I'm Back!

Technical issues with the computer have kept me away from my keyboard, but I've been watching my shows Around the Horn and PTI without fail.  A self-portrait in the throne room is classless and tasteless, J. Winston.  You're on the national championship team and need some schooling about appropriate protocol. A Yellow Flag of Shame to you!

I know of a couple of students who are unhappy about the performance of their beloved Miami Heat in New York.  Two losses in a row on the road for the Heat won't really matter much when the post-season starts. They will be in the thick of things, no doubt.  I want Blake Griffin to continue improving his game, not just the video-worthy dunks.  They beat the Lakers by thirty-six points.  Whoa, Nellie!

You already know who I pick to win on Saturday and Sunday for the NFL divisional playoffs.  Just a quick refresher won't hurt. I am favoring the home teams this week, once again.

Saturday, January 11, 2014, at 3:35 P.M.:  Saints vs. Seahawks

I think the Saints will ride in after beating the Eagles in Philadelphia, but they won't overcome Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, and the crowd.  The ONLY 12th Man I acknowledge is from Texas A&M University; accept no substitutes.  His name was E. King Gill; we have a statue commemorating him and his willingness to step on the field as the original 12th man.

Saturday, January 11, 2014, at 7:15 P.M.:  Colts vs. Patriots

Let's see, Bill Belichick is the head coach for New England; Tom Brady is the quarterback for New England; these guys know how to win even without having marquee receivers.  I like Andrew Luck's style, but the Indy defense makes you have to play catch-up football.  No thanks.  Patriots win.

Sunday, January 12, 2014, at 12:05 P.M.:  49ers vs. Panthers

I've been listening to talk all week: Cam or Kap?  Which young QB inspires me as a football fan? Whose defense is going to show up to harass our young game managers?  I think the Panthers have had a nice rest getting ready to send Kap packing. My son Ninja Boy is a Panthers fan who lives in Texas.  Go figure. Being a good Mama, I  picked them on my bracket. My fingers are crossed, and I may be too nervous to watch the game when Kaepernick dons his greasy jersey. I truly believe his soaks his jersey in some type of oil that keeps him out of defenders' grasping hands.  It is maddening!

Sunday, January 12, 2014, at 3:40 P.M.:  Chargers vs. Broncos

General Peyton is marshaling the troops to take on Mr. Bolo aka Peck's Bad Boy Philip Rivers.  The Broncos have to really want it and find ways to stop Mr. Bolo.  Peyton has never beaten these guys in the playoffs, yet.  It's time to take advantage of being at home, boys.  The Chargers are hungry; the Broncos have to cut off the buffet.

Lady Grid out.

The End of BCS

I bid adieu to the BCS in its current form.  I didn't really care for the way rankings were determined, but I look forward to thew new system coming.  All right, the last game has been played, and Florida State beat Auburn with an exciting game.  I was right in the end, folks.

OVERALL RECORD: 15-20

My winning percentage is forty-two and some decimal points.  It would have been better for me to pick against who I thought would win this year.

NBA Wrapped:

• The Brooklyn Nets won against Atlanta?  Are they trying to win or something?
• LA Clippers demystified the Magic? Clutch.
• The T-wolves mopped the floor with Philadelphia? Not unexpected.

Will Andrew Bynum continue to be a "bag of bones," according to Tony Kornheiser as the trade went through for him to Chicago from Cleveland?  It remains to be seen.

Lady Grid out.

A One Bowl Day

Here's a look at my Bowl Report Card.

Taxlsayer.com Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs. Georgia, LOSS- That Dawg let me down.  The Huskers only scored during two quarters of the game, and the Dawgs scored in the last three quarters but came up short. Woof.
Heart of Dallas Bowl: UNLV vs. North Texas, LOSS - I will not doubt the Mean Green again.
Capitol One Bowl: Wisconsin vs. South Carolina, WIN - Now SEC quarterbacks can sleep well because Jadaveon Clowney will head to the NFL in the draft.
Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU, WIN - This one ended with a closer score than anticipated.
Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Michigan State, WIN - I was questioning my choice after the first quarter ended.
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. Baylor, LOSS - What happened here?  I was stunned because Baylor had been mugged in the first quarter then rallied to make this a bit more even before the half ended.was questioning my choice after the first quarter ended.

