After The Best Picks Column in the World’s monster Turkey Day Spectacular on Thursday, I’m kind of written-out. However, I would be remiss if I ignored one of the most heartwarming stories of the current NFL season. Now, I know that my writing tends to have a bit of an edge to it, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take the time to acknowledge a true hero. Of course, I’m talking about New York Jets’ superfan Edwin “Fireman Ed” Anzalone.

Poor Fireman Ed had a tough week. His beloved Jets played host to the hated Patriots in prime time on Thursday night. After a scoreless first quarter, the Pats kicked into high-gear, the Jets fell apart, and New England made them pay. After the Patriots scored to take a 7-0 lead, a ridiculous series of events, including one which prominently involved a Jets’ player’s ass, led to the Patriots scoring three TDs in 52 seconds. Just like that, BAM! It was 28-0. New England capped off the quarter with another TD, for a total of 35 points for the quarter.

This was apparently too much for the sensitive Mr. Anzalone to handle. According to reports in from other fans and on Twitter, Fireman Ed left the game at halftime, and, at some point before he left, he deleted his Twitter account.

It’s hard not to feel sympathy for a man who has devoted so much of his life to rooting for the Jets. Despite being a Miami Dolphins fan in high school, (coincidentally, that’s when I started rooting for the Dolphins), Fireman Ed found a team that was better suited to him, and he has been delighting fans for years with his delightful screaming and creative, almost poetic chant of J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!

Fireman Ed has been a true ambassador for the game of football. It’s a shame that the Jets have fallen so far, so fast. I hope he’s doing OK. He hasn’t posted on his facebook page since Thursday, and without Twitter, no one knows what he’s up to. I’m a bit worried. One unconfirmed report said that eyewitnesses saw him stop at the stadium concession stand and purchase a hot dog before leaving on Thursday.

Godspeed, Fireman Ed.

I’ll leave you with a video of Fireman Ed at his crowd-pleasing, fun-loving best:

Seahawks at Dolphins

It seems like only a few weeks ago that the Dolphins were hot, and looked like a good bet for a wild-card spot in the postseason. Then, the offence went ice cold, and teams started to find the holes in their defence, mostly in the secondary. The Seahawks have found a recipe for success: stifling defence, punishing ground game, and a mobile QB, rookie Russell Wilson, who makes plays with his arm as well as his legs. Wilson hasn’t performed well on the road this season, but he won’t have to do much to match the Dolphins’ offensive output. Winner: Seahawks

Falcons at Buccaneers

Atlanta’s performance against Arizona last week underscored just how unfocused they are right now. After losing a character game against the Saints, Matt Ryan went out and threw five INTs against the Cards. The fact that the Falcons managed to pull out a victory is an indicator of just how bad Arizona is. The Buccaneers have quite a bit more fight in them. Their offence has been potent of late, with a hot Josh Freeman at QB as well as the emergence of versatile RB Doug Martin. The Falcons are in tough in this one. Winner: Buccaneers

Vikings at Bears

Last week, the Bears defence got lit up by 49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick, who proved to be just a bit more than capable filling in for concussed starter Alex Smith. It didn’t help that Chicago backup QB Jason Campbell was unable to mount anything close to a competent offensive response.  They’ll have their hands full with Vikes’ RB Adrian Peterson. Jay Cutler is expected to be back behind centre for the Bears. He’d better keep his head up with Jared Allen on the field, because if Cutler gets hurt again, the Bears’ playoff chances may go the same way as last season. I expect a hard-fought, close contest here. Winner: Bears

Broncos at Chiefs

This matchup comes at the perfect time for Denver, after starting RB Willis McGahee was placed on IR. Some real game action will be just the thing that the Bronco’s other RBs need to become acclimated to their increased work load. Even without McGahee, with Peyton Manning’s offence, and a great defence, should be more than enough to easily handle the pitiful Chiefs. Winner: Broncos

Titans at Jaguars

The Jags gave the Texans all they could handle last week before losing in overtime. Chad Henne played extremely well. It’s hard to tell what to expect from the Titans. I expect that a week to plan for facing Henne will give them just enough of an advantage to squeak out a win. Winner: Titans

Bills at Colts

Andrew Luck had a rough outing last week in a high-profile matchup against Tom Brady and the Pats at Foxborough. I expect him to bounce back strong this week. If Bills’ RB CJ Spiller can get things going against a suspect Colts defence, this could be a high-scoring affair. Winner: Colts

Steelers at Browns

So, who’s starting at QB for the Steelers? I believe it’s Charlie Batch, but I haven’t checked in a few minutes. The Steelers had trouble scoring last week without Ben Roethlisberger in the lineup. They’d better do more this week, because the Browns’ defence is no pushover. Expect a low-scoring contest. Winner: Steelers

Raiders at Bengals

It’s probably too late for the Bengals to be thinking about winning their division (as I predicted they would at the beginning of the season), but they are hitting a favourable part of their schedule, and a wild card spot is a realistic possibility. This week, they’ll need to keep their focus and play a solid game against a Raiders team that has been giving up a lot of points of late. Winner: Bengals

Ravens at Chargers

The Ravens have been a little bit good and a little bit lucky this season. The Chargers have been neither. Winner: Ravens

