Roche Family Games

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-10T11:16:00.021-06:00

Here's a toast to 2009 and hoping that this year is a safe and good one for everyone. New President, new outlook, time for change...whatever. I hope and pray he is up to the job and does well. We certainly could use some help down here in the trenches.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and from the sounds of everything when we spoke you all did. We sure missed Joan and Jay here in Birmingham this year but I know they had to stay in FL. The important thing is Mom is feeling much better and we are all thankful for that. Here's hoping she continues to improve. Besides it may be time to start planing the return to the Cape. You know it is never to early to start that planning. Just don't forget the canvas cooler bag.

So, how was your fall? We sure had a busy one here. I am going to share some photos of some of the high spots starting with Thanksgiving. Jason, our resident butcher, chef and food experimenter fried his first turkey this Thanksgiving. In word it was excellent. He did his research and had everything planned out, well look for yourself.

No Thanksgiving in the Roche household can not start until the first batch of Bloody May's is made. Jackie actually saved this Thanksgiving by finding an open package store since we forgot to check our supply of Vodka beforehand.

There is no other place to fry your turkey in Alabama then in the front yard. You want to make the neighbors envious of your good food. Notice the safety goggles and fire extinguisher in the back ground. Jason certainly made me feel good that our house would be left standing after all of this was done.

The turkey goes in the oil and it doesn't take too long to cook and I have to tell you it is excellent.
No turkey frying is complete with out the peanut gallery. From left to right Jillian, Jackie (Jason's girlfriend), Jackie, and Roz (Jackie's sister). As you might notice we graduated from Bloodies to Whiskey Sours. Jill is drinking Sparkling Grape Juice. She drank the whole bottle and she swore never to do that again as she was, in her words, loopy. Go figure. We had a great day, not too cold nor too hot.

Time to check the temperature. It looks done to me but what do I know? I'm not the cook.

It was done and then Jason put in some potatoes to fry up some homemade chips and they were excellent as well.

The three kids, excuse me, young adults, after the successful turkey and potato frying. I must say Jason did a great job and the food was so good.

Now, below is Jill at one of her football games in the fall. She finished up her senior year in the band and had a great time. This spring she will be traveling with the band to Virginia beach for her spring trip.

Always the clown. I'm not really sure where she might get that from.

Cathy and I have continued to run. Here we are after The Race For The Cure in Birmingham with Jason, the two Jackie's and our friend Pat Perry. This was a 5K (3.1 miles) Pat and Cathy's first one. We did another one the first week of December too!

It was on to Christmas and even though we missed Mom and Dad, we soldiered on. I guess in my case it would be Marined on. Any way here are some photos from our celebration. Mom, you will notice the new vest and how well it fits.

Already to rush to the presents and see what Santa brought. Above everyone gets a funny hat. The funny thing is everyone forgets they have it on and continue to wear them the rest of the night. Silly people.

Well I guess that is it for now. Oh, how could I forget, below is two more pictures of a dinner Jason had last night for some friends. He actually paid for this pig's head and cooked it for us and about 12 of his friends. Surprisingly, they all ate it. Everyone was very curous about this pig. It was actually more biology class than culinary arts. Even I ate part of the tongue. Talk about cultivating your taste buds. I was amazed how much it tasted like pork. Go figure. Talk to you all soon.

Love,

Mike

Wouldn't you love to see the faces of the customers as he parades this thing through his market in a clear plastic bag? Yum!

2008 NFL Season in the Books

2009-01-01T11:47:00.003-06:00

Here is our 2008 winner and third place finisher, Bryan Bailey and Adam Bailey enjoying a cold Harpoon at Humarock this summer. Little did they know at that point they would be winners this year. Boy what a difference a year makes too. Bryan's winning score of 165 points would have been good for a strong 6th place finish last year. Either the games are getting tougher or we are getting worse at picking, perhaps both. Adam owes a bit of thanks to perennial college expert, Scott St. Joseph, for not opting to pay this year because in his words, "he is no good at the pros." You can pay next year Scott. And, to bad everyone seems to be cutting back on expenses so as a result the payouts this year are a little less than last year. I know I speak for myself that any time I get something back in these games I view it as a successful season. On to the results.

1. Bryan Bailey 165 points $40.00

2. Scott St. Joseph 163 points no $$$

3. Mike Roche 162 points $24.00

4. Adam Bailey 160 Points $16.00

5. Amy Roche 159

6. Big Jay Roche 158

6. Susan Bailey 158

7. Jay Roche 155

8. Brendon Bailey 153

9. Liz Melby 143

It has been a fun season and I can't believe it is over nor can I seem to come to terms with the Patriots not playing in the post season. We have been spoiled over the years. Well, only a couple of months and pitchers and catchers report to spring training...I can't wait.

Checks Are In The Mail

2008-01-07T17:11:00.000-06:00

Well sorry this is late but hey I work for a living. Well most of the time anyway. The regular season is over and since we are now finished with the first round of playoff games I thought it might be a good idea to recap the season. I'm sure have already looked to see where your entry came in but in case you haven't here it is. After the big shake up after the Baltimore game, Jay and Sue fought for first place but the last weekend of games was just too much for everyone. Jay finally pulled it out and came in first for the first time in this group. Congratulations, well done. Sue however stumbled (like she has never done that before) the last weekend and I was able to tie her for second place. The difference was, and this never works out for me, listening to the pregame, we had the Houston game and when I saw how many of the Jags were sitting out the game, I changed my pick. One point but enough to tie Sue. Since we pay out three places, Sue and I share the money from 2nd and 3rd place. Here are the results:

1. Jay 174 pts. 99.3% $45.00
2. Mike and Sue 171 pts. 98.2% $22.50 each
4. Amy 167 pts. 95.1%
5. Adam 166 pts. 94.1%
6. Bryan 160 pts. 87.6%
7. Big Jay & Jon Beemer 159 pts. 86.5%
9. Liz 158 pts. 85.5%
10. Lin 156 pts. 83.5%

Rounding out the group were Scott St. Joseph, Matt Scalisi, and Brenden. It has been a great season especially for the Pats. Only three more to go. AS i mentioned in the by line, the checks are in the mail as well as certificates suitable for refrigerator framing. Put it up right next to the grocery list and dental appointment notice.

Questions, Questions, Questions

2007-12-06T19:24:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday evening I went outside because the dogs were barking like crazy at something no one could see. I was looking at them and they just had their noses up in the air sniffing and barking. It was really weird and I didn't know what to make of it until the next day. That evening after the Patriots escaped with another victory. I mean how many times can you get to try a 4th and 1 and then 4th and 6 and still make it. Anyway, it was when I turned to the standings in our little NFL soiree and saw what had happened Sunday. It was a season changing weekend with Jay loosing ground, Susan gaining ground and a big shake up in the race for third place, between Adam, Amy and me.

The dogs did something similar last year when they could smell (somehow) Lin's sweat as the season came down to the wire and he started loosing ground and then finally lost the title. I'm not crazy like the Steeler's safety who is guaranteeing a victory for Pittsburgh but I am saying that the top dog really feels the heat this time of year. It is amazing how the dogs can smell fear. Heck I think I can hear the sweat pouring out of Jay's pores and my hearing sucks. What?

Just three weeks left to go so every pick counts. Da! Just looked at the group score sheet and see that Jay and Adam have picked Chicago. Go Washington!! It will be fun to see what unfolds these next weeks. May the best picker win. I just wish I knew a way to shut those dogs up. Hey Jay, quit sweating, it's just a game!

College Bowling Has Finished Last Frame

2007-01-14T12:19:00.000-06:00

Here is the photo of our winner for the 2006-2007 season, Joey Plaia. It looks like he just found out he won but this is before Christmas with two non entrants, Jackie & Cathy Roche. Joey did not have the best won lost record this year but his confidence points were in the right spot AND he correctly picked Florida to win the National Championship. That and a few other upsets put him over the top this year.

What a season it was too, so many great games, so many upsets and few blow outs. You have to love the Chutzpah of Boise State in beating Oklahoma and how about Oregon State going for two to win the game instead of playing for the tie and playing to overtime. That is confidence and it takes guts to do that. Years ago that decision cost Nebraska a share of the National Championship when Tom Osborne was coach.

It wasn't easy this year with 32 Bowl games and the corresponding confidence points but our top five folks all were at the 90% or better level. Let's look at the results of our top ten competitors.

1. Joey Plaia 22-10 403 points 95.7%
2. Jay Roche 22-10 398 points 94.2%
3. Bryan Bailey 21-11 393 92.4%
4. Windsor Roche (Jay's Alter Ego) 24-8 389 90.6%
5. Mike Roche 22-10 388 90.1%
6. Scott St.Joseph 21-11 380 85.9%
7. Big Jay Roche 21-11 371 80.4%
7. Amy Roche 23-9 371 80.4%
9. Matt Scalici 22-10 356 70.1%
10. Jason Roche 18-14 306 33.7%
10. Susan Bailey 19-13 306 33.7%

It has been fun this year. Most of the games I watched were entertaining, I hope you felt the same way. As for the game with in a game, Matt finally beat Jason at something, Lin never showed up, and there just wasn't enough interest in a money game, which turns Joey's smile to a frown. Maybe next year people will put money down before the cut off date to make this more interesting. Time will tell. Enjoy your summer off from football unless you live in SEC country where it is just beginning again now that Alabama has hired Nick Saban. Should be fun and remember, only 230 more days until we kick it off again!

