Friday, January 02, 2004

Return of the Seer The SportsGuy has inspired me with his talk of an 11-0 run through the NFL pre-season.  (And check out his paen to the star-crossed history of the Vikings in the same column.) And so, the Seer has returned to see if he can fulfill Ralph Wiley's requirement that the best prognosticators bat .750 in the postseason... Titans @ Ravens, Ravens by 1 Bet against McNair?  Sorry, but we're not going to do that against a mediocre Ravens team (though one which features the offensive and defensive players of the year).  The Ravens are one-dimensional on offense, and they feature a QB who can't make things happen even when the defense brings eight or nine guys into the box to stop the run. The Seer Sees: Titans beat the spread Cowboys @ Panthers, Panthers by 3 The Panthers have limped into the playoffs, and they are at home against a Cowboys team that had to put up some big wins down the stretch to get in.  Quincy Carter scares me a bit, but so does Jake Delhomme.  Either way, with two dominant defenses, this promises to be a low-scoring affair.  In the end, I'll take Bill Parcells' squad over the less-experienced John Fox. The Seer Sees: Cowboys beat the spread Seahawks @ Packers, Packers by 6.5 This is the game that should have been at the Metrodome, but for the game I'm calling Just Desserts In The Desert.  (It's catching on, don't you think?).  Anyway, it's a big spread, and both of these teams can light it up.  Favre's a favorite of mine, and I wouldn't mind watching him all the way to Houston, but this line is just a bit too large. The Seer Sees: Seahawks cover Broncos @ Colts, Colts by 3 The Colts are notorius postseason chokers, led by Peyton Manning, a notorious individual choke job waiting to happen.  But the Broncos were just in Indy a couple weeks ago, and they played a great game.  Indy should bounce back in a big way.  Or not. The Seer Sees: Colts cover 12:37:45 PM    Say what?[]

Radio K's Top 77 The Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's Fever To Tell was Radio K's top album of the year.  I can't argue with that; I listened to it for about three weeks straight.  10:55:55 AM    Say what?[]

Krugman on the Dems and Dean-bashing This is an interesting take by Paul Krugman today on the way the other Dems in the race are trying to bring down Howard Dean. Anyone who read through Tuesday's Pipeline Dean post (and the commentary marathon it precipitated) knows that I think Dean's calling the DNC to have the other candidates back off was over the line.  I still believe that, on balance. However, Krugman raises a good point, and that is that the other Dems should not be making statements about Dean's electability.  It's one thing to criticize a guy's policies or past positions or his qualifications.  But questioning Dean's electability plays so obviously into the Bush team's hands, it's hard to believe it's doing anything to help further the cause of the Dems overall.  If there aren't enough places to make distinctions on the basis of the various records, then why would Dean be any less electable than anyone else, considering his strong front-runner position right now? In light of that, I have slightly less antipathy for Dean calling the DNC, but not much.  It's still counter-productive for him to take the fight to the DNC, at least in any public kind of way.  I just have a bad, bad feeling about this election.  Some of that's inspired by what I perceive to be the general inclinations of the electorate.  Some of it's inspired by what I believe is the tenacity and questionable tactics and overwhelming media advantage enjoyed by the GOP.  And some of it's the lack of a powerhouse Dem candidate. I'm not sold on Dean.  But right now, as we head into the primaries, who else has a chance to win the nomination? 9:22:55 AM    Say what?[]

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