Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on October 8, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

And just like that most teams are half way into their schedule having played six games. Enjoy your ten pieces below.

1, Nothing new at the top. Bama, Ga, THE Ohio St, and Clemson are comfortable in the top four. Nothing new at the top of the coaching profession either. Nick Saban is mad at his defense for surrendering 31 to Arkansas. Nick being mad isn’t new. Oh, and Bama scored 65.

2. LSU got beat in Florida. It cost them 8 spots from fifth down to 13th in the AP Poll. Florida was better on both sides of the trenches and Mullen and his staff out coached Orgeron and his.

3. Notre Dame jumped into the 5 spot with a convincing road win at Va. Tech. Beating Stanford and Va Tech solidly in the last two weeks has them in a good place as their schedule softens down the stretch.

4. West Virginia has quietly risen to 6th. They snoozed a bit against Kansas but still won by 16. Kansas is better than they have been in a while, but still have a long way to go.

5. Texas jumped up to 9 with a wild west win over Oklahoma 48-45. It’s their first appearance in the top ten since 2010. The turnaround with Tom Herman steering (see what we did there?) must be mostly deemed complete. The season opener loss to Maryland, their lone blemish is distant in the rear view mirror now.

6. Oklahoma dropped to 11 with the loss. Nick Saban wasn’t the only one upset with his defense. Sooner Head Coach Lincoln Riley fired defensive coordinator Mike Stoops yesterday. Mike is the older brother of Kentucky Head Coach Mark Stoops. It was his second stint as DC in Norman.

7. The sneaky team in the top ten? UCF. They remain undefeated. Their schedule isn’t going to help them climb much higher unless several above lose and lose convincingly.

8. Michigan is 12 and Wisconsin is 15. Along with THE at three and Penn State at 8 the Big 10 has four teams in the top 15. They all are 5-1 except Ohio St. who remains undefeated. The Big 10 also has 14 schools. Go Figure.

9. South Florida jumped into the pool for the first time at #23. They’re 5-0 and have five wins over mostly nobody except Georgia Tech. Their season opening win was over a team called Elon. Bonus points to anyone who knows what state Elon hails from and what their mascot name is. If you answered North Carolina and Phoenix take a bow. USF, UCF, Florida, and Miami are all ranked. They play some good football in the great state of Florida.

10. Some early lines are out. USC is -7 hosting Colorado. That’s a bit of lack of respect for a 5-0 Colorado team. Texas is -15 hosting Baylor. That’s a lot of respect to Texas. Georgia is only favored by 6.5 in LSU’s Tiger Stadium. Washington is minus 3.5 at Oregon.

Friday Abby will give you the winners. It’s early but she has her eyes on USC, Baylor, LSU, and Washington.

Abby Roux Takes Down Vegas, Part II

Posted on October 6, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

Abby is a big hit this week in the college football mascot community. Both SEC Football Bulldogs (Miss St. and Georgia) gave her high five paws for her run on Vegas last week. Mississippi State’s bulldog refused to be photographed for this post. Tennessee’s blue tick hound, Smokey IX,

howled his approval as well. Why? Well, Abby had her college football betting debut last week and darn near won best in show.

Her record against the spread was three wins v. two losses while collecting nine of the 13 bones that she wagered. Her hunch bet (no bones) cashed as well. Let’s hope that this success does not go to her head and she can keep her four paws on the ground for more paydays.

Speaking of paydays, Abby has barked all week about how much tougher she feels this week’s betting lines and games shape up. She’s been busy trying to sniff out the winners, but suggests that you do not bet all of the dog food money this week.

Arkansas +35 over Alabama -We mentioned last week that Abby likes big dogs. Arkansas is a big dog yet again. They played decent D against the Aggies. Abby thinks Alabama might go through the motions and win easily, but not cover. Two bones.

Oklahoma -6.5 over Texas- The Red River Shootout actually has some bullets in the gun this year. Tom Herman is steering(see what Abby did there?) the Longhorns back. Abby feels like they will play a game game. But, they will fall short of an Oklahoma team that can score in bunches. The line started at -8. The amateurs are on the Longhorns. Abby likes that. Two bones.