2006 Season in the Record Books

2007-01-05T17:27:00.000-06:00

Well friends, family and neighbors, the 2006 Pro Pickem season is in the books and it was one for the ages. another season that came down to the last weekend to see who would take the top spot. Congratulations to Adam for winning this year and the top prize of $40.00. Not a bad return on your initial investment. This season Adam started out very strong but faded in the middle of the season only to average 10 points per week the last 7 weeks of the season. A very strong finish, not unlike the Eagles of Philadelphia this year. That is Adam in the middle of the picture relaxing with his brother(R) and cousin(L).

Second place was a tie this year and belongs to newcomer, Liz Melby and last years champion, yours truly. It was a close race but Adam just blew away Liz and myself the last 4 weeks in particular. Liz was not unlike the Bengals of Cincinnati who started out very strong only to fade a little in the end of the season but unlike the Bengals, she ended up with a prize. Both Liz and myself get $20.00 for our efforts this year.

Special mention should be made to Jon Beemer who although lead most of the middle of the year faded in the end and actually placed second. He was not in the money game, however, and thus came away empty handed for his strong efforts.

The final standings are as follows:

1. Adam Bailey - 162 points - 99.4% - 2,057th in the country out of over 200,000 entries

2. Jon Beemer - 158 points - 97.6% - 7,890th

3. Liz Melby - 156 points - 96.0% - 13,063rd

3. Mike Roche - 156 points - 96.0% - 13,063rd

5. Susan Bailey - 151 points - 90.4% - 31,057th

6. Amy Roche - 150 points - 89.2%

7. Bryan Bailey - 143 points - 81.4%

8. Big Jay Roche - 142 points - 80.5%

9. Jay Roche - 136 points - 75.1%

10. Scott St.Joseph - 117 points - 67.5%

11. Lin Stokes - GPA 0.0

Well folks it has been a great season, checks and other awards will be in the mail this weekend.

Individual awards are as follows:

Rookie of the Year - Adam Bailey - First year and winning the whole championship. I know he felt the pressure but did not buckle under it. Well done.

Come Back Player of the Year - Amy Roche - Missing one weekend and still in contention down to the last two weekends. The vacation in FL may have cost her some money but I know she had fun down there. Still a very strong showing.

MVP - Adam Bailey - same reasons as above

Bluto Blutarski Award - Lin Stokes - For ceasing all football and fantasy operations less than half way through the season. We may run a special next year where you can pay for the rest of the decade and you don't have to show up for anything. There might even be a discount involved. Stay tuned.

Final Thoughts: 2006 has been a very full year, trip to NYC, Reunion in Humarock, Mom's 80th Birthday, Joan & Jay's 60th wedding anniversary, many of you made the pilgrimage to Notre Dame, the many emails back and forth, the comments on the blog. I have enjoyed writing these and hope that you have enjoyed reading them. As for me in 2007, I think I will take a break from Fantasy sports for a while. Like Bill Cowher, I'm not retiring but going to spend more time with my family. I will be watching form the sidelines and outside the ropes. As my daughter Jackie likes to say, "I will catch you burgers on the flip side."

Not Much Time Left

2006-12-29T15:05:00.000-06:00

Wow, what a season this has been. Just one weekend left and it is still close race. Those who were around last year remember that someone (Me) came from second place to beat Lin on the final weekend of NFL games. I think the loss got to Lin so bad that he has stopped all football operations this year since the 9th week. The pressure can get to you, just ask Adam as he tries to hold on to the top spot this season. He has had a masterful run the past five weeks as he has averaged 10.4 points per week during this stretch. If he does win, he would certainly be deserving of it. Remember, first place gets $40.00, second gets $24.00 and third gets $16.00. One might ask is all the pressure worth it? You bet your $10.00 it is, just ask a winner.

Right now only 5 points separate top from third and Susan and Amy (wonderful comeback from taking a week off) are only nine points behind Adam. I say Adam even though Jon is also in first place, he did not opt to get in on the money side of the game and thus if he does come in first place it will be a hollow victory.

The other two games we are involved in don't mean much since no one is close in the Eliminator and the Gridiron is just too tough to call each week.

I will report my final standings after the games this weekend and report on the numerous awards for the 2006 NFL season. See you next year. Hope you all have a Happy and Safe New Years.

12 Down 5 To Go

2006-12-02T08:54:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe we are now almost three quarters of the way through this season in the Pros. The colleges are now down except for a few championship games today and of course the Bowl Games. Don't forget to sign up for that game. Here on the Pro side we still have a lot to play for. Three games are still raging except with Lin who has given up in all of them in favor of following NC basketball. They did have a nice win this week. The only game that really counts for money though has some folks locked in a pretty good battle.

Pickems: It has been a while since I have reported on this but the top remains very familiar with Liz tied for the top spot with Jon (probably feels bad he didn't get in on the money aspect of the game.) Both are at 98% and in the top 5000 in the country. They are followed by Adam & myself and finally Sue. A look back shows that weeks 6 through 9 were tough weeks with not one member getting into double figures. Oh Sweet Parity. As with the college game, we have had members take a week off. May I remind everyone that there are no bye weeks in this game. Jay took two weeks off in a row. Amy went on vacation to FL and only picked one game and picked it wrong. Our own Sideline Expert has ceased football operations it appears. With 5 weeks to go a lot can still happen. I for one, look forward to the remaining weeks. Remember, soon the pros will start playing on Saturdays as well. I hope everyone remembered to pick the game this past Thursday night. No one saw the game since it was on the NFL Network.

Gridiron Challenge: The master of this game appears to be Jon who is stomping everyone. He has only had three weeks where his guys were below 100 points. Must have an inside track with this. Jay will have to really pull out some things to repeat again in this game. I still find it difficult to get good performers every weekend. In order to simplify my life next year I may have to cut this one out of my repertoire.

Eliminator: This is still the easiest game to play every year. Just pick one game each week. Lin was doing quite well in this game and one of the leaders in the country when he stopped picking games. Once you pick the wrong team and lose you are pretty much out of it for the national prize but still play for local glory. What ever that is. It seems as though Big Jay, Scott, Bryan and myself are the only ones still picking teams in this game. Congratulations on your steadfastness.

Well folks, the last few weeks will be challenging to say the least as teams try to salvage their seasons and make the playoffs. It will be interesting to watch from the sidelines.

Final Note: Braintree beat Milton this year in their annual Thanksgiving Day game.

Delaying

2006-10-14T08:32:00.000-06:00

Yes delaying writing the results blog BUT more importantly, delaying going out to do any yard work today since it is FREEZING. Okay there is no snow on the ground or any ice in any of the puddles but it is in the 40's and this old man has blood that is just too thin now. So I thought I would take a moment after making my picks for this week to recap last week.

Pickskin Pickem: The BIG GAME is now 1/3 of the way done. Congratulations to Adam as he is number 144 in the country of over 130,000 entries. Very well done and at this point in the season is headed for the Rookie of the Year Award. Week 4 saw 4 folks only miss one game, Adam, Liz, Jon and Sue. So far the standings are as follows; Adam, Liz, Amy, Jon, Jay.

Gridiron: Only 100 points separate the top from the bottom here and each week is like a brand new ball game. It gets tougher as teams go on a BYE week and that guy who has given you so many points and is way above his market value is suddenly lost as is the saved market value. Last week Lin won with myself, Scott and Jon following close behind. The standing so far in order are; Jon, Lin, Jay, Me, Scott.

Eliminator: I know each week everyone who is in this game is praying that they pick a winner but more import, they pick someone who isn't a 19 point favorite and has to come from behind in the 4th quarter to pull the game out. Right Indy? How many others sweated that game along with me? Five are still perfect; Me, Big Jay, Lin, Jay and Amy.

Good luck to all this week. Even though the sun is shining brightly and there isn't a cloud in the sky it is still too cold to go outside. I wonder what the guys at Game Day are doing, maybe I will check that out first.

2006 Season Underway

2006-10-04T18:14:00.000-06:00

WHAT, when did this happen? We are playing the other side of the fantasy here with the pros, the real players. We have a full compliment of games on this ledger. Not everyone is in all the games but that is OK, the updates on the pros will be on this blog and the college on the other so we don't confuse anyone. The season is not even a quarter of the way done and here is how we stand.

Eliminator: This game is so easy to play, only to pick one team each week but tough to win. Just ask last year's champ, Scott, who lost in the second week and decided (I guess) not to pick any more. We still have 5 people who are perfect after 4 weeks. Big Jay, Amy, Lin, Jay and myself. It keeps getting tougher each week so pick wisely.

Gridiron: This one is tough to get the right combination of players each week. We welcome two newcomers this year in Matt Scalici and Jay Beemer. Welcome and hope you stick around for the entire season. Here are the standings so far:
1. Jay
2. Beemer Ball
3. Lin (I know my wife's uncle's name)
4. Me
5. Matt

Pigskin Pickem: Not many points separate this group yet since there are no confidence points, just straight up picking but there are some upsets already. Each week it is difficult to decide which team is going to show up. I have gone to confession for not picking the Pats last weekend but based on how they played the week before who would have expected them to man-handle the Bengals like they did. Mea Culpa. We welcome three newcomers to this game, Beemer Ball, Adam and Liz. Let's look at the previous weeks.

Week 1. What a start for Liz and Adam. As you will see, this was not beginners luck. First was Liz followed by Jay and in third, Adam and Amy.

Week 2. Just take the first week's top performers and shuffle the deck. First was Jay followed by Adam & Amy and Liz in third.

Week 3. A bunched up week but we welcome some others from the group to the top three performers, 1st: Beemer &amp; Lin; 2nd: Adam, Amy & Liz; 3rd: Scott, Big Jay & myself.

Week 4. First was Adam, second was myself and third Liz, Amy and Beemer. Looking over the list, we notice the same names and as you might expect, they are in the leaders group. After 4 weeks the leader board looks like this.

