Welcome to our 6th year of NFL CONFIDENCE PICKS !!!!! This also marks the 99th SEASON OF THE NFL!! SORRY FOR THE DELAY IN POSTING. WE ENCOUNTERED A FEW TECHNICAL DIFICULTIES. WE saw a new NFL record set Sunday: LONGEST GAME. Due to the LIGHTNING delay the Titans/Dolphins game set the record at 7 hours, 10 minutes. Previous record: 5 hours, 16 minutes – Bears vs. Ravens in 1970. (There may have been a longer game before the NFL-AFL merger). After reviewing the “QUESTIONABLE INCOMPLETE”, call for Atlanta Falcon’s Julio Jones. I must concur the call was correct, It appeared the ball touched the ground before he gained control of the ball. Unless I am in error of my understanding. THE new POLICY, regarding STANDING FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. Is still a P-O-L-I-C–Y! Which is what it was last year, when the NFL said a POLICY is not a rule, and cannot be enforced. The only thing I see different is the OPTION to not come on the field. So it appears NFL only publicized it as appeasement to UNITED STATES CITIZENS. The only enforcement will be up to the owners,(and we saw they didn’t enforce it last year. Rule changes and point of EMPHASIS will only appear here this one time. I will try to put them on a separate post with a link to that post on future weeks. So if you don’t want to read these changes just page down to the bracket. Here is a list of the rule changes, as I understand them. 2018 NFL RULES CHANGES USE OF HELMET The most significant change for 2018 is the new Use of Helmet rule. The rule states that it is a foul if a player lowers his head to initiate and make contact with his helmet against an opponent. This rule pertains to all players on the field, and to all areas of the field. Visit the searchable 2018 NFL Rulebook. The officiating standards for the Use of Helmet rule are: Lowering the head (not to include bracing for contact) Initiating contact with the helmet to any part of an opponent. Contact does not have to be to an opponent’s head or neck area — lowering the head and initiating contact to an opponent’s torso, hips, and lower body, is also a foul. Making contact on an opponent (both offense and defense) Players can be ejected for use of helmet fouls — and all ejections will be reviewed by senior officials in Art McNally GameDay Central in New York. The standards for ejection are, if: The player lowers his helmet to establish a linear body posture prior to initiating and making contact with the helmet; The player delivering the blow had an unobstructed path to his opponent; and if The contact was clearly avoidable KICKOFF RULES Owners voted to change the kickoff rules for the 2018 season. The Committee will reevaluate the effects of the changes in the offseason. New kickoff rules for the 2018 NFL season. Beginning this season: The kickoff team must have five players on each side of the ball and cannot line up more than one-yard from the restraining line. For example, the kicking team will line up at the 34-yard line for a kickoff from the 35-yard line. At least two players must be lined up outside the yard-line number and two players between the inbounds lines (hash marks) and the yard-line number. At least eight players of the receiving team must be lined up in the 15-yard “setup zone” prior to kickoff; only three receiving-team players can remain outside of the setup zone. No wedge blocks are permitted. A wedge block is defined as “two or more players intentionally aligning shoulder-to-shoulder within two yards of each other, and who move forward together in an attempt to block for the runner.” Players initially lined up in the setup zone may still double-team a block if it is not a wedge block. Until the ball is touched or hits the ground, no player on either the receiving or kicking team may block within the 15-yard area from the kicking team’s restraining line. On an onside kick, the kicking team may not block in the first 10 yards. The ball is dead if it is not touched by the receiving team and touches the ground in the end zone (touchback). Visit the NFL rulebook to see the official language for the 2018 kickoff rules. CATCH RULE Owners voted to simplify the standards of a catch. There are now three main requirements for completing a catch. The player must: Owners voted to simplify the standards of a catch. Have control of the ball Get two feet or another body part down Make a football move, such as a third step, reaching or extending for the line-to-gain, or having the ability to perform such an act A player no longer must control the ball through the ground for a completed catch, and movement of the ball does not automatically result in loss of control. If