The Girevik is getting strong

Happy New Years to y'all out there.  Just a couple of quick notes before I get out there to see what's going on in Woodland Hills tonight.

1. I'm holding pretty steady at 183-184 pounds.  I was one of the few people in America who weighed in 2 pounds lower on December 26.  I was 185.4 on Dec 23 and 183 on Dec 26.  I took no Sauna during that time.  Further, I took my Kettlebells with me to Fresno, and I used them plenty in my Dad's living room.  This all bodes extremely well for the New Year's Bod Pod.
2. There will be a New Year's Bod Pod event on Jan 6th.  It's been quite awhile since the last Bod Pod, and it is time for me to see where I stand.  I think it is going to be quite positive.
3. The Kettlebell training is going extremely well, and I am improving greatly.  I just had to purchase a 60 pound Kettlebell today because the 24 KG (53 pound) bell at my gym (Woodland Hills Athletic Club) is just too easy.  After swinging that bitch 25 time and Sumo-Chinning it another 21, I realized I was going to need a heavier bell.
4. I was able to do the Halo with the 60 pound ball 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the reverse.  That is pretty good for day 1.  Not a lot of Gireviks are willing to Halo a 60 pound kettlebell.  This is hot.  It's manly.
5. I was able to swing that 60 pounder for 3 sets of 15 reps.
6. I also did Sumo Chins with the 60 pounder, nailing sets of 15, 12 and 10 reps.
7. I am sure I can Swing and Sumo Chin a 70 pounder already.  I did it over at Busy Body's home fitness.  Next week, I will buy the 70 pounder.  Not many Gireviks are willing to work with the 70 pound cannon ball.  I'm hot.  I'm manly.
8. I discovered the glories of the Hexagonal Deadlift bar this week.  I read a piece in Fitness-RX [that quoted results from a UCLA Medical research study on the subject of the Hexagonal Deadlift bar] which turned me on to this subject.  The study reported that the Hexagonal Bar immediately improves form, reduces unhealthy stress on the spin, increases lift leverage of the athlete, increases training weights, and generates both more rapid and consistent gains in strength and mass.
9. Using the Hex bar, I deadlifted 270 pounds for 5 reps last Thursday.  I will do more Monday.
10. I now routinely work with 6 x 45 pound plates on the decline press.
11. I am now doing the clean and press exercise with the 40 pound Kettlebell.  I go all the way from the floor to the sky in two steps: Clean then press.  

And now for the dark side of the force.  I don't think my Carpal Tunnel is getting better.  It is getting worse.  Numbness is waking me up early in the morning, but it feels more like pain than numbness.  I wake up with pain in my hands despite the fact that I am wearing the cock-splints.  The inflammation is so bad it is visible.  I am forced to dunk my hands in a mixing bowl full of ice water to bring the inflammation under control.

I'm not to worried about the surgery, because I always believed a surgery was going to be necessary anyhow.  This kind of thing doesn't get better without surgery.  Once the doc fixes me, I'll shut it down for a bit.  Right now, I am concentrating on increasing my raw brute strength just as much as possible.

This is the price we pay.  Being this sexy is hard work.

Roe vs. Dave

Egad!  That is an absolutely horrid title for blog piece like this one. I should be shot.

I met a girl in my hometown this Christmas vacation.  Her name is Roe.  She works at George Brown's fitness center.  This is the premier gym facility in Fresno.  I was quite taken by her immediately.  There was a synastry reaction.  I felt it.  My dad, who got me in the gym, said she checked me out pretty closely before, during and after the workout.  Evidently, she did also.

My dad suspected Roe was a Leo.  Not so.  She's 180 degrees about.  Roe is a 1/26/1986 Aquarius girl born around 8:00am in Fresno, California.  How do I know?  I asked her.  She told me.  As Dr. Michio Kaku says, it's easy to mistake matter for antimatter.

I used Alabe to draw up an elementary natal report for her.  I gave that to her this morning. I promised her a more elaborate one based on Sirus and Janus.  She seemed very interested.

A few hours ago, I ran those programs.  I have been thinking about the results ever since.  Here are a few of the basics:

1. Jan 26 1986 is not far from March 12, 1986.  If you read this blog, you know the significance of that date.  In terms of the cosmic scale of time, we are talking about a close bullet-burn.  I heard the sonic boom as it whizzed past my head.
2. Five females born in close proximity to Roe have made it into my little black book of 498 names.  This is the black book of all media-based females I have found attractive in the past 2 years.  My favorite of those five was born on Jan 24, 1986.
3. All of these females have Mars in Scorpio.  You know I have a fetish for that.
4. Unfortunately, the local-max point there is 215 points on Feb 23,1986.  Roe is 3 days off that mark.
5. Sirus scores Roe vs. Dave at just 127 points.  I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't disappointed by that number.
6. As I mentioned several times before, Sirus scores without reference to the Housing system.  As I mentioned before, Janus doesn't give you any numeric scores at all.  Just text.  I dispute both methods.
7. Roe was born at approximately 8:00am.  This gives her an ascendant of Aquarius... barely.  Most of her first house is contained by Pisces.  This means most of her 7th house is contained by Virgo.
8. Her birth time puts a bunch of my power-planets in her 7th House.  I housed her royally.  I exert a massive gravitational pull on her marriage instincts.  No wonder she checked me out.  I mentioned all of this before in a past blog about girls with a Pisces Ascendant.  Most of that applies in this case.

Reading the textual report generated by Janus 4.3 reveals a mixed bag.  There are some very good House-points and aspects here.  There are also some pretty gnarly ones.  I think it is fair to say that this is not a balanced relationship.  I exert more pull on her than she on me.  That would be remarkable, if true, because she exerts a strong gravitational pull on me.  This asymmetry is supposed to become more pronounced as time goes by.

Looking at both reports, I find clear-cut points of comparison that have been overlooked and under-emphasized.  I regard several of these points important.  As I have said several times on this blog, I dispute several points about the way Sirus scores these things.  Ditto for Janus.

So now it is time to put up or shut-up.  It's time for Dave to push his chips to the center of the table, betting against Sirus, or fold his hand based on what Sirus says.  

I say I dispute several aspects of these methodologies.  I say I would score these two charts higher, objectively speaking.  I say MySynastryEngine will score these two charts higher.

If all this is true, I should be willing to take a shot at Roe.  So what am I going to do?

Ram Rumors are flying. Let's untangle fact and fiction

Four significant pieces have been published in the past 24 hours outlining some spectacular Ram-Rumors.  The jist of these pieces are as follows.

