Thursday, October 06, 2005
Song of the day:
I’m just a shy guy,
My, I’m a ’fraid-to-try guy
No lie.
There’s a gal that I idolize
But I just can’t seem to hypnotize.
And when she pets me,
You betcha, it gets me.
And everytime I hold her hand,
I’m just too shy to say the things I plan.
Everytime she’s close to me,
My heart is filled with ecstasy,
And like a dope, I let the chance slip by.
There, I should have told her then
But all I did was sit and grin,
And I ended up so mad that I could cry.
’cause I’m a shy guy
Wish I was a sly guy
Then I could say, "baby, baby, I love you"
Just like those guys in moving pictures all do.
-Nat King Cole, Shy Guy
This day in History:
In 1884, the Naval War College was established in Newport, R.I.
In 1889, the Moulin Rouge in Paris first opened its doors to the public. But just the doors.
In 1905, 100 years ago, tennis great Helen Wills Moody was born in Berkeley, Calif. She helped set the stage for many women tennis players after her. Like Flavia Pennetta.
Do I dare say it?
In 1949, President Truman signed the Mutual Defense Assistance Act, totaling $1.3 billion in military aid to NATO countries.
In 1949, American-born Iva Toguri D'Aquino, convicted of treason for being Japanese wartime broadcaster "Tokyo Rose," was sentenced in San Francisco to 10 years in prison and fined $10,000. (She ended up serving more than six years.)
In 1973, war erupted in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Yom Kippur holiday.
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement of all the things you have done against God. You ask for forgiveness for all of your wrong doings against God for the past year. For things you have done against others, you can't go to the big guy for that...you have to go to that person, and seek forgiveness from them. It's also suggested taht you fast.
Yom Kippur is Sundown on Oct 12 until Sunndown on Oct 13th, this year.
In 1989, actress Bette Davis died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, at age 81.
Today's Birthdays:
Actress and Bond Girl Britt Ekland is 63.
Actress Elisabeth Shue is 42.
Singer Matthew Sweet is 41.
He says he needs a girlfriend, and that I need somebody to love.
Well, the latter may be true, but that doesn't make me the target of the former.
Actress Jacqueline Obradors is 39.
Actor Ioan Gruffudd is 32.
Shakespeare Quote of the Day:
"Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."
--Much Ado About Nothing (III, i, 106)
Word of the day:
effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.
Nicolas Cage and his son:
I'm sure that all of you have already heard this bit of news, but Nick Cage recently had a son, and named him Kal-El. Kal-El being the name of Superman from his place of origin, Krypton.
You've just named your kid after a fictional superhero that he doesn't stand a chance of living up to. If he is lucky to make it to 23 without major damage, he'll still end up in a bar fight with some drunk idiot who decides to see if Kal-El can stop a bullet with his chest. It won't work.
Worse yet would be his interaction with the lady-folk. "His name is Kal-El, but he's no Superman."
Which is why when I have a son, I'm going with either Optimus Prime or Old Yeller.
Twins Season post-mortem:
I know I know. I was supposed to cover this in the previous update, but I became so far attached form that one that I figured it best just to go ahead and post it here instead.
For the 2 people who read this and have not been keeping up on Twins this season, offense was the biggest issue by far for this team. ON top of that, the normally sound fundemental team showed breakdowns in their fielding, and a normally cohesive unit was fraying at the end, with fights amongst the players. That happens on a lot of teams, and probably even with the Twins. The strange part about it is that if it DOES happen on the Twins, it's usually behind closed doors. No matter. The major issue is that noone was hitting at all, the starting pitchers gave up just enough runs each game to paint the picture that they didn't get enough run support, and the minor league teams didn't have the fielding talent needed to fill in at various positions. And the steady workhorse of the starting pitching staff started to show signs of his age.
