TDL’s Sports, Wrestling, & Otherwise

I had a semi-crappy week last week… but so did everyone else. My 8 wins was actually enough to put me over the top of almost everyone in front of me. Unfortunately, someone decided to pull a 13 win week last week which catapulted him to 3 up on me. At this point, it’s still anyone’s pool between like 10 people.

In the big money pool I faded. I was within striking distance in week 14 and fell to 11 back since. The moral here: don’t play a numbers game against a group of accountants.

Patriots -14.5 at Giants: Good spread for this game… I was thinking about picking up tickets for this game on eBay a few weeks ago at $400/pop… which would have been a good plan since Pats fans are dropping about $800/pop for them now. Ready to see the Meadowlands be the Patriots home field? However… Brady and Moss are only going to be in the game long enough to get their respective records… so 2 TDs is way too big a spread. Giants +14.5.

Bills +8 at Eagles: McNabb’s got one more chance to show off and get a contract. Eagles cover.

Panthers +2 at Bucs: Vegas doesn’t have much faith in the Bucs B-team… neither do I, really since they dropped the game to the Niners last week. A win with a Seattle loss here gives them the Vikings/Lions/Saints/Redskins playoff team instead of the Giants… so I think they have something to play for… and the Panthers are still awful. Bucs cover.

Bengals -3 at Dolphins: Dolphins send their fans home happy for the season. Dolphins outright.

Cowboys -7 at Redskins: Too big a spread for Cowboys B-Team vs the Redskins legitimately playing for something in a late-season division game. Redskins +7.

(note, I obviously did this game wrong… however since I have a superstition about changing picks, I’ll have to go with Redskins cover.)

Lions +3 at Packers: We know Favre will play for at least a while to keep his streak in tact. I have a feeling they’re going to crush the Lions after getting embarrassed last week. Besides… Kitna’s already disappointed Jesus. Packers cover.

Jaguars +4 at Texans: Oof… too much nonsense going on in this game… Jags getting points? I have to go with Vegas here and assume the Jags B-team is going to lose to the Texans at home on the last week of the season. Texans cover.

Saints +3 at Bears: I’d like to say Chicago blew their load last week, but the Saints first option at running back is a guy named Pierre. I keep saying I can’t take the Saints in a big game and they keep proving me wrong. So… I’m taking the Saints in a big game. Saints outright.

Steelers -6 at Ravens: The Ravens don’t stand a chance. Steelers cover.

Seahawks +2 at Falcons: Pfft. Anyone with points against the Falcons is a pick, even if it’s the B-team. Seahawks outright.

49ers +11.5 at Browns: The Browns/Titans tiebreak has a ton of nonsense going on so I’m not even going to try and figure it out… I just know the browns have to win, they’re home, and despite last week, the Niners still kinda suck. I’m picking on coach here, but not for 11.5. 49ers +11.5.

Chiefs +6.5 at Jets: I don’t know if the Jets are a touchdown better than the Chiefs… I just know I can’t pick KC in confidence. Jets cover.

Vikings at Broncos: The Vikings need this game and the Broncos kinda suck. Home or not, the Vikings are my pick for the 6 seed when all the tiebreaks wash out. Vikings.

Chargers -4.5 at Raiders: I think the Raiders will be up for this game, but I think Norv can get in one more win before a playoff meltdown. Chargers cover.

Rams +6 at Cards: No Rams. Cards cover.

Titans -4 at Colts: I would not like to be in the Browns and depend on a week 17 Colts to help me out when I needed them. I bet against Vince Young once in a clutch spot and paid for it, so I can’t do it here. Titans cover.

Pearl Jam fights a constant battle with Live for my favorite band of all time. Sometimes, depending on my mood, one overtakes the other. When a new album comes out from Live, they usually conquer the top spot for some amount of time… but Ten always manages to find its way back into Favorite Album I Own. I once lent it to Ms. L when we were first dating and legitimately was concerned for its safety while it was out of my possession. It’s the one album I have that, regardless of the day, time, or mood I can always put in and listen to from cover to cover. Vs. is the same way. I can always listen to Vs.

