Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Nationwide Manhunt

Good morning everyone, and a Happy New Year's Eve to you at that.  As I start typing this, I suspect that it will be a pretty lengthy post, although I have no notes to accompany me this time. I already know what you're thinking...  "That garbage that you subject us to endlessly Coach, and you work from notes?..."  Oh, you're so mean my loyal readers, all two of you...  (hey Miletus)  ;) Midnight signaled the start of the 11th of 12 consecutive days off for me, and although I had planned on getting a lot accomplished, the 3 main areas where I made progress were resting/sleeping, eating, and watching 'Breaking Bad.'  I posted the photo of myself below on facebook with the following text:  "Call off the nationwide manhunt...  #walterwhitewannabe #toomuchbreakingbad #noshavevacation  #rareselfie"  Up until a few hours ago, I had never taken the time to figure out how to upload a photo to Twitter from my Droid, so this is currently the only snapshot in my photos/videos section.  It doesn't make me look like a total psychopath, does it?... :D




I almost feel like I should post a more upbeat picture of myself after I shave just so people don't freak out...  ;)  I ended up joking with my friend Lightning a few days ago (which later became a facebook status) that Gus Fring would be serving me chicken in my sleep because I was watching so much of the 'Breaking Bad' marathon.  I seriously estimate that I watched at least 90% of the recently concluded 4-day marathon on AMC.  I am not joking when I tell you that I DID go on to have dreams about 'Breaking Bad' while I slept, due to watching the series for four days on end... During commercials I would switch to the college bowl games on ESPN.  In retrospect, I am extremely grateful to AMC for airing the 'Breaking Bad' series from start to finish, because most of the bowl games to this point have not been very close.  I almost certainly would have gotten a lot more accomplished around my apartment had the t.v. been locked on not-really-must-see college football, but that's neither here nor there.  Speaking of college football, the 'Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)' post that I did recently is still there for your viewing pleasure, complete with mine and Joey's score predictions for all 35 bowl games.  This mammoth entry has also been updated with every final score as the bowls have been completed, as well as our overall records picking the games straight up, against the spread, and in regard to the overs/unders.  Joey is a little bit ahead of me at this point (I think it's five games right now)...

Speaking of football (we never talk about football here), my Bikini Hill Bobcats were successful in winning a fantasy championship for me yesterday, defeating Good Dotto 244-154 in the final.  My team showed up yesterday in a big way, so much so that I continued to flip back and forth between the marathon and Eagles/Cowboys game last night, because my fantasy matchup was in hand.  My team scored 153 points yesterday, which as you can see was 1 point shy of matching my opponent's 2-week total.  Here's the scoring breakdown from my starters yesterday...

D. Brees 37, L. McCoy 19, D. Brown 9, Chris Johnson 19, K. Allen 8, C. Patterson 20, J. Witten 13, A. Vinatieri 12, and the Seahawks defense scored 16.

As I've mentioned here before, it's not possible for me to have an all-around good football weekend, and while my pick in Lucki Duck's contest won yesterday, I was desperately rooting for the San Diego Chargers to lose yesterday so that my Steelers would find themselves in the playoffs.  My friend Grrouchie shared the following flowchart on facebook not too long ago, and at the time, things didn't look very promising...


To summarize (now that you've put down your magnifying glasses), basically a lot of things had to go right for the Steelers over the last few weeks of the season for Pittsburgh to nab a playoff spot. Well, the Steelers beat the Browns yesterday, while the Jets were beating the Dolphins, and the Bengals were eliminating the Ravens.  This brings us to the Chiefs/Chargers game in San Diego... Kansas City had nothing to play for, already knowing that they were going to be the fifth-seed in the AFC, regardless of anything that happened yesterday.  With this knowledge, the Chiefs had several of their best players on the inactive list yesterday.  Well, after the early games went the way that they did, meaning that the outcome of the Chiefs/Chargers game would determine if the Chargers or the Steelers advanced on to the playoffs, those players were obviously still on the inactive list.  Personally, I have no problem with the Chiefs doing this.  Kansas City is doing everything in their power to prepare for their playoff run, and the Steelers had MANY opportunities to be better than 8-8.  And at this point, let me express my sincere respect for those players on the Chiefs' roster who did dress out yesterday, because they played well enough to win the game, and should have won.  First, there was the field goal attempt missed by Ryan Succop at the end of regulation.  A 41-yard field goal is very makeable by NFL standards.  Second, it appears that the officials missed an extremely obvious penalty call on the attempt, which would have given the Chiefs 5 yards, and the opportunity for another attempt from 36 yards out (the NFL admitted this oversight yesterday).  The Chargers were lined up illegally on the attempt.  Then, in overtime, as Eric Weddle converted a first down on a fake punt for the Chargers, the Chiefs stripped the ball from him and ran it back for an apparent touchdown.  There were no whistles during the play, but after a conference, the officials ruled that Weddle was down by contact.  Watching the game at home, I wondered if I was the only person in America who thought that the Steelers were robbed on this play, but I wasn't evidently, as I found an article detailing all of the above yesterday at bleacherreport.com/articles/1905266-nfl-officials-miss-two-calls-and-cost-the-pittsburgh-steelers-playoff-spot.  I'm sure that the NFL is very concerned about this...  #sarcasm  #extremesarcasm

Okay, so back to New Year's Eve.  My plan is to travel down to 6th Street tonight, despite the fact that the forecast low is 36 degrees...  My brother made me a kind offer, volunteering to drive me to and from San Antonio for New Year's Eve (since my vehicle isn't starting), but for those of you who are familiar with this part of Texas, that is the equivalent of him driving round-trip from Sea World to the Erwin Center, twice in two days.  I just hate doing that to people, but I appreciated the offer.

As for 2014, I'm just going to do my best to regain my discipline and focus.  I was in such bad shape last fall (dealing with the aftermath of my infamous one-month move to Las Vegas), and then what turned out to be a very trying December sent me into 2013 completely bewildered and dumbfounded.

I wish all of you the very best of luck with your New Year's resolutions, and I implore all of you to ring in 2014 safely.  Have a great day and I'll see you next year...  :)
    

        

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Fantasy Football Championship/Wk. 2 of 2

Good afternoon everyone.  Well, the last weekend of the NFL regular season has officially started, and that means that the last weekend of my fantasy championship has also.  After the first round and heading into today, my Bikini Hill Bobcats held a 91-68 lead over Good Dotto.  These are today's starting lineups for those of you who are following along at home...


Bikini Hill Bobcats

D. Brees, D. Brown, L. McCoy, Chris Johnson, C. Patterson, K. Allen, J. Witten, A. Vinatieri, and the Seahawks D/ST.


Good Dotto

M. Stafford, D. Murray, K. Davis, M. Colston, R. Cooper, A.J. Green, V. Davis, S. Hauschka, and the Lions D/ST.



And there you go.  Football will undoubtedly receive more of my attention today that it has during the past couple of days with the one-sided bowl games losing out to the 'Breaking Bad' marathon...  Send me your good karma and enjoy your football today!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Week 18 Football Picks/13-14

Good afternoon everyone.  No Thursday night football right now as I'm typing this (which would actually be quite a story, since it's Friday afternoon), but I'm struggling along with AMC's 'Breaking Bad' marathon and the three college bowl games that will be televised on this Football Friday.  I'll be honest with you and admit that I have about as little interest in today's bowl menu as I will in what will be offered throughout the remainder of the bowl season.  No team that is in action today lost fewer than four games this season, and I think the nightcap (BYU/Washington) is easily the best game of today's trio.  That being said, please don't hesitate to go back and check out my 'Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)' entry if you want to look at any of the upcoming matchups or find any of the final scores that you've missed so far...  ;)  Oh, before I go any further, let me put this photo up so that you don't think that I'm a total hermit (because I've been making myself sound like a total hermit)...  :)



I did get out of the apartment today to send some Christmas cheer to my nieces and nephews (shhhh...), and I solved this mystery while I was walking to the Drag (Guadalupe Street).  Okay..., "solving the mystery" means that I read the sign that you see posted.  This new construction has been ongoing since I moved back into my apartment complex in August (I could actually walk out to the front of my complex and hit this new building with a baseball in 2 (maybe 3) throws.  As you can see on the sign (probably not), this is going to evolve into more housing on West Campus, and is supposed to ready by the start of the fall semester.

Okay, now that you're convinced that I'm not a hermit, let's continue.  In totally unrelated news, I may produce New Year's Eve photos from 6th Street soon, just so you won't worry about me being sheltered...  ;)  ANYWAY, you're curious about how my fantasy football championship is progressing (let's pretend).  My Bikini Hill Bobcats are up 91-68 after the first week of the two-week championship matchup against Good Dotto.  On Sunday, at about the time when the early games kick off (noon CST), I'll once again post our starting lineups for the finale of this championship. Thank you for your continued good karma...  Speaking of good karma and football, I somehow managed to win the weekly pick 'em contest sponsored by the Bobcat Nation Sports Bar & Grill for the fourth time this season.  Unbelievable?  Yes, I know...  ;)  I would love nothing more than to be able and go back and bother my friends Brandon, Andrea, Alyssa, and Heather after winning this contest for a fifth time this year, but we'll see how much mojo there is to go around on Sunday. Speaking of Mojo, I think that we've talked enough about pick 'em contests for one day, so I see no reason to bring up Lucki Duck's competition at the moment...  ;)  I may or may not be motivated enough to track down celebrity experts for the Texas/Oregon game (HEY..., I PROVED that I left my apartment today - what more do you want?), but here is the cumulative record of the celebrity experts so far this season...


