Life Continued

I passed my second test tonight. I took all but 14 seconds of my hour to complete the Cascading Style Sheets test.

Notes for the weekend: Missouri goes to Baylor tomorrow afternoon. Missouri last lost to Baylor in 1991. Baylor last had a winning season in the Southwestern Conference's final season. They didn't even go to a bowl. Baylor won its only SWC title in 1980. Considering the state of the Big 12 South, it's hard to see Baylor slipping into a bowl any time soon. Baylor's freshman QB Robert Griffin hasn't thrown an interception yet. He's obviously overdue.

Stat of the day: Missouri's 379 points in eight games is more than the team has scored in any but three seasons in team history. Last year's 558 points are in jeopardy.

Everyone thinks that the Titans will lose to the Packers. That's why I'm not worried. The Pack won't shut down the run like the Titans did. I was annoyed that the AFC Playbook didn't show a thing about what the Titans would do. Sure, the Packers have excellent receivers. Haven't Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and Marvin Harrison made like 15 Pro Bowls between them? I'm just saying.

Zach on Life

I passed the first test in my Emory Web Certification. I took this HTML class more than a year ago and studied using my trusty buddy w3schools. After realizing that I was allowed to try the test twice without failing, I took the plunge. Some of the questions were poorly written. Some of the questions involved HTML concepts I had never heard of. Some of them were copied directly from the w3schools quiz. The testing reminded me of the SAT, in that some times I might not know the answer, but I was able to eliminate the three wrong ones. In the end, I got 80% correct.

My wife can cluck like a chicken to Rod Stewart's "If You Want My Body". I'm a lucky man.

I've found that when trying to be humorous on my fantasy football Web site, I am almost guaranteed to annoy someone. Luckily we're the kind of league that goes the passive-aggressive route.

Does the Phillie Phanatic get a playoff share? Man that was the most anticlimactic World Series ever. I feel for Phillies fans since no one but about 1,000 White Sox fans cared when they won the World Series. Brad Lidge just made himself a ton of money.

I'm still basking in the glow of a legit Titan win over the Colts. I can enjoy this until Sunday at 1 p.m.

An Insider's Guide to Code Blue

It was a cold night in Nashville. Code Blue was appropriate, but handing out t-shirts was very optimistic considering that (1) it was the biggest giveaway in Titan history and (2) it was cold. Did I mention that it was a bit chilly?

I haven't worn that many clothes to a Titans game since the infamous Joe Nedney playoff game. Early in this contest, with the Titans down 7-3, there were premature fireworks. This would have spooked most kickers but Bironas was true. He missed another attempt later in the second quarter. After the Titans stifled a Colt drive near the end of the first half, Jeff Fisher seemed to waver regarding whether he should call a time-out or let the clock run down. I yelled "you're still not winning!" in our very quiet section and two seconds later, Fisher relented. I really think that he heard us.

This was a gutsy performance by the Titans. There were signs that we were in a 2007 game. By that I mean the defense would make plays and the offense would not take advantage. Bogging down repeatedly prior to the red zone in the first half made the loud crowd quite nervous.

Did I mention that night games lead to crowds who are much more drunken in nature? The cheers can be louder but not as consistent. I think the beer vendors did poorly not because of the temperature but because the beer drinkers didn't have the hand-eye coordination to get out money and their ID.

When the Colts took the 14-6 lead, the crowd had lost momentum. Our section has a bunch of regulars, but most of the lower seats have different fans every game. It was gut-check time. Like most teams on a roll, the Titans got a little help from the refs, or the Colts D, in their next drive. Justin Gage dropped a third-down pass and there was a pass interference call. Bo Scaife and Collins got their wires crossed but an illegal contact penalty moved things along. The drive improved as the team got closer. Collins hit Justin McCareins on one long third down and Brandon Jones on another.

After the TD, my dad and I had a fan moment. We argued that the Titans shouldn't go for two, since I'm a big fan of not chasing points. The Titans went for it, and when they pulled off a nice play-action pass to Ahmad Hall, we both thought it was brilliant.

The crowd got excited after that. Then the defense decided to shut down the Colts. Kyle Vanden Bosch was out, and his backup got injured on the opening kickoff. That meant the D line didn't get as much pressure as usual. Manning wasn't sacked, and he was rarely pressured. The secondary picked it up. Every deep pass was knocked away.

In the fourth quarter it all came together. The running game finally picked it up and the defense sealed the game with a second Manning interception. The crowd was insane at that point. We walked back and I decided not to continue my run through the fountain streak. That was a good idea, because who wants to be superstitious in a year like this?

Pre-game note: There were promised "code blue" t-shirts. When we got through our section, there were no shirts, although most fans had one on. My parents went to their seats. I was determined to get a shirt. This is the first year since I've been a fan that I haven't purchased a new Titan item, so this was my chance. I saw a woman putting about ten shirts, no doubt headed for ebay, into a backpack. At the next entrance there were boxes of shirts. I got the three that I had earned. Then I made the mistake of getting drinks while holding three shirts under my arm. My $4.50 coke in the souvenir glass spilled just as I was at the precipice of our section. It doesn't always go smoothly.

Are the Titans the best team in the league? I don't really care about that. What matters is the two-game lead for home field advantage and the four-game lead for the division. As my wife said on the phone during a semi-quiet moment, suck it, Timmy!

