cabbageboy

What people need to realize is that the SEC and Big 10 have some flat out JOBBERS. I mean the SEC has Vandy, Ole Miss, Miss St. as total scrubs. Bama and UGA are both way down. SC is their usual middling selves. Honestly I think the SEC only really deserves 1 BCS bid, and that is whoever wins between Florida and Arkansas. Everyone else is like a 10-2 Cotton Bowl or Peach Bowl team to me. The Big 10 has 3 really solid teams and maybe 2 others that are decent enough (Penn St., Purdue). But Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, MSU weigh it down. Here is one thing I want SEC lovers to explain: If fucking UK has a shot of finishing 2nd in the east, how good can the SEC really be? The Pac 10 only has USC as a serious BCS contender, but there is a good amount of balance. As in aside from Stanford there really aren't too many awful teams. If anyone wonders why the Big East is highly rated in that rating, it's because there really aren't too many total losers aside from UConn and Syracuse. U of L, WVU, Rutgers, USF, Cincy, and Pitt are all bowl eligible.

For everyone's amusement I'll post the Entertainment Weekly rankings of all 20 Bond movies (without the new one). I also put my thoughts in parentheses. 1. Goldfinger (Agreed, it was my #1 too. I'm from Louisville, KY. Could I have anything else?) 2. You Only Live Twice (What the fuck? How can a Bond movie without any decent female lead be #2? I like Donald Pleasance as well as the next fellow, but this is overrated as hell at 2. I had it at like 7.) 3. Live and Let Die (I assume they wanted a Moore film pretty high, but why not Spy Who Loved Me? This is my mom's favorite in the series though, so it does have fans. I only had it #10 on my list.) 4. Thunderball (This one is a bit overrated as well. Why did they put two of Connery's weaker outings in the top 5? I had this at #8.) 5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (It seems like this and Goldfinger are the only ones that make everyone's top 5. I almost think this deserves to be #2, but there's just too many Lazenby haters out there.) 6. Dr. No (I had it either 5 or 6 so this is about right.) 7. GoldenEye (Certainly the best Brosnan, I had it #3 for sentimental reasons. One of my favorite Bond movies, and I think a lot of fans would agree) 8. From Russia With Love (Okay, now I have a bit of a problem. This one should have been in the top 5, or at least switched with Dr. No. EW accuses it of having a slow pace, but I don't really agree.) 9. The Spy Who Loved Me (Switch this with Live and Let Die and you have something.) 10. For Your Eyes Only (I was about to say they overrated this but I had it at 11 myself. So they have it pretty much right.) 11. Diamonds Are Forever (Slightly low, I had this one at 9. One of the most entertaining in the entire series, but it really doesn't follow through on OHMSS at all.) 12. Die Another Day (Insane. One of the worst in the series. There IS a reason why Brosnan was turfed and Craig was brought in. And Halle Berry sucked ass. Had it at 17.) 13. Moonraker (This one is certainly cheesy but it's kinda fun. I had it at 15.) 14. Tomorrow Never Dies (This is actually right where I had this one. There's some decent stuff in it, but Jonathan Pryce really sucked.) 15. A View to a Kill (Okay, what? I had this one last at 20. You have an old and tired Moore, the hideous Grace Jones/Moore sex bit, a lame chick in Tanya Roberts. EW must either love Duran Duran or Walken.) 16. The Living Daylights (EW loathes Dalton, but I had this one a bit higher at 13. If you take this poll 15 years ago it probably would be in the top 10 easy, but it doesn't really hold up.) 17. The Man With the Golden Gun (We're nearing rock bottom. I had this one at 19, but I guess they are Lee fans.) 18. Octopussy (I had this at 16. There's worse out there than this one. Still not too amazing however.) 19. Licence to Kill (I had this at 18 myself. It's pretty crappy. An example of taking a Bond movie in the serious direction and doing it mostly wrong.) 20. The World is Not Enough (WTF? This one isn't bad at all, I had it at 12. Sure, Denise Richards is lame, but Sophie Marceau is all kinds of hot, Carlyle is a decent enough heel, and there are some interesting locales. They should switch this with Die Another Day.)

