Mail

Before adulthood, bills, and home-ownership, there was nothing like the feeling of getting mail.   I would always hurry home from school, hoping to be the first one to check the mailbox, only to be disappointed that I received nothing 98% of the time.  I never understood why my parents weren't fired up when they got 5 pieces of mail each day, but now I realize mail sucks.  When you are a kid mail is either money from Grandma or the magazine you eagerly await.  Now, mail is bills, junk, more junk, a magazine I don't have time to read, or more junk.  When I look at our countertop that is littered with mail from the past week, I just want to cancel the mail just as Kramer did on Seinfeld... 

Time for the college picks... 

The theme of the week is 'mailing it in.'  I'm picking teams that could just "mail it in" as they say and get a win.

Florida International @ Florida (-45.5)

Yeah, I'm laying 45.5.  Ambitious scheduling at its best. 

TCU @ Wyoming (-31)

I'd love to see 3 or more undefeated teams at the end of the year, the horned frogs won't have any trouble staying that way this week.

Kansas @ Texas (-27)

It's bad when you are on the front of espn.com for off the field issues on the same week you are playing at Texas against a QB that needs big numbers to win the heisman.  

Season:  25-20-0

Until next time, 

Tweeting the picks

Busy day.  Just got done with a scrimmage, now headed to a wedding.  Due to time constraints, I'll have to tweet the picks.  Because it's an abbreviated post, I'm picking the abbreviated team.

ND @ Pittsburgh (-7)

Standford @ USC (-10.5)

Miami @ UNC (+3.5)

Season:  23-19-0

Until next time, 

Cuts

One of the best things about coaching football is that you do not have to make cuts.  You can take on any kid that wants to play, no matter his skill level, and give him something to take pride in and belong to.  I never knew how underprivileged many kids were until I started teaching/ coaching, and seeing a kid belong to a team is extremely rewarding, especially when you know it truly is the only positive thing going on in his life.  

Today was the worst day for a basketball coach, the last tryout.  You know that every kid there just wants to be on the team and just wants to belong.  But, in basketball there are only so many jerseys and so many spots available on the team, that cuts are inevitable.  It's an awful task to sit there and look a kid in the eye and tell them they didn't make the team that they so desperately want to be on.  

However, the last tryout also brings the opportunity for one of the most rewarding experiences as a coach as well.  It doesn't get much better than the experience of calling a kid into your office that works so hard and has been so unbelievably committed that his work ethic and toughness overshadow his shortcomings in skill and athletic ability, and having the opportunity to tell that kid how proud you are of him and that he has MADE the team is as good as it gets. There aren't a whole lot of more rewarding experiences than that.  

Now for the week 10 picks...

I'm picking all favorites this week because according to parents of kids that get cut, thats what coaches do.

Oregon @ Stanford (+7.5)

Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Goooooooooo Ducks!

USC @ Arizona State (+11)

Trojans take out frustration from last weeks stomping.

Wake Forest @ Ga. Tech (-13)

HOT SHOOTER!!! I'm posting the Tech fight song with next weeks picks if they win again for me.  

Oklahoma @ Nebraska (+6)

I just had a 3rd grader in one of my classes move to Oklahoma.  I didn't think people really even lived there, but here's a welcome to Oklahoma present for that kid.  

Season: 23-15-0

Until next time, 

Bad Presentaton

I hate meetings!  Especially meetings that consist of bad presenters and/or presentations.  I just sat through a 4 hour pupil activity validation meeting in which 6 speakers read a power point to me one after another.  If you are going to use power point to speak in front of a group of people, don't insult your audience by reading to them.  Put the main points up there, and then at least act like you are an authority on the subject by explaining it to them in your own terms.  Nothing says boredom quite like a 4 hour power point being read to you by awful speakers. 

Ok, good to get that out.  Now for the complete opposite of boredom, it's time for the week 9 picks.  After sitting through such a bad presentation this morning, 'bad presentation' is the theme of the week.  I'm picking against teams in which the product they put on the field is like watching a 4 hour power point.  

Duke @ Virginia (-7)

I like Cavman much more than a Blue Devil.  

Mich. St @ Minnesota (+4)

Watching Minnesota play Ohio State wasn't much better than the power point.  I love the Spartans here.   

Penn St @ Northwestern (+17)

Joe Pa's troops look like they are clicking, and the Wildcats are just bad.  

Ga. Tech @ Vandy (-12)

Sticking with my hot shooter... press the bet please.  Tech rolls.

Season:  21-13-0

Until next time, 

College Picks Week 8

Yes, the ol' Mo Train did go 4 for 4 last week making it 7 of the last 8 against the spread. 

The hot streak has come during two consecutive weeks in which a theme has been used to choose the teams.  I'm sticking with the theme just like a hot shooter in craps.  I will once again be filming a wedding tonight, and will be on the road for most of the games, so all of the road teams get the nod.  

