top 10 worst sports events of my life

for some people, sports elicits a gauntlet of emotions ranging from [to be simplistic] good to bad. this list as been compiled to rank the worst sports events of my life. with the exception of number 4, this list includes only games that i watched live on tv or in person.¹ not all of these events are from a single game; some of them take place over a the course of a few days or in a best-of series. [i have excluded the time when magic johnson announced that has the hiv virus. to reduce that to a sporting event would diminish how significant it was on a social level; the news transcended sports and raised awareness of hiv and aids at a time when it was much needed.]

10. michael chang loses to patrick rafter in 1997 us open semifinals

reason : for some reason or another, i have always been a fan of michael chang. entering the 1997 us open, he was ranked number 2 in the world second only to pete sampras. after sampras was eliminated in the quarterfinals that year, michael chang only needed to win the us open to take over the number 1 ranking. i thought that he would win, but he ran into a buzz saw in patrick rafter who beat him rather handily in straight sets [6-3, 6-3, 6-4]. chang never got close to being number 1 ever again, and probably tells this story to his family and friends all the time.

9. the bills lose to the giants in super bowl xxv [1991]

reason : for the record, the bills were the better team this year; they just weren't the better team in this particular game.² i suppose the the reason why i wanted the bills to win so much [and the giants to lose] is directly related to number 5. i still remember thinking that norwood would miss the kick, which of course he did. that was an instance where it felt terrible to be right.

8. byu loses to utah in 2005's holy war

reason : i attended this game, which made this much worse. byu hadn't beat its rival utah in 4 meetings, and this seemed like the year to break that streak. the cougars fell behind early, only to come back and tie the game by the end of regulation. of course they lose in overtime, making the ute fans too happy. another reason why this was disheartening was the way byu kept making the same mistakes: being unable to contain a scrambling quarterback who was making first start, giving up big plays on third downs [including a touchdown on 3rd and 26], etc. although the best part of this game was eavesdropping on a bitter byu fan complain to his children the entire game.

7. the phillies lose game 6 of 1993 world series

reason : when i saw mitch williams come into the game for the save, i knew the phillies were going to lose. ten minutes later, teammates are trying to crawl up joe carter's butt as i questioned why mitch williams was even in the game [and perhaps more importantly why anyone would want to crawl up joe carter's butt].

6. unlv loses to duke in 1991 final four semifinals

reason : unlv was 34-0 entering this game, and i thought that no one would beat them that year. in came coach k and christian laettner to shatter that belief. when the blue devils beat the runnin' rebels by two points, it was more than a narrow defeat for me. it was one of earliest feelings of dejection that one feels when their team loses a close game when the stakes are high.

5. the 49ers lose to the giants in 1991 nfc championship game

reason : this is the year where the 49ers played giants in one of the most anticipated regular season games ever. both teams were 10-1 and had only lost the previous week before their match-up. the 49ers prevailed in that monday night game winning 7-3. the two teams met again in the playoffs, this time with the giants winning on a last second matt bahr field goal. the giants didn't even score a touchdown, as they won 15-13 on five field goals. furthermore, roger craig fumbled the ball deep in 49er territory to set up the game-winning field goal for the giants. this was also the game where the giants injured joe montana, causing him to miss all but one game for the next two seasons. needless to say, the 1991 giants are the spawn of the devil.

4. kobe bryant forces the lakers to trade shaquille o'neal in summer of 2004

reason : if the news that jerry buss was the main proponent to trading shaq didn't surface, this event would be much higher. until the beginning of this year, i was bitter towards kobe for his role in the trade of shaq. i thought that kobe forced the lakers' hand into trading shaq; the lakers' management thought that he would have left the lakers via free agency if shaq was still on the team [and rightly so]. but it seems as though kobe has been telling the truth when he said that he never gave the lakers an ultimatum and that it was jerry buss who spearheaded the action to trade shaq and consequently end the lakers' mini-dynasty.

3. eric lindros gets concussed in game 7 of 2000 nhl eastern conference finals

reason : the flyers were leading the devils 3-2 when eric lindros returned from post-concussion syndrome in game 6. the devils won that game to force a game 7, in which scott stevens delivered a borderline cheap and possibly deliberate elbow to lindros' head, causing another concussion. at that very moment of that hit, i distinctly remember thinking that lindros may never play again³ and that he may be dead seriously injured. as a result, the legion of doom [lindros, leclair and renberg] was never more.

