Racisim through the eyes of a child

"I'm not saying the whole city is racist -- that's not what I'm saying. But we do get stereotyped here. Like, when (city council members) were watching the video of my club. They looked at the way people were dressed and said, 'How do you get that element in your club?' Well, what do you mean by 'element?' Just because they're black? Is that the 'element' you're talking about?"

Nick Barnett, June 2006

During the offseason in Green Bay, Nick Barnett ran into a little trouble with the Green Bay City Council that reeked of racisim.

Nick Barnett owns a nightclub in Green Bay called the Club FiveSix UltraLounge and last spring the Green Bay City Council decided to revoke the clubs liquor license. The reason given? The high number of complaints and police calls to the club. The only problem with this reasoning was the fact that there were several neighboring clubs that had higher numbers of incidents and police calls that were happily granted their liquor licenses. In fact, the only differentiating factor seemed to be that those clubs were white-owned businesses, where as Barnett is half African-American.

To compound the issue, while Barnett was fighting it out with the Green Bay City Council, he was issued a wrtten warning by a white police officer for jay walking. Barnett's two white companions who were walking with him were not warned. Barnett, ever the gentleman, played it off as no big deal, but now that the story had made it to the local press, the Mayor of Green Bay stepped up. He asked the City Council to reconsider the liquor license and they relented. Alls well that ends well.

As a white guy, I sometimes hear these stories and think to myself "Everybody is too sensitive theses days". I mean, is this really racisim? Is it classisim? Is it anything?

Friday afternoon my wife was standing at the Packer gate waiting for Packers to sign her autograph ball. A little boy, all of 8 years old stood beside her along with his mom. He told my wife that he couldn't stay because he was playing in his pee-wee football championship that afternoon. The child couldn't hide his excitement, his life was all about football. My wife said to him "You should tell the players when they stop. Tell them that tonight's your championship game". "I'll only tell the white players" the child repliled without a hint of hesitation. The boys mother looked at her son, surprised by his candor, and asked "Why would you say that?" "Just because" the boy said, again without hesitation. My wife crouched down and looked the 8 year old in his eyes. "Son", she said, "If you want to make it as a football player then you can't be a racist".

It's warming to the heart to know that if his football career doesn't work out he can always work for Aushwabenon Police department, or the Green Bay City Council. Racism is alive and well in America.

Week 8 Picks (Part Uno) (et duo param)

St. Ides has the best week of his career last week, with an astonishing 11-2 record! Probably not gonna do better than that again. Of course, he somehow still managed to go 3-2 in his actual money pool that counted doh! (For those wondering "How the hell did you do that?", I took the Cardinals as one of the picks, and switched from the Falcons to Steelers at the last minute. So yeah, I can't even turn my best week picking ever into actual cash.)

Heard a few interesting things on the radio this week, all about QBs, so I thought I'd throw them in here.

Boomer Esiason was on with Mike and Mike in the morning. He said that Brady and Manning are like this generation's Montana and Marino. I like that comparison. Manning/Marino put up HUGE numbers, but never won the big game. Brady/Montana put up impressive numbers, though not quite as big, but have the all-important Super Bowl rings. I liked that comparison. And it seems Marino took the comparison as an insult or something. Dan, baby, I love ya and all, but if you're going to be an announcer, you need to get over your sensitivity over the "not winning the Super Bowl" stuff. You're one of the all-time greats. It's not your fault you never had a running game. Relax.

Of course, within seconds, Esiason floored me with the comment that Drew Bledsoe is a borderline Hall of Famer. Sorry, but couldn't disagree more. I know he had some nice years with the Pats, but no way they win that first Super Bowl with Bledsoe in there. No way.

And lastly, the reason Bledsoe came up was because they were discussing his benching in favor of Tony Romo. So trivia time! Tony Romo becomes one of four undrafted QBs who will start this week. Who are the other three? (Answer somewhere in the picks below. I got 2 of the 3, the 3rd one is a little less obvious cause he's not their regular starter.)

I'm going to have to send Anonymous a case of beer or something to buy him off. Easy on 'Ol Claus, the family traveled to Green Bay where it's really really cold and between me and Mrs. Claus we'd gotten about three hours sleep over the last 36. (btw, the actual count was Samichlaus 3, Mrs. Claus 0. She actually getting more fired up over these trips than I am, and I'm pretty fired up)

Lots to write about and more blogs to come so lets stay on topic: I'm going to have to check the stats but I do believe this is the first week St. Ides has taken the lead in the history of our picks. Either way, I must acknowledge the week he had.

Dude, it was monster. WTG.

Now, let's get the universe righted again with ol Samichlaus on top of the pickin' pile...

