Farewell, Steve.. May the Packers always win in Heaven

It is with deepest regrets that I inform you, our loyal SBS readers, that Steve Samichlaus passed away suddenly last Thursday, July 15th 2010. I thought it would be fitting to spend some time and space over here remembering him and recalling how we went from co-workers to long distance sports blogging buddies. And, of course, friends.

I met Steve in the spring of 1999, when I joined a computer consulting company called Datalan in White Plains, NY. I was just entering the world of software development after a couple stints doing QA out of college. He was the veteran network engineer type. They had this weird office layout. There weren't cubicles in the traditional sense. There were "mini-walls" that separated people from one another while facing each other. But then you were directly back-to-back with the person behind you. No wall. Steve was directly behind me, my "back-to-back workspace neighbor." (That's not as dirty as it sounds, trust me.)

Steve immediately made me feel welcome and comfortable. And we quickly found a common interest in football. He was a die-hard Packers fan. I am a geographically challenged Seahawks fan. Since Holmgren had just recently taken the job in Seattle after becoming a legend in Green Bay, Steve knew enough about the team and could even somewhat hope they did well for Holmgren's sake.

Although Steve and I didn't interact a whole lot during those years (as a network engineer, he wasn't in the office all that often) we had our share of laughs, softball games, and post-softball beers. And I can honestly say I always enjoyed his company. He had this unusual ability to be serious when needed and completely off the wall fall down hysterical at any time. All while being a completely genuine person.

Eventually I left Datalan to take a job in the city. But we stayed in touch via email. It seemed we could discuss football at length, give pretty deep opinions about teams and players, and even make picks on games. We attended each others' weddings. We met up for beers a couple times. Steve was an early supporter of my band Beer Drinking Fools, and even won the first official BDF contest! His prize? A free BDF t-shirt, a chance to have some beers with the band, and then he came and jammed with us at the practice studio. I'll have to see if I can dig up that Mp3 somewhere, I think I might have it somewhere. He was a pretty good guitarist.

(Oh, and let me not forget that when we first were discussing getting the band back together and where we would practice, it was Steve that directed us to the Abbey Tavern on 3rd Avenue and 26th street. That place was awesome. It became our weekly pre-practice ritual to meet up there after work, have some pints and some burgers, and then head over to practice. The Guinness was good for you and the service was excellent. In fact, the BDF song "Dear Abbey" is written about that bar. Sadly, it's no longer the Abbey. It's been turned into some trendy yuppie hellhole. But thank you, Steve, for introducing us to the place.)

This blog was born with the idea that some other sports fans might enjoy the email conversations we usually had discussing sports. And while we haven't always kept up-to-date with as many posts as we might have liked, it was always enjoyable to read his posts and carry on the conversation.

I last heard from Steve a little over a month ago, and it was classic him. I thought I'd share the email to put a fitting final entry on this site, as carrying on the sports dialogue without him just wouldn't be the same.

To put a little context on the email, I'm a Michigan Wolverins fan. Based solely upon seeing the movie "Red Dawn" when I was in my early teens, and it seemed pretty fucking cool for a bunch of high school kids to be running around shouting "Wolverines!" while they mowed down commie invaders with AK-47s.

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From: Steve Samichlaus
Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 5:16 PM
To: Steve St. Ides
Subject: You have ruined me

Red Dawn is on HBO and I am compelled to watch it.

Dude, this is one bad movie.

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Subject: RE: You have ruined me
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2010 13:35:14 -0500
From: Steve St. Ides
To: Steve Samichlaus

Hahah, the original or the remake? I haven't seen the remake. The original was awesome though... when I was 14... Haven't seen it lately so it might not hold up very well. :P

Sup? How bout that Big Ben jerk? I'm excited about Seattle. Excellent draft, new coach (though I was never a fan of Carroll). With the Cardinals losing Warner to retirement, the NFC West is wide open.

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From: Steve Samichlaus
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 8:57 AM
To: Steve St. Ides
Subject: RE: You have ruined me

I figured you'd be (walter) jonesing football after the draft Seattle had. Right now Seattle's had the best offseason I think of anybody out there, and I think they could easily win their division So the Pete Carroll thing... I really liked him when he was the defensive coordinator for the Jets and the Niners, he was this young brilliant up and comer. But as time has gone on I just don't think he's a very good man. Didn't some other college coach accuse him of shacking up with some co-ed? Anyway I think thatright now I don't know what to think about him. I just don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling....

So I was watching one of those "Top Ten" shows on NFL network this weekend, it was top ten rookie seasons I think, and Rapistburger was 8 or 9. One of the comments that were made was "Somehow this guy drops to Pittsburg's slot, and the Steelers are thrilled. I mean, I don't know what the other teams saw that they didn't like". All I could think was "uhh, character issues???" My favorite part of this story is hearing about his "move". In every "Big Ben" story his move is to get drunk, segregate the girl, and pull is pee pee out. Nice. Sounds like one of my moves, though quite frankly mine looks nothing like a clock or the tower of London.