a player loses control of the ball, it is an incomplete pass if the ball hits the ground before he regains control, or if he regains control out of bounds. A receiver is considered defenseless throughout the entire process of a catch, up until the player is capable of avoiding or warding off impending contact. ILLEGAL BATTING AND KICKING THE BALL It is an illegal bat if: Any player bats or punches a loose ball in the field of play toward his opponent’s goal line Any player bats or punches a loose ball (that has touched the ground) in any direction, if it is in either end zone An offensive player bats a backward pass in flight toward his opponent’s goal line. A forward pass in flight may be tipped, batted, or deflected in any direction by any eligible player at any time. No player may deliberately kick a loose ball or a ball that is in a player’s… Continue reading NFL CONFIDENCE PICKS WEEK 1 09/06-09-10/2018
Category: NEWS
FLORIDA “STAND YOUR GROUND’ SHOOTING IN CLEARWATER
AFTER reviewing the video posted on : https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-gunman-not-charged-killing-151300042.htm (Be aware these types of videos are sometimes pulled shortly after being posted so if you don’t find it here you can probably search for it and find it somewhere. STAND YOUR GROUND allows a person to use deadly force if they believe they are in MORTAL DANGER. I see this as a Murder case. I am not saying pre-meditated. I don’t think he went there with the intent of killing or even harming anyone. But still some type of Murder charge should be filed. Although the sheriff’s dept did not. As you can see the one man is down. Draws his weapon. The slain man backs away. At this point the potential danger is subsiding. Had the slain man taken even one step toward the downed man. I could see this as being perceived as aggressive behavior. HOWEVER; The step was in a retreating line. At that point in time there was no immediate danger to the downed man. I can not say what state of mind the downed man was in. Obviously he was agitated state of mind. Probably not thinking clearly at the time. (Which I think should be considered in evidence presented in his defense). BUT; I do not think that is grounds for STAND YOUR GROUND. I am a SECOND AMENDMENT advocate. Which also means I do approve the prudent use of guns for self defense. I do support STAND YOUR GROUND. I do not think this instance falls under STAND YOUR GROUND. Yes the man should not have shoved the other person down. HE should have just stepped in between his girl friend and the other party. Of course I am not a florida resident. ( I know i didn’t capitalize the “F” I am not a florida fan. Drove there spent 5 hours at our destination and have had no desire to return. In fact for me to return it would cost them $1 million a day plus expenses) How they interpret their laws is up to them. THAT IS HOW I SEE IT! Just learned this not the first confrontation the downed man had at this location. Views: 122
NCAA March Madness 2018
VILLANOVA 2018 NCAA CHAMPIONS. MICHIGAN 62 VILLANOVA 79 Notre Dame 61-58 over Mississippi State with a buzzer beating 3 pointer. 17 years after Notre Dames last National Championship… NOTRE DAME 2018 NCAA Women’s CHAMIONSHIP !!! This gives the state of Indiana bragging rights. Having teams win both NCAA and NIT Women Championships. IF Michigan can pull off the Win tomorrow night the Big Ten will have both NCAA Mens and Mens NIT Championship. And a combined Men and women 3 National Champions in one year. WE CAN ONLY WAIT AND SEE. (I have no idea when OR if that has ever happened. Indiana Hoosier Women WIN WNIT 65-57 over Virginia Tech Hokies Big 1o looking strong. with two NIT Championships under their belt this year. WILL Michigan be able to add the NCAA Championship to this list? Penn St Nittany Lions defeats Utah Utes 82-67. WE ALL WAITED FOR IT . AFTER ALL THESE YEARS A NUMBER 16 SEED UPSET A NUMBER 1. NOT JUST ANY NUMBER 1. THE OVERALL NUMBER 1 SEED. AND BY 20 POINTS. UMBC UPSET VIRGINIA. HOW ABOUT A BIG HAND FOR UMBC. Can they go on and be a true “CINDERELLA” Team. If they continue to play like they did today. A real possibility. Alas the dream came to an end. However, it may signal a new era of parity in this Modern Era of college basketball. Seems we were treated, in the past few years with more 15 Seeds upsetting 2 seeds. Now a 16 upsetting a 1 seed. We will just have to wait and see, what the future brings. I can’t help wondering if anyone has a perfect bracket. With only 2 number 1 seeds left; and 2 number 2 seeds left. On the SOUTH bracket, we see highest seeds of 5 (Kentucky), and 7th seeded Nevada. Remaining. The WEST has a number 3 seed, (Michigan), and a number 4 seed (Gonzaga), yet on a possible quest to the FINAL FOUR. The Right side, EAST, and MIDWEST, (for the most part), has pretty much remained intact, both with number 1 and number 2 seeds still in play. WELCOME TO OUR 2018 MARCH MADNESS. I am not sure How many years we have been doing this. I will have to look it up. (Pre-Blog days Has been online since 1992) Warren Buffett has once again offered $1 million dollars for life to any of his employees who gets the final 16 correct.