Traditionalist's Guide to Bowl Games

It's a little silly to complain about the commercialization of the "traditional" bowl games. I mean, do we really think they named it the Cotton Bowl because people in Dallas thought cotton sounds cool? No, clearly they were advertising. Here's a guide to this year's bowls and their "root" names.


San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia - Utah 35, Navy 32
San Diego - Dec. 20, 9 p.m.
--2005 to present

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Florida Atlantic 44, Memphis 27
New Orleans - Dec. 21, 8 p.m.
--2001 (New Orleans Bowl)
--2002-2004 (Wyndham New Orleans Bowl)
--2005 (New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette)
--2006 to present (R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl)

Papajohns.com Bowl - Cincinnati 31, Southern Miss 21
Birmingham, Ala. - Dec. 22, 1 p.m.
--2006 (Birmingham Bowl)
--2007 (Papajohns.com Bowl)

New Mexico - New Mexico 23, Nevada 0
Albuquerque, N.M. - Dec. 22, 4:30 p.m.
--2006 to present

Pioneer Las Vegas - BYU 17, UCLA 16
Las Vegas - Dec. 22, 8 p.m.
--1992 to 1998 (Las Vegas Bowl, previously California Bowl in Fresno)
--1999 (EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl)
--2000 to 2002 (Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl)
--2003 to present (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl)

Sheraton Hawaii - East Carolina 41, Boise State 38
Honolulu - Dec. 23, 8 p.m.
--2002 (ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl, replaced Aloha and Oahu Bowls which ended in 2000)
--2003 to present (Sheraton Hawaii Bowl)

Motor City - Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48
Detroit - Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m.
--1997 to present (co-sponsored by Ford, GM and Chrysler, but never renamed)

Pacific Life Holiday - Texas 52, Arizona State 34
San Diego - Dec. 27, 8 p.m.
--1978 to present
--Sponsors (years unavailable): Pacific Life, Sea World, Thrifty Car Rental, Plymouth, Culligan)

Champs Sports - Boston College 24, Michigan State 21
Orlando, Fla. - Dec. 28, 5 p.m.
--1990 (Sunshine Classic)
--1991 to 1993 (Blockbuster Bowl)
--1994 to 1997 (Carquest Bowl)
--1998 to 2000 (MicronPC/MicronPC.com Bowl)
--2001 (Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl)
--2002 to 2003 (Mazda Tangerine Bowl)
--2004 to present (Champs Sports Bowl)

Texas - TCU 20, Houston 13
Houston - Dec. 28, 8 p.m.
--2006 to present (replaced Houston Bowl 2000-2005)

Emerald - Oregon State 21, Maryland 14
San Francisco - Dec. 28, 8:30 p.m.
--2002 (San Francisco Bowl)
--2003 (Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl)
--2004 to present (Emerald Bowl)

Meineke Car Care - UConn vs. Wake Forest
Charlotte, N.C. - Dec. 29, 1 p.m.
--2002 (Queen City Bowl, but sponsored before game was played)
--2002 to 2005 (Continental Tire Bowl)
--2006 to present (Meineke Car Care Bowl)

AutoZone Liberty - UCF vs. Mississippi State
Memphis, Tenn. - Dec. 29, 4:30 p.m.
--1959 to 1996 (Liberty Bowl, previously played in Philadelphia (1959-1963) and Atlantic City (!?!) in 1964. You know, in case you were wondering WTF Memphis has to do with liberty. Insert your own joke about Elvis' colon.)
--1997 to 2003 (AXA Liberty Bowl)
--2004 to present (AutoZone Liberty Bowl)

Valero Alamo - Penn State vs. Texas A&M
San Antonio - Dec. 29, 8 p.m.
--1993 to 1998 (Builders Square Alamo Bowl)
--1999 to 2001 (Sylvania Alamo Bowl)
--2002 to 2005 (MasterCard Alamo Bowl)
--2006 (Alamo Bowl)
--2007 (Valero Alamo Bowl)

PetroSun Independence - Alabama vs. Colorado
Shreveport, La. - Dec. 30, 8 p.m.
--1976 to 1989 (Independence Bowl)
--1990 to 1996 (Poulan Weed Eater Bowl)
--1997 (Independence Bowl)
--1998 to 2000 (Sanford Independence Bowl)
--2001 to 2003 (MainStay Investments Independence Bowl)
--2004 to 2005 (Independence Bowl)
--2006 to present (PetroSun Independence Bowl)