The Red Dawn I was watching was the original with Patrick Swayze. I'll give it to you because you were 14 and that's about where this movie lives, but the ending when Swayze is, well, cuddling his dead buddy is pretty gay even for a 14 year old. Maybe I should watch the whole thing for a little context. I dunno. That's two hours I'll never recover...

Oh, one thought on the Packers offseason: it's all summed up in a post I put on Facebook: "Welcome to the NFL Free Agency Season, or as Packer fans refer to it: 'Passover'"

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We'll miss you, Steve. I'll raise a beer and toast you, and remember you any time I see the Packers on TV.

Wildcard Sunday!

According to Blogger.com this is our 300th post at SBS! That’s quite a milestone. OK, I thought I’d have more to write about said milestone but that’s all I’ve got. The truth is I haven’t had any coffee yet and I have a pretty busy day ahead of me. I need to pick up a few gameday groceries (chicken wings to be precise, oh and onion soup for the dip mix), and I need to take the dog out for a walk. Honestly. I can’t contain the excitement. Well, the Packers are in the playoffs and the games start soon, so let’s get to the predictions!


Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-3.5)
There is some discussion amongst us sports geniuses as to the impact of the loss of Wes Welker for New England. Welker is a serviceable possession receiver who has a knack for getting open on third down and is good for yards after the catch. I like Welker, but New England will not miss him. The reason is rookie receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman is a gifted athlete, built like Welker with similar skills. What he lacks is the experience that the veteran Welker has accumulated. But Edelman has had the year to be Welker’s understudy and will fill in nicely. With that said I’m taking the Pats and the points. New England is arguably the best home team in the league, and should handle the up and down Ravens with ease. I like Baltimore, but this week they’re in over their heads. Patriots 37 Ravens 20

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (+2.5)
Last week the Packers dominated the Cardinals who chose to rest their top players in what was a glorified exhibition game. I really liked Mike McCarthy’s approach: play the starters and let them dominate. I believe this will carry over to this week’s game. After a pedestrian 4-4 start to the season the Packers have played above and beyond my expectations. Had it not been for the loss to the Stealers the Packers would have effectively run the table after the inauspicious start. I’ve never thought much of the Cardinals, but they continue to prove me wrong. The Cards seem to always win the big games when they need to so that gives me pause for today. They are a veteran team, defending NFC champs who were a freak play from winning the Super Bowl. They have the experience that the Packers do not. But today I think the better team will win, and that means I’m taking the Packers. Packers 31 Cardinals 20

Your Saturday Games.

I feel like crap. I started sneezing Thursday morning at around 2:30 AM and have not been right since. I'm taking Claritin and Benadryl, and shooting some Vicks nasal spray up my honker for good measure. I have band practice tomorrow and haven't picked up an instrument since New Years Eve. So please constant reader take Ol' Samichlaus's picks with a grain of salt, or at least a shot of Makers Mark which I had plenty of on said Eve. And maybe just maybe if I feel up to it, we'll do Sundays games tomorrow...

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)
After what the Jets did to the Bengals last week, I was a bit dumb struck that the Bengals were listed as the favorites. However, the more I think about it the more it makes sense. The Jets are a one dimensional team: stop the run and you beat them, and last week the Jets ran all over the Bengals. The O line of the Jets were blowing guys up all over the field: it was almost as though the Bengals were playing possum. When the Jets ran their Wildcat formations, the Bengals simply let them score. It was too good to be true. I think this week is going to be different. I really do think that to some extent the Bengals were indeed playing possum. And the Bengals have been hard to beat at home. I like what the Jets have done this season. They have a great defense. They have a great O line. And they have a QB with tremendous upside in Mark Sanchez. Rex Ryan seems to be a good head coach. The team took a good first step this year, but it ends here. I like the Bengals to win and cover.   Bengals 24 Jets 17

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-3.5)
This is hard for me to admit but the Cowboys right now are playing the best football in the NFC. In fact, Tony Romo has been absolutely lights out the last 3 weeks. The Cowboys D has pitched two consecutive shutouts, and most importantly the team has gotten behind beleagured coach Wade Phillips. I really hate the Cowboys. But the Eagles, that's a whole other story. I watched the game Sunday at a bar in North Carolina, and the Eagles were absolutely pathetic. The thing that struck me is that they had something to play for and they didn't bother to show. The Cowboys dominated every aspect of the game and won easily. They clearly have built up enough momentum to carry them into this week. I'll take the Cowboys in a game that won't be close:   Dallas 34 Philadelphia 14

The new Anonymous?

Here at SBS we love it when our reader gets involved. Back when Anonymous graced these pages a tradition of back and forth banter was established between those who read and those who wrote. Indeed when Mrs. Samichlaus (aka Kiki) was a regular contributor I actually had a reasonable chance to improve my odds of having nookie by simply acknowledging her comments as a loyal SBS reader. So I wanted to take a moment to address Wisconsin's own Dan Glarus who had this to say after we failed to provide picks for week 17:

"apparently week 17 isn't important enough to comment on...or are you saving your predictions for for wildcard (or should I say) rematch weekend."

Yoiks and away

Dan, let me apologize. We are sorry that we didn't post picks last week.