1. Adam
2. Liz
3. Amy
4. Jay
5. Beemer

Don't get too confident you group of five as Lin can attest the season isn't over until the last game is played on the last weekend. You do have to pick though so if you miss a week it is tough to catch up but not impossible. Bryan did it last season and perhaps would have won the entire season if he had not missed one week. As the saying goes, YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOOSE.

Good luck as the season progresses and Adam and Liz, try not to make us look too bad.

Oh What a Time We Had - Part 2

2006-07-15T17:40:00.000-06:00

Mom and Dad with their banner. Oh the weather was grand and the weekend too short but we did have a great time together. WOW 60 years together, how wonderful and to have all the children there to celebrate. How about this picture of three generations of Jasons.

The food was great and the lobsters (both of them) were tasty. Here is part of a fine looking family ready to dive into their dinner. Drinking Beea and eating lobsta, it just doesn't get any betta.

And who could forget the wonderful toast Mark gave as he spoke off the cuff. Looks like he was getting some tips from Jackie though.

Finally some last thoughts on Humarock:

You look for the first glimpse of the ocean over the trees coming down Coast Guard hill into Humarock
You check the tides everyday to know when it will be best to ride the waves
You still call the general store Clark's
You love the sound of the waves, especially at night
On July 3rd you wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world
You think the water is warm when it reaches 60 degrees
You can see the Pilgrim Monument in P Town on a clear day
You think Humarock Beach is the best, despite the rocks.

The Open

2006-07-15T10:19:00.001-06:00

Congrats to Susan for winning the week with 95 points. Big J was second with 79 points and was Amy third with 73 points.

Standings Segement 3 Week

1 Myself 545 pts
2 Jon 496 pts
3 Joan 469 pts
4 Mike 453 pts
5 Amy 445 pts
6 Big J 423 pts
7 Susan 375 pts
8 Lin 243 pts
9 Bryan 124 pts

A close match with every one still in it. There are a total of 700 points still remaining in this segement so no position is safe.

TheThird Major - The British Open is the second double points tournament in the this segement. This years venue is the Royal Liverpool, in Hoylake, England. No one seems to know how this course became the host again after a 39 year absence. The winning score that year was 12 under par.

Since all the records kept by the Royal and Ancient on the Open are likely to fall this year, the winner will in all likely hood have his name in the record books for a long time.

The course has not been changed to account for todays modern equipment and ball. According to Golf Digest the course is "no place for a Major Championshipin the 21st century".

In selecting your team this week, keep in mind that only 30 to 40 names will be familiar to you. The rest of the field will be from Europe and Asia.

Good luck to all this week and I hope that my team is the one sipping Champagne from the Claret Jug Sunday afternoon.

The Blog Police

Oh What a Time We Had at Humarock

2006-07-04T14:13:00.000-06:00

I am currently having some difficulties with my computer and can’t post any of the excellent pictures from our time together in Humarock. When it is fixed I will get them to you. In the mean time, here are some of my beach memories. I know you have some of your own so don’t be afraid to add them here. I cant’ go past a July 4th holiday without thinking of Humarock. Enjoy.

Beach Memories

· The smell of the North River at low tide
· Swimming across “The Cove” at high tide
· The walk to Clarks
· The tilted hat of Mr. Pearson
· Catching crabs off the bridge and letting them loose on the road
· The color and feel of the floor on your bare feet at Clarks
· Racing across the big rocks
· Hitting rocks with an old bat into the ocean
· Skimming rocks
· Eating lunch on the back porch
· The excitement of seeing Dad pulling up in the afternoons
· The sound the toilet made when it was flushed
· Hearing the wind whistle through the house
· Mom opening the top of the window in the dining room so things wouldn’t blow off the table
· Walking down to the public beach to see the water temperature
· Playing in the tidal pools at low tide
· Looking for sea creatures in the tidal pools at 4th Cliff
· Riding up to 4th Cliff with the tailgate down on the wagon after getting an ice cream at the Shack
· The little boat shaped baskets your food came in at the Shack
· Sunset at the Humarock Lodge
· Sunsets from the back porch
· Monsignor reading the bible in the front of the house
· The “Monsignor tan”
· Dinners without shirts because it was so hot
· Summer storms and big waves
· The anticipation of what the beach would look like after a storm
· The dip in the middle of the bed in Susan’s room
· The sound of tires on the sand and rocks as a car pulls up between the houses
· How the hot sand felt on your feet early in the summer
· Wondering what the beach would look like after being gone for the winter
· Visiting the beach in the winter
· Visits with the O’Keefes during the 4th of July, kids sleeping all over the house, the boys in the living room
· Listening to the waves hit the shore as you lay in bed falling asleep
· Dad wearing sneakers into the water, going in backwards
· Clam digging with Dad, cleaning them and the smell of them steaming in the kitchen
· The bunk beds in the boys’ room
· The old metal Coleman cooler we used on trips to see J.B. at caddie camp
· The time the fire department came to put out our bon fire. The older kids blocking the street when they started the fire again.

Finally, thinking how you never wanted the summer to end and the sadness of leaving the beach after Labor Day to start school for another year

ENDINGS/BEGINNINGS

2006-06-03T11:22:00.000-06:00

Commissioner Tweety Pie would like to congratulate Mike for leaping past our 80 year old mother (nice touch) and winning the second segment with 972 pts. Joan was second with 935 pts and Jon was third with 804 points. The commissioner would also like to congratulate Mike for winning the week with 189 points. Big J and Jon tied for second with 161 points and Amy was third with 143 points.

Final Standings segment Two

1 Mike 972 pts
2 Joan 935 pts
3 J on 804 pts
4 Myself 796 pts
5 Amy 761 pts
6 Bryan 754 pts
7 Susan 707 pts
8 Lin 644 pts
9 Big J 616 pts

Year to Date Standings

1 Myself 1789 pts
2 Mike 1716 pts
3 Joan 1678 pts
4 Susan 1606 pts
5 Amy 1592 pts
6 Bryan 1538 pts
7 Jon 1515 pts
8 Big J 1394 pts
9 Lin 1055 pts

Those of you on the bottom, do not despair. Those of you on top, remember no lead is safe. We are only half way through the game. There are still 2000 regular points available and 1200 double points to play for. If you will also remember that last years winner Amy won the overall title and NEVER WON A SEGMENT. So tee it up this segment and try to start with at least 4 golfers. Those of you in the Bo Van Pelt club two weeks ago, will understand why it is important to check your team on Wed night if you can. Your odds of scoring more points will increase tremendously when you start with a full team.

THE MAJORS SEGMENT

For those of you who have not looked ahead to the tournaments in the third segment, when you do, you will notice that the 3 double points tournaments are all the remaining Majors , the US Open June 15 to 18, the British Open July 20 to 23 and the PGA Championship August 17 to 20 .

The US Open, the segments first double points tournament will be played at Winged Foot Golf Club in 2 weeks. As in past US Opens, you will have to find golfers who can make a lot of pars because birdies will be at a premium and bogies will be plentiful.

The philosophy of the USGA has always been to make its tournament the most rigorous, yet fair examination of golf skills, testing all forms of shot-making.

In order to do this, they will narrow the standard fairway width of 30 to 40 yards and play it at 20 to 25 yards. The rough will be 1.5 inches in the first cut and 5 to 8 inches in the second cut. A ball in the rough should be a half stroke penalty according to the USGA.

When the list of players comes out, you will see a lot of familiar names. You will also notice 35 to 40 names that you have never heard of. Since it is an Open championship, anyone with a handicap if 1.5 or less can try to qualify. This year over 9,000 golfers tried to win one of the 70 spots that is not guaranteed.

So on June 15th, 156 golfers will tee it up at Winged Foot and the first double points tournament of the third segment will have started.

The Blog Police would like to wish all of you good luck in this 3rd segment.

See you in a month for the British Open preview.

The Blog Police

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

2006-04-09T12:49:00.000-06:00

A big week in sports championships has come to a close and with it we have 3 different winners this week. Congratulations to all who won this week and for the rest of us, thanks for playing.

Lets start with the Men's Basketball Challenge. 328 teams start out on October 15 with one goal in mind-to win the NCAA Tournament. At ESPN over 3 million entries in this years challenge and no one had the sweet sixteen correct so it is a tough assignment to try and win the 10,000 dollars which was the first prize in the challenge.

The first champion of the week was Amy who won the Men's Challenge with 1,000 points. I was second with 880 points and Bryan was third with 850 pts.

Final Standings (with National Standing)

1 Amy 1000 pts 3047
2 Myself 880 pts 27310
3 Bryan 850 pts 44532
4 Windsor 790 pts 110455
5 Jon 630 pts 715302
Big J 630 pts 715302
6 P Noto 620 pts 821363
7 Mike 520 pts 1813849
8 J Plaia 440 pts 2420150

The second champion of the week was Mike who won the Women's Challenge with 1160 points. Bryan was second with 1150 points and Big J came in third with 1060 points.

Women's Final Standings

1 Mike 1160 pts
2 Bryan 1150 pts
3 Big J 1060 pts
4 Amy 1040 pts
Myself 1040 pts
5 Windsor 1020 pts

Overall Champion Points

1 Amy 2040 pts
2 Bryan 2000 pts
3 Myself 1920 pts
4 Windsor 1810 pts
5 Big J 1690 pts
6 Mike 1690 pts
7 Jon 630 pts
8 P Noto 620 pts
9 J Plaia 440 pts

Masters Champion

The Blog Police would like congratulate Joan for not only winning the week with 197 points but for also being the first of our group to be on the first page of the National Best Ball Challenge leader board. I would like all of you to click on the leaderboard section when you make your selections this week. You will notice that Joan is number 11 in the country for the second segment and that Joan is only 16 points out of first place. A job well done.
Jon was second for the week with 180 points and Susan was third with 147 points.