Okay now that I have been informed that Wisconsin cannot possibly go to the BCS here are some revised BCS predictions: Title game: Ohio St. vs. USC (I think USC will beat Notre Dame and then overtake Michigan) Rose: Michigan vs. Notre Dame (Is it fair? Of course not, since ND would likely beat out a 2nd SEC team) Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise St. (I figure Boise somehow sneaks past Nevada and goes 12-0, Texas should still win the Big 12) Sugar: West Virginia vs. Arkansas (I think ARK will take out FLA in the SEC title game and WVU will get an at large since they'll be in the top 5) Orange: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech (I think Ga Tech is the best of an iffy lot in the ACC, and U of L should win its last 2 games unless the Cards REALLY screw it up).

How the fuck could LSU get a BCS bid at all? They are going to finish THIRD in the SEC West. I repeat third. It won't matter because Arkansas should dispatch them next week unless they phone it in (already being in the SEC title game, after all). No way should they get an at large over a WVU team that will be higher ranked than them, and more importantly, better than them. At this point here is what the BCS might look like, provided USC can't get that #2 spot: Title: OSU vs. Michigan II Orange: U of L vs. Georgia Tech (I think they're the best in the ACC) Fiesta: Boise St. (if they beat Nevada) vs. Texas (I'm assuming they win the Big 12) Sugar: Arkansas (I think they can beat FL) vs. WVU (highest ranked at large) Rose: USC vs. Wisconsin (Nobody seems to have Wisconsin in the BCS mix, but if the Big 2 play for the title they can sneak in the back door to maintain the Big 10 vs. Pac 10 tradition).

The prime time special oddly enough had an odd effect on me. I went away thinking it was a good show but that I'd pretty much had my fill of TNA for the week and saw no need in getting the PPV. And honestly when I looked at the lineup I saw the potential for goofy booking like what happened tonight. It's almost like TNA doesn't get when to give people a clean finish (i.e. title matches) and when to do something screwy that sets up future rematches (i.e. what should have happened with Joe/Angle).

Sunday 1:00: Minnesota (4-5) at Miami (3-6): Dolphins are on a jobber roll and the Vikings are struggling lately. I think the Dolphins keep it going and win this in narrow fashion by 4. (I know a team on a jobber roll when I see one. 1 for 1) Chicago (8-1) at NY Jets (5-4): Bears cruised past the Giants and now the Jets get a crack. I think it might end up slightly closer but the Bears will win this by at least 10. (Whoa, 2 games and 2 dead on picks. 2 for 2) Atlanta (5-4) at Baltimore (7-2): Falcons are reeling right now and Vick isn't playing real well. The Ravens keep somehow winning games at the end, so they should keep the Falcons in turmoil. Ravens by 6. (Ravens ended up winning by a bit more than this. 3 for 3) Pittsburgh (3-6) at Cleveland (3-6): Steelers may end up in a similar jobber run like the Dolphins. For some reason I can't see the Browns winning this even at home. Steelers by 7. (Jobber Run Part II: Steel Curtain. 4 for 4) Buffalo (3-6) at Houston (3-6): What a bleh matchup. I'll go ahead and take the Texans if for no other reason than it is in Houston. Texans by 3. (Ah crap, the Bills had to go and score in the last minute. 4 for 5) Oakland (2-7) at Kansas City (5-4): Raiders have been trying hard lately despite what Moss says, but I doubt they win at Arrowhead. Chiefs should win this by 13. (Raiders D is solid, closer than I figured. 5 for 6) Tennessee (2-7) at Philadelphia (5-4): Eagles got back on track this past week and they should continue rolling against the crappy Titans. Eagles by 17. (Okay, the McNabb injury wrecked the Eagles here. 5 for 7) New England (6-3) at Green Bay (4-5): Okay, Packers have been playing better lately and the Pats are struggling. That said, I can't see the Pats dropping 3 straight. NE by 3. Have Favre and Brady played against each other before? (Right result but man I was wrong about this game being close. Ah well. 6 for 8) St. Louis (4-5) at Carolina (5-4): A matchup of relative mediocrity. The Panthers are hard to figure out, but for some reason I think the Rams finally get a solid road win. STL by 7. (Okay, this is the first really bad pick I made. 6 for 9) Cincinnati (4-5) at New Orleans (6-3): Are the Saints finally starting to struggle? Perhaps but not as much as Cincy. Saints should keep the Bengals reeling and win here by 4. (Bengals look somewhat back on track, Saints starting to remember they're the Saints. 6 for 10) Washington (3-6) at Tampa Bay (2-7): Hard to believe this was a playoff matchup. Since this is Jason Campbell's first start who knows what to expect but I'll go with the Bucs at home by 7. (Bucs won it by 3 in what had to be a lethargic contest. 7 for 11) 4:00: Seattle (6-3) at San Francisco (4-5): Seattle seems more lucky than good thus far, but they do get Hasselbeck and Alexander back. That said, I have a hunch on this one and will go with the Niners in an upset by 3 to get to a shocking .500. (Upset special, and I think several here had this one. 8 for 12) Detroit (2-7) at Arizona (1-8): Oh God, what is THIS? I don't really care who wins this hideous matchup, mostly feel sorry for the fans watching it. Cardinals get that 2nd win 17-14. (I still feel sorry for those who had to watch this one. 9 for 13) Indianapolis (9-0) at Dallas (5-4): Looking forward to this one. The Cowboys could possibly hand the Colts that first loss, but for some reason I can't see it. Colts by 6. (Colts got that first loss out of the way, Dallas is looking pretty solid now in a crappy NFC aside from the Bears. 9 for 14) 8:15: San Diego (7-2) at Denver (7-2): This is a total tossup and a great game for the Sunday night NBC game. Since it's in Denver I'll take the Broncos by 3, but the Chargers will pay them back in the rematch. (Chargers are becoming the masters of crazy comebacks. 9 for 15)

