This Week's Picks Week Six

Just a quick opening.  I didn't post  This Week's Picks last week because my college roommate and all around best bud died last week and I was really bummed.  

It wasn't a surprise.  We've known since June that this day was coming. He had Pancreatic Cancer, stage four and it metastasized into his liver.  Pancreatic Cancer is one of those cancers they don't have a screening for and it is usually not found until it was too late.  And it was found too late for him

I just didn't want to talk about football

I used to talk to him about college football a lot.  His mom went to LSU and his sisters went to Southern Miss. He went for a job prospect in Fort Collins, Colorado and while they have Colorado State there, he said he didn't think he could live without the SEC.

The last time a saw him, we sat and watched some college football. It was the Saturday Alabama almost lost and App State beat Texas A&M. It was a good Saturday afternoon.

This Week's Picks

 

 

Jawja vs The WarTigers:  Well. There's no denying that while UGA still has a perfect record, they haven't looked very impressive in the past two weeks.  The almost lost to Missouri and while any team can beat any other team on any given Saturday, it shouldn't have been this close. In fact, you could almost hear the phone calls on "Dawg Talk".  "I'm gonna be the furst won to say it. Kerbee's gotta go. I'm gonna hang up and listen to yer answer."  Anyway, the Dawgs are playing Auburn Saturday and Auburn is a combination reality show-soap opera.  Dawgs win. 

 

 

 

Wrecked vs Dookie.   Lookie  here.  Tech won a game last week and they beat a pretty good team. Duke is 3-1 if that means anything. It doesn't.  I hate to do this, Bees, because y'all were doing so well. Tech wins.

 

 

 

Only Ten I See vs Ellesyou: This has the makings of a pretty good game. Tennessee, while not at the glory years level, doesn't stink.  LSU is trying to forget Coach O and the mess he left behind. The good people in Red Stick will like Coach Kelly if though he is not Cajun and doesn't know his boudin from a whole in the ground if he wins.  LSU wins 

Bamy vs Aggies:  You might remember Coach Satan and Coach Jimbobo had a spat about the NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) which means players can be paid. Jimbobo signed a bunch of 12 star athletes  while Satan signed a bunch of 12 star athletes and Satan thinks that Alabama is the only school that should sign all the good ones. The problem for A&M is that Alabama has a system and Jimbobo doesn't. Right now, Bama is the best team in College Football, again,  Bama wins

 

 

Ben-Ben's School vs My Cousin's School  One of the things I learned when my son matriculated at Georgia Southern is that Georgia Southern and Georgia State hate each other because they share the same initials: GSU. This one's for you, Ben-Ben.  Georgia Southern wins.

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs North Bama:  My beloved Owls are 1-3 and North Alabama is 1-3.  I'm not prejudice. Okay, just a little.  Owls win.

This Week's Picks Week Four

 

 

Yes, friends, I am playing hurt. 

This week, I've had the worst back pain ever in the history of mankind.

Not that I am one to complain.

I think it is sciatica which is the "pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg".  But, like most males, I haven't seen a doctor about it since it is not bleeding.  

In grand male tradition, I have rubbed some dirt on my back along with some stuff Mrs. Picks has bought at the store. It seems to work pretty well.

The only problem is I work all day sitting down and trying to get up from my chair sends my sciatica into overtime, to use a football term. 

I think it is getting better, but if I get a bunch of picks wrong remember I was in excruciating pain and it caused me to make unwise decisions.

 

This Week's Picks!

 

Jawha vs The Ohio KSU:  The Ohio KSU is Kent State, which is famous for a bit of unpleasantness in 1970. Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming and all that. But Kent State is also the alma mater of Nick Saban. Anyway, the Golden Flashes are coming to Athens for a paycheck.  Unfortunately for them, you had all those upsets two weeks ago so there's no way Kirby will let their guard down.  Georgia wins.

Wrecked vs Another Dang Florida School:  Coach Geoff has made through this week which was amazing considering how poorly the Bees played against Ole Miss. One columnist said Coach Geoff was worse than Bill Lewis, which is saying something. The University of South Florida is in Tampa, which really isn't South Florida. The Bulls are sometimes good, sometimes bad. The way Tech has been playing they'll probably look pretty good.  Bulls win.

