2009 college football predictions week 14

this week’s predictions are a bit different than the usual bill of fare.  fear not, i get there eventually.  i hope you enjoy the ride.  jmh

eddie catalina had weathered worse weekends but nothing quite like the past one.  in some sort of semi delusional death wish he’d taken his car and rent money and bet it all on 10 of the worse college football picks imaginable.  sure, some of them looked good and even made sense in that death wish sort of way.  but he knew he was in big trouble by mid afternoon on saturday.

the odd thing was he really didn’t care.  the third floor walk up in the eastern part of downtown los angeles and his 10 year old car had lost whatever luster was left or ever had been there.  things had tumbled out of control and he was resigned to what would come soon enough. 

another strange thing was he didn’t even have the car or rent money anymore.  after losing the game that tilted the deal below what would mean busting out even he had taken the car and rent money and blown it all and then some.  that was even before the total disaster became, oh so apparent.  all the money he had was blown on a bizarre drunken whore mongering night in the illegal after hours mexican ‘nightclubs’ in his neighborhood.  a long night that found him drunk, alone and asleep at his kitchen table around noon sunday.

the pounding on the door woke him up.  it took a second or two to realize it was morning, the sun was up, and he was still drunk.  very drunk.  stumbling to the door he opened it.  two thugs pushed their way inside.  the larger of the two shut the door and stood by it.

the smaller one spoke.

’so where were you last night?  it looks like getting drunk on your sorry ass.  and that’s no excuse.  there are no excuses.  you know the rules.  payment is due on bets at midnight sharp.  pay up now plus another $1,000 in vig for our trouble.  don’t fucking piss don vincenzo off any more than he already is.’

standing there in his under ware, head down looking at the floor he thought, ‘good thing i’m still drunk.  maybe the broken bones won’t hurt so bad.’

broken bones or maybe.  just maybe.  yes, a mad hangover haze grab for the rusty but loaded .357 under the three day old newspaper on the table.  for you see, as dawn had broke that sunday morning, lonely broke drunken dreams made him pull it out of the bottom of his old army duffel bag.  he’d passed out before he could use it.  now maybe.  just maybe.  he could make use of it for some other purpose.

the smaller man slapped him to the floor.  eddie used the table to help himself to his feet.  his hand slipped under the paper.  he gripped the pitted and splintered walnut pistol butt.  he spun around firing.  his finger pulling the trigger as fast as he could.  sound, smoke and the smell of cordite filled the small room.

the two mobsters lay on the floor bleeding their last seconds of life out onto the cracked yellowed linoleum floor.  eddie catalina’s troubles had only just begun.   

yep.  there ya go.  the sad almost coda to the story of eddie catalina.  eddie thought he was smart.  smart enough to beat the spread every saturday during the college football season.  eddie did ok but no one ever does more than ok.  because they usually end up just like eddie.  broke and hungover on a minor level.  on a higher level, staring at a murder one rap straight in the face.  worse yet were the two dead mob soldiers.  that fact wasn’t going away.  ever.  no matter what the state decided.

see, kids?  it ain’t easy.  vegas and others know the only thing that matters is their money.  it’s all they care about.  and they take very good care of their money.  vegas palaces aren’t built on winners dreams.  they’re built on the sad dreams of every eddie catalina out there.  yours and mine.

this past weekend i went 2 for 10 for the week. i took week 6 off.  which means i’m now, 62 for 120, over all.  not looking good.  but still a tad over .500.  however, be that as it may.  onward and forward.  don’t look back because something might be gaining on you.  like an angry wife packing a five iron at 2:30am and swinging it at your head.

ok.  so, it’s the last week of regular season college football.  a bitter sweet week for those among us who love the game.  bitter because the short sweet season is over almost as soon as it began.  or so it seems.   sweet because we can begin the count down to next year and the first week in september.  the sweetest week of the year.  don’t be eddie catalina.  leave your money in your wallet.  right where it belongs.

i’m early again and some of the odds weren’t up yet.  i’m going by what’s here.  as usual. 

rock ‘n’ roll.

12/3  oregon st at oregon.  oregon favored by 9.5 points.  civil war time and it’s take no prisoners.  the game of the week for sure.  now you folks back east get a taste of the fine football being played by the pac 10 this year.  two of the best go head to head at the loudest stadium in the country, autzen stadium.  the home of the ducks and a more rabid fan base would be harder to find than the duck home crowd.  this game might reach over a hundred total points.  powerhouse offenses from both schools.  the beavers run it pretty much like no one else can.  the beavers, jacuizz rodgers is something to watch and almost impossible to catch.  the ducks, jeremiah masoli is one of the best qb’s in the country.  tight game.  a bunch of points on the board.  last one in wins.  take the ducks to win but not by the 9.5 points.  QUACK QUACK!!!!