Standings Week 3

1 Joan 477 pts
2 Jon 348 pts
3 Mike 320 pts
4 Bryan 315 pts
5 Myself 269 pts
6 Susan 239 pts
7 Lin 206 pts
8 Amy 170 pts
9 Big J 133 pts

Please check your teams this week closely because a lot of players will not be in the Harbour Town Tournament this week.
Good luck to all this week.
The Blog Police

FIRST MAJOR-THE MASTERS

2006-04-02T19:20:00.000-06:00

Congrats to Bryan for winning the Bell South Classic with 99 pts. Joan was 2nd with 96 pts and Mike was 3rd with 87 pts.

Standings Week 2

1st Joan 280 pts
2nd Bryan 278 pts
3rd Mike 188 pts
4th Jon 168 pts
5th Myself 137 pts
6th Lin 123 pts
7th Susan 92 pts
8th Amy 73 pts
9th Big J 50 pts

This weeks stop is The Masters and is a double pts tournament. Two things to remember when picking your teams this week:

The first thing you will notice that there are fewer golfers to pick from. This is a limited field of 90 and you will see quite a few names that you do not know so pick wisely.

The second thing you should remember is that the final 2 rounds is limited to the top 40 scores and those within 10 shots of the leader so trying to find 4 golfers to make the cut is very hard so good luck to all and enjoy the azaleas.

Have a good week.

TTime

R.I.P.

2006-03-26T18:58:00.000-06:00

The Blog Police would like to thank all of you for participating in the March Madness Game. I am sure that everyone's brackets are in shambles at this moment now that we are down to the Final Four. If it is any consolation, out of over 3,000,000 entries, no one had the sweet sixteen correct. Sixty one teams are now history and on holiday until October 15 and if any one had George Mason in the Final four, they are lying.
The final results will be announced next week.

GOLF UPDATE

The Blog Police would like to welcome Lin back for the second segment of the Best Ball Challenge. Commissioner Tweety Pie announced that Lin had been called back to the Major league after a great come from behind victory over Mary had a Little Lamb in the Watch the Grass grow Challenge.

Congrats to Joan for winning the week with 184 pts. Bryan was 2nd with 179 pts and Jon was 3rd with 156 pts.

Standings SecondSegement Week 1

1. Joan 184 pts
2. Bryan 179 pts
3. Jon 156 pts
4. Mike 102 pts
5. Lin 77 pts
Myself 77 pts
6. Susan 36 pts
7. Big J 15 pts
8. Amy 7 pts

This weeks stop is in Atlanta. Good luck to all.

Have a Good Week,
The Blog Police

How Long Has it Been Since You Took One?

2006-03-25T14:05:00.000-06:00

It was George Carlin who said, “One thing you never see any more is a guy with a pencil behind his ear.” Well for two hours today I was that guy. I took a test this morning. Not some Internet test to determine what Seinfeld or Rent character you are most like or what dog you resemble the most. No, I took an honest to goodness – bring two #2 pencils, break the seal on the test booklet, you have two hours to complete, you may begin – test. It had been a long time since I have done this. I would say it has been more than 16 years. Perhaps the last test I took that meant something was the written drivers test to get my Alabama state drivers license. Both Cathy and I had to do this. I can’t remember why but I remember thinking, what happens if I fail, do I have to walk home? Fortunately we both passed and we received our Alabama licenses but not after arguing about the color of my hair (I swear it was brown then.) and failing the eye exam. I guess seeing was not a prerequisite for getting an Alabama license. I hope it is now.

So when was the last time you took one? Younger readers of this drivel may say “last week” or “about a year ago.” How about you others who have not been in school since before Reagan was president? It is like riding a bike. You know, you never forget. BUT…how well do you ride one after not having ridden one in 16 years? I little wobbly I might suspect. (Susan, we won’t even discuss your riding ability. Just be thankful you take tests sitting down.) And I wasn’t riding with out holding on to the handlebars. I’m just thankfully I won’t have to take one for a while.

OK trivia time:

Name the movies these quotes come from:

1. “I don’t trust that kid any further than I can throw him.” “Well, with your bad knee Ed, you shouldn’t be throwing anyone."

2. Here, have a sponge.

3. I’ve always been a concerned parent. I’m big on car seats, seat belts, bed times, curfews, calling when you get somewhere, never running with a sharp object. What can I say? I’m a father. Worrying comes with the territory.

Sports Trivia:

What country and what state have won the most Little League World Series Championships? There are two different answers to this one.

Roche Trivia:

What Roche has a game for every occasion? Even if the rules seem to come from nowhere and may change at any moment.

Good luck and post your answers in the comments field.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO

2006-03-06T13:58:00.000-06:00

The Blog Police would like to thank Mike, Jon and Lin for setting an all time LOW in scoring this week. This is the first time the group has had 3 members score in the single digits. Let's give these players a big round of applause and thanks for playing.

Weekly Winners

Congrats to Amy for winning the week with 95 pts. Joan was 2nd with 90 pts and Big J came in 3rd with 88 pts.

Standings Week 9

Myself 1st 727
Susan 2nd 691
Amy 3rd 674
Jon 4th 648
Big J 5th 596
Joan 6th 594
Bryan 7th 590
Mike 8th 588
Lin 9th 323

This weeks stop is the Honda Classic . Only 2 tournaments remain in this segement and one double pts tournament in 2 weeks. This is still a very close match. Everyone still has a chance at the first place spot except Lin.
Good luck this week and good picking.
The Blog Police

BACK TO THE MINOR LEAGUES

2006-02-26T09:49:00.000-06:00

The BLOG POLICE has just come from a joint press conference where the commissioner Tweety Pie of the Goodguy/Badguy league and Gumby the commissioner of the Chutes and Ladders league announced that Lin Stokes, a former MVP in the Goodguy/Badguy league is being sent down to the the minor league to see if he can "find his game".

Tweety Pie stated that it has been a rough couple of months for Lin. Lin has been struggling since the first of the year after suffering some stunning loses in late December and early January. Losing to Mike on the final day of the NFL in the PigskinPickem game and then coming in behind Windsor in the College Bowl game for the second strait year has sent Lins picks in a nose dive. To add to Lins woes, he was put on the 10 day disabled list in late January after suffering a severely strained index finger injury while trying to twist off a non twistable Harpoon beer bottle. The initial report on the injury was that it could have been a carrier ending torn ligament. The final strike against Lin was missing his tee times in Best Ball Challenge 3 weeks in a row.

Tweety Pie further stated that he did not know if Lin could pick his way back in time for March Madness. We will just have to see how he does in the challenges he enters.

Commissioner Gumby said in his statement that the Chutes and Ladder League will welcome Lin and help him in anyway possible. Gumby did stress tha Lin will find the league a lot more challenging than he thinks. There are a lot of quality players in our league and last years MVP Strawberry Shortcake was very close to moving up to the big league. Mr. Gumby stated that there were a few games starting this week that Lin could enter and get his finger back in shape. The games starting for Lins rehabilitation are the Candyland Challenge, the Pick Up Stix Challenge and Cinderellas Tea Party Challenge.

The Blog Police wish Lin the best in hopes the he can "FIND HIS GAME".

GOLF A - Tucson Open

Congrats to Bryan for winning the week with 79 pts. Jon and I tied for 2nd with 75 pts and Susan came in 3rd with 67 pts.

Standings Week 8

Myself 1st 692 pts
Susan 2nd 652 pts
Jon 3rd 644 pts
Amy 4th 579 pts
Mike 5th 578 pts
Bryan 6th 565 pts
Big J 7th 508 pts
Joan 8th 504 pts
Lin 9th 319 pts

OLYMPIC FINAL

Congrats to Amy for winning the GOLD Medal in the Torino Challenge with 757 pts. This put her in the 97.6 percentile and a rank of 218 out of over 7,000 contestants. I won the SILVER Medal with 627 pts and Susan won the BRONZE medal with 573 pts.

FINAL RESULTS

Amy 1st 757 pts
Myself 2nd 627 pts
Susan 3rd 573 pts
Jon 4th 486 pts
Bryan 5th 457 pts
Scott 6th 422 pts
Mike 7th 358 pts
Big J 8th 334 pts

See you all in 2 years for the 08 Summer Game Challenge

GOLF B Match Play Challenge

Congrats to Mike and Joan for finishing 1st and 2nd in this 1 week game. They were the only 2 players who had golfers playing in the semi and final rounds. Well done!!!!

Final Standings

Mike 1st 630 pts
Joan 2nd 590 pts
Myself 3rd 480 pts
Big J 4th 410 pts
Jon 4th 410 pts
Amy 5th 390 pts

Have a good week and good luck Lin in the Chutes and Ladders League.
The BLOG Police

Spring Training

2006-02-19T15:07:00.000-06:00

I know you won't know it by the weather we have been experiencing for the past few days (see previous post about snow in AL) but spring training is officially here for professional baseball. I don't even recall who won the World Series last year since I didn't care after the RED SOX were eliminated from the playoffs. So, I thought I would give you guys something to get you thinking about baseball and get excited about the up coming season. I want to see just how well Boston will do this year. I could care less about the other guys. I think you know who I am talking about. So here it is, I hope you like it.
Ray, people will come Ray. They will come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They will come to your driveway not really sure why they are doing it. They will arrive at your door as innocent as children. Longing for the past. "Of course we won't mind if your look around, you'll say, its only twenty dollars per person." They will pass over the money with out even thinking about it. For it is money they have but peace they lack. They will walk out to the bleachers. Sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They will find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they children and cheered their heroes and they'll watch the game. It will be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they will have to brush them way from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers, been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and could be again. Oh people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

Hope this gets you excited about the upcoming season or least makes you want to watch Field of Dreams.

