NFL PREVIEW 2010!!!!!

It's football time again, which means it's time for me to throw out how I think everyone's going to do this season. You might find a surprise or two, let me know what you think's gonna happen!

We'll start off with divisional records and standings.

AFC East

Jets- 12-4

Patriots (WC)- 11-5

Dolphins- 10-6

Bills 5-11

The Revis Holdout ended last night, so the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS are going to be your favorites in the division. Watch out for the Pats though, they've still got it. Miami and their Wildcat offense will contend as well. The Bills have a rough rebuilding year ahead of them.

AFC North

Ravens- 12-4

Bengals- 10-6

Steelers- 10-6

Browns- 4-12

The Ochocinco-T.O. marriage works well in Cincy, but not well enough. They miss the playoffs by a tiebreaker, and the Ravens win the division easily. The Steelers struggle early without Roethlisberger, but will make a push as the season progresses. Cleveland has a very tough schedule; they'll play competitively, but will fall short often. I say they're among the best sub-.500 teams in the NFL.

AFC South

Colts- 12-4

Texans (WC)- 10-6

Titans- 10-6

Jaguars- 6-10

The Colts continue dominating this division, as Houston makes its first ever playoff berth. The Titans play well, but fall short against Jacksonville, giving the Texans the tiebreaker they need to claim second in the division. The Jaguars, after another disappointing season, fire Coach Del Rio and begin to think more seriously about relocating.

AFC West

Chargers- 10-6

Broncos- 7-9

Chiefs- 4-12

Raiders- 4-12

There have been some great Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders teams to come out of this division, but as of late, it's been one of the worst divisions in pro football. San Diego gets the top spot in the West, and Denver continues to rebuild (Don't worry, Broncos fans, they'll be back within the next couple of seasons). The Chiefs have another bad year, and the Raiders, trying to regain some dignity, falter in a big way. Cable gets fired, and Al Davis will decide to go back into coaching. Not a good move.

In the AFC playoffs, the standings will look as such.

Colts

Jets

Ravens

Chargers

Patriots

Texans

In the wild card round, Houston will show how inexperienced they are in the postseason as they get clobbered by a very good Ravens team in Baltimore. The Patriots will be just too much for the Chargers, and they come out of SD with another big W.

In the divisional playoffs, the Ravens will take on the Jets in a defensive showdown. Ed Reed will provide scoring for Baltimore as they pull off a 7-6 victory in New York. In what could be the final chapter of a storied rivalry from over the past decade, Peyton Manning will find enough to get past the Pats once more.

The conference championship will feature Baltimore, who lost the game in the 2008 season, and Indianapolis, who made it to the Super Bowl last year. Of course, any time Baltimore faces the Colts, it's the entire city that opposes Indy. Peyton will be retiring within the next five years, and he'll want as many rings to his name as he possibly can. Ray Lewis will most likely call it quits at the end of this season, and he wants to go out on top. What fun those two will be, reliving old memories and making a couple new ones as they try to make it to the biggest stage in sports. The Ravens will prevail and be crowned AFC champions.

Now, to the NFC.

NFC East

Cowboys- 12-4

Redskins (WC)- 11-5

Eagles- 10-6

Giants- 8-8

The NFC East is not just the toughest division in the NFL, it is arguably the best in all of pro sports. Dallas is gearing up for a Super Bowl in its home stadium, while Donovan McNabb, Mike Shanahan, and the Redskins all make a resurgence. The Eagles have a good season, and the Giants struggle, but still do better than many second- and third-place teams in other divisions.

NFC North

Packers- 11-5

Vikings- 10-6

Lions- 4-12

Bears- 2-14

Brett Favre will come back should there be football in 2011. Because he won't even make it to the playoffs. The Pack will get this division, and Aaron Rodgers will win MVP honors. Meanwhile, the Lions will continue their rebuilding, and the Bears will have the most atrocious season in the NFL this year.

NFC South

New Orleans 12-4

Atlanta 12-4

Tampa 5-11

Carolina 3-13

Bye-bye, John Fox! Panthers will have a tough year, but they'll play well through it. Just not well enough to matter. Tampa continues to rebuild, and there's a battle for the top. New Orleans will repeat as division champs.

NFC West

San Francisco- 11-5

Arizona- 8-8

Seattle- 6-10

St. Louis- 3-13

A new group of a familiar team will get to the top of the West for the first time since 2002. The Cardinals will have struggles with a new QB, Seattle will be on the rise, but won't keep Hasselbeck when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season (Look for Mike Holmgren and Cleveland to pick him up). The Rams will struggle, but will do a little better than last year.

And now, my NFC playoff picks.

Homefield throughout, including potentially the Super Bowl, Dallas- 12-4

New Orleans- 12-4

Green Bay- 11-5

San Francisco- 11-5

Atlanta- 12-4

Washington- 11-5

In the wild card round, we see Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb traveling to a possibly snowy Lambeau Field to take on NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I think the Packers will pull out of this one with the insanely close W. It'll be a incredibly fun game to watch.

Atlanta and San Francisco- I am a HUGE Mike Singletary fan, but Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been through the playoff ringer before, and most of Singletary's players have not. So I'm giving the edge to Atlanta on the road in this one.

Divisional round: Green Bay will visit New Orleans, and this year's NFL MVP will face the reigning Super Bowl MVP. This game will also be entertaining. The All-Pro foot of Mason Crosby will send the Packers into the NFC title game.

In Dallas, the top-seeded 'Boys will be put to the test by the 2010 version of the Dirty Birds. Just thinking about this matchup has one remembering (as well as one can remember not actually remembering for him or herself, being quite young at the time) the early 90s when these teams were both in NFC prominence. It'll be fun, but Dallas will advance with not much problem.

The NFC Chamionship game will be magnificent football. I don't think I've been more excited about the NFC ever. I can't even begin to analyze this one, or it'll take me forever to come to a conclusion. So I'll just say Dallas. Get it over with. They'll play the first legitimate home Super Bowl game.

In Super Bowl XLV, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Dallas to face a blue-and-white washout crowd of 100,000 or more. Oh yeah, and the Cowboys. It will be the most one-sided NFL Championship, spectator-wise, in the history of the Super Bowl. But are you ready for this? The 2010 World Champions will be the Baltimore Ravens who will win by a score of 24-16. Ed Reed will intercept two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and be named the Most Valuable Player of the game. Ray Lewis will retire on top, much like Jerome Bettis five years ago.

This being said, prepare for me to be a HUGE Aaron Rodgers, Packers, Texans, Ravens, and Cowboys fan this year (Although, naturally, not quite as much as I like the Titans)

Comments? Fears, doubts, concerns? Got your own bold predictions? Or maybe you want to join my prognostication mailing list. If any of the aforementioned apply to you, leave me a comment, right down there vvvvv

-c

I just feel like ranting.

*RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT RANT*

There. It doesn't make me feel much better, but I'll keep writing for a while.

Please, please, excuse any vulgarities that might escape my fingers in this blog. I'm THAT upset.

And there's really no need to be, which makes me even more irate.

It's those damn Yankees. Yeah, hate them more than I have in a while. It's just...grrrrr.

Tonight's baseball scores of course top off the 0-3 start to my preseason predictions, first with the cowboys beating cincy in the hall of fame game last sunday, and then with New England beating the Saints and oakland coming from behind in a lack of offensive production from dallas, which enabled the raiders' 17-9 win. Last time I put my faith in that "America's Team" this preseason. field goals the rest of the way for them.

Please help me remember the nation's favorite basketball and hockey teams so I can start rooting against them too.

gasjdpidajpogoajpgpjogdpjogpjogpojgsdapjogsdapjoga

On top of that, no one's playing in what should've been a glorious last three weeks of my lyric game.

I don't know what is up with that. Because no one's letting me know, except for Janie, their intents to stop playing. I'm considering as of now just stopping and not awarding any prizes.

But that conflicts my sense of commitment.

I think it's starting to sink in how close I am to being gone from Hville for an insanely extended length of time for the first time since 1996. I think the longest I haven't been home consecutively is about two weeks, and I'm about to spend two months in birmingham before fall break.

Wait, what!

Yeah, that can make a guy miserable.

On top of that, ***** GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING ERRORS NEED TO STOP! I will go on a frenzy before long correcting everyone, especially those that are in school already. Bane of my existence.

hmmm...meteor shower tonight. I think I'm going to see if I can't see anything through the bright city lights of middle Tennessee.

And maybe make some sort of wish. Or refuse to believe in such poppycock.

Whatever.

I'm out.

"Can you teach me how to dance real slow?"

Football isn't really slow, now, is it?

NFL picks are coming up, with our first one being Saturday's prognostication for the August 8 hall of fame game.

I'll be posting weekly blogs up, as well as emails to those I know and ask for them. Keep tuned.

Preseason weeks, while I'm getting back in the flow (it's been a season or so since I've done picks), will be one division from each conference (most likely do North one week, South another, etc). I'll do every regular season game though, and all of the postseason.

Get ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!

Sounds Recap

So, my buddy David demanded that I blog about the game we went to on Saturday. So here it is:

the Sounds won 9-3.

That's about as much sports was included in my Saturday night escapade. But I'll kinda give you the slight play-by-play.

Beginning of the month- Dad: "Hey, Clayton, you want to go to a baseball game?"

Me: "Absolutely!"

Fast forward to Friday Night. Storms. Flash Flood warnings (yet again). We're not sure if we're going to end up going. (in the middle of this, we had a fried laptop hard drive, and the Lyric Game start was being postponed). Saturday morning, working on flood relief, the sun began to shine. However, it was short-lived; The rain and thunder started coming at around 3 in the afternoon. So, it was decided that I'd take Christopher to go see Iron man 2 (big whoop). We get back from dinner at Which Wich (good sandwiches), sun's back up. We're going to the baseball game! Mother and Christopher don't come, two extra tickets. We take Todd and David. Which is where the story really begins.

You have to get to know my buddy David a little better. David's like my little brother. Basically, he is. We go to church together, and our families used to carpool to and from school. David's a pretty intelligent and funny guy, although he's got a naturally loud voice and is often incapable of letting things go. David's the type of guy that has a problem with something, and makes sure everyone knows it. His big thing right now is against texting. Anyway, now that you David, let's continue on with the story

We get to the general area of Greer Stadium, have to park all the way at the science center. That's fine, long walk was good for us. Many laughs were had, Gingerbread men were quoted, and we might've started Rick Rolling by that time. Oh well, we get to the gate at the start of the second, GA was right there. so didn't have to go far at all once we got there. got a Sounds hat to show some Nashville pride, and also to add to my growing collection of ballcaps. The park played good music (except for once when they went off track and played Party in the USA, which by the way brings Marshall Brewer to mind every time I hear it now...beware, don't click on the link unless you want to be mentally scarred), some songs many more times than once.

Yours truly decided he'd start being a real creeper/jerk/loser/smart alec/loudmouth/idiot/etc about the second he got out of the car. Therefore, I think I might have worried David slightly. Anyway, the reading club thing that I used to do was there; they had a shirt that read "got books?" eventually I got to responding to each shirt, saying "Yeah, I got books." This quickly turned into an impromptu lame pickup line---"I got books, you wanna come to my place and see 'em?" There was a memorable moment, possibly in the sixth or seventh inning, in which I saw a trio of teenaged girls, shouted, "Look, it's Justin Beiber!" and they looked. That quite possibly made our night right there. Another time I made a complete fool of myself was jumpin' on it to Apache. If you've never seen me dance, be glad. It was atrocious. "Sweet Caroline" was a sweet moment, it's not everyday you get to scream "bum, bum, bum" and "so good, so good, so good" with 9,000 of your closest friends, especially at a baseball game. David's and my themes throughout the night were Ludacris' part in Beiber's "Baby" ("When I was thirteen, I had my first love..") and Rick Astley (never gonna give you up, etc). Knowing what we know about David from earlier in the blog, you can only imagine how many times the two came up in a 4-hour stretch. Speaking of stretch, we sang a particularly nasty rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the Stretch.

There was a fireworks show, in which there were many pop songs played. After the show, the car ride home was filled with quotes from the greatest kid's cartoon television show of all time, more rickrolling, and one more Ludacris reference. David trying to call his mom about a gazillion times, and her finally calling his dad. Great memories; hopefully we'll get a chance to get to another one before i leave in the fall.

PLAYOFF TIME!

Before I get started with the playoffs, I need to point out a few things.













Here's the story of a man named Cam Cameron. You may remember Coach Cameron when he was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2007. Well, the Dolphins went 1-15, hired Bill Parcells as their president, and fired Cam Cameron. The one team that lost to Miami, the Baltimore Ravens, hired Mr. Cameron as their offensive coordinator. Since then, the Ravens and Cameron are 22-13, including an appearance in the AFC Championship last year, and headed to the playoffs again. The Dolphins, meanwhile, are sitting at home this offseason with an 18-15 record in two years, and a one-and-done playoff run last year. At this point, it appears that Cam Cameron got the better end of getting fired.

While I'm on the topic of the Fishes, it makes me feel better that rookie QB Pat White will not sustain any permanent damage after a head-to-head collision left him motionless on Sunday. He was down forever, and it really worried me.