(there’s a 1 in 1.24X1064 chance of accurately predicting all 16 teams. ) Not everyone will go home empty-handed, though. Whichever employee’s bracket makes it the furthest in the tournament will win $100,000. I wonder if anyone still has a chance to win it; NOW. This is where you can print your “OFFICE POOL” Bracket, Check the scores, etc. I will have A “MASTER BRACKET”, “WHAT IF YOU CHOSE THE HIGH PICKS” for each game. An “UPSET BRACKET” (if the favored team wins it will be in Green, if it is an upset it will be listed in RED”. And, Yes I will have “MY PICKS” so you can compare your picks to mine. (And Laugh or Cry) What is a seed? Merely a starting place. Although unlikely, IT is possible for two 16 seeds to meet in the final game. Would lets say Michigan St were to be seeded as a number 16. They would still have to win all games to be CHAMPION ! SEEDING attempts to give a more favored team an easier path to the CHAMPIONSHIP. Seeding should lead to the best 2 teams playing in the final game. However there is always that upset minded team; or the chance that the favored team has a bad game, a stand out player is sick or injured. Selection Sunday will be Sunday March 11, 2018. At 6pm. You can watch the Selections Live on TBS. Something different this year. ALL 68 teams will be announced at the beginning. Teams will know if they are in or out before the seeding announcements. The First Four, (play in games), will be played March 13 and 14. On TRU tv. All games will be played in Dayton Ohio. Two games March 13. Two games March 14. Time is to be determined later. To print BRACKET: HOVER OVER SHEET. You will see a window at bottom with an arrow pointing down (second from right). Click this button. It will open a new window with the bracket then click the printer icon or go to file, and PRINT. Will only print in black and White. TO Enlarge each sheet: Hover over and select the square on the far bottom RIGHT. I think my sentimental favorite, right now has to First Time Ever entry the “BISONS” of LIPSCOMB ! I must say I am very disappointed, by the Selection Committee’s decision. Placing Conference Champions in a play in position, while seeding others (with questionable credentials), in the set field. All Times Atlantic Standard Time (or for the uneducated EDT) MASTER BRACKET [pdf-embedder url=”https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-MM-Brackett-Master.pdf” title=”2018 MM Brackett Master”] ALL HIGH PICKS [pdf-embedder url=”https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-MM-Brackett-HIGH-.pdf” title=”2018 MM Brackett HIGH”] UPSETS [pdf-embedder url=”http://worldfootballcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-MM-Brackett-UPSETS.pdf” title=”2018 MM Brackett UPSETS”] MY PICKS [pdf-embedder url=”http://worldfootballcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2018-MM-Brackett-MY-PICKS.pdf” title=”2018 MM Brackett MY PICKS”] Views: 122
Parkland High School Shooting Thoughts
While putting together my thoughts on the recent tragedy in Florida. I had many things flash through this feeble mind. We had the shock of another terrible loss of young lives. We had the “STUDENT ACTOR”. We had the Scripted Interviews. We had the usual MEDIA SPIN. We had the Anti Gunners. We had the Pro-Gunners. We had the Sheriff’s men who failed to enter the school. So let us look at these things. First the Shooter. Had he not lost his parents at such a tender age, would he not have acted the way he did. It appears that his adoptive family, noticed he was troubled. According to reports the local constabulary, even the FBI, had concerns about the mental/emotional stability of Nineteen (19) year old Nikolas Cruz, EVEN the school personnel had concerns. They expelled him. I have not read or heard anything where these people tried to get him help. Had they tried to get him help, would it have possibly detoured this terrible event. Probably, maybe not. We don’t know. BUT, it would have been worth a try. Should he have had guns. Given his background reports we have seen; NO! BUT, there is always a but; I believe this to be where the LAW should have impounded his guns, until