Thursday, October 15, 2009

Waldo Introduced Me to the Nicholas Brothers

This is week 7 of the college football season.  I thought that it would be clever to open with a little explanantion of why the number 7 is considered lucky.  Sifting through a ton of information, I found one explanation that seems possible and a hundred that are bullshit.  The good explanation is that 7 is the perfect number, the sum of the the 3 sided triangle and the 4 sided square.  If that is the best explanation, you need only imagine the quality of the rest of the offerings. 


Seven wins at craps.  Maybe that's the best reason.

Let's win some for ourselves.

****Miami -15 ½ @ Central Florida
Saturday night in Orlando, Randy Shannon and George O’Leary will square off at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando.   Contender vs. Offender.   Star Alum vs. Where’s He From?    This is not the teaser for a world championship wrestling bout.   Randy Shannon is the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. Randy went to school at Miami, where he played linebacker, and his Hurricanes have been on a roll.   George O’Leary, head coach at Central Florida, is the chap who coached Notre Dame for a few minutes until somebody over at USB decided to actually read his resume. He didn’t go to school where he claimed, as the institution didn’t exist.   Shortly following the disovery, George's employment as a football coach in South Bend came to an uncomfortable conclusion.  Just as well.  George O’Leary has been reborn in Orlando and has had a big hand in the development of the UCF football program, including the construction of the unusually named Bright House Networks Stadium, named for the dominant cable network in the Orlando and Tampa areas. Now that you’ve digested all that ancillary information, the wager here is that the Hurricanes will not lose their focus this week and will drill UCF. The ‘Canes defense will need to answer the call again this week, and since their resume has not been altered, we have no reason to expect anything less. 
6:30 p.m. CSTV
***Virginia Tech -3 ½ @ Georgia Tech
My favorite alphabattle of the day, the battle of the Techs, VA vs. GA.  The reasoning here is simple, though I hope not simplistic:  the only team to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies so far this year is... Alabama. Georgia Tech is no group of banana slugs, as a matter of fact, they are mui bien.  VaTech is mas,  at least 4 points mas will be mui bien for us.             
5:00 p.m. ESPN2
**Central Michigan -6 ½ @ Western Michigan
How good is Central Michigan?  The biggest feather in their collective cap this season is a win over Michigan State.  Western Michigan, on the other hand, hasn't beaten anyone of that caliber yet.  I'm betting that I can still make that statement come Sunday. By the way, Western Michigan's home field is Waldo Stadium.  Where's Waldo?  Kalamazoo.                 
2:30 p.m. ESPN Game Plan
*Florida Atlantic +2 @ North Texas
Answer:  Boca Raton.
Question: Where is Florida Atlantic University?
Answer: Because of their opponents and Howard Schnellenberger. 
Question: Why would you bet on an 0-4 team? 
Howard is a pretty darn good football coach.  The Owls of FAU have played (and lost to) Nebraska and South Carolina, as well as Wyoming.  They're 0-4, but they're playing some high quality competition.  North Texas has one big name on it's list so far, guess who...Alabama, to whom North Texas lost 53-7.  North Texas, by the way, calls its team the Mean Green Eagles.  Really.    
 6:00 p.m. ESPN Game Plan
     

So, the where's Waldo/Kalamazoo thing sent me off to look for an old (very, very old) song called Kalamazoo.   I found a video of a pretty sucky performance, but I also found a gem I found along the way, and that is a dance number that Fred Astaire called the greatest dance sequence ever filmed.  The music is Cab Calloway (think Blues Brothers, that guy), and the dancers are the incredible Nicholas Brothers.  Take a couple of minutes aside, hit the full screen icon and watch these two go.  They are fabulous, and this was filmed over a hundred years ago, in 1943 to be precise.  Watch these guys go!

3 comments:

Doc said...

Greetings from the USofA, Chicago specifically. Cubanista got a visa to leave Miami has come to town to celebrate Cushtober! Some may not be enjoying the cold, but this weather is football weather and makes the day ahead seem all the more exciting.

May "Southern suns and sky blue water, Smile upon".. your Four star bet (That's the introduction to the UM alma mater song btw).

I look forward to two-gun and you celebrating and dancing like the Nicholas brothers at the end of today.

Happy Saturday!

PS- Two-gun made a sneak "A" Auburn (+8) -Akron (-14)

PPS- I wonder if any other daughters wake up on Saturday's and instinctively ask their fathers "Well what's the spread?"

PURPLE FLAG ON SATURDAY said...

Welcome home and I hope that you will be welcoming us home at a future date. What's on the menu for the big festival?

Cushtoberfest! The Mrs and I celebrated by goin +4 at Harrah's this morning--that, of course, being the net of my losses and her gains.

Parlay Pete rides again. Very scientific, too.

Unknown said...

The menu was "something BBQ'd" as always. Two gun tends to prioritize the drink of the afternoon.

Congratulations on your Harrah's investments!