A Football Fraud-Acupuncture News Partnership

For once, I can actually post something relevant to two of my blogs!

The New York Times (normally not a name I trust in news) reported on a colleague dubbed "the traveling NFL acupuncturist." My issues, other than jealousy, is that the article does not say where she received her training and it seems she is practicing a "if it hurts, stick it" style of acupuncture. Granted, this is essentially the premiss of dry needling and medical acupuncture, but it is bothersome how much she is raking in for performing a best-guess procedure.

I reiterate, I am jealous.

I have often wondered why reports of professional athletes receiving acupuncture were few and far between, but with hope, news like this will get some of the pro and college teams interested in incorporating it into their programs.

And now, some predictions:

This weeks winners: Eagles, Saints, Bears, Packers, Titans, Chiefs, Dolphins, Vikings, Giants, Chargers, Colts, Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, Ravens, and Patriots

It will not be 3 points that the Patriots win by against the Jets, however they will still think they are winning the super-bowl just because Rex Ryan says so and queek-by victories are still victories

In light of Drew B. winning the Sports Illustrated athlete of the year award, they will double the usual mentions of how much the city of N.O. has been through during their match-up with the Bengals (and TO will dominate this week again)

Week Four Picks

Falcons - as long as the head has come down from last week

Jets - but it would be awesome if the Bills finally won one. They came close against my now second most disliked team, coach, and quarterback in the NFL.

Bengals - I wonder if the Brown will trot out McCoy. I get they want to "save him for good" but maybe now would be a good time to wet his beak a little.

Packers - I normally do not go for a team that played the previous Monday, and the Lions look pretty good loosing. I would not take the current 11.5 spread. Rodgers is still on my top 5 least favorite quarterbacks this season. The guy is hiding something, I just know it!

Titans - I think they have it at home, otherwise I would call Broncos.

Seahawks - I love a coach who puts it on like he is a total goof-bucket while having the heart of Machiavelli.

Saints - I really hope they win this week. That city has been through so much.

Ravens - Only because I think the fix is in. Big Ben coming back to 4-0? Someone with big knuckles will make sure that doesn't happen!

Texans - I still believe, and Dallas was due last week anyway

Colts - Nothing illuminating to say here

Eagles - And the fans won't boo McNabb any more than they did when he was their quarterback.

Chargers - When in doubt, I am picking the home team.

Giants - Yes, my guys are boys this season, but they had an extra day over the Bears and home field advantage. They will pull it together.

Dolphins - Another in my shortlist of contenders

Week 3 Predictions (updated)

Let's see how well I do picking this weeks winners:

49ers (so close, so due)

Lions (ditto)

Patriots (damn it)

Saints (I really hope they win this week. That city has been through so much.)

Giants (sentimental choice)

Buccaneers (home-field advantage)

Panthers (I believe in Clausen at least beating the spread)

Ravens (the original Browns, sort of)

Texans (on my Top 5 superbowl contenders)

Redskins (no contest)

Eagles (even I want to watch Vick)

Colts (the fire is back)

Cardinals (going with the line on this one)

Seahawks (going against the line on this one)

Dolphins (wishful thinking but still a possibility)

Bears (because I feel like it . . . and I feel compelled to moderate the fever of the Packer fans I will be sharing wings with)

Aftermath

Correct Pick:

Ravens (no surprise)

Patriots (rough win)

Colts (no big prize for calling this one)

Seahawks (phew)

Cardinals (close call)

Eagles (Vic - credit where credit is due)

Bears (YESSSSSSS!)

Bad Pick:

Giants ("sigh")

Saints (I admit, I am really happy on that one - awesome game)

Lions (500 TDs - way to go BF)

Texans (also slightly happy)

Buckaneers (maybe the Steelers don't need Big Ben to come back?)

Panthers (I knew it was a long shot)

49ers (surprised they got that spanked!)

Redskins (apparently it was no contest for the Rams)

Dolphins (ugggg! Well, it was a wishful thinking pick)

7:9. Wow - that was bad!

Watching Monday Night Football . . .

. . . and WWE Monday night Raw (man things have gone downhill since they stopped 'roiding), I am hoping the presence of Jerry Rice will help a San Francisco win at home. Actually, I am hoping for the kinds of wins where no one in the playoffs last year will be in the playoffs this year! Unfortunately, I have already had several disappointments in the past 2 weeks, and some of them I am feeling really conflicted about.

Patriots/Jets: Okay, sit down, I actually wanted them to beat the Jets yesterday. Sort of. I was so conflicted. On one hand, the Jets winning would mean each lost a game, on the other, I am doubly irritated over the reaction of the sports-talk media to the reporter incident last week. Is it too much to ask that we retire the "she was asking for it" and "boys will be boys" cliches that are used as an excuse for unprofessional behavior? But I begrudgingly admit that the Jets did get some horrible calls that Ryan got repealed - he may be a bombastic pompous ass, but he does back his team. And Tom Brady's hair is stupid. What the heck happened to them after the first quarter? I was ready for 2 hours of back-and-forth domination, but it fizzled out.

Cowboys: They used the be the team I hated more than anything, but Tony Romo grew on me last season and I am a little bummed they are 0-2. Someday I will see a game in the new stadium.

Lions: So close, but no dice.

Redskins: I declared myself a fan when the Eagles traded out McNabb, and I was thrilled with their week-one win. They gave it a great go against the Texans this week, a team that I think is going to dominate.

