Month: December 2007

Day 10 of the 2007 Bowl season brings us the most active day yet.  Football aplenty for your viewing pleasure.

First up today is the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl featuring California (6-6, 3-6 Pac-10) vs. Air Force (9-3, 6-2 MWC).  I normally would not pick against the Pac-10 against a Mountain West Conference team, but this is the Falcons’ first Bowl game in forever, and I just do not see a team going 3-6 in conference play getting motivated to get up for this one.  Falcons over the Bears.

The Sun Bowl gives us #21 South Florida (9-3, 4-3 Big East) vs. Oregon (8-4, 5-4 Pac-10).  If Dixon did not have a bum knee, the Ducks would be the clear favorite.  Then again, if Dixon was playing, Oregon would be in a BCS bowl.  South Florida is the pick.

Oh boy, what would another Bowl season be without Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl?  Seriously, I know every kid in American dreams about being in the Humanitarian Bowl.  In Boise, ID.  In the freaking cold of December.  I digress.

The game features Georgia Tech (7-5, 4-4 ACC) vs. Fresno St (8-4, 6-2 WAC).  I came close to picking the WAC team in this one, but did not.  I do not think the bumble bees are excited about being in Boise on New Year’s Eve, but they still have some pride.  Right?  Tech over Fresno State.

The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl pits Kentucky (7-5, 3-5 SEC) against Florida St (7-5, 4-4 ACC).  Even without all the suspended Seminoles, I expected the Andre Woodson led Wildcats to take down another average Florida State team.

The Insight Bowl is another NFL Network game that I started not to pick since I cannot watch the game.  Indiana (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten) vs. Oklahoma St (6-6, 4-4 Big 12).  I still do not think the Big 10 is very good; not that I think the Big 12 is that much better.  The last time I went with the Big 12 over the Big 10, it cost me one in the lost column, so maybe I will never learn.  The Cowboys over Hoosiers.

Saving the best game for last, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl features two top ranked, but under achieving teams.  #15 Clemson (9-3, 5-3 ACC) vs. #23 Auburn (8-4, 5-3 SEC).  Clemson is the favorite, but no way do the ACC Tigers take down the SEC Tigers.

2007 Bowl predictions:  12 – 3.

Is it so wrong to hope that the Falcons go out with a whimper today against Seattle?  The reality is that the Falcons are in position to get the fourth overall pick in next year’s draft.  Right now they sit behind Miami, St. Louis, and the Jets, but win today and they may move in front of Oakland, Kansas City, and Baltimore.

Paint me not a fan, but as Dunn said, this is a lost season.  Before the season started, I said I struggled to find more than five wins.  Now that the season is almost in the books, I hope that I was over optimistic by a couple of wins.

Go Seahawks?  Not really, but the Falcons need all the help they can get to recover from this season of misery, and getting a top four pick would certainly help.

If the Rams can manage to beat the Cardinals (not likely), the Jets can beat the Chiefs (a toss up), and Atlanta tanks against Seattle, the Falcons will be in position to grab the second overall pick.

Happy days are just around the corner.

I should not even bother picking the Petrosun Independence Bowl winner.  Both teams are perfectly mediocre.  Alabama (6-6, 4-4 SEC) vs. Colorado (6-6, 4-4 Big 12).  What we are saying here is which conference has the best .500 team?  I am going to play the part of the homer and go with the SEC, but the way Alabama has played of late, I have a feeling they are going to mess up my pretty decent Bowl record.

2007 Bowl predictions:  11 – 3.

Day 8 of the 2007 Bowl schedule gives us three interesting match-ups.  Nothing special, but interesting enough to have some watchability (there is that word again); at least for two of the three games.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl features #25 Connecticut (9-3, 5-2 Big East) vs. Wake Forest (8-4, 5-3 ACC).  If the ACC is down this year, and the Big East is improving, but inconsistent, who do you pick?

I am going to go with Wake Forest because three of their four loses were to ranked teams (at the time anyway) – Boston College, Nebraska, Virginia, and Clemson.  Connecticut also lost to Virginia, but they looked really bad against Cincinnati and West Virginia blew their doors off.