You know, up until the other day I was seriously thinking of ordering this PPV. But man after reading these results I'm glad I didn't. The booking on this show is so insane it boggles my mind. I assumed Abyss was in his typical lame duck challenger mode and he WINS the title on a DQ? What, Sting can't even be a good little transition champ and actually job the belt? The LAX thing just sounds silly...I'll reserve comment until I see where this is going, but in a deranged way this might get them over as faces in the long run. What can I say about this main event? They bring in Angle, immediately rush him into a feud with Joe, and then do the most mindnumbing booking possible and job their OWN guy out to the outsider Angle in a way that proves he's inferior. Am I correct? Yeah, I can guess Angle and Sting have control to some extent of their own booking. But here is the thing: Neither guy can draw jack shit. It's time to recognize that. Angle didn't mean anything to ECW when he was on there, and ironically enough WWE did a hell of a good job burying him on his way out (jobbing to Orton at Vengeance, RVD cleanly on TV, and then suspending him). Angle has meant nothing to TNA ratings wise. And from reading this booking it's obvious that the ECW lockerroom had it right about Angle blatantly trying to play backstage politics. Welcome to WCW circa 1994.

Dalton definitely had the look for Bond, if anything he might look the most like the vision of the character (whereas the blond Craig doesn't so much). Dalton's problem was that he was much too sullen and serious without coming off like a total badass. Better too be a hardcore killer badass like Craig than bland and humorless. As I said, filmgoers are willing to accept a 1 movie change from the typical Bond formula. But come next movie I'd like to see Q back, Moneypenny, a crazed heel with charisma. Why not bring back SPECTRE for another go? That entire storyline was never really properly finished. How about a villain along the lines of Phillip Seymour Hoffman from MI3? A bit more realistic but still has charisma to draw you in.

Okay, what is up with the Harris poll? How the hell did LSU actually go UP after beating Ole Miss in OT, while U of L stays at 10 after trouching a much better USF? And how the hell is Wisconsin even in the top 10? I know they are 11-1, but they've played maybe 1 decent opponent in Michigan and got trounced. The LSU thing puzzles me more though. They're going to finish 3rd in the SEC West.

