Last Entry of 2005

Some random shit about the old year...

Best CD: Time For Good
Best Song: 20 Years Old
Best Movie: Batman Begins
Team of 2005: New York Giants (slightly beating out the Irish)
Player of 2005: Jeff Samardzija
Game of 2005: ND-USC October 15th
Play of 2005: 4th & 9
Best Family Event: Thanksgiving, again
Best Holiday: Thanksgiving
Best Event: Bonnaroooooooooooooo, again
Best Vacation: West Palm Beach
Concert Of The Year: Big Apple For The Big Easy
Best Concert of Bonnaroo: Allman Brothers Band
Day of the Year: July 3rd, @ Rachel & Jeska's
Random Moment of the Year: Seeing my Ex in WPB
Gift of the Year: iPod
Book of the Year: Half-Blood Prince
TV Show of the Year: Everybody Loves Raymond
Best TV Episode: Hurley's first Lost episode
Find of the Year: Chinese Restaurant/Sports Bar in Mass
Person of the Year: Myself

Happy New Year everyone, see you on the other side!

Top 10 Movies of 2005

This list, more than any other, is the one I'll probably get criticized for. Just keep in mind, while reading it, that I haven't seen every movie that came out in 2005. I still want to see Munich, and King Kong. Have no interest in Brokeback Mountain. Never made it to Walk The Line. These are just the Top 10 movies that I saw in 2005.

Before I get to the Top 10, just want to mention a few movies I left out. Sin City, Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and Mr. & Mrs. Smith are all enjoyable movies. Just not as good as any of these, in my opinion.

The Top 10:

10. Four Brothers
9. Saw 2
8. Wedding Crashers
7. The Interpreter
6. Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire
5. Kingdom Of Heaven
4. Coach Carter
3. Cinderella Man
2. Star Wars III: Revenge Of The Sith
1. Batman Begins

Top 10 Songs of 2005

This list was A LOT harder to put together than the top 10 albums, mainly because there weren't a lot of good albums in 2005. The only real ommissions from that list were OAR's Stories of a Stranger & Jason Mraz's Mr.A-Z, but I didn't feel either of these albums were as good, in my opinion, as the other 10, so I had no trouble leaving them off the list.

As for the top 10 songs, when I had everything finally narrowed down, I was still left with 18 songs that I deserved to be in the Top 10. One by one, after listening to bits & pieces of each one, I was finally able to narrow it down to a Top 10.

But I'm betting if I re-did this list next week, while the songs may be the same, the order would change. And again the week after. It's virtually impossible to have a definite top-to-bottom song list. Most of it depends on what your mood is at that moment, and what type of music you are feeling.

Who knows.

Here it goes, the Top 10.

10. Time For Good by Todd Martin
9. Feel Like Living by Hothouse Flowers
8. Life is Wonderful by Jason Mraz
7. Please Don't Let It Be by The Alternate Routes
6. This Life by Todd Martin
5. Best of You by The Foo Fighters
4. Si Do Mhamo I by Hothouse Flowers
3. Jesse by Mike Perkins
2. Leave An Open Door by Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers
1. 20 Years Old by Mike Perkins

Shame on you if you've never heard these songs (or these artists).

Movies tomorrow.

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack

In time for the end of 2005, here I am.

There's a lot going on in the sports world right now, but for the next 5 days, I'm going to take a break from that.

Where I've been these last few weeks?



Last Sunday-Wednesday I was in Florida with my sister, my cousins & my aunt & uncle. Much better weather than NJ, that's for sure. While there, I did nothing. NOTHING. Just relaxed. Weirdest thing though, about an hour into the trip my sister, cousin, aunt & I are walking to the pool when who walks right past us? My ex-girlfriend! This sort of thing doesn't happen to normal people. What are the odds that my ex & I are at the same beach resort in West friggin' Palm Beach during the same week. Come on now, that's absurd. Needless to say, I did my best to avoid eye contact and was on guard the rest of the week looking for her, but alas, to my delight, didn't see her again.

Pure ridiculousness. Then I got home Thursday and finally started my Christmas shopping. Finished it Friday. Spent the next 3 days celebrating Christmas, and now I'm back at work, unfortunately.

So that's why I haven't been posting. Now I'm back.

And before we get to January, which is one of the four best months of the year (along with March, September & October), I'll spend a few more days on non-sports related stuff.

Today, I give you thesharkey's Top 10 albums of 2005.

Then, over the next four days we'll also get the Top 10 songs, Top 10 movies, Top 10 days of the year, and Top 10 concerts. Not necessarily in that order, though.

Without further distractions, here are the Top 10:

10. The All-American Rejects- "Move Along"
http://www.allamericanrejects.com
9. North Mississipi Allstars- "Electric Blue Watermelon"
http://www.nmallstars.com
8. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers- "Americano!"
http://www.azpeacemakers.com
7. Michael Franti & Spearhead- "Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles"
http://www.spearheadvibrations.com
6. Deathcab For Cutie- "Plans"
http://www.deathcabforcutie.com
5. Hothouse Flowers- "Into Your Heart"
http://www.hothouseflowers.com
4. Mike Perkins- "Sway"
http://www.mikeperkins.net
3. My Morning Jacket- "Z"
http://www.mymorningjacket.com
2. Alternate Routes- "Good & Restless & True"
http://www.thealternateroutes.com
1. Todd Martin- "Time For Good"
http://www.toddmartinmusic.com

If you don't own any of these CD's, you've wasted 2005.

Festivus for the rest of us!

The Sharkey is going on Christmas hiatus for a few days. Out tonight, Family the next three days. Then on Tuesday I return to work for the first time since the 16th. I'm not looking forward to that.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

I'm sure you're all wondering what I got you this year.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I think you will!

Happy Festivus, on with the feats of strength!

quick update

Home from Florida. It was great. Pictures coming soon. Exciting news regarding thesharkey the person, not the website, also coming soon.

For the 9 people that signed up, don't worry, the Bowl Challenge is still happening, I just haven't gotten a chance to type it all up yet. I'll get to it sometime tomorrow or Friday. Stupid Toledo just killed me.

That's my update. Sharkey out.

Keeping track of the sharkey

So you don't complain over a lack of posts for the next 2+ weeks or so, here's what you got:

Tomorrow, last day of work before vacation, off by 2:30. Then who knows? Would like to go see King Kong at some point, or get drunk.

Saturday, Giants-Chiefs game. Coming into this season I'd been to 3 NFL games in my life. This will be my 4th game of this season. I'm pumped. This would be a huge win for the Giants. Loss wouldn't be devastating (since it's non-conference), but obviously we want this one bad.

Sunday morning I leave for sunny & warm West Palm Beach. Plane lands in WPB at 10am, to give you an idea of how early I'll be up. Staying at a timeshare with my sister, two of my cousins, and one of their boyfriends. I'll be there until Wednesday night.

Thursday & Friday are reserved for Christmas shopping, since I haven't started yet. I'm not even going to attempt to shop until then. Figure I'll go early in the morning each day. Malls shouldn't be too crowded, since they are still workdays.

Saturday is Christmas Eve. Sunday is Christmas. Monday is more Christmas. No explanation needed, these aren't internet days.

Tuesday I finally return to work after a 10 day vacation. This is going to suck. I'll work my ass off Tuesday-Friday, then hopefully I'm going to see Robert Randolph @ the Electric Factory this Friday night.

Saturday night is New Years Eve. I'll be working. Not really working, though, since we'll be dead. And the Giants game kicks off at 8:30 at night. So I'll be sitting at our bar watching this game.

Sunday is New Years Day. Also working this day.

Monday is The Fiesta Bowl. A bunch of other games this day, as well, but most importantly is the Fiesta Bowl.

Work Tuesday-Thursday. Friday I go to Washington DC for the weekend.

Work Monday-Thursday. Friday (yes, we're now up to January 13, which is still a month away) I go into NYC for a weekend in which a lot of great friends are coming into the city for the OAR @ MSG concert.

Return to work that Tuesday, January 17th, and then things will begin getting back to a normal routine.

Needless to say, this next month is going to rock hard (and drain my wallet). Should be a great time. I'll try to update as much as possible in this time, but I make no promises.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A Christmas Poem...

...about an angel, and a bar, and a child, and some hope. I know it's insanely long. But if you have 10 free minutes, please read it. Merry Christmas.

In an old city bar
That is never too far
From the places that gather
The dreams that have been

In the safety of night
With it's old neon light
It beckons to strangers
And they always come in

And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The music was low
On that night
Christmas Eve

And here was the danger
That even with strangers
Inside of this night
It's easier to believe

For it was into this bar
That i happened to wander
To stare into a glass
And my universe to ponder

So I walked up to the counter
Shook the snow off my coat
Then I ordered a whiskey
That i used like a moat

But an old man soon joined me
And asked if I knew the time
One word led to another
On this night I didn't mind

Then he offered a drink
From a bottle 'neath his coat
And he smiled a little smile
As it trickled down his throat

And I felt myself relaxin'
Here among the ghosts that failed
Then the old man topped my glass off
And began his little tale

In the moments of our lives
Both the joyous and the tragic
If the truth is too be told
We are all pursuing magic

And the magic that we seek
As we're sure you have discovered
Can be found in certain places
Far more easily than others

In the sand beneath the sphinx
In the dreams of candlelight
But the surest place of all
Is in the forgiving world of night

And of all the nights throughout the year
That come & gently leave
None hold the dream of magic
Like that night, Christmas Eve

And so it's on this night
With it's promise deep within
As the snow begins to fall
That our story does begin

An angel came down
One night to the earth
A mission from God
To find out the worth

Of everything that
His children had done
Since that winter night
The birth of His son

And then a sound filled the night
In the cold winter air
And in the midst of his flight
It was holding him there

And as he looked toward the earth
For the source of this sound
On that cold winter night
It was pulling him down