Not all was bad this year, though ther are dangerous storm clouds on the horizon for some of the bright spots. The bullpen was again fantastic (with the exception of JC Romero), and Joe Nathan took another step towards becoming one of the best closers in baseball. He's not Mariano rivera, but he's in that 1st tier of guys who aren't Mariano rivera. The outfield showed their usual brilliance in the field, only to lose Torii Hunter for the rest of the season back in early August. (See: storm clouds). Jaques Jones filled in as best he could, and provided great defense as well, but certainly wasn't enough to turn the team around. And of course, Johan santana looked great in the second half of the season, and they were able to give some of the younger pitchers some experience for next year for the rotation. Add to it the slow but steady growth of Joe Mauer, and you ahve some bright spots from a shaky transition season.
But things aren't going to get better for the Twins unless they make a bold move or two. There isn't much help in the minor leagues n the way of hitting, so this means that they're going to have to add a veteran from free agency. And adding hitters cost money.
There are alsorumors that they are considering trading away Torii Hunter. This would be a huge colossal mistake, in my opinion, though I should probab;y admit he's my favorite player on the team. Based off of this past season and seasons before, he's been a driving force in the clubhouse, and has become very vocal about not settling for a mediocre season. He's passionate about striving for success, and what it takes to win. He's the best centerfielder in the American League, he consistently hits 25 home runs or so on a team that hasn't had someone hit over 30 since the mid to late 80's, and he often does the little things necessary on the basepaths to win games. And then there is the example he sets by playing hurt or selling out his body to catch a ball.
And trading him away also means that the outfield becomes that more shaky. It's obvious that Jaques Jones isn't coming back. OS we're already going to have a new right fielder. Or Lew Ford. Either way, it's probab;y a step back. In left, you have an aging Shannon Stewart. NOw, I like Stewart. He's been a consumate professional, and a solid player for us throughout. a clutch bat, and a player who fits in with the Twins philosophy quite well. But if you trade Torii, Stewart will be the only guy left from this past season. What sort of logic does it make when you keep the older guy, and trade away or release the younger and more talented players in Jones and HUnter? It then would become a complete overhaul of hte outfield, and at that point, you mihgt as well completely overhaul the rest of the team. Because as it stands now, just about the entire infield has to be re-worked.
The only positions that are really nailed down in the infield is 1st base and catcher. And it's not as though we couldn't see some improvement there. The new cornerstone of the franchise is Joe Mauer behind the plate. And he's done a great job so far. You'd like to see some more power from him, but that may come in time. Meanwhile, he needs more experience calling games on a major league level. And the only way that happens is if he plays the games. Justin morneau, however, has struggled at the plate, and it affected him in the field a little bit. He's a young bat that the Twins are countingon to provide some major offense. If he can't develop, the Twins will have failed miserably, and may have to take a much closer look at why they failed to develop a young man with so much potential. We at the Daily Update are willing to chalk this past season up to growing pains for Morneau, but if he is to be a major contributor on this team (which he has to be for this team to win) then next season had better see alot more home runs, and a lot higher batting average. Like 30+ and a .280 at least.
The middle infield is a complete disaster area. Juan Castro, NIck Punto, Luis Rivas...they all played like utility players out there. All glove, no bat. And often times, the glove work wasn't there. Not a single one of them dazzled you with a quick turn of a double play. Both short stop and 2nd base begged for someone to grab hold of the position, but no one stepped up. Or if someone did, they tripped on their shoelaces doing so. This is the area of greatest need for upgrade. Alfonso Soriano is too much to hope for, but he would provide exactly what the Twins need...a player who can hit for .300 with power and drive in some runs. there was talk about the Twons trading forhim,but they could not work it out. further, it was going to be just for this season; they didn't feel they could afford him past that. His defense is not par excellence that you normally associate with the Twons, but given how bad the offense was, you'd be willing to sacrifice a bit to get what you need. And it's not as though he'd e pushing out a gold glove guy anyway. (that's not a shot at Bret Boone, but it might as well be, for what little he did with the Twins.)