Jim Zorn's been out since October, so it didn't surprise me at all when I saw he was fired. Next came the entire coaching staff of the Buffalo Bills, which came as a very small shock. Tom Cable will be next according to speculations, which I didn't think wouldn't happen. Next to go will be Jack Del Rio with the Jags. I haven't heard much about him yet, but after two playoff berths, the Swamp Cats have gone 5-11 and 7-9 consecutively, including dropping their last four. They're blacking out all of their games, so something needs to change. First to go is Del Rio, and they'll be the first team to draft a QB this year. I think Lovie Smith is safe in Chicago right now, but if they don't get to the postseason next year, there will be a change in the Winds. Lastly, Eric Mangini will stay at Cleveland. With a 4-0 finish, including wins over Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, and Mike Holmgren, one of the more respectable men in football, as their President, the Browns will keep the former Patriot DC for the time being.

Alright, off of the coaching carousel and on to a more important subject....THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!

Here are the seedings:

AFC
1. Indy 14-2
2. San Diego 13-3
3. New England 10-6
4. Cincy 10-6
5. J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS 9-7
6. Baltimore 9-7

NFC
1. New Orleans is 13-3 after dropping 3 straight
2. Minnesota rebounded big against the Giants, they are now 12-4
3. Dallas crushed Philly and is 11-5
4. Arizona 10-6
5. Green Bay 11-5
6. Philly 11-5

So, here's the situation. Wild Card weekend. Four games will be played on the 9th and 10th, all of them rematches of the regular season. 3 of those four were played just last week. 2 of those 3 were meaningless for at least one team, and 1 was not meaningful for either team. That being said, it appears that New England, the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS, Green Bay and Dallas will advance if each game turns out how it did in the regular season. I've got different ideas, though.

J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS AT CINCINNATI (Saturday 1/9, 4:30 ET)
I've become a bandwagon Bengals fan this season, so the fact that they were shut out against the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS surprises me. The Bengals are my emotional favorite to win it all, having to deal with the deaths of Mike Zimmer's wife and Chris Henry. They have a test against a J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS team that has won five of its last six, including the last two against playoff teams (granted, the Colts would've won had they not rested their starters), under Rex Ryan, of whom I am also a big fan. To Cincy's advantage, they will have a home game this time, and they know what to expect of the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS coming into this week. To their disadvantage, Chad Ochocinco might not play due to a knee injury he sustained in pregame warmups Sunday night. He's a big leader of the team, and his abscence may cause for another devastating Bengals loss. Cincinnati's last playoff win came in 1991, two decades ago. The J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS won the only postseason matchup of the two teams. Putting together all of that, plus much more, I've decided on a score: J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS 28-16.

PHILADELPHIA AT DALLAS (Saturday 1/9, 8 ET)
Well, Dallas absolutely crash landed the Eagles' hope for a first-round bye and a home game in the playoffs with a 24-0 victory. I have no reason to suspect that this result will be repeated. Firstly, Andy Reid is an absolute wizard of a coach. You don't have a career record above .600 after 11 years for nothing. He is also very experienced in the playoffs, with a 10-7 record entering his 18th postseason game. On the other sideline, Wade Phillips is also a good coach. However, in four tries, he has come up 0-fer in the playoffs. The Eagles are a traditionally good playoff team, making it to 5 NFC Championships and 1 Super Bowl in the past decade. They made a sixth-seed run to the Championship last year, and they're right back where they were to begin last postseason. I can't pick against the Eagles in the first round, nor can I pick for the Cowboys in the postseason. Therefore, my prediction is: Eagles, 34-17.

BALTIMORE AT NEW ENGLAND (Sunday 1/10, 1 ET)
This one will be fun. The regular-season edition of this game happened all the way back in Week 4, with the Patriots coming out on top, defeating the previously undefeated Ravens 27-21. Bill Belichick (15-4 in 14 seasons) and John Harbaugh (2-1 in 1) are two good playoff coaches. Bill is 3-1 in the Super Bowl, and John made it to the AFC Championship as a sixth seed last year. This will be the first postseason matchup between the winningest active NFL coach (not counting Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan, who might each come out of retirement next season) and one of the game's newer greats. The Patriots have never lost their first playoff game since Coach Belichick and Tom Brady took over, but they will be missing their #1 receiver in Wes Welker. Baltimore won a convincing game against then 6-0 Denver in Week 8 and blew out the Lions 48-3 in Week 14, but lost a possible Super Bowl preview against Green Bay by double digits in Week 13, and only beat Oakland by 8 last week. Ray Lewis is getting ever closer to retirement, and would love to go out on top, so he'll have a monster game. And probably talk a little trash during the week. I really think the Ravens have more to play for here than the Patriots, so I really am leaning their way. But it will be close. Here's what I think: Ravens, 16-13

GREEN BAY AT ARIZONA (4:40 ET Sunday 1/10)
Ken Wisenhunt led the Cards to the Super Bowl last year, but Green Bay is rolling. They were 7-1 in the last half of the season, their only loss being that shootout against Pittsburgh. In the entire season, the Pack only scored less than 20 points once, against the eventual NFC East champs. They beat Dallas 17-7 in Week 10, which turned around their season. In their seven second-half wins, they won 5 by 10 or more. Arizona will play closer than they did on Sunday, but they'll still get blown away. We'll say: Packers, 27-14.

Now that the Wild Card has been decided, here's our playoff picture.

AFC
1. Indy 14-2
2. San Diego 13-3
X3. New England 10-7X
X4. Cincinnati 10-7X
5. J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS 10-7
6. Baltimore 10-7

NFC
1. New Orleans 13-3
2. Minnesota 12-4
X3. Dallas loses 5 straight playoff games, 11-6X
X4. Arizona 10-7X
5. Green Bay 12-5
6. Philadelphia 12-5

In the divisional round, resilient Baltimore travels to Indianapolis to face the battered Colts, who are much thankful for a home game. The J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS travel to sunny San Diego for a showdown with the hottest team in the NFL. The hottest team in the NFC, Green Bay, takes a trip to the Vikings, who closed out the regular season with a convincing spanking of the NY Giants. Philadelphia travels to the Superdome to confront a Saints team which hasn't won in over a month. The winners of these games are guaranteed picks 29-32 in the first round of this April's draft, and advance to the conference championships. Let's continue with the matchups at hand here.

