Week 10 Recap: Bad As You Wanna Be

dp's disappointing performance in Week 10 predictions (2-3 record) marked his second losing week of the season (also 2-3 in Week 5).

But sometimes, like the kids say, bad is good.

Overall, dp went 6-8 in Week 10, tied with Week 4 for his worst record of the year. Yet even with this seemingly underwhelming performance, dp finished fourth (of 22) in his weekly picks league. How, you ask? Well, the answer is easy. Even though dp didn't have the gumption to predict any of the rash of upsets in Week 10 (including the Saints' loss to previously winless St. Louis, Tennessee's loss to Jacksonville, Baltimore's loss to Cincy, Indy's loss to San Diego, Kansas City's loss to Denver, Carolina's loss to Atlanta, and Washington's loss to Philly), he also didn't feel all that good in backing these prohibitive "favorites," and therefore devalued the confidence index accordingly. Granted, New Orleans was dp's lock of the week (16 points on the confidence index), which hurt, but no one else pick them to lose either, so it didn't matter too much.

dp's only consolation comes via a recent Spanish study examining rehydration after strenuous exercise.

Week 10 record: 2-3 (6-8 overall)
Season record: 25-17 (94-50 overall)

NFL Week 10 Picks

Detroit at Arizona (-1)
The early line was even, but Arizona has become a slight favorite. It may seem crazy that the 6-2 Lions are an underdog against the 3-5 Cardinals, but Detroit is only 2-2 on the road while Arizona is 2-1 at home. Additionally, the Cardinals very well may have the edge in overall talent, particularly on offense with RB Edgerrin James and WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Yet Ken Whisenhunt's Cards have folded in big spots all year long, while Rod Marinelli's Lions have overachieved and could earn him Coach of the Year honors. Detroit will find a way to steal a key road win.

Philly at Washington (-3)
If you tune into ESPN's Swami, Chris Berman, or SI's Dr. Z, Paul Zimmerman, Philly is both pundits' pick for this week's upset special. Maybe the dharma prince just doesn't want to be in doghouse (Lady FLICK is a born-and-raised Skins fan), but dp doesn't see it happening. Washington may look bad, but winning ugly is the name of the game in D.C. The Redskins will get it done.

Buffalo (-2.5) at Miami
Buffalo's sluggish offense doesn't leave much room for error, but the Bills showed last week in their win over Cincy that hey can put some points on the board against a bad defense. Miami may be coming off a bye week, but the Dolphin D is still lacking. Buffalo will grind out another W against the winless Fins.

Cincy at Baltimore (-5.5 opening line, now at -3)
Both teams sputter into this one on two-game losing streaks. Last week dp vowed to never again to back the disappointing Bungles, who sure enough gave away another winnable game to Buffalo. That's what 2-6 teams do. Chincy's nonexistent defense couldn't stop a beaker with a rubber cork. Yet Baltimore's offense is so offensive that it couldn't score sympathy from Mother Teresa. Even worse, the Ravens' only real threat, RB Willis McGahee, is questionable after suffering a concussion. So something's gotta give here. Sticking with the never-bet-on-Bengals maxim, dp reluctantly picks the Ravens.

Dallas (-1.5) at New York
In the marquee matchup of the week, the Cowboys visit the Giants, who want revenge for their Week 1 45-35 shootout loss in Big D. This one won't be as high-scoring, but the result will be the same. After Tony Romo outplays Eli Manning, look for him to make a splash in the Big Apple's club scene. What forbidden fruit will Tony taste next? He's already been linked to Carrie Underwood, Jessica Simpson, and Britney Spears....

College Basketball Preview: An LA Story

Focus on Hoops
The NCAA basketball season tips off this week, and with California's college football teams producing nothing but sour grapes this fall, sports fans (and the diehards at the Taft Chamber of Commerce weekly sit-and-sip) should shift their focus to the hardwood floor. Indeed, hope— and hype— now turn toward hoops. UCLA boasts championship hope with the No. 2 preseason ranking while USC screams hype with the coming of all-world recruit O.J. Mayo. Let's just hope the Sauce doesn't turn out like the Juice, that other O.J. of USC lore.