Of my top ten Pearl Jam songs, Elderly Woman probably comes in someplace in the top five. If you forced me to name a top five in some random order it would be Elderly Woman, Rearviewmirror, Breath, Black, and Corduroy with State of Love and Trust, Jeremy, Yellow Ledbetter, and Once having an occasional cup of coffee in the top five. When I hear a cover of one of these songs (or a Guitar Hero 3 version) it can quickly rocket to the top spot. This happened recently with Elderly Woman. About a year ago, I discovered Charlotte Martin. She’s a Tori Amos-y kind of singer. I’d never heard her before, but I knew Ms. L was a big fan. I found out she was playing at a bookstore in New York City right around Ms. L’s birthday, so I bought a couple tickets and went with her more to see a concert at a bookstore than for the music.

As it turned out, I was a big fan. She released an iTunes only album of covers called Reproductions which includes a cover of Elderly Woman. Faced with a new version of a favorite song I found myself playing it a ton this weekend (at the expense of the rest of the album… purchased during a drunken buying spree on iTunes).

As I’ve listened to it over and over for a few days, I started to think of the different ways the song could be interpreted. It’s one of those cool songs that could very easily mean different things depending on the person who listens to it and drastically changes when the song’s voice changes. You could take it (as I did for years) about a guy coming back to a small town and finding he has moved into a new phase while the town has stayed exactly the same (think Garden State fifteen years before Garden State was made). You could use the Eddie Vedder is a Vampire explanation… which sees him watching lifetimes go on around him while he doesn’t change at all.

(Aside: I read the “Eddie Vedder is a Vampire” website back in college… it was a website which posited that Eddie Vedder was a Vampire and outlined hidden messages buried in Pearl Jam lyrics to prove this. I thought it was funny. I made reference to it here in hopes to link to the page and give people a giggle. I then Googled “Eddie Vedder is a Vampire”… which now links to a significant number of websites that sell ESSAYS AND TERM PAPERS!!! In the last ten years this has gone from a joke website to a legitimate theory people have written papers about… enough papers for there to be a market for them? Really? Even though you can see he’s gone from angsty twentysomething to soccer dad?)

Having listened to Charlotte Martin sing it over the last few days, from the female voice, it seems even more depressing… a woman that sees someone from her life come into her store/restaurant/diner/whatever who doesn’t even recognize her.

Oddly enough, having found this song at a time when I’m planning on being upstate for a week or so, I’ve found another meaning for it… looking into the mirror and saying it to yourself when you come home again and find that you’re going to be 30 in a few weeks. There’s a few pages in a Stephen King novel somewhere that talks about it a bit. That time you look in mirror and wonder just when the f*ck someone replaced you with a guy with gray hair, a bunch of extra pounds, and a retirement fund. The guy in the mirror has just found himself at the end of an X-year holding pattern, kinda recognizes himself, but not really. The last time he looked in the mirror… really looked… he was someone else entirely. He hasn’t changed at all.

Anyway, that revelation struck me as I was sitting in my car driving to nowhere. At some point on Wednesday afternoon I decided to turn the XM on and drive north until I felt like stopping. I think I stopped in Whitehall because I didn’t feel like going to Vermont… something about the Giants playing New England this weekend made me feel like a traitor.

Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Vedder, McCreader, Gossard, Ament, Abbruzzese - 1993

I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I can’t seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me

Hearts and thoughts they fade…away
Hearts and thoughts they fade…away

I’m going in to these last two weeks in better position in a pool then I’ve been in my life. There are currently 9 people in my pool falling betwen 128 and 130. I’m on the 128 end. Three of the annoying people in front of me have managed to just about match my score (give or take 1) for roughly, oh, the entire friggin season. Two weeks ago I had an 12 win week only to find out that I made up zero ground because the top person had 13… it’s maddening. Not only that, but someone else managed a 15 win week to pull up next to me. This must be what a playoff race is like. Usually by this point in the season I’ve faded and already started making golf plans. This year, I’m in the mix.

Thursday

Steelers -7.5 at Rams: They were shocked by the Jags (I wasn’t) but they’ll either return to form this week or turn the division over to the Browns. In addition to that: No Rams, none of the time. Steelers cover.

Saturday

Cowboys -10 at Panthers: Last year I had to wander around Manhattan until I found a bar that carried this game. It took me the entirity of the first quarter to find the Tribeca Tavern… which, hey, in retrospect I’m glad I found it. This year, I’m going to be traveling and I really couldn’t care less. I also couldn’t care because regardless of my selection the Cowboys will defeat me. It’s how they roll. Cowboys cover.