• Apparently, Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney await the gallows.  Their fate is sealed.
• Jon Gruden has decided to return to coaching in 2012
• This would apparently void his 5 year contract with Monday Night Football
• The Rams mean to get him
• Should the Chargers fire their GM, A.J. Smith, Stan Kroenke intends to make him GM of the Rams.
• According to the bullshit, A.J. Smith has the wherewithal/clout to bring Gruden into the organization
• Some Ram fans are sweating the fear that Gruden would dump Sam Bradford, and want to roll with Andrew Luck

First, let's temper all these scrambled eggs with some facts:

1. Most hope/believe that Spagnuolo and Devaney await the gallows.  I am gunning for the second name, not the first, but I accept the fact that they rise and fall together.
2. Stan has said nothing.  That's why they call him Silent Stan.  We all hope he will do the deed.
3. I am going to peel back-flips and celebrate overindulgently if we nail Jon Gruden.  I fully endorse & support this move.  I love it.
4. Jon Gruden has said nothing.
5. ESPN claims Jon Gruden is fully committed to Monday Night Football.
6. If Stan tries to hire A.J. Smith, I will fly to St. Louis with a .460 Weatherby Magnum sniper rifle and make sure he never enters the building alive.  In all seriousness, I can hardly think of a worse candidate for the job.  This is absolutely not the man for the job.
7. The notion that A.J. Smith has the wherewithal/clout to deliver Jon Gruden is spectacularly fictitious bullshit.  I will continue to say this until someone shows some proof of a connection.  I know of no connection, direct or indirect, between A.J. Smith and Jon Gruden.  
8. Jon has never voiced any love for this guy.  I don't know why he would.  I certainly wouldn't. Would you?  Of course not!  You would never do a thing like that.  Neither would I.
9. Why does anyone think A.J. Smith, a guy whose stock is about to be delisted on the Dow Jones, has the clout to deliver Jon Gruden?
10. Kevin Demof is the guy with the most likely open-connection to Jon Gruden.  He worked with Gruden in Tampa Bay during their championship run.  Demoff is vastly more likely than A.J. Smith to deliver Jon Gruden.  Further, using this connection could be the move that saves Demoff's neck.
11. Most writers have correctly slapped down rumors that Gruden would dump Sam Bradford.  This is utterly baseless.  He hasn't even accepted the job.  This is just pure fear.  Gruden worked with Sam during his QB camp two years ago, and said tremendously flattering things about him... aside from declaring him the world's worst slider.  There are presently no reasons to believe Gruden would dump Bradford.

Anyhow... here are those pieces for your consideration:

• Business Insider
• ESPN NFC West Blog
• NBC Pro Football Talk
• Bleacher Report

I would feel much better about the whole thing if the rumors said "Dick Vermeil declared Team President, and presently negotiating for Jon Gruden's services."

Can somebody please start that rumor?  That would be good.

One very nice footnote to report:  Highly-esteemed Sports Illustrated writer Peter King declared that the Ram-jobs could be the most desirable and best landing spots for candidates during the 2012 hiring cycle.  Why?

1. Sam Bradford
2. The #1 absolute pick in the 2012 draft
3. The greatest projected cap room of any NFL franchise come 2013.

The Rams have better than a puncher's chance of drafting #1 in 2012

Ryan Van Bibber over at the Turf Show Times summed things up succinctly:

1. Right now the Rams and Colts are tied for the worst record in professional football at 2-13
2. One game remains.
3. Should both end in a tie, the Colts will draft first based on a weaker schedule.
4. The Colts play the Jags, and they have a reasonable shot at victory in a game that is almost meaningless for both.
5. The Rams play the 49ers.
6. The 49ers need to win in order to secure a bye-week and the #2 seeding.
7. The Rams's chances of victory are slim and none.  We have no reasonable expectations for victory in this game.

It logically follows that, at the moment, the Rams have better than a puncher's chance of drafting #1 overall in the 2012 draft.  Would this be a bonanza or would this be a disaster?  It depends on how you play it.  If you intend to deal that pick, and know how to stoke the fire, it could bring a king's ransom.  Many interested parties around the league will compete for the right to draft Andrew Luck. 

I contend the following: If we do not sack Billy Devaney at the end of this season, more disaster is sure to follow.  This dude has never succeeded in trading down in his career, and there is no reason to expect him to rape and pillage now.  Further, the guy couldn't draft a wide-receiver to save his life, and would probably never do such a thing with the top pick anyhow.  If we are to parlay this consolation prize into a chance to rebuild our team, the pick must be dealt, and dealt well.  This means Devaney has to go on Black Monday.

Off with his head!  To the gallows.  Burry him in an unmarked grave in the Nevada desert.

I want to restate my position that the team has not found its footing in 4 years primarily due to poor and sub-par drafts.  Billy Devaney is the prime suspect with Scout-Boss Lawrence McCutcheon in the #2 spot.  If we are to stop being a Bush-league organization, the first thing we have to do is acquire some men with a real eye for talent.  Getting a real-wheeler dealer would provide a double-bonus.

I, for one, tremble at the thought of Devaney being allowed to handle the 2012 draft.  It is terrifying to think of this guy orchistrating any deals or actions surrounding that #1 overall pick, especially with the stature of Andrew Luck drawing even more attention than ever to this process.  You're putting C4 in the hands of children without any adult supervision.

I sure hope the rumors of Devaney's immanent departure are correct.  Further, I sure hope we will offer the presidency to former HC Dick Vermeil.  Further, I sure hope the rumors of coach Jeff Fisher's arrival in town are totally wrong.  Let's put Dick Vermeil in charge, and let him pick his people.  

Welcome back to Capricorn time

So, last night was the Winter Solstice; the longest night of the year (in the Northern hemisphere) and the shortest day.  It is also the official end of Fall and the beginning of winter.  The Sun migrated into Capricorn something like 6 hours ago (according to the Tropical Zodiac, and from a geocentric perspective), so we are now officially back on earth time.  Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.

If you prefer the real skymap, we are entering Sagittarius time.  That would still work fine for me, because the real skymap makes me a Leo.  I am still entering my home element, no matter what.  You see, it's the angle, even more than the sign or the element.  I rejected that theory for a long time, but not now.

'Tis the season why all those Christmas bundles of joy for every Virgo boy are being born.  Virgo and Capricorn are a notorious match-up; perhaps even the most notorious of all synastry match-ups.  Do yourself a favor and google search "Capricorn Virgo Synastry" or "Virgo Capricorn Synastry".  You'll get about 10,000 pages celebrating these two as one of the best matches possible.

My cousin Justin would agree.  He happens to be a Capricorn guy married to a Virgo girl.  I think it has been 12 or 13 years already...

This doesn't naturally imply that all Capricorns are good for all Virgos, or vise-versa.  This would make us all perpetually confused, and we would probably kill each other.  This would subvert the key bedrock-partnership upon which human society is based.  However, you can rest assured that there is more than one ideal Capricorn partner for each Virgo, and vise-versa.

