Missed it by that much...

First the newest from our friend Mayhem.



Back to business.  Chip Kelly and his Ducks just had to give up the safety and then add injury to insult with the back door cover.  Had they omitted one or the other, we would have put +10 on the board.

In the 4 star, TCU's Mean looking Guys played a little rope a dope with Locksley's Lobos for a quarter and a half.  Then they went to work and finished with a flourish, 66-17, covering the 43 1/2 with room to spare.

The Ducks screwed us in the 3 star.  Move on.

Northwestern was soooooo overmatched against Wisconsin.  The 'Cats lost their QB a couple weeks ago and their best running back was out for this game.  That meant a lot of short offensive possessions, and that in turn meant a lot of time on the field for the defense.  Wisconsin's offense is relentless, in the way a road grader is relentless, and they leveled the 'Cats 70-23, doubling the cover margin. 2 star winner.

The one star was Tennessee, who prevailed against visiting Kentucky, putting up a 10 point victory for a 3 point spread.  Winner for us.

A good weekend.  Almost perfect.  Missed it by that much.

Some days chicken, Some days feathers

Addicted to quack, my big loser butt. 

Last night, Oregon cranked it up from a poor first half performance and roared out to a 48-22 lead, and our 3 star looked great.  Then Chip Kelly went conservative, and the prevent defense and run-out-the-clock offense ran us right out of a win as Oregon allowed the back door cover TD by Arizona and then the offense just piddled away its opportunity to respond.  The Ducks won by 19 instead of 26, and we lost our three star.  Chip Kelly is not my favorite coach.

My old friend,the Terrapin Tangler, taught me many years ago the phrase that is today's title, a derivative of "feast or famine".  This year has been lots of feathers, the latest being Duck feathers.

I am casting my vote against Oregon getting into the BCS.  They are unworthy, having cost us in their last two appearances.  Out they go!

Chip Kelly.  Ugh.

Friday the 13th

Today's title? 

It's the 13th week of the season, and today is Friday.  Pretty freakin' clever, no?  The title is also less daunting than "Black Friday", today's more common name.  Were I a person of color, I might spin something more encouraging from Black Friday.  Given the shade of my dermis and the general slant of my politics, it is in everyone's best interest that I redirect at this point.   I can only hope that this display of discretion (and incredible comedic talent) can be channeled into selecting winners for the weekend, as we attempt to put some money in our pockets instead of the coffers of the offshore establishments that have reaped the bounty that we have sowed thus far this year.

By the way, there are so many great match ups on TV today and tomorrow that you should plan to leave your home only in extreme situations, like going to the Chinese restaurant to pick up dinner, or going to the store if you're out of chips or Stoli.  Shopping can be done by computer, and I would like to point out by way of example that http://www.allenedmonds.com/ has a very nice sale on dress shoes for men right now.

Quiz time again!  The person pictured is
A. a hockey goalie on his day off
B. PFOS trying not to be reconginzed
by angry bettors
C. the iconic star of Friday the 13th
D. Coach Hannibal Lechter giving a
halftime pep talk

**** TCU - 43 1/2 @ New Mexico
Saturday 3:00 p.m. on Versus
I'm taking this giant point differential game for the same reason I'm picking the Oregon Ducks in another game.  When I worked on these games, I originally had this one as a one star. The more I poked, the better this looked, so I decided to go right to the top.  TCU is a good bet because of the Ducks. Huh?  It was Oregon that opened its season with a 72-0 beatdown of New Mexico. TCU is ranked #4. In order for this game to mean anything in the ranking process, the Frogs are going to have beat New Mexico pretty nearly to death, thanks to the 72-0 benchmark that was set at the open. New Mexico has been a pretty amenable partner to pretty much everyone this year (except the week they screwed us up), so the stage is set.  If there's odds on TCU's defense pitching a shutout, take a good look, and we should consider the single team over for TCU.

*** Arizona @ Oregon -19 1/2
Friday 6:00 p.m. on ESPN
Arizona is 7-3, 3-1 on the road.  They're also 0-3 ATS on the road in the second half of the season.  The Ducks, the high flying, high scoring, addicted to Quack Ducks, are 10-0, 6-0 at home, 1-1 ATS in the second half at home.  It's been a crazy year for us with point spreads, and I flinched a little at this spread, but it's the Ducks, and it's the point in the year where coaches make a point by scoring points, lots and lots of points.  The Ducks pinched out a sweaty 2 point win in their last game, two weeks ago against Cal,  when they were favored by 19, so my thought process is that they have a lot to prove and they will do so. 

