The Post with my Week 13 Picks
So how many Eagles fans out there thought Philadelphia was going to beat New England going into last Sunday night's game?

Now how many people like me were thinking halfway through that 4 th quarter that the Eagels could? There was a while there where I figured they would do it.

Down 31-28 and driving with about 6 minute to play it looked like the Eagles were about to pull the upset of the year. They were 24 point underdogs going into the game- the largest such spread in football ever. For those that don't understand the whole 24 points- you would need to have 4 scoring drives to cover that spread. The bookies were saying the Eagles not only couldn't stay within 3 touchdowns of the Pats (to be fair something few teams have done this year) but a field goal on top of it.

Yet there was AJ Feeley- playing the game of his life and picking apart the Patriots defensive scheme like a seasoned pro. Then he made the critical error that gave this game to New England. A play game in that was designed to be a hitch and go on the outside. The outside where the Pats had been smothering the Eagles all day. The inside of the field was wide open but the Eagles play callers decided to go back outside at a critical point. The play call maade and still makes no sense.

The Patriots had all three timeouts left plus the two minute warnign with 5 minutes to play. Another first down means you can burn two minutes off the clock and force them to use timeouts. At the least you're in field goal range and can tie the game. Throwing there was taking an unnecessary risk and it didn't pay off. If the Eagles end up missing the playoffs that is one of those plays you can focus on.

Speaking of things you cna focus on- if I hit my goal of 160 wins you cna point to this two week 23-9 stretch which has helped greatly. I started badly this week but let's dust off and move forward.

Sunday, Dec. 2

San Francisco at Carolina, 1 p.m.- This game will most assuredly suck. Carolina wins.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.- Should be a great game and it is huge for Jacksonville. The Colts are banged up and reeling a little bit. Jacksonville lost badly a few weeks back on Monday night and want this game bad. UPSET SPECIAL. Jacksonville wins

San Diego at Kansas City, 1 p.m.- Hopefully Rivers can build off his good day last week and keep rolling. The Chargers always seem abotu ready to turn it around when they stumble again. This week they get a banged up Chiefs team. San Diego wins.

N.Y. Jets at Miami, 1 p.m.- This game will probably suck somethign awful too. Miami gets off the snide and wins.

Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m.- A game that Detroit absolutely needs even with Adrian Peterson probably back for Minnesota. Detroit wins

Tampa Bay at New Orleans, 1 p.m.- Tampa Bay might be without Jeff Garcia which is bad for them. New Orleans wins

Seattle at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.- Philadelphia needs and wants this game bad. Philadelphia wins

Atlanta at St. Louis, 1 p.m.- St. Louis wins

Houston at Tennessee, 1 p.m.- Tennessee gets Albert Haynesworth back and get themselves a win. Tennessee wins

Buffalo at Washington, 1 p.m.- BUffalo is still banged up and the clock is striking midnight on them. Washington wins

Cleveland at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.- Two very good surprise teams this season. At home I think Arizona wins

Denver at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.- Denver is reeling off a bad loss. The Raiders are just bad. Denver wins.

N.Y. Giants at Chicago, 4:15 p.m.- Two spotty quarterbacks. Chicago is tough to beat at home. Chicago wins

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 8:15 p.m.- If we get the crappy weather again in Pittsburgh this could be ugly to watch. Worrisome pick becasue bad weather favors the Steelers. Good weather doesn't Pittsburgh wins

Monday, Dec. 3

New England at Baltimore, 8:30 p.m.- Baltimore has the defense to play with the New England offense. The Baltimore offense might not be able to play with the Harvard defense. New England wins
- posted by Brian @ 11/30/2007 12:06:00 PM

 
The Post with the News You can't Use- and a Bonus NFL pick
Let's start with the NFL pick. We'll break down last week's picks tomorrow and just go quick hit today. Tonight is the biggest NFC game of the year and it will be seen by basically noone since it is on the shitty NFL Network. So bars will do huge business tonight as football fans every where flock to bars to watch.

Green Bay vs Dallas- It's a game that both teams need. The winner is in the driver's seat for home field advantage and Green Bay is a tougher place to play in January than Dallas. Here's the thing- two fairly even team usually means give it to the home team which I'm inclined to believe. However, in a huge game like this the first team that makes a mistake usually loses- and I think that will be Tony Romo before Brett Favre so in a minor upset. Green Bay wins.


Now onto the news:

Dateline: New Port Richey, Florida

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=68681

- 12.50 is really a lot of money. I think the larger story here is they bought 8 rum and cokes for 24.50. That's a pretty decent price- where is this place at. I know I would duck a 12 dollar bar bill to pay 150 in a bond. Makes a lot of sense

Dateline- Washington, DC

http://www.nbc4.com/news/14725045/detail.html

- First off, where the hell did a chess club get 30,000 dollars. I thought schools didn't give smart kids money. Second why is the fine 90,000 when she stole 30,000? Is it accuring legal fees or is it a random number? What happened between the stealing and now that caused that 30,000 to multiply by 3? Imagine stealing a cookie from someone and then demanding a year's worth of Oreo's- it's silly.

Dateline- Charleston, South Carolina

http://www.islandpacket.com/front/story/91957.html

- Guy might want to think about getting another hobby. At this point can you even refer to yourself as a boater anymore? Like maybe you're a rescue mission that hasn't happened yet.

Dateline- Australia

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22829860-661,00.html?from=mostpop

- The message is clear- don't bring your kids outside so they cna stay in and eat Cheetos and get fat. Hey Australia is just trying to catch up with us. Cause our kids are fat...M I RITE?

Dateline- Lagrangeville, New York

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2007/11/28/2007-11-28_hudson_valley_high_students_arrested_cha.html?ref=rss

- This might be the worst thought out plan ever. Sort of. I mean the 30 months of planning cna help you smooth out some rough patches in the plan but advertising on Myspace before then isn't really that smart.
- posted by Brian @ 11/29/2007 02:00:00 PM

 
The Post with me just hitting some quick things
Not sure how I'll do updates this week. I think we'll keep everything the same and with teh Thursday night game I will just throw that at the beginning of Thursdays post. That is probably best.

