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    Tuesday, September 30, 2008
     
    The Post with a second helping of political stuff
    Two weeks ago I wrote a post about the most recent political happenings at the moment. I tried to play it straight in that post. My old friend Rachel took me to task a little bit saying the post was boring and lacked conviction. Reading over that post again, she was right. It was a little too middle of the road. There is a good reason for that though. I don't really get passionate about politics. In my experience passionate discussion about politics usually degenerates into fighting because people lose the ability to rationally discuss politics. I have an aversion to irrational discussion. I like this song, and you don't doesn't usually lead to a fight. I'm Republican, you're Democrat usually does. However, I aim to please people so this post will attempt to be a little more scathing, and hopefully the discussion can remain rational.

    It helps if I explain first where I'm coming from. I'm a registered Republican. To be more specific, I'm a liberal Republican. I registered back in 2000 so I would be able to vote for John McCain in the primaries. I was hoping he would be able to beat out W. for the nomination. McCain was a Republican but he was about as far left as one could get while still keeping the Republican label. Alas McCain lost.

    So if you fast forward 8 years later you would figure I'm excited at my opportunity to finally vote for McCain right? Not so fast.

    A few things are scaring me away here. A big one to me is the lack of character in McCain. Back in 2000 Bush ripped McCain through the mud and pissed all over his legacy. While this was going on, no one in the Republican party stood up for McCain. They all just stood around and watched the mud slinging bog down one of their best known, and best politicians. This upset McCain so much that he was very close to leaving the Republican party. In 2004 there was a growing rumor that he was going to join John Kerry as his vice presidential nominee. In 2008 though John McCain is the main flag waver of the party and trying to appeal to the same far right leaning assholes that tried to discredit his entire career 8 years ago.That bothers me. It's like- have some dignity and pride John.

    The biggest issue for me though is the same one that many have. His choice of a vice presidential nominee. It is often said that the selection of vice president is the first major choice the presidential nominee has to make. If this is true McCain failed miserably.

    I'm sure Sarah Palin is a nice person, and the people of Alaska seem to love her. On a national stage though, she is a babbling, blithering idiot. She makes George W. seem like Einstein. Think about that for a second. John McCain has placed a person that is considerably dumber than George W. Bush a heartbeat away from the Presidency. For someone who says he cares deeply about America's safety he sure made a choice that seemed counter to that.

    What's even worse is the fact that the McCain campaign has done everything they could to hide her from the American people. She has done exactly two interviews since being announced as the nominee. Both of those interviews were horrible failures. They have been so bad that the campaign has now apparently put her into hiding and are not allowing interviews with her. After the debate on Friday night NBC interviewed Joe Biden and then said they extended the same offer to Senator Palin but it was declined on her behalf by the McCain campaign. Instead they sent smiling eunuch Rudy Guilaini.

    Every time Sarah Palin speaks it sounds like a kid in elementary school just trying to speak in as many words as possible to make it seem like they know the answer. This was evident by this thrilling exchange a few weeks ago at a town hall meeting.

    "Senator Palin, many have talked about your lack of foreign experience. Could you give us some background on your foreign policy experience and disccus how you'll be ready if you and Senator McCain are elected?"

    "Well, that's a good question and if you wanted to offer me specific examples to test my foreign policy experience we can do so. We can play stump the candidate."

    Had I been there this would've been my follow up question:

    "Hey dummy, what do you think the person who asked the question was looking for? We want to hear what your particular experience is. Not what your experience is after the McCain camp gives you the equivalent of a midnight cram session."

    Basically we have a vice presidential nominee who needs to be coached and coddled from the big bad liberal media.

    If you think that wasn't bad enough try this exchange on with Charlie Gibson:

    "Senator Palin, what is your take on the Bush Doctrine."

    "In what respect Charlie."

    "In what do you think it represents."

    "It's George W. Bush's world view."

    (At this point Charlie Gibson had to explain to her what the Bush Doctrine was, so she could give a roundabout answer that basically just rephrased things Charlie said)

    Now I know some think- does middle America care if she doesn't know the Bush Doctrine, and they probably don't. The point is she should know it. If she wants to run the country, or be that close to it, she needs to show she is prepared. Just because people expect you to be dumb doesn't excuse ignorance.