PHILADELPHIA AT NEW ORLEANS (4:30 ET Saturday 1/16)
After dominating Dallas, the Eagles face a tough task in Drew Brees and the Saints. New Orleans started the season 13-0. Only problem is, they've lost 3 straight. That does a number to momentum headed into the playoffs. On top of that, they've had a first-round bye to extend the length of time since their last win, December 13 at Atlanta (Not to mention that game was 26-23. It took them overtime the week before to defeat a Washington team that finished 4-12. So really, the last time the Saints really looked like the Saints was that 38-17 win over the Patriots in November). They have some very important questions to answer in this game, and if they pull off a victory, especially by more than a touchdown, they'll be my favorite to win it all. But this is a very good Eagles team which is underestimated year after year. I have a hard time picking against them before the NFC Championship. As the Saints are really unproven in the playoffs (1-1 when they made it in 2006, losing to Chicago in the NFC Championship), and certainly not in the position they are in now, I'm not sure what to say. Ironically, their first game was a divisional matchup against the Eagles. Not much has changed with the two teams, except for some more explosiveness from both teams. The 2007 playoff game was a 27-24 Saints win. I can't see this matchup ending the same way it did last time, though. Not having a convincing win in a month and a half does something to the persona of a team. Therefore, I say: Eagles, 37-28.









BALTIMORE AT INDIANAPOLIS (8:15 ET Saturday 1/16)


This will be another good matchup of two really good teams. The Ravens will be working on getting to their second straight AFC Championship, and the Colts are out to prove that 14-0 wasn't a fluke. The Colts will be more than glad to be playing at the RCA...excuse me, at Lucas Oil Stadium after that horrendous snow game in Buffalo. The Ravens have momentum after shocking the world and the New England Patriots on the road in what might easily be another snow game. I have yet to know how Jim Caldwell will do in the postseason, but Peyton Manning is a game-changer. If Ray Lewis keeps him in check, the Ravens will have a chance. Nevertheless, I think Indianapolis will come away with the win in front of the home crowd, indoors, with no snow: Colts, 26-17.







GREEN BAY AT MINNESOTA (1 ET Sunday 1/17)



The Favre Purple Show swept the regular season series between the two teams, but Green Bay is, as I mentioned earlier, the hottest team in the Conference. I think Brett might be thrown a little that he's playing playoff football in a dome against the Pack, but after his first interception he'll be brought back to reality. Aaron Rodgers is becoming if not an elite quarterback, a pretty good one and will keep the Green Bay offense competing. Adrian Peterson definitely has the edge over Ryan Grant, although both are good running backs. With Rookie of the Year Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, and Bernard Berrian, the Vikes have a solid receiving corps, and Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, and Greg Jennings form another solid corps for the Pack. At tight end, Donald Lee and Visanthe Shiancoe are both forces to be reckoned with, and Mason Crosby and Ryan Longwell are two of the top kickers in the leauge. I'll give Green Bay the slight edge on defense, and Minnesota the homefield advantage (duh). Basically, coaching is the only thing in question. Mike McCarthy is slightly better than Brad Childress (39-27 vs. 36-29), and is 1-1 in the playoffs (2-1 with the win over Arizona) while Childress is 0-1. We'll have an offensive showdown here, with the win coming in the final seconds. After expert advice gives me the edge on kicker, I'll have to say: Packers, 37-34.







J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS AT SAN DIEGO (4:40 ET Sunday 1/17)



This would've been a big game if Cincy had beaten the J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS. Now, though, it'll be a crushing defeat by San Diego. This team scared me when it came to Nashville on Christmas night. It'll scare plenty more before it's done. The J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS have no match for the modern generation of Air Coryell, and Rivers and the dominant offense of San Diego will prevail over a young team from New York. Final Score: Chargers, 34-13.

As we move on to the championship round, here's what's left.

AFC
Indy rebounds and is 15-2
San Diego dominates, 14-3
XXNew England 10-7XX
XXCincy 10-7XX
XJ-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS 10-8X
XBaltimore 10-8X

NFC
XNew Orleans blows another one, 13-4X
XMinnesota can't hold on, 12-5X
XXDallas 11-6XX
XXArizona 10-7XX
Green Bay has the golden toe, 13-5
Philly keeps going, 13-5

So, we approach a 1-2 finale in the AFC, and a 5-6 battle of the wild in the NFC. All attention is focused in the Midwest for these two games. Let's go.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: SAN DIEGO AT INDIANAPOLIS (3 ET Sunday 1/24)
This one's a showdown the media's been wanting since early November. Is San Diego really the best team in the AFC? I didn't believe it until the Titans game. The Chargers will be riding a 12-game win streak into this game, and the young secondary of the Colts will have a hard time matching up with Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, and the entire receiving squad of the San Diego Chargers. Norv Turner's been coaching this game much longer than rookie Jim Caldwell of the Colts. For all these reasons and more, my pick is: Chargers, 27-23.





NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: PHILADELPHIA AT GREEN BAY (6:40 ET Sunday 1/24)

The battle of two teams a game away from winning their respective divisions commences Sunday evening at Lambeau field. The Eagles and Packers are two very good clubs, and this game will be fun. The Eagles are looking for their second Super Bowl appearance ever, and under Reid and Donovan McNabb. The Pack, meanwhile, are looking to be one of nine teams to appear in five or more Super Bowls. The first team you think of when the words "Super Bowl" come to mind hosts a consistent contender for the past decade. The explosive offense of McNabb, DESEAN JACKSON, and the Eagles will go up against the fundamental game played by Rodgers, Grant, Clay Matthews, and the Packers. The Pack will play a tough, physical game, and Philly will stay plenty competitive. In the end, DeSean will lift the Eagles to heights only attained once before. It'll be a nail-biter, but the team that will come on top is: Eagles, 42-35.

Before Super Bowl XLIV (It is XLIV, not 44. stupid arabians and their simplified numerals.) an incredibly important (or rather ignorable idiotc) event has to occur pitting the statistical leaders of the NFL against each other. This is so much better the week after the Super Bowl. For instance, DeSean won't be playing so he doesn't have to risk injury before the Big Game. I was looking forward to seeing him playing around and killing some coverages in the meaningless allstar game, but since he has to play in the biggest game of his career the next week, he won't be there. CJ gets 60-80 yards on 8-12 carries, and the AFC wins over the NFC Vikings, 34-28.

Now, to recap:

AFC

Indy: 15-3 after beating Baltimore and losing to San Diego

San Diego: Represents the AFC in the Super Bowl with a 15-3 record. Wins over J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS and at Indy.

New England: 10-7. One-and-done with loss against Ravens.

Cincy: 10-7. Can't rebound against J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS in wild card round.

J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS: 10-8. Rex Ryan's first playoff success in Cincy turns sour when they lose in San Diego.

Baltimore: 10-8 after upsetting Brady and the Pats, and falling hard in Indy.

