...and children smile when they see me coming. It's a great day to be a Monday, the Sox are in the playoffs, tomorrow is my music Christmas and HPBT is a contender now!
First the Sox. It took me a while to figure out how the Yankees and Red Sox had the exact same record, yet the Yanks were AL East champions. Basically, it was Cleveland's fault. Once both New York and Boston were in the playoffs, determining the league champion fell to the tie-breaker, and New York had the edge in the season series. I can't complain, let the Yankees have the title and a long flight to Orange County to face the Angels. I will happily take on the Pale Hose, who have the same record since August 1 as the Rockies.
It was a great weekend for picks, hitting 7 out of 10. The most surprising win? South Florida squeaking under the spread against Miami, only losing by 20. The least surprising, Notre Dame. How could Purdue have been favored? The Irish almost ran up 700 yards of total offense and now they have two weeks to prepare for USC. If the Trojans don't lose here, they won't.
There should be little question as to the most surprising, and most satisfying, loss. That belongs to the Rattlesnake Boys who outlasted Iowa State, all whilst throwing the ball 500 times. I actually should have had this game, it was all set-up for the rare win-win, with Nebraska in field goal position in the final minute. Coming out of a time out on third down, Cory Ross ran the wrong way, leaving Taylor hung out to dry. He fumbled. There goes to the spread, but I'll take the straight-up win and be happy.
I'm tired of all the talk out of Lincoln and Omaha during the post-game pieces that made mention of the fact that this was Iowa State and they hadn't won in Lincoln since 1977. True, Nebraska-Iowa State used to be a guaranteed drubbing, but parity in college football has pretty much erased any such traditional mismatches (see: Baylor taking A&M to OT.) So it took two overtimes to beat the Cyclones...so what? This was a huge win, but more notable, the offense finally seemed to click. Zac Taylor set a school record for passing yards in a game, but things weren't perfect. If Nebraska finishes in the red zone, this game is a blowout. Another big one this weekend against Texas Tech, who threw up 70 against the Blackshirts last year. Win on Saturday, hello Top 25.
So after going 7-3 this week, HPBT is back to .500 at 11-11. However, there was one more post-deadline victory that didn't appear here. The winless Hemingford High School Bobcats faced the Creek Valley Storm, coached by my former football coach at HHS. Attempts to contact Coach were unsuccessful, but in an e-mail dated September 28, I gave the Storm 3.5 points at home. The Bobcats fought back from an early 6-0 deficit to triumph 12-6. (No extra points were converted in this game. Seriously, can't somebody toe it through from 15 yards out?)
Nonetheless, if you count that HPBT is actually 12-11. If the Yankees can be considered the undisputed AL East champions, then I have no problem saying we have a winning record.
Finally, the new My Morning Jacket album Z arrives tonight at midnight. I will be heading down to my local Virgin MegaStore to pick it up like the music geek I am. (I will have to fight through a sea of crazy Fiona Apple fans who will be whipped into a weeping, crying frenzy after six years of waiting. I wholly expect the entire student body of Berklee to be there, but I will be wearing my cowboy boots and I'm not afraid to use them.)
This should be the album that launches MMJ into "next-great-American-band" status. It is reportedly more commercial, although the samples I have heard certainly do not sound like John Mayer. What this actually means is, the album wasn't recorded in a silo. The reverb is toned down a bit, giving Z a more accessible sound. All of MMJ's albums have reviewed well across the board, and the early reviews for Z are no different. Couple that with a cameo appearance in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown as well as contributing a song to the soundtrack and My Morning Jacket are going to be thrust into the public eye. If they don't break out now, they never will...either way is fine by me.
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