SEC

Football Is a Joke.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s time to lighten it up a bit.

One of our faithful readers forwarded the quotes and jokes about the game of football below.  We blatantly copied nearly all of them for you.  Enjoy as the season is but three games from being over.

First, here are the quotes.

“I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game.”
– Bear Bryant / Alabama

“It isn’t necessary to see a good tackle, you can hear it!”
– Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

“At Georgia Southern, we don’t cheat.
That costs money, and we don’t have any.”
– Erik Russell / Georgia Southern

“The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.”
– Lou Holtz / Arkansas – Notre Dame

“When you win, nothing hurts.”
– Joe Namath / Alabama

“A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall.”
– Frank Leahy / Notre Dame

“There’s nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.”
– Woody Hayes / Ohio State

“I don’t expect to win enough games to be put on NCAA probation I just want to win enough to warrant an investigation.”
– Bob Devaney / Nebraska

“In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in Bear Bryant.”
– Wally Butts / Georgia

“I never graduated from Iowa. But I was only there for two terms – Truman’s and Eisenhower’s.”
– Alex Karras / Iowa

“My advice to defensive players is to take the shortest route to the ball, and arrive in a bad humor.”
– Bowden Wyatt / Tennessee

“I could have been a Rhodes Scholar except for my grades.”
– Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State

“ Always remember Goliath was a 40-point favorite over David.”
– Shug Jordan / Auburn

“I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn’t recruit me “
He said, “Well, Walt, we took a look at you, and you weren’t any good.”
– Walt Garrison / Oklahoma State/Dallas Cowboys

“Football is NOT a contact sport, it is a collision sport.
Dancing IS a contact sport.” –
Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State

After USC lost 51-0 to Notre Dame, his post-game message to his team was;
“All those who need showers, take them.”
– John McKay / USC

“ If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education.”
– Murray Warmath / Minnesota

“The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb.
To be a back, you only have to be dumb.”
– Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

“We didn’t tackle well today, but we made up for it by not blocking.”
– John McKay / USC

“I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.”
– Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer on one of his players:
“He doesn’t know the meaning of the word fear.
In fact, I just saw his grades and he doesn’t know the meaning of a lot of words.”

And, now a few jokes.

Why do Auburn fans wear orange?
So they can dress for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.

What does the average Alabama player get on his SATs?
Drool.

How many Michigan State freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb?
None. That’s a sophomore course.

How did the Auburn football player die from drinking milk?
The cow fell on him.

Two Texas A&M football players were walking in the woods.
One of them said, ” Look, a dead bird.”
The other looked up in the sky and said, “Where?”

What do you say to a Florida State University football player dressed in a three-piece suit?
“Will the defendant please rise?”

How can you tell if a Clemson football player has a girlfriend?
There’s tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.

University of Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week.

The other half will have to dress themselves.

How is the Kansas football team like an opossum?
They play dead at home and get killed on the road.

How do you get a former University of Miami football player off your porch? 

Pay him for the pizza.

 

Have another good one?  Drop it in the comments!

 

 

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 13

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

NCAA football, we hardly knew you.  Time flys.

This Saturday wraps up another college football regular season.  Abby might weigh in on a bowl or playoff game or two, but she makes her money in the regular season.

A breakeven week last week (one more won than lost, but Vegas collected the juice) puts her season longs at 47 wins and 34 losses and 67 bones won with 48 bones lost.  The hunch took its 3rd punch (Michigan St scored a whopping 7 so the total of 63 was under by 5) and stands at 8-3.

It’s always better to be a wary bettor during rivalry week.  The pickings look slim.

