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Red’s NFL Picks 2018 – Week 16

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Red was 4-3 last week and made a mistake in picking an extra game.  F#(%ing Cowboys! That puts Red at 36-40 for the season with only two weeks to pull some smelly scabrous mascot out of the hat.  As noted, Red has not been picking against the line this season and maybe that was a mistake as his work might have had some redeeming value.  As it stands, not so much.

Your Game of the Week Game of the Week – Stealers over Saints.  The Stealers found new life in survival against the Patriots last week.  That sort of hard fought win can propel a team into a desperately needed season-closing win streak or just be a dead cat bounce.  The Stealers offensive line is capable of taking over a game on a good week.  They do it on the Bayou this week and enjoy playing in the controlled environment for a change.  Make no mistake, the Saints may be the best team in the NFL right now – but even the best can be beat.  Pittsburgh 29 New Orleans 28.

Your National TV Game of the Week – Chiefs over Seahawks.  Yes, Red has prominently featured the Chiefs all season, but no team has played in more interesting games than the boys from the great plains.  This week is no exception.  The Seahawks need a win to keep pace in a jumbled NFC wild card race.  The Chiefs have clinched a playoff spot but need a win to keep pace with the hard-charging Chargers (sorry but it’s true).  Both teams need wins, both teams can win, both teams can lose.  Red is really on a triteness roll this morning.  Enough!  Watch this game.  Kansas City 41 Seattle 37.

Your Texas Game of the Week –  Eagles over Texans.  The Texans are just not playing very well right now.  It took a ridiculous number of field goals for them to dispatch the Jets – who don’t completely suck thanks to Mr. Darnold.  While watching the game, Mrs. Red exclaimed, “Is his name really Darn Old?”  Yep, he’s that darn old quarterback.  This week they face the resurgent Eagles with “big ass chip on his shoulder still” Nick Foles at the helm.  Nick has big money to play for.  He makes big time plays this week.  Philadelphia 25 Houston 21.

Your Disappointing Game of the Week – Bears over 49ers.  It seems that no team can stop  the mighty Bears right now – certainly not the smoking ruins of the 49ers once glorious franchise.  The only issue might be a slight hangover after having rolled and smoked the hated rival Packers last week.  It’s not enough but might make this one a bit closer than otherwise expected.  Chicago 20 Santa Clara 16.

Your Time Zone Hex Game of the Week – Chargers over Ravens.  The time zone hex has been a particularly poor indicator this season.  Red is left to wonder if the best days of the hex have been eviscerated by better front office planning and easier in-week workouts.   The Chargers do not need the hex factor to dispatch a mediocre Ravens team travelling on one of the 4-5 longest road trips possible in the NFL (Red believes Seattle-Miami takes the top spot but Boston- LA may not be far behind).  Chargers cost Red a shot at a much needed fantasy football championship last week by going for the win instead of taking the game to OT.  But he cannot fault balls.  No balls really needed this week – other than the oblate spheroid.   Los Angeles 45 Baltimore 22.

This Week’s Shit Bowl – Broncos over Raiders.  My how the mighty have fallen.  These are two teams that could have been somebody in recent seasons, instead of a bum which is what they are (with apologies to Marlon Brando).  But with a combined 19 losses between them they are both deserving of placement in the penultimate Shit Bowl.  Red kind of likes Case Keenum despite his having played at POS UH.  And after last season, it looked like a big mistake for the Texans to have let this guy get away.  Now, not so much.  15 TDs against 12 INTs and 32 sacks is not a prescription for success.  Throw in his 8 fumbles (of which miraculously only one has been lost) and you have about 4 semi-disastrous plays per game without much to offset it.  The overall lack of talent is clearly not his fault, but great QBs make those around them play better and that has not happened here.  As for the Raiders, the less said the better as they skulk their way out of Oakland for the second time in franchise history leaving the emaciated ghost of Dead Al Davis to wander for all eternity croaking “Just win baby” in a voice that can only be heard when the wind blows in from Mantica.  Denver 17 Oakland 3.

 

Quote for the Day

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“Let’s show everybody, this is the Republican Party of Texas. We are not the party of bigots.”

