Super Bowl 49 Predictions

"I try not to live in the future and enjoy the moment I am now in.  But Sunday needs to please hurry up!!!!" -Veronica Soliz-

Good afternoon everyone.  Well, Sunday is almost here, and it will be a bittersweet day.  Tomorrow we have the Super Bowl, but afterward, there won't be any football for a long time...  This will give Joey and myself a break from picking football games, and just as we were starting to get hot.  We both went 4-0 for the conference championship weekend, and we're both looking to pick up a pair of wins tomorrow.  I'm going to lead off today, with my San Marcos Patriots fan Veronica ushering in my bets.  As you can tell from her quote above, she's very patiently waiting for tomorrow's kickoff...  ;)

Coach (Conference Championship Weekend 4-0/Overall Record 73-77-2)


Patriots 34  Seahawks 23  ---  Patriots (-1)  ---  Over (47 1/2)

One result of the 'deflategate' chatter in the media is that there wasn't very much talk about how the Seahawks were down 19-7 to the Packers very late in their game, and this was a Green Bay team led by a very immobile Aaron Rodgers.  The Seahawks did win last year's Super Bowl, but they aren't the dominant team that some people make them out to be.  Factor in the injuries to their secondary (Thomas' shoulder, Sherman's elbow, and yesterday's injury to Chancellor's knee), and I think that it's difficult to find any compelling reasons to bet Seattle in this game, especially when the betting line is almost even.  While the Patriots were dismantling the Colts, the Seahawks escaped their game with the Packers, and although the trio listed above may all play tomorrow, the odds that they'll all be 100% effective are pretty low.  Like I said a few days ago, I'll be rooting for my prop bets, and my wagers (admittedly with a lot of built-in hedges) favor a game with a lot of offense, especially on the New England side.  Below you can check out my prop bets on tomorrow's game, all for $1.00 each, with the amount that I can win shown in parentheses...

 

Now we'll send you off to Joey with our naughty/nice shots of Brittany, because you KNOW that I'm not going to exclude her after we went 4-0 two weeks ago...  :D

Let's hope that we come out nice for one more football weekend...  ;)  Now, live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, Nevada, here's Joey...

Joey (Conference Championship Weekend 4-0/Overall Record 69-78-5)


Patriots 24  Seahawks 17  ---  Patriots (-1)  ---  Under (47 1/2)

Best time of the year is right here in Vegas this weekend.  It's Super Bowl Weekend!!!!!!  Oooppps, it's the big game party since Super Bowl is patented.  Of all the years I've been betting, this is one of the most difficult games to handicap.  It is truly 50/50.  But since I gotta take a side, I'm gonna take the team that knows how to cheat...  I also did a few props...


Heads (-110) - The coin flip is 24-24, and a majority of heads have been in indoor places.
NO on three consecutive scores by one team (+180) - Both of these teams can score, and so can the defenses.
YES there will be an overtime (+210) - NFL stats have 1 out of 17 games going to overtime.
Over 1.5 yards as the distance of shortest TD scored (Even) - There are many more ways to win than lose, and I get even money.
YES there will be a successful two-point conversion (+190) - Last four time it's a winner, and sometimes you gotta ride a horse, just like this one...
YES there will be a safety (+135)


I have more and will have more props by game time.  Come see me at Palace Station.  Thanks again to Chris and may all your "Big Game" tickets cash.  See you next football season, maybe March Madness...  lol


And thank you Joey.  If I was a betting man, I'd wager that you'll probably see something from Joey and myself around NCAA Tournament time.  As always, don't take our bets to the bank (which should be obvious from our records).  As I've told many people, there's no such thing as a sure thing (which is why I'll hedge when possible, hoping to hit the bet(s) with the bigger payoff).  I hope that all of you have an Outstanding Super Bowl Weekend and I'll see you again mid-week!

