Halloween is TONIGHT Florida and Va Tech

ESPN Page 2's Paul Lucas is once again right on when he called this past weekend "The Worst Looking 48 Hours in college football history." http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/051031. Seriously, what were you thinking Virginia Tech and Florida? In case you missed it, both teams decided to inexplicably take the field in mismatching sleeves. That's right, as if the Hokies' maroon and orange and the Gators' orange and blue weren't bad enough they had to color code their arms. I hate to do this, but I must quote Adam Sandler, "Who are the ad wizards that came up with that one? http://snltranscripts.jt.org/91/91rstandup.phtml

If there is anything good to come out of this fiasco it is this. At least these teams haven't gone utterly insane like the Oregon Ducks, later this year they will be appearing in this monstrosity: http://a712.g.akamai.net/7/712/225/1d/www.eastbay.com/images/products/zoom/14604896_z.jpg

JT

Scalito

Well, Harriet Miers wasn't wacko enough for the arch-conservatives out there, so it looks like President Bush has gone out and found someone further right than the love-child of James Dobson http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/1/174653/862 and
Pat Robertson http://www.ihatepatrobertson.com/. I'm willing to wait to hear what this guy says at his confirmation hearing, but I am guessing that we might see a repeat of this :http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=33698, or, God help us, even this: http://www.legallyblonde2.com/.

JT

Halloween TV

Let me preface this by saying I don't watch much tv, what with the rich tapestry of activities that are at my fingertips here in Lincoln, Nebraska I just don't have the time. Yet, I managed to carve out three hours tonight to find a little show called "Most Haunted Live." We can thank our friends from the UK for this gem. People walk around haunted houses: their purpose, looking for spooks and scaring the bejesus out of me. Maybe its because British people are good at being scary (is that a Reggie White quote?) Anyway, check out "Most Haunted Live's" search for Jack the Ripper, it airs live in the US Oct 31 at 3PM Central. http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/mosthaunted/mosthaunted.html

JT

Pics O' The Day Recap

We believe in accountability here at Awesome Inc, so I'll be doing instant recaps on my pics of the week.

1. PANTHERS 38 Vikings 13: Vikes continue to be terrible on the road and get an additional kick in the balls by having Daunte knocked out for an extended period of time. Props to Steve Smith for the sex boat end-zone routine, too bad it wasn't a touchdown. An easy WIN here, by a whopping 18.

2. NINERS 15 Bucs 10: Joe Nedney kicks 5 fg's to lead the Niners to their second win since opening day. Phil Simms's son is not very good at quarterback. Another easy WIN, this one by 15.5. I also advised a bet on the under here another easy WIN.

3. Bears 19 LIONS 13: This was one ugly football game. I take responsibility for underestimating the extent of the Lion's injury situation. Orton showed some composure and didn't make any huge mistakes. Once again the Bears proved they can only win in overtime with INT returns. A tough LOSS that could have gone either way.

4. PATS 21 Bills 16: Pats dug themselves a hole here and were fortunate to come out with a win. Was hoping for a garbage touchdown late, but it didn't happen. Another close LOSS.

Well, that's 60% today, not too shabby. Save the money you made and bet it all against the Vikings next time they play an outdoor road game (GB in two weeks)

I think we can all agree that the real winners today were the Tennessee Titans. The brilliant "stripper pole" slide down the goalposts after TD's (even those called back for penalties) was simply a stroke of genius.

JT

Big 12 officiating: Intentionally screwing the Huskers or just plain horrendous????

I want to preface this by noting that I am the definition of a "homer" when it comes to Husker athletics. I love Husker football more than just about anything (Husker basketball, the Cubs, and Kiera Knightly come to mind right off the bat as distinct rivals of Mark's "most loved things").

Now, all that being said, something is going on with Big 12 officials and it is now crossing the line into the realm of being more than just unbelieveably bad officiating. Through eight games, the Huskers have recorded 39 sacks, which leads the country----by six. With that kind of defensive pressure being applied on a consistent basis, you would think that offenses would be forced into quite a few holding penalties. Well, you thought wrong. Husker opponets, through the entire season, have been called for holding ONE TIME. Yes, that's right, ONE TIME (last weekend at Missouri). This is simply unbelieveable, and is becoming downright suspicious in light of the fact that there have been quite a few obvious holds directly in view of officials, and which have greatly impacted plays to the Huskers' detriment (i.e. the obvious hold that sprung K. Jones for a 17-yard TD in the forth quarter yesterday).

I hate to question the integrity of officials as I realize that it is a difficult and oftentimes thankless job. However, the quality of the officiating in the Big 12 this year has been so bad, you have to wonder what is going on. Maybe it's just me, but I have never seen it this bad.

Mark

PICKS O' THE DAY (For Entertainment Purposes Only)

*****
PANTHERS -7 Vikings: Vikes have been garbage on the road for the past ten years: Especially on grass, don' t let the GB game last week fool you.

LIONS -3 Bears: Orton...on the road...lots o' picks. Garcia will get the Lions offense going a little in his second game as starter.

49'ERS -10.5 Bucs: How in the name of Major Applewhite is Chris Simms starting an NFL football game? Niners rebound from their DC thrashing because Mike Nolan is a good coach. PS bet the under.

PATRIOTS -9.5 Bills: Teddy Brusci will provide a huge emotional lift to the champs. Pats have covered against the Bills 6 straight times (Thanks Hammerin' Hank) and Kelly "Pro-bowl" Holcomb cannot regain the magic he had with Middle Tennessee State against Nebraska in 1992.

DO YOU CARE? That the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders' former mascot was Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest? http://www.civilwarhome.com/natbio.htm A big fan of slave trading, he was an early leader of a little hate filled organization called the KKK!! Happily, MTSU recognized that this might be offensive to EVERYONE and changed to a hound dog in the 1970s and then to a lightning-breathing flying horse http://www.goblueraiders.com/?go=Page&doc=143 in 1988.

Good Luck, and Skol Vikings

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