BTW, did Boomer mention anything about who he thought the best young quarterback in the league might be?

Last Week:
St. Ides: 11-2
Samichlaus: 4-9

Overall:
St. Ides: 37-33
Samichlaus: 35-35

Bucs +9.5 over GIANTS
Uh oh, look out! After the thrashing of the Cowboys in Dallas, the Giants are now being annointed one of the NFC's best teams. The Mad Dog was just saying yesterday that he wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Giants against the Bears in the NFC title game. Slow down there, chief. We're not even half way through the season. And I think the Giants are ready to stink it up. They might pull out the game, but they won't cover against a Tampa Bay team that is suddenly showing some signs of life. Giants 23, Bucs 17.

The Bucs have shown a lot lately, and I'm wondering why... oh, there it is: Chris Simms is out. Yep, St. Ides has it right, G-Men win a closer game than they expect: Giants 26 Bucs 24

EAGLES -6.5 over Jaguars
Both teams have had a rough couple weeks. The Jaguars lost to the frickin Texans last week, badly, and now they're making excuses saying that Leftwich is not healthy. Meanwhile the Eagles lost two winnable road games at New Orleans and Tampa Bay. I think they're ready to settle in at home and go on a bit of a run. Eagles 27, Jaguars 17.

The smell of cheesesteaks will do a lot for the Eagles this week, while the Jags will continue to reel. Leftwich is listed as questionable while the Eagles remail relatively healty. I like the Eagles in a low scoring game: Eagles 23 Jags 10

Niners +16.5 over BEARS
That's a whole lotta points. Last we saw the Bears, they were barely escaping Arizona with a win, as the Cardinals suffered one of the biggest collapses in NFL history. They had their bye, and they're home again, but suddenly they're not invulnerable. Rex Grossman looked awful. Now, I don't think the Niners have a chance in hell of actually winning this game, but I think they can keep it within two touchdowns. I think. Bears 23, Niners 10.

Da Bears are due for a letdown of sorts but I can't help but wonder: why is the spread soooooo friggin huge? I'm going against my better judgement here but I'm thinking the oddsmakers know something I don't. Weather in Chi-town is going to be sunny and 56. Bears and the points: Chicago 37 San Fran 10

BENGALS -4.5 over Falcons
Tough game to call. Both teams had pretty impressive wins at home last week, the Falcons over the Steelers and the Bengals over the Panthers. I'll say the Panthers win is slightly more impressive, and the Bengals need this more as a home game for them. Bengals 27, Falcons 20.

Ron Mexico, err, Mike Vick played pretty good last week and showed he can occasionally beat you with his arm. I'm starting to like the Falcons at home but they haven't shown anything on the road. Bengals 34 Falcons 17

SAINTS -2.5 over Ravens
I'm riding this Saints bandwagon as long as I can! Ravens should have McNair back, but I'm not convinced he's a better option than Boller at this point. And their defense is getting old. Gimme the Saints! Saints 24, Ravens 13.

...and I am refusing to get on that bandwagon, fool that I am. I think a healthy Steve McNair is the difference maker in this game, all other things being equal... unless of course Reggie Bush finally has that breakout everyone's been waiting on. Ravens 24 Saints 16

PACKERS -3.5 over Cardinals
The Samichalus family will be in Green Bay for this one, and they couldn't have picked a better team to watch the Packers slaughter! Between blowing that lead to the Bears and losing to the hapless Raiders, Arizona is a mess and Denny Green is on borrowed time. Edge James took the big bucks to go to the Cardinals, and now he has to suffer the consequences. (Oh, and he's complaing about not getting the ball enough, despite having the most touches in the league of any RB.) Packers 30, Cardinals 17.

Denny Green knows how to coach against the Pack, but it's not going to be enough. Arizona's O-line is awful, and the Pack should exploit that. My only concern was a quote from Nick Barnett this moning (and let me remind certain readers that although these picks are getting here a bit late you are getting exclusive insider information at great cost to the Samichlaus family). When asked if the Packers planned to throw stunts and blitzes at the inexperienced Cardinal line to try to confuse them, Barnett replied "Boy, I sure hope so. I would like to. We'll see." Uh oh. Please dear God tell me we are not "coaching not to lose". Anyway, trainer Pepper Burris stopped by to tell Mrs. Claus and I that Greg Jennings "was close" to playing, but he hoped the coaches would sit him. Nickleback Patrick Dendy told us he was feeling good and was ready to step in for Charles Woodson if necessary, and rookie receiver Shaun "Bodie" Bodiford was thrilled to be here (picked off of the Lions practice squad) and already practicing with the first string special teams unit. Oh, and Kabeer Baja Biamila told me he loved me in a spiritual way. Thank the good Christ for that, the man looked like he could snap my dick clean off between his butt cheeks. Packer win one for the Samichlaus family: Green Bay 35 Arizona 10

Texans +2.5 over TITANS
Both these teams have had surprising wins lately, with the Titans beating the Skins in DC, and the Texans pulling a pretty big upset against the Jaguars. Mario Williams is starting to find his groove (2 sacks and a fumble recovery last week) and the Texans offense doesn't look half bad. On the other side of the ball, Vince Young has been pretty good so far. For two crappy teams, this might actually be a decent game. Texans 27, Titans 26.