 

Clumpson vs Backslidden Deacons:  Every few years, Wake Forest wakes up and has a pretty good season. This is one of their seasons.  However, Clemson has a pretty good season every season and they are the cream of the ACC crop. It would be cool if Wake Forest beats Clemson. They won't  Clemson wins.

 

Lizards vs Rocky Topped: Step in the This Week's Picks Way Back Machine to a time in which Archie's first born, Peyton, was the quarterback for Tennessee and Florida was coached by Johnson City, Tennessee's own Steve Spurrier.  My Uncle Leon and Aunt Edith lived in Johnson City and I remember them talking about the old ball coach when he was a young ball player.  Anyway, this game, back then determined who was going to win the SEC East.  It doesn't anymore.  Now, they are playing to see who finishes second behind Georgia.  For you, Uncle Leon:  Tennessee wins. 

 

Bamy vs Commode Doors:  Remember in the summer when the new Vanderbilt coach was talking about how good Vandy will be? He said, "We know in time Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country,"  The key phrase in that sentence is "in time".  That time is not now and it will not be Saturday.  Bama wins

 

My Beloved Owls vs Little Dogs That Are Ugly And Bark A Lot:  The Owls are 0-2, losing to Samford and Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Wofford is 0-3.  Not being a homer but, The Owls win.

 

 

 

 

This Week's Picks: Week Three

 

 

Man, last Saturday was probably one of the greatest days in the history of man. App State beat Texas A&M, Marshall beat Notre Dame (Notre Dame!!), and my son's drunk Eagles beat Nebraska and got their coach fired(!!!).  The dinky old Sun Belt Conference, where the winner goes to New Orleans before Christmas, beat the Big Boys. 

Even Alabama almost lost. You can't have everything.

This Week's Picks! 

 

Jawja vs The Chickens:  Since it always is the first conference game, I consider the Georgia-South Carolina game to be the actual beginning of the season.  If Georgia plays well, then they'll have a pretty good season. If not, Georgia will have a poor season. I think Georgia will play well. I think the Chickens will not. Dawgs win.

 

 

 

Wrecked vs Ole Mess:  Tech welcomes Ole Miss to Bobby Dodd Stadium.  "Here, have a win Ole Miss. Go get you a Frosted Urange at the Greasy V.  We pride ourselves on service here at Tech. Don't forget your electronics- we have a whole range of world wide nerds that can fix anything technical. Our Coach is named Jeff but he spells it Geoff like he comes from money or something."  Ole Miss wins.

 

State Of Florida vs Lousyville:  I don't know. Florida State, I guess. They haven't been much since Jim Joe Bob left.  I just think they are better than Louisville.  By the way, is the capital of Kentucky pronounced "Lewie-ville" or "Louis-ville"? It is pronounced Frankfort.  By the way, Frankfort is also the home of the J M Academy of Cosmetology. (You don't get this kind of information for ESPN College Gameday.)  FSU wins

 

Jawja Suthern vs Team From Alabama That's Not Bama or Auburn:  You know things got wild in Statesboro with the win over Nebraska and being named the Cheeze-It National Team Of The Week.   Of course, things get wild when they open a new Wal-Mart. (They have two now-back when my son was there they had one.)   The University of Alabama-Birmingham quit football a few years ago but they brought it back. Since the Eagles surprised us last week, I owe them one.  Georgia Southern wins.

 

Rocky Topped vs Zippers:  Lost in all of the big time upsets last week was Tennessee's win over the Pitt Panthers.  That's a pretty big step for our Knoxville friends. They are playing the Akron Zips. According to my in-depth research (Google) the Zips were indeed once called the "Zippers" but they changed it because Zips sounds classier.  At one time, John Heisman (yes, that one) was their head coach.  The past few seasons haven't been kind to Akron. Tennessee won't be either. Vols win. 

 

 

This Week's Picks Week Two

 

Here at Picks Central, a major event was announced.

Mrs. Picks and I are on deck to become grandparents in March of 2023.

My son and daughter-in-law told us before the Fourth of July and asked us not to post it on social media until they posted it. 

Young people are always telling us old folks about what we can and cannot put on social media. Of course, we can't help it if we think our social network needs to know what we had for lunch.

Some of us went forty-some-odd years without documenting our eating habits or how the knucklehead parked at the grocery store.

So, yes, there will be a baby around Picks Central. The baby is a boy, which means the Manis name will live on. 

