The Dry Cheerios Bowl (aka “the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl”)
Air Force vs. Houston / Fort Worth, TX / December 31st, Noon / ESPN

On mornings when I’m in a hurry or on the road early, I have dry Cheerios in a bag for breakfast (plus a banana). That’s what this game is- a bag of dry Cheerios. Houston’s favored by 5.

The Sweet First Names Bowl (aka “the Sun Bowl”)
Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh / El Paso, TX / December 31st, 2pm / CBS

LeSean, meet Jacquizz. Jacquizz, meet LeSean. Two of the best names in all of football and two of the best backs in the country. Unfortunately Jacquizz got Jacquizzed and will not be playing. Oregon State also has to recover from the ass-kicking they took at the hands of Oregon that kept them out of the Rose Bowl. Believe it or not, this is the first bowl game for the Wannstache in the four years he’s been at Pitt. Oregon State is favored by 1.5.

The ‘Hey Look! Another 6-6 Team Bowl Game’ (aka “the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl”)
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt / Nashville, TN / December 31st, 3:30pm / ESPN

Vanderbilt is still living off the glory of the lone impressive win- a victory over 7-5 South Carolina. Other than that, they took a bunch of lumps in what was a down year for the SEC. Boston College is in the ACC so say it with me- go Vanderbilt. Boston College is favored by 4.

The Damn Back-Loaded Schedules Bowl (aka “the Insight Bowl”)
Minnesota vs. Kansas / Tempe, AZ / December 31st, 6pm / NFL Network

Minnesota was all tough-looking until they hit their last four games (Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa) and lost four in a row, including a 55-0 loss to Iowa. Missouri salvaged the end of their season with a win over Missouri but still managed to lose four of their last six. Winner gets the boosters off their back for a few months. Kansas is favored by 7.5.

The LSU Dunking Booth Bowl (aka “the Chick-Fil-A Bowl”)
LSU vs. Georgia Tech / Atlanta, GA / December 31st, 7:30pm / ESPN

It’s quite stunning to think that defending national champ LSU could finish the season 7-6. Is the Les Miles magic finally starting to wear off? LSU lost in blowout fashion to Georgia and Florida while losing closer games to ‘Bama, Ole Miss and Arkansas. Now they’ve got to deal with Georgia Tech and the triple option. Uh oh. Could be a problem for an LSU defense that ranked at or near the bottom of most statistical categories. Georgia Tech is favored by 5.

More installments to follow…

We returned to the Red Renee world headquarters two days ago to find a blown sump pump and a basement full of water. Needless to say, the site’s running a little slow.

The “big boy” bowl games are fast approaching so it’s time to take brief moment and look back on the rest.

In terms of conference performance, the Pac-Ten and the Big East have looked impressive so far. Both conferences are 3-0 and the only thing separating them is the fact that Rutgers didn’t cover the spread so by my numbers, the Pac-Ten is in slightly better shape. Despite having a 3-3 record, the ACC has also performed well. They were underdogs in the three games they lost and covered the spread in the three wins (good for nine points total).

Here’s the current point total by conference (not divided yet because all the games haven’t been played). If you need a refresher on my point system, click here.

The favorites have won 13 of 17 bowl games so far which doesn’t bode well for future underdogs. In those 13 wins, the favorites covered the spread 9 times.

In terms of notable performances, there were a couple that stood out for me. Willie Tuitama finished his career with Arizona on a very high note going 24-35 for 325 yards and two touchdowns in the win over BYU. Tuitama had a very up and down year, but pulled it together when it counted.

For all the crap I’ve given Notre Dame this year, they impressed me in their game against Hawaii. Hawaii is a very mediocre team, but Notre Dame couldn’t beat several other mediocre teams during the regular season so there’s at least evidence of growth. The Irish will need to win games against similar opponents next year or Chuck Weis will surely be out. The bad news on this is the positive press for Notre Dame during the off-season will be insufferable and there will likely be a couple slobs that even mention Jimmy Clausen for the Heisman next year (ugh).

