Block 2 Pennant Race

Saturday Update

The championship race has cleared up considerably heading into the final day. 8 users remain mathematically alive although the 2nd playoff berth will almost assuredly come be won by 1 of 4 users (Jimmy, Danny, mxknkl or skizzow).  Long Island defeated Lancaster 9-3 in Game 4 of the Atlantic League championship series to extend that matchup to a deciding Game 5 Sunday afternoon. Bristol has clinched the 16 points for the CFB Week 6 picks which has eliminated Ryan, Doug & Chris from Block 2 contention. Today, the Atlantic League and the Shriners Open will end while Minnesota could sweep the Western Conference Finals in the WNBA to put those points in Block 2.

Current Standings

  1. Jimmy 697
  2. Danny 689 (-8)
  3. mxknkl 687 (-10)
  4. Bristol*~ 683 (-14)
  5. skizzow 673 (-24)
  6. abittner 647 (-50)
  7. JP 630 (-67)
  8. Greg 607 (-90)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

~ – Bristol has clinched the 16 points for CFB Week 6 picks. Points will be awarded once the week is complete at the completion of Sunday’s Montreal-Laval game in the CIS.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Game 5 of the championship series begins Sunday at 4:05 pm CDT. The 5 point Event Win bonus will also be awarded.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Bristol has clinched the 16 points for the weekly title.

Shriners Open – The Shriners Open will end today and provide the last opportunity for a large amount of points in Block 2.

WNBA – The Western Conference Final between Minnesota & Los Angeles could end on Sunday with a Minnesota sweep. This would add the 32 points to Block 1. (Game 3 of the series would be next Wednesday and would put the points in Block 3 if the game is necessary.)

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to ongoing events.

Jimmy 697 (+8)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 9th place after Day 3 at -13.

Danny 689 (-8)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 3rd place after Day 3 at -52.

mxknkl 687 (-10)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is tied 2-2 in the championship series. Game 5 is today.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – Tied for 4th place after Day 3 at -45.

Bristol 683 (-14)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is tied 2-2 in the championship series. Game 5 is today.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – Has clinched the Week 6 title.
  • Shriners Open (112) – Tied for 4th place after Day 3 at -45.

skizzow 673 (-24)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 2nd place after Day 3 at -53.

abittner 647 (-50)

  • Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 7th place after Day 3 at -35.

JP 630 (-67)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is tied 2-2 in the championship series. Game 5 is today.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 13th place after Day 3 at +68.

Greg 607 (-90)

  • Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is tied 2-2 in the championship series. Game 5 is today.
  • WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
  • CFB Week 6 Picks (0)
  • Shriners Open (112) – In 10th place after Day 3 at -3.

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

  • Lancaster and Long Island are tied 2-2 in the best-of-5 championship series. The series will end Sunday barring a rainout.
    • If Long Island wins:  mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points and Greg & JP would gain the 5-point Event Win bonus.
    • If Lancaster wins: Bristol earns the 32 points.

CFB Week 6 Picks

  • Bristol has clinched the 16 points with 32 correct heading into Sunday’s final game. Ryan & abittner each have 28.

WNBA

  • Minnesota leads Los Angeles in the best-of-3 Western Conference Finals. The series will only end in Block 2 on Sunday if Minnesota wins. The game on Sunday begins at 2:30 pm CDT and should be ending during the final round of the Shriners Open.
    • If Minnesota sweeps: Bristol, Danny, mxknkl & skizzow would earn 32 points.
    • The Takeaway: Jimmy & abittner should be heartily cheering for a Los Angeles win on Sunday. A Minnesota sweep pushes Bristol, Danny, mxknkl & skizzow past Jimmy into the top 4 spots.

Shriners Open

  • Standings After Day 3 (made cuts in parentheses)
    • Doug -57 (5)
    • skizzow -53 (5)
    • Danny -52 (5)
    • mxknkl -45 (4)
    • Bristol -45 (4)
    • Ryan -42 (4)
    • abittner -37 (5)
    • Chris -23 (4)
    • Jimmy -13 (3)
    • Greg -3 (3)
    • tonewil +5 (3)
    • Mattyb22 +21 (2)
    • JP +68 (1)
  • Picks within 5 shots of the lead
    • Jonas Blixt -19, T-1st (mxknkl, Bristol, Ryan)
    • Brendan de Jonge -19, T-1st (mxknkl, Jimmy)
    • Ryan Moore -19, T-1st (Doug, Danny, skizzow, Bristol, Ryan, tonewil)

