Winds of change

So it has been about nine months since my last entry. Blame it on Facebook.

I haven't really felt the need to jot down/type my thoughts lately, as there has been a lot of bad news, mostly at work. There have been retirements of legends, buyouts, furloughs, insurance hikes, transfers, universal copy desks. Blah, blah, blah. Not sure I wanted to talk about it out loud.

All of this before I even mention that I don't think anyone is reading this anyway. ;)

Now, this weekend, beginning today, is supposed to be different. It's supposed to be a happy time. Come Monday, when I begin my new gig in St. Tammany Parish (what some people have called God's Country), I'll be excited and reinvigorated. I am very much looking forward to start a new challenge. No question I'll be a little nervous.

Today, though, is sad. While Monday is a new beginning, today is an end. We all know how conservatives feel about ends. Usually, they don't like them. It's no different for me. Although I know I am moving ahead with my life, and am making the best possible career choice I could make at this time of crossroads, it's hard to leave.

I guess it shouldn't considering that no longer will I be working nights or holidays or weekends, which will leave me lots more time to spend with my family. No longer will I have to schedule my vacations around sporting events I want to watch from my den or attend. Rather, I can use my free time for whatever the Metry Mama and I want to do.

Yep, I should be ecstatic. I should be leaping for joy when I turn off Howard Avenue tonight. But I won't. I will think back. Not just today, but all weekend. All month. Maybe for a lot longer than that.

I have made many friends along this 19-year journey that had a brief stop on the news side as a designer. For as long as I can remember being able to turn on a television, I have been a sports fan. How many fans get to work reading and writing about football and basketball and baseball games? Oh yeah, and even wrestling, eight-year-olds boxing and women's darts.

I wrote about the Final Four. The Sugar Bowl. The NBA playoffs. The New Orleans Saints. LSU winning its third national championship in football. I put together special sections on LSU's title run in 2004 and a Super Bowl.

I've done all that. And now, I am moving on.

Still, it's not the events. It's the people. It's the friends I have made. It is the routine of spending so much of your life with them. They are, in essence, family.

Maybe that's it. Things won't be the same when someone makes a boneheaded play -- or an awesome one, for that matter. The ooohs and ahhhs won't have the same zing to them. The laughs won't be as loud. The sarcasm won't be as thick.

It's certainly true. Every time I see one of those plays in the future, I'll think about being at my desk on a Saturday night. Only I probably won't have to worry about what's for dinner.

Yes, change is coming. It's for the better. It just won't be the same.

Talk to ya soon, my friends.

It's not your Daddy's game anymore

Under the watch of "Commissioner" Bud Selig, the greatest game in the history of sports is slowly -- but surely -- being ruined.

And the latest downfall will prove to put baseball near its demise.

Yesterday, it was A-Rod admitting he did steroids, just a few years after telling Katie Couric he didn't. Tomorrow, Miguel Tejada will plead guilty in federal court that he lied when he said he didn't do steroids and human growth hormones.

Who falls next is anybody's guess. The interesting thing is that there really is no one left who could admit to doing drugs that could possibly shock anyone. That includes All-American boys Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey.

This is just a long line of occurrences and happenings which has helped to changed baseball for the worse. Much worse.

It all stems to the hiring of Bud Selig.

Could you see this stuff happening under Bart Giamatti or Fay Vincent? Unequivocally no. It would have been nipped in the bud long before it reached this point.

My guess is both of our former commissioners would have something along the lines of: "Do steroids and you're gone." Or, "Lie to authorities about doing drugs, and you're gone."

And the players would have believed them.

Steroids still would have happened, but not near to the degree of today. There would have been no need for the feds to step in and try to clean a game that they have no business being in.

Such is life in Selig's world. Yes, the same Selig who had no idea what to do about a tie in the All-Star Game and then decided that this annual exhibition winner would gain homefield advantage in the World Series. The same Selig who thought Interleague play would save the game. The same brilliant commissioner who set up a drug policy that just so happened to only catch guys who were heard of by only the most devout fans of their respective clubs.