Just make sure no evil scorpions get in the way...

In any case, I thought I would share one of my favorite pieces of Astrological art with you.  This little piece by Kagaya depicts Capricorn and Virgo going out for a little swim in the ocean together.  It's extremely girly in nature, but it is nice to know that there are female romantics out there with some 3d modeling and rendering skills.  This is a lovely piece of work.

December 21, 2011, just 366 days until the official end of the world

For those of you who have been hiding under a rock, fleeing from popular TV and cinema, not listening to fun XM radio programs, or reading fun magazines...

The Mayan calendar will complete it's 13th Baktun exactly 1 year from today.  13 Baktun are equal to 5,125 years, and that is the interval of the Mayan Long-Count calendar.  We are just 366 days away from the completion of the 13th Baktun.  2012 is a leap year.  There will be a new crop of Feb 29 Pisces babies this year.  They won't last long, but there will be a fresh crop of leap-year Pisces babies.

Today is December 21, 2011.  This means we have 366 days left until the Eschatological event.  What eschatological event?  Well, nobody seems to agree on that subject.

The Maya are fairly clear that the mysterious god Bolon Yokte will return on 12/21/2012, but that doesn't stop theorists from disusing subjects such as:

1. Magnetic pole reversals
2. The failure of Earth's magnetic shield
3. The awaking of the largest volcano in the world, which just happens to be underneath most of Yellowstone National Park.
4. Global seismic events.
5. Tidal waves and floods
6. Exposure to super-massive gamma radiation bursts emanating from the super-massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, just as our solar system enter the galactic rift of Sagittarius.
7. Swift and violent global climatic changes
8. The absolute breakdown of social order due to famine and drought.  Hide your kids, hide your wives, and hide your husbands, 'cause their raping everybody out there.

To be clear, Bolon Yokte is a sort of apocalyptic judgement figure in Mayan mythology.  His arrival is associated with calamity that will end one epoch of the world, and begin a new one.

Erich Von Daniken would tell you Bolon Yokte is an ancient astronaut.  He is an extra terrestrial who visited with the Maya way back when in the day.  Von Daniken would probably entertain the idea that Bolon Yokte may return on 12/21/2012

Any which way you slice it, we are speaking of the absolute end of the world as we know it.  We are talking about the renewal of the world, which naturally implies the death of the old world.  

So who cares about the Maya?  Well, the Chinese I-Ching also happens to run out on 12/21/2012.  Further, the Hopi Prophecy rock (which is a real muther to explain) also happens to identify 12/21/2012 as the big day of the big event.  There is some weirdness happening here.

As we all know, Christians have been seeing the signs of the times and beginnings of the birth pangs for some 40-50 years now.  It just might be time.

Good luck folks.  Live this year like it is going to be your last.

There is a famous Taurus dude named Tim McGraw (married to the one perfect Virgo woman, Faith Hill) who did a song called "Live like You Were Dying".  This is the theme song for 2012.

2011 NFL Season, Week 15 Results

Week 15... a week that will live in infamy.  A week of disgusting upsets.  Consequently, I had my worst week of the year at 7-8.  A loosing record for Christ's sake!  This never happens to me!  If it is any consolation, the dudes at ESPN didn't fare much better than I did.

I guess you can argue that the meek inherited the league (for one week) but now we must suffer all manner of rubbish discourse about whether the Chargers are actually the strongest team in the AFC.  We also have to suffer the remonstrations of Patriot bleeders who think the great pretenders of 2011 are the strongest team in the AFC.  'Taint so.

I want to make two things perfectly clear:

1. No learned, responsible, knowledgeable evaluator of the NFL expected the Chargers to be a powerhouse this season.  [Don't wave Michael Irvin around either; he was just being loyal to his old coach.]  Why?  Because they are not a powerhouse in 2011.  They have not been a powerhouse this season.  They've been chumps for the most part.  This is because of the odious actions of their GM A.J. Smith and their weak coaching staff.
2. The Patriots are dead meat in the playoffs.  I'm talking about a quick and easy out in the first round again.  They are going to be in and out like a pinche vato.  The Patriots are the great pretenders of the NFL.  You wanna crown their ass?  Then crown them, but they are who I think they are.  That's why their opponents should take the damn field.

I'm disgusted.

My brother from another mother, Kurt Warner, laid the jinx down on Green Bay during NFL Game Day Morning Edition on the NFL Network.  "The only way this team drops a game is if they all have that proverbial one-bad-game; the game where everyone comes out flat", said Warner.  He was a prophet and didn't know it.  The Packers came out and did precisely that, losing to a team they had absolutely no business losing too.

Pop the corks in Miami.  You remain the only undefeated team in the modern history of the league.  I am disappointed for the Pack.  I thought they would do it.  One loss won't stop them from going back-to-back, tho.

I don't know which was worse, the Patriots up-ending my Broncos, or the Chargers laying a once-in-a-blue-moon beat-down on the Ravens.  Don't read anything into it, art critics.  This performance is never again to be repeated.  Stick a fork in the Chargers, they are now done for the season.

At the end of the day, the Ravens will be the AFC Champs.  Broncos versus Ravens in Baltimore for the AFC title.

HBO cancels Hung?!?!?!

When I decided to subscribe to the NFL Super-Fan/Prime Ticket this year, DirectTV decided to toss in a free 3 month subscription to HBO as a gratuity.  I was grateful.  Although I find these subscription channels to be extremely thin on unique content, recycling the same thing over and over again, I do like to catch up with their antics every couple of years.  

It had been more than 4 years since the last time I subscribed to HBO.  There should be something new on

Well, I was quite surprised to discover that that something new was a series staring Thomas Jane called "Hung".  Jane plays the title role, and is the 40-something Pisces gigolo king of Detroit... replete with a giant penis, which is the key to his success.

My only complaint is that the casting is astrologically faulty.  If the producers knew anything about astrology, they would understand that Pisces dudes cannot be gigolos.  The Libra guys have a natural monopoly on this business.  All male Libras are natural-born gigolos (on the inside).  If you don't believe me, ask David Lee Roth.  He's a 10/10 Libra.  Jim Rome can also be some help on this question.

Anyhow, I started watching this series and I found it hilarious.  It did lose it's critical path and get mired in confusion during the final third of this season, but this mattered little to me.  I figured the writers just needed an off-season to plan and recharge their batteries.

Unfortunately, HBO did not see it my way.  The second the tranny client showed up, the viewing audience plummeted.  I wasn't particularly fond of that subplot either, but I passed it by.  Rather than recognizing that the writers stepped over the boundary-line, even for this insane series, HBO simply interpreted this moment as the natural death of audience interest in the show.  There will be no season four.