12/5  w. virginia at rutgers.  w. virginia favored by 2.5 points.  that might as well be even up.  home game for ozzie nelson’s alma mater.  take rutgers to win.

12/5  new mexico at boise st.  boise st favored by 46.5 points. boise st should win but not by 46 plus points.  take new mexico to get inside that huge spread.

12/5  arizona at usc.  usc favored by 7.  this is going to be a good one.  the trojans are having a hard time putting points on the board.  despite the last second td of last week.  bruins blew it.  arizona has a good defense.  take the trojans because they are at home to win and cover.  FIGHT ON!!!

12/5  california at washington.  california favored by 6.5 points.  if the bears are up for this one they will win.  if not the huskies will walk all over them.  it’s tedford’s call and coaching that will make the difference here.  good one to watch.  i’m taking the huskies to win or get inside the spread.

12/5  cincinnati at pittsburg.  a toss up.  i’m taking cincinnati to win.

i hope i have the last four games and teams right. 

12/5  conferance usa championship.  huston at e. carolina. toss up.  i really don’t care much about this one so i’m taking huston.

12/5  sec championship game.  florida at alabama.  florida favored by 4.5 points.  i thought this would be bama’s year for a national title.  i don’t think so anymore.  too much trouble trying to put points on the board.  florida wins and covers.

12/5  acc championship game.  georgia tech at clemson.  toss up.  i’m going with clemson here.

12/5  big 12 championship game.  texas at nebraska.  texas favored by 13.5 points.  take the horns to hook em. texas wins and covers.

that’s it for this year and the regular season.  there will be at least one more blog on the college bowl season coming from me.  i hope you come back around to read it or them as well.  you’ve made this a banner year for me here.  i hope you come back next year to take the college football trip again.  thanks for reading and your support.  ah, i’m not going anywhere.  i’ll be right here writing about other stuff while i wait for september 2010.

jmh
story and predictions copyrighted by john hauge 2009

2009 college football predictions week 13

it’s the beginning of rivalry weekends.  yeah, plural.  it sorta semi started last weekend and slops over into next week as well.  me?  i’m sitting here in one of my trojan t-shirts.  but i get ahead of myself.

it is interesting what one or two more points can do for your picks.  in my case last weekend for example, if a few teams had scored just a couple of more points i would have had a stellar 8 for 10 weekend.  but no, that wasn’t the case.  i went 5 for 10 instead.  my over all is now, 60 for 110 with week 6 as an off week.  still over .500 but that’s not what i’d call outstanding.

the thing about rivalry games is they can go sideways in a hurry.  odds don’t mean much.  it’s anybodies game.  taking what i deal out as something you can bank on is dumb and stupid and if you do you deserve whatever happens to you.  leave your wallet in your pocket and nobody gets hurt.

this is early again this week and no doubt the odds will change.  no matter.  what is here is what i go by.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/27  rutgers at louisville.  rutgers favored by 4 points.  rutgers, ozzie nelson’s alma mater.  reason enough for me to take them to win and cover.

11/27  alabama at auburn.  bama favored by 12 points.  the game for all the marbles and stuff for alabama folk till next year.  once again, bama needs to put points on the board.  if they don’t auburn has a shot.  however, take bama to win and cover.  ROLL TIDE!!!

11/27  nevada at boise st.  boise st favored by 11 points.  the smurf turf boys of boise face one of their toughest opponents in their sorta schedule on friday night.  in keeping with an early theme here for this weeks picks.  take nevada to at least cover the spread.

11/28  new mexico at tcu.  tcu favored by 43 points.  a big bunch of points.  tons of em.  any sane person would take the points and the lobos.  not me.  i figure tcu is in make a statement mode.  despite having early trouble scoring against wyoming last week.  i think they’ll run it up against an even better team this week.  yeah, insanity runs deep.  take tcu to cover the spread and win.

11/28  tulane at smu.  smu favored by 17 points.  after years in the dark place of college football smu is on a comeback trail.  the ncaa recruiting violation, ‘death sentence’, is a thing of the past.  it’s taken some 40 odd years but smu will be a top 25 team once again in the next year or two.  count on it.  the main reason being, june jones.  a fine coach and recruiter.  unlike his old hawaii team where after the first string you had very little talent, he will have some at smu.  count on it.  take smu to cover and win.