Baseball will have a huge hole to dig from when Selig leaves, and my guess is this will be the final nail in his coffin. His lasting legacy, although he obviously believes he has been great for the game. Just listen to him long enough, and he'll tell you so.

When he's gone, one can only hope that the owners will realize they can't govern themselves. They couldn't in 1919 when Charles Comiskey talked his fellow owners into hiring Kennesaw Mountain Landis to overhaul the game and get rid of the cheaters. For more than a half-century afterwards, baseball flourished. The baseball strikes of the 1980s, and especially 1993, almost killed the game, before it rebounded and was revived by the home-run chase of 1998.

And we know who the two competitors were in that one.

Will baseball survive when all is said and done? Most likely, they'll find a way out. But only if they realize the severity of the problem and are committed to doing something about it.

Personally, as much as I look forward to the beginning of a new season, I also have found it necessary to shave my interest somewhat. I certainly don't want my son thinking these guys are role models.

Someone, though, should stand up and find people we can believe in again to be the spokesmen for our nation's pasttime. Before, that is, we speak about the game in the past tense.

Super thoughts

OK, OK, so I give. It turned out to be a pretty darned good game. That is, after I spouted off how boring it was. Don't get too excited, my friends, because I think I can make a good argument that it wasn't even one of the top five all time. With that, I have some random thoughts about this game and the Super Bowl, in general ...

TOP FIVE ALL TIME
Sorry. XLIII doesn't make the list. If you were choosing the top five endings of all time, it might just creep in. But I'm talking games. And since the first 50 game-time minutes were anything but exciting (except maybe James Harrison's interception return), it doesn't make the list. Here's my list. Oh, and I don't consider anything before Super Bowl XV or so, because even though I watched most of them, I really don't remember much.

5. Super Bowl XXXIV (Jan. 30, 2000 in Atlanta) -- Rams 23, Titans 16: One last play. Steve McNair is almost impossible to bottle up. It's the moment that all players dream of. Kevin Dyson gets it, cuts inside to the 5, and it looks like paydirt for the Titans. But no, Mike Jones comes from nowhere, gets his arms around Dyson's legs. Dyson stretches out and falls less than 1 yard short. Kind of interesting that maybe the greatest ending in Super Bowl history ends on a defensive play. The rest of the game was phenomenal as well. And although defense was the rule in this one, Kurt Warner had a fabulous game (as he did Sunday in Tampa).

4. Super Bowl XXXVI (Feb. 3, 2002 in the Superdome) -- Patriots 20, Rams 17: This was the game that put ole Belicheat and Tom Brady on the map. The Pats had been my second-favorite team until this season, when I thought the cheater wrongly pulled Drew Bledsoe. When he came back from injury, I think he should have been back in there, but football is a business. Anyway, New England was like a 10-point underdog, and everyone expected The Greatest Show on Turf to roll. Instead, defense -- and Brady -- ruled the day. And you know what they say about defense ...

3. Super Bowl XXV (Jan. 27, 1991 in Tampa, Fla.) -- Giants 20, Bills 19: Poor, poor Buffalo. Poor, poor Scott Norwood. What people don't often mention about that missed field goal is that it was no chip shot. It was like a 47-yarder or something. Give the dude a break. OK, OK, I know he was paid well for just that situation, but it's not like that was a Bill Buckner or something. It was amazing the Bills were even in this one, though, as the Giants held the ball for 40-plus minutes. Had to feel good for Jeff Hostetler in this one. It really was the lone shining moment in his career. Little did the Bills know that it would be their best chance to win a Super Bowl, despite making the next three games.

2. Super Bowl XXIII (Jan. 22, 1989 in Miami) -- 49ers 20, Bengals 16: Joe Montana simply is the best quarterback of my lifetime. Hands down. And if you are too young to remember him in his playing days, then get a tape/DVD of this game, and watch the final drive. I don't care what anyone says about John Elway. If I had two minutes and I was at my own 20 and had to have a touchdown, I'd want Montana. Ask John Taylor what he thinks. P.S. The reason why this one is so high on my list, is I remember being shocked at how well the Cincinnati defense played, especially after Tim Krumrie broke his leg. What a game, what a drive.

1. Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz.) -- Giants 17, Patriots 14: Eli Manning showed unbelievable poise on that final drive -- the best winning drive in Super Bowl history, and in the top three or four of my lifetime in any game. David Tyree's catch, I think, was the best I have ever seen. More on that later. Lastly, there's just something special about an underdog -- especially big dogs -- doing something hardly anyone gave them a chance to. It was even extra special that Belicheat's shot at immortality -- a 19-0 record -- was ruined in the final 90 seconds of the final game of the season on the grandest stage in all of sports.

TIMES ARE CHANGING
It didn't even dawn on me until after the game and I was watching SportsCenter. Made me think that maybe times really are changing. Of course, it's easy for me to say. It's a little different from my perspective.

What am I babbling about, you ask? Since about midway through his first season, I thought Mike Tomlin was a great coach. Aggressive. Although he's no-nonsense, he seems to be a players' coach. Runs the perfect offensive scheme with the toughest quarterback in football. Lets his defensive coordinator who has been in the game for 50 years do whatever he thinks he needs to do and stays out of his way.

Then, an hour after the Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl -- more than any other team -- Stuart Scott told me that Tomlin was only the second black coach to win the big game. I hadn't once even thought about him being black; it never crossed my mind. He was just a coach to me. A great coach.

And when I realized I hadn't realized this significant piece of history, I thought to myself that I hope it doesn't need to be mentioned anymore. A black coach, a green coach, a white coach? Who cares? If they're good, they're good. And Tomlin is wonderful.

FLAG ON THE PLAY
The NFL seriously needs to reevaluate how they evaluate their officials. You can't tell me that Terry McCauley was the league's best referee this season. And if you needed proof that he wasn't, it was evident throughout Super Bowl XLIII.

The Cardinals used two challenges, and in both cases the calls were reversed. The first one of Roethlisberger not getting into the end zone was tough, but the second was awful. It was ridiculous that McCauley had to go to the tape to see that Warner's arm was going forward. I could easily see it on live TV, while he looked clueless on the field.

Then some of the holding calls and unsportsmalike penalties were over the top. But I'm not going to waste any more keystrokes on this guy. I have hated him since the Saints-Giants game in 2005. I think there were like eight holding calls on the Black & Gold in the second game back after Katrina in Giants Stadium as the "home" team. I wanted to shoot the MF.

Every time I have to watch a game with that guy, I know to add about 15 minutes to the game time, because there are going to be lots and lots of yellow hankies flying.

ESPN NEEDS TO GET A LIFE
After the game, the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" shows its top 10 Super Bowl plays of all time. Three are from Sunday. You can't be serious. The worst choice was making Santonio Holmes' catch No. 1. It was a great catch. It was one of the top 10 plays I have ever seen in the Super Bowl, but it wasn't No. 1. Second-worst was putting Fitzgerald's catch in there. That was absurd.

THE BOSS IS LOSING IT
I took some flak for saying I hated the halftime show. I think it was mostly because I was expecting it to be great. I love Bruce Springsteen. Always have. I got an inkling of what was to come Saturday when I watched an interview with him. They asked him who was choosing the music for the show. He said, "I'm The Boss. I pick the music." OK, I have no problem with that, but it was the way he said it. It reminded me why I don't go see many concerts anymore.

Many musicians seem to play what they like to play. Screw the fans who made you a millionaire. That's it. Play what you want. Glory Days and Born to Run, great. Don't know the other two. Can't believe he didn't sing Born in the USA (and I'm not even a huge fan of the song). Anyway, just my two cents. I was, at the least, not impressed.

IS IT APRIL YET?
And now that football is over, it's a sad time in Sports. I enjoy the Hornets, and I like the NCAA Tournament. But, really, for me, there's not much to look forward to until Opening Day, which is April 6 this year. Play ball!

Super picks

The T-P sports desk's final installment ...

