My Picks for 9/30/06

I'm finally above .500 on the year, and I need another winning week to get to a respectable percentage. Here is my top 5 for today...

1* Kent +2` Over Akron - I have been riding Kent all season long, and I'll continue to do the same. They are an underdog at home and should continue their covering ways, winning this game.

2* Florida -14 Over Alabama - This game is a huge revenge spot, as Alabama destroyed Florida last year. That is a lot of points for a game between rivals, but Florida is just a far better football team than Alabama this season. Those two factors are huge, and add in the fact that Alabama can't make a field goal, and extra points are no gimme, all these factors lead to Florida winning this game by at least 3 TD's.

3* Iowa +7 Over Ohio St - For those that read my college football preview, you know that this is a huge game for me. I picked Iowa to win the national title, and pointed this game out as the most important to this point. I liked Iowa to win this game in August, and I still believe the same now. Ohio St has a little more talent, but not a lot more. Ferentz will have his team ready to play, and Drew Tate will come out firing. Ohio St already has one tough road win under their belts by winning at Texas, but this will be a much tougher game, and Iowa wins this game outright in a great, close, hard-fought game.

4* UNLV +4 Over Nevada - This is another one of those games where I can't figure out why the home team is the underdog. Nevada has had a couple of nice performances in a row, getting big turnovers last week against Northwestern, and as a result are overrated. UNLV is the most undervalued and underrated team on this list today. They have a very solid defense, a USC transfer at QB who is getting better all the time, and UNLV wins this game easily.

5* Arizona St -1` Over Oregon - Oregon has had a good season offensively, but have struggled on defense. ASU went to Cal last week, started well by getting the lead, then proceeded to turn it over all day, resulting in a very misleading blowout loss. Oregon payed the officials, or some shit that I can't figure out, in beating Oklahoma. The week before that they went to Fresno and got a nice win, but it was a very misleading victory, as they were outplayed in the 2nd half and used an absolutely moronic fake field goal to win by a TD. The way I see it, Arizona St is a better overall football team, and have this game at home, and an overrated Oregon defense will not be able to stop an ASU offense that will find it's stride today. One additionally reason I love ASU - all the ESPN "experts" on Gameday picked Oregon to win the game, which means jump on ASU today.

In the Nebraska game today, NU gets the revenge on Kansas for beating NU for the first time in 37 years last season. Expect the offense to put up 40-50 points, and the defense should hold Kansas to 2 TD's or less. It's not a pick of mine, as the line is skyrocketing and is up to 24`. So if you can get a Husker bet in at 22, take it. GO BIG RED

Friday is Here

It has been a very long week and I'm glad it's almost over. Last night most of you missed a very good show - Eric Bachmann played at Sokol and it was outstanding. There is a good show tonight as well - Two Gallants. Sunday Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins are playing, but I don't know if I'll make it to that one. Saturday Dave Stull and Jenny Bos are getting married, but I think some of us will be ducking out during the reception because the Huskers play Saturday night as well.

I've been thinking about what I should post for my Friday laughs. One thing I wanted to post is the White House Correspondents Dinner hosted by Stephen Colbert. After talking to Brandon Hillman and Katie Kasher at the show last night, I decided this is definitely what I want to post. The video is 24 minutes long, but it's worth every second. Colbert absolutely busts on Bush and all his boys, and Bush is clearly not impressed. Jon Stewart described it as "The White House thought they hired Stephen Colbert of 'The Colbert Report', but instead they got Stephen Colbert." You should take a break sometime today to watch this.

As always my picks will be out here tomorrow morning. Everyone have a great weekend.

DK

Voices For Children - Voting Update

Dear Friends,

On the November ballot, you will have the choice to vote on two important initiatives that will affect the lives of children in Nebraska. Voices for Children in Nebraska has taken a position on both issues based on what is in the best interest of Nebraska’s children and families. We will vote NO on 423 and YES on Amendment 5. As part of this email, we are sharing a one-page information sheet on Amendment 5, produced by the Families FOR Amendment 5 Campaign – http://www.familiesforamendment5.org/. You will also find a double-sided information sheet on 423, prepared by our Voices office, to assist in spreading the word on the damaging effects of 423, and why we must vote NO. For more info visit: www.notinnebraska.com.

We ask that you take the time to know the issues, vote for children, and become a voice by spreading the word to friends, families, and co-workers to vote NO on 423 and YES on 5.

Thank you for your time and assistance in these important matters.

Sincerely,

Sarah Ann Lewis

Policy Coordinator



P.S.
The information sheets mentioned above are not included in this posting. Visit the links above for more information, or if you would like to receive the documents send me an email at dave.kocsis@gmail.com and I will send them. Or visit the Voices for Children Website, where you can also sign up for their email updates.

DK

NFL Picks Week 3

Not a bad day yesterday, going 3-2, moving me to 10-9-1 on the year. Not quite there yet, but it's getting better. I got my ass handed to me in the NFL last week, going 1-4. So let's turn it around today...

1* Steelers Over 42` - The Bengals defense has played pretty well this season, but have had the benefit of going against the Browns and a Chiefs team who lost their QB midway through the game, and as a result their defense is overrated. I expect the Steelers to score 30 points on their own, making the over the pick in this game.

2* Giants +3` Over Seahawks - The Giants are playing some very good football, starting off with a brutal early season schedule. Last week they scored at will in the 4th quarter, and I expect that momentum to carry over into this week and the Giants steal a win on the road.

