Last Week's Results
I got the BC and Calgary wins correct. I under-estimated the Als (again) and over-estimated the Argos (again).
Last week's record: 2-2.
Overall record: 38-26.
This Week's Games.
(No witty repartee tonight, just bold dumb-ass predictions.)
Friday
BC at Calgary: Lions by 8.
Saturday
Winnipeg at Hamilton: Ti-Cats by 3.
Toronto at Saskatchewan: Green Riders by 12.
Sunday
Edmonton at Montréal: Als by 9.
Oi not again! Sundry Random Pronouncements...
vendredi 26 octobre 2012
vendredi 19 octobre 2012
CFL Week Seventeen
Last Week's Results:
The only result I got wrong was the Sakatchewan-Edmonton game. I had not figured that Kerry Joseph and the Edmonton offence had it in them to be efficient for two weeks in a row.
Last week's record: 3-1. Overall record: 36-24.
This Week's Games
Friday
Winnipeg at Toronto
The impact of Ricky Ray coming back from injury trumps that of another one of Buck Pierce's perennial recoveries. From what I have read, Pierce is an intense competitor, but with the Bombers' season seemingly over, it boggles my mind why he is not sitting out more games after suffering a concussion. This just seems reckless to me. For the Argos, not only is Ray returning to action but so is RB Kackert. The Argos should be able to move the ball much better than in the past few weeks. One Argo who must be happy with Ray being back in action is Chad Owens, who has accumulated only roughly 80 yards in the 3 games for which Jarious Jackson was at QB.
Argos by 10.
Edmonton at BC
The Lions' offence has suddenly been hit by an injury bug. Not only are three of their top receivers (Bruce, Simon and Ianuzzi) out, but defending MOP QB Travis Lulay will be a game time decision. Mike Reilly may make his first start at QB; this would provide a good indication of how strong the Lions' offensive system is. Given how deep their receiving corps is, the loss of the three receivers on its own should not be crippling. As for the Esks, it seemed what they needed to right their offence was to put the head coach, a longtime defensive coordinator in charge. They have actually looked like they have had a game plan over the past two games, which did not seem to be the case earlier in the year. Longer drives also mean that the D is better rested.
I still have to go with the Lions, by 3, but an upset would not surprise me.
Saturday
Montréal at Saskatchewan
Speaking of injury bugs, the Als' offence has been decimated. They are down to their 3rd string) RB; 2 of their top receivers (Green and London) are also out. At some point, this will catch up to them. I think this is the said point.
Green Riders by 10, with hopefully a couple 'Too many men' calls against them. Those never cease to be funny.
Hamilton at Calgary
Taking into account the promise that the off-season changes brought (Burris, Fantuz, Giguère, Mallett, etc.), I wonder where this season ranks in all-time disappointing Ti-Cat seasons? I have written before that they are painful to watch due to their inconsistency (and I am not even a Ti-Cat fan). And has inconsistency not been the Ti-Cat modus operandi for the past few seasons?
Calgary by 8.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
The only result I got wrong was the Sakatchewan-Edmonton game. I had not figured that Kerry Joseph and the Edmonton offence had it in them to be efficient for two weeks in a row.
Last week's record: 3-1. Overall record: 36-24.
This Week's Games
Friday
Winnipeg at Toronto
The impact of Ricky Ray coming back from injury trumps that of another one of Buck Pierce's perennial recoveries. From what I have read, Pierce is an intense competitor, but with the Bombers' season seemingly over, it boggles my mind why he is not sitting out more games after suffering a concussion. This just seems reckless to me. For the Argos, not only is Ray returning to action but so is RB Kackert. The Argos should be able to move the ball much better than in the past few weeks. One Argo who must be happy with Ray being back in action is Chad Owens, who has accumulated only roughly 80 yards in the 3 games for which Jarious Jackson was at QB.
Argos by 10.
