The Tennessee - LSU game for the SEC championship is taking on the air of a Superbowl here in 'Bama. Our sports team is headed to Atlanta for all-afternoon coverage on Friday.

Of course the local fans are a little depressed that neither Auburn nor Alabama made it to Hot-lanta, but there are a LOT of people here pulling for the Vols. If Tennessee wins, they'll very likely go to the Rose bowl with a shot at the national championship.

Our local sports gurus are all muttering about how messed up the bowl picture will be if the Vols DON'T win. LSU will be the SEC champion, so they'll have to get a bid somewhere. The line right now is that, in that case, Tennessee might play Maryland in the Orange bowl.

(Maryland is a story unto itself; how 'bout them Terps?!?)

No offense to any LSU fans here, but just to keep life simple, I'm gonna go buy a big cap with an orange "T" on it for this weekend. :)

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 05, 2001

Answers

Hmm. That first paragraph might have been a bit clearer if I'd said, "our sports *CREW* is headed to Atlanta ..." :)

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 05, 2001.

Sorry Poole. I can't get too interested in your small time SEC goings on. I'm too busy being bemused as my Chicago Bears have stormed to the best record in the NFL.

When you have a minor miracle going on how can you even think about college football. Bears vs. Packers on Sunday. Revenge against Favre or no joy in Mudville?

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), December 05, 2001.

BTW,

I noticed that you stated when you closed your Greenspun board that you were planning on starting up a discussion/debate/investigation about the government conspiracy theories floating around on the internet. As you can imagine this subject is very near and dear to my heart and I was curious if you have started anything yet.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), December 05, 2001.

JBT:

Being adept at picking up on the underlying emotional tone of a communication, rather than merely focusing on the words, I was interested in your comment on the upcoming Bears-Packers game. The underlying emotional tone of your post is of course fear. Whistling past the graveyard fear. We-really-shouldn't-be-up-here fear. The fear that the good Lord has given you all the miracle finishes you're going to get for awhile.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), December 05, 2001.

I really do hate smart-ass Packers fans. Be ready Sunday for the Monsters of the Midway.

Wasn't that kind of a miracle against JACKSONVILLE the other night? I will expect to see your cheesehead in here Sunday night!

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), December 05, 2001.

Sorry JBT:

Packers 17, Bears 7

By ARNIE STAPLETON

AP Sports Writer

December 9, 2001

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- The Green Bay Packers showed the Chicago Bears who's who in the NFC Central. Ahman Green ran for 125 yards and a touchdown and Brett Favre got career victory No. 100 in a 17-7 win Sunday that put the Packers back in first place in the division.

Both teams are 9-3, but Green Bay swept the Bears, who lost on the road for the first time since Baltimore beat them in the season opener.

Green broke a 7-7 tie late in the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown run that capped a 91-yard drive. He became the first running back to top 100 yards against the Bears since Robert Smith did it for Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2000, a span of 20 games.

Green rushed 29 times and also had 49 yards on two receptions from Favre, who improved to 100-53 as a starter, including 16-4 against Chicago.

Favre finished 15-of-27 for 207 yards, with one touchdown pass and an interception. He went over 3,000 yards passing for the 10th straight year, breaking the NFL mark he shared with Dan Marino.

Two plays after Green's TD run, Darren Sharper intercepted a pass from Jim Miller at midfield, and struggling kicker Ryan Longwell was good from 27 yards for a 17-7 lead with 12:40 remaining.

Sharper stepped in front of Marty Booker with 2:30 left to break up a a fourth-down pass, ending the Bears' hopes for another last-second comeback.

Earlier, Longwell missed his eighth field goal and had two short kickoffs, the second of which allowed the Bears to start the second half from their 45-yard line.

Three plays later, Anthony Thomas scored on a 19-yard run to tie the game at 7. It was the first TD the Bears scored this season on the Packers, who held them to four field goals in a 20-12 victory at Soldier Field a month ago.

Thomas, playing for the first time since pulling a hamstring three weeks ago, gained 54 yards on 15 carries.

The Packers dominated the first two quarters, outgaining the Bears 195 yards to 81, but Green Bay led just 7-0 at halftime.