3* Cardinals -4` Over Rams - The Rams offense just has not adjusted to the new system, but the Cardinals offense is nearly unstoppable, though the Seahawks slowed them down a little last week. This week they go up against a much weaker defense of the Rams, and win this game by at least 10 points.

4* Redskins -3` Over Texans - The Redskins finally have a healthy Portis in the backfield, and as a result the offense is going to click, and the Skins should put up a lot of points. The Texans just can't match the Skins on either side of the ball, and the Skins win this one by 2 TD's.

5* Steelers -1` Over Bengals - The Bengals really feel like they are going to go into Pittsburgh and get their revenge from last season. The problem with this is they are wrong. The Steelers are simply a better, more rounded football team, and will enjoy the home field edge, winning a close game over the Bengals.

Good Luck!
DK

My Picks for 9/23/06

OK, I'm going to make this quick since games start in 15 minutes. Though I guess none of my picks are early - they are all afternoon games.

1* Houston -1 Over Oklahoma St - OSU has had a very solid year to this point, but they haven't gone up against any talented teams yet, and will struggle against a very QB in Kolb.

2* Texas -24` Over Iowa St - Texas bounced back nicely last week after losing to Ohio St the week before, and Iowa St's weak defense will not be able to stop this offense, and will struggle, as they have all season, with moving the ball against a great UT defense. Texas should put up at least 45 points and cover easily.

3* Kent +7 Over Bowling Green - Kent is one of the most underrated teams in the country, and it is all based on going 1-10 last season, then started the season with a misleading blowout loss to Minnesota. They got a great win last week at Miami (OH), and should have beat Army on the road the week before. Kent goes in and beats an overrated BG team straight up, so definitely take the 7 points.

4* Kansas -4 Over South Florida - This is another one of those games I just can't figure out why the line is so low. Kansas went into Toledo last week, holding Toledo to absolutely zero offense in the 2nd half, but just couldn't pull out the win. Kansas is by far a better overall team than USF, and have the home field. Jump on KU.

5* Arkansas -2 Over Alabama - Before 20 minutes ago, this was my 2nd favorite game of the week. However I found out that this is my favorite handicapper's 5* game of the month for September. So now it is my favorite game of the week. Arkansas is one of the most undervalued teams in the country right now, as they have not played well, but really focus and get up for this game, and win it by 2 TD's.

Good Luck and Go Huskers!

Friday Time

Happy Friday, everyone. Hope everyone had a good week. This should be another outstanding weekend. Tonight there is another great show - the Ladyfinger CD release show at Sokol. Criteria is also playing, so this is an outstanding lineup. If you have never seen Ladyfinger, you should definitely go check them out. This is their 1st album and they are releasing it on Saddle Creek Records. Saturday night the Huskers are on TV against Troy St. Hopefully they bounce back with a solid performance. Other than that, it's weekend as usual - more homework.

I've been really trying to link more videos to this site on Fridays, and so I'll stay consistent. I was browsing Google videos and came across this spoof of a Bush State of the Union address from a few years ago. It's about 5 minutes long and is very funny - someone definitely had some time on their hands and are very good at editing video. Hope you enjoy it.

Saturday's picks will be posted late Saturday morning, so stop back around 10:30 to get them. My favorite (and only) handicapper is releasing his September game of the month Saturday morning, and I will post it along with 4 other picks, as his will undoubtedly be one of my top 5. Everyon have a great weekend!

DK

Looks like Esch is starting to play some hard ball...

Following is a press release from the Esch campaign about Pete Ricketts' comments on Lee Terry and Congress being broken.

Esch: New Representation is the Answer

Ricketts comments are right on target, perhaps he should have run in the 2nd district primary

Omaha, NE - Jim Esch, candidate for Nebraska's second district, commented about Pete Ricketts' take on Lee Terry on a KFAB radio program yesterday. "It isn't a surprise to me that the candidate for Senate, who is running on the Republican ticket, can't think of what Lee Terry has accomplished," said Esch. "You look at Lee Terry's record and he has accomplished nearly nothing in his 8 years in office."

The transcript from Tom Becka's program is as follows:

Becka: "Let's get to some questions that have been written here, sent, called in, whatever. I wanna get to some of these questions. This one: "Lee Terry has done less than Ben Nelson in Congress. Should we vote him out too?"

Ricketts: "Well I'm not running against Lee Terry right now, and I haven't studied Lee Terry's record. Though, again, I'd say, you know, look, if you think things in Washington are broken, if you think things have to change and we can't continue to have business as usual, you can't keep sending back the same old career politicians and expect to get change. You've gotta send somebody new."

_______________________________________________


Esch:
"I have offered plans to address Homeland Security, the burgeoning national deficit, and a forward looking plan for reliable and renewable energy," Esch commented. "I have taken a stand to not accept any Special Interest money in this election as a way to combat the influence of Special Interest groups that control this country. Lee Terry has offered little and accomplished less. Lee, like many of his counterparts, may not be directly tied to the scandals happening in Washington, but they are complicit in them because of their unwillingness to change the system."

"While, I don't agree with Pete Ricketts on many issues, he is right about Lee Terry. Ricketts missed his calling to run against someone ineffective, perhaps he should have considered the second congressional district primary and run against Terry. If Ricketts spent ten million looking into Terry's record maybe he would find something significant. Finding the lack of accomplishments associated with Lee Terry is in abundant supply."