What has the world come to when another animated animals flick actually can outgross a Bond movie? It used to take stuff like, oh, TITANIC to outgross Bond in the opening week.

This might sound strange but I watched GoldenEye again this past week and couldn't help but think Sean Bean seemed more like the strong arm thug heel, rather than the mastermind heel.

I thought that last part of the Shiek interview was hilarious, when the guy asks him if he propositioned Wendi Richter for sex and she turned him down....then he told everyone on the roster she was a lesbian.

I think Spurrier should get the hell out of South Carolina. He's probably waking up to the realization that they can't win anything in the SEC and won't ever finish above 3rd in the east. The SEC has changed a lot since Spurrier was at Florida, but his style would fit in fine in an up tempo ACC without a great team.

It wasn't as good as GoldenEye I didn't think....but it depends on what you look for in a Bond movie. GoldenEye was a much more enjoyable and entertaining film, Casino Royale a much harder edged film. I think once it settles into the main story of Bond vs. Le Chiffre playing cards it's fairly close to the book. The stuff in the first 40 mins. though? I dunno so much.

I saw it today and certainly enjoyed it for a change of pace from the ludicrously overproduced last Bond movie. It's definitely the most serious Bond movie since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. That said, I think Craig is basically the 2nd coming of Timothy Dalton as Bond. Dalton's first Bond outing (Living Daylights) was quite praised when it first came out for being a more serious film than the Moore films preceeding it. But the whole vicious killer Bond thing hasn't ever had legs in the long run. It's funny to hear people glad that Q and Moneypenny weren't in this, since that sort of thing is what has been missing from the series practically dating back to the end of the Moore era. I still miss the original M, the original Q, and original Moneypenny. They all had an air of cameraderie with Bond that made the films fun. If the next couple of Bond movies lighten the tone just a bit and retain Craig's hard ass act (something similar to the Connery movies), then they'll be really good. Or they could go off in a really mean spirited Licence to Kill direction and the public will sour on Bond again.

I started to just write "BWHAHAHAHAHAHA" but I called this Cincy/Rutgers shit. Now all U of L has to do is beat Pitt and UConn, watch WVU maim Rutgers to end the season, and we're in the BCS. Of course watch Pitt pull out some psycho effort to screw us...but somehow I think Pitt might just want the year over now.

I quite enjoyed this show tonight once it built to a crescendo at the end. I too am puzzled as to why Abyss was used in the job boy spot tonight. It only points out that frankly Angle/Joe needs to be a title match, since both guys are booked as much more important than the title scene. And since everyone ended up running in anyway why not end it in a huge schmozz to protect both guys? There are times to do a DQ type finish and this was one.

I have to wonder about the timing of this show in some ways. I mean that is a really excellent sounding show on paper. Thing is, it sounds better than the PPV likely will be. WCW at least used to run Clash of the Champions shows on TBS in down periods when there was no PPV on the horizon.

Well, by the Awesome comparison I just meant the way of bringing a big dude in and putting the title on him, when there was an obviously more over guy to put it on both times (RVD). Let's say you put the title on Lashley...then what? As a face he wouldn't beat as popular as RVD and would feud with Test and Co. That would suck. Turn him heel and he could then feud with RVD, but that would all come back to the fact that RVD has to regain at some point to pay off the Heyman storyline.

I called it a week ago and I'll say it again (possibly foolishly). Cincy over Rutgers 21-17.

I think I said earlier but The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Moore outing. But yeah, there is definitely a lot of hostility towards some of the lesser Moore films (Moonraker, View to a Kill, Man with the Golden Gun, etc.). I don't think though that Bond has ever sunk to some ultra horrible depth, just maybe some occasional lesser vehicles. Moore was in SWLM, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only (which is pretty decent, just not amazing). He was batting about .500, roughly the same as Brosnan. Brosnan had two that I enjoy in GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough, but the other 2 he was in are pretty bleh.

