Friday November 7, 2003
 

SPORTS OF OTHER SORTS!

MIENTKIEWICZ THOUGHTS

MORE ON MATTINGLY

TELEVISION QUESTION

NFL “EXPERT” PICKS

VIKINGS PREDICTIONS

Team USA did not play against Brazil yesterday. The game was cancelled due to a very dangerous fireworks explosion before the USA/Panama game the night before. They win their pool with their 3-0 record and will start quarterfinal play today. Be sure to take a look at yesterday’s posting where I briefly discussed all 24 players on the Team USA roster.

MAILBAG DISCUSSION:

“WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?”

Well, you’ve read the Discussion Question every day this week, now it’s time to see how you responded to the question: “What is your favorite sport, and why?”

I think it’s a pretty interesting question, especially on a baseball site. I’m curious as to why we like baseball so much. Like I mentioned, I heard the question asked on a sports radio show a week ago, and thought it was interesting.

Five or six years ago, I was at Big Nick’s, a sports card shop in the West Acres Mall in Fargo, ND. The owner of the shop told me that football was definitely his favorite sport to watch. He knew that I was a big baseball fan, and asked me what it was about baseball that I liked so much. I told him that the biggest reason I love watching baseball is because I think the game when I watch it. Every pitch, I’m guessing what pitch the catcher will call and the pitcher will throw, as well as the location. I try to think along with the hitter as well. I look at the situation and try to figure out what I would do if I was the manager in that same situation. Do you hit and run, call for a sacrifice bunt, pinch hit, bring in a new pitcher? Situational baseball is so fun for me. The role of the utility player, or the specialty pitchers, play such an important role in a game. That, to me, is the biggest reason I love watching baseball.

Of course, there are many other reasons too. First, it was my favorite sport to play. I’ve played since I was two years old. My family is big into baseball, so clearly that helped push me to enjoy it. I frequently ask myself, “What if I was born into a family that didn’t enjoy sports, that didn’t make it part of their life? What would I do? How different would my life be?” I’m glad I don’t have to know that answer.

Some people think it is too slow, too boring. The game’s pace is part of what I like about it. It allows you to think in between pitches, in between at bats, in between innings. From viewing on TV, it’s a sport that you can watch while doing other things at the same time.

Baseball is a team game full of individual matchups. When a leadoff hitter hits a double, the pitcher has another matchup with the second hitter. That hitter’s job is to try to knock in the runner. The pitcher’s job is to not allow him to. When the hitter gets behind, his job is to move the runner to third base, and the pitcher tries not to let that happen.

Statistics are so important to the game of baseball and its history, but it’s important to remember that stats are simply numbers showing what has happened in the past, not what will happen in one particular at bat. A player can be 0-20 with 15 strikeouts against a particular pitcher. But that hitter may come up with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd base and 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th inning, down by a run, and he may come through with a 2 run single. Stats are important, but baseball is far more than that. It’s not being afraid to play hunches, to look beyond the stats, all in an attempt to win a 9 inning game.

The history of the game of baseball is fascinating. Having visited the Hall of Fame, I fully appreciate the history even more than I did before. Yankees/Red Sox matchups do mean something (in the playoffs). Records are made to be broken. Just simply talking baseball is fun!

So there you have it, just some of the reasons why baseball is my favorite sport. Basketball is a close second. So many people seem to think that NBA basketball is not fun to watch. I guess I’m a little different. I will say this, Eastern Conference basketball is awful to watch, but a good Western Conference matchup is incredibly entertaining. The game is so fast-paced. Whereas in baseball, you can turn away and do other things, the same can not be said for basketball. Right now, I’m watching the Lakers/Spurs game, and it is really difficult to focus on typing because so much is happening so quickly, I have to watch it.

Role players in basketball are different than baseball. Of the five on the court, there are defensive specialists who may not shoot. There are passers, and there are scorers. There are guys that rebound, or block shots. And then there are those special players that can do it all. Guys like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan who make their teammates better. Basketball is more reactionary than baseball or football. Watching Gary Payton or Jason Kidd run a fast break, deciding which teammate to pass the ball and delivering a pass right where it needs to be, that’s a thing of beauty.