Of course at some point you must have read the ongoing saga with St. Ides, uhh, ziti pool. Of course St. Ides would never compete in a money pool since such pools are illegal. St. Ides was leading his ziti pool by three games going into week 16 and had calculated that he needed six winners over the course of 2 weeks to win 5000 boxes of ziti. The way his ziti pool works is each player donates 200 boxes of ziti at the beginning of the season. Then the players pick five winners against the point spread every week. At the end of the season the records against the spread are counted up and the person with the most wins gets to take home all the ziti. Now don't for a minute think that just because St. Ides is Irish means he doesn't like ziti. St. Ides loves ziti as much as any of us, oh and lets not forget that the beautiful Mrs. St. Ides is Italian.

Anyway,week 16 turned out to be quite a disaster. St. Ides went 1-4 while the number two guy went 5-0. St. Ides was in second place, which really made him sad because as I mentioned before he really likes ziti:

Kill me now. I go 1-4, the guy right behind me goes 5-0. Un-fucking-believable. Talk about a choke job. I go from 3 game lead to trailing by 1.

I'm really about to jump out my window. Sadly, it's only 1 story up, so I'd probably only sprain an ankle.

Oh, and all 4 late games were very important to me. At halftime, all 4 were going my way. By the end, all 4 had gone against me. Between this and Seattle seemingly going reverting to their shitty pre-Holmgren days, I can't ever remember hating football so much.

Steve St. Ides

The truth is I really couldn't ask St. Ides to think about football last week. I mean if the whole ziti thing isn't enough please remember that St. Ides roots for the Seahawks. I mean, even Redskins fans have something to look forward to next season. But not St. Ides.

I haven't heard from my partner in crime this week. I imagine they're still adjusting his medications. Oh, and if St. Ides won his ziti pool I'm sure he would have let me know. So no, we didn't do picks last week, but tell you what: I'll make sure I share my opinions about rematch weekend later today.

And as for St. Ides, I hope he makes some picks. I enjoy reading his opinions as I am sure all of our reader do.

Week 16... if this were a better season we'd have been waiting for this one!

Merry Christmas from the Samichlaus household here in the southernmost region of the North Pole. It was a spectacular Christmas, as we were able to keep our respective families at a safe distance and share a quiet holiday with each other. I did manage to watch some of the Bolts beat down of the Titans, and I will say that I would have taken the Chargers to win. We’ll see if St. Ides feels a little Christmas spirit and gives me credit for the post apocalyptic pick.

Of course I'm feeling the Christmas spirit! I think we've been late on most of our Thursday picks, but considering we're admitting defeat (yes, I took the Titans this week) means we're being honest, right?

So going into last week in my money pool, I had a 2-game lead. I went an abysmall 2-3. However, one of the guys right behind me went 1-4, and the other went 0-5. It was a rough week, nobody out of 70+ people went 5-0. So here we are entering the final 2 weeks of the season, and I have a 3-game lead. My "magic number" to clinch first is 8. (I'm sure our highly intelligent readers know what that means, but just in case we get a random sport newb stopping by, it means if I get a combined total of my wins + my closest competition's losses of 8 or more, I win.) Basically, if I can go 3-2 both weeks, they'd have to go 9-1 just to tie me. It SEEMS like a pretty good cushion, but I still have to pick the winners. The pressure is on. $5k on the line. Wish me luck.

This week features a matchup made for SBS: The Seahawks come to Green Bay to play the Packers. Had the Seahawks played a bit better this season, this game would have been special. SBS would have been the place to be this Sunday. We would have featured live gameday blogs, along with analysis and commentary throughout the week. All the things that you'd expect from a first rate sports blog.

Which of course we are not...

Meanwhile, here’s how the rest of your games are going to shake out…

Baltimore (8-6) at Pittsburgh (7-7) -2.5
Pittsburgh had a huge win against Green Bay. They played well and won fair and square. I warned Mrs. Samichlaus that every call in the game would go the Steelers way, but it was simply not the case. The last play of the game was something, and as much as the Green Bay press wants to get on journeyman dime back Josh Bell for not getting under the receiver, Ben Roethlisberger made a hell of a throw from 20 yards out. (btw, Roethlisberger is now a spell check aware word in Office 2007…. Kudos to Microsoft!). With that said, I’m going with Baltimore in this game. I think the Ravens D is better than the Packers D (especially since Al Harris is out) and I think the Ravens won’t let up: they are mentally tougher than the Packers and will prove it this week. Ravens 30 Steelers 27

I couldn't believe the Stealers pulled that one out last week. But the Packers did give me the gift of getting that 2-point conversion in the end and barely covering. Meanwhile the Ravens have quietly put together a nice little run and are in pretty good shape for the playoffs. I think they turn up the heat on Ben and he goes from throwing for 500 yards to throwing for around 200. I think I'm making this one of my money picks this week. Joe Flacco don 't let me down! Ravens 27, Stealers 17.