To bring something back
This angel was told
That no one could touch
But angels could hold

So on that night
When the sky had cleared
Among all the stars
An angel appeared

And then a sound filled the night
In the cold winter air
And in the midst of his flight
It was holding him there

And as he looked towards the earth
For the source of this sound
On that cold winter night
It was pulling him down

The sound that he heard
Was the ringing of bells
But now inside that night
There were voices as well

As he flew over the Urals
He came upon a little town
Shining in the Arctic darkness
So the angel he set down

Then he walked among the people
In a fitting earth disguise
So no one recognized him
Though they wondered at his eyes

Then he asked a village peasant
What do Russian hearts desire?
He answered peace on earth, of course
And a little "stolichnaya"

As he flew o'ver Sarajevo
There were scars upon the land
There were scars upon the people
It was hard to understand

And the deepest scars of all
Which to humans are unseen
But the angel could see clearly
Were the scars upon the dreams

Like Belfast and Burundi
Rwanda, Palestine
The only decorations here
Had been reward for their crime

And in the garden where the children played
Now soldiers only trod
And stranger still, he heard some say
That they were killing for their God

Now the angel heard God speak many times
And he had always paid attention
But this killing of ones neighbor
Was something the Lord had never mentioned

But as he neared the earth
Of a recent battleground
From among the ruins
He once more heard the sound

It was a single cello playing
A forgotten Christmas song
And even on the battlefields
The song somehow belonged

And as he flew away
The angel did take note
That where he found this music played
One always could find hope

As he flew over the countryside
He was still listening
When from a little church below
He heard a voice begin to sing

Then he reached for the song
And he held it in his hand
(It was something that he did
Because angels can)

And he wondered to himself
"Is this the answer that I sought"
But something was still missing
Or at least so he still thought

And so he journeyed on
Through the midnight winter air
When all at once our angel
Felt the touch of a man's prayer

And looking once more toward the earth
To determine whence it came
He felt a million souls below
But one was not the same

For here he saw a man alone
Though he was walking in a crowd
And though this man had rarely prayed
Tonight his head was bowed

For even in a crowd, you see
A heart can feel alone
When the night is Christmas Eve
And a child is not home

So from a father to the Lord
A prayer did swiftly race
But the angel saw it first
And he listened to its case

After he heard the prayer
The angel swiftly set it free
And followed it to the father's child
In a far away city

And there the girl in desperation
Was searching through the sky
For a star that she could wish upon
But stars were in short supply

And the only light that she could see
There shining all alone
Was a neon sign on an old bar
And so on this, she wished she was home

Every light can be a star
Just depends on where you are
And the distance that you're looking
Past the places you have been

In an old city bar
That is never too far
From the places that gather
The dreams that have been

In the safety of night
With its old neon light
It beckons to strangers
And they always come in

And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The music was low
And the night
Christmas Eve

And here was the danger
That even with strangers
Inside of this night
It's easier to believe

Then the door opened wide
And a child came inside
That no one in the bar
Had seen there before

And he asked did we know
That outside in the snow
That someone was lost
Standing outside our door

The bartender gazed
Through the smoke and the haze

Through the window and ice
To a corner street light

Where standing alone
By a broken payphone
Was a girl the child said
Could no longer get home

And the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
The bartender turned
And said , not that I care
But how would you know this?
The child said I've noticed
If one could be home
They'd be all ready there

Then the bartender came out from behind the bar
And in all of his life he was never that far
And he did something else that he thought no one saw
When he took all the cash from the register draw

Then he followed the child to the girl cross the street
And we watched from the bar as they started to speak
Then he called for a cab and he said J.F.K.
Put the girl in the cab and the cab drove away
And we saw in his hand
That the cash was all gone
From the light that she had wished upon

If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last

By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger

And to know who needs help
You need only just ask

Then he looked for the child
But the child wasn't there
Just the wind and the snow
Waltzing dreams through the air

So he walked back inside
Somehow different I think
For the rest of the night
No one paid for a drink

And the cynics will say
That some neighborhood kid
Wandered in on some bums
In the world where they hid

But they weren't there
So they couldn't see
By an old neon star
On that, night, Christmas Eve

When the snow it was falling
The neon was calling
And in case you should wonder
In case you should care

Why we're on our own
Never went home
On that night of all nights
We were already there

Then all at once inside that night
He saw it all so clear
The answer that he sought so long
Had always been so near

It's every gift that someone gives
Expecting nothing back
It's every kindness that we do
Each simple little act

And so it's good that we remember
Just as soon as we're discovered
That the things we do in life
Will always end up touching others

So from a fading neon star
Somewhere shining in the night
We find a father far away
Now reflecting in its light

So the girl had reached her home
And the bar was closing down
As the angel started back
To bring his lord what he had found

An angel returned
That night through the sky
But time it was short
He had to decide

And so as he flew
Back over the land
A gift for his Lord
Was there in his hand

It was the glow of a light
It was the heart of a song
It was the tear of a child
Where they never belonged
It was the wish of a soul
On an old neon light
And the Lord smiled at him
On that cold winter night

And so with his story over
And our bottle nearly through
I asked, did this really happen?
He swore every word was true

Then he said I see you're puzzled
For your mind tells you to doubt me
That my story can't be true
But your heart tells you, it might be

He then asked, did it entertain me
And I admitted it had charm
Then he said perhaps you have learned something
Or at worst I've done no harm

Then he rose up from his chair
And he said it's time that he should leave
But may God keep and protect you
This and every Christmas Eve

Then he left through the front door
And I ran out to ask him back
But he was already gone
And stranger still he left no tracks

So I walked back to my home
Recalling all I've heard and seen
And for the first time since my childhood
That night I dreamed a Christmas dream

Merry Christmas!

Sorry that was so long. And no, I didn't write it. I wish I did. One of my favorite stories ever. Not even a poem, though. It's from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve & Other Stories" album. Just figured you'd never heard the album, or you never actually listened to the lyrics. Hope you enjoy it this Christmas.

And for those who couldn't figure it out, the three colors represent the three points of view. Black the bar patron & old man sharing the bottle. Dark blue is the story from the angel's POV. And light blue was the story from a different point of view, a point of view from a patron at the very bar that the old man & the story-teller were sitting sharing a bottle.

A Giant Rant

After the nailbiting OT win against the Eagles today, I gotta get some things off my chest about this edition of the New York football Giants.

To everyone criticizing them for their poor road record, and their poor play of late, and all that stuff, get off their back. This is a 9-4 team in contention for a first round bye. You don't get there unless you're good.

And to everyone hailing this team as one of the best in the NFC, and the Colts potential opponent in February's Super Bowl, calm down. This team isn't very good, and is only in year 2 of a rebuilding phase.

Does that make any sense? Yea, I didn't think so.

Now you see where I stand on these Giants. One day I'll look at them and say, "hmmm, they're 9-4, lost in OT twice & on the last play of regulation once. Wow, this team could realistically be 12-1 right now." And it's true, they could be. The offense was clicking in that Dallas loss, and if they had won the coin toss in OT, I have no doubt in my mind that they'd have driven the field and won the game. In the Minnesota game, the D holds Minnesota to 125 yards in the first 59 minutes. The Giants drive the field and tie the game up at 21 with 55 seconds left. (for those asking how a team has 125 yards and 21 points, its simple: kick return TD, punt return TD, int return TD... freaky, right?) So after the Giants tie it, what does the D do? Allows Minnesota to drive the field in 50 seconds to kick the winning FG. And then there's the Seattle disaster. No need to go into that.

So seriously, is it such a stretch to say this team could be 12-1, and might just be the best team in the NFC? No, not at all. Maybe all three of those games wouldn't have gone the Giants way, but if either the Cowboys or Seahawks game did, the NFC race would be very different right now.

But then I look at the other aspect. This is a team that was 4-12 two years ago. Ernie Accorsi, the GM, then stripped the team of everything, from QB to coach, and started from scratch. Last year, they went 6-10, and added more key pieces. But they went into the season with a QB who had only started 7 games- and won one. There aren't many people who thought 9 wins was possible for the entire season, forget in the first 13 games. Hell, myself I wanted an 8-8 season this year.

Then the Eagles fall apart, the Giants put together a few key wins, and bam, they're 9-4 and can potentially clinch the NFC East next weekend.

That doesn't mean this isn't year 2 of a rebuilding phase, though. Anyone who has watched the Giants all year long knows that the offense, while one of the highest scoring in the leagues, is one of the most inconsitant, mainly because of the QB play. On some drives, Eli Manning looks like the second coming of John Elway. He scrambles, he makes insane passes, he leads the team down the field in 70 seconds with no timeouts, down by 8, and gets the two point conversion (done that twice this year). But, on other drives, he looks like a kid who has only played 20 NFL games. He is only completing around 50% of his passes on the year. Has thrown 11 INTs in the last 5 games. Makes poor decisions time & time again.

And the D gets its fair share of blame as well. Statistically the unit ranks TOp 10 in the NFL, but that's mainly because of a 3 week stretch against the Skins-9ers-Vikings, not exactly 3 great Os, in which it gave up 9 points & 400 yards-- total. With the game on the line, and the team needing a stop, this unit fails more times than not. OT against Dallas. End of the game against Minnesota. Last 80 seconds of the game against the Eagles today.

This is a team that is very much still finding its identity. It's still growing. The pieces are all falling in place for this to be a very good team for years to come.

It's just this wasn't the year it was supposed to start. It's currently ahead of schedule. 9 wins right now, and some of the things we've seen from certain players, this season is already a huge success for me. So don't get ahead of yourself when you start predicting this team to go into Seattle in the NFC Championship and win the game. That won't happen this year. This team is still a year away from being a serious championship contender.

But don't call them bad either. Because when that happens, they go into a place like Seattle and completely manhandle the "best team in the NFC" for 71 minutes of football, and look like the class of the league in the process.

