College Football Picks, Week #1

Again, I got started with Facebook stuff in the busy Summer of All Stars, and neglected the blog. However, I love to record my College Football Picks. This season, I plan on picking 7 games and 3 straight up "upset" picks. So, that's 10 picks a week. In no order, the 7 picks are: Ohio State -35 vs Buffalo Ohio State is very good on both sides of the ball and Urban Meyer will not call off the dogs. I think they'll run the score up. Bama -20 vs Va Tech The Hokies have taken a step backwards. I don't see them as being very stable. They have to play Nick Saban. That's bad for them. Mississippi State + 12.5 vs Oklahoma State I think the Bulldogs will play physical and tough, and just be good enough to lose a close game on a big stage at a neurtal site. Gimme 12.5 points and I'll take them. UGA -1.5 vs Clemson I see this game as a 42-28 win for Georgia. Both teams have great offenses and unproven defenses. UGA's ability to run the ball and control the game will make the difference. I'll give up the 1.5 points. Louisville -21 vs Ohio Louisiville has a legitimately good team, with a dynamic offfense. They can't afford any hiccups because their schedule is pillow soft. Their QB is a potential Heisman candidate. That adds up to the Cardinal throwing early and often against the Bobcats. BYU -1 vs Virginia This has the potential to be a close game. I think BYU always over delivers. They play smart football. They may not have the best athletes, but the ones they have are all in the mid 20s due to going on mission trips. Virginia should win a game like this if they were a stable program. They aren't. I think BYU wins..maybe even comfortably. Giving up 1 points seems like taking candy from a baby. Arkansas -10.5 vs La Lafayette Arkansas isn't that far removed from being a top team in the SEC. They have a new coach, who will want to make a name for himself with physical play in his opener. I think he'll want to make a statement at home. I think he'll do so. Now the upset picks. Doing this is hard this week because their are so many lopsided games. I'll take Boise State over Washington, California over Northwestern, and Tulsa over Bowling Green.

On 2nd thought...I'll reveal them all at once...

I'm going to run through the list.  I don't have the patience to drag it out. 
Any comments are welcome and will be answered....Debates are also encouraged.  It's possible I forgot someone.  I put comments where I thought explanation might be needed.

Sometimes, my heart over ruled my head...sometimes, I stuck with my ratings.  It wasn't easy.

Here is my list of the Top 20 Pro Wrestlers of All Time....again, it's my list.  I limited it to wrestlers I enjoyed watching and who I respected somewhat.

Honorable Mention:  Ted Dibiase  (he was funny, could talk, and was a good performer)

#20  Mr. Wrestling #2  (Iconic look, smoother performer)

#19  Abdullah The Butcher (Icon)

#18  Andre The Giant (Icon)

#17  Kurt Angle  (he could talk well and was funny, extra points for being legitimate, put on a good show)

#16  Goldberg (quit early because he didn't want to be turned into a bad role model for kids in the WWE...wow.....great performer and good look).

#15  Bam Bam Bigelow (iconic look, tough, innovative for a big man to do high flying moves)

#14  Rob Van Damme (as entertaining as anyone, very innovative, under rated, good look.)

#13  Big Poppa Pump (extra points for look, legit wrestler)

#12  Kane  (big, bad, smart, very funny...stays prominent despite having to job a lot)

#11  The Rock (hilarious, good performer and talker)

#10  Cactus Jack/Mankind/Dude Love (looked like a sack of crap....he over came it)

#9   Steve Austin (hilarious, good performer and talker, innovative with catch phrases/shirts)

#8  Superstar Billy Graham (extra points for being innovative, he was copied by a lot of people)

#7  Dusty Rhodes (a legend, funny, loves to talk, good performer)

#6  Steven Regal (hilarious, good wrestler, good talker, very smart, good technique, British)

#5  Jake the Snake Roberts (the best talker in the business, invented the DDT)

#4  Randy Savage  (Icon, wild look, great performer)

#3 The Nature Boy Ric Flair (if he doesn't retire again, he's going to start to slip on this list). 

#2  Ravishing Ric Rude (extra points for "look", stayed a heel longer than anyone on this list)

#1  Rowdy Roddy Piper

(he's been too funny, too smart, too tough, too successful, too good at putting on a show, too good with the fans, too much of a party animal, to NOT have him #1.  He created Hulk Hogan because he made everyone hate Roddy Piper.   As for the "look"....leather jacket and a kilt.  Innovation?  He helped create the show within a show idea...Piper's Pit.  He attacked Cyndi Lauper back when she was big time.  He starred in one of my top 20 favorite movies. He admitted to taking a dive for Mr. T.   He was a smart, funny, strong, eloquent cocaine snorting Christian.  He's still with us today)

I had almost 50 people on this list before I started rating them.  I believe only 4 of these wrestlers are deceased....Andre The Giant, Bam Bam Bigelow, Randy Savage, Ric Rude).