This will be a decent game but I'm going to go with the Titans. It's another case of I'm not convinced that the dog can do it on the road. Titans win and cover: Titans 24 Texans 20

CHIEFS -5.5 over Seahawks
What can I say other than thank god the Hasselbeck injury isn't season-ending, and our defense has been horrible. Starting safety Michael Boulware has been benched after being directly responsible for 4 touchdowns in the past 2 weeks: That 95-yard TD run by Chester Taylor (what the hell is he doing up so close to the line?), a 40-yard bomb TD by the Vikings on 3rd and 17 (don't bite on the pump fake FFS), a halfback pass for a TD on 3rd and 15 (let the D-line and LBs worry about the run, please), and that ridiculous catch by Torry Holt (he was actually in good position, but knock the ball away, don't try and catch it). Anyways, with Seneca Wallace and Mo Morris in the backfield for Seattle, they have about zero chance of winning in KC this week. And if Seattle couldn't stop Chester frickin Taylor, what's Larry Johnson going to do to them? It could get ugly. Chiefs 30, Seahawks 16.

I watched a good part of the Seattle game last week and had to admit: they looked pretty bad. Hasslebeck is a huge loss, and Boulware has no excuse for his play. I saw several missed tackles and at least one play where Ken Hamlin deliberately avoided tackling someone. At least I think it was 26. Maybe it was 28, but I did say outloud to no one in particular "26 is a pussy". I'll take the Cheifs at home and big: Cheifs 34 Seahawks 20

Rams +8.5 over CHARGERS
Chargers got off to a bad start in KC, then came back, then lost it on a last second field goal. This team is talented, but I'm starting to believe the critics who claim Marty Schottenheimer (and yes, I probably spelled that wrong) can get too conservative and lose games that way. After their bye, Rams find themselves tied for the NFC West lead after Seattle played like doodoo last week. The Chargers secondary is banged up, but at least Merriman will be playing this week as he awaits the appeal on his suspesion. Chargers 33, Rams 30.

Nope, you got it right. Schottenheimer. Funny story from yesterday: me and Mrs. Claus were at the players gate waiting for Packers along with another group of Virginians we met up with. One of the guys had a "Rainman-esque" ability to identify every Packer player, coach and trainer by sight (he correctly identified every person coming out of the parking lot including strenght and conditioning coach Rock Gilliam). I told him "If you spot Kurt Schottenheimer, let my wife know. I want everybody's signature but his". When a player wants to "ignore" the autograph seekers he will often pretend he's on his cell phone as he drives by the gate. I told Mrs. Claus "If Kurt Schottenheimer stops to sign the ball, just pretend you're on your cell phone". Anyway, I don't know what to make of this game, so I'll take the Bolts: Bolts 31 Rams 20.

BRONCOS -2.5 over Colts
We'll see just how good that Broncos defense is. And how this year's Colts offense matches up against solid competition. I think these two teams are fairly evenly matched, and the Colts run defense will be hurting without Corey Simon. Watch the Broncos run wild, and pull it out at home. Broncos 20, Colts 17.

Could this be the week the Colts lose their first? Last week they had a pedestrian first half against the Skins and a terrific second half. It's tough to pick against the Broncos at home but I'm going to anyway: Indy 31 Denver 27

BROWNS -2.5 over Jets
I keep expecting the Jets to have a bad game, and they keep proving me wrong. Not this week! Charlie Frye! Kellen Winslow! Braylon Edwards! The Cleveland Browns potent offense goes off! (For a whopping 27 points.) Browns 27, Jets 20.

Correctamundo. The Jets are playing over their heads and that's all about good coaching. I think St. Ides might have been right about Herm Edwards all along. The Jets come crashing to earth: Browns 24 Jets 21

Steelers -9.5 over RAIDERS
After the Raiders thumped the Cardinals last week, I'm tempted to take them and the home points. Then I remember how bad they are and how awful their coach is, and I just can't do it. Steelers 28, Raiders 17.

