Week 17 NFL Picks - Experts vs. a 4-Year-Old

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.  It all comes down to this.  The four-year-old went .500 last week, but as per usual (I don't know if 'per' is used correctly there, but I like using that word) 8-8 is plenty good enough to pull ahead of the pack in the Cheap Seats Pick 'Em Derby.  As we come down this final stretch, the preschooler has a 1 game lead, but with JDaddy just 3 games out, anyone can win.

And for anyone concerned about how these things are picked, I make my selections before letting the kid make his selections.  And since he can't read yet, he has no idea who I selected.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and enjoy your weekend.  Hopefully early next week the final results will be posted.

Happy New Year!

Last Week
JDaddy: 7-9
CDog: 6-10
4-Year-Old: 8-8

Overall
JDaddy: 111-120-9
CDog: 112-119-9
4-Year-Old: 114-117-9

Merry Christmas from The Cheap Seats

CDog and JDaddy want to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Christmas. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to drop by. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Week 16 NFL Picks - Experts vs. a Four-Year-Old

I hate to be the bearer of bad news for those of you rooting for the kid, but the wheels are starting to shake a little bit.  There is now a tie atop the leaderboard.  Granted, the leaderboard resembles the AFC West (without the Tebow-ing) but a winner is a winner.  And right now, there are two of us tied for the lead.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.  I'll wish you a happy new year next week.

Last Week
JDaddy: 7-8-1
CDog: 9-6-1
4-Year-Old: 6-9-1

Overall
JDaddy: 104-111-9
CDog: 106-109-9
4-Year-Old: 106-109-9

Week 15 NFL Picks - Experts vs. a 4-Year-Old

After 14 weeks, the kid is right where you would expect him to be, .500.  When someone is picking virtually at random, he should win as much as he loses and that is exactly the case.  The problem is that JDaddy and I are having trouble catching up.  We made up a game last week, but with three weeks to go, we're three games down.  If the 4-year-old has one more good week in him, he could just about turn off the lights.

Fortunately, ESPN gives us a great Monday Night game this week with the Steelers at 49ers.  Those poor guys had to make St. Louis and Seattle look good last week.

Anyway, here is how we stand after 14 weeks.

Last Week
JDaddy: 8-8
CDog: 8-8
4-Year-Old: 7-9

Overall
JDaddy: 97-103-8
CDog: 97-103-8
4-Year-Old: 100-100-8

Ryan Braun...The More Things Change....The More Things Stay The Same

With the news today that Milwaukee outfileder and N.L. MVP  Ryan Braun tested positive for P.E.D.s , we at JDadduDu demand that if these charges are proven true the MVP award be given to Matt Kemp of the LA Dodgers.

The award should have been Kemp's all along as he put together the best season no one knew about. In addition, he was awarded the prestigious "Batsman of the Year" award from JDaddyDu.

As is always the case, Braun has said there must be some mistake in the testing, but as we know, that's what they all say. Maybe he "mis-remembered".

But nothing should surprise us any more. In our article of October 9th, we profiled the Brewers as a team that reminded us of "Curly Joe" of the "Three Stooges". The misfit who never fit in. But we gave Braun a pass....... Shame on us. He fits right in with the rest of them.

Braun has been one of those who seemed above it all.

Baseball should know better. We should know better. When will we ever learn?

Week 14 NFL Picks - Experts vs. a 4-Year-Old

Last week was a nice turn of events for me.  It was a rare double digit week for those of us in this contest that are not four years old.  With 10 wins, JDaddy and I move back into a tie for second (also a tie for last, but lets not dwell on that).  The kid edged back closer to .500 which is theoretically where he should end the season since his picks are basically drawn at random.  With just 4 weeks to go we are coming down to the wire.  Can anybody catch him?  Will ESPN even bother to broadcast the Monday Night game?

Last Week
JDaddy: 7-9
CDog: 10-6
4-Year-Old: 7-9

Overall
JDaddy: 89-95-8
CDog: 89-95-8
4-Year-Old: 93-91-8

Week 13 in the NFL - The JDaddy Rankings

Before the NFL season began, CDog came up with one of our most popular posts when he devised a formula that would be the gold standard of predicting the NFL season. There were even rumors that something so accurate could only be devised by using the ancient Mayan calendar.

And when you look back at his predictions, a Lion - Steelers Super Bowl does not seem as far fetched today as it may have at the beginning of the season. Thank goodness for that Texas A&M education! His next project will be to send our Dallas Cowboys a formula on when to and when not to call a time out!!!!!!!!!

