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HOMICIDAL HUGS - CRAIG SHELTON - DECEMBER 31, 2010

HOMICIDAL HUGS

Written By: Craig Shelton
Date posted: 12-31-2010

DID TRANSPARENCY RULE IN 2010 WITHIN HOUSTON'S LOCAL SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA?

When HMW was launched in late March 2010, my principal partners quizzed me in our planning meetings on how HMW would become an effective addition to the local makeup of Houston's media.

The partners questioned the scenario primarily due to their knowledge of my personal relationships with local program directors and our ongoing "cold war" over hiring practices. The partners also fully understand the culture that exists within what most consider to be an arrogant, self-entitled media base in Houston.

 

Fortunately, for the HMW partners, my understanding of the local players in media is uniquely balanced. My individual background in the music and stage entertainment communities, coupled with my two-plus years of working inside the sports media, afforded me an uncommon advantage based on my learnings via my personal experiences in working with the local personalities.

The most common denominator(s) in local sports and entertainment media is the arrogance and transparency displayed in both formats of media. A former program director at a major market sports talk station once told me of Houston's sports talk hosts that "the guys in Houston create an atmosphere on radio that's more like a ladies locker room than a men's locker room". I was in full agreement with that at the time and honestly speaking there has been ZERO occurrences to sway my initial opinion.


HATERS HIDING BEHIND HUGS?

 I once coined a phrase in a verse I wrote for a hip-hop mixtape that defines individuals who have disingenuous intentions: "Homicidal Hugs"!

Growing up in the southside streets of H-Town, you learned at an early age that "killers come with a smile" when you're dealing with certain elements in the streets. Even though I would never suggest that the spineless personalities that make up most of the local H-Town media scene is somehow imposing on the same level of an inner-city gangster, there are some similarities.

What I've observed with much of the local media in my personal dealings are "in your face-behind your back" types of personalities. When I'm in the presence of these guys, it's all love and "Craig is my guy" or "I'm a HUGE "Lesbo" guy"! That's a bigger pile of billsh*t than the Houston Texans are laying on their fans these days with keeping Gary Kubiak as head coach. That's more ridiculous than building an NBA franchise around a 7'6" center with a degenerative high ankle condition! I mean who does that?

I fully understand that due to the nature of HMW's format in being critical of local media personalities, HMW will always draw criticism from said media. That makes for an odd set of circumstances though, being that many of the observations and recommendations HMW made in 2010 regarding many issues with the local stations have been "dead on".

Stations program directors have reacted on numerous occasions to HMW blogs and made meaningful changes mirroring our recommendations. Many of the local hosts whom claim to be friends of HMW go out of their way not to mention HMW or give HMW just credit for our work and detailed, accurate analysis of their individual shows/stations.

For example, I blogged Tuesday night (http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/march-on-reliant-by-craig-chelton-12-29.html) that a trusted HMW source contacted me with information that Texans owner, Bob McNair, was NOT going to fire Gary Kubiak or GM Rick Smith, as Barry Warner of Sports Radio 610 was reporting. I reported that Bob McNair was going to retain both Kubiak and Smith, but require Kubiak to fire DC Frank Bush and the entire defensive coaching staff. The next day Barry Warner retracted his report and alluded to the details I reported in the HMW blog report. Now every station is reporting the same info HMW broke, but NONE acknowledged that HMW broke the story Tuesday night simultaneous to Barry Warner's inaccurate breaking news story.


I personally e-mailed my HMW report on Tuesday night to all the local sports talk hosts to assure they had it, and to prove their negative bias towards HMW. Mind you folks, I e-mailed the story to the guys who claim to be "friends" of HMW as well.


A LINE IN THE SAND!

Let me be clear about my stance on the local media. For nine months now, HMW has been providing our service and its clear we're having an impact, as we approach our first 250,000 hits to the blog. Initially, I tried to cultivate relationships with station management at all the local stations.

Let me be totally clear though, HMW (Craig Shelton) doesn't need your asses to have success. In fact, you got "snookered" by the "Black Creep" all along. Think about it? You helped to launch HMW cause your arrogance and desire for attention was too much to resist the attention. Now that HMW is well established beyond the Houston market, we're trending towards a more regional and national scene.

When HMW writes national articles and posts them on fan pages, web sites, message boards, etc., the feedback from national media personalities is professional and not surly and whiny like the local media. The feedback and total hits to the HMW website are far better than when we blog about local talking heads.

Nothing has changed for me in my perception of "many" of the local arrogant, spineless, non-informational, recycled personalities eating up our air time in Houston.



THE AMAZING TRUTH!

I think about Lamont Mann of HMW and his activity on message boards and twitter. I observe Lamont chat back and forth with locals on a daily basis. Then Lamont writes a blog where he's hardly killing anyone and suddenly the same so called "friend" of HMW is suddenly completely non-responsive to Lamont's attempt to chat on twitter. Hmmmm...why's that? That's phony, and cowardly. I stand by that statement, so look me up if the accused would like to refute my accusation?

That's just weak and so p*ssy that it totally disgusts me that a grown-ass man working in media has the audacity to get salty when he's mildly criticized? That's disappointing and surprising that guys go on air and criticize athletes and other media members, but have the nerve to act bitchy over soft circumstances. Ridiculous!!!

Here's the deal! There's not a single member of the Houston media that has ever dealt with me that doesn't understand that anytime they can schedule it, I'm available for them to KISS MY HMW ASS!

I know who you characters really are and I don't respect most of what I see. YOU DON'T ACT LIKE MEN, YOU ACT LIKE CHILDREN. You're always correct. You're always the smartest guys in the room. Your show is the "greatest show on earth". Your station is the greatest station in town! (That's regardless of the numbers saying "not so much".)

When you're being critical, you're doing your job. When you're being criticized, the other guy is always hating. C'mon "men" grow up or hire some damned women to talk sports. Wait, what am I saying? Women and blacks don't get FULL-TIME on air jobs in Houston's sports talk market.

THANKS FROM LESBO!


All of my soapbox jibberish aside, there are good folks I'd like to acknowledge. If I don't mention your name, assume I either forgot it unintentionally, or I deem you as an individual that can pucker up and KISS MY BLACK ASS!! You decide!

