With No $2 Bud Light, Will Beer Ever Be Special Again?

I heard some sad news on the way home today while talking to a friend. It wasn't that anyone had died. There was no breaking story of a divorce. No one had discovered a sickness. It was simply that TGI Friday's had closed down in Bowling Green. And while we had all slowly watched the place lose clients over the years and wonder how the hell it was still open as we passed annually for the Tidball's scramble, the news still upset me.

That place was the cherry on top of a perfect Funday Monday of skipping class and playing Crosswinds. That place was where I watched a friend eat pasta with one hand while holding a lit cigarette in the other. Thanks to Hitch hooking it up with a job senior year, it was how I paid rent for a little over a year. It was where "She'll show you her titty for a shot of Crown" was born. It was how "Code Blue", "My friends call me Spyder", "You can call me . . .at your momma's house", and "Gaaahh-bage" all became a part of our regular vocabulary. It gave us Logan. It was where I saw a manager wheelhouse-kick a dumpster only to walk inside to watch a dishwasher spray himself in what I can only perceive he considered to be a shower while playing an imaginary bass. It's where I made friends that I still run into from time to time and remember everything about them, even when the only moments we shared were while wearing a matching uniform. "Hey Guys!!!". It's the only place my wife and I ever worked together and competed regularly. It was the employer I associate with the semester I don't remember much of. And now it's gone.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not completely devastated by this and it would usually be a chuckle-get nostalgic-make it an afterthought-situation. And that's basically what happened until I was dicking around on the guitar tonight and played a song I hadn't heard in a long time. And then associated it with a night that involved that time and that Friday's crew. I had been looking for a great topic to bat leadoff on my music posts and this gave me that.

Without music, how much would we forget? How many moments can be defined simply by what song was playing? Or what concert you were at? Or what album you were really into at that time? Without music, how many of those moments may have been different? Would that one fall have been as great if Some Devil didn't seem to be playing everywhere we went? Would those 7 AM car rides to work not have seemed so horrible if Dream Theater hadn't been double bass-drumming in our barely-awake ears? Could that song get you teared up if you weren't picturing a certain moment while you were listening to it?

So rather than introduce what I'm listening to right now or start some theme, I wanted to take us all back to what we were listening to back then and let the memories do their thing. There'll be plenty of chance to let new music attach itself to new ones.

Enjoy.

Thankful . . .

People always like to say, "I have a whole lot to be thankful for," around Thanksgiving as a blanket statement. I'm not sure how often they truly think about all the individual things they truly are thankful for and I include myself in that taking-it-for-granted crew. So as the clock strikes Thanksgiving, I'm going to take this opportunity to list some of the things I've probably never bothered to single out.

I'm thankful for family - I'm thankful for my wife, who's not only the love of my life but also my best friend. I'm thankful that I can truly be myself around her even with all the downfalls she subjects herself to by allowing me to be myself. I'm thankful that this time next Thanksgiving, we'll have a four or five month old to be thankful for (even though I have no idea what's in store). I'm thankful for my parents and all they provided me throughout my life, most of all how much they love me. We never had a lot of money but I never knew it because we had all the other intangibles that make a family great and still make our family great. I'll probably never be able to fathom what they went without so that I could have. I'm thankful for my grandparents who raised me every single hour my parents were at work until I was 11 years old. I'm thankful they still get excited to see me every time rather than resent me for how few times a year I see them now. I'm thankful for every aunt, uncle, cousin, and extended member of my family, who individually and collectively have given me an amazing view of how great a big family could be. I'm even thankful for Jax.

I'm thankful for friends - Probably not as thankful as I should be, because I can't remember a time in my life where I didn't have you all. People rarely get the opportunity to have one life-long friend and we all sit here with no idea of a number off the top of our heads because it would truly require us to count. It's something special and something we probably take for granted in a sense, but something we never truly forget or allow the serving staff of The Brickhouse to ignore.

I'm thankful for all that being from America, from Kentucky, and from Hardin County means - Whether that means freedom, or peace, or food, or opportunity, or hospitals, or education, or community, I'm thankful for it all. It's crazy to think about how different things could be with only a few variables changed. How much different would it be if we simply grew up 10 or 15 counties east? Or on a different continent? Or in a nation split by war? I'm thankful for all the opportunities my GPS position on this planet has provided me, from work to housing to colleagues to sports teams.

I'm thankful for faith - This one probably caused a few heads to move away from the screen like Gillenwater away from the yearbook camera, but it's true. I'm thankful for faith and the ideas that were instilled in me from day one that caused right and wrong to be two very different, identifiable things. I'm thankful that when I'm in need of a higher power, I have one identified already and can go straight toward it. I don't practice the way I should, but I still believe in the game.

I'm thankful for music - My posting record doesn't prove that statement, but it's true. I'm thankful that Hitch's post of that Seth Avett cover yesterday has made me come back to it over five times because it peaked my interest like hardly anything else can. I'm thankful that a surprising note or deep lyric can make me introspective on everything in life. I'm thankful that I can hear a song or an album and take myself back to exactly that time, whether it be for the good or the bad. I'm thankful I can make music - not the amount or frequency I wish I could or sung as well as I would like, but I can make it. I'm thankful that I can write about it and think people will actually care enough to want to read it. I'm thankful for The Avett Brothers, My Morning Jacket, Van Morrison, Damien Rice and the "O" album I will still one day replace for Suzie, Ryan Adams, M Ward, Dispatch, Otis Redding, Ben Folds Live, Ray Lamontagne, Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection, anything in Almost Famous, Jay-Z, Sublime, Nickel Creek, that line in the movie "Brown Sugar" that says "You're the perfect verse over a tight beat," Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Jack Johnson, "Possum Kingdom" and "Tomorrow", Michael Jackson, Ja Rule 3:36, Hootie, John Mayer's Continuum, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, Alice in Chains Unplugged, Bon Iver, Dave Matthews prior to 2006, and so so many more. I'm thankful for Pandora, YouTube, and eMusic for helping me find the so so many more. I'm thankful that some of you will be pissed of who I didn't single out and bunched into the "so so many more." I'm thankful that it doesn't matter.


I'm thankful for entertainment - I'm thankful for Netflix, not because of their service but because they're bringing this back. And that means we may get more of this and this and this and this and this. I'm thankful for everything that HBO seems to grace us with, especially The Wire, The Sopranos, and Game of Thrones. I'm thankful for really, really good movies, although they seem to come out less often than they used to. I'm thankful for that stretch during freshmen year of college where we went out and tried to catch up on all the "great movies" of the last decade and a half. I'm thankful for that other TV show we watched freshmen year of college and always tried to talk louder than the opening theme song. I'm thankful for things that make me laugh really really hard.