The Senate must not pardon President Bush for breaking the law

This week, the Senate is planning to quietly hold a vote that would pardon President Bush for breaking the law by illegally wiretapping innocent Americans. The bill would let the administration off the hook for breaking the law and make it legal to wiretap Americans, in secret, without any oversight whenever they want to. Democrats and some Republicans are holding strong against it, and if enough of us speak up we can stop it. Can you sign the petition opposing the Republican move to pardon President Bush for breaking the law? Click here to sign the petition. It only takes about 30 seconds to visit this link and sign the petition.

DK

Week 2 NFL Picks

Interesting game last night. The Huskers hung in there for a while, but just made too many mistakes, while USC played mistake free. I think the Huskers showed they can play with anyone though, and I'd say it's a good sign of things to come. Also I went 2-2-1 yesterday, putting me at 7-7-1 on the season. That's just not good enough but I expect to bounce back next week. Last week in the NFL I went 2-3, so I need a turn around now. Here are my NFL picks...

1* Packers +2 Over Saints - Last week I took the Packers and they simply got shut out by the Bears. Great pick. But if the Packers can't beat the Saints at home, they are in more trouble than I thought. They did have some success with Ahman Green last week, who showed he's back, and should have lots of success against a much weaker Saints defense, and the Pack wins this game by a TD.

2* Bucs +5 Over Falcons - This is a very important game for both teams. The Bucs are coming off a home shutout loss while the Falcons rolled at Carolina. This gives us great line value, and the Bucs win this game on the road outright.

3* Dolphins -6` Over Bills - The Dolphins are a very solid team, while the Bills are in a transition right now moving to the new coaching staff. The Dolphins are just far better right now, and I expect Culpepper and the Dolphins to enjoy the home field plus a couple of extra days off with last week's Thursday game, winning this one by 2 TD's.

4* Colts\Texans Under 47` -This number is very high, especially for an improved Colts defense against a very weak Texans offense. My 1-3* picks I only like marginally. My 4-5* picks I absolutely love. I expect the Colts to hold the Texans under 14 points, which should translate into an under cover.

5* Chargers -10` Over Titans -The Titans showed they are one of the worst teams in the NFL last week, losing at home to what I thought was the worst NFL team. The Chargers showed their might last week by shutting out the Raiders in Oakland. LT will run for over 100 and score a TD or two, and Rivers should have an easy time as well, as this is one of the best offenses in the NFL, going up against a defense that couldn't even stop the Jets last week. Jump on this game.

Huskers v. USC

Wow, shitty day so far. I'm already 0-2. But OU and SDSU are looking all right so far, but both are way early.

Kickoff is just over 3 hours away and I can't take the wait any more. Here are the keys:

• The coin toss. Yess, coin toss. NU needs to get the ball first, go down field, and score. Any score. Just get the lead right away and go from there. If they don't get the ball first and USC goes right down field and scores, I see a potentially long day.
• Ball protection, attack the ball. USC is positive in turnover margin almost every single game. If the Huskers can finish even or positive, then there is a chance for victory.
• Make a big special teams play. Be it a punt block, punt return TD, anything to swing field position or get cheap points, NU needs it.
• Attack the weak secondary. The USC secondary is their one weakness. They have injuries and a couple freshman starting. We've heard all week how USC has a height advantage at receiver over NU's secondary. Well the Husker receivers have the same advantage, but no one talks about that! If the USC DB's have trouble with Nunn, Swift, Hardy, Purify, and Herian, the running game will open up and NU can score at will.
• With a combination of ALL these factors, NU does have a chance to win tonight, but that chance is very slight. My prediction: USC 34 - Nebraska 24.

Everyone enjoy the game and GO BIG RED!

My Picks for 9/16/06

Shit, I almost forgot to post my picks! I'll make this quick in case you are waiting to place 11:00 bets.

1* Oklahoma +5 Over Oregon - Oklahoma just has too much defense in this game, and wins it outright.
2* SDSU +14 Over Wisconsin - SDSU is a team I've bet a lot the last 2 years - and they've really come through. They should be able to go on the road and keep it close, against an overrated Wisonsin team.
3* Tennessee +3` Over Florida - Wow, 3 home games this season and Tennessee has been an underdog in 2 of them. I love Leak as a QB, but I like Ainge even more. And the Tennessee D line should beat the unexperienced Florida line, and with home field I'll take the dog to win it.
4* Arkansas -6 Over Vandy - Arkansas showed they have a solid defense last week, pitching a shutout. Vandy is way overvalued because of going into Alabama and almost winning last week, and hanging with Michigan the week before. Arkansas is the far superior team, and wins this one by 3 TD's.
5* Illinois -3` Over Syracuse - Syracuse is as overvalued as it gets, almost beating Iowa last week, though Iowa was without it's starting QB. Illinois went down 14-0 halfway through the Rutgers last week - but Rutgers had -2 yards and 14 points! Illinois never recovered from a defensive and special teams TD by Rutgers. Thus, we are getting amazing value in this game. In fact, 2 weeks ago this line is probably 13, so jump on Illinois.

Later today I'll post my pick on the big Husker game. Go HUSKERS!

