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Closing The Book

2/7/2021

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All week, I've been thinking about writing this one, final column to close out this season.

All day, I've tried sitting down and getting it written.

I know what I think. I know what to write.

The words won't come.

2020 took so much from me. It took a lot from a lot of folks.

Now, it's a new year, and I'm dealing with an unimaginable heartbreak.

I don't have anything else to say.

​Goodbye for now.
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Heartbroken: Week Nineteen No Picks

1/16/2021

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Closed Due To A Death In The Family.
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Running Tally: Week Eighteen Sunday Picks

1/10/2021

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Good form. Ball comes out well. At least as good as Mitch Trubisky.


​
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Looks uncomfortable, probably like when he held his children. I'm just kidding; he never held his children.


​You saw them. I saw them.

They were smiling. They were triumphant.

So sure. So confident. So privileged.

They never thought that anything could happen to them. They showed themselves to the world.

That's how it started.

This is how it's going.

-- Guy sitting at Pelosi's desk: Arrested.

-- Guy with horned helmet: Arrested.

-- Podium Guy: Arrested

-- West Virginia State Representative: Arrested (and Resigned).

Lots more have been identified, many by people who knew them (even family), and saw them on TV or social media. Some have been arrested. Others have lost their jobs.

As for those who haven't been identified, the FBI is looking for them.

​

​

#FBIWFO is seeking the public's assistance in identifying those who made unlawful entry into U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6. If you witnessed unlawful violent actions contact the #FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit photos/videos at https://t.co/NNj84wkNJP. https://t.co/iSeA3UMeyz pic.twitter.com/TW7fma4QDE

— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) January 8, 2021

They're really looking.

Do you see anyone you recognize? The #FBI is still seeking information to help identify individuals who actively instigated violence on January 6 in Washington, D.C. Visit https://t.co/o9rDVDsk5S to see images from current cases, and submit tips to https://t.co/buMd8vYXzH. pic.twitter.com/R9JqN8TqpP

— FBI (@FBI) January 8, 2021


I mean, they're REALLY looking.
​

The FBI has put up ads in Washington, D.C. bus shelters as they search for the rioters who invaded the Capitol. They’re still looking for the masked individual suspected of placing pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committees. pic.twitter.com/urhN5OsAVY

— Thomas Daigle (@thomasdaigle) January 9, 2021


Stay tuned, folks. Those arrest numbers are going to be climbing. It might take some time, but hopefully, they'll get a lot of them.



Week Eighteen Picks
Sunday Games


Baltimore (11-5) at Tennessee (11-5)

Last year, Baltimore's gimmicky, college offense was being hailed by everyone (except me) as the future of the NFL, and Lamar Jackson was being fitted for a gold jacket by the sports media. This year, Baltimore came back to earth, as the better teams adjusted to their tricks. A lot of people are pretty high on Baltimore again, after they finished the season on a high note by fattening up their numbers on some weaklings. And that brings us, and them, to Tennessee. Tennessee's offense isn't exactly a weakling, but their defense sure is. Given the opportunity, Baltimore is more than capable of carving up Tennessee for big points. Fortunately for Tennessee, their offense can definitely hang with Baltimore. The key to this game for both teams is sustained drives, dominating time of possession, and finishing drives with points. I'm with King Henry, Ryan Tannehill, and the rest of Tennessee's efficient offense. Winner: Tennessee


Chicago (8-8) at New Orleans (12-4)

Alvin Kamara is the biggest x-factor here. Last I heard, he hasn't been cleared to play yet, but he still might be. Kamara gives his team a better chance against Chicago's strong defense. Drew Brees, banged-up, old, gross, will have his work cut out for him in this one. Fortunately, with New Orleans's excellent defense, and with Mitch Trubisky as the opposing QB, Brees might not have to do too much. Winner: New Orleans


Cleveland (11-5) at Pittsburgh (12-4)

Barely winning against an undermanned Pittsburgh team in Week 17 to secure their first playoff berth in forever, thereby earning the right to face a Pittsburgh team that WON'T be resting key starters like Ben and TJ, then having their coach get COVID, rendering him unavailable for the game, is about as Cleveland as it gets. Winner: Pittsburgh
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We All Know What Happened: Week Eighteen Saturday Picks

1/9/2021

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It's really great that this finally happened, but it took WAY too long. Never let it be said that corporations don't control things.