I don’t necessarily think that marketing plays into why I like basketball. Sure, basketball players get the best, most high profile commercial, and I have no problem with that. I pay closer attention to the big names and the big teams. I love watching the Lakers play the Kings, the Wolves play the Mavs. I loved the Carmelo vs. Lebron matchup. Vince Carter vs. Tracy McGrady. In the West, there is more team play. In the East, the game is based more on 1-on-1 play. Personally, I like the team play, and watching the Timberwolves in years past, they are so great at passing the ball to the open shooter, led by Kevin Garnett.

NBA basketball, to me, is far better than the college game. Some may not agree, and I can not understand why. Sure the College March Madness is an exhilarating, single-elimination tournament that is great to watch, but aside from that, the season, for me, is pretty boring. Sure the North Carolina/Duke matchup, or the Kansas/Arizona game, are fun to watch. But aside from that, it’s just not that great.

Then, further down the list, at #3, is football. Like baseball, there is time to think and predict what play will be run next, or what defensive scheme will be utilized in an attempt to stop the play. But once the teams break the huddle, a big play can happen at any time. When Daunte Culpepper rolls out to his right and sets up, you know that Randy Moss is sprinting down the left side of the field, probably in single coverage. The fan’s adrenaline gets going as Culpepper launches the ball toward the end zone, knowing that there could be a 60 yard touchdown, or an incomplete pass.

The speed of football plays is incredible. The size and strength of the athletes amaze me. The hits that a running back takes at full speed by a linebacker is scary. The grind of the offensive linemen trying to create holes for the better paid running back who gets all the glory. The strength of the defensive linemen trying to fill those gaps so that the linebackers get the tackles. The one-on-one matchups between cornerbacks and receivers (that we don’t see much of any more). There was nothing better than seeing Michael Irvin lined up opposite Deion Sanders, trying to beat the other. And all those matchups occurring in a very short period of time, only to start over shortly after.

I think part of the allure of the NFL is that all of the games occur between Sunday and Monday night. One game per week. Plenty of time for Monday Morning Quarterbacking to last for a few days before talk of the next week’s game takes over the discussion for the rest of the week.

The NFL is great for TV. The volume of a game at the Dome is crazy. However, the NFL is built for watching on the couch. As you all know, I’ve got two TVs in my living room. I’m able to watch the CBS and the Fox games at the same time, while ‘watching’ a couple of other games on CBS Sportsline.

NFL football is good, and a big part of that for me is due to playing fantasy football. That makes me want to watch every game all weekend. Previous to that, it was pretty much just the Vikings game for me. College football is terrible to watch. I really used to enjoy watching Saturday afternoons. I loved watching when Tommy Frazier or Eric Crouch were leading Nebraska. I enjoy certain matchups, like games that pit Florida/Florida State/Miami. I check to see how Pittsburgh WR Larry Fitzgerald does each week. I like having an idea of who will or should win the Heisman trophy. But the games themselves are too boring to me.

Well behind football, hockey makes its appearance on my list. I never really watched or knew anything about hockey before moving up to Hockeytown, USA, Warroad, MN, just over six years ago. Watching good hockey, in person, is very entertaining. You’ve got power and speed and hitting and shooting. Every shot on goal is important, because generally the scoring is low. It has many of the elements that make sports worth watching, but with the skill of skating on a patch of ice.

People who follow hockey probably played at some point in their lives. Hockey has a sort of cult following and it’s fairly regionalized. Hockey is huge in Minnesota, Michigan and in much of the northeast, as well as all of Canada, of course. True hockey fans are diehards. They’ll play hockey, ref hockey, watch local hockey, follow college hockey and follow the NHL. I’m nowhere near that. I watch some local high school hockey and try to have an idea of how the Gophers and Sioux college hockey teams are doing and be able to have some knowledge of the Minnesota Wild. I know enough about hockey to be able to watch a game and not be lost. That said, the NHL playoffs are so incredibly intense and so fast-paced that you can’t help but enjoy that.

Golf is watchable for about 3 minutes, and only if Tiger Woods is playing in the tournament and playing well. Women’s tennis is bearable for about 4 minutes. Men’s tennis, can’t watch it. Soccer, wow! How bad is that sport to watch!? Did you know Rowing is a sport? Like Swimming, I would say it is more of a survival skill. NASCAR, like hockey, has a cult following. Some are intense and think it is a big time sport. Some don’t even classify it as a sport. Horse racing? Unless your gambling, how can that be fun to watch? Wrestling? The uniforms alone should scare some people from watching it! Track and Field? That’s unwatchable, except maybe the 100 meter dash, and only because it can keep my attention for all 10 seconds that it lasts. Are there other sports that are even worth discussing?