Holy shit it's Friday

1 more day until USC! But today is about Friday. I expect a good day today - stay as busy as possible so it flies and Saturday just gets here. Saturday should be fun. Tonight there is a great show at the Scottish Rites Hall - Conor Oberst is opening up for Gillian Welch, and should be a lot of fun. Then Saturday morning I get the pleasure of waking up early and studying all day. But mid-afternoon my studying will be done, and Dave Stull's bachelor party begins. We will start by betting some horses and watching the unbelievable slate of college football games. Then to Cougar Lanes for drinking, games, and watching the Nebraska - USC game. Should be a great weekend.

On to the comedy for Friday. Be careful when you watch this, because you will absolutely laugh your ass off. If you watch Jackass it will be even funnier. And it's a little on the sick side. But it makes you wonder who filmed this and who this kid's parents are. Could that be his Dad on camera? I hope not. But definitely check this out.

Late Friday or early Saturday I will have my picks on the site as always. BTW, Saturday I will be posting my favorite game of the year so far - in fact it may be my favorite game all season. So check back Saturday morning for that. Anyway, everyone have a great weekend!!!

Jim Esch for Congress

I'm sure many of you have seen the signs, shirts, bus stop benches, etc. promoting Jim Esch for Congress, running against Lee Terry. Jim and I went to high school together (he was a year younger), but that is not why I support him. I support him because he will stand up for values that most of us Democrats hold true. We need a change from Lee Terry, who really hasn't done anything but follow his party, collect his paycheck, then goes home for the summer. Really, what of note has he done? Jim can bring many new things to this position that Lee Terry just can't provide. To learn more about Jim, visit jimesch.org.

If you are interested in getting a yard sign up at your house, or in your window, or anywhere call or email:
Downey J. Fitzgerald
downey@jimesch.org
Cell: 218-7875
Office: 346-0109

The easiest way to get a sign is to email him your name and he will send you a sign, so you can help get the word out on the Esch campaign. The election is right around the corner, less than 2 months away.

DK

Week 1 NFL Picks

Solid day today, I'm up a good amount. Also I'm 3-1 so far on my blog picks, and Fresno just tied Oregon (getting 4` points). Hopefully they can finish it off so I can go 4-1 on my top 5 today. Here are my NFL picks for the day...

5* Cards -8 over 49ers - I expect the Cards to absolutely roll in this game. My prediction is Cardinals 38 - 49ers 13, which translates to an easy Cards cover. The 49ers will not be able to stop the dynamic Cards offense.
4* Lions Under 45 - The Seahawks defense is highly improved from last year, and I think their offense isn't quite as good. The Lions will be a good offense under Martz, but not yet - it will take them a few weeks, and this number is too high.
3* Cards Over 43 - As you saw, I predict 38 from the Cards alone, which should be an easy over cover.
2* Packers +3` over Bears - The Packers are highly improved from last season, have a healthy Ahman Green, and the Bears will have trouble in Lambeau, with the Pack winning this game outright.
1* Jets Under 35` - These are two absolutely terrible offenses (Titans & Jets), and I expect a low scoring battle, with the Titans winning 13-10, thus easily covering the under.

Good luck. Go Chiefs!

My Picks for 9/9/06

Thursday night was a nice pick for me with Boise St, as it played out the way I predicted. It was scary at first with a quick 14-0 lead for OSU, but from then on it was all Boise, giving me a 3* win and equaling my record at 3-3 on the season. Here we go with my 5 picks for tomorrow...

5* Cal -8 over Minnesota - This game is the definition of line value. Cal started the season #9 in the country but got blown away last week at Tennessee, who was very underrated. Minnesota went to Kent St and absolutely destroyed them 44-0. However, Minnesota was +5 in turnovers AND stopped Kent St TWICE inside the 1 yard line. Kent had a chance to get back in the game, got stopped, and it just snowballed. Minny is nowhere near as good as that score indicated, and Cal is far more talented than they showed last week. If this game was played a week ago, Cal would have been favored by 15. They still should be.

4* Oklahoma -16` over Washington - Again, line value on Oklahoma, but Washington barely got away with a home win vs San Jose, so that evens out this line from a value standpoint. However in this game OU is at home, were -3 in turnovers (won't happen this week), and Washington's weak defense will not be able to stop Adrian Petersen, as OU wins big.

3* New Mexico St +7` over New Mexico - New Mexico lost to 1-AA Portland St last week, showing how much they miss their stud RB Moore from last season. NM St is a much improved team from last year. In fact I picked NM St to win this game even before New Mex lost last week, and I'll stick with that, though I wish the line was a little higher, I'm still a strong NM St lean.

2* North Carolina +13 over Virginia Tech - VA Tech is certainly an outstanding team, and North Carolina's QB is Joe Dailey. So why NC? That spread is steadily going up, as it opened at 10, which means the public is betting VA Tech. The public are morons when it comes to betting (as am I, but not as big as most). NC relishes the role as a home underdog, and despite losing to Rutgers at home this week, they will come out fired up and will compete. VA Tech isn't as talented as they normally are, they are much better at home than on the road, especially with an untested QB making his 1st career road start. Also we are getting great line value with that home loss to Rutgers (and even more so as the line has gone up). NC has covered 7 straight as an ACC home underdog (including 6 straight outright!), and lose this in a close game, but should easily cover the 13 points.