Look, I'm exhausted.

I've spent a LOT of time these past three days watching videos and looking at pictures of what happened on Wednesday. Every few hours, it seems, there were new revelations, more footage.

I was, and am still, outraged.

I don't really know what to say right now. I COULD say a lot. However, there have been SO MANY takes, too many, really. Not that the story isn't important. It is. It is THE STORY. I, however, am only interested in facts right now.

Evidence and identifications are the things I'm most interested in. What happened. How it happened. How it was ALLOWED to happen. Who was involved.

There has to be a full accounting of this. There HAVE to be CONSEQUENCES; far-reaching, grave, lasting consequences.

Lessons must be learned.

There must be a reckoning.

This is THE STORY. THE STORY is not over. Not yet.

For now, I am not ready to add my voice to the din. I will keep watching, though. So should you.



Week Eighteen
Saturday Picks:


Indy (11-5) at Buffalo (13-3)

These were two of my favourite teams entering the season. Indy underachieved, mostly due to injuries and the inconsistent play of Philip Rivers. When healthy, Indy's defense is among the best units in the league, and this is as healthy as they've been in a while, thought CB Rock Ya-Sin is Out and DeForest Buckner, the achor of their D-Line, is hobbled. They'll have their hands full with a Buffalo offence that has exceeded even my expectations this year. Adding a true STAR WR in Stefon Diggs to an already talented receiving corps has greatly helped in the maturation process of Josh Allen. I think that Indy could absolutely give Buffalo a scare on Saturday if Rivers plays well. However, with the game in cold Buffalo, and with what I've seen of Rivers this season, I don't believe that Indy will be able to keep pace with red-hot Buffalo. Winner: Buffalo


LAAries (10-6) at Seattle (12-4)

Both of these teams are likely too flawed to make a deep playoff run, but here we are, with one of them set to survive at least one more week. I've been thinking for a while that as good as LA's defense is playing, if I had ANY faith in their offense, then I'd have them as potential championship contenders. Alas, their offense isn't nearly good enough. As for Seattle, it seems that the opposite is true, as their defense has not played nearly to the level of their offense. LA has given Seattle a lot of trouble this season, and I'm tempted to pick them. However, in a low-scoring game like I expect this to be, I can clearly envision some late-game heroics by a battle-tested Russell Wilson to pull this one out for the home team. Winner: Seattle


Tampa (11-5) at Washington (7-9)

First off, let me just say how sorry I am to Big Blue fans that this game is being played in Maryland instead of Jersey. Your team played its guts out last week, and Doug Pederson disgraced himself and screwed you over ROYALLY. So now, instead of the story being Brady vs. his Superb Owl nemesis team, we get weak storylines comparing Washington's O-Line to the New York units that plagued him in the past.

Now, while it's true that Washington's defensive front if fearsome, I don't see this game as being much in doubt. Though Tampa will be without its best player on defense, LB Devin White (COVID), the Washington offence is pretty bad. Also, even with WR Mike Evans hobbled, Tampa has enough depth at receiver to keep things humming along, at least enough to outpace Washington. Winner: Tampa 
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The Stain Remains: Week Seventeen Picks

1/3/2021

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They have a lot in common.


​Glad to be back for this, the final week of this most irregular NFL season. I’ve missed a couple of weeks, due to illness (No, not COVID. I’ve been a VERY good boy.)
 
I think it’s fitting that the final week of the regular season is the first NFL football of 2021.
 
Let me explain.
 
The 2020 NFL season has been an absolute shitshow. The NHL, NBA, and to a lesser extent, MLB, managed to have successful shortened seasons by maintaining safety standards. The NFL set out to have a full slate of games, and they demonstrated week after week that nothing was going to stop that from happening. They postponed games, changed bye weeks, altered the schedule on the fly, forced players to play under unsafe circumstances. The league made a big show about having stringent safety standards, but their execution was uneven at best, and a mere façade at worst.
 
A team loses all their QBs due to COVID exposure; just have them start a practice squad WR with no NFL experience at the most important position in a dangerous sport.
 
A player receives a positive COVID test result on the field after pre-game warmups and after he’s gone around hugging a bunch of his former teammates; don’t cancel the game, just send the player home, try to scrub social media of any evidence, and pretend it never happened.