Rams at Cardinals

The Rams lost badly to the Jets last week after playing the 49ers to a draw the week before. The Cards gave the Falcons a scare simply by fielding a defence and having Matt Ryan throw them the ball. Arizona’s offence is in complete disarray. They are starting a guy named Ryan Lindley at QB this week. Is he any good? I have no idea. Winner: Rams

49ers at Saints

The Saints are getting hot, and have their sights set on squeaking into the playoffs. They’re about to be dealt a serious setback, courtesy of the ‘Niners’ defence. Winner: 49ers

Packers at Giants

The Giants have hit a rough patch in their season. The bye came at a good time for them, giving them a chance to rest and reflect on recent problems. I expect them to come back from their break strong. However, the way Aaron Rodgers is playing now, I wouldn’t bet against him. This is my game of the week. I’m glad it’s in prime time. Winner: Packers

Monday Night

Panthers at Eagles

The Disappointment Bowl? I thought both of these teams had an excellent chance to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season. That seems like a lifetime ago. I can’t see where Philly’s points are supposed to come from. Cam Newton will have his best game of the season. Will anyone see it? Winner: Panthers

(1:15, AST: Still editing. On the record picking Houston to win early game.)
(5:30 AST: One trip to the Dr's office later, and ready to post, finally!)


It’s American Thanksgiving, and that always means two things in the world of sports. The first, and most important, we will discuss in a bit. The other is the annual tradition of sports journalists doing columns and reports listing the worst of the sports year. They refer to these items as “turkeys.”

Clever, huh?

Well, not really. Don’t get me wrong; I get it. Image-conscious America sees the turkey as a ridiculous, stupid, ugly, flightless (remember WKRP, anyone?) bird, which has the sole purpose of furnishing the tables of lavish meals where folks can fill their already overstuffed food-holes. So then, what better symbol for the stupidity of well-known sports figures, especially on this particular holiday, right?

The problem is, real wild turkeys are nothing like this. In fact, no less a figure than the sainted (in the eyes of Americans) Benjamin Franklin expressed the desire that the turkey be considered the US National Bird, not the Bald Eagle, which he thought cowardly for its propensity for stealing prey from smaller birds. Wild turkeys, unlike the ones bred for eating, are lean, and fast, capable of running at speeds of up to 32-40 km/h (20-25 miles/h) and flying (yes, flying) almost 90 km/h. Also, not only do turkeys have excellent camouflage and sleep in trees, making them difficult to find, but they are also intelligent, and have a 270 degree field of vision and excellent hearing, making them hard to sneak up on.

Is this an example of lazy sports journalism? Please. I’m just getting warmed-up.

Now, back to the lists. Some have a more localized flavour, tailored to a specific region, whereas others, like the one on the Sports Illustrated website encompasses a much broader spectrum. One of the problems I have is that it’s all just too easy. Without even looking at the SI one, for example, I’d be willing to bet that any sports enthusiast would be able to anticipate what it contains; replacement refs, NHL, drug cheats, loudmouths, criminal behaviour, A-Rod. Turkeys? More like fish in a barrel.

The other problem I have is the hypocrisy. You want bone-headedness? As a sports journalist, why not just look at your peers; or, for that matter, yourself. There were too many examples of sports media behaving badly this year, but for me, they stood out in three distinct areas:

The NFL replacement referee debacle – I have a particular problem with any list that includes the replacement refs’ poor performance without calling out the real culprits: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL owners for whom he works. Let me get this straight, sports media: the NFL hires unqualified workers, they do a bad job, and somehow, it’s the workers’ fault? I discussed in another column the idea that leading sports journalists acted as shills for the league by understating the damage to the game that the referee lockout was doing, but it bears mentioning again. Peter King at Sports Illustrated wrote hundred (thousands?) of words complaining in detail (due to his inside sources) about how awful the officiating was. He even discussed the incident where the Titans were mistakenly awarded an extra 12 penalty yards in overtime on the same drive on which they kicked the winning FG, then had the nerve (or lack of awareness) to state that, “It's only a matter of time before some gaffe like a 27-yard penalty or two extra challenges costs some team a game it should have won.” King wasn’t the only example, just one of the most high profile. Not only did the lockout affect the outcomes of games, but it also had the extra distasteful effect of encouraging players and coaches to bend the rules. Some coaches attempted to intimidate replacement refs, which was bad enough, whereas 49ers’ coach Jim Harbaugh outright cheated by asking for timeouts he must have known by rule that he wasn’t entitled to. At least Harbaugh’s cheating didn’t literally hurt anyone. I saw a lot of hits like this one by Denver’s Joe Mays on Houston’s Matt Schaub:

All of this behaviour, a direct result of the NFL’s inaction on the labour dispute, would have been a PR disaster for the image-conscious NFL. Too bad no one reported on it.

NBA player Jeremy Lin – Lin, an American of Taiwanese descent, took the league by storm in early 2012, making headlines for his spectacular, clutch play. Lin played his college basketball at Harvard, and stated in interviews that he heard racist taunts from fans at every Ivy League school at which he played road games, so he was used to ignoring boorish behaviour. Little did he know that his sudden ascendance would turn the sports media into Mickey Rooney from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Poor Jeremy, not to mention his family, friends, and the rest of the non-knuckle-dragging public, were subjected to a litany of racial stereotypes, slurs, and bad puns. Suspensions were given, employees terminated, apologies issued. A potentially great story was ruined. Professional sports journalism at its finest.