Syracuse -3.5 over Pittsburgh -The Orangemen are pretty good. Either they’ll be hung over from the valiant effort v. Clemson or they won’t. If they are not, they should cover easily as they are much better than the Panthers. If they are flat, they’ll lose straight up. Abby says Cuse covers. Two bones.

Texas A&M -5 over Kentucky – Flip a coin. Heads, Kentucky is legit. Tails, Kentucky frequently starts out 4 or 5 and 0 then reality hits. Benny Snell is legit. Abby likes to bet on dogs (Kentucky), but Reveille (A&M’s mascot) gave her some inside scoop on this one. Aggies cover late. Two bones.

Florida St +13.5 v. Miami -Pick of the litter. Simply stated Miami isn’t that much better than any team with 85 talented dudes on scholarships much less an in state rival. War chant. Four bones.

Abby has two hunches. Take Iowa -7 over Minnie. Take the USA when you bet Navy v Air Force.

Woof.

Boom Boom’s Life Lessons #3

Posted on October 5, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

Religion is a sensitive subject for many. For the rest it’s a very sensitive subject. For Boom Boom it was a fabric woven through his life.

Boom Boom was born and raised Catholic. He attended mass EVERY Sunday and almost always once more during the week. He was an usher at most services helping out wherever he could. He joined the Holy Name Society (a men’s group involved in many worthy causes within the parish) and rose to the presidency. When the Catholic Church worldwide realized (finally) that fewer men were entering the priesthood, they anointed a chosen few to a level of Minister Extraordinaire (a layman’s version of priesthood with a limited role). Boom Boom was the first one of a chosen few in his parish for this role. He gleefully accepted.

But. But, Boom Boom only showed the way to the church and his devout faith. He didn’t shout the way. He delivered it in his actions, not words.

His offspring continued with their devotion to lesser or nonexistent degrees as they reached adulthood and had children of their own. He never ever suggested that any straying from the strict devotion that he practiced was a wrong turn in their lives.

The willingness to sacrifice, the willingness to help, and the willingness to have unyielding faith in your beliefs, whatever they may be, was the silent message he sent to all. That message has great application in anything worth pursuing.

As with many lessons it took a while to fully understand and appreciate this one. It is now much appreciated. Stay strong in your beliefs and keep the faith!

Brooks in a Dust Up with Dustin? Swing and a Miss.

Posted on October 4, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

Who knows if any of the rumors flying out of the stench leftover from the Americans weak showing in the Ryder Cup last weekend are true? The latest one has workout partners and good friends Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson throwing down before the Cup began and later Sunday night again after it ended.

Did Patrick Reed blow up the team chemistry with a petulant attitude towards who he was and was not paired with, or how often he did or did not play? Well, he does have a bit of a controversial past with college teammates, family, the press, and opponents. So, maybe so.

But, did DJ and Brooks have not one, but two dust ups? Even if a little flare up happened it will likely all wither away in the coming winter months filled with PGA inactivity.

One thing is for certain. If DJ swung at Brooks he likely missed him like so many short putts he had to win or tie a hole for the ugly Americans and their woeful performance.

Maybe Captain Jim Furyk should have included red, white, and blue pacifiers as part of the team issue uniforms.

Is Patrick Mahomes the Next Drew Brees?

Posted on October 3, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

Just three days before 2015 vanished and 2016 arrived a nondescript Advocare Texas Bowl game ended with LSU well ahead of an outmanned Texas Tech team, 56-27. Unless you were a fan of either team its unlikely you watched it, much less remembered it.

The headliner going into and the story line coming out of the game was that Leonard Fournette ran over, around, and through the less talented Red Raiders. But buried within the game was a stat line of Patrick Mahomes II, the Tech QB. It read 28-56 for 370 yards and 4 TD’s. Those numbers sound like so many other inflated,”run and gun,” forgettable QB’s that passed through the dust that Lubbock is. Sonny Cumbie, BJ Symons, Billy Joe Tolliver, Graham Harrell, or Kliff Kingsbury don’t exactly evoke comparisons to greatness once they left that pass happy offense.

