Two Dogs, Whaddaya Think?

One of the dangerous traps into which I repeatedly fall in trying to handicap these games is that I take a liking to (or have an ongoing grudge against) certain teams and unwittingly transfer my biases to the analyses.  It's a pretty serious sin, and it frequently is a costly one. 



Dick Motta is the shortest, though maybe
not the palest guy in this photo. There were
some great players on this team: #2 is
Stormin' Norman Van Lier, who was an
absolute joy to watch, #8 is Bob Weiss,
aka "Mr Shifty from Mt Nifty", a nickname
that didn't stick, that I mistakenly
thought had been bestowed by the great
old gasbag announcer Red Rush.
Upon further review, I found that Red was
 never a Bulls announcer.  #14 is Cliff
Ray, a very talented but smallish center,
#20 is Dennis Gentry, a very talented but
very pale center, #25 is the great great
 Chet Walker, and the giant who is
inexplicably in street clothes is the great
Bulls center of the era, Tom Boerwinkle.
Back to Wesley "Red" Rush, he was
the voice of  DePaul basketball games
during the times when a big sponsor was
Gonella Bread Company, giving rise to
more Red Rush-isms, e.g.  to
celebrate a home team score "it's swella,
fella, just like Gonella Bread!!!".  Another
exclamation, in describing a dunk: "he
stuffed it home, just like putting a loaf of
Gonella Bread in the shopping cart!!!"
The games were played in the long gone
Alumni Hall, and Red sat at a folding
table about halfway up the bleachers,
no sidekick, no relief man, just him
and a loaf of Gonella Bread, pouring
a ton of enthusiasm into every play.
What's this have to do with football?
Nothing, but it's swella, fella.



So as I sat around this evening watching the White Sox try to move a little closer to a division title, I tried to disregard the emotions, this while looking for a couple of likely dogs to pair up to get a decent payday.  I think I've found them.  My pair is the Rodney Dangerfield no respect Memphis Tigers (+23 @ Duke) and the Fresno State Bulldogs (+5 1/2 @ Tulsa). 



I'm going with Memphis because I don't think that Duke should give 23 points to anybody.  Memphis isn't very good, but I don't think Duke is that much better.   Memphis is 0-3, 1-2 ATS.  The spread began at 24 and fell off 1, so there's some folks who agree with me. 

Fresno State is 2-1, 3-0 ATS.  After a cupcake opener with Weber State (where Dick Motta made his mark before becoming the coach of the tenacious old Chicago Bulls, 1968-1977), Fresno State hung with the mui bueno Oregeon Ducks before losing 42-25 in week 2, then beat the snot out Colorado 69-14 last week.  I'm betting that the week 3 team shows up against Tulsa. 

The Sox just finished off the Royals, reducing their magic number to 13.  It's all good!

Two Gun Rides Again

The forces of evil were vanquished
by our own Two Gun.

We're three weeks into the season already and tales of the unforseen and unexpected are running rampant across the college football landscape.  USC has been unmasked and taken a bit of our cash with them as they've drifted off course.  The Big Ten is adrift at the mercy of the winds of mediocrity.  Alabama's biggest threat appears to be complancency. The stories abound, and the storylines are being redefined every game.

Big weekend coming up!

The Drought Continues, The Drought is Broken

I opened week 3 with a sweet (I thought) 3 event parlay that began with USF and Rutgers.  Checking the book balance this morning, I found a $$$ disparity that caused me to go back to Thursday's results. Nobody ever shed a tear for dear old Rutgers upset my apple cart as the state university of New Jersey thumped the USF Bulls.  That was the tip of the parlay iceberg. 

Another loss.  Insert heavy sigh here.

It's game day.  Parlay game day.  More to come!

PS: in an effort to reprogram my mojo, I have shelved the 4 star format for this weekend and headed off to parlay land.  Last weekend, I had an 8 event parlay that had a 50:1 return.  That ship sank with the first event : Iowa and Iowa State in an over.  They combined for 15 points all day and my dreams of glory were quashed. 

No more quashing, thank you.
________________________________

Live! from the student section
at the pep rally.

First parlay of the day fails, thank you VATech.  I had a five favorites line-up. NIU, Ohio State, Minnesota and Oklahoma State all fell in place. VATech spoiled it as they were manhandled by the previously placid Pitt Panthers. 
_________________________________
I'm tired.  Just finished the pep rally here at the mansion before the NU vs BC game.  It's quite a spectacle of game day enthusiasm.  I run around the rec room with the purple flag while our cat sits in the student section of the couch and cheers.
_________________________________
Man oh man did a pick up a turd...I took Navy +7 at Penn State and paired that with NU & BC over 54 1/2.  PSU pounded the Navy and NU & BC scored 35.  The drought continues.
_________________________________
Parlay Pete, pre-eminent prognosticator!!!   FSU romped and Louisville survived by a whisker as Two Gun Pete picked a parlay winner.  The drought is over!!!
_________________________________
Next: a loss on a complex 4 stage parlay that failed courtesy of ND and Sparty playing lots of defense and not so much offense.  They didn't get halfway to the over I picked. To finish off the night, I banked some much needed wagering dinero when a 5 fave parlay on the late games paid off.  Amen and hallelujah, we have some money for next week! 