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces - California vs. Air Force
Fort Worth, Texas - Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m.
--2003 to 2004 (TransCapital Bank Fort Worth Bowl)
--2005 (Fort Worth Bowl)
--2006 to present (Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl)

Roady's Humanitarian - Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State
Boise, Idaho - Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
--1997 to 1998 (Humanitarian Bowl)
--1999 to 2002 (Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl, and I have no idea what that web site is)
--Jan. 2004 (Humanitarian Bowl)
--Dec. 2004 to 2006 (MPC Computers Bowl)
--2007 (Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, and Roady's is a truck stop chain)

Brut Sun - South Florida vs. Oregon
El Paso, Texas - Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
--1935 to 1985 (Sun Bowl)
--1986 to 1989 (John Hancock Sun Bowl)
--1990 to 1993 (John Hancock Bowl)
--1994 to 1995 (Sun Bowl)
--1996 to 1998 (Norwest Sun Bowl)
--1999 to 2003 (Wells Fargo Sun Bowl)
--2004 to 2005 (Vitalis Sun Bowl)
--2006 to 2009 (Brut Sun Bowl)

Gaylord Hotels Music City - Kentucky vs. Florida State
Nashville, Tenn. - Dec. 31, 4 p.m.
--1998 to 2001 (Music City Bowl)
--2002 to present (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl)

Insight - Indiana vs. Oklahoma State
Tempe, Ariz. - Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m.
--1989 to 1996 (Copper Bowl)
--1997 to 2001 (Insight.com Bowl)
--2002 to present (Insight Bowl)

Chick-fil-A - Clemson vs. Auburn
Atlanta - Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.
(This one is the inspiration for this entire time-consuming post)
--1968 to 1997 (Peach Bowl)
--1998 to 2005 (Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl)
--2006 to present (Chick-Fucking-Fil-A Bowl)

Outback - Wisconsin vs. Tennessee
Tampa, Fla. - Jan. 1, 2008, 11 a.m.
--1986 to 1994 (Hall of Fame Bowl, previously played in Birmingham from 1977-1985)
--1995 to present (Outback Bowl)

AT&T Cotton - Missouri vs. Arkansas
Dallas - Jan. 1, 2008, 11:30 a.m.
--1937 to 1988 (Cotton Bowl)
--1989 to 1995 (Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic)
--1996 to 1999 (Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic)
--2000 to 2005 (SBC Communications Cotton Bowl Classic)
--2006 to present (AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic)

Konica Minolta Gator - Texas Tech vs. Virginia
Jacksonville, Fla. - Jan. 1, 2008, 1 p.m.
--1946 to 1995 (Gator Bowl)
--1996 to 2006 (Toyota Gator Bowl)
--2007 (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl)

Capital One - Michigan vs. Florida
Orlando, Fla. - Jan. 1, 2008, 1 p.m.
--1947 to 1982 (Tangerine Bowl)
--1983 to 1993 (Florida Citrus Bowl)
--1994 to 1999 (CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl)
--2000 (Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl)
--2001 to 2002 (Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl)
--2003 to present (Capital One Bowl)

Rose Bowl presented by Citi - Illinois vs. USC
Pasadena, Calif. - Jan. 1, 2008, 4:30 p.m.
--1902 (Tournament East-West football game)
--1916 to 1997 (The Rose Bowl Game)
--1998 to 2002 (The Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T)
--2003 (The Rose Bowl Game presented by Playstation 2)
--2004 to present (The Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi)

Allstate Sugar - Hawaii vs. Georgia
New Orleans - Jan. 1, 2008, 8:30 p.m.
--1935 to 1986 (Sugar Bowl)
--1987 to 1995 (USF&G Financial Services Sugar Bowl)
--1995 to 2006 (Nokia Sugar Bowl)
--2007 (Allstate Insurance Sugar Bowl)

Tostitos Fiesta - Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Glendale, Ariz. - Jan. 2, 2008, 8 p.m.
--1971 to 1985 (Fiesta Bowl)
--1986 to 1992 (Sunkist Fiesta Bowl)
--1993 to 1995 (IBM Fiesta Bowl)
--1996 to present (Tostitos Fiesta Bowl)

FedEx Orange - Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Miami - Jan. 3, 2008, 8 p.m.
--1935 to 1988 (Orange Bowl)
--1989 to present (Fed-Ex Orange Bowl)

International - Rutgers vs. Ball State
Toronto - Jan. 5, 2008, Noon
--2007 (first year)

GMAC - Bowling Green vs. Tulsa
Mobile, Ala. - Jan. 6, 2008, 8 p.m.
--1999 to 2000 (Mobile Alabama Bowl)
--2001 to present (GMAC/GMAC Financial Services Bowl)

Allstate BCS Championship Game - LSU vs. Ohio State
New Orleans - Jan. 7, 2008, 8 p.m.
--2006 to present

George Brett Could Give This Kid Pointers

Pine tar, kids. Pine tar.