Thanks to the following Houston media members for your support of me personally and the HMW family:


Ralph Cooper
Kevin Cooper
Marcus Coleman
Max Edison
Jerome Solomon
John McClain
David Nuno
Ken Hoffman
Carl Dukes
Brian Erickson
ND Kalu
Nick Strong
Anna-Megan Raley
Fred Faour

Special thanks to my brothers in crime: Bobby Z, Rollo, DJ Tony Mixx, and Glen "Sweet" Miller!!


A very, very, special thanks to my HMW team. I'm blessed beyond definition to have you guys in my corner! God Bless you and your families. I could never say thanks enough to all you guys, Lamont, Mike, J.O., especially!


Thanks to the associated bloggers that contributed to HMW in 2010: Richard Walker, Sean Garza, Billy Rigney, and Rick Tindal. Thanks to all you guys.
 
AND ESPECIALLY TO ALL THE HMW FOLLOWERS: HAPPY FREAKIN' NEW YEAR!!!!


Dig in fellas; 2011 will be @ God Speed!!!!


Craig Shelton


HMW


Email: houstonmediawatch@yahoo.com
Blog: http://www.houstonmediawatch.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lesbiancraig
Facebook Search: Craig Shelton & Hmw Shelton & Join Both Pages



CRIER'S CORNER - THE CRIER/SR CREW - DECEMBER 31, 2010

CRIER'S CORNER


Written by: The Crier/SR Crew
Date Posted: 12/31/2010


HOW'S THE CRIER DOING?

After 17 weeks the blog results ATS (excludes “pushes”) for the Crier are as follows:


Local Games of Interest: 77-40 (2-1 last week)
Non-Millionaire Bowl Games: 2-4 (2-2 last week)
Millionaire Games: 58-44 (4-4 last week)
BCS Elimination Tournament: 9-6 (0-0 last week)


Total Record ATS: 146-94 (8-7 last week)

That's over 60% for all the non-believers out there.


Whether you follow the Crier in the blog or through the newsletter, there's plenty of action this weekend, as football winds down, so just continue to follow the rules and don't get cute and lose control because: "The Lord can taketh as well as giveth" (Crier 16:7).

Thanks for being with us through the Fall and Winter. Best of luck in all sports. Here's to a spectacular ending to the football season as it draws to a conclusion over the next five weeks.


Below is the schedule of the Crier's games from Saturday through next Tuesday (January 1-4). The remaining five bowl games to be played Thursday through Monday (January 6-10) will appear in a Peanut Gallery next Tuesday or Wednesday. Crier's Corner will appear here each Friday throughout the NFL Playoffs.


NON-MILLIONAIRE BOWL GAMES:


SATURDAY'S GAMES, JANUARY 1:


GATOR BOWL
Municipal Stadium – Jacksonville, FL



MISSISSIPPI STATE vs. MICHIGAN


At 501 yards per game, Michigan’s offense has improved dramatically. The lousy defense is a light year behind. No unit needed the extra practices more, except for maybe Mississippi State’s offense.

Preparing to face the Rich Rodriguez zone-read spread, Mississippi State is leaning on the know-how that helped them hold Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton to 136 yards passing and 70 yards rushing in a 17-14 loss. Besides containing Newton, the Bulldogs also contained Mississippi’s dual-threat quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in a 31-23 win in the regular-season finale. However, Michigan quarterback. Denard Robinson, runs a 4.3 40-yard-dash, faster than both, and faster than Mississippi State’s own leggy quarterback, Chris Relf.

An old bowl angle is to go against a favorite coming off a win against its archrival as Mississippi State is, especially if the underdog is coming off a loss to its archrival, which Michigan is. As for the also-important match-up, it’s not a bad one for Michigan because Mississippi State is in a similar boat program-wise after only two seasons in the Mullen regime, with an offense that while improved, is still over-reliant on the running game (68% of the snaps) and cannot yet play at warp speed (68.8 plays per game). Leading receiver Chad Bumphis is out with an injury, and nobody else has caught more than 22 passes. Bumphis accounted for 5 of the team’s total of 15 TD receptions. MISSISSIPPI STATE, 30-28.

ROSE BOWL
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA


WISCONSIN vs. TCU


The Badgers usually fare well enough out of conference against opposing speed-laden teams. Last season’s bowl win against Miami-Florida is the most recent example, and a blowout bowl loss to Florida State two seasons ago was a deceptive result that doesn’t tell the true story of that game, where they rushed for better than 200 yards and had entered the second quarter with a 0-0 score, but began turning the ball over to suddenly trail 0-21, with a team that was completing only 54% of its passes (this year’s bunch completes 74%).

Wisconsin has struggled in its most recent bowl games against opponents that could match their muscle. TCU is a smaller, speedy, crafty outfit that has scheduled non-conference outings vs. BCS Conference schools lacking in the kind of size that the Badgers possess. The Horned Frogs’ ultra- quick defense was able to contain the speed of Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller at Clemson last season, and the speed of the Rodgers brothers vs. Oregon State this season, as well as Baylor’s speed this season (Baylor also had a lousy defense. Wisconsin doesn’t).

Wisconsin’s offense isn’t so much interested in getting to and around the edge. It won’t try to spread out a TCU defense that can cover ground. It’ll just plow straight ahead with an o-line that goes 327-322-323-315-313 across, against an opposing defense that plays a base nickel (4-2-5) with good size at the tackles, but those interior linemen and backers have rarely faced the repeated pounding they’ll take here. WISCONSIN, 27-24.


FIESTA BOWL
University of Phoenix Stadium – Phoenix, AZ


OKLAHOMA vs. CONNECTICUT

Tough matchup for a UConn squad that averaged just 65 offensive snaps per game compared to Oklahoma’s 87 snaps per contest. The Huskies must bust out their disco records and keep the Sooners in the low 70s, if they are to have a shot here.

First off, the UConn offense must possess the football for as long as possible. and QB Frazer’s game plan is simple: take snap, hand off to RB Todman. The Husky o-line should find some success against a decent but not great OU defensive front seven. If the running game doesn’t get going, then this game is over. The UConn secondary feasted all year on bad offenses in route to 19 interceptions and a defensive pass efficiency that ranked 16th nationally.

Sooner QB Jones and his stable of play-making athletes are light years ahead of any offense that the Big East has to offer. Despite the Sooners’ hyper-aggressive play, Oklahoma is good with the football and doesn’t turn it over much. Look for a game that is tight early, as the Sooner defense adapts to what UConn likes to do on offense. But with a margin of error that is smaller than Rex Ryan’s pinky toe (yeah, we went there), eventually OU will start scoring….Frazer will start throwing….UConn will start losing, big. OKLAHOMA, 35-14.