**Northwestern @ Wisconsin  -23
Saturday 2:30 ABC or ESPN
We have a few policies that govern our world.  Stay away from betting on USB (thanks, Doc, we're doing much better) is one of those policies.  Don't bet against our favorite team (NU)  is another.  The overriding policy is never, ever bet with your heart.  In rock/paper/scissors,  "never bet with your heart" is the paper that covers the scissors of "don't bet against NU".  We see too much to lay off this game.  The 'Cats are going into a really tough match up:  Wisconsin is ranked #5, their coach is ruthless, and they have an outside shot to be considered for the BCS championship.  On the other side, the 'Cats have lost their best player to injury,  they're QB'd by a couple of guys who are green as can be, they have shown a propensity to be absent in the second half of games this year...it all signals "rout".  Wisconsin 48, Northwestern 16 is where this one ends.

* Kentucky @ Tennessee -3
Saturday 11:21 a.m. on SEC Network Affiliates
Kentucky (6-5) has won its last 2, Tennessee (5-6) has won its last 3. In the second half of the season, the Volunteers are 3-0 ATS on the road. KY's win streak of 2 is against Charlestown Southern and Vandy, the first of which is a class mismatch that shouldn't be happening at this point in the season and the second of which is an OK win. Tennessee's streak of 3 came at the expense of Memphis, Mississippi and Vandy, a bit better cumulative competition than KY. Tennessee started the year under duress and performed poorly and has been struggling uphill since. I think the season ending home game to even their year's ledger is going to have the orange fans hollering Rocky Top at full volume.

Counting today, 28 shopping days until Xmas.  I'm telling you, shop by computer.

Mathematically Alive

Things got off to a good start on Saturday for us, as the Huskies of Northern Illinois cranked up their offense once again pounded the Ball State Cardinals 59-21, a happy three star winner. 



Answer: Who are Ernie, Billy and Willie.
Question: Name three empty heads who got
paid to show up on Saturday.

 The day had actually gotten off to a troubling beginning for me, when at 8:00 a.m. I flipped on ESPN Sports Center, broadcasting from Wiggley Field for the NU-Illinois game.  It is customary, of course, on Game Day for fans from the home school to gang up behind the set and wave posters, signs and sometimes cheerleaders.  It was there that I saw why NU inspires a distinct enmity from the fans of many other schools.  The first two signs I saw were "Illinois: clean up your A.C.T." and some goofy-ass reference to Harry Potter.  Somebody tell the dorks in Evanston that football games are supposed to be about football, not their wimpy "we're smarter than everyone else" crap that the geeks were going for.  Embarassing.  Oh, and while they painted everything purple prior to the game, they forgot that the Game Day set is provided by Home Depot.  Everything was orange.  Home Depot orange, just like Illinois orange. Ultimately, it proved to be foreshadowing of an all Illinois day.

Next numbers to come in were from Kinnick Stadium.  Ohio State and Io_a was a bookie win.  They hit it on the head, OSU by 3.  Two star push.

Arkansas State and Navy ended up scoring 54 points, and that ain't 64, the number we needed to win.  One star loser.

Then came the crusher.  UAB won 31-15.  Good for them, bad for us.  16 fails, four star loser.

There's three weeks left.  We're 22 in the hole.  Breaking even in the regular season has been reduced to "a mathematical possibility",  a term Wiggley fans embrace for six months each spring and summer.

Yes, the Wiggley reference was mean spirited and unnecessary, and yes, that's what it has come down to.

Kenny Rogers Sings Songs of Dostoevsky, and Inspiration from Philadelphia

This video will take a few minutes to view, but I believe it will leave you smiling in happy amazement.  You will need to turn your sound on.




That was a meeting of the readers of FourStarFootball celebrating the incredible, victorious weekend we are about to have. 

Two Gun and I held a dedicated brainstorming session this week after a consultation/intervention with our sports psychologist, noted head cracker Dr. Ima Tampanita.  The first step toward recovery is admitting that one has a problem.  In our case, the guilder deficit was proof enough that we had issues within the collective cabesa.  So, with due deference to Hermes and our shrink, we are embarking on Week 11, fearlessly flinging florins at the following. 