Parting Shot

With the way the Shriners standings look, the Block 2 championship is likely to be settled among Danny, mxknkl & skizzow. mxknkl needs to stay in the Top 4 of the Shriners and have Long Island win the Atlantic League or have Jonas Blixt or Brendan de Jonge win the Shriners. Danny needs wins by Lancaster and Los Angeles on Sunday while staying ahead of mxknkl in the Shriners Open. skizzow needs to finish at least 2 spots ahead of Danny. After playing 18 holes of my own in the chilly weather tomorrow morning, we will provide updates starting in mid-afternoon. As soon as the championship is decided the news will be broken on Twitter.

 


CFB Week 6 “Previews”

Cumberlands @ Faulkner – Saturday, October 6 @ 1:30 pm CDT

Author: Ryan

Mascots

Cumberlands – Patriots.  They’ve already reminded me of Tom Brady, so that’s not a good way to start.  Previous mascots at Cumberlands were the Redhounds and Indians, but apparently these weren’t ‘Merican enough.  The college decided to make the name change to Patriots “which is more in keeping with our college’s architecture.”  Sure.  Things are not going well Cumberlands, could anything turn it around…maybe a little Patriot Pride.  You sir have won all mascot challenges for the rest of time.

Faulkner – Who Gives a Shits.  I mean Eagles.  Sadly not Eagle!  Baldwin the Bald Eagle wears football jerseys and is not The Best.

Advantage – Joe Esposito.

 

Coaching Staff – Most Awesome Member

Cumberlands – All of these are on one page, but make sure to check out how high Michael Collins can get his chest in a photo.  And he might not be a coach, but do yourself a favor and scroll down the page to check out all that is Manager Brian Campbell.  But our winner here is Head Coach John Bland, a four-year letterman at QB for Arkansas in the 80s, a team that went to four straight bowl games.

Faulkner – The winner here is OC/QB Coach Nick Coleman, who was one of Dwight Dasher’s back-ups at Middle Tennesse.  Dasher did not steal any checks from Coleman.

Advantage – Cumberlands.  Because Michael Collins told me so.

 

Best Name

Cumberlands – Freshman OL Caleb Turnipseed and his brother Junior OL Shane Turnipseed.  I assume their father was Steve Turnip.

Faulkner – A few winners here  – Senior DL Paramore Tapa, Junior OL CoCo Lattimore, but nothing tops Senior DB Zeke Pigg.

Advantage – Faulkner.

 

Location

Cumberlands – Williamsburg, Kentucky.  The Cumberland river flows through Williamsburg, hence the school name.  The town thrived upon its founding due to its fresh water springs, and later lumber and coal industries.  At its peak Williamsburg had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the nation, which I assume was 1.  Williamsburg’s top attraction is the nearby Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, home of the Cumberland Falls, which is also known as Little Niagara or Niagara of the South.  It is the only venue in the Western Hemisphere where a Moonbow or Lunar Rainbow is visible on clear nights with a full moon.  Patricia Neal, who won the Best Actress Academy Award in 1963 for Hud, was born nearby but moved to Knoxville, TN at a young age.  Also, I read this story yesterday before selecting this game to preview – http://www.wate.com/story/19689945/chinese-restaurant-shut-down-for-bringing-in-road-kill.  What a disgusting coincidence.

Faulkner – Montgomery, Alabama.  Obviously a much larger town that Williamsburg, Montgomery is the capital of Alabama.  A group of European-American settlers established the town in 1817ish.  In 1886 Montgomery became the first town in the US to install city-wide electric street cars.  Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, which helped make Montgomery one of the focal points of the modern civil rights movement.  Hyundai has a factory in Alabama that makes Elantras, so I assume that is where my car was born.  They are also home to one of the most successful fake baseball teams of our time, the Montgomery Burns.  Some notable residents include Rosa Parks, Tommy Shaw of Styx, Hank Williams, Sr., and Hall of Fame QBs Bart Starr and Tarvaris Jackson.

Advantage – Faulkner.  They had this one in a runaway.

 

Notable Alumni

Cumberlands – MMA Fighter Dustin Center, a couple of ex-governors of Kentucky, and that’s it.