Celebrity Experts (Last weekend 0-0/Overall record of 103-86 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)


Our favorite Texans fan is still on the BL (Busy List), but she is the winner of posting the most majestic photo of a cat on Christmas facebook contest...  :)  And although she doesn't have the time to entertain us with her banter this week, Alyssa did give us a Texans prediction.  I wonder who she chose...



Awwwwwww..., right?  :D

Alyssa's Corner (Last weekend 0-0/Overall record of 16-22 on Texans, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)

Houston @ Tennessee - Texans 13-10


Could this be the weekend that Alyssa is right?  If so, it better not be at the expense of Chris Johnson (if I play him)...  ;)  Now we go to the desert, to the man who is already watching basketball (more power to him).  :)  Live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, here's Joey...



Joey's College Hoops Parlay Card (Last weekend 5-3/Overall record of 8-8 on the 13-14 season)


Merry Christmas everyone!!!  Hopefully Santa brought you everything you wanted.  If not, then do like I do and win the money to pay for it.  :)  This week's basketball slate starts with Villanova and Syracuse.  The Orange are shooting 47% from the floor, which has propelled them to an 11-0 mark.  Syracuse is also shooting 37% from outside the arc, something Villanova is having trouble stopping.  Syracuse wins this one 82-76.  Kentucky and Louisville have been bitter rivals and the stats are close in every category, so I have to go with the national champions in a close one, 86-82 Louisville.  My New Mexico State Aggies have won three in a row and have now had a week's rest before meeting South Alabama.  Shooting 70% from the floor puts NMSU in the top 10 shooting-wise.  Saturday, the inside game rules as the Aggies win, 76-70.  The UNLV Rebels have been looking like the team of old the past couple of games.  Kevin Olekaibe is averaging 17.2 points per game over the last 3 games, and against Cal State Fullerton I see the Rebels continuing their run, winning 75-68.  Finally, Colorado and Georgia play the last game of the night.  Colorado won second place in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic and now returns home to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.  This should help the 11-1 Buffaloes get a win - Colorado 77-73.  Til next week, may all your parlay bets be winners!


Syracuse (-4) vs. Villanova - (Over 136 1/2)
Louisville (-2 1/2) @ Kentucky - (Over 148 1/2)
South Alabama (+11 1/2) @ New Mexico State -
Cal State Fullerton (+14) @ UNLV - (Over 140)
Georgia (+14 1/2) @ Colorado - (Over 138 1/2)


In case you're wondering why Joey's record is 8-8, and why he hasn't picked 15 games so far, or 20, etc... (or maybe you don't have OCD like myself...), betting odds and/or overs/unders haven't been available on all of his selections to this point.  Oh, and the betting lines and overs/unders that are made available don't come out until Saturday, so if you're reading this on Friday, you're not seeing them yet...  ;)  AND..., don't look now, but Maryland is on the verge of going up 20-17 on Marshall, and I picked the Terps to win this game 27-24 - I TOLD YOU that this would be a great game to watch!!!  ;)


Now for the guy who seems to go 5-5 on his picks on a pretty consistent basis...



Coach's Ten Horrific Bets of the Week (Last weekend 5-5/Overall record of 79-86-5)

Steelers (-7) vs. Browns - Steelers will be playing for a playoff spot (at home) at kickoff...
Cowboys (+7) vs. Eagles - Boys won last meeting, getting a T.D. at home, w/ playoffs on line...
Eagles/Cowboys (Over 52 1/2) - Offense, not defense, is the strong suit of both teams...
Chiefs/Chargers (Over 45) - Last meeting had video game scoring...
Redskins/Giants (Over 46) - My hunch pick of the week...
Bengals (-6 1/2) vs. Baltimore - The better team is playing at home...
Patriots (-8 1/2) vs. Bills - Pats still fighting for first-round bye, at home...
Buccaneers/Saints (Under 47 1/2) - Bucs have decent D, but not much O...
Broncos/Raiders (Under 54) - Denver runs clock w/lead, score stays low anyway if not...
49ers/Cardinals (Under 43) - Lots of defense in this one...


And that's it folks...  I'll update this page tomorrow with those college basketball odds, and LOOK OUT for me this weekend if I predicted that Maryland/Marshall score exactly right (currently 24-20 Marshall).  Have a great day!








  

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas Wrap Up

Good afternoon everyone.  I have a lot for you today, and I plan on posting pretty much every day until I return to work at the end of next week, much to the delight of Miletus, while much to the chagrin of the rest of you undoubtedly...  :)  I personally had a quiet Christmas at home due to the fact that my vehicle isn't starting right now, and most everyone else was in San Antonio.  When I asked my brother if my stepmom made a lot of good food, his predictable answer was, "of course..."  :(  I missed spending the day with y'all, but don't worry my nieces and nephews, you'll be getting something in the mail soon...  ;)  I do hope that you and yours had a very Merry Christmas.  After a day here in the VERY QUIET West Campus area of the ATX with virtually nothing to watch on t.v., I now have bowl games, Scarface, and a Breaking Bad marathon that starts at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow on AMC (coupled with MANY MORE bowl games) to keep me occupied.  :D  Although my family wasn't posting a lot of photos, I haven't come here empty-handed...  On Christmas Eve, my friend and former softball superstar Brandie put this shot up on facebook, which occurred while she was cleaning and her boys happened upon a roll of duct tape...



This photo comes to you from my friend and former superstar trainer Amy, featuring her daughter's priceless expression when the girl literally unwrapped her blanket...



Also, our good friend and favorite Texans fan Alyssa posted this majestic photo of Belle The Cat yesterday...



And now we move on to our good friend Gabby...  You remember Gabby, don't you?



Gabby (far right), one of our favorite Bobcat overachievers, has unfortunately fallen on hard times evidently...


Gabby (far right again) doesn't seem to be experiencing the smoothest holiday season...  :)  The first thing that I want you to note here is the UNCANNY resemblance between cartoon Gabby and the real Gabby - spitting image I tell ya...  ;)  The second thing that you should appreciate here is her sister Yesenia's SINCERE PLEA for Gabby to seek help...  Yesenia and Gabby are probably the two most active "Bitstrippers" among my facebook friends, and this one was good, even for them...  Well done Yesenia!  :D

As I told Alyssa and Joey earlier today, your 'Football Friday' post is actually going to come out on Friday this week, because I will be home during the day.  However, don't let that stop you from visiting the 'Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)' post that I did about a week ago.  It has your matchups for ALL 35 bowl games, and is being updated constantly with final scores from each game as they are completed.  You should note here (especially if you like betting money on these sorts of things) that you need to keep current on what's happening during the bowl season.  For example, Boise State sent their starting quarterback home from Hawaii for allegedly peeing from the balcony of the team's hotel.  Now I'm treating my blog predictions as if I had made bets on every single game as of the time of that particular post, so I didn't adjust anything due to the quarterback being sent home.  However, if you are betting these bowls, you need to keep up with what's happening during the "downtime" for each time.

Now I want to encourage those of you who have a facebook account to go and 'like' a new page that my friend and former softball superstar Leanne has started with her friend Francesca.  The page is called 'Training Truths:  The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.'  Their "page is designed to talk about all aspects of training.  The good and bad days, the hard workouts, and the crazy shenanigans (they) pull to get through it."  This is a photo of the two young ladies that you definitely don't want to mess with...

    

And these are examples of the MANY things that you'll find on their new facebook page - Leanne and Francesca REALLY HAVE put up a lot of material in the short amount of time that their page has been up.





I feel pretty confident that they'll reach their goal of 200 'likes' by New Year's, especially since they were at 206 and counting when I started doing this entry, but please visit their page and 'like' it anyway...  :)


Oh, and until I see you again tomorrow, PLEASE travel safely during this holiday season.  This is a photo that I pulled from Twitter earlier today, showing a pile up on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, near mile marker 282 by the Reading exit. -via @NewsBreaker-



Have a good one and I'll see you again tomorrow!