Big Dumb Ben is questionable with a brain injury, and that's sort of funny because I didn't realize the kid had a brain in the first place. If he can't go then it's Charlie Batch, and you know what? I think that's enough to keep the game close. Steelers 31 Raiders 24

PANTHERS -5.5 over Cowboys
Tony Romo, meet Julius Peppers. The Dallas offensive line was as much to blame for Bledsoe's benching as he was. Okay, maybe not. Maybe it was that pick he threw in the end zone. But guess what, Romo did the same thing later in the game, and his mistake went the other way fora 90+ yard score. Speaking of Romo, time for the trivia answer. The other three undrafted QBs starting this week: Jake Delhomme, Jon Kitna, and Damon Huard. Panthers 24, Cowboys 16.

Kitna wasn't drafted? No shit! Anyway, I don't think this game is going to be close. The 'boys are in a state of disarray and a road game against a good D is the last thing Tony Romo needs to get right. Parcells will offer a simple game plan and the Cats will be all over it. Panthers 27 Cowboys 10

Patriots -2.5 over VIKINGS
What does it tell you that the Vikings thumped the Seahawks in Seattle, yet are still getting points at home this week? That the AFC is still much better than the NFC. I think. Who knows. I just know I'm frickin sick of hearing about how great Steve Hutchinson is (okay, he's good, but not $49 million good), and how he's the reason the Seahawks are struggling (he's not, and 4-2 isn't exactly 1-5), and how he sprung Chester Taylor's 95-yard TD run (he didn't, and that was more the safeties fault than any big block). Please, for the love of god, someone roll up his knee, hell, both knees, and put me out of my misery by crippling him. Oh, and by the way, the Seattle defense gave two Vikings receivers concussions and another an injured back. So they're down to like their 4th and 5th string receivers. No way this offense does anything against a defense whose players actually stick to their assignments. Patriots 24, Vikings 10.

I wish I'd saved my emails from St. Ides about Steve Hutchinson from the last two seasons. He was St. Ides's wet dream: a Michigan Wolvereen playing for the Seahawks. St. Ides extolled his virtues in a series of love stories, err, emails that would have made Harlequin squirt their corporate shorts. Anyway, I agree with his analysis: New England will have no trouble with this Viqueens team, even in the Metrodome. Patsies 23 Viqueens 7

Week 7 Picks (Part One) (and Part Two)

We're still waiting for that one "Wow, they were right on!" week to happen for one of us... Maybe this will be the week. Those huge spreads make it rough. Last week Dallas covered 12.5 (over Houston) and San Diego covererd 10.5 (over San Fran). But the Skins didn't cover 9.5 (lost the game outright to Tennessee), Denver couldn't cover 14.5 (at home against god awful Oakland), and the Bears SHOULD have lost in Arizona, giving 10.5. Ah well, that's why it's called gambling, right?

Anonymous is right, this is a weird, hard to predict season. The thing I like about parity is that it forces teams to out smart rather than out spend the opposition in order to succeed. Unfortunately that's also what's killing Green Bay. It was nice when Ron Wolf was the GM, but 6 years of Mike Sherman and Ted Thompson have all but killed the franchise. We didn't even stop at mediocre on the way to God awful. Anyway, as St. Ides slowly closes the gap, on to the picks...

Last Week:
St. Ides: 8-5
Samichlaus: 7-6

Overall:
Samichlaus: 31-26
St. Ides: 26-31

BUCCANEERS over Eagles -4.5
Samichlaus said I must have gone "off the deep end" for picking the Bucs at home last week against the Bengals. Now I gave the Bengals the win, but took the points. But guess what. They won the whole game! Meanwhile the Eagles lost to the surprise Saints. So are the Eagles for real? How about this rookie Bucs QB who might take over Simms Jr's job permanently? I have no idea. When in doubt, home team and points. Eagles 24, Bucs 20.

I'm still not over the shock of that Bengals game. Kudos to St. Ides for seeing what I seeing what I could not see. So guess what? I'm going the other way. I'll take the Eagles and the points. Eagles 27 Bucs 20

FALCONS +1.5 over Steelers
I took the Falcons at home last week against the Giants as one of my "pool" picks last week. Needless to say, they burnt me. (Side note: Not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but I'm in an actual money pool. You pick 5 games every week. Any 5 games you want. To win the weekly prize, so far you need to get all 5 games right, and then win the Monday night tie-breaker points. Typically 3-5 people get all 5 right (out of 70ish people in the pool). The weekly prize is $250. There's also an overall yearly prize of about $5000. After 6 weeks, I haven't done better than 4-1 (and that only once), and stand at a horrible 13-17. My dad is tied for first at 22-8. So yeah, I suck. Back to the picks...) Big Ben loooked rejuvenated. The Falcons looked awful. Which means it's time to throw that upside down this week. Or something like that. Falcons 20, Steelers 17.