1* Fresno +3 over Oregon - This should be a very entertaining game. One of the biggest reasons I like Fresno is that Oregon has Oklahoma at home next week, and this is a look ahead game. Fresno will be fired up as they always are for games against BCS teams, have a huge home advantage, and win this game outright.

Good Luck!
I'll post my NFL picks tomorrow, as I really don't know what I'm going to take in the NFL yet.

Friday is Here

Though it's not much of a weekend for me. I'll be studying tonight, then studying all day tomorrow, with about a 3 hour break for listening to the Husker game. But that's fine because I'm going to be going to Kansas City on Sunday to watch the Chiefs take on the Bengals, so it will be worth it.

Sorry I'm late on this again, but I've been busy again. If you don't watch Reno 911 you are seriously missing out. Below is a link to a hilarious video, along with many more videos on the same page. Check it out and everyone have a great weekend!

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/?lnk=v&ml_video=71187

Pick for Thursday, 9/7

The Steelers play the Dolphins in the first NFL game of the season tonight. However, I don't like this spread with Roethlisberger out of the lineup.

My pick comes in the college game tonight between Boise St and Oregon St. OSU has to go play on that nasty blue field. Normally when a big conference school plays a small conference school, the bigger one has more talent, size, and speed. Not in this case. Boise will go up and down the field on OSU, and should win by at least 2 TD's, 40-24, 42-21, somewhere in that range.

3* - Boise St -7` Over Oregon St

Good luck!

A Criminal finally admits it

Well well well. Protecting America, that certainly is some excuse. Yes, maybe he is "trying to keep us safe", but there are legal ways to do this. Read about how Bush admits to CIA secret prisons.

Now let's think about this for a minute. SECRET PRISONS. What does that mean? Truth, justice, the American way. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In secret prisons? Shit that term disgusts me. Imagine getting a DUI and they take you somewhere and keep you, without letting you tell anyone, especially not a lawyer (I don't mean to liken terrorism to drinking and driving but really, what is the difference, it takes away each person's freedom?) This means people were being held in prisons, and the only people that knew were Bush, others in the administration, the prison workers, and the prisoners. And it took the Supreme Court to tell him that he must stop this horrible practice. The USA is NOT immune to the Geneva Conventions. If we suspected Russia of holding thousands of Americans without charges, just cause, legal representation, etc., you can bet your ass they would be violating the Conventions. So why weren't we until now?

Hopefully this leads to a couple of things in the very near future - Democrats taking control in the House and Senate, more scrutiny of any illegalities of the administration, and hopefully ANYTHING to stop these people from their tyranny of the last 6 years.

My rant is over, for now. On a ligher note, my last post was much more cheerful, in my NFL 2006 Preview...

DK

2006 NFL PREVIEW!!!

Last season I did not do so hot in my NFL preview, so hopefully I can turn it around this year. My Super Bowl pick was the Colts vs. the Vikings with the Colts winning. Not even close! I will begin with my division winners (by seed) and wildcards (by seed) in each conference, then winners of those games, and end it in my Super Bowl picks. Then I will have some further final analysis following that. Here we go!...

AFC - Division Winners (seed)
1. Patriots
2. Colts
3. Ravens
4. Broncos
AFC - Wildcard
5. Steelers
6. Chiefs

NFC - Division Winners (seed)
1. Eagles
2. Panthers
3. Bears
4. Cardinals
NFC - Wildcard
5. Cowboys
6. Bucs

AFC Playoffs Wildcard Round
Ravens beat the Chiefs
Broncos beat the Steelers

NFC Playoffs Wildcard Round
Bucs beat the Bears (in Chicago, the lack of offense bites them in the ass)
Cowboys beat the Cards
That's 2 wildcard (and road) teams winning it. I just feel that those teams are n better divisions and are all around better teams.

AFC Divisional Playoffs
Colts beat the Ravens
Patriots beat the Broncos

NFC Divisional Playoffs
Cowboys beat the Panthers
Bucs beat the Eagles (the Eagles will lose 3 of their last 4, and 4 of their last 6, backing into the playoffs, then swiftly backing out)

AFC Championship
Patriots beat the Colts
I just don't see the Colts going into New England in January and winning. The Patriots have been up to the task time and time again, and I expect more of the same.

NFC Championship
Cowboys beat the Bucs

Super Bowl
Cowboys beat the Patriots
In what will be an amazing matchup between Parcells and former pupil Belichik, I just think the Cowboys are simply too solid all around to beat the Cowboys. This is a HIGHLY risky pick, but if TO comes to play all season long, this is quite possibly the best team in the NFL. They have a good defense, good running game, experienced and solid QB, good special teams especially with the addition of Vanderjagt. I honestly think the loss of Vinatieri will hurt the Pats, as he has been a degree of comfort for the Pats any time they got to the 35 yard line. They won't have that this season. This also pits Bledsoe against his former team and coach, in what will be one of the most intriguing Super Bowl matchups in years.

Cowboys win 24-21, with the new Pats kicker missing a chance to send the game to a 1st ever overtime in the Super Bowl.

Final Analysis and Comments

The Steelers\Dolphins
This opening game Thursday night is giant. Big Ben being out for this game presents a bad situation for the Steelers with Charlie Batch starting the game (Roethlisberger is on my fantasy team, and he's really just trying to be like me to fit in!). In addition, ALL of Nick Saban's assistants have coached under Bill Cowher! So they all know his system. The winner of this game will be in the playoffs (I know it's early, but I pick the Steelers to go 10-6 and the Dolphins 9-7. That would reverse those numbers, vaulting the Fish to playoff contention). However, I think Batch is a very experienced QB and will respond to the pressure and lead the Steelers to a win over an overrated opponent.