J.T. Edwards, a member of the State Republican Executive Committee advocating for a resolution confirming the Texas GOP’s commitment to religious liberty.

All Red can say is “Nice try.”

Tarrant County GOP Wants to Oust County Vice-Chairman Because – Wait for it – He’s a Muslim!

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The Tarrant County Republican Party will be voting on whether to oust current Vice-Chairman Shahid Shafi.  Shafi, a Southlake City Councilman, was appointed vice chairman of the TCRP in July.  Within days, numerous precinct chairs began urging Darl Easton, chairman of the TCRP, to “reconsider” the appointment.  The only reason given – Shafi is a Muslim.  The precinct chair that kicked off the campaign to oust Shafi, Dorrie O’Brien, and others have formally moved to remove Shafi as vice chairman because of his religion stating that one cannot be a Muslim and a Republican.  The TCRP will vote on the motion on January 10.   The move is opposed by many GOP leaders in Texas.  But in ultra-conservative Tarrant County – the last big city bastion of the GOP – there is a possibility that a person could be excluded from office based on nothing more than religious bigotry.

Following the lead of Individual 1 and with a complete lack of evidence, O’Brien has claimed that Shafi promotes Sharia law and is affiliated with terrorist groups apparently because he attends his local mosque.   O’Brien’s Facebook posts accuse Shafi of being a “fake Republican” who has infiltrated the party at the urging of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Actual facts and evidence are meaningless in the Age of Individual 1. All that matters is the ability to foist your alternate reality on a gullible minority.

 

Today in Texas History – December 14

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From the Annals of Medicine – In 1837, the Congress of the Republic of Texas established the Board of Medical Censors and authorized it to grant licenses to practice medicine and surgery in the republic.  The BMC was composed of one physician from each senatorial district who were graduates of medicine and surgery from accredited colleges and universities.  Prospective physicians had to pass a test and pay a $20 license fee.  Unlicensed physicians were prohibited from collected unpaid fees in Texas courts. The board was to meet once each year but that proved difficult in frontier Texas.  The BMC was disbanded upon statehood and the function is now performed by the Board of Medical Examiners.

Today in Texas History – December 13

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72466: Cabinet Card of Commodore Edwin Ward Moore : Lot 72466

From the Annals of “Gunboat” Diplomacy –   In 1841, a flotilla of three ships from the Navy of the Republic of Texas left Galveston  to provide support for the province of Yucatán in its rebellion against Mexico. Edwin Ward Moore was the commander-in-chief of the Texas Navy.  Moore had earlier sailed along the Mexican coast in a failed attempt to speed up peace negotiations between the Republic of Texas and  Mexico.  Moore returned to Texas and President Mirabeau B. Lamar signed a treaty with the Mexican state of  Yucatan to lease of the Texas navy for $8,000 per month and to protect their ports from being a Mexican Navy blockade.  Moore’s ships joined the small fleet of the State of Yucatan under the command of former Texas Navy officer Captain James D. Boylan.

The Yucatan rebellion (also known as the Caste War of Yucatan) itself is an interesting and rarely mentioned part of Mexican history.  The indigenous Mayans more or less held control of large parts of the Yucatan peninsula for more than 50 years despite numerous efforts by Mexico to assert control.  

Today in Texas History – December 12

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From the Annals of the Supreme Court –   In 2000, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in Bush v. Gore, holding that the use of different standards of counting in different counties violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and that no alternative method could be established within the time limit under federal law to determine controversies as to appointment of electors – which was the same day. The Court voted 7-2 on the violation of the Equal Protection Clause with a proviso that it was more or less a one-time only decision.  However, the Court was split 5–4 as to whether an alternate recount method was feasible. The widely-criticized decision had the effect of awarding all of Florida’s electoral college votes to Texas Gov. George W. Bush which gave him a total of 271 or one more than needed.  U.S. Vice President Al Gore conceded the election the next day.

Bush’s presidency proved disastrous on several counts with Bush leading the U.S. into the war in Iraq on spurious grounds, the inability to conclude the war in Afghanistan, and the near complete financial collapse of 2008.