OVERALL SCORE: 13-16

Mercifully, there is only one bowl game scheduled for today with the Allstate Sugar Bowl.  I think that the Alabama Crimson Tide will whip up on the Oklahoma Sooners (aka the Wagonriders).  You and I will find out at the same time this evening if I am correct or not. The SEC will be 6-1 in bowl games if I am right.

A big welcome back to Around the Horn and its sister program PTI.  I have missed the banter of the columnists and relish laughing about their observations at 4:00 P.M. CST on ESPN2.  I'll be figuring out my NFL post-season bracket and letting you in on my personal predictions. 

Lady Grid out.

Happy New Year to You!!

Welcome to the year 2014, one and all.  There are a few college games on today, but we'll tally my fabulous score from yesterday's bowls. I am not doing that well, but it's all in fun anyway.

Advocare Bowl: Arizona vs. Boston College, LOSS
Hyundai Sun Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. UCLA, LOSS
Autozone Liberty Bowl: Rice vs. Mississippi State, LOSS
Chick Fil-A Bowl: Duke vs. Texas A &M Aggies (Whoop!!!) WIN

OVERALL SCORE: 10-12

New Year's Day: January 1, 2014

1. Taxlsayer.com Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs. Georgia
2. Heart of Dallas Bowl: UNLV vs. North Texas
3. Capitol One Bowl: Wisconsin vs. South Carolina
4. Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU
5. Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Michigan State
6. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. Baylor

Time to listen to U2's "New Year's Day," folks.  Lady Grid out.

Pros Primer/College Review - November 24, 2013

College Review:

Where did I go wrong? Everywhere critical, apparently!  LSU made mincemeat of my Aggies. Was Manziel distracted by his NFL announcement prior to our post-season bowl appearance?  Let's not have a LeBron James-esque program blocking out prime time television for that, okay?  I won't be watching, and I LOVE my Aggies. I just can't figure out Jonathan Manziel or what makes him tick. Baylor just couldn't get things going their way. No more BCS dreams for them.  The Oregon Ducks really made a poor showing against Arizona. No more BCS dreams for them. The Minnesota Golden Gophers managed one TD, and Arizona State slid by UCLA.  Yikes! 

Professional Match-ups:

1. The New Orleans Saints can play better than they did in their victory over Atlanta.  They need to practice outside more often.
2. Tampa Bay heads north to the Motor City and Megatron.  They should just stay home to avoid embarrassment again.
3. Yawner of the week, one—Pittsburgh visits Cleveland. With the way the seasons of both of these teams going, I feel apathetic about the outcome.  Push.
4. Carolina hops over to visit the Miami Dolphins who still don't have their act together.  Cam & Co. win.
5. Joke Reel of the Week:  Jacksonville in Texas to play ball against the Houston Texans.  Security won't have to make sure Mr. Johnson stays on the sidelines this time.  Texans play to the lower common denominator but manage to eke out a victory against the woebegone Jags. Yawn.
6. The NY Jets make an appearance in Baltimore.  It won't go well for rookie QB Geno Smith against a defense who is trying to forge a new identity in the post-Ray Lewis era.  Ravens win.
7. Dallas goes to play ball against the resurgent NY Giants.  Yikes. November means things for both teams. Cowboys lose late in the fourth quarter despite leading most of the way.  Eli Manning strikes again.
8. And the point is? San Diego heads east to visit Kansas City who just lost to Denver and plan to smash whoever is in their path?  Chiefs dominate the Bolts.
9. Yawner of the week, part deux: Tennessee faces Oakland in Oakland.  The land of the silver and black attack will go home sad? happy? Push.
10. Indianapolis comes to the desert to play Arizona; they leave tanned and refreshed after temporarily sidelining the Cardinals hopes for a positive post-season. Next week, Cards.  You can peck that Eagle to death.
11. Chi-Town in Archway City: Bears crush the Rams and have mutton stew for dinner.
12. Oh yeah, Minnesota Vikings go to Lambeau Field.  Depending on which QB is playing in Green Bay, it's kind of a pushy match-up.  Leaning towards the Vikings but not really concerned.  Yawn number three.
13. The anticipated match-up of Manning versus Brady 14.0 begins on Sunday night.  I want the Broncos to win, and the Patriots are still miffed about the non-call.  Coach Belichick is creating something nasty for General Peyton's ankle.  Come on , Broncos O-line!
14. San Francisco comes calling in Washington D.C.  Despite the heroics of sophomore QB Robert Griffin, III, the Niners leave victorious.  This is good news for NFC East buffs.