If all these wrestlers were in a battle royal, I would find myself pulling for Steven Regal or Kane. 

My Top 20 professional rasslers of all time

I've been a little overwhelmed with baseball this Summer.  I've gone back to ignoring the old blog.  I've got to stop this.

I have, in my spare time over the last 2 weeks, developed and finalized my personal (drum roll, please).......

TOP 20 PROFESSIONAL WRESTLERS OF ALL TIME.

I thought of every wrestler I liked or respected at all, and painstakingly rated them on several different categories.  I eliminated several "popular" wrestlers because I had no personal interest in them....(eg. Hogan, Sting, The Undertaker)   Also, I eliminated great wrestlers from the past who I never really watched wrestle (eg.  Lou Thesz, Georgeous George, Hackenschmidt etc.). 

Basically, the scope is limited to MY personal experience watching "rasslin". 

I'll unveil them one at a time for awhile. 

I don't expect too many people to read this or give a rip, but I'm doing this for personal reasons.  I love to rate things and make lists....and wrestling was a big part of my entertainment growing up.   Even though I don't watch it any more, the memories are there.

Yes, I know I have 3 kids

Forgive me.  I know my reboot of this blog has been very "Collins centric".   I started it during the final stretch of the baseball season, so it was at the forefront of my mind.

I'll begin to spread around the subjects a little bit more.

Oh, by the way.....

Collins hit an inside the park home run in the championship game.  They won 11-10.

  He finished his 6U rec league career with a record of 36-6-1, including a #1 finish this year and a runner up the season before.  They finished 3rd in his first season.
Of course, it's a team game.  He has been on some great teams and has had great coaches. 

The All Star season starts tomorrow night, on Nana's birthday. 
Go Canes...

So far, so good (I have some parental bragging to do)

I want to acknowledge what's been going on with the kids here at the end of the year.   This is supposed to be informative, but may sound like bragging.  I'm very proud of them.

The awards day at school has been going great.   Grace won more awards than she has ever won before.  She won an award for Music, and for Art.   She also won an award for having all A's and B's all  year.
She got a medal for her work in the gymnastic class, too.

 Collins got an award for having the Biggest Heart, which is my favorite that he he has ever won...well, maybe a close second to the watermelon seed spitting contest he won in preschool. 

Speaking of winning, Collins' team won their 3rd round playoff game against the Giants.  Collins went 2-3 with a double and a run scored, but even better than that, he played great defense.  He got at least 4 outs when he was playing 3rd, including the great throw he made to 2nd base. Defense has always been a weak point.  Collins is a good hitter, but it was nice to see him flashing the leather, too.

Collins has the championship game tonight.  His end of the season party is tomorrow.  He has an All Star scrimmage Thursday.  He has his first All Star game Friday night in a tournament, and he has 2 more games on Saturday.  I hope he loves baseball more than ever after this....hopefully, it won't backfire and make him hate it.


Hobgood Braves vs Hobgood Mets tonight.

If the Mets play like I saw them play yesterday, we're going to be in trouble.   We played the best defensive game of the year yesterday in order to beat the Giants.  We need that same type of game tonight. 

Playoffs....the final frontier

Well, Collins' team made it through to the 3rd round of the playoffs.  They won a rough game against the Rockies, 10-9.  Today's game was rained out, so they have to play tomorrow NIGHT at 7pm.  If they win, they have to turn around and play on Tuesday. You can't tell how the kids are going to perform on a week day game.  Hopefully, they won't all be worn out from school. 

The All Star team just had their team pictures last Saturday.  I believe they may have a tournament game as soon as this next weekend.  There isn't going to be a break. 

With the games rained out, the girls went shopping.  That left us boy at home.  We rented the Star Trek movie (the 2009 remake).  It was Collins' first time watching anything Star Trek.  He seemed to like it, I was a little surprised he made it all the way through the movie.  I had to fast-forward through Cpt. Kirk trying to score with an alien.

I was almost Collins' age when I saw The Wrath of Khan in the theater. 

We might go to see the new one in the theater.

I showed a few minutes of a goofy Star Trek show from the 1960s.  Collins' laughed when Abraham Lincoln showed up in space.  I was cringing.