tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214590942012-01-25T21:56:18.463-06:00It's all going to add up to something one dayD. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.comBlogger5271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-62857260939133491442012-01-23T22:48:00.000-06:002012-01-25T21:28:04.824-06:00

So right after we had a year in which I nailed all 10 Best Picture nominees in only the second year of that category's expansion, the Academy decided to change the number once again. Maybe. It kinda depends, you see. The number of nominees first got changed two years ago because The Dark Knight didn't get nominated because 10 nominees meant twice as many films could get the bump at the box

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-15573289404631272362012-01-22T12:02:00.000-06:002012-01-23T19:44:09.134-06:00

Whereas I typically harbor some pretty severe doubts about the chances of at least one of the NFL's final four teams every year, this seems like the first time in quite a while that I feel like all four could realistically become champions. The strengths and weaknesses of each team have been well-documented, but all that remains to be seen is which teams will play more to their strengths than

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-3547914327805173482012-01-21T18:22:00.001-06:002012-01-21T18:24:56.315-06:00

Keeping in mind that this is a shortened 66-game season, the fact that the Bulls have more wins in less games played than the team that ended up with the best record in the league last season did at this "point" last last year should be encouraging. But then again, ever since the thrilling victory over the Lakers to open the season, Chicago's schedule has been rather favorable in these first 17

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-4953643475710962812012-01-14T15:43:00.000-06:002012-01-16T08:13:05.960-06:00

In the rush to get my picks posted last weekend, I did not indicate how my initial gut reaction was to pick the Broncos. Really. It was. It was a fitting end to the weekend, really. The one game I dismissed as probably being the biggest blowout turned out to be the closest of any in the first round. The one game I probably could have cared less about ended up being the only one I was really

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-12331283739528318832012-01-08T17:43:00.001-06:002012-01-08T17:43:40.115-06:00

For this quarterly update, I used the photo from a game that came at about the midway point between the last update and this new one, a December 11 overtime win over San Jose that was in the team's "Best Photos of 2011" gallery. That win was back when the Hawks were still in first, and things were going quite swimmingly. Currently, however, Chicago is in the midst of a three-game skid. And if

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-66761363948339262952012-01-07T09:50:00.000-06:002012-01-13T23:13:00.503-06:00

It is nothing short of a total nightmare trying to post this from my phone right now, so this round of predictions is not going to be anywhere near the usual breakdown of regular season numbers it normally was when Wild Card weekend began breaking down various otherwise meaningless numbers. Oh, and I'm typing this in HTML right now. So there's that too. The title to this post has nothing to do

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-46696305919220263502012-01-05T20:35:00.001-06:002012-01-07T09:17:14.278-06:00

I looked back and saw that I ended my Third Quarter thoughts by still clinging to playoff hope. Playoffs, ha! In actuality, the final four games of the year were a brutal extension of the year's longest losing streak, capped off by a meaningless win in Minnesota that I didn't bother going out of my way to watch. While Josh McCown proved to be definitively less disastrous than Caleb Hanie,

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-70572950441429383352011-12-23T23:13:00.000-06:002011-12-26T13:55:18.944-06:00

I had been toying with what I would say when jumping straight to "Final Thoughts on" this basketball season, when lo and behold, the NBA lockout finally ended and now the season will tip off on Christmas Day. And a number of people are genuinely excited about it. One friend as well as one radio personality have already said the NBA should start on December 25 every, although considering

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-7617652721993000272011-12-09T20:10:00.001-06:002011-12-13T21:40:07.526-06:00

I suppose that if you're just looking at the graphic, then the improvement in the standings would lead you to believe that things are trending upward. Of course, I tried to wedge the assumed moments that injured two of the team's most valuable players. The Packers have already clinched the division and, hell, it probably won't be long before many of us start hoping they'll finally be able to

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-67119312514993974132011-12-02T19:36:00.001-06:002011-12-13T21:41:33.848-06:00

The Hawks reached the quarter mark in the season while I was in Chicago, actually. Still, much like I've done for the other 20 games this year, I listened on the radio to every awful goal of a 9-2 shellacking from the Oilers. I suppose I was once again in that bed in the basement, just like I was oh so often during that Stanley Cup season. And damned if this team didn't get off to an otherwise

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-19194416722463615642011-11-13T16:43:00.001-06:002011-11-13T17:21:25.687-06:00

Just as it seemed we were surely on our way to seeing the team go into the midway point in their season at the .500 mark, like I had predicted in the last quarterly update and every single writer at the Chicago Tribune had them pegged as becoming when they certainly fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Bears instead went and did what seemingly every other Philly opponent has done all year and