further investigation, and psychic evaluation was attained. BUT, WAIT ! He did have grenades. Where did these come from? I am sure they are harder to get than guns. Aren’t they? Seems they should be. Now the student and teacher population of this School. It is always a bad sign for our future when innocent young people needlessly lose their lives. Seventeen, 17, lives. I would not want my children exposed to this. Nor to the pain of those who were at the school or worse witnessed the unfortunate incident. I know of no Teacher who leaves for school thinking I may be killed at work today. Who knows what emotional and/or mental damage may have been done. We all know the MEDIA, has a penchant to SLANT the news the way they want it. How many times have you watched political events, or anything, only to have the NEWS MEDIA, say “Now let US tell you what you really heard”. ? I remember learning in grade school, then having my newspaper editor reinforce. A reporter tells WHO, is in the story. WHAT, is the story. WHEN, the event occurred. WHY, did the event occur. The WHY, becomes the gray area. You have heard of sport team announcers getting fired because they said something the OWNER found to be derogatory to the team. Players get fined, for the same thing. It most probably is TRUE. BUT, are contrary to what the BOSS wants. The same is true with reporters, They may disagree with management, BUT, (see here it is again; I wonder how many times I will use it today), THEIR JOB maybe on the line. Some may simply state their opinions, (NOT FACTS), In other words they EDITORIALIZE. NOTE: Editorialize is what I do. After all this BLOG is for MY OPINIONS. I share them with you as MY opinions. Not hardcore news. (See the difference) Is the media above scripting interviews. NO happens quite often. Are the anti-gunners above hiring actors to further their propaganda. SURE ARE. How about the Pro-gunners. Could be. Probably do. But I prefer to think They would be ABOVE taking advantage of such an event as this. One thing ANTI-GUNNERS are quick to point out is “Law enforcement is only a call away”. In this case they were just OUTSIDE the door. THEY WERE A LOT OF HELP. Had teachers been able to have guns….Would that have altered the outcome? Hard to tell. I am not sure I would be able to pull the trigger. I think I would be more inclined to pull that trigger to protect someone else (KIDS) than I would be to protect myself. BUT, I am sure if it was him or me, I would choose ME. What I am saying is; if it were just me and him, I would most likely not go hunt him. BUT, if he came hunting for me. DEFINITELY ME. Back to the Law Enforcement Officers. YOU CANNOT COUNT ON THEM. My own experience. 1. I had a motorcycle stolen off my front porch. I called the police. I was told; “ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS IF THEY SAW ANYTHING”. ” COME TO THE STATION AND FILL OUT A REPORT”. 2. My High School son was threatened that he would be shot when he walked out of the school, (a disagreement about a girl), I called the cops. I was told, “Just one of those teenage things. You probably should pick him up and take him home after school”. 3. I had my Mustang convertible top slashed, the dash destroyed. My truck window smashed and the stereos stolen from both. Witnesses knew who did it. The Cops knocked on the culprits door, and said, “Did you steal those radios’? He said, “No”. The cops said okay. That was all there was to it. 4. While watching a friends property while he was away. One of his relatives called said he had received a threat of vandalism to the property at some time soon. I called our local County Mounties. “It will be some time before we can get there”, they said. It took me about a half hour to get there. No damage yet. One (1) hour passed. No County Mounties. After waiting another half hour, I called again. “We haven’t dispatched anyone to that location yet” Yeah. Right. The Law is only a few minutes away. HA,HA. The Right to Bear Arms is a constitutional right. A Right that state shall not be infringed upon. That means NO ONE can stop you from legally owning or carrying a gun. There have been exceptions made. Felons, people with a misdemeanor of domestic battery, mental disorders, or if so adjudicated by a judge. Driving is… Continue reading Parkland High School Shooting Thoughts
SUPER BOWL LII 2018