With the big game Sunday, only KVP and LR can win. If it's Pittsburgh, KVP takes the whole enchilada of 20 bucks. Last place is either going to be The Gene Pool (if Arizona wins) or moi.

Da picks: KVP (57 points) takes Steelers for 15; LR (57) takes Cardinals for 13; PVW (51) takes Steelers for 15; Gene Pool (49) takes Steelers for 14; JYD takes (39) takes Cardinals for 12.

Some Super numbers

As we head into Super Sunday, the talk at work tonight turned to just how in the hell the NFL decided to use roman numerals to label their game.

My contention is who cares? While others insist they think it's "stupid." I think they just think it's stupid because they can't figure them out. It's not that hard people. Whatever, though. I personally like the whole roman numeral thing. Looks classy to me.

Still, I can see the NFL losing Caesar's digits before too long. You'll know why shortly.

This leads me to my predictions for upcoming halftime acts. No, I don't mean The Boss this year, rather who I see years from now -- some even after I'm long gone.

Before I look at the future, I can't believe the league missed on great opportunities for the past. Think about it ... Super Bowl IV in 1970 would have been perfect for Dr. Spock. Super Bowl XXX in 1996, you could have had the star from Debbie Does Dallas. Super Bowl XL in 2006, would have been a great time to head back to the 80s and grab the old rap group The Fat Boys.

Catch where I'm going with this yet? No? Stay with me.

Here's my vision for possible icons of future Super Bowls:

Super Bowl LI in 2017: He's been in hiding for quite a while, but you could have a whole martial arts theme and go with Bruce Li. Jackie Chan could be there. Hell, even Chuck Norris. Chinese food for everyone. It'll be a blast.

Super Bowl LIV in 2020: Gotta be Aerosmith, with Steven Tyler's daughter as their guest star.

Super Bowl LIX in 2025: Oh, where to start? I know. First with Gene Simmons, who'll be 75 years old in 2025. Can't you see it now? Him and Ace come out there in wheelchairs singing "I Want to Rock and Roll All Night." Then there's their hit, "Lick it Up." Lil Wayne will follow with a rendition of "Lollipop." Your kids will love it.

Super Bowl C in 2066: I'm not sure who's going to be popular 57 years from now, but I'm hoping there'll be some rapper named Vitamin. That's my vision, and I'm sticking to it.

I can't go much farther than that, but I can imagine they'll maybe be a mariachi band for Super Bowl CC in 2166. Maybe some Haitian long-distance runner in Super Bowl CCC in 2266. The head of RCA for Super Bowl CD in 2366. And a real dumb kid for Super Bowl D in 2466.

Lastly, Metry Mama suggested that nine years after that, they could roll out 600-year-old Dick Clark to have a Rockin Super Sunday for Super Bowl DIX in 2475.

Something to ponder. Or not.

Day of hope

Whether you voted for our 44th president or you didn't, today is a day of hope. As a voter who is one of the 10 percent or so who thinks W did the best anyone could do, considering he had to endure the worst terrorist attack on American soil and the worst natural disaster in American history.

Yes, I hope that the future is as bright as the majority of our citizens think it is. The words "cautiously optimistic" have been tossed around plenty as of late, and I share in that feeling.

I am doing my best not to be sarcastic. I am doing my best in believing I won't have to pay more taxes I can't afford next year or the next. I am doing my best to share in the beliefs of my liberal friends. I am doing my best.

As we head into the first term of the first African-American president in our nation's history, I cannot understand the sense of pride my black friends are feeling, but I can be extraordinarily happy for them. And I can hope they feel the same way four years from now.

Hope being the key word. So as we all watch (and watch and watch) the events of the day, I'll share my top 10 hopes for the duration of Barack Obama's presidency.

10. I hope the comments I have heard from people across the city saying they have nothing to worry about because "Barack Obama will take care of us," doesn't lead to poor people becoming complacent. I hope they realize their hard times really won't change if they don't work even harder to make them change.

9. I hope all helped by the federal bailout do what they are supposed to do with the money received and that the taxpayers aren't left with the burden of their mismanagement and downright thievery.