Where are the Seahawks?
They were in the Super Bowl last year, but it will not happen this season. Everyone will be gunning for them, and they will not respond as a favorite. Mark my words here, and this date on your calendar. After November 27, Seattle will get their 4th straight win to get to 7-4, after starting the year 3-4. ESPN will proclaim that Seattle is back and is going to the Super Bowl, because ESPN is all about the hype, not the knowledge. The Hawks will proceed to lose 3 of the last 5 to miss the playoffs.

Sleeper Super Bowl Pick
Arizona Cardinals - They were a sleeper for me last season, but this year aren't a sleeper to get to the playoffs (as I pick them to win the West), but are for the Super Bowl. I have them with a 9-7 record, but have 4 winnable road games that I picked for losses, plus I pegged them for a loss at home to Dallas. If they can win 2 of those 5 games they could catch the home field advantage for the playoffs. If they do, they could easily be Super Bowl bound. The offense should be as prolific as any in the NFL with the addition of Edgerrin James, another season with Warner throwing to Boldin and Fitzgerald, in addition to an improved defense and offensive line. Don't be surprised by this.

Philly Surprise
Yes, the Eagles fell apart last year, but you can't beat those distractions. This season they start fresh and come out of the gate on fire. Their defense is still very good, and their running game will be solid even though people (ESPN) believe the opposite. Their problem is that they play a brutal stretch of 6 games to finish the season - @Colts, Panthers, @Redskins, @Giants, @Cowboys, Falcons. Seriously, that's just wrong. I have them winning the division thanks to 3 early road wins at SF, Houston, and New Orleans, but if I'm wrong about any of those 3, I'm dead wrong on their season, though I believe they will be in the playoffs no matter what (but lose their first playoff game no matter what).

Who will have the worst record in the NFL?
Tough call. I think it is between the 49ers, Jets, Browns, Texans, or the Titans. Do I have to pick 1? OK, I'll go with the 49ers. The reason I say this is their wasted #1 draft pick from last season, Alex Smith. I'm a 49ers fan and I was not happy with that pick. They were trying to trade it, but were unable to do it (because no one wanted Smith). I still think they should have ditched Smith and picked Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams, or Derrick Johnson. Alex Smith is the next coming of Jeff George, with less talent!

Toughest Division
It's between the NFC East and AFC West. I can see any of the 4 teams of the NFC East winning that division. It should be a lot of fun watching those 5 classic teams going at it this season. The AFC West will be a struggle between the Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers (Raiders suck). Basically all 7 of these possible playoff teams NEED TO WIN THE GAMES THEY ARE EXPECTED TO WIN. Perfect example is the Chiefs last year going into Buffalo and laying an egg. That game cost them the playoffs. If the Chiefs go and lose to a team like Oakland, San Fran, or Cleveland, they don't deserve to make it.

That's about it. Feel free to comment about what you think. I'm going to the 1st game of the year between the Chiefs and Bengals and I can't wait!!!

A new week

It's Monday night, but I keep thinking it's Sunday. That's very good because it is a short week, and it will feel like it.

Boy, those picks really sucked. I went 2-3 Saturday. It's a very bad thing to start off the season with a losing week, but we'll pick it up next week. I was extremely proud of myself after my 1st 2 picks of Nebraska and Tennessee, and my amazing insight. Then the rest of the day went to shit, and that insight was horrible! All 5 games weren't even close to the spread, which was amazing.

The Huskers did look good though. The offense looked great, Taylor was dead on, the offensive line and RB's played great as expected, but we need to keep in mind the LA Tech defense was in over their heads with only 2 starters returning. The secondary looked like shit though, and they better figure it out before heading out to USC in 2 weeks. All in all though, I was satisfied.

Everyone have a great week. Enjoy...

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September 3, 2006

Op-Ed Columnist

Donald Rumsfeld’s Dance With the Nazis

By FRANK RICH

PRESIDENT BUSH came to Washington vowing to be a uniter, not a divider. Well, you win some and you lose some. But there is one member of his administration who has not broken that promise: Donald Rumsfeld. With indefatigable brio, he has long since united Democrats, Republicans, generals and civilians alike in calling for his scalp.

Last week the man who gave us “stuff happens” and “you go to war with the Army you have” outdid himself. In an instantly infamous address to the American Legion, he likened critics of the Iraq debacle to those who “ridiculed or ignored” the rise of the Nazis in the 1930’s and tried to appease Hitler. Such Americans, he said, suffer from a “moral or intellectual confusion” and fail to recognize the “new type of fascism” represented by terrorists. Presumably he was not only describing the usual array of “Defeatocrats” but also the first President Bush, who had already been implicitly tarred as an appeaser by Tony Snow last month for failing to knock out Saddam in 1991.

What made Mr. Rumsfeld’s speech noteworthy wasn’t its toxic effort to impugn the patriotism of administration critics by conflating dissent on Iraq with cut-and-run surrender and incipient treason. That’s old news. No, what made Mr. Rumsfeld’s performance special was the preview it offered of the ambitious propaganda campaign planned between now and Election Day. An on-the-ropes White House plans to stop at nothing when rewriting its record of defeat (not to be confused with defeatism) in a war that has now lasted longer than America’s fight against the actual Nazis in World War II.