Patriots/Seahawks Prop Bets

"Eating alone on dinner break of World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Room (44k) at the buffet...  Sneeze midbite.  Food and snot everywhere.  No napkin in site.  Hold snot and food against my face as I grab napkin on adjacent table.  Trip on carpet on way back to booth. Smooth, real smooth..." -Kristy Arnett-

"We just named our Chrome Cast, Chromecrastination.  We'll finish setting it up later..."
 -Chelsea Mansfield-



Good evening everyone.  It's hard to believe, but it's now been almost six months since I last departed Texas for Las Vegas.  I spent about 2 1/2 months in Vegas, a week in Reno, and just over the last 3 months back in Austin.  I'd love to get sentimental and reminisce, but it's getting late and we have too much to cover...  ;)  Tonight I'm going to start with what I've stolen from my friends lives, and then we'll get to my prop bets for Sunday's Super Bowl.  This photo comes my friend Kelley, and if Norman Rockwall had a cell phone camera, this is probably what his pictures would have looked like.


"Cause a girl has to carry her cat while she pulls a dog in the wagon..." -Kelley Senn Leeds-

Beautiful shot, much like this one from my friend Josie...


"Giant rays give giant hugs..." -Josie Falletta-

My friends have awesome lives...  :)  And now for the weather...  I saw this photo from my friend Alyssa about a week ago, and this is fairly nasty for Texas, especially after looking at Kelley's shot above...

THEN I saw this picture from my friend Eileen today, who lives in my home state of New Hampshire.  Alyssa's picture doesn't look so bad in comparison...

There's a rumor that there's a swimming pool somewhere under all of that snow...  YUCK...  This is neither here nor there, but I just learned that Melanie (a mutual friend of Alyssa of myself) moved to HAWAII...  PUNK...  :)  Last but not least in pilfering from my friends, Leanne posted a new photo from the gym today, and if this is what's happening in the fight world these days, then I should be considered an instant contender for the title...

Would you be completely shocked if I told you that I took a nap before I started this blog entry???  :)


Okay, Super Bowl prop bets.  As I sit here, I don't know if I have a single Seahawks fan among my facebook friends.  Being from New Hampshire, I have several friends who are Patriots fans, and my friend Veronica from San Marcos may be as much of a fanatic as any of them (told you I'd get you in here again)...  ;)  Joey and I will still give you our Super Bowl predictions this weekend, but here's a preview of my prop bets for Sunday's Patriots/Seahawks matchup...

After seeing Nick's prop bets in his blog, I was certain that there was NO WAY that I was typing all of that out, and I always write out my little online wagers anyway, so here you are...  Every bet is for $1.00 (50 total), and the amount in parentheses is what I can win from each wager.  I didn't go into last night (when I spent three hours on this madness) with photographing these in mind, so if you can't read something or you have any other questions, just ask.  My thought at this point is that the Patriots will beat the Seahawks, in part because Thomas and Sherman are likely to still be feeling the effects of getting banged up against the Packers.  I believe that Brady is going to be attacking the Seattle secondary, and my hope is that Wilson and the Seahawks will have to respond by passing.  I bet on the low score ranges as a hedge to all of this offense not panning out.  As you'll notice, all of my wagers are longshots in that they'll pay more than the dollar that I bet on each prop.  This will give me something to root for on Sunday...  :)  As always (and this disclaimer should not be necessary if you've ever read my blog), these bets are by NO MEANS guarantees, and you should not try this at home...

Enjoy the rest of your work week, and Joey and I will be seeing you on Saturday with our Super Bowl picks!

The NFL Looks Like A Joke

Good afternoon everyone.  I have a little "food for thought" for you today, and a little bit of ranting, if you will.  With the latest scandal to hit the National Football League this year, one that has rekindled the ashes from a previous black eye for the league, I can't help but think that the NFL looks like a joke.  You've surely heard by now about the under-inflated footballs used by the New England Patriots in their AFC Championship Game matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.  I thought that the Patriots and Bill Belichick got off lightly after the 'Spygate' scandal several years back, but I'm fairly certain that this 'Deflategate' story (coupled with the prior rule-breaking videotaping) is going to forever tarnish the legacy of the "Belichick-era" Patriots.  After the Patriots were found guilty of the unethical videotaping, the punishment was just monetary and aimed at the following year's draft - Belichick was not suspended.  Sean Payton was forced to sit out a year by Roger Goodell for 'Bountygate' (and trust me, 'Spygate,' 'Deflategate,' and 'Bountygate' are not nicknames that came from me) in New Orleans, but I digress.