Some people in small towns are huge fans of their local high school’s teams. They’ll attend any sport that the school participates in. When I was in high school playing, sure, I went to other sporting events too and thought they were so important. When my siblings played their sports, I went to their games and enjoyed them. By the time that I didn’t know many more of the participants, I suddenly realized how boring most high school sports are. Unless you’re watching football in Texas, or baseball in Florida, or hockey in Minnesota, or basketball in North Carolina, it’s just not good.

So, there you have it. My thoughts on my favorite sports to watch. 1.) Baseball, 2.) NBA Basketball, 3.) NFL Football, 4.) College basketball, 5.) College Football, 6.) NHL Hockey, and that’s about it!

Here are you comments on your favorite sports to watch:

From Nikki, from Ann Arbor, Michigan:

My favorite sports to watch on television are:

1.)     NBA Basketball

2.)     Baseball

3.)     NFL Football

4.)     NHL Hockey

5.)     NCAA Football

My favorite sports to watch in person are:

1.)     NCAA Hockey

2.)     NHL Hockey

3.)     NBA Basketball

4.)     Baseball

5.)     NCAA Football

6.)     NFL Football

My favorite sport to watch on TV is NBA Basketball. My team is the Sacramento Kings. I love to watch basketball because the game is so fast-paced and exciting. The score can change so quickly. I love the games where you have no idea who will win until the very last seconds of  the game.

My favorite sport to watch in person is NCAA Hockey. My team is the Minnesota Gophers. I live in Ann Arbor and I love love love to watch the Gophers play there. Yost Ice Arena is such an alive and exhilarating place to watch a game! The entire crowd gets into the game. It's the greatest place to watch a hockey game. Trust me on this one!

Sports marketing doesn't affect the sports I watch in any way at all. I watch for my favorite players and my favorite teams. Of course, I'll watch any game if one of my favorite teams aren't playing at that time. As long as there are sports on my TV, I'm a happy girl!

From Kirk Beller

i think you hit on something important when you mentioned the in person/tv thing. i love watching baseball on tv. when i go to the dome to watch the twins though, i have the overwhelming urge to nap. i kept falling asleep (happily though) until i started scoring games. it's not the best in-person sport. for tv though, you can't beat it. during the season, you know that 5 out of 7 days during the week you can come home, plop down in the recliner and read a copy of maxim with the game on. that's happiness to me. maybe I like baseball on tv because it's the perfect multitasking sport. You don't have to watch every second to keep up with the game, so you can do something else. on the other hand, it's great to sit and watch intently to catch things like how pitchers work to certain batters, or if they're hitting their spots, or how an ump's strike zone can affect the game, or any of that sort of thing.
i really can't stand basketball, in person or on tv, though i have to admit to having a sick fascination with the NCAA tournament. i think it's one of the most entertaining competitions in all of sports.
hockey is hands down the most fun sport to watch in person. The combination of the speed at which the game is played and the hits that people take make for the most entertaining total package in my mind. i'm with you though on the tv end of it. it's tough to get a real feel for the speed, which is the best part of the game. exception to this: playoff hockey. the nhl playoffs are absolutely great. i just don't think you can compare a seven game series between two hockey clubs to say playoff baseball. maybe it's the hitting, but it really seems like some of the more nasty rivalries come about because of a particularly ugly playoff series. think wings/avs in '96.
football has probably the best mix of all of these things. it's the one sport of the big four that i think has the exact right number of games in the season. every one of them means something. plus, you get a whole week in between games to stew over a loss, hear about your team's strengths and weaknesses, call into radio shows to complain, get angry at columnists that don't rank them high enough in the power rankings, listen to the head coach make excuses and mess with the injury report, and watch players make dumb comments about the opposition along with a million other little things. By the time sunday rolls around, everyone has been whipped into a lather over the game. it makes for an intense viewing experience whether you're there in person or not.
all in all though, i just love the grind of baseball and the in person fun of hockey.

Tim Gibson’s Thoughts (be sure to check out Tim’s band’s website here.)

OK Seth, here are my thoughts on what is the favorite to watch.

Introductory qualifier here. In order to avoid becoming even more of a couch potato, I have restricted my "dedicated following" to two sports, MLB Baseball & NFL Football ... unless, of course, something seriously interesting is developing or the home team is in the playoffs.