  1. Iowa at Nebraska + 1 1/2 — Frost’s team hasn’t quit.  They counterpunched Wisconsin to the wire last week.  This week they win at the wire.  Two bones.
  2. Cincinnati at East Carolina +14 1/2 —  Cincy and head coach Luke Fickell control their own playoff entry destiny. Can E Carolina ruin that?  No, but they can cover two touchdowns at home.  One bone.
  3. Kentucky at Louisville -3 — Like Nebraska, Louisville has played a handful of tough opponents close.  Saturday they get it done against a solid bunch of Wildcats.  One bone.
  4. Wisconsin at Minnesota +7 1/2 —  A straight-up win by the Golden Gophers would not shock Abby.  Wisconsin usually has a late-season “huh?” game.  If Whisky goes flat out for 60, this bet won’t hold up.  One bone.
  5. Oklahoma at Oklahoma St – 4 1/2  — Okie St has beaten their last five opponents by a 165-44 combined total and is peaking late.  Oklahoma has sputtered of late.  Vegas is begging John Q. Public to take Oklahoma.  Abby will take the zig on the zag.  One bone.

Vegas is fading Lincoln Riley as the next LSU coach.  He’s now +1000 in Vegas.  On a hunch, Abby will take Lincoln Riley announced Sunday as the next LSU head coach.    One bone to win ten bones.

Six bones, five home teams, three dogs, two chalks, and one longshot Lincoln.

Woof!

 

Editor’s note:  BBR is taking a four-day holiday starting roughly right now.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Random

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Start your shortened work week off with a Ten Piece Nuggets serving.    We air-fried them to save calories for Thursday.

Unfortunately, be forewarned, nuggets one and two don’t taste too well.

  1.  Waukesha, WI is a nice, easy-going, do for others, slice of America.  It’s a 75k citizen suburb due west of Milwaukee.  But unfortunately, this AM it’s a major crime scene and an international story.  We’ll spare the details as everyone with a TV is aware of “what” happened.  It seems like the “who” part of the event is already in custody.  The “why” part is unknown.  BBR hopes that all of the 40 or so injured make a full recovery.  Wisconsin is one of only 12 states that does not have the death penalty if you were wondering or hoping.
  2. Waukesha is about a 50-mile drive from Kenosha.  Does last night’s rage have anything at all to do with the Rittenhouse trial outcome/unrest?  Our guess at this moment is that they are unrelated based on the “person of interest’s” recent individual scrapes with the law.  But, for Wisconsin, a go-along to get along state, it’s far too much bad press in far too short of a time window.  One minute you’re watching a fun festive holiday parade, the next…………    Sometimes words fall far short in their ability to describe true feelings.
  3. Reece Witherspoon following the lead of other Hollywood folks expressed her outrage about the Rittenhouse verdict.  She tweeted yesterday, “No one should be able to purchase a semi-automatic weapon, cross state lines and kill 2 people, wound another, and go free. In what world is this safe … for any of us?”  He didn’t purchase it.  He didn’t cross state lines with it.  Kenosha is about 5 miles from Illinois, but we digress.  In this world a jury of his peers voted on it.  Facts matter, but never ever let that get in the way of a good narrative.
  4. You can like Tucker Carlson on Fox or not.  You can like the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict or not.  And, you can hear Kyle’s story in his own words this evening at 7 pm CST on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox.  The show regularly gets very high Nielsen Ratings.  Tonight, they’ll soar higher.  What a scoop!
  5.  Some fine folks in San Francisco decided to loot (pick clean) the Louis Vuitton store in Union Square in SF Saturday night.  Nordstroms and two other high-end stores were targeted as well.  What a fine city SF once was.  What a cesspool it now is.  We’d cite the very left, liberal thinking officials that run the place as the main reason for its downfall, but that would be too easy and too accurate.  The only job in America harder than selling neckties these days would be the head of tourism for SF.
  6. Turning to sports, Dan Mullen, the Florida Gators head football coach was sacked yesterday.  The Gators lost to Missouri 24-23 in OT a week after Samford (that’s Samford, not Stanford) scored 52 on his D.  He could have and should have been let go last week, but the loss made it all the more unbearable.  If you look up the word quirky in the dictionary Mullen’s picture will be next to the definition.
  7. Suddenly there are several big-time NCAA football coaching jobs open.  With new TV contracts and teams jumping to form super conferences, money is flush.  How else can you explain Mel Tucker getting 10 years and $95 million to coach Michigan State?  He hasn’t won his division within the conference, and won’t this year, much less won the conference.  Ohio St worked the Spartans over Saturday.  It was 49-0 at the half.  It finished 56-7.  It’s great work if you can get it.  Tucker got it.  Texas A&M was the first college to jump the shark with three loss Jimbo.  Others will follow shortly.
  8. With a week of the season left to play, Texas, LSU, Florida St., Florida, USC, Virginia Tech, TCU, and Nebraska all have losing records.  It’s been a while for all eight of those to have down seasons at the same time.  All have (or had-TCU) job openings in 2021 except Texas and Nebraska.  Texas wouldn’t pull the plug on Sarkesian in his first year, would they?  Frost is a coin flip to stay at Nebraska after the season ends Saturday.
  9. The very successful Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll might be burning out after nearly 12 years with his team.  “I’m just not any good at this,” Carroll said of handling this level of losing. “I’m not prepared for this. I’m struggling to do a good job of coaching when you’re getting your butt kicked week in and week out.”  Minutes later he walked out of the news conference in mid-question.  He’s a young-looking 70 years old.  Time will tell.   It always does.
  10.  So, who is the best team in the NFL?  Wait a week and the answer will change.  It’s exactly what the brand wants-most everyone thinks they can get hot and get to the playoffs, and then to the biggest stage of all.  Don’t look now but the New England Patriots have won five in a row.