I'm writing about this because the NFL looks very suspect right now, and it would benefit the league to figure out a solution sooner rather than later.  For starters, I want to express that I absolutely believe that the footballs used in the game were not inflated to league standards.  The NFL has determined this and the Patriots have not denied it.  Belichick (and several others) talked this week about the weather causing the footballs to lose air.  I find it strange that the cold weather only affected New England's game balls, and not those used by the Colts...  Moving on, Tom Brady has been a quarterback in the NFL for a long time now - I find it weird that he didn't notice that the footballs were not inflated properly during the game.  Considering that Brady has made a living throwing these footballs, wouldn't it be detrimental to him using balls that weren't up to the standards that he's used to???  Needless to say, I think that SOMEBODY in New England's organization knows SOMETHING about the footballs.  However, even if you want to gloss over everything that I've said so far, the game officials should have noticed that the balls weren't inflated to regulation, right?  The former is an opinion that I keep reading from New England fans online, but even if that's the case, it still makes the NFL look bad.  And speaking of Patriots fans, you would think that this has to be embarrassing, once again having to defend their coach and their team against allegations of cheating.  And what about New England's owner, Robert Kraft?  I've heard the media state several times in the past that he's a great guy, etc, etc.., yet his team keeps getting caught breaking the rules, with the same coach working for him, and leading his team...  I also heard this week that Goodell and Kraft have a close relationship, for what it's worth...  I even read an article this week where Carolina's former GM said that the 'Spygate' evidence was shredded by the NFL after Goodell announced his findings (the Panthers lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl).  And by the way, I also don't want to hear that the footballs didn't have any bearing on the outcome of the game with the Colts.  The Patriots did blow out Indy, but someone still found it necessary to deflate the majority of the footballs (even if it was Mother Nature messing with only New England's game balls).  If your team is so good, and if they would have won anyway, then WHY?  

So back to the NFL, where does this leave the league?  Before this season even started, the NFL had suspended a player only two games for knocking out his then girlfriend and then dragging her off of an elevator.  The league, in spite of all of its resources, denied having knowledge that Ray Rice had done this - I guess that the people who work for TMZ are just more motivated when searching for the truth...  The NFL is more than happy to fine you if you won't speak to the media, or if your uniform and cleats don't meet league criteria, but what about when you bring the integrity of the whole sport into question???  If you don't think that the public questioning whether or not your sport is legitimate is a problem, just ask wrestling and baseball.  Wrestling seemingly dropped from the mainstream map once the word 'fake' became widely associated with it, and Major League Baseball doesn't even know who should be voted into its own Hall of Fame due to the performance enhancement substances scandal.  I'm really curious to see what happens here. I think that the worst thing that can happen for the NFL is for its fans to develop an "I don't care" attitude, which is exactly where I'm at right now.  Say for example that the Patriots win next Sunday, and someone wants to tell me how many Super Bowls Belichick and Brady have won, and starts comparing them to the elite coaches and quarterbacks throughout history.  Hmmm..., okay...  And I actually think that the Patriots have a very good chance of winning this game when you take into account the injuries that Thomas and Sherman suffered for the Seahawks last week. And speaking of Seattle, they're trying to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and their coach is Pete Carroll.  Carroll was the USC coach that jumped to the NFL and the Seahawks right before the Trojans were hit with sanctions by the NCAA.  So yeah, I'll be rooting for my Super Bowl prop bets next Sunday, but I don't really care who wins the game.  I can't ever remember an instance where I've been more interested in the outcome of a scandal than in a game itself.  I didn't see the 'Spygate' evidence that the NFL allegedly shredded, I didn't see any videotapes, and I don't know who did what (if anything) to the Patriots game balls last week, but the league has a major credibility problem right now, and the NFL looks like a joke.  Speaking of jokes, I guess it's appropriate that the Pro Bowl is being played tonight...

On a lighter note, we'll end this entry with more stolen material from my friends.  My friend Alyssa was doing some running in downtown Austin recently, and she wanted to let all of her friends know that this is how she rolls...

I swear, there have been more handstands in my blog recently.  Wait, what's that?

So Jenn dediced to stop by again in a blatant attempt to show up Alyssa by doing a one-arm handstand.  Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer...  And Jenn also must have taken exception to my comment about her socks last time...  :)  Speaking of things that I can't do (like handstands - I told Jenn that I'd probably break my arm if I tried this), my friend Vicki and her daughter were busy creating some cool art this weekend...