Edmonton at BC
The Lions' offence has suddenly been hit by an injury bug. Not only are three of their top receivers (Bruce, Simon and Ianuzzi) out, but defending MOP QB Travis Lulay will be a game time decision. Mike Reilly may make his first start at QB; this would provide a good indication of how strong the Lions' offensive system is. Given how deep their receiving corps is, the loss of the three receivers on its own should not be crippling. As for the Esks, it seemed what they needed to right their offence was to put the head coach, a longtime defensive coordinator in charge. They have actually looked like they have had a game plan over the past two games, which did not seem to be the case earlier in the year. Longer drives also mean that the D is better rested.
I still have to go with the Lions, by 3, but an upset would not surprise me.
Saturday
Montréal at Saskatchewan
Speaking of injury bugs, the Als' offence has been decimated. They are down to their 3rd string) RB; 2 of their top receivers (Green and London) are also out. At some point, this will catch up to them. I think this is the said point.
Green Riders by 10, with hopefully a couple 'Too many men' calls against them. Those never cease to be funny.
Hamilton at Calgary
Taking into account the promise that the off-season changes brought (Burris, Fantuz, Giguère, Mallett, etc.), I wonder where this season ranks in all-time disappointing Ti-Cat seasons? I have written before that they are painful to watch due to their inconsistency (and I am not even a Ti-Cat fan). And has inconsistency not been the Ti-Cat modus operandi for the past few seasons?
Calgary by 8.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
vendredi 12 octobre 2012
CFL Week Sixteen
Last Week's Results
I got the BC and Sakatchewan wins correct. I missed the Edmonton-Hamilton and Winnipeg-Montréal results, mostly because, well, I generally get the Ti-Cat and Bomber games wrong.
Record for the week: 2-2.
Overall record for the year: 33-23.
This Week's Games
Sorry, no witty quips this week, just fearless forecasts. Or guesses.
Friday: BC over Hamilton by 12.
Saturday: Calgary over Winnipeg by 4.
Saskatchewan over Edmonton by 6.
Sunday: Montréal over Toronto by 10.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
I got the BC and Sakatchewan wins correct. I missed the Edmonton-Hamilton and Winnipeg-Montréal results, mostly because, well, I generally get the Ti-Cat and Bomber games wrong.
Record for the week: 2-2.
Overall record for the year: 33-23.
This Week's Games
Sorry, no witty quips this week, just fearless forecasts. Or guesses.
Friday: BC over Hamilton by 12.
Saturday: Calgary over Winnipeg by 4.
Saskatchewan over Edmonton by 6.
Sunday: Montréal over Toronto by 10.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
jeudi 11 octobre 2012
The Dictatorship of the NFL
It is Thursday night and I am sitting at the bar in one of my many locals. They are playing the Thursday night, random, Week Five (I think) NFL game on their big screen, with the full volume of the NFL Network announcers on their PA system.
This is not a sports bar.
There are roughly 25 patrons sitting in the bar; I would say it is maybe a quarter of its capacity. Of those 25, maybe 3 or 4 are watching the football game. I am sitting at the bar, intently watching the O's-Yankees game, with the bartender who, keeps telling that, if he was allowed, he would put the game on the big screen, instead of the random NFL game.
So why has the NFL game become the Thursday night, must-have bar entertainment to the point where run-of-the-mill, non-sports bars think they absolutely have to show it?
Is it because:
A) On a Thursday night, everybody wants to watch the NFL? Nah, that ain't it. It can't be. (See above for the 12% rating in the bar.)
B) The NFL has become the definitive hipster sport? Basically, people will go out and say that they are watching the NFL game, when, really, they could not care less. They just want to say that they were out watching the NFL, because it is what they think they are expected to be doing. Because it's cool.
C) Bars just figure they have to follow the herd and all play the NFL game? This probably has something to do with beer reps from the major boring breweries that have sponsorship deals with the NFL and are pushing some sort of beer special or promo on bars that play the damn game. Fine, bar owners, take the payola, but do you not think there might be a buck or two to be made in counter-progamming? What if you were the bar to which people who did not watch the NFL flocked? I am betting there would be money to be made in going that route
D) Some combination of B and C?
Well, D is what I am going for...
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
This is not a sports bar.
There are roughly 25 patrons sitting in the bar; I would say it is maybe a quarter of its capacity. Of those 25, maybe 3 or 4 are watching the football game. I am sitting at the bar, intently watching the O's-Yankees game, with the bartender who, keeps telling that, if he was allowed, he would put the game on the big screen, instead of the random NFL game.