8. I hope that the Bush tax cuts remain in place in some form.

7. I hope we don't leave Iraq before Iraqis can take care of themselves, so that we never have to go through this again.

6. I hope President Obama does as well protecting our home soil as President Bush did in the seven years after Sept. 11, 2001.

5. I hope the bi-partisanship the president has shown in his days as president-elect remain throughout his four/eight years in the office, no matter the pressure from his Democratic friends in Congress and Senate.

4. I hope the enthusiasm shown throughout Washington, D.C., the country and the world is still as high even one year from now as it is today.

3. I hope the president doesn't try to do too much too fast.

2. I hope if we extend our hand to countries who don't deserve it that they don't slash our wrist in return.

1. I hope, most of all, that Yes, we can.

I hope. I hope. I hope.

Conf. title picks UPDATED 1.19.09

1 KVP (total points: 57, possible points: 72)
Championship picks: rPhilly (16), aPittsburgh (14)
Divisional picks: aPittsburgh (13), rCarolina (11), aPhilly (9), aBaltimore (7)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (12), rIndy (10), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (6)
Remaining selection: 15

2 LR (total points: 57, possible points: 70)
Championship picks: rPhilly (12), aPittsburgh (10)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), rNY Giants (15), aPittsburgh (14), aBaltimore (9)
Wild-card picks: aBaltimore (11), rIndy (8), aPhilly (7), aArizona (6)
Remaining selection: 13

3 PVW (total points: 51, possible points: 66)
Championship picks: rBaltimore (16), aArizona (14)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (13), aPittsburgh (12), rNY Giants (11), aBaltimore (10)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (9), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (7), rIndy (6)
Remaining selection: 15

4 GDG (total points: 49, possible points: 63)
Championship picks: rBaltimore (11), aArizona (10)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), rNY Giants (13), aPittsburgh (9), aBaltimore (8)
Wild-card picks: aPhilly (15), rIndy (12), aArizona (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selection: 14

5 JYD (total points: 39, possible points: 51)
Championship picks: aPittsburgh (13), aArizona (11)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), aPittsburgh (15), rTennessee (14), rNY Giants (9)
Wild-card picks: rIndy (10), rAtlanta (8), rMinnesota (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selection: 12

Tiebreakers: 1) Overall record; 2) Picks by point (first to break tie settles winner)

I'm ya Huckleberry

It's no secret: I've never been the best at handling my money. Not the worst, but certainly not the best.

After my divorce almost two years ago, though, I made up my mind that things were going to change. For the most part, I've done very well. I am rarely, if ever, late with my bills. The money I waste on poor gambling choices have been slowed to a trickle. I eat out much less, and when I do, it's more the cheap chinese joint or the fi-dolla footlong, instead of 80 bucks for steak dinner or sushi every time.

Until poker became my thing, I was actually one of the worst gamblers on the planet. And another non-secret is that I love to put my money on the line. I'm not a very good blackjack player, don't understand craps, no one is really good at roulette, and those machines ... well, let's don't even go there. No, about 90 percent of any wagering I do these days comes in the form of Texas Hold 'Em, where because it's a game based more on skill than luck, I fare pretty well. I am certain I win more than I lose.

What I am trying to say is that over the past 20 months or so, I have changed. I am much more financially responsible, and that has all to do with my new family. Although I still lean more towards "live for today," tomorrow is just as, if not more, important.

That's why I am so pissed about the recent -- let's call it -- attack on my financial health, and I feel the need to share.

Unless you've lived under a big ole rock where antennas and cables and satellites don't reach, you know that the country is in a money mess. Insurance giants are folding, banks are in need of rescue, people are losing their homes. Things have been tough on Giuffrias Avenue, as well, as we don't nearly have the disposable income we had when the Mama and I first got together.

But somehow, we always manage to find a way to do the things we really want to do. And unless I lose my job any time in the near future, we always will.

There are some financial institutions, though, who don't give a rat's tookus about their customers, and I learned that the hard way yesterday.

