In
This Issue:
Current
Standings
Knowin' When To Hold 'Em, When
To Fold 'Em
They
say you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. I'm
not sure what that means exactly, but our first place position
holder sure seems to. Sonya "Rocky IV" Morgan has
been skating by on her laurels and taking the home team defaults
to the top. But on a week where the home teams would go 6-10, Sonya
made her own picks and went 10-6. I wish she would clue
me in on the insider info she's obviously been getting, but she
won't tell me anything. Maybe I can invoke the "Marriage Clause"
which would entitle me to any and all information she's getting
from her secret sources, once we get married. It's incentive for
me to take that step, that's for sure.
Surging his way into 2nd place
is Mark van "Eeghen" Miltenburg, who would
be our highest ever finishing European. We, as American citizens,
should be ashamed to be bested by someone from across the pond. How
long has he been following American Football? Couldn't be all that
long. Probably not long enough to remember that Mark van Eeghen was
a running back for the Oakland Raiders back in the 1970's. Maybe
it's a time zone thing, and since Mark is ahead of us, he knows the
outcome of games before they are played. Then again, this has never
helped Paul Kessler who is like a full day ahead
of us. We need to ask Mark what his secret is.
Third place is currently being
shared by Pete "and Repeat" Blasevick,
making his first appearance in the Top 5, and Wyatt LeDuc who
has been up there alot this year. Dolores Conner is
occupying the 5th place slot. This is important because, for what
I believe to be the first time this year, Jennifer Pickert is
NOT in the Top 5 (She's in 6th).
Making a surge of his own, Angelo
"Temple Owl" Forgione took best record of the
week honors with his 13-3 last week and shot himself up into a tie
for 7th place. At the other end, Zack LeDuc turned
in an embarrassing 3-13 and seems to have no chance to catch his
brother Wyatt. His father Tom is still in reach
though.
The FBH Cellar is still held by
Alex Bunting, but he's not totally alone down there.
The Favorites default is actually worse
than him. That's not much consolation though, as he's still the lowest
ranked human. This is the year of the Underdogs as
they are tied for 2nd place. That fact should help you decide
when you come across a game you have trouble picking.
There's only 3 weeks left to decide
a champion. Can Sonya hang on? We'll see.
Until next week (hopefully)...
Guest
Column
Jet Game Memories
This week's Guest Column is a
reproduction of a batch of emails that were started by Bob
Shupp talking about some of our most vivid Jets
game memories. Specifically, games some of us attended and some of
us didn't. Bob has been a Jets season ticket holder since 1979 and
has missed only a few games in all those years. Joining Bob at these
Jets home games over the course of time included FBH members Dave and Tom
Schwade, and Ralph. But
Roy and Rob Tringali also have
some Jet game memories to add to the mix. Let's get it started...
BOB: I was emailing
a guy who I was helping to buy Raiders tickets, and he
mentioned he just ordered a custom authentic Cotchery jersey. He
asked how
long I've been going, and I told him I've missed 4 home games since
the end
of the '78 season. He was impressed, (actually, I think he was scared...)
and it got me thinking, so I sent him this back along with 10 memorable
moments that I witnessed. I'm not sharing this with my brother Steve,
who I
know would try to top it.
Rob T - fill me in on what I've forgotten.
Dave - #11 would be the Flying Lawnmower crash at Shea
Ralph - Packers suck Lynne's Dickey! You get hit with the GP
Ellen - Note some of the best games were COLD.
Roy - I love you man. You flew in for Jacksonville. Cool.
Tom S - I won't embarrass you by mentioning Hash hair. Too late.
I Missed:
Jets Saints '83 - Steve Schwade was so late picking me up, I refused
to go.
Jets Bills '89 - I was in a band and we had a day gig in Philly.
Jets Pats '93 - I was in the Netherlands on vacation. Neuk Channel.
Jets Chiefs '01 - Honeymoon in St. Thomas, but we watched it.
Top-ten moments that stand out that I've been
there for:
'81 Moving into 1st place by beating Miami 15-13 (Shea)
'81 Clinching playoffs by beating GB (10 sacks) (Shea)
'81 Devastating Home Play-off loss to Buffalo (Shea)
'86 51-45 OT Dolphin win
'92 Dennis Byrd and Mersereau collide against KC
'94 The fake spike debacle (Kotite's coming!)
