Sweet!

This week my football picks are right on the money. The weekly pool where you pick against the spreads is really going my way. I have 9 right and, provided the MNF game goes well I'll be in the money to the tune of 4 Benjamins.

Here's what I need:
Vikings to win. Or if the Saints win they have to only win by 3 or less. And the total combined points of the game final scores needs to be under 36. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

The elimination pool at work is going well too. I'm still alive with the Dallas pick from last week. This coming Sunday I picked the Jets to win. Again, cross your fingers, Cincinnati may be sick of being winless. That would be trouble for me.

Skin of My Teeth

Week 2 of the football pool was a tough one. I lost an entry with a Bears pick. Ugh. The other pick was the steelers so I'm still alive.

Week 3 I had only one entry to work with so I chose what I thought would be a gimme. Giants over Bengals. Turned out it was a total nail-biter in overtime. Thank god the Giants pulled it off. In seemingly unrelated news here is a picture of a tomato.















You may now continue with your day.

Football/Gambling Season

Anyone that knows me will attest that I am not much of a gambler. I buy scratch tickets occasionally, maybe play Keno if I'm bored at a bar and I'll buy a power ball ticket when I'm in NH. That's pretty much it. I think that casinos are probably the most unpleasant place one could possibly be. All that clanging and dinging and moaning of tortured souls sitting blindly in front of the slot machines. Shudder

But there is something about football that makes me want to bet, bet, bet my fanny off. For years I have done the pool with the spread and I won once ($300) and split once ($125). Now I've signed on to this office thing called the winner's pool. It seems like it would be easy; pick a team that you think will win. No spread. No selecting fantasy players. I bought two entries because I would have been devastated if I'd have been eliminated the first week. My first week's picks are:

New Orleans (they won but, man, what a nail-biter, and I had to go against my 2nd favorite team Tampa Bay) and Denver. Denver plays Oakland tonight in Oakland. I didn't take into account that they aren't at home but, it's Oakland, they suck. So far so good. Even if Denver loses I'm still alive. Next week I'll get back into the regular pool as well with the spreads and all.

I think my draw to football betting is that it makes Sundays more interesting at a time of the year that can get very depressing in New England. It's gray and cold and it gets dark at 4pm. I love having lots to cheer for. The Pats only play once a week. I have something to cheer for every game!

Michael does fantasy football. He didn't pick Tom Brady this year. Lucky for him. Don't even get me started. Devastating injury.

I'll keep you posted on my gambling efforts. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If you do I'll buy you a beer with the winnings.

US Open

It comes as no surprise that Federer has won the US Open. His opponent was hardly a match for him. In fact I believe that the handshake at the end of the match was not a handshake at all, but Federer actually handing Murray his ass. I'm sure you'll see footage of the handshake on the news. Look closely. You'll see it.

Ball Girl's Last day

Did anyone else just see that? Sox vs. Baltimore in Baltimore. Ball girl plays a fair ball!!! If she was at Fenway the "faithful" would have strung her up from the monster and stoned her to death.

Olympic Coverage

Ok that's misleading. I'm sitting on my couch watching the games on TV. I'm not at the games. I'm not even in China. But here are a few observations from Brighton.
Alexander Artemev got robbed on the Pommel Horse. How that didn't get a 16 I do not know. That brings up another observation. No more perfect 10. I don't know about you but I was watching when Mary Lou hit her perfect 10 vault in 1984. That perfect 10 was what all Olympic gymnasts sought after. What is there to work for now? Something over 16? How vague!



This is my observation for today. That and Michael Phelps has some seriously rockin abs.

If you want to check out a real blog about China check out my friend Mike Shaw. The crazy bastard moved to Beijing. Not just for the Olympics...for good.
www.beijingbostonian.com

He's a great guy. Beijing is a lucky, overcrowded, smoggy city to have him. I hope they appreciate our sacrifice.