This tweet is now deleted ⁦... □□‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/505nSn3kpX

— Downtown Diane (@downtowndiane) December 9, 2020

Since I tested positive for Covid before the game do the game stop or go on? @NFL

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) December 9, 2020

​Week after week, ridiculous things happened, all in the name of playing a full schedule no matter the cost. On Christmas Day, the NFL achieved what I call “NFL COVID 2020 BINGO” by having a game on Friday, thus ensuring that the season would have at least one game played on every day of the week.
 
Some teams benefitted, while others suffered. It was nigh impossible to appreciate the games, knowing how morally bankrupt the whole operation was.
 
The whole year 2020 was like that. With social unrest, the rise of extreme right wing and fascist ideologies, the extremely divisive election campaign, the callous, mendacious, treasonous acts of the Republican Party at the federal and state levels, along with the ever-climbing death toll and financial ruin due to COVID, 2020 was a year unlike any other. Even when the election results were confirmed, and the nation (world) erupted in paroxysms of joy, the good feelings were short-lived, tainted by a political and social right wing that proved time and again that it could always find a lower level to which to sink.
 
So now, here we are, in 2021, 2020 left behind. In spite of everything that has happened, some in the Republican Party still seek to overturn the election. Mask mandates continue to be challenged and ignored. More and more people face financial hardship and ruin. COVID death rates continue to rise.
 
2020 might be over, but its stain remains.
 
So too, the mess of illegitimacy that is the NFL season continues. On this, the final week of the regular season, New Orleans, with a shot at the number one seed in the NFC, has had all its running backs declared ineligible due to COVID. Imagine New Orleans heading into the first round of the playoffs without Alvin Kamara.

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Not this week.


The NFL isn’t going to suddenly grow a conscience. They’ve had their season, and they’re going to have their playoffs. And millions of people are going to watch and go along and say that everything is ok.
 
2020 may be over, but nothing is ok.
 
 
Here, briefly, is everything you need to know about Sunday’s games:
 
AFC
  • KC has wrapped up the number one seed, and is resting starters, including and especially Patrick Mahomes.
  • Buffalo and Pittsburgh, both 12-3, have clinched their respective divisions. Ben Roethlisberger will not play this week. Buffalo is currently the number two seed, and would like to keep it that way to give them a potential second home game in round two.
  • Five teams sit at 10-5, fighting for four playoff spots: Tennessee, Miami, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Indy (in order of current seeding). None of these teams play each other. Indy is currently out of the playoffs, but could still make it with help, and could even win their division with a win and a Tennessee loss.
 
NFC
  • Green Bay, currently the number one seed, stays put with a win. If Green Bay loses, Seattle could claim the top spot by winning, but only if New Orleans loses too. New Orleans could still claim the top spot, but only if Green Bay loses and Seattle wins. Clear as mud, am I right?
  • The number five seed (currently Tampa) goes on the road in round one, but will be in the enviable position of facing the as-yet-to-be-determined winner of the pathetic NFC East.
  • Speaking of, the winner of Dallas/NYG will have to wait until the night game to learn their playoff fate, as a Washington loss would award said winner the division title.
 
 
 
Week Seventeen Picks
Winners in Bold:
 
 
Atlanta at Tampa
Atlanta can’t make the playoffs, but I expect a solid effort from them as they try to finish another disastrous season on a high note against a division rival.
 
 
Dallas at NYG
Talent-wise, Dallas has a slight advantage, but I think that Big Blue’s defense will be the difference-maker here.
 
 
NYJ at NE
Nothing to play for here, but for Gangrene, a win against this shell of former Pats’ glory is still a win.
 
 
Minnesota at Detroit
Nothing but pride on the line here. Dalvin Cook is out, due to the tragic loss of his father.
 
 
Pittsburgh at Cleveland
No Ben, plus Cleveland punches their playoff ticket with a win here. Just keep Myles Garrett from flipping out and punching Mason Rudolph's ticket.
 
 
Baltimore at Cincy
Lets all watch Baltimore beat up on Cincy; one more week for Baltimore fans to think their team has any chance in the playoffs. Personally, I would LOVE to see Cincy eliminate crybaby Harbaugh from the playoffs.
 
 
Miami at Buffalo
This could very well be the best game of the day. Miami will likely need to win to get into the playoffs, while Buffalo would very much like to keep the number two seed.
 
 
Seattle at San Fran
Even though San Fran is riddled with injuries, Seattle will play their starters with a shot at the number one seed at stake.
 