MONDAY'S GAME, JANUARY 3:


ORANGE BOWL
Sun Life Stadium – Miami, FL


VIRGINIA TECH vs. STANFORD by 1


This Stanford offense is as good or better than the Kansas offense of 2007 that beat Virginia Tech, 24-21, in the Orange Bowl: 211-256 Run-Pass per game for Jim Harbaugh’s Cardinal, led by NFL draft hype of quarterback Andrew Luck.

But Virginia Tech brings a more productive and better-balanced offensive unit than they had in the ’07 Orange Bowl: 209-202 per game, led by a more mature quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who totally blew the ’07 Orange Bowl with early turnovers. Taylor’s receiving crew has been upgraded as his collegiate career has progressed. Hokies’ RB Ryan Williams can score from anywhere on the field and is still flying under the radar for the chunk of games he missed in October and early November.

Good opposing offenses got their yards and points against Virginia Tech’s big-rep defense this season, from Boise State in the opener, to East Carolina and NC State in mid-September and early October, to Florida State late. But since the Hokies won the last three of that quartet, they should stay in the hunt however things go early. Stanford’s defense didn’t play too many teams whose wideouts can be standing in front of their defender one second, and be behind him the next. VIRGINIA TECH, 31-30.


TUESDAY'S GAME, JANUARY 4:


SUGAR BOWL
Superdome – New Orleans, LA


OHIO STATE vs. ARKANSAS

The last time the Buckeyes saw Arkansas starting quarterback, Ryan Mallett, he was wearing a Michigan jersey and mucking up the "Big Game" against Ohio State in relief. This time, Mallet will be in there at the start, with a lot more confidence and game action under his belt. But "Mr. Big Arm" and the Arkansas offense couldn’t crack 300 total yards in their bowl game against East Carolina’s defense last year.

Statistically, this Buckeyes’ defense is on a higher plane than that pretty good ECU defense from last season, allowing less than 100 rushing yards per game and less than 200 passing yards per game. Although the stat sheet shows Ohio State’s defense with only 18 sacks, it didn’t face many offenses whose QB needs more time than most to set up and release. “Only” 18 sacks, but with plenty of tape on Arkansas’ offense, a quality defense and all this time to get ready, impactful pressure and picks figure to be in the picture.

Arkansas backers will have to live with the still-unbalanced nature of the pass-laden Arkansas offense, its sub-par rushing totals, and a defense that yields greater-than-par rushing totals per game. For Ohio State, 10 seniors and a couple of juniors have a legitimate chance to be drafted into the NFL. OHIO STATE, 33-25.

GAMES OF LOCAL INTEREST

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2:

TENNESSEE at INDIANAPOLIS*

After suffering through the worst three-game stretch of his career, Peyton Manning has turned it on in the last three weeks, leading his team to three consecutive wins and the driver’s seat in the AFC South. The Colts finally play a Week 17 game with some meaning and the entire Indianapolis team has a hint of desperation to them, making them a feared and formidable opponent with the playoffs approaching.

All semblance of fear and desperation left the building in Tennessee weeks ago, despite the best efforts of Jeff Fisher. Now the Titans are playing out the string for one more year, undone by turmoil and inconsistent play from a team with the talent to perform much better. Tennessee hasn’t beaten Indianapolis since October of 2008, a span of four straight games.

With so much on the line for the Colts, you can expect another Herculean effort from the older Manning. While Indianapolis has struggled to run the ball for most of the season, their backfield is healthy for the first time in months, and there is finally some talent at RB with a healthy Donald Brown and Joseph Addai. That versatility will come in handy against a Titans defense that has collapsed down the stretch. INDIANAPOLIS, 31-19.


JACKSONVILLE at HOUSTON* (Please see “Millionaire Games” below.)


DALLAS at PHILADELPHIA* (Please see “Millionaire Games” below.)

TAMPA BAY at NEW ORLEANS*

During these 17 NFL weeks, we’ve noted New Orleans’ poor record vs. the spread off short weeks a few times: it’s 0-2 ATS this season, and was 0-3 ATS last season.

As noted in last week’s Best Bet winner on the now 9-win Bucs, they are gung-ho, hell-bent on 10 wins, and have been since before the season started. They are a longshot for the post-season and need other teams to lose, but they’ll show up playing a hair-on-fire game here regardless of the fact that other teams are essentially deciding their fate while they are banging heads in a revenge game vs. a division rival that embarrassed them in Tampa by the score of 31-6.

One caution flag on road underdog backers of this Tampa team 6-0 ATS in the role this season and 11-3 ATS in the role since last season is this: Without running backs Bush and Thomas, the Saints out-gained them by 200 offensive yards in that first meeting, and the Turnover Ratio was even. NEW ORLEANS, 33-23.


MILLIONAIRE GAMES



SATURDAY'S GAMES, JANUARY 1:

DALLAS FOOTBALL CLASSIC
Cotton Bowl – Dallas, TX


NORTHWESTERN (+9.5) over TEXAS TECH


Against an offense that nets only 3.8 yards per rush attempt, passes more than it runs and won’t punish them at the line of scrimmage, Northwestern’s defense doesn’t appear to be overmatched. Northwestern’s squirrel-powered offense also possesses something that can frustrate a team like Texas Tech – it stays on the field and strings together long drives, keeping opposing offenses that like to establish rhythm with their own up-tempo, high play count approach – like Texas Tech (81 plays per game) – frustrated on the sidelines.

Texas Tech backers are encouraged because a few too many of those long, Northwestern drives seem to end in missed Stefan Dimas field-goal attempts, or turnovers. Red Raiders' backers are also encouraged by the absence of Northwestern’s #1 quarterback, Dan Persa, injured and out. Still, how does a defense like Texas Tech give up 463 yards per game when the offense is on the field for a nation’s high 81 plays per game? By being terrible, as terrible or worse than Northwestern’s alleged stop unit.

In this horse race, you get Northwestern with “weight off” for the apprentice jockey, who at 6’6”, can nevertheless see over his offensive line (unlike many Big Ten passers) and gun them from the gate against an opposing defense known for giving up ground. Without Persa, Northwestern, already with 7 wins, basically played two exhibitions to close the season, against Big Ten muscle of Illinois and Wisconsin that were playing for stuff (bowl eligibility for Illinois, Rose Bowl berth for Wisconsin), before regrouping and training up to the big match race. NORTHWESTERN, 33-30.


