The Recycle Bin

I guess this is old news now, since it was posted yesterday, but according to Blu-ray.com Warner will be going 100% Blu-ray in a few months.

“The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers,” Warner Bros Chairman and Chief Executive Barry Meyer said in a statement.

I hope this ends the high def debate once and for all. Now that Blu-ray is going to win, we can concentrate on Sony giving us some must play PS3 games.

After a day of rest we get … well I am not sure what we get.  Something called the International Bowl, which features Rutgers (7-5, 3-4 Big East) against Ball St (7-5, 5-2 MAC).  Whatever.  Rutgers is the pick.

2007 Bowl predictions:  21 – 8

Today’s “let’s see how long we can stretch out the Bowl season” game is the FedEx Orange Bowl featuring #8 Kansas (11-1, 7-1 Big 12) vs. #3 Virginia Tech (11-2, 7-1 ACC).  Once upon a time the Orange Bowl was a big deal; for the halftime show if nothing else.  This year it is a big deal because Kansas “jumped” Missouri, which relegated the Tigers to some Hog thrashing in the Cotton Bowl.

The Big 12’s Oklahoma let me down last night, but they have lost three or four of their last BCS appearances, so Kansas may be a risky pick.  Still, I like their chances against a weak ACC.

2007 Bowl predictions:  20 – 8

Today we get the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, which features over rated #9 West Virginia (10-2, 5-2 Big East) vs. #4 Oklahoma (11-2, 6-2 Big 12).  Not that I think the Big 12 is all that great, but Oklahoma will kick the living crap out of West Virginia.

2007 Bowl predictions:  20 – 7

Yesterday was a bad Bowl day (.500 for the day).  #21 South Florida showed why the Big East is worthless while Oregon showed they are bigger than Dixon, and Georgia Tech showed that they never beat Bulldogs, no matter the flavor.  Today is another day, so on with the show.

First up is the Outback Bowl, featuring #18 Wisconsin (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten) vs. #16 Tennessee (9-4, 6-2 SEC).  I am going to go against the Big Ten yet again, no matter coaching changes and missing star receivers Tennessee has to over come this morning.

I think the Cotton Bowl could be interesting.  We get #6 Missouri (11-2, 7-1 Big 12) vs. Arkansas (8-4, 4-4 SEC).  While Arkansas did take down LSU, and I am not sure they have what it takes to overcome a solid Missouri team.  Plus without Nutt and maybe the best running back in the nation (rumor has it that McFadden may not play), Arkansas may not have enough in the tank to overcome this sort of adversity.  I have never liked Arkansas, but how do I pick the Big 12 over the SEC?

Missouri has to be bitter about not making a BSC game, but they have two choices.  They can be motivated like Texas in the Holiday Bowl and beat the snot out of the pigs from Arkansas, or they can feel sorry for themselves and end the year with two losses.

It pains me to do it, but I am going to go with Missouri.

The Capital One Bowl gives us another Big Ten vs. SEC clash.  Michigan (8-4, 6-2 Big Ten) vs. #12 Florida (9-3, 5-3 SEC).  I do not think winning one for Carr in his final game is going to happen.  The Gators are too good, and once again we will see that the SEC is far superior to the Big Ten.

The Gator Bowl features an interesting match up – Texas Tech (8-4, 4-4 Big 12) vs. #20 Virginia (9-3, 6-2 ACC).  Offense vs. Defense.  This may be the last best chance for the ACC to prove that they are still a conference that matters, but I think they will fall short.  Texas Tech is the pick.

The Rose Bowl features #13 Illinois (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) vs. #7 USC (10-2, 7-2 Pac-10).  Illinois knocked off #1 Ohio State, and USC had a rather disappointing season (by their standards).  Illinois will play hard early, but there will be no upset, and the Big Ten will continue to have a miserable day.  USC all the way.

Saving the best for last, the Allstate Sugar Bowl features #10 Hawaii (12-0, 8-0 WAC) vs. #5 Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC).  I am going to hold off on writing anything else about this one right now, but the Bulldogs are the pick.

2007 Bowl predictions:  15 – 6.

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.