2. the lakers lose to the pistons in 2004 nba finals

reason : i have never been as mad at a team's play than i was with the lakers' in the 2004 finals. they played with no heart or conviction, and it was obvious that shaq and kobe didn't want to play as a team. the lakers had the two best players in the series, yet it was the pistons who showed everyone how to win a championship. the lakers should have won with the talent they had, but they deserved to lose with the way they played. what makes this loss even worse is my belief that if they had won this series shaq would have never been traded the following off-season.

1. the cubs lose to the marlins in game 7 of 2003 nlcs/ the red sox lose to the yankees game 7 of 2003 alcs

reason : when the lakers lost to pistons, i have never been as angry; when the cubs and red sox lost to the marlins and yankees, respectively, i have never been as sad. the strange thing about these losses is the fact that i am not a fan of either of these teams. yet when the cubs lost one day and the red sox the next, i remember being so disappointed that i had no desire to watch any sports at all for quite a while. the best reason that i can give as to why this had such a big of an effect is my desire to see two underdog teams who hadn't won a title in a long, long time play each other in the world series. [remember this is before the red sox won two titles, acquired a bevy of bandwagon fans, and basically turned into the yankees.] what made it worse was the way they lost after leading in the deciding game [the cubs were also 5 outs away in game 6 while the red sox likewise were 5 outs away in game 7]. to this day i can only wonder what if.

¹ if events from video games were included, a 17th inning game-winning chipper jones home run off kaz ishii would probably make this list.
² this was the first game where the winning team's coach got a gatorade shower.
³ he did play again, but he was neither as good or as comfortable on the ice.

movie forecast: hitman

editor's note: for a detailed explanation of a movie forecast, click here

another movie based on a video game, another bad idea. i was actually wondering to myself if there were any video game that i would like to see be made into movie, and i couldn't think of a single one. as for the movie hitman, i am less inclined to see the purpose of making a film based around a video game character who can be best described as a goon. for example, in the video game, the main character, agent 47, hardly speaks and in the case of a storyline, well, there really wasn't one. agent 47 was basically a mercenary who really didn't need a reason to strangle someone with piano wire.

so why did they someone decide to make a movie based on a video game whose protagonist is a flat character who virtually has no motive to why he assassinates people except that he is told to do so? and why would a movie studio release a movie that is rated r on thanksgiving weekend? and why doesn't he have hair? doesn't he know that he has a barcode on the back of his head? seriously, he should consider covering that thing. so many questions, to which the answers may not have any logic behind them. at any rate, the movie itself may provide some good action sequences, but nowadays, action sequences and cgi only goes so far. hitman will lack the substance to make this movie any different than other movies in its genre. which in a way is unfortunate, since seeing timothy olyphant in possible sequels in the years to come with a completely shaved head will never stop being funny.

prognosis : 5/10

nfl weekly predictions: week twelve [12]

green bay at detroit

analysis : with all of the accolades and records that brett favre possesses, few people realize that he's been able to do so with various members of the media living in the his butt. perhaps he plays better with them in there, which would explain his play this season. and unfortunately for lions, i think ron jaworski just made his way in.

the pick : green bay

ny jets at dallas

analysis : there's nothing worse than getting beat down on the road on a national holiday on national tv. so if the jets' players and coaches are crying on the sidelines, we'll know why.

the pick : dallas

indianapolis at altanta

analysis : i have no idea why byron leftwich started last week's game when the falcons won two games in a row with joey harrington. i will just continue to assume that bobby petrino is doing everything in his power to force arthur blank to buy him out of his contract.

the pick : indianapolis

tennessee at cincinnati

analysis : i'll be surprised if marvin lewis isn't fired before start of next season. the bengals are wasting a great offense by not having anything that resembles a defense. don't they realize that they can't keep an offense like this together for any extended period of time? and what happened to rudi johnson this season? has he finally become depressed by the fact his first name is spelled with 'i' to the point that he is unable to rush the ball? these are questions that need to be addressed in the offseason.

the pick : tennessee

houston at cleveland

analysis : the browns are getting are the breaks that a team needs to make the playoffs, as evidenced by last week's win over the ravens. [i still can't believe that brian billick didn't make more of a stink after the referees seemingly had extra help from either replay booth officials or the jumbotron to decide if the field goal was good or not. doessn't he seem like the type who would?] even with their good offense, the browns will have difficult time against a young and talented texans defense.