Monday, December 23, 2013

'Twas The Night Before The Night Before

"Instead of running away, all I want to do is protect her..." -Matt Damon- (The Rainmaker)

"It's crazy how one person can change things..." -Seth McBryde-

"Don't let anyone's ignorance, hate, drama or negativity stop you from being the best person you can be..." -Unknown-

"The problem with heartache is that to you it's an atomic bomb, but to the rest of the world it's just a big cliche' because we all experience the same things... -Drinking Buddies-" 
-Kourtney Chalmers-

Morgan Freeman:  "Kiss the most beautiful woman in the world.  How do you propose doing that?"
Jack Nicholson:  "Volume..."
-The Bucket List-



Good evening everyone.  I was planning a longer post for today, but the poker tournament that I played in at Bovada lasted for quite a while.  That's a good thing I guess, because I made the final table.  The details about this tournament will be coming to you soon in a future entry.  Don't confuse the stakes of this tourney with those of the tournament that Rob of "Rob's Vegas and Poker Blog" is putting off writing about.  Rob could likely look down at the floor at the Golden Nugget and find as much money as I won in today's tournament, but I'll still write it up soon, because it's all that I've got...  ;)

As the 49ers/Falcons game has just gone to halftime (with Atlanta leading 10-3), I am currently ahead 72-68 in the first week of my 2-week fantasy football championship.  I have Colin Kaepernick playing in tonight's game, while my opponent has Vernon Davis going.  In another football scenario (one that seems all too familiar), I am in the running for my fourth victory this season in the Bobcat Nation Sports Bar & Grill football pick 'em contest.  I win this week if the 49ers win tonight.  I also win if Atlanta wins the game, but at least 30 total points are scored (for the tiebreaker, I picked 42, and the guy trailing me, the only person to take Atlanta, went with 17).

I also have a reminder for you college football fans...  My 'Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)' post will be up for the duration of the college football bowl season, complete with score predictions from Joey and myself for ALL 35 bowl games, and I will constantly be updating that entry with the final scores of the games as they are completed.  I've come scary close on 2 of the games for a guy who is 100 years old - I predicted 44-21 USC as the final of their matchup with Fresno State, and the Trojans won the game 45-20.  I also picked East Carolina to win 34-24 over Ohio today, and the final score was 37-20 Pirates.

As I say farewell for tonight, let me pat myself on the back for looking through the digital cable guide last night and discovering that I have the 'Sundance Channel.'  This is relevant because on Monday nights from 10:00 p.m. - midnight, they show episodes of 'Breaking Bad.'  Guess what I'm watching after tonight's game ends...  :)

If I decide not to post tomorrow, I want to wish you a very Safe and Merry Christmas.  And if I do decide to post tomorrow, you shouldn't be reading it anyway, because it will be Christmas Eve...  ;)  Have a good one!









Sunday, December 22, 2013

Life Is Just A Fantasy

"Life is just a fantasy, can you live this fantasy life?..." -Aldo Nova-



Good afternoon everyone.  Well, it's arrived - today is the first weekend of two in the championship round of the fantasy football league that I'm competing in.  I picked up two completely new players to start in my lineup today, and, well..., there are your starting lineups...


Bikini Hill Bobcats

C. Kaepernick, L. McCoy, D. Woodhead, Chris Johnson, K. Allen, Jacoby Jones, J. Witten, S. Janikowski, and the Seahawks defense...


Good Dotto

M. Stafford, D. Murray, D. Johnson, M. Colston, A.J. Green, A. Caldwell, V. Davis, S. Hauschka, and the Lions defense...


I have 2 players on the field in the early games, 5 in the late games, 1 going tonight, and another going tomorrow night.  My opponent has 5 players going at noon and 3 in action during the late games, with his final player on the field tomorrow night.  Good luck in your fantasy matchups (unless your players are in conflict with mine) and have a great football weekend!  ;)

Friday, December 20, 2013

Week 17 Football Picks/13-14

Good evening everyone.  If I'm more annoying than usual tonight, it will probably be due to the fact that I don't have to work for the next 12 days, and that I'm only working 2 out of the next 16 days. That's not to say that I won't get anything accomplished, but it will be on my schedule and my terms...  :D  The college bowl season begins tomorrow, and in case you missed it yesterday, I published my 'Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)' post.  Check it out if you're a college football fan - it is COMPREHENSIVE, with lots on information and predictions on ALL 35 college football bowl games.  Speaking of football (yeah, I know...), my Bikini Hill Bobcats found their way into the championship round of my fantasy football league at work, and this coming weekend will mark the first of two weeks that the Bobcats will be facing off against Good Dotto in the finals. Good Dotto was the team that I defeated by 2 points (100-98) in the final week of the regular season (while also getting needed help, which came in the form of a 1-point win) to qualify for the playoffs.  Last Monday was the culmination of a 2-week battle with the 2-time defending champion of this league, which my Bobcats won 225-207 against Show Me Your TD's.  After the early games kick off on Sunday, I will post the starting lineups for the first week of this championship-round battle.  Thanks for the good karma...  ;)

Okay, so we have a blog entry to write...  I'm going to post the record of the celebrity experts again, because they will be called on in the near future (we'll let them have this week off for Christmas)...  ;)


Celebrity Experts (Last weekend 0-0/Overall record of 103-86 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)


The blog's favorite Texans fan is on the BL (Busy List) this week, but maybe we'll get some bowl predictions or a Texans score from her under the wire, so we'll leave a bookmark for her...  ;)



Alyssa's Corner (Last weekend 0-1/Overall record of 16-22 on Texans, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)


And yeah, I keep posting the photos of Alyssa with the Texas State gear and the cap and gown to remind myself that I still need to do that graduation entry...  :)  And I know that I've told you before about how I can't really start watching basketball until the football season ends now.  Well, I've found someone who has PLENTY to say about hoops.  Live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, here's Joey...



Joey's College Hoops Parlay Card (Last weekend 3-5/Overall record of 3-5 on the 13-14 season)

Since the college football regular season is done and I'm a true gambler, the parlay card will consist of college basketball.  With lots of games on tap, there is no time to eat my giant steak. We start this week with the Georgetown/Kansas matchup.  Both teams have six wins.  Kansas is playing pretty good defense, so this game will come down to free throws.  Kansas wins 61-58.

Illinois has one loss and plays a very controlled game.  Missouri likes to run and I think stays undefeated.  The game is close, but Missouri wins 69-65.

My New Mexico State Aggies take on Northern New Mexico in a state mandated game.  The inside game of 7'5" Sim Bhullar is too much for the smaller Northern New Mexico school.  NMSU wins easily, 82-53.

Michigan State at Texas.  It's a long road trip to Longhorn Country, but Michigan State is still the best team right now with a better coach in my opinion.  Texas gives them a game but the Spartans are victorious 74-71.

Finally, the Cowboys of Oklahoma State play Colorado (9-1).  It's the last game of the night, which is always a good game to have on the parlay card, just in case you have hit all of the other games - you can ensure a winning day.  Therefore, it doesn't really matter who I take, but since I have the game as a pick, I'll take the home team.  Colarado by a score of 77-75.  Good luck and may all your parlay cards be winners.


Georgetown (+8 1/2) @ Kansas - (Under 138)
Missouri (-1 1/2) @ Illinois - (Under 135)
New Mexico State/Northern New Mexico -
Michigan State (-2 1/2) @ Texas - (Over 144)
Colorado (+6) vs. Oklahoma State- (Over 148)


Speaking of Joey, I'm messaging him on facebook last night while he's playing poker at the Flamingo, and I tell him that I miss Las Vegas.  He responds, "Yes you do.  Donks at the table - I'm up 400 in 2 hours..."  UGGGHHH...  Isn't it nice having friends???  :P  Just as I did last night with Amy, I got my friend Andrea's permission to repost a photo from one of my recent visits to San Marcos, America.  I miss Las Vegas, I miss San Marcos, I miss on my football picks...  See what I did there?  ;)  Hopefully Andrea's good karma will help me to go better than 5-5 this weekend...



Coach's Ten Horrific Bets of the Week (Last weekend 5-5/Overall record of 74-81-5)

Seahawks (-10) vs. Cardinals - Hawks at home, Fitzgerald dinged up...
Seahawks/Cardinals (Under 44) - Seahawks should score almost every point...
Bengals (-7) vs. Vikings - Cold day in Cincy, banged-up Vikes backfield...
Bengals/Vikings (Under 48) - Neither offense will set the world on fire...
Lions (-9) vs. Giants - Great spot for Detroit...
Giants/Lions (Over 48 1/2) - Can't believe the number is this low...
Chargers (-10) vs. Oakland - San Diego still has something to play for...
Chiefs (-6 1/2) vs. Colts - It's outside, it's Arrowhead Stadium...
Colts/Chiefs (Under 44 1/2) - Chiefs D & the weather should keep score manageable...
Eagles (-3) vs. Bears - Just a hunch, like winner on Cincy/Pitt over last week...


And that's it folks, ten picks to consider very carefully before you talk to your favorite ticket writer - maybe this will be the week...  ;)  Have a great football weekend and I'll see you again sometime around noon on Sunday with the fantasy football update...