I am disappointed.  This is one of the few unique and daring comedy ideas in the past 20 years of television.  Rather than simply accepting that there are some boundary points you can't cross, even in a series like this, and making a few adjustments, HBO simply decided to kill the series.

I hate to say it, but they just killed the only reason I had to continue my subscription.  You had me on the line for more money.  Now you don't.

182.4... Holy crap!

The score a few moments ago was 182.4 on the Tanita bathroom scale.  Of course, this means my actual weight would be lower, according to the Bod Pod.  Probably somewhere in the 181.6 zone...

...and I am not even trying!  Holy crap!

I must have shook something loose.  I was not expecting anymore periods of significant weight loss after a brick solid month of stability.  However, something began to shift a few days ago.  I am not sure how or why.  Here are few ideas:

1. Beans:  I've already explained how I've added beans to my diet, but I sure didn't eat any yesterday.
2. Prolonged cortisol secretion:  There is a stress hormone called cortisol produced by the adrenal glands.  It has many functions related to restoring homeostasis when your body is under high metabolic stress.  High metabolic stress includes surgery, trauma, and nutritional stress.  If this goes on too long, the body can cling tenaciously to it's fat reserves.  You weight loss will stop.  Cortisol levels must be reduced for fat loss to resume.  I may have broken through this barrier.
3. Kettlebells and 5/3/1 barbells:  I've already described how I have modified my workout to focus on strength training over aerobics.  This may be having some interesting and unexpected effects.

In any case, I think it is time to schedule a new appointment for the Bod Pod.  I should have a look at my body composition.

The Girevik broke his doctor's orders

So, after 4 days of doing little or nothing, I was going nuts with excess energy today.  I had to do something.  I was losing my mind and becoming depressed.

I got on my Elliptical Cross Trainer and busted 21 minutes for 324 kcal.  Numb hands and fingers did not stop me.  Before 5 minutes of rest elapsed, I got back on and busted another 15 minutes for 231 kcal.   This was was a nice round 555 kcal in 36 minutes of elliptical.

I didn't feel finished.  I jumped on the bike with intention of performing 10 minutes of cool-down cycling.  I did 18 minutes of meltdown cycling for another 184 kcal.  All-tolled, this was 54 minutes of exercises for 739.  This is an okay-level of production, but you know I did much more than that each day during the summer season.

After the Cowboy game, I was at loose ends again.  Way too much energy.  I decided to break medical orders and head to 24 Hour Fitness for a 5/3/1 workout.  I made one concession to medical expediency:  Rather than doing a barbell press, I used the Hammer Strength Decline Press machine.

I went big.  I went heavy.  I went hard.

1. 5 reps with 115 pounds on each side (45 + 45 +25)
2. 3 reps with 125 pounds on each side (45 + 45 + 35)
3. 2 reps with 135 pounds on each side (45 x 3)

According to the 5/3/1 pattern, I should have only done the final weight for 1 rep.  I went for two and got it.  I cycled through it all a second time, but I failed at stage 2, only getting 2 reps.  Incidentally, that final weight was at least 270 pounds, even if you give me no credit for the machine overhead.  This quantity would be 305 pounds in barbell terms.

It felt great to put three big wagon wheels on (each arm of) that machine and press it.  No NFLer would be impressed by that performance, but the dudes in the gym were.  I looked like a beast to these cats.  I guess I am a medium-size fish in a small pond.

It looks like the rest did me some good.  My strength seems to be increasing by leaps and bounds.  This is, in no small measure, the result of Kettlebell training.  For the moment, my fear of lost muscle mass is diminishing.  I am certainly not losing strength.  It's hard to loose muscle mass and not loose strength.  Conversely, it is difficult to gain strength without gaining new muscle mass.

The problem came after the pull-downs.  I finished my pull-down pyramid at 205 pounds.  I almost pulled that down twice.  Unfortunately, my right wrist feels a bit sprained and strained.  I think I done sprung it.  It was fine until I did the pull-downs.

Oh well, we'll see if I manage to sleep through the night, or if I have some problems with numbness.  A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.  That's what I always say.

2011 NFL Season, Week 15 Predictions

There has been a substantial degree of unpredictability and noise in the system over the past two weeks.  We are encountering turbulence.  We are seeing some inconsistency from contenders, upsets from low-dogs, and even some remarkable perseverance from on contender.  That would be the Houston Texans.

If Jim Harbaugh were not a lock for NFL Coach of the year, I would say Gary Kubiak is the man.

Anyhow, this is the best I can do for Week 15.  I have a queezy feeling in stomach about the following games:

1. Cowboys @ Bucs:  The Cowboys are doing their December Swoon thing again.
2. Dolphins @ Bills:  Predicting which tomato can will show up for work on Sunday is always difficult.
3. Panthers @ Texans:  Super Cam is coming to town.  The Texans have been surviving everything this season, so I am going to roll with them. However, Super Cam represents a sizable, credible threat.
4. Jets @ Eagles:  The Eagles are the NFL team that has pissed me off more than any other this season. If I was a betting man, I would have lost millions on them by now.  I cannot fathom when these little fuckers are going to get up and play, and when they won't.  Inconsistent and unpredictable dirty bastards...
5. Patriots @ Broncos:  This is the game of the week.  I heard Jim Rome prophesying in the Spirit on Friday.  He declared that if the Patriots got out to a lead, failed to put the Broncos down, and Tebow rallies them one more time, the Internet is going to break.  Nothing will contain the tidal wave of response.  Yup!  That's right.  The Internet is going down on Sunday evening.  Prepare for a huge outage of the World Wide Web.
6. Steelers @ 49ers:  Are the 49ers in a swoon?  With Roethlisberger play despite his numerous injuries?  There are a lot of uncertainties in this game.  One thing I know:  Roethlisberger is hurt, and you can't run on the 49ers in their house.

2011 NFL Season Week 13 and 14 results

I just realized that I need to catch-up on a little household accounting project here.  I failed to post my results from week 13 and 14.  Without further ado, here they are.

As you can see, I did not measure up to my own lofty standards.  On week 13, I scored an 11-5 record.  Whilst that is a winning record, it is not particularly impressive winning record.  I was very disapointed in myself on week 13.  I seldom see 5 losses.  However, I whupped the crap out of every prognosticator in the ESPN gang.  Have a look at it for yourself.  You can see it here.   As per usual, Mark Schlereth was the best man with a 10-6 record.  I beat him by one game

I was not so lucky or good on Week 14:

I failed to post my predictions before the Thursday night game, so I missed and easy and free victory.  Every half-assed guy picked the Steelers.  I would have also.  Still, my record was 10-5.  Some times you win, and sometimes you get your ass kicked in.