One of the things I have always done is watched my money closely. I was proud of myself last August when I saw the market was beginning to tank, and I wasn't going to let my retirement money sink with it. I moved all of my 401k into government stocks, and saved about $16,000 over the next four months.

I keep close tabs on interest rates -- especially on my credit cards. Recently, I made the mistake of trusting a bank that I heard was in the process of doing awful things to their customers. "They're just getting a bum rap," I thought.

Citi group was just a huge taker in the multi-billion-dollar bailout given to financial institutions recently by Congress. I wasn't in favor of it then, and even less so now.

Citi, though, before the bailout promised lawmakers that they would not raise interest rates, no matter what their situation. They were given billions of dollars, and then obviously changed their tune.

But that's not the worst part, I found out personally, and also see that it isn't just me.

I was sort of leery when the limit on my longest-holding card was raised a few months ago. Now understand, about 70 percent of my credit card debt is in this account. The reason being that it's by far the best rate I could get (7.9 percent), and although I use credit much less as of late in an attempt to eliminate my debt before I'm 50, I still have a pretty significant amount I owe to Citi. The weird thing was that I had asked for a limit increase about eight months or so previous so that I could transfer other balances.

I was denied then, but then without asking, was given an increase of more than $2,500 a month before Christmas.

Now, I understand why.

Imagine my surprise (I guess that's the right word) when I saw my interest rate was jacked to 14.9. I call Citi, and demand an explanation.

Carlos says, "Sir, these are tough economic times. This is happening to everyone." I say, "Tough economic times? That's your reason? You just got about $30 billion from the government. You feel the need to rape your broke customers who depend on you? This is completely unacceptable." Carlos: "Sorry, sir."

My options were limited to accept the almost-double raise in interest, which would mean paying about 80 to 90 bucks more per month just in interest charges, or to "opt out," which I didn't immediately understand, but realized quickly that it was my best option.

By the way, if you don't know, it means that you go back to your original rate, but when your card expires, your account is closed. For me, that's not a problem, because I don't really depend on credit for daily living. What about the people who do? Guess that doesn't matter.

When I followed up with research, I read about a woman who was with Citi for 12 years, was never late on her payment, and her rate was raised from 7.9 percent to 16.9. There were hundreds of stories just like that. Also, saw a report on CNN before it happened to me about others in the same boat with Citi.

Where is this all going, besides giving me a venue to vent?

My main thing is this: On Tuesday, a new president will take office, and he has a mountain of chores ahead of him. In my opinion, this should be at or near the top of the list. After finding a way to stop hard-working people from losing their homes, President Obama needs to find a way to stop banks from stealing from the American people.

That, I know, will be some kind of chore, but it has to be done. We cannot be bullied by them any longer. Any of them.

I, for one, have learned a lesson. This will only make me more determined to become less dependent on credit. I have taken the first step, and am going in the right direction.

If you haven't already, I would suggest you all do the same.

NFL divisional TP picks

1 LR (total points: 47, possible points: 82)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), rNY Giants (15), aPittsburgh (14), aBaltimore (9)
Wild-card picks: aBaltimore (11), rIndy (8), aPhilly (7), aArizona (6)
Remaining selections: 10, 12, 13

2 KVP (total points: 43, possible points: 88)
Divisional picks: aPittsburgh (13), rCarolina (11), aPhilly (9), aBaltimore (7)

Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (12), rIndy (10), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (6)
Remaining selections: 14, 15, 16

3 GDG (total points: 39, possible points: 74)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), rNY Giants (13), aPittsburgh (9), aBaltimore (8)

Wild-card picks: aPhilly (15), rIndy (12), aArizona (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selections: 10, 11, 14

4 PVW (total points: 37, possible points: 82)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (13), aPittsburgh (12), rNY Giants (11), aBaltimore (10)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (9), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (7), rIndy (6)
Remaining selections: 14, 15, 16

5 JYD (total points: 15, possible points: 51)
Divisional picks: rCarolina (16), aPittsburgh (15), rTennessee (14), rNY Giants (9)
Wild-card picks: rIndy (10), rAtlanta (8), rMinnesota (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selections: 11, 12, 13

Tiebreakers: 1) Overall record; 2) Picks by point (first to break tie settles winner)

It's effin boring around here

I just looked it up -- there hasn't been an entry into the quote file since late September. Now, to make things even worse, two members of the copy desk have given up cussin as their New Year's resolution.