There'll be time enough for counting, when the day is done.

Memphis @ UAB -20 ****
Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
This is a foray into the world of Conference USA.  Two Gun was a virtual fountain of enthusiasm, a burbling brook  of euphemisms, gleefully crying out that he had isolated the rock solid, lock and load, surefire selection of the weekend.  Breathe-for-me-Elvis Memphis is among the least likely teams to strike fear in an opponent's heart. They are lugging around a 1-9 record and they have lost 8 in a row, soon to be 9.   The University of Alabama-Birmingham, on the other hand, is brimming with great expectations, though they are a modest 3-7 themselves.  It is UAB's final home game of the season, and they will be at least three TD's less sucky than their guests.

 NIU -14 1/2 @ Ball State ***
Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
The Huskies have won seven consecutive games.  Ball State has won its last two.  NIU is in first place in its division of the MAC, and at season's end they will be going bowling, most likely to the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl up in Foreclosure City.  Ball State will be going nowhere. NIU crushed Toledo 65-30 last week, and their offensive prowess will carry the day on Saturday in Muncie.

Ohio State -3 @ Iowa **
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
If it looks too good to be true, it frequently is.  This one, with just 3 points separating OSU and Io_a from the books' perspective, is not going to be one of those situations.  OSU by 9.  Io_a is good.  Just not good enough.

Arkansas State @ Navy OVER 63 1/2 *
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Both of these teams have consistently put up (as well as allowed) lots of points.  Past is prologue. Anchors aweigh.

Upon Further Review, Abhorrent Stands

The University of Indiana is our mascot team for the 2011 season.  Last week, against Iowa, their star receiver dropped a pass in the end zone that would have won the game as the final seconds ticked away.  They are now referring to that as "the good old days" after Indiana was beaten senseless by Wisconsin, 83-20.  That's the kind of stuff that makes you not want to show up the next week. 

That's just the way the year is going here at the money pit.

Here's one of the times football really sucks. NU
quarterback Dan Persa, season over.


The four star bet was the Ducks and Bears over 58.  At halftime, it was 8-7, and I started mumbling. The vaunted Oregon offense, scoring an average of a million points per game, met its match at Berkely.  The total was 28.  We only missed by 30.  Another 4 star dung pile.

The three star bet was the same game, with Oregon -19 1/2.  That one point lead at halftime had me looking for a ledge from which to jump.  Watching Cal on a mission in the second half made regret that I couldn't find the ledge earlier.  15-13 final, three star loss.

For two stars, the Two Gun special was Arkansas and UTEP over 60.  They cleared that hurdle early in Q3.  Nice job, partner. You had the only payoff of the day.

The one star was supposed to be a shootout in the old west.  I tuned in Stanford and Arizona at halftime to find a pair of 7's staring at me, and since it wasn't 77-0,  we were taking on water, fast. They didn't gear it up in the second half and we lost one star.
 
Our two overs, scores combined, wouldn't have covered one of the games.  Hermes crapped in our lunchbucket.  Breaking even for the year is now like standing at the base of a cliff and looking up.  We are -20, with four weeks to go. 

Finally, Utah @ USB provided insight into why we've never done a State of Utah parlay before. A state of Utah parlay should be outlawed, like bigamy.

Next week, positive thoughts, funny comment, haha, screw it.



Then the lightning bolt hit and I understood.  Look at this photo.  This is against the laws of nature.  This is why my football world is inverted this year.  Just another reason to hate the Cub.



Abhorrent, But That's "So Far", So It's Aberrant

Two Gun and I were comiserating about our lack of success, make that "our abject failure", so far this year, when it occurred to me that we have posted winning records for seven straight years.  Seven years. 

We are not going to abandon our foundation.  We are not going to invent new, crazy ways of evaluating our props.  We are not going to fling money at teams and games we don't understand. 

I did dump the new logo, though. 

We are having an abhorrent year.  Seven years of success.  This is an aberration. We will right this ship, and there are five weeks left in which to do so.  So here goes.

Oregon Ducks @ Cal Bears OVER 58 ****
Saturday 6:30 p.m. on Versus
Oregon has been the uber offense game after game this year.  Two Gun voiced concerns that things are bound to change.  They may, but I sure hope it's next week at the earliest. 