I ate at Red hills Tavern for the first time ever the other night. It was really good. I had this flame cooked burger that was loaded with pepperjack cheese and creole mayo. Awesome stuff.

Two straight Saturdays eating at places I've never eaten at before. Maybe I should get out more.
- posted by Brian @ 11/27/2007 02:30:00 PM

 
The Post with me discussing The Mist
Before I start let me say I won't really talk to much about the movie becasue it will ruin things.

Stephen King's book, "The Mist" is different than a lot of his other works. In most instances King uses psychological fear to convey his stories. In this one there are actually things chasing people. Sure there is a heavy dose of psychologcial horror but it isn't in as big a ratio as previous movies.

King novels don't usually translate on screen but Frank Darabont has done a great job twice. He does another excellent job here with a movie that is different than those other two. He commands the screen and knows when to amp up the action and when to pull back.

The acting and writing is really good. There are some great quotable lines throughout the film. And the performances are pretty good across the board. Marica Gay Harden is especially great. She's a villain in a sense and she is very good. Seriously I was ready to smack her about halfway into the movie. That's a huge credit to her that she created a character like that.

The storylines and themes work perfectly for this film. Much like plenty of horror films it speaks as an allegory for the times in which we live. As such there are some subtle shots at the current political regime and some not-so-subtle ones- I mean really, "Scare people bad enough and you can get them to believe anything," is a direct hook to the face of the War on Terror. All the riffs about politics and religion are spot on throughout as well as we get a divide between rationale thinking being pitted against people trying to find a deeper purpose in the events.

Lsatly, and without revealing too much, there will be a lot of people who leave the theater pissed off as this movie. Not because it's bad but because the movie is one big gut punch at times, and the intensity of it will turn off some. And really that's all I want to say. The use of music at the end was heartbreaking and haunting. I went to bed that nigiht and couldn't get the melody of the song out of my mind. After watching the film my only word was 'Wow." Despite the nature of stupid people in the audience (laughing at inappropriate moments) there was almost 100% complete silence when the film hit its end. Ok I'll stop now.


Highly, highly recommend this film if you like a little substance to your action. Hihgly recommend if you're a horror fan who is tired of sequels and torture films. Lastly highly recommend if you are tired of the same old, same old.
- posted by Brian @ 11/26/2007 02:36:00 PM

 
The Post with my Week 12 NFL Picks
We are just a few hours away from what is my favorite holiday all year long- Thanksgiving. Other holidays seperate people based on religious beliefs. Others are all about getting drunk and then trying to remember everything. This one is just about eating like a pig and not feeling bad about it. Then as if that wasn't awesome enough then we get to sit and watch football all day long. Now with me tacking on the Black Friday shopping it's a full two day festival.

What I'll be giving thanks for this year is the fact that there is a really good game on at 12:30 between two teams battling for playoff slots. Then I'll be thankful because at least this year Dallas is decent so the game won't be a total bore. Then i'll give thanks I don't have NFL network so I won't have to watch the Colts slaughter the Falcons. Most improtantly though I'll be giving thanks for going 12-4 last week in my picks and bumping my overall record up to 96-64 which is a .600 winning percentage and is pretty good- can still be better though. So we will move forward and try again to hit the double digits once more.

Thursday, Nov. 22

Green Bay at Detroit, 12:30 p.m.- Maybe the game of the week and it is the first one we'll see. Detroit finally lost at home last week but have played extremely well there. Green Bay has been out of this world so far with no running game for most of the year. Both defenses are very good so this will come down to- whcih offense can do enough against the other's defense. Here's the thing to me- The Lions need this game, the Packers can lose- beat the Cowboys next week and still have homefield so...UPSET SPECIAL- Detroit wins

N.Y. Jets at Dallas, 4:15 p.m.- Usually by 4 everyone in the eastern and central regions have eaten dinner and by about 5 they are slipping into a food coma. This game won't help matters. Most would call this a trap game but the Jets just upset the Steelers so they won't sneak up on the Cowboys who are just flat out better. Dallas wins.

Indianapolis at Atlanta, 8:15 p.m.- The Falcons stink. Just flat out stink. Even with all the injuries I think Peyton easily leads his team to victory. Indianapolis wins.

Sunday, Nov. 25

New Orleans at Carolina, 1 p.m.- Both these teams are shaky picks. The Saints defense has been terrible and their offense isn't picking up the slack this year. The Panthers are just not good- and terrible at home. I give the home team a slight edge here becasue Steve Smith will be back against that porous pass defense. Carolina wins.

Denver at Chicago, 1 p.m.- Chicago did ok last week and Rex wasn't completely awful. The Broncos survived a shootout on Monday night with Jay Cutler outdueling Vince Young. Becasue of the short week though I think the Broncos are at a disadvantage. Chicago wins.

Tennessee at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.- The Bengals have to start winning at some point right? I don't know if this is that week though. The Titans defense has been incredible and I think Vince Young will give the Bengals defense fits. For some reason though I think the Bengals find a way to win this in a 35-31 type game. Cincinnati wins.

Houston at Cleveland, 1 p.m.- Another game that could be a shootout. Two teams that are fairly close so again I have to give that to the home team. Cleveland wins.

Buffalo at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.- The Jaguars are one of the most efficient teams in football. They are also the team I think is the dark horse in the AFC. They aren't flashy- but they are a physical, bruising bunch of players. Buffalo has been battling valiantly against injuries all year but with Marshawn Lynch most likely out agin this week that does not bode well for them. Jacksonville wins.

