporting events in the world. Walk-off homeruns, unbelievable defensive plays, HUGE strikeouts…all can sound like the snoozy local weatherman announcing calm winds and fair skies when put in the hands of one Joe Buck. The best part about this World Series is listening to the audio highlights the next day as provided by the local homer play-by-play guy from the Tigers or Cards. Those guys are passionate and totally biased, but at least they make the sport sound exciting, unlike the pompous Buck who makes it seem like these moments are more of a bother to his night. He doesn’t dare raise his pitch and unmask which team he is pulling for (he is the play-by-play guy for the Cardinals, no secret there). Last year killed me when he announced “…and the White Sox have won the World Series” with a fervor that suggested they had won a mid-April 3-2 contest against the Indians. Put this guy away already!

I can only hope that Joe Buck makes an on-air racist comment soon, or announces that the teams should brawl in the parking lot so he can be dismissed from broadcast slaughter. Having him pacify the MLB playoffs and NFL games is ruining the viewing experience for me.

SO WE NEED AN ELEVATOR

2006-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

It seems that every time I want to sneak out a few minutes early there are a throng of clods chatting right by the stairs, waiting to remind me of some obscure request they may have mentioned a few months ago in idle hallway chatter. This makes it hard to sneak out of the building when I know that someone is going to ask me for something just soon as I am making my exit.

A message to those cruel individuals: “Hey, I’ve been here for the last 9 hours, pretty much at my desk the whole time. If you needed me badly enough, you had 9 hours to dump your action items on me. Now I must vacate the building, but rest easy. I’ll fill my chair tomorrow at 6am like I always do, ready to do it all over again.”

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY - AMAZING

2006-10-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

If you haven’t seen how nutty this little boy (maybe 5 years old?) is on the drums, check this out.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/2006/09/youngdrummer.html

Something isn’t right. Reminds me of the little karate kid from a few years ago, where the parents forced their little 2 year old into weight lifting and extensive cardio to get in shape to be a little karate man, only he totally burned out by age 8. So this is kinda the same thing, only much less depressing and sadistic.

POST VIA TREO?

2006-10-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

I had no idea I could post content to a blog via FTP but through the emai client on the ol' Treo. Technology, how you ruin me.

If you are reading this, I am writing this from the throne in the men's room on the second floor at work. Take that, hottest arab on myspace.

2006-10-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, 24 people viewed my Fresno State post (a new record). Must have searched for "firepathill.com" via Google by my best guess. I should include that in every post so long as Fresno State football continues to disappoint.

Also, anonymous users can now post comments. Sorry for the inconvenience. ;)

2006-10-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

DOGS ANNOUNCE NORTON WILL START AT QB

Highly-praised frosh Sean Norton finally got the break he needed to turn this season around when it was announced that he will start Saturday at LSU. Yeah right, who are we kidding here? He appears to be a more composed thrower than Tom Brandstater, and he may be the answer at QB right now. I sure wish this meant anything more than Pat Hill not being able to keep the dream alive with Tom Brandstater under center. TB was a joke, and having fans at Bulldog Stadium boo him regularly probably didn't help his cause much, but he shouldn't shoulder the blame for all the teams woes.

Before the season opener, Hill had fans thinking WAC title and top 25 ranking.
I am pretty sure the Dogs will be watching bowl season, not participating, which is unfortunate given the amount of talent I thought this team had. As much as most Bulldog fans wanted Hill to stick around last winter when he was off interviewing with the Saints and Raiders, he may not be missed as much as previous offseasons. Reading posts on firepathill.com does not further this cause, as many posters have strong cases for seeking another head coach (11-12 years, no conference titles?).

Alas, Norton will start at Death Valley on Saturday, a game which is on ESPN2 in Sandy Eggo. This was originally slated for ABC I believe, so it has fallen from the limelight considerably. Being a 30 point underdog has its advantages, eh?

2006-10-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

WEEK 7 PREVIEW

No Sunday night game this week, giving respect to the World Series. It would have been embarrassing if the Sunday night week 7 game pulled in higher ratings than Game 1 of the World Series, but that is the America that we live in, folks. I am sure it would have.

Another week of interesting matchups, unfortunately this one is going to take some head scratching.

TEAMS THAT ARE OFF LIMITS: Arizona, Baltimore, Miami, Atlanta, Carolina and Denver

Carolina at Cincinnati
Carolina is on the way up now with Steve Smith back, and the Bengals slipped up a bit in TB and got snuffed. This one could be a tight matchup (I have been hearing Super Bowl preview on talk radio about this one...slow down people). I would rather leave this one alone.