Roche Trivia:

Where were the games played in Braintree Little League? Not open to those who played.

Still don't have an answer my last last Roche Trivia question. Maybe you don't know OR maybe you don't know how to post a comment with your answer. Call me I can help.

A COLD CASE

2006-02-18T21:11:00.000-06:00

The Blog Police apologizes for the brief entry last week. I was on special assignment to investigate the abrupt and mystifying disappearance of our fellow Bloggers. The Goodguy-Badguy Blogger has not been heard from in 3 months. No hello, no goodbye, nada, ziltch. Quite a few Bloggers have been reported missing in the last few months so a world famous detective has requested me to investigate this matter.

My first task was to try and make contact with Goodguy-Badguy but all attempts to speak with the Blogger ended with the ever popular voice mail. The closest I could come to a sighting was to watch her Blogger Beetle with the massive snow on it sit idle in the drive way.

I next tried to speak with some of the Bloggers friends. These appear to be few or non-existant. Through diligence and persistence I was able to meet with 3 individuals who claimed to be the Bloggers closest friends

All 3 stated that they had not had any contact with the Blogger since they had lunch together at Hooters back in November. One stated that he thought the Blogger looked and acted strange and that there seemed to be some very suspicious people hanging around the restaurant. He gave a brief description of the people in question. With the description and checking the known Bloggers suspects file I was able to to find a photo of the suspects.

After tracking these suspects down and interviewing them, I decided that they were not suspects at all. So my quest continues. I will continue to search for our missing Blogger and research any lead no matter how small or ridiculous. I am off to check out the latest on what came in yesterday. A theory is that it was Professor Plum in the den with a rope. Who knows? Any assistance any of you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Help find our missing Blogger.

Golf Update- THE FIRST SHALL BE SECOND AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.

Yes fans there is a new # 1. Since we have been playing this game for 50 tournaments, I thought I would take my 15 minutes of fame and announce that for the first time in 50 matches I am actuallt in first place. My 15 min are now up. Hold the applause.

Congrats to myself for winning the week with 97 pts. Amy was second with 90 pts . Jon and Mike tied for 3rd with 72 pts.

Standings after 7 Tournaments

Myself 1st 617 pts
Susan 2nd 586 pts
Jon 3rd 569 pts
Amy 4th 541 pts
Mike 5th 528 pts
Bryan 6th 485 pts
Joan 7th 474 pts
Big J 8th 459 pts
Lin 9th 319 pts

A quick reminder that there will be 2 games this week. The regular weekly tournament from Tucson and the World Match Play Challenge. Good luck to all.

OLYMPICS - Amy is the current leader with 362 pts. I am second with 331 pts and Jon is third with 300 pts. This still does not mean much till the last medal is won.

The Blog Police

ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT

2006-02-12T18:52:00.000-06:00

The Blog Police has been on special assignment researching a special investigation and will report on this in the next couple of weeks.

Golf Update- Congrats to Jon and myself for winning the week with 85 pts. Mike was second with 61 pts. There was a 3 way tie for third with Susan, Bryan and Amy collecting 55 pts each.

Standings

Susan 1st 544 pts

Myself 2nd 521 pts

Jon 3rd 498 pts

Bryan 4th 471 pts

Mike 5th 457 pts

Amy 6th 451 pts

Big J 7th 429 pts

Joan 8th 407 pts

Lin 9th 273 pts

This weeks stop is the Nissan Open fro LA. This is the 7th stop in the 1st segment. Please remember to check your players on Tues and Wed to make sure they are playing.
Good Luck to all.

Olympic Update - A quick look at the standings after 2 days. These will in all likely hood change from day to day.

Jon 1st 103 pts
Myself 2nd 61 pts
Big J 3rd 55 pts
Amy 4th 53 pts
Scott 4th 53 pts
Mike 5th 51 pts
Bryan 6th 42 pts
Susan 7th 21 pts.

Hope everyone has a good week.
The Blog Police

AH... Living in the South

2006-02-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

You know I always hear from friends up north who for some reason think it never snows in Birmingham or the south. Well, I am telling you that we had snow last night and it stuck and it was measurable. Now, I know a lot of friends and family up north are dealing with an old fashioned Nor'easter. All I can say is, been there done that and don't care to do it again thank you. Try dealing with snow in the south where you don't have snow plows or shovels to remove it so you can go to the store. Now that, my friend, is tough. Just take a look at these two pictures of the snow around our house that I took this morning. You can see the build up on Cathy's car and on our deck. The one on the deck even shows the dog's footprints in the snow.

So, next time you think we have all cushy in the south with our warm weather and "no snow," think again. Just wait until summer when I tell just how hot it gets down here.

Roche Trivia Question:

What was the lady's name and man's name who ran dancing lessons that we were forced to go to as children?

Bonus Points: What was the name of the church where they were held?

More Bonus Points: Tell us your funniest memory of dancing lessons.

FINAL JEOPARDY!

2006-02-05T21:24:00.000-06:00

THIS TEAM WON THE 2006 NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP. The Blog Police is always on the look out for an edge in our Fantasy Games and when I find one I am willing to share it with all the participants for only a few $$$$$$$. This one I will give to all of you GRATIS. Yes, you heard correct GRATIS. Since selection Sunday is less than 5 weeks away, the good folks at ESPN have not only selected their four teams but they have simulated the 2 semi-final games and the Championship game. Their teams are Duke, Michigan State, Texas and Conn. Is this a great country or what? You all have the Final 4 teams and the results. If you miss these teams when filling out your brackets then you have a serious problem. To actually get the winners of the Semi and Final game you will have to read the entire Blog to look for the answers. Good Luck.

FBR OPEN RESULTS

Congrats to Jon a rookie from Denver for winning this weeks stop with 90 pts. The Blog Police had to search hard for a photo of the winner since all fans of the EVIL EMPIRE are automatically deleted from my computer. I was able to download his photo from his work ID badge so here he is.

Susan was second with 82 points and I came in 3rd with 74 Pts.

Standings After 5 Tournaments

Susan 1st 489 pts

Myself 2nd 436 pts

Bryan 3rd 416 pts

Jon 4th 413 pts

Amy 5th 396 pts

Mike 5th 396 pts

Big J 6th 379 pts

Joan 7th 372 pts

Lin 8th 261 pts.

Susan continues to lead for the 5th strait week. Well done Susan. It is still a very close race with 64 pts separating 2nd thru 7th position. This weeks stop is the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-am. If this tournament runs true to form it will end Monday with only 36 to 54 holes being played. Good luck to all this week.

SUPER BOWL-BIG GAME SHOWDOWN

Congrats to Bryan and myself for winning the Super Bowl game with 11 pts each. Amy was second with10 pts. There was a 3 way tie for 3rd with Mike, Susan and Scott with 9 pts. Big J and Jon tied for 4th with 8 pts and J Plaia came in 5th with 7 pts. Thanks to all who played. See you in September for Football 2006.

Final jeopardy- Duke and Texas

The Final Answer is Who is Duke?

A 1000 Pardons

2006-01-26T19:14:00.000-06:00

HONORING THE CHAMP

The Blog Police apologizes for omitting the picture of Mike the winner of the Pigskin Pick'em game last week. There was some severe deadline pressure last week and we only had time to insert Lin's arrival. So this week we will give Mike his 15 minutes of fame on the red carpet. The first photo is of Mike's groupies waiting to catch a glimpse of him arriving. Most of you did not know he had such a big fan club.

The second photo shows Mike arriving for the awards ceremony to accept his prize. Sorry mike for the omission of your photo last week.

Buick Open Results-Hooray for DOUBLE PTS. What a great concept doubles pts are. It can raise your standing very quickly or bring you crashing down to earth just as fast. There was some shake up in the standings this week due to the double pts as you can see.

Congrats to Amy and myself for winning the week with 196 pts. Lin, who elected to go with a full team this week, came in second with 158 pts and Joan came in 3rd with 126 pts.

Standing Thru Week 4

Susan 1st 407 pts
Bryan 2nd 373 pts
Myself 3rd 362 pts
Mike 4th 360 pts
Joan 5th 354 pts
Amy 6th 348 pts
Big J 7th 327 pts
Jon 8th 323 pts
Lin 9th 239 pts

As you can see this is a very close race at the moment with only 50 pts separating 2nd place from the 8th position. Everyone needs to choose their teams wisely for the next few weeks. There is only one more DOUBLE PTS tournament remaining in this segment. For a small fee I am willing to share with you the experts I use in selecting my teams for the week. These are 3 of the finest golf minds I have ever known

Please call me if you would like to use their services. I accept Visa and Mastercard only.

The Olympic Game is up and running. This is a 2 week game. Pick 5 countries and go. All the countries have bonus multipliers so pick carefully. Beware the upset from Jamaica or Bermuda.

Good Luck to all this week and keep those comments coming.
The Blog Police

Who to Cheer for Now

2006-01-21T09:54:00.000-06:00

END OF LOCAL TEAMS
Another year has closed for the local teams(you too Jon) so who do we cheer for now? My vote goes to the Seahawks since the QB has ties to Boston and I hate the Steelers.

GOLF UPDATE
Another week has gone by in the Best Ball Challenge and the switching of positions continues. Amy is no longer in last place. Lin has been on a mission to grab that spot and has done an excellent job. He has prevailed. I look for Lin to hold on to that spot this week again if his strategy continues since he has deleted a golfer each week so he should have a onesome this week. That is his lone golfer practicing for this weeks stop in San Diego.
Congrats to Mike for winning the week with 92 pts. Amy and Bryan tied for 2nd with 88 pts and our leader Susan came in 3rd with 84 pts.