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-43535902850407443582011-10-29T21:35:00.000-05:002011-10-30T12:15:02.888-05:00

I debated just putting this image, but felt the need to try and create sort of a collage here of a couple of those unmistakably ugly moments of this year's World Series. When I consider that I was bitching last year about the number of early ends to series in the postseason, I can issue no such complaints this year. Of the 41 possible games in baseball's playoffs, 38 got played. And no, not

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-24712878749571579942011-10-28T21:03:00.000-05:002011-10-28T21:03:10.661-05:00

As I said in my World Series pick this year, the nine lives of this year's St. Louis Cardinals have now helped me get over the fact that a Braves team that had been widely assumed to be the National League Wild Card this year instead came up one game short of getting into the playoffs. A late-surging team didn't just come in and swipe the final playoff spot from the Braves and then fold. No,

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-53598330956687531382011-10-18T21:37:00.000-05:002011-10-29T20:57:14.973-05:00

We knew Fox couldn't have been pleased as soon as the first round concluded, and alas, here we are with a Fall Classic featuring the markets of Dallas and St. Louis. Hmmm ... They were pondering this thought on the radio today, and I have a hard time believing this year's World Series will hit a new record low. All it really has to do is go more than five games, and I'm sure it will

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-52114692066486287572011-10-08T16:47:00.000-05:002011-10-18T21:16:52.545-05:00

The one series I picked last round to go the maximum five games instead ended up being the only one that didn't go five games. Don't get me wrong; so far, the baseball postseason is shaping up to be some pretty gut-wrenching October fare. The good kind of gut-wrenching, of course. Not every game has been of the must-watch variety, but certainly more than usual. Consequentially, I'm fairly

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-9250519353033534432011-10-08T15:18:00.000-05:002011-10-08T15:23:03.494-05:00

If that title's subhead sounds familiar, it's probably because I was saying the exact same thing at this point last year. Now, whereas a year ago the Bears had already beaten the team that would end up going on to win the Super Bowl, this season the team's current .500 record is still a game better than where I had anticipated their record being at. Perhaps the Falcons are not as good as some

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-41541079486724038992011-10-07T23:00:00.000-05:002011-10-08T15:51:40.405-05:00

I missed getting this done before what was technically opening night, but forget all that for now. I had been fearing that with the beloved Blackhawks dropping the puck tonight, I might have to deal with no longer having the team's stellar radio broadcasts to listen to. We get WGN's TV station down here in Austin, so that assured me a few mmore televised games in addition to the national

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-42613490474768518262011-09-30T21:19:00.002-05:002011-09-30T21:20:57.855-05:00

Such were the words of Chipper Jones, and really, how else are you supposed to describe what just happened? Incredibly, just a few months after what I titled one post, I'm actually thinking that right now somebody from Boston can probably relate pretty well. Actually, this Braves fan is particularly grateful that the Red Sox have received far more national attention for their failure. That's a

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-41689163461626608972011-09-29T21:42:00.001-05:002011-10-18T21:15:52.535-05:00

I suppose I'll be elaborating more on what transpired last night, an admittedly exciting finish to the regular season, when I write up the sad conclusion to a certain team's certain fourth quarter. Of course, seeing as this is also when I typically reflect on how I did at predicting back before the first pitch was thrown, I suppose the good news would be this: I improved to a dozen teams

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-49732167723744533082011-09-05T15:21:00.000-05:002012-01-07T09:30:12.216-06:00

I knew when I moved that the number of hours I typically dedicated to NFL posts during any given season was probably going to be reduced. And as this year's season get set to kick off on Thursday, I'm even more certain that I won't be bothering with a number of posts I was doing on a regular basis for the past couple years. While I've already had my two fantasy football teams drafted, I've

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-40735632949559080442011-09-03T12:32:00.002-05:002011-09-03T12:34:49.456-05:00

The Braves season actually passed this point on August 15, the day after the last time I posted here. I recognized the date then, but knew I'd probably end up running a little late with this post. Seeing as I haven't altogether quit the restaurant gig I was working before starting the new Monday-Friday gig, I still have not had an entire day off work ever since then. I'm still waiting tables

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-40792827185279729982011-08-14T20:46:00.001-05:002011-08-14T20:47:34.342-05:00

Friday began with a bit of bad news when I received an email informing me that the SEO Trainee position I was to be interviewing for on Monday had been filled. Sure, I could still interview on Monday if I wanted because there was the real possibility that another position could open within the next few weeks if the company landed the couple big bids it had going on. I was reading the email on my