'98 Vinny doesn't get in, but it's a TD anyway
'99 Playoff win vs. Jacksonville. Confetti everywhere.
'00 Monday Night Miracle
'02 Miracle day when we beat GB to win division
Notice that 4 out of 10 involve Miami.
I just recalled the Vinny Achilles injury opening
day in '99. That might
surpass the Testeverde non-TD game. Oh well. There was also the burning
of
the hats night - that was somewhat memorable. There also was the
horrific
loss to the Colts, 5-3. (The "almost-Jets-beating Colts" as
Ralph would
describe the Colts to be. Don't try to figure it out, since they
did beat
them...) The Colts were bad then, we were worse. Oh no! the horrible
moments are beginning to flood back in! I'd better stop. Shit! I
just
remembered the 47-10 MNF loss to the Raiders, when Kotite decided
Vance
Joseph could switch to CB all of a sudden and shut-down Tim Brown
in his
prime. Ahhhhh!
Oh, thankfully another pleasant memory
showed up to save me. 10/15/79 Jets
Monday Night win against the Vikes at Shea. (Ellen's 10th Birthday)
Guy
jumps on the screen, gets pummeled by debris. Another guy lying face
down on
the ramp out cold, bleeding, on the way out. We drove to that game,
which
then was a luxury for us then. Dottie's Oldsmobile if I remember
correctly.
We stop at White Castle on the way home and Mom allows me to miss
school the
next morning. Sweet.
ROY:
What, not even one Pat Leahy 33-yard missed FGs on your list?
One I was at: 12/18/93 -- The F*ck Dallas chocolate
football and Bob as"Wavy Gravy" berates a Cowboys fan with
a disability by turning around
and blindly shouting "Eeeeeh-mmiiiitt" before realizing
the full
situation. Jets lose to Super Bowl-bound Dallas 28-7.
One I was not at: 11/29/81 -- Hearing about
Natalie Wood's death on
25A. Jets lose to Colts 25-0.
One I was at and Bob wasn't -- 12/19/99 --
With Rutgers's very own Ray
Lucas at QB, The Jets come back and defeat The Cowboys by 22-21 in
Dallas. Before the game, Roy compares head sizes with Dallas mascot
Rowdie and meets the Jets mafia in the parking lot.
Of course, what could be the granddaddy
of them all, although it was not
a home game, was 9/23/01 -- Jets/Pats in Boston. Everything that
happened around the game notwithstanding, The NFL resumes with 9/11
pageantry in full bloom...Mo Lewis nearly kills Bledsoe (Rob calls
it,"The hardest hit he's ever seen") and The Patriots will
never be the
same again, Ralph and Roy get called "pedophiles" to which
Roy shouts
back, "alleged!"...we break up a brawl in the stands...Jets
win 10-3.
BOB: Roy, thank you so much
for your thoughts. Reminiscent of '93, I went at a fellow
fan this year after the Indy loss. Ellen was worried there'd be a
fight.
Last week I think I sat next to the same guy and we were friends
until the
4th Q when we started to disagree again...
The Dallas Game was a big one for us. I remember
bringing Chili bought from
a Chili place in Kenilworth. That "emmitt" guy must have
loved dancing with
the Stars. If only I had his phone number...
Thanks for the Natalie Wood memory. It led
me to think of another game where
we tailgated after the game, (late) and Dave asked, "what time
is it? I have
an exam early tomorrow, and need to be home by 7 to study" It
was 9:30 PM
when he asked, and we were still in Queens. Poor failing bastard.
This game
might never not have determined Dave's future at NJIT.
How could I forget the two games where we planned
and successfully executed
NBC Sports banner heists? One was against Buffalo in '79, the other
I
believe was the next year against Seattle. Roy, check the archives... [Ralph
Note: I still have one of those banners and it hangs in my bedroom.]
ROY:
The Buffalo game was 11/11/79, you heistmeisters probably took advantage
of the mass confusion caused when Jet fans stormed the field to
celebrate the 14-12 loss.