An Unqualified Success

The LaDainian Tomlinson trade was a success. For the other team. I lost to drop my record to 2-6. I am solidly in 10th place, a slight improvement from my usual 11th place finish. My last-minute move to replace Nate Washington with Josh Morgan in my starting lineup sealed my fate. I'd probably lose anyway, as my opponent has Chris Johnson going tomorrow night.

I liked Missouri's comeback Saturday night. They wailed on the at least a year away Colorado Buffaloes. How freaking good is the Big 12 South? There are four top ten teams and I don't know if Missouri could beat any of them on a neutral field. Missouri's prize for taking the Big 12 North, looking more like a certainty after Kansas's crushing defeat against Texas Tech, is another potential beat-down. At least they should do better than the Alamo Bowl. Missouri will go to their fourth bowl in a row since the 1978-81 seasons.

An interesting subplot to this year's title chase is the BCS race. Right now Boise State and Utah would qualify for the BCS with top-12 rankings. Would a 12-0 Boise State team keep an 11-1 Oklahoma or Texas team out of a BCS bowl? Even Tulsa and Ball State are still on pace to go undefeated, although neither team will reach 12 in the rankings. Tulsa has an outside chance if they can go to Arkansas and win. A 13-0 Tulsa team deserves a better bowl game than a 7-5 SEC squad.

I will go 2-2 this week at best in fantasy. My college squad won a tight one, and will play the top team in the league next week. My z17 team is down by 9 with Monday night to go. I have LenDale White, Reggie Wayne, and Freddie Keaiho while he has Marvin Harrison. I refuse to cheer for Colts to perform well. If Wayne has to catch a TD pass in a 33-7 game, so be it. In z34, after feeling good about myself, I got crushed by 58. I had no depth this week.

Tomlinson, Come on Down

In the Presidential election, there is a thing called the October surprise. It's a last-minute item that sways enough voters to turn the election. I have made such a move in the AUFL.

I traded for LaDanian Tomlinson.

Our last-place team owned Tomlinson, and put the "on the market" message on the league page. I do not look at the page at work, not due to principal but because of the pictures posted on the page. I cannot believe the filth, unless I have posted the latest from the Philadelphia Eagles lingerie calendar. What are they selling again?

Tomlinson does have a sore big toe, which is a big deal when you have to make lightening-quick cuts to gain extra yardage. I knew that my potential trade partners were Falcons fans, so I made Roddy White the centerpiece of the deal. He's a keeper wideout. I decided to include Jamal Lewis, because when you pick up a RB you need to offer one in return. Jamal Lewis is like Tomlinson, except that he's far less talented.

Initially there was another offer on the table. That led to an hour or so of worry. In the end, my deal was superior. My opponent offered Laveraneus Coles and the Ravens D. Are you serious? This is the same guy who traded for Shaun Alexander one year too late, and his first e-mail to me mentioned that Tomlinson is going to be the next Alexander. That was enough to make me worry.

I like my Tomlinson/Forte backfield, although throwing in the better of Santonio Holmes and Donald Driver opposite Andre Johnson makes me nervous. Three weeks ago Johnson made me nervous. Now he's a mega-stud.

Now I just have to worry about my QB situation. It's a matter of throwing a dart on a board. Last week my leading QB scorer was a guy who had 38 passing yards going into the fourth quarter. My keeper everybody, Derek Anderson. What, no applause?

I play the winless team I just traded with this weekend. I am one loss from calling it a season. Come on, Tomlinson, play like you have a commercial riding on it.

Fantasy Focus

Tonight I will discuss the standing of each of my fantasy teams. This should bore even my die-hard readers.

KCFA 3 (Missouri Tigers, 6-2): The Missouri Tigers in fantasy lost as the real Tigers did, except to a different Big 12 South team. The Oklahoma Sooners gave the Tigers their first loss since week two. While the real Tigers face an easier schedule for the next month, this version of the Tigers play 6-2 Cal, 7-1 Washington, and 6-2 North Texas (defending champs). I will be the division champ with the all-important bye if I win all three games. My division has five of the best six teams in the league, and so far against the juggernauts, I'm 0-2.

My draft was terrible in KCFA3. I haven't started a single player that I drafted this year. Luckily I've been able to pick up plenty of waiver-wire studs. In college fantasy, don't sweat the draft. My RB depth is bad and that's big if you want to win. If your QBs don't put up around 30 points a week, you're sunk. I once defeated a team with 12 QB touchdowns in one week, so I know what it takes. I'd like to win the national title that Missouri won't compete for. More likely is that I will sneak into the playoffs and lose in the first round.

z17 (Tennessee Titans, 5-2): The defending champs have cooled off after a great start. I have my division nearly clinched with a three game lead. The struggle is to get the first-round bye. The two teams that beat me are the other 5-2 teams in my conference. I did lose one game by less than a point. I'm struggling at QB due to Peyton Manning playing like he's going against the University of Florida every week. Marion Barber, Michael Turner, and LenDale White comprise a nice RB trio. Reggie Wayne and Greg Jennings are a nice WR duo. I may go with the TE duo of Dallas Clark and Owen Daniels instead of a streaky third WR like Isaac Bruce (an original franchise member) and Dwayne Bowe. It seems like my IDP players are performing.

I want to defend my title. Anything less than that will be considered a failure.