9-7? 12-4? Who knows. Just enjoy the ride. The future is bright. So is right now.

Thursday Stuff

Make sure you sign up for thesharkey.com Bowl Challenge. We need more people. At least tell me if you're interested and just waiting for a good time to make your picks, so I know there are people interested (or reading this site).

"My baby takes the morning train, he works from nine 'til five and then..."

I'm beginning to get into super-excited mode concerning the 2006 World Cup. The 2002 World Cup was the first I really truly followed, and it was great. I was up at 3, 4, 5am every few days to watch the US games, and my buddy Logan & I even spent an entire morning at a bagel shop watching their quarterfinal loss to Germany (this year's host).

Of course, we were 19 then. So bagel shops were the only places we really could go. Now... 23. God, I'm old. But that also means I'll be at a pub for every single US soccer match in this years World Cup. And God am I excited. Since it's in Germany, games won't be starting at 2am-6am this time around. There may actually be a game or two that starts around noon-time. More than likely, they'll be in the early morning hours, but it's never too early to start drinking, I say.

Tomorrow is the grouping announcement. 3pm on ESPN. Make sure you're watching. I know I'll be. One word for you. Togu! Togu! Togu! Since one of Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, or Spain is likely to be in the US's group, we need a weak team like Togu in our group. As for the 4th team in the group? Just pray it's not the Dutch or the Czechs. If it is, US may not make the second round.

God I love the World Cup!

"People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away..."

Sent in my resume to the Philadelphia Phillies today and am going for a couple of different positions. Not really likely to get any of them, but it's worth a shot. None of them have anything to do with the culinary world, or anything restaurant. And I gotta tell you, I'm stoked. God how I'd love to get into the sports world, even if it's just as a statboy. Tomorrow (or sometime this weekend), the Yankees & Mets, two other easily accessible teams, get to hear from me.


"There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all..."

25 years ago today John Lennon was murdered. I can't sit here and give you the "wow I can't believe it's that long, seems like only yesterday" speech, because simply put, I was born nearly two years after this happened.

Just the same, that doesn't mean this day doesn't mean something to me. Growing up, my father was a huge music buff. For the longest time he tried to get me to like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers and a handful of other bands that were a huge part of his life. I wanted no part of it. Give me Kris Kross or Tom Cochrane.

Then, one day in 7th or 8th grade, I don't remember when, this girl who I had a huge crush on started talking to me about some new Pearl Jam song. She's like "I know you're a Zep fan, doesn't this song sound like 'Going to California?'" Of course, I wanted to impress her, so I said "Oh totally." That day, I went home and dug Zeppelin IV out of my stepfathers collection to listen to the song. GREAT SONG. Listened to the rest of the CD. Loved it. From that day on, I listened to any musical recommendations my father gave me, and thus became the huge music fan I am today.

And in the 10-11 or so years since that happened, the one musician who has stood above all the rest for me has been John Lennon. I'm not sure what it is, but there was just something special about this man. He was it. That's really all there is to say.

So today we honor his life, and wonder how different the world could have been if he hadn't have been murdered on that cold Monday night.

Imagine that.

The Sharkey's College Bowl Challenge

This is the first of what is to be 6 annual thesharkey.com challenges. These challenges are basically just another way to make sport postseasons more exciting.

Everybody does the college basketball brackets. This is taking them to the next level. Why do you only get that excitement for one of the 6 major sports? Why can't you get it in all 6? Now you can.

Here's what happens. All 28 bowls are given a "value" between 1 and 10. Anyone who is interested picks the winner of each bowl game. If you get it right, you get however many points is alloted to that bowl.

Before anyone goes and complains about why this bowl gets this many points, etc., know this, the point values were determined a few weeks ago, before any bowl games had any schools committed to them.

There are six groups of bowls with four teams in each group. These groups get 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 points assigned to them. A seventh group, the Orange, Sugar & Fiesta Bowls, get 8 points assigned to them. And the last bowl, the Rose Bowl, gets 10 points.

After the Rose Bowl is over, whoever has the most points is the winner, and gets bragging rights until next December.

If you want in, the deadline is by the morning of Saturday, December 17th. Either get me all 28 winners of yours before then, or send them to me all now. Whenever you'd like. You can just IM them to me: Shark675. Feel free to IM me as many times as you want between now & then and change some of your picks. Once I have everyones picks I will post them all on here, so if you want you can keep track yourself, or at least see what you're up against.

Good luck. You'll probably need it, because there is no way I'm not winning this sucker.

Here's the lineup:

1-point Bowl Games:
New Orleans Bowl, December 20th
Southern Miss vs Arkansas State
GMAC Bowl, December 21st
UTEP vs Toledo
Las Vegas Bowl, December 22nd
BYU vs California
Poinsettia Bowl, December 22nd
Colorado State vs Navy

2-points Bowl Games:
Forth Worth Bowl, December 23rd
Kansas vs Houston
Hawaii Bowl, December 24th
Nevada vs UCF
Motor City Bowl, December 26th
Memphis vs Akron
Champ Sports Bowl, December 27th
Clemson vs Colorado

3-points Bowl Games:
Insight Bowl, December 27th
Arizona State vs Rutgers
MPC Computers Bowl, December 28th
Boise State vs Boston College
Alamo Bowl, December 28th
Michigan vs Nebraska
Emerald Bowl, December 29th
Georgia Tech vs Utah

4-points Bowl Games:
Holiday Bowl, December 29th
Oregon vs Oklahoma
Music City Bowl, December 30th
Minnesota vs Virginia
Sun Bowl, December 30th
Northwestern vs UCLA
Independence Bowl, December 30th
South Carolina vs Missouri

5-points Bowl Games:
Peach Bowl, December 30th
Miami vs LSU
Meineke Car Care Bowl, December 31st
South Florida vs N.C. State
Liberty Bowl, December 31st
Tulsa vs Fresno State
Houston Bowl, December 31st
TCU vs Iowa State

6-points Bowl Games:
Cotton Bowl, January 2nd
Texas Tech vs Alabama
Outback Bowl, January 2nd
Iowa vs Florida
Gator Bowl, January 2nd
Louisville vs Virginia Tech
Capital One Bowl, January 2nd
Wisconsin vs Auburn

8-points Bowl Games:
Fiesta Bowl, January 2nd
Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Sugar Bowl, January 2nd
Georgia vs West Virginia
Orange Bowl, January 3rd
Florida State vs Penn State

10-point Bowl Game:
Rose Bowl, January 4th
Texas vs USC

138 points is highest possible score. Good luck!

And quickly, here's this weeks SCS Top 15:

1. USC 12-0 120 (lw: 1)
2. Texas 12-0 112 (lw: 2)
3. Penn State 10-1 104 (lw: 3)
4. Notre Dame 9-2 94 (lw: 6)
5. Ohio State 9-2 87 (lw: 7)
6. Georgia 10-2 75 (lw: 11)
7. Oregon 10-1 69 (lw: 8)
8. Miami 9-2 61 (lw: 9)
9. Auburn 9-2 60 (lw: 10)
10. West Virginia 10-1 52 (lw: 12)
11. Virginia Tech 10-2 45 (lw: 5)
12. LSU 10-2 33 (lw: 4)
13. TCU 10-1 17 (lw: 14)
14. Louisville 9-2 14 (lw: unr)
15. Alabama 9-2 8 (lw: 15)

Dropped out: UCLA
Others receiving votes: Florida State (6), UCLA (3)

My 'Not So Much A Preview' College B-Ball Preview

So, as mentioned earlier, went to the Preseason NIT Tip-Off Classic or whatever it's called now-a-days the other day with my buddy Mike. Good times. Got to see two really good games; UCLA-Drexel & Duke-Memphis.

Drexel came within a point of upsetting #16 UCLA in the 3rd place game, which was really impressive. Definitely left me with a "Hey, they may not make the field of 65 out of the CAA, but people should watch Drexel this year" type of feeling.

Then, last night, UCLA beat Albany College by like 6 points, and were losing for a bit in the 2nd half. Now I'm retracting my statement about Drexel. It wasn't them. UCLA just isn't as good as people thought they were this year. This is a team that won't be in the Top 25 anymore once conference play rolls around.

As for Duke-Memphis, this game delivered. Just a great game. Memphis led for the first 19:30 of the first half before Duke took a 2 point halftime lead. (or 1 point. I forget.) Duke ended up winning by 3, while a last second 3 point shot by Memphis bounced off the rim. Great game. Confirmed that Memphis is a serious power out of a "mid-major conference" and that Duke really is the #1 team in the country.

But, moreso than that, it confirmed that Duke fans are insane. In the seat next to me was the biggest trash-talking fan of any sports team I've ever come across. Cool, I guess. He gets into it. But wait. It was a kid! He was ten! As soon as I sit down we get to talking, I find out he's rooting for Duke. I throw out a casual "Go Memphis!" because I wanted to toy with the little bastards emotions. Without even thinking, he countered with a quick "Memphis sucks." Wow. That was impressive. Seriously, it may not sound like a big deal, but the way he casually slid that into the conversation as if it were a natural response for a 10 year old in a sports conversation changed the entire night.

I wish I had a notebook with me so I could have jotted down everything he said. But I didn't. He said a lot of funny shit, though. The only one I really remember (and Mike eluded to this in his blog a few days ago) went something like this.

To set it up: Duke just had a big play. Don't remember what it was. Big rebound+dunk combo or something. Everyone is cheering, but the kid just looks at Mike & I and says "Are you guys hungry?" I'm not used to getting food offers from a 10 year old, so it took us both a minute to respond before one of us goes "Not really, why?" He came back with a loud shouting of "BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT STUFFED!"

That's it. I'm no longer allowed to trash talk at sporting events, because this 10 year old just outdid 23 years of work on my part.

But anyway, on to college basketball. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I'm a huge fan. I'm not. In february & march I love it. And I know a bit about it. But I don't really have a favorite team. I don't even know who this years Top 10 are.

