Video of the Week

As weird as these commercials are, the last 20 seconds of this one had me going.

Deal or No Deal Model Tournament

26 down, 4 to go! Can you believe that there is only 3 more weeks left. Thank God! Case #24 Kelly put a hurtin on Case #6 Megan last week, to move on to the semis. This week's matchup in my opinion doesn't look to be a close one, but only your votes can determine the winner. Keep voting and enjoy!

Katie - Holder of case #11, Katie received enough votes to get a bye into the semi finals. Born and raised on the North Shore of Chicago, Katie Cleary is an only child who was raised by her mother. Cleary's strength, confidence, and drive came from her mom's hard work, love, and determination as a parent. Cleary says if it wasn't for her mother's love and strength, she would never have the ambition to do what she is doing today. You may recognize Cleary from season one of the hit television show "America's Next Top Model." She has worked on such movies as "The Break Up" and the "Lake House," which were filmed in Chicago. She has also hosted shows on the TV Guide Channel including "Ripe Live," and co-hosted the show "Get Out," appearing on HDTV.

Jenelle - Holder of case #17, beautiful Jenelle has won me over and obviously all of you with the amounts of votes the past weeks. Jenelle Moreno was born and raised in sunny Southern California. At a very young age, she knew she wanted to spend her career in front of the camera and was a natural at it right off the bat. Since returning to the modeling world, Moreno has graced the covers of five magazines, started up her website jenellemoreno.com, appeared in numerous national ads including Kawasaki motorcycles, was featured in an eight-page spread for FHM Spain and in music videos for Maroon 5 and Under the Influence of Giants, traveled to Europe many times for work, and of course has been Case Model #17 on "Deal or No Deal" for three seasons. Moreno can also add lingerie powerhouse Fredericks of Hollywood to her resume, as she has been booked as their new spokesmodel.

Recruiting Time

Every week for the time being, I will be posting a little something on the recruiting season for college football. We all know that college football really has no off-season, so to keep up with the incoming freshmen next season, I will keep you all informed on what the top news for me is the past week or so. Hope that you enjoy and don't be afraid to ask question. Only 7 days till signing day!

Connecticut Recruits/UCONN

Most reasonable people that I know in Connecticut know that CT is years behind as far as high school football is concerned. The others are just plain blind to the fact that Connecticut just doesn't crop the same kind of players most big time programs are looking for. At least UCONN's head coach, Randy Edsall sees that he needs to find players out of state to come to his school, and you know what...it shows! Edsall really stays away from Connecticut prospects so much that he missed out on the only 4-star recruits (2) in state. Joshua Adams is the state's #1 player. The wide receiver from Cheshire Academy is on his way to the University of North Carolina, and is considered the 35th best receiver in the nation. Also lost from Edsall is one of the nation's most versatile quarterbacks. Jordan Reed from New London H.S. is making his way south toward Gainesville, home of the National Champs. Reed is coming off an injury that occurred earlier in the season, story is is that Gators coach Urban Meyer called up superstar high school coach Jack Cochran and told him that Reed will not play the rest of the season no matter what, and that he doesn't care about Cochran's state championship. I guess that this shows how good this kid is! A couple other prospects that will not be attending the Storrs campus this fall are 3-star recruits Andre Lawrence from Hartford Public (Boston College) and Mark Harrison from Bunnell High School (Rutgers). Finally, the most recognized football recruit in the 2009 season was Jake Golic from Northwest Catholic. There has been mixed reviews about the 2-star recruit who is the son of the former NFL player and current talk show host Mike Golic. The younger Golic will be attending Notre Dame this fall as a tight end. He was invited to attend the All-American Bowl game which consists of the top high school players in the nation, but he was brought in as an alternate. Which might be because he is a celebrity's son.