 
Arizona at LAAries
Another potentially good game, as both teams can secure themselves a postseason berth. No Jared Goff for LA, so their defense will have to shut down Kyler Murray and Co.
 
 
Jax at Indy
Indy has to win to have any shot at the playoffs. Jacksonville, having already secured the right to draft Trevor Lawrence, should give lousy coach Doug Marrone a blowout loss as his going-away present.
 
 
Tennessee at Houston
Houston has had a disastrous season, but beating Tennessee and costing them the division title (and potentially a playoff spot) would be one hell of a consolation prize.
 
 
LV at Denver
Nothing to see here.
 
 
LABolts at KC
Mahomes is taking the day off (along with numerous other starters) as KC has nothing to play for.
 
 
GB at Chicago
Chicago can still make the playoffs even if they lose, as long as they get some help, but a win guarantees their spot. If Green Bay wins, they clinch home field advantage for the NFC playoffs. I believe quite strongly that if Green Bay is the number one seed, they will be NFC Champs.
 
 
NO at Carolina
Due to Alvin Kamara’s COVID diagnosis, all of New Orleans’s running backs are out for this one due to close contact. New Orleans’s very good defense will have to be very-good enough to beat Carolina, because Kamara has carried the offense this season.
 
 
Sunday Night
 
Washington at Philly
Washington wins the NFC East with a win. Philly has so many injuries, I’m surprised they can field a team. This putrid matchup between two losing teams to decide which seven-or-six-win team gets the privilege of a playoff berth, flexed into prime time, is the perfect capper to this disgustingly illegitimate NFL season. As such, it would only be fitting for Washington to lose, putting New York in the playoffs.

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Freedom Isn't Free: Week Fourteen Picks

12/13/2020

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In a civilized society, only by achieving a balance between rights and responsibilities can true freedom be achieved.


So, my daughter got married this weekend.

If you know anything about weddings, then you know that plans were made well in advance. Of course, this being 2020, the Year of COVID, plans mean nothing. Steeped in the Scots' tradition as my  family is, these concepts are in our DNA. Where it's common for people to say, "Man plans, and God laughs," we are well-versed in the vicissitudes of life: "The best laid schemes of mice and men/ go oft awry..."

There are two parts to a wedding, when you get right down to it. There's "the thing," which is the legal/ceremonial joining of a couple, and there's the celebration. In the here and now, with COVID restrictions being what they are, it is neither legal nor responsible to have the second part. The first part, however, can be had, with sacrifice. My daughter, much like her parents, cares more for how things are than for how they appear. And like her parents, she wanted to be married to the man she loves when she wanted it. The end.

We love our children, and the only thing that has ever mattered to us is their happiness. So we did what we needed to do to help make sure that she had the day she wanted. And she was happy. I've never seen her smile so much as she did on her wedding day, and that's saying something, because she's a pretty happy person.

She was married outdoors, in a gazebo in a park near where she grew up. With COVID restrictions being what they are, her entire wedding consisted of her and the groom, their attendants (one each), the officiant, and a photographer.

My wife and I watched from our car, in a parking lot, over 100 feet away. We listened to the ceremony over a phone.

It was lovely. We were very happy.

It wasn't what our daughter had planned, but, at the end of the day, she got what she really wanted, what was really important, which was to be married to her guy, the man she loves.

She's happy. We're happy.


The problem with freedom is that a great many people don't know what it really means. Freedom isn't doing whatever you want whenever you want. In a civilized society, freedom comes with rights and responsibilities. If you really want something, sometimes you have to compromise. If you really want something, sometimes you have to sacrifice. Smart, responsible people get this.

My daughter is married. She is happy. My new son-in-law is great.

I helped raise a smart, determined, responsible, happy person.

At the end of the day, what more should a father want?



Week Fourteen Picks
Winners in Bold:

​Sunday

 
Minnesota at Tampa
Arizona at NYG
KC at Miami
Tennessee at Jax
Dallas at Cincy
Houston at Chicago
Denver at Carolina
NYJ at Seattle
Indy at LV
Washington at San Fran
NO at Philly
Atlanta at LABolts
GB at Detroit
 
 
Sunday Night
 
Pittsburgh at Buffalo
 
 
Monday Night
 
Baltimore at Cleveland

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Hang The Rich: Week Thirteen Picks

12/6/2020

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It’s not uncommon for people to be resentful of those who achieve great success. This is especially true in the tribal world of football fandom. One team’s success comes with an immediate price; the failure of another team. Each game has a winner, and a loser. For every division winner, there are the also-rans. Playoff berths, playoff wins, championships; in each situation, a team, and its fan base is left bitter, wanting.
 