Warren Sapp – This former player, current NFL Network employee, and all-around idiot deserves his own section (And I’m not getting into his personal problems, which are numerous). During the investigation into the Saints’ bounty allegations, Sapp inexplicably outed former Saints player Jeremy Shockey as the “snitch” who informed to the league. I despise this cowardly attitude, this perpetuation of the idea that someone who informs proper authorities that something wrong is being done is a “snitch,” when in fact a person who has the courage to do this displays the type of character of which Sapp is incapable. Oh, and Sapp was wrong anyway.

Later in the year, when Sapp was promoting his book, he offered some weak defences for some of his dirty play during his career. Again, I take issue, especially when one of these, a facemask, tore up Jerry Rice’s knee.

Then there was the Brandon Marshall fiasco. On a radio program, Sapp made disparaging comments about Chicago WR Marshall (fast-forward to the 6 minute mark):

“These kids that play the game today have no relevance for the past. Have no conscious of what it is,” Sapp said. “I mean, Brandon Marshall talking about Shannon Sharpe, who is he to talk? He’s the first 100 catch receiver, back-to-back, r----d.”

Ignoring (if you can) Sapp’s tragically-comic use of the words “relevance” and “conscious,” this is what is being presented here: A so-called professional sports journalist is criticizing an athlete for comments that the athlete made about another former player. There are a few problems, though. First, Marshall made comments about Sterling Sharpe, Shannon Sharpe’s brother, after Sterling made comments critical of Marshall’s play. Second, Marshall apologized to Sterling Sharpe. Third, this incident took place in 2010, so why is Sapp even bringing it up? My fourth problem is obvious; using slurs like that, particularly when referring to someone who has an admitted medical condition, is about as low as it gets. The hypocrisy of someone like Warren Sapp upbraiding anyone for their behaviour, is, well, it would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic.

So, that’s my list. Just don’t call them turkeys, because to do so would be an insult to a noble bird.

Oh, and one more thing about turkeys: they’re social birds. According to experts, "If you throw an apple to a group of turkeys, they'll play with it together, (K)ind of like football." Just one more reason why I love turkeys.

Texans at Lions

Texans travelling on a short week, after a tougher than expected outing against the Jags. They should be able to handle the Lions, but it will be close. Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Arian Foster, as well as the Houston defence, worked much too hard on Sunday, and will be tired against a Lions team that is aggressive on defence and like to sling it on offence. Winner: Texans

Washington at Cowboys

Expect the Cowboys to aggressively pursue RGIII in this one. The Washington phenom will do his damage, but Romo and associates will do more against Washington’s sub-par defence. Winner: Cowboys

Patriots at Jets

Not an incredible distance for the Pats to travel, so being on the road will not be a huge disadvantage on the short week. Pats are missing key players on offence (Gronk) and defence (Chandler Jones), which will help the Jets’ cause. Still, I just can’t see the Jets’ offence being able to hold its own against red-hot Tom Brady. Winner: Patriots

Happy Thanksgiving, my American readers, wherever you are!

We’re coming to the point in the season where playoff talk is kicking into gear. Well for some, anyway. I’ve been thinking about the playoffs for a few weeks. Here in The Best Picks Column in the World, I do not concern myself with which teams will merely make the playoffs. No, I already have a pretty good idea of which teams do and do not have a shot at being in the big game at the end. The Atlanta Falcons were on my list, until they eliminated themselves from contention last week.

An 8-0 record could not convince them that they were good enough to beat the Saints last week. Winning convincingly, winning tough, comeback wins, none of these could convince them either. The Saints’ struggles meant nothing. The inferiority complex that the Falcons have developed over the past few seasons reared its ugly head, and they were beaten before they even stepped on the field.

Roddy White gave me the first clue. He started out by talking about the Falcons going 16-0, then he just could not shut his mouth. He talked about hating the Saints, and hating the city of New Orleans. Then he said that he hoped to see man coverage in the game. None of this sounded like confidence. It was more like bravado, like he was trying to convince himself of something.

Then, the Atlanta Falcons went out and showed that they did not belong on the same field as the Saints. Even before the game, they were looking for an edge, messing around in the Saints drills, and when a Saints’ player complained to a Falcons’ coach, the coach said he couldn’t do anything. Then, when the game started, the Falcons played soft, played stupid, rolled over and showed their collective belly.

Asante Samuel got things started. After the Falcons drove for a TD, Samuel returned an INT to the Saints’ 12-yard line, but decided to celebrate like it was the Super Bowl (where he drops those, right Pats’ fans?). The ensuing 15-yard penalty backed the Falcons up to the 27, and they settled for a FG. Then, on the very next Saints possession, RB Chris Ivory rumbled for a 56-yard TD, running right by Mr. Samuel, who took a bad angle in his attempt to tackle Ivory.

I especially liked the stiff-arm on Dunta Robinson (23), followed by Robinson giving up and looking behind him. What’s he looking for, heart?

Check out the poor defensive effort on these two second-half Saints TDs:

Seriously, what the hell is that? Last time I checked, it’s the job of the defence to stop the other team from scoring. So why then, in a close game, are the Falcons’ defenders, with the opportunity to meet the ball-carrier head-on, instead choosing to do some kind of grab-and-drag manoeuvre? It’s pathetic.

Of course, the game ended fittingly enough; the Falcons got the ball back late in the fourth quarter with one last chance to pull out the victory. Matt Ryan spotted Roddy White down the right sideline and let it rip, but White, inexplicably, stopped running, lost the ball, and missed. All talk.