Baked, smoked, or deep-fried?

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 12

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s that time of the year.  Some great NCAA head coaching opportunities have opened making the coaching carousel go around faster and faster.

Website prognostication opportunities are much the same.  If you’re the top dog, you get paid the top dollar.

Accordingly, Abby released the following statement.

“Woof.  Woof.  It’s been a good year.  There is much work to do in the final two regular-season weeks as well as conference championships, bowls, and playoffs.  My focus is solely on the bones at hand.  BBR is not my doghouse, it’s my dog home.  We have games to analyze and pick.  I’m very happy here at BBR and intend on being here for a long time.  Thank you.  Bow wow!!”

Another winning week last week puts her squarely on top of the dogpile.  The won/loss is 42-30, and the bones are 61-42.  The hunch bombed, but the record is salty at 8-2.

  1.  Memphis at Houston -8 —  Houston is hammering the competition after a slower than expected start.  Memphis will keep it interesting for three quarters.  Lookout Cincy in the American Athletic Conference Championship game in two weeks.  One bone.
  2.  Florida -9 at Missouri —  The sky is falling.  Throw Mullen out like the bum that he is.  This looks like a good zig on a zag.  Two bones.
  3.  Texas +3 at West Virginia — The sky is falling part 2.  Throw Sarkesian out like the bum that he is.  This looks like a good zig on a zag part 2.  Two bones.
  4.  ULL +4 1/2 at Liberty —  Abby likes the Cajuns straight up but will take the points.  Will Billy Napier move 50 miles east soon?  One bone.
  5.  Nebraska + 9 1/2 at Wisconsin  — Whisky has been rolling for seven weeks after a slow start.    They are double tough at Camp Randall.  The under looks tempting as well.  Whisky wins, but it’s only by a shot glass or two.  Two bones.
  6.  UCLA -3 at USC —  UCLA has covered in four road games.  USC has not but in one home game.  The best team and the one that has anything to play for is the Bruins.  One bone.
  7. UAB +5 at UTSA — Name the only three undefeated teams left in college football.  Georgia, Cincinnatti, and UTSA.  Fear the Roadrunners.  It’s been a great run.  But.  One bone.
  8. Wyoming at Utah St – 5 1/2 —  Utah St has the Mountain West Championship Game in its sights.  Two speed bumps remain.  Wyoming is one of them.  One bone.
  9.  Baylor at Kansas St. -1 —  Wildcats are playing well.  Baylor is playing very well.  Are the Bears a bit hungover from the big win over Oklahoma?  It’s a classic letdown spot.  Abby points out that K St hasn’t beaten a ranked team all year.  Till now.  One bone.