There has been some discussion on our "grandparent's name."   In the old days, we called our grandmother "grandmother" and our grandfather "grandfather" like heathens. Now they go by names like "Pop Wop", "Moogie-Woogie",  "Pap-Poo-Paw",  "Sexy Granny", or whatever.

I figure the baby will eventually call us what he want to call us.

This Week's Picks

 

 

Dawgs vs Baptist Dawgs- UGA showed no mercy on The Ducks of Oregon. However, this is one of those games in which the Big Honkin' school takes on a smaller school for a beating and gives the smaller school some money.  Hey, Samford beat My Beloved Owls last week. Can they beat Georgia?  No.  Georgia wins.

 

 

Wrecked vs Directional Carolina University Tech takes on Western Carolina this week, which promises to be one of Coach Geoff's wins this year. They better, or there will be some buzzing bees Sunday morning.    Tech wins.

 

 

 

Bamy vs Texsass: Bama travels to Austin to play Texas. In another world, far, far away,  this would have been a monster game.  I just don't see it.  I think Bama will hook the horns.  Bama wins.

 

 

Jawja Suthern vs Huskers Of Corn: As you may remember, my son is a graduate of Georgia Southern University (Motto:  Hey y'all, watch this!) and I used to include the Eagles in my weekly picks. The Eagles have had some off years lately.  They had a coach last year I thought would be the next great Georgia Southern coach.   It turns out he wasn't. The players ran wild, including one that drank a beer on top of a moving school bus. (You had to be there)  There's a new head coach at Georgia Southern: Clay Helton. If that name sounds familiar to you, he was the Head Coach at The University of Southern California.  That's a pretty big deal. I wonder how he convinced his wife to move to Statesboro.   The Eagles will play Nebraska, which is a big deal, or it was a big deal. Nebraska has hit hard times and there's a lot of chirping from their fans.  If the Eagles can manage to win, the Cornhuskers will run Scott Frost out of Lincoln.   I'm too chicken. Cornhuskers win.

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs Skyline Chili University-My Beloved Owls were beaten by the Baptist Dawgs of Samford last week.  Now, they have to go to Cincinnatti and play the Bearcats.  As Lewis Grizzard once told me, "Hey, Shorty, would you move" "Never pick with your heart" or something like that. It was almost forty years ago. I'm going to be a grandfather and I have a fixed income.   Bearcats win.

This Week's Picks 2022

 

 

Well, here we are, back again! Another College Football season is here.

Looky here, as my dad would say: it is the 20th anniversary of This Week's Picks!

This Weeks Picks began as a topic on Wheeler Alumni.Com, which was for all of the sterling graduates of Wheeler High School. This was back when the internet was new, and there was nothing called "social media" (Facebook, or as the great Tater of Texas calls it, "Facebutt").

My idea was to have a little fun with the college football season, which I have noticed people take very seriously, at least here in the South.

It was popular on the site. I soon learned that Georgia Tech has the best football program in the world and there are algorithms to prove it. 

Well, as Bob Dylan said, the times they are a-changed.  I discovered that little ole me could have a blog and I could put that blog on Facebutt Facebook.

So, each fall since 2009, I've been sharing This Week's Picks  on Facebutt Facebook because I need content for my blog. 

College Football has changed since then. For example, there is a playoff system now.  Players also get paid by the "Name In Likeness" scheme.  A player, if he's good enough, can make a lot of extra change to pay for pizza if he is good enough. You would be surprised to learn that most of the players with hefty NIL contracts play for Alabama, Texas A&M and other SEC schools.  Just what amateur athletics needs:  Young men with a lot of money!

This Week's Picks!

Notice A School Missing?

Jawja vs Quackers:  When we last saw college football, we saw UGA defeat Alabama, as was foretold in the Book Of Revelation, proving there is a kind and loving God. Oregon has a new coach and only 420 different combinations of uniforms.  UGA lost a lot to the NFL, but this is an opportunity to prove that UGA is just reloading and not rebuilding.   Dawgs win!

 

 

Wrecked vs Clem's Son: Since Coach Geoff took over as head coach of The Yellow Jackets, his record is 9-25.  One of those wins was against my beloved Owls last year.   Tech schedule is pretty brutal and it looks like Coach Geoff will soon be able to use Mark Spain to sell his house.  Clemson wins.