But here we are in week 13 and 12 games under the belts of the contenders.You may remember the 1983 movie "War Games, the one where Ferris Bueller confused a computer named "WOPR" so much that it didn't know the difference between Tic-Tac-Toe and thermo-nuclear war. Well, we here at JDaddyDu have found a new use for "The WOPR", by plugging in some key data from the NFL. To qualify, the teams must be 1st or 2nd in their divisions and have a winning record. We would love to hear from you and give us your own rankings, but be careful........ The "WOPR" is watching!

Week 13 NFL Predictions - Experts vs. a 4-Year-Old

The Thanksgiving weekend games were good to us.  All three of us finished at least .500, and the kid didn't win the week for a change.  Unfortunately, neither of us could do much to make up ground.

This is always a fun part of the sports season.  Because there are just 16 NFL games, the season outlook changes so dramatically from one week to the next.  Things looked bleak for the Cowboys after the New England game, but now they are set up to just about knock out the Giants in two weeks.  But then again, the Cowboys outscored Washington and Miami by a combined 1 point in regulation the last two weeks.  I'm excited to watch this finish. 

Last Week
JDaddy: 9-7
CDog: 8-8
4-Year-Old: 8-8

Overall
JDaddy: 82-86-8
CDog: 79-89-8
4-Year-Old: 86-82-8

Kevin Durant - Let the Good Times Roll

I love this dude, and I love this commercial.  Is there any doubt that Kevin Durant would actually do something like this?  I love my Mavs and still can't believe they're the champs, but if they had not made it past the Lakers, I would have loved to root the Thunder on.  This Nike "Basketball Never Stops" commercial, backed by Sam Cooke's Let The Good Time Roll is all it took to get me ready for hoops.

6 Man Football and a Night in Hico, Texas

While played in several states, and developed in 1934 by Coach Stephen Epler of Chester High School in Nebraska, the state of Texas is the epicenter of 6 Man Football. In 2009, there were just under 200 teams who played 6 Man. It is a variation of the 11 man football most of us are familiar with, especially developed for the small schools in rural areas who can not field a larger team. If you are interested take a minute and go to http://www.sixmanfootball.com/rules.php to get a feel for how the game is played. But the unique rules are a small part of what makes 6 Man special.

I took the picture in this article on November 24th, 2011 In Hico, Texas. A small city who's citizens believe that a local named "Brushy" Bill Roberts was, in reality  the outlaw "Billy the Kid". In fact there is a "Billy the Kid" Museum in the heart of Hico. The team in the white is from Lometa, Texas and they are about to kick an extra point as their playoff game against the Abbott Panthers was coming to an end. The kick was successful and it meant the team had just posted a score of 100. The problem is,their Panther opponents had already scored 118. The 218 points tied the highest score recorded in 6 Man but will be ranked second as the Trent Gorillas 132-86 win against the Novice Hornets ended due to the "Mercy Rule" after 3 1/2 quarters. And as high scoring as this match-up was, the preceding game earlier in the evening resulted in a 72-22 Richland Springs win over the Calvert Trojans. That game was called at halftime due to the same "Mercy Rule".

Week 12 NFL Predictions - Experts Vs. a 4-Year-Old

Holiday schedules have forced me to hand the reigns over to JDaddy for this week's commentary.  I'm sure you all will be pleased.

And before we give last weeks results and this week's picks, CDog and I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. "Our View From The Cheap Seats" has been read in countries all over the world and we appreciate you taking the time to check us out. We have a great time doing this and would love to hear from you wherever you may be.

We want to give special thanks to our men and women in Uniform, and especially a young PFC and his family now stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. I can't give his street name due to national security, but we are sure proud of them.

OK... I am sure it is no surprise, but the kid won again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result..... This is driving us crazy.


Last Week
JDaddy: 5-7-2
CDog: 5-7-2
4-Year-Old: 7-5-2

Overall
JDaddy: 73-79-8
CDog: 71-81-8
4-Year-Old: 78-74-8

Week 11 NFL Predictions - Experts Vs. a 4-Year-Old

Remember what I wrote about being happy the NBA is locked out?  Well I've changed my mind.  I need my basketball.  There is nothing but hockey and mid-major college football to watch during the week.  I get that the Stars are playing well, and I get that the University of Houston has a great quarterback, but come on.  Do they really count?

As for the Week 10 picks, the 4-year-old won AGAIN.  Unbelievable.  Well, not really unbelievable.  I'm used to it by now.  The big change was for the runner-up.  I had a bad week, and JDaddy went 8-8, which leaves me in 3rd place.  After the bad Week 9 from the kid, I'm still having trouble keeping up.

Last Week
JDaddy: 8-8
CDog: 6-10
4-Year-Old: 9-7

Overall
JDaddy: 68-72-6
CDog: 66-74-6
4-Year-Old: 71-69-6

National League Most Valuable Batsman

Last week we announced Miguel Cabrera as our Most Valuable Batsman in The American League. Cabrera edged out Yankees All Star, Curtis Granderson by a "Cheap Seat Score" of 1024.9 to 1024.3.