11/28  oklahoma st at oklahoma.  no odds at the time of this writing.  i almost stuck another game in here instead but this one might be too good to pass on.  no odds = even, in my book.  take oklahoma st in this one, kids.  the cowboys win.

11/28  florida st at florida.  florida favored by 22 points.  florida st gets inside that number.  take florida st and the ppoints.

11/28  utah at byu.  byu favored by 7.5 points.  a good game and probably one to watch.  take byu to win and cover.

11/28  notre dame at stanford.  stanford favored by 7.5 points.  this will more than likely be charlie’s last regular season game with the golden domers.  he just can’t close the deal or so it seems.  his kids run out of gas at the end.  stanford had a tough loss last week with cal.  not this week.  take stanford to win and cover the points.

11/28  ucla at usc.  usc favored by 12 points.  so much for norm being a genius after last weeks nail biter game.  well, maybe he is but the kids were lackluster.  coach pete has had a week off and hopefully he’s found some sort of faith in his other coaches.  he can’t do it all or so it would seem.  if the men of troy come to play on defense and offense it should be no contest.  that being said, this is for bragging rights in the land of the lotus eaters and anything can happen.  the game of the weekend.  take usc to win and cover.  FIGHT ON!!!!

there you go, my picks for thanksgiving week.  have a great thanksgiving and enjoy the games.  be sane.  be safe.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 12

only 3 weeks left in the regular college football season.  it’s become push come to shove time.  for me and for the teams.  a dark weekend last time around for me.  a sad dismal 5 for 10.  making me 55 for 100 having taken week 6 off.  still over .500 but i should be doing better. 

just remember that taking anything i say here and using to parlay the rent money into that fear and loathing trip of a lifetime to vegas would be stupid on the best of days.  i’m early again this week due to my schedule and life.  the odds are early stuff and will no doubt change.  however, what is here is what i will go by to determine my win loss for the weekend.  i’ll be early next week as well.  my schedule, life, and thanksgiving.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/21  ohio st at michigan.  ohio st favored by 12 points.  the buckeyes are going rose bowling.  good for them.  though i have no idea what happens to that if michigan wins.  which a long shot due to the way they are playing this year.  12 points might be a lot here but since this is just for fun.  take ohio st to win and cover.

11/21  minnesota at iowa.  iowa favored by 9.5 points.  if minnesota had kept on playing like earlier in the year this one would have been a very interesting game indeed.  the same could be said for iowa as well.  iowa needs to win this one if only to show they can and still care.  it’s a matter of heart here.  plus,  we’ll see just what kind of coach they really have.  take iowa to win and cover.

11/12  connecticut at notre dame.  notre dame favored by 6 points.  the domers just can’t get it done this year.  neither can charlie.  though the deal is charlie probably won’t be going anywhere.  sadly.  if they fire charlie notre dame needs to cough up $18 million to buy him out.  a hefty price tag to get rid of a guy.  though regis philban could probably come up with that with what is stuck under his sofa cushions.  maybe.  just maybe some of the other schools will pay attention to this scenario and not get stupid with their money and a football coach who hasn’t proved himself.  one season is not proving yourself, golden domer money boys.  at any rate, connecticut has a shot at this one.  i figure they will have the lead at the half.  if they don’t get lazy and sloppy like pitt did last week the should cover the spread and maybe win.  take u conn.

11/21  penn st at michigan st.  penn st favored by 3.5 points.  a good game here kids.  maybe one of the best this weekend.  michigan st is playing some good football.  penn st is, well, penn st.  take michigan st to cover or even win.

11/21  arizona at ucla.  ucla favored by 5 points.  well well well.  amazing as it seems perhaps slick rick is turning around the moribund bruins.  fine by me.  it’s good for the pac 10 and college ball in general.  plus, maybe norm chow is a genius after all.  the bruins ran all over washington st last week.  this one is a tune up for the 11/28 trojan game.  (plenty on that next time around)  bruin faithful should rival duck faithful for insanity and noise.  it’s been a while for them.  tourist note.  stay a way from pasadena this saturday or allow for big time delays in getting anywhere near downtown.  take the bruins to win and cover.

11/21  california at stanford.  stanford favored by 7 points.  like i’ve been saying.  stanford is a good team.  stanford has a good coach.  and now, amazingly the defense has sprouted wings.  goood for them.  and it’s good for the pac 10.  though the 2 point conversion last week against the trojans was bush league.  however.  rank this one up there with a game of the week.  stanford is running on all cylinders.  no pings at all.  forget about it.  take stanford to win and cover.