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-78064284897089959862011-07-28T22:25:00.002-05:002011-07-28T22:29:50.670-05:00

There's the part of me that just wants to refer back to what I said a little over a year ago at this time when I recognized that there's typically a lull in posting during the summer. But even looking back on that post, it's hard to believe that I wasn't writing more often when I didn't have a regular job at that point. And perhaps most surprising would be that I still had no idea that what was

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-35986744460071406432011-07-04T14:55:00.007-05:002011-08-14T18:16:01.997-05:00

While my quarterly thoughts for all Four Bs typically follow the same format, I'm regrettably going to be keeping this update on the Atlanta Braves' past 40 games to much more of a minimum. While I did go and find an image from this gallery to create the annual graphic, I can not in all honesty pretend to have followed this part of the baseball season as closely as I will/have for any of the

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-20484434948094860922011-06-19T16:02:00.004-05:002011-10-08T15:24:12.964-05:00

In 1986, the Boston Celtics won their third and final NBA Championship of that decade. It was the same year I was only becoming introduced to professional sports on television, but it would still be a couple more years before I really began following basketball. Instead, the city of Boston, to me, became synonymous with suffering in 1986 for two different sports. After all, maybe you recall what

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-18891968124286469982011-06-13T21:59:00.003-05:002011-06-13T22:44:45.493-05:00

This past basketball season essentially began nearly one year ago, right around July 8 of last year. Perhaps you recall what happened that evening and presumably helped the NBA garner terrific television ratings throughout the entire season. The Miami Heat became Public Enemy No. 1, which is probably why their loss in this year's NBA Finals has ended up feeling like a victory for every one of us

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-73044528460057976992011-06-08T20:29:00.001-05:002011-06-08T20:30:57.655-05:00

After ™ last flew up to Illinois to spend a long weekend with me between her birthday and my own, I reminded her at the airport that the following three weeks until I saw her again would go by pretty fast. I had been saying it primarily to comfort her that unlike, say, the more than two months before that visit when we'd last been able to see one another, this final step was going to arrive much

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-37897917315235564542011-06-04T19:18:00.002-05:002011-06-04T19:22:53.020-05:00

As this year's Bulls team accumulated honor after honor—Tom Thibodeau being named Coach of the Year, Derrick Rose awarded Most Valuable Player, and then Gar Forman having to share Executive of the Year honors with Miami's Pat Riley because (just as I had joked in an earlier BMC piece) three other league honchos apparently forgot that John Paxon slipped out of the role two years ago and voted for

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-67339395094241135462011-06-01T11:23:00.002-05:002011-06-18T20:55:19.121-05:00

In just a couple weeks, one of those video game depictions is going to come true and a long-suffering franchise will finally be raising Lord Stanley's Cup. This is the first Bruins team to even reach the Finals in more than two decades, and it's been almost 40 years since the team's last championship in 1972. But at least Beantown's tasted victory before, unlike Vancouver, where the team has

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-81029567491676217552011-05-31T17:03:00.003-05:002011-06-12T21:50:04.282-05:00

Something's slightly amiss when the NBA Finals are beginning before the Stanley Cup, but alas, here we are with the basketball opener tonight while hockey's final series kicks off tomorrow. Just as was the case five years ago when the Mavericks and Heat met, I had thought the playoffs would be concluding with another rematch of the previous year's seven-game Finals. instead, the Lakers got swept

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-85043610109199639642011-05-15T18:29:00.006-05:002011-06-01T10:14:36.162-05:00

Lakers-Mavericks sounded like a can't miss proposition to some people, I suppose. I hate the Lakers and my girlfriend loves the Mavs. No-brainer, right? Yeah, well ... of course we know what I ended up going with for last round's picks, but in my defense, nobody had Dallas. I didn't realize how poorly I'd attempted to articulate my logic until ™ posted a screencap of that pick and my drivel to

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-62884590974411970872011-05-15T17:33:00.001-05:002011-05-15T18:38:30.926-05:00

Indeed, Braves fans (and any other reader). This year's team is a full game better than the start they got off to last year. So certainly this means they should at least be able to force a deciding fifth game in the Division Series this year—once those Marlins cool off, of course. While it's hard for me to read too much into how the season has started for some clubs (The Indians are 11 games

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-37571226551983536152011-05-14T00:26:00.003-05:002011-06-01T10:18:05.284-05:00

After one round, we were without my hometown defending champs. And now one round later, we're without either of the two clubs I'd had originally picked to be playing for the Cup this year. What we're left with is four teams, not one of which I can find a real rooting interest for. But at least only one can win, so I suppose that whatever silly objections I might have I will still be able to take