My friends, I tell ya...  Bunch of SHOWOFFS...  ;)  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll see you soon.


 





                                                  

What An Ugly Day

"I've done this so many times before, but yet I still get the first day of school jitters..."
-Alyssa Lesa-

"My little man is a Cowboys fan.  I blame my parents since they are die hard Cowboys fans..." -Monica Rodriguez-

"Small changes get big results..." -Belyne Gonzalez-

"What I learned in kindergarten today:  1)  Ketchup is like tomato syrup.  2)  One of my students does not have very good "hearsight"..." -Katherine Jennings-

"When you are happy, you enjoy the music, but when you are sad, you understand the lyrics..."
-via Wes Trapp-

"The most important thing you can ever do for your children is to support them and believe in them no matter what..." -Krysta Gutierrez-

"Replanted my herb garden today!!!  Sooo happy! -Jillian Wolpman-

"Don't wake me up, up, up up up....  Seriously DON'T DO IT!!!!" -Leanne Calderon-

"Damn, one of those days all around..." -Tiffany Wright-


Good evening everyone.  As Alyssa reminds us, school is back in session at our local universities (my employer included), and that just plays into the frustrating tale that I'm about to share with you.  My friend Jillian replanted her herb garden a while back, but this photo is a fair depiction of what our weather was like over the weekend here in Austin...

However, today was NOT this past weekend, and I should have taken Leanne's advice from above and STAYED IN BED!!!  Instead, I did indeed wake up, and I have to agree with Tiffany - it was one of those days all around...

I remember the first time (hey Nick) that I was extremely upset in 2015...  So it's in the 40's with a 100% chance of rain in the ATX this morning, and it was MISERABLE!  I usually walk about a mile to work because the campus bus would get me there late, but I called my boss this morning and told him that I was going to be a few minutes late (instead of walking in the cold rain).  If my memory served correctly, the campus bus arrives at my apartment complex at 7:20 a.m.  I'm there at that time, and there's no bus.  At 7:25, there are a few students waiting with me, and no bus.  By 7:30, a few more students have come (and a few have given up and left, and OH YES, it's raining and the wind chill is like 40 degrees)...  Before 7:35 I finally ask someone when the first bus arrives, and this guy responds, "they run every 5 minutes."  Not so much.  At 7:40 I look one last time, there's no bus in sight, and I decide that I can't wait.  Yeah, so after standing outside for TWENTY MINUTES, I end up walking anyway - OH, I WAS NOT happy when I arrived at work this morning...  I showed up soaked and frozen after being outside for 35 minutes, and for my effort I was about a half-hour late for work. Today was an UGLY day...  And it was cold and miserable ALL... DAY... LONG...  I sincerely hope that all of you had a better day than I did, and if by some chance today was your birthday, God Bless You, and you might want to ask for a do-over tomorrow (or this weekend).  Yeah, we basically have the same forecast for tomorrow right now (high of 51, with an 80% chance of rain)...

Okay, time to shake this awful day off.  I'm happy to report that my brother's family made it safely to Las Vegas.  My brother did safely navigate the long drive across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona into southern Nevada in two days, and all of his family is now resting happily (with their belongings) a little north of the Strip.  Before I share what I stole from my friends today (yes, in addition to all of the quotes at the top of this entry), I wanted to let you know that I do intend to write a bit about the NFL and the NBA very soon.  I'm not talking about predictions from Joey and myself, but basically ranting and blowing off steam.  I'll leave it at that right now, except for sharing this photo via my friend Alvin, because LeBron is going to be one of my topics of frustration in the next week...

    
Love it...  Speaking of fat cats, my friend Catherine posted this photo on facebook recently...

I obviously saw this one a while back, but it's true and I have more time to write now...  ;)  Since we're on the subject of animals now, my friend Alexia was tagged in another photo on the book of face that I found amusing...

And I would TOTALLY square off against a Care Bear for any of you...  :)  As I've perused my facebook wall over the past few months, I've seen that my friend David has moved out of state due to work.  Although David is having to adjust to leaving San Marcos, America, I can completely vouch for the fact that he is eating well, as practically every status that he posts revolves around going out to eat...  :)  With that being said, I wanted to give you a sample photo of one of his meals, because it sets up my "big finish" for tonight...