11/21  lsu at mississippi.  ole miss favored by 3.  yep, at least.  take missisippi to win and cover.

11/21  air force at byu.  byu favored by 8 points.  two of the old run and gun schools of the late and sadly gone wac configuration.  i hope i get to see this one, kids.  air force should hold it’s own but take byu to win and cover.

11/21  oklahoma at texas tech.  oklahoma favored by 5 points.  not many points.  i like the red raiders at home.  take them to win and or cover the spread.  and as always be sure to visit my sorta alma mater:  http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/      

11/21  oregon at arizona.  oregon favored by 5 points.  not many points here as well.  sadly, blount has been reinstated for the ducks.  of course, they didn’t consult me before hand.  hopefully, he can avoid any major or minor felonies before and during the game.  if he does so the ducks will win and cover.  QUACK QUACK!!!

there ya go week 12 picks.  leave your money in your wallet and your wallet with the mrs and nobody gets hurt.  enjoy em while you can.  3 weeks left of the greatest game on the planet.  college football.

jmh

 

our lady of mount carmel church, rancho cucamonga, ca w/photos

the old catholic church still stands where it has for as long as i can remember and was there even before i was born.  one of the oldest catholic churches in the area.  the church sits just steps away from the old padre winery.  while i was visiting padre winery the other day i stopped by the church as well.  the church was my grandparents back in the day.  they could walk there very easily and did several times a week.

our lady hasn’t held up as well as padre winery.  plenty of parishioners but not the well to do types of other parishes in cucamonga.  just your average work a day joes go to this church these days.  the salt of the earth types.  not unlike in the old days.  the old days, when the street that fronts it was smaller.  the intersection was also the home to some old stately eucalyptus trees.  long gone due to street widening projects and the addition of curb and gutters.

since the church stands so close to padre winery i’ve been by it many many times over the years.  though i hadn’t been inside of the church since june of 1968 or 1969.  the day of my grandfather’s funeral.  you would think i could remember the exact date but i was in a wisdom tooth extraction haze and all i really remember about the day was the huge cloud of incense drifting about my grandfather’s coffin.

i made it back inside the church the other day.  it was an odd experience at best.  there have been some changes and the floor is now carpeted.  i guess carpet is easier to maintain than the old hardwood floors.  the simple beauty of a very very old and small catholic church that served old italians and mexicans remains.

i miss, nona and nono, italian for grandmother and grandfather.  the little house they used to live is gone.  but the little church they worshiped in still stands.  stands like a memory of a long ago past.

our lady of mount carmel catholic church.

 

jmh

 

padre winery, rancho cucamonga, ca w/photos

the other day i finally got around to making a trip back to my childhood.  specifically, i had been wanting to take some photos of the old padre winery just down the road in rancho cucamonga, ca.  i’ve mentioned the winery in a few blogs and a fiction piece here but there were no photos in any of them.  so, what i thought i’d do was take some photos and stick them up here then sorta run the deal down one more time.

padre winery has been around since the late 1800’s.  and it was the first winery in california bonded by the feds allowing them to sell wine and brandy.  the original building is still standing.  amazingly enough even after all the semi sorta large earthquakes that have rumbled through the area.  i guess it gives testament to some thing or another.  over the years the winery has been owned and operated by a few different folks.  it has had a few other names as well.  but to us long time cucmongaites it was and always shall be, padre winery.  sadly, it no longer produces wine.  those days are long gone.

my mother’s parents lived in a house a few hundred yards west of the winery.  that old wonderful house with the root cellar, in which my grandfather made wine and vinegar, no longer stands.  my grandfather worked at padre winery up until the time he retired.  he’d been there for many years.  i spent a lot of time with my grandparents when i was a kid.  soaking up old world italy and wineries.  that is up until the time my folks thought i was old enough to manage on my own during the summer.  though soaking up stuff never ended.   

when my grandfather worked at padre it was owned by the vai brothers.  i loved walking over to the winery and wandering around looking at stuff.  perhaps more importantly smelling the wonderful smells that can only come from a winery.

these days the winery is owned by a local family that has long roots in the area.  wine roots.  they gave it a go trying to make it a producing winery over the years but money being what it is things never panned out.  padre winery is for sale.  there are a few businesses where the old redwood wine vats used to be and it’s kind of sad.  especially to me.  i worked at padre winery myself for a year or so back in the early to mid 70’s.  i’ve recounted that tale as here as well. 