And in my first two leagues, I'm the top scorer. That should stand for something.

z34 (Tennessee Titans, 4-3): After a 1-3 start, I've won three in a row, including a week in which I started a LB on a bye week. We completed a division shakeup in the offseason. The result is that five of the teams in the NFC have more points than top scorer in the AFC. I'm in the NFC. This was going to be a rebuilding year. Then I got Matt Forte in the rookie draft and picked up Sammy Morris as a free agent. Tony Romo's injury will hurt me a bit. This is a team with upside since I have two first-round picks next year. Other than Bernard Berrian I have about nothing at WR. It's tough getting four startable WR/TEs. This might be the most competitive league, with two 6-1 teams, one 1-6 team and everyone else at 4-3 or 3-4. I want to make the playoffs and anything after that is a bonus.

AUFL (Detroit Lions of Buckhead, 2-5): This is my one disappointing team. I got crushed by 40 in my opening game. Since then I lost by one, won by 27, lost by six, won by 54, lost by two, and lost by 17. I'm the fifth highest scoring team in the league. Now that I have three capable running backs and two stud wide receivers with no byes left, I should be able to slot in one QB who can score at least ten points. My goal here is to make the playoffs. That's it.

The End of Positivity?

A tough weekend for my real and fantasy teams finished with an easy Titan win. You know your team is dominating when LenDale White runs for 80 yards unmolested. Yes, there were other football players on the field. At least I learned that Chris Johnson is a better football player than bongo player. That had to be the best TD celebration all year.

I'm watching a banner evening for Tampa Bay. I need the Bucs D to score 13 more fantasy points or else I'm 2-5 in the AUFL. My Favre gamble did not pay off, as he was my third-rated QB this week. Willis McGahee, after doing nothing last week, was my top scoring running back. On the bench. Such is life, eh?

I just watched Willy Aybar hit a home run to give the Rays a 3-1 lead. Can they vanquish the Red Sox? Ther are six outs to go.

Let me give a way too late shout-out to the Don Funk Sports bar. The sports bar saw its first Titan/Bear dual victory of the season. My friend benched the Chicago D on his fantasy team and probably lost the week because of it. He'll take a Bear win instead, although we agree that the orange jerseys have to go. Any franchise with the history and dignity of the Bears should not go neon orange, ever. Today's culinary attempt, the onion burger with cheddar cheese inside the burger, was less successful than the Franks burger from last week.

Last year Sports Illustrated put Delmon Young and Elijah Dukes on the cover, predicting, somewhat jokingly, that the Rays would be a contender in three years. They were two years early. The Rays traded Young for Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza. Garza pitched seven innings tonight. Bartlett just booted a ground ball in the top of the 8th.

I liked hearing how John Madden spent his "off" Sunday at a football game. He got to watch Brett Favre choke it up. Unless the Packers draft another WR with the selection they got in the trade, they got the better end of the trade with the Jets.

Wait, Dan Wheeler's pitching in the 8th inning? Didn't the Rays try this same move in Game 5? The Red Sox have the winning run at the plate.

Missouri dropped to 16 in the polls after Saturday's beat-down. They could creep back up into the top ten in a few weeks. Or they could lose to Colorado for Homecoming.

Ortiz is at the plate. It's crunch time. It's a fielder's choice and there are two outs.

With the bases loaded and two outs, the Rays will bring in David Price. Price, last year's number one pick, has 15 MLB innings under his belt. Wow. He gets the strikeout.

I thought that my z34 team was toast. After a 1-3 start, I'm about to win my third straight and take over first place in my division.

Last team to rally from two runs down in a game seven Championship series: The Braves over the Pirates. Yep, that might have been the last playoff game in Pirate history.

Price strikes out Kotsay and Varitek. There's one out to go. Joe Maddon needed four pitchers to get through the eighth. He's not switching now. The Rays win. Good weekend for Tampa Bay. Except for crushing one of my fantasy teams.

Positivity Challenged

What can I say that's positive about a 35-3 Missouri deficit going into halftime? We won't have to play Texas again this year. Is there a Missouri fan out there who really wants to see the team win the rest of their games and go to the Big 12 title game? Sadly, yes.

I didn't think Danario Alexander's fourth-down grab in the end zone was "indisputable". Yes, his foot was in the white, but it was a bit close to the field to overturn. Reviews come from the refs in college, so it wasn't Texas trying to rub it in.

Kansas getting hammered by Oklahoma proves that the Big 12 South is still the dominant division. The only "south" team left on Missouri's schedule is Baylor. Watch out.

Zach Off Sports: iPod dilemma

If you are a fan of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, you've probably read all three books, maybe more than once, and the Martians story compilation that fills in some of the gaps along with continuing parts of the story. When you're finished, there's nothing else to read and there never will be. That's how I felt about my old iPod. It's true that I could recycle music and change the actual content on the iPod, but I was always constrained by owning the "tiny" 4 GB version.

As an anniversary gift, my wife took me to Best Buy to get a new iPod. My old unit, beaten to death by constant use, only played audio on one speaker. Not that this fact deterred me in the least. Technology has come a long way since I got the first-generation Nano. I now have 8 GB to play with. I am currently uploading as much of my music collection as possible. We have nearly 29 GB of songs on the desktop, and a few dozen more on my laptop. While I still have a song limit, now I'm allowed to have a much deeper bench, so to speak.