The Autozone Liberty Bowl gives us UCF (10-3, 7-1 C-USA) vs. Mississippi St (7-5, 4-4 SEC).  It would pain me to say UCF is the pick over an SEC team, but their three loses were to quality teams – Texas, East Carolina, and South Florida.  Texas and South Florida were ranked #6 and #5 respectively at the time of the games, and UCF should have beaten Texas.  Who cares about the Pirates, but they did win their Bowl game.

Against better judgment, I am going to pick the Bulldogs of the West.  Sylvester Croom is going to have his team up for this one, and while UCF may be the better team, the tough as nails SEC will pave the way getting State ready for their first Bowl game since 2000.

The final game of the night is the Valero Alamo Bowl, but no one will notice because of that NFL game with a perfect record on the line.  The Alamo Bowl features Penn St (8-4, 4-4 Big Ten) vs. Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4 Big 12).  The pick here is A&M.  I am sick of folks shoving how great the Big Ten is at me.  The conference is not that good, and no one in the South cares about their football.

2007 Bowl predictions:  9 – 2.

I contacted the fine folks at Crosman about the strange happenings with my Sierra Pro.

Quick Recap: After a day of shooting (60-80) rounds, I put the gun away for a couple of hours, and when I went to use the gun again, it would not cock. After repeated failure getting the gun to “click” in the cocking position (the barrel just quickly returned to its normal position), I put the gun away for the night. The next day, the gun cocked normally, and seemed to work fine.

I sent the gun back to Crosman via FedEx Ground, at the recommendation of Crosman. Now I am waiting with baited breath to see what the Crosman folks find. Nothing at all, something abnormal, or maybe burrs that need to be removed (assuming they break down the gun). I have no idea if they are going to send me a new replacement, like they did with the scope, of if they are going to attempt a repair.

I do not think I am the only one that has issues with this gun because the site gets a fair amount of traffic for Sierra Pro searches. To give credit where credit is due, so far my experience with Crosman’s customer service has been excellent.

The short answer is Knowshon Moreno. The longer answer is a nice article on espn.com.

The Bulldogs (10-2) averaged 37.2 points over their last five games, scoring more than 30 four times and more than 40 three times. They stroll into what should be a wide-open Allstate Sugar Bowl affair with Hawaii, having won six straight games and playing some of the best football in the country.

So why the sudden transformation, you ask?

The easy answer is Moreno, who joined Herschel Walker as one of only two players in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman. The only other freshman runners in the SEC to rush for more yards than Moreno (1,273 yards) are Jamal Lewis and Emmitt Smith.

The Sugar Bowl is going to be a dangerous test for the Bulldogs. I do not think Hawaii is that good; the 12-0 record was against a bunch of nobodies. Georgia feels slighted that they were bumped by LSU and Oklahoma in the standings, so what happens if the team is not motivated? Mack Brown solved the problem for Texas, with great results in this year’s Holiday Bowl. Hope Mark Richt can do the same for the Bulldogs.

What needs to happen for the Dawgs to win? It is a fairly simple formula. A healthy dose of Moreno and Thomas Brown will control the clock, and protect the defense from Hawaii’s passing attack. Matthew Stafford has to play a smart game. Keep it simple; use the run to open up a few deep routes, without forcing the issue.

Georgia has seen this before. Boise State came into Athens a couple of years ago as the end all be all, and the Dawgs took care of business. This time it is Hawaii that is the “Georgia better watch out for this one” team, but it really should not be much of a match. If the Dawgs are motivated.

Go Dawgs!

Friday night gives us three games, none of which are very compelling. Seems like that is the theme so for this Bowl season.

The Champs Sports Bowl gives us #14 Boston College (10-3, 6-2 ACC) vs. Michigan St (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten). Questions. First, how does a team actually have a losing record in the Big Ten? Second, what happened to the Citrus Bowl? Or was it the Tangerine Bowl? Third, does anyone really care about this match up?

I know the fans of these teams care, and the $2.25 million payout certainly helps, but from a watchability (I just made that one up) factor, it is hard to find anything compelling about a team that cannot be bothered to go .500 within conference.