Five points to the first person who can tell me why we can be absolutely certain that the offending child is not the offspring of the camerawoman.

UCLA Hires Rick Neuheisel

In perhaps the least surprising news of this year's coaching carousel, former Colorado and Washington head coach and current Ravens QB Coach/Asst. OC Rick Neuheisel was hired as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins this afternoon.

UCLA is Neuheisel's alma mater, where he played quarterback in the late 70's to early 80's. As we've seen, it often works out for the school when they can convince an alumnus to come back and coach (Rich Rodriguez, Ralph Friedgen).

I always thought Neuheisel got a raw deal at Washington. He actually won a lucrative lawsuit against the school for wrongful termination in the wake of the NCAA Basketball bracket scandal that caused Neuheisel to get run out of town. Colorardo, on the other hand, is a reputation Neuheisel earned.

While UCLA is a relatively weak football school, there is no denying it offers many of the same advantages USC has used to attract the best of the best players. Now they have a high profile coach who isn't going anywhere. They have the same hot chicks (though more Asians than blondes) and the same high profile as USC. I suspect UCLA will post some winning seasons in the near future.

Week 17 NFL Against the Spread Picks

This is the final week of our pick-off, with only Jeremy and Brien really contending for the title. J-Red and Russell can't even get over .500 after a dismal Week 16.

Brien (41-37-2)

TAMPA BAY (+2.5) over Carolina - The Bucs will be resting up for the playoffs, and the Panthers looked good last week against Dallas, but I still think Tampa Bay will come out of this game with a win.

Green Bay (-4) over DETROIT - The Lions bandwagon feels like a long time ago, doesn't it?

Jacksonville (+6) over HOUSTON - This line is so far off what I would have expected, it worries me a little bit.

Seattle (+1) over ATLANTA - Merry Christmas? Or does Vegas think home field advantage is worth extra during the holidays?

CHICAGO (+2) over New Orleans - Home field in Chicago might be worth more than 3 points in December.

Jeremy and Magic 8 (39-35-6 and 43-31-6)

Jeremy's Picks:

Well this is it... tied with Brien. Oddly, I feel a good deal of pressure. Too bad I've got about five minutes to breeze through these picks. Oh well. On a completely random side note, I can't help but think while reading these stories about the San Francisco Zoo how much it must have sucked to be standing there, watching the animals from afar, and suddenly seeing a 600-pound tiger coming at you. What do you think was going through the guy's mind? And I like how the zookeepers are now blaming taunting on the tiger's aggressivenes. I guess T.O. should never go to the zoo. On to the picks, with a positively putrid set of games on this week's slate...

NEW ENGLAND (-13) over NY GIANTS - Why are both teams capitalized? Well we all have read about the legions of Pats fans buying tickets from Giants fans. We all know the Giants would be better off playing 16 road games. The Pats make a statement here and Eli gets that "Eli" look on his face at least seven times this game.

Pittsburgh (-3) over BALTIMORE - Steelers will try desperately to avoid the Jacksonville-New England first two round matchup.

San Diego (-9) over OAKLAND - Ditto for the Chargers.

Seattle (+1) over ATLANTA - Presenting your WTF?!?! game of the week, even if Seattle rests everyone.

Cincinnati (-3) over MIAMI - The Bengals could quit, but even if they quit, they wouldn't be as bad as the Dolphins.

Magic 8 Ball Picks:

Jeremy, my rightful owner, is accepting bids to purchase me for the 2008 Season. No warranties included.

NY GIANTS (+13) over New England - "Yes." [Giants will beat spread]

BALTIMORE (+3) over Pittsburgh - "My sources say yes." [Ravens will beat spread]

San Diego (-8) over OAKLAND - "My answer is no." [Raiders won't beat spread]

Seattle (+2) over ATLANTA - "No." [Atlanta won't beat spread]

MIAMI (+3) over Cincinnati - "Yes." [Dolphins will beat spread]

J-Red (36-41-3)

Yeah, I'm willing to cheat to win. Since I've seen Jeremy and Brien's picks, I need to make sure I don't pick with them or I won't be able to catch up.