Oregon Ducks -19 1/2 @ Cal Bears ***
Same time, same station
The Ducks are full steam ahead.  Cal has a history of making less and less of an impact as the season wears on.  The Ducks need to eviscerate the Bears.  For the people of Oregon.  For the students at their university.  Most importantly, for Two Gun and I.

UTEP @ Arkansas OVER 60 **
Saturday 6:00 p.m. on ESPNU
This contest is Two Gun's prescription for fixin' what ails us.  Two Gun gave me an enthusiastic and highly detailed explanation of why he thinks this game is a lock, said descriptions including tales of overenergized southern youth and the picturesque backdrop of Doody-something or other stadium and stuff like that.  Frankly, it was all more than I could process, being in a state of brain cramped depression over the abhorrent and aberrant thing, so I figured we should just go this way, 'cause he studied and he's my partner.  How's that for incisive analytical reasoning?

Stanford @ Arizona State OVER 59 1/2  *
Saturday 6:30 p.m. on FCS
Jim Harbaugh is not our favorite, but his team scores shitloads of points.  Arizona State can put 'em up, too. 

We are taunting the gambling gods.  Two Gun has launched a State of Utah parlay for tomorrow, and one of the Utahs is playing USB.

P.S.  Off topic, but too aggravating to avoid comment, is the Ricketts' request that the State of Illinois issue up to $300 million in bonds to rehab Wiggley Field and develop the area around the dump.  This boils down real easy for me to "We paid too much for this crapshack but we figured all along that we could saddle the people with our problem".  All the bunk you're hearing about economic engines and tourism is just that, bunk, which is a nice word for bull&#@%.  There's also this little issue to be considered  that the State of Illinois is bankrupt.  Ricketts might want to approach a couple of his outfielders and his badly behaved pitcher for a loan, as their contracts add up to about what Ricketts is asking.  The Cubs also recently failed in their bid to get the State of Arizona to tax all the other spring training teams to build a new spring playpen for them.  Gotta give them credit, these guys ain't shy.

Tom Ricketts...just the latest reason to hate the Cubs.

Zenyatta Finished Second

The most entertaining race horse I have ever seen, Zenyatta, finished 2nd in her final race Saturday.  She ran dead last for nearly half the race and thundered back in a thrilling sprint, losing by a nose.

Penn State was pretty dead for nearly half its game on Saturday, trailing 21-0.  They came roaring back and crushed an all too cooperative Northwestern team, 35-21, as Joe Paterno bagged #400.  Props to the Coach.

The early games on Saturday were pretty interesting.  In a thrilling finish Indiana beat Iowa, oops, he dropped it, Indiana loses again.  Illinois at Michigan was highly entertaining, even more so if you didn't mind the two Michigan fans acting as ESPN announcers.  The Air Force wore special retro unis for their beatdown of Army, pretty cool.  Baylor was thrashed by OK State, bringing the Bears down to earth a little bit. Later games: Navy scored 67 points.  In football.  Alabama lost to LSU, officially ending any title aspirations.  TCU and the Ducks rolled again. 

In our one star game, Illinois at Michigan, the two teams traded haymakers all day, starting with a TD on the first play from scrimmage.  Michigan showed itself to be not Denard dependent, as their starting QB exited the game and Tate Forcier put on quite a performance in relief.  The two teams ended up tied at 45 at the end of regulation. Then to OT and tied at 52, then tied at 59 (as a pass was broken up by the Illini defense, then tipped into the Michigan receiver's hands, TD, argh!), then finally Michigan prevails, 67-65 as the Illini are unable to convert when it got to mandatory 2 point time.  It's a one star winner for us, and a heart breaker for Illinois.

The four star game, Wyoming @ New Mexico, featured an expensive lesson in "swagger later" that turned the game around and cost us a lot of cash.  Early in Q3, Wyoming was about to add to their 21-14 lead over winless New Mexico, which would have put a fork in the Lobos, when running back Cowboy running back Robert Herron took the handoff at the 3 and ignored the "cover up the ball" lesson that kids learn when they're tiny little football players.  He had the ball knocked loose before he was past the line of scrimmage, turnover, one of 4 Cowboy TO's for the night and the end of Mr. Herron's playing time for this game.  NM's subsequent 3 pointer made that a 10 point turnover and energized a sagging Lobos team.  When the Lobos scored to go ahead 31-24 with 8 minutes to play, the announcers were stunned, the team was racing around like their hair was on fire, and our money was as good as gone. Final NM 34, WY 31 on a last second field goal, four star loser, and NM's first win of 2010.