I'm not exactly sure what this entree is, but I suspect that it beats the cuisine that I'm about to cover...Whatever you're doing, keep it up David!  :)  I posted this photo on facebook yesterday when I was in a much better mood than I was throughout the day today...  See ya next time everyone...  :)

Do You Have Pet Rabbits?

Good evening everyone.  It's 10:07 p.m. as I start typing this, so the good evening/morning call is a tough one (with the east coast being an hour ahead of me).  You'd be surprised at how long it takes me to type some of these entries out, and I promised you a long entry this weekend.  The fact that I'm STARTING my typing at 10:07 P.M. on MONDAY NIGHT should come as no surprise to anyone...  :)

Okay, so what's going on???  I've been in my new apartment for about ten days now, and I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be as far as unpacking and sorting my things out.  However, it still feels good to be getting settled into a space that's mine.  At the weekly/monthly that I lived in for 2 1/2 months in Las Vegas, I knew I wouldn't be staying in that unit long term, so it's been since the end of July that I've actually lived somewhere that I had a lease on the place.

I've decided that in the short term at least, I'm going to commit to giving you two blog entries a week, and that in doing so I'll put some effort into them (i.e., they'll be longer than the weekly football predictions posts that I easily whip out & i.e., I'll be stealing a lot of quotes and photos and stories from my friends again)...  ;)
You'll be seeing a lot of that in tonight's post, as I attempt to slowly but surely catch you up on what's been going on in my life (and in the lives of my family and friends).

Let's begin with my move.  I took off from work a week ago Friday to move into my new apartment.  This involved getting the key to my place, picking up a rental vehicle, picking up my stuff from my friend's place, dropping it off at my new place, going to Walmart to put a serious hurting on my credit card (photo in your near future), getting back here in time to get my cable and internet set up (I always try to get this done on the day that I move in), and it happened to be about 38 degrees and drizzling during most of this process, so I also stayed home from work sick last Monday...

Do I have pet rabbits?  Obviously, moving into a new place, I had ZERO food a week ago Friday, so I went shopping.  My first cart carried two bookshelves and a computer chair that I assembled last Saturday, in time for use during that day's NFL playoff games.  If you're confused, my computer monitor sits on one bookshelf, while my t.v. sits on another (it's a very high-tech and complicated setup here at Casa Coach...  Then I went back into Walmart for food...

I posted this gem on facebook on got SEVERAL responses.  My favorite came from my friend Yvonne, who posed the question, "Do you have pet rabbits?"  :)  I had numerous mentions of the six heads of lettuce that I picked up on this trip.  By the way, I bought another half-dozen heads of lettuce when I returned to Walmart today.  I forgot to mention that I did shop and do my laundry today, totally acceptable excuses as to why I'm posting so late...  Anyway, I like to make salads and I also use lettuce on sandwiches, so there you go...

Speaking of my friends, I am so grateful to my friends Brandi and Chad for giving me a place to stay over the past few months while I looked for and then waited for my apartment to become available, and to my friend James for housing my belongings during this time.  I'm not rich by any means (if you measure by money that is - I have some AWESOME family and friends), but the things that I own are enough to consistently FILL any intermediate SUV that Avis rents to me...  :)  Do you feel a segue to another photo coming???  Among the many awesome pets that my friends own, this is a picture of their dog, Jackie Robinson...

  
My friends' boys play baseball, and Chad posted this shot to show Jackie EATING the home plate that the kids have (had) in their backyard.  My favorite thing about this photo is Jackie looking at the camera with that "WHAT?" expression on his face...  :D

Speaking of family and moving and photos, my brother's family is in the process of moving out to Las Vegas - yes, the blog DRIPS with irony...  My brother is currently driving their belongings out to the desert while the rest of his family flew out ahead of him (he lost the coin flip evidently)...  Today was actually an amazing day to be doing this for one falling in January, and this is his cargo...