So here's my "I don't know what I'm talking about 05-06 Predictions:"

*Duke really is that good.

*Memphis is also really good, but they have no inside game at all, which will hurt them come March.

*Villanova is everybody's preseason "sleeper" or favorite or whatever you want to call them. Too many people like them. They won't make the Sweet 16. Remember where you heard that.

*I don't like UCLA at all.

*The Big East is retooled & reloaded and ready for war this season. So who will win it? Well, I don't know who'll win the big east tourney, because there will be 7 teams that you can make a case for come March, but I know who will be the #1 seed. Don't laugh. It'll be Georgetown. This school is back, ready to re-stake its claim as a national powerhouse. Couple that with their insanely easy Big East regular season schedule this year. Because the conference is so big, they only have to play UConn, Syracuse & Villanova once, and don't play Louisville at all. Other schools, like Providence, USF, Rutgers, St. Johns, Seton Hall, they pop up multiple times on their conference schedule. They may not be the best team in the big east this year, but they'll go 12-4 or 13-3 in conference play and get the tourney's #1 seed.

*Everyone is going to love West Virginia this year after that run they had last year. This program is definitely on the rise, but it won't be as good as it was last year. I'd be shocked to see them make the sweet 16, and wouldn't be surprised at all if they were one-and-done in the tourney.

*Finally, onto my final four prediction. I don't have one. But I'll definitely have Duke in the championship game come March. As for the national champion? Memphis. That's right, Memphis. This is going to sound insane, but about two months ago I had a dream where I was hanging out with Darius Washington (a player on the Tigers) and we were talking about his team having just won the national championship. I have no idea what the hell that means. I'm probably losing my mind, and you all might be smart to commit me to some sort of hospital before things get worse, but that had to mean something. Right? I don't know. It probably didn't. I was probably doped up on NyQuil that night. You know how that stuff gives you wacky dreams. This was probably a result of that. But regardless, I'm going with my dream.

Memphis will win the 2006 Mens National Championship.

The Christmas Spirit

Don't mind the pause from sports for a day, but I'm in the Christmas spirit. Early? Maybe. But that's the calendar's fault. Once Thanksgiving ends, I go into full Christmas mode. Not my fault Thanksgiving was so early this year.

Love Christmas.

Made a three-disc Christmas Mix the other day. Each disc themed differently.

A Very Sharkey Christmas.

It rocks. Hard. Go here; http://www.letterstoyou.org/A_Very_Sharkey_Christmas to download it. The site will give you a full tracklisting for each CD. Just right click + save as each individual song to get them all. Pain in the ass, I know, but worth it.

Just found out I'm going to Florida in three weeks. How un-Christmas is that? Who cares, I'm excited. I leave the 17th and come back the 22nd. That's going to be great. Then I have to work the 23rd, and I'm off the 24th & 25th. Thinking about just taking the 23rd off too and giving myself a kick-ass December vacation. I deserve it.

That's basically all I have to say. I'll end this with a few strips of Calvin & Hobbes to get you in the winter spirit.

Shark Championship Standings VII

Phew, I'm finally back to posting on the site. Been a busy two weeks. I haven't done anything, really. But I assure you it's been busy.

That, coupled with the fact that I really haven't had anything interesting at all to say, means you haven't heard from me a lot lately.

I assure you, I'm back.

It starts now with the SCS. Only two polls left after this week before we crown the first ever SCS Champion.

Also this week you can look forward to me ranting like a lunatic about this afternoons Giants game, and the upcoming Giants-Cowboys showdown (the loser might miss the playoffs). And I'll have a review of the NIT Championships from this past Friday, which will include my abbreviated ncaa bball season preview, and a story on the coolest 10 year old ever.

But for now, onto the SCS.

Four "guest pollsters" this week (Pat, Mark, Scott & Andrew), as well as Logan, Tom, Matt & myself.

Makes for our highest total ever, a poll based on 195 points. And yes, you guessed it, once again USC has gotten all 195 possible points as they now have a strangle-hold on first place.

For the second week in a row we've seen a voter submit the Longhorns as the #3 team in the country.

Penn State is actually closer in voting to Texas than Texas is to USC.

And Virginia Tech is closer to LSU than LSU is to Penn State.

So it's starting to get interesting.

There seems to be a clear Top 13, and after that, everyone has two different teams in their 14th & 15th slots, which is also interesting.

But enough rambling, here is this weeks SCS Top 15:

1. USC 11-0 195 (last week: 1)
2. Texas 11-0 181 (lw: 2)
3. Penn State 10-1 168 (lw: 4)
4. LSU 10-1 153 (lw: 3)
5. Virginia Tech 10-1 139 (lw: 5)
6. Notre Dame 9-2 122 (lw: 6)
7. Ohio State 9-2 121 (lw: 7)
8. Oregon 10-1 97 (lw: 8)
9. Miami 9-2 83 (lw: 10)
10. Auburn 9-2 82 (lw: 8)
11. Georgia 9-2 64 (lw: 12)
12. West Virginia 9-1 60 (lw: 11)
13. UCLA 9-1 52 (lw: 12)
14. TCU 10-1 17 (lw: 14)
15. Alabama 9-2 14 (lw: 15)

Also Receiving Votes: Louisville (9), Michigan (2), Florida (1)

Next week will be the last SCS released until after the polls are over. Also, released simultaneously with next weeks SCS will be the announcement regarding the first ever Thesharkey.com College Bowl Challenge.

Thanksgiving Ramblings

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I just wanted to personally apologize to the three people that read this site before I got on to more important matters.

I'll probably get back to my semi-regular updates (3 or 4 a week) starting next Monday with the SCS. Busy week for me. Thanksgiving on Thursday at my house (I wish I was kidding when I told you we had a 26 lb, a 19 lb, and a 10 lb bird, all which were being cooked on Thursday. Yea, I don't get it either. That's the beauty of having two ovens (our second was installed on Monday). We can now do ridiculous things just for the sake of doing them.

My mom has spent over $400 so far on food for Thanksgiving. And we're not in charge of the appetizers or desserts. And we still have a liquor store run to make (last year that was $140). God I love Thanksgiving.

A few random whatevers to contemplate while you give thanks for knowing me this week:

*If you haven't listened to The Refreshments or Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers yet, you're missing out.

*I still love Everybody Loves Raymond. And I'm not going to lie, I watch this show more than both the Simpsons & Seinfeld lately. I'm not ready to call it better than these shows yet, but it might just be on it's way.

*Can't wait for Lost tomorrow.

*Going to the NIT Pre-season Championship on Friday in NYC, that's gonna rock. Here's hoping for a Duke-Memphis championship game.

*Seeing OAR on Saturday in Camden. This will be my 2nd time seeing them this year. That's a far cry from the 20 or so times I saw them between August 2003 & November 2004. Sucks that their tickets are like $40 a pop now.

*It's official, I suck at fantasy football lately. I still love playing it, but I'm just not as good as I used to be. This doesn't bother me, I'm ok with it. I just don't really understand it. In my three leagues this year I'm 7-4, 7-3 & 6-5. Not bad, you may say. I'm disappointed. I went thru a 5 year stretch in one league a few years back where I went 61-10, or something absurd. I miss dominating. Mediocrity just isn't the same. I'm going to have to get used to this.

*On the plus side, in my one fantasy baseball league, I've won 4 of the last 5 championships. So I still got that going for me.

*I haven't watched a Devils game in over a month. Here's hoping I get into hockey after football season ends, because right now it's just not doing it for me.

*So, after one of Notre Dame, Ohio State & Oregon get snubbed out of a BCS Bowl Game (OK, we can't lie here, it won't be Notre Dame), do you think the NCAA will start to consider a 16 team playoff? I don't either.

*But you can't deny the fact that the SCS is far superior to the BCS.

*Last week I was wearing shorts & sandals. Tonight, it's snowing (well, flurries). Anyone else remember the good old days when there were 4 distinct seasons in a year? I miss fall & spring, they were my two favorites. When was the vote to eliminate them? I'd have definitely chosen to get rid of winter & summer.

*Mmmm, turkey.

Feel free to stop by my house at anytime on Thursday. Drinking & eating begin at 1ish, dinner isn't til about 7, and you'll get to watch me drunkenly try to carve over 50 pounds of bird. Guaranteed good times to be had by all.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Shark Championship Standings VI

On this day, the 23rd anniversary of my being, I present to you yet another SCS Top 15. Get excited.

This week we had two guests (Mark & Scott again), as well as the regular four. So 165 was the highest total a team could get.

USC received every first place vote, and got the 165 points that go along with being #1.

A funny thing happened at #2, though. Penn State stole one second place vote away from Texas. Texas is still firmly entrenched in second place, but you have to wonder if they would be if Michigan hadn't of beaten Penn State on the last play a month ago.

Three points seperate three teams from 5th-7th places, and three points seperate three teams from 11th-13th places.

Only three SCS's left (next week, post-conference championships, post-bowl season).

This week's top 15 is as follows:

1. USC 11-0 165 (last week: 1)
2. Texas 10-0 153 (lw: 2)
3. LSU 9-1 140 (lw: 3)
4. Penn State 10-1 136 (lw: 5)
5. Virginia Tech 9-1 109 (lw: 6)
6. Notre Dame 8-2 108 (lw: 7)
7. Ohio State 9-2 106 (lw: 8)
8. Oregon 10-1 81 (lw: 10)
8. Auburn 9-2 81 (lw: 11)
10. Miami 8-2 73 (lw: 4)
11. West Virginia 8-1 43 (lw: 12)
12. UCLA 9-1 40 (lw: 13)
12. Georgia 8-2 40 (lw: 14)
14. TCU 10-1 16 (lw: unr)
15. Alabama 92 8 (lw: 9)

Dropped out: #15 Michigan
Also receiving votes: Fresno State, Louisville, Michigan

This weekend's SCS Games:

Pittsburgh @ #11 West Virginia (Thu.)
#2 Texas @ Texas A&M (Fri.)
Arkansas @ #3 LSU (Fri.)
Virginia @ #10 Miami (Sat.)
North Carolina @ #5 Virginia Tech (Sat.)
#12 Georgia @ Georgia Tech (Sat.)
#6 Notre Dame @ Stanford (Sat.)

