NFL Picks Week Sixteen sponsored by Studio Yukupo

I don't have that much to say right now but what an incredible weasel David Stern is. He has been going around this week talking about the aborted Hornets-Lakers-Rockets trade that he nixed and of course chief in that concern is the fact the NBA owns the Hornets - he's talked about how the league is doing everything they can to save professional basketball in New Orleans. Hey asshole! You sure didn't lift a finger at all to save pro basketball in Seattle! Now there is a town that could actually support their team. What a lying scumbag. His league has no integrity. Let's hope the NFL doesn't follow suit bending to the will of idiots in their own league like the despicable James Harrison. When people like that are mouthing off and getting all the press plaudits, is it any wonder a guy like Tebow gets to be so popular against their will?

Picks after the jump.

Dexter - S6 E12 - This is the Way the World Ends

Dexter makes his way back to shore where Travis is plotting his final atrocity.

Spoilers after the jump.

NFL Picks Week Fifteen sponsored by Studio Yukupo

Rather than talk about the disastrous week I had last week picks-wise, we'll discuss a dish I made while listening to the radio yesterday which involved hosts and pundits talking about how tired they were of talking about Tim Tebow for about three hours. Seriously. How can they claim that everyone is giving Tebow all the credit and giving none to the defense, the coach, the O-line etc, when that's all they spend theor time stressing? Damn hypocrites.

The Famous Non-Baltimore Crab Cakes

Ingredients
500g white crab meat
1 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 lime zest only
8 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red chilli, sees removed, finely chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
120g breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten

- Put the crab meat, curry paste, lime zest, spring onions, chilli, lemon grass, breadcrumbs and egg in a bowl.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Mix.
- Mould cakes.
- Fry.
- Serve!

Picks after the jump.

NCAA College Football Picks Bowl Week 1

No time for columns or analysis, too much to do, that's why they call it Stressmas (they do!?)  just pure football picks

Bowl Week One
Home Team listed second in CAPS
vs = Neutral Site game
(*) = Line Differential
[*] = National Ranking
(*) = Awesome Name of Bowl Game

Wyoming (+6.5) vs Temple
(Gildan New Mexico Bowl)
Ohio (+2.5) vs Utah State
(Famous Idaho Potato Bowl)
San Diego State (-5) vs UL-Lafayette
(R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl)
Florida International (-4) vs Marshall
(Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg)
[16] TCU (-10.5) vs Louisiana Tech
(San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl)
[8] Boise State (-14) vs Arizona State
(Maaco Bowl Las Vegas)
[22] Southern Miss (-6) vs Nevada
(Sheraton Hawaii Bowl)
North Carolina (+5) vs Missouri
(Advocare V100 Independence Bowl)
Purdue (-2.5) vs Western Michigan
(Little Caesar's Bowl)
N.C. State (-2.5) vs Louisville
(Belk Bowl)
Toledo (-3) vs Air Force
(Military Bowl)
California (+3) vs Texas
(Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl)

Picks after the jump.

Person of interest - S1 E10 - Number Crunch

Carter is quizzed about her interaction with Reese who is chasing down multiple numbers. When he hits trouble, she has a serious decision to make.

Review after the jump.

Glee - S3 E9 - Extraordinary Merry Christmas

Artie directs a holiday special starring the New Directions to be broadcast on local television.

Review after the jump.

2 Broke Girls - S1 E12 - And the Pop-Up Sale

Caroline decides to sell her exclusive designer rings to fund a new oven for Max.

Review after the jump.

Dexter - S6 E11 - Talk to the Hand

Travis launches an assault on Miami Metro Homicide while Dexter plots to foil him. Deb is forced to face all her worst fears.

Spoilers after the jump.

NFL Picks Week Fourteen sponsored by Studio Yukupo

I wonder how NFL players remember all their passwords? That's my tenuous link to the NFL for this spiel. When they have to cram the contents of a 700 page playbook in their heads as well, how do they have space for passwords? You're told that you need a different password for every account you make and it needs to be randomly generated made up of letters, numbers, maybe even symbols. You're not supposed to write it down or keep any kind of record of it.

Impossible! If I go a few months without using an account I'll forget the password. Of course the worst part is, what happens when you remember the password but forget the name on the account? Then you're really screwed. I was allegedly told by Chris that what we need is some kind of biometric recognition system - turn over all our information to the machines and let them handle it for us. Sounds like a great idea, and he has no ulterior motive either. He's certainly not planning a machine uprising.