Detroit at N.Y. Jets
If there ever was a time to use the Jets this season, this could be it. Although they let the Dolphins hang around too long last week, they should be able to take care of the Lions. Thoughts?

Green Bay at Miami
I can see this game staying very close, with Favre possibly getting a road win coming off a bye. Then again, the Dolphins played the Jets tough last week and seem to be getting on the same page offensively.

Jacksonville at Houston
Houston has made this matchup interesting in the last 2 years, even winning this matchup at home last year. Still, no way we should risk a pick on this sad sack.

New England at Buffalo
This matchup will be a tough one to pick, as both teams thrive in cold weather. NE would seem to be a simple choice given the struggles of Losman and Co., but I would rather look elsewhere for this week's pick.

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay
The Bucs finally picked up a W against the mighty Bungles last week and are rewarded with another home game against a tough Eagles team that seems to only play three quarters of football on Sundays. If Gradkowski can duplicate his efforts against Cincinnati and play mistake-free, there is no reason Tampa Bay can't keep this momentum going. That said, McNabb does play well on the road and should they enter the 4th quarter with a lead they might try holding on to it. Good game to watch, awful game to risk the survivor pick on.

Pittsburgh at Atlanta
Michael Vick looked very human against the Giants last week, something he tends to do every 4th or 5th start. The Falcons defense that had them looking "Super" out of the gate has come back to earth and since the New Orleans game the team looks downright average. The Steelers finally had a solid performance on both sides of the ball and seem to be clicking just before folks start mentioning "Super Bowl Hangover". In my opinion, this will be a game to leave alone.

San Diego at Kansas City
The Chiefs are still in search of an identity, after getting crushed by PIT after winning big against SF and stealing a win with a late FG versus AZ. The Chargers defense looked downright beatable in the first half last week vs. SF, but were able to right the ship in time to merely beat the Niners by 29. Chiefs beat them by 41. What does this mean? Not much. Chargers typically struggle in KC, but I think this year might be different.

Denver at Cleveland
This might have been a good time to use Denver, but we exhausted that resource against Oakland. I would predict a shutout and will certainly be taking Denver in my office pool.

Arizona at Oakland
Al Davis gets a good luck at the QB he decided he didn't need (Leinart) while having a good long cry watching the curmudgeon of available QBs he has to pick from this week (Walter, Tuiasosopo, George, Evans, Marijuanavich). Can't use Arizona here, and I would be certifiably insane if I were to consider O-fer Oakland. Now that I said that, the Raiders will probably make this nutty season even nuttier by squeaking out a win here. The NFL is great for producing ulcers.

Minnesota at Seattle
It is pretty well known that the Minnesota plays at 25% performance capacity outdoors. The Vi-queens (as my aunt in Minneapolis calls them) are well rested, but I think the Seahawks use this as a statement game and actually put MIN away early using play action and finding Branch and company early, something they should have done more in St. Louis last week. We can use Seattle here, but this is no gimme without '05 MVP Shaun Alexander.

Washington at Indianapolis
Which Redskins team will show up, the one that coughed up a hairball against previously winless Tennessee, or the one that played tough and beat the Jags in Jacksonville? Jeez, the Colts tried hard to lose to the Titans as well before escaping, but I can see them holding court here and taking care of the 'Skins. It would make the most sense to use the Colts here, which is nice because many of our competitors have already used them and will be forced to pick from these other sure-to-be-close match-ups.

Monday, Oct. 23
N.Y. Giants at Dallas
This is sure to be a doozy, with both teams playing just well enough to not lose, and both teams not sure if they want to play in the postseason. This much can be said, we will get an overdose (ouch) of T.O. chatter leading up to this game. Try as you might to filter it, the guy is just not interesting enough to keep talking about and he is a marginal receiver at best. The final score of this one will probably be 24-21, flip a coin to see who comes out on top. Too risky if you ask me.

I appreciate your comments, as this is crunch time and one man's opinion is not much.

2006-10-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

I was perfect in picking the afternoon NFL games, but when combined with just one win in the morning, I am three wins off the pace. What a crappy week. My "bad beat" 14-for-14-but-no-$$$" performance last week is a distant memory. There's always next week.

I've set my sights on winning the survivor pool, with the help of three of my closest confidants. Good news: four people dropped out of the pool, the unlucky souls who chose Washington (how do you lose to the Titans at home!!!) and the Cincinnati Bungles (they were due to lay an egg, and you know Gruden isn't going to remain winless for too long).