Sunday

Eagles +3 at Saints: The Eagles are going to love their new spoiler role and I think Donovan McNabb’s seen the billboards on the wall that say he’s in a walk year. They’ve knocked the Cowboys out of guaranteed first place and now they can knock the Eagles out of the playoffs entirely. While I’m at loathe to root for the Filthy Eagles for anything, give me points and an Eagles team that just beat the best team in the NFC and I see an upset. Upset of the week, Eagles outright, Saints out of the playoffs.

Giants +1.5 at Bills: This is an absolutely, positively, must win game for the Giants. If they lose this game, they face the possibility of having to beat New England for a playoff berth. Just once I’d like to have a Giant season under Coughlin/Manning where I can not be stressed and bummed for the last two weeks of the season. Giants outright.

Packers -6.5 at Bears: Pfft. Packers cover.

Browns -3 at Bengals: Not really sure where this spread came from. The Browns are now officially playing for the division and the Bengals can’t even beat the Niners. Browns cover.

Chiefs +4.5 at Lions: No Chiefs, none of the time. Lions cover.

Texans +7.5 at Colts: If the Colts are already playing their B-team because of injury, does that mean they’re playing their C-team now? Texans +7.5.

Raiders +13 at Jaguars: I don’t know what the “Win the AFC” bet is on the Jags right now, but I have to admit… if they were good, I’d be thinking about putting a little bit of coin on them. They can beat any team in the league and they’re built for Foxboro weather better than the Patriots. They’re a Wildcard 5-seed that’s likely to have a better record and team than the division champion 3 and 4 seeds. They’ll have to travel for three weeks due to the retarded rule that gives division winners home-field advantage over wild cards with better records; but if you gave me 8-1 or 10-1 that they’d win the AFC I wouldn’t write it off. As for this game, I expect to see something similar to what the Bucs did last week: blow out the competition to clinch the spot and give yourselves a week off. Jags cover.

Falcons +10.5 at Cardinals: I normally wouldn’t trust the Cards to cover a 10 point spread, but being as they’re home and playing a team that’s already making vacation plans, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt in this one. Cardinals cover.

Bucs -7 at Niners: 7’s a big spread when you’re playing your B-team on the road. Niners +7.

Ravens +9 at Seahawks: The good thing about the season being almost over is I can escape the Ravens for eight months. Ravens +10.5

Jets +9 at Titans: Gut feeling says Titans. Jets +9.

Dolphins +22.5 at Patriots: The Patriots haven’t gotten up to cover one of these 20 point spreads yet. There are multiple conflicting things about this game. First, I’m pretty sure the Patriots are going to try and get Brady’s record wrapped up in a neat little bow for him before they go to the Meadowlands… this isn’t completely ridiculous as he threw for 6 touchdowns in the Dolphins last meeting. Even still, the Dolphins managed to keep the last game almost respectable, showing up for 28 points. Had the spread in that game had been 22 the Dolphins would have covered by 1. Second, the weather in Foxboro is going to be a factor in January. Early forecast has it as cold and rainy. I’m going out on a limb and saying the Patriots are going to go 0-4 against 20 point spreads. Dolphins +22.

Redskins +7 at Vikings: I think you saw the Redskin’s horror movie last gasp. No way I’d take anyone against the Vikings at home right now… especially against a team with a running back that can catch a screen pass and doesn’t fumble. Vikings cover.

Monday

Broncos +9 at Chargers: There is no earthly way the Broncos should even remote cover this, so they’ll win outright. Chargers cover. 51 points.

NBC aired the final episode of Journeyman this evening. They drew the series to a close as well as they could for a thirteen episode arc. I have to say: I’m terribly disappointed to see the series end. I feel like it did suffer from a slow start but it did amp up by the sixth episode. They started to build a mythology that was suspenseful and interesting but, alas, in this day you need to build your mythology and suspense from the very first episode. I was happy to see them give some sort of explanation for what was happening to him, small as it was.

Interestingly enough, the re-runs are going to be moving to the Sci-Fi Channel at some point in the future. This is something I don’t understand about the television networks. You have these other channels where niche shows like these could be successful… why not give them a second chance there? Maybe Journeyman isn’t the correct one to try it with… but is it really that much of an insult to be on a cable channel these days? Like… is the Sci-Fi channel Raw to network’s Smackdown? Seriously. Aren’t, like, ALL of the innovative new shows on cable anyway? Besides Lost and Pushing Daisies, what envelope-pushing, new show has been on a network in the last ten years? Nada.