You can get all the results here:
http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/history?year=1981
ROB T. :
I do recall a AFC championship game in Denver when the Jets blocked
a
punt , probably about 10 yards from where we were standing, then
Curtis Martin scored giving the Jets a 10-0 lead in the 3rd quarter.
Then Bob preceded to tell the Broncos horse to stay in the stable
or
something like that. For a brief moment it was thrilling. No need
to
mention what happened after....
ROY:
I love Tringali! He's so smooth -- mentioning "a" conference
championship game The Jets were in... like it happens all the time!
Great!
I didn't go to too many games so have less
to draw from...
I remember going to a game vs. SF (I think
it was 1981) when Montana set
a new passing attempts record and Roger Craig caught something like
20
balls and we lost a very boring game. Still have the Pro Magazine
from
that game.
BOB: Clark Gaines set an NFL
record for receptions that day. Now, it appears like an accomplishment,
but all it meant at the time was that Todd had no one else to throw
to and they were WAY behind all day. (I think you meant Todd, not
Montana. I know it's hard not to confuse the two) I also think this
was the Steve DeBerg back-pack amplifier game. Then we saw a good
fistfight afterwards. I could be wrong though...
RALPH: I'm loving this thread.
The great thing is, I was at many of the mentioned games. The "Steve
Schwade arrived too late to go to the Saints game" Game, I went
instead without Bob, and it was the Falcons that day. We got there
with 3 minutes left in the 2nd qtr. Driving rain storm, Shea, NYC
Marathon Day, parked in the junk yard. Miserable game with Atlanta
scoring 24 2nd half points to erase a 21 point deficit and win.
I was at the Jet game in Texas, 2 of the 3
1981 games, MNF Miracle, Chocolate football, Horse back in the barn,
New England 9/11, Dennis Byrd, OT vs. Miami in '86.
How about the game in September with temps
in the upper 90's (no one peed the whole game), and later that year,
the 5 degree day game when our beers froze in our mugs and we left
frozen beer gifts on the seats for the Giants fans the next day.
Games I didn't attend:
Snowstorm in Steve's van vs. Tampa Bay at Shea.
Game where Bob and Steve Etc. kept Ron in NYC getting smashed
while I was stuck at home with Nancy and the Folks expecting you guys
home for an important dinner. One of you called on the phone wasted
to tell us you were still in NYC when you were already an hour and
a half late. I was so jealous.
ROY: I remember another game,
must have been the 1985 season (I think it was vs. the Colts) when
I went to the game with everyone and Kim stayed
home in Cranford and helped my dad paint the house. I'm STILL trying
to make that one up to her...ah, live and learn.
BOB: Live and learn? Live
and TEACH you mean. Nice going. You are destined to work for her
forever now anyway. Consider it even.
ROY: Yes, Bob's right about
the SF game...I don't remember the fist fight but it was New York.
I guess I should actually read the Pro Magazine...
BOB: On Sunday night, Al Michaels
mentioned that "Thunder" the
Bronco horse had been injured and was out of the game against Seattle.
I pumped my fist.
Thunder + Dave Meggett + Alex Van Dyke ='s doom
TOM S.: My "away" game
was when they played the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum, and
I took Patty. I dressed low key, having previously been to a Raiders
game in which a Steelers fan had been killed, but the fans around
quickly figured out that I was rooting for the Jets. I think the
guy behind me was named "Thunder",
too. I walked away from that game
(loss) knowing that if my woman wasn't with me, they wouldda made
me a woman. The next time I rooted against the home team was when
Notre Dame was visiting USC----at least most of the fans were college
grads ("Brads", not "Thunders").
ROY: When I wore my Mo Lewis
jersey to Texas Stadium, Dallas fans looked at
me with a mixture of confusion and pity. It was like they couldn't
figure out why someone would have made such a peculiar choice...yet
their generous hearts went out to me after realizing The Cowboys
had
been to eight Super Bowls, winning five, since Broadway Joe's guarantee.
ROB T : One for the archive,
as I was shooting Al Groh and Vinny Testaverde walking off the field
after the Jets defeated Green Bay to start the 2000 season giving
Groh his first in as a Jets coach , someone undercut me and I re-injured
a previous knee injury. As I was rithing in pain, Testaverde and
Groh stepped over my prone body like I was dog crap. Elliott Hershman
the Jets team doctor looked at me for a second, telling me he couldn't
do anything because of insurance reasons, then he suggested I take
a couple of aspirins. Gee Thanks ...
