Twas the day before the day before Christmas and all through the house the heater was blasting because it was freaking cold outside.

I was never good at rhyming.

Is it just me or the holidays always a disappointment now that I am an adult? As a student, even into college, you have a couple weeks off, with at least one coming prior to Christmas to allow you to get all festive.

You spend days getting into brawls with 67 year old women over the 25% Scarves rack.

You pick out and decorate a tree, hang household decoration and wrap presents.

You relax, reading or watching TV with a fire in the fireplace and the lights on the tree.

Your parents blast the worst possible Christmas music for weeks on end.

Each night features a bowl game pitting one school with a direction in its name against a school with a city in its name.

In short, your entire attention is focused on the pending holidays.

Now as a working adult, I force myself to squeeze some rushed shopping between the never-ending work requests that pile up as co-workers and clients try to cram a month’s worth of work into the 3 working days before the end of the year. Forget household decorations.

Today is a holiday for my company, yet I have a list of work to-dos longer than my 9-year old niece’s Christmas Wish List.

Where the holidays used to be my favorite time of the year, now it is something I look forward to all year that inevitably disappoints. It is sort of like the city of London. I idealize it in my mind and then once there, realize it is just really crowded and expensive.

With that bah-humbug, depressing opening, let’s hit the THH for the penultimate NFL weekend.

In honor of happier holidays this week, I am using one of the 3 best Christmas TV specials of my youth to guide who to cheer on in each game.

For the record those 3 are: (1) Twas the Night Before Christmas, (2) Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer and (3) Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas

This time of year, there is only one question to ask yourself: What would Emmet Otter do?

Shadow and Turner are not joining because Turner grew up Amish and is not familiar with the season’s most generous mammal while Shadow regretfully admitted he didn’t like Emmett growing up, which is nearly as shameful as once being a Raiders fan.

But I will forgive him. It is the least I can do this time of year. Because I should be thankful for what I have: family, friends and a washtub with no hole in it.

Giants @ Jets

Obviously Emmet would be cheering on the Giants. First, Emmet loathes greed in all forms. With Rex clearly eating all food in his vicinity and refusing to share while Mark Sanchez nails every hot woman who doesn’t have a souvenir ‘I got hit by Derek Jeter’ baseball, the Jets personify greed. The Giants on the other hand have Eli Manning who is all about the family. If any NFL player would enter a musical contest to try and earn money to buy his mom a Christmas present, it is clearly Eli.

Bucs @ Panthers

One of the songs that Emmet and his pals play is entitled Barbecue and includes the following lyrics:

And your very favorite thing to do

Is get a perty girl dancin’ to jug-band music

And a mess of mama’s barbecue

Barbecue lifts my spirit

I swear that it never fails

And the sauce mama makes just stays there forever

If you dare to get it under your nails

Well you maybe poor with a wolf at your door

But money isn’t everything

You still got your song and a river full of fun

And you’ll always have a song to sing

So get the frown off your face

We’re gonna replace it with a grin and a dream come true

With a perty girl dancin’ to jug-band music

And a mess of mama’s barbecue

Clearly, Emmet would be cheering for Carolina and their messy, sweet, tasty barbecue in this one.

Browns @ Ravens

Emmet, his mom and his mates lost the musical contest to a bunch of lizards, snakes and a bear wearing sunglasses. A group that can’t be trusted and would do anything to make money. Sort of like Art Modell turning his back on the people of Cleveland and moving to Baltimore for a promised new stadium. Emmet, of all beings, can relate to the poor people of Cleveland and would be a proud member of the Dawg Pound this weekend.

Much like my vocal cords, THH is recovering a little slowly from last week’s epic game in Tallahassee. While THH was in complete hibernation until it was too late to pick the college games, my voice crept slowly back to life as the week progressed. On Sunday, my voice ranged a soft whisper to, at best, the voice of a guy talking through a hole in his throat. By Tuesday I was starting to sound like Kathleen Turner. By Thursday I had made it all the way back to Wendi Nix.