In the National League, our winner led the field by a wider margin. With very little fan fare and more attention being paid to the plight of his franchise, he ended the year with the highest score of any player in either league.

Our National Leaguers averaged 97 Runs, 172 Hits, 31 Home Runs, 106 RBIs, .302 Batting Average and an OPS of .925

Our National League Batsman of the Year is..........................................

Marty Ray - Check This Guy Out!

 

Marty Ray has one of the most unique new sounds around.  JDaddy met Marty this morning at a Veteran's Day tribute.  Great guy and great music.  Click the pic or go to his page on ReverbNation to see more about Marty Ray.

Week 10 NFL Predictions - Experts Vs. a Four-Year-Old

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a race!  After a great start to Week 9, the weekend fell apart for the 4-Year-Old.  He missed the last 9 games on the schedule.  Combined with a better-usual-week from me and JDaddy are within 2 games of the kid.

The picks are getting out earlier since there is a Thursday game this week.  Surprisingly, the 4-year-old took several visiting teams.  He usually likes home teams.  He also picked against the Steelers.  That's a rarity.  In addition, JDaddy and I picked 12 games the same way.  The kid went against us 8 times.  He doesn't tend to have consecutive bad weeks, so load up on those 8 picks.

Last Week
JDaddy: 8-6
CDog: 7-7
4-Year-Old: 4-10

Overall
JDaddy: 60-64-6
CDog: 60-64-6
4-Year-Old: 62-62-6

"The Cheap Seats" Announces The 2011 Major League Baseball Most Valuable Batsman

The wait is over as CDog and JDaddy reveal the long awaited "Most Valuable Batsman" for the 2011

Major League Baseball season. Using a top secret calculation that is kept in the same vault as the Coca-Cola formula and recipe for Kentucky Friday Chicken, point totals are given for several offensive categories as compiled by MLB. Only JDaddy, CDog and their Himalayan spiritual advisor Rossbanya Benifucci know the results.This week we will announce the American League winner with the National League winner coming next week.

To qualify, a player had to be in the top 5 of one of our categories (Runs, Hits, Doubles, Triples, HRs, RBIs, BB, Avg, OBP, SLG PCT., OPS) 

Our top 10  A.L. finalist averaged 107 runs, 38 doubles, and 31 home runs. In addition they batted a composite .302 and a .925 OPS.

Follow the jump to see this years winner and final top 10.

Week 9 NFL Predictions - Experts vs. a Four-Year-Old

Well, whadaya know?  Me, not a lot about football.  I was on a roll last week until the late games started.  The homer in me bit me in the behind, but then again all three of us picked Dallas to cover against Philly.  Fortunately, by the time I had witnessed a baseball collapse the Red Sox would be proud of and a football collapse in a style that the Aggies should copyright as all their own, I didn't have much emotional energy left to care about the Cowboys.

And not to add salt to the wound, but the Mavericks should have received their rings this week, but alas, it was not meant to be.  But take heart!  Because whenever the NBA does start back, this guy plays for us:

 

Now, please keep watching that video and pay no attention to the results of the Week 8 picks behind the curtain.

Last Week

JDaddy: 5-8

CDog: 6-7

4-Year-Old: 8-5

Overall

JDaddy: 52-58-6

CDog: 53-57-6

4-Year-Old: 58-52-6

Follow me for this week's picks.

Week 8 NFL Predictions - Experts vs. a Four-Year-Old

Great news!  We're not 100% idiots!  Just partial idiots.  For the first time all season, all three of us finished above .500.  This is not an indictment of the four-year-old, he's been doing fine all year.  And, you know, he's 4.  I think he just repeats the last team he hears and picks them.

But for ol' JDaddy and CDog it is a miracle from God himself that we both finished above .500.  Lets don't start popping champagne just yet, though.  We barely finished on the winning side.  The kid still leads, but we're not going away.

Last Week
JDaddy: 7-5-1
CDog: 7-5-1
4-Year-Old: 7-5-1

Overall
JDaddy: 47-50-6
CDog: 47-50-6
4-Year-Old: 50-47-6

Open Wound Thoughts On The 2011 World Series

Well that didn't go the way we had planned.  With a 3-run lead in the 8th inning and a reliable bullpen lined up, it seemed like this was going to actually happen.  With one out and no one on in the 9th I was almost certain it was going to happen.  Then everything else happened.  I don't even want to write down what happened.  We all saw it.  I'm just glad what happened in Game 6 happened in Game 6 and not Game 7.  Game 7 was easier to swallow.