i’d been by the winery a number of times over the years.  once even stopping with the brown eyed girl so she could see the place.  old padre winery.  at any rate, i was alone the other day as i wandered about taking these photos.  alone with my thoughts and my youth. 

as you will see there is still a beauty to the winery.  an elegance and charm not seen these days in much of any kind of architecture.  there was something else as well as i walked around.  something mystical and wonderful.  or maybe it was just the fact that padre winery has been around for years and years and saw a huge amount of wine in various stages pass through the grounds.  it was a smell.  the smell.  that wine smell.  a sour tart vinegary musty smell now.  but still a wine smell.  the old girl still has it.  a complete package other than the fact the wine itself is long gone.  the elegance and the smell have stuck to her and she wears them well.

i hope the old lady remains standing.  standing as a monument to old california and old cucamonga.  not swept into some re-development black hole and razed.  re-development.  the good old boy deal where the pols and hucksters make money hand over fist and we the people lose our history and magic that comes with the old things.  old wonderful places like padre winery.

padre winery and the old tasting room.

 

the old cellars.

the still where the lees and muck were processed into 180 proof alcohol.

the old girl still looking good.

jmh

stuff i don’t watch on tv anymore part 2

there’s plenty of stuff i don’t watch on tv anymore.  mostly it’s sports stuff but then of course there are plenty of other things on tv that are just beyond the pale bad as well.  however, i’m probably going to stick to sport stuff or semi sorta sports stuff for this.  just like in part 1.  for those that missed it.  you may want to take a look.  or maybe not.

as i said the last time, this is my list.  not necessarily your list.  or likes and dis-likes.  ok?  good.  so in no particular order.  onward.

my friend, triggerman brought up a couple in a comment he made in my other place.  two venues or sports i was going to bring up any the ways.  the first being, the X games.  ok.  yeah, i’m an old guy.  so what?  since when has skateboarding become a sport other than an annoying venal sin?  or jumping over stuff on a motorcycle?  or doing loopty loops on same said motorcycle?  trying to kill yourself while also trying to impress babes is pretty lame.  keep it off tv, please.  it’s stupid.

the olympics.  or as dfr and i call em, the old limp dicks.  i find it amazing that anyone watches the stuff anymore.  in particular stuff where you win or lose on some dumb ass paid off judges decision.  yes, there was a time years ago i would watch this lame tv presentation.  hours upon hours of the stuff.  no more.  the insipid up close and personal stuff sent me over the edge years ago.  why anyone would want to host this turkey is beyond me.  unless of course, it would be for the sole purpose of ripping off the rubes who actually show up to watch the insanity.  all that being said, i do enjoy watching curling and i eagerly await the winter festivities in vancouver so i can get my fix.  i’m serious.

bowling.  i’m not even sure if anybody even bothers to show this game anymore on tv.  they probably do and if they do i’m not watching it because earl anthony and dick weber are dead or are too old to make a decent score if they can still even play.  buy a wii game and bowl in your living room.  it’s fun and good exercise.  plus, no stinky used rental bowling shoes are required.  a plus if there ever was one.

poker.  ok.  i can sorta see skateboarding as a sport.  but a world series of poker?  world series implies sport.  poker is not a sport but a game and, well, why in god’s good name are you people watching other people play this game on tv?  barnum was right.  you are a sucker and you and many others are being born every minute.  then there’s the fact they are playing bleeding texas hold em.  a girls game for crying out loud.  wyatt earp didn’t play texas hold em.  count on it.  wild bill hickok wasn’t playing texas hold em when he was dealt that famous dead mans hand of aces and eights.  no sirree he was playing five card draw.  a man’s game.  a man’s game like five card stud or seven card stud.  simple.  if you watch poker on tv you need to find a life someplace and fast.

the tour de france.  there was a time a number of years ago i watched this turkey on the tube.  all the little girl crap about lance and his blood samples just wore me out.  i don’t watch anymore.  lance can run the table for the rest of his life for all i care.  big deal.  i don’t care.  the tv nonevent has spawned any number of lance wanna bees with their nasty ass biking costumes out clogging up road space all over this once great nation.  please, just get the hell out of my way and go ride your bike someplace else or i swear i’m liable to run over forty or fifty of you at one pop.  just kidding.  maybe.  but they are a menace and it’s because of the tour being on tv.  you dumb asses, would be much cooler if you put some playing cards or baseball cards on your spokes with a wooden clothes pin.  i would respect you more.  and take off that damn bike suit.