Wow, that was two whole non-sports-related paragraphs. Enough of that nonsense.

Brian, one of my vice-commissioners in z34, stated today that I doth protest too much in calling Brett Favre a "mediocre" fantasy QB. While it's likely that out of Favre, Campbell, and Derek Anderson I will get one good performance, I have a poor chance of guessing who that will be. They're all in the low end of starters. While Favre is the seventh-highest scoring QB in the AUFL despite having a bye (none of the top six have), he scored 45 of his 104 total points in one week. He averages nearly 21 points a game, but in the weeks when he doesn't throw six touchdowns, it's down to 15. That puts him just ahead of Jason Campbell, and I guess that tells me who I'm starting this week. Thanks Brian. Your commentary allowed me to look closer into a difficult roster situation. If it weren't positivity week, I'd say something like "I'll never get those ten minutes back."

Zach's quick political corner: The most sobering thought regarding the presidential race is this. The people who really want John McCain to win are scared to the point of losing sleep that Barack Obama will win, and vice versa. Will either candidate be able to bring those folks off the ledge?

I liked last Thursday's discussion of Joe Biden on the NPR Fresh Air podcast. Both Biden and McCain seem to have withstood major scandals that would have ended most political careers. Biden had a plagiarism issue during a 1988 attempt to win the Democratic nomination for president. McCain was one of the Keating Five.

I believed in Missouri as the "scrappy underdog" until I saw that the ESPN fan vote gave Missouri a majority that Obama or McCain would love to have on November 4. More than 60% of the voters picked Missouri. Being number one isn't as cool as it used to be. Like AC/DC says, it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.

Franchise Jealousy

Can I be jealous of a franchise while being in total disgust of most of its fans? After the Red Sox rallied from a 7-0 deficit with seven outs left in their season, you have to believe that anything is possible. This is the same team that overcame 3-0 and 3-1 deficits in the past four years. Most of the 2004 squad isn't on the roster. Somehow, the magic remains. I'll keep an eye on Game 6 tonight as I watch Missouri/Texas.

The last team to beat the Red Sox in an elimination game? The White Sox.

When your fantasy team has three mediocre quarterbacks, do you really have even one? I have to decide between Jason Campbell, Brett Favre, and Derek Anderson this weekend. It's a critical matchup since I'm 2-4 and so is my opponent. Stupid Roddy White is on a bye.

This week's ESPN defense/special teams rankings put the Giants at number two. Did they see last Monday Night's game? Now I have to stew that over with the Bucs versus the Seahawks as my other option.

Positivity part three

I was so positive that I skipped my blog yesterday. I tried to be a good boy by working on my CSS homework and exercising. I TiVo'd the debate but probably won't watch it. I feel bad for Joe the Plumber. He'll get his own segment in "I love 2008" on VH1.

Missouri is part of the crazy Big 12 calvalcade that continues this weekend. It really is an elimination game of sorts. Missouri can win the Big 12 North even if they lose this weekend, but any pretentions of BCS would be just about gone. Texas put a lot into last week's showdown with Oklahoma. It's going to be tight. I may go to a sports bar to watch this one after torturing my wife by yelling at the TV the past couple of Saturday nights.

I haven't written a word about the Titans heading to Kansas City for the second straight year. KC was where Vince Young completed one of his eight 20-plus yard passes last year. I don't expect too much of a game, although Redskins and Giants fans thought that last week and look where they ended up. The defense should shut down a Chief offense that has struggled outside a game against the Broncos. Hmm. . . they were undefeated too. I guess I should be worried but I'm not putting much thought into it.

I am enjoying the "Titans as the best team in the NFL because everyone else has a loss . . . and are you sure that no one else is undefeated?" theme from sportswriters this week. Divisional champs turn over yearly but people can't handle a new king of the hill. I'm not saying that the Titans will hold onto their perch forever. 6-0 is good enough for me.

Here's my positive message of the day. People with weight issues have the urge to get on a scale every day. That's a bad idea. I feel the same about checking my 401k. Do it once a week and that's it. There's no reason to make yourself crazy. Just like the rest of the country, you have to ride out the rough times.

Positivity Day Two

Earlier this morning, I posted a particularly negative message on my league's board after the New York Giants D failed to score two points and assure me a victory. The negativity was based on what the player (have to call a team defense one player, as odd as that sounds) underperformed. I could have started the Tampa Bay defense and won handily. I also could have started Derek Anderson or Jamal Lewis and won. I doubt that one percent of attention-paying fantasy owners started Anderson. Jamal Lewis over Willis McGahee was probably more of a 50/50 proposition.

It's easy to be negative when my 2-4 team has outscored two 4-2 teams and is only three points behind the other 4-2 squad. My record isn't a death sentence on my season, as half of the league is at 2-4 or worse. Also the fact that Lewis and Anderson are fantasy-relevant is critical. I can start Lewis and Matt Forte every week, and now I can choose the best matchup of Jason Campbell, Brett Favre, and Anderson, knowing that I will choose the wrong one.

How can I be positive about...Pacman? I can be positive that the Titans were right to let him go and that the fourth round pick they got for Pacman, Lavelle Hawkins, is for a player who, while not suspended, has been injured all year. Hawkins should help the Titans, if not this year, in future years. Pacman's probably a free agent after this year.

