Here we go again -- time for me to make some money, and for readers to help me while proving how smart they are. Once again I am participating in a pro football Underdog Pool, the object of which is to pick one NFL team every week that's going to win its game outright despite the oddsmakers' predictions that it's going to lose.
Here's is this week's lineup. The underdogs are in caps. To the left are the number of points that they are favored to lose their respective games by. But in order to win, I have to pick a team that's going to win outright -- not just beat the spread. On the other hand, the points are not irrelevant, in that if my pick wins, I get the number of points shown for that game. The player with the most points accumulated by the end of the playoffs wins the pool.
13.5 DETROIT at New Orleans
11 KANSAS CITY at Baltimore
10.5 BUFFALO at New England
9.5 OAKLAND vs. San Diego
7.5 ST. LOUIS at Seattle
7 JACKSONVILLE at Indianapolis
6.5 SAN FRANCISCO at Arizona
6.5 WASHINGTON at NY Giants
6 TAMPA BAY vs. Dallas
6 TENNESSEE at Pittsburgh (Thursday)
5 NY JETS at Houston
4.5 CLEVELAND vs. Minnesota
4 CHICAGO at Green Bay
4 MIAMI at Atlanta
4 DENVER at Cincinnati
2 CAROLINA vs. Philadelphia
Especially in the first couple of weeks of the season, anything can happen. That being the case, the Lions actually don't look that bad. San Diego tends to get the chokies, and so could the Raiders pull it off? The Browns are going to win some games this year -- will they prevail at home in Week 1? All good fodder for some conversation over the next few days. But if you think the Titans will beat the Steelers, you've only got a day or two to speak up, as they play on Thursday.
Last year I took third place in the pool, which means I won some dough. Readers who helped me get there won... well, my undying gratitude. This year, let's hope we take it all, in which case I'll really love you.
Not a lot of good choices here, but I'll venture a guess of Dallas losing on the road to Tampa Bay. Traveling east is frequently hard on teams, and it'll be a home game for Tampa. Dallas is a suspect team, and Tampa's problems tend to come on late-season, not early season. I'm giving it a less than 50-50 chance, but I REALLY don't like any of the other choices this week. Wouldn't be surprised if there are no upsets this week.
"This year, let's hope we take it all, in which case I'll really love you."
Jack, there's something a little bit creepy about the way you italicized "really" in that sentence. Kind of the same way that Bryan Adams' song "Have You Ever -Really- Loved a Woman" gives me the heebie-jeebies. Or makes me feel confused and inadequate.
Take the Jets. Besides, after last year's abuse of the Terrible Towel* by some of the Titans**, the Steelers are going to rip 'em up at home. No mercy.
The word "love" has many connotations, some of which accommodate, without creepiness, the concept of degrees. The ancient Greeks had far more words for "love." If you and I were in the Athenian agorá in Socrates's time, I could say this in a better way.
If you are going for the big points up front, I like the RAMS to upset Seattle (new-coach-itis). Or SAN FRAN over Arizona (I know, I know...)
Safer bet: I think your gut is right on CLEVELAND (Who wants to lose to Brett Favre?)
I would wait on picking Chicago until you get a chance to see how their injured secondary performs against a team with top receivers (like the Packers).
I agree with the Jets. Ryan has got their defense fired up and ready to play, and the offense is competent. Houston is a fashionable pick to make the playoffs, but I think they lose this game.
Louis Jadot, Pouilly-Fuissé 2011
Trader Joe's, Grower's Reserve Pinot Noir 2012
Zenato, Lugana San Benedetto 2012
Vintjs, Cabernet 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White 2012
Rainstorm, Oregon Pinot Gris 2012
Silver Palm, North Coast Cabernet 2011
Andrew Rich, Gewurtztraminer 2008
Rodney Strong, Charlotte's Home Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Canoe Ridge, Pinot Gris, Expedition 2012
Edmunds St. John, Bone-Jolly Gamay Noir Rose 2012
Dark Horse, Big Red Blend No. 01A
Elk Cove, Pinot Noir Rose 2012
Fletcher, Shiraz 2010
Picollo, Gavi 2011
Domaine Eugene Carrel, Jongieux 2012
Eyrie, Pinot Blanc 2010
Atticus, Pinot Noir 2010
Walter Scott, Pinot Noir, Holstein 2011
Shingleback, Cabernet, Davey Estate 2010
Coppola, Sofia Rose 2012
Joel Gott, 851 Cabernet 2010
Pol Roget Reserve Sparkling Wine
Mount Eden Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains 2009
Rombauer Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2011
Beringer, Chardonnay, Napa Reserve 2011
Kim Crawford, Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Schloss Vollrads, Spaetlese Rheingau 2010
Belle Glos, Pinot Noir, Clark & Telephone 2010
WillaKenzie, Pinot Noir, Estate Cuvee 2010
Blackbird Vineyards, Arise, Red 2010
Chauteau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2005
Northstar, Merlot 2008
Feather, Cabernet 2007
Silver Oak, Cabernet, Alexander Valley 2002
Silver Oak, Cabernet, Napa Valley 2002
Trader Joe's, Chardonnay, Grower's Reserve 2012
Silver Palm, Cabernet, North Coast 2010
Shingleback, Cabernet, Davey Estate 2010
E. Guigal, Cotes du Rhone 2009
Santa Margherita, Pinot Grigio 2011
Alamos, Cabernet 2011
Cousino Macul, Cabernet, Anitguas Reservas 2009
Dreaming Tree Cabernet 2010
1967, Toscana 2009
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
The Occasional Book
Maria Dermoȗt - The Ten Thousand Things
William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying
Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
Christopher Buckley - Thank You for Smoking
William Shakespeare - Othello
Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cheryl Strayed - Tiny Beautiful Things
Sara Varon - Bake Sale
Stephen King - 11/22/63
Paul Goldstein - Errors and Omissions
Mark Twain - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Steve Martin - Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
Beverly Cleary - A Girl from Yamhill, a Memoir
Kent Haruf - Plainsong
Hope Larson - A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel
Rudyard Kipling - Kim
Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce
Fran Cannon Slayton - When the Whistle Blows
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 69
At this date last year: 21
Total run in 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (18)
Tennessee
Posted by mp97303 | September 8, 2009 4:04 PM
Explanations of one's picks are encouraged.