    Now I know some will think I'm being sexist and just against Palin because she is a woman. There are plenty of women who are in the Senate or House that I find to be extremely capable of running the country. Palin is not one of them. She is unprepared, uninformed, and completely incapable of running this country in any way.

    Here's the rub though: John McCain 8 years ago represented change. He was a Republican who had as much respect on the Democratic side of the Senate as he did on the Republican side. He was completely able to bring change 8 years ago. Now today he is in lockstep with the Republican party, and all he has done is make himself look like a candidate who is as bad as the person who has run this country for the past 8 years. After 8 years of spiraling down the drain it seems like change is our best option. I don't think McCain represents that change anymore. The maverick has decided it's easier to run with the herd than to run against it.

    It's a shame.

    |
    Monday, September 29, 2008
     
    The Post with my Past two weekends
    Last week I was off work so I didn't really do much blogging since I was choosing to relax and do other thigns instead. It also occurred to me that I did not update you on last weekend which means I have two weekends of things to catch up on. Lucky for you people.

    Last Friday I went to the movies after work. First I stopped in at the Horsepower Grille for dinner. Sat at the bar and had the apeetizer platter along with some Pabst. I enjoy doing it but the movie times really leave me little room for playing around. If they are ever full I won't get to eat.

    At one point it was just me and another guy sitting at the bar and we were talking with the bartender. It was fine basic conversation. Then this group of bikers came in and they were the most obnoxious people I've ever encountered. There were 6 of them- 4 guys, and 2 women. The one guy just kept yelling and trying to light cigarettes. Since Pennsylvania is now smoke free (mostly) the bartender kept asking him to put the cigarette out. He would, then he threw it on the floor. Then like 2 minutes later he would try to light another one up. It was the most ridiculous exercise in stupidity I've ever seen. Then the lot of them proceeded to bitch for 5 minutes about the smoking ban. Now I'm not against smokers- I don't see a problem with them walking outside for a couple minutes as opposed to filling up a bar and people's clothes with cigarette smoke. However, I'm sure there are legitimate reasons why people would be upset about the new law. Their reasons were dumb though. It was something to do with, "they already take enough of our money with taxes."

    Then, in an odd twist. The bartender's daughter married the one biker guy's nephew. He figured this out and then kept inviting her out for a ride and when she would walk away was saying to his friends, "She's lucky I didn't come to the reception. I'd have torn her apart." Eventually they left and me and the other guy made jokes about the guy. I also asked the bartender, "So the next time someone thinks they know you what's your answer?"

    After that I hurried to the movie theater to catch a double bill. First up was Righteous Kill which was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Never has a bigger waste of film been put out. After that I went into see Lakeview Terrace which was much better than it had any right to be. Samuel L. Jackson avoided his nonsense until the end when he went nuts. Also, Kerry Washington is so hot.

    Saturday my cousin Shane got married which was a nice time. The church was a little different though with the fact that you had to walk upstairs into the place. Basically the church was the second floor of the building. Afterwards we had some time so we went home and watched some football before heading to the reception. Bally Fire Company makes some good food. I ate a ton of mashed potatoes and string beans. Also drank a bunch of beer.

    Sunday was kind of a lazy day becasue the weatehr was terrible most of the day. So I watched football and just hung out around the house.

    Then I was off all week. I didn't do anything special because, I don't really want to spend the money to do anything and I got no one to do anything with.

    So everyday I went to the gym and spent basically an hour and a half every day doing cardio and some weight lifting. It was good to have some extra time becasue usually I'm trying to jam everything into a 45 minute rush fest. So spreading thigns out meant I could do more.

    Tuesday I had to get my car inspected and boy did that ever suck. Needed new front brakes (they were close- I would've let them go had I inspected it) new front rotors (they were unable to be cut down or rotated anymore), ball joints needed to be replaced, also my check engine light had been on indicating an O2 sensor issue. So after all that was worked on and replaced it ran me to a little over 1500 dollars. That was a heavy blow.

    On Wednesday I needed to cut the yard. So I bought gas for the tractors and pulled out the riding mower. However, when I went to start it up a second time it wouldn't run because it's a piece of shit. Well not , really. But something is wrong with it and we're not sure what. So I needed to take the push mower and cut the entire yard which took forever but it got done at least. It actually looks better than with the riding mower but it's more time consuming.