Horse hockey, I say.

This is just no damned fun. Whatever happened to the ole, "God Dammit Gene!" or "This is supposed to be 20 effing inches and it's 30! Son of a bitch!" or "It's five minutes to deadline; send your effing story!"

I miss my friends.

This also made me wonder why people have New Year's resolutions anyway. Assuming your Catholic -- and the majority of the people I know are -- it makes much more sense to give things up for Lent. With Lent, there's a specified time before you can begin sinning again and not feel guilty about it.

I mean, seriously, if you give up cheeseburgers as your New Year's resolution, the first time you eat a greasy slab of Bessie, you're gonna feel guilty, no matter whether it's Jan. 12 or Oct. 14. Just wait a couple of months, and you give yourself something to look forward to. To hell with that damned "Eat More Chikin" Cow. Slice her up, too. You know one thing's for sure -- come Easter Sunday you can eat more meat than Kobayashi on July 4.

I say sinners unite. I mean what is really accomplished by giving up something you know won't last anyway? Is the world a better place because you didn't yell, 'Shit' because the printer won't print? Will The Gene Pool love JLE any less if she doesn't call him an idiot Saturday night? Will Steinbauer sleep better if MLC doesn't tell him to get his effin story in on time?

I say no. I say you Filth-Flarn-Filthians should cuss it up. Fat people? Stay fat. Morons? Well there's no help for you, anyway.

Life should be enjoyed to the fullest. And fullest, my friends, begins with an F.

Happy Mother's Day

Just because it's not the middle of May on the calendar, today is the day I probably think about Momma most.

It's interesting, as it's not a secret my mom and I weren't always the best of friends. Much of it, I take full responsibility for, as my hard-headed reluctance to forgive people -- even the ones who are closest to me -- was in its fullest effect with Momma. It seems in her passing -- three years ago today -- we are closer now than we ever were. I find myself talking to her and asking her advice on things often, something I rarely did when she was alive. I ask her for favors, and she often grants them, sometimes in ways only she knows how.

It didn't strike me when she first passed away, but recently I was thinking of the irony of her dying on this date. I always loved my mom, even when I hated her, and I know she loved me as much as anyone. It is interesting to me that she chose the sixth of January to cross into the next life because today means an awful lot to me, and has long before 2006. Today is the first day of Carnival, my favorite season of the year. She knows that.

Maybe she was worried I wouldn't think about her as much as I should, and she knew the date would stick with me. Maybe it was important that I held a special place in my memory for her. Maybe while I was having a little fun, I'd include her in the festivities. She didn't have anything to worry about, although there's really no way she could have known that. I didn't show how I felt very often.

Momma had a way with people, sort of a way I never understood, nor have I seen since. She was the kind of person who most had trouble seeing her bad side. People who weren't close to our family thought she was the happiest, most funny woman they had ever met. And when she was at her best, she was.

It's so hard to explain. She was one of the most giving, caring people I ever knew. But there was also a dark side -- one that I have done my best to purge from my mind. These days, most of what I choose to remember is her best days. The days that strangers knew. The ones in which she would give you her last few bucks, as long as you left her enough for a couple packs of cigarettes and a gallon of milk.

No, today is Mother's Day, and we'll celebrate again in 2 1/2 weeks on her 65th birthday. God took her before her time, as He often takes the best people. There's a reason for that, whether we know, understand or care. God wants happiness surrounding him. Also, He wants us to appreciate what we have, and sometimes that can only happen if we lose something dear to us.

It's sad that she had to be taken away for me to realize what I had. But I think the most important thing is I know she understands. We talk a good bit these days.