    



Thursday, December 19, 2013

Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)


Good evening everyone.  It's finally ready..., FINALLY...  ;)  I don't know if I can claim that this post has been highly anticipated, but the edition of this entry that I published two years ago was this blog's most viewed article until this year's 'The 5th Annual Lone Star Music Awards' (April 29, 2013) blew it and everything else away.  I suspect that this post is going to get a lot of views though now that more people actually finding the blog...  All point spreads and over/unders were current as of December 17th - I mention that because as you're reading this, several numbers may have changed as the bowl season progressed and the betting in Las Vegas increased.  When I found varying spreads or over/unders, I used the Stations Casinos numbers (see how I'm looking out for you Joey)?  Alyssa has been extremely busy up in Abilene and won't be able to get us score predictions for the bowl games, but she's still going to finish out the rest of the NFL regular season.  As for the bowl scores that Joey and I have submitted, they will be judged on three criteria.  First, I will check to see if each resident expert picked the winner of the bowl game straight up.  Second, I will track each person's winner and final score to see if the point spread was covered.  Finally, I will compare how each prognosticator's total score compared to the over/under for the contest.  That's 35 bowl games with 3 bets each, for a grand total of 105 bets.  In addition to tracking our progress, you can also use this a reference page for finding the final scores for each bowl game, as I will be updating it at the conclusion of each day's action (and during the day when time allows).   Here are your games for the 2013-2014 bowl season:  


12/21   1:00 CST   Washington State (6-6) vs. Colorado State (7-6)   ESPN
Albuquerque, NM     Washington State (-4)     Over/Under (65 1/2)
Coach   Wash St.  34-21   Joey   Wash St.  35-10
Final Score:   Colorado State  48-45

12/21   2:30 CST   Fresno State (11-1) vs. USC (9-4)   ABC
Las Vegas, NV     USC (-6)     Over/Under (62 1/2)
Coach   USC  44-21   Joey   Fresno St.  42-27
Final Score:   USC  45-20

12/21  4:30 CST   Buffalo (8-4) vs. San Diego State (7-5)   ESPN
Boise, ID     Buffalo (-1)     Over/Under (53 1/2)
Coach   SDSU  31-21   Joey   Buffalo  24-13
Final Score:   San Diego State  49-24

12/21   8:00 CST   Tulane (7-5) vs. LA-Lafayette (8-4)   ESPN
New Orleans, LA   Tulane (-2)   Over/Under (49 1/2)
Coach   Tulane  28-24   Joey   Tulane  31-27
Final Score:   Louisiana-Lafayette  24-21

12/23   1:00 CST   East Carolina (9-3) vs. Ohio (7-5)   ESPN
St. Petersburg, FL     East Carolina (-13 1/2)     Over/Under (62 1/2)
Coach   ECU  34-24   Joey   ECU  49-3
Final Score:   East Carolina  37-20

12/24   7:00 CST   Boise State (8-4) vs. Oregon State (6-6)   ESPN
Honolulu, HI     Oregon State (-2 1/2)     Over/Under (65)
Coach   BSU  38-28   Joey   Oregon St.  28-24
Final Score:   Oregon State  38-23

12/26   5:00 CST   Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. Bowling Green (10-3)   ESPN
Detroit, MI     Bowling Green (-5 1/2)     Over/Under (50)
Coach   Pitt  33-21   Joey   BGU  37-24
Final Score:   Pittsburgh  30-27

12/26   8:30 CST   Utah State (8-5) vs. Northern Illinois (12-1)   ESPN
San Diego, CA     Northern Illinois (-1 1/2)     Over/Under (53)
Coach   Utah St.  37-27   Joey   Utah St.  35-34
Final Score:   Utah State  21-14

12/27   1:30 CST   Marshall (9-4) vs. Maryland (7-5)   ESPN
Annapolis, MD     Marshall (-3)     Over/Under (61 1/2)
Coach   Maryland  27-24   Joey   Marshall  31-7
Final Score:   Marshall  31-20

12/27   5:00 CST   Syracuse (6-6) vs. Minnesota (8-4)   ESPN
Houston, TX     Minnesota (-4 1/2)     Over/Under (47 1/2)
Coach   Minn  31-17   Joey   Minn  28-27
Final Score:   Syracuse  21-17

12/27   8:30 CST   BYU (8-4) vs. Washington (8-4)   ESPN
San Francisco, CA     Washington (-3)     Over/Under (58 1/2)
Coach   Wash  34-27   Joey   Wash  45-17
Final Score:   Washington  31-16

12/28   11:00 CST   Rutgers (6-6) vs. Notre Dame (8-4)   ESPN
Bronx, NY     Notre Dame (-15 1/2)     Over/Under (52 1/2)
Coach   ND  34-17   Joey   ND  21-17
Final Score:   Notre Dame  29-16

12/28   2:20 CST   Cincinnati (9-3) vs. North Carolina (6-6)   ESPN
Charlotte, NC     North Carolina (-3)     Over/Under (57)
Coach   UNC  38-24   Joey   Cincy  35-21
Final Score:   North Carolina  39-17

12/28   5:45 CST   Miami (9-3) vs. Louisville (11-1)   ESPN
Orlando, FL     Louisville (-3 1/2)     Over/Under (55 1/2)
Coach   Miami  35-31   Joey   L-Ville  31-21
Final Score:   Louisville  36-9

12/28   9:15 CST   Michigan (7-5) vs. Kansas State (7-5)   ESPN
Tempe, AZ     Kansas State (-3 1/2)     Over/Under (56)
Coach   Michigan  27-25   Joey   K-State  51-35
Final Score:   Kansas State  31-14

12/30   10:45 CST   Middle Tennessee (8-4) vs. Navy (8-4)   ESPN
Fort Worth, TX     Navy (-6 1/2)   Over/Under (55)
Coach   Navy  37-24   Joey  Navy  24-10
Final Score:   Navy  24-6

12/30   2:15 CST   Mississippi (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (7-5)   ESPN
Nashville, TN     Mississippi (-3)     Over/Under (57 1/2)
Coach   Miss  23-13   Joey   G-Tech  28-27
Final Score:   Mississippi  25-17

12/30   5:45 CST   Oregon (10-2) vs. Texas (8-4)   ESPN
San Antonio, TX     Oregon (-14)     Over/Under (67 1/2)
Coach   Oregon  41-33   Joey   Oregon  42-35
Final Score:   Oregon  30-7

12/30   9:15 CST   Arizona State (10-3) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)   ESPN
San Diego, CA     Arizona State (-14)     Over/Under (70 1/2)
Coach   ASU  48-31   Joey   ASU  47-21
Final Score:   Texas Tech  37-23

12/31   11:30 CST   Arizona (7-5) vs. Boston College (7-5)   ESPN
Shreveport, LA     Arizona (-7 1/2)     Over/Under (57 1/2)
Coach   BC  23-20   Joey   Arizona  35-24
Final Score:   Arizona  42-19

12/31   1:00 CST   Virginia Tech (8-4) vs. UCLA (9-3)   CBS
El Paso, TX     UCLA (-7)     Over/Under (47 1/2)
Coach   UCLA  24-20   Joey   UCLA  42-10
Final Score:   UCLA  42-12

12/31   3:00 CST   Rice (10-3) vs. Mississippi State (6-6)   ESPN
Memphis, TN     Mississippi State (-7)     Over/Under (50 1/2)
Coach   Miss St.  27-17   Joey   Miss St.  24-21
Final Score:   Mississippi State  44-7

12/31   7:00 CST   Duke (10-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-4)   ESPN
Atlanta, GA     Texas A&M (-12 1/2)     Over/Under (74)
Coach   A&M  48-42   Joey   Duke  42-21
Final Score:   Texas A&M  52-48

01/01   11:00 CST   Nebraska (8-4) vs. Georgia (8-4)   ESPN2
Jacksonville, FL     Georgia (-9)     Over/Under (60 1/2)
Coach   UGA  38-23   Joey   UGA  34-24
Final Score:   Nebraska  24-19

01/01   11:00 CST   UNLV (7-5) vs. North Texas (8-4)   ESPNU
Dallas, TX     North Texas (-6 1/2)     Over/Under (55 1/2)
Coach   UNLV  32-28   Joey   UNT  42-35
Final Score:   North Texas  36-14

01/01   12:00 CST   Iowa (8-4) vs. LSU (9-3)   ESPN
Tampa, FL     LSU (-7 1/2)     Over/Under (49)
Coach   LSU  42-13   Joey   LSU  28-3
Final Score:   LSU  21-14

01/01   12:00 CST   Wisconsin (9-3) vs. South Carolina (10-2)   ABC
Orlando, FL     Wisconsin (-1)     Over/Under (51)
Coach   S. Carolina  24-21   Joey   S. Carolina  35-14
Final Score:   South Carolina  34-24

01/01   4:00 CST   Stanford (11-2) vs. Michigan State (12-1)   ESPN
Pasadena, CA     Stanford (-4 1/2)     Over/Under (43)
Coach   Stanford  24-13   Joey   Stanford  31-10
Final Score:   Michigan State  24-20