drag racing.  ah, another speed sport.  one i used to love to watch unlike nascar or formula one.  pure speed.  peddle.  metal.  woo hoo.  trouble is try and find a real car drag racing these days.  what you’ll find, for the most part are plastic fantastic sleds that resemble a car but really aren’t a car.  what happened to real 55 chevy’s?  real bored and stroked 51 merc’s?  real chopped and channeled anything?  see my point?  it is a damn shame.  no, not my point.  sheesh.

last but certainly not least, would be any sort of a state of the union message from any politician of any party.  or any other political party message.  well, unless it’s the party animal party which might be a hoot of sorts if only for a short while.  i gave up on those messages long long ago.  nothing but lame propaganda by lame stooges who want only to fuck with us and steal our money.  screw em.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 11

coming off another week of better than average predictions against the spread it’s that time again kids.  college football hits the tv with a vengeance this week.  last week i went 6 for 10.  nothing stellar but i’ll take it.  thus making my overall for the season, 50 for 90.  having taken week 6 off.  5 games over .500.  semi sorta iffy but much better than .500 or worse. 

once again, remember this is for fun only and taking what i dish out here to make yourself a nice bankroll for christmas would be stupid at best.  leave your wallet alone and you’ll be fine.  also, i go by the odds i have here.  they are what they are.  a compilation of several places.

pop a cold one.  light up the barbie.  sit back and enjoy what’s left of the greatest sport, college football.  enjoy the games.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/14  boston college at virginia.  boston college favored by 4 points.  almost a toss up and just might be a good game.  i’m looking for boston college to win this one and cover the points.  take them.

11/14  iowa at ohio st.  ohio st favored by 16 points.  iowa coming off a dumb loss and ohio st coming off a big win.  the point being can iowa recover?  and does ohio st have a let down?  we’ll both find that out come saturday.  in lieu of knowing for sure, take iowa to cover the points and maybe win.

11/14  florida st at wake forest.  wake forest favored by 6 points.  wake forest is playing some ball.  take them to win and cover.  on a side note, has anyone else noticed that bobby bowden looks more and more like a food network’s star, paula deen?

11/14  notre dame at pittsburg.  pittsburg favored by 7.  he of the 5 super bowl rings fights for his job, as well he should, with this game.  golden domer faithful aren’t happy.  then they rarely are.  the man who replaced ty willingham is going down the same road to the unemployment office next week.  let’s see, i predicted the irish would lose this game back in january or february of this year.  nothing has changed.  take pittsburg to win and cover.

11/14  stanford at usc.  usc favored by 11 points.  it’s november.  it’s a home game for the trojans.  they don’t lose at home or in november for that matter.  the trouble being it hasn’t been a good year for coach pete.  it has been a semi good year for coach mike.  once again, stanford has a good team and riley can coach.  stanford doesn’t have a defense.  if the trojan defense shows up and the offense does as well the trojans should cover the spread.  a damn good game here folks.  take the trojans to cover and win.  those who live by the sword die by the sword.  FIGHT ON!!!!

11/14  arizona at california.  the game is a toss up.  sadly i haven’t seen arizona play this year.  probably due to the lame tv schedule the pac 10 has with the networks.  be that as it may, i have seen cal play just about every week.  they didn’t do well against the beavers last week but nobody else in the pac 10 is either.  the game is in berserkeley.  take cal to win.

11/14  arizona st at oregon.  oregon favored by 16.5 points.  a bunch of points.  however, the game is in duckland, home of the true 12th man.  insanity reigns.  probably rain as well.  cold weather too.  take the ducks to win and cover.  QUACK QUACK!!!!       

11/14  washington at oregon st.  oregon st favored by 11.  the sleeper game of the week.  this one will be a good one folks.  if you can watch this one don’t miss it.  the brothers rodgers(i spelled it right this time) are amazing at best.  oregon st is proof that the pac 10 is THE CONFERENCE THIS YEAR.  count on it.  take oregon st to more than likely win and cover the spread.  though i don’t think that’s an option in places like nevada.  oregon st wins and covers.

11/14  alabama at mississippi st.  bama favored by 13.  tell you what, i don’t think they can score 13 points in 4 quarters two weeks in a row.  the question being, can they hold the lads of state to no points or say, 3?  i love bama but i ain’t feeling them here.  take mississippi st to cover the spread.