NFC

New Orleans: At 13-4, the Ain'ts return in a four game slide. They lose to Philly in the Superdome.

Minnesota: The right foot of Mason Crosby sends the Vikes spiraling, they finish 12-5.

Dallas: The Boys get embarrassed the week after embarrassing the team that embarrased them in an embarrassing loss, so they finish 11-6.

Arizona: The Cards stood no chance against the Packers, a 10-7 record ends Kurt Warner's career.

Green Bay: A strong fight is not strong enough. They destroy Arizona, use the heroics of Mason Crosby to win in the Metrodome, but as soon as they come home, are out-flown by the Philadelphia Eagles. 13-6.

Philadelphia: Another 6-seed run ends in ecstasy, as the Eagles turn the tables in Dallas, New Orleans and Green Bay to reach their second Super Bowl. 14-5.

The Super Blog will come nearer that time, so stay interested, my friends.

So…random nfl stuff

To start out, i discovered this video today of al davis discussing lane kiffin’s firing. Kinda redundant, kinda redundant (oh did i mention it was redundant?), kinda funny. It was interesting…al davis has def lost his brain

Also…how bout them titans! An amazingly hilarious yet pitiful 47-10 domination of Detroit was just the start of the routs to see that weekend, dallas 34-9 over seattle, philly 48-20 over Arizona, ole miss and Alabama shutting out msu 45-0 and auburn 36-0, respectfully in the egg and iron bowls. Texas ran over a&m and the gay-tors beat fsu 38-15 i believe…other nfl creaming were Baltimore 34-3 over Cincinnati giants 23-7 vs Washington, Pittsburgh beating the pats 33-10, and minnesota’s 34-14 defeat of Chicago.

So everything’s going great…just finished duty roster for room in the inn and final English paper…about the bcs and a possible playoff situation…cloning paper got a 100 so i was pretty pumped about that. Christmas tree’s up…not ornamented or anything…gonna wait til after Saturday (12/13) to do that. My schedule’s pretty much booked up til then.

Other than that i’m takin it easy not stressin to much…well, that’s a blatant lie. I’m totally worried about midstate Sunday…my sax teacher randomly decides he has something to do on the day of my lesson three days before auditions…so i’m freakin out about that…and practice didn’t go to well yesterday…so yeah…

Guess that’s it for now…

Until later

-cth

how bout them (wyoming) cowboys!

so, i was at black eyed peas, when a newspaper article in The Tennessean caught my attention: Vols sink to new low, fall 13-7 to Wyoming

wyoming? seriously? no way.

i read on.

"In a season full of Big Orange surprises, UT unveiled an absolute stunner. Playing one of the worst teams in all of college football, the Volunteers stumbled, bumbled and fumbled their way to one of the program's worst losses ever."

wow...that's rough...

continuing my read, i saw:

"Wyoming entered Neyland Stadium as a 26-point underdog and a perceived homecoming doormat, but exited victorious with a 13-7 win front of an embarrassed crowd of 99,489.
It was the first game for UT since Monday's announcement that Coach Phillip Fulmer would not return next season. The Vols were attempting to ride a wave of emotion entering the game, but instead left riding a three-game losing streak.
"Obviously it's been a really hard week on everybody," Fulmer said. "(The players) don't owe me any kind of apology. If anything, I owe it to them and to the fans for this whole week coming about."

well, i needed read no further. it was all in front of me, wyoming. wyoming? beating ut? dang...i began to laugh.

"ha! that's great. i need to remind all my ut crazy fans whenever i see them!"

i guess it was my way of dealing with a tennessee tragedy. i really am supporting of the vols, though, as i mentioned here, i'm not as big a fan as i used to be. other people will treat the game differently, but i think ridicule will be the way i handle it.

oh well, there's another vandy win...so we'll at least be bowl eligible...

florida rant (blog one of who knows how many tonight)

so i'm sitting @ work w/ nothing to do..so i'm blogging...

my first topic is the florida gators...

can't say much becase they are three times better (yes i did the math, 42/14=3) than my vanderbilt commodores...but i've gotta say what i've gotta say...

first, my favorite thing about the gators fans is that it seems the only thing they know how to do in a football stadium is the gator chomp. sure, the've got varying speeds (even during the same pep band song), but that's about the only variation on the thing. i was so tempted to do a tomahawk chop, but refrained...at least tennessee fans can sing in the same tempo...but anyway, it started getting annoying and i didn't see much of the game...five minutes at most...

now that i've gotten that out, i really don't have much more to say...pretty much, tim tebow is a beast...Tebow:college football::Michael Phelps:olympic swimming...he's got a hard task ahead of him in the nfl though...traditionally former heisman winners (Jason Campbell, Chris Wienke, and ERic Crouch for example) and former Florida qb's (chris leak and rex grossman, for example) have had troubles in the bigs...

i had a load of fun mouthing off with a florida fan i had never met before...i said "tim tebow's overrated!" just to get a rise out of someone...he said "Yeah, does vandy even have a football team? or is it just vanderbilt high school!" i couldn't think of a comeback fast enough...so that was that...i guess it was all for the better...

anyway, i'll continue to root for my vanderbilt commodores, pulling for an 8-4 season and a trip to the peach or liberty bowl...maybe even cotton or outback...but definitely a bowl game...

next blog: how bout them (wyoming) cowboys!!!

stuff

titans are 8-0!!!!!! i'm super pumped and ready to see the bears get destroyed. it's gonna be no contest...grossman won the game for chicago last week, so naturally he's gonna suck this week. he's consistently inconsistent! so anyway, it's great...election's coming up today and i don't have a favorite i'm gonna go along with what everyone here says...mccain wins tennessee, obama wins the nation. i'll be playin around w/ the magic map on cnn.com...here's the link: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/calculator/. we'll see what happens...blog to come probably thursday on the result...all i know is that whoever wins, he's my president, and i will support him. so that's the long and the short of it.

iverson traded to the pistons, billups goes to denver...really i don't care about the nba until the playoffs...and then only with mild interest...so it's really no big deal to me.

otherwise, guess everything else is going just fine, visited tech on thursday and wasn't all that impressed...but i got out of school, so it was worth it! saw several mhms grads and that was nice. halloween was fun and so was this weekend....but now that i'm thinking saturday, i'm thinking college football, which reminds me...