the pick : cleveland

oakland at kansas city

analysis : the chiefs have been an absolute surprise this year. early in the season, i actually thought that they were the worst team in the league. now, i think that they are capable of making the playoffs. the raiders are also not as bad as people think they are, and they'll give the chiefs a challenge.

the pick : kansas city

seattle at st louis

analysis : the injury to shaun alexander has helped the seahawks in many ways. for instance, they don't have to worry about feeding alexander's ego by giving him twenty carries, which allows them to throw the ball as much as they want, much to mike holmgren and matt hasselbeck's delight. they also have a running back in maurice morris who doesn't mind the occasional contact with players from the opposing team.

the pick : seattle

washington at tampa bay

analysis : the redskins have lost a few games where they were in control for most of the game, which could be a sign of their inexperience affecting them late in the fourth quarter. the buccaneers are a team that has flown under the radar all season, so people [and perhaps the redskins] may be surprised as to how well they can play.

the pick : tampa bay

new orleans at carolina

analysis : the saints and panthers are both inconsistent teams, but at least the saints don't have a quarterback situation where vinny testeverde and david carr are the front-runners. how the panthers have kept steve smith from complaining to the media so far may be this season's biggest mystery.

the pick : new orleans

buffalo at jacksonville

analysis : in david garrard, the jaguars have a quarterback who doesn't turn the ball over and gets enough key first downs to help his team win. there isn't much else that jack del rio can ask, except for maybe a pastrami sandwich.

the pick : jacksonville

minnesota at ny giants

analysis : the vikings have the worst collection of quarterbacks in the league. the only reason that tavaris jackson plays is because he was a second round pick and the vikings wanted to see if he could play [he cannot]. brooks bollinger could very well be the single biggest reason why curtis martin retired. kelly holcombe has been described as being a great to have as a backup, but not great to have as a starter. so yeah, the fact that adrian peterson rushed for 296 yards with virtually no help from the vikings' passing game is actually equivalent to 750 yards rushing under normal circumstances.

the pick : ny giants

san francisco at arizona

analysis : at this point in the season, the best thing that the 49ers have going for them is a high draft pick in next year's draft. except that they already traded that pick to patriots, which means that rich just gets richer.

the pick : arizona

baltimore at san diego

analysis : the ravens looked like they found something that resembles an offense with kyle boller[!] at the helm. this week, they play another struggling team that has come well short of preseason expectations. as bad as the ravens have been playing, the chargers have been worse.

the pick : baltimore

denver at chicago

analysis : the broncos finally look like the team that everyone thought they would be. jay cutler is thriving from play-action plays that have been set up by an excellent running attack. the bears have been average so far this season, which is in line with the jinx associated with the super bowl loser.

the pick : denver

philadelphia at new england

analysis : i am certain that donovan mcnabb suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta. this season he has an ankle injury, which gives the eagles the option to play either aj feeley or second round pick kevin kolb. in the end, it doesn't matter if it's the t-1000 at quarterback, because the eagles have no chance of winning this game.

the pick : new england

miami at pittsburgh

analysis : as opposed to the eagles, the dolphins do have a chance to win this week, albeit a small one. if they can get turnovers and points from their defense [which they can] and help from their special teams, they can give the steelers a competative game. also, if the game is close in the fourth quarter, the steelers may pay tight since they don't want to be the first team to lose to the dolphins this season.

the pick : pittsburgh

separated at birth?

in october of 2007, paul byrd was accused of using human growth hormone [hgh], a substance banned by major league baseball as a performance enhancing drug. while he did not deny the use of hgh, he claimed that it was prescribed treat a tumor on his pituitary gland. he further elaborated that it was under medical supervision, and that baseball knew that he was taking it. or so he says publicly. in actuality, few know the true reason as to why paul byrd ordered hgh. he was doing it for his secret twin, actor peter dinklage [or miles finch from the movie elf]. peter feared that he would be shunned by his 'little people' peers if they knew that he was taking human growth hormone in attempt to land more conventional leading roles. he didn't want to be to linked to any orders of hgh, so paul nobly offered to obtain some for him. so next time when a person tries to tell you paul byrd is a cheater, remember that he was just taking the fall for someone else.