Eagles Win !!! MVP is….QB. NICK FOLES NICK FOLES FROM BACKUP QB TO SUPER BOWL MVP!!!!! IT IS THAT TIME AGAIN !!! It’s that time again. Thank Goodness this season will soon be over! I am sorry for you who were not able to break your habit of watching NON PATRIOTIC MILLIONAIRES (not all were NON PATRIOTIC, just enough to kill the NFL). Yeah! You read that right. NFL is dead they just don’t realize it yet. They must take reparative measures during the “Off Season”, to resurrect itself. Although I have watched only the “SNOW BOWL” this season, I would be rooting for any TEAM playing against NEW ENGLAND. They have such a bad record of underhanded dealings. You have to be a hard boiled NE fan to overlook the shady things they have done. It is my belief they traded off Jimmy Garoppolo as a means to leave New England in a start anew situation when Brady and Belichick retire in a year or two. BUT what they did was a favor for Garoppolo by trading him he is able to get valuable playing time. ON the other hand, not knowing the ins and outs of the 49’ers, Patriots deal; New England’s shady past. Could it be possible the deal was more of a LOANER, with the stipulation, (oral contract), with Garoppolo returning to NE when Brady retires, with many games of experience, rather than sitting and watching. Again this year, from the previews I have seen of the Super Bowl commercials. ALL TOTAL FLOPS. Compared to it’s history. I found them all cringeworthy. NO CLYDESDALES? Hope to be surprised. The best commercial I saw was more for message than for content. That commercial is the Budweiser change to canning water. Enjoy; if you can the show. I Never expect anything from the Half Time Show. They used to be okay. NOW it is BLAH!!! NO ! I WILL NOT BE WASTING MY TIME WATCHING. PLAYOFF BRACKET All times EST WILD CARD DIVISIONAL CONFERENCE SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Tennessee(5) 22 14 Tennessee(5) Kansas City 21 Jan 13 @ 20:15 NBC New England (1) 24 New England (1) 35 Jan 21 @ TBD TBA Buffalo (5) 3 M45 New England (1) Jan 7 @ 13:05 NBC Jacksonville (3) Jacksonville (3) 10 Jan 14 @ 13:05 CBS Jacksonville (3) 20 Pittsburgh (2) 42 Feb 4 @ 18:30 NBC MINNESOTA Carolina (6) 26 New Orleans (4) 24 CHAMPIONS Jan 7 @ 16:40 FOX New Orleans (4) 31 Jan 14 @ 13:05 CBS Minnesota (2) Minnesota (2) 29 MINNESOTA (2) Jan 21 @ TBD TBA Philadelphia (1) Atlanta (6) 10 Atlanta (6) 26 Jan 14 @ 16:35 NBC Philadelphia (1) 38 Jan 6 @ 20:15 NBC Los Angeles (3) 13 15 Philadelphia (1) Views: 110
SUPER BOWL LII 2018
IT IS THAT TIME AGAIN !!! PLAYOFF BRACKET WILD CARD DIVISIONAL CONFERENCE SUPER BOWL CHAMPION Tennessee(5) 22 Jan 6 @ 16:35 on ESPN/ABC Tennessee(5) Kansas City 21 Jan 13 @ 20:15 NBC New England (1) Jan 21 @ TBD TBA Buffalo (5) 3 Jan 7 @ 13:05 NBC Jacksonville (3) Jacksonville (3) 10 Jan 14 @ 13:05 CBS Pittsburgh (2) Feb 4 @ 18:30 NBC Carolina (6) 26 New Orleans (4) Jan 7 @ 16:40 FOX New Orleans (4) 31 Jan 14 @ 13:05 CBS Minnesota (2) Jan 21 @ TBD TBA Atlanta (6) 26 Atlanta Jan 6 @ 20:15 NBC Los Angeles (3) 13 Jan 14 @ 16:35 NBC Philadelphia (1) All times EST DATE MATCH UP GAME TIME TV Network JAN 6, 2018 TENNESSEE/KANSAS CITY 16:35 ESPN/ABC TITANS 21 KC 21 ATLANTA/LOS ANGELES 20:15 NBC ATLANTA 26 LA 13 JAN 7,2018 BUFFALO/JACKSONVILLE 13:05 CBS Buffalo 3 J’VILLE 10 CAROLINA/NEW ORLEANS 16:40 FOX Carolina 26 New Orleans 31 JAN 13,2018 ATLANTA/ PHILADELPHIA 16:35 NBC TENNESSEE / NEW ENGLAND 20:15 CBS JAN 14, 2018 J’ville/ PITTSBURGH 13:05 CBS Jan 7, 2018 CAROLINA/NEW ORLEANS 16:40 FOX JAN 21, 2018 TN,,NE/,JV,PIT TBD TBA ATL,PHI/,NO,MINN TBD TBA FEB 04,2018 SUPER BOWL 18:30 NBC Views: 121
NFL Confidence Picks WEEK 17 12/31/ 2017
Everyone seems to be making an ado, about NO SUNDAY NIGHT GAME. As if it were something the NFL just arbitrarily changed at the last minute. THEY DIDN’T. The schedule you see printed here is the one I got from the NFL before the season started. So, if sportscasters, coaches, players, etc. seem surprised….I guess they were only looking at one week at a time. INDIANA, legislators working to compel full face refund by end of 1st period if players kneel during National Anthem. GOOD FOR THEM. If the NFL won’t enforce their POLICY/RULES; at least in INDIANA, if the proposal passes, will give the PATRIOTIC FANS a little more say. For those of you who do not know how confidence ranking works, let me explain. If we were playing an office pool,(which we ARE NOT). The object is to score the most points. To obtain the score YOU rank the teams by how confident you are a team will win its game. EXAMPLE: Say this week we have 16 games. The team you are most confident will win you would assign the number 16 and follow down to the team you are least confident in and assign that number 1. We use the Monday night game(last game) as a TIE BREAKER. The tie is broken by the closest to the total (that is the COMBINED score of the two participating teams) final score, without going over. If we were playing this is how my sheet would