Lastly, I'm thankful for sports - I'm thankful for that release from the real world that it provides you nearly 7 days a week. I'm thankful for the passion and the emotion that can pop up out of nowhere and leave just as quickly. I'm thankful for the competition and rivalry that it creates. I'm thankful for the bragging rights or soapbox it gives all of us, even if we were never good enough to suit up at a high level. I'm thankful for the math involved, the stats kept, and the money wagered. I'm thankful for Charles K. McNeil, the man who decided simply wagering on the winner was not enough so he developed a prediction to make the action on the game more split, birthing the point spread. I'm thankful for the Cubs. I'm thankful for UK Football. I'm thankful for UK Basketball. I'm thankful for the Packers. In that order. I'm thankful that I got teary-eyed when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, not because I was happy for them but because I thought how awesome it was going to be when the Cubs snapped their streak. I'm thankful the NBA is locked-out so I don't have to care about it or watch highlights of half-assed November action on Sportscenter. I'm thankful Sportscenter did that to hockey without a lockout almost a decade ago. I'm thankful that I hate the BCS but love how it makes every single minute of every single game matter.  

I don't know how much more I want to carry this on or how much more I can. Just know that if you think I should be thankful for you or your product or your profession, I probably am. I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but I recommend to everyone out there that they try this for themselves. You never truly forget what you're thankful for, but you may forget to at least let them know that you are.

I need to make some picks for this weekend, but I'm going to wait until after the holiday to give us all a day without the stress of covering. I'm just going to sit back and lazily hope that the Packers, Dolphins, Aggies, and 49ers all win by eight.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

MBZ

Turkey Picks 2011

Well, that was a fun weekend of college football. Of course I wouldn’t know because I had to work until 11pm. I got to see maybe 30 total minutes of football that night. But I’m not mad….I’m pissed. Number 2, 4, 5 and 7 all go down in the same weekend? That never happens! One of the best things to come out of this is an all SEC top 3. The other great thing is a BCS that is in a total mess. Now, what happens if Arkansas pulls out a miracle and beats LSU on Saturday? What do the great minds and computers of the BCS selection committee do then? You can’t put Alabama at the top, they got beat by LSU. You can’t put Arkansas at the top, they got whipped by Alabama. LSU of course cannot remain there. And there aren’t any other teams you can seriously look at and say that they are better than Alabama or LSU. So what do you do? All I know, this has been a great college season so far, and this weekend could be the icing that topples the BCS cake and pushes towards a playoff in college football. It probably won’t happen though. As Penn State has demonstrated, money makes all the decisions.

On to the picks. Go read my last post. Are you done? Good. See where I said to come back this week and I would be 5-5? Guess what? In college football since this blog started, I am 5-5 against the spread. Vandy and Stanford really hurt . But look again at the Arkansas and K State prediction. See how close I was? If only I took my own advice and quit with the parlays. Let's pick some NFL games this week. Shall we?

Packers (-6) vs. Lions Thursday

What is there left to say about the packers that hasn’t been beaten to death already? Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the country. The receiver’s are some of the best in the NFL. The defense, while suspect t times, gets the job done. The Lions did show me something last week. They are built to come back…And come back in a big way. Now I know you all are saying, “It was against the Panthers, they suck”. Yes, they are a very bad NFL team. But, whoever you are, coming back from being down 24-7 is difficult. Seems like Cam was on the other side of that comeback last year.

Prediction: Packers 35, Lions 28

Arkansas (+11.5) vs. LSU

Arkansas will win this game. There I said it. Wanna fight about it? Arkansas’ offense is very good. LSU’s defense is very good. Arkansas’ defense is good enough. LSU’s offense is not. This game will probably cause one of the BCS computers to short circuit.

Prediction: Arkansas 24, LSU 17

I’m tired and tomorrow is Turkey day, so those are the only picks you get this week. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Season Record ATS: 5-5 (College 5-5, NFL 0-0)

Intro and such...

Hello All! On this, my inaugural post, I would like to introduce myself to the SHARPsquares fans, assuming we have fans. Most of my contributions to this blog will be regarding the sounds of music that inspire my everyday life and what I stand for on a musical front. Yes, there may be an occasional post from my biased sports perspective, but I do want to preface any future "picks" or contributions to your "habits," with the fact that I will be doing so without any monetary backing from my end. Spoiler alert... any sports predictions that are provided on my behalf will be single-sided with NO analytical backing, other than my gut instinct. Therefore, take them at your own risk, but who knows, I may have the best record from all contributors of this blog. hahaha!

Isn't that why we love sports anyway? The gut feeling we get while watching "our" team doing the unthinkable, making the play of the century, receiving the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! If sex sells,then you can bet the house that these are the reasons we watch ESPN every day!

Allow me to introduce the teams that I spend my days/nights supporting so you can know where my allegiance lies.

UK athletics has been a part of my life since I was learning how to use the potty all by myself. Everyone bleeds blue if you are cut deep enough, and it was bred deep into my DNA. I seriously believe that both of my grandfathers would have eliminated birthday/christmas presents if I had cheered for any other team. The Lions are a new team, but what a great start! I have to link my Chicago ties with afternoon baseball games in the dorm room with MBZ.

Like I mentioned, the majority of my contributions will be musically inclined and I am looking forward to it!

Jase

LSU - Arkansas

This always seems to be the game that gets LSU, Arkansas has taken three out of the last four and two of those came in Baton Rouge. This year, without top running back Knile Davis, look for Arkansas to keep the ball in the air, a dangerous gamble considering how great the LSU secondary has been.

This line opened with LSU -14, but, even with this being a home game, that is a lot of points to give the third-ranked team in the nation. Look for LSU to win but Arkansas to easily cover.

Prediction LSU 28, Arkansas 24

Season Record ATS: 3-0 (3-0 NCAAF)

The Everbodyfields Are Back!!

Just my luck, I stumbled upon The Everbodyfields about a month after they broke up. I picked up Sam Quinn's solo album and really enjoyed it, didn't listen to much of the girls solo stuff but really enjoy her voice. Here is a video they just posted, shows off more of her voice than Sam's, but still great song

The Everybodyfields - Lonely Anywhere from Live & Breathing on Vimeo.

It's a Seth Kind of Day

Bud Light, Jager Bombs, and Podcasts?!

Sometimes the best results come from hours of preparation and organization. And then there are times when things are completely unplanned, minds are completely loopy, and you're learning on the fly. The result you'll find embedded below is definitely part of the latter and something Toe and I couldn't be more proud of.

We will not disclaim the fact that it was 4:30 in the morning when this was recorded. We will not disclaim the fact that we were writing an agenda as I hit record. We will not disclaim the fact we closed down a family sports bar like it was a Vegas night club and rode home in a cab that smelled so bad it could have inspired "Port-a-Pot" as a new Yankee Candle scent. If you knew all of that, we would be very afraid you would discount our performance.