Curiously, a complex & very conditional question to answer. I'll take a MLB baseball game in an outdoor stadium anytime over all of the rest, the elegance of the game, the anticipation for your favorite players, the chance for the pace of the game to allow you to explain the game to a young kid & the romance of a real good ballpark hot dog just have something that other sports do not offer. It has been too many years since I have seen an outdoor NFL football game, but I do remember the atmosphere of the tailgating parties at the Met for Vikings games ... even though I was just a kid & was not part of the party crowd, it was pretty cool & that would be pretty fun to experience as an adult. I think that the tailgating camaraderie would get me into the game even more. But I think that Football is a beautiful mate for television, the game is designed for television ... bowls of chips, nacho's, beers with the gang at whoever's house that has the largest TV is the best (that is, as long as the announcing crew are not utterly moronic).

College Football is great when there is a great game (does that make any sense?), there is a certain degree of somewhat sloppy enthusiasm that you don't see in the NFL. Also, there are those years where you have some outstanding player just blow away the opposition. I remember following Ricky Williams his last few games in Texas (on TV), that was just damn impressive stuff.

I have found that hockey, for whatever reason, makes no sense to me. A good friend of mine pointed out the fact that hockey is best appreciated if you had played the game in high school (which I did not). But I will say that it is not well translated to television. Although, the coverage has gotten much better since the MN N Stars went to the 'Cup' ... the camera work is much better.

Basketball? Sure, a cool game which does fairly well on TV & is fun in person ... I just don't go there until the Wolves make the playoffs.

Bottom line??

Best sport in person:

MLB in an outdoor stadium

Best Sport on TV:

NFL

Best sport when some team/individual is having a breakout year:

College Football

Anthony Fox, The Bad Twin

Just thought I'd chime in on the discussion question:
1) My favorite sport to watch is baseball. I guess because it's perhaps the easiest sport to watch analytically. I guess I can't pinpoint why. Maybe it's because I'm able to get into the numbers more, or understand the game more, or less, or something. The long season helps, as does the fact that it's the only sport where immense physical talent is not as important as mental talent (ie. Jamie Moyer actually pitches in the big leagues, while how many guys with 100MPH fastballs are washed up?)
2) College Football - I love Division I college football, especially in conferences like the Big 10 and Big 12 (and the MAC for some reason). I just think there's so much there; it's so much fun. It's also a lot of fun because you know these guys are developing as players, you know they're just kids, and you know that they're only going to be starting at their schools one or two years, so the power can shift rapidly from one team to another. Has a great overtime system and a great system at the end of games that allows for nail-biters and excellent comebacks pro football does not.
3) NFL Football - Not quite the same game as college. Better players, sure, but the overtime is not fun at all a lot of the time, and the time management system isn't as much fun at the end of the games. Plus, I get sick of hearing contract squabbles and stuff like that.
4) NBA Basketball - Decent sport to watch. Pretty entertaining. BUT THEY NEVER CALL TRAVELING!!! OH MY GOD!!! I would watch probably double the games I do now if they'd just call traveling. I mean, when I was 10, I didn't get to take 13 steps before shooting. Why should Vince Carter? The game is whack; it's a different game than the fun one you played as kids.
5) College Basketball - I don't know, I just find it boring. Some of the games are fine, but some make you want to choke because they end up like 42-38, ya know? Watch any Wisconsin game; you'll see what I mean.
6) Hockey - Not a fan, at all, but something had to end the list and since I don't consider NASCAR or the World Series of Poker sports...

Marcy from Minneapolis

My favorite sport to watch is football. I have been an avid fan since I was little and have fond memories of watching football on TV each Sunday with my dad and brother.  My mom would sit and read quietly, ignoring our frequent outbursts, Holding!  Face mask! Chop block!  Bull #$%& !  My dad did get some nasty looks from my mom for the last one. Now that I live in the Twin Cities with access to multiple sporting events, my tastes have diversified slightly.  Football will always be my favorite sport and watching it live only heightens my enjoyment.  I love a good raucous crowd, but detest sitting by --know it alls-- especially drunk ones.  I think to myself, “Hey! John Madden wannabees, get your terminology straight and seriously, you don't need another beer!!! I really miss watching the game outside.  There is just something about the sounds and smells of fall and early winter, wrapping myself up in blanket, drinking hot chocolate to stay warm and watching a good game. 