At third, Cuddyer was very below average. I won't pick on him too much, becauseyou could see the effort was there. He'd dive for balls and try o give the team a chance, but he always seemed to come up just short of what we needed. His bat wasn't much to speak of, either. Cuddyer shared the same expectation ofMorneau, and it simply hasn't happened for him on the Major League stage. He can still contribute on the team, but where and how needs to be determined. And that is the frustrating part, becaue that is the question surrounding him ever year at this time. Does he play RF? 2b? 3b? Where do you put him? If the Twins were to find a 3b they could move him over to 2b, but they need to find better candidates than Bill Mueller et al that they have been discussing.
There has also been talk about adding Paul Konerko, the current White Sox player. Ignoring for a moment that he is a White Sox player, there is the issue that the 1 defensive position he plays is 1st base. Where Morneau is at. Now it does free 1 of them to play DH, and with the loss of Matt Lecroy, we may actuallyneed that. He would add the power this team needs. But it does nothing to improve the defense up the middle.
We'll cover the pitching in a future update.
NFL Preview Week 5:
Baltimore at Detroit 1:00 p.m.
I just haven't watched enough Lions football to determine if Harrington really is the problem for the Lions or not. Word has it that if they had another viable option at QB, they'd have gone to it already. But you also hear about charles Rogers, and how he doesn't know what role on the team he has, and then he gets bsted for a drug violation...I don't know that the problems are all at the QB. Sounds like at least 1 of the WR's is too wrapped up in himself to get involved with what the reast of the team is doing. Baltimore is going to shut down the run, not only because they can, but because it's what you want to do against the Lions. Force them to pass, because the Lions struggle to do that. And when tey do, you'll have palyers like Ed Reed ready to take the ball away.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
Chicago at Cleveland 1:00 p.m.
This just seems like a bad matchup of teams...2 struggling teams that have good components here and there, but can't put it all together, and are horrible because of it. The Bears defense has great talent, but hasn't yet shown the ability to really clamp down an opposing offense yet. THe offense for hte Bears has some talent too, but it's negated by a rookie QB. You're stuck at a standstill. Cleveland has some ok pieces on offense, but hasn't lit up any scoreboards. he defense? Meh. Whatever.
Winner: Cleveland Browns, because they're at home.
Miami at Buffalo 1:00 p.m.
Remember the days of Brian Cox flipping off the buffalo crowd, and this being a great rivalry? Yeah, those were fun days. Buffalo isn't starting Losman anymore. But I'm stillnot picking them until they get rid of those throwback uniforms. Miami doesn't have alot of momentum on offense, but who the heck knows what can happen.
Winner Miami Dolphins
New England at Atlanta 1:00 p.m.
My confidence in the New England Patriots is shaken, but not comepltely lost. Atlanta is a fiesty defense and could cause problems, but they're sitting Vick today. I'm going to stick with NEw England for another week, and we'll re-evaluate our position next week.
Winner: New England Patriots
New Orleans at Green Bay 1:00 p.m.
"Hail to Dorothy! the wicked witch is (almost) dead!"
Ha ha ha! Ho ho ho! And a bunch of tra-la-las! That's how we laugh our cares away in the merry old land of schadenfruede!
Every time the Packers lose, I do a happy dance.
In my pants.
"Dude, did he just admit-"
Moving on, I am of course hoping for the best, and that the Saints shall force Favre into early retirement. He seems to have a growing exasperation about the teams fortunes, and just about ready to throw up his hands in disgust. A few more losses might force the issue.
Winner: New Orleans Saints
Seattle at St. Louis 1:00 p.m.
Both teams seemed to be saved from their own screw ups by the ineptitude of the other team. Well, maybe not the Seahawks. This is going to be a game determined by which team makes the most mistakes.
Winner: St Louis Rams, again going with the home team.
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets 1:00 p.m.