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-5599562915124750162011-05-03T15:32:00.001-05:002011-10-08T15:24:12.988-05:00

Not that it hasn't been pointed out thousands of times or makes the excuse feel as though it would serve any real purpose, but it's hard to repeat after winning the Stanley Cup. Marian Hossa was coming off three straight years in which he played for teams with seasons that lasted all the way into June, so I can forgive him for missing some time during those regular seasons. But looking back at

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-74378865413677465022011-05-01T20:24:00.006-05:002011-05-15T17:39:31.854-05:00

There were no perfect scores among any of the "experts" I tracked for the first round of predictions in the NBA playoffs—even though one person did, in fact, have Memphis knocking off the top-seeded Spurs. But nobody had Atlanta beating Orlando either, and that's of course because everybody's picks largely look the same in these early rounds of basketball postseason. Now technically into the

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-83176139380705798202011-04-28T15:12:00.005-05:002011-05-13T22:08:35.306-05:00

I knew in the back of my mind while creating my first round NHL playoffs predictions that mentioning my record from the past two seasons would probably come back to haunt me, and sure enough, I tanked on my predictions bad enough to ensure that I even if I get every other remaining series correct I'll still finish at least one game worse than the record in each of the previous two years. Nice.

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-61012779787509911152011-04-18T12:45:00.002-05:002011-04-18T12:49:05.610-05:00

I'm forgoing the usual "nobody cares" graphic that's typically gone along with these sorts of posts, but I don't plan on requiring a fold for this summary either. If you've actually been following the only fantasy team I've been running ever since football ended, you might recall that I was also responsible for running my girlfriend's basketball team this year too. I was optimistic about her

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-7556625260440468192011-04-16T07:31:00.004-05:002011-05-01T19:02:08.021-05:00

I sort of swore off the idea of using YouTube videos above the fold on posts, but this one's a pretty good at whetting one's playoff appetite. And just as this post's title indicates, this year's particularly special now that the beloved Bulls are among the favorites to end up with the Larry O'Brien trophy. Before I get to everybody's picks though, let me glance back at what I had back at the

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-74064384253866370962011-04-15T15:15:00.000-05:002011-04-15T15:15:22.892-05:00

What more can really be said about how much this team has defied expectations this year? Not only did they win their division and finish atop the Eastern Conference, in the end, this year's Bulls team won more games than any other team in the entire NBA. No matter what round the playoffs might be in, Game One—and a Game Seven, should it be necessary—will be at the United Center for the Bulls. (

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-61636055797016480352011-04-13T11:04:00.003-05:002011-10-08T15:24:12.990-05:00

The key to finishing atop the leaderboard at the end of NHL postseason prognosticating can typically rely on sniffing out the inevitable opening round upsets. I've finished a more than respectable 12-3 each of the last two years I've done this—one game worse than the best in 2009 and and one game better than the runner-up last year—often more attributed to going against the majority on one series

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-22655649107422361372011-04-11T12:53:00.002-05:002011-10-08T15:24:12.966-05:00

It was a rather peculiar finish to the season, what with having been in the middle of an eight-game winning streak during the last update and still having the possibility of postseason life not be determined until the very last game of the year—a couple hours after it, actually. But as crazy as yesterday was for the Blackhawks, the team's going back to the playoffs and they'll have to defend the

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-63512905909889228342011-03-31T10:15:00.001-05:002011-10-29T20:51:02.177-05:00

Opening Day is in March this year, but I was among the many who pretty much came away from this off-season's transactions basically concluding 2011 would be recorded as a Phillies-Red Sox World Series before it had even been played. If Cliff Lee had indeed gone to the Bronx for eleventy billion million dollars like we all assumed he was going to, then maybe we'd be wondering who the Yankees

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-50030542565063145732011-03-22T10:58:00.003-05:002011-03-22T11:08:25.506-05:00

Your author is hard-pressed to think of something that can cause an immediate loss of interest quite like hearing about someone's fantasy team. Having friends and co-workers recite their rosters with no real purpose other than to gloat about conquering leagues you're not involved in seems quite banal and pointless, no? That said, the author knows full well that you the dear reader

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-84973258717620867232011-03-14T16:30:00.002-05:002011-08-14T20:49:53.378-05:00

In this area, we've endured what I was told was a record amount of snow last month, but now nearly every last sign of white has all but disappeared and it's getting closer to being so comfortable outside that I can once again sit on the stoop in front of the house, drink coffee, smoke cigarettes and complete a puzzle or two. It's now becoming more frequent for the morning to begin with me