Carolina (6-8) at NY Giants (8-6) -7.5
The Cats are playing for pride, and the Giants are playing for a playoff spot. I’m not sure about the spread, but I’m going with the Giants. They can still dominate at times, and I think this is the time. Giants 34 Panthers 23

You would think that's how it should play out, right? But the Vikings had a lot on the line last week and the Panthers handled them. When are DBs in this league going to learn? Don't talk smack to Steve Smith. I don't quite understand why he doesn't play at that level every game when he's clearly capable of it, but once someone talks shit to him, he goes on a mission to single-handedly embarass them. Let's hope the Giants don't make that mistake. Giants 30, Panthers 20.

Seattle (5-9) at Green Bay (9-5) -14.5
Wowsers. That is a lot of points. Seattle has looked bad and is moving in the wrong direction. They are spiraling out of control. Matt Hasselbeck, coming off a five turnover outing, can’t throw the deep ball and is nursing a bad shoulder. The receivers are not doing well either: first off they overpaid for Houshmandzadeh (not a spell check aware name) who is pedestrian at best. Second, Nate Burleson is out, making Deion Branch their number two. Branch has not been the same since blowing out his knee against Green Bay in ’08. Bottom line is the Packers D should give them fits. Meanwhile, Mike McCarthy was quoted on Thursday as saying the Packers have practiced better than they have all year this week. Practice well, play well. Packers win and cover. Packers 36 Seahawks 10

Yes, Seattle has sucked. But Houshmandzadeh has been a little better than pedestrian. He's 6th in the NFC in receptions and has had some huge third down catches. There have also been big plays where he clearly draws the safety, which has left Burleson or TE John Carlson wide open. Did Seattle overpay for him? Probably. But let's give him a full year with a healthy Hasselbeck before declaring him a bust. I was tempted to take the Packers as a money pick, but I don't think I could deal with the emotional turmoil if the Seahawks somehow pulled off a win in this game and at the same time cost me 5 grand... Packers 31, Seahawks 13.

Tampa Bay (2-12) at New Orleans (13-1) -14.5
Well. The Bucs pulled off the SBS sweep this year by whupping both the Packers and the Seahawks. Good for them. I hope they all get the runs from eating a bad batch of Cuban sandwiches from Ybor City. Fucks. New Orleans should win with ease: Saints 37 Bucs 13

You'd think by this late in the season we'd see fewer huge point spreads. Nope. There's clearly a top tier and rock bottom tier this season, and they're often playing one another. The Saints screwed me on Thursday night last week, and let's not forget that botched game when they fumbled with under 2 minutes to go. They haven't been covering much lately. I'll take those points. Saints 31, Bucs 20.

Buffalo (5-9) at Atlanta (7-7) -9.5
There’s been a Brian Brohm sighting in Buffalo: Brohm, signed off the Packers practice squad may get the start this week as Ryan Fitzpatrick has not practiced and is listed as questionable. I’m going with Atlanta this week. Although Matt Ryan is also questionable, he has had limited practice. The Bills on the road lose by 10. Falcons 30 Bills 20

Ryan played last week and I imagine he'll tough it out this week. The Bills have been an odd team, and that's a lot of points, but now that I know there's a good chance Brian Brohm will be the QB, it makes more sense that the spread is so high. Falcons 27, Bills 10.

Kansas City (3-11) at Cincinnati (9-5) -13.5
The Bengals need a win to clinch their division. The Chiefs? They can smell that good Kansas City BBQ and the respite of the off season… The Bengals are great at home in December, winning 6 of their last 7. Bengals win and cover: Bengals 34 Chiefs 17

I road the Bengals early on and they gave me several wins. At one point, I think I jumped ship after they lost to the Raiders. And I haven't climbed back on since. The Chiefs are pretty bad and very banged up, but this has "trap game" written all over it, at least in terms of betting. Bengals dominate the game but don't put up tons of points, and a garbage-time TD for the cover from the Chiefs. Bengals 23, Chiefs 10.

Oakland (5-9) at Cleveland (3-11) -3.5
Both teams have shown some life, perhaps Oakland has shown a bit more. But with Mike Holmgren waiting in the wings Browns players and coaches are playing for their jobs. Watch the Browns absolutely trounce the Raiders this week. Browns 27 Raiders 7

I have mixed emotions about Holmgren going to Cleveland. Apparently he wanted back in Seattle, and Seattle made him an offer.. Though for him not to take it, it was probably a shitty offer. I guess we'll see what he's really made of, as the Browns are a frickin mess. Meanwhile, the Raiders would be a half way decent team if they can solve their QB woes. I'm not sure if Jamarcus Russell or Charlie Frye gets the start this week, but it probably doesn't matter much. Browns 19, Raiders 13.

Houston (7-7) at Miami (7-7) -3.5
This should be a great game, but I’ll give the nod to Miami. On a personal note, this game should be a bit paradoxal for my father in law. Although he is a Dolphins fan, he also lives in the shadow of UVA. I wonder how he’ll react to Matt Schaub throwing passes against the Fins? Better hope this one isn’t on local TV… Dolphins 24 Texans 20

I've gone back and forth on this one three times. The Fins had a heart-breaking loss to the Titans last week. The Texans barely beat the Rams. Both teams seem to have the talent to get into the playoffs, it's a matter of who shows up and wants it more and makes fewer mistakes. Schaub hasn't shown me he can deliver under pressure. But neither has Henne (who, by the way, went 0-4 against Ohio State during his career at Michigan). The Texans running game has been fumble prone. The Dolphins running game is Ricky Williams. The defenses seem to be pretty evenly matched. I'm going to say Henne pulls this one out of his ass and gives Miami fans hope that he can truly be their first solid franchise QB since Dan Marino. But they don't cover. Dolphins 27, Texans 26.