Enjoy it in all of its 60+-minute glory. We sure did. Here's to the first of many:

Toe and Beez Show - Episode 1 - November 20, 2011:

Bet the house! (If it is a house of cards)

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I’ve been really busy lately. I know you are waiting on the edge of your seat for my picks so you can do the opposite and get that new TV you’ve been eyeing. Just kidding. While I can’t get away from the lure of the big money multiplier known as the parlay, I am currently sporting a 3-3 record for the life of this blog. I haven’t cashed anything in for a while, but if I had some cajones to bet straight lines, I’d probably be even, which is a win in my book. On to this week’s games!

Vanderbilt (-1.5) vs. Tennessee
Vanderbilt is fresh off a huge victory over my beloved Cats. That was the only Vandy game I have seen all year, but in my opinion, they look like the real deal. They have some very close losses this year to legitimate Top 25 teams and are facing off against a Tennessee squad that might be the worst in over a decade. Take Vandy and load up because this is Sean’s Lock of the Week.
Prediction: Vandy 35, Tennessee 17

Cal (+17) vs. Stanford
Boy was I wrong last week. Stanford didn’t cover. Stanford didn’t even come close to covering. Stanford looked like crap….Look for Stanford to bounce back in a big way and put Cal where they belong, on a street corner holding a sign complaining about the 1% while their BMW is parked around the corner and daddy pays off their Credit Cards. Luck is a winner. Stanford is a good team and Cal has shown little to no life this season. I think. Like I said, too lazy to look at Past Performances.
Prediction: Stanford 42, Cal 21

Kansas State (+8) vs. Texas
I really have no idea on this game. Which Texas team will show up? Which K State team will show up? Why has the line moved from +9 at the beginning of the week, to +8 now? Oh that’s right, because Texas is overrated and K State is the real deal. Hurry and pick K State at the current line before it drops any more.
Prediction: Kansas State 17, Texas 10

Mississippi State (+13) vs. Arkansas
Arkansas is a good team blah blah blah. Mississippi State sucks. Load up on Arkansas…BIG. This is Sean’s Jr Lock of the Week.
Prediction: Arkansas 45, Mississippi State 17

And there you have it. With these picks, I plan on going 4-0 this week. Come back next week when I have a 5-5 record and still don’t win anything because of the stupid parlay. Good Luck!
Record NCAAF: 3-3
Record NFL: 0-0 (I’ll try to remember to pick some this week)

Return of the MAC

I used to think that Tuesday night college football games were only for the most degenerate of gamblers, and while that is possibly still true, I have now come to the conclusion that they are also a perfect opportunity for those that pay enough attention to get a very favorable line. Now I will not resort to calling myself a MAC expert, but I will say that, over the last three weeks, it doesn't seem to be a conference that takes too much to figure out. I will go even further to say that the MAC is one of the only transitive property leagues in college football. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the transitive property, it is what UL and irrational UK fans use to back-up any argument they make regarding sports: "Well if we beat them by 60 and you lost to 'em by 10, that means we're gonna beat you by 70 biggins." You know who I'm talking about. They'll probably be sitting across from you at at least one Thanksgiving meal next week.

So to apply this to the MAC you simply need to highlight who the measuring sticks are in terms of class of the conference and then work your way backwards: Ohio, Temple, Northern Illinois, and Toledo. Then you have to measure out who the wild-cards are: Miami (OH), Kent State, Ball State, Western Michigan, and Eastern Michigan. Then you have to measure out who is absolutely horrendous: Bowling Green, Buffalo, Akron, and Central Michigan (yes, one of Kentucky's 4 close wins is one of the absolutely horrendous teams in the Mid-American Conference).

Taking those "rankings" into consideration, you can break down how they've performed against one another during the year and apply it to the current spread. Basically, the top tier is a touchdown better than the middle tier and the middle tier is at least a touchdown better than the bottom tier. And they ALL (with the exception of Bowling Green) score points. So based on that, here's my two predictions for tonight:

1.) Western Michigan (even) at Miami (OH) - Western Michigan and The Other Miami both have respectable quarterbacks that can keep them in pretty much any game. Western Michigan will score at least 4 touchdowns after putting up 63 against Toledo last week. Miami (OH) has only feasted on the bottom tier and this will be their first match up against a fellow MAC wildcard. Miami played Temple tough on the road last week and I feel like their defense can bend without breaking a little more than Western Michigan, meaning it will be up to their QB to lead them at home. Look for the neon-framed-sunglasses-wearing Redhawk faithful to be full of white zin from tailgate and leave the stadium with their 4th conference win in a close one.

Prediction: Miami (OH) 37, Western Michigan 33

2.) Ohio (-7) at Bowling Green - These are the games you live for in the MAC on a Tuesday night between a top tier and bottom tier team at the bottom team's stadium which means you get an overly deflated spread. You have a good Ohio team coming off three straight conference wins versus a Bowling Green team that looked lost on offense at home versus Northern Illinois last week. I would have chalked this up to Northern Illinois' defense last week, but luckily the transitive property allows me to take Ball State's offensive outburst versus them last night into account. Ohio will absolutely roll in this game and Bowling Green will struggle to get in the redzone once again.

Prediction: Ohio 41, Bowling Green 17

By using this method, you are absolutely guaranteed to resent ever reading this post and wonder how I ever convinced myself of this garbage enough to actually capture it in words. Good luck!!

Season Record ATS: 10-8 (4-1 NCAAF)

Call Me Crazy

As I continue to go for my perfect 3-0 record, I thought I had found the lock of the week in the Nebraska at Michigan game. In fact, as of yesterday I was shooting emails back and forth with my "bookie" about Neb at +3.5 being the LOCK OF THE WEEK. How much things can change in 24 hours. I'm calling it right now, Michigan wins by 6.

Taking a step back I looked at a couple of things, first, the overall record. Stay with me here, Mich, Mich St., and Neb all are tied with an overall record of 8-2, Mich & Neb are tied with an in conference record of 4-2, both teams chasing after Mich St. with a conference record of 5-1. Assuming Mich St can win out against Indiana and Northwestern they will wrap up the Legends side of the Big 10. However, if they lose 1 of those games, Neb holds the tie breaker with a win over Mich St. and they would win the Legends side. So, how does all of this tie into Mich winning on Saturday? Easy, this is really it for Michigan, it's win or go home. If they lose on Saturday there is no possible way they come out on top of the Legends side. All that being said, even if Mich wins on Saturday, Mich St. still has to lose out in order for Mich to take the legends side because State holds the tie breaker game with the win over Mich. That will not happen.

Second, Saturday is calling for rain in The Big House, so Mich is going to be inclined to keep the ball on the ground. Lets face it, Denard Robinson isn't that great of a passing QB so the more attempts you take away the better. Mich is going to hit the ground hard against a Nebraska D that allows over 150 yards a game.