Anyway, I’m sorry to see Journeyman go while Moonlight stays… but that’s the biz.

Thursday
L/L - Broncos +1.5 at Texans: Broncos outright. Apparently, I suck on Thursday games that don’t fall on Thanksgiving.

Saturday

L/L - Bengals -8 at Niners: Bengals cover. Apparently, the Bengals really suck ass. Like… not just a little suck but a whole new level of suck that no one previously knew of.

Sunday

W/W - Packers -10.5 at Rams: Packers cover. The Cowboys just opened up the door for the Packers to have all their games in the playoffs at Lambeau. I’d like to point out… the chances of the Packers losing an NFC Championship at Lambeau field is roughly the same as a Hall of Fame pitcher giving up 8 runs in the first inning to a last place team with the playoffs on the line. Err…

W/W - Falcons +10 at Bucs: Bucs cover. I can’t believe I’ve ridden this bandwagon pick to like 11-4 against the spread this year.

L/L - Seahawks -7.5 at Panthers: Seahawks cover. I hate the Seahawks. Could they get up for one road game this year? Maybe?

L/L - Bills +5.5 at Browns: Upset of the week, Bills outright. This game is the reason that indoor and warm weather football stadiums should be outlawed. I’m kind of bummed about my Albany Bills. I though they could make run this season.

W/W - Titans -4 at Chiefs: Titans cover. Apparently, I can pick Titans games so long as it’s super obvious. Any thought at all invalidates it.

W/W! - Ravens -3.5 at Dolphins: F*ck it… Dolphins outright. Nailed that shit. This game actually saved me from getting knocked down hard in one of my pools. I got it and basically no one else did.

W/W - Jets +24.5 at Patriots: Jets +24.5. I switched this pick back once and back again when I got up early on Sunday morning to check the weather in Foxboro. If you don’t think I’ll do the same thing this week, you’re deluding yourself.

L/L - Cards +3.5 at Saints: Cards outright. I hate the Saints.

W/W - Jaguars +3.5 at Steelers: Jags outright. You know, the Jaguars have a legitimate shot to be in the AFC Championship game… and if they’re playing in really crappy weather they’re one of the few teams built to win a tough weather game.

W/L - Colts -10.5 at Raiders: Colts cover. Manning is human when he’s only got one target.

L/L - Eagles +10 at Cowboys: Cowboys cover. The Cowboys will never do right by me. Ever.

W/W - Lions +10.5 at Chargers: Chargers cover. No talk of the Chargers running up the score? Amazing.

L/L - Redskins +4 at Giants: Giants cover. After having been a Giant fan for as long as I have, I’m disappointed in myself for not having seen this loss coming.

Monday

W/L - Bears +9 at Vikings: Vikings cover. Not surprised really. 9’s a lot to ask of a spunky team.

Upset of the Week: Bills over Browns (L), Jags over Steelers (W), Cards over Saints (L).

Locks of the week: Chargers -10.5 over Lions (W), Vikings -9 over Bears (L), Cowboys -10 over Eagles (L).

Straight Up: 9-7
Against the spread: 7-9
Locks of the Week: 1-2
Upsets of the Week: 1-2

Overall:
- Straight up: 144-80
- Against the spread: 120-97-7
- Locks of the Week: 12-6
- Upsets of the Week: 5-5

And as someone who watched the series all the way through over the last few months let me just re-issue my hatred for a network that canceled a show during the best season in its run.

There are plenty of complaints about the show… the second half of season 3 and the entirety of season 4 sucked, but they came back with a vengeance in season five and put together one of the strongest walk years in the history of television. In baseball terms, Season 5 of Angel was like A-Rod’s 2007 in terms of contract years. No one picking this show up for a sixth season was a tragedy… especially considering what (I’m Sure) Fox filled their schedule up the following year.

I’ve called the series finale of Angel one of the top ten worst ever for how they left the characters. It was the early version of the Sopranos ending. The characters are left in an alley facing a horde of demons. In the context of the show, all five season, it fits. The fight is never over. Their fight was never going to be over.

I used to call it one of the top ten worst finales of all time. I rescind that. I now call it the worst cancellation in the history of television.