The ACC has won the last four Champs Sports Bowls, and I see no reason not to make it five in a row.
I do not get the NFL Network, so I will not be able to watch the Texas Bowl, which features TCU (7-5, 4-4 MWC) vs. Houston (8-4, 6-2 C-USA). This is another one of those “why do they bother to play this one” games. TCU is the pick in a high scoring affair.

The Emerald Bowl features an average team from the ACC, Maryland (6-6, 3-5 ACC), against a decent Pac-10 team, Oregon St (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10). If Bowl games should be a reward for a nice season, how does a mediocre .500 team get rewarded with a trip to the left coast? The only thing Maryland has going for them was a nice upset over #8 Boston College. The Beavers are the pick.

2007 Bowl predictions: 6 – 2.

Finally, a decent game.  Tonight we get #11 Arizona State vs. # 19 Texas in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, which should be an entertaining match up.  This is Texas’ fourth trip to the Holiday Bowl in the last eight years, and history has not been very kind.

In the three most recent games, Texas suffered defeats in 2000 (Oregon 35 – Texas 30), and 2003 (Washington St. 28 – Texas 20).  Thankfully the good guys did manage a 47 – 43 victory in 2001 at the expense of Washington.

Like most non SEC conferences, I have little respect for the Pac-10; Arizona St. was 10-2 (7-2 in conference play).  I love me some Texas, but Oklahoma was the only decent Big 12 team this year.  Still, a 9-3 Texas (5-3 in conference play) will outscore Arizona St. in an entertaining offensive duel.

Hook ’em!

2007 Bowl predictions:  5 – 2.

More random goodness to get you through the week; you know you need this stuff.

The kids got a Wii, complete with Madden 08, Wii Play (for the extra remote and nunchuk), LEGO Star Wars Complete Saga, and Super Mario Galaxy. I have only had about 10-15 minutes with Wii Sports, but hopefully the kids will let me get some time in later this week.

My oldest got a crimson and black Nintendo DS Lite (with Zelda Phantom Hourglass) and my second born son got a polar white (or whatever that color is called) DS with New Super Mario Brothers. The crimson and black DS Lite was a nice upgrade over the larger DS; my middle child went crazy over his DS because it is a huge upgrade over his hand-me-down GBA. He loves Mario, so I think he is in heaven. Playing the DS is about all he wanted to do the last couple of days.

No games for me this year. I just have not been in a video game mood, or grove, or whatever. I usually do not have time to play, and lately when I do, I have been spending time outdoors plinking with my airgun. Besides, the Wii was really a family present, so I can always give that a go if I get a jones for something new.

WoW is still fun, but is it worth $15 per month? I certainly do not get my money’s worth, but it still has that “five more minutes to see what is next” feeling to it.

Christmas Eve I got a replacement Pirates of the Caribbean Blu-ray from Disney. That is great customer service (see previous Pirates/Disney article for background info).

Crosman customer service contacted me today to say that I could return my Sierra Pro for repair (or replacement). The gun is working now, but because it did have problems, I think I am going to send it in for repairs.

My wife let me order a Beeman R7 from Pyramyd Air for my Christmas present. The damage report on the order: the R7, 1″ B-Square (25020) see-thru high rings, and a 6×32 mini AO Bug Buster 2 scope. As part of the standard “order 3 tins, get 1 free” I picked up three new types of new pellets to feed the R7: Beeman Trophy Lightweight Round Nose (7.88 gr), Beeman Silver Bear hi-impact (7.1 gr), and Beeman Silver Sting Pointed (8.61 gr). I also got a tin of Beeman Crow-Magnum pellets (8.80 gr), but I already have some of those, so they were not really new.

I will write more about the gun later.

We get Texas and the Holiday Bowl tomorrow. Finally; about time real Bowls started.

All for now.

Can it get any better than this?  Boilermakers and Chippewas?  The Motor City Bowl gives us 7-5 Purdue of the Big Ten vs. 8-5 Central Michigan of the MAC.  Purdue is the choice, but I am not going to bother to justify my prediction for a game that no one will watch.