When you achieve the kind of historical and unprecedented success that Bill Belichick’s Pats did during the Tom Brady era, you leave a lot of embittered fans in your wake. Probably the only fan base in the entire NFL that has no legitimate right to hate the Pats is that of the New York Giants. The rest of the league’s partisans can and do hate New England with fiery passion. Most fans, I’m certain, see it as their duty, to hate Brady and the Pats as much as they love their own team.
 
I never bought into all the New England/Tom Brady hating. As a football fan with no real team affiliation, I viewed the Belichick-Pats success with rapt fascination. As the years went on, and the team kept winning, it became clear to me that I was experiencing something truly special in sports history. With an ever-changing cast of characters, no real superstars, and the one constant of Brady behind Center, Belichick’s Pats managed for almost two decades to maintain a peak level of success in spite of a league that is programmed towards parity. All of this was due to an opponent-specific guiding philosophy that I will sum up thusly: On offense, take what you can, and on defense, take AWAY what THEY can.
 
This season, many football fans are reveling in the struggles of New England, and of Brady in Tampa. The Pats, bereft of Brady, victims of a free-agency exodus, ravaged by injuries and opt-outs, are but a shell of their former selves. Meanwhile Brady, in a setting of his own choosing, surrounded by elite receiving talent, has underachieved for reasons that are subject to much debate. Myself, as a football fan, I am merely fascinated by the situation, and am interested in how it plays out.
 
Or at least I was. COVID, and the manner in which the league has handled it, has cast a shadow of illegitimacy over this entire season. As a result, my interest has waned, in just about everything NFL-related.
 
With regards to New England, or Brady, when it comes to football fandom, to team loyalty and player adulation, you’re either going to love them or hate them. Me, I don’t care, in the context of football.
 
As people, however, that’s another matter.
 
I’m sure you all remember the incident almost two years ago when Pats owner Robert Kraft was swept up in a massage parlor sting in Florida. Several men, including Kraft, were accused of paying for sex acts. Specifically, Kraft was accused of paying for hand-jobs. There’s video footage apparently. News outlets have to use the term “alleged,” but I’m sure most are pretty confident it’s true. Can they, or any court prove that? Of course not. Although there is video footage, because Kraft is mega-rich, and can afford top-level legal representation, the charges against him were dropped. However, employees of the spa, including those who had Kraft as a client, were subjected to extreme legal consequences, including mandatory STI testing, and fines in the tens-of-thousands of dollars. All, mind you, for a crime that, from the perspective of Kraft, never happened. Think about that for a hot minute.
 
As for Brady, news broke late this week that his company, TB12, received almost a million dollars from the government’s Payroll Protection Program (PPP), an economic stimulus measure enacted to assist small businesses. As I understand it, the application for the loan was made in the Spring, at a time when TB12 was expanding into new locations. As I also understand it, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50% of businesses that applied were turned down. Brady, personally, has an estimated net worth of around $200,000,000. His wife is worth twice that.
 
Now, I’m not suggesting that the personal relationships that Kraft and Brady have with Donald Trump had anything to do with either of these situations. I just think that all of this, Trump’s presidency, Kraft’s immunity, Brady’s graft, are all indicative of the rot of American society, where money, power, access, so starkly divides the haves from the have-nots.
 
Even as we near the end of the sad travesty of the Trump presidency, power and access still rears its ugly head. It’s bad enough that the outgoing, lame-duck president has granted pardons to dubious recipients, but now there is discussion of the legality of his granting “pre-emptive pardons” to family and allies for crimes not yet charged.
 
That’s life in America for you, folks. A billionaire, a rich sports idol, a sociopathic con-man and his vile criminal family, soak up all the sunshine, and when it rains, they walk between the raindrops.
 
And we just sit idly by and watch.
 
No more, I say.
 
Ask yourself, “How will I resist?”
 