Jacksonville (7-7) at New England (9-5) -7.5
Easy pick: Patriots at home fighting for the division title. I like New England by 10. Patriots 30 Jaguars 20

I agree. Though I wouldn't put money on it. Patriots 29, Jaguars 20.

Detroit (2-12) at San Francisco (6-8) -12.5
Honestly. The hardest part about doing picks at the end of the season is forcing myself to think about the Detroit Lions. Yesterday, a Nigerian terrorist attempted to blow up an aircraft in route to Detroit, but according to passengers fumbled with the apparatus he was using to ignite the explosives. After he was tackled by the other passengers and led off the plane, the Lions offered him a contract to play special teams. What? Too soon? Niners 30 Lions 13

Haha, no, not too soon. Lions actually covered last week. Despite Daunte Culpepper seeing extended playing time. Niners are done for the playoff hunt, but they can still finish at .500 by winning their final two. Niners 27, Lions 10.

St. Louis (1-13) at Arizona (9-5) -14.5
Arizona should have an easy win, and no, the 14.5 doesn’t scare me. They win today and coast against Green Bay next week to finish 10-6. Cardinals 33 Rams 17

It scares me a little. The Cardinals seem to play down to their competition. The Rams have kept it close lately against the likes of the Saints and Texans. Arizona doesn't have much to play for. They have the NFC West locked up, would need all kinds of help to sneak into the #2 seed. So they're basically a #3-4 seed with a home playoff game. It might make sense to not put Kurt Warner in harm's way. Cardinals 24, Rams 13.

Denver (8-6) at Philadelphia (10-4) -7.5
Denver on the road against a Philadelphia team that’s poised to win their division. You’ve got to love Philly in this one. I see a two TD win easily. Eagles 37 Denver 23

I hope you're right. I'm making this one of my money picks. I was basically thinking the same thing. Denver really isn't as good as their 8 wins may indicate. I been saying for weeks that McNabb was due to lay an egg, and he hasn't. Which means he is still due. But I'm thinking he'll save it for the playoffs, as their offense is now a bit more balanced and their defense is playing well enough for McNabb to not have to do a lot. Eagles 31, Broncos 20.

NY Jets (7-7) at Indianapolis (14-0) -5.5
I’m really rooting for the Jets this week. Sure the Colts would like to go undefeated, but the Jets are playing for a playoff spot. The question is can they rise to the occasion? Mark Sanchez has a lot stacked against him. He’s playing in a loud dome. He’s been making the same mistakes over and over. He may be hitting the “rookie wall”. Still…. Jets 24 Colts 20

Sanchez hasn't looked good at all lately. The Colts are still playing all coy and shit about whether or not they'll play their starters. They did make a roster move that may be telling - they activated a QB from their practice squad. I'll be keeping a close eye on this one tomorrow to see if the Colts deactivate any key players and my dad is going to be in touch with his Vegas connection to see if the line shifts dramatically as game time approaches. I don't see Sanchez pulling this out in Indy if Peyton Manning and the rest of the starters play even a half. I said it last week, and I'll say it again - the Colts have Patriot envy and will try to go undefeated, despite what they might say. Colts 30, Jets 10.

Dallas (9-5) at Washington (4-10) +6.5
The goddamn Cowboys are going to win this goddamn game because the Redskins are so goddamn pathetic. What’s worse is that the best they can hope for is Mike Shanahan to come to the rescue. Jim Zorn sealed his fate when he tried to run the same trick play twice in a row last week. Ye gods. Cowboys 37 Redskins 13.

I didn't watch that game, but it was the first thing one of my co-workers mentioned to me the next day. I was like "What? You can't be serious. You must be explaining it wrong. Don't they have rules about having 5 down linemen for any play?" I never found the answer to that (I can only imagine that special teams has different rules about this?), but I did see the play on Youtube. Ye gods is right. Meanwhile, Romo and the Cowboys showed me something last week in dismantling the Saints in New Orleans. It doesn't mean they're winning a playoff game, but maybe they're slightly better than I've given them credit for. Cowboys 30, Skins 13.

Minnesota (11-3) at Chicago (5-9) +7.5
So last week Carolina figured out what Packers fans have said all year: pressure Favre and you can beat him. The Bears however, aren’t that bright. Minnesota should trounce them with ease, and Brett has something to prove: after he put the smackdown on coach Brad Childress during the game last week, Brett needs to show he’s still got something left in the tank. Has anyone seen Adrian Peterson lately? Vikings 30 Bears 13

This game isn't meaningless for the Vikings. The Eagles can actually pass them for the #2 seed in the NFC. I'm tempted to take the Bears and the points, but I can't talk myself into it. Nothing has been good for the Bears this season. And Devin Hester appears to be out as well. Remember when Chicago was all excited about getting Jay Cutler? How they feeling about that deal now?