20 left, looking ahead to next week. Might be a good time to use the Bears (at home against the hapless 49ers. I told myself after week 1 when I chose Arizona and my Niners had a couple of potential game-winning hail mary's drop that I wouldn't pick against them again this year. I am sure to feel the pressure from the brain trust to use the Bears, and it is probably going to be the best bet this week.

2006-10-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

Just got a new Dell laptop and am thrilled with it so far. I have wanted one to replace my current desktop, and this one SMOKES my old Pentium 4 Sony VAIO. I just have to get used to typing on it, and used to not having the 10 key on the side. I guess I am also used to hearing the keys depress as I type, but this bad boy is so quiet you can hear an ant fart. Also learned that since this has Windows Media Center preinstalled, I can do some cool stuff hooking up to the XBOX 360. Not sure what, but I bet it is pretty bitchin'.

The Specs:
17" widescreen
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Conroe) 1333MHz FSB
(2) 1GB DDR2-667 memory
120GB HDD
Ports aplenty
DVI-Out

2006-10-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Buffalo at Detroit – Bills got blown out by CHI last week and J.P Losman looks lost in a modest pass rush. DET blew a fourth quarter lead to the Vikings allowing 2 defensive TD’s, but put together 3 good quarters on offense and defense. Mike Martz will get this one right. DET wins, but I wouldn’t want to use the Survivor pick here.

Carolina at Baltimore – can’t use CAR or BAL. No play.

Cincinnati at Tampa Bay - Cincinnati will be fresh coming off a bye week and it will be rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski’s 2nd NFL start. Cadillac has been running at a decent pace, but the Buccaneers D hasn’t been able to make key stops, and that is why they are winless. Cincinnati would be my pick here, but this may not be the ideal time to use them.

Houston at Dallas - The Tuna will spend a good portion of the week ripping into his DB’s and trying to make TO swallow some more pills. Without much of a pass rush, McNabb was able to pick apart the Cowboy’s secondary, and if Houston has a chance here, that will be where they win. Now that the Texans have big Ron Dayne in the backfield, the added protection gives David Carr (Fresno State baby) been much more efficiency in his passing. I think Bledsoe will make sure the ‘Boys have enough gusto to avoid losing 2 straight. I would like to use Dallas here. Any thoughts?

N.Y. Giants at Atlanta – NYG rebounded from the embarrassment in Chicago by thumping the upstart Redskins. I thought that was going to be a close game, but NYG surprised. This one has the makings of a great game, and will likely be a preview of a playoff game. I’d like to think Atlanta will win here, but I’m not sure I’d be willing to use a Survivor pick on it, and I can’t use Atlanta anyway.

Philadelphia at New Orleans – Reggie Bush thrilled with his game-winning punt return for TD, and the Saints are firing on all cylinders. The Eagles took apart the Cowboys and seem to be scoring points in bunches. I would take the over in this game if I gambled like that, but I can’t see myself using the pick on this one.

Seattle at St. Louis – Questions to ask: Will Alexander be back in time for this indoor matchup? Is St. Louis finally heating up after dropping Week 2 to the Niners? Which Seattle offense will show up? I would rather leave this one alone, as it could be one of those multiple lead-change, ulcer inducers. No thanks.

Tennessee at Washington - After finally getting the training wheels off, the Redskins got punked in New York and will look to rebound against the battling Titans, who almost pulled off the upset if the decade in Indianapolis last week. These teams are too streaky to take seriously, but I would bet that a bunch of people in the pool will take the Skins. I would rather not be one of them.

Kansas City at Pittsburgh – It KC that good, and is Pittsburgh that bad? The Steelers need a W in the worst of ways, as the league is typically not too kind to the defending Super Bowl champs. So far they have lost some games that looked close in the box score, but have been pretty significant beat downs to those who were able to watch the games. KC squeaked out a win in Arizona, and may be able to repeat the effort here with a healthy Larry Johnson.

Miami at N.Y. Jets – the Jets have been scoring points, something they were not able to do much of last season. What a difference Pennington makes. Miami looked much better with Joey Harrington subbing for the injured Culpepper, but that may not be enough to get a cold weather road win in New Jersey. Jets anyone?

San Diego at San Francisco – If I didn’t know any better, I would have though that the Chargers just wrapped up a playoff berth. At least that was the attitude around the office here. Granted, the Chargers looked improved and are freeing Rivers to create offense. They have some momentum building and should be able to walk though these much improved, yet mistake-prone 49ers.