Really, the only benefit to my scratchy throat was my dead-on sing along to a Johnny Cash song on my I-pod.

Anyway, I have finally recovered from last week’s painful FSU loss. Sadly, the Noles did not. Somehow a team that gave up 23 points to the best team in the land allowed Clemson to put up 35 today. But more on that later.

Let’s set aside the very painful world of college football and focus on the pros.

In honor of one of my all-time favorite Americans, this week is Neighbors week. All the games feature teams playing a team from a neighboring state.

It’s just too bad I didn’t get to this before the college game because I was really excited to label the Nebraska/Wyoming game ‘The Cabelas Bowl’ – a battle between the state that is the home to Cabela’s and a state that is home to 69% of their consumers.

But instead, we will focus on the big boys. And in honor of these neighborly battles, the games will be decided with one simple question:

What would Mr. Rogers do?

NFL

Houston @ New Orleans

I know Mr. Rogers is remembered as the epitome of wholesome family entertainment but if there is one thing that our religious and Republican leaders have taught me, it’s that the more wholesome and devout someone appears, the more crazy sh*t they like to do when the lights are off. While this might make you think Mr. Rogers would cheer for Houston and their soon-to-be outed Governor Rick Perry (who doth protests way too much), I think we all know that when it comes to debauchery, New Orleans is in a neighborhood all its own. Geaux Saints.

Detroit @ Minnesota

One of the best parts of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was when he went to visit the neighborhood of Make-Believe. Unlike fans of rap battles, it would be understandable that anyone that values neighborhoods and neighbors would not like Detroit, but, the neighborhood of Make-Believe is key to understanding why both Mr. Rogers and I would cheer for the Lions. Only someone that spends part of their week in the Land of Make-Believe could ever think that Matthew Stafford could stay healthy for an entire season.

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay

While Mr. Rogers’ entire show was about his neighborhood that was all make-believe. Even the stuff outside the neighborhood of Make-Believe. Mr. McFeely was not a delivery man. He was an actor named David Newell, playing a character named after Fred Rogers’ grandfather. Mr. Rogers’ real neighborhood was the other shows that aired around his show on PBS. So in that way, the inhabitants of Sesame Street were more Mr. Rogers’ neighbors than anyone in Make-Believe land. And anyone that has spent any time on Sesame Street knows we should be nice to our fellow humans. LeGarrette Blount clearly never watched Sesame Street, so Fred and I are both rooting for the Falcons.

I arrived in Texas this morning.

Sadly, I was hoping I would land in the middle of a Anchorman-style back-alley brawl with A&M, Texas and Baylor alumni groups fighting to the death but instead it is just hot and dry and flat like usual. Too bad.

Though for the record, if any local alumni group is throwing a trident in a back-alley brawl it is absolutely the alumni group from Rice.

Being in Dallas also puts me in the mind of the Cowboys and the NFC. With Jerry’s spaceship visible for 50 miles in every direction it is hard to not think about the Cowboys when you are here. Even if your one trip to Jerryworld was less than ideal (though that trip still generates more hits than every other post on this site combined, so I really can’t say too much negative about Mr. Jones).

With Jerry in mind then, let’s pick this year’s NFC Champion as well as our eventual Super Bowl Champ.

NFC East

Obviously the trendy pick here is the Eagles. In fact, it is so obvious that it is clear to me that it will never happen (call that Vizzini logic). Have you noticed that all of the key players on the Eagles are physically small? Vick, McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Nnamdi Asomugha. All are slight for professional football players. On the positive side, this means they won’t be cursed with man-boobs later in life, but on the negative it means that they are more susceptible to injury today. It is hard for me to see all of them making it throught he season unscathed, most likely because neither DeSean nor Vick ever has. I think that will allow the Cowboys, flying under the radar for the first time in 2 decades, to sneak in and take the division. If Romo can stay healthy and the defense plays to its potential it won’t take much for the Cowboys to be the most overrated football team in America by early October (especially with Notre Dame already proving that they are a joke). The Giants look like the very definition of mediocrity to me and the Redskins actually had a quarterback competition between Rex Grossmann and John Beck. Even worse it was for starter!