FULMER'S LEAVING UT!!!!!! that was very shocking. that man has been the face of tennessee football for two decades now, and his leaving means that that will no longer be the case. i'm more of a vandy fan now, but it still hurts. firing a coach with several conference championships and two national championship appearances after one bad season...even though they tentatively have one of the best recruiting classes in the nation for next year...doesn't make sense...next thing you know they'll fire bruce pearl for not making it to the final four. oh, well, stuff happens...

vandy plays florida next week...make it four losses in a row...after a 5-0 start...classic vandy football in the second half of the season. until next time, i'll be rejoicing, comiserating, and remembering some more stuff to write about...

-cth

quick blog

titans are 6-0!!!! after dominating kc 34-10 with over 300 yards rushing, there is no doubt that the titans are once again the best team in the nfl. chris johnson and lendale both had career long td runs in the fourth, and i don't think the defense even tried like the last half of the fourth quarter cause we had such a demanding lead. so that's that point

next: vandy's dropped their last two, one expected, one not. this saturday's homecoming vs. duke, which i'm pretty sure we're gonna win. then we'll be bowl eligible for the first time in, well...quite a while.

got three a's and a b (chemistry) on my report card today, so i know what i need to work on.

backpacking was amazing. hiked in six miles and out six, so i was EXTREEMELY exhausted come sunday afternoon when i got home. other than that, not much more to comment on, so until next time...

-c

a blocked punt! to beat the cowboys in overtime! and other football stuff

to start off, I CAN'T BELIEVE that VANDERBILT lost to MISSISSIPPI STATE!!!!!!!!!!!! that and the red sox going up 1-0 over tampa in the alcs were the only news i had this weekend, thanks to being in the middle of nowhere at an amazing retreat (more to come on that). so anyway, po'd in one way, elated in the other. after the vandy game, the next football i got was at 1:30 pm sunday...cause i fell asleep while i was unpacking...so i watched a bit of indy destroying the ravens...and then the new york titans (still cant get over brett favre in navy and gold) defeating the woebegone (retreat memory!!!) cincinnati bengals 26-14. here's what marv lewis was telling his boys in the fourth quarter:

ok, we're only down six points. the other team's driving...lets' hold 'em to nothing defense, but don't use any timeouts cause we'll need them later..."

after the titan's td:

"well, we're down twelve now, but we can still come back...just don't use more than one timeout...cause we'll need them later..."

for what? the week 10 bye???? neway, enough for that game.

next game: falcons-bears.

just another reason the bears aren't playoff-worthy again...yet. they should've been defending all the receivers double-teamed but jenkins was able to get the catch made and out of bounds with one second left. and then more elam heroics...but really that's commonplace now...bottom line: good game, fantastic ending, and can't wait to see the falcons make the playoffs (whenever they do). matt ryan is the new face of the falcons franchise. he's a better player and person than mike vick.

texans-dolphins.

matt shaub is the best qb to ever play for the houston texans. not only did he set a passing record for the texans, but he got the game winning score rushing. pretty sweet. good game again.

cowboys-cardinals.

awesome ending! and that play in the first quarter where romo lost the ball after being called down...totally a fumble. whatever the refs were thinking was wrong. so that was sweet

rams-redskins.

congrats rams on your first win. firing linehan was probably the best move they've made for a while.

red sox

game 3 of the alcs tonight. series tied 1-1 time to come home to boston. can't wait to see my boys win it all. go red sox!!!!!

retreat

it was awesome. started out friday evening celebrating joes' big 6-oh. connecting with friends was great. then we had a good night's sleep.

saturday was great. "boom chicka boom" started the day, then a lot of activities. tossed footballs, frisbees, and flying rings. lots of discussion, both religious and non religious. then went to the nursing home in dickson. guy with demientia told us a story...twenty times...it went kinda like this.

"God said i don't know what you stole, but whatever it is both of you, you and the thing you stole, wherever i am, both of you will be also. it's written in red, and i believe every word of it. and then i turned the page...and two women walked down buck nekked. and two minutes later, three more women walked down buck nekked. i had to put three cloths on 'em and take their shoes off. and i turned the page and one of 'em said well i don't want you to take my shoes off. and i said i don't care what you don't want, i've been demanded to take your shoes off and i'm gonna do just that. not later, but right now. and it was written in red and i believe every word of it. and then i turned the page and whatever you stole, both of you wherever i am you will both there be also..." and on and on it went.

so after that we went back to garner creek and hung out and ate some more, then bonfire, and matt christopher and i played an awesome game of apples to apples. the favorite word/phrase was "my body." the first green card we drew while christopher was in the shower was "sensual", and the first red card was "my body". it just continued from there. the best play though was on the green card "temperamental" and i put down the red card "women" great cause it was all guys playing and we shared the same sentiment. so that was fun.

sunday morning was worhip. then we left and got home, football, and today. got a shot and blood drawn. not fun, but it was necesary. had an awesome time playing with the birch babies allie and aubrey, and the eaton twins josh and andrew, and judy jones' granddaughter sarah. all little kids. but also enjoyed some quality time with the youth at the retreat: christopher, matt, lyndsay, jonathan, and tristan. and the youth leader from rehoboth philip. so it was all good. until next time.....

-cth

yep...

this has been the slowest day ever...and i really have done nothing productive...just sat around watching tv and doing the facebook thing...so...yeah...it sucks to be sick...i want to do some stuff (such as predictions email and english essay that's due monday...) but i'm not...and i'll be gone most of the day tomorrow...so basically i don't know how i'm gonna get stuff done...but hopefully i'll manage.

basically what's wrong with me is your typical viral crud...so i really can't do much about it...

later all...

go red sox, bison, and commandos tonight.

-cth

i now take some time out of my research....

i'm in the middle of researching for a 1,250 word paper due on monday...about the similarities and differences between...what else...college and pro football...and i'm taking a little break from my research to display some crazy trivia:

in 1935, the first heisman trophy winner's name was jay berwanger. did you know:
that in 1935, the trophy was called the Downtown Athletic Club's Trophy to the Outstanding College Football Player East of the Mississippi River? Can you imagine it: "And the 2008 Downtown Athletic Club's Trophy to the Outstanding College Football Player East of the Mississippi River goes to..." followed by the name of someone who went to school not east of the mississippi, instead in such a school as usc?
that Berwanger was drafted by the eagles, traded to the bears, asked for 25,000 for 2 years and never signed an nfl contract...his professional career was in salesmanship; foam-rubber was what he sold...now just imagine t.o. asking for 25,000 for 2 years today...and then selling foam-rubber!

how many of the top ten finishers for the 2006 heisman can you name?

i can't name all of them off the spot...but if i see a list, i can recognize alll the names and their schools.

i can probably do the same for '07...

and '08 and on will be easy...

because i'll be paying closer attention...

so this is my mid-research blog...

and by the way...the red sox are up 1-0 over anaheim...and i'll be rubbing it all over jonathan coca's face...

the end

nfl mixups

so...the titans are one of three undefeated teams...and one of two that are 4-0.

they've also moved up to number two on espn's power rankings which is sweet http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2008&week=5

also vandy's number 19 in both new polls...and bama's 2...oklahoma's 1...no brainer...what i don't get is why lsu is above texas...ut creamed arkansas while lsu only won by 10 against miss st.

back to the nfl, i'm looking forward to next week...the ravens game...should be a good one. i predict 5-0 titans and bills, 4-0 giants....ravens are going to falter like last year.

big news stories. rams fire coach scott linehan, who went 11-25 in just over 2 seasons. also, raiders finally fire head coach lane kiffin after a 1-3 start, and a 5-15 career for kiffin. i don't think al davis had any class in his firing...it's kinda the opposite of last year, when a coach just walked out on a team w/ four weeks left, whereas coaches are getting fired four weeks into this season. this'll be a fun season...i can tell it already...more later...

