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Friday Football Picks

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 13:27:31 -0800

Yes, it’s true, I no longer have a giant corporate website to spout football picks on, but that doesn’t mean I’m not watching football and running my mouth every week. So you can look for picks here, while I look for a permanent home for them. And of course, it figures the week my blog goes dark is the week AFTER I go 10-3. I want my bragging rights dammit!

This week’s NFL darling is the New Orleans Saints. The Saints hadn’t even finished beating the Falcons yet before the football world was wondering aloud if they can go undefeated. It’s true, there are only 3 tough looking games left on their schedule (Patriots, Cowboys at Falcons), but they will trip up somewhere. It’s a 16 game season, guys get hurt, teams lay eggs, opponenents catch fire. Hell, if Ted Ginn didn’t catch like a double amputee, they probably would have lost already. Mark my words, you will see that thingy on Drew Brees’s face disappear before you see the Saints go undefeated.

On to the picks...

49ERS OVER TITANS
*It’s gut check time, Niner fans. The Cardinals aren’t just gonna hand you the division. If you pride yourself on stopping the run and being physical, and you can’t beat a team with a QB who can’t throw, it might just be time to see what Mel Kiper Jr has to say about this year’s QB crop. And let’s face it, no one wants to have to pay attention to Mel Kiper Jr.

BYE OVER RAIDERS
*Sorry...it was just too easy

RAVENS OVER BENGALS
*Ray Lewis + Revenge = giddy up!

PACKERS OVER BUCCANEERS
*Frankly, whether the Bucs can go winless is a much more interesting discussion than whether The Saints or Colts can go undefeated

CARDINALS OVER BEARS
*Good luck figuring either of these teams out, never mind who might win this game. If you’re gambling on this, it might be time to start thinking about finding a meeting.

JAGS OVER CHIEFS
*Looks like one of Jacksonville’s semi-regular attempts to suck you into thinking they’re a sleeper. Ps....they’re not

PATRIOTS OVER DOLPHINS
*This is a game Miami has to have, which means they better break out every wildcat gimmick they’ve been saving. Rumor has it, they sent Ricky Williams to his room with a bong, bag of funyons, and a playbook, and told him to come up with a few “innovations”.

TEXANS OVER COLTS
*Did I not just establish that everyone was gonna lose a few paragraphs ago? BTW, a win would get the Texans to 6-3, which would set up an inevitable but hilarious 2nd half collapse to get them back to the 8-8 record they always wind up with.

FALCONS OVER REDSKINS (nervous suicide pick)
*As a Falcon fan, I’m a little scared of this game. Atlanta is banged up and playing on short rest, while the Redskins are coming off a bye. But Atlanta doesn’t usually mess around with bad teams, and the Redskins don’t usually mess around with the end zone, so there you go.

SAINTS OVER PANTHERS
*Did you know Carolina has won 7 straight in Louisiana? Did you know they appear to remember how to run the ball? Did you know that Jake Delhomme hasn’t totally killed his team in at least 3 weeks? All good things to have in your corner in a spot like this. Saints are a better team and may prevail, but 14.5 points looks tasty to me if you can get it.

SEAHAWKS OVER LIONS
*Enjoy the Lions, Matt Hasselbeck, they’re good for what ails you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a full head of hair by the end of this one

GIANTS OVER CHARGERS
*Here’s a game that both teams need. You can run on the Charger, you can throw on the Giants. So I’m gonna take the team that’s at home and not saddled by Norv Turner.

EAGLES OVER COWBOYS
*Dallas looks like that team that everybody likes a little too much right now

STEELERS OVER BRONCOS
*Steeler safety Ryan Clark has a blood disease that is affected by altitude. Last time he played in Denver, he lost his gall bladder and spleen! As I write this we have no idea if he will play on Monday night. Wow. If this were a movie, he’d play, and his heart would explode while trying to run back a game winning pick 6. But it’s real life, which means he’ll probably play and ESPN will just beat the story into the ground for 3 and a half hours. Yay.

Last week: 10-3!

Season: 70-40

Suicide pool: still here. Baltimore, Washington, Green Bay, Chicago, Philly, Jacksonville, Indy, Atlanta, and San Diego have been used

My 5 Favorite Things About The Spitzer Scandal

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:10:47 -0700

According to the affidavit, he like to do “some things you might not consider safe”. What could those things entail? Choking? Ball Gags? A Trapeze Act? Thinking about it is really quite the parlor game.

He used his friend’s name for the service and the hotel. Would you do this to your friend? What’s their next conversation going to be like?

He had a credit with call girl service. Because you never know when you might be up for some dangerous hooker lovin’, but a little short on cash at the same time.

He busted two different prostitution rings while Attorney General of New York. He also helped pass one of the toughest prostitution laws in the country. If this had happened 15 years earlier, Alanis Morissette could have written it into song.

Every time you watch a show like The Wire, and you see a politician do something dumb, and think “Nah, that’s too crazy”, something like this comes along.