 

Something To Think About

 

Bamy vs The School Of Paul Wickenhiser's Son:   Paul Wickenhiser is a guy I went to Wheeler with, and I think he was in my Latin class, but my memory is fuzzy because there's been a lot of Diet Cokes since then.  His oldest son went to Utah State. I must admit it is a beautiful school based on Paul's pictures on Facebutt Facebook.   Where was I? Oh yeah, football. I really don't see Bama losing anyone not named Georgia for a while.  Bama wins.

 

  Nicer Than Tuscaloosa

Ahia State vs. Our Lady: According to ESPN College Game Day, THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES have  99 players and all of them could win The Heisman Trophy at the same time.  You never really know how Notre Dame will play in an early big game.  The Ohio State wins.

 

 

Semi's vs Ellesyou: When Brian Kelly signed on as the new head coach at LSU, he spoke to the crowd at a basketball game in a Southern accent that was as bad as the little girl in The Shake-N-Bake commercial in the 70's, especially when he finished his speech with "Ann Ah helbed".  Despite all of this, he should help LSU after the trainwreck of Coach O (sounds like the title of a Gordon Lightfoot song).  LSU wins.

 

The Child's Age:  26

 

My Beloved Owls vs Baptist Bulldogs:  In Kennesaw State news, the Owls have joined a new conference, The ASUN.  I'm not sure what that really means, but I think it means they won't have to go up to New Jersey to play a football game.  This years, the Owls begin with Samford University, a Baptist school in Birmingham, Alabama. (Motto:  "A place where Baptists go to college".)  What the heck, Owls win.

The Orange Whale

 

One of the good things about Twitter is there are so many people that understand The Presidential Records Act and the powers of The National Archives.

It was DEFCON 1 on Fox News last Monday. (DEFCON 1 is the highest level of DEFCON-ness, with  DEFCON 5 being the lowest. I know because Peggy explained this to Burt Peterson on "Mad Men" one time. Don't tell me television is not educational.) The FBI raided or executed a search warrant on President Trump at his Mar-a-Largo resort in Florida. It caused a commotion if you haven't heard.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, the news was celebrated like it was D-Day. FINALLY! WE ARE GOING TO GET THE BIG FAT ORANGE RICH MAN WITH AWFUL HAIR! (Not a direct quote, but that was the general gist.)

My problem is I'm not an attorney. I have seen a lot of "Perry Mason" episodes, but none of them ever dealt with The Presidential Records Act. "Tell me, what did you see President Eisenhower put in the box to send to Gettysburg?"  (Historical note: Gettysburg was Eisenhower's Mar-a-Largo. What other blogs can you get rich historical tidbits like this?)

My point is I don't know how big of a deal the raid/execution of a search warrant is and I have a feeling most people (yes, Twitter, I'm looking at you) don't either.

I agree it is "unprecedented."  Reagan didn't send the FBI to Plains, Georgia, to find 15 boxes of peanuts or whatever. But a lot of things are "unprecedented".  

It is unprecedented to have a President as old as Biden, and it is unprecedented to know a President slept with a porn star. (I was going to mention President Bill and his trollop but then I remembered about President Warren Harding had a trollop. We still don't know what President James Buchanan had.)

It was unprecedented to have a President refusing to concede an election he obviously lost.  

Still, it is pretty stark to have the attorney general of another party approve the execution of a search warrant/raid on a former President for the Presidential Records Act.

I agree it is a law and President Trump should have followed the law. I just don't think the Justice Department is after "classified information".

I think this is a fishing expedition trying to find something to link President Trump to the January 6th riot besides him telling them in a televised speech to go down to The Capitol. 

They want to find a memo from Trump to the leader of The Proud Boys or whoever saying, "Go to the Capitol and mess things up or something. I don't care JUST DO IT! MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOUR GOING TO HANG MIKE PENCE."

If I'm wrong, and they really are that concerned with what Trump kept in Florida, they sure took their sweet time trying to get whatever it is back.

If Trump has some super secret documents that compromised the security of the United States, they need to tell us immediately, and it needs to be obvious.

Some people will say Trumpsters wouldn't admit it even if it was obvious. That's true. Some people don't acknowledge that Biden is too old to be President.

But it must be clear to the guy paying more for gas and groceries. This guy remembers 2019, and it wasn't that long ago.   He would put up with Trump if it meant he had some change in his pocket.