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-2133201864705704092011-03-08T16:20:00.002-06:002011-04-15T12:19:41.069-05:00

Once again, the Bulls have gone through another quarter of their schedule and emerged having only lost five games. But unlike the last time I did one of these, when a majority of the schedule seemed fairly soft, the past 21 games have involved playing against some legitimate contenders. So it's certainly surprising that Chicago came away with not a loss more than the number they recorded over the

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-38867169010461738242011-02-28T15:22:00.004-06:002011-10-08T15:24:12.979-05:00

For the short while I've been doing these quarterly updates, all four of the Bs have ended up making the postseason. And while I suppose it was inevitable that the ending to one team's regular season would really mean the end of the entire year for them, I never would have imagined it might be the Blackhawks—just one year removed from having won the Stanley Cup, no less. And sure, while the '

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-78115422951568349862011-02-27T16:21:00.003-06:002011-03-03T13:42:41.930-06:00

First, off laying out this post has been nothing short of a total pain in the ass. Here's hoping it was worth the trouble. Perhaps I would have been better off just using one of the many available GIFs of co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco, but after seeing the collection here and developing this layout idea, I had to try and get it done. So while I'm sure there's inevitable going to be some

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-24284088569686763652011-02-25T11:28:00.003-06:002011-02-26T16:19:06.707-06:00

Unlike when I did this last year, I was actually able to see all 10 of the films nominated for Best Picture before the show. It doesn't really make all that much of a difference—or, I guess we'll find out if it influences some of my predictions or not this Sunday—but purely for shits & giggles, this is now the annual part of the year in which I offer up how I would've filled out my own Best

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-69207582722947313682011-02-24T14:36:00.001-06:002011-03-25T10:40:11.310-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-32753440650746226732011-02-23T14:19:00.001-06:002011-03-25T10:40:38.290-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-9896235014979612472011-02-22T13:22:00.002-06:002011-03-25T10:41:35.770-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-17073876551809569152011-02-17T13:39:00.003-06:002011-03-25T10:41:56.148-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-19187362032721591772011-02-16T12:50:00.001-06:002011-03-25T10:42:15.408-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-36323115163694092042011-02-10T10:59:00.003-06:002011-02-10T11:11:38.044-06:00

I should be enjoying the fact that in recent years, the Super Bowl has actually resembled more of a football game than it did when I was growing up and the spectacle was almost always an annual one-sided blowout. So while I wasn't particularly thrilled with either team in this year's contest, I do admit to rooting for the Packers based upon:a) Not wanting to see Ben Roethlisberger emerge

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-8056513631236975222011-02-09T12:36:00.002-06:002011-03-25T10:42:36.240-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-16896811396449932672011-02-08T13:50:00.005-06:002011-03-25T10:42:57.807-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-81115628638662815502011-02-07T15:34:00.001-06:002011-03-25T10:43:30.242-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-76195664714112476272011-02-06T12:55:00.001-06:002011-02-06T12:57:33.789-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A pencil & charcoal collage of images of Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-88796772843238171672011-02-05T22:30:00.003-06:002011-02-07T15:40:25.679-06:00

I guess that when it was first announced that this year's Super Bowl would be held in Dallas, many people immediately worried that it could end up being the Cowboys playing in the title game at The House Jerry Built. But I highly doubt many of us were thinking that instead of having that nightmare scenario, we'd instead end up with sportswriters complaining about having to put up with—prepare

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-72805501475298760922011-02-04T14:39:00.001-06:002011-03-25T10:43:52.435-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-65308617594640772512011-02-02T10:42:00.013-06:002011-03-25T10:44:16.827-05:00

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-57193032238257288692011-01-31T16:15:00.003-06:002011-01-31T16:43:34.595-06:00

What you see in the background of that image there is what I refer to as "my journal." I bought it at a Borders or some other bookstore back in 2004, primarily for class when I was back finally finishing college. When I bought that hardcover item, I imagined that I would fill it out quickly and rush to replace it—repeatedly. And nearly seven full years later, despite the binding falling apart

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-58560782002675633412011-01-30T06:56:00.000-06:002011-01-30T06:56:16.451-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A charcoal and pastel sketch of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious WHAT I LIKE

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-55092907857860966212011-01-29T21:11:00.005-06:002011-01-29T21:47:06.737-06:00

