Monday, December 31, 2007

Season Over

Once again the Vikes did not show up in the 1st half and it cost em. Not that it mattered because the Redskins won as expected but still. The last game was not a total fiasco thanks to a 4th quarter comeback by Tavaris. Up until the 4th the Vikes were doing their level best to lose. A fumble by Chester Taylor cost a touchdown as did a dropped bomb to Troy Williamson and a saftey for blocking at the face mask. AP couldn't get on track once again, but as a team the Vikes ran well thanks to Chester and T Jack.

Unbelieveably the game went to overtime where the Vikes promptly fumbled the ball and lost. The Vikes were 2 overtime losses from 10-6 this season. Like I said before I consider 8-8 a good season cause I didn't think we would do this good.

I am not sure who I want in the playoffs this year. I don't really think an NFC team has a chance and don't really want the Cowboys or Pack to win it all anyways. In the AFC I like the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Chargers, and Jax. I do not think we should crown the perfect Patriots just yet because I think any of these 5 teams could take it. There should be some great playoff games in the AFC this year.

Question: Does the BP think the Patriots have to win it all to be considered the greatest team in NFL history?

The answer to this question is NO. I think if the Pats win one more game to put their record at 17-0, same as 72 Dolphins, than they should be considered equal with the 72Dolphins. If the Pats go 18-1, I think that is still good enough to make them the greatest team in NFL history. I think if the Pats get win 18 than win 19 is a given.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

I got my 2008 BPS catalog in the mail today. It is always interesting to look through the catalog and see the latest and greatest in bass fishing tomfoolery. All those new rods, reels, lures, colors and more. How exciting!!!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

White Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve: I went over to M&D's friends Marylin and Lem and had turkey dinner with their family and friends. Marylin has worked with Land O Lakes at FLW events and will be doing it again this year after being away from it for a couple of years. Marylin has given me a bunch of FLW tour DVD's. They open presents on Christmas eve and I even got a couple; it was a surprise to me. Went to 10PM candle light service with M & D. Stayed up late and watched a Christmas Story with Mom.

Christmas Day:
Minnesocold had it's snowiest Christmas since the 1950's. 4"-6" in the Cities It was beautiful and thankfully didn't have any problems with the long drive into the cities and back.

The day started out early cause I woke up at 6:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. No I was not overly excited about presents. I got up at 8 and took the dogs out. Mom was busy preparing Turkey legs and stuffing. Before heading South M, D, and I opened presents up North: I got this cool Wheel of Fortune TV videogame (Could not solve the 1st and only puzzle I tried; I would have won a brand new Cybercar had I solved it) I got a long sleeved Timberwolves shirt and some sweet fleece PJ bottoms. No Christmas Stocking this year. BOO!

We hit the road a little after 11am

It was a fun day spent with family down in Bloomington (Older bro Jeff, M & D, Youngest bro Todd, his wife Kristen and the two nieces Isabelle Grace (3) Mallory Joy (1). ) When we first arrived the girls were still at nap time so Todd and I played Wii. Todd made a Mii (a Mii is a we character) of me that was a pretty good likeness. We started out with bowling and once I had a couple of practice frames done. Todd and I played a few games with Todd beating me every time. Wii then moved on to Baseball and I proceeded to beat Todd each game. In one of the games I won by the "Mercy Rule" when I got up 5-0 after a Melinda Doolittle Mii Grand Slam. Todd went to wake up the girls and I tried some Wii golf which was very hard because it seemed like there was no way to hit the ball soft.

Once the girls were up it was play time. Belle excitedly showed the 2 Uncles her new Christmas Toys (A little fort with slide, some wooden food, and a bunch of noise making musical instruments). Mallory and Flash joined in the fun occasionally. We played until Dinner which was a traditional turkey feast with Vegi Queesh for UJ. After dinner we played for about an hour until it was present time. While we were playing a Buck and two Doe's came up in the yard and were right outside the window (Pretty Cool).

Mallory got a noice making thing from GM that she just loved. Belle got a bunch of toys and books and blocks; She didn't know what to do with the $50 dollar bill I gave her except give it to her Dad. I got a $40 Gander Gift Card and $20 bucks. M&D got one of those digital picture frames with 4GB of memory, now that's gonna be a lot of pictures. I really don't remember what anybody else got cause I was so busy watching the girls have fun.