A&M 33-19 over Oklahoma, two star loser.  Texas Tech 24, Missouri 17, three star loser.  Un-freaking-believable.  Our worst season ever gets more challenging.  We're at negative 14 for the year.  Breaking even before bowl season is the goal now, as pathetic as that sounds. 

Out goes the new logo that maybe brought us bad juju and in comes the new new logo and some good juju. 

That's the plan, anyway.

The President of Notre Dame Steps Up

This is a copy of an email issued issued today by the president of the University of Notre Dame. The bold and underline was added by me. 

November 5, 2010


Dear Notre Dame students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends,


The tragic accident that took Declan Sullivan’s life just over a week ago, the Mass of Remembrance in the Basilica, and his family’s faith-filled funeral for him this week have given each of us the chance to grieve, remember and pray. Declan was a bright and energetic young man who lived his life with passion. We will miss him, and we believe that he is in the loving embrace of our Lord.


Over this past week, I have had the great privilege of meeting with and trying to provide some measure of support to Declan’s parents, sister, brother and other members of his family. Many Notre Dame faculty, staff and students also have reached out to offer their assistance. Yet the Sullivan family, through their incredible grace and courage, has given us support and an example of how to respond. They ministered to us as we tried to minister to them.


There is no greater sadness for a university community than the death of one of its students under any circumstances. Yet this loss is more devastating, for Declan died in a tragic accident while in our care. For that, I am profoundly sorry. We are conducting an investigation and we must be careful not to pre-judge its results, but I will say this: Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe. We at Notre Dame — and ultimately I, as President — are responsible. Words cannot express our sorrow to the Sullivan family and to all involved.


I am committed to determining why this accident happened and to ensuring the safety of our students. We have been conducting an internal investigation to examine this accident from every possible perspective and to draw conclusions and formulate recommendations for the future. In order to ensure that our inquiry has been thorough, unbiased and accurate, I have asked Dr. Peter Likins, former President of the University of Arizona, to provide an external review of our inquiry, and he has graciously accepted.


In selecting someone to review our investigation, I sought an individual experienced in higher education, with an impeccable reputation for integrity, intellect and independence. In Dr. Likins, we are fortunate to have just such a man. He brings numerous credentials to this assignment: as a world-renowned engineer; as a university administrator who served as provost at Columbia and president at Lehigh and Arizona; as a highly regarded member of numerous NCAA committees; and as a member of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.


Investigations and external reviews such as this take time, but I assure you that, when complete, we will issue a public report on the outcome, including information on the events of the afternoon of October 27, any institutional ramifications, and recommendations for safety policies in the future.


Finally, in light of what I believe to be unfounded and unfair commentary and speculation, I want to say something about Coach Brian Kelly. Coach Kelly was hired not only because of his football expertise, but because we believed his character and values accord with the highest standards of Notre Dame. All we have seen since he came to Notre Dame, and everything we have learned in our investigation to date, have confirmed that belief. For those reasons I am confident that Coach Kelly has a bright future leading our football program.


Thank you for your concern, and your prayers. At the darkest moments, the love, and care, and faith of the Notre Dame family shines most brightly.


In Notre Dame,
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President
University of Notre Dame

The Paterno 399

At 2:30 Saturday, Northwestern and Penn State will have at it in Happy Valley.  PSU Coach Joe Paterno will be seeking his 400th victory (for comparison, USF's win over Rutgers on Wednesday night was #100 in USF's school history).  Here are some factoids that you can recite to your significant other while watching the game (or to amaze your cat or dog if your significant other declines to join you for Saturday football):

• Joe will turn age 84 on December 21st
• Joe has been PSU's head coach since 1966;  he's been on the PSU coaching staff for a total of 61 years
• Joe is already in the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach
• Joe's teams are 399-132-3
• Joe's PSU salary is $1.03 million
• Joe's teams have won 24 bowl games and 2 national championships
• Joe and his spouse have contributed over $4 million to Penn State University
• Joe's 400th career victory will come on November 20th against the University of Indiana in Landover, MD 

