My own personal bye week

I should have a poll. The question would be ‘signs that I’m losing it’. Sign #1 is when I bought coupons on ebay. Sign #2 is when I told my fantasy-football colleagues about something called a purse auction. Sign #3 is the fact that I’m getting nervous about not being able to watch sports while on a cruise next week.

A cruise is a wonderful thing. It’s the ultimate short-attention span vacation. If you don’t like where you are today, boom, you’re somewhere else tomorrow. If you don’t like what you’re eating, don’t worry, there will be something else five minutes later. If your 125-square-foot room isn’t to your liking, well, at least there’s a lot of space on the boat. My wife got a free trip to Miami for a conference, so I’m tagging along. We’re heading to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. In Jamaica I was tempted to sign up for the Bob Marley Bus Tour, but I might have to take a drug test soon so that’s a bad idea.

It’s funny how quickly the wife caught on to my scheme. I suggested a during-the-week cruise but she countered with one that leaves on Saturday. So now I’m not going to see Peyton Manning’s surgical strike on the Titans nor the final regular-season (and possibly final game period) for the White Sox. I’ll get back home in time for Game 3 of the Division Playoffs.

Will the Sox be there? By tonight they could be only one game ahead of the Red Sox, Yankees, and Indians. One of the four teams won’t be there. I think the Pale Hose have enough pitching, but the offense hasn’t picked up the slack. They could only muster three runs against a Tigers team that packed it in weeks ago.

As for the Titans, they blew a shot at a nice road win last weekend. Too many turnovers and a distinct lack of clutch play kept them from closing in on the Rams, who were willing to hand the game over. Torry Holt made mincemeat of young Pacman Jones. I like that he’s going against the best. He’ll have his hands full this weekend with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Now that Travis Henry’s out for four games the Titans will be desperate to find a guy who can average three yards a carry in Chris Brown’s absence. Trading a third-rounder for this guy isn’t looking so sweet now. I’m glad that his 2006 extension is an option.

My fantasy season hasn’t started so well. I’m 2-1 in the AUFL but 1-2 and 0-3 in my two dynasty leagues. In a couple of weeks I might be building for the future. In addition to not starting the right players, I’m suffering from mediocre QB play. I’m 3-0 in my xpertsports staff league but that group’s about as exciting as an Arizona Cardinals fan club meeting lately. The two guys I liked the most on that staff have left for various reasons and I’m getting almost zero feedback. I guess I get they’re paying me.

To collapse is divine

I have a new theory on the White Sox's recent collapse. I think it's a good thing. Five years ago the White Sox were white hot in the first half of 2000. They coasted to a division title and were swept out of the playoffs by the Seattle Mariners (remember when they were good?).

Now the Injuns are right on the Sox' heels. Last night's game was a stomach punch with the Sox rallying to overcome a 4-0 deficit and then watching Aaron Boone hit a two-out single in the 8th for the deciding runs. At this point in the season the starters, who were brilliant for the first three months of the season, can't seem to get out of the sixth without giving up four runs. The offense can't get more than five runs consistently. Dustin Hermanson, once unhittable as closer, is battling injuries and running on fumes.

As a White Sox fan, I know that it's going to be all right. If the team fails to make the playoffs (unlikely) or gets blown out early (quite possible), I can rest assured that the media will forget (except for the Chicago Tribune) a week after it's over. I won't forget, though.

Oh yeah, the Ravens still suck.

As the week turns

Last night I joined the wife on a corporate 5K run/walk. I trained for a month and felt confident that I could run the distance. Well, it turned out to be tougher than expected. More than 10,000 participants made the course a traffic jam that even the most veteran Atlanta driver would consider fierce. There were start positions for runners and walkers, but when I got to the middle of the runners and the race started half of the people walked. It was three or four minutes before I even got to the starting point. After mile two and massive hill three I petered out. I walked/ran the final mile and then walked back to meet my wife who was with the walkers. She knows her limits.

I will be in Nashville for the Titans/Ravens on Sunday. I don't have high hopes for a victory, but the chances are better for a win than last week. The defense is just as fierce, although I fear Ray Lewis' facial expressions a lot more than his play. The Titans need to put eight, and maybe nine, in the box to stop Jamal Lewis much like they did in the Wild Card playoff game in January of 2004. Anthony Wright has more weapons, but he is Anthony Wright. The Titans need to run right at the Ravens with Chris Brown and Travis Henry. Watch Ray-Ray touch Brown after a tackle and get credit for an assist. If Tyrone Calico can't get open for a deep ball by game four, he needs to see the bench and let Brandon Jones start. It's going to be a tough game, but the Titans can win if they keep the turnovers down and they don't need a clutch field goal.

My Pittsburgh vacation

Pittsburgh is nice this time of year. There are few cities in the U.S. with an entrance as breathtaking as that from the Fort Pitt tunnel. It's called the City of Bridges and I can see why. With three rivers intersecting, it's a lot of water.

On day one we arrived around 1:30. The mass transit system in Pittsburgh is kind of strange. Depending on which direction you're heading you pay entering or leaving the bus. It only took us three days to figure it out. We stayed at the Hilton, which was where the Steeler players stay the night before the game. I hope they got a bigger room than we did. The room was about the size of Ted Washington.