The Sauce...

The Juice...

USC Preview
Widely regarded as the best player to come out of high school since LeBron James, this O.J. is no joke. In all likelihood Mayo will be gone after one year, as he is projected to be a top-three pick in the 2008 NBA draft. In the meantime, the man in the No. 32 jersey (worn in homage to Tinseltown titan Magic Johnson) will bring an all-around game along with star power to a USC hoops squad historically overshadowed by those other Trojans in helmets and shoulder pads. Yet third-year coach Tim Floyd, even more than Mayo, deserves credit for boosting the basketball team’s status both on campus and on the national stage. The Trojans enter the season ranked No. 18, and Floyd will only add sparkle to an impressive resume that includes last season’s school-record 25 wins and second Sweet 16 appearance since Magic faced Bird in the 1979 title game. Additionally, Floyd has done a phenomenal job recruiting, bringing in the nation’s top freshmen class. Mayo, who will play shooting guard, is naturally the crown jewel, but he will be joined in the starting lineup and quite possibly next year’s NBA draft by power forward Davon Jefferson. These talented youngsters will help compensate for the loss of first-round pick Nick Young, second-round pick Gabe Pruitt, and Lodrick Stewart, who were the three leading scorers on last year’s team. Rounding out the starting five are point guard Daniel Hackett, small forward Dwight Lewis, and center Taj Gibson, all of whom logged significant minutes last season. This bunch is young, hungry, and eager to compete for a Pac-10 title. With a solid foundation in place, Floyd ultimately aspires to build a program that can compete with UCLA’s venerable tradition, and the success of this year’s team is crucial to that development.

UCLA Preview: Big Love
While USC may feature this year’s top recruiting class, it’s not like their crosstown rivals are bottom feeders; in fact, UCLA coach Ben Howland has already secured a 2008 incoming group (highlighted by Jrue Holiday) that will probably end up as the nation’s finest. More importantly, the Bruins are loaded this year. Fresh off back-to-back Final Four appearances in which they lost to two-time defending champion Florida in the 2006 title game and last year's semifinal game, UCLA is already nipping at the North Carolina Tar Heels’ preseason No. 1 ranking. Granted, top scorer Aaron Afflalo is gone as a first-round NBA draft pick, but his departure is offset by the arrival of freshman center Kevin Love (above left), the best frosh prospect not named O.J. No less an authority than the Wizard of Westwood John Wooden has already likened Love to legendary Pauley Pavilion pivots like Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton. Love’s athleticism, strong rebounding, and nifty passing skills could very well mean that Mayo won’t even be the top freshman in the Pac-10. Meanwhile Howland can rely on four returning starters to surround Love. A first-team All-Pac-10 selection last year, junior point guard Darren Collison could have been a lottery pick, but he has returned in hopes of leading the Bruins to the national championship. Junior Josh Shipp, second in scoring to Afflalo in ‘06/07, joins Collison to form the nation’s best backcourt. The frontcourt looks to be very strong as well. The arrival of Love means that junior Luc Ricard Mbah a Moute can capitalize on his versatility by logging time at both forward spots. Love, on account of his superior passing, may actually play the four at times to allow senior Lorenzo Mata-Real to do the dirty work at center. All told, this team looks to win the Pac-10, earn a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed, and play deep into March.