college fooball in review: week eleven [11]

illinois at [#1] ohio state

illinois : for the fighting illini, the juice is loose [hopefully, this doesn't end in a double murder]. the fighting illini played loose while the buckeyes played tight, which was more apparent as the game went into later stages of the game. as a result, it was a big win for the fighting illini and a bigger loss for the buckeyes. hopefully ron zook can recover from the concussion he suffered when he was inadvertently hit in the head with the gatorade cooler in an attempt to shower him with the non-carbonated sports drink.

ohio state : america can breathe another sigh of relief now that an inferior buckeyes team has been defeated. most people outside of ohio could see that they were not the best team in the country, and that the only reason that they were ranked number one is because they were undefeated in a bcs conference. at any rate, the game was decided when they couldn't stop the run on a drive that last over 8 minutes that included with 13 straight running plays.

[#4] kansas at oklahoma state

kansas : although the jayhawks have a quality offense, it is disconcerting that their defense allowed so many points to a cowboys team. their defense let the cowboys come within five points after having a huge lead, which could be a sign that they can be mentally weak. with this win, the jayhawks keep their hopes alive to make the bcs championship game.

oklahoma state : just because their coach is forty, it doesn't mean that their defensive players like old men. although in their defense, they played a team in the jayhawks that has a good offense. in the end, it wasn't enough to beat that jayhawks.

[#18] auburn at [#10] georgia

auburn : the tigers looked poised to take control of this game, then inexplicably forgot how to stop the run. against the bulldogs, their defense broke down and allowed more points than they had in their previous five games combined. it also didn't help that quarterback brandon cox threw four interceptions, although the tigers should come to expect that type of play from him.

georgia : since the bulldogs wanted to keep it a secret that they were going to wear black jerseys, they warmed up in their red jerseys and switched to the black ones right before the game. unfortunately, no one had told their kicker, as he struggled to change from his red jersey to his black one on the sideline. as for the game, when it looked like momentum was on the side of the tigers, freshman running back knowshon moreno took the game into his own hands and wore down the tigers' defense. in other news, uga vi is still as temperamental as ever.

arkansas at [#24] tennessee

arkansas : besides john parker wilson, has their been another quarterback who has made worse decisions than casey dick [yes, that is his real name]? it became so bad to the point that houston nutt benched dick, and replaced him with nathan emert, a sophomore with little experience, in one of the toughest places to play in college football. [read: houston nutt is not a smart coach.]

tennessee : it's surprising to see that the volunteers were successful in containing the run against the razorbacks, namely darren mcfadden. although mcfadden did rush for over 100 yards, the volunteers' sure tackling kept mcfadden from breaking tackles or gaining any yards after contact.

air force at notre dame

air force : the cadets simply stuck to their game plan and the fighting irish had no answer. they outplayed, overpowered and outcoached their opponent the entire game. with that being said, i still wonder how they can compete when they field a team with players who are all the same size.

notre dame : the fighting irish lost yet another game in south bend to run their 2007 home record to 0-6. they didn't seem too prepared against air force, as the cadets ran the option about 90% of the time, to which the fighting irish were ill-prepared to defend. for that, the coaches are to blame. the only way for this season to be any more embarrassing would be a loss to duke at home next week.

movie forecast: fred claus

editor's note: for a detailed explanation of a movie forecast, click here

other than the masochistic impulse to commit career suicide, i have no idea why either vince vaughn or paul giamatti would ever agree to make fred claus. the only other reasons that i can think of why they would want to this movie are money, contractual obligations, and money. even with that being said, i don't know why would paul giamatti want to make such a silly movie after his latest string of films which gave him well-deserved recognition as one of today's greatest american actors. and i don't know why vince vaughn would resort to making such a formulaic children's comedy after the latest movies that he's done [on second thought, maybe i do]. it simply makes no sense. actors usually make these kind of movies so that they have more artistic freedom with later films, so it doesn't make any sense whatsoever that these two established actors would agree to do this.

as for the actual movie itself, fred claus is simply a poor man's surviving christmas or a homeless man's the santa clause. the plot involves santa claus [paul giamatti] and how he has to deal with his slacker brother, fred claus [vince vaughn]. someone please tell me how this is supposed to be funny. i'm sure none of it will be enjoyable for any type of audience, including children. it's basically a quick money grab just in time for the holiday season. hopefully, people will come to the realization that watching this would be a waste of time before deciding to give reason [ie money] for movie studios to make this sort of film.