Yay Football Postseasons

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I'd like to tell you I've been busy & just haven't had time, but that's definitely not the case. I just haven't updated. I know, I suck. Oh well, sue me. Or stop reading the site. It won't kill my ratings if the number of readers drops from 7 to 6.

Anyway, this isn't really an update, just like a "teaser trailer". Except this isn't hollywood, and I don't have any movie to tease you with.

Just keep an eye out to this site for info on "The Sharkey's First Annual College Bowl Challenge" & "The Sharkey's First Anual NFL Playoff Challenge".

Good times to be had by all, that's for damn sure.

The Superstitious Sharkey

So Sunday sucked. Giants lost. It's like I said a few weeks ago, the Giants I grew up loving always found a way to lose the games against the teams they had no right losing too. This continues. As long as this continues, I won't be able to fully say "Yea, this Giants team can win a championship."

Same thing happened with my Devils. In the late 90's, they choked in 4 successive seasons. Then, in 2000, they played a far inferior Panthers team in the first round. In the previous three seasons, they lost this season. But that team was on a mission, and it swept the Panthers. After that series, they went on to win an additional 6 in a row, and in the process won a cup, and lost another in a game 7. And then two years later, won another cup. Those Devils teams I felt could win any game, any day, no matter the circumstances.

If these Giants keep losing to the likes of the Lions, the Bears, the Vikings, etc, I won't be able to put them in that level, no matter how well they play against the Redskins & Broncos. (for the record, they played horrible against the Broncos, but what a win that was.)

Anyway, on to the point. After the Giants loss on Sunday a buddy of mine called me up & said "Dude, what'd you do?"

Yea, it was my fault. A quick rewind.

Back to the Devils. Way back to 1994, my first experience with playoff hockey. I was 12. The Devils played the Rangers in the Conference Finals (greatest 7 game series in sports history, but I'll save that debate for another day). It was in those two weeks, in the spring of '94, that I was introduced to "the playoff beard." Whoa. You mean guys did or didn't do a certain thing just to keep a good thing going? I wanted a part of this.

Over the next few years I tried different things so I could say I had superstitions. I eventually realized you can't create superstitions. They are their own beast, and they create themselves. I realized they had to find themselves.

During the aforementioned 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Devils beat the Flyers in game 1 of the East Finals. They went on to lose games 2, 3 & 4. I was devastated. As a superstitious person, I realized this had to be my fault. This may sound stupid, or like a stretch, but I was looking for something I did during game 1 that I didn't during any other game. The answer was simple.

Game one was a Saturday, we had a bbq that day. During the game, I snacked on chips & dip. How simple. Game 5 was set for a Monday. In school that day I boldly told anyone who would listen that the Devils were goign to the Stanley Cup Finals. They all laughed. That night, I ate chips. Devils won. Game 6, chips, victory. Game 7? You guessed it.

Can't stop now. Game 1 Cup finals, Chips & Win. Then dreaded game 2. I got cocky. I went to a friends house for the game, a friend who didn't have the necessary snacks. Obviously, the Devils lost. Wouldn't make the same mistake again. 3 & 4, chips & win. Game 5? Superstition on hold. I had tickets to watch the Devs win the cup. Obviously no chips. Devs lost in Triple OT. Two nights later, chips & cup.

A superstition monster was born.

During the Giants Super Bowl run the following season, I had the same breakfast every game day, starting in week 13 (Giants entered that week at 7-4 & on a 2 game losing streak.) They finished the season on a 5 game winning streak, and made the super Bowl.

I learned after the Ravens murdered the Gmen that superstition doens't guarantee victory. But without them, a loss is impossible to avoid.

During the Devils 2001 Cup run? Wawa sub & iced tea.

'03 cup run? I wore the same red boxers & blue OAR tshirt on every gameday. I'm not sure if this one really worked or not, because I was too afraid to try & not wear one of these on gameday. If I had work? This was on under my outfit. A fancy dinner date with my girlfriend & her parents? On under the outfit, and I had to wear a dark dress shirt so the blue of my tshirt didn't show through.

Yes. I'm insane. If I find something that works, I roll with it. I can think of at least 10 other instances of crazy superstitions for me. During Devils games during the 2000 & 01 cup runs, I always sat in the same spot on my couch, always held the remote, never changed channels during commercials, no bathroom breaks unless during intermission. During Giants games, no matter what the spread or how good or bad the giants or their opponent is, I will never EVER bet against the Giants. I've lost many points in my weekly pool leagues because the Giants suffered through a 4-12 season yet I picked them for 16 wins. Oh well. I don't watch Notre Dame games at home. Not sure why on this one, but I can't. I have to be at a friends, a neighbors, a bar, wherever. Not at home.

And now my newest one. After the Giants got destroyed by the Chargers in week 3, I inadvertantly wore the same outfit during week 4 that I did during week 2. Plax jersey, Irish hat, brown cargo pants & workboots. Giants won week 4. I caught on. The Giants lost in week 6, despite my wearing this same outfit, but won weeks 7, 8 & 9. Like I said, doesn't guarantee victory. But can't win without it.

So this Sunday, after they lost, my friend asked what I did wrong? The answer, simple. For the first time since week 2, I was at home to watch the Giants game. So I didn't have the boots on. I was barefoot. I didn't follow the code, and I screwed over the Gmen.

You may call me insane. But then, if you do, you really might not be as big of a sportsfan as you thought you were.

As for me? You can bet your ass that those pants, that jersey, that hat & those boots will be on me for every game from here on out, no matter what the results may be.

Shark Championship Standings V

Last weekend, you may remember, I hinted towards some changes in the Shark Championship Standings starting this week. I mentioned that my buddy Tom would be joining me in determining the SCS Rankings.

He is.

So are a few other people. Two other people, Matt & Logan, are joining as permanent members of the SCS. A few other people expressed interest as well, but most just forgot to actually give me their Top 15, so they're SOL.

But not really. Because on top of the four of us, anyone else is allowed to send in a Top 15 any given week, if they'd like. And that will be counted in determining the SCS15.

So now, the technical part, explaining how we do this. Basically, each Top 15 is on a 15-point scale. Every first place vote receives 15 points. Ever second place vote receives 14 points. Ever 15th place votes receives 1 point. So now, when I give you the Top 15, you will see a number next to each team, telling them how many points they have. Obviously, the max number possible will change each week, depending on how many people submit a Top 15.

So what's so special about being a permanent member? Your vote counts for two. So in each of the polls that Matt, Logan & Tom submit, first place gets 30, second place gets 28, etc. And for me, since this is my baby afterall, my vote counts for three. For me, first place gets 45, second gets 42, etc.

Obviously, the more people who contribute, the less the four of us will matter. But in a week like this, when only three other people submitted guest polls, the four of us count for a lot.

Without anymore explanation, this week's Top 15. As always, to see last week's, click on "Shark Championship Standings IV" on the right.

This week's voters:
The 4, plus Pat, Mark & Scott

Possible points: 180

1. USC 10-0 179 (last week: 1)
2. Texas 10-0 169 (lw: 2)
3. LSU 8-1 150 (lw: 5)
4. Miami 8-1 146 (lw: 4)
5. Penn State 9-1 133 (lw: 8)
6. VaTech 8-1 109 (lw: 7)
7. Notre Dame 7-2 104 (lw: 6)
8. Ohio State 8-2 96 (lw: 9)
9. Alabama 9-1 87 (lw: 3)
10. Oregon 9-1 67 (lw: 12)
11. Auburn 8-2 65 (lw: unranked)
12. West Virginia 8-1 45 (lw: 14)
13. UCLA 9-1 44 (lw: 13)
14. Georgia 7-2 23 (lw: 10)
15. Michigan 7-3 9 (lw: 15)

Other's receiving votes: Texas Christian, Fresno State, Louisville
Dropped out: #11 Florida

This week's SCS games:
#6 Virginia Tech @ Virginia
Kentucky @ #14 Georgia
#8 Ohio State @ #15 Michigan
Syracuse @ #7 Notre Dame
#9 Alabama @ #11 Auburn
#5 Penn State @ Michigan State
Oregon State @ #10 Oregon
Georgia Tech @ #4 Miami
#3 LSU @ Mississippi
Fresno State @ #1 USC

NFL Midseason Review

The NFL is a little more than halfway finished, and aside from the Colts being the class of this season's NFL, nothing is established. So what can we expect in the next 8 weeks? Who knows.

But I will review what we've seen in the first 9 weeks, and maybe thru it, we can pick up some clues as to what to expect down the stretch. In my attempt to be cool & different, this review will be done fantasy-style, with nothing to do with fantasy sports.

Here are, in order, the 32 highest ranked position players in my fantasy league so far this season, and some information about them or their teams that has nothing to do with fantasy football:

1. LaDainian Tomlinson- You'd think if your star player was on pace for 2200 yards from scrimmage & 29 TDs, you'd be better than 5-4. The Chargers are still the class of the NFC West, now we have to see if they'll figure that out before it's too late.

2. Shaun Alexander- Now here's a guy taking full advantage of a contract year. Hopefully Seattle will take notice. It'd be a shame for a talent like this to end up in Arizona or San Francisco.

3. Carson Palmer- Breakout star on a breakout team. Now if only somebody can tell the Bengals that you can't get by on just beating the bad teams-- what's that, they can? If this team just beats the teams it should the rest of the way, and fails to showup against the good teams, like it has so far this season, it'll still finish 11-5, which will be good enough for the 5 seed in the AFC.

