Down the stretch they come

Perhaps I should have my friend DillyBerto handicap the race for Bush '06. Mr. Banks at CNNSI seems to think the Saints are in the drivers seat, given that Houston finally gets over the hump and wins a game. My beloved Packers appear to be on the outside looking in. Since Dilly is not in the house, I'll take a stab at breaking it down for you.

The game of the year for my Packers has to be Houston-SF. In an odd twist of fate in the last game of the season for each of these miserable teams, the Niners (3-12) and Texans (2-13) play each other in San Francisco. For what it's worth, the teams appear evenly matched on paper. My heart pleads the Niners to suit section 135 at Candlestick Park as a thank you to those fans not canceling season tickets thereby giving the game to Houston. Not. Advantage Niners.

In other games of interest, Green Bay has the home field advantage but Mike Sherman has squandered it like so many of his past draft choices. The only two home playoff loses in the history of venerable Lambeau Field have been under his watch. Unless of course, Holmgren decides to screw the Pack again and sit his starters. I predict Seattle if Shaun Alexander plays more than one quarter. And our home town New Orleans Saints, the league's only permanent road team, must face the Bucs in Tampa. Ha! Not a chance in Haslett's last game. The Saints finish with a faceplant.

That leaves the Jets. What else can you say about a team that lost to the Saints? Other than than they're hosting the Bills, a team that's almost as bad as the rest in this bunch. Prediction: Who cares.

So, as one can plainly deduce from this scholarly analysis, Bush stays in Texas. Booo!


I must take this moment to commend DillyBerto on his overwhelming optimism for the Saints and the city of New Orleans. The staff at the Big Event has a more pessimistic view of sports than does he but we share in his unbridled enthusiasm for a better New Orleans. Vive New Orleans!