2007 Bowl predictions:  4 – 2.

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!  A few random thoughts before we move on to Christmas time.

Sierra Pro Lives Again.  No idea how or why, but the gun cocked fine yesterday morning, which made for a fun filled day of shooting paper and plinking.  Alas, no squirrels, but still plenty of fun.

The Sierra Pro definitely likes Crosman Premier Super Match (7.9 gr) and Beeman H&N Match wadcutter (8.09 gr) pellets better than anything else I have tried.  I am working on a write-up; maybe later this week.

After last night, I am 4 – 2 with my 2007 Bowl predictions.  It is a good thing I do not put money on this stuff.  The first six games pretty much sucked, were pointless, and not worth watching, but I watched a few minutes of each anyway.  We get a couple of days off before Bowl season resumes on December 26.

I have spent a little time with WoW last weekend.  For those few of you wondering what and where, I am currently adventuring in Dustwallow Marsh.  Last night I found my first “blue” item, a Midnight Mace, but it is not something that my mage can use.  I need to see if I can train to learn how to use a mace, or if I need to throw it up on the Auction House.

The Atlanta Falcons stink.  Before the season started I predicted five wins; these guys are even worse than I expected.  Hopefully a decent draft pick is in order.

Family time with the Grinch last night, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer this afternoon, Candlelight service tonight, and then Santa time.  Some neat stuff is in order for the kids tomorrow; more to come on that later.

Day 4 of this year’s Bowl season brings us another not so classic match up.  This time we get #24 Boise State vs. East Carolina in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.  I am not sure who makes this stuff up.  Does anyone really care how the second (or is it third or fourth) best team in C-USA (that would be the 7-5 Pirates) match up against the second best team in the WAC (10-2 Broncos)?

Boise State is the pick, but that does not mean that we have to respect the WAC.

2007 Bowl predictions:  4 – 1.

I planned to write about some shooting that I did earlier today, complete with best pellets per group, highest and lowest scoring group, and standard deviation per group. Instead I am writing a somewhat disappointing entry. My Crosman Sierra Pro bit the dust today.

After getting really comfortable with the sights on the gun, I decided to scope the Sierra Pro this afternoon, right before sunset, or as I like to call it, squirrel hunting time. After getting the scope on, I took the gun out to sight in the scope, and could not get the damn thing to cock. My assumption is that the mainspring is broken. I can break the barrel, but it just will not catch/cock.

I am frustrated with the timing. I planned to do a lot of shooting today, tomorrow, and Christmas Eve. I am not sure how long it will take me to track down someone from Crosman to put in a return authorization. The gun does have a one year limited warranty, and the good folks at Crosman have already replaced my scope. I don’t doubt that Crosman will repair (or replace) my Sierra Pro.

The problem is that the Crosman customer service form is down for maintenance, it is the weekend, it is Christmas week, and I expect shipping the gun to Crosman will be a pain. I do not have a box for shipping a gun, and I am sure it will cost a pretty penny.

The only silver lining is that I may have something more interesting to shoot on Christmas. More to come on that later.

Day 3 of the 2007 Bowl season presents us with three terrible games, none worth watching.  All three are reasons to reduce the number of Bowl games.

The papajons.com Bowl features 7-5 Southern Miss vs. #22 9-3 Cincinnati.  I do not respect the Big East team, but a semi-top tier Big East team has to be better than a so-so Conference USA squad.  Cincinnati is the winning pick.

The New Mexico Bowl features a mediocre 6-6 Nevada and 8-4 Mountain West New Mexico.  If you cannot win in the WAC (Nevada went 4-4 in conference games), how do you expect to win any sort of Bowl game no matter how meaningless the game?  New Mexico is the easy pick, but it does not mean that the Mountain West is a respectable conference.

I am not sure what a Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl is, but we get one anyway.  6-6 UCLA takes on 10-2 #17 Brigham Young.  Would you believe that BYU ran the table in the Mountain West, going 8-0?  Not sure if that means anything, but I think they will outplay UCLA.

2007 Bowl predictions:  1 – 1.