After the frivolity we ate Christmas cookies then said goodbye's around 6PM. Jeff was going to stay later. Our trip back was slow at first, but once we got north of Elk River there was much less snow and things speeded up.

It was really nice Christmas!!!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Vikes -Skins
Post-Game Reaction:
At least the Vikes did not throw in the towel in the 2nd half and end up totally embarrassed. If we did not have that review penalty for 12 men on the field and had gotten that turnover, the game might have gotten interesting. As it was we were never really in the game thanks to that disaster of a first half. As a whole things just didn't break the Vikes way very often today. I don't know if tonights game was just a preview of what we would have witnessed in the playoffs from a Childress team. I don't think we will get the answer to that question this season. I expect Washington to beat the Cowboys who don't have anything to play for and the Vikes won't make the playoffs yet again.

Certainly a lot of fault goes to the offence and Tavaris, but I think for the Vikes to be competitive the defence has to play much better than they did tonight. The Redskins were able to sustain medium length drives, made big plays, and did not turn the ball over. In retrospect I think it was not good that the Skins touchdown was called back on replay, thus leading to that safety. A safety is a turnover plus 2 points. The Skins just had it too easy on offence in the 1st half. If we cut 2 out of 3 of their 1st half touchdowns to fieldgoals, it is a much different game.

The Skins were just the better team tonight and are probably a better team period. Tavaris is still green and our running game with AP/CT is inconsistant (actually close to non-existant in this game). Overall I think this season was a positive one whether we finish 8-8 or 9-7. I thought the team was gonna finish 4-12, 5-11, or 6-10. As it turns out we might end up one missed field goal away from 10-5. Who knows, we might even give the Packers a run for the division title next year or then again we could take a step backward. Hopefully AP will improve rather than the drop off as we have seen since the 49er game.

Liveblogging the Game:
And the choke is on. Tavaris 1st pass for INT. Somehow we get lucky and stop em on 4th down on the inch line thanks to instant replay. So we get the ball on the inch line and proceed to hand off to our fullback Tony Richardson. He doesn't get the ball out of the endzone, Safety. Well 2 points is better than 7. But wait Redskins get the free kick and take it the distance. Skins 9 Vikes 0

Vikes 3nd offensive possession. No where on 1sr and 2nd down. Troy Williamson catches ball 1yard short of 1st. Punt

Stop the Skins deep, get good field position, do nothing thanks to a false start penalty on 3rd down and Tavaris with poor throw on 3rd down. Miss 52 yard fieldgoal so Skins get good FP.

Madden says Tavaris doesn't have NFL mechanics and I think he is right.

Skins get into 51 yard FG range but a bad snap botches that. Vikes with good FP.

We haven't seen much of AP at this point. Only 3 carries for 3 yards. We do make it past mid field but Shencoe fumbles it, Skins ball with good FP!

D holds Skins Punt.

Come on Tavaris and AP, we need you to show up now!!!

Tavaris throws up another bad INT and the Skins take this one for 7. Skins 16 Vikes Zip
I hate to say it but I'm faulting the play caller for that INT. On 1st down is a roll out pass that turns into a scramble for 1 yard. Then on 2nd down we pass and that is the INT. 2nd down should have been a run.

Vikes get ball on 12. Make 1 1st and out. AP 1 more carry for nadda.

Redskins make 2 1st downs and it's the 2 minute warning. I have decided NO blogging of the 2nd half. So far the Vikes have way to many mistakes 3 tunovers and 1 fumble that we got back. NOT GOOD.

Skins driving, now in the red zone. NOT GOOD!

Half Back option pass works to perfection. Randle El wide open in the end zone. 22-0!!!

What to say at this point, the queens are getting it handed to them. What a sucky game to watch!!! AP: 5 carries for 4 yards. Tavaris 7/11 which wouldn't be so bad except for 2 INT's. Add Shencoe's fumble and we are lucky it isn't worse.

2nd Half Question: Will the Vikes be embarrassed like the last Green Bay game? It sure is heading that way.