Faulkner – Former MLB Pitcher Shane Reynolds (fun fact Reynolds was the opposing starting pitcher in the game Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters), a congressman, and that’s it.

Advantage – Faulkner.  Shane Reynolds beats an MMA fighter I’ve never heard of.

 

Decision

A big comeback victory for Faulkner in this one on the strength of Zeke Pigg.

 

Macalester @ Carleton (MN) – Saturday, October 6 @ 1:00 pm CDT

“The Book of Knowledge”

I was not able to locate much information regarding the Book of Knowledge. The teams have been playing for the book since 1999 with Carleton winning the last 9 games in a row. They lead the overall series 49-9-1.

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Macalester – Scots. I spent 10 minutes looking and could not find any explanation of why. Fail.

Carleton – Knights. No further information available.

Advantage – No one. I know you are D-III institutions, but let’s get a few web pages up. It’s 2012 for fuck’s sake.

 

Best Player Name

Macalester– Tie – Sophomore RB Samson Bialostok, freshman QB T. Joe Loiselle, freshman RB Zandy Sowell, senior LB Geo Chester and sophomore OL Djoser Ramsey and his white-guy dreadlocks.

Carleton – Tie – the very Scandanavian duo of Henrik Byrlev & Jens Lillehei. However, they made my job easy by showing pictures of all the players. Buzz from Home Alone. Extremely happy. The Bounty guy. I don’t even know.

Advantage – Macalester. Great work on the pictures, Carleton, but since the category is names Macalester wins it easily.

 

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Macalester – Defensive line coach Lee Nystrom, who looks a little bit like Dave Wannstedt. He was a four-year starter at Macalester and was named team MVP in 1972. He coached defensive line for the Scots from 1976 – 1984 and returned this year after a 28-year hiatus. Nystrom was inducted into the Macalester Hall of Fame in 1986 and played for the Green Bay Packers from 1973 to 1975.

Carleton – Wide receivers coach James Kilian. Kilian was a QB at Tulsa and was named second-team All-Conference in 2003. He was drafted in the 7th round by the Chiefs in 2005 and spent time with them, the Atlanta Falcons, the Hamburg Sea Devils (Europe), the Nashville Kats (AFL), and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL). Kilian was a graduate assistant and then quarterbacks coach at Tulsa and the running backs coach at LSU for one reason before landing at Carleton. Honorable mention goes to Offensive Coordinator Dick Tressel. He spent the last 11 years at Ohio State, the last 8 as running backs coach. However, no mention of his brother anywhere in the bio.

Advantage – Macalester. Both schools have a guy with NFL ties but having a Tressel means you lose the tiebreaker.

 

Location

Macalester – St. Paul, MN. St. Paul is the capital of and second largest city in Minnesota. It comprises the “Twin Cities” with adjoined Minneapolis. The settlement was originally known as Pig’s Eye for a tavern located there but was renamed Saint Paul by the first Catholic pastor in the region. It’s motto is “The most livable city in America”. In 1857, the territorial legislature voted to move the capital to Saint Peter. However, Joe Rolette, a territorial legislator, stole the physical text of the approved bill and went into hiding, thus preventing the move. On May 11, 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the union as the thirty-second state, with Saint Paul as the capital. It is home to the Saint Paul Winter Carnival which began in 1886 after a New York reporter called the city “another Siberia”. Notable natives include Peanuts creator Charles Schulz; painter LeRoy Nieman; and MLB players Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Joe Mauer (give the Twins credit, they employed all of them at one time or another).

Carleton– Northfield, MN. Northfield is a town of approximately 20,000 which has become a suburb and bedroom community on the southern fringe of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It was founded in 1855 by John North. The school was originally called Northfield College in 1866 but was renamed after William Carleton when the latter donated $50,000 to the school in 1871. In 1876, Jesse James and the James-Younger gang attempted to rob First National Bank of Northfield. Local citizens, recognizing what was happening, armed themselves and resisted the robbers and successfully thwarted the theft. The gang killed the bank’s cashier, Joseph Lee Heywood and a Swedish immigrant, Nicholas Gustafson. A couple of members of the gang were killed in the street, while the rest were cornered near Madelia, Minnesota. Jesse and Frank James escaped west into the Dakotas, while the remaining gang members were killed or taken into custody.The town’s motto is “Cows, Colleges, and Contentment” reflecting the influence of dairy farms in the area. Cereal producer Malt-O-Meal has a plant in the town on the Cannon River. Notable natives include professional juggler Jon Wee; former St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Mark Setterstrom; former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Chad Setterstrom; and actress Alexandra Holden (one of Ross’ girlfriends on Friends).