In Columbus, THE Ohio St hosts Michigan St.  The total is 68 points.  That sounds very high.  Vegas is telling us something.  The hunch bet tries to bounce back and will take the over.

Six road teams, five chalks, four road dogs.

Woof!

 

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 11

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

For the third time in ten weeks Abby had to pay the man.  When you lose 6 bones ($66) and win 4 ($40) you slowly run out of money unless you are the US government.

Luckily for Abby the year-to-date totals still look good, so she doesn’t need a paw out (aka handout).   Ten weeks deep her won-loss record is 37-27, the bones won are 55 v 38 surrendered.

We must give a special shoutout on her hunch bet.  She took  Army v Air Force under the thirty-seven points total.  The game went to overtime and the under still won the day.  The hunch stands tall like the soldiers that competed at 8-1 for the season.

  1. West Virginia at Kansas St -6 –K St at home is a significantly better team than on the road.  WV on the road is a significantly worse team than at home.  One bone.
  2.  Michigan at Penn St under 49 — This feels like a game that a late field goal wins it somewhere in the 20-17 range.  Woody Hayes didn’t like either of these teams but would like the three yards and a pile of dirt scrum.  One bone.
  3.  Notre Dame -5 1/2 at Virginia —  ND has had some closes finishes.  This one covers late, however.  Two bones.
  4. Oklahoma at Baylor under 62 — Abby’ll bite. This one almost seems too good.   Aranda will have them ready to defend the Okla O.   One bone.
  5.  NC State at Wake Forest -1 — Will Wake be hungover from the sting of the Tarheel come from behind victory? Maybe for a series or two.  That O can go.  One bone.
  6. Stanford + 12 at Oregon St —  Abby’ll bite again.  This line seems so out of whack that normally she would take the zig.  But 12 points and the Cardinal seems too juicy.  One bone.
  7. Mississippi St at Auburn -5 — Auburn went to College Station and got stuffed.  We smell an angry rebound and a close cover.  One bone.
  8. Texas A&M -2 at Ole Miss — A road favorite after a big home win in the SEC is dangerous.  A&M is a better team in the trenches than Ole Miss and the Black Bears (formerly Rebels) are banged up.  Two bones.

Arkansas travels to Death Valley to face LSU.  We’re sending one of our staff members to cover the game.  LSU is going to play two QB’s.  Arkansas likes to run the ball.  The total at 59 looks way too high.  The under seems like a sure bet.  Abby will take the over on another crazy hunch.

Woof!

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 10

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

When you’re hot, you’re hot.  And, through nine weeks Abby is en fuego.

As November rolls in her record stands at 33 wins and 23 losses, and 51 impressive bones won versus only 32 lost.  And, hopefully, her hunch won you a bunch last week.  It stands tall at 7-1.

Hopefully, she didn’t spend too much time patting (pawing) herself on the back this past week.  In the handicapping business you’re only as good as your next pick.

Week 10 is upon us.  But be wary.  There are plenty of double-digit lines, big road favorites, and trap games.  Abby’s playing it close to the dog vest.  Bet too much this week on a game and you might need some hair of the dog on Sunday.

  1. Army at Air Force -2 1/2 — Abby thanks all for their service, including service dogs.  The game, rightfully so is a tossup.  She’ll take the high elevation home-field advantage along with a stout D.  One bone.
  2. NC State at Florida St +3 and Clemson -4 at Louisville — It’s a parlay reminiscent of the old days of the ACC when there were Tigers and Seminoles and not much else.  Two bones to win six bones.
  3. Houston -13 at South Florida — Like mentioned above, when your hot, you’re hot.  It’s hot temperature-wise in Tampa, but the Cougars are even hotter.   Abby’s been riding the hot hand of Dana Holgerson. Houston covers late.  One bone.
  4. Wake Forest at North Carolina +2 1/2 — It feels like the line is off a good bit here.  Vegas wants you on the WF side.  Abby, as you know, likes to zig when others zag.  One bone.
  5. Liberty at Ole Miss over 67 — A point a minute plus a touchdown is plenty of scoreboard action.  Ole Lane and Hugh are going to pull out all of the stops.  One bone.
  6. Baylor at TCU + 6 1/2 — The steady hand at the wheel is Dave Aranda for Baylor.  The steady hand that was at the TCU wheel for 20 years was Gary Patterson.  Abby hates cats but loves dead cat bounces.  One bone.
  7. Michigan St at Purdue +3 — It feels like the line is a good bit off here, part two.  Purdue took down then #2 Iowa in Iowa after a big win last month.  Now, the Spartans hit the road in a similar situation.  Buyer beware.  One bone.
  8. LSU at Alabama – 28 1/2 —  Two years ago Coach O made much over the win in Tuscaloosa over Alabama.  Maybe too much.  WIll St. Nick have mercy on O’s soul?  He might in the fourth quarter, but by then it’ll be 49-10.  Two bones.