    So that was basically my week off. I got to watch tv that I don't normally get to watch. Mostly like The People's Court, and Just Shoot Me and King of Queens reruns. I did get to watch PTI though instead of listening to it.

    That brings us to this weekend. Friday night I stayed in because of the hit to my bank account on Tuesday plus I had plans for Saturday already. So I bought some chicken for dinner and then settled in to watch the Phillies and the debate at 9. The debate was interesting and I think it harmed McCain and his image a lot.

    Saturday I needed to make sure I had money since I was heading to Atlantic City for my buddy Frank's bachelor party. I met up with him around 1 and then after waiting for about 40 minutes we were on the road. A road filled with minor detours, both planned and unplanned.

    Travel was decent although the rain storm we drove into on the AC Expressway was a pain in the ass. Rolled into Atlantic City around 4 pm and checked into the Showboat Casino. This was my first time in AC so it was an interesting experience. The one end of town looks really nice and there is a lot of action there. Then you drive through some really slummy neighborhoods to get to the other casinos. It didn't seem like there was a lot of nightlife on that end of town though. Maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention.

    So we went up to the room and they began loading the tub up with ice and alcohol. The rest of our party arrived shortly after we did. The entie party then headed down to Angeloni's around 5 pm for our dinner reservations. The meal was excellent. I had Fetticune Alfredo with chicken and a ton of garlic bread. Dinner was really decently priced as well. Great food. The waiter was really trying to jam desserts down people's throats though.

    After dinner a few of us sat at the bar to watch the end of the Phillies game to see if the Phightin's could lock down the division for the second straight year. It was rough but they did eventually get the job down and the bar erupted in celebration.

    We headed back to the hotel after that and sat around watching football and doing some drinking. Some guys went to gamble, others just hung around the room. I chose to stay in the room. I'm not a big gambler and I was more concerned with the football game. I mostly drank my Wild Turkey American Honey which is awesome stuff. I tried it a few months ago and it is pretty decently priced. It's bourbon whiskey mixed with honey. 71 proof- highly recommended.

    After some drinking we headed out to the Pleasure Rose (something like that) for karaoke and some more partying. Normally I would sing but I wasn't feeling it on this evening. Some of that had to do with the paying to sing. A couple of the guys sang/rapped that I was with. My biggest problem would've been the music I would normally sing didn't really fit the mood of the room. Most everything was rap or hip hop. There was one guy who really badly sang Alice in Chains. Around 12:15 I had to leave since I was unable to get someone to cover me for Sunday School the next morning. I felt bad leaving early, and I did try to get out of it. Rolled out of the parking garage around 12:50 down there and pulled into my driveway at 2:52 am. Had it not been raining like crazy at spots I'd have been home in probably about 1:45.

    So I got a few hours of sleep and then had to be up at 7:30 to go to church. Needless to say I was tired for most of the morning. Came home afterwards and then had to run out to Wal-Mart to get my groceries for the week. Also, Frank gave me a shelf for my DVD's but they had misplaced the pegs. No problem there though. I really wanted to set the shelf up so I found a bunch of shelf pegs we had left over at home and that pretty much covered it all. I had to buy another pack of 12 so that meant traveling to Home Depot. After that I came home and got the shelf all set up and moved the old one out of my room. It looks much nicer and gives me a little bit more space in the corner. The downside is that the shelf holds about 260 (regular sized) DVD's. That shelf is now completely filled up and I still have some left over to put on my book shelf. I think I have way too many of these damn things. I would also guess I watch them more than most people do their DVD collection.

    Today I had to come back ito work and was greeted with a computer that doesn't work properly- leading to a 30 minute discussion with IT, and news regarding the promotion I'm looking for that wasn't good. So we are back in hell.

    Here's hoping this week gets better.

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    Saturday, September 27, 2008
     
    The Post with my Week 4 NFL Picks
    So the email nonsense worked last week as I ended up going 10-6 and moving slightly further over .500. Now this week is where it starts to get difficult. For the next 6 weeks teams are on the byes which mean less games. Which means less room for error. I'm going to take that and be serious this week. No time for nonsense when we are trying to beat whatever ridiculous bar I've set for myself.