Rainy Day World Series Movie Quotes

The World Series is on hold for the weather as Ranger and Cardinal fans debate on which of their teams is helped or hurt the most from an extra days rest. So “Our View From The Cheap Seats” thought we would coordinate the Game 5 Ranger win with some of Hollywood’s greatest quotes.

Here is our Top 10 List ;

10. “ E.T. Phone Home ” -- (E.T)

 9.  “ I’m afraid you’re just too darn loud ” -- (Back To The Future)

 8.   “ Excuse me…. But what in the Hell is going on out here?” -- (Bull Durham )

 7. “ You see this? This is my BOOMSTICK!” -- (Army of Darkness)

 6. “ What’s you’re major malfunction numbnuts?” -- (Full Metal Jacket)

 5. “ This definitely rates a 9.0 on my Weird-Sh*t-O-Meter” -- (Men In Black)

 4. “ Yeah…. “You’re a legend in your own mind” -- (Sudden Impact)

 3. “ Look man, you can listen to Jimi, but you can’t hear him. There’s a difference man. Just because you’re listening to him doesn’t mean you’re hearing him. --(White Men Can’t Jump)

 2. “Whadya Hear? Whadya Say” -- (Angles With Dirty Faces)

 1. “No, No, No, Because There’s no crying in Baseball” -- (A League of There Own)

It has been a great World Series so far and one with more twists and turns than a Texas back road. I can’t wait for Thursday………………… JDaddy

Week 7 NFL Predictions - Experts vs. a Four-Year-Old

Another week, another win for the four-year-old.  He didn't do all that great, but you don't have to do all that great to pick games better than JDaddy and CDog.  The good news is that we all finished at least at .500 for the week and didn't further hurt our already putrid game analysis skills.  Go Rangers!

Week 6
JDaddy: 6-6-1
CDog: 6-6-1
4-Year-Old: 7-5-1

Overall
JDaddy: 40-45-5
CDog: 40-45-5
4-Year-Old: 43-42-5

What will the picks be this week?  Will one of us be able to pick up 3 games on the kid in one week?

Texas Rangers in Consecutive World Series? Who Would Have Thought?

It was about this same time last year that something I had once thought impossible was about to happen. I was attending a World Series game in Arlington, Texas to watch my beloved Texas Rangers go up against the San Francisco Giants. To make this even better, I would be attending with my oldest son (CDog) and my son-in-law (he doesn’t have a street name yet).

Somehow CDog had gotten tickets. It was Game 3, the first ever played at the Ball Park and we would see the only Rangers win of the series and included in that was a round tripper from Josh Hamilton. We did not win the Series, but it was an experience I will never forget.

Week 6 NFL Predictions - Experts vs a Four-Year-Old

Week 5 wasn't a good week for any of us, although JDaddy did finish .500 for the week.  And it turns out that I jinxed the 4-year-old by saying 5 of his picks were locks.  Those 5 picks?  He went 1-4 in them.  My bad.  I've had too much ALCS on my mind I guess.

Overall, the 4-year-old still leads, but he has dropped below .500 on the year.  We're starting to get invites to sports books the world over.

We'll try to restore the family name and turn things around this week.

Last Week
JDaddy: 6-6-1
CDog: 5-7-1
4-Year-Old: 3-9-1

Overall
JDaddy: 34-39-4
CDog: 34-39-4
4-Year-Old: 36-37-4

Rangers/Brewers/Cardinals/Brewers.................. The Three Stooges?

With the Tigers/Ranger rain out of game 2, there was some time to take a look at what promises to be a very exciting end to the 2011 Major League Baseball season. In a non alcoholic vision, I realized that the final four teams remaining are just like my heroes "The Three Stooges".

Week 5 NFL Predictions - Experts vs a Four-Year-Old

We're four weeks into our little experiment of picking football games against a 4-year-old.  What have we learned?

• JDaddy and I are terrible at this.  I'm kind of glad we decided to pick against the kid.  Otherwise it would be like watching two Sun Belt lightweights fight it out for the conference championship.  Somebody has to win, but it's not fun to watch.
• All you need to do to pick games is go to NFL.com and figure out which logo you like better.
• If the 4-year-old had been able to control his gambling habit in Week 3 he would be 29-16-3 on the year.

Over the long term you would expect that a random picking of football games against the line would result in a .500 record.  Maybe that will turn out to be true after Week 17, but it's been fun to count up the record each week, my record notwithstanding.

Here are the records through Week 4:

Last Week
JDaddy: 9-7
CDog: 6-10
4-Year-Old: 11-5

Overall
JDaddy: 28-33-3
CDog: 29-32-3
4-Year-Old: 33-28-3

Will the start of the bye weeks throw the kid off his game?  Probably not, but I can hope.