Kinda reminds you of the picture of my grocery cart, eh???  My brother's family was also very kind in putting me up during the holidays while I was waiting for my new place here, and I wish them the very best of luck in Las Vegas.  I'm still aiming for a return visit to the desert by next December if I can play my cards right (ugghh, I'm horrible with words, huh?)...  ;)

Speaking of gambling (sort of), Joey and I went 4-0 on our football picks this weekend.  We agreed on every bet, and every bet was a winner.  Our friend Grrouchie also had the Packers with the points and the Patriots.  :)  I really had been doing well with my playoff picks over the past couple of seasons, and I was surprised that it took me so long to get on track this postseason.  Of course, I also knew that posting Brittany's naughty/nice photo repeatedly would eventually pay off...

That's Brittany on the right.  We'll give the naughty/nice photo a rest until Super Bowl Weekend, plus our Spurs can use a little good karma about now anyway...  ;)  I have also figured out my Bovada account again, and I'll have some amusing betting stories for you as we progress with later entries...

Like I said, I will be stealing again (OFTEN) from my friends, and these are some photos that I've come across recently on my facebook wall...

Jennifer has been getting back in shape over the past few months, and this prompted her to post MANY pictures during the month of January that had her doing all sorts of handstands (and one-arm push up poses, etc...).  I'm talking like sixteen days worth, and I chose this specific set because it includes her amazing taste in socks and her big hair (Jenn authored several statuses with the hashtag #bighairproblems not so long ago)...  :)

This is Jessica, who has also found the way to my blog pages several times.  If it's not obvious, Jess LOVES sriracha (I can even spell the word now, I've seen it in print so many times in Jessica's statuses).  We're trying to secure the position of Official Sriracha Spokesmodel for Jess, so if you know anyone...

And here we have Leanne, who has also made many appearances in my little blog.  While we're usually focused on the awesome progress that she has made working out, or sharing some of the quotes she has hunted down with her partner in crime Francesca, I just like her disbelief in this shot that she has run out of dipping sauce for her wings.  I particularly enjoy how her eyebrows are raised at this tragedy, and just looking at this again closely right now, doesn't the eyebrow on the right side in this photo resemble the Nike Swoosh???  Is Nike sponsoring your left eyebrow now Leanne?  :D

Moving on, if any of you have a problem with me posting twice a week, or with my football picks, or with anything related to this blog, then this photo is for you...

Anyway, that's all for now, but I'll see you a few more times before Joey and I return to give you our predictions for the Super Bowl.  Have an outstanding week in the meantime!

Conference Championship Weekend 2015

Good afternoon everyone.  There's a long blog post coming to you in the near future, but this isn't it...  :)  I'm going to dedicate this one to the pair of football games tomorrow, but I should have something for you by Tuesday.  Joey and I had a rough go of it here last week, and this is actually my worst run of calling playoff games here since I started the blog.  I did pick a final score of Packers 24-20 in Green Bay's 26-21 victory last week, and I should put that one up in lights...  :P  It's not in our nature for Joey or myself to give up, and there are some conference championship games tomorrow to take a stab at, so here we go...  Live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, HERE'S JOEY...

      

This football season has flown by.  It has once again been fun sharing my picks on this blog.  Thanks to Chris for allowing me to do so.  Hopefully this week is better than the last couple...


Joey's Final Four (Last Week 3-7, Overall 65-78-5)


Packers 38  Seahawks 35  ---  (Packers +7 1/2)  ---  (Over 46 1/2)
Seattle is the defending champ, and like I said in my college picks, why not back last year's champ til they lose?  The answer to that would be Aaron Rodgers.  He is the MVP, even at 60%.  I think Green Bay is the best team, and Rodgers has historic final drive.

Patriots 31  Colts 10  ---  (Patriots -6 1/2)  ---  (Under 54)
The AFC game could have been historic with the top seeds moving on, but Peyton and the Broncos didn't get out of bed on Sunday.  This week will be a different story...  The Colts can't stop the run, and the Patriots will go on to the Super Bowl.


That leaves one game left for the best picks.  See you in two weeks and may all your tickets cash!


I'm not sure who this Chris guy is, but I'd also like to thank Joey for sharing his picks with us each week.  :)  Like I mentioned here in the blog this summer, Joey gave me some very appreciated rides to the grocery store while I was in Las Vegas.  I also believe that I've mentioned that you don't have to feel too horrible for Joey (or even myself) in regard to our picks.  We're always looking at changing lines and halftime bets, etc, etc.. (especially Joey) before the games have finished.  These are always our picks at press time, but you have to keep on top of things.  I even got one myself last weekend as the Colts had moved from +7 to like +9 against the Pats.  That made the Colts like +350 on the moneyline, and I managed to win a little on that ML bet.  Anyway, as you're about to see, the bad news (for Joey and myself) about our picks this week is that all four of our bets ended up being the same...  The good news is that Brittany is back once again to brighten up the blog and bring in my picks...