look; My pick will be in bold Capital letters. you can use circling, underlining, or highlighting. I will show my correct points in Bold YOU can adopt the scoring described above. Or, the optional method. A negative score for missed games. We will continue to get a positive score for correct predictions. EXAMPLE: if you scored 1 pt on the first game and you had 15 pts on the second game and lost you would still have a Positive 1. HOWEVER. with the same scenario new scoring system would result with a -14 score. I will fill in my picks Thursday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS-COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. BYE WEEK: NONE NOTE: Flexible Scheduling NO Thursday or Monday Games. ALL GAMES SUNDAY. NO NEW YEARS DAY GAME. ENJOY THE COLLEGE BOWLS All Times EST GAME # TV VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE SUNDAY 12:31 13:00 1 FOX Panthers @ Falcons 2 CBS Bengals @ Ravens 3 CBS Jaguars @ Titans 4 FOX Saints @ Buccaneers 5 CBS Browns @ Steelers 6 FOX Packers @ Lions 7 CBS Texans @ Colts 8 CBS Bills @ Dolphins 9 FOX Bears @ Vikings 10 CBS Jets @ Patriots 11 FOX Redskins @ Giants 12 FOX Cowboys @ Eagles SUNDAY 12:31 16:25 13 CBS Raiders @ Chargers 14 CBS Chiefs @ Broncos 15 FOX 49’ers @ Ram 16 FOX Cardinals @ Seahawks GAMES 136 Pts Possible Tie Break (Sunday 2 team total Actual Views: 108
NFL Confidence Picks WEEK 16 12/23,23,24,25/ 2017
Two more weeks of regular NFL football season. I watched just one game this year. If I wanted to support NON-AMERICANS , play games, I would simply subscribe to foreign channels. By Non-American I am really saying NON-PATRIOTS. BUT…that is a part of living in this great nation. IT IS THEIR RIGHT. So long as they do not break the law. HOWEVER they have INFRINGED upon my right to enjoy what was once my enjoyment of the game. The SPINELESS OWNERS and COMMISSIONER, who chose not to enforce, POLICY/RULES. I have made it through this year. Maybe next year I won’t watch any games again. Or EVER. Baseball is one game I have not missed since the season of the BIG STRIKE. (Except 1 game). NBA has nothing to offer since they have changed all the RULES. (Allowing Palming the ball, Not counting Steps as travelling, Offensive Goal Tending). I was watching a clip of Michael Jordan. He dribbled 6 times bringing the ball down the court, taking a couple steps each time he palmed, (placing the hand under the ball between dribbles, and taking at least 2 steps. I also counted a MINIMUM of 4 steps before OFFENSIVE GOAL TENDING, [slam dunk, which allows the hand to occupy the imaginary area above the rim, {NOTE: Defensive players are not allowed in this area}. I am rapidly running out of sports. Maybe Austrailan Rules Football will gain popularity here. AND TOTALLY FORGET SOCCER. I am only talking about sports here. ICE HOCKEY I can enjoy, Maybe I will start watching more of it. I may find it has unpatriotic players too. Have to check it out. As for Olympians: Never think you are playing for the President or anyone but yourself, and your Country. (Few successful American Olympians are not quite well off financially. So you see they are playing for their own selves, representing your Country is merely a side affect). _______________________________________________ You can skip this part if you want. NON SPORTS RELATED Most of the RETIREES on Social Security I have spoken with, once again, are going in the hole with the so-called “RAISE”, The government claimed to give them. Everyone I spoke to either get a smaller check or stay where they have been for many years now. The “RAISE”, was eaten up in Medicare payments. The increased deductible, etc. Imagine if you will paying a portion of your check into a non-interest bearing retirement fund for 50 years. Your money would buy more when you invested it, than it will now. Imagine if you have not had a real raise for several years. Your employee insurance does not cover a great deal of your medical expenses, NO MORE Dental, “but you need dental work, all out of your pocket. You have to pay 15% of what you bring home for INSURANCE to cover the costs not covered by the employee insurance. EXAMPLE: YOUR GROSS PER WEEK $295 –(insurance) $32 =$263– (deductible) $43= $220 – (co-insurance to pick up what original insurance does not cover) $116= $104. Now subtract Dental, Vision, (I just got new glasses, cost me $1180). Utility bills, FOOD, Home/renters Insurance, Home Maintenance, Transportation costs, (Fares, gas, Insurance for auto, Maintenance, etc). Prescriptions not covered, Entertainment? And let’s not forget the little Over The Counter medicines, aspirin, cold, flu, allergy, etc. Gifts for