Winner: Cowboys 11-5

Wild Card: Eagles 10-6

NFC North

The home of our Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers but also home to 2010 division winners Chicago Bears and trendy sleeper pick Detroit Lions (as well as a Vikings team that went from overrated to afterthought in less than a year thanks to one forty plus year old former drug addict. Explain that one to your kids). Two things to remember about the 2010 Packers. First, they needed the Lions beating the Bucs in Tampa to even make the playoffs on a tiebreaker. Second, they had something like 17 regular players out with injuries at various times throughout the season yet still won 3 straight road playoff games and the Super Bowl. Basically, what I am saying is that I don’t see any way they don’t cruise to an easy NFC North title this year. I think the Bears fail to achieve last year’s heights due to (1) tougher division champ schedule (2) defense that is a year older and (3) an even mopier Jay Cutler who dumped the only person in America that doesn’t despise him. The Lions still feel too young to me. Or maybe they are too Matt Stafford-y for me; relying on a guy who doesn’t make it through a 16-game regular season on Madden without an injury. The Vikings brought in Donovan McNabb 3 years too late and therefore will get a lot of garbage time in December for young Christian Ponder, whose accuracy I have a new found respect for after watching EJ Manuel last weekend.

Winner: Packers 12-4

NFC South

Last year’s NFC South champion Falcons have all the earmarks of a perennial division champion. Unfortunately that division champion is named the Norv Turner-era San Diego Chargers. Like the Chargers, the Falcons have a young quarterback with a bland name and relatively bland game. Both undeniably talented but never destined to date a super model. Solid but not spectacular defenses. And regular season success followed up by post-season failure. The Falcons feel like a team that will make the playoffs every other year; the years they get a soft schedule for placing poorly in their divisions the year before. The Saints, on the other hand, made every right move. They jettisoned Kardashian-loving, Heisman-returning Reggie Bush, who could never quite fit and replaced him with Heisman holding Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles who is best known as L.T.’s former back-up in San Diego and the inspiration for my favorite gambling phrase. More importantly, after giving up a spectacular run to Marshawn Lynch in the playoffs they also shored up their defensive line. Their only competition looks to come from Tampa Bay, where a young group of cast-offs may be in the process of forming a new super team. Thankfully, for my sanity and Fox’s ratings, I think we are at least one more year away from a Lions/Bucs NFC Championship.

Winner: Saints 12-4

Wildcard: Buccaneers 10-6

NFC West

It is interesting that every time I write about an entire NFL conference I end with the West. In this case, last is MOST CERTAINLY least. After giving us our first ever Division winner with a losing record last year, it seems that the NFC West somehow got worse in the offseason. This would be like finding out a Bachelor contestant got more desperate after their time on the show. Or that the cast of Jersey Shore are more embarrassing when the cameras aren’t rolling. It might be the most underreported story of the year. The Seahawks lost Matt Hasselbeck and now look to either Tavares Jackson or the original Clipboard Jesus, Charlie Whitehurst, as their every down quarterback. But at least they have no talent around him to take off the pressure. The 49ers are the same every year: plenty of talent but lacking enough talent in important areas <cough> Alex Smith <cough> to ever really compete. The Cardinals have pinned all of their hopes to a former back-up that played about one game last year. The Cardinals think they got the next Philip Rivers. I think they got the next Trent Green. The Rams, on the other hand look like a young team headed in the right direction. They still have no receivers for Sam Bradford to throw to (Danny Amendola…seriously???) but after being one game short of the playoffs last year I think they can make it this year.

Winner: Rams 10-6

Wildcard

Eagles at Rams – looks like we are still a year away from the Lions, Bucs and Rams becoming this generation’s version of the 1990’s 49ers, Cowboys and Packers. God help us all. Eagles win.