As far as Edsall and UCONN goes, well things on the recruiting end are going well. So all you "snow birds" will be happy with the commits so far. Dwayne Difton, is a 4-star wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, FL has recently just committed to the Huskies this past week. Steve Greene is another top recruit that UCONN grabbed from Pennsylvania. Greene is an offensive guard who ranks #41 in the nation, who stands at 6'4'' and weighs 304 pounds. This is a big week though for Connecticut, this week one of the top linebackers in the nation will be visiting the school. Barkevious Mingo, is labeled as a 4-star recruit from Louisiana and is coming off an impressive visit to Alabama. Mingo is ranked #155 overall and #9 at linebacker in the nation. Mingo really has no clue on where he will be attending school in the fall but he has narrowed his choices to a top 11. Edsall did indeed grab a couple of in state recruits for the fall. The top ones are 2-star recruits Mike Osiecki LB from Seymour H.S. and Marcus Aiken WR from St. Paul (Bristol).

I have been recently asked from my boy, Mif, about a local player that the Record Journal is really pubbing up. Billy Ragone, from Cheshire was the quarterback this past high school season for Cheshire H.S. He is listed as a safety on Rivals.com and is nothing more than a 1-star recruit. He is considering UCONN, BC, Syracuse, Temple, and Army. With the only offers coming from Temple and Army so far. It cracks me up when the locals go too far with what they think a talented kid is. Next week I will get into the Florida crop of talent just to put these people back down to earth, in the mean time here is a video from UCONN bound Dwayne Difton.

Askmen.com's Top 99

Askmen.com's Top 99 Most Desirable Women list was just announced for the 2009 year this week. We here at The Nutz love when the new list comes out every year. The list consists of votes from the readers, with the writers doing their best to influence them. This year's list was was pretty fulfulling for The Nutz because the woman who was voted #1 is pictured on our title header. Here is a look at how some of my favorites finished this year. Enjoy!

#42 Angelina Jolie

#50 Beyonce

#33 Denise Milani

#13 Halle Berry

#5 Anne Hathaway

#3 Marisa Miller

#1 EVA MENDES

Video of the Week

"I don't know what kind of dream world your livin' in?"

Going to try to make this a regular thing.

Recruiting Time

Every week for the time being, I will be posting a little something on the recruiting season for college football. We all know that college football really has no off-season, so to keep up with the incoming freshmen next season, I will keep you all informed on what the top news for me is the past week or so. Hope that you enjoy and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Rueben Randle

The 6'3 stud athlete from Bastrop H.S. in Louisiana is still undecided on where he will be attending school next year. He is the #1 wide receiver and #2 overall recruit on rivals.com national top 100 list. Last week, Randle went and visited Alabama and was thoroughly impressed with the SEC school. So much so that they have moved into the top 5 on his short list. There is really nothing to question when it comes to Randle's overall athletic ability, but recruits have been pretty cautious with him being a top receiver. Randle wasn't a receiver for his school this season. After posting a 1000 yard-11 TD season as a junior, he was moved to quarterback for his senior season where he posted over 2400 yards passing and 680 yards on the ground. He is still the best player out there without a school with timing running out, so we should see where he ends up shorty. Randle will be making his official visit to LSU on Friday, so I should find out more next week. Here's a list of his top 5 schools with a video clip:

LSU

Miami

Ole Miss

Alabama

Oklahoma

Deal or No Deal Model Tournament

Jenelle took her slamming body and defeated Claudia last week to advance to the semi-finals. Now showing signs that she might be the one to beat. This week we have two lovely ladies that haven't had a problem getting to the quarterfinals. We are inching closer and closer to the final two, so keep voting! Enjoy!

Megan - Holder of case #6, Megan Abrigo is a true island girl who is making some big waves in Los Angeles! She was born on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii, where she got her start in modeling after being spotted by a photographer. She has also hosted an extreme sports show called "Dialed In," where she got to interview riders and also try the sport. She has been seen in People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in May 2006 with the rest of the "Deal or No Deal" models, and has posed for Maxim magazine, Boost Mobile, Old Navy, Fitness magazine, Allure magazine, and others. She has also recently filmed commercials for Spike TV, LA Inc., L'Oreal, and Cover Girl.