I was unimpressed with the Badgers in their blowout loss to Florida State. Bret Bielema may in fact be in over his head; a 7-7 record in 2008 including the Outback Bowl loss in January doesn’t look good. Badger nation is getting restless- like here, or the obligatory firebretbielema.com. They’ve got questions all over the place to get answered for 2009, otherwise Bielema might be on his way out.

Jahvid Best. Get to know his name. If you haven’t watched Pac-Ten football this year, you’ve missed one of the best backs in the country. JB finished the year with almost 1,600 yards and more impressively, an 8.1 yard per carry average. He’s only a Sophomore so expect him to do big things next year.

Mike Teel finished off a remarkable season recovery for Rutgers. The Senior QB had a dismal first half of the season throwing 3 touchdowns against 7 interceptions, with a 56% completion percentage. Through the final six games, he threw 20 touchdowns against only 5 interceptions, and improved his completion percentage to 68%.

I have to give credit to both Northwestern and Missouri. To Northwestern for playing tough and not giving up against a Missouri team that simply had more talent. To Missouri for keeping their heads in a game that they could have not been prepared for mentally given all they’ve been through this year. On a sidebar, bad form to Northwestern in overtime. How can you not put the ball in Tyrell Sutton’s hands even once after such a productive regulation. That’s why they’re Northwestern I suppose, but inexcusable play-calling.

Finally, huge props to Oregon. I called for an Oklahoma State win on the basis of them having the better QB. Clearly I was wrong. Jeremiah Masoli played lights out when he needed to, particularly running the ball. The second best touchdown of the night came in the 3rd quarter when Masoli plowed over a defender and ran the ball in for the score (see highlights below). The best touchdown of the game and one of the best touchdowns of the entire college football season came from Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount in the 4th quarter (about 3:07 mark). Blount takes the handoff, hurdles a dude, then drags two other defenders into the end zone. Beanie-esque if you will (I know you will).

In fairness to Okie State, Dez Bryant played on only one knee (still was the leading receiver), but somebody else needed to step up. The jury is still out on Big XII dominance as well. Oregon has the 77th ranked scoring defense and yet a mighty Big XII offense was held to 31 points.

You’re welcome.

Photo: Garcia/AP

The Left for Dead Bowl (aka “the Papajohns.com Bowl”)
Rutgers vs. NC State / Birmingham, AL / December 29th, 3pm / ESPN

Right about the middle of the season neither of these teams looked like they would sniff the post-season, let alone qualify for the illustrious Papajohns.com bowl. Thanks to a six-game winning streak for Rutgers and a four-game winning streak for NC State, they’ll dance in Birmingham this afternoon. Rutgers is favored by 7 and NC State is yet another 6-6 team playing in a bowl game.

The Emotion Bowl (aka the “Valero Alamo Bowl”)
Missouri vs. Northwestern / San Antonio, TX / December 29th, 8pm / ESPN

According to Vegas (Missouri favored by 12.5), this doesn’t look to be much of a game. For your consideration though is:

*The fact that the past three Alamo Bowls have been decided by an average of only 4 points
*Northwestern comes in with a 3-game winning streak and gets their best offensive player back healthy (Tyrell Sutton), and
*Missouri comes in with a two-game losing streak including the beating at the hands of Oklahoma (62-21).

Emotion will be the decision-maker for this one with Missouri having championship expectations at the beginning of the season and now playing in a consolation game, twice removed. Missouri’s strength (offense- 6th in scoring) goes against Northwestern’s (defense- 23rd in scoring) and Missouri’s weakness (defense- 74th in scoring) goes against Northwestern’s (offense- 75th in scoring). The Big Ten needs Northwestern to come through in this one.