    SUNDAY'S GAMES
    Arizona at N.Y. Jets-

    Atlanta at Carolina-

    Cleveland at Cincinnati

    Denver at Kansas City

    Green Bay at Tampa Bay

    Houston at Jacksonville

    Minnesota at Tennessee

    San Francisco at New Orleans

    Buffalo at St. Louis

    San Diego at Oakland

    Washington at Dallas

    Philadelphia
    at Chicago

    MONDAY'S GAME

    Baltimore at Pittsburgh

    |
    Friday, September 26, 2008
     
    The Post with me Blogging the Emmy Telecast
    I do realize that it loses some luster not doing it the same night of the actual event but situation called for it this way.

    - We begin with a segment entitled "What's My Line," which is current TV stars delivering classic lines. Already I regret my decision.

    -Oprah Winfrey is then out to introduce the show. Interesting they didn't go with the actual hosts here. She's really just babbling at this point.

    - The hosts are all the nominees for the Reality Host award. Really bad idea. The 5 of them are out there dying right now. They should have just went with Howie Mandel as the host since he's a comedian. Also the biggest night in television history has been hosted by Ryan Seacrest in two consecutive years. Horrible.

    - This is horribly bad. They are just talking awkardly for like 10 minutes now. The crowd is fairly dead. Now they just brought up Shatner, and they stripped Heidi Klum down to a dress. Great.

    -Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are out to introduce the first award. They do a bit where they welcome people in other langauges. It's funny, but only because they have good timing.

    -Award is for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Kevin Dillon (Entourage), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), and Rainn Wilson (The Office) are the nominees.

    - Piven wins, and he says he just got off a plane. I think he is loaded. He then says, "What if I kept talking for 12 minutes, it'd be the opening." BURN. I like Piven but I don't think he deserved the award this year. Harris deserved it.

    - Bergeron is back on stage and Seacrest is with them. The sets are designed to look like classic sets from television. That's a neat idea. The first set is from Seinfeld. This introduces us to Julia Louis Dreyfus.

    - She is out to present the award for Best Suporting Actress in a comedy. Kristin Chenowith (Pushing Daisies), Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live), Jean Smart (Samantha Who), Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men), and Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) are the nominees. The win goes to Jean Smart. I've seen the show- she is funny on it, but I would've preferred Chenowith getting the win. More because I love that show, and more people should watch it. Smart starts her speech by saying she has a tux on under the dress but isn't ripping it off. Two digs at the hosts in the first half hour. Nice. She gets the play off music as well.

    - Jeff Probst and Heidi Klum are out now. They have somehow found less than zero chemistry. They introduce a clip from Desperate Housewives. And they are all there to present next- oh joy.

    - More awkward banter before they present the award for Bes Supporting Actor in a Drama: Ted Danson (Damages), Michael Emerson (Lost), Zeljko Ivanek (Damages), William Shatner (Boston Public), Jon Slattery (Mad Men). Winner is Ivanek. Good for him. I'm not crazy about Damages. It was a fine show but it was more occupied with pulling the rug out from under you than actually giving a good show week after week. Ivanek was great though

    - Ricky Gervais is out next. He mentions that he won last year but wasn't there. He introduces a montage of acceptance speeches. It ends with the clip from last year where Gervais won the award for Best Actor in a Comedy but he wasn't there so they gave it to Steve Carrell. This leads to Gervais finding Carrell in the crowd. He harasses Carrell into giving him the Emmy in a funny bit.

    - Best Direction in a Variety show or some such nonsense. No one cares.

    - The director of the Emmy's wins. Great. This is the equivalent of Hollywood fellatio.

    - Clip from The Simpsons leads into Conan O'Brien coming out. He hosted a few years ago and was great. I hope NBC gives him the gig next time as well. He does work in a dig at Katherine Heigl.

    - Best Supporting Actress in a Drama series: Candice Bergen (Boston Legal), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters), Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Diane Wiest (In Treatment), Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy). Wiest wins but isn't there. Conan accepts on her behalf and says he will give it to Carrell.