DAVE: Now why wouldn't the last
game at Shea be mentioned here? I still have
my seat back that must have somehow fallen off when everyone was
leaving. Of course, I didn't attend the game as I was in the Navy.
So,
you all were kind enough to bring it home for me.
And, the other memorable
game (at least for me) was when the Jets were
driving toward the goal-line with seconds ticking down, but they
weren't
hustling to the line of scrimmage. I was screaming my head off at
them:"What are they doing?" I asked. Bob turned to me and
said: "Dave,
It's
only the third quarter." I had just awoken from my best Steve
Shupp
impersonation.
My worst Jets game was the 6 - 3 (?) loss to
the Redskins here at RFK,
with the snap during a Jet fieldgoal attempt bouncing off the holders
helmet. I should have slept at that game. Nice to see all these Jet
memories.
Hey Bob - Good thing the Neuk channel in Amsterdam
didn't show the Jet game.
That would have been expensive.
I can't believe we saw a guy killed by a flying lawnmower at a Jets
game. Yikes! I think that was the end of halftime shows at Shea.
ROY: We were also at the infamous
NJ Generals game (Flutie, Herschel and the
Donald) when snowballs from the crowd apparently forced the end of
cheerleading at the Meadowlands, forever. Wasn't it Artie (from Allen
Envelope)'s birthday or something?
BOB: Odd that I remember so
much detail from some games in the late 70's or early 80's, and nothing
at all from others. In the interest of science, I should have given
a blood sample after each game for analysis. I did give plenty of
pee samples DURING the game, but those have been flushed away and
cannot be tested.
Well, at least most of them were!
Rob, many sports fans out there would love to have been the
dog crap that you were, at the feet of Testeverde and Groh. At least
they didn't step in you. I'd hate to have to get that off of my shoe!
;-)
ROY: I have located the Pro! Magazine
and it was September 21, 1980, less
than 1 month after Bob and I headed off to Rutgers as fresh-faced
kids.
In fairness to me, the cover art is a drawing
of Bill Walsh and his
blonde-haired QB that, with a quick glance, could be mistaken for
Montana. Plus, Montana was on the SF roster for that game (2nd year)
and would soon win the 1982 Super Bowl vs. Cincy so I was in the
right
timeframe. I, therefore, claim partial credit.
BOB: I love the fact that
some of the "facts" have escaped
through the years, for example, my goof of the missed '83 game being
the Saints when it was the Falcons. I got you on one here Ralph.
The "no one pee'd game and the 5 degree game could not be in
the same season since they were both against Buffalo.
Here's another cold disaster: The final game
of Kotite's career against the Saints. Everyone who went that day,
and there weren't a lot, had entire rows of extra tickets. Surprise
surprise, the game sucked too. Rob T has a good story about that
game, and this will be a test to see if he's still with us here.
I'll save it for him to tell. (BTW - he's the birthday boy today.
Happy Birthday my friend.)
Way back when we would sometimes detour to
Greenwich Village on the trip back to NJ from Shea, and one time
(could have been the event Ralph described with Ron H) I recall parking
on 9th street, getting out of the car, and dropping a full yet to
be opened Beck's Beer that smashed in the street. (See, I remember
the brand) We weren't even that concerned about it other than the
fact there was one less beer. I guess we were reckless then, but
the standards were different. (It was pre-open container law) Or
we were different. Or New York was different.
It was I that called home with the news that
we were "stuck
in traffic" and would miss the family dinner. Payphone at the
corner of 9th and 6th Ave. It's still there across from the Barnes & Noble
(Yes, that neighborhood has a Barnes & Noble) I'm sure Ron said
to me, "Bobby, call your sister" That's how it usually
went. We could look it up the date. It was a home game in December
in either '79 or '80. For some reason, the Patriots come to mind...
My guess would be '79.
