The Blind Side

If you haven't seen the commercial yet, you're sure to soon see an ad for an upcoming feature film entitled The Blind Side.  This is the very remarkable story of Michael Oher, who plays left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.  Michael Oher was a kid left to fend for himself on the streets, a kid headed absolutely nowhere, until some concerned people got involved in his life.  An excerpt from the NY Times article about Oher sums up his young life thusly: Michael’s father had been shot and killed and tossed off a bridge, ...his mother was addicted to crack cocaine and...his life experience was so narrow that he might as well have spent his first 16 years inside a closet.

Here's the website and trailer for the movie The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock.  If you have the time, or if you can make the time, here's a link to the New York Times condensed presentation of the book, The Ballad of Big Mike.  It's a very, very moving story, well worth your effort.  Don't wanna make the effort, fine, this is still America. The movie comes out in a couple of weeks. 

Here's the summary of our weekend efforts. Not good.

****Cincinnatti -14 ½ @ Syracuse
WINNER

Final Cincinnatti 28, Syracuse 7
The backup Bearcat 'QB had enough game (and a great team around him) to gitterdone.  Syracuse held it close into the fourth quarter, but the Bearcats were just too good, they were money!
*** Akron @ Northern Illinois -11
WINNER
Final Northern Illinois 27, Akron 10
Jerry Kill is my favorite coach this past weekend.  With 0:45 left to go in the game and the possession in the red zone, NIU's Huskies could have gone to the victory formation to run out the clock and walked away with a win.  Nay, nay: on third down and goal from the seven yard line, the Huskies pulled right for the touchdown that sent them over the spread.  While Coach Kill isn't exactly the Pete Carroll of DeKalb just yet, he showed the cold heart that gamblers love, and that, too, is money!
** Marshall @ Central Florida -4 1/2
LOSE
 Final UCF 21, Marshall 20
To think we waited all weekend for this. It was on opposite Desperate Housewives, and that wasn't very good either, except for Carlos' one liner that we'd already seen in last week's preview.
* Hawaii @ Nevada -24
LOSE
Final Nevada 31, Hawaii 21
Somebody's pineapples got crushed in Nevada.  Ours.

The biggest game we didn't play here (but did play on a side bet) was the Ducks decimating USC.  Worst beat down at USC in something like 300 years. 

Week 10 coming up.