So, here we are, NFL playoff time. Looking back on my picks at the beginning of the season, I made some colossal mistakes, but I'm sticking with my pick of an Indianapolis/Dallas Super Bowl.
Anyway, the picks are back for the playoffs, but without the spreads:
Redskins @ Seahawks: It's hard to go against Washington right now; they've won 4 straight, and are clearly playing inspired football after the tragic death of safety Sean Taylor. But Seattle is the better team, and are even stronger at home. Seattle 27, Washington 14.
Jaguars @ Steelers: A month ago, everyone and their mother would have taken Pittsburgh as the team most likely to do damage in the playoffs, and possibly knock out the Patriots. But an injury to Willie Parker and a loss to both New England and Jacksonville later, and they're in trouble. Jacksonville 31, Pittsburgh 24.
Giants @ Bucs: Neither one of these teams seem to be consistent enough to move on past this weekend, but someone has to win. New York is a strong road team, and took New England to the brink last week. New York 21, Tampa Bay 13.
Titans @ Chargers: Their last meeting went to overtime, but San Diego is better than they were then, and the Titans' Vince Young is playing hurt. San Diego 24, Tennessee 10.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Shut Up And Move On
Last week, the much-anticipated Mitchell Report was released, detailing the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
Of course, even the most casual baseball fan already knew that the use of steroids and human growth hormone was as prevalent in the game as snow in a Canadian winter.
The centre of attention from the announcement has been the inclusion of Roger Clemens, arguably the best pitcher since the war, in the report. Thankfully, many in the media are painting him with the same brush as Barry Bonds, proving, at the very least, that those doing the accusing are not hypocrites.
But what is most important is this: during the alleged drug use by Clemens, Bonds, Andy Pettitte, and a slew of other major leaguers, it was not against the rules of the game to do so. Some might say you don't need a law saying you can't kill someone to know you shouldn't do it, but we do have such a law. Baseball didn't formally ban steroids until 2003, and HGH until 2005.
People are talking about if Clemens' vast records, like Bonds', should be labelled with an asterisk, or wiped out altogether. But history is history; it cannot be changed. It must be written as was, warts and giant heads and all.
The solution as I see it is simple: shut up and move on. These substances are against the rules of the game now, and testing is in place. For the sake of history, future baseball fans should know that in the last 10 years, any records or remarkable achievements should be taken with a grain of salt, and that they may not have been achieved honestly.
But the fact remains that they were achieved, so elect Clemens and Bonds to the Hall Of Fame (on the first ballot, of course) and say, from this moment on, that baseball is clean.
At least until the new drug du jour hits the clubhouse.
Of course, even the most casual baseball fan already knew that the use of steroids and human growth hormone was as prevalent in the game as snow in a Canadian winter.
The centre of attention from the announcement has been the inclusion of Roger Clemens, arguably the best pitcher since the war, in the report. Thankfully, many in the media are painting him with the same brush as Barry Bonds, proving, at the very least, that those doing the accusing are not hypocrites.
But what is most important is this: during the alleged drug use by Clemens, Bonds, Andy Pettitte, and a slew of other major leaguers, it was not against the rules of the game to do so. Some might say you don't need a law saying you can't kill someone to know you shouldn't do it, but we do have such a law. Baseball didn't formally ban steroids until 2003, and HGH until 2005.
People are talking about if Clemens' vast records, like Bonds', should be labelled with an asterisk, or wiped out altogether. But history is history; it cannot be changed. It must be written as was, warts and giant heads and all.
The solution as I see it is simple: shut up and move on. These substances are against the rules of the game now, and testing is in place. For the sake of history, future baseball fans should know that in the last 10 years, any records or remarkable achievements should be taken with a grain of salt, and that they may not have been achieved honestly.
But the fact remains that they were achieved, so elect Clemens and Bonds to the Hall Of Fame (on the first ballot, of course) and say, from this moment on, that baseball is clean.
At least until the new drug du jour hits the clubhouse.
Humber Et Cetera Story Links
To read published articles from the Humber Et Cetera, please visit these links:
Hawks swept in three sets against Division leaders - 12/10/07
Hawks prevail in extra-sets win - 12/03/07
Bruins shot down - 11/21/07
Tough loss turns focus - 11/13/07
Hawks swept in three sets against Division leaders - 12/10/07
Hawks prevail in extra-sets win - 12/03/07
Bruins shot down - 11/21/07
Tough loss turns focus - 11/13/07
Monday, December 3, 2007
HELP! A Dumb Canadian Needs Some Answers
I love American football (note the adjective "American" to eliminate Canadian and soccer from this argument).