ROB T. : The Jets - Saints
game. I shot this game for no apparent reason, and
for some inexplicable reason I remember shooting about 18 rolls of
film for this suck of a game. As Monday morning came, my usual routine
was to drop off my film at the lab for developing. I remember contemplating
if this game was worth
the $100.00 it was going to cost me to process the film. My
answer... somewhere in my storage unit is a ziploc bag of 18
rolls of unprocessed film from that game that set the NFL back a
few
years.
Jets - Denver AFC Champ game part 2 - Ralph
who was assisting my photographer buddy Bryan, on the same block
punt mentioned before
begins to punch him in the back while screaming, so I heard. Bryan
who was trying to shoot the play managed to get a bunch of out of
focus pictures, so the story goes.
ROY: And so Ralph's budding
career as an aggressive photographic assistant
dies a quiet but certain death.
P
On The PP
Travel To A Bowl Game?
Last
week's question seemed appropriate. Would you ever travel to a Bowl
Game in which your alma mater was playing? It's a question that until
last year had never needed to be answered by the Rutgers alums in
this league. But with an amazing season by the boys in scarlet, it
begged for an answer. As for me, I'm not an alum. But I've been a
fan of RU athletics since 1980 when Bob and Roy enrolled in the State
University of New Jersey. I'm fan enough to want to travel to any
Bowl game they appear in. Had they made it to the Orange Bowl, would
I have went? Not a chance, can't afford it. Oh, I would have really
wanted to go, especially if Bob and Roy went. Instead, however, Rutgers
is coming to us. I've lived in Dallas for 12 years now and have never
been to a Cotton Bowl (or THE Cotton Bowl stadium for that matter).
I'd like to, but the game starts at 10am local time on New Year's
Day and I'm usually just about going to bed at that time. Now that
the major Bowls are spread out over onto the 2nd, 3rd, 4th of January,
and there are only 5 other games played on Jan 1, there's no reason
to keep this crazy start time. Unfortunately, I fear that only a
Rutgers appearance in the Cotton Bowl will ever get me out to see
one. So instead, Rutgers is coming to Houston, a mere 4 hour drive
from here. And we're going. So my answer to the question, "Would
you travel for a Bowl game?" is yes!
My mistake in posing this question
was offering an answer of "Depends where it is". Well, duh, of course
it depends where it is. As I said, if Rutgers was playing in Miami,
I wouldn't be going. If they were playing anywhere else in the world,
I wouldn't be going. So we have to assume that anyone answering "Depends..."
is actually saying that Yes, they would consider traveling to see
their alma mater. Here's the results:
10 people said, Yes, they would
travel.
7 people said, No, they would not travel.
11 people said, Depends where it is.
So in reality, 21 of 28 respondents
said they would consider traveling to see their school play. That's
impressive. It means we're either really committed to our schools,
or just crazy football fans. Or both.
Dolores Conner: When
I went to StonyBrook it seemed like a foreign country anyway!!
Roy Bunting: I cannot
be a hypocrite. I
did not attend the Insight Bowl last year so I can't just say, "Yes" unequivocally. I
think the quality of the bowl is another factor (apart from distance)
- as in you might be more inclined to travel for the Orange Bowl
than the Texas Bowl. GO RUTGERS!
Mikey
Joyce: Yes, but not
this year.
Pete Blasevick: I have
a comment. The following is my comment. In fact, it is my comment,
mine alone, I thought it up, and no one helped me. I take all the
credit for this comment, and expect nobody to 'swoop in', as it were,
and try to take all the credit. Really, now, go come up with your
own comment why don't you, and stop hanging around here trying to
get ideas. Since you can't come up with your own, that is. Actually,
you know what? I'm not going to comment at all. I'm going to keep
my comments to myself. So there. Piss off.
[Editor Note: I hope he doesn't claim he was
misquoted.]
Paul Kessler: Yes,
but only as far as New Territories, HK...
Beth Wong: Champs Bowl (Orlando) here
we come baby!
Will Wong: We are off
to Orlando to watch Purdue beat up on some Maryland turtles.
[Editor's Note:
Apparently we aren't the only ones traveling to a Bowl game this
year.]
Mellenhead Shupp: The
pressure is on for me....1 game behind Julio Franco's new best
friend. Rock on! or Rock Lobster!?