The Jets are on a downward spiral. The loss of Pennington at Qb normally would be huge, if it hadn't been for his injury befor the season. The loss of his physical skills isn't as great as it normally would be, but the loss of his presence in the offense is far greater, considering their other options at QB. When you turn to 48 year old Vinny testeverde as a fail safe option, you know it is bad.
tampa has some offensive problems, seeing as how they've already worn out their rookie RB, but they still ahve some other options.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee at Houston 1:00 p.m.
The Titans have mostly inferior talent comparatively to other teams, while Houston doens't know what to do with the talent they have, which makes you wonder just how good the talent they have really is. Houston hasn't shown the ability to get it together, so I am going to go with the Titans.
Winner: Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
The Colts are the best team in the NFl, right now. The only thing keeping the 49ers from being the worst team in the NFl is the NFC North.
Winner: INdianapolis Colts
Carolina at Arizona 4:15 p.m.
I'm going with Carolina becuse I think they are the better team. Imagine that.
Winner: Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia at Dallas 4:15 p.m.
I am goiong to make a confession, and tell you that I don't know what is going to happen in this game. So the following is only a guess:
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
Washington at Denver 4:15 p.m.
Remember when they played int he Super Bowl, and the Broncos threw deep on their first play and scored a TD? Yeah, those were the days. These are not the same broncos. I don't see the Broncos offense doing much against this defense.
Winner: Washington Redskins
Cincinnati at Jacksonville 8:30 p.m.
Danged if I know. the Bengals seem to be a trendy pick. Wait, I typed that out last week. I'll take Jacksonville at home, ust to be contrary.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Monday NIght Football
Pittsburgh at San Diego 9:00 p.m.
These teams played against each other for the right to lose to San Fransisco in theSuper Bowl way back when. It seems as though the Steelers haven't changed much since then, and that's because Bill Cowher is still there. The Chargers in contrast, ahve been all over the place, and are on the 3rd or 4th regime since then.
Since again, I don't know which way to go, I'll take the home team. Yes, it's just as simple as that.
Winner: San Diego Chargers
I’m just a shy guy,
My, I’m a ’fraid-to-try guy
No lie.
There’s a gal that I idolize
But I just can’t seem to hypnotize.
And when she pets me,
You betcha, it gets me.
And everytime I hold her hand,
I’m just too shy to say the things I plan.
Everytime she’s close to me,
My heart is filled with ecstasy,
And like a dope, I let the chance slip by.
There, I should have told her then
But all I did was sit and grin,
And I ended up so mad that I could cry.
’cause I’m a shy guy
Wish I was a sly guy
Then I could say, "baby, baby, I love you"
Just like those guys in moving pictures all do.
-Nat King Cole, Shy Guy
This day in History:
In 1884, the Naval War College was established in Newport, R.I.
In 1889, the Moulin Rouge in Paris first opened its doors to the public. But just the doors.
In 1905, 100 years ago, tennis great Helen Wills Moody was born in Berkeley, Calif. She helped set the stage for many women tennis players after her. Like Flavia Pennetta.
Do I dare say it?
In 1949, President Truman signed the Mutual Defense Assistance Act, totaling $1.3 billion in military aid to NATO countries.
In 1949, American-born Iva Toguri D'Aquino, convicted of treason for being Japanese wartime broadcaster "Tokyo Rose," was sentenced in San Francisco to 10 years in prison and fined $10,000. (She ended up serving more than six years.)
In 1973, war erupted in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria attacked Israel during the Yom Kippur holiday.
Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement of all the things you have done against God. You ask for forgiveness for all of your wrong doings against God for the past year. For things you have done against others, you can't go to the big guy for that...you have to go to that person, and seek forgiveness from them. It's also suggested taht you fast.
Yom Kippur is Sundown on Oct 12 until Sunndown on Oct 13th, this year.
In 1989, actress Bette Davis died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, at age 81.
Today's Birthdays:
Actress and Bond Girl Britt Ekland is 63.
Actress Elisabeth Shue is 42.