Advantage – Carleton. In a huge upset, Northfield knocks off St. Paul. The townspeople “armed themselves” and drove off Jesse and Frank James. That’s good enough for me.

 

Notable Alumni

Macalester – Diplomat Kofi Annon; former U.S Vice President Walter Mondale; talent agent Ari Emanuel, the basis for Ari Gold of Entourage; 80’s pop group Information Society; actor Carl Lumbly (Detective Mark Petrie on 104 episodes of Cagney & Lacey); and actor/director Peter Berg (directed Friday Night Lights & Hancock).

Carleton – former Meet the Press host Garrick Utley; Barrie Osborne, producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy; Monkees member Peter Tork (did not graduate); and a crapload of authors and politicians I’ve never heard of.

Advantage – Macalester. The politicians, musicians, and movie directors/producers cancel each other out leaving Cagney & Lacey for the win.

 

Decision

Macalester wins it 3-1-1 thanks to Cagney & Lacey, a quintet of great names and not employing a Tressel.

 

Central Missouri @ Pittsburg State – Saturday, October 6 @ 2:00 pm CDT

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Central Missouri– Mules. (The women’s teams are called the Jennies.) Here is a look at a day in the life of Mo the Mule. Also, their mule logo is awesome.

Pittsburg State – Gorillas. They provide a great explanation as to why they are the Gorillas. The mascot’s name is Gus. And Gus loves Phil Collins.

Advantage – Phil Collins. Both teams have unique, alliterative and awesome mascots. Unless Mo the Mule puts outs a video doing spin moves to Take Me Home Tonight, Gus wins. Forever.

[Ed. Note: I Googled “gorilla wrestling a mule” because, you know, I do shit like that. I didn’t find any evidence this has happened, but I found a good quote: “Success is like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you are tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.”]

 

Best Player Name

Central Missouri – Tie – Freshman kicker Niko Schwenneker (from Knob Noster, MO), senior LB Ovie Oghenejobo, junior DB Boy Humphrey, and (from an Iowa fan’s perspective, one of the best names ever) sophomore QB Hayden Hawk. And now, behold, the greatest mustache in college football history – Layne Moore. (He is from Wahoo, NE, which is a terrific place. If you buy two pieces of Casey’s Pizza you get a free fountain drink whether you want it or not.)

Pittsburg State – Tie – Sophomore LB Tyler Disney, sophomore OL Boston Higgins, sophomore DL Tank Burns, junior WR Trey Derryberry and freshman long snapper Steyr Stubenrauch. De’Vante Busby is very happy to be a Gorilla.

Advantage – The love child of Rollie Fingers and Tom Selleck. Pitt State had no chance after that.

 

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Central Missouri – Head coach Jim Svoboda is a native of Denison, IA and is one of three Iowa natives on the Mule coaching staff. Svoboda played at Northwestern College in Orange City, IA and began his coaching career there as well. He has since coached for Dana College, Eastern New Mexico, Nebraska Wesleyan (head coach for 7 seasons), Northwest Missouri State, UCLA (where he was the finalist for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2005) and Montana State. He has been a part of 3 national championship teams – 1 at Northwestern and 2 at Northwest Missouri State – and UCLA made it to a bowl game in each of his 3 seasons there. The 2010 Central Missouri team won the first playoff game in school history and became the first team with a 5,000 yard passer and a 1,000 yard rusher.

Pittsburg State – Wide receivers coach Neal Philpot (who looks a bit like Harland Williams) was a four year starter at QB for Pittsburg State. He was a two-time All-American who became the first QB in NCAA history to run and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a season 3 times. He set a conference record with 10,168 yards of total offense and led the 2004 team to a Division II runner-up finish. He has been on the coaching staff since his graduation. Additionally, running backs coach John Pierce kind of looks like Tom Selleck – Tom Selleck now, not Magnum P.I. If he looked like a young Tom Selleck, Neal Philpot would have had to take a seat.

Advantage – Central Missouri. A tough call here with a long and storied and coaching career versus a very prolific playing career. However, Svoboda gets the edge based on 3 national titles and being from Iowa.