Longwell's 41-yard attempt bounced off the right upright, and Chicago's Paul Edinger shanked a 23-yarder on the final play of the first half, wasting Brian Urlacher's interception with 32 seconds left.

The Packers began the day without nose tackle Gilbert Brown (toe), defensive end John Thierry (knee) and kick returner Robert Ferguson (hamstring), and they lost leading tackler Nate Wayne to a bruised hip in the first quarter. X-rays were inconclusive but Wayne didn't return.

In the second quarter, the Packers had to shuffle their offensive line when right guard Marco Rivera, playing with a broken hand, was replaced by Earl Dotson, who came in at right tackle with Mark Tauscher moving over to Rivera's spot.

After Urlacher picked off Favre at midfield and returned it to the 17 at the end of the first half, Miller twice overthrew David Terrell on fade routes from the Packers 5. Edinger then came on and pulled his kick to the left.

Favre hit Freeman with a 3-yard TD pass on the opening series for the duo's 57th career connection, fifth best in NFL history.

-- Pammy (doesn't@like.either team), December 09, 2001.

Poole:

Just wondered how your cap with the big T worked out. It appears it should of had a large red N. ;o)))

Best Wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), December 09, 2001.

Thank you for the recap Pammy. My whole day started badly when I found out that our Fox station would not show the Bears/Packers game but instead would carry the Rams/49ers. I mean get real, who gives a fuck about the Rams or 49ers around here. Maybe there are a few Rams fans since Warner is from Cedar Rapids, played at the University of Northern Iowa and played Arena ball in Des Moines. But to not carry the Bears/Packers with the Central Division lead on the line? I am surrounded by TV programming idiots!

I then tried to listen to the internet radio broadcast but it kept cutting out. After the Packers scored first I was forced by my wife and son to go get a Christmas tree (where are their priorities?). After slaughtering an 8 foot white pine I had to drag the damn thing back home where I learned the score was 7-7. Spirits rise.

I then have to go find the tree stand, nowhere to be found, so I ran to Wal-Mart bought another tree stand came home put the damn tree in check the score and Bears lose 17-7. Merry fucking Christmas!

I just know if I had been allowed to view the game I could have willed the Bears to victory by them achieving all the vile things that I was wishing would happen to Favre. The worst of it is I know Errington will show up to gloat. Oh well, to the victor go the spoils.

My final assessment of the game: Bah, Humbug!

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), December 09, 2001.

Z,

But I gotta be honest, I'm proud of LSU, too. I was only pulling for Tennessee to keep the bowl picture straight.

But then it dawned on me: who cares about the headaches of a few people who worry with BCS stuff? :)

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 09, 2001.

Well, cheer up, JBT. You may get another chance. Both teams are a cinch to make the playoffs.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), December 09, 2001.

JBT: Is this the wrong thread on which to ask what you do to keep that slaughtered tree alive through Christmas? #2 is coming on the 16th, and I want to get a tree and put up all the ornaments that the kids have bought me for the past 10 years, but the last time I put up a tree in Texas the thing basically fell apart within a few days. I'd used someone's "recipe" for the "bowl" beneath, but nothing seemed to help. I suppose it may be that the trees offered here are chopped down in August or something and have out-lived their zomby period by the time we buy them.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), December 09, 2001.

Anita, this is the right thread for you to be joining right now, because we're talking pro football, and I'm pretty sure, since you grew up in Chicago, that you're a Bears fan, correct? And the Bears are one of the teams we're discussing at the present moment.

-- Peter Errington (petere7@starpower.net), December 09, 2001.

OF COURSE I'm a Bears fan, Peter....BULLS, too. SHEESH. HOWEVER, I have a more urgent need at the moment for information regarding Christmas trees. We don't have an artificial tree, and there's only been ONE time that we put up a tree at all since I've been in Texas. Heh. Actually, I didn't put up trees in Illinois after my divorce either. The kids and I made trees out of poster-board and put them on a wall [complete with little lights and their home-made ornaments.]

I'm kindof still hoping that my son flies in, as well, and the whole family can get together this year and enjoy a tree with those ornaments that go back so many years, which have been sitting in a box in the garage.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), December 09, 2001.