01/01   7:30 CST   UCF (11-1) vs. Baylor (11-1)   ESPN
Glendale, AZ     Baylor (-16 1/2)     Over/Under (68 1/2)
Coach   Baylor  48-31   Joey   Baylor  42-31
Final Score:   Central Florida  52-42

01/02   7:30 CST   Oklahoma (10-2) vs. Alabama (11-1)   ESPN
New Orleans, LA     Alabama (-15 1/2)     Over/Under (51 1/2)
Coach   Alabama  41-17   Joey   Alabama  35-27
Final Score:   Oklahoma  45-31

01/03   6:30 CST   Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Missouri (11-2)   FOX
Arlington, TX     Missouri (-1)     Over/Under (61)
Coach   OSU  37-33   Joey   OSU  42-38
Final Score:   Missouri  41-31

01/03   7:30 CST   Clemson (10-2) vs. Ohio State (12-1)   ESPN
Miami, FL     Ohio State (-2 1/2)     Over/Under (68)
Coach   Ohio St.  38-27   Joey   Ohio St.  31-10
Final Score:   Clemson  40-35

01/04   12:00 CST   Vanderbilt (8-4) vs. Houston (8-4)   ESPN
Birmingham, AL     Vanderbilt (-3)     Over/Under (54)
Coach   Vandy  29-20   Joey   Houston  49-28
Final Score:   Vanderbilt  41-24

01/05   8:00 CST   Arkansas State (7-5) vs. Ball State (10-2)   ESPN
Mobile, AL     Ball State (-8 1/2)     Over/Under (64)
Coach   Ball St.  34-21   Joey   Ball St.  33-10
Final Score:   Arkansas State  23-20

01/06   7:30 CST   Florida State (13-0) vs. Auburn (12-1)   ESPN
Pasadena, CA     Florida State (-8 1/2)     Over/Under (66 1/2)
Coach   Auburn  38-34   Joey   Florida St.  52-35
Final Score:   Florida State  34-31



And here are your fearless forecasters...







Joey (55-50 during the 2013-2014 bowl season)
Straight Up - (17-18)
Against The Spread - (18-17)
Over/Under - (20-15)









Coach (42-63 during the 2013-2014 bowl season)
Straight Up - (17-18)
Against The Spread - (13-22)
Over/Under (12-23)



My friend Amy previously gave me permission to display this photo again if I wanted to, and it's one of the better shots that I can find of myself (sad, I know)...  ;)  And yeah Lucki Duck, that's your shirt - maybe I can also get good karma in your contest by posting this snapshot...  :P

And that's it for tonight my friends.  I will be back tomorrow night with the normal 'Football Friday' post.  You will also see some extra posts during the next couple of weeks as I won't have to work again until 2014 after tomorrow.  Have a good one!




  











Monday, December 16, 2013

C'mon..., Ravens???

"I know people hurt you..., so bad, they don't know the damage they can do, and it makes me so sad..." -Don Henley- (Not Enough Love In The World)



Good evening everyone.  There's a lot going on here on West Campus, just a little north of 6th Street, so let's get to it.  As a Steelers fan, it's very unusual for me to root for the Baltimore Ravens in any form or fashion, but then there's fantasy football...  After a very weird afternoon of football yesterday, where myself and my opponent had several players on the field, my Bikini Hill Bobcats ended the day right where they started the second week of my 2-week playoff matchup, up by 33 points.  The only player left to play on either team is Reggie Bush, who is suited-up for the Lions and my opponent.  AHHHHH, so THAT'S WHY you're cheering on the Ravens defense Coach...  Thirty-three points seemed like a decent lead, until Bush owned Baltimore on the first drive of the game.  When the guy who needs 34 to beat you already has 10 midway through the first quarter, it gets your attention.  However, Bush has been a mortal on the last two drives, and we're now about midway through the second quarter, so maybe we'll still secure our spot in the league championship...

Speaking of football, because I never, ever talk about it here, there is a big project in the works, to be unveiled in a few short days.  As I did two years ago, I am currently working on a comprehensive bowl predictions entry.  This post didn't materialize last year because I went to Las Vegas for the week before Christmas.  However, this year the entry is returning stronger than ever, as Alyssa, Joey, and myself will all provide score predictions for all thirty-five bowl games.  Actually, being the overachiever that he has had the tendency to be at times, Joey has already submitted his score predictions, and this was LAST WEEK...  I have typed in the framework for all of the picks, but I haven't made mine yet.  I messaged Alyssa today, and despite battling through a root canal, she still plans on submitting her selections.  When this entry is finished, it will be your "one-stop shopping" for the bowl season (if shopping was free, of course)...  ;)  In this post, you will be able to find every bowl matchup, complete with date, time, location, the station broadcasting it, each participant's record, the point spread as of yesterday, and the over/under on the game as of yesterday.  Additionally of course, you will find score predictions from Alyssa, Joey, and myself, which will be scored as if three different bets had been made on each game.  After each bowl has been played, I will come back to the post and type in the final score of the game, and then I will record how each of our predictions performed straight up (moneyline), against the spread, and against the over/under.  I will track our progress for all 35 bowl games, or all 105 bets.  Yeah, I really need a life...  ;)

Oh, and back to yesterday's crazy afternoon of football, the Saints inability to beat the Rams marked the first time all season (I believe) that my pick has lost in Lucki Duck's contest.  This gave most of the world the opportunity to gain ground on me, and unfortunately most of the world picked Carolina to beat the Jets...  Shut up Lightning and Mojo...  :P  However, speaking of football (DUH), although last night's matchup between the Steelers and the Bengals had no fantasy implications for me, I REALLY DID enjoy the first quarter of that football game.  What did you think of it Gabby and Serge?  ;)

Could you tell us about the new graduates Coach?  Yes, I still have some sort of tribute in mind for the fall graduates, and I'm very disappointed to say that my vehicle is not starting right now, so I wasn't able to make it down to San Marcos, America this weekend to help the new Bobcat Alumni celebrate.  Here's a photo of one Bobcat making its final trip to the river and Bikini Hill...



Okay, that's PROBABLY NOT San Marcos, America that's depicted above, and it PROBABLY WASN'T that cold here recently, right Vicki and Sydney?...  :P  However, my friend Carolina (who was also born on the best date ever) agreed to let me post her snapshot so that you could see what actually took place down in San Marcos over the weekend...



Ahhhh..., what a wonderful sight...  :D  As I said, hopefully I'll be able to single out some of these new graduates for recognition in the near future...  Right now though, it's time for the second half of this football game, so please help me to hex Reggie Bush so that I can reference the fantasy football championship that I'm competing in for the next two weeks...  ;)  Have a good one!







            

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Fantasy Football Matchup Rd. 1/Wk. 2 of 2

Good afternoon everyone.  For those of you who are just tuning in, my fantasy team is currently in the second week of a two-week semifinal matchup.  My Bikini Hill Bobcats are currently leading Show Me Your TD's 130-94.  I can't promise you that my opponent will keep his lineup the same for the games that begin after this early round (12:00 CST) of NFL kickoffs, but as of right now, these are the starting lineups...


Bikini Hill Bobcats

D. Brees, L. McCoy, D. Brown, L. Fitzgerald, C. Patterson, J. Witten, A. Vinatieri, and the Seahawks D/ST.  Danny Woodhead played on Thursday night, and got me a whopping three points.  I benched Keenan Allen in that same matchup against the Broncos, so naturally he scored fourteen...


Show Me Your TD's

T. Romo, R. Bush, C. Ogbonnaya, D. Jackson, B. Marshall, J. Gordon, J. Graham, D. Bailey, and the Saints D/ST.


I hope that you have a great football Sunday, and that your fantasy teams do well (unless you're fielding players that my team is competing against of course)...  ;)  Have a good one!





Saturday, December 14, 2013

Filling The Void

Good afternoon everyone.  On this slow college football Saturday, I thought that I'd try to help you out.  Below you will see the teams that are rated in the Top 25 of the current BCS standings, followed by Phil Steele's 2013 Preseason Top 25...


Current BCS Standings:

1)  Florida State
2)  Auburn
3)  Alabama
4)  Michigan State
5)  Stanford
6)  Baylor
7)  Ohio State
8)  Missouri
9)  South Carolina
10)  Oregon
11)  Oklahoma
12)  Clemson
13)  Oklahoma State
14)  Arizona State
15)  UCF
16)  LSU
17)  UCLA
18)  Louisville
19)  Wisconsin
20)  Fresno State
21)  Texas A&M
22)  Georgia
23)  Northern Illinois
24)  Duke
25)  USC


Phil Steele's 2013 Preseason Top 25:

1)  Alabama
2)  Ohio State
3)  Florida State
4)  Texas
5)  Oregon
6)  USC
7)  Louisville
8)  Oklahoma State
9)  Georgia
10)  Notre Dame
11)  Stanford
12)  Virginia Tech
13)  Texas A&M
14)  South Carolina
15)  Clemson
16)  Nebraska
17)  LSU
18)  Florida
19)  Oklahoma
20)  Wisconsin
21)  TCU
22)  Fresno State
23)  Michigan State
24)  Michigan
25)  Miami


I hope that helps you out, as currently your only option is watching North Dakota State 31  Coastal Carolina 7 in the FCS quarterfinals.  You've got my 'Ten Horrific Bets,', Joey's College Hoops Parlay Card, and Alyssa' Texans/Colts prediction in my previous entry, and tomorrow I'll be back with my fantasy football matchup for this weekend.  Have a great day and I'll see you again tomorrow!