This Sunday in Football:
The Packers and Bears do the Vikes no favors as the Bears crush the Pack at Soldier field. This means that Dallas clinched home field and will not have anything to play for next week against the Redskins, thus the Redskins will probably win this game if the playoffs are on the line.

The NY Giants do the Vikes no favors in beating the Bills and clinching the #5 seed. Had the Giants lost they would have been in huge danger of getting bounced from the playoffs by the Vikes because we owned the tie breaker.

The Saints effectively eliminated themselves from the playoff chase. For them to get in the Vikes have to lose out and the Skins would need to lose to the Cowboys in the last game of the season and the Saints would have to win next week. A very unlikely scenario to fall in place.

Bottom Line: As I stated earlier, the Vikes season really comes down to this game against the Redskins. I am not confident.

Bassfan's Jay Kumar on FLW's Million Dollar Fantasy Bass Fishing

The Wall Street Journal on FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing

From WSJ
The Web site, FantasyFishing.com, was tested last year and attracted several hundred thousand participants.

I'm sorry but that can't be right. I don't think even 5,000 people played FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing Game last year and ESPN's version only gets about 12,000. I think they must have mistaken participants for web hits.

At the bottom of the WSJonline there is linking to blogs on this subject and guess who they linked too?

Thursday, December 20, 2007

YOU CAN GET RICH playing FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing

I found out from Hellabass that FLW Fantasy Bass Fishing 2008 is open for registration. Here is the hype:

Easy to play:
All you have to do is pick 10 pro anglers for each FLW Tour event and the Forrest Wood Cup, and you could win upwards of $1.7 million in cash. That's it. It's that simple. In 2008, there are 7 tournaments, and you could win $100,000 at each of those tournaments. Not only that, at season's end, the top player with the most cumulative points will win a record $1 million* in cash - guaranteed. It's that easy, it's free, and it's that rewarding. CONTEST BEGINS JANUARY 15, 2008.

Here are some of the prizes you could win:
$1 Million Grand Prize
7 $100,000 First-Place Prizes
Chevrolet Vehicles
Ranger Boats
Yamaha ATV and Yamaha PWC
Wal-Mart Gift Cards
BP Gas Cards ...and much, much more

Unfortunatly it is not the same game as last year. I don't see the point in having to pick 10 anglers instead of only 5. The scoring is a bit more complicated, but I think I like that aspect.

Also:
LIMIT ONE PRO TEAM/ENTRY PER PERSON/EMAIL ADDRESS PER GAME. Any attempt by any participant to select more than one Pro Team per game by using multiple/different email addresses, identities or other methods will disqualify that participant and void that participant's Pro Teams.

It looks like the Posse is now busted up because I cannot select teams for others. I don't think I want to take any chances with a possible $100,000 or $1million on the line. In the past this prohibition was not in place; you just had to have separate email addresses.

Another change for this year is "Players Advantage." You pay $40 bucks (comes with a $15 Walmart gift Card) and get access to possibly valueable info such as the previously free Pundit Picks and FLW Live. (Is FLW Live really not going to be free this year???) I am sure having this service will make selecting names a bit easier, but I really don't think it will guarentee better line ups for those that have it. I will have to think about whether or not I want the service which rings out to about $3.60 per tournament.

In addition to the $1million at the end of the season, you can win up to $5 million for picking a correct Top 7 in order in any one of the 7 tournaments. Of coarse the odds of doing this are well beyond Powerball odds, but it's cool that they are offering it none the less.

This bonus contest is predicated on when you sign up:
Sign up between ...and your bonus for picking the top 7 anglers in the right order is
December 21 and December 28th $5 MILLION*
December 29th and January 5th $4 million*
January 6th and January 14th $3 million*
After January 15th $2 million*

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Making it through!

Vikes Win 20-13!!!

The Vikes D came to play in the 2nd half and the Offence managed to get 2 touchdowns, which means the Vikes are now 8-6. Tavaris had 1 INT in the 2nd half, but that was just past mid-field, otherwise his 2nd half play was acceptable. I was quite concerned when the Vikes missed the extra point on their first touchdown, but they managed to make the 2 point conversion on a Kyle Boler (really it was Brooks Bollinger thanks Hellabass) scramble (Tavaris went out for a couple of plays with cramps). AP did not put on nearly the show as he did in the first Bears match-up, but when it counted in the 2nd half he came through big. Chester Taylor also had a decent game running.

