• Before I get on with my NFL pickkks this week, what the hell is up with fast-food customers allegedly finding human body parts in their food? A year or so ago there was that infamous finger-in-the-chili incident at Wendy’s which turned out to be nothing more than a scam. Now there are allegations of a Subway in California selling finger foods.

Health officials are investigating a woman's claim that she found part of a human finger in a Subway sandwich - an allegation reminiscent of the chili bowl finger hoax at a Wendy's restaurant last year.

 

Two health inspectors visited the Subway restaurant Thursday in Chowchilla after the woman reported finding what appeared to be a half-inch piece of a finger a day earlier, said Jill Yaeger, director of the Madera County Environmental Health Department.

 

The inspectors did not find any evidence that a restaurant worker had lost part of a finger, and they found no violations of food handling procedures there, Yaeger said. The purported human digit was sent to a laboratory for testing, and the incident was reported to police.

 

The Subway manager, Anita Munoz, said she was in the restaurant when the woman returned with what she claimed looked like a finger.

 

"It looked like a thick piece of fat," she told The Fresno Bee. "It doesn't look anything human to me."

…

 

Chowchilla is about 90 miles east of San Jose, where a Las Vegas woman claimed in March 2005 that she bit into a fingertip in a bowl of chili at a Wendy's restaurant. Anna Ayala's stomach-turning claim made headlines around the world.

 

The claim was found to be a hoax and Ayala was sentenced to nine years in prison. Her husband was sentenced to more than 12 years for getting the finger from a co-worker who lost it in a workplace accident.

• Seventh verse same as the first.

Carolina at Cincinnati (3.5)

Cincinnati lost last week at Tampa Bay, got whipped at home against New England a few weeks back. Carolina seems to win a lot on the road, so I’ll take the Panthers in this one.

Detroit at N.Y. Jets (3.5)

The Lions won their game for the season, and now it’s back to losing. Besides, Detroit’s baseball team lost Game 1 of the World Series last night, so the bad mojo will carry over to the Lions.

Green Bay at Miami (4.5)

Miami is favored? By four-and-a-half points? I have to pick the Packers.

(9.5) Jacksonville at Houston

Nine-and-a-half points is a bunch, but I’ll side with the Jags on this one.

(5.5) New England at Buffalo

Buffalo played the Pats tough earlier this season, but New England has been playing well as of late and the Bills have struggled as of late.

(5.5) Philadelphia at Tampa Bay

Will the Eagles lose two games in a row to the NFC South? Will the Buccaneers win two games in a row? I’ll take the first option.

(2.5) Pittsburgh at Atlanta

Mark Madden has predicted an easy Steelers win, and if Mark is taking the Steelers for the win that’s saying something.

(5.5) San Diego at Kansas City

This Chiefs got whopped last week, but now they’re playing at home against a divisional foe. I’ll still go with the Chargers nevertheless.

(5.5) Denver at Cleveland

The Broncos couldn’t cover the spread against the Raiders, but could that have been in part to Oakland being in the same division as Denver? I’ll say sure and take Denver.

(3.5) Arizona at Oakland

Talk about clash of the titans – and Vince Young is nowhere to be seen. I’ll say this about the NFL: when games match up two good teams the games are very very good, but when the match ups are with bad teams the games are horrid. Leinart played well enough Monday night against the Bears to beat the Raiders.

Minnesota at Seattle (7.5)

The Seahawks haven’t been playing as well without Shaun Alexander in the starting lineup, but they are playing at home. I think Seattle will win, but it will be close.

Washington at Indianapolis (9.5)

Will the Colts sleepwalk through this contest? I don’t know. I’ll take Washington, although I hope they snap out of their recent funk.

N.Y. Giants at Dallas (3.5)

Dallas has played well against the Hostons and Tennessees of the league, but how about the better teams? I’ll take New York and hope they don’t do a repeat of their stinker of a game up in Seattle earlier this season.

Holy cow that's a lot of road teams. No wonder I'm terrible at this.