Standings after 3 events

Susan 1st 341 pts
Bryan 2nd 289 pts
Big J 3rd 269 pts
Mike 4th 245 pts
Joan 5th 228 pts
Jon 6th 209 pts
myself 7th 166 pts
Amy 8th 152 pts
Lin 9th 81 pts

This weeks stop is the Buick Invitational and is a DOUBLE PTS Tournament so this is a chance for everyone to hopefully make up some ground on the leaders. Good Luck to all.

PIGSKIN Pick'um Update
I am sorry that I ran out of film so I missed the opportunity to capture the award ceremony where Lin was presented his award and massive check. However ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT was on the scene and did manage to catch a photo of Lin arriving for the Red Carpet scene in his new Armarni Tux before the awards dinner.

Hopefully all the golf updates will now be on this Blog. All comments are most welcome and due to time restraints I will have time to respond to the positive comments only.

Sincerely, THE BLOG POLICE

POSTSCRIPT ALERT - There should be 2 quick Fantasy game coming up shortly. One will be the Super Bowl game with Babs as the defending champion and a WINTER OLYMPIC game which will lasr 2 weeks so keep your eyes open for these 2 games.

One Final Thought on Bowl Season

2006-01-06T16:46:00.000-06:00

Here is the number one Nebraska Cornhusker fan in our family. Even though they didn't have quite the year they are used to, he still holds a candle for them (get it?). Even his hat is red in support of the Big Red. His entry in the Bowl Games, Husker Always, some how mysteriously picked Michigan to beat his beloved Cornhuskers. I hate it when that mouse just moves by itself or maybe the computer just did it on it's own. conspiracy theorists would want to find out exactly where that computer was made. This is the same guy who's NFL entry, Bunker Hill Man picked Tampa Bay over the Patriots in week 15. THAT isn't nearly as bad as the same week, Super Bowl Thru Foxboro (Amy) and Pats Rule NFL (Joan) also picked Tampa Bay over the Patriots. What's up with THAT?

But I digress, back to our Cornhusker friend, three points to remember:

All in Red
Still holds a candle.
For some reason likes Michigan better.

He may just be waiting for Creighton to bring back football. Go Blue Jays. Wonder what bird lovers would have to say about that college nickname?

It's Over...It's Over...It's Over

2006-01-05T16:30:00.000-06:00

Yes it is finally over, 28 bowl games in 16 days. Whew...Did you watch all of them? Did you watch any of them? Did you a least take a peak to see how a game was going on your way to the E True Hollywood Story? At any rate, they saved the best for last with the exciting Orange Bowl and even more exciting Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of the all. Texas is finally the National Champion after 36 years. At the rate they are going, it won't take that long again.

Congratulations to all who played in this the final college fantasy game of the season. The results are :

1. Mike (Bowl Select) - 302
2. Bryan (BC Eagles) - 272
3. Sue (WeisGal2) - 261
4. Mike (Thunder Road) - 258
5. Joey(Jackie's boyfriend) (Bowl Pickem Plaia) - 256
6. Jay (Eagles Rock) - 252
7. Jay (No Heels only Eagles) - 250
8. Jason (Buffalo Ribeye) - 247
9. Jay (Bowling for $$$$$) - 239
9. Windsor(the Dog) (Best Mascot Wins) - 239
10. Amy (Birthday Picks) - 238
10. Mike (Instant Replay) - 238

Some of the highlights from this year include: Jay putting all three of his entries in the top ten; Mike putting all three of his entries in the top ten; Windsor's entry in the top ten for the second year in a row; all top five of our group's entries were in the top 90% across the country; and finally, no Bailey in last place. Sorry no money on this game this year but certainly bragging rights for a year and the chance to defend my title next year.

One final word for those of you who chose not to play because "I don't want to care who wins this game." Hey, it's only a game. Unless there is money on the line, no one should care who wins or looses. I came in first and I did only peak at some games on my way to the E True Hollywood Story. Now that is something to really care about. See you next fall when we get a chance to do it all over again. Stay warm this winter and enjoin the music of The Buckinghams.

My Oh My!!!!

2006-01-03T16:49:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure where to begin. Should it be with going way back in time when as kids we all practiced the drop kick and now to witness history when Doug Flutie made an extra point Sunday by drop kicking the ball. A meaningless game for the Patriots to be sure but not for Flutie, who may be playing in his last game as a professional. What memories he has provided us over the past 23 years. Or, should I begin with the thrashing that our beloved Irish took at the hands of our formerly beloved Buckeyes. Those were certainly events to witness but the real "My Oh My" this week has to be our beloved Lin aka "any number of aliases" who going into the last week of the NFL season had a solid 2 game lead on his closest rivals Amy and Big Jay only to see Rudy, my entry, come from 4 spots back to win the overall NFL group Pickem. I can hear eveyone shedding a collective tear of sorrow for Lin (cue the Goldstein soundtrack) and the cheering for Rudy. He of ND lore, who fought all odds to win the hearts of movie goers everywhere. I myself am breathing a sigh of relief that we don't have to go one more weekend. It has been fun these 17 weeks that started back on September 11th. Some of the highlights from the season include perfect weeks by Susan, week 7, and myself, week 9. The top 10 folks in our group are all over 91% for the season. And how about Bryan who came in 9th with 166 points, 10 out of the lead and he made no picks in week 8. That is correct, Bryan was over 91% accurate and he skipped a week. Well let's look at the top 10 places:
1. Rudy (me) - 176 $35.00
2. Better Recognize (Lin) - 175 $17.50
Instant Replay (me) - 175 $17.50
4. Brady for President (Amy) - 173
5. Pats Roll On (Big Jay) - 172
6. Bunker Hill Man (Big Jay) - 171
7. Passing for Glory (Sue) - 170
8. House of Pain (Lin) - 167
9. Pats 4 out 5 (Bryan) - 166
10. Pats Rule the NFL (Joan) - 165

On to the other games, in the Eliminator, Scott stayed in the hunt for a second place prize overall along with 2220 others. The standings for our group after the final week are as follows:
1. Scott - 16 of 17
2. Me - 15
3. Jay - 14
4. Bryan - 13
5. Joan - 12
6. Amy - 11
7. Big Jay - 10
8. Sue - 9
There were others who started but lost interest after loosing a few games. You were warned to pick wisely.

In the Gridiron, Jay was able to hang on to his lead but he too is breathing a sigh of relief that the season is over. The final week many of us took a beating as players got a chance to rest and didn't give us squat for points. The final standings are as follows:
1. Jay - 1795
2. Scott - 1748
3. Amy 1704
4. Lin - 1683
5. Bryan - 1626
6. Me - 1620
7. Joan - 1548
8. Big Jay - 1376
10. Jason - 1301

Well that is it for the regular season. I know ESPN will have something in the playoffs or at least the Super Bowl. We will get information out to you all on it once it shows up. It has been fun. I hope all of you had fun playing. Even though we may feel footballed out after the colleges, 17 weeks of NFL and 28 bowl games we will be waiting with great anticipation come early August when SI comes out with their preseason issues.

It has been a wonderful season and I hope you all enjoyed the games and the new blog as much as I have had writing it. Oh and is it just me or is Brent Musburger annoying as hell? And will someone please tell that idiot CBS Commentator, Randy Cross that the coach of the Patriots is Bill Belichick, not Bill Cowher as he was referring to last Sudnay. He did it about 6 times in the span of 20 minutes and no one was correcting him. George Costanza could do a better job. Well, hey it has been great enjoy the halftime show featuring Tiny Pebble and the Boulders.

Breathing

2005-12-31T09:05:00.000-06:00

I thought up this little song last night as I was trying to get to sleep. It is sung to the melody for Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."

I feel those folks a breathing

There breathing down my neck

ya da da da da da

ya da da da

If I don't make some good picks

I'll find myself out of it

This Pigskin Pickem is getting me down.

Well, I guess you get the idea. Don't you Lin. It really did sound very good in my head I should have a pen and paper next to my bed for these types of instances. In the last two weeks he has lost 5 points to Amy and 3 to Big Jay, his closest competitors. I said it a few weeks ago, I smell the fear. It might be a case of too little, too late but with this last weekend, you just don't know for sure. Here are the standing going into the last week of the Pigskin Pickem.

1. Lin - 167

2. Amy & Big Jay - 165

3. Me 164

4. Me - 163

5. Sue - 160

In the Gridiron, it shows all players having a BYE this week so I'm not sure what might be going on here but here are the standings going into the final weekend.

1. Jay - 1681

2. Amy - 1651

3. Scott - 1624

4. Lin - 1614

5. Bryan - 1581

Finally, in the Eliminator, I was officially eliminated from any prizes but Scott is still in the running for the runner up prize along with 3,168 of his closest friends. Good luck this week Scott. Make our small group proud.

Last but certainly not least, the Bowl games are half over now and many of us are riding a 4 of 5 game loosing streak with all the upsets that have happened the past couple of days. I guess some teams just want to play and others only want to play one half of a game. Should be interesting these last few days. The standings right now are:

1. Me

2. Bryan

3. Sue

4. Amy

5. Sue

It might be noted that these standings don't mean too much since it depends on how many points you have left and whether or not your team comes to play (a full game.) Good luck to everyone in the games this weekend and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

And Then Were Two (As In Weeks Left)

2005-12-20T16:40:00.000-06:00

Can you just feel the pressure building? I know some who are starting to sweat just a little. Some probably wish last week was in fact THE LAST WEEK! But sorry you folks who are starting to have to clear your collective throats as the final two weeks of the season are upon us. Maybe with the excitement of the Bowl Season and Christmas they can take their minds off of the picks and games ahead. Remember, that most of the NFL games are on Saturday this week so make your picks early lest you fall farther behind. Speaking of Christmas, when someone asks you if you are ready for Christmas, don't hit them although you might want to, just tell them that you will be. You will won't you? On to the updates.