Many ESPN analysts beat me on Week 14.  Most of those were half-game victories, but Schlereth got me by 1.5 and Seth Wickersham busted me by 2.5 games.  I can't say it doesn't hurt.  I'm sore. I am accustomed to beating these guys.

I'm going to have to do a better job this week.  I need to tighten up and get right.  Overall, I am just 21-10 over the past two weeks.  That's a 67.74% winning percentage, but that's not so hot.  I want to get back into the 80% region.

183.4 and I hope I am not loosing my muscle

So the official score a few moments ago was 183.4, and that is a tad scary. During this post-surgical weight loss period, I touched 181.9 pounds once, but it bounced right back up again. 183.4 is an awfully low figure. I hope I am not losing my muscle.

Lately, I've been cruising around 184.8 to 186.9. That is approximately a 2 pound range. That is a normal oscillation factor. This can be accounted for by body-water and body-waste. I've been bouncing around in that range for more than one month.

But this was before I learned how to cook beans...

What is the big deal about beans? It turns out that beans, all kinds of beans, constitute a diet super-food. Just about every "get-ripped" diet focuses hard on consuming beans. If the rhetoric from countless certified dietitians is to be believed, beans are a magic weight-loss food. They deliver a pretty solid nutrient pop, whilst being low in calories and high in fiber. They deliver a lot of mass with a very small calorie load. You can eat your fill of beans and wind up with a low calorie total... Even if you have a big stomach. If you have a 90% surgically reduced stomach, as I do, your fill of beans constitutes almost nothing in terms of calorie load.

My family never ate much in the way of beans as I was growing up. Bean dishes were frowned upon as "poor-man's food." This fact may well be implied by my former body weight. Consequently, on those rare occasions when I attempted to cook them, it didn't work out well. I didn't know how to cook them well.

It doesn't help that 8-24 hours of soaking is called for my many recipes. That's 8-24 hours of soaking before several hours of simmering. It doesn't help that the "speed method" involves boiling and resting for one hour before pressure cooking. All of these methods are long. In stark contrast, rice can be prepped in 12-30 minutes if you use the speediest methods.

It turns out there is a rapid method. You put 8 oz of raw/dry/hard beans (by volume) in 32 ounces of clean water, and you pressure cook for 31 minutes. My Cuisinart electric pressure cooker needs 31 to do a masterful job. Your pressure cooker may need less. Once the beans are done, you discard he water by draining them in a colander. You then dress them like salad: Olive oil, a tab of butter, some balsamic vinegar, a dash of Tabasco sauce, and a generous amount of sea salt gets the job done.

If you pressure cook the beans with some fresh Thyme, Bay leaves, and Rosemary, you will like the results better. You also need a bit of oil in the brew to prevent foaming.

Speaking of salt, salt was the absolute key factor in my past failures with beans. No salt until they are done pressure cooking. No salt when you soak. No salt when you boil. No salt when you pressure cook. No salt until they are done.

This is contrary to all culinary laws, and highly counter-intuitive. Still this is correct. No salt until they are done. The answer lies in the chemical composition of the bean skin. The bean's skin reacts chemically with the salt. It hardens enormously on contact with salt. This will prevent the bean from cooking. What you get is a rock-hard bean that is inedible. If you forgo all salt until they are done, they come out fine.

Since I learned how to cook them, I have fallen in love with beans. I eat a lot of them now. They are great in pesto sauce also. Coincidentally, beans in pesto makes for a very nutrient rich mixture, especially if you use spinach and mixed nuts to make the pesto. The calorie load goes up a bit, but it still isn't bad. They are delicious together.

This remarkable drop into the 183.4 just might indicate that the bean diet is working.  On the other hand, it may indicate I am losing my muscle.  I sure hope the latter isn't the case.

Let the soil go fallow for a Sabbath month

So I saw my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Evan Bachner, yesterday afternoon about this awful numbness in my arms. It's been driving me crazy, waking me up in the middle of the night, not allowing me to sleep.

I gave him the fully complex of possible problems. He shot X-rays of my neck and shoulder. Those turned out negative. He went through a series of joint manipulations on my shoulders, elbows, and wrists. He found some sensitive spots in the shoulder motion, but this didn't alarm him.

The official diagnosis was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists. It's worse on the right than the left. He handed me a pair of wrist splints, and instructed me to sleep with them on. I was skeptical. I didn't think these splits would do anything to prevent the numbness.

I fell asleep on my couch at around 6:00pm yesterday. I slept through until 2:00am. That was a brick solid 8 hour block. My fingers were a bit numb, but my arms were fine. This was nothing like the past several weeks. I was drastically better off. I was up for two hours, and then I went to sleep for four more hours. I caught up quite a bit last night. It was good.

The sleep without numbness is plenary evidence that Bachner was right about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome being the efficient cause of the problem.

The real difficulty is that he wants me to shutdown my exercise program for 4-6 weeks. This is the only way to promote natural healing, and prevent inflammation. This is a bitch, but there is no real choice here. If I intend to improve this winter, and be prepped for the Spring, I have to shut it down for a Sabbath month. I have to let the soil go fallow for a time, so I can be ready for a new growing season.

An epic tragedy In Indianapolis?

My, my, my... Nobody seems to be commenting on Jason La Canfora's Inside Slant report on the NFL Network's Game Day Morning show. I guess that is because it was just too much to be believed. IF what we are hearing is true, Peyton's story-book career with Colts may end this off-season, and in way so preposterously tragic, the movie would never get made if a Hollywood screenwriter put it down on paper.

According to La Canfora, there is a growing belief among NFL execs that Peyton Manning will not be back with the Colts in 2012. The Colts must pick up a $28 million guaranteed option on Peyton's contract by March 5th, before the league year starts, and before trades are legal. Unless the Colts are certain Peyton can play again, and return to old form, it will be impossible to pick up his contract. It will blow their cap. The size of his contract and his three neck surgeries will make Peyton impossible to trade.

Peyton can renegotiate, and allow more time, but why should he? The Colts are in rebuilding mode. Reggie Wayne is likely to leave in free agency because Peyton's $28m does not leave enough cap room to sign him. Jeff Saturday is likely to retire, and the Colts OL is pretty much dogshit at this point anyhow. Peyton knows his next blow to the neck could be his last. He needs a rock-solid line.

So what option is left? The only logical option left is the following:

1. Release Peyton Manning, obtaining no compensation for him.
2. Draft Andrew Luck and start the rebuild in earnest.

Mind boggling, I know. Completely unbelievable that this is the way it may end...

This suddenly makes sense out of preposterous rumblings I've been hearing in the Colts forums. Essentially, rumors on the street say that owner Robert Ersay is infuriated with president Bill Polian, and considering blowing up his front office.