Coach's Final Four (Last Week 4-6, Overall 69-77-2)


Packers 27  Seahawks 23  ---  (Packers +7 1/2)  ---  (Over 46 1/2)
The Packers outshine the Seahawks at the wide receiver position, and I think that this whole game will come down to whether or not Seattle can get pressure on the quarterback, whether that's Rodgers or Flynn (if Rodgers aggravates his injury).  I don't care how good Seattle's secondary is if their defense gives the Green Bay quarterback time to throw.  I'm betting that the Pack provides enough to pass protection to win the game (and "surely" win with the points)...

Patriots 26  Colts 17  ---  (Patriots -6 1/2)  ---  (Under 54)
I'm expecting a closer game than Joey here, but still in the same point range.  I'm factoring in some bad weather to knock down the score, and to give a boost to the team that is playing with the crowd and is used to the elements.  I think that the Colts battle here, but I just think that the Patriots are too much for them.


Well, that's two votes saying that it's going to be a Packers/Patriots Super Bowl.  We shall see...  Like I said, I'll be seeing you again sometime soon.  My next post will probably come late tomorrow night or sometime on Monday.  Have a great football weekend everyone!

There's Sophia Bush

Good morning everyone.  This week you're getting your football picks a little bit earlier than normal because I'll be busy with moving, battling some nasty weather, and seeing my brother (weather permitting) over the next few days.  I hit the snooze button on a nap tonight, which has me typing right now (much later than I should be).  Long story short, a 2-hour nap turned into 3 1/2 hours (6:00-9:30), and I have a forecast low of TWENTY THREE DEGREES to look forward to in the morning...  Merp... (Hey Alyssa)  :)  I guess the "bright side" of my nap was finding Sophia Bush (although I really wasn't looking for her)...  One of my facebook friends had mentioned her in a status recently, and I thought, "I wonder what happened to Sophia..."  I watched quite a few reruns of 'One Tree Hill' at one time, and she played a character on that show (in case you're lost right now).  Anyway, when I arose from my slumber, I walked right into the middle of an episode of 'Chicago P.D.'  I heard a familiar voice on the screen, and was able to get past Sophia's disguise (she's sporting blonde hair now) to unravel the mystery of her identity.  So, if you've been looking for her, you know where to find her...

Back to football, the twelve-bet format must have thrown Joey and myself off of our "game" last week (our "game" being going about .500) as we both struggled to the finish line with losing records.  On the bright side, we both get our crack at four fresh NFL playoff matchups and an NCAA Championship Game this weekend.  I'm also keeping Brittany as my good luck charm again this week because I refuse to believe that she suffers prolonged losing streaks (that and the fact that these pictures are just so adorable)...  :)

Coach's Terrific Ten (Last Week 3-8-1, Overall 65-71-2)


Patriots 27  Ravens 13  ---  Patriots (-7)  ---  (Under 47.5)
This is not the same Ravens defense that has defeated the Patriots in recent playoff games, in case you're buying into all of that "Flacco vs. Brady" stuff...

Seahawks 20  Panthers 13  ---  Panthers (+11)  ---  (Under 39.5)
Joey sees this one like I do (which usually spells trouble).  We both like Seattle outright, but that's a hard cover against a stingy Panther 'D' when your offense hasn't been lighting people up...

Packers 24  Cowboys 20  ---  Cowboys (+6)  ---  (Under 53)
The toughest game for me to pick, given the weather possibilities and Rodgers' questionable health.  Should be a very interesting matchup at Lambeau...

Broncos 27  Colts 17  ---  Broncos (-7)  ---  (Under 54)
Again with the weather, I don't see Manning crushing the Colts, but I do think that Denver has enough to cover here...

Oregon 48  Ohio State 24  ---  Oregon (-6.5)  ---  (Under 75.5)
Another outcome that Joey and I agree strongly on (be very afraid)...  Ducks tempo should give the Buckeyes fits here, although Oregon isn't shutting anybody out...