Here’s how brazen Mr. Rumsfeld was when he invoked Hitler’s appeasers to score his cheap points: Since Hitler was photographed warmly shaking Neville Chamberlain’s hand at Munich in 1938, the only image that comes close to matching it in epochal obsequiousness is the December 1983 photograph of Mr. Rumsfeld himself in Baghdad, warmly shaking the hand of Saddam Hussein in full fascist regalia. Is the defense secretary so self-deluded that he thought no one would remember a picture so easily Googled on the Web? Or worse, is he just too shameless to care?

Mr. Rumsfeld didn’t go to Baghdad in 1983 to tour the museum. Then a private citizen, he had been dispatched as an emissary by the Reagan administration, which sought to align itself with Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam was already a notorious thug. Well before Mr. Rumsfeld’s trip, Amnesty International had reported the dictator’s use of torture — “beating, burning, sexual abuse and the infliction of electric shocks” — on hundreds of political prisoners. Dozens more had been summarily executed or had “disappeared.” American intelligence agencies knew that Saddam had used chemical weapons to gas both Iraqi Kurds and Iranians.

According to declassified State Department memos detailing Mr. Rumsfeld’s Baghdad meetings, the American visitor never raised the subject of these crimes with his host. (Mr. Rumsfeld has since claimed otherwise, but that is not supported by the documents, which can be viewed online at George Washington University’s National Security Archive.) Within a year of his visit, the American mission was accomplished: Iraq and the United States resumed diplomatic relations for the first time since Iraq had severed them in 1967 in protest of American backing of Israel in the Six-Day War.

In his speech last week, Mr. Rumsfeld paraphrased Winston Churchill: Appeasing tyrants is “a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last.” He can quote Churchill all he wants, but if he wants to self-righteously use that argument to smear others, the record shows that Mr. Rumsfeld cozied up to the crocodile of Baghdad as smarmily as anyone. To borrow the defense secretary’s own formulation, he suffers from moral confusion about Saddam.

Mr. Rumsfeld also suffers from intellectual confusion about terrorism. He might not have appeased Al Qaeda but he certainly enabled it. Like Chamberlain, he didn’t recognize the severity of the looming threat until it was too late. Had he done so, maybe his boss would not have blown off intelligence about imminent Qaeda attacks while on siesta in Crawford.

For further proof, read the address Mr. Rumsfeld gave to Pentagon workers on Sept. 10, 2001 — a policy manifesto he regarded as sufficiently important, James Bamford reminds us in his book “A Pretext to War,” that it was disseminated to the press. “The topic today is an adversary that poses a threat, a serious threat, to the security of the United States of America” is how the defense secretary began. He then went on to explain that this adversary “crushes new ideas” with “brutal consistency” and “disrupts the defense of the United States.” It is a foe “more subtle and implacable” than the former Soviet Union, he continued, stronger and larger and “closer to home” than “the last decrepit dictators of the world.”

And who might this ominous enemy be? Of that, Mr. Rumsfeld was as certain as he would later be about troop strength in Iraq: “the Pentagon bureaucracy.” In love with the sound of his own voice, he blathered on for almost 4,000 words while Mohamed Atta and the 18 other hijackers fanned out to American airports.

Three months later, Mr. Rumsfeld would still be asleep at the switch, as his war command refused to heed the urgent request by American officers on the ground for the additional troops needed to capture Osama bin Laden when he was cornered in Tora Bora. What would follow in Iraq was also more Chamberlain than Churchill. By failing to secure and rebuild the country after the invasion, he created a terrorist haven where none had been before.

That last story is seeping out in ever more incriminating detail, thanks to well-sourced chronicles like “Fiasco,” “Cobra II” and “Blood Money,” T. Christian Miller’s new account of the billions of dollars squandered and stolen in Iraq reconstruction. Still, Americans have notoriously short memories. The White House hopes that by Election Day it can induce amnesia about its failures in the Middle East as deftly as Mr. Rumsfeld (with an assist from John Mark Karr) helped upstage first-anniversary remembrances of Katrina.

One obstacle is that White House allies, not just Democrats, are sounding the alarm about Iraq. In recent weeks, prominent conservatives, some still war supporters and some not, have steadily broached the dread word Vietnam: Chuck Hagel, William F. Buckley Jr. and the columnists Rich Lowry and Max Boot. A George Will column critical of the war so rattled the White House that it had a flunky release a public 2,400-word response notable for its incoherence.

If even some conservatives are making accurate analogies between Vietnam and Iraq, one way for the administration to drown them out is to step up false historical analogies of its own, like Mr. Rumsfeld’s. In the past the administration has been big on comparisons between Iraq and the American Revolution — the defense secretary once likened “the snows of Valley Forge” to “the sandstorms of central Iraq” — but lately the White House vogue has been for “Islamo-fascism,” which it sees as another rhetorical means to retrofit Iraq to the more salable template of World War II.