Well next game is the most important one of the year.

SKOAL VIKINGS!!!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Halftime

Well I suppose it's a bit of a choke job by the Vikes at this point. 3 turnovers included a totally bone headed interception with under a minute to go that resulted in a Bears touchdown. Somehow we did manage to drive the field and get a last second field goal thus the score is only 13-6 Bears. I suppose it could be a lot worse. The defence is playing quite well and Devin Hester hasn't been a factor. The Vikes have been their own worst enemy on offence. We also have had the bounces not go our way with a Ferguson drop that turned into an INT and AP fumbling the ball when we were deep in Bears territory. The Bears are doing a fair job of holding the running game in check. Tavaris had an OK half until that boneheaded INT.

We get the ball to start the 3rd quarter. The Vikes need to pick it up several notches or else this one's gonna be a loss.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Saints and Skins

With all but the Vikes game in this week, the playoff picture has seeming gotten much clearer. The Vikes competition for the final wild card spot in the NFC is the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins. We currently have a half game lead over both teams, so if we lose to the Bears all three teams records will be tied. From the looks of it, the season is going to come down to the match up next Sunday night vs. the Skins. I would say there is about a 95% chance that the team who wins this game makes the playoffs. If we lose this game there is a possibility 9-7 won't be good enough because the Skins will own the tie breaker.

So basically we have to beat the Skins plus win 1 other game. The Vikes could do it, but I am still not gonna hold my breath. We will just have to see how they play the Bears and espcially the Skins.

GO VIKES!!!

Not that I care but the Timberwolves are once again the Timberpup's. They are once again by far the worst team in the NBA. Could this be our year to secure the #1 draft pick? Meanwhile Garnett is sitting pretty in Bosten.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

2 out of 3

Vikes 7-6!!!
Another week and another Vikes victory which really wasn't to much of a surprize over the 49ers. Now is where it really gets down to it. If the Vikes can pull out two of the next 3 they will almost certainly be a playoff team. I think at 9-7 they deserve to get in.

Can we beat Da Bears? Maybe

Can we beat the Skins? Maybe

Can we beat the Broncos? Hopefully it will not matter.

Friday, December 07, 2007

The End

Well Ice has the lakes locked up and there is no more bass fishing to be done. I think I will officially call BP vs. Duffman over at Week 25. Therefore

Summer of 2007
BP 6
Duffman 6

A tie, how lame is that? Beyond that, out of 25 weeks at least one of us hit the water on only 12 of them. If I would have fished like I normally do in the summer I would have blown Duffman away just for the simple fact that he would not be getting out nearly as much as me. I think we only fished head to head one or two weeks; The rest of the weeks it went to who ever went fishing. I think Duffman would have ruled had he not hurt his shoulder. I think Duffman caught the biggest fish, so really he wins.

On ice fishing: I had a dream last night that I was ice fishing. The electronics showed fish suspended, but I didn't catch any. I was unable to make the December meeting of the Fishers of Men club this week, therefore I did not have the chance to get to Vados to buy me some maggies. Without maggies I am hesitant to go out. Also the weather is cold and I don't have things rounded up. Snow on the ice is another factor that will make fishing unlikely for now. We probably won't have safe Ice for driving until around Christmas and the snow will make driving out difficult. Also the Explorer isn't working well and needs to be fixed. Oh well.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Vikes at .500
Well the Vikes destroyed the hapless Lions. It was a very good all around game for the squad and Tavaris actually looked competent. Will the roll continue? The Vikes should be able to beat the 49ers who have a poor run defence and lousy passing game. I think the Vikes season will come down to those next two games vs. the Bears, then Redskins. Both the Bears and Skins are in the wild card chase. The Bears will be out for revenge especially against AP who ran for 200+ vs the Bears in the first meeting. The Redskins have a stout run defence but it should help that this game is at the dome. I think if the Vikes can win 3 out of the next 4 that their playoff chances are pretty good.

If the Vikes actually make the playoffs, I could see them winning a game. Another shot at the Packers would be sweet. However, I am still on the pessimistic side reguarding our playoff chances.