4. Donovan McNabb- God how great has it been watching the Eagles fall apart this season? I love it. This team still scares me though, and with 4 divisional games remaining on their schedule, they have a huge hand in determining the winner, the winner that could ultimately still end up being them.

5. Edgerinn James- Why is this years Colts offense better than last years? This man. He's involved. They control the game now, instead of just throwing 7 TDs a game against lesser opponents and struggling against good D's. Watching this O, you get the feeling it can score against any D at any time on any field, which makes their impending homefield advantage that much scarier.

6. LaMont Jordan- Which division is better? The NFC East or the AFC West? Who knows. But the fact that these two divisions play each other & 7 of the teams are in playoff contention is thrilling. The Raiders not being in playoff contention makes them the ultimate playoff spoiler. This team could really enjoy their last two months of the season.

7. Steve Smith- 6 letters for you: NFL MVP.

8. Peyton Manning- One sentence for you: Not even his team's MVP.

9. Eli Manning- One sentence to end the insanity: He is not the best Manning in the NFL this year.

10. Drew Bledsoe- Dear Buffalo Bills Offensive Line; we're sorry for criticizing you for allowing to let Bledsoe get sacked & rattled all those times these last few seasons. The "great" Dallas line has allowed him to get sacked 20 times in 8 games. Maybe it's not their lines, maybe it's him. But then, why is he having such a great season?

11. Stephen Davis- Might he be the most unrecognizable RB to ever lead his team to two super bowls? I don't know. More on this in February.

12. Tom Brady- Funny that his best season comes in his teams worst season with him at the helm. Maybe the fact that Peyton is playing like Brady confused him, and now he thinks he has to play like Peyton.

13. Drew Bress- Or Philip Rivers? Or LaDainian Tomlinson? Who is the QB of the future for the Chargers? I don't know, but if the Jets managed to tank this season, draft Reggie Bush & sign Drew Brees, they'd immediately be awesome next year.

14. Jake Plummer- Yes, he's playing better. No, that doesn't mean he is better. He's simply not being asked to win games anymore. He's getting the Trent Dilfer treatment, if you don't lose the game, we'll win the game. It's working.

15. Brett Favre- I know I said no fantasy talk, but I'm shocked he's this high. Maybe my league is a little bit too QB heavy? Might have to fix that next season, so that Aaron Rodgers doesn't become a "top 20" fantasy-player.

16. Stephen Jackson- The man's a stud. And now that Mike Martz is PERMANENTLY out of the picture in St. Louis, Jackson is going to have himself quite the career. Forget Jones & Jones, this is the best RB of the '04 class.

17. Kerry Collins- Does anyone else think he has his week 17 game against the Giants circled? How he'd love to eliminate them from the playoffs.

18. Jake Delhomme- Forget what was said about Stephen Davis. Jake Delhomme as a two-time Super Bowl QB? Wow. And to think, the Saints let him go so they could keep Aaron Brooks. Wow.

19. Antonio Gates- Yes, if he played in week one the Chargers would be 6-3, the Cowboys would be 4-4, and the AFC West & NFC East would be two totally different looking divisions.

20. Tiki Barber- Just because I have to relive the game once more before I let it be and move on to worrying about the rest of the season: The Giants destroyed the "suddenly good" Washington Redskins 36-0. Yup. That felt good.

21. Terrell Owens- Ahahahahahahahahaha. Ok, that's wrong. I'm sorry Philadelphia. Wait, wait- ahahahahahahaahahahaha. Moron.

22. Mark Brunell- Don't you hate when a team finally finds their franchise QB, and he's 45 years old? I almost feel bad for Redskins fans, almost. They've been given so much false information about how good their team is this year, their poor hearts are going to be broken in the coming weeks.

23. Joey Galloway- Has any team gone from superbowl contender to top10 pick team as fast as this years Bucs did? I've never seen anything like it. They don't even scare me anymore, at all. This team is bad.

24. Ben Roethlisberger- Last year the Patriots were just a better team. This year, the Colts are just a better team. The Steelers better hope one of these years is their year before Roethlisberger turns into Vinny Testeverde & just becomes a career journey-man.

25. Byron Leftwich- It's a fact, he is the toughest QB I've ever seen. If the Bengals, Broncos, Chargers & Chiefs aren't careful, they're going to find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in because the Jaguars powderpuff schedule down the stretch could leave them at 12-4 and with one of the two wildcard spots.

26. Matt Hasselbeck- Repeat after me: I'm in shock that the Seattle Seahawks, of all teams, are going to have homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Only question left to ask, is which team "upsets them" in their first game, the Giants, Redskins, Cowboys, Bears or Falcons?

27. Priest Holmes- If the reports of his impending retirement are true, he'll be missed. Definitely one of the mroe fun guys in the NFL to watch. Lucky for the Chiefs, they won't even miss a step with Larry Johnson back there.

28. Santana Moss- Wow, the whole world knew the Moss-for-Coles deal was onesided, but I don't think anybody thought the Jets were the team that got robbed.

29. Chad Johnson- Like T.O., he's a full of himself arrogant showoff. Like T.O., he's full of talent. Unlike T.O., he's got a job.

30. Thomas Jones- Never been a topflight NFL RB, but he's always gotten the job down. Now he's going to get it done to the tune of a divisional championship, with a rookie who has twice the talent of him sitting on the bench.

31. Brian Westbrook- He got his longterm contract on the same day the Eagles lost their passing game. Let's see if it was worth it, now. Can he carry the Eagles the rest of the season? Because he has to.

32. Marvin Harrison- One of the best WRs of all time, and this February he'll finally get to play in a Super Bowl. Unfortunately for him, #'s 7, 11 & 18, as well as a defense up to the task of stopping this Colts O will see to it that he doesn't get a Super Bowl ring. At least, not this year.

The Shark 'n Party Show

So sometime Sunday night my buddy Marty posted something in his blog about how the ESPN Commentators were all over T.O. Sunday night like the Redskins didn't even matter. I posted a comment in his comments section basically busting his balls about his post (which I did in fact agree with), and in the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, things escalated quickly. The following is, word for word, what went down, since I'm sure you all missed it.

Sharkey Comment #1:

don't be upset because your redskins are the worst 5-3 team in recent memory, and struggled to beat a dying eagles team in the ugliest sunday night game in recent memory... life's not that bad... at least your future is bright with mark brunell

Party Comment #1:

I find it funny when people say things like that. What constitutes a bad winning team or a good losing team?

Take San Diego, for example:

Going into yesterday's game, everyone around the league was saying that they were "maybe the best 4-4 team ever." What exactly does that mean? If they were that good, they wouldn't fucking be 4-4...they'd be 5-3 or 6-2. A team on paper means shit, especially in the NFL.

And don't say it has anything to do with the schedule, because the Skins have played two AFC West teams and 3 NFC East teams already (arguably the two toughest divisions in football).

Yes, two of their wins have come over SF (who the Giants just beat as well, and not quite as handily) and Chicago (who are beginning to find rhythm and are also 5-3), but they also beat Seattle (who is 6-2, if you didn't notice).

The fact is that the Redskins are 5-3. Should they be 4-4? 3-5? 2-6? Who knows. They aren't, though.

I'm surprised you even had to time to come over here and read this. Did Eli need a break from you slobbering all over his balls?

Sharkey Comment #2:

Oh feisty... when do I slobber all over Eli's balls? I simply call him better than Roethlisberger. That's basically the only claim I've ever made about him. If you watch the kid, and watch him for a few games, you'll see he's something special, and he one day is going to be an elite QB. He's not this year, but he has the highest scoring offense in the league, so that's not too shabby.

I'm not saying the skins should or shouldn't be anything. They're 5-3, that's what they are. No one can take that away from them. I'm just saying look outside your redskinsvision for a few minutes and realize this team isn't a top team in the nfc. It's on its way there, sure, but it's not this year. Neither are the Giants, despite what anyone may say, so don't call me out on that way.

And the good & bad however many wins/losses teams is a relevant argument, and if you're a football fan, like I assumed you were, you wouldn't argue against that.

You can't penalize a team for one or two bounces taht didn't go their way in september, the NFL season doesn't begin until Week 10 or 11 anyway. (remember, the giants were 5-2 and in a similar situation as the skins last year before they finished 6-10).

For instance, the cowboys outplayed the skins for 57 minutes but lost, both are 5-3. Cowboys are still a better team. Giants O was all over the cowboys in the 4th quarter in that loss, but dallas won the coin toss so the giants loss. Would the Giants be 7-1 right now if they won the coin toss? Probably, but they're just bounces.

There are good & bad 5-3 or 4-4 teams. The Redskins may not be a bad 5-3 team, but I think they are. And I just took up 4735 lines of your blog post section rambling about it.

And my beard is nicer than yours.

Party Comment #2:

But bounces and calls are part of the game, are they not? Luck has a lot to do with what may happen at any given time during the regular season, but that's just the way it goes.

And the season doesn't start until Week 10 or 11, huh? So I guess the 49ers and Texans still have a shot at making the playoffs...

Sure, it's possible to start hot and fizzle out (or vice versa), but you can't honestly believe that every game isn't crucial in the NFL.

Sharkey Comment #3:

Yea, I know luck is a huge part of the game, but luck doesn't make a team good. You can't go out & sign luck to a 6 year, $42 million contract. You & I and a team of midgets could get lucky in the NFL once or twice, that doesn't make us good.

And I don't think the season starts until week 10 or 11. Basically the beginning of November. I'm not saying those other games don't matter, because every game matters. But a teams season is defined by the last two months. You can't play in January if you don't play well in December & November. How many teams in the last few years have been 4-0 or 5-1 or 5-2 or 6-0 & not even made the playoffs. September & October are fun, November & December are great.