I remember early in the Trump Administration telling my wife I didn't know if Trump would be able to finish out the week as President, much less four years. What Trump calls "The Swamp" has been gunning for him for seven years, and they haven't stopped him yet. 

First, it was going to be Carly Fiorina. Then, it was going to be Marco Rubio. Then, it was going to be Mitt Romney. Then, it was going to be the "Access Hollywood" tape. Then, it was going to be "Russian Collusion." Then, it was going to be "impeachment."   Then, it was going to be the Capitol riots. On and on. (Don't get me started on the "Emoluments Clause" argument.)

It is not like he is "teflon"- everything sticks to Trump.  He's more like the T-1000 terminator in "Terminator 2".  Events and statements that would torpedo and sink any other politician, don't stop Trump. I can't explain it and I know the professional political class can't explain either.

It is hard getting a great white whale. Ask Captain Ahab. It turns out it is harder getting an orange one.

 

School Days

 

Up in the mornin' and out to school
The teacher is teachin' the golden rule
American history and practical math
You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass   ~ Chuck Berry

 

My memory is a little fuzzy, so stick with me.

When my son was young, school here in Cobb County, Georgia, started in the last week or so in August.

Then parents complained because the kids were in school for a week, and you had the Labor Day weekend, which parents used to go to either:  The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, or Alvin's Magic Mountain in Panama City Beach. 

The school board listened and started school a week earlier the following year.  Parents complained.

The year after that, the school board listened to the complaints and started school another week earlier, on the second week of August.

Parents complained and complained because the second week of August in Georgia is very, very hot.  

No problem said the school board. Our schools are equipped with the finest of air conditioners.

For the past couple of years, school has started in Cobb County on August 1st. 

Pretty soon, the school year will start on June 1st because we have air conditioners. Which is an offense against humanity.

I'm from that age demographic that says school should start on the Tuesday after Labor Day. (The parents of this demographic were the ones that went to school every day, including Christmas. And they walked three miles to school through rain, sleet, snow, hail, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions.  It was uphill, both ways.)

My demographic has The Bible on its side. 

The Bible says, "Verily, I say unto thee. Public schools must start on the Tuesday after Labor Day. Not the Wednesday or Thursday, thus saith The Lord."

 

Well, the explanations for the earlier school days range all the way from Shut-up to something about 180 days for school, and the kids forget so much during the What Used To Be Called Christmas Break But Is Now Called Winter Because Not Everybody Goes To A Baptist Church Break.

 

In fact, it seems like there are more breaks than I remember as a kid. Granted, it was a long time ago, but I don't remember a Fall break.  Wait, we had one. It was called Thanksgiving.

There's a mid-winter break, and then there is Spring Break. Do you remember Spring Break?  It is when all the Cobb County kids go to Panama City Beach to learn to binge drink. 

I remember my Spring Break. It was called "Mow The Yard, Alan."   My family didn't do breaks, and I wasn't popular enough to go with others to Florida.  On top of everything else, I looked like I was fourteen until I turned thirty-five, so I wouldn't have been any help scoring booze.

I admit I have bittersweet feelings about my public school education.  I had some great teachers, like my fourth-grade teacher who put on a sombrero and said, "Viva, Nixon."

I can't forget Mr. Collier from Wheeler, who was the only person to see me as a future leader when I had (still have) the leadership skills of a cocker spaniel.  It was still very nice of him and not his fault that I got blackballed from a service organization he recommended me for, not that I'm bitter.

I had the legendary Mr. Hines at Wheeler, who taught me the phrase "trousered apes," which I always remember when I see the band Florida-Georgia Line.

I had a bunch of good teachers, a bunch of so-so teachers, and a bunch of God-awful teachers.  I had a teacher tell the eleven-year-old me that I didn't have "what it takes" to play the recorder.  (My son always tells me to "let it go" when I tell him that story.)

When my son was coming along, I noticed his teachers were sort of like mine. Some excellent. Some good. Some mediocre. Some were absolute maroons.  I agree teachers should receive a good salary, but I would also say there are some teachers that are overpaid.

However, education has a lot of stuff it has to put up with, like making sure a fourth grader is called by the correct pronoun.  So I guess the earlier school starts the earlier it can finish makes sense.