prognosis : 2/10

nfl predictions: week ten [10]

minnesota at green bay

analysis : while adrian peterson is a terrific running back, let's keep things in perspective. he has only played 8 games, and while he has been impressive, he's not the best running back in the league [not yet at least]. with that being said, green bay will do a good job in containing peterson, mostly because to the play of their linebackers.

the pick : green bay

jacksonville at tennessee

analysis : the winner of this game will have no more than 17 points. both offenses will play poorly, but that is in large part due to the play of both of the defenses. i'm still curious if there are any other people who realize that vince young has been laying an egg on the field this year. he might not even reach 1,500 yards passing, which would only need about an average of 100 yards per game.

the pick : tennessee

denver at kansas city

analysis : the broncos have won a total of 3 games this season by a combined score of 9 points [and all have been on last second field goals]. the chiefs, on the other hand, have beat quality opponents, so they shouldn't have much of a problem with the broncos.

the pick : kansas city

buffalo at miami

analysis : although miami is winless at 0-8, it doesn't mean that they aren't capable of winning a game. the bills don't have much of a defense, and the dolphins do have some speed that would cause problems for their secondary. and after the dolphins win this game, the 1976 buccaneers will only have to wait for a rams' victory in order to pop open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the fact that are still the only football team with a winless season.

the pick : miami

st louis at new orleans

analysis : now that the saints have got their groove back, there is no foreseeable reason to see them losing to the rams. even though stephen jackson is supposedly healthy and starting for the rams, they are still in total disarray. it's time for them to start scouting the best players in the college game.

the pick : new orleans

cleveland at pittsburgh

analysis : the steelers will show no mercy against the browns. jamal lewis will struggle to get any thing more than 3 yards a carry. the steelers blitzing defense will confuse derek anderson and rattle what poise he has shown this season.

the pick : pittsburgh

philadelphia at washington

analysis : the eagles are in a tailspin that they won't be able to be able to recover. donovan mcnabb has played poorly, but it is clear that he is nowhere near 100% healthy. jason campbell should have his way against an eagles' secondary that is missing a few starters.

the pick : washington

atlanta at carolina

analysis : if sage rosenfels set back football 15 years, then panthers' starting quarterback matt moore will set football back to the era when the forward pass had not yet been implemented. the falcons also play football as though it were 1960, but that is partly because the team has quit on their coach. petrino is partly to blame for this, and i'm sure he has already been looking at where he wants to buy some beachfront property with all his buyout money.

the pick : atlanta

cincinnati at baltimore

analysis : with the bengals' defense playing as if they were wet toilet paper in the way they provide little to no resistance, the bengals' offense is forced to pass on almost every play to stay in the game. and while the bengals have good offensive players, it's difficult to run an offense when it becomes one-dimensional. granted, to say that the ravens' offense has even one dimension would be generous, the ravens' defense, as usual, will play well enough to win the game for them.

the pick : baltimore

dallas at ny giants

analysis : even though the giants lost to the cowboys in their first meeting, it was due to the play of their defense. in fact, the offense played quite well enough to win the game. the giants will be able to exploit the cowboys' biggest weakness, which is their pass defense [read: roy williams]. the cowboys will also play well, but it won't be enough to overcome the problems that they will have against the giants' defensive line.

the pick : ny giants

detroit at arizona

analysis : the lions are a team that a second collapse would seem likely, considering that they are an inexperienced team that has had a relatively easy schedule so far. the rest of the teams that they play in the second half are collectively much better, and they may fall victim to external pressure if they struggle for a playoff spot.

the pick : arizona

chicago at oakland

analysis : it's time for people to realize that the bears' defense are not what we thought they were. they have become quite average, which is the result of losing key players on their defensive line. without the ability to apply [some] pressure using only their front four, their cover 2 scheme is less ineffective, especially since their need to blitz their linebackers to get to quarterback will leave holes in the zone.

the pick : oakland

indianapolis at san diego

analysis : these two teams are on opposite ends of the spectrum as far as coaching goes. the colts in tony dungy have a major advantage over the chargers in norv turner. i fully expect dungy to undress turner throughout the game, and consequently, i expect norv turner to be buck naked by the middle of the third quarter. fortunately for the colts, this will translate well onto the field. but unfortunately for them, they will have to play with a nude man in their peripheral vision.