Wyoming -10 @ New Mexico****
Saturday 5:00 p.m. MTN
These two teams have intrigued me all season.  New Mexico is a disaster, with no wins thus far this year.  Coach Mike Locksley seems certain to be shown the gate at season's end, and watching a little bit of New Mexico's games, Locksley's team appears to be hopelessly outmanned every week.  No insult, but the Lobos have given up.  The Wyoming Cowboys never will give up.  I watched them against a really talented Utah team, and while Utah was slowly pulling away as the game wore on, the Cowboys just kept coming.  This little jaunt down to Albuquerque should be fun for Wyoming.

Missouri -4 @ Texas Tech***
Saturday 7:00 p.m. ABC or ESPN-GP
Missouri is a very good football team.  The oddsmakers can sometimes be as fickle as the stock market.  After one tough week against Nebraska--and a tough week against Nebraska is more the rule than the exception--all the love seems to be gone for Missouri with the 4 point spread. I think they win this one going away.

Oklahoma -3 1/2 @ Texas A&M **
Saturday 6:00 p.m. FSN
There were a couple of teams that I was sweet on when this season started.  Auburn was one, and they've had a great season.  Oklahoma was the other.  The Sooners stiffed us last time we bet on them, but against Texas A&M, they shouldn't be as close as this line.

Illinois +3 @ Michigan *
Saturday 11:00 a.m ESPN
Two Gun is fond of saying "the wrong team is the favorite".  That's the way this one looks.  Michigan is getting all kinds of love based on Denard, but they've shown themselves to be kind of thin defensively and definitely dependent on Denard offensively.  Illinois looks like it has finally grown up and decided to behave like a big time football program, and that creates the opportunity for the talent to shine.  The Illini have plenty of talent. The line on this game looks like it was put up to pull all the money out of the Michigan alumni pockets. 

PS: Do you think I was harsh in my assessment of the tragedy at Notre Dame?  Look at the quotes from Swarbrick and Kelly yesterday (I found them in this morning's Chicago SunTimes) and it will be made very clear, once again, that these people don't give a rat's ass about the child who lost his life due to their negligence.  What a smarmy operation Notre Dame football is, absolutely contemptible, just crank up the band and on we go, nobody will even remember the kid's name if we win a couple. 

Tuesday is Voting Day

A lot of great games this past Saturday, very entertaining, though not entirely rewarding. 

Happily, the Illini shouldered the Four Star mantle and pounded Purdue and their big drum, 44-10.  Four star winner.

Northern Illinois won its 6th game in a row, 28-21, but couldn't pull off the cover (-9 1/2).  This was a game about which I felt pretty strongly, but Western Michigan pushed the Huskies all game.  Three star loser  (and killers of the all-Illinois parlay).

Then came the 'Cats. The drive you crazy 'Cats.   The let in the backdoor cover points 'Cats.  The goddamned 'Cats. For 59 minutes and 16 seconds, they made us look good.  Not the 30 or more points I expected from the offense, but the defense, after getting pushed around a little bit on the opening drive, shut down the Indiana offense at the predicted 10 point level.  Then, on Purdue's 4th and ten with just :44 to play, they gave up a million yard TD pass that yanked the wonderful cover right out of our hands, replacing it with a nauseating push.  Two star "nothing", and taking the pressure off NIU for blowing our parlay.

The Miami Bobcats dispatched the Buffalo Bulls, 21-9, a nice cover (-2 1/2).  One star winner. 

We finish this weekend with a +2.  Not thrilling, but another step in the right direction.  Should have been two more points, but for those damn 'Cats.

Other Saturday stuff included Iowa treating the Spartans quite rudely in Iowa City,  everybody loves to say Tulsa defeating USB by a point, Nebraska reasserting itself at the expense of Missouri, Virginia with an emphatic screw U, Baylor handed Texas another loss, and finally, New Mexico stayed perfect (and did not cover, so Petey was correct in his trepidation).

Vote tomorrow.  If you live in Illinois, I endorse Not Giannoulis and Not Quinn.  Endorsing Not someone is the alternative to "I don't like either guy". It is the "but I lack like for this guy a lot more than the other guy". 
Agree or disagree, get out tomorrow and vote for somebody.