Look for this to be the rainy, cold, big 10 game we all love. We all know the home team usually gets 3 so this game is really a pick. I look for the home field advantage to be enough to lift Mich to the win. Wait for in to drop to -2.5, I don't see it getting higher than -3.5 so you should be ok to wait.

Prediction: Michigan 17, Nebraska 10



Overall Record 2-0

Upset Alert

My friends, I know you all have been patiently waiting for me to make my debut post on the site. So here it is, nevermind the fact I'm waiting until 2 minutes before kickoff to get this up. This will be short and to the point with no statistics, just my unmatched wisdom and thoughts about the game. The Vikings will not only cover tonight, but they will win this game! 

How you ask? Three key things to think about:

1.) Adrian Peterson is a BEAST (reminds me of myself in 2002) and the Pack D is suspect

2.) Jared Allen will get pressure on Rodgers. Bring him back to Earth

3.) Mike definitely bet on the PACK!

Enjoy the game men and get ready for your boy to shake things up on here!

Lock It In Sunday

Well, I must say I'm pretty happy with how yesterday turned out. Besides Texas, all of my non-homer picks were nailed, including three moneyline underdogs winning straight up. Now comes the ultimate moment when you have to try and lock in a successful weekend by successfully wading through a Sunday of NFL. We got screwed out of a great Sunday last week and I fully expect to have the same thing happen this week because that's just how the NFL works.

These picks will be given in order of my confidence in them, so if you're on any type of "unit" system, be sure to take that into account:

1.) Bills/Cowboys (Over 48 Total Points) - These are two offenses that can score at will and two defenses that seem to get way more credit than they deserve (Dallas only because Rob Ryan has a twin brother). Demarco Murray will probably have a huge game once again and Fred Jackson won't be too far behind. This could be hit by the end of the 3rd Quarter.

Prediction: Take the Over

2.) Patriots (+2.5) at Jets - We're running out of time for a few of these teams to remain overrated. The Titans are probably officially past being given credit for the Ravens win, the Cowboys will start to get measured more accurately after they lose to the Bills, and the Patriots are getting beat by 10 on the road versus the Jets away from being the underdog they should be rather than the underdog they used to be. That means we have to take advantage now. Ever since the Steelers played man coverage versus Brady and the Pats, every team has exposed them. Jets will be no different even though they're planning on running the ball versus one of the league's worst secondaries.

Prediction: Jets 27, Pats 17

3.) Cardinals (+14) at Eagles - It's never fun to take a favorite by more than two touchdowns in the NFL, but I've got to believe that Vegas thinks this could be a blowout and that's why they kept it out of that 11 to 13 point range. Eagles literally have to win-out in order to have a shot at the Wild Card. That's a lot of pressure but something they'll be focused on today plus the Cardinals get the dreaded West coming East play against them. LeSean McCoy makes up for Vincent Jackson's crappy fantasy game for my team on Thursday and the Eagles roll.

Prediction: Eagles 35, Cardinals 10

 4.) Bills (+5.5) at Cowboys - Just like the Pats, we have to jump on teams going against the Cowboys right now before Vegas and the rest of the squares realize America's team is built to disappoint. The Bills are coming off a loss to the Jets that had letdown game written all over it after so much hype was built on non-football things like attendance and white-outs. Plus the Jets are making their annual march towards securing a spot to be playing for their lives in Week 17. I personally can't stand this Cowboys team from a confidence standpoint and just like I said I didn't think they could cover versus the Seahawks at home last weekend, I have to go against them here. Lots of points and I believe they squeak one out, solely because Sportscenter can't handle them being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in November for a second year in a row.

Prediction: Cowboys 31, Bills 27

5.)  Jaguars/Colts (Over 37.5 Total Points) - YUCK!! That's what I'm thinking if I'm in the parking lot of Lucas Oil Field right now. Not only am I about to go watch a game in the year-in and year-out least attractive division in the AFC, but I had to watch Luck suck versus the Ducks last night and make me second guess our whole Suck for Luck campaign. I'm not sure if they could even afford to trade Curtis Painter if they drafted Luck next April, much less trade Peyton Manning. Colts offense is stalling right now and Jaguars D is underrated and that to me means little points. Always a risk when the under is already set this low, but I'm not worried about it unless the Jaguars score three touchdowns.

Prediction: Take the Under

6.) Ravens (-6.5) at Seahawks - This line is what it is solely because everyone is expecting a letdown after such a big win over the Steelers and Seattle gets a lot of credit for its home-field advantage. What Seattle doesn't get a lot of credit for is its quarterback play and that will be the reason I have to go with the Ravens - I would have to question my own sanity if I backed a Tavarris Jackson-led team two weeks in a row. Now there's no way to express my hate for the Ravens and their general existence, but even I can't pass this one up and at least give them one more chance to screw me when I pick them after screwing me so many times before when I went against them. The Ravens already discovered what happens when they don't get ready for this type of game versus the Cardinals, so expect them to do work here.

Prediction: Ravens 27, Seahawks 10

That should do it for the day. Check out that season record starting to sparkle a bit below (and yes, I did indeed throw out the Homer of the Week pick from being counted in my season record because no one in their right mind would actually follow a pick labeled "Homer of the Week").Good luck!!

Season Record ATS: 8-4 (4-3 NFL)

Hindsight is Fine Sight

Oregon is going to demolish Stanford. Period.

Saturday Predictions

My biggest problem with spreads and predictions is I like to touch a lot of games rather than focus in on just a few. I like the thrill of a parlay over the simplicity of a single spread. I like trifectas more than Win bets. What that preference puts me in danger of is a prediction record that may not look as favorable when compared to those who focus on single games and only their strongest of feelings, but I always like to have options so I've provided you with many as well.

1.) Texas A&M (-5.5) at Kansas State - Just looked up "trap game" in the dictionary and this was listed as the definition. What is Vegas thinking here? I think we're getting two things in our favor here: 1.) Nobody watched and/or acknowledges how close the Wildcats were to beating the Cowboys last weekend; AND 2.) Everyone is over-discounting how good the Wildcats actually are because of one horrible half against the Sooners. I'm going to act and play like I know something everyone else doesn't and pick the "upset" here for the home team, plus I don't trust A&M or Mike Sherman to call a good game.

Kansas State 38, Texas A&M 34

2.) Texas (-1.5) at Missouri - I can't really explain this one. Mizzou has played some close games, but nothing that makes me truly believe they can hang within a point of these young Longhorns.

Texas 42, Missouri 28

3.) West Virginia (+3.5) at Cincinnati -  I will preface this by saying I don't trust the Big East at ALL, but I individually don't trust a playing-for-first-place Cincinnati team even more. West Virginia has been in this spot too many times before to let this game not come down to a field goal. It's an upset by definition, but it won't surprise you when it rolls across the bottom of the screen.