the pick : indianapolis

san francisco at seattle

analysis : even though shaun alexander is out for this game, i don't think the seahawks will miss his usual 15 carries and 40 yards that he brings with him, nor will they miss the way he crumples to ground whenever a live body approaches him. the 49ers should have frank gore back in the starting lineup, which will be the deciding advantage against the underachieving seahawks.

the pick : san francisco

separated at birth?

upon discovering that they were separated at birth, both rapper nelly and wide receiver steve smith exclaimed some nonsensical noises such as 'whoop!' and 'zoot!' after the intial excitement, they were seen partying in various cities around the south, although it has caused some confusion as to which posse they should bring when they travel together. being the pranksters that they are, sometimes they pretend to be one another, which would explain some tracks on nelly's previous album, sweatsuit.

college football in review: week ten [10]

navy at notre dame

navy : i've been trying to decide whether if navy were lucky or if they are simply better than notre dame. in the end, it really doesn't matter, as the midshipmen finally beat the fighting irish after 43 years. [by the way, i think it's more that they are better.]

notre dame : this may be the most embarassing loss for a team since the washington generals beat the harlem globetrotters. i'm still wondering why notre dame, after tying the game late in the 4th quarter, didn't decide to attempt a 41 yard field goal. with decisions like that, the fighting irish deserved to lose.

florida state at [#2] boston college

florida state : the seminoles did america a favor by defeating the screaming eagles and thus preventing them from going to the bcs championship. they won by playing well on both sides on the ball, mostly due to drew weatherford leading the offense and their defense getting timely stops and turnovers.

boston college : i doubt that many people believed that the screaming eagles were going to finish at number 2 in the bcs standings, so their loss this week didn't come as a surprise. matt ryan played poorly, but i suppose that everyone is entitled to an off-day. although i do hope that this does curtail any matt ryan for heisman campaigns and/or anyone in the media calling him 'matty heisman.'

[#3] lsu at [#17] alabama

lsu : the tigers seem to be the best team in the country, and they have the best player in college football [glen dorsey]. so it's a surprise to me that they always play in close games. i suppose that playing in close games doesn't mean that they aren't the best team, but it does say that they have plenty of flaws. against alabama, they were one 4th-and-4 away from losing. fortunately for the tigers, they converted the fourth down and won the game thanks in large part to a john parker wilson fumble.

alabama : i'm a certain that nick saban went home and punched holes in the wall right after this game. alabama had every chance to win this game, and played tight as the game got closer to its end. when it mattered, the lsu defense did not let the crimson tide move the ball down the field.

[#4] arizona state at [#5] oregon

arizona state : even though the sun devils came into the game the higher in the rankings, the ducks were always considered the better team. and it showed as the sun devils comparative inexperience to oregon showed. the good news is that they still only have one loss and their hopes to make the bcs championship game are still alive [barely].

oregon : the ducks called a brilliant game offensively. after scoring two touchdowns on swing passes, they throw a touchdown where they faked a swing pass only to throw to a receiver downfield. now that's what it means to get deep into a playbook. oregon is clearly the most consistent team in a strong pac-10 conference.

nebraska at [#8] kansas

nebraska : i think it's a safe bet that all of the returning players and coaches will be looking forward to next year's game against the jayhawks. not only will they want to avenge the loss on the field, but they also might be throwing molotov cocktails through the kansas players' hotel bedroom windows.

kansas : all i can say is that this was beatdown city. i don't know bill callahan slept with mark mangino's wife or what, but the jayhawks pulled a 'patriots' and just wanted to undress the cornhuskers.

movie forecast: american gangster

editor's note: for a detailed explanation of a movie forecast, click here

when i learned that denzel washington and russell crowe were making another movie together, i wondered why anyone would want to see a sequel to virtuosity, because that movie was downright bad. and i'm pretty sure that ridley scott even directed it as well. anyway, denzel washington plays the same character he always plays [surprise, surprise], a hard-nosed person with strong values [in other words, he plays denzel washington]. in this movie though, he is a ghetto kingpin who wears ugly suits. russell crowe is supposedly the cop who is going to bring the whole operation down. that in itself may be the greatest leap that any viewer will have to make. seriously, i don't think it's very plausible that russell crowe has any allegiance to the law.