But Mahomes got his numbers that night in a different and impressive fashion that left this staff member duly impressed. LSU’s defense can get after you. He sat coolly in the pocket till flushed. When flushed he completed passes to his left after scrambling right. He completed passes to his right after scrambling left. He ran only when it was a last resort. He ran well when he did. Gritty. Smart. Confident.

Mahomes was a junior then. He completed his senior year and entered the 2017 draft last year.

The New Orleans Saints held the 11th pick in the first round. The Buffalo Bills had the 10th. Nine picks were gone and the woeful Bills were on the clock. Sean Payton, head coach for N.O., knows a thing or two about quarterbacks. Working side by side with Drew Brees masterfully carving up NFL defenses for 12 years lets you see what it takes to be one of the greatest of all-time first hand.

As Payton recalled it on the Dan Patrick show, “Here it was—pick 10—and we have two players in the bubble, Lattimore and Mahomes. Kansas City traded up to 10 and took Mahomes, which pushed Lattimore to us, but once we were at pick 10 with those two players we were assured one of those two players.”

Payton said that if the Chiefs would have taken Lattimore, the Saints would have selected Mahomes. They loved both.

Marcus Lattimore was the defensive NFC rookie of the year in 2017 . Mahomes rode the pine serving a one year apprentice at the shoulder of another quarterback whisperer Andy Reid.

Now its 2018 and Mahomes is starting and his Chiefs are 4-0, good for the best record a quarter way through in the AFC. His Monday Night Football performance rallying his team past the loud crowd in Mile High Stadium was very impressive. It reminded one of a certain otherwise forgettable 2015 Advocare Bowl. However, this stage was much larger, the lights much brighter, and the crown much louder.

Is Patrick Mahomes the next Drew Brees? Whoa! Pump the brakes. Four games does not a career make. Brees has performed at the highest level for a dozen NFL seasons. Afterall, last year DeShaun Watson was the next greatest QB starting as a rookie and tearing it up for the Texans. This year he has looked very average. NFL defenses always adjust. Always. Oh, and by happenstance Watson was picked right after Lattimore.

Mahomes then Lattimore then Watson it went, 10,11, and 12.

Having Andy Reid and Sean Payton both wanting to employ you at QB is indeed high praise. Over time we will know more. For now the start is impressive.

Act Like You’ve Been There Before

Posted on October 2, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

There were football coaches back then. But, there was but one Bum (Oail Andrews) Phillips. Bum coached through every level and had a ten year NFL head coaching run with the then Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints. He was the ultimate players coach. His players loved him. Loved him. Bum was born and raised in Southeast Texas. He coached a mega star who was born and raised in Northeast Texas. His name was Earl Campbell, aka The Tyler Rose.

Campbell was an incredible runner at the University of Texas and won the Heisman before turning pro. Campbell had tree trunks for legs, and a strong desire to find the goal line. If you need your memory refreshed, click here. Bum had many pearls of wisdom, colloquialisms, and funny thoughts. He suggested to Earl that when he got to the end zone he hand the ball to the referee. In the late 70’s and early 80’s spiking the ball or doing a dance in the end zone had become all of the rage. “Act like you’ve been there before,” he suggested in a deep Texas drawl.

Campbell scored 74 NFL times.

**09/07/1980 – Houston Oilers Earl Campbell (34) finds running room against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium.**

He politely handed the ball to the ref 74 times. Bum was polite too. He wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat like a second skin. Except. Except he never wore the hat in the Astrodome nor the Superdome. When asked why, Bum said, ” My mama taught me that when you walk indoors you take off your hat.”

Sixty-nine of those TD’s were in his first six years. Bum worked him like a plow horse. Defenses knew what was coming. And what was coming just kept on keeping on. Bum admired Earl so, “I wouldn’t say Earl is in a class by himself, but I’ll tell you one damn thing: It don’t take long to call the roll.”

Bum passed away in 2013. Earl works for the University of Texas’ athletic dept. One too many rushes and way too many hits have taken a toll on Earl’s health.