Red’s NFL Picks 2018 – Week 15

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Red can’t seem to correctly pick either the Texans to win or the Cowboys to lose which led to another 3-3 week and a season total of 32-37 for Red.  But there are no excuses in this game – only results.

Your Game of the Week Game of the Week – Chiefs over Chargers.  There really isn’t much question about the game to watch this week if you are only going to watch one game.  The 11-2 Chiefs and 10-3 Chargers square off to see who will have the inside track on the AFC West Title on Thursday night.  The Chiefs have already secured a playoff berth and the Chargers would grab one with a win.  By all rights, we should see about 90 points and 900 yards of total offense – which of course can mean a tight defensive struggle – something the Chiefs are ill-equipped to win with their sad sack defense.  Red just can’t see that happening.  Mahomes continues his MVP quest while the trusty veteran P. Rivers may have his last best shot at a division title and home field advantage and who wouldn’t want to see the Patriots playing on the west coast in a crackerbox stadium in an AFC Championship game.  Well, Red for one.  Red is sticking with his preseason pick to win it all.  Kansas City 45 Los Angeles 38. 

Your National TV Game of the Week – Stealers over Patriots.  Speaking of last best chances – the Stealers are still in the driver’s seat in the AFC North, but the check engine light is on and Steelwagon is running on fumes right now.  How does a legitimate NFL team actually lose to the Raiders?  Answer:  a time zone hex that Red missed out on – perhaps the time zone hex of the season.  And why is it that the Stealers never seem to beat the Patriots when real money is on the table?  Answer:  the Pats are just better in the clutch.  This week the Pats could use a win after the humiliating last-second loss to the Dolphins, but the Stealers really need a win as they are feeling the hot breath of the putrid Ravens franchise breathing down their sweaty necks.  A coin toss here and it comes up for the Stealers.  Pittsburgh 20 New England 19. 

Your Texas Game of the Week – Texans over Jets.  If the Texans cannot beat the Jets they deserve to be sitting at home in January licking their self-inflicted wounds and weeping over what could have been.  What has become clear is that Deshaun Watson cannot do it alone and on a day where the offensive line regresses to form and he is under pressure and having to throw passes to the third string quarterback (Joe Webb), things are probably not going to turn out well – especially against the historical franchise nemesis Colts.  The running game must get going.  But a rainy cold forecast for Saturday does not bode well.  Nevertheless, Red is going down with the Texans ship.  Houston 17 New Jersey 12.

Your Disappointing  Game of the Week – Bears over Packers.  This one seemed important at the beginning of the season.  Now – not so much.  Bears were channeling Refrigerator Perry in mowing down the Rams last week.  Who holds the Rams to 6 points?  The Pack is playing out the skein for new interim head coach – Joe “The Guy You’ve Never Heard Of” Philbin.  Hey Joe, where you going with that playbook in your hand?  Joe’s going to Soldier Field to get whipped like a lazy mule.  The Bears really just don’t have to score very many points to win anymore.  Chicago 19 Green Bay 6.  

Your Time Zone Hex Game of the Week – Rams over Eagles.  Rams don’t need any help in dispatching a quickly fading memory of a championship team – but they’ll take it anyway.  Triple reverse time zone hex is superfluous.   Los Angeles 44 Philadelphia 10.

This Week’s Shit Bowl – Bengals over Raiders.  Red can smell the stench from high atop Red Plaza.  Raiders pulled one out of their ass last week.  But that trick only works once or maybe twice a season.   The Bengals aren’t bad – they aren’t good either, but the Raiders are clearly butt ugly awful except on rare occasions when you swear that there is a professional football team wearing the Silver and Black.  If you watch this beastly bowel battle without taking the customary precautions, Red feels no pity for you.  Cincinnati 29 Oakland 13.  

Your Bonus Hoping to Pull Red’s Ass out of the Fire Game of the Week –  Cowboys over Colts.  Just because. Arlington 23 Indianapolis 20.

Quote for the Day

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“I got cussed out by my mom this morning because she’s been dying to meet Pop. She told me today that I better make sure that she gets to meet him.”

Demar DeRozan – San Antonio Spurs guard on his mother wanting to meet legendary Spurs Coach Greg Popovich.