100% Sports Blackout

So, football season ended a couple of weeks early for me this year.

I am about 72 hours into a 100% sports blackout.  By that I mean that I am conducting a 100% boycott of all sports broadcasts, news, entertainment and information.  I am talking about a 100% free-sports free diet of media.

This means:

1. No bloody ESPN TV.
2. No bloody ESPN radio.
3. No bloody ESPN.com
4. No bloody NFL Network
5. No bloody NFL.com
6. No bloody Fox Sports Radio
7. No bloody CBSSports.com

Nothing!  I mean jack-nothing.  The next time I tune into the NFL Network, the calendar will say Feb 6, 2012.

I have no intentions of watching the Super Bowl this year.  I will go to the movies for a double-header on Sunday Feb 5, 2012.  I'm not sure what I will see.  Perhaps the new Underworld movie.   Perhaps Man on a Ledge.

This fast is not without pain.  I am missing some of the pre-draft senior games, which are terrific for scouting prospects.

Most painful off all, I caught the two hour BioHD documentary on the Bee Gees.  I was arrested and transfixed in horror, shock and awe.  It only goes to show the kind of hell can be unleashed upon the face of the by one Virgo and two Capricorns when they turn to the dark-side and use their powers for evil.

Just in case you were wondering why I am executing a 100% sports blackout, the answer is simple:  I am pissed about this match-up.  The last thing I ever needed to see in this life is the fucking Patriots in the Super Bowl again.  It is worse still that they will play the New York Giants.

This naturally means a 14 day food-fight between Boston and New York.  Lots of New York Dry-Wall technicians & Boston Longshoremen flicking boogers at each other for 14 days.  I don't need that.

This is a Super Bowl of very limited regional interest.

Another monster upset. The Colts go down in the first round.

Drat! Fucked again! You know that's what Peyton Manning and the Colts are saying right now. The Colts have once again exited the playoffs in the first round.

This has happened before... several times. I suppose we really shouldn't be surprised. It was a nasty rough year for the Colts in 2010. If ever they were going to get out quick, it would be this year. Still, the Jets didn't look like the right candidates for the job. As it turns out, they were.

Let's face the facts folks: This is a fluke year. We've been feeling this vibe all year long. The games were exceptionally hard to pick all the way up until week 12 because their was so much noise in the system. Even after week 12, we still had no clear-cut dominant team. The Swami, Chris Berman said early on that he felt this was the kind of year when anything could happen, and dark horse might win the whole frickin' thing.

As we approached this weekend, I felt I should sit down and make my picks several different times. I did not. As you can see in this blog, no playoff picks ever went up. Why is that? Because I was not confident in making any picks. I had a feeling we were in a fluke year, and that means big playoff upsets, but I wasn't confident enough to sit down and call a slew of them.

Right now, things are looking bad for the favorites in the playoffs. If you are favorite, you better run scared. Who knows, the Ravens may be the next favorite to go down in flames. Certainly, Ed Reed's personal tragedy does not help their focus.

Are the Broncos for sale...?

While looking for information on Enos Stanley Kroenke's position on the sale of the Rams, I stumbled upon a small gold cache of rumors regarding the Broncos. The much troubled Broncos just might be for sale. Pat Bowlen might be ready to throw in the towel. These rumors are reported by respected journalist Mike Florio of NBC Sports.

Many have noted the problems and frustrations Bowlen has experienced since the end of the John Elway era. He is getting older, and the organization is in turmoil. It has been since Bowlen fired his best buddy Mike Shannahan, who just took the HC job in Washington.

If this is true, you can expect Kroenke to make a big move. He already owns the Avalanch and the Nuggets in Denver. He can buy the Broncos clear of the cross-ownership rules that plague him in St. Louis. He can obtain an NFL franchise in his preferred city.

Certainly, if there is any truth in this rumor, we can expect Stan to sell to Shahid. He will need to do so to raise capitol for his purchase of the Broncos. These rumors are coupled with strengthened reports that Khan is buying 100% of the Rams.