Singer Matthew Sweet is 41.
He says he needs a girlfriend, and that I need somebody to love.
Well, the latter may be true, but that doesn't make me the target of the former.
Actress Jacqueline Obradors is 39.
Actor Ioan Gruffudd is 32.
Shakespeare Quote of the Day:
"Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."
--Much Ado About Nothing (III, i, 106)
Word of the day:
effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.
Nicolas Cage and his son:
I'm sure that all of you have already heard this bit of news, but Nick Cage recently had a son, and named him Kal-El. Kal-El being the name of Superman from his place of origin, Krypton.
You've just named your kid after a fictional superhero that he doesn't stand a chance of living up to. If he is lucky to make it to 23 without major damage, he'll still end up in a bar fight with some drunk idiot who decides to see if Kal-El can stop a bullet with his chest. It won't work.
Worse yet would be his interaction with the lady-folk. "His name is Kal-El, but he's no Superman."
Which is why when I have a son, I'm going with either Optimus Prime or Old Yeller.
Twins Season post-mortem:
I know I know. I was supposed to cover this in the previous update, but I became so far attached form that one that I figured it best just to go ahead and post it here instead.
For the 2 people who read this and have not been keeping up on Twins this season, offense was the biggest issue by far for this team. ON top of that, the normally sound fundemental team showed breakdowns in their fielding, and a normally cohesive unit was fraying at the end, with fights amongst the players. That happens on a lot of teams, and probably even with the Twins. The strange part about it is that if it DOES happen on the Twins, it's usually behind closed doors. No matter. The major issue is that noone was hitting at all, the starting pitchers gave up just enough runs each game to paint the picture that they didn't get enough run support, and the minor league teams didn't have the fielding talent needed to fill in at various positions. And the steady workhorse of the starting pitching staff started to show signs of his age.
Not all was bad this year, though ther are dangerous storm clouds on the horizon for some of the bright spots. The bullpen was again fantastic (with the exception of JC Romero), and Joe Nathan took another step towards becoming one of the best closers in baseball. He's not Mariano rivera, but he's in that 1st tier of guys who aren't Mariano rivera. The outfield showed their usual brilliance in the field, only to lose Torii Hunter for the rest of the season back in early August. (See: storm clouds). Jaques Jones filled in as best he could, and provided great defense as well, but certainly wasn't enough to turn the team around. And of course, Johan santana looked great in the second half of the season, and they were able to give some of the younger pitchers some experience for next year for the rotation. Add to it the slow but steady growth of Joe Mauer, and you ahve some bright spots from a shaky transition season.
But things aren't going to get better for the Twins unless they make a bold move or two. There isn't much help in the minor leagues n the way of hitting, so this means that they're going to have to add a veteran from free agency. And adding hitters cost money.
There are alsorumors that they are considering trading away Torii Hunter. This would be a huge colossal mistake, in my opinion, though I should probab;y admit he's my favorite player on the team. Based off of this past season and seasons before, he's been a driving force in the clubhouse, and has become very vocal about not settling for a mediocre season. He's passionate about striving for success, and what it takes to win. He's the best centerfielder in the American League, he consistently hits 25 home runs or so on a team that hasn't had someone hit over 30 since the mid to late 80's, and he often does the little things necessary on the basepaths to win games. And then there is the example he sets by playing hurt or selling out his body to catch a ball.
And trading him away also means that the outfield becomes that more shaky. It's obvious that Jaques Jones isn't coming back. OS we're already going to have a new right fielder. Or Lew Ford. Either way, it's probab;y a step back. In left, you have an aging Shannon Stewart. NOw, I like Stewart. He's been a consumate professional, and a solid player for us throughout. a clutch bat, and a player who fits in with the Twins philosophy quite well. But if you trade Torii, Stewart will be the only guy left from this past season. What sort of logic does it make when you keep the older guy, and trade away or release the younger and more talented players in Jones and HUnter? It then would become a complete overhaul of hte outfield, and at that point, you mihgt as well completely overhaul the rest of the team. Because as it stands now, just about the entire infield has to be re-worked.