Rivalry Renewed
Then again, if the football season is any indicator, UCLA's current No. 2 ranking is as good as fool's gold. USC and Cal (plus Southern Florida and Boston College) have suffered embarrassing defeats while occupying the deuce slot. Football fans can rest assured that one of these teams will win on Saturday because USC visits Cal to do battle in Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium, sometimes dubbed “Tightwad Hill” for the free show it offers thrifty hilltoppers, as former Taft High basketball star and USC superfan Bob Hampton reminded us at this week's Chamber sit-and-sip. At this point, it’s certainly understandable that fans are reluctant to pay to see these two disappointing teams (not to mention Tom Mayo’s 5-4 ugly Bruins) do battle on the gridiron. If Hampton wants to focus on something more hopeful and hype-worthy than the beating of the dead Trojan football horse, then he should stick to college hoops from here on out. If nothing else, Hampton can root for O.J. "The Sauce" Mayo, who is clearly no relation to the Trojan-loathing Tom Mayo. We'll have to wait until Jan. 19 when UCLA hosts USC to discover which Mayo gets to spread bragging rights from Los Angeles to Taft.

Week 9 NFL Recap: Knowledge is Power

Despite notching a second consecutive 4-1 week, dp laments his one loss: Atlanta beat San Francisco 20-16 to prevent dp's prediction perfection.

Unfortunately, dp's defining premise for backing the 49ers was the belief that RB Frank Gore, listed as questionable on the injury report, would actually play, and play well, against the Falcons. Gore suffered an ankle injury two weeks ago against the Giants, but he played last week against the Saints, so dp figured he would be fine on Sunday. Therein lies the danger in making picks on Friday (or even Saturday). dp was dismayed to learn about an hour before kickoff that Gore was in fact inactive for the game. Unfortunately, while dp immediately wanted to flip his pick and back the Falcons, this last-minute switch was impossible because dp was stuck in traffic on his way back to New Haven from Boston, where he had traveled to catch the Celtics home opener against the Wizards on Friday. (Note to self: obtain I-phone to ensure full internet access during future road trips.)

Oh well. Detroit blew out Denver 44-7, Cleveland roared back from a 21-6 deficit to eke past Seattle 33-30 in overtime, and both Buffalo (33-21 over Cincy) and Green Bay (33-22 over Kansas City) made exciting fourth-quarter comebacks to pull out victories, which dp enjoyed watching simultaneously with the Bills backers at dp's neighborhood pub, Anna Liffey's. With friends like Gary the bartender, dp could be mistaken for that other Dude....



Week 9: 4-1 (11-3 overall)
Season: 23-14 (88-42 overall)

Kevin Garnett Celtics introduction

KG's first regular season home opener in Boston:

Week 9 Picks

Winners in Bold

Green Bay at Kansas City (-1 opening; now at -2.5: moved due to heavy action on Chiefs)
This is one of the funny games where the average fan automatically picks the Packers, while the professional gamblers back the Chiefs. Let's take a closer look at what both are thinking. First, the fans look at the Packers and see a 6-1 team that's on a roll with Brett Favre playing like the 3-time MVP of 1995-97. Meanwhile, the bettors look at the Chiefs and see a team that's playing at home, has won four of its last five games, and perhaps most significantly, has never lost to Brett Favre. In fact, KC is the only team in the NFL that Favre has yet to beat (0-3 career). Consequently, oddsmakers are begging for anyone to lay some loot on the Packers to hedge the book. dp says bet the house. This is the rare game where the conventional wisdom of the average fan is correct; simply put, the bookies are overthinking this one. The Pack is on one of those streaks where just enough happens to help them win each week, and it will continue against the Chiefs.

San Francisco at Atlanta (-3)
With the Falcon's release of NT Grady Jackson, Frank Gore should find lots of running room this week. The 49ers will look to use Gore often to control the clock and wear down the Atlanta D. Alex Smith can bounce back with some play action passes downfield.

Seattle at Cleveland (-1)
Cleveland could score a bunch of points and still lose with their porous defense, but they should have just enough of a cushion to hold on for the win.