The Air Force v. Army game in Colorado is an early Saturday kickoff.  The over/under is a crazy low 37 1/2.  On a crazy hunch, Abby likes the under.

Ten bones wagered to win sixteen.

Four chalks, four dogs, six home teams, two road warriors, one parlay, one over, one under.

Woof!

 

 

 

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 7

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Back in the late 70s, Reggie Jackson earned the moniker Mr. October for his assassin-like clutch playoff hitting.  A few(very few)Vegas watchers are beginning to wonder if Abby is on her way in the 20s to earning the nickname Ms. October for her assassin-like assault on the NCAA betting lines.

Another strong week brings the season she’s stacking up to 22 wins against 15 losses while winning 35 tasty bones and losing 18.  Her hunch bet lost last week, so that tally stands at 5-1.

Stay humble, we constantly remind her, as the Vegas Penthouse and the Vegas Outhouse accommodations are just one week’s reservations apart.

  1. Clemson -13 at Syracuse —  Abby’s been off of a down Clemson year.  But she thinks these Tigers get a dead cat bounce up north.  One bone.
  2.  Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech +5 1/2 —  This looks like a very live home dog.  The ML is tempting for a straight-up win as well, but give her the points.  One bone.
  3. Michigan St at Indiana +4 1/2 —  The Spartans have been playing winning football all year.  Indiana is a bit of a disappointment vs expectations.  Saturday the script flips.  One bone.
  4. Army at Wisconsin -14 — Abby barked for Army three weeks in a row.  She’s fading them now.  Whisky did her right a week ago, and she’s back for another round.  Two bones.
  5. Arizona St pick at Utah — What goes up and down more than a yoyo?  A Sun Devil.  Abby likes the Utes at home.  One bone.
  6. Oklahoma St at Texas -4 — The loser of last week’s epic Red River Showdown throws down.  Abby likes this one so much it scares her a bit.  Three bones.
  7. TCU at Oklahoma -13 1/2 — The winner of last week’s epic Red River Showdown might be in for a letdown.  A back door (or doggy door) cover is possible.  Nonetheless, Okie can score points in bunches.  One bone.

Mississippi can score points in bunches, too.  But the over/under at Rocky Top is 83 1/2.  On a strong hunch, Abby likes the under.  She also likes the Tennessee blue tick hound.

Four chalks, one pick, and two dogs.  It’s a bit against the norm.

Woof.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you’ve never been to the Flora-Bama bar, you should put it on your bucket list.  No really.  Bama has the best team football team in the world and 1/2 of the best bar in the world as well.  It sits 1/2 in Florida and 1/2 in Bama, right on the state line, fifty yards from the Gulf of Mexico.