Week 4 NFL Predictions - Experts vs a Four-Year-Old

The Week 3 picks were not very good to any of us, although I ended up over .500 for the week.  JDaddy went 6-10 for the week, but that was outstanding compared to the 4-year-old who came back down to earth with a 4-12 week.  Shows what he knows.

Thanks to the poor week from the 4-year-old I have now moved into first place, even though my record isn't anything to go to Vegas with.

Here are the results through Week 3:

Week 2
JDaddy: 6-10
CDog: 9-7
4-Year-Old: 4-12

Season Total
JDaddy: 19-26-3
CDog: 23-22-3
4-Year-Old: 22-23-3

Will the 4-year-old be able to regain his composure, put on a Romo-like Kevlar vest and come out swinging with his Week 4 picks?  Jump with me and find out.

ESPN........... Where have you gone?

It is well documented what the Lord did in seven days. I am a firm believer however, that on the eighth day he kicked back and watched ESPN. In 1983, I met and married my wife. She was beautiful, had a great sense of humor, loved "The Three Stooges," and.............HAD CABLE!!!!!!  It was the beginning of a continuing love affair....... My wife, who is looking over my shoulder, is wondering if I mean our marriage or my love of 24 hour sports.

Week 3 NFL Predictions - Experts vs a Four-Year-Old

Week 2 was better for me, but JDaddy didn't fare so well.  However, the 4-year-old continued to hold his own and finished .500 for the week.  And he is still well in the lead.  As I write this sentence he has not picked games for Week 3 just yet, but I bet you he still picks the Dolphins.  Why?  Because he likes dolphins.

Here are the results through Week 2:

Week 2
JDaddy: 6-8-2
CDog: 10-4-2
4-Year-Old: 7-7-2

Season Total
JDaddy: 13-16-3
CDog: 14-15-3
4-Year-Old: 18-11-3

Who will he pick this week?  Simon says jump and find out.

Week 2 NFL Predictions - Experts vs a Four-Year-Old

The first week wasn't great for JDaddy and CDog, as we were easily outpicked by the four-year-old.  It wasn't even close actually.  The breakdown:

JDaddy: 7-8-1
CDog: 4-11-1
Four-Year-Old: 11-4-1

That's right.  After 1 week, the four-year-old is 4 games in front.  For a kid that spent his entire week playing with his new Hot Wheels track I'd say he did pretty good.

So now we'll see if he can keep it up with the Week 2 picks.  There are some heavy favorites this week.  Maybe that will get JDaddy and CDog back in the game.  Or we'll be embarrassed once again.

On to the picks.

Week 1 NFL Predictions - Experts vs A Four Year Old

JDaddy and I will be predicting NFL games this year...with a catch. Also joining us will be my 4 year old son. He loves sports, but doesn't know who is who. He just knows that in our house we root for the Cowboys and Aggies. We'll see who comes out on top.

Now on to the "experts" vs. a four year old Week 1 NFL Predictions.

Projected 2011 NFL Team Standings - Nerd Style

As I sat down to think about projecting the season for the NFL teams I started thinking about each team's offseason moves and how the lockout affected things.  But then I thought about how every season's standings seem more based on random events than anything else. 

Each year there are teams that you expect to be good that end up being good.  And each year there are teams that you expect to be bad that end up being bad.  But most teams are surprises, for better or worse.   

So I decided to project the 2011 standings and playoffs with nothing more than an Excel spreadsheet.  It certainly took less work than studying all of the teams.  And I want to look back at these after the season is over and compare to the projections from experts nationwide.

Jump with me to see how the =randbetween() function thinks the season will turn out.

The Final Three Games

This week’s list is a short one.

They were the last two Major League baseball games of the night.  The kind that only West Coast and die hard Texas Rangers fans can appreciate.  Seattle at Anaheim and Texas at Oakland.  I would venture to guess that even the fans at home watching on TV were not really interested, because it was the season premiere of Monday Night Football and it was a big one.  The New York Football Giants, winners of the NFC East the previous year, against the preseason darling Denver Broncos. Even Dennis Miller and Eric Dickerson couldn’t screw this up could they?

The Worst Fan Behavior in America

The brawls that broke out during the 49rs-Raiders preseason game last week got me thinking about the worst cases of sports behavior by American sports fans.

A couple of notes about this list. First, I only counted cases that happened in the United States or had a United States team involved.  So things like the attack on Monica Seles and the Heysel Stadium Disaster were not included in this list.  Second, if an athlete played a major role in the altercation (other than innocent victim) then I didn't include them.  Sorry, Piston's fans.