Kelly - Holder of case #24, Kelly Brannigan's delightful look is the upshot of her mixed heritage. This Irish-American was born in California. Later, she moved to New York to live with her aunt and uncle. Ever since she was a child, modeling has been a dream. Even though she has minimal experience in the modeling field, she was already given the opportunity to work with the cream of the crop in this industry. Aside from the world of glitz and glamour, she is also fond of singing and cooking. She even studied in the Culinary Institute of America for Pastry Arts.

Weekend Review (College Basketball)

What a weekend it was for college basketball! I couldn't find a single hour during Saturday afternoon into the night where there wasn't great basketball being played. All week I had been looking forward to the Wake Forest/Clemson match up and it did not disappoint me. Even though the final score didn't show it I took a lot out of the game. Here are a couple of points that were brought to my attention after a well played college basketball weekend.

Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest doesn't have to do anything else but make the NCAA Tournament to earn Coach of the Year honors. Gaudio has taken over this team that faced tragedy in the passing of Skip Prosser, loss of recruits, and with a total make over has brought the Demon Deacons back on the map. As I mentioned on with my "college basketball last week" photo, the Deacons are for real and will be for real all season.

In my personal opinion, as of right now, the ACC is more top heavy than that of the Big East. Duke really made Georgetown into a sub par team on Saturday. I really wasn't impressed at all with the Big East club. Don't get me wrong "snow birds", the Big East is very deep and anyone could end up winning the conference at MSG this March, but after final watching some Big East conference basketball this past week, I saw more weaknesses than strengths with clubs I thought were elite. I still believe that the Big East will find a team(s) in the Final Four this season, but watching the top heavy ACC on Saturday, they showed me more balance on both sides of the ball than that of the elite teams in the Big East.

How can you not enjoy watching a Herb Sendek coached team? For my readers who are basketball gurus and love watching a well coached team, if you saw the Arizona State/UCLA game you saw just that. Even though I will stick with my prediction of UCLA winning the PAC-10 title, Arizona State was the better team against the Bruins on Saturday even with super sophomore James Harden in foul trouble for most of the 1st half. The loss for the Bruins kept them from starting conference play with a 5-0 start, but more importantly, from my aspect, the game gave the Sun Devils some well needed confidence, after an erratic start with some lack luster play as of late. Sendek is one of my favorite coaches in the game, and his offensive sets (when executed) looks like a thing of beauty, not to mention the way they played defense on Saturday against a strong Bruin squad. His team game of basketball on the the offensive end, is what wins games come March. Look out nation Herb Sendek is back on the map!

Michigan State, Memphis, and Oklahoma will run away with the Big Ten, C-USA, and Big 12 titles this season. All of these teams are way too dominate for their respected conferences. The only team that can defeat them are themselves when the conference tournaments begin. All have great inside games, but can really push the ball when the time calls for it. If they have a stubble before March don't worry, coaches Tom Izzo, John Calipari, and Jeff Capel will make sure that it won't happen again.

There is a lot of hype about the SEC as of late and I am getting kind of sick of it. "Kentucky is a team to be reckoned with." "Florida is a tough squad." ENOUGH! The SEC is not that good! Yeah, it is a very competitive conference, but I am still not convinced that they have a team good enough to advance to the Elite Eight, not going to happen. So get over it!

Finally, what in god's name happened in Providence this weekend? Or should I say, did that really happen? Jeff Xavier of the Friars was poked in the eye on a play, then what happens next is something that I have never seen before. His brother, Jonathan, decked out in a big winter coat walks out of the stands, steps over the Friars bench onto the court and has a word with the officials after the play. Are you serious? I love my brother, but their is no way I would do anything like that. If you haven't seen it, here it is:

MLK Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an African American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he is frequently referenced as a human rights icon today.

A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president.

King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986. If King were alive today, he would be 80 years old.