your childeren, spouse, parents? How are you doing? OH yes I did forget SHELTER, didn’t I. WHAT CAN YOU GIVE UP??? Pets, If you live alone, you really need a pet. I know some of you are saying “YOU should have saved some of your own income for retirement”. I know people who did. However They lost a lot in the “RECESSION” pre -2009. The cut backs. Jobs lost due to closures. I know of one person who has 2 bachelor degrees, 2 masters, degrees, and 2 doctorals. After 25 years in his field, (too young for SS). Applied for an entry level job. Actually below entry level, ( in his field. Was told, “Sorry you don’t meet the minimum requirements”. In reality they were telling him TOO OLD. But since that would be discrimination…. Had to live on that savings for 8 years, until reaching SS retirement. Either OVER/UNDER qualified. Truthful now could you do it. MOVIE REVIEW: THE LAST JEDI After last year’s installment of the STAR WARS saga, I was ready to give it up. ROUGUE ONE, was the ABSOLUTE WORST of all Star wars movies. Pushing to worst movie of all time. I really did not want to pay that money if I was going to sleep through most of it, as I did Rougue One. A friend talked me into going (They paid). I was amazed how Last Jedi, returned to the greatness of past Star Wars. The story line was much more coherent, the cinemagraphics, was a GIANT leap, from Rougue One. The actors did not seem to be forcing lines, as they did in Rougue One. The use of 3-D excellent, (Rougue One, I had to keep checking to assure myself the movie really was 3-D). Even went out of the theater to be sure I was in the correct one. I was. By taking in a Noon showing on Sunday, it was like a private showing, only 17 of us in the theater. Goodrich Quality Theaters offered a Tuesday showing, (not 3-D) to loyalty members for $5. If not for prior commitments I would have watched it again. 5 stars for 3-D version. Highly recommend this one for all Star Wars fans. ————————————————————————————— For those of you who do not know how confidence ranking works, let me explain. If we were playing an office pool,(which we ARE NOT). The object is to score the most points. To obtain the score YOU rank the teams by how confident you are a team will win its game. EXAMPLE: Say this week we have 16 games. The team you are most confident will win you would assign the number 16 and follow down to the team… Continue reading NFL Confidence Picks WEEK 16 12/23,23,24,25/ 2017
NFL Confidence Picks WEEK 15 12/14,16,17,18/11/ 2017
I must admit. I did watch the Colts and Bills game. It was good to watch a game Being played in the natural elements. Like before the move to warmer climates, and domed stadiums. (Indoor stadiums; BAH HUMBUG!) I do think the Colts got ripped off. As mo st of the people I heard talking about the game. The Colts successfuly scored as conversion play. THEN! About 2-3 minutes (at least); in reL time passed THEN a flag was thrown nullifying the winning score. I truly believe there should be a time limit forf throwing a flag. This one was ridiculous. The thought of these people I listened to is; Colts had nothing to gain with a win. The Bill’s, a possible play off spot. So the officials decided to throw the L A T E flag in order to give the Bills a second chance. I think they have a point. What do you think. Should there be a time limit for a flag to be thrown. Looking to the suspensions of former players for “SEXUAL HARASSMENT” . My,Oh My. What a travesty. I find it absolutely appalling that a WOMAN, is able to make ACCUSATIONS of Sexual Harassment, without offering any proof. People accept these accusations, (which can destroy a persons life), as fact. Remember in the USA a person is ” INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY”. However, that does not seem to be the case here. Public figures, as well as anyone else, can be the object of this CHARACTER ASSANIATION. A woman can do this, however if a MAN were to say similar things about a woman he would be totally ignored. I am merely asking that a woman OR a man, be prepared to prove the things they say. A majority of these ACCUSERS have no proof. It is merely a case of SHE said, HE said. I find it difficult to believe, any one sexually harassing some one would do it in PUBLIC. Therefore a “SHE said, He said. I am certain some of these may occur in a a public setting. Did anyone actually see it? Will they be able to support the accusations. So many of these accusations, took place long ago. I have also noticed many of these women have accepted some kind of “SETTLEMENT”. Then when they think they can get another 15 minutes of fame. BRING it up again, in public media. I am not saying these