    - Jennifer Love Hewitt and Hayden Paniettere are out to present the award for Best Writing in a Variety Series. This is usually my favorite category because they always do some goofy video for the nominees. Of course, I'm still stuck on Hewitt and Hayden so it's hard to focus. Nominees are Colbert Report, Daily Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Show with David Letterman, and Saturday Night Live. Winner is the Colbert Report. I'm still focused on the women though.

    - Howie Mandel and Jeff Probst are out to introduce the accountants who have monitored the envelopes. They make some bad jokes about it.

    - Mandel then gives a glowing introduction for Steve Martin. He's out to talk about his time writing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The academy is giving an award to Tommy Smothers for something. Martin is funny, per usual. Tommy Smothers is good as well when he is up there.

    - Ryan Seacrest and Heidi Klum are out to introduce Josh Groban singing some medley of TV theme songs. Just horrible.

    - Alec Baldwin is out now to present: Lead Actress in a mini-series: Judi Dench, Ctherine Keener, Laura Linney, Phylisca Rashad, Susan Sarandon. No one cares.

    - More crappy lines stuff. Then they bring out the cast of Laugh-In. I guess it's funny if you're over 50.

    - Best Comedy Series: Colbert Report, Daily Show, David Letterman, Real Time with Bill Maher, Saturday Night Live. Winner is Daily Show. As it should be in that category.

    - Heidi Klum is an awful host. Also why is Lauren Conrad presenting anything? Alas my tape gives out as apparnetly I forgot to rewind it before I used it.

    Oh well, after that horrible first hour and a half I feel like I'm winning out here.

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    Sunday, September 21, 2008
     
    The Post with my Emmy Picks
    I watcha lot of tv and have On Demand so I get to see a ton of shows. I forgot to put up my picks so last second here they are. Also sometimes this week- becasue I haven';t done any live blogging recently I will tape the Emmy's and provide my thoughts as we go... Anyway



    Outstanding Drama Series

    Boston Legal
    Damages
    Dexter
    House
    Lost
    Mad Men

    Outstanding Comedy Series

    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Entourage
    The Office
    30 Rock
    Two and a Half Men

    Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

    James Spader, Boston Legal
    Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
    Michael C. Hall, Dexter
    Hugh Laurie, House
    Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
    Jon Hamm, Mad Men

    Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

    Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
    Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
    Glenn Close, Damages
    Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
    Holly Hunter, Saving Grace

    Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

    Tony Shalhoub, Monk
    Steve Carell, The Office
    Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
    Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
    Charlie Sheen, Two And A Half Men

    Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

    Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
    Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
    Tina Fey, 30 Rock
    America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
    Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds


    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

    William Shatner, Boston Legal
    Ted Danson, Damages
    Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
    Michael Emerson, Lost
    John Slattery, Mad Men

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

    Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
    Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
    Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
    Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
    Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

    Jeremy Piven, Entourage
    Kevin Dillon, Entourage
    Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
    Rainn Wilson, The Office
    Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

    Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
    Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
    Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
    Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
    Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

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    Saturday, September 20, 2008
     
    The Post with my Week 3 NFL picks

    So back in week 1 I talked about besting last year’s record and set out to do just that. After two weeks I can safely say that it is well on its way to not happening. In some cases I’ve been snake bitten by buying into hype, (Jacksonville, Cleveland) outthinking myself (why did I think Matt Cassel had no shot against the Jets) and blind devotion (stupid Chargers).

    Week 1 started off bad with me going only 9-7. That is sort of understandable though. You don’t have a real good feel for some of the teams. There are certain games where the winner is not in doubt (let’s forget I said the Bears had no chance of beating the Colts) but there are others where no favorite stands out. So I can try and defend myself there.

    Week 2 though was awful with me going 7-8, and that I have no excuse for. I picked those two quick, and went with what I wanted to happen instead of what I thought would actually happen. Of course I would’ve finished above .500 had Ed Hochuli not blown his whistle early and cost the Chargers a game. That’s been the big story of the week.

    Ed Hercules (seriously, look at the dude’s arms next time he refs a national game) has been getting bombarded with hate e-mails from Chargers fans to which he has personally responded to saying, “I feel horrible that I affected the outcome of a game.” So as angry as I was early in the week, I think I’m softening.

    Ed is not the only person whose e-mail inbox has been lighting up though. I’ve been hit with tons of them over the past week and we will go through the e-mail inbox as I make my week 3 picks and try to improve on my current 16-15 record.