I have been an avid follower of the NFL for almost 20 years now - before that, it was all about finger-painting and avoiding the dreaded square block in round hole trick - and have tried mightily to follow the NCAA football season.
I enjoy the game as much as anyone else, and am awed by the sheer number of teams and players involved. If medicine had this kind of funding, I wouldn't have a stuffed nose right now.
But now that the "regular season" is done, and the bowl match-ups are set, I am throughly confused.
Hawaii finished the season at 12-0, the only undefeated team in the country. Yet, because of their "weak" conference and competition, they do not qualify for the national championship game, or anything remotely close.
Instead, the one-loss Ohio State Buckeyes play the two-loss LSU Tigers, although head coach Les Miles would want to add "undefeated in regulation."
The logic (or lack thereof) in picking who plays in which bowl seems preposterous to me. Every league at every level has some sort of playoff system to determine the champion, and the best example of this is in the NCAA itself, with their 64-team basketball tournament.
It seems a simple fix to me: have the top 16 teams (guaranteeing all conference champs a spot regardless of record) play a single-elimination tournament. That would mean 8 games one week, 4 games the next, and so on until a champion is crowned. There aren't any games scheduled in the first three weeks in December anyway, so logistically it would work.
It would also create excitement throughout the month, instead of now, where all other bowl games are meaningless in the big picture.
And, oh yeah, it would create a true national champion based on winning, not on computer formulas and polls.
One of these days, the NCAA will wake up and change their format for determining a winner in college football.
This season proves that day needs to come now.
I have been an avid follower of the NFL for almost 20 years now - before that, it was all about finger-painting and avoiding the dreaded square block in round hole trick - and have tried mightily to follow the NCAA football season.
I enjoy the game as much as anyone else, and am awed by the sheer number of teams and players involved. If medicine had this kind of funding, I wouldn't have a stuffed nose right now.
But now that the "regular season" is done, and the bowl match-ups are set, I am throughly confused.
Hawaii finished the season at 12-0, the only undefeated team in the country. Yet, because of their "weak" conference and competition, they do not qualify for the national championship game, or anything remotely close.
Instead, the one-loss Ohio State Buckeyes play the two-loss LSU Tigers, although head coach Les Miles would want to add "undefeated in regulation."
The logic (or lack thereof) in picking who plays in which bowl seems preposterous to me. Every league at every level has some sort of playoff system to determine the champion, and the best example of this is in the NCAA itself, with their 64-team basketball tournament.
It seems a simple fix to me: have the top 16 teams (guaranteeing all conference champs a spot regardless of record) play a single-elimination tournament. That would mean 8 games one week, 4 games the next, and so on until a champion is crowned. There aren't any games scheduled in the first three weeks in December anyway, so logistically it would work.
It would also create excitement throughout the month, instead of now, where all other bowl games are meaningless in the big picture.
And, oh yeah, it would create a true national champion based on winning, not on computer formulas and polls.
One of these days, the NCAA will wake up and change their format for determining a winner in college football.
This season proves that day needs to come now.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Bonds Indictment Shortsighted
On Thursday afternoon, Barry Bonds was indicted on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The U.S. government says he lied under oath when he said he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs, and Bonds faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
The timing aside (the indictment coincided with the first day Bonds could sign with a team as a free agent), the indictment as a whole smells funny. We all remember Rafael Palmeiro pointing his finger, under oath, at the U.S. Congress and saying, quite plainly, that he had never taken steroids. Four months later, he was found to have been lying. Where is his indictment? Where is his guilty plea and jail time? Oh, that's right. Rafael Palmeiro didn't break baseball's greatest record this year.
The number of players who have taken steroids in all sports, never mind baseball, is growing by the week. Numerous players are found to have taken steroids or human growth hormone, and they are met with a slap on the wrist and a "you shouldn't do that again, young man" attitude.
Bonds is met with the full force of the United States Government.
The closest competition to this is American sprinter Marion Jones, who was also indicted on similar charges last month, and promptly pled guilty to them, and returned her 5 gold medals.
But they don't care about track and field. No one does.
It's all about Bonds, and if they can find him guilty, they can ignore his accomplishments and pretend the whole thing never happened.
This is an unacceptable course of action. The government allows Palmeiro to lie and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to dodge the questions about steroids, but wants to hang Bonds out to dry?