OUTBACK BOWL
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL


FLORIDA (-7) over PENN STATE

Transition is the theme in Gainesville, but the change in coaching staff and schemes starts January 2. Until then – Urban Meyer is still the guy and the energy created by his near-term departure could power a small city. Every player on the Gators roster was recruited by Meyer and his staff, and despite coordinators interviewing for and taking other gigs, the focus at Gator practice has been intense.

Penn State certainly doesn’t want to give Meyer a win as a parting gift, but they just don’t have the personnel to hang for 60 minutes. Let’s start on the offensive end where PSU starts a freshman QB. Penn State averaged a respectable 374 yards per game this year, but averaged less than 290 yards against Ohio State, Alabama, and Iowa – all teams that rank in the top 15 nationally in total defense. The Gators defense ranked #9, and will provide all kinds of issues for this Big Ten offense. When the PSU running game stalls, QB McGloin will be forced to throw into the teeth of an opportunistic secondary that grabbed 17 picks this season. Plus, the UF punting unit ranked 5th nationally in yards per punt – meaning that JoePa’s offense will have a lot of green to cover if they stop the Florida offense.

Speaking of offense, Meyer’s has been anything but turbo-charged this year. But it all gets rolling with a creative rushing attack that will find holes in a Lion defense that gave up 4.5 yards per carry to rank 84th nationally, one spot behind defensive lightweight Kentucky. With extra time to prep and the ability to dump his heart and soul into one game, Meyer will have the Gators offense chomping. FLORIDA, 34-14.


CAPITAL ONE BOWL
Citrus Bowl Stadium – Orlando, FL


MICHIGAN STATE (+10) over ALABAMA 


Because ’Bama is ’Bama, they were over-valued at the betting window in 2010. That trend continues into 2011. On the field, this is a decent matchup for Michigan State. Alabama comes right at you with a pro-style offense and that plays to the strength of the Spartans’ defense – a group that was just as stingy vs. the run as the vaunted Alabama defense. The MSU secondary will have some trouble containing Tide QB McElroy, but this group that gave up 18 TD passes also snatched 17 interceptions so they aren’t complete pushovers.

On offense, Sparty QB Cousins is a vet behind center. That is huge when playing against the multitude of schemes that Nick Saban and Kirby Smart throw at an offense. Cousins has a nice o-line, talented WRs, and two young backs that can make plays. Off the field, Saban has had to manage multiple distractions – including NFL talk with a bunch of his underclassmen, his offensive coordinator interviewing for and being turned down for the Colorado job, and his defensive coordinator being offered a position by Florida.

Up north, Michigan State has been nothing but focused, as coach Dantonio knows a win here probably pushes his team into the Top 5 in the final polls. “This football team has been special. So that will carry us,” said Dantonio during a bowl prep interview. When they’re getting double-digits, we think they’re pretty special, too. ALABAMA, 28-27.

SUNDAY'S GAMES, JANUARY 2:

JACKSONVILLE (-2.5) over HOUSTON*


Even lowering the boom on unrealized expectations hasn’t been enough for the Texans to get off the schneid, as Texas’ weak sister has now lost four in a row, again. They’ve got nothing left to play for but pride, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that pride is in short supply in Houston.

Jacksonville blew their best opportunity to steal the AFC South last weekend, with David Garrard throwing a game-clinching interception in overtime. Now the Jaguars must defeat the Texans, and hope that the Titans can upset the Colts, for Jacksonville to sneak into the playoffs. With the Colt game at 1:00 EST and this game at 4:15 EST, the Jaguars will know whether or not this game means anything. If the Colts lose, you know the Jaguars will come out firing on all cylinders, and to their credit, motivation hasn’t been an issue for the Jaguars – it’s been consistency in execution that’s been the problem.

Luckily for them, they face a Houston team that echoes those mishaps, but compounded in scope. Maurice Jones-Drew and David Garrard will both be out of the game due to injuries, so it's Trent Edwards' turn to look like Joe Montana vs. a team that has the NFL-worst pass defense. JACKSONVILLE, 33-22.


BALTIMORE* (-10.5)  over CINCINNATI


Baltimore is famous for disrespecting the Cincinnati Bengals; the Ravens – Ray Lewis in particular – felt incredibly slighted in losing two games to Cincinnati last year, as the Bengals rode a 6-0 AFC North record to the division title and playoffs. Of course, the Ravens failed in their first attempt to exact a little revenge in Week 2, losing by five in Cincinnati, which has caused this tiff to boil over in overdramatic fashion, as these things are wont to do when Lewis and the Baltimore defense is involved.

Suffice to say, the Ravens are about as motivated as you can get for a regular season finale, heading into a home match-up against Cincinnati. The Bengals showed signs of life for the first time this season in defeating San Diego and snuffing out the Chargers’ playoff hopes, riding the backs of their young receivers in the process.

Baltimore, unlike San Diego, will not allow Cincy’s young receiver corps much room to maneuver, not when a victory coupled with a Steelers' loss could result in the AFC North title and first round bye in the playoffs. Carson Palmer will find much less room in the pocket than last week, and should once again turn into a pumpkin against a ferocious Ravens team that is peaking at just the right time. BALTIMORE, 33-11.


DETROIT* (-2.5) over MINNESOTA


Just what the Vikings wanted, not! Close their home slate with an outdoor game where they were humiliated by division-rival Chicago, stay in Philadelphia an extra two days because of a snowstorm in Philly that forced a Sunday game to Tuesday, then close the season with another road game, off a short week, at the end of a disastrous season where they pretty much got what they deserved for buying into Brett Favre, and having two defensive players who sued the NFL after being nabbed on substance-abuse things last season.

The entire “vaunted” defense has played most of the season like it’s been off steroids, or something like that. Too many rushing yards allowed, too few sacks, too few turnovers (Detroit’s defense has acquired more) for a unit that has been known for the opposite. The punishment is not over. Now, Minnesota has to lose to a division rival it has beaten six straight times, and 16 times in the last 17 meetings dating back to 2002.

Whether Brett Favre chooses to play or they need him to play, or if rookie Joe Webb is playing in a loud dome, or the Vikings have to resort to using the guy they just picked up off a couch (Patrick Ramsey) in the event Webb gets hurt, the Lions’ improving defensive front seven is the wrong unit for the Vikings’ offense to be facing right now, with two starting guards out, and RB Adrian Peterson banged-up and possibly shelved for a rather meaningless game in the Minnesota scheme of things. DETROIT, 31-13.