    Sunday, Sept. 21

    Kansas City at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We’re starting Tyler Thigpen from college powerhouse Coastal Carolina at quarterback this week. Is it finally time for them to start giving me the damn ball?

    ----L. Johnson in Kansas City

    LJ- I would think they have to. Thigpen has shown himself to be very capable at the collegiate level but he is still essentially a rookie going against a fast defense. The bigger question is can the Kansas City defense stop the ground game with Michael Turner. They gave up 160 last week to Darren McFadden, that’s just not going to cut it. I think the difference here is which young quarterback does a better job of managing the game. Matt Ryan showed flashes in week 1, then stumbled against a very good Bucs defense in week 2. If KC wins this game it’s because they give the ball to Larry Johnson over and over. Same goes for Atlanta. I like the Atlanta offensive line a little better so---Atlanta wins.

    Oakland at Buffalo, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We won last week so that has to buy me some job security right?

    -----L. Kiffin, Oakland

    LK- Maybe some, but in Al Davis land you’re only as good as what you are doing in that exact moment. So win this week and you keep your job til week 4. Lose and you might be on the chopping block again. It won’t be easy. The Buffalo Bills are a very good, young team. Their defense has been as tough as advertised, and the offense is doing enough to win games. Buffalo has a special teams unit that beats just about every other unit in the league- so they are multi-faceted. I like what you have going out in Oakland. I know you went into KC last week and beat them up, but going all the way across the country and beating the Bills is even tougher- ask the Seahawks---Buffalo wins

    So back in week 1 I talked about besting last year’s record and set out to do just that. After two weeks I can safely say that it is well on its way to not happening. In some cases I’ve been snake bitten by buying into hype, (Jacksonville, Cleveland) outthinking myself (why did I think Matt Cassel had no shot against the Jets) and blind devotion (stupid Chargers).

    Week 1 started off bad with me going only 9-7. That is sort of understandable though. You don’t have a real good feel for some of the teams. There are certain games where the winner is not in doubt (let’s forget I said the Bears had no chance of beating the Colts) but there are others where no favorite stands out. So I can try and defend myself there.

    Week 2 though was awful with me going 7-8, and that I have no excuse for. I picked those two quick, and went with what I wanted to happen instead of what I thought would actually happen. Of course I would’ve finished above .500 had Ed Hochuli not blown his whistle early and cost the Chargers a game. That’s been the big story of the week.

    Ed Hercules (seriously, look at the dude’s arms next time he refs a national game) has been getting bombarded with hate e-mails from Chargers fans to which he has personally responded to saying, “I feel horrible that I affected the outcome of a game.” So as angry as I was early in the week, I think I’m softening.

    Ed is not the only person whose e-mail inbox has been lighting up though. I’ve been hit with tons of them over the past week and we will go through the e-mail inbox as I make my week 3 picks and try to improve on my current 16-15 record.

    Sunday, Sept. 21

    Kansas City at Atlanta, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We’re starting Tyler Thigpen from college powerhouse Coastal Carolina at quarterback this week. Is it finally time for them to start giving me the damn ball?

    ----L. Johnson in Kansas City

    LJ- I would think they have to. Thigpen has shown himself to be very capable at the collegiate level but he is still essentially a rookie going against a fast defense. The bigger question is can the Kansas City defense stop the ground game with Michael Turner. They gave up 160 last week to Darren McFadden, that’s just not going to cut it. I think the difference here is which young quarterback does a better job of managing the game. Matt Ryan showed flashes in week 1, then stumbled against a very good Bucs defense in week 2. If KC wins this game it’s because they give the ball to Larry Johnson over and over. Same goes for Atlanta. I like the Atlanta offensive line a little better so---Atlanta wins.

    Oakland at Buffalo, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We won last week so that has to buy me some job security right?

    -----L. Kiffin, Oakland

    LK- Maybe some, but in Al Davis land you’re only as good as what you are doing in that exact moment. So win this week and you keep your job til week 4. Lose and you might be on the chopping block again. It won’t be easy. The Buffalo Bills are a very good, young team. Their defense has been as tough as advertised, and the offense is doing enough to win games. Buffalo has a special teams unit that beats just about every other unit in the league- so they are multi-faceted. I like what you have going out in Oakland. I know you went into KC last week and beat them up, but going all the way across the country and beating the Bills is even tougher- ask the Seahawks---Buffalo wins

    Tampa Bay at Chicago, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We are exceeding expectations right now but our defense has yet to be hammered by injuries, which will invariably happen. Also neck beard Orton is doing better than Rex Grossman ever did. You hated us in week 1, give us our due.