Buccaneers at Cowboys – Say what you want about Tony Romo in high pressure situations but he knows how to win at home against overmatched teams. Cowboys win.

Divisional Playoffs

Cowboys at Packers – Say what you want about Tony Romo in high pressure situations but on the road in hostile conditions against good teams he turns into a quivering blob of jelly. Packers win.

Eagles at Saints – Remember that one time that Drew Brees and Sean Payton hosted an important game in the Super Dome and lost? Yeah me neither. Saints win and Spike Lee is inspired to create a 10 hour documentary about the horrors of dog fighting.

NFC Championship

Packers at Saints – A battle of our last two Super Bowl winners in probably the most painful Hierarchy of Hate decision I will have to make until the Seminoles go pro and are put in the Broncos division. I like everything about both of these teams: the players, the cities, the uniforms. Even that they were once quarterbacked by Lynn Dickey and Bobby Hebert. This game is just too close to call. I will take the Vegas way out and give the 3-point win to the home team.

(Note: please don’t ask why I think the Saints are the home team with both teams having equal regular season records. If Roger Goodell doesn’t have to explain any of his arbitrary decisions, neither do I).

NFC Champion: New Orleans Saints

Super Bowl

Saints vs. Steelers

The dirty secret about the Steelers is that they are starting to get older. James Harrison only has so many more cheap shots left in him. Troy Polamalu is already chasing that sweet shampoo money because he knows time stops for no man, even those with hair down to their waist. Hines Ward was in such bad shape that his off-season workout was limited to ballroom dancing! After a season beating up on the slower AFC North and taking a pounding in the process, the Steelers are in no shape to chase the speedy Saints all over the field for 60 minutes.

The first Hand Grenade from Tropical Isle is on me. Saints win another Super Bowl.

Now that all but 2 teams have played their first pre-season games, we have settled back into the rhythm of preseason games.

Coaches look at preseason games as a delicate balancing act between getting their teams ready for the regular season while minimizing the possibility of losing a key player to injury before the real action has even begun.

This mind-set has led to a standard approach to playing time for starters:

Game #1 – One to two drives – just enough to re-acquaint the players with live game speed

Game #2 – One quarter – a couple drives to (hopefully) find a rhythm and burn the legs a little

Game #3 – At least the first half – closest simulation to a real game that we see before the defending champs kick-off on that Thursday night after Labor Day.

Game #4 – Almost none (older starters sit completely, younger starters get a few plays) – training camp work is done and it is too close to week #1 to risk injury

This approach to the preseason has become gospel – indoctrinated on page 14 of the NFL coaches’ handbook, right between ‘always advertise how often you sleep in the office’ (page 13) and ‘never admit a free agent signing was an epic Speed 2- like mistake’ (page 15). In a profession where conformity is all but mandatory, coaches follow this approach like sheep.

But what if it is 100% wrong?

In an unprecedented year in which there were no offseason workouts and free agency period was shorter than the Little League World Series, teams are struggling to get teams prepared in such a compressed time period.

Add in the new CBA which not only greatly restricts full pad practices but also puts limits on two-a-days and coaches are forced to try and do more work in less time.

Yes, a team can learn an offense conducting walk-throughs in shorts but can a coach actually evaluate his players based on that? This is how starting Andy Dalton at quarterback starts to look like a good idea.

I am all in favor of these new rules as I truly believe it can keep players fresher and reduce the possibility of injury, meaning my fantasy team will be that much more stable and better when fantasy playoffs start…I mean, teams are better prepared for the NFL playoffs.

But with the lack of off-season training, coaches need to take more advantage of preseason games than the official coaching approach dictates.

While watching Friday night’s Buccaneers/Chiefs game (glamorous life I lead, I know), the announcers made several notes about how long Raheem Morris was keeping his starters in the game. The first string played nearly the entire first half.

It was then that it dawned on me that Raheem has gotten considerably smarter since releasing Derrick Brooks upon being hired.  