So as I stroll through the rest of January and February enjoying the Carnival season, I'll be taking Momma along with me. We're gonna have a hell of a time, and everyone is invited.

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Mardi Gras!

TP postseason picks (Wild card) UPDATED 1.6.09

1 LR (total points: 24, possible points: 113)
Wild-card picks: aBaltimore (11), rIndy (8), aPhilly (7), aArizona (6)
Remaining selections: 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

2 GDG (total points: 22, possible points: 103)
Wild-card picks: aPhilly (15), rIndy (12), aArizona (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selections: 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16

3 PVW (total points: 15, possible points: 106)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (9), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (7), rIndy (6)
Remaining selections: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

4 KVP (total points: 14, possible points: 99)
Wild-card picks: rAtlanta (12), rIndy (10), aPhilly (8), aBaltimore (6)
Remaining selections: 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16

5 JYD (total points: 0, possible points: 90)
Wild-card picks: rIndy (10), rAtlanta (8), rMinnesota (7), rMiami (6)
Remaining selections: 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Tiebreakers: 1) Overall record; 2) Picks by point (first to break tie settles winner)

Wild-card playoff picks

It was a nice finish to a sub-par (to say the least) season. Using the invented formula for the final week proved dividends in points, but only gave me a one game edge in overall record. Definitely something to look into next season.

As we go into the playoffs, we look back to what we learned over the regular season. And that is there is no such thing as a lock. Also, usually whenever a line seems out of whack and the betting public doesn't notice, the betting public usually is wrong. There are a couple of those this week.

Without using point totals, let's delve into the picks in order of my best to worst ...

INDIANAPOLIS minus-1 at SAN DIEGO (Saturday)
--> Like I said last week, the bookies have been in love with the Chargers. At first glance, this line may seem a little out of whack, with the Colts giving points on the road in the wild-card week. But dig a little deeper, and I think one point isn't nearly enough. The Colts haven't lost in the second half of the season, while San Diego has had to use all of its energy to catch the Broncos (no big feat). Now, it appears LT and Antonio Gates, two of their best three players, are dinged up. If they aren't 100-percent ready, Philip Rivers will get eaten alive. Peyton, meanwhile has something to prove in the playoffs, and I love Indy to make the championship game, especially if the Dolphins find a way to win and Indy heads to Tennessee.

ATLANTA minus-1 at ARIZONA (Saturday)
--> The bettors are leaning toward Arizona, which sort of surprises me. It seems the majority expects Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and the banged-up Anquan Boldin should roll over the Falcons defense. While I do think they will score 24-plus points, it's hard to see how the Cardinals will stop Michael Turner. Also, expect Matt Ryan to keep playing like he has all season -- unfazed by the fact that he's a rookie.

MINNESOTA plus-3 over PHILADELPHIA (Sunday)
--> I understand a couple of things on why it seems almost everyone loves the Eagles in this one -- Philly is hot, and there are few who trust Tarvaris Jackson. My answer: Horse Hockey. The Eagles are so overrated, and it is unfathomable to me how people can overlook their recent troubles in Washington and Cincinnati. The Vikings have been solidly consistent since their win in the Superdome on a Monday night in October. Don't be shocked if they win at Carolina next week, either.

MIAMI plus-3.5 over BALTIMORE (Sunday)
--> When have the Ravens been at their best this season? Except last week, they have been much better as an underdog. Also, this is just the second time all season they have been a favorite on the road (Week 13 at Cincinnati). Meanwhile, Pennington has done an adequate, if not superb, job the second half the season. I like the over in this one (37), as the Ravens' defense will spend more time on the field than they are accustomed to.

HOW DA CMMSH FARED IN WEEK 17: 11-5, 88 points
OVERALL FOR DA REGULAR SEASON (FINAL): 115-125 (.479), 1007 points (63 points per week)

FINAL TP sports pool standings: JLE 1282, WWB 1104, MLC 1099, Lopes 1072, LR 1059, Gene Pool 1011, PVW 1009, Me 1007, KVP 963, DJW 960, JRap 938