The Lions traded Roy Williams to the Cowboys for multiple draft picks. This is a great trade for the Lions, and it allows them to draft not one but two wide receivers in next year's first round. Oh I am a card. This is a high price to pay, and the Cowboys seem to have other issues besides iffy wideouts. Maybe they'll turn the corner. I know it's a positive thing that I am not a Lions fan. Although I havea fantasy team called the Lions.

Oh, I just heard that the Titans will indeed give up a fifth round pick next year because of Pacman's suspension. So they got a fourth rounder and gave up a fifth rounder. In short, the Titans really wanted to be rid of Jones. Neither the Titans, nor the Cowboys from what we've seen so far, are missing much.

Talk about burying the lead: The Titans are the sole remaining undefeated team after the Giant debacle last night. I'm still nervous about the rejuvinated Colts and Jags. Maintaining their 2+ game lead for another week is a good idea. I'm going out on a very short limb by saying that so far, the Titanics have exceeded expectations. Considering how the Redskins played against the Rams after an excellent start, I'm not going to crow at all.

Excuse me while I spend the next 30 minutes reading Gregg Easterbrook's weekly epic.

Positivity Test Number One

It is my goal this week to craft seven different blogs. There will be a theme to the week. While "Positivity Week" isn't the catchiest theme, it's what I have.

I'm out of ideas.

Just kidding. It wasn't just the upcoming Presidential election, or the fact that the financial crisis has led to nothing more than "it's their fault" as an explanation. It just seems like every time a situation arises, the negative gets the press. I'll find a way around it, even though it goes against my instincts.

Just two posts ago I made fun of Vince Young for calling Colt McCoy and offering him leadership advice. It was the party line that Vince Young is not only unable to be a starting QB in the NFL, he's also mentally unbalanced. While some of that is true, he did receive some criticism early in his career at Texas. He managed to overcome that and engineer one of the greatest game-winning drives in college football history. Whether he can do that as a professional is in dispute, but his credentials as a leader at the University of Texas is not.

Let's give it up for Chicago sports fans. Cubs fans have been tormented for years, but not as much as this season, which happened to be the 100th anniversary of their last championship. White Sox fans had to deal with Ozzie Guillen's crazy rants and a bunch of hitters who set career lows in average. Both teams made it to the playoffs, which only 8 of 30 teams do. Sure, you can be negative about their combined one playoff win. Go right ahead.

Other than a quarter-long nap, I watched the majority of yesterday's Bears/Falcons game. Both teams were a surprising 3-2 with quarterbacks playing better than expected. Neither team could run so it was up to the passing games to thrive. Matt Ryan got the Falcons into field-goal range all game, and finally broke through with a TD pass to Roddy White. I can't be anything but positive about White. The Bears trailed 19-10 and got to the Falcons one. Jason McKie couldn't punch it in, and on fourth down Matt Forte attempted to jump over the pile for the score. His ascent was blunted by McKie. Somehow the Bears got a field goal, stopped the Falcons, and with two minutes to go it was Orton time.

Orton's TD pass to Rashied Davis was a thing of beauty. The Bears looked to be too far from paydirt to go directly to the end zone. Davis ran a corner route and when cornerback Chris Houston hesitated, the window opened. Orton hit it perfectly.

There were eleven seconds left. Except for a kickoff return for a touchdown, there was no way that the Falcons would be able to pull off the miracle. A squib kick gave the Falcons the ball with six seconds left at the 44-yard line. In Saturday's Missouri game, Chase Daniel hit Chase Coffman for ten yards to get into field goal range. The Falcons needed about 25 yards. Matt Ryan backpedaled and threw a perfect pass to Michael Jenkins, who got the two feet in at the 30-yard line. There was one second left. My less positive self would assert that in Chicago, the second would not remain on the clock. Instead I'll say that Jenkins had to get in position at his maximum speed.

Jason Elam, who earlier missed what would have been a game-clinching field goal, nailed the 48-yarder. Considering what the Falcons have trotted out at kicker in the past two years, and you know that Elam was worth every penny.

Matt Ryan's looking like a keeper. Roddy White overcame a concussion sustained in practice (practice!) to continue an excellent real and fantasy season. Michael Turner struggled but has been a great player overall. For the Bears, they know that Orton is no Rex Grossman. He did what he had to do to win. Sadly, someone had to lose.

Coming tomorrow: How do I remain positive when one of my fantasy teams will be without Tony Romo for four weeks? Hint...the team's 2-4. Can you say rookie draft bonanza?

Good News for Missouri Fans

Missouri fans won't have to worry about making plane reservations for Miami in early January. They also won't have to worry about Chase Daniel winning the Heisman. Last night's loss took care of both worries.

It's true that last year's team was ranked number one after a loss. This was a loss to Oklahoma. Oklahoma State is a good team, and perhaps a very good team. We're talking Holiday Bowl, or maybe Cotton. They have exceeded the usual expectations of the Champs Sports or Independence Bowl, which is what fourth place in the Big 12 South usually gets you.

When you don't play your A game, you have to find a way to win. I won't be the typical fan and play the woulda shoulda coulda game. The offense moved but was unable to get the big play. There weren't a lot of deep throws in the game. The defense played well other than giving up three big plays in the second half. There were timely turnovers and untimely letting slot receivers go downfield without a defender. When Zac Robinson hit the third down pass to take the 28-17 lead, two receivers were in the same spot and the nearest defender wasn't in a good position. Jeff Wolfert, who hadn't missed a Big 12 kick, now has missed three in two weeks. When the team was down in the second half, the running game went bye-bye, not that it worked.