We went to the The Church Brew Works for lunch. It was another long bus ride down Liberty Avenue. Yes, it's a brewery inside what used to be a church. It's a spectacular view, although the food was decent at best. I thought a cheesesteak with Kobe beef would be otherworldly but it wasn't too flavorful. I liked the Pipe Organ Pale Ale even though I'm more of a brown ale kind of guy.

After a short intermission at the room my wife and I gussied up and headed for Mount Washington. There are two inclines that head up the mountain and we took the Monongahela one. This is a near-vertical climb that leads to a spectacular view of the city skyline. Heinz Field (even blue-collar Pittsburgh has a corporate pimp) was to the far left. We walked along the top of the mountain and wondered about the real-estate market. Every house up there is different. It's nice, along with the scores of old churches. Due to our late lunch we ate at a Chinese place inside Station Square.

On Sunday morning we wore neutral colors because our safety couldn't be ensured with the blue and blue of the Titans. Anyone not wearing Steeler gear was suspect. I can't imagine another NFL city spending more per capita on team gear. We gathered with my parents and various other relatives. One second cousin to my dad hadn't seen me since I refused to take off my Cookie Monster jacket at my aunt's wedding. Talk about the memories. Since we didn't have the cabbage to get in the stadium ($100 for nosebleed seats), we settled in at the Outback Steakhouse inside PNC Park. The park is nice. It's too bad that they don't have a team. The Outback was a perfect base of operations because most of the pre-game clientele left to go to the game.

The game was good for seven minutes. I had high hopes while McNair guided the Titans to a score. Seeing Ben Troupe make plays after his playing time was in question was nice. After that, the game was a blur of missed tackles and Titan mistakes. Rob Bironas doinked a field goal attempt, as I predicted. McNair threw a slant to Drew Bennett inside the ten-yard-line that Bennett bobbled directly to Troy Polamalu. Travis Henry put one on the ground. Willie Parker looked like Franco Harris and Barry Sanders put together. After the first drive the patchwork offensive line fell apart.

The relatives scattered, and after a short rest we went to a fondue place for dinner. Cheese, salad, and chocolate. Just what every growing boy needs.

My three main fantasy teams sucked eggs this weekend. I had a noticeable lack of playmakers. All three of my quarterbacks (Delhomme, Plummer, Green) performed poorly at best. I lost by 59 points in the AUFL, and 'earned' the top waiver spot for my troubles. Week One is not indicative of an entire season, but I'm a little peeved anyway. I'm supposed to be an expert. Ironically the only NFL fantasy game I won was against my editor at xpertsports who started Troy Fleming and Mewelde Moore at running back.

Pittsburgh bound

I’ll say a few quick things about last night’s game. Maybe this is why there’s a bit of a backlash to all of the Patriots’ success. Most of the time, when they win, it’s because the Patriots make the four or five big plays while the other team blows opportunities. The Pats don’t have superior personnel (although they did last night), they just execute. The Raiders turned over the ball one time and it became an almost instant seven points. Collins had success for a half then the Pats shut him down until the middle of the fourth quarter. The game was all but over at that point.

I will be in Pittsburgh this weekend. It’s ironic because I was born there, yet I’ll be cheering for the visiting team. It’s a bittersweet trip because two close relatives who were originally coming bowed out due to the hurricane. So it will be me and the wife in a hostile, yet strangely familiar, town.

Before I make bold predictions, don’t forget that the Titans were 12-4 and the Steelers were 6-10 just two years ago. The Steelers aren’t entitled to an easy win just because of last year’s result. The Titans may be undermanned in the secondary, but at least the group’s been together and injury-free throughout the preseason. If Ben Troupe can play that’s a big help for the Titans. Notice how Ben Watson rumbled through the Raiders’ defense last night? That’s what Troupe can do for the Titans. I expect him to show up in some three-wide formations. Roethlisberger still owns the town but he’s going to start getting the Kordell Stewart treatment if he can’t perform well this weekend. Albert Haynesworth and Randy Starks will need to bottle up Willie Parker on the inside.

Watch the Titans to make an early splash, much like the Raiders last night. Rob Bironas will doink a short field goal attempt a la Doug Brien in last year’s playoffs. Then the Steelers will put together a long drive or two. It might get ugly but I don’t think the Steelers have the firepower to torch the Titans too much. I’d rather concentrate on the game than mentally try to keep up with my various fantasy teams.

Here comes the NFL

The NFL season is two days away and I’m already brain-fried. Was it a good idea to be in five leagues and write for a fantasy football Web site? Like the NFL, I had to cut my rosters down to 53 players in the Zealots leagues. My final cut was Todd France, who lost the kicker showdown in Tampa Bay to Matt Bryant. There’s an outside shot that France gets a tryout with the Titans this week, but it’s probably back to the cruel real word for the man with one of the worst last names in the NFL (at least until yesterday).

I spent a good hour scouring the box scores for breakout college stars to pick up in this week’s free agent offering. I need a backup kicker, and the rest of my team is pretty solid. I won’t find out if my free agent bids bear fruit until Thursday morning.