    ---L. Smith, Chicago

    LS- I want to, believe me I do. But Tampa Bay is a tall order. Nothing flashy about them at all, just a good solid team. I hesitate to pick any team quarterbacked by Brian Griese but there is one thing I dislike about this match-up for you guys. Devin Hester is questionable and if he doesn’t play- who catches passes? Who picks up the slack in the return game? Can your defense avoid injury for a third week? Too many questions for me to feel comfortable picking you---Tampa Bay wins

    Carolina at Minnesota, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    I’ve been benched. Even I don’t know why coach Childress showed so much faith in me.

    ---T. Jackson, Minnesota

    TJ- Me either man. Look when you build your defense like the Vikings did, and add some weapons on offense you need a guy who can pull the trigger. The big talk in the pre-season was, “Bernard Berrian can stretch the field.” That’s great, but you need a quarterback with an arm to stretch the field. Something Tavaris Jackson just does not have. At least, not yet. You can beat the Vikings thru the air and with Steve Smith making his return the Panthers will look for him often. That is hard to overlook. However, the Vikings are desperate. They had Super Bowl hopes and starting 0-3 would be hard to overcome. I think we see a steady dose of Adrian Peterson in this game and it does enough to get them a win.----Minnesota wins

    Miami at New England, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    Just in case you missed it or you think I stuttered. We are looking forward to getting our first win this weekend against back-up quarterback Matt Cassel.

    ----J. Porter, Miami

    JP- How many games did you guys win last year? How many have you won this year already? I don’t think I’d be making declarations like you seem to be so fond of making. Look, yes Matt Cassel is a back-up, but he still has Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Lawrence Maroney at his disposal. And the Patriots still know Chad Pennington, and know how to get after him. I think If this game were in Miami I might pick you guys. But it’s not, so I won’t---New England wins

    Cincinnati at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We stink.

    --------C. Palmer, Cincinnati

    CP- Yeah you guys do. The offensive line has been pretty awful. Chad Ocho Cinco and TJ Housh spent most of the pre-season injured and have taken some time getting their feet under them. I think that will all start to come together. However, a bad offensive line against the Giants front 7 is a recipe for disaster. You need to go talk to Marvin Lewis and tell him to start just letting you chuck the ball downfield 75% of the time. Then you guys have a shot.-------------New York wins

    Houston at Tennessee, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We had some pretty high hopes of being an outside contender for a playoff spot. Now we don’t even have a home game until October and might have to play that at Rice University. Can this season get any worse?

    ------M. Williams, Houston

    MW- Considering everything you guys have gone through, no it can’t. On the football field though- maybe. Ahman Green is toast and was a bad free agent signing. Start relying on Steve Slayton. Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson has potential to be a great qb/receiver combo if they can both stay healthy. That defense you guys have going down there is pretty good though despite being stomped in Pittsburgh. I would think with the extra off week, and rallying behind Houston you guys can do this-------Houston wins

    Arizona at Washington, 1 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    I’ve been benched. I’m sitting behind Kurt Warner on the depth chart. But, I’m in Arizona and I’m beer funneling and haning out in hot tubs with beautiful bitches. Who’s the real loser here?

    ------M. Leinart, Arizona

    ML- you’re certainly living the good life. However, at some point you need to show some skill at quarterback or you’ll never see a contract again like you signed as a rookie. On the flip side, look at Jason Campbell. The only constant in his football career has been change. Different offensive coordinators almost yearly keep stunting his growth. That throw though last week against the Saints was a thing of beauty and might be a precursor to what he will become. For this week anyway I think the growth spurt continues-----Washington wins

    New Orleans at Denver, 4:05 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    People need to stop blaming Ed Hochuli for our win last week. I didn’t fumble the ball. I was clearly looking to pass it downfield. Get over it Charger fans.

