Call me crazy, but I am beginning to think there just might be a Super Bowl curse.

Or maybe it is just a coincidence that every nationally televised Seahawk home game has taken place during some form of raging storm, all of our star players are broken and hobbling, our coach suddenly sucks and needs to be fired, we lose to both Arizona and San Francisco in lethargic outings within the span of 5 days and we might actually fail to win our division despite playing in the NFC West. Also I think the Steelers are having issues (but I kind of haven’t been paying too much attention to them…)

In other news, I went to Vegas and lost a lot of money. Most of those losses were thanks to Gonzaga and the Sonics failing to cover spreads. Well, that and getting drunk and playing craps until sunrise every day.

At least I have baseball season to look forward to…oh wait, I’m a mariners fan…nevermind.

Sure has been quiet here as of late. I guess we only want to talk about sports when either a) it is baseball season or b) our favorite football teams AREN’T ALL COMPLETELY FALLING APART ON US (well except for Jay, really he has no excuse…unless he really doesn’t love the Patriots…)

Anyways, where was I? Oh that’s right! I’m going to Las Vegas this week. I love Vegas. Really, I do. I have in fact been there 8 times previously (officially making it my most visited city that I don’t actually live in…not counting Vancouver BC which I have visited more probably but only because in College it was a short ride for beautiful underage drinking…although kids, you should only drink when you are of legal age…winky face.)

On a blog for a sketch group that no longer exists (frowny face) I once detailed the many depressing exploits I have enjoyed/regretted in the city of sin. I’m too lazy to actually post a link to any of those entries but I’m sure if you google “cory nealy” and “sad little life” you should be able to find them hidden somewhere in the internets. I never got around to detailing the exploits of my last trip (a trip spent enjoying the company of [some of] THE GREATEST SKETCH COMEDIANS EVER IN HISTORY!) but suffice to say it went about how you would expect:

• puking on self while at craps table at a place called “Terrible’s?” check.
• peeing in the canals at The Venetian? check.
• giving a man of questionable drug dependencies $40 in protection money? check.
• spilling maple syrup all over myself at 5am? check.
• breaking the sun roof of a stretch limo? check.
• losing bets on every game in the Final Four, spending three nights in a row throwing money at the craps table while too drunk to really know what was going on AND falling into a pit of blackjack frenzy at $25 a pop YET still coming out $300 ahead on the entire trip? CHECK!

All in all a good trip and that isn’t even counting the night we all watched QUITE POSSIBLY THE GREATEST BELLAGIO FOUNTAIN SHOW EVER, choreographed to Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an american (god bless the usa)!” (sniffy crying face)

I will be there for three nights starting wednesday the 29th. If all goes well I will keep a journal of my adventures and post updates here when able (i.e. sober). I plan to do more sports betting this time than ever before as I will be there for Thursday night’s NFL game (who should I take?) as well as a couple of Gonzaga games and a host of NBA games. And my three favorite things are watching sports, drinking and gambling. Oddly enough you can do all those things in Las Vegas. Amazing.

Hopefully soon I will have a story that begins like this:

“So I woke up at noon pissed to find out my wallet was completely empty from the previous night, only to become over enjoyed seconds later to feel my pants pocket bulging with over $200 in chips from The Riviera…only problem is I don’t remember ever going near The Riviera last night…wait a second…these aren’t even my pants…rad…”

Cory and I are giving Geoff a chance to get caught up in the gambling race. Geoff submitted these picks to me on Thursday, so I can certify their validity (and apologize for not posting earlier). Let’s see how Geoff did/does!

Geoff (Season Record: 4-5)
Full slate! I have to catch up! And I can’t look up the lines, so I’m picking ‘em straight-up! I don’t care what the lines are, these are my picks!

Cory: Season Record: 12-8

Why? I can’t really think of a reason why except New England is favored and as my lead slipped away to nothing last week I desperately need a win or else Baz will overtake me and I can’t have that.

Why? Because Atlanta pissed me off last week that’s why. Call me when you’re sober Atlanta.

It’s in Seattle so that makes me feel good. That 6.5 spread doesn’t make me feel so good though. I have a feeling this will be another Josh Brown saves our ass at the end special…which is fine except for the whole pick off thing and Baz beating me…again but still I can’t pick against them…I just can’t.

Big games = Eli sucking.

Jaguars! POUNCE!