I think my list would continue like this:

Baseball -- Again, I would rather be watching the game outside rather than in the Dome.  For the last two years my friends and I have gone to the Twins/Brewers game at Miller Park, which is a cool stadium.  Camden Yard ranks right up there as well.

Hockey --  still don’t fully understand the sport, but have a good grasp on the basics and can appreciate the finesse and agility of the players.  I enjoy the sounds of hockey like the hits against the boards and quick stops that send a spray of ice flying.

Basketball -- I don’t really get into professional basketball other than keeping tabs on the T-wolves, but do like college basketball especially at tournament time.  I had the opportunity to work at the Final Four and Midwest Regional when they were in Minneapolis. College basketball fans are a riot.  They live, breathe and die for their teams more so than other sports' fans. 

Michael Labuda - Chisox Daily

Michael answered this question on his website yesterday. Here is the order he ranked the sports, be sure to check out ChiSox Daily to read the reasons.
 

SPORTS OF OTHER SORTS

Oh, and one more sport I almost forgot, Pie Throwing. I don’t know much about the specific rules of it, but my mom sure looks like she had a lot of fun at the event! Sure looks fun, huh?

MIENTKIEWICZ THOUGHTS

When the AL Gold Glove Awards were named, and I saw that Doug Mientkiewicz did not get the Gold Glove at 1B (John Olerud won), it bothered me, and apparently, I wasn’t the only one:

Kirk Beller on Mienktiewicz

dude… the mientkiewicz thing is mind-boggling. he definitely got jobbed. what does the guy have to do to win another one of those? What are those managers seeing that i'm not? i really want to puke.
i know a lot of people like to get into how offensive stats play a part in the award, and i agree that they do. it seems to me though, that a bigger part of this is that certain guys get a gold glove reputation going, and they win it year after year regardless of their performance on the field. i'm pretty sure that olerud has that sort of reputation, and that's why he's winning it again this year. i don't know.
i'm trying to figure out why this is making me so angry, and i think i've figured it out. our team doesn't have any guys that are going to be legitimate contenders for the mvp, or for a batting title, or a home run title, or a cy young award. we just don't have players of that caliber. everyone knows that the twins are built to work as a team, not be a group of guys surrounding two or three superstars. the one thing we can rally around is the defense, and i think this is something that twins fans do. Everyone i talk to seems to really appreciate the work that these guys do on the field, to the point where we're willing to buck the trend and say that we're ok with not having a huge offensive presence at first base if we can have a slick fielder like minky there. Maybe it's the fact that the rest of the league refuses to recognize the one place where we excel that upsets me.

all i know is when i heard that news (that Olerud, not Mientkiewicz, won the Gold Glove), i wanted to do something to make it right somehow. i wanted to write a letter to my congressman even though that doesn't make any sense.
i can't believe what a foul mood this has put me in. you know what else? where's the love for corey koskie? i understand that chavez is a good defensive third baseman, but when is koskie going to get his due? it's less of an outrage that he didn't win the thing, but still, i wonder what it will take for the guy to get some recognition. i'm just sick right now.
no matter what the defensive stats say, i'm not going to change my mind on the thing at all, but i'd be interested in seeing if the rest of the world thinks that me and everyone that agrees with me are overreacting.

I really do think this is the overwhelming opinion of Twins fans across the country. The reason that people thought Mientkiewicz didn’t win the Gold Glove Award in 2002 was because he had such a bad offensive season, and Olerud had a solid year. I think we all felt that because Mientkiewicz had a very solid offensive season, and Olerud didn’t hit much at all, Mientkiewicz would reclaim the award. That didn’t happen and I don’t understand why.

And, defensive statistics (Fielding percentage, Zone Rating, Range Factor) mean absolutely nothing to me. Fielding percentage doesn’t take range into account. Sure, Mike Bordick never made any errors, but he didn’t get to anything either. ZR and RF are based on number of assists and putouts and chances, but there are way too many variables that affect it. I frequently use the Twins as an example. First, their pitchers are fly ball pitchers, so of course the number of chances for the infielders will be lower. Secondly, the Dome is played on really hard and fast turf, meaning that, of course the infielders won’t be able to get to a ball that they would get to if they played on grass. Maybe next season when they play on the new turf, it will be better. I know that statheads don’t agree, but defense, in my mind, should be judged subjectively.