Well, the server this site is on got hacked so if anyone visited here before I was took it down and got attacked by a trogan downloaded, I apologize.

I upgraded to 2.3.1 and we changed the password on the server to something a little more difficult… hopefully that’ll help.

Thursday
Broncos +1.5 at Texans: While it’s tough to call a game between two 6-7 teams a “must win” when the AFC Wildcards are all but locked up, there’s still time for the Browns to collapse. The Texans tend to give up a ton of points and, if there’s one thing you can say about Denver this season, they’ve pretty much won all the games they’re supposed to win while being pitiful on the road. They also seem to get themselves spanked in prime time games. All that said, if I’m picking the coaches in what can be considered a “big game” I’m taking Shanahan. Broncos outright.

Saturday

Bengals -8 at Niners: The Bengals have been proficient this year at beating up bad teams… and that’s about it. Bengals cover.

Sunday

Packers -10.5 at Rams: I have no faith in the Rams to put up any fight against the Packers… even at home. Packers cover.

Falcons +10 at Bucs: This game has “stay the hell away from” written all the hell over it. The Falcons are going to be coming in all ticked at their jockey jumping off the horse mid-race. The Bucs have their division almost clinched and can lock it up with a win this week. With Garcia back in place and a chance to firmly tick off Philly, I totally see the Falcons getting blown off the field this week. Bucs cover.

Seahawks -7.5 at Panthers: The ‘hawks suck away from home but the Panthers just suck. Even with the B-squad the Panthers still probably lose this by 10. Seahawks cover.

Bills +5.5 at Browns: Oof. The Browns win this and they knock the Bills out of the playoffs. The Bills win this and they take the 6-seed with a tie-break into the last two games. That’s a great game. Problem is: it’s going to be in the mess of weather that’s expected over the North/Northeast all weekend. The Browns aren’t going to be able throw all over the field. Neither are the bills, but the Browns have one of the worst run defenses in the league. Upset of the week, Bills outright.

Titans -4 at Chiefs: No Chiefs none of the time. Titans cover.

Ravens -3.5 at Dolphins: This is a pick I’ve changed my mind on a bunch of times and I might do it again. I can make a solid argument for the Ravens but this is literally the last chance the Dolphins have to steal a game. After watching the Ravens fall apart in New England, I can see it happening to them again if this game doesn’t go to their way quickly. All that said… the Ravens are reasonably talented while the Dolphins really aren’t… but the astronomical odds of a team going 16-0 the same year another team goes 0-16 makes me think that the cosmic forces of the universe HAVE to make the Dolphins win. The other problem is this might just turn into a “f*ck it” game for the Dolphins where they pull out fake punts and onside kicks and fake field goals and flea flickers and throw everything in their playbook at the Ravens. The other problem with this game is that I’m trying to pick a Ravens game and that’s just plain stupid. F*ck it… Dolphins outright.

Jets +24.5 at Patriots: There is only one reason I can consider taking the Jets here… December weather at Foxboro. With the crap going on in the Northeast today (Thursday), it’s possible it will be on of those sloppy, messy games at Foxboro. The forecast for Sunday says Rain, Snow, and wind… and I don’t know if the Patriots can destroy a team by 50 points if they’re stuck grinding the game out on the ground. This may change, but for now: Jets +24.5.

Cards +3.5 at Saints: The battle of 6-7! This is a last gasp game for both teams… and I really can’t decide which way to go with it. the Saints offense is struggling and the Cards are supposedly getting Anquan Boldin back. All that with the Saints inability to win clutch games this year tells me Cards outright.

Jaguars +3.5 at Steelers: I understand the spread here is the standard 3 points for the road team and all… but I’m legitimately surprised that the Jags are dogs here. Roethisberger is beat up and the Steelers have a tendency to drop the ball in big games. Second big upset of the week: Jags outright.

Colts -10.5 at Raiders: The Colts have nothing locked up yet but a Wild Card slot so I’m assuming you’re going to see all the starters this game. Manning’s going to be outside in December but it’s in California. Expect to see the Raiders secondary shredded to tasty beef strips. Colts cover.

Eagles +10 at Cowboys: Dallas is still playing for something at 12-1. Let’s see if they can screw me a couple more times this season. They beat the Eagles by 20 in Philly, I can’t imagine them doing any less at home. The Cowboys must be thinking by now that they’re the team of destiny. Cowboys cover.