Can the good husband award go too far? The wife wants to watch/TiVo Reunion on Fox. It starts at 9 p.m. on Thursday, which happens to be the same time the Patriots/Raiders game starts. So far I’ve struck out on finding local pals to watch the game, at least the first half, outside the home. I have the one New England Patriot fan who bars his door 30 minutes before kickoff, the budding actor friend who has a performance that night, and the first-grade teacher who has to get up earlier than a farmer and therefore can’t stay awake longer than John Madden’s first rambling nonsensical comment. I might be sequestered in the bedroom.

The White Sox have been good to me this year. After a crummy August the team is 5-0 in September, including yesterday’s makeup game in Boston. A lot of the team didn’t even make the trip. Rookie Brandon McCarthy shut out the ‘other’ Sox for seven innings. He may force his way onto the playoff roster. Tonight starts a three-game series against the Royals. Hopefully that winning streak will be at eight by Thursday, and the magic number will be closer to ten.

Let's try one of those rambling things

Here’s why the NCAA confuses people: Matt Leinart was applauded for staying in school for his ‘senior’ year. Apparently it’s fine for him to take one lousy class this semester since that’s all he needs to graduate. The class is ballroom dancing. Methinks Leinart’s dance card is already full.

I can see why in the annual Sports Illustrated NFL preview why the Titans are predicted to finish fourth in the AFC South. I’d like any so-called expert to explain how the Jaguars and Texans got better this offseason. I don’t see it.

I’d say the same about the Colts. The signing of signed Corey Simon could be huge. I really don’t know if he’s the final piece for that undersized, athletic squad but he won’t hurt.

I don’t have a ton to say about the Titans’ final 53-man roster. After Troy Edwards displayed his proficiency at dropping punts he was an obvious cut. There’s almost no room to hire a full practice squad. There’s a chance that a veteran kicker like the loser in Tampa, either Matt Bryant or Todd France, could take over for Rob Biornas. There is a one-week roster exception for Brad Hopkins, who’s injured and suspended for week one. Michael Roos is the likely starter at left tackle, but the starter at right tackle is uncertain. I don’t think the coaches want two rookie tackles going against the experienced Steelers defense. Jacob Bell is the best option but center Justin Hartwig played some tackle in the preseason.

The Missouri Tigers looked pretty solid in their 44-17 win over Arkansas State. Brad Smith had four passing touchdowns. The pocket-bound Smith of 2004 is gone. He led the team with 95 rushing yards. Sophomore William Franklin was the team’s leading receiver, and he might crack my fantasy team’s starting lineup next week. Another interesting note is that true freshman Chase Daniel came in to relieve Smith. I’m going to ignore that ASU’s starting tailback averaged 6.7 yards a carry.

I have to feel good about the Tigers’ chances in the Big 12 North. Kansas and KSU played Florida Atlantic and Florida International, respectively. These were considered to be two of the worst teams in Division 1-A. KSU won by 14 and Kansas won by 11. Nebraska, supposedly tons better than 2004’s 5-6 team, beat Maine 25-7. Iowa State beat 1-AA Illinois State by 11. Colorado beat CSU by 31-28. CSU isn’t supposed to be anything special in the Mountain West this year.

It was a pretty bad day for the Big 12. Oklahoma State beat Montana State 15-10. Oklahoma and Texas A&M were upset by unranked opponents. Heck, Baylor’s win over SMU looks pretty good right now. Texas dominated, but did you expect UL-Lafayette to put up a fight?

I’ll finish by stating that I benched D.J. Shockley on my fantasy college team. He only scored six touchdowns. I predict another year of high-scoring losses for the Missouri Tigers of the KCFA3.

On the sidelines

Like many Americans, I’m feeling helpless about the situation in New Orleans and the rest of the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast area. Instead of echoing those sentiments I’m going to tell a personal story.

Mark Waller is a friend of mine. We both attended the University of Missouri. Like me, he graduated in 1996 with a degree of Journalism. I didn’t stick journalism but Mark did. He started in Little Rock and eventually moved to the Times-Picayune, where he’s worked for six years. He met his wife there. She’s a photographer at the paper.

Mark was with the paper as it scrambled to cover the disaster for a city that no longer had time for such frivolities as a daily newspaper. The paper finally reorganized in Baton Rouge. Mark and his wife had to go to his mother’s house in Springfield Missouri because they have a dog and no one to take care of it.

His story underscores the importance of New Orleans to the country. He broke down when explaining to me that New Orleans is an important part of the soul of the country. It’s a culturally unique city. There is no replacing it. I have no doubt that people will work hard to restore the city. It will be tough to convince people to stick around for such a long-term project.

Mark, along with his wife Jen, is returning to the belly of the beast. They’re heading back to Baton Rouge this weekend. I was able to contact my aunt and uncle, who live there, to get them a place to stay while they re-join the displaced newspaper staff. Baton Rouge has about twice its usual population, so housing is scarce at best. Fortunately my aunt and uncle were like me and wanted to help, and I was able to help facilitate that. It felt good to help out a friend in need, although it didn’t feel like I did much.