Oakland at Kansas City, 1 p.m.- Kansas City this week will turn to Kolby Smith with Priest Holmes retiring. Brodie Croyle did fine against the Colts last week but couldn't get it done. The Raiders almost beat the Vikings despite giving up 202 yards on the ground. If Daunte Culpepper plays like he did last week than the Raiders will win...Oakland wins.

Minnesota at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.- The Giants won an ugly one against the Lions. The Vikings a close one over the Raiders. The Giants are the better team so this should be a no brainer. New York Giants win.

Seattle at St. Louis, 1 p.m.- The Rams have been playing better as of late but still there are holes there in the game. Seattle turned to a pass first offense and lit it up against the Bears. Bears defense > Rams defense. Seattle wins.

Washington at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.- Tough game here. The Redskins were close to beating the Cowboys last week and since opening up the offense Jason Campbell has looked really good. Tampa Bay has been playing well and getting steady play from Jeff Garcia again. With the problems in the secondary I think that gives the Bucs an advantage. Tampa Bay wins

San Francisco at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.- San Francisco stinks. Arizona is trying to sneak into the playoffs. Arizona wins

Baltimore at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.- I don't feel comfortable picking the Chargers anymore. They are inconsistent and the defense has been rendered useless by Fat Albert and his defensive style. Still though the Ravens are bad on offense and are being pushed around defensively. They will be angry coming off last week's controversial loss though. San Diego wins.

Philadelphia at New England, 8:15 p.m. - Even if the Eagles give them a game- that's all it will be. Teams need to rely on the running game and be efficient on third down otherwise zero chance. New England wins.

Monday, Nov. 26

Miami at Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m.- Miami will have to wait at least one more week for their first win. Pittsburgh wins.
- posted by Brian @ 11/21/2007 01:23:00 PM

 
The Post with me catching up
Didn't post yesterday becasue I didn't get the chance- not for lack of material. Although really there is a low level of material this week. Just wanted to say that since this is a screwy week the News you can't use will not be seen this week so that I may give you week 12 picks on Wednesday in time for the Turkey Day triple header. The Friday I will be either tired or asleep for most of the day since I'll be staying up all nght to get my shopping in at Best Buy- which I have yet to find a discernible reason for this year other than tradition. Then I'll be going to see The Mist Friday night which I am really looking forward too. Frank Darabont has adapted Stephen King twice- once was The Shawshank Redemption, the other was The Green Mile- so we'll see if he makes it 3 for 3.

Anyway:

This weekend was slow. Went to the dentist and got my teeth checked- turning out ok other than a cavity maybe on the horizon.

Saturday night I took my mom to Friday's for dinner and then we went to a going away party for my cousin Shane. He is joining the Marines. It's only the Reserves which doesn't necessarily mean he will get called into active duty but with the way things are going over there- he might.

It's worrisome. See I've grown up around Shane and his brothers and sisters for a long time. Our families went camping together bascially every other weekend for a lot of summers. New Year's Eve we were almost always together. Basically they all grew up like brothers and sisters to me so I worry about them as much as I do for my own brother. This is what he wants so we support him 100%. I know he'll be safe but still there is that little lingering doubt. I told him "Stay in one piece." and wished him the best of luck.

On Sunday- mostly becasue it was snowing and the football games were dreadful on tv I decided to make two loaves of cornbread. One to eat and one to keep for Thanksgiving. It turned out decent although I think I should've modified the recipe a little to better fit my tastes but whatever.

Then I basically did very little.


Maybe there was a bigger lack of material than I thought- oh well.
- posted by Brian @ 11/20/2007 02:43:00 PM

 
This Post with this week's NFL Picks
Last night I attened the VS. Network Fight Night at the Sovereign Center in Reading. A decent card, not blow-a-way or anything but a couple decent fights. A very methodical fighter decisively beating another fighter and Hasim Rahman trying to continue his comeback to the world title.

Last week I endured almost the same fate as Keenan Collins from Reading- who saw his fight stopped in the first round. I was down for the count, got up, and walked the straight line back to the ref which allowed me to continue on and squeak by with another 8-6 week pushing me to 84-60. My goal for this was to win 160 games which means I would have a .625 winning percentage. It also means I need to hit on 76 of the remaning 112 games. Not easy- It also means I need two or three weeks of double digit wins in this middle section to be able to coast to that goal. Basically I've had my feeling out process (probably for a round too long), I need to weather these next 4 rounds, and then bring it home in the last couple rounds. See- the boxing anaolgy wasn't just a clever writing device.

Sunday, Nov. 18

Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 1 p.m.- The Falcons did well in tripping up Carolina at the end of the game last week but that was a team that plays badly on the road. Tampa Bay doesn't have that same hang-up and they are coming off a bye week which has them rested and ready to go. Tampa Bay wins.

Cleveland at Baltimore, 1 p.m.- Tough divisional game here. The Ravens need to win this game to stay in the playoff hunt. The Browns need to win this to prove they belong in the playoff hunt. Both are coming off bad losses- the Browns blowing a 14 point lead, and the Ravens getting out-muscled by the Bengals. I think Cleveland is hungrier right now and that gives them the edge. Cleveland wins.

New England at Buffalo, 1 p.m.- For some reason- I think the Bills cover the 17.5 point spread in this game.For a bigger reason though I think New England wins.

Arizona at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.- This game will probably be close becasue the Cardinals offense should be able to push around the Bengals defense. However, defensively I don't think the Cardinals can do enough to slow down the Bengals. Cincinnati wins.

Washington at Dallas, 1 p.m.- Washington is banged up on both sides of the ball, and even though I think Jason Campbell took a huge step in his development last week that makes a bigger difference. Dallas is rolling right now and are tough to beat at home. Dallas wins.

Carolina at Green Bay, 1 p.m.- The Panthers have no idea who is starting at quarterback. Really it doesn't matter becasue the Packers defense is pretty good- especially against the pass. This is the very definition of a trap game though as the Packers have two huge match-ups the next two Thursdays after this game against the Lions and Cowboys- so they might be overlooking the Panthers. Or maybe not. Green Bay wins.