Lions +10.5 at Chargers: Too. Many. 10. Point. Spreads. Detroit just suffered the kind of loss that can cripple your season. Now they have to go on the road to a San Diego team that’s looking at actually salvaging a 10-6 season after a horrible start. Sorry, Jon… Jesus hates a liar. Chargers cover.

Redskins +4 at Giants: I’m surprised to see more than 3 or 3.5 in a Giants/Redskins game. I was excited about this game being in prime time because it opened up the chance to see Buffalo/Cleveland as the CBS game wouldn’t be blacked out. Unfortunately, THAT game is up against New England/NYJ for the CBS slot… which means my two games this week are going to be NYJ/NE and PHI/DAL. I hate being in two local markets. Giants cover.

Monday

Bears +9 at Vikings: And my how the worm has turned. Who would have guessed this spread when the season started? Everything points at me taking the points here… late season game, pretty good defense, division… but I can’t lay money if you’re starting your third string qb and he’s rocking a bowl cut. Vikings cover.

Upset of the Week: Bills over Browns, Jags over Steelers, Cards over Saints.

Locks of the week: Chargers -10.5 over Lions, Vikings -9 over Bears, Cowboys -10 over Eagles.

Right on schedule, the week that I check my standings, I come in with a solid 5 win week. The lesson, as always, there will be time enough for counting when the dealin’s done.

Week 13

Thursday

W/L - Packers +6.5 at Cowboys: Packers +6.5. I had this pick correct and then I let Simmons talk me out of it. The lesson, as always, don’t listen to a guy getting housed by his wife in picks on the season.

Sunday

L/L - Lions +3.5 at Vikings: Lions outright. Never underestimate the power of a holyf*ck running back. The Lions are collapsing off their 10 win guarantee right out of the playoffs. On the other hand, a really crappy looking (for most of the season) Vikings team is looking to sneak in to the 6th playoff slot. This kind of crap is what makes the NFL exciting. It’s what makes people look beyond the fact that the league treats its fans with just a little less contempt than an ER nurse treats a junkie.

L/L - Seahawks +3 at Eagles: Eagles cover. You know the difference between a good quarterback and a career backup? Three plays per game. The reason Feeley can never be taken seriously is because he kills his team when the game is on the line.

L/L - Falcons +4.5 at Rams: Falcons outright. I hate this point in the season because teams in garbage time always react differently. Apparently the Rams have decided to try out “winning.”

L/L - Texans +4 at Titans: Texans outright. The Titans have figured me out so well that they know that I’m going against my first instinct.

L/W - Bills +5.5 at Redskins: Bills +5.5. Are we ready to start seeing articles about how the new Bills’ quarterback is going to be a diamond in the rough?

W/W - Niners +3 at Panthers: Niners outright. I don’t know how anyone can legitimately give points to any team facing the Panthers. They are god-awful.

W/W - Jaguars +7 at Colts: Jags +7. You could make a lot of money this year taking the Jags when they get points… or a lot of money taking the Jags. They’re horrifically under-rated by just about everyone.

W/W - Chargers -4.5 at Chiefs: Chargers cover. Where the Royals at?

L/L - Jets +2 at Dolphins: Dolphins cover. Ladies and Gentlemen: the first ever 0-16 team.

L/L - Browns +1.5 at Cardinals: Browns outright. I can’t pick the Cardinals for crap.

L/L - Broncos -3.5 at Raiders: Broncos cover.

L/L - Bucs +3 at Saints: Saints cover. My faith in the bandwagon was shaken and I paid for it. I now pray for Mr. Garcia’s forgiveness.

W/W - Giants -1.5 at Bears: Giants cover. An ugly win’s still a win.

W/W - Bengals +8 at Steelers: Steelers cover. Who’s the bigger disappointment this season? The Saints or the Bengals?

Monday

W/L - Patriots -21 vs Ravens: Patriots cover. 55 points for the predicted 48-7 shellacking.
Remember in the not so distant past when I said I always need to go against my first instinct when picking the Ravens? Yeah, I forgot, too. Of course, I almost nailed the tiebreak in my crappy week.