“Islamo-fascism” certainly sounds more impressive than such tired buzzwords as “Plan for Victory” or “Stay the Course.” And it serves as a handy substitute for “As the Iraqis stand up, we’ll stand down.” That slogan had to be retired abruptly last month after The New York Times reported that violence in Baghdad has statistically increased rather than decreased as American troops handed over responsibilities to Iraqis. Yet the term “Islamo-fascists,” like the bygone “evildoers,” is less telling as a description of the enemy than as a window into the administration’s continued confusion about exactly who the enemy is. As the writer Katha Pollitt asks in The Nation, “Who are the ‘Islamo-fascists’ in Saudi Arabia — the current regime or its religious-fanatical opponents?”

Next up is the parade of presidential speeches culminating in what The Washington Post describes as “a whirlwind tour of the Sept. 11 attack sites”: All Fascism All the Time. In his opening salvo, delivered on Thursday to the same American Legion convention that cheered Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Bush worked in the Nazis and Communists and compared battles in Iraq to Omaha Beach and Guadalcanal. He once more interchanged the terrorists who struck the World Trade Center with car bombers in Baghdad, calling them all part of the same epic “ideological struggle of the 21st century.” One more drop in the polls, and he may yet rebrand this mess War of the Worlds.

“Iraq is not overwhelmed by foreign terrorists,” said the congressman John Murtha in succinct rebuttal to the president’s speech. “It is overwhelmed by Iraqis fighting Iraqis.” And with Americans caught in the middle. If we owe anything to those who died on 9/11, it is that we not forget how the administration diverted our blood and treasure from the battle against bin Laden and other stateless Islamic terrorists, fascist or whatever, to this quagmire in a country that did not attack us on 9/11. The number of American dead in Iraq — now more than 2,600 — is inexorably approaching the death toll of that Tuesday morning five years ago.

My Picks for 9/2/06

It's Friday night at 11:18 and I'm entering my picks for the week. Loser? Maybe. But I've got to be fresh for a long day tomorrow. I just can't wait for the game. Anyway, here are my picks for the first weekend of the football season. Remember, my 5* is my favorite pick of the week, and the 1* is my 5th favorite. Here we go...

1* Tennessee +2` - (BTW this symbol: ` means half a point) Cal comes into Knoxville for a very good opening weekend matchup. Both teams are contenders for their conference. To tell you the truth, I can't fathom how Tennessee is a home dog in this game. Cal has a long travel to a hostile SEC environment, with an inexperienced QB. Seriously, I don't get it, how is Tenn a home dog? Cal has 15 starters and Tennessee 12. And Tenn has an experienced QB. Shit, just take Tennessee.

2* Utah +3 - I mentioned in my preview that I expect Utah to have a great season, and they will show it on Saturday. They go into UCLA as an underdog, but UCLA is going to struggle this season. UCLA has a very weak defense, a new QB, got LUCKY in numerous games last year with huge comebacks. Utah has a better QB, more talent across the board, and a far better defense. The reason UCLA is favored is in name only, as Utah is a much more solid team, and I expect an outright Utah win.

3* Arkansas +8` - I talked about this game in my preview. It appears that McFadden will be playing in this game, and that means he will take a lot of pressure off the new Ark QB. USC has just 11 starters back, with losing their entire offensive backfield, and Arkansas returns 19 players from a very underrated team from last season. With or without McFadden this game goes down to the wire, but with him I predict an Arkansas upset.

4* Utah St +12` - Wyoming is favored by 12` in what I see as one of their winnable games of the season. This really could be the only game they are favored all year. Utah St is far from a good team, but their skill players are tremendous. Wyoming has a nice offensive line, but lose a ton of production from last season. Wyoming fell apart at the end of last season, and they are nowhere near as good this season, and do not be surprised at an outright Utah St victory.

5* Nebraska -23` - Yes, I'm taking the Huskers as my pick of the week. This line sat at 21` earlier in the day, but even with 2 points added I love NU. LA Tech only has 2 starters back on defense, and have one of the worst defenses in the country. NU has a vastly improved offense and a top 10 defense. LA Tech also has a QB making his 1st start in an environment he's never seen. NU will not score less than 40 points, and LA Tech shouldn't score more than 14. Plus I will be there cheering on the Huskers, and NU goes home with at least a 30 point win.

Other games I like, but didn't make my top 5:
Houston -14` over Rice - Houston has an outstanding offense with senior QB Kolb, while Rice switches to a passing offense and should struggle to score.
Oklahoma -23` over UAB - UAB is in a rebuilding year and shouldn't score. Period. Oklahoma will put up at least 30 and will cover.
Pitt -4 Over Virginia - I really like Pitt this season, and in the 2nd year under Wanstedt should win this game easily.
Monday: Florida St +3` over Miami - Picked this one in my preview and I'm sticking to it. I just hope they always play this game on Labor Day, it would be a great tradition to keep.

That's it. Good luck, and go Huskers, Yellow Jackets, and Razorbacks!!!

Sorry I'm late, but it's still FRIDAY

It's been a busy morning and I exepected to get this posted before work. However an extra few minutes of sleep sounded a lot better. This should be a fun weekend with the Husker game tomorrow and the long holiday weekend! Anyway, enjoy this and everyone have a great weekend...

From The Onion...

Nebraska State Trooper In Klan
An arbitrator for the state of Nebraska ruled that a state trooper could not be fired for belonging to the Ku Klux Klan. What do you think?

"I'm actually fairly impressed with this man. It has to be hard, time-consuming work to be part of two bigoted, fear-mongering groups simultaneously."

To read more "opinions" on this, go to The Onion Opinions Page