Week 15... the Packers are in the hunt and the Seahawks are the best of the runts.

Ha! I almost blew another week! I’m sitting here looking at a foot of snow on the ground in Richmond wondering how the hell this could have happened. In fact I was getting ready to go outside and restock my bird feeders when I remembered there’s football tonight. St. Ides who of course sent these to me on time, also had this to say on Thursday morning…

FYI I'm taking the Colts on Thursday night. I'm not buying the "Well now that we've clinched the division, we're going to rest our starts" charade. They still have Pats envy and will try to duplicate the undefeated regular season. I think.

I would have taken the Colts as well. 2.5 was way too close for the way they’ve been playing. We’ll call that one a draw.

So yeah, there's snow being dumped on the entire east coast it seems, though it hasn't hit us here in NY as of Saturday night at 7:30pm, but it's coming! I'm going to factor that in to several of my picks this week, going on the premise that it's going to be pretty hard to throw and the teams with better running games and/or defense usually win those ugly weather games. Meanwhile, I'm clinging to a slim 2-game lead in my money pool. Every one of these picks counts now.. I took the Colts on Thursday (win), the Saints tonight, and I'm still debating which 3 games to take tomorrow, but I'm leaning towards the Jets, Bills, and Niners. Anyways, on to the real picks..

Dallas (8-5) at New Orleans (13-0) -7.5
I’m taking the Cowboys tonight, as they are clearly the more desperate team. I don’t see them winning but I do see this as a close game. The more bad that happens to that team the better I feel. Odd, huh? It feels like Christmas! Saints 30 Cowboys 28

The Saints burnt me in that Falcons Monday night game, and I've stayed away from picking them since (and they've failed to cover more often than not since then). But I'm going back to them in the Bayou tonight where a ruckus (translation: bombed) crowd will make things tough on Romo and crew. The over/under on shots of Wade Phillips with a totally confused look on his face is at 8.5. And I'm taking the over. Saints 37, Cowboys 20.

Arizona (8-5) at Detroit (2-11) +11.5
This one won’t be close. I think Culpepper is starting for Detroit. Nuff said… Cardinals 34 Lionesses 10

As soon as the Cards look like they're going to roll into the playoffs going strong, they lay an egg against the Niners and fail to clinch the division. They should be able to take care of business in Detroit. Cardinals 27, Lions 13.

New England (8-5) at Buffalo (5-8) +7.5
Patriots on the road in 2009 makes guys like Anonymous whimper and whine. Bills shock the world… Bills 20 Pats 17

I'm not sure that's a huge shock at this point. I'd like to thank Randy Moss for single-handedly knocking me out of my Fantasy Football playoffs last week by giving up. And yes, he gave up. I will now cheer against the Patriots for the remainder of the season, Tom Brady or not. Fuck you, Randy. Fuck you very much. Bills 13, Patriots 9.

Houston (6-7) at St. Louis (1-12) +10.5
I think I might do a post about the worst team in the NFL, and I think that post might begin and end with St. Louis. After all, the Bucs beat the Packers this year… Houston wins and covers. Houston 30 St. Louis 13

Yeah, the Rams are pretty awful. At least they had the sense to cut that lowlife Incognito. Dirtiest player in the league, and can't go a game without a blatant personal foul. Of course, the Bills snatched him up right away. Anyways, Houston dismantled Seattle last week, so they should have their way with their Rams. But they've been inconsistent enough to make me consider taking all those points at home for a moment. Then I remember the Rams have some guy named Null at QB these days. Yes, Null. As in the Rams' chances. Texans 30, Rams 10.

Miami (7-6) at Tennessee (6-7) -3.5
Dad’s Dolphins have really come together as of late, making a run at the AFC East. Of course, so have the Titans. I’m not sure who’s starting for the Titans, but either way I like the Fish to keep the roll going. Dolphins 24 Titans 20

It'll be unfortunate if the Titans little run here towards the playoffs after an abyssmal start is derailed because Vince Young is hurt and won't play. This is basically an elimination game for them. You're not making the playoffs in the AFC at 8-8, no way. I'm going to stick with the Titans riding Chris Johnson (on pace to break 2000 rushing yards and a home run threat every time he touches the ball). Titans 27, Dolphins 23.

Cleveland (2-11) at Kansas City (3-10) -2.5
Rumor has it that Mike Holmgren is interested in the GM position in Cleveland. If he thought Green Bay was a barren waste land, wait until he gets a load of Cleveland. I imagine he’ll live in Shaker Heights , where there are several nice houses, but for the most part Cleveland resembles a city that someone built and then everyone left. At least Green Bay operates as designed: you either (a) work for the Packers, (b) work for the toilet paper company or (c) work for a chain restaurant. Kansas City 27 Cleveland 20

I think Holmgren REALLY wants the Seattle job, but there's word that the layers of management just below owner Paul Allen might not want his ego back in town. If the Seahawks haven't come knocking already, they may not be. Which means Holmgren may go for the dollar signs rather than a more ideal franchise to join. Anyways, don't look now but I read somewhere this week that Brady Quinn has actually looked decent lately. Decent enough to win in KC? Probably not. Chiefs 20, Browns 17.