Straight Up: 7-9
Against the Spread: 6-10

Week 14

Thursday
L/L - Bears +3 at Redskins: Bears outright. There’s a bar near my apartment called The Patriot that I go to every few months. It’s kind of like what you would think Coyote Ugly would be like if it wasn’t all corporate… attainably hot bartenders, frequent buybacks, bartenders who pour free shots down your gullet while dancing on the bar, and bad country music and southern rock. I went there during this game. They didn’t have the game (no NFL network) but it was French Maid Night for the bartenders. Thursday night is apparently theme night. I tell this story for no real reason other than it’s where I was on Thursday night.

Sunday

W/W - Dolphins +7 at Bills: Bills cover. At this point, I do almost feel bad for Dolphin fans. Almost.

W/W - Rams +6 at Bengals: Bengals cover. Well, at least they can still beat the crappy teams on their schedule. That’s something, right?

W/L - Cowboys -10.5 at Lions: Cowboys cover. You know, I was watching the score of this game while watching the Giant game… not really because I thought the Cowboys were going to fall apart and the Giants could still take the division but frankly out of curiousity as to whether or not the Lions were completely done. I went from elation (20-0), to disbelief (at 27-21) to stunned (28-27) to pure hatred again. Hulse: “All these years I couldn’t understand why Bear fans hated Brett Favre so much. He always seemed like a nice guy and, sure, he beat up your team a couple times a season, but he didn’t seem to rub it in. I get it now. Tony Romo is Brett Favre. He seems like a real nice, happy guy who wouldn’t suck to have a BBQ with… but I want to throw hot coffee on him.”

W/L - Raiders +10 at Packers: Packers cover. I have lost my Raider mojo. I made karma angry by speaking of it.

L/L - Bucs -2.5 at Texans: Bandwagon. Bucs cover. This is my punishment for turning on the bandwagon. I’m not being allowed back on.

W/W - Panthers +10 at Jaguars: Jaguars cover. This spread may as well have been 20 points, too.

W/W - Giants +3 at Eagles: Giants outright. The Giants’ inability to put teams away when they have them on the ropes is going to quickly become a problem. If it doesn’t bite them in the first week of the playoffs, it will certainly bite them if they ever get the Pack or the Cowboys on the ropes.

W/W - Chargers -2 at Titans: Chargers cover. I picked a Titans game correctly. I should retire.

W/W - Vikings -7 at Niners: Vikings cover. The good thing about this Vikings team is that the Giants won’t have to play them in the first round of the playoffs.

W/L - Cardinals +6.5 at Seahawks: Cardinals +6.5. I’m amazed that the ‘hawks still have a chance at 11 wins.

W/W - Chiefs +6.5 at Broncos: Stick a fork in the Chiefs. Broncos cover.

W/W - Browns -3.5 at Jets: Browns cover. Guess which game I got to watch instead of Pats/Steelers.

W/L - Steelers +14.5 at Patriots: Steelers +14.5. Unreal.

W/W - Colts -10 at Ravens: Colts cover. Hey guys… remember me? 6′5″… laser rocket arm? Hello?

Monday

W/W - Falcons +5.5 at Saints: Saints cover. Didn’t see a second of this game. It was my office Christmas Party. Hoo doctor.

Straight Up: 14-2
Against the spread: 10-6

Overall:
- Straight up: 135-73
- Against the spread: 113-88-7

Back at the beginning of the television season I wrote a little about the new shows I was going to start following. Let’s see if anything’s changed.

The Next Great American Band

What I Said Then: An extension of above, with only 3 million people watching, I think you can probably narrow down who’s going to win. It’s not going to be one of the quirky or different bands… it’s going to be one of the classic rock-y type bands like Sixwire or The Muggs. Why they didn’t give this show Monday Night at 9pm or Thursday Night at 8pm… to give it a shot in hell… I have no idea.

What I Say Now: The best band on the show, Franklin Bridge, got bumped off a couple of weeks ago. The second best band, Sixwire, is still around. Unfortunately, so is the Heavy Metal Hanson. Vote For The Worst.com doesn’t really have the power to affect a show where 40 million people vote every week… but apparently it can affect a show that only 3 million people are watching. They’re going to win and it’s going to be a joke. Since I’m a masochist, I’ll watch it through to the end.

Moonlight

What I Said Then: I have a really bad feeling about this show’s shelf life. It’s fortunately part of what appears to be “Supernatural Crap Friday” on CBS so it should at least get the whole season to work out. Unfortunately, I think it’s borrowing WAY too much from other Vampire shows to be a long-running program.