New Orleans at Houston, 1 p.m.- The Texans offense should be at full strength again which does not bode well for the Saints terrible defense. They were torn up by the Rams last week. The Texans will struggle trying to defense the Saints but it can be done. Expect a huge game out of Mario Williams this week for Houston. Houston wins.

Kansas City at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.- The Colts lost a huge piece of their title defense when Freeney went down for the year. Kansas City though has lost Larry Johnson and are leaning towards young Brodie Croyle who will get eaten up by the Tampa 2. Indianapolis wins.

San Diego at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.- Somehow the Jaguars are sticking around the playoff race. Their defense is great. When Garrard went down for a few weeks- many thought Quinn Gray would hurt them- he really didn't. Now in come the Chargers who are in teh middle of a deadly 3 game stand where they must prove themselves legitimate AFC contenders. The Chargers offense though needs to wake up this week against a tough tough defense. San Diego wins.

Oakland at Minnesota, 1 p.m.- Close game here I think. Minnesota is good agaisnt the run but got beat up by practice squad signee Ryan Grant. Also their offense showed their true colors. Now with Adrian Peterson out they are going back to Chester Taylor- who while good is not AP. Oakland I think can do enough to win and Culpepper will light up the old stomping ground. Minnesota wins.

Pittsburgh at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.- Not gonna outthink myself here. Pittsburgh wins. Although it might be very close....no stop it. Pittsburgh wins.

Miami at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.- Miami almost upset the Bills last week. This week they turn to rookie John Beck against Jim Johnson's attack defense. They have been bad against the pass though because they aren't getting to the qb enough. With little tape on Beck this is a bad match-up. Plus Westbrook might be out which means they can't exploit the bad run defense. Still though. Philadelphia wins.

N.Y. Giants at Detroit, 4:15 p.m.- Huge game. Both teams might need this for playoff tiebreaker purposes. The Giants are a great defense coming off a bad loss. Detroit is really good at home and coming off a worse loss. The Lions absolutely need this game going into THursday's showdown with the Packers. UPSET SPECIAL- Detroit wins

St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m.- Very little time to spend here. The 49'ers offense is outright terrible. St. Louis looked back on track last week. Frank Gore usually carves up the Rams but with Trent Dilfer filling in (who is somehow worse than Alex Smith) this has bad match-up all over it. St. Louis wins.

Chicago at Seattle, 8:15 p.m.- Two underachieving offenses. Two underachieving defenses. Hell two underachieving teams in general. The Seahawks are going to rely on the pass and forget about the ground game- that could be costly as the Bears ususally are ballhawks. Not so much this year though. I don't feel 100% confident in this but Seattle wins.

Monday, Nov. 19

Tennessee at Denver, 8:30 p.m.- Denver is tough to beat at home. If Denver can do what the Jaguars did and force Vince Young to win the game through the air- it won't get done. I think they can do that. Denver wins.
- posted by Brian @ 11/16/2007 01:22:00 PM

 
The Post with this week's News
Dateline- Atlantic City, New Jersey

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071115/NEWS01/711150399/1006

- Oh my god! People in a casino were gambling? Illegally even? The heck you say. If you can't find upstanding people in a casino where can you find them.

Dateline- Chicago, Illinois

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/11/cardia.html

- Who the hell poines money up for these studies? Doesn't it make sense that this would be the conclusion? Wouldn't we be better served if scientists were trying to find out the answer to things we don't know instead of something that is blatantly fucking obvious? Did I miss the memo that this is obvious news story week?

Dateline- Berlin, Germany

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071115/od_nm/pedophile_kindergarten_dc;_ylt=ArtJQzrTud45GXCGxerxD2as0NUE

- I would assume that if the guy was just convicted of a crime someone has recently looked at his rap sheet. How do you not notice this? The lady didn't notice it on the file. He's been convicted 3 times, which means it is written on their three times. I could see missing it once but after awhile you need to be trying to miss it. Just dumb- Ironic the guy was busted for collecting welfare payments becasue this clerk might be headed there.

Dateline- Greensboro, North Carolina

http://www.wxii12.com/news/14598339/detail.html

- Pretty sure that at the top of the list of ways to resolve conflicts- throwing fists is not in the top 5 or even top 10. I'm just guessing there

Dateline- Crestview, Florida

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/10157

- You would think these stories by now would be getting old- but they aren't.

Good news for her is- anymore this action comes with an emergency teacher certification. So she'll have a job when she gets out.

Dateline- Wauankee, Wisconsin

http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=11/14/2007&id=31790

- Nothing like making a bad situation worse. Take your punishment instead of creating a hostage situation
- posted by Brian @ 11/15/2007 02:03:00 PM

 
The Post with some small stuff
Something occurred to me- a few months (a little over a year) back, and I only write about this becasue it might help someone like it helped me.

I had a revelation about the "problems" in my life.

I was listening to a conversation where some people were complaining about all their problems. Electric bill was late, cable is costing too much, two kids have to be in the same place at the same time, boyfriend not committing, and a spouse caught cheating. As I sat there and pondered the whole thing glancing over the situations like a person surveying the menu at a restaurant I thought about my problems.

Lack of a female, sense of nothingness, essentially not feeling fulfilled: And as I thoguht of this it dawned on me that I wanted to be in the problem scenario where most of them were. For the most part their problems were fixable, in some cases easily. Electric bill is past due- you pay it. Two kids going somewhere at the same time- make a call or arrange a carpool. See, relatively simple solutions.

My problems were hindered from escaping because they involved some mental aspect holding me back. They weren't any real problem- they were all internal. There was nothing I could ask for help with, and I was fencing myself in. I didn't have a woman because none liked me- which ignored the fact that I didn't do anythign to actively search them out either. (I still don't do as much as I should but I've gotten better).