Lady Grid out.

Play Ball! - November 9, 2013

Plano East went down against Plano West and ended their season at .500.  Ouch-a-rooey!  The next year brings rebuilding, a new group of students, and perhaps some more success on the gridiron field for the black and gold.  The Centennial Titans are undisputed district champs and head to Allen Eagle Stadium to take on Creekview next Thursday. Go, Titans!

Duke and KU won handily with some great help from their star freshmen–Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins, respectively.  ESPN had a great article about Coach K of the Duke Blue Devils.  Krzyzewski is a legend and a person worth admiring.  He can coach some basketball and works some magic with his teams.

College Game Predictions

Gaze into the crystal ball, and see more crystals.  Gaze too closely, and find some dust.  Move along.  Some matchups puzzle the Lady. She's still not headed to Vegas to place wagers of any kind and cannot stop smiling about the Sooners' recent loss against the Baylor Machine.  It had to be mentioned again. Baylor must have some type of defense in addition to its offense.  Baylor is still undefeated.  Perhaps FSU will take down Alabama in the BCS Bowl. It is time to put the crystal ball away for the week.

1. Texas Tech demolishes the visiting Kansas State Wildcats.  KSU seemed to have a decent start to the season in non-conference play, and they held Baylor to under forty points.  Two commanding wins over conference rivals make them strut around campus a bit. The Red Raider Nation awaits them and will remind them who's boss.
2. Notre Dame trounces the Pittsburgh Panthers.  Who put this schedule together for Pitt?  Illegal Game Number One.
3. The Virginia Tech Hokies, still reeling from last week's loss to BC, face the sore-from-a-thrashing-last week Miami Hurricanes? Sebastian will have a nice meal of roasted turkey.
4. BYU comes to Wisconsin and leaves licking their wounds.  Badgers reign supreme in tough fights because they dig in and take all comers.
5. The Fresno State Bulldogs head off to face the Wyoming Cowboys and their interesting color scheme of brown and yellow.  Yergh.  Bulldogs win.
6. The Longhorns head east to WVU; the Mountaineers hope to be Antaeus at home and even out their record.  Horns thump the Mountaineers.
7. Wake Forest has to play Florida State this weekend? Illegal Game Number Two.  Get ready for the annual Thump-A-Thon.  Tsk.
8. After suffering another loss, Iowa State hopes to redeem itself against TCU Horned Frogs.  The Frogs have the mojo on their side this week.  Sorry, Cyclones, but you will continue the winless tradition in the Big XII.
9. Penn State wants a piece of the Minnesota Golden Gophers; these are the same Gophers who made Nebraska regret their confidence in an "easy win" not so long ago.  Ski-U-Mah!
10. The UCLA Bruins make a side trip to Arizona for a duel in the desert against the Arizona Wildcats; Bruins wallop the Wildcats.
11. Meanwhile, the Arizona State Sun Devils hike it north to see the Utah Utes.  The Utes will add intrigue to the contest; however, the Sun Devils add another "W" to their record.
12. Nebraska heads northeast to Michigan, the same Michigan team who suffered a mind-numbing defeat at the hands of State last week.  Whoa, Nellie.  This ought to be a good one. Wolverines take the Huskers short-lived joy away.
13. Western Michigan journeys to Eastern Michigan for a game.   One team will eventually win and get that second win for the season.  Western ekes out a victory against Eastern, perhaps.   Yawn.
14. LSU Tigers make a road trip to go up against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Lady sports purple today in hopes of supporting the Tigers vicariously in their quest to knock off 'Bama.  Geaux Tigers. The Tide will roll, again.  Sigh.  Maybe Nick Saban should relocate somewhere else if winning proves too tiresome.
15. Mississippi State plans to test Texas A&M University at A&M's final home game this season at Kyle Field.  Aggies win.  Sorry, MSU!

Lady Grid out.