Between the Beers: Super Bowl XLIII Highlights (Barely including the game)

By now, everyone who is interested knows how the Super Bowl ended (Ironically, on a Kurt Warner fumble, and fittingly, on a controversial official’s decision that awarded the Pittsburgh Steelers a sixth Super Bowl title and a brand new region of football fans who loathe them.)

Arizona fans will no doubt join the growing ranks of anti-Steeler fans in whining about the Pittsburgh referee conspiracy (Charter members; Seattle, Baltimore, and Oakland). I find this tragic, considering the fact that it could have been avoided if only the replay booth had reviewed the Kurt Warner fumble that sealed the Steelers win.

If the review held, then game over, and no whining (well, not as much whining). If the review had been overturned, Kurt Warner would have fumbled the very next play (Say what you want about Warner’s “hall of fame” caliber career; he had clearly reverted to the old, butterfingers Kurt Warner under duress.) The NFL missed a golden-opportunity to dispel the cloud of doubt surrounding the alleged ref-bias for Pittsburgh.

Still, much respect to Pittsburgh and head coach Mike Tomlin for displaying sound football. Despite the alleged evidence to the contrary, the Steelers won because they were the better team on that night, period.

Though I picked Arizona to win, my heart was with Pittsburgh. Sure, I lost two straight-up bets with my pick (a dime-bet with my aunt and a five dollar bet with my sexy barber up the street). But for sports-betting purposes, I beat the spread (Pittsburgh was a seven-point favorite.) That means I went out on top! Challenge my fluky sports-betting prowess at your own peril!

But enough about the game with its questionable officiating and Kurt Warner’s predictably-atrocious ball-handling in the pocket. Let’s discuss the real draw to the NFL Championship game…

Between the Beers continues here

Week 13 NFL Picks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! No filler today! I’m skipping the appetizers and rushing right in to rip off a turkey leg before Andy Reid can throw an ill-advised challenge flag or battle Mike Holmgren to the death for the right to mismanage a two-minute egg-timer while blaming their players for scorching the gravy.

Let’s get right to the meat.

Thursday, Nov 27, 2008

Tennessee Titans (10-1) -11.5 over DETROIT LIONS (0-11)

Week 11 NFL Procrastinated Picks

I was supposed to get these picks to Caitlin before Thursday night’s game. Well, I don’t actually have a deadline, but I do have my own personal code of conduct and, well frankly, I’ve failed myself this week.

But I have good excuses reasons! My work-hours fluctuated wildly. I had numerous events and not nearly enough time. My wife’s birthday was this week. My dog ate my homework.

Ok, so I don’t own a dog.

Fortunately, I came up with a new idea to deal with the game that just wrapped up. I’ll post my pick for tonight’s game anyway, along with a brief sentence on why I was proven right or wrong. In fact, the one-sentence theme got so good to me that I tried keeping the format for the entire column, with varying degrees of success/failure.

I went with the observant statement. I borrowed from classics and Eastern philosophy. I even waxed poetically, weaving metaphors together like some kind of… hell… I dunno… metaphor-weaver.

Shut-up! What do you want from me? I’m tired!

On to the picks (home-team in CAPS)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS -3.5 over New York Jets
…and mighty Brett Favre gazed upon his all-time interception record of 300 and wept, for he had no more worlds to conquer.

Why I was wrong about this pick: The fact that Matt Cassel cannot hit Randy Moss on a go-route, combined with a bruising, physical cornerback who isn’t afraid to jam him, reduced Moss to a sulking, crappy Napoleon Dynamite impersonation for most of the night.

(My Week 11 NFL Picks continue here)