 

Location

Central Missouri – Warrensburg, MO. Warrensburg was founded in 1856 by settler Martin Warren. One of the elementary schools (Martin Warren Elementary) is named after the town’s founder. Warrensburg is close to the site of a horrific Missouri Pacific train wreck that occurred in 1904. An eastbound passenger train collided head-on with a westbound freight, killing 30 people. The passenger train was packed with people en route to St. Louis for the 1904 World’s Fair. The phrase “Man’s best friend” is based on a famous trial over the killing of Old Drum, a dog commemorated by a statue in front of the Warrensburg Courthouse. Notable natives include John William “Blind” Boone, an African-American concert pianist considered a pioneer of modern music; Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People; Kimberly Wyatt, former member of the Pussycat Dolls; American Idol season 7 winner David Cook; and current Oklahoma governor Mary Fallon.

Pittsburg State – Pittsburg, KS. Pittsburg was founded in 1876 and originally known as Iowa City. No mention is made as to why they dropped such a fine name. On October 23, 1864, a wagon train of refugees had come from Fort Smith, Arkansas, and was escorted by troops from the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the command of Col. William Campbell. These were local men from Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon Counties. Their enlistment was over, and they were on their way to Fort Leavenworth to be dismissed from service. They ran into the 1st Indian Brigade led by Maj. Andrew Jackson Piercy near the current Pittsburg Waste Water Treatment Plant. They continued to the north when a small group of wagons broke away in an unsuccessful rush to safety. The Confederate troops caught up with them and burned the wagons. The death toll was three Union soldiers and 13 civilian men who had been with the wagon train. It was likely that one of the Confederates had also been killed. A granite marker memorial for the “Cow Creek Skirmish” was placed near the Crawford County Historical Museum on October 30, 2011. Notable natives include actor Hugh Gillin (the sheriff from Psycho II and Psycho III); 1930s-1950s professional wrestler “Wild” Red Berry; Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer; and former Los Angeles Dodgers player, coach and manager Bill Russell.

Advantage – Warrensburg. A close race, but since Pittsburg changed its name from Iowa City, it loses.

 

Notable Alumni

Central Missouri – former Kansas men’s basketball coach Phog Allen, for whom the university’s fieldhouse is named; Houston Astros owner Jim Crane; Grant Curtis, executive producer of Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3; former WWE wrestler “The Natural” Butch Reed; former Drake and Iowa State men’s basketball coach Maury John, who lead Drake to the Final Four in 1969; actor Allan Kayser (Bubba Higgins on Mama’s Family); Carrie Nation, leader of the Temperance Movement; currently suspended NFL defensive coordinator Gregg Williams; former MLB pitcher Jerry Reuss; radio host Erich “Mancow” Muller; and James Evans, the inventor of Cheerios.

Pittsburg State – former Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione; former MLB player Sherm Lollar; NFL punter Brian Moorman; former NFL player Ronald Moore; and actor Gary Busey (did not graduate).

Advantage – Tie. Phog Allen, The Natural, Mama’s Family, Carrie Nation and the inventor of Cheerios = Gary Busey.

 

Decision

Central Missouri wins it 3-1-1 but I almost made an author’s decision to award the win to Pittsburg State on the strength of Gary Busey alone.

 

Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State – Saturday, October 6 @ 6:00 pm CDT

“State Fair Classic”

The State Fair Classic has been annually at the Texas State Fair since 1925. The game has seen many teams since its inception and has featured these two schools each year since 1992.

[Ed. Note: The use of the word “classic” is debatable. Grambling State comes in 0-4 and Prairie View A&M 0-5. Although, MB does love a good pillow fight.]

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Prairie View A&M – Panthers. Here is Prairie View’s female mascot practicing for the 2012 Mascot “Dance Like a Stripper” contest.

Grambling State – Tigers.

Advantage – Panthers. In a battle of nondescript feline mascots, the one that doubled as my high school mascot wins. And earns a few singles.

 

Best Player Name

Prairie View A&M – Tie – Junior DT Alpha Kamara and WR Jamal Jupiter. QB De’Auntre Smiley is just that. And something seems different about the kicker and the punter from the rest of the squad.

Grambling State – Tie – Freshman RB Shaquille Traylor (only 5’11” so not the love child of Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Traylor), freshman WR Ka’Jandre Domnio and freshman RB Jeremy Runner.