Geoff: Season Record: 2-2

To make sure I actually do this, I’ll make my picks now without any funny. Then hopefully I’ll have time for some funny!

Atlanta on the downswing, Pittsburgh on the Up.

Cuz I should pick an underdog

Cuz it was clearly bad luck to pick my own team

Cuz the Texans are that bad

Baz: Season Record: 12-8

All apologies to Jack Kukoda, who I’ve apparently met once, but if the Bills can get slapped by the Denny Green-enraging Chicago Bears, they can lose to New England by more than five.

Sorry. Can’t bet Atlanta this week. But since the other guys are going Pittsburgh, too, I’ve basically got a free pass to be loyal. Steelers win!

Minnesota has produced one thing worth betting on in the past thirty years, and that is Becky Poole.

T.O. vs. Giants Secondary seems like a mismatch until you consider that a quarterback has to throw those passes to T.O. and that Dallas’ quarterback is Drew Bledsoe. Also, T.O. is really, really sad this week, and I think he’ll commit suicide sometime tonight. For real this time.

Every year, one terrible team puts together on nearly complete game while their superior opponents look past them, almost costing them the game. I’m willing to wager my newfound tie-dome with Cory that this is that game. 9.5 points? What does that mean, exactly? If the Texans lose by nine I win? But if they lose by 10 I don’t? How does the half-point come into play? Well, I don’t think it matters. Jax wins by three. Also, I’ve been dying to use this Houston Oilers graphic. Seems as good a time as any.

The race for the top spot is tightening, with Cory holding a two game lead over Baz. Geoff is taking this week off to mourn the Tiger’s ascension to baseball greatness. To the board!

The Games
Seattle (-3) at St. Louis
NY Giants (+3) at Atlanta
Cincinnati (-4.5) at Tampa Bay
Kansas City (+6.5) at Pittsburgh

Cory: Season Record (11-5)
Seattle over St. Louis: Fun Fact! Scott Linehan (The man who has coached the Rams to a 4-1 record in his first season) is from my home town of Sunnyside Washington. He once coached the Sunnyside High School Grizzlies. I remember that era as being some truly mediocre Grizzly football. Therefore I just can’t buy the Rams winning this week.

Atlanta over NY Giants: Eli? Vick? Eli? Vick? (coin toss)…Vick!

Pittsburgh over Kansas City: But lets all imagine for a moment that the defending Super Bowl champions go to 1-4. Heh.

Cincinnati over Tampa Bay: Why? Because I just spent 20 minutes trying to figure out if any great sitcoms were set in Tampa Bay. I can’t think of any (where was Golden Girls set? Miami…right?) So Cincy gets the nod by virtue of four little letters: W-K-R-P.

Baz: Season Record: (9-7)
AS I’ve mentioned before, I played little league with Marc Bulger. He played for the Astros, I played for the Cards. He beaned me once. His nickname was Mookie. His brother Pat played on my team. As far as I can tell, his nickname was Pat. How can you pick against that?

Eli? Vick? Eli? Vick? (coin toss)…Eli!

If they lose today, I’ll officially turn my focus to the Pitt Men’s Baskeball team, which could start play ranked as high as #4.

I don’t want to seem greedy, or needy, but if the Bengals could lose the rest of their games this season, that’d be great. Not today, though. They can win today.

This Week’s Games
Pittsburgh (+3.5) at San Diego

New England (-9.5) at Miami

Washington (+6) at NY Giants

Dallas (+1) at Philadelphia

Cory (Season Record: 8-4):
Since there is no Seahawks game for me to cry over this week (although I would like to predict Hasselbeck gets picked off three times and sacked five while buying groceries Sunday) I have decided to pick the home teams of all my SOC companions. Good luck boys!

Notes: Please, please, please let Philly crush T.O. Please.

Baz (Season Record: 6-6)

Notes: I’d like to dedicate this week’s picks to the Haggerty boys, who are all a little under the weather this weekend. Get well, boys. And please accept my condolences.

No frills this week, baby! Straight up picks. Welcome to the fray, Jay.

The Games:
Seattle +3.5 at Chicago
New England +6 at Cincinnati
San Diego -2.5 at Baltimore
Cleveland -3 at Oakland

Cory (season record: 6-2)

Notes: Picking against them [The Seahawks] worked so well last week!

Jay (season record: 0-0)

Notes: Oh, man does that break my heart to write [Benglas over Pats]!