Conference Championship Preview

Gambling Deez is back at it. I only get into it when the college bowl games start up, then when the NFL playoffs get underway it is no holds bar. Safe to say that the 2009 year has gotten off to the same start it did in '08 lousy. I did hit on a 4-team teaser to save myself last week but that is the least of my concerns heading into this weekend. I still have no idea where I am going with my picks this week...none. I am going to take some action I am just so confused on what to do that I might just take every way to bet just so that I can win. This week's games looks to be great if you like lower-seeded teams advancing. Here's a little preview with the way I am going to bet as of right this minute...if I decide to change, it won't be til before game time so I will leave me change on the comments. Enjoy the weekend, because there won't be any football for 2 weeks after Sunday.

Eagles at Cardinals 3:00 Sun

What can I say about this game? I love the fact that the Arizona Cardinals have a chance to make an incredible, historical run to the Super Bowl. Even though they have been the major reason for my decreased wallet size, the Cardinals have become a nice feel good story this playoff season. As for the Eagles well, they are the obvious favorites since they thrashed the red birds on Thanksgiving night in Philly and look like a team that we expected all year. Two things the Cardinals have going for them which is key to them winning on Sunday: 1) MOMENTUM...many of you might not believe in that word but they have that going for them in every aspect of the game. Their run defense has been phenomenal, their pass defense has done it's job, running the ball hasn't been a problem at all, and the fact that Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald happen to be in the zone works to the Cardinals favor. Then you have the Eagles. Fierce, competitive, hungry, experienced, and well coached. How healthy though is Brian Westbrook? Has been a concern since the post season began. He is the ultimate Nutz key to the game! Without him the Eagles will not win...I repeat will not win without a good performance from him. And seriously, all it has to be is a "good" performance. I really don't want to go out and buy an Eagles jersey but...

Eagles 34-27 (-3.5)

Ravens at Steelers 6:30 Sun.

Can you say Gladiators vs. Sparta? Night game, cold weather, and two division rivals mean, what a way to go to the Super Bowl. As you already know the Steelers have already put up two Ws during the regular season against the Ravens but the third game is the most important. The Steelers are healthy...the Ravens are not. The Ravens also haven't had a bye since week 2. Everything points to Pittsburgh's favor, but the Ravens are still the Ravens and I find it hard to believe that this game won't be a close one. My fantasy running back Willie Parker has really bounced back from injury and looks like the Parker of old. And the league's best defensive team, in my opinion, just has to stop the run to come out victorious. Joe Flacco definitely will have his hands full tomorrow and will have to complete some long passes to keep the defense off-balanced so that his offense can stay in the game. The Ravens were the sexy pick last week to upset the #1 seeded Titans but this week I found that everyone is picking against them. Even with Terrell Suggs and Antrol Rolle out I still wouldn't think that the Steelers are a lock for the victory. Remember the Steelers have lost 2 consecutive conference games at home. The line for the game sucks so this is a tough one so I am going with a push...

Steelers 23-17 (-6)

Deal or No Deal Model Tournament

Twenty down...six to go. Megan squeezed by my girl Crystal last week to earn a quarterfinal birth. Numbers 5 and 11 cases (Ursula and Katie) have earned byes into the semifinals with their vote totals in the second round, so they will have to wait to see who their next opponent will be. This week we have a match up between two ladies that definitely could have met in the finals. Enjoy and keep voting!

Claudia - Holder of case #1, Claudia Jordan, after a nomadic childhood, her parents finally settled down in East Providence, Rhode Island, where she became Miss Teen Rhode Island and later competed in Miss Teen USA. As an adult, she won Miss Rhode Island USA and competed in the Miss USA pageant. It was only the third time in 46 years that anyone representing Rhode Island made the top ten. East Providence even named May 16th "Claudia Jordan Day!" Besides competing in pageants, Jordan was an impressive sprinter and earned All-State honors in track and field. She competed in several Junior Olympics and in college became an All-American sprinter in the 400-meter relay. She holds a long jump record that still stands.

Jenelle - Holder of case #17, Jenelle Moreno was born and raised in sunny Southern California. At a very young age, she knew she wanted to spend her career in front of the camera and was a natural at it right off the bat. At the age of 15 she was discovered by a major Hollywood agent, and the very next day, booked an eight-page spread in Teen Magazine. Moreno spent many months working in Europe and eventually longed for a slower-paced lifestyle, so she went back home to take a break for a while. After two years of missing the modeling world, she returned to L.A. with a vengeance and again, her first day back, booked the cover of Best Body Magazine.