J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets! [Editor's
Note: Ellen has a Lobster dinner bet with Pete B. for better record
between the two of them.]
Dane Schwade: You must
attend. And, report back to the rest of us so we can live vicariously
through RU and you.
Tom Schwade: Does Union County College
have a team? Does the College of Financial Planning have a
team? Does H&R Block Tax Preparer School have a team? Does
Harvey's School of Forklift Driving have a team?
Angelo Forgione: Give
me a break! I went to Temple U. Need I say more!
Extra Points
The Fastest 3 Minutes in Football Happenings
SD
Charger RB and fantasy football super-stud LaDanian Tomlinson says
many of his friends “own” him in their fantasy leagues.
When asked if they should give him a cut of their winnings he said
(I’m paraphrasing) “Yes, it’s just like getting
paid by your regular team.” Sure, this is all fun and games
and LT is getting a little jab in on his homeys, but are we getting
into questionable territory here? Could fantasy sports creep into
a player’s psyche when he’s on the field? (Does it already?)
Would a RB make a more dangerous move attempting to score a TD just
because he knew a friend had him in his Yahoo lineup? God forbid
a QB would avoid a certain receiver because he was playing against
him that week in a money league. And would this be impossible to
police? I’m thinking it would. Things to ponder...
[ All
things must pass…hockey great Joe Nieuwendyk retires. His
1999 Conn Smythe playoff performance will live in my heart, and the
hearts of all Dallas Stars fans, forever. He’s also dear to
NJ Devils fans as he was a big part of their 2003 Stanley Cup team.
[ What
would December be without a shout out to our buddy Rob “NFL
Photographer Guy” Tringali on his recent birthday? May all
your wishes come true in the coming year.
[ The
Yahoo fantasy football playoff brackets are all set. Winning the
regular season and top playoff seeding was Dad’s Belfast Bully
Barn – kudos to you, sir. Also included in the top four were
Boobie’s Bo Schembechlers (FKA Lambeau Schembecklers), Jeff
Boo-urns’s Turf Toes. The consolation bracket (AKA playing
for 5th place) contains Will’s Soldier Field Rocks, Rob T’s
Mile High Madmen, Ralph’s Shea Guevara and Ken and my Business
Access Dome. Good luck to all. We’ll publish the final results
after week 16.
[ This
has nothing much to do with football, I just liked it.
SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (AP)
-- After 12 months of naked partisanship on Capitol Hill, on cable
TV and in the blogosphere, the word of the year for 2006 is ... "truthiness."
The word -- if one can call it that -- best summed up 2006, according
to an online survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.
"Truthiness" was credited to Comedy
Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as "truth that
comes from the gut, not books."
"We're at a point where what constitutes
truth is a question on a lot of people's minds, and truth has become
up for grabs," said
Merriam-Webster president John Morse. "'Truthiness' is a playful
way for us to think about a very important issue."
Other Top 10 finishers included "war," "insurgent," "sectarian" and "corruption." But "truthiness" won
5-to-1, Morse said.
Colbert -- who once derided the folks at Springfield-based
Merriam-Webster as the "word police" and a bunch of "wordinistas" --
was pleased.
"Though I'm no fan of reference books
and their fact-based agendas, I am a fan of anyone who chooses to
honor me," he said in an
e-mail to The Associated Press.
"And what an honor," he said. "Truthiness
now joins the lexicographical pantheon with words like 'squash,'
'merry,' 'crumpet,' 'the,' 'xylophone,' 'circuitous,' 'others' and
others."
Colbert first uttered "truthiness" during an October 2005
broadcast of "The Colbert Report," his parody of combative,
conservative talk shows.
[ I
had the pleasure of meeting Kara Robinson, FBH front pack member,
for the first time this week. The next day, Kara, who is very into
music, sent this along to me:
This is from a NY Times
review of a new book about the iPod's impact on our culture. The
review is titled "Playlist is character." I
didn't think the whole review was worth sharing, but this seemed
something you might like to share with Roy. Clearly this is written
by someone with a graduate degree in humanities.
"Playlist is
character," he writes, echoing the idea,
expressed in countless "I am my iPod" articles, that
one's personality can be understood through - and is shaped by
- the music one listens to. This is certainly true, as is Levy's
identification of shuffle as the iPod's most significant feature.