 
Week Thirteen Picks
Winners in Bold
 
 
Sunday
 
Cleveland at Tennessee
LV at NYJ
Jax at Minnesota
Cincy at Miami
Indy at Houston
Detroit at Chicago
NO at Atlanta
NYG at Seattle
LAAries at Arizona
NE at LABolts
Philly at GB
 
 
Sunday Night
 
Denver at KC
 
 
Monday
 
Washington at Pittsburgh
Buffalo at San Fran
 
 
Tuesday (FFS!)
 
Dallas at Baltimore
​
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One Big Asterisk: Week Twelve Picks

11/29/2020

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With Denver looking to play a game with ALL of its QBs out due to COVID, I thought it might be fitting to remind everyone that Colin Kaepernick is still a free agent.


I've made no secret of the fact that I believe that this NFL season is illegitimate. The league's response, and continued mishandling of COVID-19 has made an absolute mockery of the sport of professional football. The NFL has officially abdicated its position as a legitimate competitive sports league, and has crossed over into the realm of sports entertainment.

I've lost count of how many games have been rescheduled this season due to COVID-19. The official schedule has gone out the window. Some teams have benefited tremendously due to the situational fluidity of the schedule, while other teams have been royally screwed. All pretense of fairness has been abandoned; it only matters to the league that the games are played.

This would be a big story if the media would actually cover it. It would be a huge deal if the TV networks would show some integrity and insist on showing the best product or no product at all. However, everyone just goes along, because there's money to be made. It's hard to blame the media and the networks, what with the depressed economy. The league, however, is supposed to be a steward of the game, and they're only interested in appearance.

Look at this week's game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh. For many years, contests between these two teams have been marquee matchups, must-see viewing for any fan. The Week 12 game between these two bitter divisional rivals was scheduled for Thanksgiving Thursday, but due to COVID-19 issues, the game was moved to Sunday, then Monday, then TUESDAY. And, as an extra added twist, Baltimore's Week 13 game was supposed to be on Thursday, so THAT  will have to be rescheduled as well.

It's a joke, right?

The real joke is this entire season.

The entire 2020 NFL campaign eerily parallels the incompetent way that the Republican-controlled government bungled the COVID-19 response. In much the same way, the illegitimacy of this NFL season mirrors the illegitimacy of a Trump administration that has failed to adequately protect its citizenry, not because it couldn't, but because it couldn't be bothered to.


Week Twelve Picks
Winners in Bold
 
Miami at NYJ
Arizona at NE
Carolina at Minnesota
Cleveland at Jax
Tennessee at Indy
NYG at Cincy
LABolts at Buffalo
LV at Atlanta
San Fran at LAAries
NO at Denver
KC at Tampa
 
 
Sunday Night
 
Chicago at GB
 
 
Monday Night
 
Seattle at Philly
 
 
Tuesday (FFS!)
 
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
​
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Fair And Unbalanced: Week Eleven Picks

11/21/2020

1 Comment

 
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Coverage like this has been sorely lacking over the past four-plus years. We need more of this.


​I’m very confident saying that any “reasonably” intelligent person can see that the soon-to-be-former president is a pretty awful person. I’m also confident that I don’t even have to say what it is about him that I think is so terrible.
 
It’s really THAT obvious.
 
Soon, he’ll be out of office. Whether he will be gone from the political scene is another matter. I believe he’s too influential, and is too much of a narcissist to quit politics, but that’s a subject for another time.
 
Yes, Trump is a malignancy that will be difficult to excise, especially considering the extent to which his cancerous influence has spread through the country.
 
We may not be rid of him so easily, but there are still lessons to be learned. One of these is how we reckon with the way that the media has enabled Trump and helped spread his malignancy.
 
I’m not talking about Fox News, either. They’ve been so obvious, that they’re generally accepted as more a propaganda and entertainment channel than a news source. Nor am I talking about relative upstart OANN; that organization’s partisanship makes Fox News seem truly “fair and balanced.”
 
No, I’m talking about more mainstream organizations. Most of these, to some extent, have this strange idea that being fair means giving equal coverage to both sides of what they see as a philosophical difference. Whether you call it “bothsidesism,” or “false balance,” or whatever, it’s not fair at all.

Venerable institutions like the New York Times buried Hilary Clinton in 2016 with their relentless attacks (Maureen Dowd was the NYT’s Clinton assassin-in-residence), while Trump’s numerous flaws were given short shrift.
 
After the 2016 election, reputable news agencies continued to abet Trump’s horribleness. Whether it was through reporting his every vile tweet with bated breath, or airing his lie-filled press conferences, the so-called “mainstream media” normalized Trump’s insanity.
 