Jodie Meeks' Night

It really is a great feeling when you find yourself in "the zone". "The zone" during a basketball game is hard to describe, but you know it when your in it. Having played a little basketball in my life, "the zone" only happened to me a few times. I think that all the other basketball players that read this blog can agree with me when I say, "It is one hell of a feeling!". The Tennessee Volunteers last night were the victims of someone in "the zone" last night. Last Wednesday night they saw their 39 game home winning streak come to an end. Now because of Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks, they now have a home losing streak of two. Meeks scored 54 points last night, which broke the 39 year old all-time Kentucky Wildcat record for a points in a game. He went 10-15 from 3-point range, made all of his 14 free-throw attempts, and was responsible for 60% of his teams points scored last night. I was reading ESPN's Pat Forde's take on the performance this morning and he noted a couple of unbelievable stats that I thought that I should note on my blog. 1) Meeks 54 points are the most points in a regulation game in more than a decade. 2) Six Division I teams scored fewer points Tuesday night than Meeks. 3) No player from a BCS conference had scored this many points since Arizona State's Eddie House went for 61 against California in overtime in 2000. I was just happy to see while I was watching the game that his Wildcat teammates saw what was going on and kept feeding him the rock. "The zone" only happens to a person once in a while to most of us, I am glad to see that it happened to a person with such great character like Meeks.

Joe Alexander Wants Your Vote!

Joe Alexander is applying for the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest in Phoenix this February. He needs your vote. Just go to http://www.nba.com/bucks/seejoedunk.html and vote for him. Take a quick look at these short videos first. Pretty good.

Recruiting Time

It is about that time. Though the games might be over, but college football season never officially ends. It is recruiting time, when the top high school football players start announcing where they will be headed to play their collegiate ball. Over the next couple of months, I will be giving you all clips and reports on what is going on with the football recruiting season. And yes, for all of you "snow birds" I will even throw in what the University of Connecticut is doing, now that they are getting most of their talent in the dirty south. To start things on the right foot for the time being, I would like to show you a video of somebody's kid. He was a pretty good college and NFL running back, and it looks like his son is following in his footsteps.

I introduce to you, high school freshman Barry Sanders Jr.!

What in the Heck...

happened to Kelly McGillis. I wish that I could take credit for this blog but I can't. My cousin, Mr. Aresco sent me a website of a photo of this woman who, I gotta admit, "turned me on" so to speak during my "curious" years. She really came on the scene in 1985 with a Golden Globe nomination for Witness, then of course Top Gun in 1986, and The Accused in 1988. Other than that she has really disappeared, until today. She was so sexy in Top Gun it is hard to imagine what happened to her. Aging is a terrible thing to mess with. She is now 51 years old and far from the woman that fell hard for Tom Cruise in 1986. If my readers are big fans of McGillis I suggest you not look any further down the page. My God!

Celebrity Sighting

Way back when, I posted the first post of this title about a celebrity living in my hometown of Palm Coast. And I promised to you all that I would make a post whenever I came in contact with a celebrity of some sort. Well, there was another celebrity that was in my hometown this past week. Let me tell you about him and why he was here.

Last weekend when I returned back home the local youth soccer club, who had honored me at a city council meeting two weeks ago, held a clinic for anyone to attend. The celebrity guest that made the appearance for the clinic was LA Galaxy defender, Mike Randolph. Now, like most of you, I had no idea who he was, nor what in the world this guy looked like. Randolph, who is best friends with one of the coaches in the Flagler United soccer program, came as a favor to his buddy for free to teach kids the fundamentals of soccer for a weekend. It may not sound like much, but for any person...celebrity or not...to take his time to come over to little Flagler County and spend time with our youth is pretty special in my opinion. I got a chance to meet him Wednesday night when he came to my park to mess around with the kids one last time during their team practice. Randolph stands no taller than me. He flies like the wind though. Randolph makes up for his short stature in the MLS with his great foot work with the ball and his unreal quickness. Primarily used as a defender he also backs up David Beckham, which adds to his versatility on the soccer field. Randolph was raised in Chino Hills, CA and had been recruited to play soccer at UCLA, but he didn't meet the academic requirements to attend the school so he settle for a small junior college in Arizona. Randolph was a finalist for the USL First Division Rookie of the Year award in 2006 after his first season as a pro with the Portland Timbers. He was also a part of the United States U-23 team back in 2007.