Even I was a bit surprised to see I got all 10 of my predicted Best Picture nominees correct, and my overall 39 of the 45 nominees in the "Big Eight" was two better than how I fared last year. And indeed, like I had anticipated, when the nominations were announced that morning, I'd already seen seven of the pics. So a quick visit to the Redbox took care of two more, and now I'm down to one last

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-10700051150542739152011-01-28T14:09:00.001-06:002011-01-28T14:19:52.977-06:00

Keeping in mind what I had said at the beginning of this season, more specifically the not ruling out the idea of the Bears finishing in last place in their division, the fact that the team got all the way to the NFC Championship was a most pleasant surprise—regardless of the end result. This team thoroughly defied my expectations this past year, and if you wanted to attribute most of that

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-91702173818621944442011-01-24T18:02:00.007-06:002011-01-25T18:42:38.282-06:00

Actually, thanks to my wonderful girlfriend's wonderful taste, I've been to the movie theater for actual good movies more often than in years past and thus will have probably seen a majority of the Best Picture nominees when they are announced tomorrow morning. Still, I'm almost certain that there's going to be a few movies nominated that I will either have to go way out of my way to catch before

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-60040754397260883702011-01-23T06:08:00.000-06:002011-01-23T06:08:35.704-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A charcoal collage of Al Pacino images from the 1973 film "Serpico" WHAT I

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-1992053084410604012011-01-22T14:04:00.006-06:002011-02-05T21:13:42.287-06:00

It's possible I'd heard about it previously this year, but it didn't really register for me until this week that the NFL had redesigned a few logos this season—most notably, the trophies it awards for the Conference Championships about to be played. Perhaps it's just because I'm a cynical bastard, but the new designs resemble something more along the lines of what I'd see used to make Christmas

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-9247792422904354582011-01-18T16:24:00.006-06:002011-03-08T10:39:48.744-06:00

For a team that's been at full strength for just nine games thus far this year, the Bulls have still looked pretty impressive when a lot of excuses could have been being concocted. Instead, I continue to be thankful that Tom Thibodeau's coaching this team and you needn't look very hard to see what effect he's had on this squad, as when it's on, the defense can be among the league's best. Joakim

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-37727382438860240522011-01-15T13:19:00.000-06:002011-01-15T13:19:18.292-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A pencil sketch of model Claudia Schiffer  WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT: You can

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-57438529795390516262011-01-14T13:49:00.004-06:002011-01-16T19:28:18.248-06:00

There's already two divisional rivalry rubber matches set for this weekend over in the AFC, but around where I live in the Chicago area, many people are already giddy at the prospect of the Bears hosting an NFC Championship game against their longtime rival Packers next weekend. So while the Seahawks aren't nearly the moneymaker for local brokers that Green Bay would be, the games still have to

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-36231025566544377312011-01-08T13:07:00.001-06:002011-01-08T13:08:31.209-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: An ink & color pencil comic book cover of my Old Surfer Guy character  WHAT I

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-76822857613733717422011-01-07T15:56:00.015-06:002011-01-14T12:51:01.628-06:00

We've entered the playoffs in the NFL, and I intend to follow the same schedule of reflections I did last postseason—not that I ended up doing all that hot when all was said and done last year, of course. Anyway, looking back on how I did with my predictions before the season kicked off, I did far worse this year than last at having teams correctly slotted in their actual finishes. This season I

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-739617603369368862011-01-07T12:57:00.000-06:002011-01-07T12:57:41.213-06:00

The saving grace to the final week of the regular season had to be that the downward scoring spiral of the past five weeks finally ceased with my picks being good for 108 points, one shy of my best score for the season. Of course, when you look at the grand total of 1406 points on the year, that's the lowest score I've ended up with in any of the three seasons I've been posting my picks here on

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-31246322160673884562011-01-06T15:33:00.000-06:002011-01-06T15:33:09.195-06:00

You can't complain when you're the recipient of good fortune, but this year's Chicago Bears team didn't suffer any of those critical season-ending injuries that typically ruin NFL teams. It's not to say that the Bears weren't good in certain facets of their game, but their defense got to line up against a few third-string quarterbacks, they had a few calls go their way, and it was other teams

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-17573870163989688052011-01-06T13:07:00.001-06:002011-10-08T15:24:12.955-05:00

It's hard to hate on the many in Chicago who've seemingly hopped off the bandwagon as quickly as they jumped aboard last June. After all, the biggest act in town still is (and always will be) the Bears, and despite the pessimism there, that team's in the playoffs. And the Blackhawks' traditional winter sports roommate at the United Center, the Bulls, are off to a far better start to their own