I scoffed at these rumors when I first heard them. Bill Polian is the 5 time NFL executive of year, and that doesn't give the man enough credit. He's the best exec in the league. Only a fool would blow him out. Don't cut your right arm off because you're pissed that Peyton has a pinched nerve.

Now all of a sudden, the threat seems credible.

Deion Sanders was one of the few voices that criticized Polian for offering such a huge contract to Peyton at a time when he knew Peyton was hurt. Deion also criticized Peyton for taking that contract at a time when he knew he was hurt. When all is said and done, this contract deal may be on the one and only fatal mistake of Bill Polian's career. A contract intended to lock-down Peyton's services until his retirement just may force his premature departure from Indy. What a backfire bomber!

If you are Robert Ersay, and you are forced to release (potentially) the greatest QB of all time, obtaining no compensation, when it was your intention to keep him forever, how would you feel? How do you respond when angry mobs of Colt-fans race to team HQ with firebrands in hand, ready to burn you out? I am sure Ersay is outraged by the position this deal has put him in. I am sure he is mad as hell at Bill Polian right now.

Booouuuuyyy... if the Colts loose both Manning and Polian, the party is all over in Indy. I can understand why few want to talk about this. This is an un-imaginably horrible ending to the story.

So the Cover-2 was designed to stop the spread-option zone-read, eh?

I normally don't bite on the Tebow-baiting that goes on in the media. If I did, I would be posting rants all the time. However, with that said, I'm going to bite right now.

Once in a while, you hear an argument so fallacious, so flawed, so egregious, so odious, so counter-factual, so conspicuously bad that you just can't let it pass. Such was the case this week. A number of commentators, including my own dear Marshall Faulk, seem to think the disciplined and deep Tampa-Two defense is designed to stop the Spread-Option Zone Read offense.

Say wahhhhh...??? WTF?!?!?

Specifically, several dudes including Merril Hodge and Marshall Faulk seem to think the Chicago Bear defense can thump Tim Tebow and the Broncos today. That is the specific context we're talking about today.

Folks, nothing in the world could be further from the truth. The Tampa-Two is essentially the same defensive philosophy the 1970's Pittsburgh Steelers played. It is a base 4-3 defense in which the MLB drops back deep in the zone on passing plays. The two safeties split left and right and cover the side-lines. If you have a linebacker as great as Jack Lambert, Derrick Brooks, or London Fetcher, it works very well... against the passing offense.

The entire notion of the scheme is to stop the deep pass. Chuck Noll invented the defense because his chief enemies on AFC side of the fence were the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders ran an aggressive Gillman-Coryell vertical passing attack. They threw towards the end zone, not the sideline. A slightly shorter version of this defense has been employed very effectively by Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith to thump the West Coast offense.

Now, I can assure you that Tom Landry never had the Zone-Read Spread Option (ZRSO) offense in mind when he invented the 4-3. I know for a fact he never saw this thing in his entire life. I can also assure you that Chuck Noll never had the ZRSO in mind when he tweaked Landry's 4-3 to produce the Steel-Curtain defense. I can further assure you that Tony Dungy didn't have the ZRSO in mind when he (slightly) modified it for use against the WCO. I can assure you Tony never taught Lovie how the Tampa-Two could be employed to stop the Urban Meyer ZRSO.

No folks, the ZRSO is almost nothing like the deep-strike Gillman-Coryell offense. Neither is it the West Coast Offense. It is a option running assault in which the QB is the prime ball carrier. He can also throw, but he is primarily a runner. I cannot comprehend how this disciplined pass defense, in which the MLB is dropping back into coverage, can automatically be employed to defeat a running QB. This makes no sense.

On the contrary, I see the ZRSO as putting incredible pressure--breaking pressure--on a disciplined cover-2. The MLB cannot drop deep and handle the middle. If he does, the QB goes up the middle. If the MLB comes up to stuff the running QB, he throws the football over his head, jump-pass style.

This offense was designed to piss Brian Urlacher off like no other offense Brian has ever faced before. I think he is going to be one hell of a frustrated man today.

Do you need evidence instead of reason? How about the game last week? You know and I know that the Vikings run the Tampa-Two. You do know that right? Most of commentators showed how the Viking safeties were biting on the inside routes rather than going to the side-lines against the Broncos last week. These 'mistakes' resulted in several of Tim Tebow's big passes to Demaryius Thomas.

Unfortunately, these were not mistakes. They were trap plays. The Broncos were over-loading the zone, sending receivers on matched-pairs of deep 8 and 9 routes. That is a bitch for the Safety. He has to bite on one of the routes. He can't let them both go. If the QB is good, which ever choice the safety makes, he will be wrong. The QB will go to the other receiver. I am sure the Viking Safeties were coached to take the shorter 8 route, as the DCs of this league don't think much of Tim's passing abilities. That's what they did. Tim busted them on the 9 route.

Anyway, I am getting far too specific. Understand this: The Tampa-Two was designed to stop high-flying passing attacks. It was never designed to stop QB-Option running attack. Those who say it is are absolutely and completely crazy. It just 'taint not so.

The Girevik benched 235 tonight

I had a rather successful workout tonight.

I did the 5/3/1 pyramid on the bench 3 times, which is probably too much work. It's more than what was specified, for sure. I slapped a pair of 45 pound plates and a quartet of 25 pound plates on a 45 pound Olympic bar at the top of the pyramid. For the record that is 95+95+45 = 235. At the end of the first two pyramids I nailed 2 reps instead of one. On the final pyramid, I could do it only once.

I was tired. I didn't want to end up like Stafon Johnson. Next time, I will do more.

Naturally, this pales in comparison to the 39 x 225 that guys such as Barry Allen have performed in the past. Still, I think it ain't bad for a guy who (a) hasn't lifted in years, (b) maybe going in for shoulder surgery soon (c) just lost 145 pounds, a process that always makes you weak.

One very interesting side note: In his fantastic book and video Enter the Kettlebell, Pavel Tsatsouline provided some weight guidance for beginners with the Kettlebells. He used the bench press as a misguided guide to scaling you Kettlebell weight. His official statement was:

1. Most men should begin with a 16kg (35 pound) kettlebell
2. If you are a strong man, able to bench 200+ pounds, you may begin with a 20kg (43 pound) kettlebell.
3. Only exceptionally strong men, such as experienced powerlifters, should begin with a 24kg (53 pound) kettlebell.

Well, it just so happens that the 20kg kettlebells at the Woodland Hills Athletic club and my own 45 pound kettlebell are just now becoming manageable for me. I can swing 'em, I can halo them, I can row them (two of them), I can tea-cup squat with them. In fact, I can swing and teacup squat with a 24kg. I can't yet clean them or snatch a 20kg, but I am getting close to a clean-clean with the 20kg.