DALLAS (+7) over PHILADELPHIA*

“There is nothing to be gained against Dallas, but a lot can be lost,” wrote one Philadelphia sportswriter in the middle of this week. Although we usually don’t feel comfortable agreeing with what regular ol’ sportswriters happen to think, they can be right once in a while and there is historical precedent for the Eagles to give a lot less than the “A” effort in this particular game.


Head coach Andy Reid is a well-known tank-jobber in what are rightfully termed “meaningless games.” The Eagles are locked into the #3 NFC post-season seed. They cannot avoid it. They will be hosting a playoff game on this field next week. Already, Philly’s quarterback Michael Vick – the only quarterback with whom they can dominate a game has missed Thursday’s practice.


In 2004, after the Eagles had clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with two regular-season games to go, Reid changed the lineups around for the final two games, and lost them both, by 13 points to the St. Louis Rams and by 28 points to the Cincinnati Bengals (a 7-8 team going in). The Rams game was on a Monday Night, away. "We knew we weren't going to play the whole game, but we wanted to do our best," then-Eagles’ DB Lito Sheppard said of the regulars, who trailed 10-7 at the half. Then-starting QB Donovan McNabb played only one series. His back-up was Koy Detmer, who went 1-for-6 before third-stringer Jeff Blake came on in the fourth quarter. “That gave the night the feel of an August preseason game for the Eagles,” said the Associated Press recap. Then, off the short week, the Eagles totally tanked a home game to Cincinnati.


“The Philadelphia Eagles played as though nothing was on the line,” said the AP recap following the 38-10 loss to Cincinnati. An interesting thing about that game is that Cincinnati’s quarterback against a relaxed Eagles’ defense was Jon Kitna, who could return from a brief injury absence to play in this game for the Cowboys. "It's their first team against our second and third teams. It didn't look well," Eagles coach Andy Reid said afterwards. Hopefully, he’ll be saying the same thing after this Sunday’s game.


The Eagles’ regular season will have concluded with three games vs. NFC rivals in four weeks, a grind in itself. With the odd non-division game of the quartet, vs. Minnesota, causing all kinds of havoc after being shifted from Sunday to Tuesday, you have a situation where Philadelphia enters this game off a very short week, shorter than the usual Tuesday to Sunday off a Monday Nighter. Meanwhile, Dallas has a longer lead-in than usual because they last played on Saturday. It’s a revenge game for the Cowboys, their third such game against an NFC East rival this season. They avenged an opening-day loss to Washington several weeks ago (didn’t cover), and had earlier avenged a Monday Night home loss to the New York Giants with a road win only a few weeks later.


Although it appears as though Stephen McGee will appear for Dallas at quarterback, the kid will have more than a full week of practice, can move better than most people are aware (he gained lots of rushing yards in the Texas A&M offense), and would be playing with absolutely no pressure on him, against an injured defense where linebackers and defensive tackles have been limping off the field a lot lately, and defensive backs had been hurting before that.


The Philadelphia coaching staff is pretty cozy in their status. The entire Dallas coaching staff is still using this game, on top of the others since Wade Phillips was fired, as a resume-builder. Dallas is talking about playing seldom-used wide receivers in this game, which is just fine. Wide receivers are the least important part of a football team, especially one that has Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice in the backfield, targeting a weakened Philadelphia defensive front. DALLAS, 26-10.


BUFFALO at NY JETS* (TOTAL UNDER 39.5)


The Jets spent an extra day in Chicago because of last Sunday’s snowstorm in New York. A regular week becomes a short week, and their chance to improve from a #6 playoff seed in the AFC hinges on other teams winning and/or losing.


Head coach Rex Ryan says that quarterback Mark Sanchez will start, but is also hinting that back-ups Mark Brunell and Kellen Clemens will see action. Also, that rookie running back Joe McKnight could get “extensive” action in the game. Sounds like a vanilla offensive game plan is in effect. As a playoff team without a bye, the Jets want to see a game with as few snaps as possible. The fewer the number of snaps, the less chance for injuries.


Meanwhile, “I’ve got to get this defense fixed,” Ryan said earlier in the week, after the unit allowed 25 first downs at Pittsburgh and 6.0 yards per play at Chicago in back-to-back games. Returning home, for a visit from Buffalo, is a good way to ‘get the defense fixed.” The Jets have been banging Bills’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick around since he was Cincinnati’s back-up, and Fitzpatrick is not 100% healthy, having missed practice Wednesday. The Bills’ braintrust has expressed a desire to get RB Fred Jackson up and over 1,000 yards for the season. He needs 108, and should get carries early and often – against a good run defense. BUFFALO, 13-12.

ST. LOUIS (-2.5) over SEATTLE*


Pete the Cheat! Thanks for showing up in the NFL again, on this particular Seattle team! It was nice to bet against the guy, the team, and win. The “story line” here boils down to the winner winning the NFC West and hosting a playoff game next weekend as an underdog.

The Rams are better-coached, less injured on both sides of the ball, have better offensive and defensive statistics and commit fewer turnovers. A head coach like St. Louis’ Steve Spagnuolo, when he has a decent defensive line like he has with these Rams, will send them after a bad offense with a bad line and a less-than-mediocre running game (like San Francisco’s last week), and let the pressure dictate the flow of the game.

As mentioned with Tampa Bay and running back LeGarrette Blount last week, a power running back like Steven Jackson of St. Louis has yet to meet a Seahawks' defensive front seven player he didn’t like – to run through and over on his way into the matador secondary. St. Louis won the first meeting 17-3, and although the Rams are merely 1-6 SU away from Edward Jones home-dome this season, we’ll go back to what we said last week. When does a 1-6 SU road team become a 2-6 SU road team? When they face a home team that 1) stinks, 2) stinks, 3) has injuries, 4) stinks. ST. LOUIS, 24-13.

NEWSLETTER RESULTS - Week #17


Week #17 resulted in a profit again for the Crier, as he won 4.4 units going 7-5 ATS. For the first 17 weeks of the season, the record is now 197-122 (almost 62% for the mathematically-challenged) for a cumulative profit of 104 units.


By playing the newsletter games, your results should have been the same as or close to the Crier's results depending on your lines compared to the Crier's with maybe a 5-10% margin of difference, either way.

For those smart and lucky ones who have been receiving and following the Crier's selections, bowl coverage will conclude with the next issue, as we cover the last five bowl games.