I will bring up a point that has been belabored in this blog. Oklahoma State runs the spread, but the quarterback does occasionally take a snap from center. A couple of times last night, Robinson ran a QB sneak for a first down. Missouri needs to implement this. The spread's Achilles heel is in short space near the goal line. When Missouri got inside the one-yard-line, then Oklahoma State got a penalty for being offsides, and the Tigers still couldn't punch the ball in, that was a bad sign. Yet they kicked a field goal as if there would be plenty of points to go around. You can't score 56 points a game. It's, as Ralph Wiggum would say, unpossible.

I wonder if Missouri can maintain their top-ten status next year with Daniel, William Moore, and Chase Coffman moving on to the pros. While it's tough to recruit in a state that has maybe a dozen quality high schoolers, Nebraska was able to be a top-ten team for 30 years even further in the middle of nowhere. Oklahoma has to dig deep into Texas to maintain their strength. I don't know. All I know is next week is a crucial game for the Tigers. A loss will make it hard for them to win the Big 12 North. A 9-3 season, generally good for Missouri but a colossal disappointment this year, would be a likely finish. A win would mean a trip back into the top ten, and maybe the national sportswriters would forget this hiccup.

Florida had their Mississippi, Georgia had their Alabama, and USC had their Oregon State. Missouri's loss either means business as usual or a wake-up call in what still could be a memorable season.

Red River Rivalry

The Oklahoma-Texas game was the best contest I've seen all year. There was a lot of future NFL talent on the field. The two QBs look a lot like my guy, Chase Daniel. What I mean by that is they are deadly accurate and can run when needed. It was the old fashioned big players making big plays in big games contest. Oklahoma took the 14-3 lead and Texas didn't flinch. If Missouri wins tonight, it's possible that Texas will take on the number one team in the country two weeks in a row. Has that ever happened?

I think Oklahoma will lose another game. I don't think Texas will go undefeated even if they expose Missouri next week. It's college football, so anything can happen.

I've also enjoyed watching the Notre Dame-North Carolina game. It's always fun watching Notre Dame lose. I do give Charlie Weis props for standing on the sideline with a torn ACL.

Is Vanderbilt losing really an upset? They have no offense. Vandy will be lucky to go 7-5. That's the truth.

Tonight's game will hinge on the defenses. If Missouri can get a couple of early turnovers, they will put boot to neck. If Oklahoma State can get a stop or two and start pounding the ball, it will get interesting. The guarantee is that Oklahoma State will have the ball for longer. Missouri prefers to score quickly.

Professional Prospects

I enjoyed this week's article in ESPN the Magazine that showed Chase Daniel as the Heisman candidate and Chase Patton as the possible NFL QB. Patton has the NFL measurables with his 6'4 height and zero college touchdown passes. Daniel might be the prototypical spread QB. His height and stocky stature will not help him come combine time. Since Daniel is good friends with Warren Buffet, maybe he has less to worry about than the rest of us regarding his financial future.

My AUFL team is favored for the second week in a row. That has to be a record. I'm a little peeved that Roddy White had the audacity to get hurt in practice and possibly affect his status for the week. Perhaps NFL teams will continue to not notice that he is their only weapon.

Is tomorrow going to be the perfect day of college football? It starts at noon with the Red River Shootout. Texas versus Oklahoma. At 3:30 the top game is Florida versus LSU. Finally Missouri faces Oklahoma State (five unbeatens left in the Big 12) at 8 p.m.

I made a suggestion to a friend that even though both teams are out of the running, the White Sox and Cubs should play a series. If they played, say for charity, wouldn't that be more interesting than Dodgers/Phillies? Yeah, I'd still pass.

There Is No Bye Week

The Titans are off this week. Five years and two-plus weeks ago, I was married on the Titans' bye week. On my wedding day, my cousin proudly gave me score updates from the Missouri-Texas Tech game. Missouri won 62-31, and I expect this weekend's Missouri-Oklahoma State game to end with a similar score.

This blog is sponsored by the Don Funk Sports Bar, which will be reopening this weekend. The Bears are in town to play the Falcons and we do not care.

Let's make a totally unscientific comparison: Oklahoma State has scored 39, 56, 57, 55 and 56 points in four games. Washington State, Missouri State, Houston, Troy, and Texas A&M are not a murderer's row, but they are in a narrow color band from red to maroon. The defense has yielded 115 points, or 23 a game. Missouri has given up 100, although 58 points in the last four games is respectable. Even though Missouri is the better team historically, Oklahoma State has three 10-win teams in the past 25 years. Missouri has two ever, and one was last year.

Missouri has not gone three and out this year. The Titans go three and out three or four times a quarter (estimated).

Oklahoma State once had Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas on the same team, yet they could not break through the Oklahoma/Nebraska strangehold on the Big 8. Do you think they can beat one of the most efficient offenses in college football. I can assume that this man has another meltdown in his future.