West Virginia 23, Cincinnati 14

4.) Oregon (+3.5) at Stanford - I have the same affinity for Andrew Luck at this point as I did for Eli Manning coming out of Ole Miss. I'm really not sure what makes him great in everyone's eyes, and I will have to have my wallet burned before I can ever be a moderate believer. Plus, I'm still fully aware that Oregon's only loss came in a turnover-filled battle against The Honey Badger and his Tigers. I'm labeling this Upset Saturday, and I'm predicting Oregon will win so impressively they'll start debating who the best one-loss team in the country truly is. Roll your money out of the Stanford cover pool prior to this one. The buck stops here.

Oregon 49, Stanford 31

5.) Oklahoma State (-18.5) at Texas Tech - Every year I seem to get a good feeling about a conference and a strong hold on how the teams stack up both apart and when pitted against each other. That conference has NEVER been the ACC. This year, I've seemed to gain a better understanding of the Big 12. Moreover, I feel I've really begun to understand the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Everyone is waiting for this team to come back down to Earth, but they're truly built to ride this thing undefeated to Bedlam. On top of that, Texas Tech's victory over Oklahoma should have been hailed as an upset of Stanford-USC proportions from a few years ago because this team really had NO business winning that game and probably wouldn't if not for the weird weather delay that sent the whole thing into a bizarro world. Look for OK State's defense to try and redeem themselves a bit from last week's nail-biter and their offense to auto-pilot their way to an easy victory.

Oklahoma State 52, Texas Tech 31 

***HOMER PICK OF THE WEEK***
6.) Kentucky (+13.5) at Vanderbilt - I should stay away from even publishing this but I feel there's something that needs to be pointed out. Vanderbilt's atmosphere for a home football game is horrendous. Twenty-five percent of the seats will be taken up by Big Blue Nation and that means half the attendance will Kentucky fans (just give it a minute, it will make sense). It's a 12:20 start which always means a weird game and Kentucky has blindly backed into six wins too many times before to give up on this season and not keep this game as close as it usually is in Nashville. Look for the offense to control the game to allow the defense to do what they did last week vs. Ole Miss. And as long as Morgan Newton is kept up in Indy at the doctor's office, look for our quarterback play to continue to improve. The homer in me is picking them to win, but the spectator is picking them to at least cover. Only believe the latter.

Kentucky 17, Vanderbilt 13




Season Record ATS: 4-3 (0-0 NCAAF) 


Good luck.

We've No Idea Where We're Coming From

The crowd was all of twenty-five, the energy lacking, and the opening gig—a solo guy accompanied by only his guitar—sang such regretful lyrics, casting a cloud so dark people would have smashed their bottles against the wall for a shard to slit with—had beer even been sold at this joint.

The night started out less than lackluster, and even a little weird—with eerie youth group-like twenty-somethings selling baked goods at a couple small “booths” in the lobby, baiting us with their smiles and greatly undercharging for Cokes. Nevertheless, the word “glad” would be a disservice to how I feel for paying 5 bucks to sit in that…art gallery? Church?... to hear Bowerbirds, for it didn’t really change my opinion of music, but something greater—reminded me how immense is the feeling of falling in love with a song, an album, or even better, a group of musicians.

Better still, it happened quickly—in an instant really—the way realizations of good things in life should come. If we think about it too much, analyze it, we find a way to dislike it, destroy it. Liking a song doesn’t take time. You either do or you don’t. The defining moment for me was hearing Beth Tascular, swaying and hypnotizing me with her accordion. She made that thing cool and beautiful in thirty seconds. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be someone else—her. Beth Tascular is spectacular. Bowerbirds are not the bandwagon, but I jumped so hard and fast I slipped and skinned my knees on the way on.

When asked to choose a reading for a wedding recently, I thought briefly about the lyrics to Beneath Your Tree, but changed my mind when I realized the song was laced with a bit of sorrow, and that just wouldn’t be appropriate for such a happy occasion. But, if you have the chance, listen. There is no greater romantic gesture, no flowers more beautiful, no chocolate as rich as these lyrics. Tell a girl you’d drag your legs across a desert, your lips thirsting for her, and she’ll know you want her unlike any other.

Deloreans and Blue Birds

In the early 20th century, a young patent clerk was riding in a street car and noticed a clock tower. Almost simultaneously he took grasp with one of physics greatest mysteries....time. At this point, little was known of time and how it differed from being to being. But the patent clerk's idea went on to set forth the notion that time is relative to where you are and how fast you are moving. In other words, the closer you are to the ground, the slower time is for you (gravity equals degradation in acceleration). From there, Einstein went on to theorize many ground breaking realizations in the natural world. Although many physicians attribute this discovery to the birth of the, ever current, phenomenon of time travel....and indirectly, 1.21 gigawatts.

Today I saw a "clock tower" in the form of Twitter.

As initially stated in the large print disclaimer of this blog, we are homers. To prove this point, today at 1:00 EST I set all work aside and joined the masses of UK basketball fans to follow the recruitment of Alex Poythress. My first stop was the staple website of Kentucky Sports Radio. In true KSR fashion, the site was slow to reach as the blue bloods had congregated and managed to practically disable the site's server. Improvisation was necessary. Google is a great thing, Google is not a great thing when you want pertinent information on the latest news of NCAA recruitment information.

For years I have laughed at the thought of a social networking site that allows for 140 character real-time updates from anyone. Who really cares where you are getting your morning coffee or have much of a crappy day you're having? A vehicle modeled as a small personal blog seemed pretentious and very west coast(how many people do you really know with an account?). But the going was tough today in the news of the nation's 18th best ranked high school basketball player. To the proprietary pages I went.

First, I stumbled upon the anti-KSR UK personality, Marc Maggard. Maggard should actually be commended on his recruitment trail of Poythress. News that I needed further verification, but in the end, was accurate. But from @marcmaggard, I found a link to Nation of Blue which then connected me to CBS basketball writer, Jeff Goodman (@goodmanCBS). Goodman, a very respected individual in the subject, had written of Poythress's expected declaration of the Big Blue. While on Goodman's twitter page, I was referenced to brethren CBS writer, Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) who also claimed the same. All this had taken place by 2:15 EST, although Poythress still had yet to make the official announcement.

One last twitter stop was that of @myfoxmemphis who was proclaiming to have a live stream of the event. Although the stream was unable to support that of the Big Blue Nation, I was able to follow the Fox Memphis twitter feed to receive real-time updates. And by 2:40 EST it was officially announced that the University of Kentucky Wildcats had their 3rd commit of the 2012 season (making them the 2nd ranked class, behind Arizona....North Carolina was not reported in the top 2).