Basically I was creating a reality and then twisting the actual reality until it became the constructed reality. What I was experiencing wasn't what was happening- it's what I was making happen.

That's a powerful thing to confront. When you sit and think about why things are going wrong you want it to be something else, because it's easier to tangibly point to something else. No one wants to look into that pool of life and see only their reflection in it. In fact- it's a lot scarier.

So there are two paths you can take- You can either keep pointing the finger- which leads you nowhere but further down. Or you can face yourself in the mirror and say- I need to change. That doesn't mean anything other than admitting to yourself that the reason things are going downhill is most likely because you're letting them.

Confront yourself- and be prepared for the path that takes- good and bad.
- posted by Brian @ 11/14/2007 02:30:00 PM

 
The Post with me just stopping in
Over the weekend I went to the cabin with pop and we got some things done. UNloaded a ton of coal into our container and then built a little lean-to roof over it so it stays dry come winter. Did you ever try shoveling frozen coal? Not fun.

Other than that- uneventful weekend.

- Every guy should watch Manswers on Spike TV. It is great.

- There are some changes coming- stay tuned

- Also over the weekend I found all my old Christmas show tapes. Basically when I was little (6 and 8 to be exact by the dates on the tapes) my mom helped me make tapes of all the Christmas shows that were on. Remember when they showed all those specials (Frosty, Rudolph, Mickey's Christmas Carol, etc) I know they still show them but it isn't as magical as when they did it back then. I'm so glad my mom had the foresight to this years ok because I can pull the tape out and watch all those great Christmas specials.

In fact, the first week of December I am off work so I will tear through those tapes and write blogs about them. I'm inspired by the site that I have really loved over the years- xentertainment.com. Basically they review all these old products and shows of yesteryear.

http://www.x-entertainment.com/

It's really fun to watch the old commericals and old movie previews.

I'm so fucking excited- I almost want to start watching tonight.

I can't wait til I have kids andget to watch this stuff with them. It will be awesome.
- posted by Brian @ 11/13/2007 02:44:00 PM

 
The Post with my Week 10 NFL Picks
See I told you last week was a bad week to pick games. I went a lousy 7-7. And it was something you saw coming the whole time. When I looked at the betting sites prior to the game 11 of the games were within a touchdown points wise- with half of them within a field goal. It's a good week for bookies and betters. The bookies will take a lot of bets becasue the spreads are tight and the payoffs will happen because most people gamble a little betting the underdog becasue it's a chance to win and not an outrageous one like say picking Washington over New England (which I'm still pissed I did here).

Think of it this way- you get told to pick a number between 1-1000 (big odds) versus getting to pick a number between 1-10 (smaller odds). Your chance of picking the correct number is statsitically better with the lower bracket because there is less room for error. That's the way it is in football. Plus a goofy snap can have a touchdown go either way- which opens up all new possibilities. In fact this has been a goofy year for betting in the NFL becasue so many teams have fluctuated from week 1 to now.

The only thing we do know is- the Patriots are pissed off at the league and if that spread is 35- they might damn well cover it.

So anyway- back to me, 7-7 last week keeps me 22 games over .500 with a 76-54 record. So let's try and rest the thign- get back to basics, and get back to double digit wins.


Sunday, Nov. 11

Atlanta at Carolina, 1 p.m.- Carolina is surprisingly worse at home this year than on the road. Atlanta has shown flashes, but still don't look like a team that is putting it together totally. The thing that helps the Panthers is David Carr might not play. Yes 42 year old Vinnie Testaverde gives them a better chance to win. Carolina wins

Minnesota at Green Bay, 1 p.m.- Minnesota and Green Bay usually split this series and the Pack took the first game. Still though the Packers are living with the pass and the Vikings while getting better still have trouble defending it. With Antoine Winfield possibly out that hurts them more. Adrian Peterson should get his yards but the Packer linebackers are a fast group and can probably keep him in check to some degree. Green Bay wins

Denver at Kansas City, 1 p.m.- KC is a very good home team and had Green Bay beat until they fell apart last week. Denver has been night and day the past two weeks. They pushed the Packers into overtime and then got blown out the water by Detroit last week. With Larry Johnson out and the load falling to the returning Priest Holmes and Damon Huard one bad quarter away from the bench I think the Broncos can get back on track...UPSET SPECIAL- Denver wins

Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m.- This is probably the best chance Miami has to win a game the rest of the way- think about that. I love what Buffalo has been doing and with Zach Thomas out again Miami will have more trouble stopping Marshawn Lynch. Also if the Bills win- they are about one game away from being playoff contenders. Buffalo wins

St. Louis at New Orleans, 1 p.m.- St. Louis almost beat Cleveland and then had their bye week to rest Stephen Jackson who needed the extra time. New Orleans after starting slow- and causing the Gulf Region to panic again they have righted the ship. Reggie Bush is running like a star and Drew Brees is finding all his receivers often. New Orleans wins.

Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.- Pittsburgh made a statement on Monday night by routing Baltimore. Being stronger, faster, and most surprisinigly- tougher. Cleveland made their own little statement- going on the road to Seattle and stunning the Seahawks by rallying late. I think Cleveland can score on Pittsburgh but I don't think they can stop Pittsburgh which means a shootout. Pittsburgh wins

Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1 p.m.- Tough divisional game. Tennessee wins and they solidify their spot right behind the Colts. Jacksonville wins and they stay in the playoff race. I still think the Jaguars offense will suffer by the inconsistent play of Quinn Gray. Tennessee is shwoing the abiltiy to play grind it out football which helps them immensely here. Tennessee wins

Philadelphia at Washington, 1 p.m.- Washington was humbled two weeks ago, and then almost backed into a win over the Jets last week. The Eagles outslugged the Vikings two weeks ago and then got manhandled by the Cowboys. Basically they've struggled with inferior teams and got blown out by better teams. Even though the Reskins won the first meeting I think the Eagles are the better team- and Donovan McNabb playing with a chip on his shoulder is dangerous. Philadelphia wins

