Weekend winners
Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry and everyone involved in the Army-Navy game. Forget the picks, it's been a long time since I gave that much time to a non-SEC game that was decided by three scores. What a cool game, and what a performance by Perry, who ran for 3 billion yards.
Tiger Woods in particular and U.S. Golf in general. OK, we talked a little last week about how much time we'd give the Presidents Cup. Well, I gave it way, Way, WAY more than any event not named the Masters in the last year. Even the Ryder Cup. Yes, prime time Saturday night helped, but with the drama and the U.S. comeback and the Patrick Reed intrigue and all of it, well, I was hooked. And the U.S. won with a historic comeback and the first guy out of the gate - who hammered the International team's hottest player - was none other than playing-captain Tiger Woods. It was pretty cool.
Dan Quinn. Yes, I think Quinn should be fired. But the fact that the Falcons are still playing supremely hard for him despite having nothing at stake in terms of the playoffs is a testament to his relationship with the team.
This parlay bettor (and every bettor who had the Falcons-49ers over 47.5 and Philly minus-4.5). OK, it's obviously cool to win a nine-team parlay and turn $200 in $75K - especially before Christmas - but this cat had both the Eagles and the over in the Falcons 49ers game, along with Pats minus-9.5, Houston +2.5, Seattle-Carolina over 48.5, K.C. -9.5, Falcons +10.5, minnesota -2.5 and Minnesota-Chargers over 44.5. And it worked because of crazy last-second defensive or special-teams TDs by the Eagles and the Falcons on the final play of each game. It also made a winner out of this bettor who had $50K on the Eagles. Imagine if you are the guy who tears up that ticket in frustration, considering the Eagles scored 13 points in the last 11 seconds to cover.)
Auburn basketball. There were a lot of college hoops options here, and if you think this is a homer pick, well, the evidence supports your assertion. But Auburn remained unbeaten by topping a pretty good St. Louis team at a neutral site as the Tigers' two best players combined to go 3-of-17 from the floor. When the new poll is released, Auburn almost assuredly will be in the top 10, no?
Bonus pick of a former Alabama player: Jalen Hurts. It's hard to imagine any player on any level handling the cards dealt Hurts in a more classy manner. To finish as the Heisman runner-up behind Joe Burrow (we celebrated Burrow's record-setting Heisman win last week because it was a foregone conclusion after his dazzling SEC title game) and his historic season felt like a truly fitting end to his college career. (I've said this before and I'll say it again, considering the skill set, if I am the Baltimore Ravens and I need a back-up for Lamar Jackson, who is in a slew of dangerous contact plays on QB runs, I overspend - like third or fourth round - on Jalen Hurts in spring 2020.)
Bonus pick of a former Alabama player, part II: Kenyan Drake. As for Drake, two pretty awesome stats for the former Alabama running back who has become the go-to dude for the Cardinals now. First, he had 137 yards and four TDs in Arizona's upset over the reeling Browns. Second, it was Drake's first win of the season. Seriously. After being part of Miami's winless 0-6 start to the season, he was dealt to Arizona, which had lost its last five before Sunday.
Bonus pick of a former Alabama player, part II: Julio Jones. The former Tide All-American was an absolute dude on the field - and in fantasy leagues - Sunday as the Falcons beat the 49ers. I said this on Twitter and believe it even more this morning: Julio Jones is the greatest player in Atlanta Falcons history. Better than Nobis, who should be in the Hall. Better than Bartkowski, who was better than folks remember, and better than William Andrews, who was my favorite growing up. And better than Matt Ryan, who will be a Hall of Famer on volume alone, because I'll gladly wait for an answer on this: Who would be worse off career-numbers wise without the other? I stand by the fact that Julio would have Hall of Fame numbers anywhere; Would Ryan have an MVP if his leading WR was Mohamed Sanu?
Weekend losers
Tennessee basketball. Wavered on whether to put Memphis in the winners or UT and Rick Barnes in the losers and decided on the latter for the following reasons: Watching chunks of that game around the Army-Navy game, there were several clear factors. 1) Tennessee was more experienced; 2) Tennessee was at home; 3) Memphis started VERY nervous out of the gate and UT could not pull away; 4) Memphis' best player was in street clothes. And in a lot of ways, Barnes got worked by Penny Hardaway - before and after the game. Here's more after the game from TFP UT beat ace Gene of Many Hats Henley and TFP college hoops master Mark Wiedmer, who asked if the Vols' reign atop the state's basketball power index could be short-lived considering the strides made by Penny and the Tigers.
