Ice and the Eliminator

This is the most important news ever.

...I'm probably not gonna end up watching it.

Well, nerts 2: Nerts weller

This is bad because the sheer number of injuries might give the Blue Jays a reason NOT to fire John Gibbons, even if the Jays lose their next four. Plus, they may win their game tonight - it's 2-1 for the Jays in the 6th against the Devil Rays - so my hopes of lucky loss #13 getting Gibbons fired may have to be put on hold indefinitely anyways.


IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the ONLY time during the season in which they are allowed to lose thirteen games in a row. And ONLY in service of the Greater Good.

Well, nerts.

@#*$@(%@*%#!@98&@(**(&*$((#%&$(*&&$*(%(#$*&%$(*&#$(*!!!!!!!!!!!

Them's Fightin' Words(?)

Here's a quote taken from Sports Illustrated's Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback column today: "Chris Simms didn't lose his starting job last year. Chris Simms lost his spleen.''

It's a quote from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager about one of their quarterbacks. It sounds cocky and disrespectful - "Simms was so bad, he lost a body part!" And while the use of spleen instead of heart, or guts, or any one of the typical sporting story parts, could cause you to raise an eyebrow, it also makes the speaker seem that much more indignant with him.

Except.

Chris Simms was hit so hard during a game his spleen ruptured. And he finished the game. What seems to be an insult is revealed to be a vote of confidence in Simms's ability to lead the Buccaneer's offense. It's the kind of wordplay I love to see, even if it wasn't really clear to the original speaker (something which may not be the case; general managers tend to be pretty well educated).

Sunday Night Predictions Follow-up

So a couple of posts ago (aka, a couple of months ago) I tried to predict the Monday Night games. How did I do?

Week 12: Chicago @ New England - Philadelphia @ Indianapolis. At least McNabb wasn't in it, to teach NBC a lesson about not doing what I say.

Week 13: NY Jets @ Green Bay - Seattle @ Denver. Fox didn't keep it. Ah well.

Week 14: Baltimore @ Kansas City - New Orleans @ Dallas. Another game I must've thought Fox would keep. Or I missed seeing it on the schedule entirely. Or I had no faith in Dallas. Which are all really dumb reasons for going with Baltimore and KC over Sean Peyton's return to Dallas.

Week 15: Philadelphia @ NY Giants - San Diego @ Kansas City. Division match up I shoulda seen coming, but I picked Kansas City the week before. Next time I try this? Assume previous picks don't matter.

Week 16: Holiday, there ain't one - For a second there I was looking at Monday when there were two games. Thankfully this is Sunday Night Football. So I was right for one week, even if that's because I read it off the NFL's schedule.

Week 17: Carolina @ New Orleans - Green Bay @ Chicago. Carolina wasn't still fighting, and NBC got N'awlins at Dallas, so it went to my second choice. I'm still wrong, because I thought Carolina had more fight in it then it turned out to.

So I was 0 for 5. Just means I won't be putting money on this kind of stuff if I go to Vegas. Just picks against the spread.

Merry Christmas! Here's a personality test

You are a Social Liberal (76% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (15% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Whoops.

I am just that awesome.

How did I manage to not even mention Eagles @ Colts? Cripes. I mean, it's the only appropriate Colts game for the rest of the god damn season. Indy - Jacksonville may be between two good teams, but the Jags, sadly, don't have enough credit stored up with the pubilc despite the fact they always seem to play the Colts tough. Miami could turn it around for week 17, but I hope they don't and refuse to admit that they could.

Sunday Night Football Predictions!

Actual scores or anything? No! Thanks the the NFL's new Flex Schedule, I'm gonna make an attempt to predict which games will be shown on Sunday Nights. This is week 10, Chicago @ NY Giants (which Chicago won 38-20); week 11 is San Diego @ Denver. The schedule can be found here, and one of the games from each remaining week will be moved. I may be missing out on some crazy big rules (although the only one I found was that CBS and Fox can protect up to 5 games, one per week for each network), but we'll give it a shot.

Week 12: Chicago @ New England
This is as close to a no-brainer as I can get; only potential monkeywrench is Fox saying "No." Then maybe New Orleans @ Atlanta, although Atlanta @ New Orleans was a Monday nighter, so Pittsburgh @ Baltimore is another possibility. (Sidenote - awful double header this week, Oakland @ San Diego. Anyone up for a late matinee at the movies on Sunday, November 26th?)

Week 13: NY Jets @ Green Bay
Madden loves Favre, and if the Pack can pull off another win, they're at .500 and in contention for an NFC Wildcard (shock & awe!); and I think Fox is going to keep Seattle @ Denver. Minnesota @ Chicago is also kicking around, if CBS wants this particular game that bad (which is unlikely).

Week 14: Baltimore @ Kansas City
They've got San Diego @ Denver already, what's the likelihood they'd do Denver @ San Diego? Kansas City is a great atmosphere and will put up a fight at home against the Ravens. Plus, CBS will have a crapload of division games they can broadcast.

Week 15: Philadelphia @ NY Giants
Admittedly a hard sell in a week where Fox may not have anything coming even close to matching a division game for their largest markets, but that is exactly why the NFL and NBC would kill to have this game; and it is definitely the marquee match up for the weel. Could also end up something dumb, like Tampa Bay @ Chicago, I suppose. A lot of bad teams playing good (or mediocre) teams this week, so it's the hardest to pick with the rules being what they are.

Week 16: Holiday, there ain't one.

Week 17: Carolina @ New Orleans
Carolina's still fighting, and may be for a division title; and New Orleans may have a chance at the 2-seed in the NFC. Plus - last chance at phat New Orleans Home Game Ratings cash. Atlanta @ Philadelphia, St Louis @ Minnesota, and Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati are sitting around too ('course, St Louis and Minnesota don't exactly fill me with confidence these days). A lot in week 17 depends on how many races are decided after week fifteen; it'll be Green Bay @ Chicago for old times' sake if things have basically run their course. They really get to play up the NFL's history that way, and interview that one guy who's been to every Chicago/Green Bay game for the last million years.

Things could happen, teams could start to suck and all this could be thrown outta whack. Any given Sunday and all that. We'll see how this works out.

I <3 Tom Jackson

Of course, Jen, whom I dated back in first year, would have hated this. (Give us a shout if you're out there, though!)



And he did apologize.

Deepak Chopra and Grant Morrison: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Super-heroes

Virgin Comics presents literary icons Deepak Chopra (How to Know God and co-founder of Virgin Comics) and Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman) in a far-ranging discussion about Dark Knights, Devis, and the development of tomorrow's mythologies in this special Comic-Con exclusive event. Just so I can watch this when I've got time.