Ga Tech @ Virginia (+4)

My parents went down to this game to visit my family, tailgate, and have a great time.  They could have waited until next week to go down and I would have been able to go with them.  But, apparently Dad wanted to see Georgia Tech a lot more than he wanted to get to travel down with his son and daughter-in-law to see the game vs Duke next weekend.  Yes, I get the message.  And for that I hope Georgia Tech puts this one away with a 42-0 1st quarter and all the bums play the rest of the way, and I hope it rains the whole time, and is cold, and the hot dog guy never comes to their section, and...

Without thinking about the above scenario, I would love to see UVA get a big win.  They are on a roll, and have given Tech some good games recently.  When I think about the game though, all I can picture is the text Nick sent me after the loss to William and Mary, "we just lost to William & Mary."  That's all it said, but it spoke much louder than that.  Ga Tech by 10.  

Oklahoma @ Kansas (+7.5)

For all the future professional athletes that read this blog... If you have a chance to go pro and make guaranteed millions, do it.  Don't think twice.  Don't get all emotional over leaving your college teammates.  Just go.  Sooners BIG!

Iowa @ Mich. St (-1.5)

For the second consecutive week Iowa (a top 10 team by the way) goes on the road and gets points.  Talk about being able to play the "nobody believes in us" card... Hawkeyes in a close one.

Texas @ Mizzou (-13)

He won the big game, now he needs a gaudy stat game.  Colt goes off and the 'horns show no mercy.

Season:  17-13-0

Until next time, 

Morale Victories and College Picks 7

I’m not talking about moral victories; I don’t believe there are such things.  I thrive on competition in my daily life, and anyone who says there are moral victories, probably just lost. 

What I do enjoy are morale victories.  This is a concept I completely made up, but it keeps my long commutes to work interesting, and fills the requirement for competition in everything I do.  A morale victory is one that awards no prize other than pride, and is rarely recognized by any individual other than the “winner.”

For example…

Just yesterday I stopped to fill up my gas tank.  Boring right?  Probably for the average person that stops at the pump., but for me, I’m just entering the arena baby.  I step out of the car, swipe my card for 20 cents off per gallon, and start filling.  I know it’s going to be about 15-16 gallons, so I rush to the window cleaner thingy and start to wipe down the windshield.  I finish, return the thingy, and head back to the pump with my gameface on.  I crack my knuckles, loosen my fingers, and prepare for pump stoppage, and survey the pump.   The numbers are closing in on my mark quickly... 14 gallons, $31, $32, 15 gallons, $33,  I grasp the handle, $33.85, I prepare for the moment. STOP!!!!!  $34.00 even, WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER, PERFECT PUMP BABY!!!  A mental fist pump caps off a morale victory at its best, and then the better part is that you get to leave the perfect pump on the display for the next person to see, tell me there is a better feeling? 

Another example happens almost daily on my ride home from work.  Coming south on 71 I like to travel in the left lane.  The right lanes are often crowded with old people and semis.  When you’re in the left lane you get that guy that’s in the biggest rush of his life and comes speeding up behind you.  I typically LOVE this guy because he’s going to get ahead of me and if there are any cops up ahead, they get him instead of me.  But, he’s in such a rush that instead of giving me a second to pass the semi that occupies the middle lane, and then get over and let him by, he cuts right across all 3 lanes, and tries to go past everyone.   Idiot!  I take this as a challenge, and give a little extra gas so that I can get ahead of the semi, and try to get the guy stuck in the right lane beside me and the semi, and behind whomever is in the right lane at the time.   A mental fist pump, and an evil sounding laugh gives me a morale victory that lifts my spirits for the rest of the ride, you know the feeling. 

Let’s get to the week 7 picks…

Last week I went with the road team theme, and it totally paid off bringing me back to .500 against the spread for the year.  I’m going to stick with the theme of today, morale victories, and pick all underdogs.  Why is that a morale victory?  I’m looking vegas straight in the eye and saying “how dare you give me this many points,” and when I cover I can laugh at vegas “ha ha ha vegas, outsmarted yourself a little huh?”  (It makes sense to me and that’s all that counts)…

Texas vs Oklahoma (+3.5)

Iowa @ Wisconsin (-2.5)

South Carolina @ Alabama (-18)

Arkansas @ Florida (-25)

Season 13-13-0

Until next time, 

College Picks Week 6

224 is filming a wedding tonight in Sherrodsville Ohio.  Where is that?   Not real sure, but because I am going to be on the road for all of the games today, I'm going with an all road team themed card... 

Ga. Tech @ FSU (-2.5)

Tech and the points.

Florida @ LSU (+7.5)

Tebow pulls a Willis Reed and gets cleared at game time, Gators comfortably in this one.  

Georgia @ Tennessee (pk)

Georgia takes out the frustration of the celebration penalty on Lane and the boys, I'll take the Dawgs.  

Mich St. @ Illinois (+3.5)

There is a lot more than a change in QB needed at Illinois, Spartans by a touchdown.  

Season: 10-12-0

Until next time,