Sunday, January 29, 2012

NEWT = Hubris...

Watching the rise and now seemingly the implosion of Former Republican Speaker of the House and current GOP Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has been like observing a living breathing Merriam-Webster's definition example. Whether it was Newt letting his sci-fi geekiness come out by pandering to the Space Coast about building his moon colony, lecturing his fellow candidates that they have to be "realistic in their indignation," or getting manhandled by Mittens Romney, the last debate in Florida marked just another bad moment for a campaign that got hit with a lot of them this past week.

My god...Newt has been reduced to having Sarah Palin take up for him. Yes...thin-skinned-so-much-she-could-not-finish-a-single-term-as-Governor Sarah Palin. This is the woman that sunk McCain's chances in 2008, what microscopic chances McCain had. It's apropos that Newt would wind up relying on Palin in his quest for the White House, given his entire campaign strategy appears to be embracing McCain's similar "pent-up, white man's rage" strategy. How'd that work out for McCain?

But, it's what Newt does best, so he's doubling-down on it. This presents the Republican establishment (especialy all non-Tea Partiers) with an inconvenient truth: it could work in their primary. Why? Hell...it might be able to work during any given year, but certainly when they're running a hollow-suit, robot candidate that they know their electorate have already refused once. Mitt Romney is just a better looking and richer Al Gore/John Kerry. Mittster is not the type of guy to get the base excited and that's got the establishment scared.

And so the long-knives have been drawn and the blood-letting has commenced. None other than Bob Dole came out this week wielding a blade and looking for his chance to carve a pound or two of flesh off the pudgy former Speaker. We're not interested in repeating those attacks, we don't really care about them outside of the comedy in it. BUT...we did enjoy an interesting story about the two that came out in a likewise interesting post by Mark Shields on Newt's attempts to Rewrite his Reagan Connection. (Here's a hint...Newt wasn't so much of a Ronnie supporter as he'd lead you to believe).

Anyway, here's the story Shields passes on:

Barely two years later, after having been chosen Time magazine's Man of the Year, Gingrich had plummeted in public esteem to where, in a CBS-New York Times poll, just 14 percent of voters had favorable personal feelings toward the speaker.

This prompted an apocryphal Washington exchange between a perplexed Gingrich and Dole. "Why do people take such an instant dislike to me?" asked a perplexed Gingrich, to whom Dole bluntly explained: "Because it saves them time."


As Sullivan noted, that's a quote too good to check...

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Newt and the party of Family Values



Hattip PJ...

EXCLUSIVE video showing why SC's Republicans rejected Mitt Romney



Here in South Carolina, we like "real" people. While we know, as a politician, you're gonna kiss our ass and we don't really care if what you say is true or not (See decades of Republican-promises leading to terrible governance of state, yet we keep handing them the keys to the car), we want that ass-kissing to not be so transparent you come off as a complete tool. It would appear Mitt Romney was not able to pull this off. The 'Pine has obtained exclusive video showing just how blatantly sad Romney's attempts to win over South Carolinian Republicans were. Warning...it's not pretty.



Now compare that shit to Newt Gingrich. Hell...Newt won by a landslide by telling people he was gonna fight against Washington Elites. Newt Gingrich...fighting...Washington Elites. Newt has truly seen the enemy and they is him.

NFL picks for Conference Championships









We haven't exactly been "on the ball" with posts lately. The holidays and then a brief sabbatical to Arkansas to disrupt some migratory bird patterns kept us from really posting any picks until now. Of course, given our results for Week 17, maybe we needed to take a couple of plays off. We did give some Divisional Round picks via Twitter, so those are reflected below.

But we're rested, rejuvenated and ready to go.

On to the picks:

PATS (-7) v. Ravens
A week after vanquishing Our QB & Savior Tim Tebow, Tom "Goldilocks" Brady and the Pats have just one thing between them and a potential grudge re-match versus Eli Manning and the New York Football Giants...the team that ended the Pats dream run towards a perfect season almost 3 years ago.

So with that kind of destiny staring them in the face, the Pats will host a Baltimore team led by Ray Lewis, who has to know he is enjoying his last walk in the playoff sun. Lewis, who has watched his speed be ravaged by father time, and Ed Reed, who has watched has been sped into that same Lewis-ville thanks to injury, have to know this is probably it for them. This Ravens team isn't getting any younger. They are not the defense they were just 3 years ago. And Ozzie Newsome is close to having to having to start rebuilding the one thing that has been a constant for this team over the past 15 years: the defense. The Ravens have their own date with destiny though. Their coach could possibly face off against his own brother in a game which will played in...wait for it...Indianapolis. Yes...the "old Colts" could return to the city the "new Colts" fled to and exact a measure of revenge for old school Baltimore over the Irsays.

What's gonna happen? This game is going to come down to how well Reed and Lewis can defend NE's Tight Ends: Hernandez and Gronkowski. Belichek has used these two versatile guys to transform the Patriots offense and quite frankly, as the Pats offense has rolled the past two months, no one has held an answer for these two guys. Just 3 years ago, we would have at least bet on Ray-Ray and Ed to be able to shut down these guys. Not now.

BTPC pick = Pats giving the 7.

Giants (+2.5) v. NINERS
The Niners continue their "Nobody believes in Us" run by hosting the Giants, who has a coach who would love to be able to use the same motivation, but whose players have simply been brimming (and, apparently, justifiably so) with confidence every round they've played. Talk about story lines for this game...we're gonna know by kickoff if one Harbaugh Brother is in the big game. Think that storyline will get driven into the ground in the pregame comments? Maybe? Then you've got the "reclamation of Alex Smith" storyline. And the "Can Eli actually go to his brother's house and become the best Manning QB of all-time" storyline.