I hate to do this to my wife, but I read last week that the Steeler fans (in the tradition of Jerome "The Bus" Bettis) have given Najeh Davenport a new nickname: "The Dump Truck". Gol, that's just unfortunate. The Falcons are a mess and the Steelers are just getting better: Steelers 31 M.V.S.D. 17

Panthers +3.5 over BENGALS
Suddenly Carson Palmer and the Bengals aren't looking so hot. Their defense is pretty bad. (And it was pretty bad last year too, they just happened to get a TON of turnovers, which is about 50% luck.) And Chad Johnson has been eerily quiet. Meanwhile the Panthers started 0-2 (without Steve Smith) and are 4-0 since (with Steve Smith). The Bengals need this game more than the Panthers, so I'm going with that, but they're not good enough to cover. Bengals 29, Panthers 27.

Palmer's had two mediocre games in a row and this is a tough defense to get right against. Tight contest, but I'll gamble that Palmer isn't going to be mediocre three weeks in a row. Bengals 27 Panthers 21

Patriots -5.5 over BILLS
After a promising start, the Bills have settled back in right around where they should be - the botom third of the league. Patriots probably have a little extra incentive to prove that the close game between these two in Foxboro in Week 1 was a fluke. Although with every passing week, Tom Brady probably misses Deion Branch a bit more. (Did I mention he had 2 HUGE touchdowns last week for Seattle?) Patriots 23, Bills 16.

I like the Pats too, big time. It's the SBS "Kiss of death" for Anonymous: Pats 27 Bills 10

Lions +3.5 over JETS
The Jets keep winning. And they keep playing crappy teams it seems. Although the Dolphins came pretty close to sending the game to OT last week. Whatever, I can't get too excited analyzing this game. Jets are due to lose to a bad team. Lions 30, Jets 20.

I like the Jets at home against a crappy NFC team that even the Packers whooped. They're good enough to handle the Matt Millon all stars with ease. Jets 34 Lions 20

Packers +4.5 over DOLPHINS
Oh, check this out. Last week, there were 6 teams that had a bye. This week, again, there are 6 teams that have a bye. Why do I mention this? Because the NFL, in their money-grubbing wisdom, decided to increase the number of bye teams from 4 to 6 for two weeks this season, so the byes end a week earlier. All for TV ratings and more money. Why do I mention this now? Cause it's wreaking absolute havok on my fantasy team. The following "starters" for me all have byes this week: Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, Reggie Bush, Antonio Bryant, Bernard Berrian, and John Carney. I'm going to have to drop one of those just because I can't fit them all on the bench. Ugh. Anyways, I am reminded of this because I am starting Brett Favre this week, and hope he doesn't throw too many picks. Which he shouldn't. This Dolphins D isn't as good as years past, and their offense pretty much sucks. If the Packers hope to salvage this season and give their fans any hope at all, they need to win this game. Packers 30, Dolphins 23.

I'm not sure who Favre is going to be throwing to this week. Robinson is gone, Ferguson is out for the season, Green is coming back from an injury. That leaves Driver and Jennings, and Driver hasn't had a good game in 4 weeks. Meanwhile, my Father in Law who is a die hard Dolphins fan is coming over the house to watch the game and he usually carries a weapon. You gotta love the south. PS: if the Packers get behind, Favre will throw picks. He's a lot more diciplined this season but he's still a gunslinger at heart. I'll take the Packers and the Points: Dolphins 24 Packers 23.

TEXANS +9.5 over Jaguars
I took Houston last week getting a ton of points at home, and regretted it. Let's see if I can make it two weeks in a row. Jaguars 24, Texans 16.

I don't know... another who cares game. I'll take the Jags D over that overrated pretty boy. Jags 24 Texans 10

CHIEFS +5.5 over Chargers
Conventional wisdom says home field advantage is worth like 3 points. In KC, one of the toughest places to play, I'd say it's closer to 6 points. So are you telling me the Chargers are like 11 points better than the Chiefs on a neutral field? I'm not quite buying it. Phillip Rivers is due for a bad game on the road. Chiefs 24, Chargers 23.

I agree. Rivers ain't never heard anything like the noise at Arrowhead and it's going to throw him off. If the Cheifs don't win outright, they'll keep it close. Cheifs 31 Bolts 27

Broncos -4.5 over BROWNS
There are 13 games this week (including no Sunday night game due to the frickin World Series). 7 home dogs. They can't all cover. No way. Broncos didn't blow away the Raiders in Denver. They should bounce back. Though I do think the Browns are better than people think. Broncos 27, Browns 20.