Their careers and dignity are forever intertwined. Together they taught us a lesson. Embrace success, stay humble, and most of all “act like you’ve been there before.”

Ten Piece Nuggets-CFB

Posted on October 1, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

And, quickly, five weeks are in the textbooks in college football. There is a lot to chew on. Let’s go straight to the nuggets.

Bama rolled. Georgia keeps chugging right along. THE Ohio St. came back with a vengeance to make Happy Valley (The “Happy Valley” is a nickname for the State College area. Apparently, the term was coined during the Great Depression when the town was not hit as hard by the economic situation due to Penn State University’s influence.) not so happy. And Clemson struggled but survived at home. Despite that struggle these are the four highest rated teams in the new AP Poll and rightfully so. At the moment they seem a bit separated from the others.
Clemson wears orange, but the Orangemen from Syracuse nearly peeled Clemson from any title aspirations as unwelcome visitors. Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence should be ready to go this week after a brutal hit Saturday. Syracuse has become the Power 5 team that no one wants to play anymore. They will “scrap you for a ball” as Les Miles once said.
There are about 4 or so “want to be’s” below these four teams. One of them is Notre Dame. They sent Stanford, the Cardinal, and it’s Tree back to Cali rather rudely. How good is ND? Good enough to beat now #14 Stanford and now #15 Michigan. They head to Va Tech Saturday. They have an opportunity to climb as those above have a tougher stretch run.
Another one is Oklahoma. They scored 1.1 points per minute, 66 in all, in demolishing Baylor. This week they get resurgent Texas in the Red River Shootout, er Showdown, er Rivalry. Depending on how politically correct you are, you can call it what you want. ESPN College Gameday will be there. If Coach Lee Corso picks Oklahoma as the winner, DUCK.
West Virginia is yet another. They went into Lubbock and took care of a team that contenders must take care of in Texas Tech. They held on at 42-34 after owning a 35-10 halftime lead. They are undefeated, ranked 9th, and have both Red River Rivalry teams still ahead. The opportunity is there and the strength of schedule would make for a good case if they ran through it. Do they have enough D? We will see.
Perhaps LSU is the fourth other. The boomboomsroom.com staff sat through a constant light rain to see them throttle Ole Miss 45-16 to up their season mark to 5-0. They say it never rains in Tiger Stadium. They fibbed. Ole Miss isn’t good. Their defense is offensive. Vegas isn’t sure that LSU is that good either. As we write Vegas has LSU with a less than 50% chance in each of the following upcoming games- Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and A&M.
Here is a quick quiz. Who is undefeated since the end of the 2016 season, has had a game cancelled in 2017 and 2018, and has scored 56,38,56, and 45 points in a 4-0 start in 2018? If you said the University of Central Florida, or UCF, you know yourself some college football. Unfortunately, for them, they probably aren’t one of the “others.” Their strength of schedule isn’t a strength on their yearly resume’. Bonus question. What’s their nickname? The Knights. Who knew? No wonder they held a “championship” parade for themselves last year.
No Respect at All

As Rodney used to say, “NO RESPECT.”
Someone who is starting to get some respect and quickly is Kentucky. The Wildcats followed up their 28-7 Miss St. beat down with a solid take down of South Carolina, 24-10. The Bulldogs and Gamecocks might not have great O’s, but 17 total points allowed to two SEC schools is what it is. Kentucky has but one important thing to do to climb from AP #13. They need to keep winning.
Spots 21-25 in the poll are much like a revolving door. Welcome in this week Colorado (the lone undefeated PAC 10 school), Florida, NC State and Oklahoma St. Welcome back Virginia Tech who had a very nice road, bounce back win over Duke. A week earlier Va Tech lost at home by 14 to…..remember………Old Dominion!
Some early lines are out. LSU is -2 at Florida. Notre Dame is -4.5 at VaTech. Texas A&M is -6.5 at Kentucky. and OU is -8 vs Texas. Our first glance favors the home dogs and Texas in Dallas.

Until week six.

PS. Two great tiebreaker MLB games play off today. Enjoy.