Thursday, December 12, 2013

Week 16 Football Picks/13-14

Hello again everybody.  A little bit lighter than normal Football Friday post in store for you right now due to the fact that there are no college games this weekend - I have NO IDEA what I will watch on t.v. Saturday...  Okay, Army/Navy, Towson/Eastern Illinois, but not a lot of college games...  ;) However, Alyssa has a Texans score for us, and Joey..., well..., let's just say that he likes college basketball a little bit...  You'll be introduced to something new momentarily...  ;)  For those of you who follow our local football schools, my beloved Texas State Bobcats stumbled down the homestretch, and although they were bowl eligible at 6-6, they did not receive a bowl bid.  The Texas Longhorns lost to Baylor 30-10 last Saturday in what turned out for all intents and purposes to be the Big 12 Championship Game, and the Horns will be facing the Oregon Ducks in the Alamo Bowl on December 30th.  If you follow college football at all, you've seen the Longhorns in the news due to the speculation surrounding Mack Brown's future.  I have no firsthand information on the matter, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm also aware of the buzz...  We're going to give our celebrity experts a little time off, but they'll be back for some of the bowl games and definitely for the Super Bowl...


Celebrity Experts (Last weekend 1-6/Overall record of 103-86 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)


My good friend and Bobcat baseball icon Chad Spear was the only expert to take the Bears over the Horns, and he had Baylor winning the game 31-21, which wasn't too far off considering how often the Bears usually score...  Like a told you a minute ago, Joey has some interest in college hoops, so we're expanding his parlay card for the time being.  In addition to football, Joey is going to give us thoughts on five college basketball games each week.  Because I always type my sports entry before Saturday, and since Joey will be prognosticating weekend basketball matchups, he will give us his score prediction for each game, and I will come back and edit in how his score would have him betting against the spread, and in regard to the over/under.  You'll see... ;)  Now, live from Las Vegas and the Palace Station Sportsbook, here's Joey...





Joey's Parlay Card (Last weekend 0-1/Overall record of 17-10 on Aggies, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)


Joey's College Hoops Parlay Card (First weekend/Overall record of 0-0 on the 13-14 season)

The parlay card switches to basketball this week as #1 Arizona takes on a 6-3 Michigan team. Arizona barely beat UNLV, but Michigan plays lots of zone and Arizona likes to shoot three's. Even though Arizona is on the road, they win easily, 85-62.  #5 Michigan State takes on Oakland (which until last week I thought was in California), but the school is in the state of Michigan. Michigan State rolls 88-55.  UNLV plays at Southern Utah.  Not much D on either squad, and not much O either.  UNLV wins a close one 61-59.  Texas State plays big boy Texas on Saturday. Texas goes to 9-1 on the season with a 72-61 victory.  Finally, since I lived in New Mexico for over 25 years, we will watch the Lobos travel to Kansas.  Bill Self and the Jayhawk Nation have not lost 3 in a row in over 10 years.  This will be a first.  Lobos at the free throw line, 81-77.  That's all for now - may all your parlay cards hit.


Arizona (+1 1/2) @ Michigan - (Over 137 1/2)
Michigan State (-16) @ Oakland - (Under 150)
Southern Utah (+16) vs. UNLV -
Texas State (+14 1/2) @ Texas -
New Mexico (+ 5 1/2) @ Kansas - (Over 144)


And now for a prediction from our favorite Texans fan, here's Alyssa...






Alyssa's Corner (Last weekend 0-2/Overall record of 16-21 on Texans, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)

Texans @ Colts:  Texans 24-17


It is graduation weekend in San Marcos, America, so Alyssa is representing the alma mater...  Alyssa hasn't had the best week, so she's just dropping off a score this week.  Off the top of my head, I think that 24-17 is her favorite score to predict, but I'm not gonna go back through the other 15 weeks of posts to verify this...  :)  I think that Alyssa's strategy may be to keep picking the same score, presuming that it will inevitably hit, and then she'll find herself in 'Coach's Hall of Fame' (which as of now, is still unoccupied)...  We hope that things turn around quickly for our friend up in Abilene...

Personally, I've been representing a lot of losing football picks lately, although I was really right on the Texas/Baylor (under 72), and should have bet everything that I own on that outcome - there was just NO WAY in that weather...  The weird thing though, is that I don't have completely good or completely bad football weekends.  Between my picks here, and fantasy football, and the Bobcat Nation Sports Bar & Grill pick 'em contest, and Lucki Duck's contest, I always seem to win AND lose each week...  Maybe this is the photo that helps me out...  I'm sure that I've been to at least one of these places once or twice...  ;)





Coach (Last weekend 0-1/Overall record of 13-11 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)


Coach's Ten Horrific Bets of the Week (Last weekend 3-6-1/Overall record of 69-76-5)

Saints (-5 1/2) @ Rams - 5-8 Rams may have packed it in...
Jets/Panthers - (Under 41) - We'll try the Jets on this again this week...
Patriots/Dolphins (Over 45 1/2) - Should be a lot of passing down in Miami...
Eagles (-4 1/2) @ Vikings - Philly is looking good, and the Vikes..., not so much...
49ers (-5 1/2) @ Buccaneers - Frisco is looking good, and the Bucs..., not so much...
Bears (+1) @ Browns - The Bears are the underdog here..., really?...
Chiefs (-4) @ Raiders - K.C. just giving up four points?  Yes please...
Bengals/Steelers (Over 41) - I just have a hunch here...
Colts (-5 1/2) vs. Texans - Indy just giving up 5 1/2 points?  Yes please.  Sorry Alyssa...
Ravens/Lions (Over 48 1/2) - Good weather is expected in the dome...


And yes, we're calling this group of selections my '10 Horrific Bets' until my record climbs back above the .500 mark (hopefully that will be this week, but most likely, this is the new name of these picks for the remainder of the season)...  :P  Not a chance...  ;)

Have a great football weekend and I'll see you again on Monday!









Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Pluckers, Bikes, & Seaweed

"Are these times contagious?  I've never been this bored before..., is this the prize I've waited for?..." -Collective Soul- (Run)

"Looking at you, holding my breath, for once in my life, I'm scared to death, I'm taking a chance, letting you inside..." -Lifehouse- (First Time)

"Am I that strong..., to carry on?  I might change your life, I might save my world, could you save me?..." -Fuel- (Falls One Me)




Good evening everyone.  I'm sorry that I didn't post yesterday, but I had a good reason, and in spite of the silly title of tonight's post, it's full of substance.  If you're feeling jilted that I didn't publish yesterday (I'm SURE that you are), you'll be interested to learn this:  I didn't watch one second of last night's Cowboys/Bears game, and I didn't miss it at all...  :)  The game didn't even cross my mind while it was being played, but for those of you who did stop by for a little football, here you go...  My fantasy team is up 127-94 after the first week of its 2-week playoff.  Adrian Peterson scoring one fantasy point and Reggie Bush getting shut out definitely hurt my opponent... Somehow..., inexplicably..., for some reason beyond our understanding, my brother won the Bobcat Nation Sports Bar & Grill's football pick 'em contest for the second time in three weeks. The $25.00 tab came down to just the 2 of us again, as I trailed him by 1 win entering last night's football game.  I picked the Bears to win, and he picked the Cowboys, which brought us to the tiebreaker.  I'm not sure what Pete's total was for the game, but mine was 38, and Chicago and Dallas combined to score 4,000 points, leaving me as the runner-up...  This is the third time that Pete has won the weekly contest this year, which equals my total.  I'm ECSTATIC that I talked him into participating...  Congratulations Pete!  ;)  As for Lucki Duck's weekly contest, I believe that my picks are still unbeaten for the season, but my Patriots selection BARELY ended up being victorious.  This allowed some of the pack (namely my friends Lightning36 and Memphis Mojo) to gain on me, and now I'm going to have to actually try in this contest...  ;)  Footsteps - PFFFTTT...  :)  We'll just wait until Football Friday to address my weekly Ten Horrific Bets...  #enoughsaid

Now onto more important things...  A friend of mine told me a while back that she was going to be visiting town in early December, and that there was a possibility that we would be able to see each other and catch up.  This was good news considering that the last time that I had seen her was about (c'mon..., you know this one...) 100 years ago...  She graduated from high school the year after I did, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her.  It's almost a crime that Vicki didn't get carded in San Marcos, America.  Yeah..., that's right Harper's - I WORKED there, and I was carded this fall, but you didn't card her???  Okay..., MAYBE it's because Vicki was with me, and the new guy recognized me now...  :)  Oh, and did you see how I kinda glossed over that..., how I went left the path that I was on?  NOT ONLY did Vicki agree to visit San Marcos with me, but she did so on the evening of the same day that she woke up at FOUR IN THE MORNING to travel across the country - yeah...  #reallycool  She is only the second person from my high school that has seen San Marcos (at least that I know of, and with me for sure), and not only did she make the late night trip, but she also bought us dinner, at Pluckers...  Before we dined though, we did take the time to pose for this photo at our own personal 'Sights and Sounds' on the Square, because the actual Sights and Sounds was just too far away, and it was just TOO COLD...