Pete's Power Parlay

The Prince of Parlays says:

LOUISVILLE -4


FLA ST -27

I watched Teddy Bridgewater wreck an SEC team at home.  The blocking from his OL showed me that they want this kid in the Heisman hunt.  He's a great dual threat QB.  Two games--he was pulled 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter after 4 TD drives each game.  Great coach in Charlie Strong, 3rd year at Louisville, now has the programe back, plus---Cardinals 6-1 over BCS non-Big EAst teams.  North Carolina probations plus sanctions, black listed no bowls for 2 years--perfect rout game for Bridgewater to showcase himself.

Florida State defense: no points allowed in 8 quarters.  Love the way Jimbo Fisher brought in a new defensive coordinator to show the kids he wasn't satisfied even though they were #4 nationally last year!  Get better for the coach!  The Seminoles, with war chants loud in their ears are unbeatable at Tallahassee, best defensive line in the country.  Wake's QB is in for a sack ful of sacks-sacks-sacks.

SR QB for Florida State EJ Manuel going in is 7 games in a row without throwing an interception.

FLA STATE ONE OF MY DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH TEAMS OF 2012     There it is.  From the sagacious one himself.

Promises

Tomorrow: the return of Parlay Pete!

Just in time, too, 'cause I am getting no good vibrations.  Must be shell shock from last weekend.

Shmeeeeered

Worst wagering weekend ever.

****LOSE
USC is not a super power. They beat Syracuse, but no blowout here.
*** LOSE
  Northwestern played 4 quarters in beating Vandy
**  LOSE
Arkansas State, a 23 point fave, beat lowly Memphis by 5. 
*   LOSE
LA Monroe, a 30 1/5 point dog, beat the Razorbacks at home. Wow!    LOSE

No excuses. I had two other picks, a prop and a long shot 8 part parlay, and those both dumped, too.

This is a hobby.  If it's your job (as in "coach"), it may have been a nightmare Saturday.
- Ohio State won but failed to impress vs UCF
- Maryland awoke and beat Temple.
- Penn State lost again as their kicker missed 4 FG's.  That's a tough Saturday.
-  Auburn became a little less important again, losing to Ms State
- Hey U! That was K State driving that truck!  52-13!
- So Carolina's backup QB led them to 48 points vs No Carolina
- ND barely beat Purdue. Who's that good, and who's a pretender?
- Air Force hung with Michigan.  Same question as above.
- Iowa still stinks. 
- Rice was an 11 point dog and a 1 point victor.
- USF ended Nevada's magical season after one week.
- Beavers over Badgers.  Wisconsin is the Peggy Lee team this year.
- Toledo beat Wyoming. File for future use.
- The Zips went to OT @ FL Intl before they succumbed, but they beat the spread!
- Bob Davie's New Mexico honeymoon ended, 45-0, at Texas.
- Illinois.  Blech.
- OK St scored 38. Nice, except when AZ hangs 59 on 'em.  Yikes!

We had a wonderful Saturday night, Mimsy and I, up in Evanston experiencing Chicago's Big 10 Team.  Big crowd, great atmosphere, big win (though I bet against them) and best of all, we left just before the rainstorm hit. 

As for the betting...some days chicken, some days feathers, as they say. 

Munchie Legaux



Just another excuse to say
Munchie Legaux.



6 feet 5, 200 pounds, hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, welcome back...Munchie Legaux!

Munchie and the Cincinatti Bearcats beat up Pitt 34-10 last night. 

It's fun to say "Munchie Legaux". 

One more time, all together: Munchie Legaux.

See?

Joe South

One of my old favorite obscure perfomers, Joe South, passed away yesterday at age 72.  Joe had some hits as a performer, a few more as a writer (Rose Garden was one of his songs) and a somewhat stormy life. 

Who doesn't? 

Here's my favorite Joe South song.  I think the mood fits the moment.

r.i.p.

Life in the Fast Lane

Opening week was not happiness, not by any stretch of the imagination.  I wasn't heartbroken about the Illinois v W.Michigan loss, as the MAC can run hot and cold and I hit a cold one.  I was, on the other hand, distraught at least and dismayed for sure at the letdown by the USC Trojans and their smug head man, Lane Kiffin. 