-c

it's been a long time...

well...i was at fall fellowship this weekend (any wa-hi-nasa arrowmen that missed it missed a great weekend)...and had a blast...almost got sick chugging root beer, but had a great time nonetheless...it's been a while since the last post, and i've got to comment on the titans 3-0 start, after dominating houston 31-12 about vy, well...let's just say i like kerry. but i wish vince the best and hope he can get back into the game and start winning for us. vandy's 4-0 after defeating ole miss i heard, and ut lost to the gators something bad. and the brady story!!!!! wow...i think that cassel's the new brady....he'll go down in the first game of the season six or seven years from now after winning an mvp or two and maybe a super bowl...and some new draft steal will get his shot...and so the circle will continue...as for brady, he'll be traded to a mediocre team for draft picks, and retire after journeying around the leauge for the next six years...with only the 50 td mark to his name...which will eventually be broken by brett favre when he gets an amazing receiving corps up in new york...i predict around 2028. maybe even in the 22nd century...but brett will break the record...and then win the super bowl after he has broken every other passing record he has yet to break. then finally he will retire and his jersey number will be the first retired by the entire nfl. which is what he's wanted all along...







but anyway, on a more serious note, and switching to baseball, it's really fitting to see that the yankees won the last game at yankees stadium. even as a red sox fan, i think i was pulling for a new york victory sunday night...i think everyone wanted them to win, even the orioles they were playing against. meanwhile, other teams are gaining ground on the sox in the wild card race, but i think that we'll get the spot after it's all said and done.





school's been going pretty alright. we made a commercial in multimedia advertising a fire extinguisher, and seth hearld played the part of billy mays. he was pretty embarrassed when the class watched it, but billy was his idea. anyway, we're working on a music video (probably) now, and we don't know what song we're going to create a video on



my newest frustration: limewire. there's a song i really want to download (all summer long by kid rock) but they don't have the right version on itunes, and whenever i try to get on limewire on my computer it opens up itunes...and when i go to limewire.com to download it again, the website is blocked. so basically, i'm having some problems and don't like it.



in other news, i just learned that matt millen got fired, and the sox made the playoffs!!!!!!!!! so it's all good.



drive group's going well, and i've got something printed out to be bashed at eikon tonight....but it's all good still! can't wait to share it. don't know what's for dinner tonight, but i won't be eating it for a while...the marathon known as PECAN SALES is about to start with a bang for me. i'm going forty pounds tonight...as long as david mccoy stays out of the race...i have christopher's stuff too but he doesn't realize.



so, we have this awesome new sub at mhms. we're not sure what her real name is, but she's been introducing herself mostly as annabell lee. apparently she's got seven masters' degrees and is three classes away from earning the rest of them...but that's just the start...we're not sure what's up with her, but there are plenty of speculations...we had an awesome time screwing around in band yesterday...because she didn't even know everyone was playing sharp, flat, or in a completely different key, and it took jake jones for her to realize we (the sax section) were going too fast. it was really hilariously fun! she says she practices guitar 20 hours a day, yet she can't play mr. clark's....because it has classical nylon strings...she is supposedly a great classical guitar player....messed up, man, messed up!



i'm a life scout now, so i'm thinking of ideas for my eagle project. any outside-the-box ideas, let me know!



and maybe matt cassel isn't the next brady..................

12 random journal entries

i had to type these for english class...just another way of gettin my views out i suppose...so here it is:

1. I am a big fan of football. Professional, college, or high school, I always thoroughly enjoy a good game of football. Some of my best art are offensive football plays I have devised. I send out weekly e-mails with my predictions for National Football League games to some of my friends, because that is another thing I enjoy to do concerning football. My favorite professional team is the Tennessee Titans, while I root for the University of Tennessee on the college gridiron and Hendersonville and Station Camp High Schools in their respective divisions.

2. My second favorite sport is basketball. I mainly like college and high school basketball, although I sometimes attend church league games and will occasionally watch a professional game. One of the reasons I am so fond of high school basketball is because I am a statistician for Merrol Hyde’s team. I also really enjoy the atmosphere surrounding the game of college basketball, especially surrounding the national tournament. My take on professional basketball players is that they are a bunch of jerks playing for the name on the back of their jersey instead of the one on the front, which is why I prefer high school and college ball better.

3. I am also a fanatic for baseball. However, unlike basketball or football, I concentrate solely on professional baseball. My favorite teams are the Boston Red Sox in the American League and the Chicago Cubs in the National League. If I had to pick between the two teams and leagues, though, I would go with the Red Sox and the American. My favorite time of year in baseball is October, especially when one of my teams is in Championship contention. October is the month in which the World Series is played. The thing I dislike the most about baseball is the steroids scandal. Despite the drugs, though, baseball still remains a pastime for me.

4. Two common breakfast foods are waffles and pancakes. While they have many similarities, the two menu staples have their differences. Thanks to these differences, one can determine which is better. Waffles can be square or round, while pancakes are normally just round. In contrast to the flatness of pancakes, waffles have grooves in them, which is better for syrup lovers. Waffles, with their grooves and ridges, are better capable of holding more syrup, but because of pancakes’ flatness, it’s not so easy for them to hold syrup. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that waffles are better than pancakes.

5. In this year’s highly publicized presidential election, the Democrats have nominated Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who is running with Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice-presidential candidate. I highly respect, and even somewhat envy, Senator Obama’s speech-giving capabilities, but I’m not sure if I agree with all of his views, nor am I sure if he will be able to deliver on his promises. On the Republican ticket, Arizona Senator John McCain is running alongside of his vice-presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. I am very intrigued by this election, and I am of now undecided. One thing is for sure, the road to Washington is a long and hard one for both parties, and whoever wins the election will be the President, and I will respect that person as such.