      

Now who looks like they rested at home all day, and who looks like they traveled across the country???  :)  So after arriving back in the ATX well after midnight, we were naturally at a bike shop early the next morning renting some wheels (okay..., well..., it was only two wheels, because I don't believe in showing people up)...  ;)  Due to the bike shop opening a little bit later than we had anticipated, we had the opportunity to tour the city a little bit both before and after getting Vicki set up to conquer the ATX on two wheels.  And yes, if you're keeping score at home, this is TWICE that Vicki found time in her schedule to hang out with me during her visit.

And that brings us to last night, when I shunned my loyal blog readers (all two of you) as Vicki AGAIN agreed to visit with me, and AGAIN bought dinner for me.  What did I do to deserve this good karma, right?  :)  I think that the thought of torturing me appealed to my friend just a little bit, as we had previously had a chat about "weird foods..."  We found a little Vietnamese pho place on Guadalupe ("the drag") to dine.  Okay, before we get to the foods that I tried for the first time, let me start by saying that I had never been to a pho restaurant.  Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, and at least at this particular establishment, a small bowl meant that the bowl was small..., in comparison to say..., a small SWIMMING POOL...  :)  Also (and I am not making this up, you can ask Vicki), the menu and the walls were adorned with the phrase "Go Pho It..."  Again, you can't make this stuff up...  ;)  Two of the foods that Vicki was able to add to the VAST LIST of cuisine that I've now dined on were seaweed and squid.  She snapped this photo of me before I tried the seaweed...

    

And yeah, there were only about three little seaweedlings (it's a word, maybe...) on those chopsticks before Vicki made me pick up some more...  :)  For the record, I dined on plenty of seaweed and squid during the course of our meal, and the one thing that they had in common was that they were both really chewy...  :)  And yes, I did manage to eat the seaweed without drenching it in ranch dressing (probably because there wasn't any ranch dressing to be found - just kidding Vicki)...  :)  Our finishing a really good meal, we then had the opportunity to tour the downtown ATX and its immediate surroundings some more, this time under the stars with the city lights shining.

For me personally, Vicki's visit was extremely well-timed, as I got the opportunity to spend over 3 hours with her for 3 consecutive days.  The time just flew by as we caught up with each other, and I got to know Vicki better than I did in high school.  I don't recall feeling bad necessarily before her visit, but I feel better after seeing her, which is pretty cool...  :)  Hopefully Vicki enjoyed her visit to the ATX at least half as much as I did - then we can call it a success...  ;)  I also hope that someone or something is there to bolster your spirits as the holidays approach.

Unfortunately for you, Vicki will be home by Thursday night, which means that you'll be subjected to another Football Friday post...  ;)  Have a good one and I'll see you then!



        




    



Saturday, December 7, 2013

Fantasy Football Matchup Rd. 1/Wk. 1 of 2

Good evening everyone.  I don't plan on being here tomorrow morning, so I thought that I'd go ahead and give you what looks to be the starting lineups for my first-round fantasy football playoff game.  If you didn't read this in a recent post, this is a semifinal matchup, and it actually lasts for two weeks.  This weekend is the first of the two, and these are the starters...


My Team - The Bikini Hill Bobcats

D. Brees, Chris Johnson, L. McCoy, D. Woodhead, L. Fitzgerald, K. Allen, J. Cook, G. Hartley

In my infinite wisdom, I played the Houston D/ST against Jacksonville on Thursday night and scored exactly zero points...




My Opponent - Show Me Your TD's

T. Romo, R. Bush, A. Peterson, D. Jackson, B. Marshall, J. Gordon, J. Graham, D. Bailey, Saints D/ST


He has 4 players in the early games against my 1, and then I have 5 players going in the late games to his 0.  We both have 2 spots going tomorrow night, and then he has 3 players left on Monday night.


And now it's time for some more college footballl...  ;)  Have a great football weekend everyone, and you can go back to my last post to see everyone's predictions!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Week 15 Football Picks/13-14

Good evening everyone.  It's honestly hard for me to fathom that this will be the last weekend of college football before the bowl games - WOW...  Just in case I didn't fully believe that the fall has passed by that fast, South Texas is currently under a Winter Weather Advisory until 2 p.m. tomorrow that would surely shorten (if not altogether cancel) my workday if it comes to fruition.  And as unusual as that would be for Austin, the headline banner on The Weather Channel's website is currently, "Crippling Ice Storm Hits Millions, Power Could Be Out For Days..."  I hope that you're safe and sound wherever you're reading this, and that you commute and travel safely if you have to be out in this nasty weather...

We gave our celebrity experts last week off for Thanksgiving, but we have a group of seven who are here to venture out a limb for the Texas/Baylor game.  I believe that I already mentioned that we will have celebrity experts for selected bowl games and the Super Bowl (which I guess is another "bowl game," technically - shut up)...  :P


Celebrity Experts (Last weekend 0-0/Overall record of 102-80 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)

Saturday, December 7th - Texas Longhorns (8-3) @ Baylor Bears (10-1)

Horns  28-17     Jason McMeekin - @jasonmcmeekin
Horns  37-31     Levi Wesemann - @eazywithweezie
Horns  24-21     Amanda Griswold - @hilltopper09
Horns  42-35     Chris Rubio -  @rubster03
Horns  28-23     Faraz - @faz_h1
Horns  35-28     Randy A McGee - @rambo_one2one
Bears  31-21     Chad Spear - Little League Coach/PTI Watcher/Fantasy Football Guru


Now it's time to hear from our favorite ticket writer from Las Vegas.  Live from the Palace Station Sportsbook, here's Joey...



Joey's Parlay Card (Last weekend 1-1/Overall record of 17-9 on Aggies, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)

I have been busily getting my power rankings together for the bowl season since I plan on betting every game.  Plus it excites me that Alabama lost and the BCS is in complete disarray.  There is only one game since New Mexico State and Texas State are done for the regular season, but Texas looked good on Turkey Day and it seems like the kids want to continue to play for Mack Brown, so I'll take the Longhorns to win 27-13.  That's it for now.  May all your tickets cash.


Now it's time to hear from our favorite Texans fan, who is currently sweating her team as they play against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.  Live from cold, cold Abilene, here's Alyssa...  NOTE:  I made a post earlier this afternoon (before the football game began) with Alyssa's Texans/Jaguars prediction so that we could ensure authenticity.  Obviously, the new photo of my friend hasn't brought her team (or my fantasy defense) any good karma, so here's a photo of Alyssa powerlifting her cat Belle...  ;)



Alyssa's Corner (Last weekend 1-2/Overall record of 16-19 on Texans, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)

Alright blog readers...  I have a bet going on this Texans vs. Jaguars game.  Huge stakes on it!  This bet is with my boyfriend (yes...the Cowboys fan).  If the Texans win, then he will have to wear a cat shirt every time we go out in public this weekend, BUT if the Texans lose, I will be forced to wear his Aikman jersey!  I may combust in flames if I have to wear that Cowboys jersey.  In other news, it is ridiculously cold here in Abilene!  It was 22 degrees when I left work today.  It was also sleeting/snowing...I really hope I survive winter.  I now understand why bears sleep through it.  Have a great weekend and Go Texans!

Texans vs. Jaguars:  17-13 TEXANS!
Texas vs. Baylor:  35-28 Texas!


"I really hope I survive winter.  I now understand why bears sleep through it..."  If you didn't already know why I love Alyssa, there you go...  ;)  And yes, I'm told that Alyssa always wears her "Battle Red" dress around the house when she dances with Belle...  :D  Alright, my friend Leanne's photo let me down last week, as I went a dismal 3-7 on my '10 Best Bets...'  I've decided to throw the photo of myself in the Bosox gear up again, since we may never win another World Series if we're going to let players like Jacoby Ellsbury defect to the dreaded Yankees...



Coach (Last weekend 1-1/Overall record of 13-10 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)

Texas at Baylor, with miserable weather conditions forecast for Saturday across the state.  With the Bears' high-flying offense, I think that the expected weather is just an extremely unfortunate break, just like it was up in Stillwater.  Even if Baylor wins this game, it won't be the "true Bears."  However, with this forecast, I have to call this game 16-13, in favor of the Longhorns.