If Alex Poythress had committed to UK at that time Einstein had developed his theories of time, or several years ago for that matter, it could have taken days or even weeks for this information to be communicated to those interested. But today, we were able to find out within seconds of the announcement. It's definitely not time travel, but things are definitely moving much faster on the ground then they did 100 years ago.

I formally apologize to the founders and true value users of twitter. Jump on board fellow SHARPsquares....I've reserved my burial plot: @rogerwillobee

Vinyl Thursday

I, like most people over the past couple of years, recently picked up a record player and began to build my own vinyl collection. I came into my record player last Christmas as a gift from my fiancé (now wife). It was a great gift because it was a total surprise and, from the moment I plugged it in, I fell in love with listening to records. We placed it in our spare room and for the first few months of 2011 I would find any reason I could to hang out in that room solely to listen. Like any Christmas gift, the excitement eventually wore off and the days between when the needle was dropped became longer and longer.

Last night, as I passed by the record player and its raised lid, I noticed a thin layer of dust had begun to develop. I then began to worry that I had become one of those people who claimed to be “really into music”, who said things at parties like, “Oh I love listening to vinyl - I have a huge collection.," when in reality, I had only bought a hand full of records over the past year, and in the past six months the amount of attention they get has become less and less. So, after having this realization I decide to start a weekly post called “Vinyl Thursday”, where I will review a new record every week until I run out of the ones I own and then I will start buying more.

Week 1, The Civil Wars Barton Hollow. I will be the first to admit, the first time I heard the Civil Wars I drank the Kool-Aid. I was sold on these guys from day 1. “Barton Hollow” the first single was comprised of heavy bass drum, soulful harmonies, and some really catchy lyrics. It’s the kind of single that can take you from nobody, to a 2011 CMA duo of the year nominee in about eight months.

The single is what led me to purchase the vinyl, but I was blown away with how great this album was from start to finish. Not just the tracks that also had commercial success like “Poison and Wine”, but tracks like “20 Years”, “I’ve Got This Friend”, and “Birds of a Feather” all make you want to open a beer, sit outside on a cool summer night and just get lost in music. To me that is the great thing about this album, how one song seamlessly moves into the next. Do not buy this album with the expectations of the single “Barton Hollow” to be present through the entire album. It is not there. To be honest “Barton Hollow” kind of disrupts the flow and I myself have even skipped over it a time or two.

Overall the duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White provide soothing harmonies and bring a singer/songwriter feel back to “mainstream” county that I feel have been missing for a long time. Time will only tell if their next release will continue stay more on the Folk/Alt Country side of things, or if their sound begins to change as their success grows.

Key Tracks- Poison and Wine, 20 Years,

Overall - ♫♫♫ out of ♫♫♫♫♫

Stop Your Lion

There is nothing healthier than debate in my opinion and that's exactly why I wanted to publish this. I'm going to preface this entire post by saying I wholeheartedly despise all parties involved in the Penn State scandal and wish this whole incident had never happened. It's a tragedy, it's sickening, and I will never be able to watch Tommy Boy again without being reminded of it. But I absolutely, positively think that Joe Paterno got the raw end of the deal in this. He knew it was time to step down and voluntarily agreed to do so at the end of the season. To not be given the opportunity to walk off into the apocalypse on his own, is a travesty that trumps whatever you think JoePa did or didn't do; moreover, to be made the face of this entire scandal because it's most convenient for views and headlines is just sad, while Jerry Sandusky couldn't be picked out of a lineup or recognized at a park where kids are playing at right now by most of the same people willing to give you their opinion without you asking for it.

Here's the facts the way I interpret them before JoePa has been given a chance to tell his side of the story outside of the grand jury testimony: Joe Paterno was informed of a heinous act being performed by one of his employees, he reported the incident up the chain of command without hesitation, and he left the matter to be resolved by the people whose job it was to resolve it. Leave the feelings out of it, leave the nasty details out of it, and that's what you have at the core of all this. 

You know what I just love? I love how everyone assumes they would do what is morally right if put in a situation someone else failed at. You let one person forget to cross a t or dot an i and just wait and listen for the 20/20 hindsight to come barreling over them. Now, I will admit that this matter is more critical than crossing a t, but the absolute surety that people are claiming in what they would have done is sickening in its own right. You don't know what you would have done, because it didn't happen to you and you have no idea how it truly played out!

Please don't get me wrong, I hope that everyone would do the right thing in situations and I firmly believe that a whole lot of people would go above and beyond what it is right. I'm simply putting this spin out there in terms of planting yourself in the shoes of those involved, with the same things on the line and the same background. It's not to say what anyone did was 100% morally right, because Sandusky wasn't brought to justice immediately and that's the only way it could be 100% morally right. I'm simply asking to take a look from a different perspective and apply the details we have to your own situation and figure out how much harder this would have been.

Only those people who have been self-employed their entire lives know what it's like to work in an environment with no bosses, no hierarchy to report to, and no company name or brand to protect outside of yourself. For the majority of us that do know what that is like, you understand how it works. You know who you can/can't talk about and you know who you can/can't talk about them to. You know who you don't cross and you know who you don't collaborate with on anything. You know who not to trust. Basically, you learn how to play the game. One of the major things you also learn is that you have quite enough responsibility and risk in your own position without taking on a heroic role for someone else, especially those above you.

No matter how many decades he'd been in the position, Joe Paterno's boss was still the Penn State AD. That's the man that could fire him if he wanted to truly become the most hated man on the planet. So when JoePa was informed of the situation by the graduate assistant (who, as Sean pointed out, is maybe the biggest POS not named Sandusky in this situation) and then sat down with the AD and passed the story along. I don't know what he said or what details he did/didn't provide, but he passed the story along. And in my opinion, at that point, Joe Paterno had done his job. He learned of information that was not only dangerous to the foundation of the program but also a risk to the community, and he passed it up the chain of command so it could be handled appropriately by those whose job it was to handle it.

So the main argument at this point usually becomes, "But nothing happened! He should have reported it to the police himself." Not so fast my friend. JoePa had to assume that it was being handled appropriately and I have to guess the AD made him think it was. No matter what you think you would do, if put in a situation where you disclosed the information appropriately and left it to your boss to do the rest, I have to think you would feel like you had done your job and your duty was done. Going above and beyond that would be a direct violation of your trust in your boss. Secondly, I doubt this was a situation where you want to stick your nose in and really follow-up. "Anything else on the whole sexual assault in the shower thing?" isn't exactly the conversation starter you're looking for over lunch. By disclosing the information, I feel JoePa did more than a lot of men would do when their job, their reputation, and their already-cemented legacy were put on the line.