Now you see what happens when a Giants fan & a Redskins fan get at each others throat. Not very pretty. We ain't the brightest people in the world, but we're passionate about our teams, and we can't stand each other's teams (that's what happens when you're part of one of the oldest rivalries in nfl history).

So these sort of arguments have broken out between us from time to time this season, especially since both our teams are playing better than expected (For the record, I still don't believe the Redskins to be a good football team).

For the meantime, though, we're going to try not to get into any morearguments like this one. Actually, I can't say that, because I'm sure they'll break out a lot in the coming months. But one thing we have to look forward to is Giants-Redskins 2005 II, which is on Christmas Eve. Good thing it is, too, because neither of us will be doing very much work in the entire week leading up to that game.

So during that week, blog-style, walkingparty.com & thesharkey.com will work as one, with the two of us posting a few entries a day in response to each other on that upcoming game. It should be a good time.

Tempers will probably flair.

And of course, on ChristmasEve, all will be right with the world, as the Giants beat the Redskins yet again to complete the season sweep. And then we may never hear from walkingparty again.

Shark Championship Standings IV

Fun week in college football. A few good games, a lot of shaking up going on. FSU & UCLA both losing, Miami vs VaTech, Penn State vs Wisconsin. Things were definitely interesting. Last weeks format in the SCS seemed to work, so once again I'll post the standings and then I'll explain how I came up with them.

Quick word before we get to them, though. My buddy Tom will be joining the SCS starting next weekend. As I noted in the first SCS, if anyone wants to help me come up with the weekly standings, you're more than welcome to. He's decided to lend a hand, due to the fact that he hates that I had LSU in the Top 5 last week, and not Miami or UCLA.

Not sure how he's going to contribute, but he will. We'll probably each do a top 15, awarding the first place team with 15 points, 2nd with 14, and so on, and then add the scores up to come up with the official SCS Poll. Or maybe it'll be weighted and my votes will count for more, since I'm more important. Who knows. I'll figure it out. And as always, if anyone else wants to join the SCS, you're more than welcome to.

Now, onto the polls. As always, to view last weeks standings, click on "Shark Championship Standings III" on the right of this post.

1. USC 9-0 (last week: 1)
2. Texas 9-0 (lw: 2)
3. Alabama 9-0 (lw: 4)
4. Miami 6-1 (lw: 8)
5. LSU 7-1 (lw: 5)
6. Notre Dame 6-2 (lw: 7)
7. Virginia Tech 8-1 (lw: 3)
8. Penn State 9-1 (lw: 10)
9. Ohio State 7-2 (lw: 9)
10. Georgia 7-1 (lw: 13)
11. Florida 6-2 (lw: 12)
12. Oregon 8-1 (lw: unr)
13. UCLA 8-1 (lw: 6)
14. West Virginia 7-1 (lw: unr)
15. Michigan 6-3 (lw: 15)

USC & Texas will stay #1 & #2 for the rest of the year as long as they win out. The only threat to leapfrog one of these teams was VaTech, but now that they lost, USC & Texas are planted firmly in those top two spots.

Alabama moves up to #3 for a week, thanks more to Miami than to their own credit. Their offense is seriously dying lately, and after their loss to LSU this Saturday, they will fall out of the Top 10, more likely than not.

Miami leapfrogs LSU & Notre Dame, who both won. LSU "struggled" to only beat Appalachian State 27-0. The BCS may have gotten rid of margin of victory, but it still counts to me. When LSU puts up the same amount on Appalachian State that Miami does on Virginia Tech, that has to count against LSU. Notre Dame played alright against Tennessee, but besides the first 10 minutes & the last 15, they didn't really deserve to win. Game was a lot closer than the score showed. They could have leapfrogged LSU into 5, but I still think LSU is a better team overall, so I only moved them up one spot to 6.

As for VaTech at 7, they lost, so they had to fall, but this is still a top 5 team. And with Notre Dame only playing Navy next week, plus Alabama vs LSU, the Hokies will surely find themselves back in the top 5 by next Monday.

Penn State & Ohio State have been neck & neck all season long. Gotten a lot of complaints about Ohio State being ahead of Penn State even though PSU beat OSU. Well Lions, you finally got your wish. After the dismantling of the Badgers this weekend (who subsequentially fell out of the SCS Top 15), PSU jumps over OSU to #8. OSU had a very convincing win as well, but Wisconsin is just a better opponent than Illinois.

On a more interesting note, the #8 spot is a very important one. A lot of people have asked what the point of the SCS is recently, and it's time now I reveal it. The SCS will result in the first ever NCAA Div-1a Football Playoffs. The top 8 teams will be invited. There is a website associated with NCAA 06 for Playstation2 that updates their rosters every week in accordance with all the teams in the league. Once the season is over, I will download the final update onto my playstation, and then simulate the playoffs on there. This may seem kind of cheesy, but I guarantee its a more accurate way to determine a national champion than the BCS is.

Georgia moves up from 13 to 10 without even playing because every team in the world seemed to lsoe this week, or in Florida's case, not make a convincing case as to why they should be a Top 10 team, despite their victory.

Oregon beats Cal to make their SCS debut, followed by UCLA who got absolutely manhandled by lowly Arizona. UCLA will continue their fall out of the SCS, and once Wisconsin & FSU start winning again, UCLA may found themselves on the outside looking in.

West Virginia & Michigan round out the Top 15, only because somebody has to. Florida State & Wisconsin are the two teams who dropped out of this weeks SCS. Wins against Clemson & Iowa, respectively, next week will go a long way towards getting them back into the Top 15, but they may have lost any chance they had to get one of the 8 playoff spots.

And lastly, speaking of Florida State, has anyone seen the Florida State Girls recently? They're reason enough to become a Seminoles fan, or at the very least, vote the 'Noles into the Top 15.

Thursday Ramblings

So as you may or may not have noticed, I've promised readers an NBA Season preview today. Well, I was thinking about it these last few days, and I've come to a realization. I can't possibly dedicate an entire blog to the NBA. One, I don't really like it enough. And two, I don't know anything about it, really.

So here, in ramblings style, is what I think about the upcoming season, as well as some other non-NBA related talk.

*Last year, when the NHL was cancelled, I had nothing to watch in the winter, so I promised myself I'd get more into the Nets. And I did. I actually watched like 25 games, and learned all the players. I enjoyed it, too. So this year, with the NHL back, I promised myself I'd still watch the Nets, and make a concentrated effort to follow the entire NBA, as well. Well, after last night, I've realized I can still watch the Nets this year, but the other part of the equation is just too much to ask of me. I tried watching NBA highlights on Sportscenter last night, and I couldn't sit through them. Sorry, NBA, you're not for me. But go Nets!

*That said, I don't understand what all the hype is with this Nets team. Sure, it's probably going to win the Atlantic Division, but that's by default. They're not very good. 45 wins, at most. Maybe 47. And then they'll play the Bulls, Cavs or (gasp) Bucks in the first round & get demolished in 5 or 6 games. Not pretty.

*I hinted to it last paragraph, now I'll flat out say it. The Milwaukee Bucks are going to make the playoffs this year, and they aren't going to be the 8th seed.

*Still not sure why the Heat remodeled their entire team.

*Spurs still can't be beat, but because every person in the world is predicting them, I won't.

*Heat over Spurs.

*I can't believe those bastards on Survivor tonight voted out Brandon & let Jamie stay. I may hate Jamie more then any other Survivor player, ever. And Brandon was probably my favorite on this season. He got a raw deal. I hope one of Dani, Gary or Bobby Jon can outlast the other idiots on Tribe-6.

*I've watched less hockey in the first month of this new NHL season then I did last October, when there wasn't an NHL season. I swore all along that the lockout wouldn't have any affect on me, and I was in it for the long haul. But I guess I was wrong. Is anyone else having a hard time getting into it? Or am I just refusing to acknowledge the fact that the Devils are no longer a powerhouse? I can't get into hockey at all this year, and it's really depressing.

*Everyone is calling the Giants-9ers game on Sunday a trap game. So I'm going to one-up them. Giants 31, 49ers 9. Actually, that's not true. I'm nervous as hell about this game. The Giants of the last 10 years or so always found a way to lose a game like this, one they had no right losing. So I'm nervous. If this team is really moving into the future, and beginning what looks to be a very promising decade, it will not lose this game. Good teams don't lose this game. Period.

*I finally sat down & looked at Brady Quinn's stats the other day. Wow. 7 games, 2400 yards, 21 TDs, 5 INTs. For the NFL fan that can't really comprehend this, I'll translate. If he were in the NFL, over a 16 game schedule, with those averages his season would be, well, ridiculous. 5500 yards, 48 TDs & 11 INTs. Not even Peyton Manning can dream up a season like that.

*Of course, pro teams don't play the likes of Washington & BYU, but still, it's fun to imagine. Brady Quinn is going to not only be a much better NFL QB then Matt Leinart, he'll get drafted at a higher position then Leinart does.

*The Reggie Bush Watch: New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers. 4 of these teams need Reggie Bush. The 5th needs 53 new players & 11 new coaches, and Kevin E. Sharkey as their GM.

*To everyone criticizing me for putting LSU at #5 in the SCS, and saying they'll finish #4, consider this. If Miami beats VaTech on Saturday, LSU will very likely finish the SCS at #3. And if it weren't for a 2nd half meltdown against Tennessee in September, they'd probably be #2. Then we could finally get that USC-LSU Showdown that we were robbed of a few years ago.

*Sharkey out.

New MLB Awards

I've decided to create two new MLB Awards to be handed out at the end of every season, along with the Most Valuable Player & Cy Young Awards. As a person as influential as I am, I'm sure MLB will catch on rather quickly, and by the end of the 2006 season, they will be certified awards.

It's actually only one award, given out twice. One in the American League, one in the National League. And it's something the NFL has been doing for years, because they're the only professional league in America that has any idea of how to run a sport correctly.