Why wouldn’t coaches use the preseason games as replacements for the full speed practices they no longer can hold? If the number of full speed practices you can conduct has been drastically reduced, why not take advantage of the 4 full speed practices that the NFL will never remove? If the NFL is going to greedily make fans pay for practices, shouldn’t coaches at least get something out of them?

This is especially true with young teams (like the Bucs) or teams with new coaches. The Broncos starters are still trying to get accustomed to John Fox’s system, yet the starters were done Thursday night before the 2^nd Coors Light commercial. Why?

Some teams would argue their maturity and stability doesn’t require this approach, that health is more important than full speed reps. Tom Brady didn’t play at all the other night, presumably with this in mind. But with new receivers around him, it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra time working on their timing?

Some teams seem to have recognized this. The aforementioned Bucs. The Redskins left Rex Grossman in the game to attempt 26 passes; but most, have stuck with the default formula. Even the Browns with a young team and new coach couldn’t be bothered to ask Colt McCoy to attempt more than 10 passes. That isn’t a team that could use some extra practice together?

If it were up to me, I would argue that coaches should take this a step further and let their ‘starters’ play at the end of the game rather than the first. If starters are only playing 2 drives, isn’t it more valuable to see how they do in end0-of-game situations? Steven McGee’s game winning drive for the Cowboys was nice, but I am sure there are lots in the Lone Star state that would prefer to see if Tony Romo is capable of doing that.

Does this mean that teams that adopt the approach of letting starters play longer are destined for better seasons? Not necessarily – there are just too many variables over a 16-week season.

But if I am a betting man (ok, I AM a betting man), I sure would look twice at some of these teams in the first couple weeks of the season.

Remember when Peyton Manning missed the entire preseason in 2008? Even, the brainiest QB in the land needs time to find a rhythm with his receivers. The Colts started that season 1-2.

The Bucs are currently 3 point favorites at home over the Lions in week #1. Two young teams, that could be vying for sleeper team of the year accolades.

Perennially injured Lion QB Matt Stafford attempted 7 passes Friday night. He played 2 drives, a total of 11 plays and was wearing a ball cap with 10 minutes left in the 1^st quarter.

Josh Freeman attempted 13 passes on 5 drives for the Bucs and didn’t come off the field until there were less than 5 minutes remaining in the 2^nd quarter.

Who do you think might be better prepared for that first weekend?

Back to finish out our guesses at how the First Round of the NFL draft would play out if only teams cared as much about amusing us as they do making money.

#17 – Patriots (from Raiders: I am sad that we don’t get to see what fast, talentless player Al Davis would take this year) – Anthony Costanzo is a tackle from Boston College. He is a hometown boy that can come in to protect the weepy face of the franchise Tom Brady. He can also become the next white, overrated fan favorite (or as I call it: the Birdman) after Danny Woodhead loses his job (foreshadowing!)

#18 – Chargers – The Chargers need to trade up and grab Patrick Peterson. Not only does he replace Antonio Cromartie’s pass coverage that the poor Chargers defense missed last year but also more importantly helps the Chargers abysmal special teams. However, there is no word on whether Peterson can replace Cromartie’s dominance of the Father-Son-Son-Son-Son Picnic.

#19 – Giants – The Giants should grab Da’Quan Bowers if the Clemson defensive lineman can fall to them. I know Bowers has some injury concerns, but it seems like the rest of the Giants defensive linemen are always hurt, so Bowers would immediately bond with his teammates in the ice tub.

#20 –Buccaneers – Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. infamously said several years ago that he is a soldier. If that were true he would spend more time at the MASH unit than Hawkeye Pierce. However if the Bucs draft Nate Solder, the massive CU lineman, they would have one player who at last sounds like a soldier.