San Francisco (6-7) at Philadelphia (9-4) -9.5
I’m taking the Niners and the points. Both teams are playing well and have a lot to play for, but the Niners are the more desperate team. Eagles win a close game: Eagles 30 Niners 27

The Rangers were playing the Flyers in Philly this afternoon, and the place was only like a third full because of the weather. It was weird seeing all those empty seats. It was like watching a Devils home game. (In case you haven't heard or don't follow hockey, the Devils built a brand spanking new arena in the heart of lovely Newark, NJ two years ago. And attendance is so bad they can't give tickets away for free. But I digress...) It'll likely be mostly passed through by the time the game starts. I'm torn between thinking Frank Gore has a huge day and the Niners will struggle with the timezone adjustment and the cold. I'm going to call for a low scoring game and therefore take the points. Eagles 16, Niners 10.

Chicago (5-8) at Baltimore (7-6) -10.5
The Bears are bad. Bad bad bad. Baltimore is better, and they are at home. Plus Baltimore’s D won’t let up like the Packers did last week. I’ll lay those points. Ravens 30 Bears 13

Another game with weather issues. Apparently the Bears didn't leave in time to beat the storm and subsequently had several flights delayed. As of right now, they're still waiting for a plane. Which means a really late arrival tonight. I don't trust the Ravens and that's a lot of points for them to give, but considering the logistics of the Bears travels, I'll have a little more confidence in them. Ravens 27, Bears 14.

Atlanta (6-7) at NY Jets (7-6) -4.5
Mark Sanchez is back and the Jets are still in the hunt. I like their chances against Atlanta who technically are still in the hunt but are on the verge of elimination. I’m not sure who gets the start for the Falcons: Ryan or Redmond, and I don’t want to bother my Indian chick friend on this snowy Saturday. Lets go Jets: Jets 20 Falcons 13

Another snow game! Amazingly, as I write this, the snow has started coming down like crazy. The latest weather report has it lasting until around noon tomorrow, giving us 8-12 inches. Which means the field will probably stil be in pretty bad shape by 1pm kickoff tomorrow. I believe Ryan and Turner are still out for the Falcons. A steady diet of Thomas Jones ought to be an easy cover for the Jets. Don't expect Sanchez to be asked to do much besides handoff and not fumble. Jets 18, Falcons 10.

Cincinnati (9-4) at San Diego (10-3) -6.5
Cincinnati got their asses handed to them by the Vikings last week much to Samichlaus’s dismay. This week won’t be any different. San Diego is a good team defending it’s home turf: Chargers 30 Bengals 20

Yep, I had faith in the Bengals last week, and they let me down. Somehow, Carson Palmer isn't even having a very good year despite the Bengals success. He's 18th i the league in passer rating, behind David Garrard, Joe Flacco, Jason Campbell, and Kyle Orton. Meanwhile Phillip Rivers (3rd in QB rating behind only Brees and Favre, in case you were wondering) and his tall physical receivers (including TE Antonio Gates) have been hot hot hot. I'm sticking with the Chargers too. Chargers 31, Bengals 23.

Oakland (4-9) at Denver (8-5) -13.5
I’m happy the Raiders have won 4 games. I don’t hate the Raiders or their fans. They were good to Brett that game after his Pop passed away. However they are not going to win more than 4 now that Grabowski is done for the season. Denver at home is a pretty sure thing even laying two TDs: Denver 37 Raiders 13

Who's starting for the Raiders at QB? Two words: Charlie Frye. Two more words: No chance. Broncos 31, Raiders 13.

Green Bay (9-4) at Pittsburgh (6-7) -1.5
This game went from a pickem’ to the Stealers laying 1.5. Hmmm… My head tells me pick Pittsburgh but my heart says the Packers will win. Tell you what, with Ms. Clairol likely done for the season I’ll take the Packers. They won’t be able to run the ball but who cares? Rodgers will throw all day against the Stealers secondary. Of course, Mike McCarthy could be hell bent on running. In which case you’ll see a lot of Grant off left tackle, Grant off right tackle, take a shot downfield, punt. Hmmm… nahh, McCarthy isn’t that stupid… is he? Packers 24 Stealers 20

You're absolutely right. The Stealers defense looks horrible without Polamalu. Awful. Have I mentioned how awesome Charles Woodson has looked? Incredible. And since I still have the QB Rating numbers up, Aaron Rodgers is 4th in the league right now. Not bad. It worries me slightly that the game is in Pitt and that field has traditionally been an absolute disaster in bad weather. But I'll stick with Green Bay. Packers 23, Stealers 16.

Tampa Bay (1-12) at Seattle (5-8) -6.5
Alrighty then. Here’s Seattle’s chance to give my partner in crime a little Christmas cheer, and not the kind that comes fermented in a bottle. Seattle has to beat Tampa, right? Seriously. Seattle 37 Tampa 13

God, I hope so. They looked pretty bad on both sides of the ball last week in Houston. Josh Freeman got off to a decent start once Tampa Bay put him in at QB. But then he started truly got into the holiday spirit and started giving away interceptions like fruit cake. Merry Christmas! Seriously. 8 picks in his last two games. That's Delhomme-esque. That leads me to believe he's staring down his targets. Hopefully Seattle can make him pay. Seahawks 27, Bucs 10.