Baz (season record: 4-4)

Notes: Steelers have bye week. Baz no care football.

A College Football Gambling special!

I haven’t sent this out the rest of the SoC gang, so you’ll have to check the comments section for our predictions. The NCAA guys over at Sports Illustrated blogged today about the spread to end all spreads: Vanderbilt favored by 33 over Temple. The kicker? Vanderbilt is the definition of a “below-average” football team, opening their season 1-3, losing to Michigan (understandable), Alabama (meh, I’ll give you that one), and Arkansas (alright, that one, too. maybe they’re better than below-average. maybe they’re average). But what about Temple?

“I’ve never seen a team in the last 10 years that’s been this non-competitive,” - Mike Seba, senior oddsmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants

So who’s it gonna be boys? Temple +33? Or Vandy -33?

Cory vs. Geoff vs. Baz!

CORY (season record: 4-0):
GAME ONE: Carolina (-3) over Tampa Bay
Now I know the Seahawks have gotten off to a disappointing start in their first two games, but at least we won those games. Why am I talking about this? Because during all those preseason “expert analysts” prediction type specials the Panthers were again and again picked to be the most dominating team in the NFC and the Seahawks would be the victims of the “Super Bowl loser curse.” Well we are undefeated and the Panthers are winless. SO THERE! But with that
said, Carolina wins.

GAME TWO: Cincinnati (+2) over Pittsburgh
I know what you are thinking: “Cory, aren’t you carrying this whole SBXL vendetta a bit too far?” Yes. But, I really *do* think the Bengals take out the Steelers as payback for last year’s playoffs. And just to show this isn’t something personal…

GAME THREE: NY Giants (+3.5) over Seattle
Every year there seems to be that one game I just know going in we will lose. Last year it was the Giants game…and we won thanks to the fleet feet o’ Feely. I get the same sinking feeling this year (unless we crank up that fake crowd noise extra loud!)

GAME FOUR: New England (-6.5) over Denver
Why? Denver sucks.

GEOFF (Season record: 0-0):
GAME ONE: Carolina (-3) over Tampa Bay
Um, what is this doing here? Any Buc fans in the fold I don’t know about? Anyway, the Panthers have to do something at some point right? Besides f’ing screw my fantasy team with lackadaisical defense? Question mark?

GAME TWO: Cincinnati (+2) over Pittsburgh
Oh snap! Oh no I di’int! I did.

GAME THREE: Seattle (-3.5) vs. NY Giants
Uh, let me do this one last.

GAME FOUR: New England (-6.5) over Denver
Yeah, no. Plummer ain’t nothin’. Plummer’s gonna be wishin’ he WAS a plumber after this one, because being a quarterback will not be the thing to be. Or something. Seriously though, why’d the Pats have to give the C-Hawks Deion Branch, huh? Our secondary’s not bad enough? That said I don’t hold nearly the same vitriol for the Pats as I do for the Sawx, so I’ll have no problem picking them all year.

GAME THREE: NY Giants (+3.5) over Seattle
Well yeah, I had to. Not that I’m confident, mind you. Coughlin and staff would love to stifle our O in a quagmire of “ball control” and “called plays”. But I think the outcry this week to let Eli do his thang will finally reach the point where aybe they get to open things up in the third quarter rather than the fourth. I would never make this pick if Seattle wasn’t looking so mediocre right now.

BAZ (season record: 1-3):
GAME ONE: Carolina (-3) over Tampa Bay
As I explained to Geoff over email, I think this is a fun game to pick. Two preseason NFC faves who’ve laid up clunkers weeks 1 and 2. Who’s gonna not show up the least? My money’s on Carolina. I never bought Tampa Bay last year anyway.

GAME TWO: Cincinnati (+2) over Pittsburgh
At first glance this might seem like I’m losing heart. Trust me, I’m not. I’m just covering my bases. If I pick against the Steelers and they lose, I still pick up the W. If I pick against them and they win, they still win, so I’m happy. Picking against your favorite team is a no-brainer!

GAME THREE: Seattle (-3.5) over NY Giants
I actually think the Giants will take this one, but don’t think it’s a good idea for all three of us to pick the same way (there’s no way I’m picking Denver over New England). That’s lame, so I’m taking this one for the team.

GAME FOUR: New England (-6.5) over Denver
Cory is right. Denver sucks.