#21 – Chiefs – I still have no idea how the Chiefs won the AFC West. The only thing that I can come up with is thievery. They took the quarterback and GM from the Patriots. They took their coach from the Cardinals. Really they are just trying to mimic successful teams. For that reason, they can take Mike Pouncey, twin brother of Steeler pro-bowler Maurkice. Mike isn’t as good as Maurkice but the Chiefs aren’t a good as the Patriots or Steelers, so he should fit in well.

#22 – Colts – The Colts have been looking for a running back to take the pressure off of Peyton Manning. Ever since Edgerrin James’ career fell apart faster than Hedo Turkoglu in the 2011 playoffs the Colts have drafted Joseph Addai and Donald Brown in the first round and neither has been able to keep the job. Daniel Thomas has one attribute that neither Brown nor Addai has, size. He can take a pounding. Like when Manning stretches him out with a high pass while a linebacker takes aim at his ribs. Unlike most of Peyton’s other receivers he might only miss 1-2 games rather than the rest of the season.

#23 – Eagles – Needing another target for Michael Vick, the Eagles should grab Kyle Rudolph, the tight end out of Notre Dame and top tight end prospect in the draft. Sure, Rudolph can help blocking for Vick and catching passes, but mostly I just want to see what a fan-base that booed Santa could do to a guy named Rudolph if he disappoints.

#24 – Saints – The Saints have the most prolific offense in the NFL. Their defense however isn’t quite Super Bowl caliber. This team gave up 41 points to the Seahawks! Aaron Williams, the corner out of Texas would give them at least one shut down corner. I don’t know if he can tackle Marshawn Lynch but he would at least fly fewer than 5 yards on the stiffarm.  

#25 – Seahawks – Speaking of the Seahawks, despite the offensive explosion against the Saints, the Seahawks need to start thinking about the future of their team. Matt Hasselbeck is 35 years old (and a free agent) and I think we can all agree Charlie Whitehurst could shave his beard and the nickname Clipboard Jesus would still be at least ½ right. Jake Locker is a living legend in the state of Washington. If the Broncos can roll the dice with Tim Tebow, the Seahawks should bring in an athletic freak Locker and he can have a year or two to learn behind Hasselbeck. Just hope Hasselbeck doesn’t teach him about making predictions.

#26 – Ravens – The Ravens have brought in a number of veteran receivers over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, those receivers have about as much chance of beating a corner deep as Donald Trump has of winning the Presidential election. Drafting local boy Torrey Smith of Maryland would finally give the Ravens a receiver whose 40-yard dash time can’t be timed with a sun-dial.

#27 – Falcons – Looking to replicate the success of big/small back tandems the Falcons should draft Kendall Hunter to pair with Michael Turner. As both the Titans and Panther proved in years past the small/big running back combo is key to having a great regular season and failing in the playoffs. That would be totally new for the Falcons.

#28 – Patriots – Breaking hearts across  every Ben Affleck movie set, Belichick drafts running back Mikel Leshoure out of Illinois. Using a first round draft pick on a runningback from an underperforming Big 10 team? What could possibly go wrong for the Patriots?

#29 – Bears – Now that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has become engaged to Laguna Beach start Kristin Cavallari, the Bears need to invest in a lineman to protect Cutler, who proved last winter he won’t be challenging Brett Favre’s consecutive game played streak. Tyron Smith, played at USC so he is used to playing with players more interested in being successful in Hollywood than in being successful on the football field.

#30 – Jets – The Jets need to continue to strengthen their defense while their young offense matures together. Linebacker Akeem Ayers out of UCLA provides another playmaker for the Jets defense. Rex Ryan really thinks Ayers could be a star. Rex is positive he has the best feet of any linebacker in the draft.

#31 – Steelers – They will have to trade up for him, but I have been saying for months that Nick Fairley’s destiny is to be a Steeler. He can dominate offenses from his defensive line position. His game is centered on playing in the shades of grey of the rule book and he is used to a fan base that is so loathed by others they would actually desecrate their most treasured symbols.  