at any rate, i question if american gangster [doesn't its name sound like a working title that never changed and just stuck?] will be able to break new ground in a genre that has been beat to a bloody pulp far too many times. in the end, i think it will be a good movie, just not a classic one.

prognosis: 7/10

nfl predictions: week nine [9]

denver at detroit

analysis : basically the broncos have been living life on the edge and their only wins have been pulled out of their collective butt. the lions aren't much better, but their offense will exploit the broncos' shoddy run defense and injured secondary.

the pick : detroit

san francisco at atlanta

analysis : after being berated by bobby petrino all season long, then being benched, only to be back in the starting lineup due to his replacement's injury, joey harrington's morale would have to be similar to that of a hobo who just lost his shopping cart full of rusty nails. in any event, petrino has no idea what to do what this falcons team this year.

the pick : san francisco

cincinnati at buffalo

analysis : for some reason, chad johnson has gone from beloved prankster to perceived clubhouse cancer within a week's time. too bad he can't blamed for their porous defense, which is supposedly marvin lewis' strength as a coach. the bills are a competitive team who play tough at home when the weather becomes intolerable for visiting teams.

the pick : buffalo

carolina at tennessee

analysis : does any team hide their quarterback as well as the titans? vince young had less than 50 yards passing last week and they still won. hopefully soon people will realize the titans win games not because of vince young, but because of their defense. on the other side, the panthers remain of the most inconsistent and underachieving teams in the league.

the pick : tennessee

green bay at kansas city

analysis : the packers will continue to play as one of the elite teams in the nfc [which really isn't saying much], but it's not because brett favre is playing safer or taking less risks. the packers are winning because of their young and talented defense. the chiefs are surprising not the worst team in the nfl [that would be the dolphins], and herm edwards is doing well with what little he has.

the pick : the packers

san diego at minnesota

analysis : the chargers have found their groove from last season and look to finally seize control of the afc west. they will be more than what the vikings can handle on both sides on the ball.

the pick : san diego

jacksonville at new orleans

analysis : when quinn gray is your starting quarterback, this is not a good sign. the saints' offense will have a difficult time against the jaguars' defense, but the jaguars' offense will have a tougher time against the saints' mediocre defense.

the pick : new orleans

washington at ny jets

analysis : eric mangini makes the inevitable move of making kellen clemens the starter. too bad he doesn't have the same caliber of replacements on defense. the redskins are a quality team who will be looking to put a hurting on the jets after last week's beatdown.

the pick : washington

arizona at tampa bay

analysis : the buccaneers have no running game, but the cardinals don't really have much of a defense. fortunately for the cardinals, they have many weapons on offense that should give the buccaneers defense plenty of matchup problems.

the pick : arizona

seattle at cleveland

analysis : are the browns for real? i can't even tell if derek anderson is a legitimate quarterback or a flash in the pan. whatever the case, he won't be the browns' starter next year because brady quinn's contract is next the depth chart. seattle is looking more like annual nfc west winner who will only have 8 wins. it also doesn't help that the seahawks have a running back in shaun alexander who doesn't want to receive any contact from other players.

the pick : cleveland

new england at indianapolis

analysis : this is definitely the game of regular season no matter what happens the rest of the way. the patriots have been simply destroying people like it were rookie difficulty on madden. the colts have been doing their business as the only other undefeated team in the league. i imagine they will give the patriots a tough time, which means that they will only beat the colts by 21 points.

the pick : new england

houston at oakland

analysis : daunte culpepper or josh mccown will be starting for the raiders, which really won't make that much of a difference either way. sage rosenfels will be starting for the texans, which actually might set football back 15 years.

the pick : oakland

dallas at philadelphia

analysis : the cowboys will continue to assert themselves as the best team in the nfc, which isn't saying much since they got destroyed by the afc's best team only a few weeks ago. the eagles may give the cowboys a competitive game, but they just don't have enough to contend with them.

the pick : dallas

baltimore at pittsburgh

analysis : is there anything scarier in life than ray lewis having a personal vendetta against you? i suppose there is, but not much. the steelers remain the afc's third best team, but the gap between them and colts is far wider than the one between them and the afc's fourth best team.

the pick : pittsburgh