Barry Bonds, steroids or not, is the greatest position player in the last 30 years, and that is undisputed. Even before the alleged steroid use began, Bonds had won 4 MVP awards and was on pace to hit over 600 home runs.
Because he hit 762, the feds want a piece.
No one should be able to cheat in sports and get away with it. But the game suffers when one individual gets sacrified, while the other cheaters in his sport get a free ride to Cooperstown.
Let him stand trial, because that is the law. Just start the paperwork on everyone else involved.
The timing aside (the indictment coincided with the first day Bonds could sign with a team as a free agent), the indictment as a whole smells funny. We all remember Rafael Palmeiro pointing his finger, under oath, at the U.S. Congress and saying, quite plainly, that he had never taken steroids. Four months later, he was found to have been lying. Where is his indictment? Where is his guilty plea and jail time? Oh, that's right. Rafael Palmeiro didn't break baseball's greatest record this year.
The number of players who have taken steroids in all sports, never mind baseball, is growing by the week. Numerous players are found to have taken steroids or human growth hormone, and they are met with a slap on the wrist and a "you shouldn't do that again, young man" attitude.
Bonds is met with the full force of the United States Government.
The closest competition to this is American sprinter Marion Jones, who was also indicted on similar charges last month, and promptly pled guilty to them, and returned her 5 gold medals.
But they don't care about track and field. No one does.
It's all about Bonds, and if they can find him guilty, they can ignore his accomplishments and pretend the whole thing never happened.
This is an unacceptable course of action. The government allows Palmeiro to lie and Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to dodge the questions about steroids, but wants to hang Bonds out to dry?
Barry Bonds, steroids or not, is the greatest position player in the last 30 years, and that is undisputed. Even before the alleged steroid use began, Bonds had won 4 MVP awards and was on pace to hit over 600 home runs.
Because he hit 762, the feds want a piece.
No one should be able to cheat in sports and get away with it. But the game suffers when one individual gets sacrified, while the other cheaters in his sport get a free ride to Cooperstown.
Let him stand trial, because that is the law. Just start the paperwork on everyone else involved.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Argos, Bills can reap mutual benefit
Friday, November 2, 2007
Just Call Me Roger Clemens
Okay, I know I said I was retiring from picks for the NFL, but this weekend's ultra-mega-super-gigantic game between the Patriots and the Colts deserves a pick, if only because there has not been a regular season game like this one in my lifetime.
The Pats are favoured by 5.5 points right now, and that spread has grown from 3 on Monday. It is hard to believe that a Super Bowl champ, who hasn't lost since last November (yes, one year ago now), and has beaten this opponent 3 straight times, including twice at New England, is an underdog. And I know that was a run-on sentence, but I don't care. It is that shocking.
The Patriots seem to do everything right this season, except play with class and dignity. If you're up 38-0 in the 4th quarter and you have 4th and 1 within easy field goal range, you kick the damn field goal. When you're up 45-0 (because, obviously, Darth Belichick went for the TD on the previous drive), you don't air it out every second play. You run out the clock and get ready for next week.
I am hoping beyond hope that the Colts dismantle the Pats on Sunday, but I know that isn't going to happen. It'll be a close game, and New England will probably lead early on.
I still like Indianapolis.
Colts 41, Patriots 37.
The deciding factor? Joseph Addai and Kenton Keith. The Colts running game is far superior to the Pats, and if Indy can control the clock in the 4th, they'll hang on for the ultimate victory. Well, besides that little rain-soaked game in February against the Bears.
The Pats are favoured by 5.5 points right now, and that spread has grown from 3 on Monday. It is hard to believe that a Super Bowl champ, who hasn't lost since last November (yes, one year ago now), and has beaten this opponent 3 straight times, including twice at New England, is an underdog. And I know that was a run-on sentence, but I don't care. It is that shocking.
The Patriots seem to do everything right this season, except play with class and dignity. If you're up 38-0 in the 4th quarter and you have 4th and 1 within easy field goal range, you kick the damn field goal. When you're up 45-0 (because, obviously, Darth Belichick went for the TD on the previous drive), you don't air it out every second play. You run out the clock and get ready for next week.
I am hoping beyond hope that the Colts dismantle the Pats on Sunday, but I know that isn't going to happen. It'll be a close game, and New England will probably lead early on.
I still like Indianapolis.
Colts 41, Patriots 37.
The deciding factor? Joseph Addai and Kenton Keith. The Colts running game is far superior to the Pats, and if Indy can control the clock in the 4th, they'll hang on for the ultimate victory. Well, besides that little rain-soaked game in February against the Bears.
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