#32 – Packers – It is easy to say that the Super Bowl champs don’t need more help but don’t forget that Aaron Rodgers was sacked 31 times last year. Adding Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod would help shore up the Packers offensive line. And we all know that all of Green Bay loves players from Mississippi. I am already looking forward to Sherrod’s first teary-eyed press conference in 2024.

This week has been a little strange as I was pretty convinced all day yesterday that it was in fact Thursday, rather than Wednesday. My first Thursday night this week was great – I attended the Nuggets home opener in which they dominated the Jazz while the Giants used an offensive explosion to take a game one lead in the World Series.

Which shouldn’t surprise me, I love Thursday nights.

There are a lot of things to like about Thursday nights. When I was back in college, it was the biggest party night of the week. It is the night before Friday – the gateway to the weekend. If I am traveling, it is typically the night I come home. There have been good sitcoms on Thursdays since I was young. There is usually a good NBA doubleheader on TNT. The football weekend starts with your first (real) college game of the week.

Actually let me correct that last one. Sometimes having a Thursday night football game is great.

However, when it involves your team, it sucks.

I hate my team playing on Thursday nights. Hate. It.

Maybe because of bad history – I think it goes back to losing at Louisville in the remnants of a hurricane back in the dark ages known as the Chris Rix era – I just never feel good going into a Thursday night Nole game. Every team thinks they can win on Thursday night. The crowd is excited for the national audience, it is always loud and there is extra energy in the crowd.

Maybe that is associated with it being the biggest party night on campus. Huh.

Anyway, tonight is one of those Thursday nights. Compound the Giants in the World Series with my Noles and it is not a good way to start the weekend.

And, as I have long said. God is an accountant. Just as the Giants pull away for the easy win, the Noles collapse and lose in heartbreaking fashion. As we see a Giants team we don’t recognize win with a clutch offense coming through with big innings to pull away from the Rangers, the Noles revert to the team we watched the last few years: mental errors, defense that can’t get off the field and an offense making too many mistakes at critical moments.

I should’ve just watched Community instead.

Shadow: Overflowing with hatred right now.  The last week in college football has been devastating to the THH trio.  Iowa can’t kick an extra point or FG.  OU is lackluster on the road in losing to Mizzou.  And now, FSU loses a painful one in North Carolina when Ponder has the ball knocked out of his hand by his own teammate.  A sad, sad week in THH land.  The only potential silver lining….perhaps two of our teams will end up playing each other in some lower tier January 1^st bowl.  Of course, OU and FSU still have legitimate shots in their conference.  Iowa would need to win out and get a lot of help.  On the bright side, and completely THH unrelated, the Nuggets looked good last night as SD hooked me up with an extra ticket and we caught the home and season opener.  My only hope….once Melo is gone, is that the Nuggets somehow sign a pact with Satan and win the whole damn thing.  There’s some f’in change for you Carmelo Obama.

 College (College Basketbal History Edition):

Syracuse @ Cincinnati: There is Nugget from each of these teams – which one did you cheer for more in college

SD: A showdown of Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin is more lop-sided than a game of one-on-one would be between them. Even if he is mere days from breaking my heart as a Nuggets fan, I have to go with Melo here. Let’s face it, I don’t pay attention to Big East basketball until March rolls around, so it is all about the March Madness performance. I picked Melo’s team to make the Final Four and he rewarded me. Kenyon snapped his leg in half (foreshadowing of his NBA career? Maybe)  and didn’t even play for the Bearcats. So let’s keep our eyes on the rearview mirror and cheer on the Cuse, rather than focusing on the future when La La ‘Yoko Ono’ Vasquez takes Melo away from us and convinces him to walk away from a $65 million contract. Probably on a Thursday.

Shadow: As detailed above.  I am not happy with Mr. Anthony right now.  Be that as it may, I have never rooted on purpose for the Bearcats, or any Bearcats players.  For some reason, I really dislike their mascot.  Not sure why.  Just do.  And I almost always consider them overrated.  Sorry Kenyon….if it is any consolation, I also cheer more for Carmelo as a Nugget.