Advantage – Grambling State. A RB named Runner is good enough for me.

 

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Prairie View A&M – Safeties coach Bubba McDowell. McDowell played 7 years in the NFL, the first 6 for the Houston Oilers and the last for the Carolina Panthers in their inaugural year. He earned NFL All-Pro honors in 1991 and was named to two different All-Rookie team in 1989. He was a four-time letterman at Miami (FL) in college and was a starter on the undefeated 1987 National Championship team. After working for several years in the private sector following his playing career, McDowell joined the coaching ranks in 2003 at Texas Southern. He has also coached at Houston and Willowridge High School in addition to PVAM.

Grambling State – Head coach Doug Williams. Williams was a first round choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978 and led the team to its first 3 playoff appearances in 4 seasons. He jumped to the USFL following the 1982 season because he was the lowest-paid starting QB in the NFL and was paid less than 12 backups. After the USFL was shut down in 1986 Williams signed with the Washington Redskins, coached by Williams’ offensive coordinator with the Bucs, Joe Gibbs. In 1987, Williams started only 2 games, but relieved starter Jay Schroeder 3 other times and was named the starter for the playoffs. He led the Redskins to the Super Bowl title in a 42-10 rout of the Denver Broncos. Williams was named MVP after throwing for 4 TDs. Williams is in his 2nd stint as Grambling State head coach and has also coached in the collegiate ranks at Navy and Morehouse.

Advantage – Grambling State. Bubba McDowell was an excellent player, but Doug Williams was a Super Bowl MVP.

 

Location

Prairie View A&M – Prairie View, TX. Prairie View is town of about 4,000 people in the Houston Metropolitan Area. The city was established in 1969 with the motto: “Productive, United, Indomitable.” Greyhound Bus Lines serves the Prairie View Station at Unco Food Store. It’s website heralds the town as “A City at the Point on the Frontiers of Change”. I don’t know what the hell that means. That is all the information I could find about Prairie View.

Grambling State – Grambling, LA. Grambling is a town of around 4,700 people in the Ruston Metropolitan Area. [Ed. Note: There is a Ruston Metropolitan Area?] The link to the city of Grambling’s website on Wikipedia takes you to a site entirely in Japanese that may or may not be selling furniture. I don’t think the city has an actual website.

Advantage – Prairie View. By default since they at least have a website and a motto.

 

Notable Alumni

Prairie View A&M– Rapper Kirko Bangz; former NFL Zelmo Beatty; 5-time MLB All-Star Cecil Cooper; Terry Ellis, member of R&B group En Vogue; Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ken Houston; Frederick Patterson, the founder of the United Negro College Fund; and actor Mr. T (did not graduate).

Grambling State – Eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ron Coleman; NFL Hall of Fame member Willie Brown; Grammy-winning musician Erykah Badu (did not graduate); writer Judi-Ann Mason, who wrote for the sitcom “Good Times” and wrote the screenplay for Sister Act II; and Doug Williams.

Advantage – Prairie View A&M. Mr. T beats Sister Act II. Figuratively and probably literally.

 

Decision

A fun preview is won 3-2 by Prairie View and Mr. T.


Jimmy Runs a 5k

 

 

This post will be written in a timeline in order for dramatic effect or something along those lines.

Two Months Prior to race day: I get an email from my sister asking if I want to run in a 5k with her and my other sister.  Being a person that often makes decisions without thinking about them first said, “Sure why the hell not.”  I had started up P90X again, surely I could tackle a 5K.

One month and 29 Days prior to race day: Completely forget about saying I would run in a 5k.

One month prior to race day: Pull a muscle or get a hernia or some other excuse that I stop working out until I feel better

One week prior to race day: Sitting outside around a bonfire with the neighbors pounding a few beers when I have an epiphany that I am supposed to run a 5k the next day or maybe the next week.  Laugh about it and drink 15 more beers.

4 Days prior to race: Get an email from my sister reminding me of our 5K on Saturday.  Me: “Son of a Bitch, well I guess I’m still gonna do this”  Call my sister and tell her I’m still in.  In the back on my mind I’m thinking there’s no way I can do this.