Oakland Raiders. In the last game ever in front of The Black Hole, the Raiders got booed off the field after blowing a 16-3 lead Sunday. I understand the need for facilities and the BID-ness side of sports as well as the next guy, but there's something inherently sad about the Las Vegas Raiders. (The facility is going to be awesome, the draft and especially the Super Bowl there will all-time epics, free agents will flock there and the home-field edge of visiting players staying all night beforehand will be real. Still, for some us, it just always feels like it should be the Oakland Raiders, you know?) Here are the final scenes of Derek Carr and the Raiders leaving the field Sunday in Oakland.
Mike Vrabel. Uh, Mike, if you want to be the news conference bully of Bill Belichick or the interview arse that is Greg Popovich, you may actually want to, you know, at least get the résumé of a Brian Billick. Hey, Vrabel, you were the goof that called the fake punt and you're the one who had your hands around firm control of a playoff spot and let it get away with a series of special-teams gaffes. Don't be biting the head off some reporter who is doing their job in the news conference. You looked like a petulant child. (And if we're going to throw around the word "idiot," well, let's wonder which idiot took so long to go from Mariota to Tannehill?)
Everyone involved in the Cowboys coin-toss debacle. No, no one locally got to see the Cowboys-Rams because of the Falcons-49ers game, which was awesome. So, Dak Prescott said "Defense. Defense. We want to kick it." Well, that's different from deferring, and according to multiple reports, the referees are supposed to take the first call, because Dak used the word "defer" after confused official Walt Anderson asked, "You want to kick?" Well according to the rules, the Cowboys choose to kick, which means the Rams should have had the choice in the second half, which would have lead to the Rams getting the ball to start both halves. Well, the NFL intervened, which was a terrible look to be honest, especially with the knowledge that the Cowboys are Cash-Cowboys in terms of TV and playoff ratings, and the Cowboys' playoff hopes were seriously hanging in the balance Sunday. As we have said before, sometimes the appearance of bias is just as damaging as the actual presence of bias. No es bueno.
UTC women's basketball. Wow, nine-straight losses and a 1-11 record for the UTC women Mocs is eye-popping for a lot of us who would have expected closer to 11-1 from that program not that long ago. Troy came to McKenzie and left with a 90-51 win after outscoring UTC 59-25 after the half. Ouch-standing.
Braves fans wanting another starting pitcher. With Madison Bumgarner heading to Arizona and the Rangers trading for Corey Kluber, it looks like Atlanta and AA adding one more starter may not materialize - unless they deal for one.
Bowling lanes
College football's regular season is done. Sigh.
But there's no reason not to have a rooting interest in every meaningless bowl game on the docket. (Well, every bowl other than the Cotton Bowl, which was left off the sheet and with as many entries as we have, going backward seems silly. As Pepper says, "It's a bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pays off for them."
Think of it this way, when the Mrs. or the Mr. asks, "why are you watching the Gasparilla Bowl?" you can say, "If Marshall covers the 17.5, I may take you to lunch with my winnings." Good times.
As for the contest, we need the entries by lunch on the 19th. Deal? Deal. The entry sheet is below. Email your picks at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. Doesn't cost anything to enter. Winner gets some stuff.Also, pass it along to your buddies and the Mrs. and anyone else you think would be interested. The more the merrier. The spreads listed below are final, friends, there will assuredly be line movements between now and kickoff on a lot of these games, but these are the lines we're using.One-point games (maximum 9 points)
Bahamas Bowl: Buffalo vs. Charlotte (+5.5)
Frisco Bowl: Kent State vs. Utah State (-9.5)
New Mexico Bowl: Central Michigan vs. San Diego State (-4.5)
FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern (-5.5)
Boca Raton Bowl: SMU vs. FAU (+3.5)
Camellia Bowl: FIU vs. Arkansas State (-3.5)
Las Vegas Bowl: No. 19 Boise State vs. Washington (-3.5)
New Orleans Bowl: No. 20 Appalachian State vs. UAB (+16.5)
Gasparilla Bowl: UCF vs. Marshall (+17.5)
Two-point games (max 18 points)
Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii (+2.5)
Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Miami (FL) (-7.5)
Quick Lane Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Pitt (-10.5)
Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple (+5.5)
Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest (+3.5)
First Responder Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Western Michigan (+2.5)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Nevada (+6.5)
Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Miss vs. Tulane (-7.5)
LendingTree Bowl: Louisiana vs. Miami (OH) (+14.5)
Three-point games (max 18 points)
Texas Bowl: No. 25 Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M (-6.5)
Holiday Bowl: No. 22 USC vs. No. 16 Iowa (-1.5)
Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State (+2.5)
Music City Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Louisville (-3.5)
RedBox Bowl: Cal vs. Illinois (+6.5)
Birmingham Bowl: No. 21 Cincinnati vs. Boston College (+6.5)
Four-point games (max 24 points)
Belk Bowl: Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech (-3.5)
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Arizona State (-5.5)
Liberty Bowl: No. 23 Navy vs. Kansas State (-1.5)
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State (+7.5)
Alamo Bowl: No. 11 Utah vs. Texas (+6.5)
Camping World Bowl: No. 15 Notre Dame vs. Iowa State (+3.5)
Five-point games (max 30 points)
Orange Bowl: No. 9 Florida vs. No. 24 Virginia (+13.5)
Outback Bowl: No. 18 Minnesota vs. No. 12 Auburn (-7.5)
Citrus Bowl: No. 13 Alabama vs. No. 14 Michigan (+7.5)
Rose Bowl: No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 8 Wisconsin (-2.5)
Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 7 Baylor (+7.5)
Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee (PK)
Seven-point games
Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 LSU (-13.5)
Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal): No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson (-2.5)
National champ (just the winner, no spread) is worth 10 points.
