This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on January 10, 2012 4:43 PM.
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It's the next-to-last weekend of our charity pro football underdog contest, and for this time of year, there are some big point spreads on the table:
13.5 DENVER at New England
8 NEW YORK GIANTS at Green Bay
7 HOUSTON at Baltimore
3.5 SAN FRANCISCO vs. New Orleans
Which of those underdogs (in caps) can win its game outright, without the benefit of the spread? The bigger the spread, the greater your reward if you're right.
As was true last weekend, all picks are due by 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Nearly half of our pack is still within reach of one of the top five prizes:
First prize - $510 to player's favorite charity
Second prize - $165 to player's favorite charity
Third prize - $105 to player's favorite charity
Fourth prize - $75 to player's favorite charity
Fifth prize - $55 to player's favorite charity
Good luck to everyone with this week's intriguing slate.
Comments (5)
Another demonstration of why for decades, Denver has had the second-most unsportsmanlike fans in the NFL (at least ever since the Broncos released Marlin Broscoe in '69):
An average point spread of 8 points at this stage of the competition keeps things pretty wide open Mr. Rozelle. Question is, are there any more divine bow wows in this mix?
For Top Dogs:
SAN FRANCISCO (+3.5) vs New Orleans -- Turnovers may be the key to this game. Can the 49ers force enough to compensate for the Saints' firepower? The 49ers can win if they Gore the Saints by controlling the clock with the excellent star, RB Frank Gore.
For Running Dogs of Empiricism:
HOUSTON (+7) at Baltimore -- Keys to the game for the Ravens' are RB Ray Rice and which QB shows up, Joe Flacco or Bizarro Joe Flacco. And for the Texans, can rookie QB T.J. Yates keep it going with his one-two punch of RBs Foster & Tate, while the Texans' DL gets after Rice & Flacco?
"Upset Special"
(Last week: 1-0; overall: 4-16)
NY GIANTS (+8) at Green Bay -- The Packers' pass defense is the worst in the NFL. If the Giants can use their running backs and control the clock while picking good moments to strike down the field with their awesome WRs, the Giants should avenge their 3 pt. loss to the Packers earlier this season. Green Bay's OL will be facing an awesome pass rush, but the question remains can the Giants' LBs cover the receivers over the midfield? The Packers running game is unremarkable. Coughlin is a very good playoff coach and will have the Giants hitting hard from the get-go.
"Gamblers Corner"
DENVER (+11.5) at New England -- I mean, what can I say? If you've ridden Tebow and Denver's defense to victories this far, how can you get off them now? Otherwise, beware the temptation because, "If you give the devil a ride, he's gonna want to drive."
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
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
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
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: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run 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 (5)
Another demonstration of why for decades, Denver has had the second-most unsportsmanlike fans in the NFL (at least ever since the Broncos released Marlin Broscoe in '69):
Denver airport openly trolls Steelers fans
By MJD | Shutdown Corner – 6 hours ago
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/denver-airport-openly-trolls-steelers-fans-181335546.html
Just for that, they'll probably make believe-it-or-not football history again, losing by 31.6 points to the Patriots.
Belichick is tuning into Tebow's frequency again and will be jamming the airwaves in Foxborough on Saturday.
Good vs. Evil, tee hee -- must-see tv!
Posted by Mojo | January 10, 2012 5:20 PM
Briscoe.
Posted by Mojo | January 10, 2012 5:23 PM
An average point spread of 8 points at this stage of the competition keeps things pretty wide open Mr. Rozelle. Question is, are there any more divine bow wows in this mix?
Posted by Drewbob | January 10, 2012 5:44 PM
Playoffs put Brady in cranky, intense mood
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-cole_tom_brady_patriots_broncos011112
Posted by Mojo | January 12, 2012 12:46 PM
"Mojo's Best Bets"
Tebowie Edition
(Fallon hits another grand slam)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHB0o9lCizQ
"Best Bet"
(Last week: 0-1; overall: 15-21)
For Top Dogs:
SAN FRANCISCO (+3.5) vs New Orleans -- Turnovers may be the key to this game. Can the 49ers force enough to compensate for the Saints' firepower? The 49ers can win if they Gore the Saints by controlling the clock with the excellent star, RB Frank Gore.
For Running Dogs of Empiricism:
HOUSTON (+7) at Baltimore -- Keys to the game for the Ravens' are RB Ray Rice and which QB shows up, Joe Flacco or Bizarro Joe Flacco. And for the Texans, can rookie QB T.J. Yates keep it going with his one-two punch of RBs Foster & Tate, while the Texans' DL gets after Rice & Flacco?
"Upset Special"
(Last week: 1-0; overall: 4-16)
NY GIANTS (+8) at Green Bay -- The Packers' pass defense is the worst in the NFL. If the Giants can use their running backs and control the clock while picking good moments to strike down the field with their awesome WRs, the Giants should avenge their 3 pt. loss to the Packers earlier this season. Green Bay's OL will be facing an awesome pass rush, but the question remains can the Giants' LBs cover the receivers over the midfield? The Packers running game is unremarkable. Coughlin is a very good playoff coach and will have the Giants hitting hard from the get-go.
"Gamblers Corner"
DENVER (+11.5) at New England -- I mean, what can I say? If you've ridden Tebow and Denver's defense to victories this far, how can you get off them now? Otherwise, beware the temptation because, "If you give the devil a ride, he's gonna want to drive."
Tom Tom Club ~ The Man With The 4-Way Hips
Paradise, Boston (Oct. 2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyc_CmY3q4
Posted by Mojo | January 14, 2012 1:15 PM