Scott is defying all that our group has stood for in the past by still remaining perfect in the Eliminator along with 1514 others. I remain tied for second with 4216 others. I can't wait to see what we might win.

In the Gridiron, you might remember last week I thought there would be a shake up of the standings. Well what I meant was I would fall flat on my face and drop down to below everyone who is trying to take this game seriously. Helped by a week where he scored over 100 points, Jay has remained in first place and 107 points now separate 1st from 5th place, but only 57 separate 1st from 3rd. I think I can hear him sweating, very sad. If someone knows a quarterback who can play the entire game let Jay know so he can add him to his roster. Hey jay Brady does. On to the standings.

1. Jay - 1156
2. Amy - 1528
3. Scott - 1499
4. Lin & Bryan - 1475
5. Me - 1449

Finally, Lin has either decide to stick with one name, I mean his current name OR, he has run out of names in the Pigskin Pickem. The later is highly unlikely. Regardless, here is another who you can almost hear sweat. A few facts. Lin has lost 2 points to me in the last two weeks and 3 each to Big Jay and Amy over the same period. We might run out of weeks but Lin has to be careful and when you are too careful you tend to make mistakes. This is not my unique idea but it is proven again and again. Will see what happens this week. You just need to know what upsets to pick and by the way, don't listen to any idiot experts on TV. I did and it cost me a game with my second place entry. On to the standings.

1. Lin - 158
2. Big Jay and Me - 155
3. Amy - 154
4. Sue and Me - 153

Well that does it for this week. Enjoy all the football, college and pros, this week. We will be talking to most of you over Christmas. Hope our journeys are safe and you get most everything you wish for Christmas. Thanks again and enjoy Jethro Tull.

Thoughts Over Morning Coffee

2005-12-17T08:18:00.000-06:00

Ah, the smell of fresh brewed coffee in the morning. The newspaper read, OK perused. Now it is time to make some picks. I am sitting at my computer looking out over my front lawn and the street beyond. It is cloudy out there and windy. Looks like snow and I see a number of crazy people running in a neighborhood race complete with police escort. The dogs are going nuts barking as they watch these health nuts run in very cold morning. Mmmm, this coffee tastes good. I need to go out and rake some more leaves but it is just too cold this morning. Besides, I have way too much crap to do before J & J come. I was in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Biloxi this past week. This was my second trip after Katrina and even though a lot of work has been done in the time between last month and this month's visit, there is still a ton of work to be done. It will take years to get back to where they were. Last night I was looking at the bowl matchups for this season and there are some tough games to pick this year. I still have some shopping to do for Christmas and have a pretty full week ahead of me. Right now we have three dogs and one cat living with us and they all get along. Kids should be so easy. Boy this coffee tastes good...Dunkin Donuts coffee. Delivered straight to your house. This is what psychologists call free association. We all know it as rambling...on to the results from last week.

Scott continues his quest for a prefect season in the Elimnator Challenge. He joins 1587 others with a perfect record. I am still in the hunt for second place with 4853 others. With only a few weeks left we are running out of teams.

In the Gridiron, Jay is determined to let someone take over first place as he had his second sub 100 week in a row. Maybe he is doing too much research. Bryan won the week with 133, I was second with 125 and Sue was third with 122. The oversall results are :
1. Jay - 1454
2. Amy - 1400
3. Scott 1395
4. Bryan - 1370
5. Me - 1368
I would look for a big shake up in the standings this week as only 86 point separate 1st from 5th place.

Finally, in granddaddy of them all, the Pigskin Pickem, it remains a very close race and these next three weeks will be very interesting as Lin trys to hold on to first place. He is panicking out there I can feel it, he is panicking. Remember, there is money on the line here (a whole $35.00 for first place.) Big Jay with his 1 If By Land entry won the week with 14 out of 16 games correct. The overall results are:
1. Lin - 148
2. Me - 144
3. Big Jay - 143
4. Sue - 142
5. Amy and Me 141
Did you know there are more than 138,000 entries across the country in this game and the top 10 entrees in our group are all in the top 90%. This is very strong and an excellent showing by us amaturs. Lin is tied with many others for 2368th place. He also changed his name AGAIN. Obviously, a true sign of panic. Remember there are games today. Good luck this week.

The bowl games start this week too on Tuesday with the New Orleans Bowl live from Lafayette, LA. Should be fun.

What? Skip a Week?

2005-12-10T08:28:00.000-06:00

NEVER...not so long as the Blog Police are out there looking for non blog writers. You know who you are, leaving nasty messages on home phones...talk about pressure. Hey, speaking of pressure how about the pressure Lin must be under trying to come up with another new name for his leading entry in the Pigskin Pickem. That's right the boy wonder, I wonder why he is always changing his name to a new name each week and each name is getting weaker. Oh well, here are the results after week 13.

1. Lin - To Da Hizzle - 136
2. Me - Rudy - 131
2. Me - Instant Replay - 131
2. Sue - Passing for Glory - 131
3. Big Jay - Pats Roll On - 130

There are a few lurking behingd these leaders who have been slowly making their mark on the group. Still 4 weeks to go. Everyone is looking for Lin to stumble but he has remained strong.

The Gridiron Challenge leaders gap is closing on Jay. He has slid a little the last two weeks but still finds himself in first place. Here are the results after this past week. I might mention that only 139 points separate first place from fifth place and we all know what happened a few weeks ago with Jay's entry. Anything can happen.

1. Jay - 1382
2. Amy - 1322
3. Lin - 1298
4. Scott - 1285
5. Me - 1243

Finally, Scott has remained tied with 2090 of his closest friends in the Elimnator Challenge. I am still tied with 5804 for the second chance prize. Jay, Bryan and Joan remain tied for third in our little group with 10 correct picks out of 13 weeks.

Good luck to all this week and remember to get in on the bowl game challenge or what ever it is called this year.

And Then There Was One

2005-11-29T19:35:00.000-06:00

That right after 12 weeks there is now only one person who is perfect in the Eliminator Challenge. Scott correctly picked (by the skin of his teeth) St. Louis to beat Houston and they did. He is now tied with 2136 others for first place. Way to go Scott! I am now tied with 6232 others for second place with only one wrong pick. I also want to congratulate Jay who has a 7 week correct streak going. Keep it up Jay.

How about Jay. He kicked butt again this week in the Gridiron Challenge. (I had a whole bunch of stuff in here but lost it to cyber spce somehow.) Anyway, with 5 weeks to go it is still anyone's game.

Finally, on to the Pigskin Challenge. Is it me or does Lin change names of his entries more than he changes his underwear. I was looking for "Under Review" and couldn't find it. Then saw that it's reincarnation name is now RIVER DANCE. Anyway, no matter how many times he is changing his entry name or his underwear for that matter, he is still in first place after 12 weeks. Gaining a little ground this week, here are the standings:

1. RIVER DANCE - Lin - 123
2. Smiths Gone - Lin - 118
3. Pats Roll On - Big Jay - 117
3. Rudy - Mike - 117
3. Instant Replay - Mike - 117
4. Passing for Glory - Sue - 116

There are still 5 weeks to go and we need to work together to give Lin a cyber weggie and take him down a notch or two. Good luck to everyone this week and don't forget to get signed up for the Bowl Game Challege.

Thursday Final

2005-11-27T11:05:00.000-06:00

Congratulations...(queue victory music) to Scott St. Joseph for winning the 12 week long Thursday Night College Football Challenge. With a strong showing in the final week he beat of his closest competitors with a final total of 78 points. The final results are :

1. Scott - 78 - 97.9%
2. Amy - 74 - 95.3% (even though you tied with Lin I put you ahead of him)
2. Lin - 74 - 95.3%
4. Jay - 94.4%

The rest of us will just have to try harder next year. It has been fun "guessing" what these teams will do each week. Good luck to everyone in the remaining games and don't forget the Bowl Game Challenge will be coming up in a week or so.

How Does He Do It?

2005-11-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

Well, let's start this weekly update with the amazing leap by Mr. Jay Roche in the Gridiron Challenge. Last week, if you will recall, he was in a respectable third place behind Amy and Scott - 42 points behind Amy. Well our friend did a "little research" this week and blew everyone away with a whopping 161 points and now finds himself in first place all by himself - 36 points ahead of second place Amy. Scott is still in third place with 114. This week's finish was the afore mentioned Mr. Roche in first, myself with (what I thought was a respectable) 111, and Lin in third with 109. Let this be lesson to all of us that a "little research" goes a long way. Well done Jay.

Let's see, where can we go from there? Remember that this Thursday is the last of the Thursday night games and it is still very close between, Scott, Amy Lin and Jay. Good luck to you all.

Eliminator Challenge: Scott and I continue to be perfect in this game along with 3,113 other competitors. This week we lost about 500 in the game. This is really getting interesting as each week goes by and we see the selection of teams dwindling.

Pigskin Pickem: There were 10 entries who tied for first this week with 11 correct answers. A couple of games messed everyone up. Who thought that Arizona was still playing football this year or that Baltimore could beat Pittsburgh. I would just like to see someone knock off the Colts before the playoffs. Don't ask me why, I just do - my blog, my thoughts. As for the overall standings, they are as follows:

1. Lin - 111
2. Mike & Lin - 107
3. Big Jay - 106
4. Mike - 105
5. Sue - 104

As you can see still very close with 6 weeks remaining. I might mention who has paid up in this game and is eligible for prize money at the end. They are, Lin, Mike, Jay, Big Jay, Amy, Sue, and Bryan. Six weeks, three entries each, anything can happen. Do not forget that the pros play on Thursday this week as well with Detroit and Dallas and their annual Thanksgiving Day games so pick early.