Fittingly, while the Saints were celebrating their victory, Roddy White was singing the eternal song of the loser: the Saints didn’t win, the Falcons “…gave it away.” He’s closer to the truth than he knows, and that’s why the Atlanta Falcons will not be playing in the Super Bowl this season.

Jets at Rams

Your coach gives a press conference to defend his starting QB. A local news outlet quotes an anonymous player as saying that his team’s backup QB can’t start because he’s “terrible,” while another named player refers to said backup as not a QB but an “athlete.” The coach gathers the team together and tells them that people who make anonymous comments are “cowardly.” The team’s starting RB tells a reporter that he thinks the team needs a change at QB, then later denies that he doesn’t support the team’s starter. A former player outs two current players as the most likely sources of the “terrible” comments, followed by the two players vehemently denying it. More former players, now with a new team, talk about how much more they enjoy the atmosphere of their new team. The backup at the centre of all this says that he’s “sad (and) disappointed.” That’s five days in the life of the New York Jets. Who has time for actual football? The Rams, that’s who. They’re pissed-off that they had the 49ers on the ropes last week and had to settle for a tie. That’s a winning attitude. Winner: Rams

Eagles at Washington

How considerate of Michael Vick to quell the QB controversy in Philly by going out and getting his bell rung, thus saving Andy Reid from having to do the thing he hates the most, make a decision. So, the Eagles will start rookie Nick Foles (who, as my wife cheekily noted, would be a better fit on the Colts or Broncos), which means that Washington can (and will) expect a heavy dose of the running game. Meanwhile, the Eagles can (and will) dread playing against a much more accurate version of mobile QB than they are used to facing in practice. Winner: Washington

Packers at Lions

The absence of “Modelling” Clay Matthews for this contest worries me a bit, but I still like Aaron Rodgers over Matthew Stafford in a shootout. (Note: I Googled “Modelling Clay Matthews” and “Modeling Clay Matthews” [US spelling] and found nothing. Ergo, from this point forward, I am claiming this nickname as my intellectual property. If you see it anywhere else, I’m being ripped-off.) Winner: Packers

Cardinals at Falcons

Now that the Saints have eliminated them from Super Bowl contention, the Falcons can spend this week beating up on the lowly Cards and pretending that they’re awesome. Winner: Falcons

Bengals at Chiefs

Don’t you hate it when you break up with someone, then you see them again, and they look surprisingly good, and then you’re sucked back in again? After following up a three-game winning streak with a four-game losing streak, the Bengals mauled the Giants last week, and find themselves with five very winnable games coming up (at Chiefs, Raiders, at Chargers, Cowboys, at Eagles). Meanwhile, the Ravens and Steelers have players dropping like flies, and they get to beat the crap out of each other twice in the next three weeks. The window just opened a crack, Cincy. If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be not wrong. Winner: Bengals

Jaguars at Texans

The worst thing that could happen to the Texans in this one is a key injury; remember, they had to start their third-string QB in the playoffs last year. It would be nice not to have to ride Arian Foster so hard this week, especially after he carried Houston’s offence against Chicago last week. Best to just put the Jags away early, then give the second-string some playing time. Winner: Texans

Browns at Cowboys

Cleveland’s defence will keep this from being a walk in the park for Dallas, but I like Tony Romo to generate enough points to beat a Browns offence which itself has a tough defence to worry about. Watch out Giants; the Cowboys are right behind you. Winner: Cowboys

Buccaneers at Panthers

Josh Freeman has the Bucs offence on a roll. Cam Newton will have to beat them with his arm. Who’s he throwing to, other than Steve Smith? Winner: Buccaneers

Saints at Raiders

I’d like the Raiders’ chances of hanging in against the Saints a whole lot better if Darren McFadden was playing. He isn’t, of course. Winner: Saints

Colts at Patriots

Andrew Luck is going to be a superstar. Minus the neckbeard, he might even get to do lots of commercials, like his Colts QB predecessor. Or, for that matter, like the guy he gets to watch decimate his team’s defence this week. Winner: Patriots

Chargers at Broncos

Denver just seems to get better with each passing week. Peyton Manning looks as good as he ever has. It’s almost as though Willis McGahee has to fumble every once in a while just to keep things interesting. Last time these two teams played, the Chargers led 24-0 at the half on a Monday night, and I never even considered turning the game off. Winner: Broncos

Ravens at Steelers

Ravens’ fans are no doubt excited that Byron Leftwich gets the start at QB for the Steelers. My counter to that is, “Yeah, but your guys have Joe Flacco, so settle down.” Beating up on the Raiders last week was one thing. These wounded Steelers can still play some defence, and they can run the ball too. Winner: Steelers

Monday Night

Bears at 49ers

Had Jay Cutler not been concussed last week, I would not have hesitated for a second to pick the Bears in this one. With that being said, Chicago still has an advantage at QB this week. The Bears were smart to rule Cutler out early for this one, so that backup Jason Campbell will get all the first-team snaps in practice. On the other side, Alex Smith, also concussed last week, is practicing, but has not been cleared for contact. So, whoever starts at QB for the ‘niners this week, Smith or Colin Kaepernick, neither will have had as much preparation as Campbell. Don’t forget, Campbell’s not that bad, and he got thrown in against a better defence than the 49ers’ last week. Oh, and the Bears’ D is better than San Fran’s too. Winner: Bears

For this Thursday, I'm offering an extended analysis of tonight's clash of the titans. But first, and speaking of titans, Randy "Macho Man" Savage would have turned 60 today. OOOOHHH YEAH!!!