What a co-inky-dinky that 235 becomes manageable on the bench press at the same time that the 20kg kettlebell becomes manageable on a variety of exercises. Hummmm... kinda makes you wonder if Pavel Tsatsouline has a little expertise, now doesn't it?

This guy knows his stuff. I recommend his work.

2011 NFL Season, Week 14 Predictions

This is an easy week folks. That generally means boring football. There are a lot of mismatches on the board this week. There are only 3 genuinely interesting matches for us to examine.

The top match is Giants @ Cowboys. This the first in a two game series that will decide the Eastern Division of the NFC. How the East was won. This is tough match, but it boils down to one factor: November is over and December is hear. The Cowboys play like champs in November and then fold in December. The Giants are frequently the opposite. In any match of two nearly-even opponents, it usually comes down to the QB. I am going to take Eli over Tony.

The next interesting match is Colts @ Ravens... nah! Just pulling your leg.

Actually Falcons @ Panthers is a very interesting match-up. I think the Texans exposed the Falcons last week. As Marshall Faulk says, their should be wide-spread panic in Atlanta. They just lost to the Texans and their 3rd string QB. Now they have to face Super Cam. I'm going to bet on Super Cam again. At the rate he's producing , he's got to start winning some games.

The next interesting match is Raiders @ Packers... nah! Just pulling your leg. The Packers are going to take the Raiders down to the woodshed and sharpen the little shavers up with a leather strap.

Incidentally, if it seems that I have reversed myself on Cam Newton, I have to some extent. I never doubted the kids athletic ability. I doubted he would keep his nose clean and master the system. So far he has done very well on both points. If that's the way it's going to be, the kid's got a hell of bright future.

The last interesting match-up is the Texans @ Bengals. This is going to be an intriguing game. I am going to watch this one for sure. The Texans are down to their 3rd string QB and they are on the road. I am taking the Bengals based on QB and homefield advantage.

Rihanna is taking over my car stereo

As you can see from the digital display on my car stereo, Rihanna is really taking over my play list in the car. What you can't see is that the stereo is currently playing We Found Love [in a hopeless place] for about the 10th time of the day. Five of the first six tracks are Rihanna.

Katy Perry then takes over the next two slots. Taylor Swift bats clean-up with the last four tracks on this home-brewed CD. Of course, Naked and Famous leads off with Young Blood.

This is my current Pop CD. I have entire 160GB iPod full of Heavy Metal in the elbow compartment. That doesn't even come close to covering my Metal collection either. The last time I checked, I had 202 GB of Metal in my music directory.

It is clear that females such as Rihanna (167), Pink (273), Katy Perry (88), Kelly Clarkson (367), Taylor Swift (165), Nelly Furtado (213) have taken me way out of my comfort zone. Am I just getting old? It may be the other way around. I happen to wield exceptionally high synastry versus nearly all of these girls. I think these girls are stimulating my hormones.

In particular, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, and Nelly Furtado score big points according to Sirus and Kepler. Kelly Clarkson just happens to have been born on my top Taurus date. I've liked her music pretty much since inception. The computer claims she scores 367 points. I recently read that she has never been in-love. It would be interesting to see if lightning struck...

Pink is a Virgo, and therefore should be a little lower on the scale. Not true according to the computer. I've enjoyed her stuff pretty much since her origin point as well. I've never felt particularly attracted to her, but I love her stuff.

Nelly Furtado (213) is a Sagittarius, and therefore should not score that well, but she does. I would tend to agree. She has to be the hottest Sagittarius chick of all time. I dispute the small score of 213. She's got to be in the 300 range.

But right now, as of this moment in time, the water women led by Rihanna (167) and Katy Perry (88) are dominating the scene. I dispute Katy Perry's score. She must have been born around noon-time; she must have a Pisces Ascendant. The House-Wise comparison system must be boosting her way up, because there ain't no way she scores only 88 points. I would say 450 is a more likely figure.

I sure seem to like those water-women. This is not surprising, tho. We earth boys are supposed to.

One of these days I am going to have to write a piece on the subject of synastry and the enjoyment of pop music.

Baked Rye Bread

So, I just took my first swing at plain-ole rye bread. I didn't add Caraway seeds or anything. This is just 100 grams of rye, 100 grams of high-gluten wheat, 300 grams of water, 1 packet of instant rapid rise yeast, 8 grams of salt.

I just swirled it together according to the Sullivan street no-knead method, straight out of Hell's Kitchen, and I let it ferment for about 15 hours.

I cranked my oven as high as it would go (roughly 500F) preheating my Emile Henry dutch oven in the process. I baked it for 33 minutes with the lid on tight. I uncovered it and baked for another 15 minutes. It came out very nice, if you ask me. The flavor is outstanding.

Check out the crumb structure of this bread. I know I have showed you this video before, but have another look.

186.4 and contemplating a fourth surgery

So, the score this morning was 186.4. My weight has been bouncing in a tight range between 184,4 and 186.4 for some two weeks now. Ad meanwhile, my strength has been increasing considerably.

I can now do the Kettlebell Halo with a 45 pound canon ball. A couple of days ago, I dead-lifted 215 for two reps. I also pulled down 190 for a single rep, and military pressed 110 for 2 reps. I really should have gone for three. I'm doing 225 today. The last time I bench pressed, I got 215 for a single rep. I should have attempted a second, but I did not have a spotter, and I didn't want to wind up like Stafon Johnson.

Regarding squats, I am being careful.

I have only been squatting with the Kettlebells, as a part of the face the wall squad. This is a technique where you take 1 large kettlebell, or a pair of smaller ones, position the tips of your toes no more than 5 inches from the wall, and proceed to squat. This forces you to bend your knees and lower your butt, rather than lean forward. Leaning is cheating. If you bend your back while facing the wall, you will smash your nose. You just can't do it. This is the way to develop ideal form in the squat.

Incidently, I am using a Rubbermade storage box (slightly shorter than my knees) to measure the depth of my squat. This is what some people call box-squats. The objective is to chose a box slightly shorter than your knees, place it immediately behind you during the squat, and make sure your butt makes contact when you squat. In this way, you will hit the ideal 90 degree angle; no more, and no less.

Last time around, I grabbed a pair of 20kg kettlebells, cleaned them, held them in the front-squat position, and squatted 12 reps. It was good. The next day, I was mildly sore in all the right spots. Tonight, I am doing a pair of 24kg kettlebells. This will be very good.

Remember what the comrades say: A 45 pound Kettlebell is a lot heavier than a 45 pound dumbbell. That's because the little bastard is alive and squirming in your hand. It will bite your wrists also. Lifting that Kettlebell requires much greater concentration and stabilizer activities. It's very dynamic.