Let's break down this situation a bit further: Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky had worked together side-by-side for over thirty years. The bonds of friendship, loyalty, and brotherhood created over that time in film rooms and on football fields is inconceivable to me. I've almost been at the same company for five years and I can't imagine how much closer I could become with my co-workers if we kept doing this for twenty-five more years, and that goes for people I don't work directly with on a day-to-day basis. Sandusky was Paterno's apprentice, the man Sandusky looked up to and the man he would one day take over the throne for. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I believe JoePa would have no idea of the truly sick man Sandusky was because Sandusky wouldn't have allowed that part of him to be exposed to the man he wanted to be. So when JoePa had the graduate assistant come to him with this story, I have to believe it nearly killed the man. I have to believe he had to rethink everything he ever trusted in his entire life. I have to believe he had to think about pretending it never happened or he never found out and just hope that someone else would take the lead on it. But he didn't. He did exactly what employment protocol calls for and he went and told on him to exactly the person he was supposed to go tell.

I don't want to pretend in any way that this entire argument is not at least partially based on JoePa's legacy at Penn State and what he has meant to that university and college football as a whole. There's a big difference in measuring this situation when you're able to gauge just how fully vested Paterno was in all things Penn State. He's basically the mascot for Christ's sake. He's more recognizable to the rest of the nation than the facade of some education building, famous alumni, or forgettable logo. He's what I associate with a clean program and I've only been around for the Ki-Jana Carter's, Kerry Collins', and Curtis Enis' of the program. I'll admit, however, this taints that assumption - not because JoePa cheated, but because he was unable to recognize an enormous character flaw in his right-hand man. And maybe he did know everything from the get-go, which means this entire argument can be forgotten faster than you were already planning to. But I believe this was a man who had been in post since Lyndon B. Johnson roamed the White House, who believed in doing the right thing and believed that he truly always did. A man who would literally die to protect what he loved and didn't believe that others who called themselves men were capable of the sickening acts presented before him now, especially men whom he called friends. A man that still believed that people were capable of doing the right thing and, as long as you did your part, they would too. And now you have a man who didn't believe time even passed while he was able to do what he loved, who has been stripped of all things he was passionate about and now left to the realization that he is eighty-four years old with nothing to truly live for and a smudge over everything he lived.

He was already heading for the door, you didn't have to kick him out. 

Have to get it out...

Let’s get this out of the way first. Penn State is the most spineless institution in the history of the world if they allow Joe Paterno to retire under his own terms. I don’t care what he has done for the university in the past. You cannot tell me that Paterno had no idea this was going on. It was brought to his attention by a graduate assistant and all he did was tell his A.D. We aren’t talking about hundred dollar handshakes here. We are talking about pedophilia happening on Penn State’s campus! We are talking about a man with children and grandchildren that, from all reports as of this post, passed off the news of a 58 year old man and a 10 year old boy in the showers together, as nothing to go to the authorities about. We are talking about a 28 year old graduate assistant, ex Penn State QB who ran out of the locker room to call his dad, and leave a 10 year old to fend for himself. We are talking about at least 13 years of cover up from one of only two universities in the nation that tout themselves as clean programs, and what other schools should strive to be. If Paterno is in the booth at the Nebraska game this weekend, it will be nothing short of a slap in the face to all the victims of this monster who abused his position as a leader. Penn State, I hope you do the right thing. Fire Paterno and clean house.

Update: Paterno has been fired and Def. Coordinator Tom Bradley has been named interim head coach. Good job Penn State. While it doesn’t make up for the travesty that has taken place, at least it gives some hope that status in a community doesn’t override basic human morals.

Alright….There is no good way to transition from that into anything, but I have to try.

The game of the century really turned out to be a snooze fest. Not! It was exactly what we all expected. Two defenses that could play for some NFL teams right now (I’m looking at you Colts) and a trench war battle between the 30’s. LSU came out ahead in the field goal battle, but only because Alabama apparently isn’t a big enough name school to get a kicker that can hit a 50-yarder. These FG’s were by no means chip shots, but come on. You’re at home in a HUGE game, and you can’t hit a field goal? I’m just lucky that my gut was correct and it wasn’t the Chinese food talking to me. On the flip-side, boy was I wrong about Michigan. They looked like the Michigan of the Rich Rodriguez era, complete crap. Oh well, I’ll take a 1-1 record into this weekend’s games. Let’s see what we have.

We are going to try something new this week. I will give you a short summary of my thoughts then the predictions. This will also allow me to predict more games. Because, let’s be honest, you don’t come here to listen to me talk about portly girls. Do you?

Louisville (-2.5) vs. Pittsburgh

Senior day for Louisville in the ®Corporate Sponsored Playing Facility®. Pitt has absolutely sucked it up this year. Louisville coming off a huge win in Morgantown last week.

Louisville 28, Pittsburgh 17

Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. Kansas State

I’m still on the K State bandwagon and think they are a legit top 15 team as of this week. A&M has had some good games and some very close losses to ranked opponents. I just don’t see them getting up for this game in Manhattan.

Kansas State 42, Texas A&M 30

Oregon (+3.5) vs. Stanford

Stanford always covers. Oregon is a pretty good football team with a lot of weapons on offense. Stanford always covers. Oregon is fighting for a BCS bid and has a legit shot if they win this game.

Stanford always covers.

Stanford 35, Oregon 28 OT

Alabama (-18) vs. Mississippi State

Alabama is reeling from the ugly loss last week at the hand of the mad hatter. Look for the elephants to bounce back in a big way and make Starkville an even worse place to live.

Alabama 49, Mississippi State 10

And there you have it. Hopefully you follow me to glory, or bet against me at your own peril! Good luck and God speed!

Undefeated!!!!

After last weeks stone-cold lock, I thought I would keep this undefeated train rolling and talk a little more football. With today only being Wednesday it seems like waiting until Saturday for some college football action is just way too far away, so lets talk a little V.Tech-Georgia Tech.

Usually the only reason I get excited to talk about Georgia Tech is because it gives me a reason to reference "The Perfect Option" video. Other than that, I can't stand to watch this team play. That being said, this is the same team that has the second ranked rushing offense in the nation so they're doing something right.

Virginia Tech is a very, very dangerous team, mostly because they control their own destiny. Win out and they reserve a spot in the ACC championship, lose Thursday and Georgia Tech will be tied in the Costal Division and own the all-important head-to-head win.

Prediction time!! Bookmakers opened this with Virgina Tech giving -1.5 but it has dropped a half point in Georgia Tech's favor. If you feel lucky, wait for it to drop another half and load up on Virginia Tech at -.5. The bad news is I don't think it will drop to -.5, so I would take Virginia Tech now.

Prediction: VA Tech 27, GA Tech 20

Season Record ATS: 1-0 (1-0 NCAAF)

Why Both?