Dig it!

Thursday Night

Dolphins at Bills

It’s hard to tell what’s going on with Miami right now. Two weeks ago against the Colts, the ‘phins’ offence let the defence down big-time with its inability to sustain drives. The Colts’ offence kept getting the ball, to the tune of an almost 10 minute advantage in time of possession, and Andrew Luck put it up 48 times, completing 30 for over 400 yards. Last week against the Titans, the Dolphins’ offence was even more offensive. Not content to be merely ineffective, its four turnovers made things easy for the Titans by providing short fields (Tennessee opened the scoring with a 28-yard TD drive and had FG drives of four and two yards) and defensive points (a 49-yard INT return for a TD put the Titans up 21-0). Forced to open up the offence early, Dolphins’ QB Ryan Tannehill threw three interceptions. The fact that Titans’ QB Jake Locker only completed 9 passes (which, when you think about it, is only 6 more than Tannehill completed to Titans’ players), and that the Titans’ offence still managed to have the ball for over 6 minutes more than the Dolphins speaks volumes as to how Miami gift-wrapped this one for Tennessee.

Sometimes, the best cure for a struggling offence is for it to play a bad defence. Enter the Bills, who have struggled on defence all season. It wasn’t supposed to be this way; Buffalo was expected to be improved on defence, especially after making a big splash in free-agency by signing Mario Williams, who has produced more excuses than big plays (among his excuses has been that he is hurt—meanwhile, JJ Watt is starring for Williams’s former team in Houston despite wearing a huge brace after dislocating his elbow in the preseason). The Bills’ offence is talented, and is capable of putting up points, but has been inconsistent.

So, it all comes down to the Dolphins’ offence versus the Bills’ defence: the resistible force meets the movable object. Another bad game by Tannehill, Reggie Bush, and associates will give Ryan Fitzpatrick, CJ Spiller, and co. ample opportunities to put up points against another tired Dolphins’ defence. However, if the Dolphins can avoid turnovers and move the ball effectively, it will allow their defence to shut down the dangerous Spiller.

It’s a puzzler. Conventional wisdom says that Miami, travelling to Buffalo on a short week, loses. I say that a strong running game allows Tannehill to relax and bounce back with an effective, unspectacular game. Winner: Dolphins

It’s possible that there might not even be a Best Picks Column in the World if it hadn’t been for my Dad. My Dad was the reason that I became interested in sports. Dad liked all different kinds of sports, and I grew up watching everything from NHL hockey to World Cup soccer on TV. Dad didn’t just watch sports though; he played. Dad played a bunch of different sports, but he excelled at two. One was Broomball. If you’ve never seen it or never played, you’re missing out. Dad was a member of I’m not sure how many Provincial Champion teams. I still have one of his leather jackets from one of those teams; it’s heavy and blue. I remember watching him play as a kid. My single most vivid memory of watching him play Broomball was the first time I went to a game: Dad was standing, waiting to accept a pass from a teammate, when an opposing player ran at him to check him. The guy hit Dad, shoulder to chest, bounced off, and landed in a heap on the ice. Dad quickly glanced down at him as if to ask, “What was that,” took the ball, stepped around the guy, and continued on with the play. Dad was a pretty sturdy guy, not particularly tall, but built like a fire hydrant. I looked up to him. A lot of people did, it seemed, but he was my hero.

Dad’s favourite sport was baseball, and he was good at it. I know that he played little league, back in the 50s, and he played for years after that. When he became an adult, and went in the mines, he continued playing Fastball, which is what we call fast-pitch softball, or “whip” around here. I first was introduced to the sport following my Dad around in the 70s, when Fastball was huge in Cape Breton, and the competition was fierce. Dad was a good hitter, but he was known as a glove man. I have some really great memories of watching him play, but my best is probably from the very first Bobby Routledge Memorial Fastball Tournament, named for his identical twin brother, who was killed in an accident in 1976. Dad’s team won the tournament, and he received the award for leading hitter after batting over .700 for the tournament (really). That’s not something you see every day.

Dad continued playing Fastball pretty much up until he was diagnosed with his heart condition. Told that he should quit sports, Dad took up Slow-pitch softball, which I guess for him was the equivalent of not playing at all.

Dad loved baseball, and even after he couldn’t play anymore, he continued to watch on TV, following the Toronto Blue Jays. He was a fan, rarely missing a game on TV right up until the end of the 2009 season. On November 9th of that year, Dad passed away, which is why I’m telling you all this.

 I miss Dad every day, and I’d love nothing more than to be able to have one more catch with him in the back yard.