Career MLS Stats

39 games-30 games started-0 goals-4 assists

Happy Birthday Jake!

Probably not the wish he asked for on his 34th birthday last night:

17-34

205 yards

5 interceptions

1 fumble

and a loss in the divisional round to the Arizona Cardinals

NFL Playoff Preview

I have probably mentioned this before, but other than week 1 of the NFL season this is the best weekend the NFL has to offer every year. Having all the top 4 teams in each conference playing on national television is awesome. Rematches and veteran leadership are the factors during the weekend. Hope for another great NFL weekend! On to my preview with picks.

Ravens at Titans 4:30 Sat.

If you like defense this is a great start to your weekend. With Kevin Mawae, the all-pro center, out this week the Ravens run defense looks a lot better than when the Ravens lost to the Titans back on week 5. He is easily a big piece to the running game puzzle for the Titans "Smash and Dash" RB combo of Lendale White and stud rookie Chris Johnson. Another key to the game is definitely Kerry Collins. He has to prove that he'll be able to hit receivers on key 3rd downs and not let Ed Reed and the Ravens D make plays to set up points for rookie quarterback Joe Flacco. Personally for Collins this would be a nice redemption game having lost to the Ravens in the Super Bowl back in '01. If Flacco and the Ravens pull it out this weekend, he will be the first rookie to win his first 2 playoff games. Expect alot of blitzes out of the Titans on third downs disrupting the rookie qb. Should be a good one!

Titans 17 -10 (-3)

Cardinals at Panthers 8:15 Sat.

Will somebody explain to me why this is the Saturday night game? Usually the NFL will have the better match up on Saturday the night cap. Now we get to watch the worst match up on paper out of all four games. The stats are not in line for a Cardinal victory this weekend. One, the Cardinals are 0-5 on the east coast this season. Two, the Panthers are undefeated at home this season. And three, the weather looks to be cold, windy, and wet which does not favor a pass happy offense in the Cardinals. One key and one key only to this game, can the Cardinals stop the run for the second consecutive week against the duo of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart? I don't think so. Look for the Panthers to be very sharp Saturday night and putting the Cardinals away early in their quest to get back to the Super Bowl.

Panthers 31-17 (-10)

Eagles at Giants 1:00 Sun.

In the weekends sexy match up between division rivals, the Eagles look to knock off the defending champs at home something that they already did this regular season. The health of Brian Westbrook looks to be a mild concern for the Eagles who have rested the versatile RB all week. One thing that really bothers me about the G-men this post season is not having a big time receiver to rely on like Plaxico Burress, who had big time catches in the Super Bowl run a year ago. The running game of Earth, Wind, and Fire for the Giants is key this week to a victory. If they cannot run the ball against the blitz happy Eagles, the Giants could find themselves behind early, which plays right into Donovan McNabb and the Eagles hands. If I had a guess though, the team with the ball on the last possession of the game will ultimately win the game.

Giants 21-20 (Eagles +4)

Chargers at Steelers 4:30 Sun.