    ------J. Cutler, Denver

    JC- You son of a bitch. I hope you guys lose , and get beat badly this week. Ok, rant over. Let’s look at this reasonably. The Broncos have been great the past two weeks. Defensively though they looked sluggish against the Chargers last week and the Saints have a great offense. This is the very definition of a trap game. They finally beat the Chargers and now get a tough Saints team. UPSET SPECIAL----------------New Orleans wins

    Detroit at San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We’re 2 and 0. How do you like us now? And you laughed when I got the starting job mocking me in all your fantasy drafts.

    ------J. O’Sullivan, San Francisco

    JS- You’re right. I absolutely made fun of you because I thought it was a horrible, desperate move. Fro now, I was wrong. But let’s be real- you guys aren’t as good as you’ve been playing. Nor is Detroit as bad as it’s been playing. At some point the law of averages has to balance back right? I think the Detroit air attack will present problems this week and for whatever insane reason I trust the Lions a little bit more to stop the 49’ers----Detroit wins

    St. Louis at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    It’s my last season. We’re signing refugees to be wide receiver. This ain’t how I want to go out. What the hell is going on?

    ----M. Holmgren, Seattle

    MH- I don’t blame you. When you’re down to playing you’re 3rd and 4th string receivers you are getting close to bottom of the barrel. Last week you found some success riding Julius Jones so I would advise continuing to do that. Keary Colbert is a fine receiver and I think he will help your situation greatly. Luckily for you as well, the Rams are far more futile than you guys right now with a lame duck coach. He’s the Lane Kiffin of the NFC-------Seattle wins

    Cleveland at Baltimore, 4:15 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    We overhauled our defense. We have tons of offensive weapons. What the hell is going on?

    -----R. Crennel, Cleveland

    RC- Hate to say this but, you guys just aren’t that good. You might’ve overachieved a little last year. Luckily for you inexperienced Joe Flacco and the offensively challenged Ravens are coming to town---Cleveland wins

    Jacksonville at Indianapolis, 4:15 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    Much like the Browns we had people saying our name for the playoffs and maybe the Super Bowl. What the hell is going on?

    ------J. del Rio, Jacksonville

    JDR- You guys might want to press the panic button. You beat the Colts almost never, and a loss here would put you at 0 and 3, essentially 3 games down in the division. That would be a complete disaster for you guys and your playoff hopes. Plus the road after this only gets worse. Peyton is banged up so you have a shot. Bob Sanders is missing as well so run the ball like crazy UPSET SPECIAL------------Jacksonville wins

    Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    Why’s everyone getting on my case? So I get a little excited and like to leave the ball at the one yard line. Everyone gets excited. It’s not like I’ve done it twice.

    -------D. Jackson, Philadelphia

    DJ----If you do that this week, the Steelers will take your head off. They don’t take kindly to that kind of stuff. Be glad you have Westbrook and Donovan around because they made sure that little gaffe didn’t hurt you guys. Pittsburgh is a great team and will rough you up but with Big Ben’s shoulder barking a little bit I think the Eagles have a chance to steal this one at home. They need to---Philadelphia wins

    Dallas at Green Bay, 8:15 p.m.

    Dear Brian,

    Ask them Packer fans how they like Aaron Rodgers now. Please don’t print my name

    ----Unnamed coach, Green Bay

    UC- After one of the longest and dumbest stories of the pre-season it’s good to see Rodgers living up to his potential. People need to remember he was a very good quarterback at Cal. He has the ability to throw on the run, has a big arm, and is very accurate. Sound similar to anyone? Dallas is coming off a bruising game with their division rivals and get a short week to travel into Green Bay. That spells trouble-------Green Bay wins

    Monday, Sept. 22

    N.Y. Jets at San Diego, 8:30 p.m

    Dear Brian,

    Ed Hochuli needs to burn. LT needs to get on the field. This defense needs to show some fire. 0-3 would be terrible for us.

    ----Disgruntled Fan, San Diego

    Ok. I wrote that one. An 0-3 start would be awful for the Chargers because the AFC is there for the taking. Brady is out, the Colts are beatable, Jacksonville might be dead, the Steelers are an unknown quantity yet. This conference is there for them to win and losing two games in the last 25 seconds of each is a disastrous start. If they go 0-3 start getting the grave ready-----San Diego wins





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