Let's Go Racin'

With the end of the baseball season coming fast and furious and football just around the corner, I thought I would take the time to remind everyone that the NASCAR "Chase to the Checkered Flag" was about to begin. You say you don't care????????????? Well, That's the problem. The biggest news out of NASCAR has been Danica Patrick. I think Patrick is great for the sport of racing, but what does that say about the foundation of the sport when it's centered around the GoDaddy Girl. I think it's up to the JDaddyDu Army to fix NASCAR!

The Most Over-Hyped Players in the NFL

Here we go football fans. Another season is upon us and I thought I should warn you all about believing everything you read. The only thing you can really count on is what you read here at JDaddy, we will never (well almost never steer you wrong).

My list of Over Hyped players includes some of my favorites. It does not mean these are not good players, just that "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!!". TV color commentators are usually at fault here, but old JDaddy will bring the Millens, Theismans and even old "Jaws" back to Earth.

University of Miami Scandal

The University of Miami scandal that broke this week on Yahoo! Sports is the latest in a rough stretch for major college football programs.  Recently we've had the Reggie Bush/O.J. Mayo scandal at USC and Tattoo-parlor-gate at Ohio State.  But the violations in those two cases pale in comparison to what has been going on at The U. 

A lot of people have been comparing the the Miami allegations with what went on at SMU during the 1980s which resulted in SMU receiving the death-penalty and not playing football for 2 years.  I went and compared the two cases to see if the Miami case warranted the same level of punishment as SMU.

Frost High School - Playing With The Polar Bears

I have decided that through our BLOG, I am going to come clean............. I spent the first 15 years of my life wanting to "Play With The Polar Bears". You might wonder why a kid from Central Texas would grow up with a dream like this and, quite frankly, I would not blame you.

Corpus Christi Seafood - Blackbeard's

If I can veer off of the sports page for just a bit....

Went to Blackbeard's in Corpus Christi this evening and had a great time.  They had the best fried calamari I've ever eaten.  We also got gator bites which were wonderful.  Even the three-year olds liked the alligator.

I do not think anyone was disappointed with their entrees.  The crab cakes, blackened tilapia, and everything else was great.  We had one person who is not a fan of seafood so she got a chicken fried steak.  The verdict was that the steak was terrific. 

The kid's menu was full of choices as well.

I'm now convinced that Blackbeard's has some of the best Corpus Christi seafood.  The food, the reasonable prices, and the family friendliness (at least at 5 o'clock pm) will make this place a destination in the future.

Finally, a shout out to our waiter, Louie.  Great job Louie!  Even if you are a fan of the Astros and (shudder) the Philadelphia Eagles.

A more complete review can be found here.

Texas High School Football plus Cheerleading Facts

With the start of Texas high school football practice this week we bring you some thoughts on the game in the state as well as some cheerleading facts you might not know.  I can't believe JDaddy didn't work in Lyla Garrity somewhere.

Welcome Back NFL and MLB's Ugliest Players

This week we bring you news from the NFL and from MLB.  JDaddy gives some thoughts on the NFL labor dispute, and CDog takes disrespectful potshots at men bigger than he is by introducing his Top 10 ugliest MLB baseball players.

We also have a casting call out.  With football season approaching we want to include some football season or tailgaiting recipes.  If you have something, send it to us and if we use it we'll give you a shout out and plug your website/blog/whatever if you have one. 

Now, onto the column.

Roger Clemens Mistrial and Top 5 Forgotten Sports Scandals

This week, CDog looks back at the Roger Clemens trial that never was, and JDaddy reminds us of the Top 5 forgotten sports scandals.

Irate Parents Strike Again and the Top 10 Athletes I Never Saw ........ JDaddy/CDog

We're trying something new!  A double post by JDaddy and CDog.  Can you handle twice the amount of knowledge?  JDaddy gives his thoughts on overbearing parents while CDog lists the players he wishes he had been around to see. 

Feel free to add your own comments about these posts and let us know how you like the new set up.

Baseball Bonding

In September of the 2009 baseball season my family was at a Rangers game, sitting about 20 rows up from the visiting team's dugout.  Chris Davis stepped to the plate and lined a foul ball over the netting into the row behind us, where a man about my age picked up the ball, walked down to us and handed the ball to my 2 year old son, Eli.  Everyone cheered and when I had the chance I walked down, shook the man's hand and gave a heartfelt thanks to him for what he did.  Eli didn't understand the significance, and today he still doesn't.  But one day he will know that he has something that some people have been trying 60 or more years to find: a foul ball from a Major League Baseball game. 