The only positions that are really nailed down in the infield is 1st base and catcher. And it's not as though we couldn't see some improvement there. The new cornerstone of the franchise is Joe Mauer behind the plate. And he's done a great job so far. You'd like to see some more power from him, but that may come in time. Meanwhile, he needs more experience calling games on a major league level. And the only way that happens is if he plays the games. Justin morneau, however, has struggled at the plate, and it affected him in the field a little bit. He's a young bat that the Twins are countingon to provide some major offense. If he can't develop, the Twins will have failed miserably, and may have to take a much closer look at why they failed to develop a young man with so much potential. We at the Daily Update are willing to chalk this past season up to growing pains for Morneau, but if he is to be a major contributor on this team (which he has to be for this team to win) then next season had better see alot more home runs, and a lot higher batting average. Like 30+ and a .280 at least.
The middle infield is a complete disaster area. Juan Castro, NIck Punto, Luis Rivas...they all played like utility players out there. All glove, no bat. And often times, the glove work wasn't there. Not a single one of them dazzled you with a quick turn of a double play. Both short stop and 2nd base begged for someone to grab hold of the position, but no one stepped up. Or if someone did, they tripped on their shoelaces doing so. This is the area of greatest need for upgrade. Alfonso Soriano is too much to hope for, but he would provide exactly what the Twins need...a player who can hit for .300 with power and drive in some runs. there was talk about the Twons trading forhim,but they could not work it out. further, it was going to be just for this season; they didn't feel they could afford him past that. His defense is not par excellence that you normally associate with the Twons, but given how bad the offense was, you'd be willing to sacrifice a bit to get what you need. And it's not as though he'd e pushing out a gold glove guy anyway. (that's not a shot at Bret Boone, but it might as well be, for what little he did with the Twins.)
At third, Cuddyer was very below average. I won't pick on him too much, becauseyou could see the effort was there. He'd dive for balls and try o give the team a chance, but he always seemed to come up just short of what we needed. His bat wasn't much to speak of, either. Cuddyer shared the same expectation ofMorneau, and it simply hasn't happened for him on the Major League stage. He can still contribute on the team, but where and how needs to be determined. And that is the frustrating part, becaue that is the question surrounding him ever year at this time. Does he play RF? 2b? 3b? Where do you put him? If the Twins were to find a 3b they could move him over to 2b, but they need to find better candidates than Bill Mueller et al that they have been discussing.
There has also been talk about adding Paul Konerko, the current White Sox player. Ignoring for a moment that he is a White Sox player, there is the issue that the 1 defensive position he plays is 1st base. Where Morneau is at. Now it does free 1 of them to play DH, and with the loss of Matt Lecroy, we may actuallyneed that. He would add the power this team needs. But it does nothing to improve the defense up the middle.
We'll cover the pitching in a future update.
NFL Preview Week 5:
Baltimore at Detroit 1:00 p.m.
I just haven't watched enough Lions football to determine if Harrington really is the problem for the Lions or not. Word has it that if they had another viable option at QB, they'd have gone to it already. But you also hear about charles Rogers, and how he doesn't know what role on the team he has, and then he gets bsted for a drug violation...I don't know that the problems are all at the QB. Sounds like at least 1 of the WR's is too wrapped up in himself to get involved with what the reast of the team is doing. Baltimore is going to shut down the run, not only because they can, but because it's what you want to do against the Lions. Force them to pass, because the Lions struggle to do that. And when tey do, you'll have palyers like Ed Reed ready to take the ball away.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
Chicago at Cleveland 1:00 p.m.
This just seems like a bad matchup of teams...2 struggling teams that have good components here and there, but can't put it all together, and are horrible because of it. The Bears defense has great talent, but hasn't yet shown the ability to really clamp down an opposing offense yet. THe offense for hte Bears has some talent too, but it's negated by a rookie QB. You're stuck at a standstill. Cleveland has some ok pieces on offense, but hasn't lit up any scoreboards. he defense? Meh. Whatever.