11/14  texas tech at oklahoma st.  oklahoma st favored by 3.5 points.  my semi alma mater wins or covers the spread.  take texas tech and be sure to visit: the vietnam center and archive at http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/  happy veterans day!!

there you go, kids another week of picks coming to you on a wing and a prayer.  leave your money where it belongs, in your wife’s purse.  and nobody gets hurt.  enjoy the games.

jmh

stuff i don’t watch on tv anymore

ah, make that sports stuff.  tv is annoying at best.  sure, i can waste away a day or days watching the damn thing but, hey, there’s a bunch of stuff i can’t watch anymore.  so, let’s get started and see just where this ends up.  there’s no particular order or rhyme or reason to the list.  it is what it is.  pure and simple.  you may agree or disagree.  it’s a semi free country, for the time being, and you’re entitled to your own opinion.  fine.  but this is my list.  it may piss you off but that isn’t my intention.  figure it out.  do your own list. 

the first thing that comes to mind is the, NBA.  god, i hate watching those guys.  i used to like watching pro basketball but i lost interest in it during it’s thug era and i’m not going back.  plus, it’s kinda fun being one of the few folks here in so calif that can’t stand kobe and/or the lakers.  elgin baylor, kareem, jerry.  fine.

MLB would be next on the list.  another of those deals where i used to enjoy watching their games.  i lost interest in them after the last strike for more money so they can play a kids game.  um, you could toss the NBA back in this area as well.  at any rate, who can enjoy a world series that is gonna drag on to maybe the second week of november?  the first week being bad enough.  or how about a bunch of steroid pumpers, period.  no way.  no thanks.  plus the fact bud selig is an idiot.  although had the angels gone to the series i may have watched an inning or two if only for the old cowboy, gene autry.

the NFL is next.  another of those days gone by thingys.  more steroid pumpers and a greedy bunch of owners with no real love for their fan base or the cities where they play.  show me the money.  some big mogul is going to build a new stadium out in these parts if he can con some team into leaving their sorta home.  any number of teams have been mentioned,  even one of yours.  i don’t care.  screw em.  the only thing the stadium will do is make an already totally screwed up freeway interchange even worse.  the players?  yeah, they are the best and can come up with some amazing plays but i just don’t care anymore about them or their league.

the Super Bowl.  sure, this is a part of the last one but even non fans watch this turkey every year.  hours and days of non stop hype.  a blizzard of supposedly new improved funny ass commercials that the mad men pay primo dollars to place strategically in the game.  a big yawn, for the ads and the game.

tennis.  not that i ever watched it much but i don’t ever anymore.  oofa.  useless and stupid.

soccer.  ok.  so like just what the eff is up with soccer?  totally off the tv radar.  or more importantly, my radar.  dumber than tennis.  yeah, it is.  i don’t want to hear about it.  say nothing.  it is. 

the NHL.  as a so calif native i guess that could be a reason for my aversion to the game.  but when i was a kiddie, i tried watching the likes of gordy howe and bobby orr on the saturday morning games.  i never understood the rules and it was pretty boring even with the fights.  no thanks.  not even the great one could change that.

the WWE WWF or whatever it is they are calling it now a days.  more steroid monsters with the same act since gorgeous george and freddie blassie.  an act that was pretty cool back in the 50’s and early 60’s.  and ok even for a few years in the early 80’s.  but an act that just grew so wearisome and lame that no sane person over the age of 12 can possibly watch it anymore.  yeah, fine, the sorta hot babes wandering around in the ring.  lame as well and just masturbatory imps for the porn challenged among us.  speaking of which, if i were 12 i wouldn’t waste my time on them.  no sirree.  i’d be TIVOing ‘dancing with the stars’ and watching those lovely ladies frame by frame.  count on it.  but i digress.

boxing.  i used to love watching boxing.  i grew up watching it every friday night.  the friday night fights brought to us by gillette razors.  then of course there was sugar ray robinson, jake lamotta, rocky marciano, sonny liston, george foreman, floyd patterson, joe frazier, sugar ray leonard, danny lopez, alexis arguello, and larry holmes, god bless him.   then of course, the greatest of them all, mohammad ali.  i could go on but if you weren’t there you missed it.  totally.  the current crop?  no thanks.

nascar or formula one.  i get the speed but i just don’t get much else about it.  never one of my favorites and i avoid them like the plague these days.

then there’s the most insidious non sports related show of them all.  the view.  a total piece of crap and a waste of time and electricity.  a propaganda show worthy of chairman mao or joe stalin.  i was never a fan or a watcher but i do get a glimpse of it now and again.  oh oh, i’m gonna hurl and/or shoot the tv ala elvis.

yes, the last one wasn’t sports related but i couldn’t resist tossing it in as a sorta grand finale to this messy epistle.  after all, this is my list.  i may have forgotten a few things but i think i covered stuff pretty well for now.  there’s always the possibility of a part 2 somewhere down the road.  i’ve been talkin’ to my oldest friend, dfr.  and yeah, count on it.  there will be a part 2.