Rog asked me the other day if we truly wanted to make this blog a dual-threat - did we really see the need to cover both sports and music. It was definitely a fair question, but my answer was quick and simple...absolutely.

I'll make no secret that this blog was born out of the idea to solely provide free sports predictions to the masses based on the gut instincts and self-developed strategy of intelligent (sharp), avid sports fans who represented the general betting public (squares) rather than the Vegas experts. Now you know how the blog got its name. What provided the change-up and the addition of music content was reading though old posts from the "Tangent Lyrics" blog that preceded SHARPsquares. I realized how much fun we had writing those and how music allows for so many levels of opinions beyond which side of a point spread you prefer.

Secondly, I quickly realized that there is no shortage of games to decide on or write about right now because we're in the greatest part of the sports gambling season, in my opinion. Tons of action, teams starting to figure out who they are, a game literally every night (thank you MAC for making it impossible for Vegas to rationally post what the Over should be), etc. But just like fall weather and perky breasts, things won't stay like this forever. There will come a day when our choices are Royals-Mariners or WNBA Playoffs, which means all but one of us will perceive that as nothing to bet on. There will come a day when we're tempted by Oscar moneylines. There will come a year when you have nothing but yourself to blame for your World Cup blowout. And rather than force ourselves on topics not worth the risk of carpel tunnel, we will have music. We will have fresh music. We will have old music, in the form of a reunion for some and an introduction for others. And in seasons where quality album releases are few and far between, we'll take you down a road you haven't been in a long time or lead you down a YouTube rabbit hole that will make you wonder if you'll ever get out. Because the music will always be there, and that means we can always be there too.

Finally, the last three months have made me realize that sports, and the media that blankets it, tend to contract a habit unsafe to all those involved and spectating . . .the beating of a dead horse. How many ways can a lockout truly be covered? Does the reporter really need to stand outside the courthouse and deliver updates? Is it really going down like that? How many ways can cheaters be analyzed, whether it be with drugs or mistresses or equipment? How many angles can a play be broken down in the postgame, even though the game drew higher ratings than any show on CBS with an acronym? How many spins can you truly put on Jerry Sandusky? There are times when all we want to do with sports is get away from them, and limiting this blog to only one vision means there would be times you'd want to get away from us, too. Enter music - the palate cleanser for the mind from all things over-analyzed.

We are SHARPsquares. We are sports AND music.

Another Weekend of Close Calls

Down by 4, 92 yards to the end zone and under 3 minutes needing a touchdown. Against the Steelers' defense. That usually is not the recipe for a methodical march to victory, but somehow the Ravens and their "confidence regressing" quarterback pulled it off and prevented me from posting a 5-2 record on my first Sunday under the microscope.

One can't complain when things don't go their way, but I was basically wrecked by five teams this weekend who had no business of wrecking themselves or me. I completely understand it's part of the game we're playing, but this seems to be a pattern of heartbreak I've never experienced before. Actually, every weekend has been that way as of late, starting with Wisconsin deciding to make Michigan State's QB a Flutie. Let's take a look at the culprits this weekend and exactly how they did it:

1.) Florida Gators (-13) - Up 17-0 at halftime against Vandy at home, this one looked like it was locked up and gave me a good feeling about getting the entire weekend off to a good start. Then somehow they allow Vandy to get back in the game. A late touchdown by Demps looked like it was going to save the day, but they failed on the two-point, leaving them only up by 12 with just over two minutes to play. To make matters worse, they allow Vandy and Rodgers, Jr. to score with 1:12 left and cut the lead to 5. Guess who had them in a teaser at -6? Guess who got all the other games in that teaser correct?

2.) Nebraska Cornhuskers (-15.5) - I'm still trying to believe ESPN just entered the progress of this game backwards on Scorecenter. Why is the Big 10 the most unreliable conference in college football? Can no team put two straight weeks together? Northwestern came in, scored a quick touchdown, and then held on to the lead at halftime 7-3. Cue the halftime bet. The Wildcats then came out in the second half with their BACKUP QB and proceeded to score what seemed to be every time I hit refresh on my phone. Only game missed in a 4-Team Parlay. Ridiculous.

3.) Arizona State Sun Devils (-6.5) - UCLA is horrible. They've been horrible all year. That pistol offense they attempt to run has been smoking less than the chair that Rick Neuheisel is sitting on. Arizona State can score and score in bunches. Plus their defense is just good enough to completely man-handle UCLA. These were all the thoughts running through my head with constructing this one. And then I picked them and UCLA actually wins the game outright. Only game missed in 5-Team Parlay.

4.) St. Louis Rams (+3) - A field goal to win a game in which you've scored 4 points off of safeties. That's meant to be if I've ever heard it. Unfortunately, I included it, so meant to be was thrown out the window. Field goal blocked at the end of regulation and a  Patrick Peterson punt return TD to seal my fate. Seriously, how many times does a team actually score the TD in overtime? Only game missed in a 4-Team Parlay.

5.) Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) - Not a huge deal, but if they don't get that ridiculous delay of game penalty just before the two minute warning, Suisham gets a chance to kick the FG to give them a 7-point lead, which means Flacco's "career-defining drive" only ties the game.

I always say, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." And believe me when I tell you that I've already laughed all of these off and have turned the page. It's just sometimes good to see that other people are barely missing just like you, so I'm glad to be that step back from the ledge for you. Just like Flacco makes Anthony Davis feel better about being a stud athlete with a college case of unibrow.

Waiting All Day for Sunday Night

Well it comes down to this in order to be a successful day. I thought the Rams had secured a perfect 4:00 games selection for me but was wrecked in overtime. Have to turn the page.

Ravens (+3.5) at Steelers: Tonight's game is one of those where you have to decide if you're on the side of history or your gut. In the Steelers-Ravens first meeting this season, I went with the history and the fact that all of these games had been close and backed the underdog in the first game (Steelers). The Ravens then proceeded to score and score and score and score. Then they went out and lost to the Titans the next weekend. So my question is, what is the false result? Is it the Ravens losing to the Titans, Jaguars and struggling against the Cardinals? Or is it them whooping the Steelers and Jets?

I've decided it is actually neither and they instead fall somewhere in between, but leaning more toward the bad version of themselves. As I predicted before the season started, this defense has to get old at some point and not be able to make up for their own aggressiveness when going for the big play on defense. On top of that, I believe Joe Flacco may be regressing at least in the confidence department.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh looks like a different team than the one that played the Ravens in Week 1. With some starters out this week, there is a definite disadvantage in terms of health, but this will be a team out for vengeance. I'm not going to go out and say it will be a blowout, but I believe the Steelers will control this one from start to finish with Baltimore making it interesting late, meaning I'll be buying the half-point just in case.

Steelers 27, Ravens 22

Season Record ATS: 4-2 (NFL - 4-2)