Winner: Cleveland Browns, because they're at home.
Miami at Buffalo 1:00 p.m.
Remember the days of Brian Cox flipping off the buffalo crowd, and this being a great rivalry? Yeah, those were fun days. Buffalo isn't starting Losman anymore. But I'm stillnot picking them until they get rid of those throwback uniforms. Miami doesn't have alot of momentum on offense, but who the heck knows what can happen.
Winner Miami Dolphins
New England at Atlanta 1:00 p.m.
My confidence in the New England Patriots is shaken, but not comepltely lost. Atlanta is a fiesty defense and could cause problems, but they're sitting Vick today. I'm going to stick with NEw England for another week, and we'll re-evaluate our position next week.
Winner: New England Patriots
New Orleans at Green Bay 1:00 p.m.
"Hail to Dorothy! the wicked witch is (almost) dead!"
Ha ha ha! Ho ho ho! And a bunch of tra-la-las! That's how we laugh our cares away in the merry old land of schadenfruede!
Every time the Packers lose, I do a happy dance.
In my pants.
"Dude, did he just admit-"
Moving on, I am of course hoping for the best, and that the Saints shall force Favre into early retirement. He seems to have a growing exasperation about the teams fortunes, and just about ready to throw up his hands in disgust. A few more losses might force the issue.
Winner: New Orleans Saints
Seattle at St. Louis 1:00 p.m.
Both teams seemed to be saved from their own screw ups by the ineptitude of the other team. Well, maybe not the Seahawks. This is going to be a game determined by which team makes the most mistakes.
Winner: St Louis Rams, again going with the home team.
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets 1:00 p.m.
The Jets are on a downward spiral. The loss of Pennington at Qb normally would be huge, if it hadn't been for his injury befor the season. The loss of his physical skills isn't as great as it normally would be, but the loss of his presence in the offense is far greater, considering their other options at QB. When you turn to 48 year old Vinny testeverde as a fail safe option, you know it is bad.
tampa has some offensive problems, seeing as how they've already worn out their rookie RB, but they still ahve some other options.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee at Houston 1:00 p.m.
The Titans have mostly inferior talent comparatively to other teams, while Houston doens't know what to do with the talent they have, which makes you wonder just how good the talent they have really is. Houston hasn't shown the ability to get it together, so I am going to go with the Titans.
Winner: Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
The Colts are the best team in the NFl, right now. The only thing keeping the 49ers from being the worst team in the NFl is the NFC North.
Winner: INdianapolis Colts
Carolina at Arizona 4:15 p.m.
I'm going with Carolina becuse I think they are the better team. Imagine that.
Winner: Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia at Dallas 4:15 p.m.
I am goiong to make a confession, and tell you that I don't know what is going to happen in this game. So the following is only a guess:
Winner: Philadelphia Eagles
Washington at Denver 4:15 p.m.
Remember when they played int he Super Bowl, and the Broncos threw deep on their first play and scored a TD? Yeah, those were the days. These are not the same broncos. I don't see the Broncos offense doing much against this defense.
Winner: Washington Redskins
Cincinnati at Jacksonville 8:30 p.m.
Danged if I know. the Bengals seem to be a trendy pick. Wait, I typed that out last week. I'll take Jacksonville at home, ust to be contrary.
Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars
Monday NIght Football
Pittsburgh at San Diego 9:00 p.m.
These teams played against each other for the right to lose to San Fransisco in theSuper Bowl way back when. It seems as though the Steelers haven't changed much since then, and that's because Bill Cowher is still there. The Chargers in contrast, ahve been all over the place, and are on the 3rd or 4th regime since then.
Since again, I don't know which way to go, I'll take the home team. Yes, it's just as simple as that.
Winner: San Diego Chargers