It's the "Offensive Player of the Year" Award. Or "Batter of the Year." Or whatever you want to call it. I have a name for it, but we'll save that for later.

This award is being created this year for one reason & one reason only, so Andruw Jones get's the recognition he deserves. Right now the Offensive Player of the Year & the MVP are virtually the same award. Well, that's unfair. Albert Pujols is likely going to win the MVP award this year. Why? The answer everyone will say is simple: look at his numbers.

So here's my question. Instead of asking why, I ask what do numbers have to do with value? Sure, Andruw Jones only batted .255 or something this season, but look beyond his numbers. If he wasn't on that Braves team, do you think they would have won the NL East yet again? When Chipper was on the DL in the spring, he hit 15 home runs in a 30 game span. When young guys like Wilson Betemit & Jeff Francoeur were getting adjusted to the MLB level of play (granted it didn't take them long to get adjusted), Jones was counted on to carry the team. This is a team that started a 60 year old for most of the season. Rafael Furcal did a stint on the DL. Chipper came back for about 3 weeks and then spent another month on the DL. But all the while, the Braves were winning, because Andruw Jones refused to quit. Now that's a Most Valuable Player.

Don't get me wrong, Albert Pujols is extremely valuable. Most other years, he'd win the MVP in my book, but not this year. If, say, it was Albert Pujols that was lost for the year in April, and Scott Rolen who played healthy all year & hit his 38 homers & 125 RBI's, do you not think the Cardinals would still win 100 games? I'm sure they would. That team is just that good. It's more then just pieces.

So there you have it. Andruw Jones is your 2005 NL MVP. And no offense to Derrek Lee, but Albert Pujols is the "Batter of the Year."

In the American League, Alex Rodriguez is the "Batter of the Year," and David Ortiz is the most valuable player, because without him, the Red Sox are fighting to go .500 this year. Without A-Rod, the Yankees are trading for someone else & still winning the AL East.

Now, doesn't that feel better. Everyone who deserves to get recognized is getting recognized. Sure, in most years, the MVP & BoY will be the same person. But for times when they aren't, it's good we have both awards.

Now, onto naming the awards, since BoY just doesn't do. Usually awards only get named by players who have long since retired. But for this one, we'll waive that rule. Because there are two people, one in each league, who stand for everything the BoY stands for. Great numbers, and a huge lack of value.

The National League BoY award is now known as the Bobby Abreu Award. Congrats to Albert Pujols for being the first Bobby Abreu winner.

And obviously, the American League BoY is the Alex Rodriguez award. If this award was created 6 years ago, he'd probably have 5 or 6 of these things, so it's only fitting he wins the first one. He'll get plenty more to add to his mantelpiece before he retires.

Shark Championship Standings Week III

New features in the SCS this week, since many of you are bitching about the fact that I'm not explaining why I'm placing teams where they are. I'm going to explain why I place teams where they are. So instead of reviewing the week & then giving you my list, I'll give you my list & then review the week, team by team.

As always, for last weeks SCStandings, click on "Shark Championship Standings Week II" on the right.

1. USC 8-0 (last week: 1)
2. Texas 8-0 (lw: 2)
3. Virginia Tech 8-0 (lw: 3)
4. Alabama 8-0 (lw: 4)
5. LSU 6-1 (lw: 7)
6. UCLA 8-0 (lw: 8)
7. Notre Dame 5-2 (lw: 6)
8. Miami 5-1 (lw: 9)
9. Ohio State 6-2 (lw: 10)
10. Penn State 8-1 (lw: 11)
11. Florida State 7-1 (lw: 12)
12. Florida 5-2 (lw: 15)
13. Georgia 7-1 (lw: 4)
14. Wisconsin 8-1 (lw: 13)
15. Michigan 6-3 (lw: unr)

USC is #1 until they are beaten, that's how we roll at thesharkey.com.

Although Vince Young played great, it was just Oklahoma State, and they didn't really blow them out. Just a matter of time before VaTech passes Texas in the SCS.

VaTech with a good win against a good Boston College team. If they can win out, they'll surely be #2. As for Boston College, the loss drops them out of the Top 15, but just barely.

Alabama with a dominating win over a weak Utah State. You all laughed at me for putting 'Bama ahead of Georgia last week. Who's laughing now?

LSU & UCLA. I'm sure many are questioning the placement of LSU over undefeated UCLA, but it's justified. All UCLA had to do was beat a weak Stanford with semi-ease. It didn't have to be a blowout, but OT wasn't good for them either. They proved poise in coming from behind & pulling it out, but they shouldn't have found themselves in that position in the first place. LSU, on the other hand, dominated North Texas, as they well should have. They find themselves in the midst of an 11 week stretch with 11 games, and are two weeks away from a showdown with Alabama that will decide who gets to play in the SEC Championship. They'll win that game, and will play in the SEC Championship.

Notre Dame had a bye.

Miami, Ohio State, Penn State & Florida State all played good games on Saturday, and with Georgia losing, all were deserving of moving up a spot. Miami avenged last years debacle against UNC. Ohio State & Penn State beat two good Big Ten opponents. They were tough games that shouldn't have been easy wins, but both teams made them look fairly easy, in the end. And Florida State had a nice win against a very tough Maryland opponent, and with only Clemson & NC State left on their ACC schedule, should be able to reach the ACC Championship with ease.

Florida continues to climb in the polls after beating Georgia. Sure, Georgia didn't have their starting QB, but a loss is a loss, and in a rivalry this big, emotion should have been enough to will this team to victory. It wasn't. And with the toughest part of Florida's SEC schedule done with, and Auburn looming for Georgia in two weeks, the Bulldogs had better be careful, or they won't even make the SEC Championship.

Wisconsin falls a spot despite winning this week. The fall has less to do with them and more to do with the fact that they beat Illinois, and not by too much, plus in a head to head matchup, Georgia & Florida would both beat the Badgers.

Michigan makes its SCS debut. Two wins against ranked teams in the last three weeks, coupled with a three game winning streak makes them the surprise pick for the 15th spot. This team is playing inspired football lately, and is very much alive in the ultra-tight Big Ten. Oregon & West Virginia are arguably two better choices for an SCS spot, but with both teams being on byes, they couldn't move into the SCS. Lucky for them, with Michigan on a bye next week, a good win for either team should propel one of them into the Top 15.

The NFC East

So I had a lot of great ideas about what I could say about the NFC East & such, but I'm tired. Real tired. And tomorrow morning I have to drive 5 hours to Boston in a car that has a "check engine" light that turns itself on every 40 miles or so. So I'm not happy. Just tired.

Of course, once I get to Boston & am with all my old college roommates I will be happy, and tired. But until then, just tired.

So instead of writing out all my thoughts "column" style like I did in that insanely long Notre Dame post of yesterday (yes, I apologize about that. I have no idea how it got so long), I'm just going to do this ramblings style.

*Does anyone actually read all this crap I'm saying, or am I just wasting my time? Let me know, because regardless of if I get any answers, I'm still doing this. Good exercise.

*Giants-Redskins on Sunday, can't wait. First of four divisional games for the Giants in the next 7 weeks. What a huge seven weeks these are going to be. If they can go 4-3 in them, 8-5 is a pretty place to be sitting. If they can go 5-2 over the next six weeks, 9-4 is a glorious little position. Of course, 3-4 for a 7-6 record isn't too shabby consider where this team is. But still, the three non-division games in those 7 weeks are Minnesota, San Fran & Green Bay. I honestly see no reason why the Gmen can't go 3-0 in those games & 2-2 in division games. They'll beat the Cowboys at home. Hopefully take the Redskins game. Am I getting greedy in praying for a split with the Eagles in those games? OK, seriously, I don't think they'll go 6-1. As much as 10-3 excites me, I don't see it happening. I'll settle for 7-6, I'm expecting 8-5.

*The Eagles are probably playing the worst football of any team in this division & they still have to be considered the favorites. Eventually McNabb might go into a coma during a huddle, I don't know. But until that point, an effective McNabb with Westbrook, T.O. & Andy Reid has to be the favorites in the NFC East.

*Yes, I'll admit, I never thought the Redskins would be 4-2. Yours truly here thought they'd finish 5-11 this season. I don't see that happening, but I'm still not buying into them yet. Not sure why, there's just something about them I don't like. Might have something to do with the fact that I haven't watched a single minute of a Redskins game all season. Regardless, 7-8 wins for this team is still my projected total. Of course, that may all change on Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping Sunday's game will convert some of you to my way of thinking, though. We'll see.

*Lastly, the Cowboys, the one team in professional sports I grew up hating more then any other. These aren't the Cowboys I used to hate. It pains me to admit I was actually rooting for them two weeks ago in the Eagles game. I promise that'll never happen again. Simply because I'm never going to watch another Eagles-Cowboys game.

*You may be saying wait a minute, he skipped talking about the Cowboys as a team this year in that little paragraph. Well, you're right, I did. I can't figure that team out for the life of me. Unfortunately I've seen like 5 of their games this year, and I just don't know. It wouldn't surprise me to see them go 7-2 down the stretch, or 6-3. At the same time, 2-7 wouldn't surprise me either. I can't figure them out. They scare me, but not really.

*So there you have it. All the great things I had to say about the NFC East, and I didn't say them. This freaking post is still a lot longer then I expected, and I didn't say half the crap I wanted to. Oh well.

*But, on the plus side, from now until the end of the season, there is only one week (week 12) where there isn't at least one NFC East head-to-head matchup. So that will make each week fun to pay attention to. This division is totally up in the air, and every week from here until the end will play a large roll in determining who gets this division.

*Oh yea, and week 12, when there isn't an NFC East game, that's Thanksgiving weekend, so that weekend is going to be great anyway. God, I can't believe Thanksgiving is four weeks from today. That's just scary.

Goodnight, I'm off to Boston. Don't miss me when I'm gone, I'll be back for your reading entertainment on Tuesday.