In the weekend finale, it features another intriguing match up between two different style defense, both of which keeps quarterbacks on their toes and lives for making plays that could change a game. With running back Ladainian Tomlinson likely out for another playoff game, the Chargers will rely heavily on the passing game and free-agent-to-be Darren Sproeles. The keys to the game will be the weather and the health of Ben Roethisberger. If the weather is like is usually is this time of year in Pennsylvania, the Chargers are in trouble. I am going to keep a close eye on Big Ben and how he makes an impact during the game early on. If you told me 4 weeks ago that the Chargers were going to be in the playoffs and playing on the road in Pittsburgh with LT out, I wouldn't give them any chance at this game. But, with their supporting cast playing excellent as of late and Norv Turner's 12-1 career record in the months of December and January with the Chargers they are looking as sharp as any team in the playoffs right now. If the Steelers can slow down Sproeles, they will win the game, if not the first turnover in the second half will be the deciding factor.

Steelers 21-17 (Chargers +6)

BCS Championship

My growing hate for Florida Gator football has been building up so much over such little time, that it is nearing my hatred for UCONN basketball. I think that all my readers know how much I hate UCONN. Tonight's game features two great quarterbacks, two great coaches, and two prestigious programs dueling it out for the (so-called) National Championship. You'd think that looking at tonight's over/under (69.5) that we will have a serious shootout on our hands. Not so fast my friend! My guess for tonight's game is that we will have a serious case of offensive struggling in the 1st half. So if the over does come up, it will be because of a second half shootout. I am very intrigued to see how both Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow play against defenses that have totally different schemes than what they are use to in their respected conferences. I am going to keep this short today, but I really don't know how I am going to handle another Florida Gator BCS Championship. Between newspapers, and local radio talk show it is going to drive me nutz. There is even a station that airs in my neck of the woods on ESPN radio called, "The Gator Connection". In which all they ever talk about is Gator football, recruits, underclassmen, red-shirts, you name it they will find a way to talk about it for an hour everyday. Well, let's get right to my pick for tonight's game. At the beginning of the season my BCS Bowl predictions were somewhat off (3 correct), but one of them are playing in tonight's game and I also picked them at the beginning of the season to be the National Champs so I am sticking to it.

OKLAHOMA +6

Tired of the Big Ten

You know that Chris Rock skit where he says,

"I love rap music, I love it...just tired of defending it."

I feel the exact same way about Big Ten football.

I went to The Capitol One Bowl a year ago when Michigan defeated Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators on New Years Day. It was probably the best game out of all the bowl games that year. Michigan pulled off the upset and defeated the SEC school, it was 1 of 2 victories for the Big Ten in bowl games last season. This season it has gotten worse. The Big Ten went 1-6 this bowl season. ONE WIN! As most of my readers know I hate the Ohio State Buckeyes with a passion, and I actually found myself pulling for them against Texas the other night just so that the Big Ten can save some dignity this season. I have always said the past couple of seasons that the Big Ten is just misunderstood and that they don't have enough games against other power house schools in their environment, which is cold windy weather. But, screw that! You can't teach speed, quickness, or god given ability. And when it comes to the athletes in the Big Ten they just don't compare with the talent in the Big 12 or SEC. It was so apparent in the USC/Penn State, Kansas/Minnesota, and Georgia/Michigan State games. All three of the Big Ten schools were not ready for the speed of these 3 teams. Even though Michigan State stayed in the game, Georgia really let them. My father asked me on New Years Day if the Nittany Lions had a shot today, and I told him that I really think that they might get blown out...they are not ready for USC's speed. And they weren't! Honestly how can the Big Ten compete? If I am a head coach recruiting players to come to my school in the south, all you have to do is send them there in December and show them the type of weather there will be, and the skimpy clothes the ladies are wearing on campus. Tell you what, that would sell me! The Big Ten has to find the athletes that want out of the south, or make sure they get the athletes early in the north. Or the Big Ten will keep finding themselves at the bottom of the barrel as far as top football conferences is concerned. I will continue to be a fan of the Big Ten football, but I will not defend it any time soon.

Deal or No Deal Model Tournament

After a two week layoff from my year long tournament, we are one week away from the final 6 models in my Deal or No Deal Model Tournament. Last week, case #11 Katie defeated Lisa with 8 votes which now has her with case #5 Ursula as the top vote getters thus far, and would give them a bye to the semi-finals. That is if either of these two models receive more. The final matchup in the second round should be a good one. Keep voting!