This and that
- I have said multiple times that Trump's successes normally go under-publicized, but in large part it's because his thin skin and Twitter habits redirect the news stream far too often. The latest: The quip about Nancy Pelosi's teeth falling out. C'mon, Trump. Be better than that, be kinder than that and do not make the haters' job that easy, because after a wonderful Army-Navy experience for the president and all the economic success stories, he's making it easy for his critics by picking social media fights with 16-year-old girls and old ladies.
- Speaking of UTC hoops, nice overtime win for Mocs coach Lamont Paris' team Sunday over Troy. Telling comment right here from Mocs guard Matt Ryan, via TFP correspondent Jim Tanner's report, "We have a feeling that we're a very good team. Our record isn't the greatest, but we've played three ranked teams and should have won [last week at Virginia Tech]." He has a point, too.
- There was a dead body found in a port-a-potty at Ravens' Stadium on Sunday. And what's truly crazy - yes, even more than the sentence "There was a dead body found in a port-a-potty at Ravens' Stadium on Sunday" - is not that there was no game as much as this was the second dead body this year connected to port-a-potties at M&T Stadium. Those are some Big, Bad johns. (Hat tip to Jimmy Dean, and his ode to the man who "stood 6-foot-6, and weighted 245 and everybody knew you didn't give no lip to Big John.")
- OK, strong week all around for the picks of various forms and ilks. Our NBA pick Friday (Clippers minus-5) moved to 3-0 on the season. Our 3-1 showing (Navy minus-10, Navy minus-6 in the first half, Navy team over 25; missed game total over 40) on Go Navy, Beat Army (and the spread), moved our college picks to 63-51-3, which is 55.3 percent against the number, which is slightly entertaining and, considering where we were around Columbus Day, downright sizzling. Our NFL picks went 3-2 and, how's this for sizzling, our percentage went down. We are 51-32-2, which is 61.4 percent against the number. Our college hoops picks continue to run in place. Indiana did not cover Friday night and we're 12-11 on college hoops selections - for entertainment purposes only, of course.
- For those interested, we had our fantasy football semifinals this weekend in the Weston Camp League. (Bunch of you locals remember Weston's run for U.S. Congress against Chuckie Fleischmann a few years back, and he still has several connections to politics near and far as a senior political strategist with IssueOne.org and the Tennessee Board of Regents. He also does an excellent job hosting his show, The Pitch, Saturdays from 10-12 p.m. on ESPN 105.1 the Zone.) Anyhoo, the Team Greeson bunch was RED-hot this weekend (we had Jameis and Julio and both DaVante and Devante and Tyler Higbee and even left Miles Sanders' 30-plus points on the bench), scoring 145-plus points to ease by Team Paul Shahen into the title game. Weston is mired in a dogfight with LVRookMaster (Britton Stansell). Wamp's Home Team is at 104.5; Stansell's bunch is at 102.3 and he has one player - Colts receiver Zach Pascal (no relation to David) - in tonight's game. Two catches for 15 yards will be enough, but Pascal (no relation to David) will draw a whole bunch of Marshawn Lattimore, the Saints All-World corner.
- This is a cool story about Keith Jackson having a statue outside the Rose Bowl. That's fitting. In truth, he should have a statue outside several college football venues around the country. Dude was an icon.
- Speaking of college football, here's an interesting notebook from TFP college football wizard David Paschall - no relation to Zach - about two All-Americans in Jerry Jeudy and Derrick Brown planning on playing in their bowl games.
Today's questions
Weekend winners and losers? Go.
Also, Julio Jones, best Falcons player ever. Discuss.
As for a Rushmore, well, Colonel Sanders died on this day in 1980. He was 90.
Rushmore of faces/people (real and fictitious) connected to restaurants.
Go.