Oakland at Denver – Oakland looks like they are still a few years away from being able to compete within their own division, especially after losing big to the 49ers. Denver will look forward to treating the Raiders to another ice cold, low scoring night game. I would love to use Denver here. Thoughts?

Monday, Oct. 16

Chicago at Arizona – the University of Phoenix Dome (are you freaking kidding me? You build that sweet new alien-style stadium and that is the name you walk away with?) will be hyped for this one, as they set to entertain a Bears team that was last 5-0 during their 1986 Super Bowl season. I can use the Bears here, but I’m not sure this would be the best use of them, being that they have a pretty weak division.

Teams I have used: AZ, BAL, MIA, ATL, CAR

2006-10-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we are down to just one pick left in this thing. Now is a great time to put our heads together and REALLY hash out each week to make sure we get deep in this thing. If the Packers were to pull out an improbable upset, 10 more people would drop out. How awesome would that be!!!

Common themes still persist: look for the teams who are playing the worst and pick against them. Let’s take a look at the Texans (1-3), Niners (1-3), Raiders (0-3), Browns (1-3), Dolphins (1-3), Titans (0-4), Lions (0-4) and Bucs (0-3).

This week's games:
Buffalo at Chicago - perhaps use the Bears here? Should be heavily favored after what they did to the Seahawks last night. Man, does that team need Shaun Alexander healthy or what?

Cleveland at Carolina – I haven’t used the Panthers yet. The Browns were just god enough to beat Oakland, but that is not saying much. Sorry Raider fan. This might be an interesting time to use the Panthers.

Detroit at Minnesota – Vikings will probably find a way to win this, as they rightly should. Detroit can be counted on to find a way to lose this. MIN moves the ball well, just can’t seem to find the end zone. That will frustrate people to no end. I should know, watching my sad sack 49ers. No play.

Miami at New England – might want to use NE here after their thrashing of the Bengals. Who saw that coming? Belicheck does NOT lose back to back games.

St. Louis at Green Bay – Rams typically play poorly away from home, and on grass. We’ll get a better evaluation of the Pack tonight against PHI. I’m thinking it’s too close here. No play.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans – unpredictable teams, I am guessing that NO will recapture the magic that vaulted them into the win column against the Falcons, but that should run out sooner or later. Let’s not forget these are the ’Aints. Will TB ever find a serviceable QB (read: healthy spleen) this year to take heat off of the Cadillac? No play.

Tennessee at Indianapolis – slam dunk for Indy. I would rather save them I think. There are others we could use first (famous last words). No play.

Washington at N.Y. Giants – unpredictable teams. No play.

Kansas City at Arizona – already used Arizona, who might not even be favored here anyhow. KC put up some points, but don’t be blinded, they were at home against the 49ers, so it was a glorified scrimmage at best. No play.

N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville – two inconsistent teams who are still trying to figure out where they want to be this season. No play.

Oakland at San Francisco – not touching this one. Two teams who don’t know how to win. No play.

Dallas at Philadelphia – should be a shootout, and I don’t want to be a part of that madness. No play.

Pittsburgh at San Diego – which Charger team will show up (jeez, which Steeler team will show up for that matter), the one who dominated the first two weeks or the one that played to “not lose” against Baltimore. As a Niner fan, I know how that crap goes. Thank you, but no thank you. No play.

Monday, Oct. 9
Baltimore at Denver – I would rather not mess around with this game either. No play.

Open date: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, Seattle. Teams in italics I have already used.

2006-09-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Is learning Spanish important? I used to think so, but I am not sure I really use it much anymore. It was one of my favorite classes in school, though.

I would like to teach my oldest son Spanish myself, but I want him to be advanced in math and English first. He is reading at a fifth/sixth grade level and his writing is well composed and hilarious. He really enjoys drawing people and making cartoons, making maps and loves making toys and other projects out of stuff we would just as soon throw away. Anytime we bring home a box, he doesn’t care what is inside, he just wants to make something out of the box, so out come the scissors, markers, tape, etc. So constructive. It is so fun to watch, and I am sure it will probably rub off on the 'youngins', and he loves to teach.

It is so encouraging to watch him grow, and to envision what he will be like as a middle schooler, high schooler, college student, father, grandfather, etc.

2006-09-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

My company just brought on a new engineer that makes his commute from Fallbrook daily. I complain about my commute reaching up to 1hr 15 minutes during rush hour, but this guy does a commute that is over 2 hours each way EVERY DAY. Another guy in marketing drives down from Newport Beach, but he usually only comes in twice a week.

That is just retarded. I will move to South Dakota and work at a tackle shop before I waste 4 FREAKING HOURS a day driving.