Crystal - Holder of case #22, Crystal Monte is a young, vivacious California girl. She loves being in the spotlight, but she never imagined that her strong, outgoing personality would lead her to a career in the entertainment industry. This Mexican-Italian-Russian beauty has always been the tallest of her peers, and because of this, everyone always said she should become a model. However, she stayed grounded, knowing that her education was her first priority.

Megan - Holder of case #6, Megan Abrigo is a true island girl who is making some big waves in Los Angeles! She was born on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii, where she got her start in modeling after being spotted by a photographer. By the age of 15, modeling was a part-time hobby that quickly became a passion for Megan. She has also hosted an extreme sports show called "Dialed In," where she got to interview riders and also try the sport. She has been seen in People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in May 2006.

Catch of '08

Truly was the best catch I had seen all year, and there were a ton of great ones. But, this catch by Hakeem Nicks was poetry in motion. Not to mention his overall performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl verses West Virginia:

8 catches
217 yards
3 touchdowns

Let's Vent (NFL Playoffs)

Hello again to all of my faithful readers! It's your boy Deez back at it in the '09! I wish that I could apologize for my lack of posts the past 5 months but I can't. With school and recently my trip back to the dirty 'den, I tried my best to stay clear of the computer as much as possible. Penn State University is driving me nutz this semester so it is safe to say that I will have to take the semester off this spring. Trust me I am not happy in the least, but I do have an opportunity to make some serious cake the next couple months with some side jobs down in the dirty south. I will be definitely picking up the pace with my blogging and I am open to any new ideas that anyone has for me. I will later on this week give my Meriden Christmas/New Years vacation review as well as finishing off the Deal or No Deal Model Tournament as well as the forgotten (my bad) Anniversary Sandlot Characters. Today I am going to vent like I never have on this blog, and it all has to do with the NFL Playoffs. Enjoy!

"HEY LT, STEP IT UP!" - That's right I said it! Ladainian Tomlinson has been the face of the NFL for the past 5 years, but the last two seasons we have seen him hiding on the sideline with his helmet on or off in the distance with a smirk on his face in the postseason. Umm, LT, you have no "marbles". I do not care how hurt you are, or say you are, you should be on the field! I am so sick of the NFL becoming a premadonna league. It's ok though, I loved watching Darren Sproeles go off on the Colts, he is so much fun to watch. But, LT has to be on the field! Primetime playoff game, against a newly made rival...GET ON THE F'N FIELD!

"HEY NFL, DO SOMETHING!" - The overtime situation is driving me absolutely crazy! Tell me that you wouldn't have loved to see Peyton Manning in overtime on Saturday night try for a winning score, or tying score. I am not saying changing it like college, but change it please! Do something! A playoff game being determined by a flip of a coin is just as outrageous as no playoff system in college football, to me at least. Yea, the Chargers deserved to win that game with the way that they played, but come on, for the Colts not to get a chance to score in overtime really, really sucks to me and not because I lost money on the game either.

"HEY MIKE SCIFRES, WAY TO GO!" - I won't stay all negative! Scifres really showed NFL viewers how valuable a punter can be to a team. With his 60+ yard punts, or kicks inside the 20 yard line, he was easily the most valuable player of the game. Way to go Mike, you definitely made the punting position look good Saturday night! Now DON'T BLOW IT NEXT WEEK AND MAKE ME LOOK BAD!

"HEY BALTIMORE AND MIAMI, THANKS!" - For making the game somewhat exciting in the final quarter because it was awful to watch for the first three. It was a good thing that I drove home from Jacksonville before the game because this game surely would have put me to sleep and made it more difficult to drive after. It was too bad that Chad Pennington played the way he did, because I think that some of us will remember his last game, instead of the season that he had. I really thought that I was watching the Washington Redskins on offense for the entire first three quarters which really made me want to puke. But, at least both teams really picked in up late which made for great entertainment until Pennington's last pick in the final minutes, so thanks!

"HEY COWBOYS, WHERE ARE YOU?" - Thank god they are not around! HAHAHAHA!