on a tangent, today is gram parsons birthday.  happy birthday, my cosmic country brother.  wild horses.  we’ll ride them someday.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 10

an interesting week of college ball last weekend.  interesting to say the least.  i started out very well in the morning games but by the time the afternoon and evening rolled around i was semi tanking it.  bottom line i went 5 for 10 last week.  my overall is 44 for 80 having taken week 6 off.  still somewhat over 50% but nothing to send up any fireworks about.

just remember this is for fun and taking anything i deal out here to any of the boys who will take your money would be insane to say the least.  leave your wallet alone and nobody gets hurt.

i’m a day or two early this week due to stuff i have to take care of the next couple of days.  due to my being early, some of the odds haven’t been posted so i’m just dealing with what i have now.  i picked these games before i went looking for the odds.  be that as it may.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/7  connecticut at cincinnati.  a toss up.  should be a good game and it’s an early one.  take cincinnati to win this one.

11/7  wake forest at georgia tech.  georgia tech favored by 15 points.  wake forest is playing well but not well enough to win or get inside the 15 points on tech’s turf.  take georgia tech to win or cover the spread.

11/7  navy at notre dame.  a toss up.  one of the better teams the golden domers play this year.  the irish are playing somewhat better but i still don’t like them.  take navy to win.

11/7 lsu at alabama.  alabama favored by 9 points.  hopefully, with bamas week off they went out and found some offense because they are probably going to need some to win this game.  the same could be said for lsu as well.  a low scoring defensive yawn fest?  i hope i’m wrong.  take bama to win and cover.  ROLL TIDE!!!

11/7  oklahoma at nebraska.  oklahoma favored by 6.  perhaps a good game.  take the sooners to win or cover the spread.

11/7  ohio st at penn st.  penn st favored by 3.5 points.  almost a toss up here but i suspect the buckeyes will roll over joe pa and his boys.  take ohio st to win.

11/7  oregon st at california.  california favored by 7 points.  i don’t see the bears defense doing any better than usc’s defense at stopping the beaver’s running game.  a very solid running game.  take oregon st to cover the spread and maybe win.

11/7  washington at ucla.  ucla favored by 4 points.  the bruins are lucky to be favored here.  though they did play fairly well against oregon st last week.  i’m feeling the huskies this week.  take them to cover or win.

11/7  oregon at stanford.  oregon favored by 5 points.  coming off the waxing of the trojans the ducks should be on a pretty nice high.  though stanford can win and might.  though i don’t see it.  on a side note, i was a duck fan before i was a trojan fan.  i’ve bled duck yellow and green since 1958.  they’ve made a fine comeback since the first game of the season and that disappointing loss to boise st.  they looked terrible.  not unlike the trojans last week.  they should stay on track and maybe run the rest of the table this year.  only to be messed with at the end of the year by the bcs and given some lame bowl game.  time will tell.  there is talk that blount will be allowed to play again this year.  oofa.  dumb idea and and stupid at best.  there is no excuse for what he did at the end of the boise game.  thug behavior does not belong in sports.  period.  allowing him to return this year is a mistake and sends a message to other lame brains that they can get away with stuff and be allowed back if they say the right things to the right people.  and that further reinforces the big money angle of college ball.  off the soapbox and my pick.  the ducks cover and win.  QUACK QUACK!!!!

11/7  usc at arizona st.  usc favord by 11.5 points.  a very poorly played game last week by the men of troy.  special teams set the tone for the defense on the opening kickoff.  in other words, what defense?  losing your defensive coordinator and half of the remaining guys to washington turns out not to have been a very good decision on usc’s part.  vanity?  insanity?  i don’t know.  i do know that coach pete didn’t have the deer in the headlights look he usually has when they lose.  it was like he was seeing the writing on the wall.  the writing that says he might come back next year and try to run the table once more with a bunch of seniors and a qb with a year under his belt.  or he may not.  my money is on one more year for pete.  then it’s back to the pros and another shot there.  bottom line is there are only so many good coaches in college football.  losing a bunch of them from one team means a ticking time bomb.  one that  finally went off last weekend.  i hope they recover from the blast but i don’t know.  a thumping of the sun devils is in order this week, coach pete.  let’s see if you can make it happen.  yeah, take usc to win and they bloody well better cover the spread.  FIGHT ON!!!

there you go.  some interesting games with one more month of college football left.  enjoy it while it lasts. 

jmh