HOUSTON (-6) over Jacksonville - When Vegas throws up a weird one like this, I'm on board this late in the season.

Dallas (+9) over WASHINGTON - Every year there is a team that just needs to win over a team that's only half playing and fails.

San Francisco (+10) over CLEVELAND - Shaun Hill is on his free agent tour, and I think he'll keep the Niners in this.

MIAMI (+3) over Cincinnati - Miami has locked up the first pick, so they can go all out. What's in this for Cincy?

ATLANTA (-1) over Seattle - Seneca Wallace sucks, maybe worse than Chris Redman. Maybe.

Russell (33-44-3)

Trying to finish on a decent note.

Minnesota (-3) over DENVER - The Vikings need a win, and Denver has nothing to play for and a terrible rush defense.

San Diego (-9) over OAKLAND - Fargas is hurt. LT put up 198 and 4 TDs last time.

Pittsburgh (-3) over BALTIMORE - The Ravens packed it in for the year after the Pats game. Pride will keep it closer than in Pissburgh but not enough to cover.

ARIZONA (-6.5) over St. Louis - Do I have to explain this one?

NY GIANTS (+13) over New England - Pure prayer. I really think the Pats will kill them since Eli sucks, but it's the Evil Empire and maybe my confidence in them will help.

RECAP

Brien - CHI, GB, JAX, SEA, TB
Jeremy - CIN, NE, PIT, SD, SEA
J-Red - ATL, DAL, HOU, MIA, SF
Russell - ARI, MIN, NYG, PIT, SD
Magic 8 - BAL, MIA, NYG, SD, SEA

STANDINGS

Magic 8 (43-31-6 for .575)
Jeremy (39-35-6 for .525 -- 4 GB)
Brien (41-37-2 for .525 -- 4 GB)
J-Red (36-41-3 for .469 -- 8.5 GB, 4.5 GB Humans)
Russell (33-44-3 for .431 -- 11.5 GB, 7.5 GB Humans)

All of us: 192-188-20 for .505
Humans: 149-157-14 for .488

Texas Touching and Replay Review

As most everyone is aware by now, Texas assistant and Mack Brown stepson Chris Jessie appears to have touched a live fumble in last night's Holiday Bowl against Arizona State. The penalty resulted in a dead ball and a half-the-distance-to-the-goal penalty, allowing Arizona State to score and get back to 21-7.

Watch the replay below. While it certainly appears likely that Jessie touched the ball, it's not indisputable.



In the law, we have "standards of review". Cases are reviewed at the appellate level either as de novo, which is a totally fresh look at the case, for "abuse of discretion", where the trial judge's decision will only be overturned for a clear abuse of his/her judicial discretion, or for "clear error", where only obvious misapplication of the rules will result in reversal.

Instant replay review is supposed to be like clear error review. The referee may only overturn the call made by an official on the field (the trial judge in our analogy) if there is indisputable visual evidence that the call was incorrect. From looking at the video, indisputable visual evidence is not present.

The actual wording of the NCAA's replay standard is as follows:

Standard: There must be indisputable video evidence for an on-field officiating decision to be changed by the Instant Replay Official working from a private booth in the press box. Indisputable video evidence can be described as sufficient, viewable camera angles that provide undeniable proof that a correction to the call is necessary. Additionally, the play must have direct competitive impact on the game to warrant game stoppage for review. Instant replay officials will be instructed to err on the side of caution when competition will be directly affected, but to refrain from stopping the game any more than necessary. The replay system will not guarantee that all officiating decisions are corrected.

We see this a lot in the NCAA and NFL. Some referees strictly adhere to the rule, while others will permit assumptions to be made. In the video, the spin of the ball appears to change as though it has been touched. Chris Jessie recoils in a way that indicates reaction to touching the ball. Still, neither of those are indisputable visual evidence that Jessie made contact with the ball.

Further, this whole exercise in predicting the physics of a bouncing football is unnecessary. Under the NCAA replay reviewable situations, number 3(d) is "number of players on field during a play." Texas clearly had players all over the field, and the result would have been the same.

We need to make sure our referees are uniformly applying replay review.