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. As Jackie likes to say, I'll catch you burgers on the flip side. Hmmm, that makes me hungry...see ya!

Weekly Update

2005-11-15T19:15:00.000-06:00

WOW!!!! IT IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE!!!! A BLOG TWO WEEKS IN A ROW!!!!! TAKE THAT CATHY ROCHE!!!!

OK now that I have that out of my system, on to the updates.

Thursday Challenge: We are coming down to what appears to be the last week in this game. There is no game this Thursday but the game on Thanksgiving evening is Pitt vs. WV. So those of you who are in contention can really spend the necessary time needed to make the right picks. Here are the standings going into the last week.

1. Scott - 72
2. Amy - 71
3. Lin - 70
4. Jay - 67

I put Jay in here since he still has a chance with this game. It is so close, it is anyone's game to win or lose. Good luck to you all on Thanksgiving.

Eliminator: WOW again. Scott and I are still in this thing along with 3,655 others who are still correct with their picks. Each week we make a new record for this group in this game. It is getting more difficult each week though. Jay found this out last week when the Packers lost to the Falcons. Thanks to all of you others who are still slugging it out in this game.

Gridiron Challenge: Most everyone had a good week last week with Lin tops, Me second and Bryan third. This was a tough week since a couple of my horses (by my results you can see just how awesome my stable is) had a bye week. The overall results are:
1. Amy - 1048
2. Scott - 1013
3. Jay - 1006
4. Lin - 1005

Pigskin Pickem: After 10 weeks, (has it been that long?) the group is starting to separate even more. Most everyone is doing well with their picks each week. The experiment, Home Field Advantage, was really strong in the beginning of the season but the last few weeks has had some tough going and is now 10 points behind the leaders. With 7 more weeks to go that is not an insurmountable task. The results are as follows:
1. Lin - 102
2. Me - 97
3. Big Jay - 96
Lin - 96
4. Me - 94
5. Scott - 93
Sue - 93 (my apologies for not recognizing Sue's perfect week in week 7 - Way to Go!!)

Don't forget that we still have a long way to go in this game, 7 weeks. A lot can happen in that time. AND, this is the other money game, so there are prizes to be won. Also, remember that the week after next there will be two games on Thanksgiving day so you will need to make your picks early that week.

Finally, it seems like this is the last week in the college game and Scott has a good lead...But...You never know what might happen. Good luck to everyone.

It Has Been a While

2005-11-09T17:37:00.000-06:00

It has been a while since I have had an opportunity to update everyone on how all are doing it the Pros. So without further adieu..

Eliminator Challege: Scott and I are still perfect on the season. This puts us in line with 4964 other folks who are also perfect on the season. Jay is still in the running for second along with about 9000 others across the country. This is the fartherest anyone has gone in this game. I just hope Scott and I can do it.

Thursday Challenge: Scott leads here as well. He is followed by Amy and Lin in second and Jay in Third. Another game is set for tonight and we shall see if these folks can keep guessing as well as they have so far this season.

Pigskin Pickem: At the half way point in the season the group is starting to separate from each anther. So far it looks like Lin and I have the inside track. He and I combine for all the top three spots. Lin is in first, I'm is second and both of us are tied for third. I was helped this week by a perfect week with my Rudy entry. With 8 more weeks to go, it can still be anyone's game.

Girdiron Challenge: This game just confounds me. Amy is in first, Scott is in Second and Jay is in third. No one seems to want to really take this game away from everyone else though. Everyone has had good and bad weeks.

Sorry this has been late in coming to all of you. After a few weeks of repairing a septic tank, replacing a hot water heater and of course chasing roof leaks and damages from the hurricanes for work it has been a whirlwind Fall. On the college side, I'm sure Cathy will put in an update but I did want to congratulate Susan on winning last week. There were a few upsets that hammered everyone but Sue was not to be deterred, she was one of three folks to pick Purdue over Michigan State and put 10 points on it. She is not sure if it was a mistake or not but it sure seemed to work out for her. I will try to get this done on a weekly basis from this point forward. Good luck to everyone this week.

An Almost Perfect Week(ly Blog)

2005-10-18T16:31:00.000-06:00

That is correct, this blog will almost be perfect just like Big Jay's Picks this week in the pros were almost perfect. Missing one game, every other one was correct. Excellent job this week. He even picked the Jags over the Steelers, a gutsy move to say the least! On to the updates.

Thursday Challenge:
This was updated in my last log with Lin in the lead with his "Buns of Steel" nickname or something like that.

Eliminator Challenge:
This week saw one of the last perfect runs come to an end when Brian picked Pittsburgh and they lost. Now only Scott & myself are perfect in this game. Keep playing though because a few of you have only missed one game.

Gridiron Challenge:
The week was won by Amy & Lin with 123 points, second was Susan with 121 and I came in third with 117. The total standings are as follows:
1. Scott & Amy - 611
2. Jay - 586
3. Lin - 571
4. Joan - 561 (Is that really you Mom?)
5. Brian - 530

Pro Pickem:
This race is about as tight as you can get and inexplicably, Jason, the younger, did not make any picks this week after finding himself in first place after last week. It will be tough to climb back up but you know he will be back in there next week. As was mentioned earlier, Big Jay won the week with 13 correct picks. In a second place tie with 12 correct picks were, Amy, Jay, Big Jay (again) and myself. The standings after week 6 are as follows:
1. Brian & myself - 59
2. Lin - 58
3. Amy & Big Jay - 57
Even after not picking any games this week, Jason is only 10 points off the lead. That puts him in 9th place. Cathy's Home Field Advantage is still holding strong at 56 points. This game will go down to the last weekend of the season and we are only about a third of the way through it.

Hope everyone is enjoying the blog updates on this and the college games. Let me know what you think.

Buns of Steel??? OH...Buntsheels

2005-10-14T15:37:00.000-06:00

Well that makes sense. When I first saw the name of our first place competitor, I thought buns of Steel?? I'm not in first place. Then I saw the name and it didn't make sense either until I read a little closer. Maintaining a strong 8 point performance, Lin has stayed in first place followed by Scott in second, Amy in third and Jay and myself in fourth. Is it me or do these games keep getting more difficult to figure out. And I guess the real question is...How much time do you spend on these picks as opposed to the real pickems? Just a thought. Oh and in case I didn't mention it, great name Lin, keep up the good work.

Oh By The Way...One More Thing

2005-10-08T08:57:00.000-06:00

Hey you guys if you read this, make a comment. That way I know someone is reading this drivel.

Slip sliding Away

2005-10-08T08:27:00.000-06:00

Well baseball season is officially over for us RED SOX fans. The last month we saw our beloved team slip more and faster than a gecko on a wet tile wall. So we won't repeat this year, so what. We are still the World Champions until the new one is crowned in what late November? Now we can focus our attentions to football and our favorite teams. Can the Panthers win more than two games in a row? Will the Pats loose two in a row? Will ND knock off USC next weekend? Who knows. The one thing I do know is that fall is finally in the air. When it is colder in Birmingham than it is in Boston, no one is talking about global warming. We still have a few more weeks of golf too. At the half way point this week, only 6 strokes separate top from bottom in this weeks tournament.

I hope the crowd at Fenway yesterday was as kind to the whole team after the loss as they were to Tony Graffininno in the pregame introductions. The off season for the Red Sox will be an interesting one too this year. Will they resign Damon, what will they do about their pitching, and just remember it is only about 130 days until spring training.
GO RED SOX!!

Testing 1..2..3..Testing...

2005-10-04T18:46:00.000-06:00

Just want to make sure I can still get back into this thing once I have created it. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

GO RED SOX!!!

The First Other Update

2005-10-04T18:29:00.000-06:00

Hey football fans,

Thought I would get everyone up to date on the other side of the football fantasy games before someone went into a spittle filled rage like Bobby Knight being cut off in traffic. Hmm...sounds like something I might do. Oh well. There is a group of die hard fantasy footballers who can't get enough and refuse to just play the college games on Saturdays and you guys are them. We are now a few weeks into the long season and this how it looks thus far.

Pigskin Pickem - this is the other "money game" if you are so inclined. Most everyone on the email is in with their $10.00 except for Big Jay, Joan, Jason (the younger), and Scott. Just send me your money if you want to reap the benefits at the end of the season. Same payout as the colleges; 50% to first place, 30% to second, and 20% to third. Here are the standings after the fourth week:
1. Lin
2. Jason (the younger)
3. tie Cathy (only playing home field) & Bryan
5. tie Myself (2 entries) and Amy
With three entries and a 17 week season there will be more repositioning than Nomar at bat. Five points separate 1st place from 10th place so don't get discouraged yet Sue.

Thursday Night Challenge - or as I like to call it, "how the hell should I know."
1. Lin (is this a pattern?)
2. Scott
3. Bryan
4. Amy
5. Jason (the middler)
Last week was a tough week on everyone. Good luck to all this week.

Eliminator - This is one game where you need to keep playing to see how you fall by the end of the season. With the parity in the league this year, this is proving to be quite tough each week. Last week saw Jason (the younger) drop from the consecutive weeks of correct answers. There are now only three of us who are perfect on the season (hope I didn't just jinx us.) They are Scott, Bryan and myself. Let's keep this string alive.

Gridiron Challenge - This is like the baseball game but you only have to change once a week. Or you can do it like I did baseball, make your team and live with it the rest of the season. So what if half of your guys have the week off. Surely you will make it up later in the season. Sorry guys this one is too short to do that. Che