  1. Do you think that Nick Saban coach of the best football team in the world stewed for the last 12 months that his former OC, and chief needler,  Lane Kiffen put 617 yards of offense on Saban’s pride and joy defense last year?  Saban gets mad and gets even.
  2. Speaking of defense, Georgia hasn’t allowed a single point in its last eight quarters of SEC play, pitching two shutouts in a row over hapless Vanderbilt and upstart Arkansas.  Four Georgia running backs rushed for 87, 68, 57, and 48 yards.  Deep bench.  Oh, and the O scored 99 points total in those same two games.
  3. Should we pronounce the winner of the SEC Championship game the national champ?  Probably.  Raise your hand if you don’t think the game will pit Bama versus Georgia? Saban’s win makes him 23 and 0 against his former assistant coaches.  Could Kirby Smart outsmart Saban in December to make it 23-1?  Are we getting ahead of ourselves?   Saban would say yes.  We’d say no.
  4.  But, the BIG 10 asks, “what about us?”  Iowa owned Maryland(51-14) on Friday and Penn St owned Indiana(24-0) on Saturday to check in at numbers 3 and 4 respectively in the AP top 25.  They’ll meet Saturday on the field near the cornfields in Iowa City.
  5.  That matchup will feature two top 5 BIG 10 teams for the first time since 1997 that one of them isn’t named THE Ohio St University.  Both Iowa and Penn State have beaten two ranked opponents already.  So this game is going to have a significant impact one way or another as one of them makes it three.
  6.  But, the Cincinnati Bearcats ask, “what about us?”  Cincy checks in proudly at #6 after going into South Bend and bouncing the Irish 24-13.  Cincinnati’s defense isn’t Georgia ferocious, but it’s mighty strong.  The Bearcats showed against ND they can perform on big stages. They have only one marginally ranked (24 SMU) left on their schedule.  Is that good or bad for them?  It depends on how the others ahead and slightly behind them play out.
  7.  And, 5-0 Oklahoma wants to make their way into the big boy talk.  At seven they’ll get a chance to pad their resume, as the winners of 13 straight are headed to Dallas to face # 21 Texas in the Red River Shootout next Saturday.
  8. Who is still undefeated besides all of the above-mentioned?  If you guessed Michigan, Michigan St., Coastal Carolina, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Oklahoma St., SMU, and San Diego St. you’re watching way too much football on Saturdays.
  9. That thud you heard late Saturday night was previously undefeated and now # 8 Oregon laying a big duck egg v Stanford. Arizona St is the only other PAC12 ranked team.  Oregon’s body of work includes a fine win at THE, so they’ll stay in the conversation for now.  But the PAC 12 playoff conversation is hanging on by a thread until something or things really shake up the standings.
  10. Although it could have been a reverberation from College Station where preseason #7 Texas A&M dropped out of the top 25 with a certified stinker of a loss to Mississippi St after losing to Arkansas the week before.  Jimbo’s contract was extended and guaranteed before the season started. The extension will increase his salary to $9 million on Jan. 1 and $9.15 million on Jan. 1, 2023.  After that, his salary will increase by $100,000 each year through 2031.  That’s good work if you can get it.  A&M has opened as an 18 point dog to Bama this week.
  11. (Lagniappe) Iowa is favored by 3 over Penn St., as is Michigan at Nebraska, as is Oklahoma v Texas in The Red River Shootout that you can’t call The Red River Shootout anymore.

Out.

Problem Solved

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

People the world over ask BBR daily what is the real purpose of its burgeoning business.  The answer is, and always has been simple.  BBR is in the “solutions” business.

Add in a touch of Rasmussen, who is in the polling business, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) who owns a football factory or fourteen and, voila!  We’ve done it again.

Problem solved.  Which one, you ask?  Eliminating Covid-19 is which one.

Over 105 million, or 31.8% of the US population have been fully vaccinated according to the CDC as of May 3rd.

On Tuesday Rasmussen released poll results surveyed April 29 -May 2 which asked the simple question “Should people who have been vaccinated fully against Covid-19 continue wearing masks in public places?”  Forty-nine percent said yes, while 42 percent said no.  It seems like there is some division along party lines as 67% of Republicans said no, while 75% of Democrats said yes.

So, get fully vaccinated and wear a mask.  That should do it.

But, for how long to ensure that we end the pandemic do we need to vac and mask?  That was question number two.  Thirty-three percent said “six months to a year.”  Thirty percent said “less than six months.”  Risk-takers they are.  Ten percent said “at least eighteen months” while nine percent said “the next couple of years.”