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-68978114191662730572011-01-05T13:35:00.001-06:002011-01-05T13:50:56.900-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A pencil sketch of musician Sheryl Crow  WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT: Back when I

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-27108921667452202732011-01-05T12:39:00.001-06:002011-01-05T12:43:36.085-06:00

I have watched my weekly scores decline each and every week for the past five going back to Week 11. While I've somehow been able to maintain a second place standing in the Yahoo pool, I've now slipped into fourth in the PoolHost league. And with one last weekend of the regular season, I had to strongly consider how I wanted to approach this final week.Was it worth it to pick a few upsets in hope

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-10285920679607610082011-01-04T17:57:00.000-06:002011-01-04T17:57:13.600-06:00

Your author is hard-pressed to think of something that can cause an immediate loss of interest quite like hearing about someone's fantasy team. Having friends and co-workers recite their rosters with no real purpose other than to gloat about conquering leagues you're not involved in seems quite banal and pointless, no? That said, the author knows full well that you the dear reader

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-48485118095167597652011-01-04T14:00:00.000-06:002011-01-04T14:00:45.973-06:00

I'll probably be a little unnerved about posting picks before taking any "breaks" in future NFL seasons, seeing as I did even worse with my Week 16 Picks than I did in Week 11 when I took a week off for Thanksgiving. The Christmas weekend games were equivocal to quite a few lumps of coal for me as my confidence pool picks were worth an otherwise ho-ho-hopeless 66 points. After nearly everybody

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-16511507746564435802010-12-25T21:19:00.002-06:002010-12-25T21:20:29.285-06:00

You know what I need? Another break. And fuck if I didn't earn it this year, right? Anyway, seeing as how well things went over Thanksgiving, ™ decided to actually come back and see me again. So the whole Week 16 recap, Week 17 preview, and whatever other posts I had in mind are all going to have to wait until 2011. I know, there will be plenty more thoughts to expand on besides all the fuckin'

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-23426368881574440672010-12-25T21:02:00.000-06:002010-12-25T21:02:11.196-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: An ink & color pencil drawing of characters from the 1997 film "In the Company

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-17124631150971078352010-12-25T14:16:00.005-06:002011-01-03T16:28:50.019-06:00

It was starting to feel like it had been a while since those New York Jets had made some of the league's biggest headlines off the field, but the team—the head coach, no less—sure made up for lost time this week. Never mind that Rex Ryan's team is still fighting for a playoff spot and comes into Chicago this weekend to play our local NFC North Division Champion Bears, who are also still playing

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-51502554840045073882010-12-23T14:24:00.001-06:002010-12-25T13:51:14.111-06:00

The league lined up quite the mismatch for their Thursday finale. Once again, I'm assuming this will pretty much be a maximum bet for everybody in both pools—especially if the usual five hypothetical sheets I post each work are any indication. So far, four of those five have the Steelers being the biggest bet of the week, and I highly doubt it will be any less than those four. So for the second

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-67424218628126111772010-12-22T12:18:00.003-06:002010-12-23T14:45:01.392-06:00

I was among the many who had started the week off in the best possible way, but things went downhill on Sunday and I ultimately continued my steadily decreasing points trend by only ending up with 89 points with my picks for the week. Keeping in mind what I said when I came out on top in Week Nine and my point allocation looked brilliant that week, there were multiple spots on my sheet this past

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-26130228967105685302010-12-20T09:56:00.000-06:002010-12-20T09:56:39.994-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A pencil sketch of guitarist Jimi Hendrix  WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT: Back when I

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-51927277269007826352010-12-19T00:55:00.008-06:002010-12-22T11:33:32.084-06:00

I don't know which start you'd consider more baffling, but either way it appears that both Tim Tebow and Rex Grossman will be under center for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins respectively as those two teams compete to be the national laughing stock for the week. My money's on dear old Sexy Rexy to be the bigger disaster, but I don't believe that's any sort of tiebreaker in either pool

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-65954905725896806652010-12-17T12:04:00.000-06:002010-12-17T12:04:50.874-06:00

Your author is hard-pressed to think of something that can cause an immediate loss of interest quite like hearing about someone's fantasy team. Having friends and co-workers recite their rosters with no real purpose other than to gloat about conquering leagues you're not involved in seems quite banal and pointless, no? That said, the author knows full well that you the dear reader

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-32948928981519260002010-12-16T17:21:00.005-06:002010-12-16T22:34:26.545-06:00

Ever since the Thursday games kicked in, I've been betting rather low each and every week. Excluding Thanksgiving—when there were pretty much three mismatches—it's been a single-digit wager most of the time. Yeah, OK ... that really only amounts to three weeks of Thursday bets (two were for four points and the first was just for one), but still, I'm excited to finally max out on the first game of