Elliot Spitzer’s not the first, and he certainly won’t be the last, but it’s just not that often that a man is exposed as a hypocrite this spectacularly. And after watching this guy exploit the radio and record business, I’m going to relish the comeuppance.

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:00:11 -0800

So it’s been awhile since we’ve spoken, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love you. After all, I’ve been dropping by with Podcasts on the regular. And I have some thoughts that are worth a full post, but right now I don’t have the time, so you’re getting a fresh batch of videos!

If you haven’t seen these, a couple of videos on Jimmy Kimmel’s show have taken the internet by storm. I think they might actually be the thing that puts finally puts their show on the map. First, Jimmy’s girlfriend Sara Silverman gave him a little message about Jimmy’s arch nemesis.

Last night came Mr. Kimmel’s response...

All in all, I’d say that was fair! If you have a fond memory of Joe Theisman’s leg snapping on Monday Night Football, you’ll enjoy this bit of action from last weekend’s English Premier league

And finally, ever see one of those stadium marriage proposal and wonder what would happen if the girl said no? Well, now you know...

Alright, I gotta run. If you’re looking for more cool stuff to watch, check out the new LiveTV feature at live105.com. They’ve got videos of some truly excellent stuff we’ve acquired over the years, running 24/7.

The Madden Blog Disaster Endorses...

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 20:43:59 -0800

Well, he we are at Super Tuesday. I’m not going to tell you this is the most important election of your life. That was the last one, and I think no matter where you stand, we can all pretty much agree we blew that choice.

That said, we stand here today with an opportunity to fix that great mistake, to reverse course and restore this country to it’s rightful place- not just feared around the world, but respected, a beacon of what democracy can truly mean.

America has some gargantuan challenges to overcome in the next few years. We need to find a way to bring lasting stability to the middle east. We need to eliminate a culture of religious extemists around the world. We need to find a way to make health care a basic right for all Americans (like police and fire protection are). We need to make a serious push to reverse the effects of climate change. We need to fix our political system so that candidates can represent all of us, not just those with bags of money in their hands. And I suppose, when we are finished with all of that, we can take a look at the people who sneak across the border and prop up our economy by doing the jobs we wouldn’t do anyway, if we must...I guess.

Regardless, each of these obstacles requires a serious commitment, not just of financial resources, but of ourselves. That is what government is really about, banding together to do what we cannot as individuals. Decades ago, when President Kennedy unleashed his famous “Ask not what your country can do for you...” speech, it touched off an era of commitment to growth and innovation unmatched in the 20th century. Unfortunately now days, the only thing people want to do for their country is pay it as few taxes as humanly possible. This type of view is not going to create the kind of America we really want.

Look, I’m not saying there’s a magic bullet in this election. Voting for one guy (or girl) is not going to magically undo the disaster of the last 8 years. But there is one candidate who has shown through his entire legislative career a unique ability to work across the politcal spectrum to get things done. There is a candidate who represents more than the standard political shell game. There is a candidate who understands how much work there is to be done and how much will be required of us to do it.

That candidate is Barack Obama.

So this Tuesday, I’m urging you to go to the polls. I’m urging you ask more of your country and yourselves. I’m urging you to reject the labels and all of the petty games that have dragged us down for so long. And I’m urging you to take the first step towards building the foundation of another great American century.

It’s time to begin remaking history. It’s time for Barack Obama.

Heath’s Death Leaving A Bigger Void Than You Think

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:45:36 -0800

With the involvement of Mary-Kate Olsen, the Heath Ledger story has entered the Tyson Vortex. That’s the place where things are so crazy that nothing will surprise you. While things will inevitably get picked apart even further- did you hear they found a rolled up 20? With no drugs on it! - I prefer to think of the Hollywood that’s been left behind. Obviously, it’s a tough loss because Ledger was young and talented and genuinely intent on making good films. It’s all the more tough, because it seems like that’s the rarest of commodities in movies this days.

Take a second and think about how few quality actors under 30 exist in Hollywood today. I’ve got Jake Gyllenhall, Ryan Gosling, and uh, that’s about it. All the stars of movies that score big with the kids are actually pretty damn old. Matt Damon? 37! Will Smith? 40! Hell, even that douchebag Leto is 36. In a town that’s supposed to prize youth and beauty, why are none of the young and beautiful sticking around?

I’d say (maybe you’ll see this coming), it’s another symptom of our tabloid culture. On a basic level, the people who read US Weekly are more concerned with who people are doing than the work they’re doing. Let’s just say it’s not a climate that breeds artistic excellence. And those that become famous can often wilt under the pressures of 24-hour spotlight with a scandal around every corner, and a bevy of Hollywood temptations within arm’s reach. Shia LeBouf was being compared to Tom Hanks and telling anyone who would listen he wasn’t going to do the LA Club scene. Within three months he was hitting on Rhianna and getting arrested in a Walgreen’s.

Which brings us back to Mr. Ledger. I’m not going to speculate on the reasons for his passing, but here was a guy who tried to build a family, tried to stay away from LA, turned down roles that weren’t good for him, and he still met an early demise. He was one of the good ones...and I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate it more when he was around.