I'm going to take the Browns at home simply because Denver (all together now) sucks on the road. The Browns will win outright: Browns 24 Denver 23

COLTS -9.5 over Redskins
Redskins just lost to the frickin Titans in DC. They look awful. Colts haven't exactly been blowing people away, and their run D is horrible with Corey Simon done for the year. I'm very tempted to take the Skins, but yeah, the Colts are due to blow a team away. And might as well be the Skins. (I've said "they're due to whatever" way too much in this week's picks. Oh well, I'm due to be right about a few things.) Colts 30, Skins 16.

LOL! I'm due to agree with you on one of these picks but not this one. I'll take Washington and the points: Colts 34 Skins 30

Cardinals -3.5 over RAIDERS
Raiders showed some life in Denver. Cardinals absolutely collapses in that loss to the Bears. The only thing interesting about this game is which coach will be fired first, Denny Green or Art Shell? Matt Leinart looked pretty damn good though. I wonder if the Raiders regret passing on him now... He might have something to proove. Cardinals 27, Raiders 20.

Denny Green sounded like he was going to have a nervous breakdown after the Bears game. Actually, it was kind of funny. He reminded me of Howard Dean. Anyway, the Raiders are pretty awful and so are the Cardinals, but Mat Leinert is pretty mature for a young QB, and that's all I need. It's the Samichlaus stinker of the season: Cardinals 31 Raiders 20

Vikings +6.5 over SEAHAWKS
Samichlaus says give it up with the reverse jinx. But this year, my reverse jinx picks are 2-2 and Seattle is 3-1, so I'll stick with it for now. For those of you who missed the end of last week's game, here's a quick recap: Seattle up 6 (after coming back from a 21-7 halftime score by the way), Rams have the ball deep in their territory with about 5 minutes left. And seem poised to drive. But UH OH! There's Lofa Tatupu picking off a pass intended for Torry Holt and taking it to the Rams 20! Seattle grinds the ball inside the 10. Rams burn 2 timeouts. Just before the 2-minute warning, 3rd and 1. Mo Morris runs left, picks up the first down, and as he's going down, he falls forward into the legs of a defender. The ball pops hits the defender's knee, pops loose, Rams recover. The announcers (obviously Rams fans) gush on and on about how Leonard Little made the big play of stripping the ball, even as the replay shows Little was wrapped around Morris' legs, his arms not near the ball, and it was the knee that knocked the ball loose. Holmgren challenges the call (and it wasn't even close). The play stands. Seattle loses it's last timeout. If they just take a knee there, they kick a figgy and go up by 9. Game over. So instead, Bulger throws a bomb, safety Michael Boulware goes for the pick rather than bat it away, Torry Holt makes a ridiculous juggling catch and jobs into the end zone. Rams up by 1, about 1:40 left. No timeouts for Seattle. Yet somehow, some way, Matt Hasselbeck carves apart the Rams defense. 19 yards here, 12 here, 15 here. Next thing you know, they're inside the Rams 35, and spike the ball with like 20 seconds left. So, in a call that could have been questioned had the turnout been different, they call another play. Rush Mack Strong right for a couple more yards. But tick tick tick tick tick! Clock is ticking! Seattle lines up! Snaps the ball, Hasselbeck spikes it. Rams rookie coach Scott Linehan is jumping up and down, and runs over to a lineman hollering for a flag. And gets it! (Why does the NFL even pay the refs if they let the coaches make the calls?) "Game over! Game over!" the Rams coach hollers as he jumps up and down like a moron. The referee calmly turns on his microphone and explains, "It is NOT game over. The penalty is for an illegal formation, not a false start. There is no 10-second clock run-off for that penalty. The illegal formation penalty allows the play to continue, so the play did happen. The ball was spiked and the clock was stopped. Now, after the play, the 5-yard penalty will be enforced." So the kick goes from a 49 yarder to a 54 yarder - a big difference. Anyways, Josh Brown calmly strolls onto the field and nails it (with plenty of leg to spare). What's my point: 2 things: 1) Thank GOD that referee (Ed Hochuli) knew what he was doing. I'm convinced 9 out of 10 refs would have blown that call, and given the Rams coach the 10-second run-off he was begging for. 2) The Seahawks 2 years ago lose that game. The Seahawks last year win that game. So I'm happy to see they're more like last year's team.