Cincinnati at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m.- Baltimore is angry. Cincinnati is angry with themselves becasue they played terribly against the Bills last week. That touchdown Marshawn Lynch had at the end was embarassing. The Bengals won the earlier meeting and usually play well against the Ravens. This is a tough one to call. Cincinnati wins

Detroit at Arizona, 4:15 p.m.- Both teams are playing well. One team has had some more breaks go there way. I think if the Lions offense can spread out the Cardinals that spells trouble. If Arizona can control teh line of scrimmage and get Edgerrin James going that is dangerous for the Lions. Arizona has beaten Pittsburgh at home this season which is good for them. I still think Detroit knows they need this game and will play with the necessary urgency. Detroit wins

Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 4:15 p.m.- Rematch from the Week 1 shootout. Both teams have greatly improved since then. The Giants moreso. I think with the extra bye week that gives the Giants the advantage. Also Dallas was so amped up for last week that they might have a bit of a letdown. New York wins

Chicago at Oakland, 4:15 p.m.- Chicago has played badly this year but they are better than the Raiders. Chicago wins

Indianapolis at San Diego, 8:15 p.m.- The less I say about the crappy game my Chargers played last week the better it will make me feel. The Colts almost beat the Patriots. The Chargers used to match up well against the Colts but that was under Wade Phillips and I have no faith in Ted Cottrell. I want to pick my boys but I think Peyton gets his team back on track. Indianapolis wins (Although I think this would be a huge win for the Chargers)

Monday, Nov. 12

San Francisco at Seattle, 8:30 p.m- Seattle is underacheiving to the nth degree. San Francisco is just not very good and Alex Smith still can't throw downfield clogging up the box for Frank Gore. Seattle wins on Monday night.
- posted by Brian @ 11/09/2007 02:02:00 PM

 
The Post with this week's News
Another week and we hit the circuit

Dateline- England

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tees/7084003.stm

- It really isn't that bad when you find out he was teaching them how to drive a stick.

Easy joke I know.


Dateline- Vernon, New Jersey

http://recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/NEWS/71107019

- See everyone thought it was cute when the bears were stealing pic-a-nic baskets but now they've moved up to cars. Not so cute now huh?

I wonder if he needed driving lessons becasue there is a certain class in England we could sign him up for as punishment.

Dateline- Washington

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21678196/

- Now I know what to spike drinks with. All seriousness though we need to seriosuly adjust our importing policies, or hold toymakers a little more culpable. This is getting ridiculous

Dateline- England

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=492329&in_page_id=1770

- Outstanding stuff right there.

Dateline- Lots of places

http://radaronline.com/features/2007/11/vulgar_t_shirts_prank_1.php

- Quite the little social experiment there. Although I'm sure he would die wearing those shirts in like a backwoods town
- posted by Brian @ 11/08/2007 02:05:00 PM

 
The Post with my CMA Awards Predictions
I've been gone a few days. Not for lack of things to say- because there is plenty going down- but because I've not had the time to get on here and type out a post.

Tonight on ABC marks the 41st Country Music Awards as the best and brightest of country music- and then others- will present their big awards show. Lot so of good performances will be on including

But prediciting winners is what we are looking to do- so I can fail miserably again at prediciting awards. Since I pretty much know country music, I get opinionated. In most cases to me country music has drifted away from what it should be. There are quite a few who keep me around, and even the ones I don't really like (Rascal Flatts, Big & Rich) have at least one song that I like- or for the most part I can tolerate them.

I get agitated when people try to paint that as good country music. It's good music- up for debate- but there really isn't anything country about it. In fact, in some ways its insulting to real country fans. Look I grew up listening to old Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Freddy Fender, and Del Reeves records. That to me is country the way it should be. Pure, raw, full of emotion. There are artists who do that still but they aren't the majority anymore. Some can hit that for a song or two but they can't sustain it. And that isn't to say I don't think you can mix country with the rock and stuff- hell the whole Outlaw movement did that- but there is a way to do it and only a few successfully pull it off anymore.

Ok back to the awards

Basically there are people every year who should win versus those who actually win. Every once in a while those two converge and you get a perfect moment where the person who should win is the one who does win. Those moments are few and far between though. So let's look at my picks of who should versus who will win at this year's CMA awards

We'll cover the main awards because noone really cares about Musicican of the Year- I'll guess Mac McAnally wins that.

Also I don't necessarily pay attention to videos- because it gets boring real quick. Good ones do jump out at me though. Jason Alexander directed Brad Paisley's "Online" video so I'll predict that wins.

Now onto the big ones:

Musical Event of the Year(Award to each Artist)

Reba McEntire with Kelly Clarkson“Because of You”MCA Nashville

Tracy Lawrence featuring Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney“Find Out Who Your Friends Are”Rocky Comfort Records/CO5

Jimmy Buffett with George Strait and Alan Jackson“Hey Good Lookin’” LiveMCA Nashville

Alison Krauss and John Waite“Missing You”Rounder Records

Vince Gill with Guest Vocalist Alison Krauss“The Reason Why”MCA Nashville

Should win- Reba & Kelly's duet is a powerhouse force of two women with big voices singing together. It actually gives the song a new spin as well which is welcome.

Will win- The CMA loves their traditional voices so I think Vince and Allison will win. Anythign but the Jimmy Buffet song which seems to have been nominated for the past 3 years in various pairings.