This weekend also marks the anniversary of the first time my wife and I slow-danced together. We met because of the marriage of her cousin and my best friend, and a couple of years after that, we were both in attendance at the wedding of another of her cousins. I think it’s neat that their anniversary is also an anniversary of ours. I have no idea what song was playing, but that’s ok, because she doesn’t remember either. That’s one of the reasons that our relationship works so well. Another is the fact that, although she knew practically nothing about football before we met, she has embraced the game and has become quite a knowledgeable fan, with a keen eye. Watching a game with her is like having an extra pair of eyes, because she often spots things that I miss. She has become quite the Pats’ fan, due to the fact that she predicted Tom Brady’s rise to greatness way before anyone else did. I was watching with my friends and my wife that fateful game versus the Jets where Drew Bledsoe ruptured his spleen and was replaced by the green Brady. While the rest of us were laughing at the pathetic Pats and making fun of the kid, my wife calmly pointed out to us that the team was responding to his determination, enthusiasm, and ability to make plays. For those of you who don’t remember, Bledsoe never got his job back, and New England went on to win the Super Bowl that season against the heavily favoured Rams. As for Brady, he’s had an ok career, I think.

Last, but certainly not least, this Sunday is Remembrance Day in the British Commonwealth (Veterans Day in the US), the significance of the date being that November 11th was the day the First World War ended. In Canada, Remembrance Day is the day we honour all the men and women of our military, as well as their families, who gave of themselves for a greater good, and who continue to do so. At 11:00 AM, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, we observe two minutes of silence to honour our country’s war dead, as well as those who perished in all wars (even our buses will pull over if possible). It is a day where we remember sacrifice, and hope for peace. It is the most important special occasion on our calendar here in Canada.

Bills at Patriots

The Bills seem to have hit bottom. They have the tools on offence, but there’s no organization, and as for the defence, well, it’s awful. The Pats seem to be striving for consistency on offence. At times, they look unstoppable. I expect the Pats to score a lot in this one. The only chance the Bills have is to establish their ground game early, which will be a tough task against Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, and the rest of New England’s talented front seven. Winner: Patriots

Titans at Dolphins

Last week, the Colts wisely eschewed the run against Miami, and it worked. That’s how to beat Miami. You have to have the players to do it, though. There’s been a lot of talk about the return to form of Chris Johnson, but I’m not convinced. Forgive me for getting a little stat-heavy, but his past three games looked like this:

Ø  195 yards against the Bills—Buffalo’s defence gives up, on average, just a hair under 170 yards per game, and a huge chunk of Johnson’s yardage came on an 83 yard TD run.

Ø  99 yards against the Colts—Indy’s defence gives up, on average, about 120 yards rushing per game, a number the Titans failed as a team to achieve.

Ø  141 yards against the Bears—Now this looks impressive, until you factor in the 80 yard TD run in garbage time, with the Bears leading 51-12. Johnson also lost 2 fumbles in this one.

Go for 100 against the Dolphins, and keep it off the ground, and I’ll be impressed. Winner: Dolphins

Chargers at Buccaneers

Let’s see… the Bucs have a better offence, better defence, and they’re hosting a California team in an early afternoon, East-coast game. Oh, and just for the heck of it, fire Norv Turner and AJ Smith. Winner: Buccaneers

Broncos at Panthers

No way am I picking against the Broncos the way they’re playing right now. They are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Winner: Broncos

Raiders at Ravens

Neither of these teams impresses me all that much. The way to beat the Ravens this season is to run it early, play tight defence, and keep it close. I think Oakland is too banged-up at RB to pull it off. Winner: Ravens

Lions at Vikings

I feel like a broken record (you see, kids, back when I was a young, they had these things called records, and… oh, never mind), but until Christian Ponder gets his stuff together, opposing defences are just going to key on Adrian Peterson and dare Ponder to beat them. At least that’s what a smart coach would have his team do. I have no idea what the Lions will do, but, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Why, I have no idea. Winner: Lions

Falcons at Saints

This is the game where the Falcons show me what kind of team they are. They are playing in New Orleans, against a team to which they have been playing second-fiddle for the past few seasons. When this Falcons offence takes the field against the pathetic Saints’ defence, they had better go for the throat. Anything less than 40 points by Matt Ryan and Co. should be considered a reason for some serious soul-searching. Winner: Falcons

Giants at Bengals

I’ll admit that this one has me a bit flummoxed. The Giants have been underwhelming of late, while the Bengals season thus far has been a disappointment. I think that the Giants will play well, sadly, because being on the road is probably better than being at home right now. Winner: Giants

Jets at Seahawks

I was going to talk about what the Jets would have to do to have a chance in this one, but I couldn’t think of anything. Only a total collapse by the Seahawks would give Mark Sanchez a hope in hell of accomplishing anything in the Seattle noise factory. Winner: Seahawks

Cowboys at Eagles

Two teams I love to root against. I like Tony Romo, though. I don’t think I like anyone on the Eagles. The Cowboys have been unlucky lately, but their luck will change this week as their very capable defence shuts down the disorganized Eagles offence. Winner: Cowboys

Rams at 49ers

Someone should tell Jim Harbaugh that he has a really good team, and that the tantrums and the cheating just turns everybody off. I love watching San Fran play, but I hate that they have a knob for a coach who gets much of the credit, even if he does deserve it. Winner: 49ers

Texans at Bears

This is the game of the week: two 7-1 teams (both lost to the Packers; interesting, no?), two great defences, each featuring a top Defensive Player of the Year candidate(Watt and Tillman), two offences keyed by excellent, versatile RBs (Foster and Forte) and big, talented WRs (Johnson and Marshall). It’s a dream matchup for any football fan, one that I am especially looking forward to watching. It’ll be the QBs who decide this one. We have Matt Schaub, workmanlike, dependable, tough, methodical, versus, Jay Cutler, streaky, mercurial, cannon-armed, mobile. In a game like this, a guy like Cutler, if he’s a winner, takes over, eager to prove himself against a top defence. That’s what Aaron Rodgers did. I’m going with Cutler. Winner: Bears