My Sports Moment of Clarity

The moment of clarity happened on the night of June 18, 2006.  The Dallas Mavericks had just lost Game 5 of the NBA Fianls 101-100 in Overtime.  The loss dropped them to a 3-games-to-2 deficit after winning the first 2 games in Dallas.  The loss in Game 5 featured ill-timed missed free throws by Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard, and what Dallas fans felt was a Secret Service escort for Dwyane Wade, who was not allowed to be touched. 

When the game was over, I was angry.  I was mad at the Mavericks for blowing the opportunity to win the series in Miami.  I was angry at Dirk and Josh for missing the free throws.  I was angry at the NBA for suspending Jerry Stackhouse for Game 5 for what was nothing more than a hard foul on Shaquille O'Neal.  And I was angry at Bennett Salvatore for helping decide the outcome of the game.

My wife was already asleep and even though this was just 5 years ago, civilization had not yet fully moved towards constant connection via text, Twitter, and Facebook.  I had no way to vent my anger.  So I just went to bed.  And I stewed.  My heart was racing, I couldn't sleep, and all I could think about were those $#%@ MISSED FREE THROWS!  That's when the moment of clarity hit.  I then became angry at myself for allowing all of these external factors that I had no control over consume my emotions so much that I couldn't sleep.  Why did I allow that to happen? 

Gone Missing - Power Rankings 4-18-11

I apologize to anyone who was waiting with anxious anticipation for the updated Power Rankings.  Work and being slammed by allergies got in the way this week.  If I had to throw a Top 10 together this week, I think it would have looked like this.

1. Philadelphia
2. New York Yankees
3. Colorado
4. Los Angeles Angels
5. Texas
6. Cleveland
7. Cincinatti
8. San Francisco
9. Kansas City (no, seriously)
10. St. Louis? (They're 8-8, but they have a +23 run differential)

Like I said, this is just off the top of my head and I didn't do any research into these rankings.  Right now there is a large middle class of teams that aren't great, but aren't awful.  I also would have placed Boston last.  I've given up on the whole idea of "lets give them a chance."  When the Best Team Ever starts out 2-10, it's time for them to start proving themselves.  And maybe they have.  After yesterday's Patriots Day victory they now own a 3-game winning streak. 

One last note.  Has anyone been paying attention to Jayson Werth?  In addition to having just 2 homers and 2 RBI on the season, he took the second game of a double header off because of "general aches and pains."  In April?  He'll probably be fine, but don't you think there are quite a few people in the Washington front office imagining a very long next 7 years? 

MLB Power Rankings 4-11-2011

During the winter of 2000, ESPN had cameras follow the Manny Ramirez free agent saga for Outside the Lines.  A transcript of the show can be found here. 

The thing that struck me as I originally watched it and has stayed with me is just how coddled and babied he was during the process.  Coddling and babying a professional athlete is nothing new, but to actually see it was eye opening. 

Last week it was revealed that Ramirez had once again failed a drug test.  Instead of complying with a 100 game suspension he opted to retire.  At age 38, I don't think it was a shock that he decided to go that route.  I also don't think it was a shock that Ramirez would continue to use performance enhancing drugs despite the risk to his career and reputation.  A look at his numbers suggests why he may have taken the chance.

2009 was marred by his first drug suspension.  After a quick start before the suspension, he never regained his usual form and hit 19 homeruns in 104 games.  Then 2010 hit.  In just 90 games between the Dodgers and White Sox, Ramirez hit just 9 homeruns and slugged .460.  His OPS was still a strong .870, but it wasn't hard to tell that the end was near for Manny's career.  When the time came for him to sign for 2011, there were some teams kicking the tires, but he settled for $2,000,000 from the Rays. 

This was a player that was used to monster numbers.  This is a player that was used to being adored by fans even as he tested their patience to the point that the fans had to use phrases like "Manny being Manny."  Now he found himself having to get ready to play for a bad team in a bad stadium in front of empty seats.  Maybe he figured he'd have one last hurrah.  Maybe he'd get caught, but maybe he wouldn't.  If he got caught, he'd call it quits.  If not, maybe he'd hit 30 homeruns and give himself a chance next year to get to 600 for his career.  If that's what he was thinking, then that's a sorry thing for him to do to the Rays.  But hey, he was being Manny.  He also has goofy hair. 

But surely he knew that if he got caught again using steroids that his Hall of Fame potential would vanish.  Yeah, he had the positive test in 2009, but maybe people would buy his prescribed medication excuse.  And you know, he was named in neither Juiced nor the Mitchell Report.  He was the 13th player chosen in the 1991 draft, so it's not like greatness wasn't expected.  But a second failed test and he would be setting himself up for the Raffy Palmeiro treatment.  People would look at him and assume that he was always a PED user.

