thependulumswings

Significant technical difficulties this AM at the world headquarters of BBR leads to a first.  You’ve been put on a diet.  Less than ten nuggets might be served below in hopes that we can beat the deadline to post.  Enjoy and shed some weight at the same time.

1. Deep in The Heart of Texas starts with “the stars at night are big and bright.”  Maybe so.  But they aren’t shining on football in the state that brought you Friday Night Lights.  This past weekend the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Texas Longhorns, and Texas A&M Aggies all spit the bit.  Three of their games weren’t even competitive.   The Longhorns coughed up a fumble from point-blank range late in the fourth quarter to grab defeat from the jaws of victory v TCU.
2. The Cowboys at 1-3 are only 1/2 game out of first in the woeful East Division of the NFC though.  Philadelphia, thanks to a late road comeback over the 49ers, is at the top at 1-2-1.  The division has the Washington Football Team at 1-3.  The name change didn’t help.  And, the NY Football Giants are 0-4.  That’s a smooth 3-12-1 combined.
3.  The Texans are 0-4.  Bill O’Brien added GM duties in the offseason to his head coaching position.  He’s as stubborn as a steer headed to slaughter.  He is also the only head coach with such a duel role in the NFL we believe.  He bloated the Texans payroll to $225 million, highest in the league.  Their porous defense has surrendered 126 points through four games.  Only three teams have surrendered more as the season hits the quarter pole.  The Lions (127) and Jets (131) have surrendered more.  But, the absolute worst you wonder?  How bout them Cowboys at 146?
4.  Tom Herman was the hottest name in NCAA coaching circles four years ago.  Texas threw big money at him.  He’s 1-3 versus in-state TCU and has lost 20 games and counting in 3.25 years.  His agent used LSU to broker a bigger deal with Texas.  LSU “settled” on Ed Orgeron.  In Austin, it’s “pew.”  In Baton Rouge, it’s “whew!”
5. Texas A&M watched Johnny Football Mansiel run past Alabama eight years ago and thought Kevin Sumlin had something to do with it.  They tore up his old contract and guaranteed him $25 million over the next five years.  Three years later they ate that remaining $10 million.  Undeterred, they guaranteed Jimbo $75 million over the next ten years.  Fisher is a disciple of Nick Saban.  Fisher is 0-3 vs. his mentor now.  Saturday, Saban’s Bama team beat Jimbo’s A&M team 52-24.  In 2019 it was Bama 47-28 and in 2018 it was 45-23.  Seventy-five million doesn’t buy as much as it did previously it seems.
6. Tom Herman and Jimbo Fisher have combined to take home about $45 million combined so far from the two public Texas universities.   They are still owed another $73 million guaranteed.  Who says you can’t throw bad money after bad money?
7.  How is your betting going in this season that is but almost never was?  On Saturday college football underdogs went 23-7 v the spread.  Home underdogs were 10-2.  For the season underdogs are now 61.5% against the spread.  Take the points.
8. A great NFL in-game bet is to take whoever the Detroit Lions are playing when the Lions roar ahead by 10 points or more.  Yesterday they led the N.O. Saints 14-0 five minutes into the game.  By halftime they trailed 28-14.  The Lions have now lost six consecutive games in which they led at one point by 10+.  It’s the longest such streak in NFL history.  This comes from a team that has never won a Super Bowl ever either.  Jeez.
9. Joe Burrow became the first rookie ever to throw for 300 or more yards in three consecutive games.  He led the previously winless Cincinnatti Bengals to their first victory of the season.   Afterwards, in the Bengals locker room, he was presented with the game ball.  Burrow said the game ball is going back in the ball bag.  He consistently told his LSU teammates game after game in last year’s 15-0 championship run that they had bigger fish to fry as well.  It’s early, but it looks like Cincinnati hit on the first pick of it all.
10. The MLB division level playoffs begin today.  Every series has bad blood between its opponents.  Oakland hates Houston and knew they were cheating all along in 2019.  The TB Rays and the NY Yankees played beanball recently and Rays’ manager Kevin Cash thinks the Yankees staff fails to police it’s pitching staff.  The Dodgers and Padres don’t like all of the posing each does after taters leave the yard.  And the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins have had their own rendition of beanball this year.  Let the gamesmanship and games begin.

Whew!  We were able to pile ten high on your plate.

P.S.  The NBA Finals between the LA Lakers and Miami Heat is 2-1 Lakers.  We had to look that one up.  LeBron’s new team is beating one of LeBron’s old teams.