6. So far this has been a good school year for me. The classes I am in are English 1010, Chemistry, Interactive Multimedia, and Band. I am not failing any of my classes as of yet, and do not plan to be failing at any point in the year. Among the extracurricular activities I am involved in are Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Flight Club, the high school men’s basketball team, and, once the first meeting has begun, the Junior Classical League. I do not actually play basketball, but because I’m the statistician I am a part of the team nonetheless. I play alto saxophone in the high school symphonic band, and I am also in jazz band.

7. The smell of popcorn. The sound of a foghorn celebrating the readjustment of score. Thousands of fans wanting to get back quickly to the stands to cheer on their Vanderbilt Commodores as they manhandle the University of South Carolina. These are just a few of the many variables that go into working the concession stands at Vanderbilt. On Thursday, August 4, as I have been the last five years, I was privileged enough to be a part of a twelve-man team working concessions for the Commodores game. The experience is a very rewarding one, because it teaches many cooperation, communication, and time management skills. I have thoroughly enjoyed every game I have been a part of, especially when my team gets the win.

8. One of my newer hobbies is photography. I enjoy taking pictures of anything possible. Right now I have a decent point-and-shoot camera, but I want a more professional camera to take my photos with. My favorite things to photograph are sunsets, sunrises, and people. There is a group at my Church devoted to the arts, and our original division was photography. I think being involved in this group got me really interested and started on my new hobby.

9. I am an active member of my Scout Troop. I am just about to earn my Life rank, which is the rank before Eagle. I am also Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, which puts me as second in command of my entire troop. Last weekend we went on a canoe trip. I was acting Senior Patrol Leader during the trip, and I felt it was a very successful weekend for the troop, with only a few minor setbacks. I’ve learned a lot of things through Scouts, including cooking, camping, and communication skills, which I will use for the rest of my life.

10. I am also extremely actively involved in my Church community. I sing in the youth choir and I also am a part of just about every youth activity that one can be involved in. We go on about six trips a year, four or five of them in the summer alone. Among the highlights of each year are our Choir Tour; Warmth in Winter, a conference-wide event; two missions experiences; and a mystery trip, which we ideally do not know the destination of until the morning we leave. I would definitely not give up my experience with my Church for anything.

11. In Multimedia today, we did a group project. This project involved taking a picture of a silhouette in which every member of the group was a piece of. We had a very challenging time discerning what we were going to be and how we were going to make it. Our idea heading out of the planning stage Thursday was to create a whale, but after having a night to think it over, we decided that the difficulty level was too high for our lack of experience. Our next idea was a “human spider,” with each team member’s arms stretched out to create the effect of one person with a multitude of limbs. After a try or two of this idea, we realized that it was too cramped for seven of us to line up in a single file line, in addition to the different body sizes. In the way the picture was set up, there was a floodlight and a white cloth, and the object was supposed to be between the sheet and the light. We were set up in the downstairs hallway where the bathrooms and guidance office are. For our third idea, we tired to make the standard human pyramid. For some reason which I will never understand, someone suggested that I should be on top of the pyramid. So, consenting, and without warning, I leapt off a chair onto the top of the pile, and it immediately collapsed. We tried twice more with me on top, but the pyramid did not last with me on top, even with prior warning of my moving to the top, so we repositioned people, and on the second try of this new arrangement, we succeeded in taking a picture. The picture resembled a giant block with a human trying to catch her balance. We then determined that we were in too close a space to take any good pictures, so we went to the other side of the cloth and began taking pictures from the other side. Our lighting was much better. We then tried the human spider again and a flower, and kept failing miserably. By this time much of the group was starting to get frustrated. After some minor adjustments and much groaning, we tried one last time. This time we took the form of a tree. It was the best picture we had taken the entire day, so we cleaned up and put everything back in place. Granted, it wasn’t professional, but it should be good enough to earn a passing grade. Some of the characteristics we found that we needed to work on as a group were cooperation, planning, communication, and tolerance. As a whole, the project was most successful as a learning experience.

12. There have been three major tropical systems that have been in the news in the past two weeks. The first one, Hurricane Gustav, made landfall on Labor Day some seventy miles to the southwest of New Orleans as a Category Two storm. Hurricane Hanna had downsized to a Tropical Storm by the time it hit the Carolina Coast on the fifth of September. Hurricane Ike, a Category Three storm, is currently moving north of the island of Hispaniola, and is slated to pass over the Bahamas on its way to making landfall somewhere along the gulf coast by Sunday the fifteenth. Ike is most likely the worst of the three storms, and could wreak extreme havoc, bringing back memories of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, especially if it has time to grow before hitting the States. Residents are advised to take cover and prepare for the storm, especially when a landfall date and area are more specifically known, typically about two or three days before the storm hits. For large, potentially deadly storms, citizens are urged to leave everything behind but the essentials and their valued possessions, and evacuate. Refugees are scattered all over landlocked states when the hurricane hits, and, depending on how bad the damage is, go back home in anywhere from a day to three months after the storm makes landfall. Hurricanes are dangerous storms, and are not to be messed with.

what else but sports?

ok...those that know me know how big i am into sports...so for my first blog...what better for me to discuss? those that are myspace friends have probably read my blogs over the past week on the sox and various other things, and most all of my friends know i don't want brett favre to come back
so, for those that don't know...here goes

RED SOX

so...manny's out, bay's in...not too bad a debut for jason...1-3, 3 walks, and two runs...that's all we scored, and all we needed to win. manny on the other hand has taken his antics to the capital of all characters, and i hope him the best. also, just got done reading papi's memoir...good book...and he talks about how it's never over till its over (thank yogi for that line) and how the red sox and yankees don't hate each other as fans do, but rather respect each other...i think that's a really important aspect of life...don't hate, appreciate! so best of luck to the sox...hope we start winning as much as we've been losing recently!!!

FAVRE

oh boy...don't ask me why, i can't rightly tell you...but brett favre needs to stay retired! i've never really had a problem with people coming out of retirement, but something about all the media attention he's gotten the last three offseasons has gotten to me...i think that since he's made the decision he should make it final...i'm tired of hearing only about favre during the offseason...btw...the preseason's crept up on me so fast that i'm worried i'm going to miss it. for those of you that know my email btw and want my "prognostications" as it were, for the upcoming season send me an email w/ your favorite team...or just tell me in person if you don't. anyway back to brett...i sincerely hope he never plays another professional football game...and just like my detestation of miley cyrus...nothing you say can change my opinion...and that's that

just checked the score...sox up 10-2 on oakland...now that's what i like to see!!!!

any other issues you want to discuss let me know!

until next time...