Now, with that long-ass paragraph said, it's time for the Hutch Bowl! No way Seattle loses this game. And expect Hutch to be embarassed at least twice. He's trying to downplay it in the media (refusing to talk to Seattle media by claiming "This game isn't about me, there's 50 other players on my team"). But you're crazy if you don't think Holmgren wants this game badly. In Seattle, with a sputtering offense, the Vikings don't have much of a chance. Seahawks 30, Vikings 24.

Shit, I had to get up and pee twice during that read. Uhh, I don't know what else I can add except to say that I think Seattle will cover. Seattle 34 Viqueens 23

Giants +3.5 over COWBOYS
Giants showed me something in Atlanta last week. Their rushing game and pass rush both came to life. And if anybody is vulnerable to a good pass rush, it's Drew Bledsoe. Over/under on how many times he's sacked is 5.5. And I'll take the over. Giants 20, Cowboys 17.

Both teams will be ready. Both coaches know each other very well. Both teams are evenly matched. But only one team has T.O. and that's the difference. Cowboys 24 Giants 20

Week 6 Picks (Part 1) (and part 2!)

Guess what! We missed Week 5! Oops!

Anyways, besides the Yankees sucking and th Mets winning, and hockey season starting, I'm sure there's lots to talk about. But it's football time now! (PS. If the Mets lose, how bad do you think the ratings will be for a Tigers-Cardinals World Series? Could set the record for worst ratings ever I think.)

Sooooorrrrry kids! See my comment below and my picks too.

Last Week (Well, actually, 2 weeks ago):
St. Ides: 8-6
Samichlaus: 7-7

Overall:
Samichlaus: 24-20
St. Ides: 18-26

Texans +12.5 over COWBOYS
Between the whole TO soap opera (apparently after last week's loss in Philly, he strormed into the locker room shouting "Why the fvck did you guys bring me here?" Meanwhile, the truth is he was thrown to 11 times, or about 30% of the pass attempts. Sadly, Drew Bledsoe sucks, so not all of them made it there. Anyways, the Tony Romo watch is on. #1 pick Mario Williams finally got a sack, and maybe the immobile Bledsoe could give him another. Not sure how the Texans offense is gonna look against this good Dallas D, but that's lot of points for a team in disarray to be giving. Cowboys 24, Texans 13.

I like the Texans too. I see pretty boy tossing a TD in garbage time to keep it close: Cowboys 27 Texans 23

FALCONS -2.5 over Giants
Coming off the bye, Abraham should be healthy again for the Falcons. Which means Eli will get a steady diet of pressure. Write it down now: the Giants will be one of the most inconsistent teams all season. Their defense has looked like crap mostly, though they shut down the Skins last weekend. I think these teams are about even talent-wise, and since the Falcons are home and giving less than the standard 3-point home field advantage, I'll take em to win by 3. Falcons 26, Giants 23.

Good analysis, but sadly flawed. The Giants are a better team than the Falcons... but I like the point about their inconsistancy. Atlanta still has Ed Donatel as their defensive coorcinator, right? I'll be contrarian: Giants 31 Mike Vick and his sick dick 20

SAINTS +3.5 over Eagles
Do we really know what we have in the Saints yet? No? Neither does Vegas. Reggie Bush made his first (of many?) game changing plays last week with the winning punt return for a TD. However, the game really shouldn't have been that close against a struggling Bucs team with a rookie QB. Still, it was a divisional game, so those are usually close. Meanwhile, the Eagles offense is pretty much all McNabb at this point (Westbrook and Stallworth are banged up pretty badly.) How long can he keep it up? Not long enough. Saints 24, Eagles 20.

The Eagles did not impress me against the Packers, who suck and yet outplayed them for the first half. However I like them in this game: Eagles 27 Saints 17

Titans +9.5 over REDSKINS
I keep taking the Titans plus the points, and they keep covering. Vince Young looked fairly comfortable in there last week. Of course, the Colts defense is awful right now, but still, it had to build his confidence a bit. And the Titans hung in there against the Colts. Despite the Redskins offense coming to life 2 weeks ago against the Jaguars, they looked lost again last week against the Giants. Skins should win this, but I'll take the points. Redskins 27, Titans 19.

Agreed. And I think Vince Younng is going to get better and better. Skins 24 Titans 20

LIONS -0.5 over Bills
Lions had a chance against the Rams 2 weeks ago in the Mike Martz' Revenge game. They should have won last week against the Vikings. (2 defensive TDs on Jon Kitna turnovers blew a 4th-quarter 17 point lead.) So they're due, right? Yeah, I think so. Losman is due for a bad game, and the Lions defense is actually decent. It's their offense that stinks. Lions 16, Bills 13.