things did not happen. Only that ACCUSERS powered by the media are ruining people’s lives just by intimiting these improprieties. Because of you lemmings out there choose to believe anything the MEDIA puts out there. SHAME on you. For letting the media CONTROL YOU. This is merely my opinion. and I can live with it. If you can live with yourselves for being a lamb led to slaughter without questioning it……. For those of you who do not know how confidence ranking works, let me explain. If we were playing an office pool,(which we ARE NOT). The object is to score the most points. To obtain the score YOU rank the teams by how confident you are a team will win its game. EXAMPLE: Say this week we have 16 games. The team you are most confident will win you would assign the number 16 and follow down to the team you are least confident in and assign that number 1. We use the Monday night game(last game) as a TIE BREAKER. The tie is broken by the closest to the total (that is the COMBINED score of the two participating teams) final score, without going over. If we were playing this is how my sheet would look; My pick will be in bold Capital letters. you can use circling, underlining, or highlighting. I will show my correct points in Bold YOU can adopt the scoring described above. Or, the optional method. A negative score for missed games. We will continue to get a positive score for correct predictions. EXAMPLE: if you scored 1 pt on the first game and you had 15 pts on the second game and lost you would still have a Positive 1. HOWEVER. with the same scenario new scoring system would result with a -14 score. I will fill in my picks Thursday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS-COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. NOTE: Flexible Scheduling 2 Saturday games. 16:30, and 20:25 All Times EST GAME # TV VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE THUR 12/14/17 20:25 1 NBC Broncos @ Colts Saturday 12/16/17 16:30 2 NFL Bears @ Lions Saturday 12/16/17 20:25 3 NFL Chargers @ Chiefs Sunday 12/17/17 13:00 4 CBS Texans @ Jaguars 5 CBS Ravens @ Browns 6 FOX Packers @ Panthers 7 CBS Dolphins @ Bills 8 CBS Bengals @ Vikings 9 FOX Cardinals @ Redskins 10 FOX Eagles @ Giants 11 CBS Jets @ Saints Sunday 12/17/17 16:05 12 FOX Rams @ Seahawks Sunday 12/17/17 16:25 13 CBS Titans @ 49’ers 14 CBS Patriots @ Steelers Sunday 12/17/17 20:30 15 NBC Cowboys @ Raiders MONDAY 112/18/17 16 ESPN Falcons @ Buccaneers GAMES 136 Pts Possible GAMES Tie Break (Sunday 2 team total Actual Score Points Off Views: 104
NFL Confidence Picks WEEK 14 12/07,10/11/ 2017
For those of you who do not know how confidence ranking works, let me explain. If we were playing an office pool,(which we ARE NOT). The object is to score the most points. To obtain the score YOU rank the teams by how confident you are a team will win its game. EXAMPLE: Say this week we have 16 games. The team you are most confident will win you would assign the number 16 and follow down to the team you are least confident in and assign that number 1. We use the Monday night game(last game) as a TIE BREAKER. The tie is broken by the closest to the total (that is the COMBINED score of the two participating teams) final score, without going over. If we were playing this is how my sheet would look; My pick will be in bold Capital letters. you can use circling, underlining, or highlighting. I will show my correct points in Bold YOU can adopt the scoring described above. Or, the optional method. A negative score for missed games. We will continue to get a positive score for correct predictions. EXAMPLE: if you scored 1 pt on the first game and you had 15 pts on the second game and lost you would still have a Positive 1. HOWEVER. with the same scenario new scoring system would result with a -14 score. I will fill in my picks Thursday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS-COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. BYE WEEK: NONE NOTE: Flexible Scheduling All Times EST GAME # TV VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE THUR 12/07/17 20:25 1 NBC Saints @ Falcons SUNDAY 12/10/17 13:00 2 CBS Colts @ Bills 3 FOX Lions @ Buccaneers 4 CBS Raiders @ Chiefs 5 FOX Seahawks @ Jaguars 6 FOX 49’ers @ Texans 7 FOX Packers @ Browns 8 FOX Bears @ Bengals 9 CBS Vikings @ Panthers SUNDAY 12/10/17 14:05 10 CBS Redskins @ Chargers 11 CBS Jets @ Broncos 12 CBS Titans @ Cardinals SUNDAY 12/10/17 14:25 13 FOX Cowboys @ Giants 14 FOX Eagles @ Rams SUNDAY 12/10/17 20:30 15 NBC Ravens @ Steelers MONDAY 12/11/17 20:30 16 ESPN Patriots @ Dolphins GAMES 136 Pts Possible Tie Break (Sunday 2 team total Actual Score Points Off Views: 102