For those football followers who want to play hoops, contact the Crier and he will e-mail you the daily action starting next Monday, January 3, through the end of the regular NBA season in mid-April. If you thought the Crier knows his College Football, wait till you see his College Hoops "expertise".


Good Luck, as we continue in the backstretch of the football season playing with a lot of "house money". Last week's newsletter results follow:

Week #17 (using Crier’s lines):



Date W/L Team Line Opponent Amt. Of Play Final Score


Dec. 22 W Boise State (N) -16.5 Utah BB 26-3

Dec. 24 W Tulsa +10 Hawaii* BB 62-35
Dec. 25 W Arizona* +7 Dallas RP 27-26
Dec. 26 L San Francisco +2.5 St. Louis* RP 17-25
Dec. 26 W Tampa Bay* -5.5 Seattle BB 38-14
Dec. 26 W Baltimore -3 Cleveland* BB 20-10
Dec. 26 L Houston -3 Denver* RP 23-24
Dec. 26 L Houston Over 48.5 Denver* RP 23+24=47
Dec. 26 L San Diego -7 Cincinnati* BB 20-34
Dec. 26 W Florida International (N) +1.5 Toledo RP 34-32
Dec. 27 W New Orleans +2.5 Atlanta* RP 17-14
Dec. 27 L Georgia Tech (N) +3 Air Force RP 7-14


* - Home team

N - Neutral site


SBB - Super Best Bet (3 units)
BB - Best Bet (2 units)
RP - Regular Play (1 unit)


Week #17


Type of Wager: W-L (excludes “pushes”); Profit/Loss (Cumulative in parentheses)


NFL Results ATS
Super Best Bets: 0-0 = 0%; 0 units (1-1 = 50%; -.3 units)
Best Bets: 2-1 = 66.7%; +1.8 units (32-20 = 61.5%; +20 units)
Regular Plays: 2-3 = 40%; -1.3 units (34-28 = 54.8%; +3.2 units)


Week #17 Totals: 4-4 = 50%; +.5 units (67-49 = 57.8%; +22.9 units)


College Football Results ATS
Super Best Bets: 0-0 = 100%; 0 units (10-2 = 83.3%; +23.4 units)
Best Bets: 2-0 = 100%; +4 units (51-32 = 61.4%; +31.6 units)
Regular Plays: 1-1 = 50%; -.1 units (69-39 = 63.9%: +26.1 units)


Week #17 Totals: 3-1 = 75%; +3.9 units (130-73 = 64.0%; +81.1 units)


Total Combined NFL and College Football Results ATS
Super Best Bets: 0-0 = 0%; 0 units (11-3 = 78.6%; +23.1 units)
Best Bets: 4-1 = 80%; +5.8 units (83-52 = 61.5%; +51.6 units)
Regular Plays: 3-4 = 42.9%; -1.4 units (103-67 = 60.8%; +29.3 units)


Week #17 Totals: 7-5 = 58.3%; +4.4 units (197-122 = 61.8%; +104 units)


HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THE GAMBLERS OUT THERE - MAY 2011 BRING YOU MORE WINNERS!



THE CRIER/SR CREW

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY - MIKE IN DA - DECEMBER 30, 2010

COMMENTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY


Written by: Mike in DA
Date posted: 12/30/2010


FLEX THIS NBC!

When the NFL announced the flex games for Week 17, the results aren't pretty for fans of Sunday Night Football. While it is the only division title game in Week 17, I don't know of anyone that would want to sit down and watch Rams-Seahawks in the final game of the regular season in primetime except for fans of those two teams and people who have wagers on the game.

I can't imagine why the NFL and NBC would want to showcase the worst division in NFL history with a primetime game in Week 17, even with a playoff spot up for grabs. Why not show the game's best rivalry and a game with huge playoff implications in the Bears and Packers?

Why showcase two teams that have drawn the scorn and mockery of the nation? Teams from the NFC West are -322 point differential against the rest of the league with a 13-27 record outside the division.



The Seahawks Messiah?

 The ridiculousness of it is that a 6-9 team that has lost three straight games allowing 37.3 PPG and starting Charlie Whitehust at QB will be hosting a game for a playoff spot to finish the season at 7-9. 

The Seahawks are 2-7 in their last nine games; nonetheless, if they can beat the Rams this week in Seattle, they will be in the NFC playoffs as champions of the NFC West with a 7-9 record. When the Seahawks have lost this year, they have gone down in flames. Each loss has been by more than two TDs; the closest the Seahawks have come in a loss was 15 points to the Saints in New Orleans. The average margin of defeat for the Seahawks in their nine losses is 21 points.





It could be an ugly game, but since the Crier has action on the game, expect some of the Peanut Gallery faithful to be tuned in.


ARE THE CHARGERS AS DISAPPOINTING AS THE NFC WEST? 

While people have focused on the miserable state of the NFC West this season, somehow it seems to have taken some of the focus off of the miserable performance put in by the San Diego Chargers this season.

For much of the year, the Chargers had the top ranked offense plus the top-ranked defense in the NFL. As of today, the Chargers still have the top-ranked defense and offense in the NFL. With those rankings, the Chargers were eliminated from the playoffs last weekend when they lost to the Cincy Bengals who came into the game with a 3-11 record.

It ought to be interesting to see if Norv Turner can survive that. You may remember that he got the job after Marty Schottenheimer was fired for going 14-2 in the regular season and then losing a first-round playoff game.



FROM THE HMW MAILBAG!

Earlis commented on Sean Garza’s Texan Report of 12/28, "WEEKLY TEXAN REPORT: DENVER BRONCOS - SEAN GARZA -..." (http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/weekly-texan-report-denver-broncos-sean.html):

“We are monsters of mediocrity Sean...I am worn out from this dismal season...the Texans did not represent...they went through the motions and for me that behavior is unacceptable....the coaching was uninspired and play on the field was sporadic at best...I don't understand not being ready to play week-in and and week-out, let alone giving up three hundred yards to Tim Tebow, heck maybe he is "Touchdown Jesus" in the flesh... Lol.” END.


Earlis commented on the 12/27 re-post, “RE-POST WHO ARE THESE CLOWNS? - MIKE IN DA - JUNE ...": ( http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/re-post-who-are-these-clowns-mike-in-da.html):


“…I did hear that show Mike and first I thought they were just having fun with you why white men can't jump then I realized these guys were three short of a six pack regarding sports knowledge...” END.