The “How to Waste a Smokin’ Offense in 12 Easy Games Bowl” (aka the “Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl”)
Nevada vs. Maryland / Boise, ID / December 30th, 4:30pm / ESPN

I had such high hopes for Nevada in 2008 after watching a young Colin Kaepernick light it up in 2007; too bad the Nevada defense never really showed up. The Wolfpack are 12th nationally in scoring offense but a dismal 98th in scoring defense. Nevada got destroyed out-of-conference against Missouri and Texas Tech and failed in their chance for a WAC statement in their loss to Boise State. I’m still hopeful for ACC destruction so I’ll once again be pulling for Nevada to win. Nevada is favored by 2.

The Commercial Bowl (aka the “Texas Bowl”)
Rice vs. Western Michigan / Houston, TX / December 30th, 8pm / NFL Network

There are two games at 8pm on Tuesday night- this one on NFL Network plus Oklahoma State-Oregon over on ESPN. This matchup doesn’t even merit picture-in-picture for me; it’s what I’m flipping over to when the ESPN game is on commercial. Rice is favored by 2.5.

The Go for Two Bowl (aka the “Pacific Life Holiday Bowl”)
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon / San Diego, CA / December 30th, 8pm / ESPN

Of the remaining bowl games, this one has the highest over/under at 76 points. Both teams are very proficient at offense (top ten in scoring) and very deficient in defense (69th & 77th in scoring defense). Both teams have gained over 3,000 yards rushing and average over 41 points per game.

Oregon waddles in with a three-game winning streak, including a dominant win over rival Oregon State which kept OSU out of the Rose Bowl. Oklahoma State’s last game was the against Oklahoma where they traded punches pretty successfully until they just ran out of gas and eventually lost 61-41. This game won’t give us the “Big XII offense against a good defense” test, but should be a good measure of how good Oklahoma State is. I like the Cowboys because of QB play- I think Zack Robinson will be the better of the two QB’s on the field and will be the difference. Oklahoma State is favored by 3.

More installments to follow…

Making use of the shaking/jiggling ability of the iPhone, software maker Mystic Game Development created an app called “iBoobs” (shown above). The iBoobs application is a computer animation of a large pair of breasts in a bikini top. Shaking the iPhone makes them wobble from side to side, or up and down, depending on the movement.

According to a report, the folks at Apple rejected the app because of “objectionable content”. I didn’t realize inertia, gravity, and nature are all “objectionable”.

I’m not saying I’m the type of dude that would put this app on my iPhone, that is if I were the type of dude to own an iPhone. This would have been an optional app though- users would have had to download it to their phones. It’s not as if the app would just show up in the middle of a conference call (though that would dramatically improve most of the conference calls I spend my time on).

Here’s a video from youtube showing the app in “action”.

You’re welcome.

“It was just one of those years it all kind of came together.” - OT Jeff Backus (Michigan grad)

Indeed Jeff. Indeed. If you can’t be good, be good at being bad.

Let us be among the many to congratulate the Detroit Lions on sweet perfection. The Lions are the first team in NFL history to finish 0-16, doing so by losing today at Green Bay 31-21. I detailed the importance of this accomplishment last week for the city of Detroit, but I didn’t think I would actually see it happen.

Going winless during a 16-game schedule in the salary cap era is no simple accomplishment. It takes futility from the top down- from the President to the GM, football operations, coaching staff, and of course the players. And it was no statistical fluke either- the Lions finished 27th in scoring offense and dead last in scoring defense. Not surprisingly, the Lions didn’t place a single player on the Pro Bowl roster either.

In other NFL news, here’s the recap of the Buffalo-New England game. I had the pleasure of driving through the very wind that created havoc in Buffalo and I can attest- it was crazy.

You’re welcome.

I still can’t get enough of the Blago watch- definitely one of the ten best stories of 2008. Here’s Blago in a minute from 236.com.

The Bankrupt Automaker Bowl (aka “the Motor City Bowl”)
Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic / Detroit, MI / December 26rd, 7:30pm / ESPN

I don’t know if you’ve heard this or not, but U.S. automakers are in trouble. Last week President Bush Ok’d a $17.4 billion bailout package which means you and I own a lil’ piece of this bowl (I think, didn’t read the fine print in the bailout provisions yet). The game should be mildly entertaining, kind of like watching two puppies nip at each other. Another 6-6 team makes an appearance in FAU. If you’re betting money on this game, you have a gambling problem. Seriously. Central Michigan is favored by 6.5.

The Butch Davis Bowl (aka the “Meineke Car Care Bowl”)
North Carolina vs. West Virginia / Charlotte, NC / December 27th, 1:00pm / ESPN

Make no mistake about it, the story of this game is Butch Davis. Davis has the Tar Heels in only their second bowl game since 2001 and first since 2004. North Carolina also has a chance to spoil Pat White’s final game as WVU’s prolific QB, which I don’t think will happen (I like West Virginia). The Mountaineers are favored by 2.

The Sketchy Quarterback Play Bowl (aka the “Champs Sports Bowl”)
Florida State vs. Wisconsin / Orlando, FL / December 27th, 4:30pm / ESPN

Both of these teams have struggled mightily under center this season, and the bowl game doesn’t look to be any different. Florida State’s pass defense is 8th while Wisconsin’s is 35th. I like Wisconsin’s running game better, but it’s hard to pick Wisconsin after they needed overtime to beat I-AA Cal Poly. Florida State is a 5.5 point favorite.

More installments to follow…

AP photo

According to a Fox News report, up to 10 people a week are being treated for Wii-related injuries. Apparently, most of the injuries are related to sudden movement, resulting in tendon stretching or tearing. Doctors refer to the injuries as “Wii-itis” or “Wii-knee”.

Most of the injuries are being reported in the U.K., which has prompted U.K. doctors to issue Wii-warnings, and which also confirms my suspicions that the British are getting softer.

With all this going on, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before lawyas in the U.S. fire up a couple class action lawsuits toward Nintendo, thus driving up the cost of Wiis and the related accessories. I suppose Congress would eventually come up with a Wii rescue plan, but who knows how long that could take.

As a preemptive move, I call on all Wii-loving Americans to do your American duty and, should you injure yourself playing a video game, play through the pain. No grimacing, no missing work, no cortisone treatments- suck it up and swing that controller. Do it for your country.

You’re welcome.

Red Renee wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas. Red’s taking the day off to hang with the family but will be back on the 26th. We hope the holiday finds you healthy and happy.

ESPN has something called the “Bowl Challenge” where they award a title to whichever conference finishes with the best bowl record. Considering that bowl matchups are rarely even, with bizarre tie-ins and lots of coaching fluctuation, we think this is a little too simple of a way to determine which conference had the best bowl season. Instead, we’ve come up with a points system that much more accurately assesses how each conference performs. We did this last year and will track the games again this year.

Rather than just look at wins and losses, we’re using the vegas line to draw a finer point. It goes a lil’ something like this:

* Lose as the favorite or lose and not cover the spread: 0 points
* Lose but cover the spread: 1 point
* Win but don’t cover the spread: 2 points
* Win and cover the spread: 3 points

Once we’ve tallied the above points, we’re going to divide each conferences point total by the total number of games they played in. The highest final score wins the challenge. We’ll report back with the final standings and provide a comparison to the ESPN figures as well.

Not surprisingly, the SEC was the winner last year with a final score of 2.33, just edging the Pac-Ten at 2.17.

2007 Results:

You’re welcome.

End of the year and catching up on a few odds and ends. You may recall back in early October I invested $50,000 of virtual dollars in some undervalued blue chip stocks. I did so according to the principles of buy low, sell high, or more to the point- “when there’s blood in the street, invest”. The market was imploding and it made sense to snatch up some stocks.

So far the investment hasn’t paid off (shocker). Thanks to Co-Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama, the market still hasn’t fully recovered, and my virtual portfolio reflects that. My original $50,000 is down to about $46,796 for about a 6.5% loss. Just for fun, I’ll continue to keep tabs on it throughout the next year.

You’re welcome.

The season-ending compilation from the SI College Football Tour Guy. Worth watching for a laugh.

Season Three from Dan Rubenstein on Vimeo.

Oh my. How about just checking his collar for lipstick? Isn’t that the universal determiner of infidelity? Here’s the headline from a Port St. Lucie website: “Suspicious wife who demands to smell husband’s genitals beaten”. Who says this stuff only happens in West Virginia.

You’re welcome.

Cash and Flowers (aka “the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl”)
Boise State vs. TCU / San Diego, CA / December 23rd, 8pm / ESPN

There isn’t a lot to look forward to in terms of college football prior to January 1, but this is a good game to watch. Boise State is undefeated; TCU has two losses- one to Oklahoma and one to undefeated Utah. Boise State is 12th in scoring offense and 3rd in scoring defense; TCU is 20th in scoring offense and 2nd in scoring defense. It’s the #1 team in the WAC vs. the #2 team in the Mountain West. TCU’s favored by 2.5 and I like them to win.

The Free Trip to Hawaii for a Team That Doesn’t Deserve to go to Hawaii Bowl (aka “the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl”)
Notre Dame vs. Hawaii / Honolulu / December 24th, 8pm / ESPN

Gut check time I suppose for Notre Dame. A win provides some degree of momentum to next year; a loss provides further momentum to the “fire Charlie Weis”-ers. Hawaii put up a pretty good fight against Cincinnati in their final game of the season (lost 29-24), but otherwise has been a pretty big disappointment. Notre Dame is the 4th of the 6-6 teams and is favored by 1 over Hawaii in what amounts to a home game for the Rainbow Warriors.

More installments to follow…

As has been much anticipated on the internet (like here, here, here, and here, the Hoff (aka David Hasselhoff) finally belted out the national anthem at the beginning of the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Hoff’s television prowess is long documented, even the Guinness Book of World Records has him as “the most watched television star in the world”. Well, apparently he’s got some sort of a music career cooking too, as evidenced by this horrific music video (shield the children’s eyes and ears):

Apparently this video plus the fact that the Hoff has a daughter that’s a freshman at Arizona was enough to score him the National Anthem for U of A’s bowl game. And like all actors that end up singing, the Hoff wasn’t satisfied with a normal rendition of the anthem. No, he must have looked himself in the mirror prior to heading onto the field and asked “WWTHD?” What would the Hoff do? The answer’s obvious- the Hoff would knock the thing out of the fricking park. And that’s exactly what he did.

He sang the song in the key of C Major (sort of). And not to be content with any normal ending, the Hoff decided to drop a flat third onto the scene. That’s how Hoff rolls. Just when you think this thing’s going all normal and shit- boom- here’s an E-flat for you to think on. Balls he has- huge balls.

Enjoy.

You’re welcome.

While waiting for the David Hasselhoff national anthem video to surface on the internet, I came across this little vid with Tress and some of the OSU players commenting on the Bush -v- journalist shoe-throwing incident.

Enjoy.

Anti-playoff hacks whine about preserving the sanctity of the bowls. Precious time-honored bowls like the “MajicJack St. Petersburg Bowl” or the “Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl” for which as late as Wednesday, reports indicated a grand total of 24 tickets had been sold between the two schools participating.

As has been tradition here, we bring you very little useful information for most of the games that don’t matter, and loads of analysis on the later games that do matter. Our aim here is to provide the who, what, and where and perhaps a glimmer of promise as to why you might want to watch.

Without further ado…

The T.A.R.P. Bowl, Pt. 1 (aka the “Eaglebank Bowl”)
Navy vs. Wake Forest / Washington, D.C. / December 20th, 11 am / ESPN

There’s not much compelling here other than it’s the first bowl game, it’s a re-match (Navy won the first meeting), the wishbone is both old and new, and I’m hoping that the ACC goes down in flames to create a diversion away from the Big Ten. Wake Forest is favored by 3.

The New Mexico Bowl (aka the “New Mexico Bowl”)
Fresno State vs. Colorado State / Albuquerque, NM / December 20th, 2:30 pm / ESPN

I can’t think of one good reason to watch this game, other than to get another good look at Pat Hill’s mustache, which is spectacular. This is the first of six games featuring 6-6 teams. Whoopeeeeee! Fresno State is favored by 3.

The Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, only played in St. Petersburg, and sponsored by Magicjack.com Bowl (aka the “Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl”)
South Florida vs. Memphis / St. Petersburg, FL / December 20th, 4:30 pm / The Deuce

I love a good home game that doubles as a bowl game. The rule for the inaugural St. Petersburg Bowl states “When either (USF or Central Florida) finishes out of the top three or four in its league, St. Petersburg would be a potential bowl destination.” Well, whaddya know, South Florida meets such requirements this year. South Florida matches up against the second of the 6-6 teams, this one being Conference USA rep Memphis. South Florida is favored by 13.

The Tuitama Redemption Bowl (aka the “Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl”)
BYU vs. Arizona / Las Vegas, NV / December 20th, 8:00 pm / ESPN

The first bowl that merits watching provides another Mountain West vs. Pac-10 matchup. BYU is a very solid team and has beaten both Washington and UCLA this year. They’ll try for a third Pac-10 win, this time over disappointing Arizona. It’s one last chance for Arizona QB Willie Tuitama to redeem what could have been a banner season for the Wildcats. Tuitama has 15 touchdowns vs. 3 interceptions in the Wildcats’ seven wins. In their five losses, he’s got a ratio of 6 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. He’ll need the former and not the latter in order to beat BYU. Arizona is favored by 3.

The Third Time’s the Charm Bowl (aka the “R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl”)
Troy vs. Southern Miss / New Orleans, LA / December 21st, 8:15 pm / ESPN

The Troy Trojans are 0-2 in Louisiana this year with losses to LSU and Louisiana-Monroe. They’ll take a third shot at Louisiana’s surrogate team, Southern Miss. Southern Miss is the third of the 6-6 teams. That’s about all that’s worth mentioning. Troy is favored by 4 points.

More installments to follow…

The Rod Blagojevich circus took an unexpected turn today with Blago’s first public press conference. In the presser, he vehemently denied any wrongdoing and vigorously stated his innocence. It was high theater for sure and fantastic television. He also managed to pardon 22 people also.

Either there’s no hard evidence in a multi-year investigation that includes wiretaps, or Blagojevich is operating in a completely alternate reality. Innocent before proven guilty yes, but it’s hard not to watch the video and make up your own mind.

Here’s the video the day before the allegations surfaced:

Here’s the press conference from this morning plus commentary:

You’re welcome.

If you’re doing some last minute shopping this weekend, don’t look for these products. Nothing cheapens Christmas like annoying commercials and these are three of the worst.

The first is for “The Snuggie” which advertises itself as “the blanket with sleeves!”. That might sound like a good idea if you’re sitting around a room with your mates stoned, but in practice it’s just creepy.

Second is for the Shamwow, which by itself is a fairly harmless product. The problem with the ad is the douchey infomercial “dj” running play-by-play on the liquid soaking up and whatnot. If you are wearing a fake microphone on an infomercial, you are a tool.

The final commercial that makes me want to throw something through the TV is the fast cash company JG Wentworth. Commercials always lose points in my rankings when founders or presidents appear, as is the case here, but a fake opera espousing the benefits of Wentworth is an FCC violation.

You’re welcome.

In honor of the Rod Blagojevich disaster this week and his magnificent helmet full of hair, I present to you the four stages of my hair (the four seasons if you will). One disclaimer in case my hair should read this: I kid because I love; thanks to those of you that have stuck around this long.

In order:

1. Too short
2. Lookin’ good
3. Toupee
4. Chia

Unfortunately phase two only lasts about 8 days.

You’re welcome.

Alright, technically JoePa isn’t 82 until December 21st, but nonetheless… Joe Paterno signed a 3-year extension with Penn State University this week, likely in response to recruiting issues that they continue to encounter with the uncertainty of Paterno’s tenure.

The statement released to the public included the phrase that the university “…might reevaluate their circumstances and alter the arrangement by either shortening or extending its length as necessary.” Or not. Whatever. Way to be committal Nits.

Now that JoePa has a new hip and is part robot, he’s only a high school graduate away from 100. I agree that he should go out on his own terms, but I’m quite fatigued by the triennial retirement watch. I’m sure Penn State fans are as well.

The simple solution to handle the uncertainty while shoring up recruits from fleeing is to replace the timing language in JoePa’s contract with the folllowing:

Joe Paterno will remain as Head Coach of the Penn State football program until Tom Bradley pries the office keys from Paterno’s cold dead hands.

That should about cover it.

You’re welcome.

Definitely my new favorite Christmas movie. If you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend it- “Just Friends”. Very funny stuff. Too many classic lines to mention but the kind of movie that just gets better and better every time you watch it.

It’s official now, it it wasn’t before. According to reports, Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray will have hamstring surgery and will miss the national championship game against Florida. In Murray, the Sooners lose the 1a running back (their primary break-away threat), their 5th leading receiver (31 receptions), and their leading kick returner. He’s also the leader on the team in all-purpose yards and second on the team in touchdowns. Time for Chris Brown and Mossis Madu to step up.

Add that on top of Sam Bradford now being vexed with the Heisman curse and Florida’s a lock to win the national championship. If you’re a farmer, bet the farm on the gators by 10.

You’re welcome.

(Picture: Kirthmon F. Dozier / DFP)

It’s been a rough 2008 in the Motor City. First their mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, aka the “Hip Hop Mayor”, left office amid a stripper party-murder scandal, a sexy text messaging scandal with one of his staff, and felony charges which led to time in jail.

Then the Detroit Tigers took what was expected to be a very promising season and washed it down the crapper with a 74-88 final record. This just five years removed from the worst season in National league history and one game away from being the worst in major league history.

Then there’s the auto bailout, which limps along with hopes that George Bush will now provide the mouth-to-mouth. Oh yeah, and Michigan’s been in a recession for 8 years.

In fairness, the Red Wings did win the Stanley Cup, or so the 8 or so remaining hockey fans have told me.

Which all brings me to…the Detroit Lions. Here they stand, on the precipice of something that has never been done by any other NFL team. Not the ‘76 Buccaneers (0-14); not the ‘90 Patriots (1-15); not even the ‘91 Colts (1-15). No, the 2008 Lions have a chance to take their place at the head of the list of worst teams in the history of the NFL by finishing 0-16.

The Lions stand today at 0-14. They possess the 27th ranked scoring defense and are dead last in scoring offense (32nd). The remaining schedule isn’t completely unmanageable- home for the 7-7 Saints, then closing out on the road with the 5-9 Packers. Better get it done against the Saints though; I hear Lambeau field is a tough place to play in December.

Even the owner of “0and16.com” has his website pointed to the Lions home page (tried it, I did). Nothing like kicking a city while they’re down, but should the Lions lose their remaining two games, they’ll not only memorialize the worst season in NFL history, but quite possibly the worst year for any American city, that is until next year.

You’re welcome.

It’s not every day that you see somebody throw shoes at the President, but that’s exactly what happened at a press conference in Baghdad. According to reports, the “pitcher” is Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, a reporter with Cairo-based network Al Baghdadia Television.

According to the BBC, it was more than an act of convenience- ie. need something to throw, am wearing shoes. Apparently in Arab culture, the shoes up the ante in the insult war making the display by the journalist his little version of shock and awe. Kudos to Bush for top-shelf reflexes though. Say what you want about his policies but that bob and weave was first-class.

Here’s the original clip:

And for all the hacky Obama supporters gleefully posting various iterations of this video and comments on Youtube, foreigners throwing objects at our President is never a good thing. Never. Perhaps in your immature, distorted world, it’s an appropriate response, but disrespect directed at our President is disrespect directed at America.

You’re welcome.