Minnesota (11-2) at Carolina (5-8) +8.5
The Cats getting 8.5 at home has me salivating. I don’t think they can beat the Vicodins who all kidding aside are a good team. But if the Cats can get an early lead and maybe force Brett to make one or two bad throws I think this game is close. Let say Vikings 27 Panthers 24

I really dislike the Vikings. If I had to rank my most hated teams it'd go like this: 1) Stealers, 2) Cowboys, 3) Vikings, 4) Rams, 5) Niners. Kind of strange to not have divisional rivals higher, but the Niners and Rams have sucked a lot recently, so a bit of pity dillutes the hatred. I think they cover. Vikings 29, Panthers 20.

NY Giants (7-6) at Washington (4-9) +3.5
Once left for dead the Giants are right back in the mix, while the Redskins are simply playing out the season awaiting the end of the Jim Zorn experiment. In this case the Giants are the more desperate team, and I think they’ll win with ease. Giants 30 Redskins 13

The Giants are playing for their playoff lives. The Skins have been more competivie lately. That point total seems a bit low. Which means Vegas is begging people to take the Giants. I'm not falling for it. Giants 27, Skins 26.

An apology to our reader

Well, I wish I could make an excuse for not posting picks this week. Something creative like "My pet chicken ate my research" or "I was busy working on my time machine, and I lost track of what day it was". But neither of these are accurate. The truth is I intended to do my picks on Saturday, and I plum forgot. By the time I remembered (this morning) I figured it was too late and besides, I haven't taken a bye week. So let's call week 14 a bye and to make it up to you all I will write a little bit about some of today's games and some of last weeks exciting sports events.

Let me first start by saying I did not have sex with Tiger Woods. In fact I've never met the dude. Whatever they wrote about me on TMZ is catagorically false and I hereby deny it. However several years ago Tiger, St. Ides and some guy who called himself "Klunk" were seen staggering out of the Abbey Tavern heading towards the west side, destination unknown. Days later, Klunk was reported to say something along the lines of "He should be known as Magic Johnson" and we're pretty sure he wasn't talking about St. Ides.

The Patriots mascot got arrested in a prostitution sting in Rhode Island. Apparantly there's a new law in our littlest state that now makes prostitution illegal both outdoors and indoors, and I had to ask "Huh?" Let me get this straight: up until recently prostitution was legal in Rhode Island if it was conducted indoors? First of all, how did I not know about this when I was in my 20s, and second of all how the hell did I not know about this when I was in my goddamn 20s????  Meanwhile I keep imagining that giant headed Patriot dude trying to get his f on, saying things like "be still dear wench whilst I unbutton my trousers and lay aside my musket". Seriously, I wonder if he used his celebrity to try to get reduced rates from the hookers. You know, things like "I can get you a lap dance with Tom Brady AND Randy Moss". Actually, the Moss thing is probably no big deal, I'm sure he's getting them all the time. Besides, rumor has it that Moss goes limp every third lap dance much to the shagrin of Brady and the coaching staff. 

The Packers won a game today in spite of themselves. Once, just once, I'd like to seem them throw a 6 yard pass on third and five.  Or a 7 yard pass on third and 6. Mike McCarthy seems to think that third and short means it's time to take a shot down field, and it never ever works. Well, sometimes it works, but four out of five times it kills a drive. I swear to the good Christ I was cursing at my poor TV today as we let the Bears back in the game, but thank goodness it was the Bears. Lovie Smith hasn't quite lost these guys, but they are poorly coached. The Bears commit more false starts than any other team I've seen: they're like a third quarter preseason unit. The Packers no longer know how to sustain a drive. There offense is run a few plays, pass a few plays, take a shot down field and punt. Of course when the Packers face third and long, you can rest assured that McCarthy will call for a  pass that is long minus 6 or 7 yards. Or that inside handoff out of the shotgun that fools no one. Still, my Packers have won 5 in a row so I can't complain. Next week they face the Stealers in Pittsburgh and as pedestrian as the Stealers have been, this is no easy task. The game has been moved to a 4:15 EST start (3:15 for our reader in Wisconsin) so next Sunday please don't bother me between, say, 4PM and 8PM, or later if they win.

On a personal note, Mrs. Samichlaus has been listening to a lot of "Lady Ga Ga" lately. It's gotten so bad that yesterday she told me that all her dreams at night now have "Lady Ga Ga" for their soundtrack. Who knew you could add soundtracks to your dreams? I have to try that. Tonight I'm going to open every dream with the "Looney Tunes" theme, because my dreams have this cartoon sense of reality to them. Sort of like my life at times, come to think of it. But back to the Lady Ga Ga thing: the music is quite catchy, especially when it's being cranked at decibles that rival the Concord passing over Rosedale, NY. That stuff gets in your head: La la la la la la. Rah ma rah ma ma ma.  Or my favorite "Poker Face", which if you haven't seen my old neighborhood jelly donut salesman  perform it then you're in for a treat...