That reminds me, be sure to check out David Pinto’s recent posting at Baseball Musings (How to Become a Stathead). It’s worth the read.

OK, be sure to check back on Monday for next week’s Discussion Question of the Week.

Be sure to check out the new Brian Wolfe Diary.
 

MORE ON MATTINGLY

On Tuesday, I wrote that Don Mattingly was named the hitting coach of the Yankees. I asked why he was such a popular player in New York, despite never being on a World Series team. On Wednesday, Cliff sent me a great response and also asked me to check out the numbers of both Mattingly and Twins star Kirby Puckett. Check out the chart, it’s pretty impressive, they’re so very similar.

Kevin from DC made sure that we also distinguished why Kirby Puckett was so clearly a Hall of Famer, and Mattingly isn’t:

Virtually identical stats warrant identical consideration for the Hall? When comparing Puck and Mattingly, the premise and the conclusion are false.

The premise is false because there is one statistic that jumps out at you as being different--batting average. Puckett's .318 batting average is 50th all time among players that have completed their career, whereas Mattingly's .307 average does not crack the top 100 of all-time list. Putting Puckett's average in perspective, there is only one active player with more than 1000 games played that registers a higher average (Mike Piazza, .319), and there is a tremendous likelihood that when all is said and done, Puckett's average will be better than Piazza's.

I understand that there is a modern trend away from the importance of batting average, and I understand the arguments behind the increased importance of OBP and SLG Pct. as a metric, but even if we assume those categories to be of increased significance, I think BA is still a valuable, if diminished, statistic. And the fact remains, Puckett's average was HOF quality, where Mattingly's is borderline.

As for the hypothesis: identical stats = identical consideration in the Hall, hogwash. Position is an important consideration, and that Puckett played most of his career as the best defensive American League centerfielder in the game at the time, warrants additional consideration. There are four crucial defensive positions in baseball, and Puckett played one (exceedingly well). Mattingly did not. A high average, very good overall production with average power gold glove first baseman is not the same as a high average, very good overall production with average power gold glove centerfielder. And they should not receive identical consideration for the Hall.

Finally, Puckett had more hits than any other player in the history of major league baseball in his first ten years (or so I remember hearing once). Fun facts like that are the stuff of plaques in Cooperstown. Puckett's glaucoma may have made him a first balloter when he should have been a second ballot enshrinee, but it is not the thing separating his comparative admissions qualifications from Mattingly's.
 

TELEVISION QUESTION

From Marcy:

The Days of our Lives serial killer storyline is driving me insane. Apparently they are now killing off ten people!  I think Carolyn Brady and Cassie are next. Tony and Roman are leaving the show as well. Who is going to be left????

SETH’s RESPONSE: I haven’t read who is, or isn’t, leaving the show. It is very interesting though, trying to figure this out. With Maggie being killed by someone she let into her house, someone she trusted and was happy to see, even though she was known to be next in line to be killed. She knew the people who were on the suspect list. There’s no way she would have trusted Tony or Rex or Nicole or Victor into her house in that situation. To me, that would eliminate them. If you’re right and Roman is going off the show, it is possible that he would be someone that could be a suspect as well, based on the responses by Maggie and Mickey after seeing the killer. By their reaction, my new thinking is that it is someone not on the suspect list, who is close to the family. Roman fits that category. My other question is this: Seven people were going to shoot Abe. They all seem to wonder if they killed him. If that many people, with guns, were that close to be able to shoot, wouldn’t they have heard the other guns?

How do you have time to catch all your shows and update your website?

I don’t. I just don’t sleep. Here is my basic schedule: Work 8-5, come home and ‘research’. Then watch my shows, sometimes while typing the next morning’s posting, sometimes I wait until my shows are done to start typing. Either way, it is always after midnight before I finish, frequently closer to 1 a.m. This site is far more work than I ever imagined. Last night, with all of the Reader’s Comments, I pretty much had this written and was hoping to get some sleep. Well, the Lakers game went into double-overtime (Lakers go to 5-0 with a 120-117 win), and what a game it was, so again, it was after midnight!

Any thoughts, e-mail me.
 

NFL “EXPERT” PICKS

OK, last week was bad. No one finished with a record better than .500. Four won with a 7-7 record. So what will happen this week? Maybe someone will go 14-0. For those of your who use this information to help you make your weekly picks, we sincerely apologize. But I have been informed by a number of these panelists that we will be far better this week! So, here we go: