but they don't do anything about it. I say they shouldn't.
As predicable as the press complaining about the large number of themselves at the Super Bowl and the Boston writers over rating the next great Red Sox prospect, the political coverage of the last week or so is centered on the number of negative election ads.
Please stop!
This is not a rant about any of the parties involved. My rant is in favor of these commercials. Hey, everyone is complaining about the state of the economy. Did you ever stop to think that the obscene amount of money spent on these ads is serving a number of purposes? First of all it allows the politicians to spend their own and donors money which is a pretty cool way of spreading the wealth. They are, after all, making transactions to get these ads run. On the other hand it allows those who have more spend more, which again, create transactions that spur the economy.
My old Communistic Sociology teacher used to describe Capitalism as simply as the 'Economics of Beer', others call it 'Trickle Down'. Without getting into all aspects of the details his premise, which I'm betting he used for his doctoral thesis, was that Capitalistic (be it Market or Keynesian) spending helps to spur the sale of beer. Basically with additional capital available to producers, more construction is needed to fulfill capacity, which leads to the hiring of construction workers. Construction workers like to drink beer. When construction workers are paid they will spend money on beer, among other things. The purchase of beer needs to take place at a local store owned by a proprietor (in his case personally or state owned). Because there is greater demand for beer, the proprietor will order more from the distributor, who gets his take and passes the orders to increase demand to the brewer; and so the cycle continues.
In the case of elections that process takes place in a different arena but with similar results. The problem comes with election day. After that the process just suddenly ends and there is no major national election for another two years. Like Archie Bunker's solution to end hijacking by giving everyone on the plane a gun, I say let's have a national election referendum on something every six months. That way the money will keep flowing to those sign makers, videographers, political consultants, television stations and bartenders who profit from the election cycle. Of course we may need to take a break for the more important voting issues in this country; you know, things like American Idol.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
SOME OCTOBER PHOTOS
I've been lugging this thing around for a couple of weeks.
The old and New Lowell.
Sunset in Lowell
The Hunter's Moon in New England.
NFL WEEK 7 RESULTS
Well, it seems that .500 is slipping further from my grasps. I had another losing week. That's three in a row and I am now 7 under .500. Here are the results.
Visitor | 2005 Pts. Allowed | Home | 2005 Pts. Allowed | Selection | Point Spread | Result | Win | Loss |
Cleveland Browns | 301 | New Orleans Saints | 398 | Cleveland Browns | +14.5 | W | 1 | |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 269 | Kansas City Chiefs | 325 | Jacksonville Jaguars | +9.0 | L | 1 | |
Buffalo Bills | 367 | Baltimore Ravens | 299 | Baltimore Ravens | -14.5 | L | 1 | |
San Francisco 49ers | 428 | Carolina Panthers | 259 | Carolina Panthers | +2.5 | W | 1 | |
Philadelphia Eagles | 388 | Tennessee Titans | 421 | Philadelphia Eagles | +2.5 | L | 1 | |
St. Louis Rams | 429 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 274 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -2.0 | L | 1 | |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 258 | Miami Dolphins | 317 | Pittsburgh Steelers | -3.0 | W | 1 | |
Cincinnati Bengals | 350 | Atlanta Falcons | 341 | Atlanta Falcons | -3.0 | W | 1 | |
Washington Redskins | 293 | Chicago Bears | 202 | Chicago Bears | -2.5 | L | 1 | |
Arizona Cardinals | 387 | Seattle Seahawks | 271 | Seattle Seahawks | -7.0 | W | 1 | |
Oakland Raiders | 383 | Denver Broncos | 258 | Denver Broncos | -9.0 | L | 1 | |
New England Patriots | 338 | San Diego Chargers | 312 | San Diego Chargers | -1.0 | L | 1 | |
Minnesota Vikings | 344 | Green Bay Packers | 344 | Minnesota Vikings | -1.0 | L | 1 | |
New York Giants | 314 | Dallas Cowboys | 308 | Dallas Cowboys | -3.0 | L | 1 | |
5 | 9 | |||||||
38 | 41 | |||||||
43 | 50 |
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
WORLD SERIES THOUGHTS
I actually thought long and hard about whether or not I should post anything for the World Series. If anyone had selected the LCS's based on my selections they would be behind the eight ball right now. So, following my horrendous call for a New York - Philadelphia rematch I get the chance to look at the two teams I hoped would win but didn't really think would be.
Texas vs. San Francisco. I think the Giants would show a lot of guts if they would do what I think they should do and that is having Brian McCann throw out the first pitch of the first game. It would be appropriate because McCann of Atlanta was the man who got the All Star game's winning hit to allow the National League home field advantage in the World Series. I think that is actually the key to this series. Although Texas now plays more of a running style and doesn't necessarily rely on the long ball I think that there bigger hitters will struggle in San Francisco. AT&T Park is a pitcher's park with long gaps and a deep center field where the ball doesn't travel very well. The ballpark in Arlington has that jet stream from right-center to left-center that carry many balls out that wouldn't ordinarily go out. However, as the weather has cooled that doesn't seem to be happening as much.
San Francisco plays the Earl Weaver game of pitching, defense and three run home runs and I think that should work. Of course, I've been wrong about both teams so maybe I should reserve my right to change my mind.
Selection: San Francisco.
Texas vs. San Francisco. I think the Giants would show a lot of guts if they would do what I think they should do and that is having Brian McCann throw out the first pitch of the first game. It would be appropriate because McCann of Atlanta was the man who got the All Star game's winning hit to allow the National League home field advantage in the World Series. I think that is actually the key to this series. Although Texas now plays more of a running style and doesn't necessarily rely on the long ball I think that there bigger hitters will struggle in San Francisco. AT&T Park is a pitcher's park with long gaps and a deep center field where the ball doesn't travel very well. The ballpark in Arlington has that jet stream from right-center to left-center that carry many balls out that wouldn't ordinarily go out. However, as the weather has cooled that doesn't seem to be happening as much.
San Francisco plays the Earl Weaver game of pitching, defense and three run home runs and I think that should work. Of course, I've been wrong about both teams so maybe I should reserve my right to change my mind.
Selection: San Francisco.
Friday, October 22, 2010
NFL WEEK 7 SELECTIONS
I wanted to see how past defense correlates to today's game and make my scientific decisions based on that. Nah, I just picked a year and a stat that would make sense. So I am looking at a comparison of 2005 Points allowed as the indicator for selections this week. Here are the picks.
Visitor | 2005 Pts. Allowed | Home | 2005 Pts. Allowed | Selection | Point Spread |
Cleveland Browns | 301 | New Orleans Saints | 398 | Cleveland Browns | +14.5 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 269 | Kansas City Chiefs | 325 | Jacksonville Jaguars | +9.0 |
Buffalo Bills | 367 | Baltimore Ravens | 299 | Baltimore Ravens | -14.5 |
San Francisco 49ers | 428 | Carolina Panthers | 259 | Carolina Panthers | +2.5 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 388 | Tennessee Titans | 421 | Philadelphia Eagles | +2.5 |
St. Louis Rams | 429 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 274 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -2.0 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 258 | Miami Dolphins | 317 | Pittsburgh Steelers | -3.0 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 350 | Atlanta Falcons | 341 | Atlanta Falcons | -3.0 |
Washington Redskins | 293 | Chicago Bears | 202 | Chicago Bears | -2.5 |
Arizona Cardinals | 387 | Seattle Seahawks | 271 | Seattle Seahawks | -7.0 |
Oakland Raiders | 383 | Denver Broncos | 258 | Denver Broncos | -9.0 |
New England Patriots | 338 | San Diego Chargers | 312 | San Diego Chargers | -1.0 |
Minnesota Vikings | 344 | Green Bay Packers | 344 | Minnesota Vikings | -1.0 |
New York Giants | 314 | Dallas Cowboys | 308 | Dallas Cowboys | -3.0 |
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
NFL WEEK 6 Results
I'm not sure what this week's results prove. Either the experts really do know what they are talking about with their picks or the odds makers are even better with theirs. This weeks results were poor again with at least four games being either a push or the results were a half point difference. It was "that" close. Here are my results.
Visitor | 1999 Pts Scored | Home | 1999 Pts Scored | Selection | Point Spread | Result | Win | Loss |
Atlanta Falcons | 285 | Philadelphia Eagles | 272 | Atlanta Falcons | +3.0 | L | 1 | |
Seattle Seahawks | 338 | Chicago Bears | 272 | Seattle Seahawks | +6.5 | W | 1 | |
Kansas City Chiefs | 390 | Houston Texans | 0 | Kansas City Chiefs | +4.5 | W | 1 | |
Baltimore Ravens | 324 | New England Patriots | 299 | Baltimore Ravens | +3.0 | L | 1 | |
San Diego Chargers | 269 | Saint Louis Rams | 526 | Saint Louis Rams | +8.5 | W | 1 | |
Miami Dolphins | 326 | Green Bay Packers | 357 | Green Bay Packers | PK | L | 1 | |
New Orleans Saints | 260 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 270 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +4.5 | L | 1 | |
Detroit Lions | 322 | New York Giants | 299 | Detroit Lions | +10 | L | 1 | |
Cleveland Browns | 217 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 317 | Pittsburgh Steelers | -13.5 | W | 1 | |
New York Jets | 308 | Denver Broncos | 314 | Denver Broncos | +3.0 | L | 1 | |
Oakland Raiders | 390 | San Francisco 49ers | 295 | Oakland Raiders | +6.5 | L | 1 | |
Dallas Cowboys | 352 | Minnesota Vikings | 399 | Minnesota Vikings | -1.5 | W | 1 | |
Indianapolis Colts | 423 | Washington Redskins | 443 | Washington Redskins | +3.0 | L | 1 | |
Tennessee Titans | 392 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 396 | Jacksonville Jaguars | +3.0 | L | 1 | |
5 | 9 | |||||||
Overall from Previous Week | 33 | 41 | ||||||
Overall record | 38 | 50 |
Friday, October 15, 2010
LCS SELECTIONS
I've had a couple of days to not consider the New York media's declarations that the Phillies - Yankees matchup is inevitable and have come to the following conclusions.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York vs. Texas. In my view this matchup is similar in a lot of ways to the Texas - Tampa Bay matchup, but in reverse. This time Texas is the team that may not hit as much as the Yankees but will do all the little things that will pester the hell out of the Yankees. Like the Rays, if the Rangers can get on base they will disrupt the Yankees defense by running, taking extra bases and just being all around pests. Not to mention that they have the ability to knock it out of the park on occassion. It is very likely that the Rangers will be able to get on base against the Yankees pitching the question will be whether or not they will be playing from in front or trying to catch up to New York's hitters. Tampa Bay's mediocre lineup was overmatched by Texas' better pitchers but I can't see that happening too often with New York.
Selection: New York. I think the biggest question in this series will be whether or not the Yankee pitching can hold down the Ranger offense enough to win. My bet is they will and that New York's clutch hitting takes it.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
San Francisco vs. Philadelphia. Pitching, pitching and more pitching. That's what this series is supposed to be, so there will probably be three or more games with double digit scores on both sides. That being said, I think this series turns on the bullpens of both teams. Regardless of whether they are high or low scoring games they should be somewhat close and that is where the bullpens come in. San Francisco's pen has been solid all year, however, Philadelphia's pen has the experience of big games. Offensively, San Francisco would have a tough time staying with the Phillies sluggers but they seem to play the old Earl Weaver way; pitching, defense and three run homers. They seem to score in bunches but not as consistently as Philadelphia.
Selection: Philadelphia. As long as they stay hungry Philadelphia has the more experienced, talented team and although I hate to admit it I see a Philadelphia - New York rematch for the World Series.
NFL WEEK 6
Alright, I took a beating last week and this week has the potential for the same. For this week I looked at a football only stat to see how it affects this week's games. Basically, the team with the most points in 1999 gets the edge. The interesting result is that my selections end up being underdogs this week by a large majority. There is only one favorite who gets the pick, and that is the largest spread on the board. That's why I say this could be a very difficult week. But let's see what happens, it could be interesting.
Visitor | 1999 Pts Scored | Home | 1999 Pts Scored | Selection | Point Spread |
Atlanta Falcons | 285 | Philadelphia Eagles | 272 | Atlanta Falcons | +3.0 |
Seattle Seahawks | 338 | Chicago Bears | 272 | Seattle Seahawks | +6.5 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 390 | Houston Texans | 0 | Kansas City Chiefs | +4.5 |
Baltimore Ravens | 324 | New England Patriots | 299 | Baltimore Ravens | +3.0 |
San Diego Chargers | 269 | Saint Louis Rams | 526 | Saint Louis Rams | +8.5 |
Miami Dolphins | 326 | Green Bay Packers | 357 | Green Bay Packers | PK |
New Orleans Saints | 260 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 270 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +4.5 |
Detroit Lions | 322 | New York Giants | 299 | Detroit Lions | +10 |
Cleveland Browns | 217 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 317 | Pittsburgh Steelers | -13.5 |
New York Jets | 308 | Denver Broncos | 314 | Denver Broncos | +3.0 |
Oakland Raiders | 390 | San Francisco 49ers | 295 | Oakland Raiders | +6.5 |
Dallas Cowboys | 352 | Minnesota Vikings | 399 | Minnesota Vikings | -1.5 |
Indianapolis Colts | 423 | Washington Redskins | 443 | Washington Redskins | +3.0 |
Tennessee Titans | 392 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 396 | Jacksonville Jaguars | +3.0 |
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
DIVISION SERIES' RESULTS THOUGHTS
Now that the Divisional Series' in each league have completed it's appropriate to look forward at the upcoming League Championship Series'. But before I get to that let's take a look at the results of the Division Playoffs.
ALDS
I selected Minnesota to beat the Yankees. I should know better. Minnesota really disappointed me by how they played and the approach they took against the Yankee lineup and pitching staff. When they get to the point where they don't stand around and gaze in wonder at the Yankees then maybe they can beat them (or anybody for that matter). But until that happens the results will be the same as this year, and last year and... well you get the point.
I selected Texas to beat Tampa Bay and was correct but it didn't exactly play out the way I thought it would. I couldn't and wouldn't have picked the visiting team to win every game. I thought Texas would split in St. Pete and go back to Arlington to win it. Well, not exactly. However, Texas is much better than most give them credit for.
NLDS
My selection of San Francisco to beat Atlanta in a very close battle was correct. Every game was close and, as I mentioned, Atlanta pieced things together this year but that is what may have done them in. Having people playing out of position or hurt can work for a short period of time but in the long run it'll get you.
My no-brainer pick was Philadelphia. That series played out much as expected with Philadelphia's pitching dominating. A no hitter by Halladay was not expected but it was obvious that their staff was deeper and even though Cincinnati had the best hitting team of the regular season Philadelphia had the experience of hitting in the clutch that was needed.
I will not make my selections with this posting because I do have a couple of days to consider things and it'll give me a chance to think about baseball even longer. Not a bad thing.
Friday, October 8, 2010
NFL WEEK 5 SELECTIONS
To continue with my theme with irrelevant facts determining the outcome of NFL games I will make this week's selections opposite to last week's and select games by the number of consonants in a team's name.
This works for a couple of reasons. The first being that last week was not a great week for the vowels. My picks went 6 - 8 for the week bringing my totals to 30 -32 against the spread this season. Still somewhat respectable but definitely slipping. I need a big week from this week's picks.
The second reason to pick consonants this week is that it's easy. I just need to reverse my counts and go with it. So here are the selections for NFL Week 5.
This works for a couple of reasons. The first being that last week was not a great week for the vowels. My picks went 6 - 8 for the week bringing my totals to 30 -32 against the spread this season. Still somewhat respectable but definitely slipping. I need a big week from this week's picks.
The second reason to pick consonants this week is that it's easy. I just need to reverse my counts and go with it. So here are the selections for NFL Week 5.
Visitor | Consonants | % of Letters | Home | Consonants | % of Letters | Selection | Point Spread |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11 | 55.00% | Cincinnati Bengals | 11 | 61.11% | Cincinnati Bengals | -7.0 |
Green Bay Packers | 10 | Washington Redskins | 13 | Washington Redskins | +2.5 | ||
Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 55.56% | Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 55.56% | Kansas City Chiefs | +8.5 |
Atlanta Falcons | 9 | Cleveland Browns | 11 | Cleveland Browns | +2.5 | ||
Denver Broncos | 9 | 64.29% | Baltimore Ravens | 9 | 56.25% | Denver Broncos | +7.5 |
New York Giants | 9 | Houston Texans | 8 | New York Giants | +2.5 | ||
Saint Louis Rams | 8 | Detroit Lions | 7 | Saint Louis Rams | +2.5 | ||
Jacksonville Jaguars | 12 | Buffalo Bills | 8 | Jacksonville Jaguars | PK | ||
New Orleans Saints | 10 | Arizona Cardinals | 9 | New Orleans Saints | -7.5 | ||
San Diego Chargers | 10 | Oakland Raiders | 8 | San Diego Chargers | -7.0 | ||
Tennessee Titans | 9 | 56.25% | Dallas Cowboys | 9 | 64.29% | Dallas Cowboys | -8.0 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | San Francisco Forty Niners | 15 | San Francisco Forty Niners | -3.0 | ||
Minnesota Vikings | 10 | New York Jets | 8 | Minnesota Vikings | +3.0 |
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