This is one of those game where you look for the hot team with the hot QB and you take them. But in this case, both teams are hot and have hot QBs. Well...when that happens, you take the one getting the points.

BTPC pick = Giants getting 2.5

Week 17: 4-10=2 Upset Specials: 0-0
2011 Regular Season Record: 116-114-11 Upset Special: 9-7-1
2011 Playoff record 2-2 (didn't pick until Divisional Round)
Career to date: 384-360-29

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Week 17 picks: Ringing in 2012...


So...we got caught up in some holiday stuff last week and only picked one game. Sorry. Whaddya want? We're slack. Oh...and we're gonna go ahead and count that one as an upset special. Why? Cause we can. We're like the Rupert Murdoch of this blog: rules and law don't apply.

Anyway, let's see if we can bring it for the last week in the regular season. Let's start 2012 ought right by having a good week when it counts...when the playoffs are on the line. Big-time Prognosticators Make Big-time Picks in Big-time Games...

VIKINGS (-1.5) v. Bears
We really have no idea who could win this game, but we're gonna subscribe to the fantasy that it's "Gerhart Time" and that Leslie Frazier may coach a little harder as his seat is a little hotter.
BTPC pick = VIkings by 1.5

Seahawks (+3) v. CARDINALS
Two teams that are a lot better at home than on the road. We'll go with the Cards b/c it's in their house and they've got Tim Tebow without the Jesus (John Skelton).
BTPC pick = Cards laying the 3

EAGLES (-8.5) v. Redskins
The "Our Coaches get Irrational Credit from the media and professional pundits" bowl. Dear Daniel Snyder...you have now hired two has been coaches who accepted your Brinks Truck offers to coach when all they really wanted to do was get back into coaching to help their sons get gigs. Next time, just hire the kids. It'll be cheaper. Once upon a time, Michael Vick destroyed the Skins so bad that the Eagles wound up giving him something like a $55 million extension. Now...was that a good or bad thing?
BTPC pick = Skins getting 8.5

FALCONS (11.5) v. Bucs
We're gonna take the Bucs here for the irrational reason that we think maybe they'll pull one out for the Gipper and for the rational reason that we're not sure Atlanta can beat anyone, no matter how bad, by that many points.
BTPC pick = Bucs getting the 11.5

Lions (-3) v. PACKERS
How can the Lions be favored by 3 over the Pack? Because they're actually playing the Packers B Squad.
BTPC pick = Lions laying the 3

DOLPHINS (-3) v. Jets
Miami could shatter the Jets Playoff chances and it's Jason Taylor's retirement game.
BTPC pick = Miami laying the 3.

TEXANS (+3) v. Titans
The popular theory is that the Texans aren't gonna wanna back in to the playoffs. Want's got nothing to do with it. They're banged up. CJ needs yards to keep from losing like $300k in salary next year. Ya think he's gonna show up?
BTPC pick = Titans laying the 3.

Bills (+11) v. PATS
NE has to rest their guys, right?
BTPC pick = Bills getting the 11.

49ers (-10.5) v. RAMS
On ESPN just now, Mike Ditka was just blasting Sam Bradford, talking about how he's not a franchise QB. As if Ditka would know a franchise QB. BTW, Patrick WIllis is questionable. That 49er D is not the same without WIllis.
BTPC pick = Rams getting 10.5

Panthers (+7.5) v. SAINTS
We will readily admit, we kinda wrong about Cam Newton. While he's still a cheating mercenary college QB who won Auburn a National Title because they bought his daddy a church, he's a way better NFL QB than we ever thought he would be. Plus, God knows Daniel Constantine Marino is the greatest QB the world has ever seen and he will not be happy about the fact that the Saints kept throwing last week up by so much to break his all-time passing record (which, BTW Drew...if Marino had all the rule advantages you have...he would throw for 8,000 yards a season nowadays).
BTPC pick = Panthers getting 7.5 UPSET SPECIAL!

Colts (+3.5) v. JAGUARS
Jags outgoing owner Wayne Weaver said in interviews this week that he regretted firing Tom Coughlin. Ya think?
BTPC pick = Colts getting the 3.5

BROWNS (+4) v. Steelers
Pitt can secure a #2 seed. In other words, this game means something to them...
BTPC pick = Steelers laying 4

BENGALS (+6) v. Ravens
Bengals are enjoying their best season is a while. The Ravens have a decrepit Ray Lewis and a QB who publicly questioned their OC this week. Did we mention the Bengals were getting 6 points?
BTPC pick = Bengals getting 6.

RAIDERS (-3) v. Chargers
The "So Long Norv Turner" bowl. So long, Norv...
BTPC pick = Raiders laying the 3

BRONCOS (-3) v. Chiefs
Can Kyle Orton strike a blow for fired employees and atheists everywhere? We're gonna say yes, simply because we think God is gonna be busy smiting the Saints for the Marino-record karmafying mentioned above.
BTPC pick = Chiefs getting 3

Giants (-3) v. COWBOYS
Our fantasy team this season was VERY, VERY Cowboy-cific. And despite a 5-game win streak, we were not good. We choked when we had to win. So will the Cowboys.
BTPC pick = Giants laying the 3.


Week 16: 1-0 Upset Specials: 1-0
2011 Season Record: 112-104-9 Upset Special: 9-7-1
Career to date: 378-348-27