What I Say Now: I’m still watching it, although I’ve already accepted that it’s a terrible show. This has only been re-enforced over the last couple weeks as I’ve watched through the last bit of Angel. For whatever reason, Joss Whedon’s team is the only group that’s ever made a vampire show not seem horribly cheesy. Maybe it’s that Whedonverse vampires don’t hiss before they attack each other. Maybe it’s that pretty much everyone on Whedonverse shows are good actors. Maybe it was the fact that the writing was strong enough to make suspension of disbelief simple instead of a chore. Whatever it is, this show is doing nothing for me. I keep waiting. I get some more time as the show’s been picked up for 2008.

Pushing Daisies

What I Said Then: Really, I’m not sure if I should file this as a pro or a con because I’m not sure how I feel about it. The whole show is filmed like a weird indie movie that I normally wouldn’t like. It has a narrator who comes into the story and describes things going on in the background… most of the dialog is deadpanned and weird… the characters are very, very strange. Every fiber of this show screams “too cool for the room indie movie and you should absolutely hate this” right down to the crazy wardrobe on the women. Yet, for some reason… I like it. The mental tugging between “you should hate this!” and “but I don’t!” is painful.

What I Say Now: The mental tug-of-war has ended. I do really like the show. Surprisingly, they’ve made the whole “can’t touch each other” thing work. It’s cute. The show manages to be about death and not be too morbid. No complaints.

Back To You

What I Said Then: I hated Deborah on Everybody Loves Raymond. It got to the point toward the end of the show when I couldn’t even watch it anymore because of her. Later, when Robert’s wife turned out to be Deborah Jr, I could stand it even less. Patricia Heaton might be a really nice person in real life, but I can only see her as the over-reacting, nagging shrew she played on Raymond and, apparently, she plays the same character in this show.

What I Say Now: It’s Everybody Loves Raymond with different relationships between the characters. I really dislike Patricia Heaton’s character and I loathe how they have to make her right in each episode. To the credit, they rewrote the weather girl a few episodes in to stop her from being a complete stereotype. Ms. L loves it, though, so it’ll probably stay on the DVR line-up whenever there starts being episodes again.

Reaper

What I Said Then: I can’t pick a character that I don’t like on the show. Ray Wise plays Satan in the Al Pacino Devil’s Advocate kind of way. He tempts, but doesn’t force. He’s suave… dapper… and the kind of guy you’d sell your soul to. He’s perfect. Sock comes across as the perfect comic relief and is a Kevin Smith character through and through. I like that type of character.

What I Say Now: This show is kind of fading on me. Each episode has been very formulaic. It’s the same show week after week. The few interesting pieces of plot they’ve started (like Sam’s dad burning certain pages of the contract) were never mentioned again. My other problem I’ve mentioned previously: how is it that all these souls escaping from hell happen to wash up in this one city? Wouldn’t word get around, at some point, that this city is exactly where the newly escaped souls don’t want to be? I still really like the show, I just want some plot. Also, they really need to just tell the two girls on the show what’s going on. It’s reaching the point of absurdity that these two girls don’t realize that something weird is going on. Give me some mythology… something.

K-Ville

What I Said Then: The show is about as stereotypical a cop show as it comes. The mis-matched partners who don’t trust each other at first but then become buddies toward the end. They form a shaky partnership at the end and Boulet agrees to keep Cobb’s dark secret: when the flood hit he was in prison, but since all of New Orleans’ computer records were wiped out, he was able to make a fresh start.

What I Say Now: It got 3 episodes to hook me, and then the DVR got too crowded and it lost it’s slot in the line-up.

Journeyman

What I Said Then: Final Thought: I enjoyed it… I didn’t find myself writing this instead of watching it and I think the story’s interesting enough for now. Upgraded to series recording.

What I Say Now: This show has been my favorite of the new season. Like Reaper, each episode is formulaic, but there’s enough plot being seeded in to keep the show interesting. Each episode gives us a life that Dan has to save, but he’s also leaving clues about himself throughout the time line. There are time scientists showing up at various points dropping hints that someone knows what’s going on. The FBI’s appearance and the agent’s declaration that “they always need money” seems to indicate that they have some idea of what’s going on. Naturally, since the show is my favorite of the new season, its time is up. The remaining episodes will air as scheduled and its 13 episode run will be over. At the very least, it’s suggested that most of the show’s loose ends will be tied up.