Thomas and "badweatherman" left comments on Craig Shelton’s post of 12/28, "MARCH ON RELIANT?" (http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/march-on-reliant-by-craig-chelton-12-29.html):


“Oh man, good one Bob McNair. You almost had me fooled. I was initially outraged when I read on message boards of (Barry) Warner's inside info of leading candidates to replace Kubiak. I actually said to myself "I rather keep Kubiak if those are our choices."


I then went on SR610's website and listened to the podcast of the Eric Winston show. During the 2-minute-drill segment, they played nothing but pro-Kubiak calls. I understand that SR610 and the Houston Texans are in bed together, but they don't need to insult our intelligence like that. You have to be living on Mars not to know that the overwhelming majority of the Texans fan base wants Kubiak gone. Yet they want us to believe that it’s closer to 50-50 on whether to fire Kubiak.


After listening to that and reading your post on here, it’s pretty obvious the Texans leaked that list to SR610 to try to soften the fans' opinion on Kubiak. They are planning to keep him and are already in damage control mode.


Well played Bob, you almost had me.” - from Thomas. END.

"Great post as always. Yes, Big Bob (McNair) is probably trying to butter us all up for the disappointment that will be the retaining of Kubiak and (Rick) Smith. Frankly, I would be okay with Smith getting the axe and Kubiak being retained - the problem with this team is personnel first, then coaching. That is not to excuse the poor job that Frank Bush has done. This team flat out sucks on D. However, let’s look at the other facts of this team that have fallen off: the O line and Matt Schaub. Eric Winston and Duane Brown have been inept at their positions. This team has no leadership that comes from the line. Strong personalities (or radio personalities for that matter) do not equate with leadership. Wade Smith and (Antoine) Caldwell have done a decent job this year, but the tackles and the center flat out suck. There is no way that the job (Arian) Foster and (Vonta) Leech have done can be minimized. Congrats to them!

I also think that we will find out that (Matt) Schaub has been playing hurt this year. His throwing motion is not as sound as it was last year, and he has lost the zip that he had last year. It would not surprise me to find out that he has some sort of arm issue that will have to be addressed this offseason. I can live with Schaub for another season or two. Far too many other issues for this team to address.


My picks for a new GM would be Omar Khan from Pittsburgh or Reggie McKenzie from Green Bay. Both guys have spent time as integral parts of organizations that can find talent. The new GM should be in charge of hiring the new DC. Kubiak can not scout talent, and he sure as hell can't coach defense (or hire a decent DC). I think that Gary would flourish in a "less is more" environment.


Please Bob - hear the fans. Let's get this right." - from "badweatherman". END.


Earlis and Michael both left comments on Lamont Mann’s post of 12/29, "LANCE ZIERLEIN BELIEVED BARRY WARNER "GRAND STAND"..." (http://sheltonmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/lance-zierlein-believed-barry-warner.html):


“(Richard) Justice hated Cecil (Cooper) with passion and the feeling was most likely mutual...the thing with Justice is he has a thin skin and a phat ego... he did a good job with Yates (High School) when very few took the time to get the real story and I have to respect him for that. As to Cooper, Justice was on the team of sports journalist hell bent on running Cecil out of town. Of course, some of that is Coop's fault, as he is not a charming personality and very hard headed..hmmm we could be related..lol...actually he looks more like Ralph (Cooper). Maybe I misunderstood, but my impression is Justice said he had no problem with Cecil and everybody knows they could not stand each other and that's ok, but if Richard will not own up to that I find that disappointing.” - from Earlis. END.


“That's twice you've put that picture up of "NOT Barry Warner" with the thumbs up. That dude has hair. You need to sharpen your google image skills. I like your blog, but I'm just a stickler for details. Keep up the good work.” – from Michael. END.



I'm Barry Warner.



Bullshit! I'm Barry Warner. I am the "GREATEST".



Barry #2 in 1969

Response to Michael: Nice catch, but you can put that one on me. That was Barry Warner in the picture, but not the one you listen to on SR610.

You know how Barry thinks of himself as “The Greatest”, but like Ali, he never served in the military. So a while back, I selected a picture of Specialist Barry Warner who served as a door gunner with the 2nd Airlift Platoon - 187th Assault Helicopter Company in Nam back in 1969-70. This would complete “our” Barry as a “great American” just like his friend, George W. Bush. I used that picture several times and it is in our “image library” and Lamont apparently used it, but since has taken it down and replaced it with a picture of the obnoxious Barry.

The next time Barry is asking for topics for his nightly “bedtime story”, ask him to tell how he lucked out of the draft in the late 1960’s.


Please see the above pictures of the two Barrys, including Barry #2, as he looked in 1969. Barry #2 will be at the 187th’s annual reunion from November 10-13, 2011, at the Island House Hotel in Orange Beach, AL, a short ride from Pensacola, FL, just in case you want to meet him.



And Michael, if you're such a stickler for details as you say you are, then you know how inaccurate a lot of our sports talk hosts are as far as their sports history knowledge is concerned, especially the younger guys at SR610. Send the "flubs" that you hear to crierscorner@aol.com and it will be put in the "Comments from the Peanut Gallery". That will be the real test of how good a stickler for details that you are. This is my challenge to you!

HI-YO SILVER, AWAY! 

Last week, Fred Foy, passed away. If that name is not immediately familiar to you, he was a radio announcer in the “golden days of radio” and what are probably his most famous lines from radio found their way onto early television. If you are about my age or older, you may remember:

 

“A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo Silver - - the Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early Western United States. Nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice.

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again!” END.

THE CRIER: "COLLEGE FOOTBALL DON'T NEED NO STINKIN’ PLAYOFF!"

We still have a long way to go in the current bowl season! Don’t you love it? Why would people want to ruin all this with a championship playoff system? College Football has eleven (11) conferences (and three Independents), all run as separate business entities! You can’t have a national champion when there are 11 different conferences in business!


MLB has two “leagues,” under one corporate umbrella. The NFL has two “conferences,” under one corporate umbrella. The NBA has two conferences, under one corporate umbrella. College Basketball has the NCAA Tournament because the sport can be played indoors, by a group of teams, several games each on a weekend.


College Football? Eleven different conferences! Why do they even need to “crown” one champion? They already have 11 of them by the beginning of December. The more, the merrier! Just because other sports do it, College Football – configured completely different - has to do it? I don’t think so.

