 |
|
|
I blog @ FRIENDLY FIRE read my LATEST COLUMN FRIENDS' BLOGS CATHOLIC LINKS  mater dei, ora pro nobis contact: @ weinkopf.com (C) 2001, - 2007. All rights are reserved. 
|
Friday, October 04, 2002
PARTY OF THE PEOPLE The picture of Tom Daschle below recently arrived in my inbox, its origins unknown. It's the sort of photo which, if it were of George W. Bush, the establishment press would widely herald as proof of his stupidity. Instead, it remains the quiet stuff of e-mail humor. 
Anyway, it's the perfect lead-in for my latest column, a look at the disgraceful Democrats who flew to Baghdad last week to lend Saddam Hussein a hand -- Saddam's Three Stooges. Tuesday, October 01, 2002
WEINKOPF.COM FOOTBALL POOL WEEK 4 UPDATE: BEATLEMANIA 
Left: This week's winner, "5th Beatle and Loving It" Glen Cohen, fleeing the paparazzi in 1999. Who is he? In week 1, we knew him as GMAN, and in week 3 he became "Seriously Disturbed!!!!" Now, after four weeks, Glen Cohen has become The Fifth Beatle and Loving It, claiming the glory that John, Paul, George, and Ringo denied him many years ago. With 78 points, he not only won week 4, but puts himself a mere ten points behind WildSyle75 Stacey for first place in the Weinkopf.com Football Pool. This is the Beatle's second win in three weeks, making him the clear choice for this week's One to Watch honors. Last week's OTW, WildStyle75 scored a respectable 58, fourth place for the week, a position most of us would kill for, but one she disdains. Predictably, Stacey complains that confidence points have done her in. With nine correct picks, if we were just going on our win/loss totals, she would have tied for first place with New York Lancers Dave and Steel Man Joe. Boo-hoo, Stacey -- you'll get no sympathy in these quarters, at least not as long as you consider to sit atop the heap. Cry us a river ... The rest of the gang Rounding out the cream of the crop for Week 4 are Hoboken Orphans Chris, Flipper Lynn, When's Baseball Season Start Bob, and NevadaNiner Jason, who recovered nicely from last week's debacle with 51 points. Unfortunately, Jason seems to have taken my advice from last week and borrowed some picks from his three-year old son, Padawan Ebin. The Hirschman boys were the only two poolers to choose the lowly Bungles over the up and coming Buccaneers. What were they thinking? Still, Jason managed a decent weekend altogether. If only we could say the same for his boy. After a solid week 1 and 2, Padawan Ebin has plummeted, with a Weinkopf.com Football Pool all-time low of 12, shattering the previous record of 19, set by his dad just a week ago. Dubbing Jason The One Not to Watch seemed to help him rebound, so let's see if it will work for the next generation: Hear ye, hear ye, Padawan Ebin is this week's One Not To Watch! It could be worse Although managing to best Padawan Ebin in the weekly standings, Bruiser Tim and At Least I'm Not a Zebra Elizabeth continue to trail the pre-schooler in group points. Downside: They can't keep up with someone in pull-ups. Upside: They've got something to strive for. Shades of mediocrity Yet despite the stellar performances of the 50+ point crowd and the meltdowns of the minus-20 bracket, most of us fell somewhere in the uninspiring and unimpressive middle. At the high end of lackluster was yours truly, the Mighty Mighty Pats Fan, with 45 points, and just teetering on the verge between weak and atrocious was Capuccino Commando Charles with 30. But it was a tough week, as evidenced by the fact that our winner took 78, a score that would have netted a ninth-place finish in week 2. No one in the pool was able to achieve the better's benchmark of ten wins. That "any given Sunday" baloney really made a mess of things -- with the woeful Raisins crushing the formerly intimidating Broncos and the Cowboys officially welcoming the Lambs back to their traditional role as NFL bottom-feeders. It's impossible to predict madness like this. Special kudos goes to When's Baseball Season Start Bob, the only pooler to pick both the Lions and the Raisins. Choosing blindly weeks in advance seems to have its advantages ... Aching at the Q Then, of course, there was the freak upset of the weak -- the San Diego Chargers over the Mighty Mighty Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. And of course, wouldn't you know that yours truly and Mrs. Mighty Mighty Pats Fan were there to witness the the debacle. It figures, doesn't it? The team wins 13 straight games, then loses the one I manage to attend. Grogan's Heroes Kenny informs me that I am no longer allowed to attend any more Pats games -- a punishment I freely accept. I'd much rather see them win on TV then lose from the stands. Still, we had a great time at the game, and there were many a Pats fan at the Q. Had the Pats pulled off the win, the assembled citizens of Patriot Nation would have gone bananas. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Every championship team needs its humbling, its early moment of doubt that makes the eventual Super Bowl video all the more compelling. We got ours in week 4. Oh well, it will turn out better next time the Mighty Mighty Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots play in San Diego -- January, 2003. But before then, we get to go fishing in Miami next weekend. Watch out, Flipper Lynn! Hail to the sinking ship If current tends continue, we might have a clear choice for next week's ONTW honors: Hail to the Redskins Scott Rubush, who was top dog in week 1. Look at Scott's declining scores for the first four week's of the season: 94, 70, 47, 44. At this rate, our Week 1 champion won't stay in the Top 5 much longer. Who will be there to take his place? It should be interesting to see, especially as the NFL gets progressively more wacky, with new QBs now starting for the Jests, Squeelers, and Lambs. (Have I left anyone out?) Stay tuned, and see you next week! Yours, Chris, the Mighty Mighty Pats Fan |