Coach's Ten Best Bets of the Week (Last weekend 3-7/Overall record of 66-70-4)

Oklahoma (+10) @ Oklahoma State - Lots of points in this weather and rivalry...
Rutgers (-6) vs. South Florida - Rutgers has home cold and 3 more wins than Bulls...
Duke/Florida State (Over 62) - Should be LOTS of points in this one...
Titans/Broncos (Under 49 1/2) - Rooting for the weather...
Lions/Eagles (Under 54) - Go weather!...
Raiders/Jets (Under 40 1/2) - WEATHER, WEATHER!!!...
Steelers (-3) vs. Dolphins - You figure it out, Miami will freeze...
Seahawks/49ers (Over 41) - Quarterbacks are too good for this number...
Saints (-3) vs. Panthers - Carolina's streak runs into a primetime dome game...
Cowboys/Bears (Under 49 1/2) - WEATHER, WEATHER!!!...


And there you have it folks.  I think that the weather will be pretty dominant this weekend.  Please drive safely and have a great football weekend!
















Alyssa's Corner: Texans vs. Jaguars

Good afternoon everyone.  I will still type up a 'Football Friday' post later this evening, but tonight's football game features the Texans and the Jaguars, and I probably won't start my entry until after this game kicks off.  Since Alyssa gives us a prediction on every Texans game, I wanted to put her score on the record because she will probably be the first person to correctly pick the exact score of a game (punk), and I don't want there to be a major controversy and investigation if she happens to nail tonight's score, you know..., after I publish my post at the end of the third quarter or something...  ;)



I just found this photo of our favorite Texans fan a few minutes ago - very nice shot Alyssa...  :D  Alyssa has the Texans beating the Jaguars 17-13 tonight.  Since I am starting Houston's defense tonight to open my first round matchup in my fantasy football playoffs, I hope that Alyssa is right, and that Jacksonville does only score 13 points (or less), and that the Texans D causes havoc in the form of sacks and turnovers (and maybe a defensive or special team score, or two)...  ;)

Enjoy your football game tonight, and I'll be back sometime during tonight's action with a full 'Football Friday' entry for you...

  

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Yes Coach, There Is A Santa Claus...

"There's twenty-four reasons, to admit that I'm wrong, with all my excuses, still twenty-four strong..., see, I'm not copping out, not copping out, not copping out, when you're raising the dead in me..." -Switchfoot- (Twenty-Four)

"You just gotta ignite..., the light..., and let..., it shine..., just own..., the night..., like the 4th of July..., 'cause baby, you're a firework, come on, show 'em what you're worth..."
-Katy Perry- (Firework)

"Here I am, trying to keep you in my line of sight, I'm never certain that you read me right..."
-Billy Joel- (State Of Grace)



Good evening everyone.  Well..., somehow it happened last night, and more specifically, over the course of the whole weekend.  If you haven't been following this personal football saga of mine during the last week, I entered the weekend needing my fantasy team to win, while also needing 1 of the 2 opponents ahead of me in my division to lose in order for my Bikini Hill Bobcats to snare a playoff spot.  Heading into last night's Seahawks/Saints game, I had a 14-point lead on my opponent, but I was out of players, and he had still had Marques Colston and Steven Hauschka.  After Hauschka ended up with 10 points and Colston somehow only racked up 2, my Bobcats held on for a slim 100-98 victory.  While 1 of the 2 guys ahead of me in the division had already clinched a win for the weekend (he had Peyton Manning and Eric Decker on the same team, with 4 T.D. passes from Manning to Decker on Sunday, go figure...), the other opponent that I needed to lose was trailing by TWENTY-NINE points entering last night's MNF matchup, with only Russell Wilson remaining to play...  Yeah..., ONLY Russell Wilson...  By the time last night's game reached the half, Wilson had already scored 20 fantasy points, and only needed 10 more in the second half to sink me.  That's when Santa showed up...  :P  Wilson's scoring came to a screeching halt in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, as the Seahawks were well on their way to a 34-7 victory, and he only score 28 for the game.  Yes, the final score of that fantasy contest was 92-91, and my Bobcats are now in the playoffs!!!

I am playing in an ESPN league for the first time, and in this 12-team league, the top 4 players qualified for the championship round of the playoffs.  To say that our league has parity is an understatement - the top 3 teams had 9-4 records, and my Bobcats finished at 8-4-1.  The unique aspect (to me) of our league is that each round of the playoffs lasts for two weeks.  That means that my semifinal round will start this weekend and will finish on Monday night, December 16th, and that the championship/third place matchups will begin the following weekend, while closing out on Monday, December 30th.  The buy-in for this league was 20 bucks, and the payouts to the top 3 finishers are 120/80/40.  Hopefully I'll cash, because I never win anything...  ;)  My plan is to do an entry here with the rosters of my opponent and my Bobcats once gametime nears on Sunday.  If either of us has any players in the Thursday night game, you'll surely know that also when I do my 'Football Friday' blog entry...  Neither here nor there, but in the semifinals I will be facing the guy who has won the league each of the last two years...  :)

I hope that everything is going well for you and I'll see you again on Thursday!

    


Monday, December 2, 2013

Monday Night Football Sweat/Poker 1.10 (2)

"What if there were no hypothetical questions?..." -@GeorgeCarlinSez- (via Twitter)



Good evening everyone.  The first part of tonight's title refers to how I'll have to "sweat" this Seahawks/Saints football game in order to learn if I'll reach my league's fantasy football playoffs.  The good news is that my team put up 100 points over the weekend, which I believe is the benchmark for a decent week in fantasy (this isn't a PPR league).  The bad news is that my opponent had 86 points entering tonight's contest, and he still has Marques Colston and Steven Hauschka playing.  Hauschka has already kicked a field goal and an extra point, so the score is currently 100 to 90, late in the first quarter.  IN ADDITION to having to fend off this pair of players, I also need for one of the teams that I'm trailing in the standings to lose.  Heading into the night, the Dead Crickets had already clinched their playoff spot by winning over the weekend, so that means that I need Con Juevos to lose their game.  They entered the night down 29 points, but they still have Russell Wilson playing.  Wilson had two fantasy points on their first drive tonight.  I once clinched a playoff spot under these circumstances - let's hope that it happens again tonight...  #lowscores  ;)

In the meantime, let me tell you about my second crack at the $1.10 tournament on Bovada.  I played in the tourney at 9:50 p.m. on Friday.  We all started with 1,500 in chips, the blinds starting at 10/20, and rounds of 12 minutes each.  This time players could register for 65 minutes after the tourney began, as opposed to 30 minutes late the last time that I played it.  ***  Fantasy Football Update  ***  (The Seahawks just went up 17-0 on the Saints.  My lead is now down to 100-91, and Con Juevos only trails by 20 now in his matchup.  Maybe the shortest sweat ever...  :P).  Back to poker, I didn't play a hand in the 10/20 round, not a single hand...  Things changed in the 20/40 round.  Almost immediately, I looked down (on the monitor, I don't know) at A K off, UTG + 2.  I raised to 129, had 1 caller, and saw an 8-high, 3 club flop.  I c-bet 99, and was called.  This was almost 1/10 of my stack in the pot already, and I checked on the turn and the river when my hand didn't get any help.  The player behind me also checked, and beat me with pocket fives.  A few hands later I found K/J off UTG, and I raised to 99.  The same pocket fives guy was my only caller.  The flop came A K x, and I bet out 99, which got a fold from my opponent this time.  In the SB I limped in with 6 4, and 3 of us went to the flop.  I led out with a bet of 49 on a flop of A 6 J, and both of my opponents folded.  When the button got to me, with 2 limpers in front, I raised to 129 with A J off.  The flop came 9-high, with 2 hearts (I had none), and when the second player to act bet 303, I folded.

I entered the 30/60 round with 1,272 left in chips, and ran into one of those "what would you do?" hands...  In the small blind, I had 1170 left when I saw the following action in front of me:  A player who had just joined the table and lost a big hand right before this one shoved for 170.  A player with more chips than me called him, and I had pocket 9's.  This is like (is actually) the seventh-strongest starting hand according to Phil Hellmuth's list.  I decided to fold here, not wanting to commit such a large part of my stack with the blinds still relatively low, and so many overcards to 9's.  I'm only mentioning this hand because I would have won (of course)...  :(  The all-in guy with 170 had 9 8, and the caller had 4 4.  A nine hit the board on the turn, and I would have taken the pot with trips (unless 4 4 scared me off on the flop).    

This brings us to the 40/80 round, where UTG + 1, I raised to 259 with A A.  I had 2 callers as we viewed a 9 8 5 rainbow flop.  First to act, I shoved my remaining stack here, which was just more than the size of the pot (900ish/800-plus).  After the first player folded, the second villain called with his 9 9 - GAME OVER...  I finished 73rd of the 122 entrants who had joined the action up to that point, only 1/2 hour into the action...  We'll definitely try for a happier ending next time...

Well, there's now 7:54 left in the first half, and Seattle just hit a bomb inside the Saints' 25.  I'm still up 9 points, and Con Juevos is now down 18.  You'll probably watch this game with less stress than I will...  Have a good one, and I'll see you again on Wednesday!