Maybe Manny just doesn't care about the HOF.  He's made over $200,000,000 in his career, he won 2 World Series, and he was a 12-time All-Star.  Maybe he has Juan Gonzalez Disease, where a player feels like he's cursed to be good at baseball.  He doesn't really like the game, but he's good at it and can make a lot of money doing it.  No different than plenty of accountants and salesmen out there today. 

But I keep going back to that Outside the Lines segment.  Manny was on the verge of setting his great-grandchildren up for life and he had grown men twice his age fawning over him like my wife when she sees Michael Vartan.  He wanted to relive those moments.  He wanted to be needed and adored again.  Maybe he was using during his younger years, maybe he wasn't.  The need for the adulation was greater than the risk of getting caught.  It doesn't make sense to me, but nothing really ever did make sense where Manny was concerned.  He was just, well, being Manny.

Now on to the Power Rankings

Free Barry Bonds!!!!!!!! ---- JDaddy

It is time we men banded together and marched on the federal courthouse and demanded that Barry Bonds is freed immediately! Yeah, I know he is not a sympathetic character. A self centered son of a major league star (Bobby Bonds) who himself was so self absorbed that he once stood in center field, arms folded with no intention of making a play due to his being angry with his manager.

Bonds had it all and we hated him for it. That is unless we were Pirate or Giants fans. Off the field he had little use for teammates, but within the park many of those who played with him, respected the work ethic mixed with talent that produced one of the best all around baseball players in history.

MLB Power Rankings 4-4-2011

Well Opening Weekend has passed, and what did we learn? Not much really. The Rangers can mash, which we already knew. The Phillies can pitch, which we already knew. The Pirates actually look like professionals when they play at Wrigley, which we already knew. And while it's always fun to imagine the possibilities if every game played out like the first (imagine if Albert Pujols hit into 486 double plays this year), it doesn't take long for the realization of the marathon to set in.

As I sat down to rank the MLB teams after one weekend, I felt like when "my friend" was training for a marathon and wondered halfway through his training why he felt the need to just run. The Power Rankings took more time and energy than I thought. Hopefully the Rankings stick around for the whole season, unlike my, I mean "my friend's" marathon training.

JDaddy Could Play Some Scrub

JDaddy's baseball memories start with riding a bicycle to the baseball field with my glove threaded through the handlebars. Instead of choosing sides , in our town we played the game of "Scrub". Scrub was pretty simple. Three kids were "in town" (at bat for you non scrubbers), and they stayed in town until someone got them out. If the batter struck out or was thrown out at any base, he went out to the outfield and the catcher took his place as a batter while everyone rotated spots. Everyone played every position and if there were extra players they took positions as 4th outfielder, 5th outfielder and so on.One caveat to the rule was if you were able to catch a ball in the air, you and the batter traded places and nobody rotated.

We spent hours playing baseball and many of us who began playing scrub as 7 and 8 years old played together through high school. In many cases these games of scrub were the only times we got to bat in any type of game situation.

We have to remember that this was a time before there was a league for each age. A time when Little League teams were made up of 8-12 yr olds and you could bet as an 8 year old, playing time was just a rumor. But we came to practice every day, we learned the game of baseball and we learned to appreciate the game fully. Then one day we woke up as the older boys on the team and got the chance to represent our little town.

We loved playing baseball and were pretty good at it. When we reached high school our baseball team, made up of mainly those of us who played scrub in back yards, playgrounds and the ball park did make our high school playoffs. But it was the hot summer days of playing in jeans and T-shirts, broken bats that we had taped up and hand full of small town kids pretending to be Mantle, Musial and Ford that bring back my fondest baseball memories.

CDog Talks Sports

Last night I took my son to Clay Gould Field in Arlington because the Texas A&M Aggies were visiting the UT-Arlington Mavericks. The Aggies won 7-4 in 10 innings, and I came away with two observations.

 First, do college kids get younger every year? I suppose they don't and that I'm just getting older, but I was sitting 30 feet behind the Aggies dugout and they looked like babies.Here was a Top 10 team in the NCAA and every guy looks like he weights about 160 pounds and is 15 years old. They look like the greatest Pony League team in history.

Second, I am amazed at how everyone blindly follows the 7th inning stretch tradition. Think about it. No matter what you're doing or how the game is going or if you're tired or if you have a 3-year old with you, you stand up and move around a little. Why? You have the freedom to stand and stretch at any time in the game. It's not like a church service where everyone will stare at you if you decide to go for a stroll around the ballpark in the top of the 4th.

Yesterday, when the top of the 7th ended, the guy next to me was concentrating on his phone. When the Stretch started he stood, still looking at his phone until the Stretch was over. He then sat down, still looking at his phone when the bottom of the 7th began.

 Why did he even bother to stand? Because we're supposed to. That's why