Manning vs Manning: Another conflict. As a lifelong Giants fan, of course I was rooting for them, but I was happy Indy pulled them out of the shame of a beating last week by the Texans. I just wish they could have done it in a little less of a smackdown.

Eagles: Okay, I have mentioned more than once I feel Vick is a scumbag, but he is exciting to watch, especially since he got his legs back.

Favre: Favre.

There are a lot of potential bright-spots this weekend, and I plan on expounding on those later this week.

Fantasy Draft - Mmmm, Wings

Despite my husband's insistance that I would be great at fantasy football, my doctoral studies put a crimp in adding extracirrucular activites. However, I am not able to resist a trip to BW3s, so I loaded up some reading and went with him to the neighorborhood draft party.

The look of restrained panic on the guys' faces when we walked over the the draft table was adorable. It was as if they were thinking "Oh no - she is going to ask a bunch of dumb questions and try to talk about shoes or fashion or some other wifey topic!" Sensing I would harsh their man-time-mellow, not to mention hubs was giving me that 13-year-old-with-his-mother-out-in-public look, I high tailed it over to the bar where I watched 2 college games and a Yankees matchup, was given a double order of wings "by accident" (wink from the server), finished 2 chapters of epidemiology, and had a lovely chat with the other folks at the bar.

For the record, I found this entire thing amusing - I routinely kick him out of ladies night so I figure it is fair payback if I really wanted to care. Which I don't.

The rest of preseason has been a bit of a yawn. Brett Favre is back and that is just ducky, but I just hope he actually makes it to the end of the season. Or September. Tebow was sent a clear message when Orton was given a totally unnecessary 1-year contract that he was not the number one guy, and I feel that is good to keep his ego in check and his practice strong. Revis is still holding out and I think that is awesome. The Jets cutting people to try and broker a deal with him is malicious and calculated scapegoating - I hope he calls them out on it and gets bought by cornerback-short Dallas. Chad 8-5 scored some coolness points by admitting his ear-bling is from Claires rather than have 100K shoved in his lobes - this is a guy who is keeping his money. And Big Ben gets 6 game suspension reduced to 4 as promised for "good" behavior - but with all of this time about to be on his hands, I can't help but wonder what drama is forthcoming.

T-4 days!

5 Pre-Season Positives

No, this is not about drug tests! I have been sporadically watching games and sports shows all week and am excited by many of the players I have seen.

Jimmy Clausen - I realize it is a little early to start making proclamations, but I like his swagger a lot better at Carolina than I did at Notre Dame. He seemed to have dropped what I saw as a whiny and cocky attitude and traded it in for a quietly confident presence on the field. His game face is pretty intimidating too. I do not know if he will take the QB spot from Moore, but it does have that Sanchez-Jets feel of last season. Plus, I love watching a good rain-game!

Tim Tebow - I am glad he shaved off the Friar Tuck 'do. I have now idea why I want this guy to do well. I have always disliked the Bronchos, McDanials is a chip off the ole' Belichick, and anyone who knows me knows I do not participate in evangelical worship or public displays of do-gooding. I just plain like a guy who has an honest conviction, a willingness to go with the flow, and an eagerness to change what is familiar for the betterment of self and team. Watching him is entertaining, especially since he can play rough and tumble.

Victor Cruz - Was it 3 one-handed catches? I lost count. There is something extra-special about an undraft stud working his heart out at camp for a job. If the Giants do not take this guy, they have lost their minds. I combine Cruz with the Giant's win at Meadowlands 2.0 into the same positive pre-season moment since he is largely responsible for the inaugural defeat!

Tony Dungy - Calling out Rex Ryan's bombastic, obscenity-laden, and attention-seeking behavior in Hard Knocks specifically may sound sanctimonious and hypocritical to some, but the cursing and showboating is annoying to many people in the league. Since Dungy is not coaching anymore and is an analyst, he has the freedom to speak his mind. Plus, his opinion resulted in Rex's daddy getting defensive and showing his own insecurities by insinuating Dungy is a nobody. Sunrise, sunset.

Lost Treasures of NFL Films - We stumbled across this show one night and it is an amazing 5-part documentary from 1999 about the evolution of NFL films and football from the 1960s. The footage had never been shown before because the films had been accumulating dust in a storage room for a couple of decades. They compiled other "Lost Treasure" seasons and you can find some of them on Hulu, otherwise they have this On Demand on the NFL network.

Hard-Knocks

I am sitting here watching the first episode and my love for Rex Ryan continues it's path to agenesis.

Just kidding, Rex Ryan is 1.0001th place on the list of coaches I wish would go away. Who is #1? If you have been paying attention, you should not have to ask.

I thought this show was supposed to be about the players, not Ryan eating at "Ryan Cafe" and spouting f-bombs for an hour. Watching the guys get cut at the end got me in the gut too - a shame Ryan did not look them in the eye to tell them they were being let go. I hope at the end of the 2010 season, Joe Namath remains the only Jets super bowl QB. The first game is on Monday night - GO GIANTS!

I also hope Revis holds out and gets traded to someone who will pay him what he is worth. In any other sales job, you would get a raise based on performance. All athletes are salesman. The better or more engaging they are, the more seats, merchandise, and advertising gets sold. Sure they have more risk of injury than your average Honda dealer, but the more I hear about the disparity in contracts and the way players are hung out to dry if they are injured or do poorly, the more I support yearly performance evaluations and profit sharing. More on that in a later post.

Oh, and number one is Bill "the bilker" Belichick, for those in doubt!