Song of the Year(Award goes to Songwriter and Primary Publisher)

“Anyway”Martina McBride / Brad Warren / Brett Warren Delemmava Music / L’ile Des Auteurs Music

“Before He Cheats”Josh Kear / Chris TompkinsBig Yellow Dog Music / Sony/ATV Cross Keys / Big Loud Shirt

“Give It Away”Bill Anderson / Buddy Cannon / Jamey JohnsonSony/ATV Tree / EMI Blackwood / Run Slow Music

“Lost In This Moment”John Rich / Keith Anderson / Rodney ClawsonWarner/Chappell Music / Writer’s Extreme / EMI April Music

“Stupid Boy”Dave Berg / Deanna Bryant / Sarah BuxtonCal IV Songs / Song Planet / Big Loud Songs

Should win- Keith Urban's song about a guy who keeps getting in his own way at being in a relationship is a heartbreaking introspective look at a self-destructive person. It's is deeply personal and you feel that coming through. It's a really well written song and above everything in this category just about.

Will win- Carrie Underwood's crossover smash about a girl seeking revenge on a cheating boyfriend's car has the right amount of in country and out of country appeal. It will easily win.

Album of the Year(Award goes to Artist and Producer)

5th GearBrad PaisleyProduced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBoisArista Nashville

It Just Comes NaturalGeorge StraitProduced by Tony Brown and George StraitMCA Nashville

Long Trip AloneDierks BentleyProduced by Brett BeaversCapitol Records Nashville

Love, Pain & the whole crazy thingKeith UrbanProduced by Dann Huff and Keith UrbanCapitol Records Nashville

These DaysVince GillProduced by Vince Gill, John Hobbs and Justin NiebankMCA Nashville

Should win- Brad Paisley's "5th Gear" is a great album where he spins tales about insects, internet users, running from the cops, and closes with a gospel song and a trademark instrumental.

Will win- Keith Urban is at a point where he is the golden boy of country- in most cases well deserved. His battling back from addiction and composing a self reflective album will win out.

Single of the Year(Award goes to Artist and Producer)

“Anyway”Martina McBride Produced by Martina McBrideRCA Records

“Before He Cheats”Carrie UnderwoodProduced by Mark Bright19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records

“Lost In This Moment”Big & RichProduced by Big Kenny and John RichWarner Bros. Nashville

“Ticks”Brad PaisleyProduced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBoisArista Nashville

“Wrapped”George StraitProduced by Tony Brown and George StraitMCA Nashville

Should win- "Ticks" is one of the most amusing country songs ever, and was hugely popular being used in a campaign by Hershey's. It also has some of the best mix of traditional sounding music along with more contemporary stuff.

Will win- Again this will go to Carrie. The song is really good and was a huge smash. If anything she definitely gets this and not the songwriting one. However- I see her winning both

Vocal Duo of the Year

Big & Rich

Brooks & Dunn

Montgomery Gentry

Sugarland

The Wreckers

Should win and will win- Brooks & Dunn have one more award in them- and will ride the wave of their song "Believe" and the release of their new album. Although Sugarland is real close to unseating them. I wouldn't be surprised if it does happen this year though.

Vocal Group of the Year

Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas

Dixie Chicks

Emerson Drive

Little Big Town

Rascal Flatts

Should win- I'm even surprised they are nominated, but if the Academy really wanted to reward people who have the tradtional country spirit- something they say they like to do- then they need to go with the Dixie Chicks. Their most recent album was equal parts biting, and autobiographical and just outright great.

Will win- Rascal Flatts. Just cause it will piss me off.

Horizon Award

Jason Aldean

Rodney Atkins

Little Big Town

Kellie Pickler

Taylor Swift

Should win- Little Big Town is a throwback to 70's country and lite rock like Fleetwood Mac. They are very good and their harmonies are top notch.

Will win- Taylor Swift is young, and has written some really well received songs. She will win the award.

Male Vocalist of the Year

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

George Strait

Josh Turner

Keith Urban

Should win- Brad Paisley went from singing stuff like "She's Everything" to uptempo stuff like "Ticks" It's a good mix and showed off his range.

Will win- Keith Urban again for all the reasons I listed earlier

Female Vocalist of the Year

Alison Krauss

Miranda Lambert

Martina McBride

Reba McEntire

Carrie Underwood

Should win- Martina McBride still has an amazing voice and showed it off throughout the year. Her and Krauss are real close to being the best voice in country.

Will win- Again this award goes to Carrei Underwood. She's the darling of country music right now.

Entertainer of the Year

Kenny Chesney

Brad Paisley

Rascal Flatts

George Strait

Keith Urban


Should win- No one in country mixes all these elements of traditional country, old school gospel, Dire Straits type riffs, and humor as well as Brad Paisley. If they took the award seriously he should take it.

Will win- Kenny Chesney- It's just hard to deny that he sold out stadiums all summer long while releasing a new album with a song that went white hot up the charts.
- posted by Brian @ 11/07/2007 09:07:00 AM

 
The Post with my Week 9 NFL picks
In case you have missed the last two weeks of football- starting with the Colts dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars up through right now the 7-0 Indidanapolis Colts will be playing the 8-0 New England Patriots this weekend. If you do watch football it's impossible you missed this since they have continually driven it home.

That isn't to dismiss this game and its impact. Basically this is a battle for home field advantage in the intensely competitive AFC. You have the Pats and Colts at the top with some very good teams like the Chargers, Steelers, Jaguars, Ravens, and Titans right behind them. The reason it is so big here is if Indy has to travel to Foxboro in January that is to their disadvantage. Also being the one seed might be the difference between getting say teh Chargers and Jaguars in the second round. Or the difference between the Steelers and Titans. There is a difference in both those match-ups.

Somehow the Colts have opened as 5 point underdogs- mianly because the Pats are running the score up on everyone- and they are averaging roughly 35-40 points a game which is completlely insane.

I still think it has been overkill and now with all the hype about the game it remains to be seen if it can deliver. I think it will.

Speaking of delivering, last week I promised getting back into double digit wins for the week and I freakin' delievered going 10-3 which bumps my overall record to 69-47 which is a respectable .595 winning percentage (I think). I would've been 11-2 had I not stupidly picked the Patriots to lose to the Redskins. Hopefully we can keep that train rolling this week with an extremely tough schedule of games. Basically this is a Halloween of horrors type weekend pickwise.