The insanely foolish abusing of RVD is to me the biggest fuckup on the new ECW. Yeah, the guy got caught with weed. So job him out, bring him back, and put the belt back on him. This isn't rocket science. Van Dam is really the only guy on ECW right now who can carry the title with any legitimacy. Since he's so over with the ECW crowd it actively prevents anyone else from getting over as champ because it's so blatant that Van Dam should be champ. Do they seriously believe fans will take to Lashley if they toss him onto ECW and put the title on him? It reeks of Mike Awesome all over again, bring in a big dude and give him the title. Lashley won't be over as a face, so they'll be forced to turn him heel.

Gritty and realistic is one thing, but FYEO is a bit dull. Also let's not forget the ice skater chick is one of the worst Bond girls in the entire series. I think FYEO was aiming to be another From Russia With Love, but it didn't have as sharp of a script or very interesting villains. Robert Shaw is a very realistic villain in FRWL, but he's intense as hell and keeps you glued to the screen.

Has to be Manning. I fail to see how Tomlinsom is flat out carrying the Chargers considering his backup Turner has filled in admirably from time to time. The Colts are frankly a very mediocre team without Manning. The D is crappy, special teams give up big plays occasionally too. Running game is dubious. Without Manning the Colts would be about 4-5.

I was surprised that no one else started a thread. I would have earlier but was too wrapped up in the U of L/Rutgers hype. Anyway, here are the games and predictions. Sunday 1:00: NY Jets (4-4) at New England (6-2): NE is usually solid coming off a loss and the Jets don't really rock my world or anything. Pats by 10. Kansas City (5-3) at Miami (2-6): Will the Dolphins keep it going after beating the Bears? Will Huard continue his hot play? I'm not real sure either way, but I'll go with the Dolphins here to keep their jobber run going. Miami by 3. San Diego (6-2) at Cincinnati (4-4): The Bengals flat out must win this game if they want to stay in the playoff hunt. That said, Chargers are better so unless they really screw up they should take this. SD by 7. Buffalo (3-5) at Indianapolis (8-0): I can't see the Colts losing that 1st game at home to the Bills. Yet I also don't think this is a huge squash for some reason. Indy by 10. Baltimore (6-2) at Tennessee (2-6): The Ravens are the epitome of a man's team. They should keep it rolling hear and smash the Titans fairly easy. Baltimore by 14. Houston (2-6) at Jacksonville (5-3): The Jags seem back on track with Garrard in the game. Sure, Houston shocked them earlier but it won't happen twice. JAX by 13. Washington (3-5) at Philadelphia (4-4): A curious matchup. Oddly I think both teams might be better than the record indicates, and since Philly has this at home I'll take them by 7. Green Bay (3-5) at Minnesota (4-4): Packers always have had trouble in Minnesota, and the fliratation with decency looks to be over. Vikings by 9. San Francisco (3-5) at Detroit (2-6): How the hell are the Niners 3-5? I think the Lions can be dangerous at home, at least enough to beat the Niners. Detroit by 4. Cleveland (2-6) at Atlanta (5-3): The Falcons are a baffling team, capable of looking wonderful one week and losing to the Lions the next. Still, this is the Browns we're talking about here. Atlanta rebounds and wins by 14. 4:00 Denver (6-2) at Oakland (2-6): This should be a boring affair similar to the first meeting. Raiders have been surprisingly dangerous at times at home, but I can't see them winning here. Denver in another snoozer, 17-3. New Orleans (6-2) at Pittsburgh (2-6): Steelers are reeling and the Saints continue to do well this year. For some reason though I can't help but think the Steelers bear down at home and pull this one off, 28-24. St. Louis (4-4) at Seattle (5-3): First matchup was great, this one I dunno so much. Rams really should have won the first meeting and I think they will take this one 34-31. Dallas (4-4) at Arizona (1-7): The ultimate humiliation for the Cowboys would be to lose here. Not even I am so cruel as to predict that however. Dallas by 10. 8:15: Chicago (7-1) at NY Giants (6-2): Giants are incredibly banged out right now and the Bears will look to rebound from the embarrassing loss last week. I can't see the Giants winning one. Bears by 7. Monday 8:30: Tampa Bay (2-6) at Carolina (4-4): This is the MNF game? Meh. Panthers should get somewhat back on track and win here by 14 or so.