The "techna
franca of the digital era," the shuffle mode forces constant
recontextualization, a process that could be disorienting if it
weren't so exciting.
My response:
As a fellow song compiler, I can see why you saw value in passing
along these comments on the shuffle phenomenon. Creating a mix
CD (I realized I had used the term "mix tape" a few
times last night which is now kind of quaint but I think it shows
where I'm coming from) is hardly just about finding the right songs;
it is also about getting them in the right order. Certainly, the
order helps define what songs are included in the mix and vice-versa.In
that way, shuffle is somewhat of a false friend -- if your iPod changes
your song order, doesn't it degrade your mix?Of course, that's exactly
what a Virgo would say (because having spent hours agonizing over
details that wouldn't even occur to anyone other than ourselves,
we have already determined the perfect song order to fulfill our
own devices, haven't we?). (Note: Kara is also a Virgo, like me.)
On the flip side, shuffle
is helping me expand my world -- stretching me to consider things
beyond my preconceptions (even if shuffle is sporadic with its "good
ideas"). I
appreciate concepts that stretch me more and more as I get older.The
next related subjects are: the de-evolution of album order (among
the sub-topics, "How eliminating flipping over the record from
side one to side two has screwed humanity up") and the near
extinction of the album as an entity ("The 'Buy Song' button
will surely kill musical culture someday").
Then a mini-symposium
on how a mix tape is to a mix CD as playing golf walking is to playing
golf using a cart......but we need a much longer block of time to
devote to those meaty, important issues. Until then, we just have
to keep making those mixes, even if you don't need headphones any
more.
[ The
AFC has won 35 of 56 inter-conference games with 8 to go. This will
mark the eleventh season that the AFC has won the season series.
In 2004, the AFC set the record for 44 inter-conference victories.
The AFC’s most productive teams have been NE and KC, both 4-0
against the other circuit. The NFC team that has fared best? Dallas
with a 3-1 record.
[ That’s
all well and good, but you want to know the most important stats:
What are the best and worst teams versus the line? Five teams are
tied with the league-best 9-4 record vs. the line: Chicago, New Orleans,
Buffalo, Tennessee, and San Diego.
[ The
worst teams to pick this year? Six teams have managed only 4 wins
vs. the spread: Washington, Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Cleveland,
and Denver.
[ A
winning season and having a good record against the spread don’t
necessarily go hand in hand and vice-versa. Remember, underdogs are
23 games over .500 this season.
[ It
still may be my breakout season but, suddenly, Emma is 1 game behind
me. Kim, Emma and I are all bunched up like the happy little family
we are. Dyalan is tied with Emma and if he has any designs on joining
the group, Emma sends a warning growl and a slap in the head to him.
[ Are
we witnessing the birth of a superstar? Yes, Reggie Bush is making
a splash over the past month. But consider this from Titans GM Floyd
Reese, “We’ve had QBs who could win and QBs who could
put up really good numbers. When you get both, you have Peyton Manning,
Tom Brady: that type of QB. It looks like Vince Young will have a
chance to be one of those guys.”
[ I
don’t really want to discuss last Sunday’s Dallas/New
Orleans game but I will say The Saints definitely have the talent
to win it all this season. Would that be freakishly amazing, or what?
Yes, Saints Coach Sean Payton showed his ex-mentor Bill Parcells
a thing or two this week, but let’s see who makes the better
adjustments in the next matchup, if there is one.
[ Can
Giants fans be happy with this year’s team? I know there’s
a lot of pressure to win in NY and I know their coach’s middle
name is Adolph, but they are asking a lot of a young QB and the veterans
don’t seem to be helping keep an even keel going. Seems like
a lot of punk behavior. They seem to be “Bawlin’” much
more than “Ballin’”.
[ Ralph
reports the difference in the total paid to Texas Bowl teams is $750k
as opposed to $17 million for the Orange Bowl. Ouch. I guess Louisville
needs it more…better for the conference. Also good for the
Big East is Coach Rodriguez is staying at West Virginia, turning
down Bear Bryant’s old job at Alabama. Wow…
Lamar Hunt
1932-2006