Without any ado at all, live from Las Vegas, here's Joey...  :)

Football is winding down but the parlay cards are hot (not mine, but that's a different story)...  I'll start with Saturday's games...


Joey's Terrific Ten (Last Week 4-7-1, Overall 62-71-5)


Ravens 24  Patriots 21  ---  Ravens (+7)  ---  (Under 47.5)
The kids from Baltimore are not afraid to travel to New England to take on the #1 seed in the AFC...

Seahawks 17  Panthers 10  ---  Panthers (+11)  ---  (Under 39.5)
The Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl champs, but they are not blowing anyone out.  Seattle wins the game, but the Panthers get the cover...

Packers 38  Cowboys 30  ---  Packers (-6)  ---  (Over 53)
These two teams have not met very many times in the playoffs.  One of those meetings was the 'Ice Bowl.' History has a way of repeating itself.  I like Tony Romo, but the Dallas 'D' has trouble stopping the Pack...

Broncos 42  Colts 10  ---  Broncos (-7)  ---  (Under 54)
Finally, my Denver Broncos are better than last year's team, but may have peaked back in October.  This game is a rematch of Week 1 where Denver was up big to start, then had to hang on for the win.  Peyton does not make the same mistake twice...

Oregon 44  Ohio State 28  ---  Oregon (-6.5)  ---  (Under 75.5)
And now the best national championship game ever - no Alabama and no cheating SEC team.  Both of these teams earned the right to be here.  Oregon has scored 40 or more points in all but 2 games.  Urban Meyer is a great coach, but he is not on the field and has not had three weeks to prepare.  Oregon is fast and flies by the Buckeyes...


And that's it my friends.  You're probably not going to see me until next week unless the weather is so bad (and I get so fed up with unpacking) that I get on my computer.  Have a great weekend and I'll see you soon!










  

Lazy Wild Card Saturday

Good afternoon everyone.  I thought that I'd give you a little post since I haven't bothered you since Monday.  I'm sitting here on the couch at my friend's place on what is supposed to be a pretty nice day in Austin (62 degrees), which totally doesn't justify me being inside.  However, the Texas/Texas Tech basketball game that just began, and the upcoming NFL playoff games vindicate my laziness...  Hopefully my friends Cynthia, Gabby , Katelynn, and Grrouchie are also enjoying this day and their pregame.  It's pretty amazing how few of my friends are actually Steelers fans also.  Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy a victory against the rival Ravens (or "Ratbirds" - a term that my friend Katelynn introduced me to) tonight, giving us a week to savor a Steelers visit to Denver next week.  Hopefully Gabby is still carrying good karma for us from Ohio State's (her alma mater) victory over Alabama on Thursday.  Joey has been knocking the SEC for being overrated, and he also said that it wouldn't snow in Las Vegas this week (which it didn't).  Does Joey know something???  :)  Speaking of Joey, our football picks for today's and tomorrow's Wild Card Round are in my previous post here.
Back to this basketball (and there is snow in Lubbock), I'm leaning toward going to the Drum (Frank Erwin Center) with my friend Chad on Monday night to watch the Horns host Oklahoma in some hoops action.  Texas is currently ranked #11, while the Sooners are ranked #18, and this trip to campus would come after a visit to Hooters, so yeah, I'm probably going...  This is probably my last realistic opportunity at getting out and doing something fun for a while as I'll be moving into my new apartment on Friday.  This next week is supposed to be pretty miserable weather-wise in Austin (it's supposed to be 27 when we wake up on Friday, and the highs are supposed to be in the low 40's on Wednesday and Thursday), and I'll be doing a lot of apartment unpacking and situating in the near future anyway.  In compliance with my normal moving procedures, I have my visit from Time Warner scheduled for Friday also, so I should be on my computer with new entries for you very soon.  And you know what I mean, new entries with old material (my Las Vegas and Reno stuff), and posts with fresh photos stolen from my friends (Jenn doing a headstand and Leanne preparing to dominate the world are among the shots that immediately come to mind)...

Okay, well that's that.  I'm typed out, and I'm going to relax (yes, even more) before I immerse myself in football for the remainder of the day.  Have a great football weekend and I'll see you next week!