So why has the NFL game become the Thursday night, must-have bar entertainment to the point where run-of-the-mill, non-sports bars think they absolutely have to show it?
Is it because:
A) On a Thursday night, everybody wants to watch the NFL? Nah, that ain't it. It can't be. (See above for the 12% rating in the bar.)
B) The NFL has become the definitive hipster sport? Basically, people will go out and say that they are watching the NFL game, when, really, they could not care less. They just want to say that they were out watching the NFL, because it is what they think they are expected to be doing. Because it's cool.
C) Bars just figure they have to follow the herd and all play the NFL game? This probably has something to do with beer reps from the major boring breweries that have sponsorship deals with the NFL and are pushing some sort of beer special or promo on bars that play the damn game. Fine, bar owners, take the payola, but do you not think there might be a buck or two to be made in counter-progamming? What if you were the bar to which people who did not watch the NFL flocked? I am betting there would be money to be made in going that route
D) Some combination of B and C?
Well, D is what I am going for...
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
vendredi 5 octobre 2012
CFL Week Fifteen
Last Week's Results.
1-3. The only game I got right was Calgary over Edmonton and a semi-trained monkey could have called that one.
Overall season record: 31-21.
This Week's Games
Comments are going to be extremely brief this week because I am watching baseball. And the barmaid is awfully, awfully cute.
Friday.
Hamilton (5-8) at Edmonton (5-8)
The Eskimos are a mess. I wonder if Hugh Campbell can be brought in as a consultant. It still would not help them with their injury situation though. A team cannot lose as many D-linemen as the Esks have and not show some strains. The revolving QB situation now has Joseph as starter and Nichols as back-up. This week. Who knows about next week.
Hamilton by 9.
Saturday
Calgary (8-5) at BC (9-4)
The game of the week. Should not be missed.
BC by 2.
Monday
Winnipeg (3-9) at Montréal (8-5)
Let us see. The Bombers, playing at home, could not beat a team led by Jurious Jackson. How, pray tell, are they expecting to beat AC in Montréal? I realize the Als looked awful last week, but, still... I will say that I actually feel sorry for Buck Pierce this week. If anybody does not deserve to get hurt on a cheap shot, it is Buck. He has proven time and again that he can get hurt quite efficiently by himself.
Als by 10.
Saskatchewan (7-6) at Toronto (7-6)
The last comment by Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich (sp?) I read earlier today indicated that it was unclear whether Ricky Ray would play on Monday. So, basically, I have even less of a clue than normal.
Saskatchewan by 3.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
1-3. The only game I got right was Calgary over Edmonton and a semi-trained monkey could have called that one.
Overall season record: 31-21.
This Week's Games
Comments are going to be extremely brief this week because I am watching baseball. And the barmaid is awfully, awfully cute.
Friday.
Hamilton (5-8) at Edmonton (5-8)
The Eskimos are a mess. I wonder if Hugh Campbell can be brought in as a consultant. It still would not help them with their injury situation though. A team cannot lose as many D-linemen as the Esks have and not show some strains. The revolving QB situation now has Joseph as starter and Nichols as back-up. This week. Who knows about next week.
Hamilton by 9.
Saturday
Calgary (8-5) at BC (9-4)
The game of the week. Should not be missed.
BC by 2.
Monday
Winnipeg (3-9) at Montréal (8-5)
Let us see. The Bombers, playing at home, could not beat a team led by Jurious Jackson. How, pray tell, are they expecting to beat AC in Montréal? I realize the Als looked awful last week, but, still... I will say that I actually feel sorry for Buck Pierce this week. If anybody does not deserve to get hurt on a cheap shot, it is Buck. He has proven time and again that he can get hurt quite efficiently by himself.
Als by 10.
Saskatchewan (7-6) at Toronto (7-6)
The last comment by Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich (sp?) I read earlier today indicated that it was unclear whether Ricky Ray would play on Monday. So, basically, I have even less of a clue than normal.
Saskatchewan by 3.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
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