[Special thanks to Houston-based attorney David A. Rassin for bringing up the standard of review aspect of this discussion.]

Nick Barnett - Pwn3d!

Thanks to Dill_Pickle at Yardbarker for bringing this to my attention.



Watch umpire Jim Quirk decide that he's had enough of Packer LB Nick Barnett's participation in a little scrum with the Bears.

My only disappointment is that Quirk could have totally put him in a German Suplex, but instead just went to the ground with him.

Barnett has dropped his union grievance, instead asking for an apology from the league. His agent, Chuck Price, is an idiot for giving this story any more play than it already received.

Joe Buck - Slightly a Hypocrite

This video is actually from one of our advertisers, Budweiser.


The Joe Buck Show - Paul Rudd - The most amazing videos are a click away

It's a pretty hilarious interview in the back of a NYC taxi with Joe Buck and a slightly drunk Paul Rudd. It would be totally irrelevant to a sports blog, except that Joe Buck asks Rudd to take his pants off, to describe who he has slept with in Hollywood, and to make out with a squirrel puppet with Joe's hand inside.

Contrast with Joe Buck's feigned indignance at Randy Moss fake-mooning the Green Bay crowd:



I actually give Joe a pass on his disgust, given the FCC environment. It's clear that his real personality is closer to the Bud.tv spot.

The Sword of Cowhercles

Modern Day Sports Fan Rules to Live By

1) Don't try to engage in a publicity stunt if you have a warrant out for your arrest due to a massive arrearage in child support.

Exhibit A - Baltimore Ravens fan (why is THAT not surprising), who in a stunt that unconfirmed sources report was learned from Homer Simpson's hunger strike and chaining himself to centerfield of Springfield Isotopes stadium to protest the team's move to Albuquerque, decides to stay up on a roof of his local watering hole until either a) the Ravens won, or; b) Brian Billick got fired.

Said Ravens fan is now off the roof. Not because the Ravens won. Nor because Billick was fired. But because the Baltimore County Sheriffs Office paid him a visit.

***************************
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― He wanted a Ravens win or Coach Brian Billick to be fired before he came down from the roof. But Ronnie Stach is now off that roof because he has been arrested. Stach was arrested on an outstanding warrant for six months of child support. He was taken to the North Point precinct and is now in the custody of the Baltimore County Sheriff's Office. Stach has been up on the roof of Canton Station for more than two weeks, after a dare by his friend and bar-owner Darren Petty.

Only thing missing are the ever-classy Raven-fan purple camouflage pants. Essex? Arbutus? Take your pick?

***************************

Nicely done Ronnie. Get your name all over the fishrags and TV stations because you had to display your dismay for the Ravens in such a public way. Next time, make sure you don't have a warrant out for being a deadbeat dad before you do it.

And what's worse? Not going for it on fourth and inches from the goal with 12 seconds left in the game? Or not paying child support for your kid?

Week 16 NFL Against the Spread Recap

Ouch. It's basically a battle between Brien and Jeremy unless I have a perfect week and they both have winless ones.

RECAP

Brien (1-4-0) - BUF, CLE, MIN, SD, TB
Jeremy (1-4-0) - BUF, CLE, GB, PHI, TB
J-Red (1-4-0) - ARI, BUF, CIN, DAL, TB
Russell (1-3-1) - BUF, CLE, DAL, DET, PIT
Magic 8 (2-3-0) - CLE, GB, NYG, PHI, SF

STANDINGS

Magic 8 (43-31-6 for .575)
Jeremy (39-35-6 for .525 -- 4 GB)
Brien (41-37-2 for .525 -- 4 GB)
J-Red (36-41-3 for .469 -- 8.5 GB, 4.5 GB Humans)
Russell (33-44-3 for .431 -- 11.5 GB, 7.5 GB Humans)

All of us: 192-188-20 for .505
Humans: 149-157-14 for .488

Current 2008 NFL Draft Order

CLICK HERE FOR THE UP-TO-DATE 2008 NFL DRAFT ORDER INCLUDING THE PLAYOFF RESULTS!