I'm not a Lane Kiffin fan, based on the way he ran out on Tennessee.  I am, however, absolutely comfortable about making money from the work of the guy whose hand is guiding what may be the top team in college football this year.  USC got off to a smokin' fast start with a 75 yard TD on its first play from scrimmage.  They gradually became less interested as the game went on in continuing to beat on Hawaii, and that made perfect sense.  However, when USC went for 2 two points and failed on three consecutive PAT's, my day was destined for too much stress. 

I don't know why he tried three times for the two.  I'm still sold on the idea that this is going to be a USC year, so I'm reloading on Kiffin.

****  USC -26 1/2 @ Syracuse
The Trojans are very strong, no secret there.  Syracuse lost a one pointer to Northwestern at home last week.  The game would have been a blowout for Northwestern if it weren't for their pathetic defense.  Put the USC DB's out there last week and there would have been a half dozen picks.  Put the USC D-line out there and the Syracuse QB is running for his life.  USC isn't going to look like Northwestern, and it's going to be carnage in the big sauna that is the Carrier Dome.  I am simply amazed that they skipped air conditioning, and in a building named for Carrier...seemed ironic cute at the time maybe.

***  Vanderbilt -3 @ Northwestern
Vandy is for real.  The Commodores came up just a little short against South Carolina last week, and Northwestern isn't as good as SC.  There was a mistaken no-call on the South Carolina pass defense that would have given Vanderbilt an advantage.  I'm not suggesting it would have turned the game around, although the game did change when SC's quarterback was injured in the early going, compromising his effectiveness for the balance of the contest. I expect the Commodores to exploit the NU defense and NU to blaze away at Vandy in a shootout.  I'll be at this one with Mimsy cheering on the 'Cats, but my money will be on Vanderbilt.

  **  Memphis @ Arkansas State -23
Arkansas State lost last week to Oregon.  Memphis lost to the University of Tennessee-Martin.  Seems to me that Arkansas State at home will want to put on a show.  Memphis will want to get home.  This one will be a rout, too.



These are Razorbacks, or feral hogs. There is
 an old horror move called Razorback.  The
Razorback mascot is called Tusk.  The battle
call of  the U of Arkansas is "woo pig sooie".
  That concludes today's swine facts.



*  Louisiana Monroe @ Arkansas -30 1/2

 Arkansas is one of the teams to watch all year for a couple of reasons.  Lots of talent, occasionally stunning performances, and an interim coach succeeding the dopiest guy imaginable, the deposed Bobby Petrino.  Louisiana Monroe is visiting the Razorbacks in another example of payday scheduling.  The Razorbacks will put on a show to please the home folks and send a message to the world that there's a big show playing in Fayetteville.

They What?

=4: USC Missed 3 PATs. Four star push. Ugh.
+3: Akron Zips, they're good dogs.  Three star winner.
-2: W.Michigan and 9 1/2.  Riiiiiight.   Two star loser.
+1: Penn State lost and the game stayed under.  One star winner.

Other game notes from this weekend:.
* Navy was a mess.  ND had a party.
* Northwestern, blew a big lead at Syracuse. There is no air conditioning in the Carrier Dome.  The temperature had climbed to 95 inside when the announcers stopped talking about it.  NU's defense wasn't the only thing stinking in there.
* Ohio State took a little while to get warmed up, then they pounded MiamiO.
* North Carolina embarassed an FCS school named Elon.  Silly.
* Florida State vs Murray State.  Silly x 2.

Nothing to do with football. 
Happy Labor Day!
 

* Marshall at WVa, the highest scoring opener in WVa history. 
* Nebraska played...umm, Southern Miss.  Very sparkly helmets.
* Iowa has one fast guy, NIU has many, and the sod in Soldier Field will be an unusable mess in a couple weeks.  BTW, there are Four Football Ferentz's at Iowa: Dad is the head coach, the O-line coach is his son, another son is the starting center, and there's another son who's a freshman TE.  Isn't that niiiiice...
* Miami waltzed with BC for a half, then whoooosh and they were gone.
* Nevada beat Cal, our usual early-in-the-season breadwinner.
* Wisconsin, yes, that was Northern Iowa that wouldn't go away.
* Cyclones blew by Golden Hurricanes.  Sorry, couldn't resist.
* New Mexico, this is your football team with new head coach Bob Davie: a 45-6 lead at halftime, 66-21 the final.
* Maryland, this is your offense with offensive coordinator (former New Mexico head coach) Mike Locksley.  7-6 over William & Mary.
* Youngstown State beat Pitt at home.  Six Pitt players were suspended for this game by the new head coach. 
* Alabama.  That's all that needs to be said about that one.

Three missed PATs...