Sunday, Nov. 4

San Francisco at Atlanta, 1 p.m.- See- case in point. The 49'ers offense is terrible but they have the ability to run the ball all over the Falcons garbage defense. I don't know if the Falcons can muster up enough offense. San Francisco wins.

Cincinnati at Buffalo, 1 p.m.- Two teams that are up and down. The Bills are two plays away from being 5-2 versus 3-4 and are playing well despite injuries. The Bengals are in a shambles but still have an offense that is completely capable of dropping 35 on a team any given week. I think this game is going to be a shootout. Cincinnati wins.

Denver at Detroit, 1 p.m.- Denver is coming off a stinging loss to the ageless Brett Farve on Monday night Football, and play bad run defense. The Lions love to throw the ball but Denver can handle that load. That means a steady diet of Kevin Jones who has been effective since coming back from injury. Also Detoit is 3-0 at home this year and the defense is improving weekly. Detroit wins

Green Bay at Kansas City, 1 p.m.- Love Brett Farve and the Packers are somehow finding ways to win. Farve has never beaten the Chiefs in his NFL career and this will not be easy. KC is starting to gel together and Larry Johnson should be able to find some running room against the Packers coming off the short week. Also both teams are tough to beat at home- this game in in Arrowhead. Kansas City wins.

San Diego at Minnesota, 1 p.m.- Two similar teams. Both play really good defense. Both run the ball very well which will cancel out. The difference is- the Vikings can't complete a forward pass- the Chargers have Chris Chambers, Antonio Gates, and Phillip Rivers. San Diego wins

Jacksonville at New Orleans, 1 p.m.- Jacksonville isn't very good on turf. In fact, according to the venerable guys over at BetUS.com they are 3-11 in their last 14 on turf. Also the last three meetings by these two teams have been won by the home team. In addition to that- while Quinn played well last week the Saints are starting to roll a little bit. New Orleans wins.

Washington at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.- The Redskins are good against the Jets but are coming off an epic style beating. The Jets are moving to their young quarterback Kellen Clemens and their is very little tape on him. In fact, the only real tape is him leading touchdown drives and almost upsetting the Baltimore Ravens. I want to pick teh Jets but I think Washington is angry and embarassed from last week and will look to get back in the win column. Washington wins.

Arizona at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.- Jeff Garcia for the Bucs is startign to get a case of the oops. He is turning the ball over regularly and the defense is not helping matters by being the 22nd ranked rushing defense. The Cardinals can exploit that by relying on Edgerrin James and their great offensive line. The Cardinals are better than their 2-5 record indicates. Arizona wins.

Carolina at Tennessee, 1 p.m.- Carolina is goign to start the shaky David Carr at running back which means relying on the running game- which is getting a tough assignment in the Titans. I think even thought the trend is the road team wins in this series- this will be an exception. Tennessee wins.

Seattle at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m.- I think the Seahawks a re a frustrating team. They can't seem to get themselves figured out and Shaun Alexander has played terribly since getting his big contract. Cleveland is playing with a purpose and Derek Anderson has been phenomenal. Also Seattle is bad on the road. Cleveland wins.

New England at Indianapolis, 4:15 p.m.- The game of the week- as if you didn't already know. There are a lot of good match-ups in this game and still it will boild down to which quarterback manages his offense better. Also if the Colts cornerbacks can keep Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, and Wes Welker in check- easier said than done. I think the way to beat New England is to pound the ball at them and not let them get a whole lot of possessions. I think this is close but in the end- in an UPSET SPECIAL. Indianapolis wins.

Houston at Oakland, 4:15 p.m.- Houston is banged up which is a shame because there is potential to be a good team there. Oakland is making a qb change which will help tehir running game becasue they won't have to go from the shotgun so much. Oakland wins.

Dallas at Philadelphia, 8:15 p.m. - Andy Reid has had a terrible week and I would imagine his mind is anywhere but the football field. Dallas is 3-11 in their last 14 versus the Eagles which does not bode well for them. However the Eagles are a team in flux while the Cowboys have been decent. I know I'll end up regretting picking against the Birds but. Dallas wins.

Monday, Nov. 5

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 8:30 p.m.- Divisional match-ups are always tough and this is no exception. Pittsburgh has played terribly versus Baltimore of late including getting whipped up on last year. The Ravens will try and do what they always do- tough defense that shortens the field for their offense. Pittsburgh is a better team this year though I think. Pittsburgh wins.
- posted by Brian @ 11/02/2007 12:26:00 PM

 
The Post with this week's news
Dateline- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/breaking/s_535782.html

- How nice the robber promised to mail the wallet back! You would think I'd get tired of reading stories about stupid criminals but I just don't. I think the guy quit too soon though. He only got to 4 stores. He falls 6 short of earning a free robbing of a Subway. Or at the very least a toasted hoagie.

Dateline- Middle Island, New York

http://www.wcbs880.com/Teenagers-Arrested-After-They-Paintball-a-Police-C/1160726

- I could see hitting an unmarked police car, but a marked one. How stupid must you be? I could also see hitting a marked cop car if there weren't roughly 1,000 other cars a day that pass that area. It's just silly that you aim at a police vehicle knowingly. Of course maybe they are completely stupid.

Dateline- Eagle, Colorado

http://cbs4denver.com/crime/local_story_304094325.html

- I get the disgusting nature of the crime but how exactly does it constitute sexual contact. And really who would be stupid enought to take pictures of a kid on a public playground. Most predators keep it in private.

Dateline- Danville, ???

http://www.amnews.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=35849&format=html

- 11:12 pm on October 27th is where you need to look. I really wonder if the cops believed that.

Dateline- Winona, Minnesota

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_fe_st/odd_pig_abuse;_ylt=AjkaXE7z9InHBBAiF8D1xcqs0NUE

- Couldn't make that up if I wanted to.
- posted by Brian @ 11/01/2007 02:09:00 PM