32. (Forfeited for cheating by New England)
31. Dallas
30. Indy
29. Green Bay
25-28. Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa Bay
22-25. Jacksonville, NY Giants, Washington, Tennessee
21. Cleveland
20. Minnesota
14-19. Arizona, Buffalo, Detroit, Houston, New Orleans, Philly
10-13. Carolina, Chicago, Cincy, Denver
9. New England (via San Francisco)
6-8. Baltimore, KC, Oakland
2-5. Atlanta, NY Jets, St. Louis
1. Miami

Unthinkable! NBC, CBS to Simulcast Giants-Pats

According to reports, the NFL will allow NBC and CBS to simulcast Saturday's game between the Patriots and Giants. The Pats are, of course, 15-0 and seeking the first perfect regular season since 1972.

This is also the first game the NFL has allowed to be simulcast on multiple networks (not counting ABC carrying local ESPN games) since Super Bowl I in 1967.

Presumably Fox is cut out of the loop because the game is at the Meadowlands. Normally, CBS has the rights to any games between AFC teams and interconference games taking place in an NFC stadium. NBC paid dearly for prime time weekend rights, and were thus probably thrown a bone by the league as well.

I do not believe this move reflects a sign of weakness on the part of the NFL or it's NFL Network arm. I think Goodell realizes that he needs to win the PR battle with the cable companies if he is going to continue to stubbornly demand the price he claims the NFL Network deserves. By showing this game on broadcast television, even though he does not have to, he is placing the NFL Network in an even better light to consumers. If I were a CEO at a major cable company, I would not consider this a sign that I have any leverage.

I just hope Goodell realizes what exposing Bryant Gumbel's play-by-play to the entire nation could do to the NFL Network's appeal.

The Rusty "Trombone" Hardin Investigation to Clear Roger Clemens

Since OJ is taking an unscheduled break from finding Ron and Nicole's killer, Rusty "Trombone" Hardin is filling The Fugitive void and launching his own investigation into Clemens' use or nonuse of performance-enhancing substances.

Hmm, who to trust? Mitchell was an independent investigator who did not have any axe to grind or any reason to punish any one player. Rusty Hardin represents a long-suspected now-accused baseball player who experienced an incredible renaissance right around the time steroids peaked in baseball. I'm sure Rusty will present all of the evidence he uncovers, even if it violates his ethical duty to always do right by his client.

spacer

blablahblblhblah Exhibit A: Clemens has always been a bit of a schlub.

In other news, Dick Cheney has been assigned to investigate accusations of wrongdoing by Halliburton. Oliver North has announced that he will get to the bottom of Iran-Contra. The CIA, in conjunction with the Cuban government, is launching an independent probe into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. (Last one...) Lindsay Lohan has been named the new drug czar and will personally oversee counter-drug activities in Colombia.

I think I'll wait for the only time-tested method of obtaining accurate information about any story: the New York Times bestseller written by two journalists with income in the mid-$20K range who luck into a tell-all source.

In Honor of the Holiday my People Don't Celebrate...

Here is the video of my all-time favorite Christmas song that I grew up on. And in case you're wondering, my Jewish Christmas (or as I like to call it... Monday and Tuesday) was spent in Atlantic City with Asians, Indians, other Jews, and degenerate gamblers, followed by kung pao chicken last night.

But seriously, there can be no doubt that this is THE greatest Christmas song.

And Merry Christmas to those of our 6 readers who are Christian.

Time Out Time Out - Gibbs Offered Extension by Skins?

ESPN is reporting that Joe Gibbs has been offered a two-year extension to remain as head coach of the Washington Redskins. Daniel Snyder is confident he can convince Gibbs to return.

Time out time out. What convinced Snyder that Gibbs is a positive influence on the team? Was it his league-high failure rate when leading at the half, due to his inability to keep a foot on the gas pedal? Was it his inability to remain up-to-date on the rules, or at least those rules which Gibbs himself can personally violate? Perhaps it was Gibbs' nearly conscious refusal to use Mike Sellers in short-yardage situations, despite the fact Sellers is huge and athletic and sure-handed.

What does Gregg Williams do now? His contract includes a penalty if the Redskins don't name him the next head coach, but he probably wasn't banking on Gibbs lasting past this year. Now he faces returning a defense next year without Sean Taylor, $20M over the cap before that unwanted relief.

This move makes no sense, but I think I have figured it out. Snyder wants to know as soon as possible whether he needs to find a new head coach for next year. It has become obvious that Gregg Williams will not be promoted, especially after his brutal mishandling of LaVar Arrington and Rocky McIntosh last year. By putting this offer on the table, Gibbs will hopefully make an early decision on whether he wants to come back.

Sadly, I do believe that Snyder wants him back.