Duke @ Navy: Played a March Madness game many years ago that involved several high profile players. Which player went on to the biggest impact in the basketball world?

SD: If anyone does any research on this game, the immediate answer is The Admiral, David Robinson. But you need to look a little deeper. Specifically at the Duke bench. Just past that dead cat sitting on Coach K’s head. That is right – there sits Danny Ferry. Future college All American and NBA bust. But, more importantly, also future GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers where his inability to find a decent supporting cast for LeBron led directly to The Decision, Miami Thrice, the Celtics somehow no longer being the least likable team in the Eastern conference and Don Johnson appearing in a commercial with LeBron. Well, at least one good thing came out of it. Outside of the commercial (Hi Chuck), that is quite a path of destruction. And we thought Coach K had left a legacy of people hating him.

Shadow: Even though his entry to the NBA would be delayed by him honorably serving out his commitment to the Navy….David Robinson easily had the biggest impact in the basketball world, reinvigorating the Spurs and leading them eventually to championships once Tim Duncan was added to the picture (kind of like Elway finally getting T.D.).  He is a hall of famer and one of the greatest centers in NBA history.  The Blue Devils may have clocked the Midshipmen in 1986…but none of them can boast one tenth of the legacy as the Admiral.

NFL (Super Bowl history edition: there is a link between the two cities in each match-up involving Super Bowl history. If you cheered on the involved team that day, you cheer them on today)

Miami @ Cincinnati

SD: The Secret link of course is that one team played in a Super Bowl located in the other city. In 1989, the Bengals traveled to Miami and lost to Joe Montana and the Forty-Niners on a last minute drive famous because Montana pointed out to the huddle that he saw John Candy in the crowd just as the drive began. The game was also notable as Bill Walsh’s final game with the Niners, and the 2^nd more gruesome injury in NFL in the 80’s. Sorry Tim Krumrie. As if to pour salt on the wound of Krumrie’s flopping leg, I was cheering on the Niners that day and therefore cheer on the Dolphins today.

Shadow: Who could forget Super Bowl XXIII.  One of the first Super Bowls I watched with friends, versus just with my parents, and at halftime they were debuting a 3D commercial (probably for Pepsi) but my ‘friends’ stole my 3D glasses and so I missed it.  Stupid…but it made me pissed off.  That Super Bowl also marked the first time I ever had Little Caesar’s pizza, as we ordered about 20 of them….so I also ate pizza for the next 3 weeks too.  Oh yeah, I guess there was a pretty good final drive by Montana.  I hated the 49ers, and hated Joe Montana and all he stood for.  This team was everything the Broncos weren’t…they converted on the big stage.  This hatred would be cemented when the 49ers demolished the Broncos the next year.  So, I was cheering for Boomer and the Bengals that Sunday in Miami, and will cheer the current Bengals in this one.

Tampa @ Arizona

SD: Two years ago, the Cardinals played the Steelers in Tampa in one of the more memorable Super Bowls. We had James Harrison illegally spear a few guys and then return an interception for a 100 yard touchdown run. Larry Fitzgerald split the Steeler defense and score with a couple minutes to play. A last second drive by the Steelers that if it had ended in a tying field goal would have sent us to the first ever Super Bowl overtime (and won me a lot of money) but instead ended with a great touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes and an uncalled celebration penalty. And after the game, Big Ben harassing every good looking ASU co-ed in a 15 mile radius (presumably). All in all, a great Super Bowl in every way but one. I was cheering on the Cardinals that day. So I will cheer for them again.

Shadow: I still have a hard time thinking of the Steelers/Cardinals Super Bowl.  It was the first time in several years where I actually actively was rooting for one of the teams.  I can’t really explain my disdain for the Steelers, but I think part of it has to do with their ugly win against the Seahawks and the fact that they couldn’t upend the Cowboys back in the 90’s, since my hatred for America’s Team ranks probably right below the Raiders.  Still wish the feel good Cardinals would have won, so I will be on their side this weekend as well.