Week 7- Bad Mood Rising

I hate to get personal but I have been in a foul mood this week. Just had a sour disposition. Walking around with the proverbial stick up my derriere. At first, I thought it was because I am worried that the current housing crisis is likely to lead to an economic recession that could have detrimental worldwide consequences. Then I remembered I don’t know jack about macro economic issues and, therefore, will continue to run up my credit cards bills.

No, the reason for my blue mood has been my lousy record in picking games this year. It has just been awful. Last week, two of my picks lost their starting QBs leaving me begging the sports book director for a do-over. Apparently, there are no do-overs in sports betting, nor is there crying allowed. As I was biting my quivering upper lip, security ushered me out as Tim Rattay was throwing his 17th INT of the game.

Later that evening, as I was standing in line at Vinnie’s Pawn shop hugging a set of sterling silverware passed on from my great-grandparents from the old country, I was thinking about all the other things I hate about sports besides teams not covering. And here is the list I came up before I was handed the $350 cash for was probably $5000 worth of flatware.

Home teams wearing dark jerseys- “Home whites” is how I grew, it was a constant, and let you know immediately who the home team was. The other day the Rockies and D-Backs look liked recreational league softball teams with one wearing red and the other black.

Playoff beards – When they started, it was cool because it made them look tough, now it just makes them look like the squeegee guy off the highway exit. You are all multi-millionaires, but a Gillette!

Timeouts after kickoffs – Nothing drives football fans crazier that a timeout after a score, a kickoff, then another commercial timeout. It’s a wonder a football players breaks into a sweat at the pace they play.

Waving the white towels – Great if you are emulating the Italian army, pretty damn silly looking if you are cheering for your team.

Late October baseball – for a sport that plays 90% of its games in warm weather, to determine its champion in below freezing conditions is just plain dumb. Next year, hockey will play their championship on a lake in the Florida Everglades.

Baseball managers wearing uniforms – who are they fooling. Are we to believe Joe Torre is going to pick up a bat and pinch hit for A-Rod (not a terrible idea with runners in scoring position in the playoffs).

Note- Although it would be funny to see football coaches in full pads roaming the sidelines. But not so funny to see Stan Van Gundy in basketball shorts.

Soccer players faking injuries – this is the single biggest reason the US will never win a World Cup. No championship is worth having if you have to make yourself look like a pansy to win it.

The coach calling time out before a field goal attempt – this latest craze just seems unfair. It’s like an attorney use an obscure objection to get his triple-murder client off. Okay, that might have been too strong, how about double-murderer.

Last week I went 5-7-1 and 1-2 on my star picks. Overall I am 39-42-7 and 7-11-2 on my star picks. This week I dislike all my picks so much, I’ve got nothing to say about them and let the result do the talking for me. So this week, look for a special results posting on Tuesday.

My picks are in bold. The ones with the star are picks I hate so much, I WOULD want my worse enemy to play them.

Now if you will excuse me, I am going to watch “Million Dollar Baby” to cheer me up.

Arizona at Washington –7
Atlanta +8.5 at New Orleans
Baltimore at Buffalo +3
Minnesota +9.5 at Dallas
New England –17 at Miami
San Francisco at NY Giants –9.5
Tampa Bay +2 at Detroit
Tennessee at Houston +1.5
*Kansas City at Oakland –2.5
NY Jets +6 at Cincinnati
*Chicago +4.5 at Philadelphia
St. Louis at Seattle –8.5
*Pittsburgh –3.5 at Denver
*Indianapolis –3 at Jacksonville