Abby Roux Takes Down Vegas

Posted on September 28, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

When you combine a request that we have had from a few more than a few with Abby Roux’s desire (and a lot of tail wagging) to be more of a watch college football than a watchdog, what have you? You have Abby Roux’s first week of many of college picks v. the Vegas spread. Her five weekly picks, number of bones (the more the better she says, max of 5), and brief rationale follow.

West Virginia minus 3 over Texas Tech- This is a must win game for West Virginia to be considered a legit contender in the Big 12. The only thing tougher than winning in Lubbock is getting there. Four bones.

Arkansas plus 21 over Texas A and M- Abby loves big dogs. Arkansas is a big dog. Arkansas is also a bad football team. Maybe A&M looks past this game a bit. Plus Abby is no fan of Reveille VII’s constant begging. Two bones.

Kansas plus 17 over Oklahoma St. – Kansas seems significantly better than many years gone by. Of course, that isn’t exactly a tall fence for a perennial barking dog. They have a running back named Pooka Williams, which is nice. One bone.

Virginia Tech plus 5 over Duke- Virginia Tech lost by two touchdowns last week at home v. Old Dominion. Old Dominion. Duke is 4-0 and ranked 22. Has Abby lost her doggone mind? Nah. She likes to zig when others zag. Three bones.

Ole Miss plus 11 over LSU- Abby loves LSU. The boomboomsroom.com staff loves LSU. Abby also likes sirloin more than ground beef. LSU’s offensive line is hurt. They’ll need to pound it on the ground to keep Mississippi’s explosive offense on the sideline. LSU wins, but Ole Miss covers in Baton Rouge. Abby needs to revert to the watchdog of The Room after these picks are made as our staff is headed east to BR to watch it live. Three bones.

One hunch that we offer as a bit of a treat but put no bones on it. Take Oregon minus two on the road v. the California Bears.

That’s it for week five in CFB and week one for Abby’s picks. She did her homework. Five games, four dogs, and thirteen bones. Enjoy the games.

Strange Bedfellows Indeed.

Posted on September 26, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

In the fall of 1992, some 26 years ago, The Cosby Show created by Bill Cosby ended an incredible eight year run. It spent five years as the number one rated television show. Bill Cosby starred in it too as Dr. Cliff Huxtable, nicknamed the “Greatest Television Dad.”

In the fall of 1996, some 22 years ago, one Eldrick Woods(call him Tiger) “created” on the golf course by his father began an incredible run on the PGA tour. He spent five straight years from 2005 till 2010 as the number one ranked golfer in the world. TV ratings for golf doubled on the weekends he was in contention for any ol tournament and tripled if it was a major.

In the fall of 1998, a 33-year-old partner, and rising star in the law firm Kirkland and Ellis named one Brett Kavanaugh, left to join Kenneth Starr as Associate Council in the office of Independent Council. Kavanaugh was a principal author of the Starr Report to Congress, released in September 1998, on the Monica Lewinsky–Bill Clinton sex scandal.

Now fast forward to on goings in this week.

A now 81-year-old Bill Cosby was sentenced to no less than three years and up to 10 in the Pennsylvania state prison system. He was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a then Temple women’s basketball coach in 2004. He was deemed a “sexually violent predator” by the presiding judge. Over 60 women came forward in the last many years to publicly accuse Cosby of one assault or another. The statue of limitations expired on 59 of them.

A now 42-year-old Tiger Woods completed a journey that has him back on top of the golf world. He won the final PGA tour event and was welcomed on the Ryder Cup team.

His fall from the top started on Thanksgiving night 2009 when his texts to a mistress was discovered by his then wife. His fall from grace included no less than 11 women coming forward with tawdry tales of their trysts with Tiger. Rehab for sexual addiction was followed by a loud divorce. His confidence was shaken and his invincibility taken. Severe back troubles led to multiple surgeries and a long physical rehab. A detour on the rehab road came when he was arrested for DUI. Blood tests found a medicine cabinet and a trace of marijuana in his system.