The Lions are a lot like the Packers. If you root for them you'll see that they're close but not quite there. I wonder if all that weather in Buffalo affected the Bills practice? The Lions have to beat somebody, right? Lions 24 Bills 21

BUCANNEERS +5.5 over Bengals
Bengals are coming off a bye after a thumping by the Pats brought them down to earth a bit. They should be able to win this game, and we don't really know yet how good (or bad) that rookie Bucs QB is (whose name I'm too lazy to look up right now). I'll take the home points, but just barely. I'm regretting this pick even as I type this. Bengals 31, Bucs 27.

You've really gone off the deep end, haven't you? Wow. Bengals 37 Bucs 17

Panthers +2.5 over RAVENS
I think the Ravens were exposed a bit Monday Night against the Broncos. Steve McNair and Ray Lewis both looked their age. Jamal Lewis hasn't been the same since he spent some time in the slammer. Yes, the Ravens defense is still pretty good. But any early thoughts that Steve McNair could single-handedly turn around their yearly horrible offense are in doubt. Panthers 19, Ravens 16.

McNair, like Favre, will show wear and tear as the season goes on. It is the sad truth of the aging quarterback. Panthers 27 Ravens 10

RAMS +3.5 over Seahawks
Rams should have lost to the Packers last week. (Or at the very least, gone to OT). They almost lost to the Lions (in St. Louis) two weeks ago. They lost to the Niners. On paper, this should be an easy one to pick. But the Seahawks thrashing in Chicago is still on everyone's mind, and suddenly Seattle is one loss away from being 1.5 games out of first place in the anemic NFC West. Not to mention the Rams always play Seattle tough, especially on their home turf. Jeramy Stevens is back, which will help. But if Rex Grossman and Bernard Berrian can slice apart our secondary, imagine what Marc Bulger and Torry Holt will do. This game comes down to whoever has the ball last. Rams 34, Seahawks 33.

Dude, will you stop with the reverse jinx stuff? That Chicago game is exactly what the Seahawks needed. They'll be ready. Seahawks 31 Rams 17

JETS -2.5 over Dolphins
J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! Who woulda thunk the Jets would actually be a favorite over anybody in Week 6? Not me. But something is telling me no way in hell should I take Joey Harrington, who replaced an injured (read "benched") Daunte Culpepper last week. God, this game stinks. Jets 23, Dolphins 20.

The Jets always play the Fins tough. Jets games are my father in law's worst nightmare. I think he still wakes up with visions of pedestrian quarterbacks like Richard Todd and Ken O'Brien lighting it up against superior Dolphin Teams. Jets 23 Dolphins 20

Chiefs +6.5 over STEELERS
Not sure if I actually wrote this before, but the Steelers are suffering the "Super Bowl Loser" jinx. "But they WON the Super Bowl!", you say? Maybe on the scoreboard, but people who watched the game know better. And so do the Football Gods. The only thing that could possibly make a complete Steelers collapse any sweeter would be Jerome "Overexposed" Bettis being struck dead by a bolt of lightning. I paid the price for calling Big Ben "Dilferesque", but maybe I was right after all. Chiefs 27, Steelers 20.

Oh lord. You don't really want to see Jerome Bettis dead now, do you??? Last week Najeh Davenport had one catch for 30+ yards. When will Bill Cowher realize he's sitting on a gold mine? Steelers 31 Cheifs 24

Chargers +10.5 over NINERS
Lots of points to give. I'm kinda wishy washy on this pick. But I'll say I like the offense vs defense matchups on both sides of the ball heavily in favor of the Chargers. Chargers 31, Niners 17.

That's too much gravy for my pot roast. Niners and the points: Bolts 27 Niners 24

BRONCOS -14.5 over Raiders
You know the Raiders are bad if they're getting over 2 touchdowns in this once fierce divisional rivalry. Some guy named Andrew Walter is the Raiders QB. Randy Moss has pretty much admitted he's mailing it in. Don't expect any mercy from Denver. Broncos 29, Raiders 6.

That's too much KY for my lambskin condom. Broncos 31 Raiders 20

Bears -10.5 over CARDINALS
I'd say this is a potential "let down" game for the Bears except: A) the Cardinals have rookie QB Leinart in there, B) the Cardinals have a crap offensive line to protect said rookie, C) the Cardinals have a crap offensive line and, therefore, no running game, and D) even if Leinart DOES get time to throw, star WR Larry Fitzgerald is hurt. Which means double coverage on Anquan Boldin. The real question here is the over/under on Leinart turnovers. Let's go with 3.5, and I'll take the over. Bears 29, Cardinals 13.

I'd be surprised if the Cards put up 10. The Bears are the real deal, and that's coming from a Packer fan. Bears 34 Cardinals 9