Farewell, Sox

It's hard to decide how to judge the White Sox's season when they were so thoroughly outclassed in their playoff series with the Rays. Every time the Sox would score, the Rays would come back with a run. Andy Sorranstine almost didn't make the Rays' rotation yet he was able to shut them down. The Sox couldn't string together consecutive hits or get any kind of rally going. Sure, the team won fewer games than the 2006 squad that made the playoffs. They still made the playoffs and weren't completely embarrassed. I find it hard to believe that they can match the Cubs and get consecutive playoff appearances.

If I were Chris Simms, I'd wonder how it all fell apart. He went from a starting QB in the NFL to a missing spleen, and last week the Titans released him so they could keep a second punter on the roster due to Craig Hentrich's back. The Titans re-signed Simms today. I thought letting Simms go and leaving Young as the only backup was an iffy strategy.

For a column on the NFL's reluctance to discuss players with depression, spurred by Vince Young's situation, go to the excellent Edge of Sports blog.

Quoth the Raven

When the Ravens went up 10-3, running the ball and getting short completions by rookie Joe Flacco, it seemed bleak for the Titans. Kerry Collins would have to drive the Titans the entire field to win. So far this year, offensive drives have been relatively short due to the defense setting it up. So what does Collins do?

I must digress. The White Sox defied expectations by surviving in the playoffs longer than the Cubs. That's probably going to be their playoff legacy. Why must they be in a do or die scenario to perform like this?

I like to watch the highlights on the NFL GameDay Final. I don't necessarily like the commentary afterward. Rich Eisen is enjoyable in his ESPN SportsCenter-esque pop-culture reference gone wile manner. Steve Mariucci is fine. I can't listen to Deion Sanders. It hurts my ears. I assume that they're saving the best for last, as they show the Titans/Ravens highlights at the 1:09 point of the 90-minute show. They have to start with a shot of Vince Young. Of course they do.

Generally even when you're losing, you have to stick with your strength. The Titans pretty much gave up on their running game in the fourth quarter, yet Collins was able to direct two 75-yard plus drives including the winner with two minutes to go.

But were the Titans saved by a phantom penalty? The key play was a third-down incompletion. The Titans had a false start, usually a play-killer, and the Ravens were called for roughing the passer. The false start should have ended the play. The penalty was iffy if ever. In the first quarter, the Ravens got a boost with a unsportsmanlike conduct player after a Titan retaliated from getting hit by a Raven, so we'll call it even.

Note to defensive coordinators playing the Ravens: Make Flacco roll out. He makes bad decisions when he does. Three times he threw picks on rollouts (one was called back).

Final comment on the Missouri win: That was Nebraska's homecoming. I don't think Missouri's going to be a homecoming team any time soon.

Smart two-point coaching: When the Redskins took the lead 15-14 against the Eagles, they could have gone for two. Instead, they kicked the extra point. The TD later in the game gave them a critical nine-point lead. When the Bengals scored with 7:30 to go, they trailed by two. Of course they went for two and didn't get it. When the Cowboys scored, the lead was nine instead of eight. The Bengals didn't have a chance.

Fantasy Nuggets:

Larry Johnson has averaged 100 yards rushing the past two weeks. Oh yeah, he had two yards this week after last week's 198-yard performance. It's not just the Republicans who can spin.

Thanks in part to two inexplicable late fumbles, Peyton Manning finally had an above-average fantasy day.

Ronnie Brown is further proof that an ACL tear is not a career-ender.

I doubt that too many people started DeAngelo Williams this week. The Chiefs sure fell back to earth in a week.

That's right, Cedric Benson might become fantasy-relevant again.

When I realized that my top two QBs in the AUFL, Favre and Derek "insert expletive here" Anderson had the same bye week, I jumped on Jason Campbell. Campbell might be my starter for the rest of the year.

In the AUFL, I have scored more points each week. This week I started the top two receivers in Andre Johnson and Roddy White. White started slowly but has become an every-week start. Johnson seems to do better with Rosenfels in there but I think Schaub will get over his mysterious illness for next week's game. With my win in the AUFL, I may have to revert my earlier statement of having two good teams and two crap teams. Patience has paid off, as I've made only two roster moves and the players I drafted have performed well. I picked up Ryan Torain and hope that he's this year's Ryan Grant.

Living with Losing

It's not fun to watch your team in the playoffs and see why most experts picked them to finish fourth in the AL Central. It's a station-to-station team that can't get the extra base. Defense is mediocre. While everyone in the Rays outfield is capable of playing center field, no one on the White Sox can. When it comes down to it, you can't calculate clutch until you get there.

When the Sox loaded the bases in the first inning and scored only two runs, I knew that wasn't going to be enough. When I TiVo'd the game and later accidently fast-forwarded to real time, it was 3-2 in the 8th. The Sox couldn't manufacture that run, and Buehrle was out of gas. Instead of needing one run to win, the Sox gave up three runs and the game was over. Offensively the team is built for the three-run homer or the double play. I didn't expect a deep playoff run, but I hoped that a veteran team might put some pressure on the playoff-newbie Rays. It didn't happen. John Danks can avoid the sweep on Sunday. It would be nice to get this series back to Tampa.

In an effort to get back into running, I found a new site that in theory would help me find new running paths near my home. I still have to learn how to use the site. Since my epic 5K, I've run probably three times.

ESPN did me a big favor by moving the Vandy/Auburn game to 6 p.m. to allow me to watch the Missouri game (aka fall asleep to) in its entirety. Woo hoo to me.