In the interest of showing “both sides,” the news outlets gave column space and airtime to vile personalities. The NYT gave editorial space to extremist points of view. CNN hired the execrable Rick Santorum as a political commentator. Pool reporters continually took Trump’s abuse with little or no pushback. Numerous atrocities were reported and forgotten as the media just moved on to the next story. And when it came to grotesqueries, with Trump, there was always a next story.
 
Why did they do it? Readership. Viewership. Access. Ad dollars.
 
The media failed. They failed to do their jobs. They failed their country.
 
Do not forget this.
 
Demand better.
​
 
 
There are plenty of things that I don’t like about the NFL. I’ve written about them extensively. One of the things that really irks me is how the media covers the league. I’ve written extensively about this, too.
 
Sports media organizations mostly ignore the worst aspects of the league, whether it be player misdeeds, organizational misconduct, player safety, what have you. Instead, they act like de facto cheerleaders for the league, hyping the product, and glossing over the warts.
 
Why do they do it? Readership. Viewership. Access. Ad dollars.
 
I don’t kid myself when it comes to the NFL. I know it’s awful. I watch it because I enjoy the games. Sometimes I have to plug my nose, so to speak, but that’s why I call this column “Hate-Watching…” and not “Happy NFL Fun Time.”
 
One thing I really hate is when the people broadcasting the actual games detract from my enjoyment. There are certain people who I absolutely dread seeing and hearing on my TV. Insipid comments. Self-glorification. Telling meaningless stories and ignoring the game. Missing plays. These things drive me nuts. I put up with a lot just to try and enjoy a football game or two or three on Sunday. DON’T RUIN IT FOR ME, NUMBNUTS!
 
Sometimes, I think I overreact to things like this. That’s why it was so affirming for me to hear Pat McAfee’s comments this week. Without going into too much detail, he’s frustrated too, and as a former player, that means something.
 
Here’s a tweet from McAfee that features a clip of his comments. (I’ll include a longer video below.)

I'm done with these commentators #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/5AGeD2CG2Y

— Pat McAFLEET (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 16, 2020


Week Eleven Picks
Winners in Bold
 

​Sunday
 
Cincy at Washington
Atlanta at NO
Pittsburgh at Jax
NE at Houston
Philly at Cleveland
Detroit at Carolina
Tennessee at Baltimore
NYJ at LABolts
Miami at Denver
Dallas at Minnesota
GB at Indy
 
 
Sunday Night
 
KC at LV
 
 
Monday Night
 
LAAries at Tampa

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Landslide: Week Ten Picks

11/15/2020

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Picture


​It’s been a week since they called the election for Biden and Harris. Now, it’s time to call it what it is.
 
306.
 
Landslide.
 
We can call it a landslide because it’s our choice to do so. The numbers back us up. Biden-Harris won the popular vote by, at last count, over 5 million. They flipped some red states blue. The announcement of their victory last week resulted in a national paroxysm of joy, as people took to the streets all over the country (and other countries, too), to celebrate the beginning of the end of a long national nightmare.
 
And do you want to know the best part about it?
 
The other side can’t argue with us on this one.
 
Sure, they can whine, and complain, and cry, “No fair,” until they’re red in the face. They can march, and they can shit-post. They can threaten and they can insult. They can do anything and everything that they, in their limited imaginations and intelligence, can think of.
 
But they can’t argue.
 
And why not?
 
Because the one they worship called it what it is.

Whatever you do, DO NOT RETWEET this video of @realDonaldTrump calling 306 Electoral College votes a "massive landslide". pic.twitter.com/gG1CWuyNJl

— Matt Rogers ? (@Politidope) November 13, 2020

​306
 
Landslide.
 
And, as an added bonus, because the soon-to-be former president was an incumbent on the wrong side of a “massive landslide,” that makes him the biggest loser ever.
 
 
Week Ten Picks
Winners in Bold:
 
Sunday
 
Philly at NYG
Jax at GB
Washington at Detroit
Houston at Cleveland
Tampa at Carolina
LABolts at Miami
Denver at LV
Buffalo at Arizona
San Fran at NO
Seattle at LAAries
Cincy at Pittsburgh
 
 
Sunday Night
 
Baltimore at NE
 
 
Monday Night
 
Minny at Chicago

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