I remember when Arizona played Kentucky for the national championship in College Basketball in 1997. The game went into overtime, and I was thinking, “Why are they bothering? Why don’t they just bring the teams to center court, and hold up the hand of both coaches, and tell them, 'Congratulations, you’re co-champions of College Hoops this year.'”


After four-and-a-half months, the last two teams could not be separated at the end of 40 minutes. Doesn’t this tell you something? They’re even! Sure, somebody will score at least one more point than the other in the next five minutes of overtime, but what will that prove? Nothing!
 
HOW ABOUT UPDATING THE BIOGRAPHIES ON THE WEBSITE?

For the three years that Ken Hoffman worked for KGOW 1560, on the station’s website, in the biography section, it said that Ken’s bio would appear shortly. Earlier this year, I said that Ken would most likely be gone from the station before his brief bio would appear on the website. Well, I was right. He was gone before his bio appeared.

Obviously, 1560 doesn’t care too much about updating the biographies of its employees. For instance, in David Nuno’s brief bio, we know that David and Elizabeth Nuno have two dogs, Barkley and Havana, but nowhere is there any mention of their twin boys, Chris and Cruz, who will be two-years-old on their next birthday.

Lance Zierlein’s wife, Nicole, gave birth to a daughter, Marianna, on December 17 or thereabouts. I wonder how long it will be before mention of Marianna will be included in Lance’s brief bio. By the way, Lance’s youngest son, Sebastian, is amazing. In Lance's bio, it says Sebastian is six months old. I saw him last week and he walks better than me already. That is impressive. Either that or the bio is partially out-of-date.



TURNOVER FREE!

The New England Patriots have played 15 games this season. In 11 of those games they have not committed a turnover. They have played the last seven consecutive games “turnover-free”. Tom Brady’s last interception came about two months ago. If the Pats can avoid committing four turnovers in this week’s final game vs. Miami, they will set an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season. So far, the Pats have nine (9); the record set in 2008 by the Dolphins and the Giants is thirteen (13).

"FATHER TIME" TOOK SOME OF US AWAY IN 2010!

The following is from today's guest blogger, Jack Finarelli:

"The sand in "Father Time’s" hourglass for 2010 is running low. God-willing, we will all begin another journey around the sun very soon. However, some folks will not be joining us for that excursion because they shuffled off during 2010. Let's remember some of them:


January:


Steve “Dr. Death” Williams, professional wrestler, lost a “loser leaves the planet match”.


Rory Markus, Angels’ radio announcer, had his mic turned off.


Gaines Adams rushed the passer for the last time.


Bobby Bragan began arguing with umpires in the CBL (Cosmic Baseball League for the acronym-challenged).


Tom Brookshier covered his last post pattern.


February:


Wrestler, Jack Brisco, applied his final hammerlock.


Dick McGuire reunited with his brother, Al, and started playing games of HORSE in Heaven.


Pro Football Hall of Famer “Bullet” Bill Dudley ran his last option play.


Former Knick, Carl Braun, swished his final two-hand over-the-back-of-his-head set shot.


Fred Morrison, inventor of the Frisbee, glided onto another plane of existence.


Coach Dana Kirk forfeited a Final Four appearance in the CCBT (Cosmic Collegiate Basketball Tournament for the acronym-challenged).


Pitcher Jim Bibby went to the showers.

March:


RB Mosi Tutupu started covering kickoffs in the CFL (Celestial Football League for the acronym-challenged).


Outfielder Willie Davis stole his last base.


Merlin Olsen sacked his final QB. (Does Father Murphy get special treatment in Heaven?)


"Baron" Mikel Scicluna, professional wrestler, was disqualified for bringing a foreign object with him to the Pearly Gates.


Chet Simmons added ESPN to his CCN (Celestial Cable Network for the acronym-challenged) package.


April:


Mike Cuellar threw his final screwball.


Boxing ref, Arthur Mercante, took a ten-count instead of administering one.


Horse racing legend, Personal Ensign, munched its final nosebag.


May:


Baseball announcer, Ernie Harwell, called his final terrestrial baseball game.


Robin Roberts served up his final “gopher ball”.


Sportswriter, Ron Fimrite, sent his final column to the copy editor.


Chicago Bear Hall of Famer, Stan Jones, led his final power sweep.


José Lima saw the end of “Lima Time”.

June:


John Wooden took over Heaven’s college basketball team.


College basketball legend, Tom Stith, sank his last layup.


Manute Bol took his final charging foul.


July:


Don Coryell took his “Air Coryell” playbook waaay up in the air.


Jockey legend, Johnny Sellers, became eligible to ride in the Cosmic Triple Crown races.


Hockey player, Bob Probert, went to the eternal penalty box.


George Steinbrenner immediately fired Billy Martin in the afterlife and then quickly rehired him.


Ralph Houk got the hook from God.


Jack Tatum, aka "The Assassin", became a victim of the ultimate assassin, "The Grim Reaper".


August:


Billy Loes walked his final batter.


Gary “Big Hands” Johnson stuffed his final running play.


Lance Cade lost his final wrestling match to "The Grim Reaper".


Bobby Thomson’s "shot heard round the world" became audible in Heaven.


Former Olympian, Harold "Hal" Connolly, threw his final hammer on Earth and began working out with Thor - God of Thunder.


Umpire “Satch” Davidson called his final third strike.

September:


Ron Kramer started catching passes in the CFL (Celestial Football League).


George Blanda started playing QB for the real “Over The Hill Gang”.


Cal McLish – full name Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish – gave up his final home run.

October:


Paul, the World Cup predicting octopus, became sushi.


November:


Pro surfer, Andy Irons, took his search for the perfect wave to the cosmos.


Maurice Lucas became "The Heavenly Enforcer".


Edouard “The Flying Frenchman” Carpentier booked himself to wrestle "Strangler" Lewis.


Sparky Anderson began his quest to be the first person to win a championship in the National, American, and Cosmic League.


Baseball announcer, Dave Niehaus, called his final “Grand Salami”.


Tom Underwood gave up his final grand slam.


Gil McDougald turned his final double play.


December:


Ron Santo took a called strike three.


Philly sportswriter, Phil Jasner, filed his last game report.


“Dandy” Don Meredith turned out the lights for the last time.


Basketball coach, Hank Raymonds, took his final timeout.


Bob Feller got ready to pitch to Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente, and Jackie Robinson. END.


HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE HMW CREW AND MAY YOU NOT BE ON NEXT YEAR'S "FATHER TIME" LIST!!!

MIKE IN DA



HMW


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