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-87342790026646987252010-12-15T14:41:00.001-06:002010-12-15T14:52:20.063-06:00

I had always felt that people who claimed to find love on the internet were creating a sort of forced romance. Of the few people I knew personally who met significant others over the web, it was almost always through an online dating service. And my very first impression of those kind of those kinds of sites was forged by a former co-worker of mine, a nice enough fellow who had been engaged at

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-43800462984303916402010-12-15T13:59:00.002-06:002010-12-15T14:55:15.222-06:00

You know nothing makes me happier than knowing that Vikings fans are suffering, so regardless of what else happens over the next couple months, this season's been a real win for me. Those purple-clad ninnies were officially eliminated from possibly getting into the playoffs this past weekend, their quarterback's consecutive game streak ended, and if he never plays again this season, his last pass

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-62418288653710390042010-12-14T14:04:00.003-06:002011-03-01T15:13:01.702-06:00

When we last left the Chicago Bulls, I was actually feeling sorry for Vinny Del Negro and there was still hope of landing LeBron James. And while the Bulls didn't make the biggest splash in the free-agent pool this off-season, they did improve exponentially just with the man they nabbed to coach their team while adding a few more pieces to surround their star player with. Thus, there's been

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-15407890722517444432010-12-13T12:24:00.002-06:002010-12-20T09:52:49.711-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: An ink & color pencil drawing of 1994 Playboy Playmate of the Year Jenny

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-25808457148119675162010-12-11T21:06:00.005-06:002010-12-16T07:48:51.131-06:00

After a day of rain here in the Chicago suburbs, it's currently snowing as I type this. The weather this weekend has already been hyped up as being a factor in a number of games, so if you're like me and enjoy seeing football played in this kind of inclement conditions, tomorrow could be a real treat. I would suppose that some crazy amounts of snow, slush and sleet might lead to some equally

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-17751744491183081092010-12-09T17:24:00.009-06:002010-12-10T13:45:03.000-06:00

Peyton Manning is in the midst of a highly uncharacteristic stretch that has seen him throw more interceptions in three weeks than rookie Sam Bradford has thrown all season. It's so bad that it even caused the bro-in-law to update his blog. But tonight Manning's Colts get to continue fighting through this miserable Super Bowl runner-up hangover of a season with a Tennessee team that's in their

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-44398334190479645552010-12-08T12:38:00.003-06:002011-01-06T13:53:05.083-06:00

At the end of the last quarter of the Bears' season, I feared that there was still the possibility the team could finish 8-8. And now with four games left to go, we already know that won't be the case. Thanks to four more wins over the course of the four games since that last update, the Bears have secured a winning season and are leading the NFC North as the team enters its final four games of

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-81892633876888554232010-12-07T16:37:00.005-06:002010-12-08T00:09:21.373-06:00

Alas, it appears that my strategy of using "my numbers" to determine my picks for Week 13 finally proved unsuccessful after back-to-back triumphs in the first two attempts. While the San Diego loss to Oakland was indeed a swing that worked in my favor, a number of other upsets around the league (with the most notable and costly being Indianapolis falling to Dallas) did not and I ended up with 104

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-60759504962729474112010-12-06T10:54:00.000-06:002010-12-06T10:54:09.037-06:00

Because this blog will be dominated by football-related content for the next five months, your author has decided to make an effort to regularly post pictures his lovely and talented sister took of some of his artwork. These posts will include a brief thought or two about when the piece was made.  This week: A pencil sketch of recording artist Janet Jackson  WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT: The

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-89614931510549482282010-12-04T23:37:00.012-06:002010-12-07T14:42:34.516-06:00

In case you didn't want to scroll down to the post where I put up my picks before Thursday's game kicked off (and I earned four measly points), this is the week that I've submitted "My Numbers" for my own sheet. So the column to the far right represents my own picks as well this weekend (fingers crossed real tight), but here's how the rest of the crowd's picks look as of 11:30 P.M. CST on

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21459094.post-66660305895513071482010-12-02T13:23:00.004-06:002010-12-07T14:12:16.293-06:00

I tried explaining that line of numbers that appears under each one of my picks every week way back in Week Nine of the 2008 season, but I don't think the explanation was quite as clear as it could have been. So hopefully the little graphic to the left here, based upon the most recent Power Rankings, is somewhat more helpful in explaining how "the numbers" work for me. It's relevant this week

D. Rockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.com0