Monday Night

Chiefs at Steelers

The Chiefs are a disorganized mess. The Steelers keep getting it done, despite a slew of injuries. I hate to say it, but I’m more impressed with this Pittsburgh team than I have been in past seasons, because of the way they have overcome adversity. Just stay away from the fake owies, Steelers; if you want to cheat, go play for Jim Harbaugh. Winner: Steelers

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Thursday Night

Colts at Jaguars

Oh, Jacksonville. If only they made something like Just A Drop that would eliminate the stink of this season. Winner: Colts

Here's Thursday night's pick if you missed it:

http://www.happydoesit.com/17/post/2012/11/week-9-thursday-night-pick-were-not-worthy.html

As a lead-in to this week’s batch of picks, instead of doing a huge intro, I’m going to deal with a few little odds and ends from the past week.

Here in the best picks column in the world, I’m not in the habit of bragging; a braggart betrays a lack of self-confidence, and here, I like to let the results speak for themselves. Having said that, there were a couple of results from last week about which I was particularly pleased. The first was Falcons at Eagles. As I have mentioned before, I have my biases, and I make no apologies for them. I despise the Eagles. I always root against them. It’s not the players themselves; although they’ve employed some of my least favourite players of all time, including Terrell Owens, DeSean Jackson, and Michael Vick, they have also had a lot of great guys worth rooting for, epitomized by this famous play involving one of my favourite Fantasy players ever, Brian Westbrook, and OT Jon “I block like a Republican” Runyan:

The main reason I hate the Eagles so much is because of the Philadelphia fans. You would be hard-pressed to find a more miserable lot, unworthy of the joy that comes with celebrating a winning team. This is a vile group of people who throw snowballs at Santa, cheer the injuries of opposing players and inhabit a stadium that until only recently had its own jail and court for the purpose of expediently dealing with the scum. I have no problem stating that I hope that the Eagles never win a Super Bowl in my lifetime. What I found particularly pleasing about last week’s game was that for an entire week, I had to hear about Andy Reid’s perfect record after bye-weeks. As one “expert” put it, “Andy Reid is 13-0 after the bye week.  Sometimes, there’s no need for elaboration.” I’m so glad I’ll never have to hear some lazy, rich, blow-dried, a-hole who doesn’t actually watch the games use that tired line again.

The other game that pleased me to no end was the Miami Dolphins’ dismantling of the New York Jets. First, a little history:

• Before the teams’ previous meeting in week 3, Rex Ryan said that he wanted his defence to “Put some hot sauce…” on Bush, a reference to a 2006 game in which Jets LB Bart Scott, then with the Ravens, deliberately injured Bush, then with the Saints. The Ravens’ defensive coordinator: Rex Ryan.
  


• Bush left the week 3 game with a knee injury, as did Jets CB Darrelle Revis. Bush’s injury was minor, but Revis’s was season-ending. After the game, Bush was quoted as saying that, with regards to the Revis injury, “What goes around comes around.”
  


• Rex Ryan, trash talker extraordinaire, in advance of the week 8 game, thinks that Bush should apologize for what he said. In the meantime, Ryan’s idiot/thug players, taking the cue from their moronic coach, talked about “knock(ing) (Bush) out,” and “head hunting,” while Saint Ryan claimed that his “hot sauce” comments had nothing to do with wanting to injure Bush.
  

Long story short, Dolphins thump the Jets at home, as Mark Sanchez attempts 54 passes, and is sacked four times (do I really have to comment on this?). Rex shuts up. Jets CB Antonio Cromartie expresses his displeasure with Bush, but manages not to impregnate anyone in the process. Jets suck. The Dolphins, all of a sudden, are playoff contenders. All is right with the world.

Now before I get to the picks, just two more things. First, a shout- out to my buddy and faithful reader (and Giants’ fan, but don’t hold that against him) Chad, who lives in New York. He and his wife endured the recent storm, and they were lucky enough to escape unharmed, with only a loss of electricity for a few days. I’m glad they’re ok.

And finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Pittsburgh Steelers’ throwbacks from last weekend. No commentary that I could give would top the reaction of my wife, who, upon seeing the hideous jerseys, was immediately reminded of…

Ravens at Browns

This one should be closer than you might expect. The Ravens are still disorganized and beaten-up on defence, which will put more pressure on their inconsistent offence. The Browns have played well on defence, and have the running game, led by rookie RB Trent Richardson, to give the Ravens fits. Winner: Ravens

Panthers at Washington

With all the negative talk about him lately, I expect that Cam Newton will be extra motivated to win this one. Unfortunately, that’s the wrong approach. So far this season, the offensive play-calling has not succeeded in helping maximize Newton’s abilities. I would love to pick the Panthers in this one, but I don’t trust their coaching staff to make the necessary adjustments to help Newton, since they’ve failed thus far to do so. Meanwhile, on the other side, watch RGIII shine against the Panthers’ struggling defence. Sir Robert looked decent against the Steelers last week, but dropped passes killed a lot of his momentum. Winner: Washington