3 Days prior to race:  I decided I better at least try and run a mile.  So I wait for the cover of darkness to avoid people seeing the catastrophe that is about to happen.  Thirty seconds into the mile I begin to think there is no way I can do this and seriously consider walking back to my house.  Two minutes in and I’m still not thinking I’m going to make it.  The only reason I don’t stop is that my house a mere 2 blocks behind me seems so far away.  So I trudge on thinking what the hell am I doing.  Fast forward 10 minutes and 30 seconds and I am back at my house.  I’m ecstatic that I made it, but my legs are on fire and I feel like I’m going to pass out.  However, I’m convinced I can make it through the 5k

2 Days prior to race:  My quads are so tight that I can barely get down the steps in my house.  There’s no possible way I’m going to be able to run this race, consider calling my sisters and telling them I’m out.  Luckily I have a golf tournament to go to that will help keep my off the impending sense of doom that is creeping into my mind.

Approximately 24hrs till race day:  Wake up in the morning and my legs feel like they may actually work today and my second thought is that I’m going to need to eat well today and carb load.  The following was my diet for the day:

Breakfast: Skipped…apparently sometime between 7:00 am and 7:30 am I forgot about the whole eating well today. I do manage about 5 cups of coffee at work though between 8:00 am and 11:00 am.

Lunch: Gus comes to my office to see if I want to go out for lunch, forgetting about the salad I was going to have, I say yes.  My choice for lunch is a chicken parm sandwich where the cheese consists of 8 fried mozzarella sticks.  I’m sure there’s plenty of carbs, but just in case I get an order of fries too.

Dinner:  Alright this is the meal where I actually eat something decent today.  Well the wife is at a photo shoot, so I make the kids mac and cheese for dinner.  Apparently 2 boxes is only enough to feed 3 small children.  Not wanting to make anything else I decide to wait for the wife to get home.  She wants Panchero’s, which essentially is a 5 pound burrito the size of my head.  I say sure thinking of all the carb loading I’ll be doing with the rice, forgetting of the gut wrenching indigestion I’ll get from the extra hot sauce and jalapenos I also decide to get.  To top it off I decide I better have few beers with the neighbors before getting a good night sleep.

Race Day Morning:  Rise and shine at 6:00 am and down some cheerios for breakfast. Then head to the gas station for as much Gatorade that I can carry.  While there I notice they have something called Gatorade Prime that was supposed to give me the vitamins and energy to run this race.  I throw it in with everything else and decide to chug it just before the race.

7:00 am: One hour till race time. I decide I need to arrive early to get in plenty of stretch time.

7:59 am: One minute till race. Pandora is on the headphones and I’m ready to rock to this thing.

8:00 am:  I’m positioned about mid-pack looking for someone I can keep pace with and the people that I can’t get beat by.  Suddenly the gun sounds and we’re off.  Holy shit these people are running fast, my sisters immediately distance themselves, so much for keeping pace with them.

8:01 am: I get passed by an little old lady shaped and looking like a plum.  What the hell am I really going to get beat by Plum Lady? Oh well I’ve just got to finish this and I’ll save a big kick for the end, I just have to keep her in sight.

8:15 am: Holy shit I’m going to die, this has to almost be over.  Plum Lady is beginning to pull away.

8:17 am:  Turn a corner and see my wife and 3 kids cheering me on.  Not wanting my 4 year to think his dad is going to die, I put on a big smile and give him a high five.  There’s no way I’m going to catch Plum Lady and I just got passed by a 7 year old girl.

8:30 am: I’m convinced there’s no way I’m going to finish, but I’ve caught up to the 7 year old girl.

8:36 am: Sweet Jesus the finish line is in sight.  In my moment of elation I get passed by a guy in a full on sprint. What the hell, where did this guy come from.  Then I realize I just got beat by a guy running the 10k.  Holy Shit he is a man or Cheetah.

8:38 am: I did it! My first thought is to scan the crowd for Plum Lady to congratulate her and confirm that she was not a figment of my imagination. Alas she is nowhere to found, maybe she was my giant plum colored white rabbit.  Clearly my oxygen depleted brain had been manifesting hallucinations in an attempt push me towards the finish.  Hell maybe I had passed out and  along the route somewhere.  Five minutes pass by when I finally see a small purplish glob prodding towards the finish line…it was the Plum Lady!  Some how some way I had passed her, I can only assume she got lost or sidetracked when we passed the yarn store.  But alas, victory was mine and I could with a clear conscious crack open a beer knowing that I had not been beaten by the 65 year old plum.


More on One Eyed Willy

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Kennewick Man


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