And, finally, six percent want to be uber safe.  They recommended “indefinitely.”  You have to think that at least 60 of every 1000 adults polled don’t know what the word “indefinitely” means, don’t you?  Hopefully.

So, get fully vaccinated and wear a mask for a long time.  That should do it.

But, there is this pesky problem.  Vaccination rates have stalled.  Heck, in the deep south they started slower and seem to have tapered off.  Egads.

The University of Alabama finishes first in football every year.  But, in adult population vaccinations the State of Alabama finishes last.  The CDC says Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia are close behind in 49th through 45th.

Enter Dan Wolken, USA Today Columnist, with a take that should light up the scoreboard.  He recommends that for entry into an SEC stadium near you this fall that you would have to show proof of vaccine.  After all, he writes, what better way to motivate people than to tell them they must show proof to get into an SEC venue like Bryant Denny Stadium this fall?

Is there a better name to write this than Dan (drop the “L”) Woken.  What’s better than “woke?”  Woken.  Or, Wolken.  We digress.

Hopefully, there is no backlash from Title IX supporters that Wolken only speaks to full capacity stadiums for men’s football games.  Shouldn’t this requirement extend to, say, full capacity arenas for women’s basketball?  Nevermind.

And, why only the SEC?  What about, for instance, the PAC 12?  They still play football, don’t they?  Don’t they?  Do they?

What Wolken calls an incentive, others call suppression of their freedom.

So, get fully vaccinated, wear a mask(or two) forever, and we’ll let you sit in a full (at least in the south) stadium to watch a football game.  Deal?

Problem solved we think.

But just in case, should we dock the Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort off of the Gulf Coast this fall?

Only Dr. Fauci knows.

 

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Yr 3, Wk 12

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last week Abby won just a (kibbles and) bit more than she lost. Any week that’s a plus week versus Vegas is, well, a plus week versus Vegas.

For the season wins number 29, losses 30, and ties one.  Bones won number 45, while those given back are 38.  The hunch bet finally climbed out of a season-long backyard dug hole and stands at 4 up and 4 down.

Isn’t it so cancel culture 2020 that false positives, positives, and contact tracing are canceling plenty of games as well?  Jim Harbaugh is happy about that this week.  He would have been worked over by THE lickety-split.

Next week, Abby’s going to kick in a few NFL games for good measure as well as the NCAA games will be few and far between.   Now, to the picks.

  1. Arizona St. at Arizona -11 and 1/2 – Kevin Sumlin will saddle up and ride out of Tuscon right after this one with all of his money in bags.  The sheriff (AD) will see to it.  He’s done zero there and made a cool 9 million.  But, we think they can keep it close enough in a loss to the Sun Devils.  Home dog number one of the week.  It’s Abby’s Friday night special.  One bone.
  2. Coastal Carolina at Troy + 13 and 1/2 – This is a classic letdown spot for the most upstart team in 2020.  Troy usually plays well at home.  Home dog number two of the week.  Two bones.
  3. Stanford at Oregon St +3 – Stanford has been dreadful against the spread this year.  Oregon St has been feisty this year.  It feels like they are playing with purpose each week.  Home dog number three on the week.  Two bones.
  4. Houston ML at Memphis – The Cougars have hammered bad teams and been hammered by good ones.  Memphis falls somewhere in between.  For the value of a 2 to 1 money line bet on a five-point underdog, Abby likes the spot enough.  One bone to win two bones.
  5. LSU at Florida under 68 and 1/2 – The lost season continues for LSU.  Another week and another starter opts out.  Florida has an offense that lights up scoreboards.  These two programs don’t like each other and Florida will want some revenge from LSU’s big win last year.  LSU won’t score 24.  And Florida won’t score 44.  Two bones.

The last time Army hosted the Navy at West Point was during WWII.  On a hunch, we think that they won’t be good hosts.  As Lee Corso says weekly (even when the two teams aren’t playing)  Go Army, Beat Navy!  Take Army -7.

Woof!