Anita,

I would guess that you might have problems with the Christmas tree. Any tree that is store bought has been dead so long that keeping it together for Christmas is a tough job. We went to the tree farm today and cut our own. That is about the only way I know of to ensure that the tree remains fresh through the holidays.

We use to do this every Christmas when the kids were little. It was an adventure for us all to go out and pick the tree, saw it down and try to keep it on the roof of the car all the way home. We haven't down this for years but this year my son (the baby of the family) wanted to do it. Seems he was so little the last time we had done it he couldn't remember doing it. If you do have any tree farms in your area pack the family up and go cut your own, it is more fun than walking around a lot looking at months dead trees

If your stuck with store bought trees, I have heard of an old wives tale that says you should put a couple of aspirin in the bowl with the water. This may or may not work, you know how old wives tales go. Whether you use the aspirin or any other "concoction" be sure to make a fresh cut on the bottom of the tree. That may help the wood absorb some water. Plan on taking the tree down Christmas night or the next day to minimize the fire hazard.

I hope you do get all your kids home. My wife was lamenting today about our daughter who is a freshman at college this year won't be here for decorating the tree. I reminded her that tree acquisition and decorating was one of the most terrible times of the holidays because the kids used to fight over who got to put certain decorations on, tree placement, garland or not, tinsel or not, etc. etc.. Ahhh, family memories of fistfights over decorating the tree. Makes my heart warm.

She's just more sentimental because she got back two days ago from spending two weeks of taking care of the oldest daughter who just had grandchild number 4. She seems to have enjoyed the time with the little ones (especially the NEWBORN) though how spending two weeks in the same house as a 10 year old, a four year old, a thirteen month old and a newborn can be enjoyable is beyond me.

However, once they move away it does make everything different. At least we have ny son. He's only 13 and loving being an only child at the moment. Let me know if you go live tree or dead and if all your brood (including snakes and boyfriends) can make it home.

-- Jack Booted Thug (governmentconspiracy@NWO.com), December 09, 2001.

ROTFLOL! JBT you slay me!

-- Pammy (tears@running.down my cheeks), December 09, 2001.

Stephen, I don't understand the way they calculate these things, but do you have any idea how Oregon got fucked out of the Rosebowl? They are #3 and Colorado is #4, yet Colorado is going to the Rosebowl.

-- (Oregon@kicks.ass), December 09, 2001.

Oregon,

Actually, the final decision was Miama vs. Nebraska.

But hey; it beats me. I don't understand the BCS, either. This articl e at ESPN pretty much sums it up, I think.

If the BCS doesn't pick the best two teams, then maybe the formula is flawed.

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 10, 2001.

Thanks, Cornboy. I'll ask the "lawnmower man" about tree farms in the area. He's quite an amiable sort, and my guess is that he'd volunteer his van and saw for this effort. [He's retired, and I think I'm the first Liberal he's ever known in his life.] We discuss Politics every time he mows the lawn. SO fears that when he comes back he'll be responsible for the lawn himself.

I suspect it will simply be three generations of women this Christmas. #2's boyfriend dumped her, which is one reason for this trip. My son has all his money tied up in a dream of another trip to Germany next summer, although under less restraints. After that, I'm still hoping that he'll attend the University of Bergen. He'll have completed the one year of US University studies, PLUS some.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), December 10, 2001.

Yeah, this year the BCS has just about completed its rapid descent to the status of a laughingstock. As Stephen Poole's ESPN commentator pointed out, when five hundredths of a BCS point outweigh more than 30 points scored by Colorado on the field, something is seriously whacko.

Miami should be pissed off that they are stuck playing Nebraska on Jan. 1 instead of Oregon or Colorado. At least the Fiesta Bowl between Colorado and Oregon ought to be a barn burner!

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), December 10, 2001.

LN,

Of *all* the criticisms that one could level at the BCS, here's one: it doesn't account for the fact that the really great college teams often peak later in the season. The Colorado game got "averaged out" against all the others.

It's ludicrous.

We need a national playoff system, plain and simple. Just like the NCAA Basketball tournament: pick 64 or 128 teams, single elimination.

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), December 10, 2001.