Cincy at Buffalo (-3 opening; now it's a coinflip)
Well, while dp is finally giving up on the Bungles after getting burned (again) for backing them last week. It seems the rest of America is still seduced by the playmaking trio of QB Carson Palmer and WRs Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (who has scored a touchdown in seven straight games) because heavy early week betting action on Cincy has moved the point spread a full field goal. The layman would figure that because Buffalo has gone from a 3-point favorite to a 1-point underdog in some sportsbooks, the smart money is on the Bengals, but in reality the opposite is true. Vegas oddsmakers are practically begging bettors to put some loot down on Buffalo, and dp agrees with them. Buffalo is the pick.

Denver at Detroit (-3)
Denver is still reeling from their heartbreaking home loss in OT to Green Bay on Monday night. With a short week of preparation, they won't have enough in the tank to knock off a tough Lions squad.

Motor Sports Gearing Up All Over the World

The popularity of motor sports all over the world is on the rise. At the highest level, this reality is reflected by the presence of four athletes from the racing domain among Forbes’ list of the top 25 earners in sports in 2007: the current Formula One champion, Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen, at No. 4 with $40 million; a retired Formula One legend, Germany’s Michael Schumacher, at No. 5 with $36 million; a Grand Prix motorcycling superstar, Italy’s Valentino Ross,i at No. 11 with $30 million; and the five-time NASCAR champion, America’s Jeff Gordon, at No. 21 with $24.5 million.

NASCAR has never been more popular, as the NEXTEL Cup Series has created a playoff-type atmosphere with its season-ending Chase for the Cup. With three races remaining in this third season of the Chase, Gordon holds a slim nine-point lead over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, who narrowed the gap with his eighth win of the season last Sunday in Atlanta. Even though most elite drivers like Gordon and Johnson are part of multi-car teams, many people assume auto racing to be a completely individual sport featuring drivers who are a bunch of ultra-competitive macho men. This certainly seems to be a valid conclusion, especially in light of the ongoing feud between Roush Fenway Racing teammates Carl Edwards (currently fourth in the Chase) and Matt Kenseth (eleventh). After the finish of the Oct. 21 Subway 500 at Martinsville, an irate Edwards physically confronted Kenseth in an infamous scene that has been replayed hundreds of thousands of times by YouTube viewers. NASCAR’s culture simply doesn’t allow for backing down on or off the track, but this kind of scary excitement doesn’t say much for sportsmanship or teamwork. Check out hotheaded Edwards despicable display below:



Yet Gordon and Johnson’s relationship offers a much more positive example for young fans. A big part of why these two are running first and second in the standings is that they actually communicate well and share information with one another in order to dominate the rest of the field. It’s refreshing to know that even at the highest level of the ultimate individual sport, there’s still room for cooperation.

Meanwhile, as NASCAR speeds toward Taft with the construction of the new track at Enos Lane and Interstate 5, the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS) comes to Taft’s Honolulu Hills Raceway this weekend and next for the final bike and ATV races of the season. While the events will bring a lot of visitors who will boost revenues for local businesses, what’s even better is that they highlight the positive impact that motor sports enthusiasts produce for the community.

Just ask eight-year-old Kenny “Nac-Nac” Owens, currently the “Featured Rider” on taftracing.com. Kenny loves racing because he gets to compete with friends and hang out with his family at the races. Just as the community comes together to rally around more traditional sports entities like the 8-1 Taft Wildcats football team (Good luck against Arvin!), so, too, can this kind of collective spirit be found on the track.

Check out Kenny's favorite Moto superstar, Travis Pastrana completing the first double backflip in competition history at the 2006 X-Games:



Whether our children are singing and dancing on stage, chasing a ball on grass, or racing dirtbikes in mud, shouldn’t we recognize the benefits of any form of performance? As our kids develop their bodies and minds through practice, exercise, competition, and teamwork, our communities are also made stronger as we come together to witness and celebrate our shared values like dedication to a common cause, determination to face challenges and improve, and participation in something bigger than the self.