Posted by Jack Bog | September 8, 2009 4:10 PM
Not a lot of good choices here, but I'll venture a guess of Dallas losing on the road to Tampa Bay. Traveling east is frequently hard on teams, and it'll be a home game for Tampa. Dallas is a suspect team, and Tampa's problems tend to come on late-season, not early season. I'm giving it a less than 50-50 chance, but I REALLY don't like any of the other choices this week. Wouldn't be surprised if there are no upsets this week.
Posted by Mark | September 8, 2009 5:51 PM
Jets
If Jets and Sanchez can beat Giants, then the Houston Texans are a cakewalk. I don't even understand why the Jets are underdogs.
Chicago
Jay Cutler has a lot more to prove and the Bears would love to make a first game statement to that division.
Posted by LucsAdvo | September 8, 2009 7:55 PM
And I got a hunch the Titans are going to beat the Steelers.
Posted by Tenskwatawa | September 8, 2009 8:21 PM
One more thing... about the Jets...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/09/08/Texans.Schaub.ap/index.html
Who will be the QB for the Texans anyway?
Posted by LucsAdvo | September 8, 2009 8:22 PM
"This year, let's hope we take it all, in which case I'll really love you."
Jack, there's something a little bit creepy about the way you italicized "really" in that sentence. Kind of the same way that Bryan Adams' song "Have You Ever -Really- Loved a Woman" gives me the heebie-jeebies. Or makes me feel confused and inadequate.
Posted by teacherrefpoet | September 8, 2009 8:36 PM
Not to mention Neil Young's "When You Dance I Can Really Love"...
Posted by Jack Bog | September 8, 2009 8:42 PM
Does Neil Young italicize "really" in his title? Because Bryan Adams did. Ewww. Creepy.
Posted by teacherrefpoet | September 8, 2009 9:49 PM
Take the Jets. Besides, after last year's abuse of the Terrible Towel* by some of the Titans**, the Steelers are going to rip 'em up at home. No mercy.
* Terrible Towel Creator Donates All to Disabled
Former Steelers' Announcer Myron Cope Turns Symbol of Pride Into Hope for Disabled
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=6821185&page=1
**Lendale vows to stomp on a towel
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/09/06/lendale-vows-to-stomp-on-a-towel/
Posted by Mojo | September 9, 2009 12:05 AM
Ewww. Creepy.
The word "love" has many connotations, some of which accommodate, without creepiness, the concept of degrees. The ancient Greeks had far more words for "love." If you and I were in the Athenian agorá in Socrates's time, I could say this in a better way.
Posted by Jack Bog | September 9, 2009 12:59 AM
If you are going for the big points up front, I like the RAMS to upset Seattle (new-coach-itis). Or SAN FRAN over Arizona (I know, I know...)
Safer bet: I think your gut is right on CLEVELAND (Who wants to lose to Brett Favre?)
Posted by Mark Mason | September 9, 2009 9:25 AM
I would wait on picking Chicago until you get a chance to see how their injured secondary performs against a team with top receivers (like the Packers).
I would go with the Broncos or the Jets.
Posted by Kevin | September 9, 2009 9:31 AM
SF will make the spread.
Posted by ecohuman | September 9, 2009 9:46 AM
I agree with the Jets. Ryan has got their defense fired up and ready to play, and the offense is competent. Houston is a fashionable pick to make the playoffs, but I think they lose this game.
Posted by Dave J. | September 9, 2009 9:49 AM
It would be interesting to know what the total points are that put you in the money and win the thing outright.
That said, if 6 points is worth it, I'd be picking Tampa Bay for sure.
Posted by george anonymuncule seldes | September 9, 2009 10:04 AM
Sorry for no explanation, I was getting sick and wanted to get my pick in just in case I ended up with the piggy flu and died.
Posted by mp97303 | September 9, 2009 5:44 PM
Jets 24 Texans 7..... Not a surprise. Just what I would have expected. Hope you took this one, Jack.
We will see about the later game.
Posted by LucsAdvo | September 13, 2009 4:50 PM