Picks after the jump.

Person of Interest - S1 E9 - Get Carter

Detective Carter is thrown up as the next victim by the machine leaving Reese no option but to protect his nemesis.

Review after the jump.

Community - S3 E10 - Regional Holiday Music

The group is asked to fill in for the indisposed glee club and one by one, they are sucked into performing.

Review after the jump.

Up All Night - S1 E11 - First Christmas

Reagan srives to make Amy's first Christmas as special and glittery as possible. Chris hunts a good present for REagan but worries about funds.

Review after the jump.

Glee - S3 E8 - Hold On To Sixteen

The New directions get set to compete in Sectionals. Finn and Rachel bring Sam back to the fold, Quinn plots against Shelby, Finn has an altercation with Blaine and Tina gets aggressive in her dealings with Mike's dad.

Spoilers after the jump.

Gossip Girl - S5 E10 - Riding in Town Cars With Boys

Dan is working up the courage to admit his feelings to Blair just as Serena may be redisovering hers for him. Ivy's past continues to haunt her and Nate solidifies his position.

Spoilers after the jump.

2 Broke Girls - S1 E11 - And the Reality Check

With snow coming down, Caroline is forced to find alternative accomodation for her horse Chestnut.

Review after the jump.

How I Met Your Mother - S7 E12 - Symphony of Illumination

Robin worries she might be pregnant but if wary about sharing her secret. Marshall befriends a neighborhood kid.

Spoilers after the jump.

Dexter - S6 E10 - Ricochet Rabbit

Dexter chases Travis, having discovered his secret but appears to be a step behind. Deborah has some unexpected revelations.

Spoilers after the jump.

NFL Picks Week Thirteen sponsored by Studio Yukupo

Three-Quarter Point Power Poll
This is a list based on who I think is better, regardless of record - although Bill Parcells did say of course, "You are what your record says you are."

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers

Teams just don't seem so varied lately. Even though San Francisco and Pittsburgh aren't as good as their press clippings may indicate, they're still more solid than almost every other team out there such is the current state of the league.Despite their unbeaten status, I'm not even sure Green Bay is so elite.

5. New England Patriots
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Oakland Raiders

These teams are all good and capable of beating anyone in the tier above, but there is a fundamental weakness of spirit hidden deep within that feels like it will fail them at some point. The team that ends up inning the whole thing has often come from the second tier of contenders lately however.

9. Houston Texans
10. Atlanta Falcons
11. Chicago Bears
12. New York Jets

Three of these teams don't have a quarterbackwhich limits their potential. If Chicago can get Cutler back refreshed and healthy, they could tear through the playoffs but I'm not sure any of the others have enough coaching depth to pull one out.

More and picks after the jump.

NCAA College Football Picks Week 14

My annually wrong BCS bowl projections:

National Title: LSU vs Alabama
Sugar Bowl: Houston vs Michigan
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs Boise State
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs Wisconsin
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Louisville

I feel truly sorry for anyone who has to sit through that awful Orange Bowl matchup. Everyone is supposedly whining at the prospect of LSU and Alabama rematching in the Title game. Hold on. Isn't that what everyone wanted for months and months? Sounds like revisionist history; any old ploy to get their beloved playoffs in place. There's no way any playoff system would be satisfactory. This isn't basketball where the games don't mean anything. Any scenario that leads to the most self important pompous sportswriters and pundits feeling put out works fine for me.

Picks after the jump.

Community - S3 E9 - Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism

Jeff is looking to hone his foosball skills and finds an unlikely mentor in Shirley. Annie accidentally destroys Abed's $300 Collector's DVD and concocts a bizarre scenario to deflect guilt.

Review after the jump.

Ringer - S1 E10 - That's What You Get for Trying to Kill Me

Bridget, Andrew and Malcolm work to expose Charlie who is antsy and wants to dispose of Gemma. Juliet attempts to get intimate with Logan Echolls and Machado makes a breakthrough in the Macawi case.

Spoilers after the jump.

Glee - S3 E7 - I Kissed a Girl

The McKinley High Class President title vote draws to a head. Santana is forced to confront her demons. Puck makes progress with Shelby.

Spoilers after the jump.