Down in Tampa

I’m TiVoing through the White Sox/Rays game. A work-related meeting that just happened to be in my neighborhood ended early. It’s the bottom of the second and Evan Longoria just made an emphatic first hit of the series with a home run. Cliff Floyd just slammed the ball ten feet foul. That’s bad news for Javier “anticlutch” Vazquez.

I was very bullish on Floyd when he was a stud rookie prospect in the early 90s. His infamous Bowman rookie card showed him dunking a baseball on a basketball goal.

Longoria’s a guy I drafted on my fantasy baseball team, released him when he got demoted to start the year, then watched the last place team snap him up.

Talk about some hideous jerseys in the Rays’ history. I liked the green caps, but the neon color with Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff and a bunch of stiffs must have been tough to stomach as fans. I don’t know if I dig the star on the R of the front of the jersey, but overall it’s a clean look that they may keep for a whole five years.

I felt less smug when I encountered my Cubs-loving boss this morning. He has a friend who bought 16 face-value tickets for every Cubs playoff game. Talk about a goldmine. My manager, a former college football player who looks like Brian Ulracher, shared the feeling of all Cubs fans. Are we going to blow it again?

The Sox let a Dioner Navarro duck-snort land between three players. It was an “I got it, no you got it” moment.

It seems like every player is trying to hit a home run. Getting an early lead is huge in the playoffs.

I was giving my cat a place to nap. He decided that he doesn’t like baseball. Ramirez and Pierzynski get singles, Uribe moves them over with a bunt, Cabrera pops up (worst thing to do with a man on third) and DeWayne Wise, a AAAA player if I’ve ever seen one, hits a three-run homer. The playoffs bring strange heroes. Benching Swisher makes sense now.

There’s no rest for the wicked, as Vazquez has a few miles to go.

Wait a sec, Jermaine Dye hits a double with two outs. Also, Carlos Pena is out of the lineup for the Rays. That injury has not been properly explained yet.

Has there been a team with so many hitters batting under .250 in the playoffs since maybe the Hitless Wonders?

Jason Bartlett hit a single followed by Iwamura getting a triple. Yep, that’s my Vazquez. Sac fly gets Iwamura home, even though he ran like my grandma. Evan Longoria hits another one. Dude. Has he seen more than two pitches?

Pierzynski might be the worst person to execute a hit and run, unless Joe Maddon’s at first. That’s managing, folks.

Longoria is up again. Two guys are on. Intentional walk? First pitch was down. Longoria “only” singles in a run. Vazquez needs to be traded. Get something for him in the offseason, Sox. Work on that minor-league depth. Vazquez is gone, and good riddance. Can we go with a three-man rotation?

Viva Viagra commercials, perfect for a game in St. Petersburg. And there’s the drugfree.org/playhealthy ad behind the plate. Go MLB.

It’s 6-3 but it feels like 25-3.

Pierzynski is hit by a pitch and it’s bases loaded in the top of the 7th. Juan Uribe is up. It’s Uribe time isn’t the best mantra, but it’s all I got. He had a good first-cut swing but it went foul. Cabrera’s up and this is the game, folks. Cabrera tries to get into the pitcher’s grill by dumping dirt on the mound. Balfour strikes him out on a pitch right down the middle. Uber ugh. It’s the bottom of the seventh. Six outs to go.

Clayton Richard has pitched well, but with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, it’s time for a change.

Octavio Dotel aka gasoline on the fire, comes into the game. He gets B.J. Upton.

Paul Konerko has an epic at-bat. He starts 0-2 and works the count. At 3-2 he tries to go to first. Good try. He hits a home run and injures Dan Wheeler’s feelings. It’s still a game.

I couldn’t decide what was more lame: Thundersticks or cowbells. Cowbell wins. Can’t you make your own noise, Tampa fans?

I wouldn’t like football as much if players adjusted their shoulder pads every play. Alexi Ramirez strikes out and it’s one out to go.

And Chicago starts 0-2 in the playoffs. It’s not a good sign.

Can't Help It

It's too easy to be negative. I tried to talk down my local fantasy league when a rash of negativity led to an ugly encounter at poker night. All positivity did was make people uncomfortable. People are usually uncomfortable when situations are unusual. Being positive is unusual.

In the spirit of negativity, I must share my hateful joy at seeing this result. After every sports outlet offered some Cubs ass-kissery, it was inevitable. I'm sure the Scrubs will rebound but it's funny to see the stumble.

Funny enough, it was me changing the channel from a Cubs game to the UConn/Louisville game that led to last Friday's ugly moment. It would be like a Cubs fan to get upset when someone changed the channel from what was a superfluous game.

Speaking of Friday night football, college football just snuck up on me again. It's on every night this week. It's tough having to make fantasy lineup decisions prior to Tuesday night. I'm kind of glad that Tuesday night's Florida Atlantic/MTSU game passed without my knowledge. Rusty Smith hasn't been the QB2 that he was last year. He scored virtually zero points against a Sun Belt defense. I just realized that I missed my free agent deadline for the week.

Of course the White Sox/Rays game gets the 2:30 afternoon treatment tomorrow. Between the Sox/Rays, the Missouri game getting regional coverage and the Titans not being the local Sunday CBS game, I might have to hoof it to a sports bar at least once this weekend.