Cardinals at Packers

Were it not for the fact that the schedule is decided months in advance of the season, I would swear that someone was trying to murder John Skelton; the 49ers last week, Jared Allen and the Vikes the week before, now Clay Matthews. Hang on a second… horrible offensive line… no running game… Kevin Kolb’s ribs… Ken Wisenhunt: I’m watching you! Anyway, Aaron Rodgers still plays for the Packers. Have you seen him? He’s pretty good. Winner: Packers

Lions at Jaguars

The Jags may be able to muster a bit of offence against the suspect Lions’ defence, but Detroit should be able to muster enough offence to counter that. With Matt Stafford throwing the ball 50-60 times a game, someone’s bound to catch a few, right? Maybe Calvin Johnson might even find his way to the end zone. Speaking of Megatron, apparently he didn’t practice this week, so if he has a good game on Sunday, does that mean that practicing with the rest of the Detroit offence is eroding his skills? Winner: Lions

Dolphins at Colts

Andrew Luck has been good at home this season, but this Miami defence will test him sorely. Look for the Dolphins’ pass rush to pressure the rookie QB into enough mistakes to take the pressure off whichever of the capable but unspectacular QBs finds himself behind center for the ‘phins this Sunday. Winner: Dolphins

Bills at Texans

JJ Watt and Mario Williams. Each of these players has been exactly what the other has not, and each man’s performance thus far this season has been representative of his team’s fortunes. This will be ugly; the Bills will be hard-pressed to do much against the Texans’ defence, and Houston’s balanced offence should run roughshod over Buffalo’s defence. Winner: Texans

Broncos at Bengals

Cincinnati, I trusted you, and you broke my heart, but that’s nothing compared to what Peyton Manning’s going to do to you this Sunday. It didn’t have to be this way. Winner: Broncos

Bears at Titans

I expect Titans’ part-time RB Chris Johnson to get knocked around pretty badly against the Bears, putting to rest the talk about the return of CJ2000. Chicago should win comfortably if their offence executes. Winner: Bears

Vikings at Seahawks

Tough one to call here, with two young QBs and two great veteran RBs facing off against two tough defences. The key for both teams is to limit the damage done by Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, which leaves things up to Christian Ponder and Russell Wilson. Home field, and the struggling Ponder, will make the difference in a close game. Winner: Seahawks

Buccaneers at Raiders

Say what you want about Bucs head coach Greg Schiano, but he has his team playing hard. I’d like Oakland a lot better at home if Tampa Bay’s offence wasn’t playing so well. If the Bucs’ defence neutralizes the Raiders’ running game, Carson Palmer won’t be able to keep the Raiders in this one. Winner: Buccaneers

Steelers at Giants

This one’s being played in New Jersey, at least for now. Having seen the devastation in that state, and with the city of New York making the proper decision (finally) to cancel the New York Marathon, I have to question that logic. After Hurricane Katrina, the NFL moved a Saints home game to, that’s right, New Jersey, where the Giants got a de facto extra home game. Ultimately, I don’t think it matters whether this one takes place at MetLife, Heinz, or a corn field in Iowa, because the Giants’ pass rush is going to harass Ben Roethlisberger into a mistake-filled nightmare. Winner: Giants

Cowboys at Falcons

The Cowboys were keyed-up to defend their home turf last week against the division rival Giants, the results of which were that Tony Romo and co. started out horribly, the Cowboys’ defence played heroically to keep them in it, Romo played off the hook to get his team back in it, and Dez Bryant failed miserably (albeit spectacularly) yet again. It will be a lot tougher for the ‘boys this week; playing desperate against the machine-like efficiency of the Falcons offence, complemented by a solid defence, and in Atlanta to boot, is not a formula for success. Winner: Falcons

Monday Night

Eagles at Saints

Everything I see and hear is pointing me towards an Eagles pick here. The Saints have one of the worst defences in the league, which means that their offence, without sparkplug Darren Sproles, has to pick up a lot of slack. Then I look at Michael Vick. He’s been a turnover machine all season. Then last week, he played it safe, and although he played a clean game, his performance was unspectacular. What will he do? Whichever way I look at it, he’s a loser. Winner: Saints

Sometimes, the truth hurts, but when you come here to read the best picks column in the world, honesty is what you get. I'd just as soon skip over this game tonight, and get right to the weekend. Neither of these teams have a hope in hell of making the playoffs this season. The best chance that either of these teams have for victories the rest of the season is in games like this, where they play other teams that are going nowhere. If I had to bet which of the two teams' head coaches would keep his job longer, I don't know who I'd choose. On the one hand, you have Norv Turner. It's amazing how long he's been able to hold onto his position, considering how he has consistently underachieved with good teams. Then we have Romeo Crennel, who, when asked last week why his best offensive player, RB Jamaal Charles, only had five carries, said, "... I'm not exactly sure...," and this in a game that his Chiefs lost at home to the hated Raiders (QB Matt Cassel led the Chiefs with 7 carries!). Perhaps the Chiefs need to hire a "Telling Romeo what's Happening with the Team Coordinator." If I'm being truthful, these guys aren't worthy of a pick tonight. However, I'm not going to shirk my duties; unlike Norville and Romeo, I still have my pride.

Thursday Night

Chiefs at Chargers

Both teams are pretty bad right now, but the Chargers are better on defence. Plus, Philip Rivers, even in decline, gives San Diego a major advantage over Kansas City at QB, no matter whether it's Matt Cassel or Brady Quinn behind centre. Winner: Chargers