A now 53-year-old Brett Kavanaugh sits very close to a seat on the US Supreme Court. His ascension to the door step of the number one court in the land via various higher level judge appointments makes for one impressive resume’. However the star of the Starr report about Clinton’s sexual scandal must sit patiently as a star witness, Dr Christine B. Ford, testifies about her recollection of an alcohol infused supposed sex scandal of his own. He then gets his turn to testify. She contends that a then 17-year-old Kavanaugh sexually assaulted and may have even attempted to rape her at a party in 1982.

Cosby’s legacy is rightfully in ruins. Tiger’s rebound is rejoiced. What is Judge Kavanaugh’s future?

The Cosby Show was a sitcom that coined TV ratings gold. Tiger’s aura is a reality sports show that coins TV ratings gold. Tomorrow’s Senate Judiciary Committee testimony will be a reality TV show that no sitcom writer would dream to write.

The Cosby Show ended each week to the tune of “Kiss Me.” Trust me. How will tomorrow end?

It would take an insanely accomplished, confident producer in Hollywood to sell this script. Someone like Harvey Weinstein.

MLB is a Numbers Game. Catch the Fever.

Posted on September 26, 2018December 22, 2018 by thependulumswings staff

Do you remember the old MLB slogan? It was “Baseball Fever. Catch It!” As the leaves are turning this Fall 2018 if you don’t like what’s going on in the MLB as it heads to the season’s final games on Sunday, you might not ever catch the fever. More than a few numbers below explain how, after 157 of 162 games per team this year, much and little has been decided. It’s a tale of two leagues.

In the American League the Boston Red Sox have clinched the best regular season record giving them the home field advantage as long as they are in the playoffs. They could win 111 games. Fear the boys from Beantown.

The defending World Series Champion Houston Astros clinched their division and won their 100th game last evening. They became the first team since the Oakland A’s in 1990 to have a triple digit win season the year after their WS win. Unless Correa, Springer, and Altuve kick it up a notch (thanks Emeril!) in the postseason they will go only as far as their league ERA low pitching will carry them.

Speaking of the Money Ball (thanks Brad Pitt!) A’s, they now have 95 wins and counting this year. That’s the most wins by a team owning the lowest opening day payroll in MLB in the last 30 seasons. Their reward for this productivity per dollar spent is very likely to travel to the city that never sleeps (thanks Frank!) to face the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have spent huge at 180 million to the A’s frugal 80 million. In a one game wild card match up the A’s have a punchers chance to continue to defy the baseball gods.

Then there is Cleveland. There they quietly sit by the lake the city was founded on. The Indians have a starting pitching staff that is very dangerous in a first round, five game max, divisional playoff. They’ll have to win one in Houston to win three of five. They certainly can. Houston has only been above average at home, but excellent on the road. Coin flip anyone?

And, then there are the Tampa Rays, winners of not less than 87 games. They’ll sit home this post season. They have tons of young players yet finished 20-9 at home v. the five playoff teams and were only eliminated officially a couple of days back. They are very deserving of an honorable mention.

And to think the AL was called the Junior League for many, many years.

Meanwhile over on the Senior Circuit as it was called for many, many years, the National League is filled with drama.

Atlanta has clinched their division but will not have home field past round one. They are an exciting team to watch. They are young and they play aggressive and loose. That’s a good combination. It might be a year too soon for this team that gutted their organization, a la the Astros five years ago, to stash draft picks and prospects. The payoff is coming soon however.

Now to the quagmire. Five other teams will fill the remaining four playoff spots available in the next five days. The possibilites are far too great to list. The Cubs, Brewers, Dodgers, Rockies, and Cardinals (in that order of win/loss percentage) are separated by just a game or two. One of Chicago and Milwaukee is in as the division winner. One of Los Angeles and Colorado is as well. Going into last night there was even a scenario that four of these five could end with identical records. Try untying that pretzel.

On paper (a too often used term that never pans out) the Dodgers and the Cubs have the bigger payroll that usually equates to the better talent. Usually. It hasn’t yet distinguished itself. Expected the unexpected.

The Rockies and Brewers are sneaky good. Just a hunch.

Are you feeling warm on your forehead yet? Did all of the numbers make you dizzy? You caught the fever. Take it easy in your recovery. Recline in your La-Z-Boy and watch it all unfold.