With all that said, I am facing a fourth potential surgery event. My injured shoulder is not recovering properly. I still feel winces of sharp pain in the right shoulder. My right hand is numb all the time. It is as if someone shot Procaine into the first three fingers of my right hand. Numbness comes and goes intermittently in my left hand.

This develops to a critical level when I lay down and sleep at night. I frequently wake up in the middle of the night, and early in the morning with numb tingling sensations killing my arms. It begins to go away when I get up and work the Kettlebells. As I mentioned before, it never goes away completely.

This does not seem to be circulation related. My skin stays pink. The flesh is usually warm. It might be cold in exceptionally cold surroundings, but that doesn't make my hands any different than those belonging to anyone else. This has something to do with the nervous system. I believe it is a pinched nerve in my right shoulder.

There does seem to be some evidence of inflammation. I received a size 10.5 Saffire blue ring as a birthday gift this past September. It was away too big for my ring finger. It sloshed around on my hand quite a bit. Now it fits perfectly. It's a little hard to take off. I did not have it re-sized. How in the world has my finger grown so much? Maybe its just inflammation?

My Chiropractor has done a series of 6 adjustments to my back and neck. So far, no dice. He believes that a protruding disk somewhere between my 3rd and 5th cervical vertebrae is the culprit. If true, I may be going in for a neck surgery like Peyton Manning.

One way or another, it looks like I am going in for surgery. I have decided I cannot live like this. It is becoming debilitating. I am fatigued and exhausted through the day due to a lack of good sleep. I have to fix this.

We'll see what Dr. Bachner has to say about it. An MRI on my wrists, shoulder and neck are in order.

Why Trent Richardson will win the Heisman tonight

A quick look at the last 15 Heisman trophy winners reveals a bunch of clear-cut patterns. Before generalizing, let's look at the empirical data:

Num	Year	Name	School	Position	Class	Points
1	1996	Danny Wuerffel	Florida	QB	Sr	1,363
2	1997	Charles Woodson	Michigan	CB	Jr	1,815
3	1998	Ricky Williams	Texas	RB	Sr	2,355
4	1999	Ron Dayne	Wisconsin	RB	Sr	2,042
5	2000	Chris Weinke	Florida State	QB	Sr	1,628
6	2001	Eric Crouch	Nebrska	QB	Sr	770
7	2002	Carson Palmer	USC	QB	Sr	1,328
8	2003	Jason White	Oklahoma	QB	Jr	1,481
9	2004	Matt Leinart	USC	QB	jr	1,325
10	2005	Reggie Bush	USC	RB	Jr	2,541
11	2006	Troy Smith	Ohio State	QB	Sr	2,540
12	2007	Tim Tebow	Florida	QB	Soph	1,957
13	2008	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	QB	Soph	1,726
14	2009	Mark Ingram	Alabama	RB	Soph	1,304
15	2010	Cam Newton	Auburn	QB	Jr	2,263

After carefully reviewing this data, let's generalize:

1. You have to play offense. Even Charles Woodson played WR and caught passes from Tom Brady at Michigan. He would openly tell you that he never would have won the award if didn't play offense.
2. You must come from a major, major brand-name college to win the award. Guys from Fresno State and Alcorn State don't win the Heisman. It doesn't matter if they go on to become #1 and #3 overall picks in the NFL Draft. You don't win the Heisman if you are from a non-Fortune 25 program.
3. Your perennial top 25 program better be playing for the national championship, or you are not going to win the Heisman. There are a few exceptions on this list, but very few. Charles Woodson, in particular, won the award because he was Michigan's clear-cut MVP in the year they won the Championship. Tim Tebow is a major exception, but he was in-between two national championships at the time. He was also the clear-cut MVP of that program.
4. You better be the MVP of that #1 or #2 ranked team, or you are not going to win the Heisman. Just about every name on that list is the clear-cut MVP of his program.
5. You had better be a QB or an RB, or you are not going to win the award. Charles Woodson is the only exception to this rule, but he is the most exceptional winner of all-time, and everybody knows it.

As I stated in my last blog entry, Trent Richardson is the only guy who fits the suit. Nobody else on the list of contenders fits the suit. Ergo Richardson must be the projected winner of the award.

I have no idea why odds-makers have made Robert Griffin III the favorite to win the award. I guess this is because Las Vegas was built on losers, not on winners. The objective of the handicapper is not to pick the winner, but to trick you into betting on the loser. As far as I am concerned, Robert Griffin is an instant replay of the Steve McNair story. Nobody put up more impressive numbers than McNair. McNair went on to become the #3 pick in the draft. He did not win the Heisman.

Is Baylor really that kind of a small-time program? Compared to Alabama? Absolutely! No doubt about it. Baylor is not a perennial top 25 program. Quite frankly, they aren't even close. Baylor is not playing for the national title this year. Quite frankly, they aren't even close. Robert Griffin has two major strikes against him. Trent Richardson does not.

My buddy Rico, who happens to be a Libra, objected to this line of reasoning. He declared that this just wasn't fair. Such a statement would indicate that

1. Defensive players & lineman can't win the award
2. Kids from small schools can't win the award
3. Great performers who aren't the MVP of their squad can't win.
4. You win because of your program, not your own merits.

Yes, that is absolutely correct. That is what it is. These facts are clearly evident in the data. This is the empirical fact.

"That just isn't fair!" I ain't saying it's fair. I'm saying this is the fact of the matter.

My friends, this is a moment for an object lesson in Astrology. Rico is a Libra. Contrary to popular notions, Virgo is not the great perfectionist of the Zodiac. Libra is. Like all earth signs, we Virgos are concrete, pragmatic, factual, logical, evidence-based critters. We reason from the material facts to the conclusion, not from an abstract notion of what is fair or lovely or beautiful or nice to an idealized notion of perfect reality.

The air-critters go from the abstract vision of what is fair, lovely, beautiful, nice, and well-balanced to an idealized notion of what should be. They do this like crazy. Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius all do this on a routine basis. None more than Libra. This is one of the reasons why earth and air people don't communicate well. Their reasoning methodologies are just too different.

Colin Cowherd is famous for saying "Fair doesn't exist. It's not a part of real life. Get over it." You can hear the screams of air people as he says that. You can hear a Virgo like me chuckling, because I know the air people are screaming. It should be noted that Cowherd is a major college football fan, and also a Capricorn brother. That means he's an earth boy, like me. Capricorns are concrete, pragmatic, factual, evidence-based critters also.

The truth is where the evidence leads us, not where we would like it to be. Too bad, really. Life sucks in the real world, then you die.

One interesting fact: Charles Woodson happens to be a Libra, and he broke a couple of the empirical patterns. Not bad... Interesting.