Thursday, December 04, 2008

Runway Challenge: You know you're old when...

A few notes from Edsall's teleconference today:
  • Steve Brouse will play on offense Saturday. Edsall said the Huskies' missed his hands and blocking ability while he was out because, "he's bigger and stronger than Martin (Bedard).
  • Darius Butler hasn't practiced and won't play, but is jogging and feels much better.
  • Edsall expects C.J. Marck to have his "personal issues" straighted out come bowl time.
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That's it for UConn news. On to my personal blathering.
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Every so often, something random occurs that makes you realize you're old. Part of my 14-month old son's morning routine is to open the cabinet doors under the television and pull out all the old VHS tapes one by one. When he's done I put them back, and the next morning he unloads them once again.
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Anyway, today I decided to pop in an old high school basketball tape I hadn't watched in about 10 years. It hit me like a ton of bricks. The footage just seemed so.....dated. It was like watching the Zapruder film. Or a "Little Rascals" episode minus the grainy 1920's background music.
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A few of the lowlights:
  • Our team came out of the locker room for pre-game warmups to Queen's "We Will Rock You". Later, it was Boston's "More Than a Feeling" and then Guns 'N Roses "Welcome to the Jungle". We might as well have done layup drills in acid-washed jeans and work boots. I can assure you that the music wasn't my idea (although my playlist of Van Halen, Iron Maiden and Dio wouldn't have done much to improve that "dated" feel).
  • We had new uniforms that year, and I remember thinking they were so cool at the time. The shorts, however, were still a little too short. It's looks like we're all playing in boxer shorts.
  • My hair looks ridiculous. I was trying to emulate Jose Canseco that year. To be honest, it looks ridiculous to this day. The only difference now is I don't have a mullet.
  • My dad filmed the games, and seemed to forget that our video camera had a microphone. He doesn't say much, but when he does, well, lets just say the Motion Picture Association of America would have given it an 'R' rating for language. Luckily, most of the swearing is in Italian.

It is entertaining, though. Maybe I'll watch it again in another 10 years.

My high school basketball portrait. Well, it feels like it after watching old film today.

On to the picks. It's the final week, and it seems to be a three-man race between Dougo, Caleb Mandrake and Vinny from East Haven. The college slate is limited this week. Even with every game, there's only 13 on the docket. So pick well. It may take an undefeated week to come from behind. Stay tuned for the third annual Bowl Challenge later this month.

Game 1: Navy (-11) over ARMY

Game 2: Pittsburgh (+2.5) over UCONN

Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA (-7) over South Florida

Game 4: Washington (+35.5) over CAL

Game 5: UCLA (+32.5) over Southern California

Game 6: ARIZONA (-10.5) over Arizona State

Game 7: HAWAII (+7.5) over Cincinnati

Game 8: TROY (-11) over Arkansas State

Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (-7.5) over Western Kentucky

Game 10: East Carolina (+12) over TULSA

Game 11: Boston College (pick'em) over VIRGINIA TECH

Game 12: Alabama (+9.5) over FLORIDA

Game 13: OKLAHOMA (-16.5) over Missouri

Last week's results

1. kevin 8-3

ian 8-3

3. chip 7-4

caleb 7-4

wil 7-4

dougo 7-4

JZ 7-4

8. pete 6-5

sammy 6-5

donny 6-5

11. vinny 5-6

Standings

1. Dougo 89

Caleb Mandrake 89

3. Vinny from East Haven 86

4. Chip 84

JZ 84

6. Ian 83

Kevin 83

8. Pete 80

9. Sammy 74

10. Rich 73

11. Wil 67

12. Sean O 64

13. Den of Stupidity 63

14. DanO 56

Gary 56

16. uconnhuskies 86 55

17. Big Donny Bertolotti 35

18. Stretch 21

19. HuskyBarker 5

Get your picks in by clicking "comments" below.

21 Comments:

Blogger Chip Malafronte said...

Chip's picks
Game 1: Navy (-11) over ARMY
Game 2: Pittsburgh (+2.5) over UCONN
Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA (-7) over South Florida
Game 4: Washington (+35.5) over CAL
Game 5: UCLA (+32.5) over Southern California
Game 6: ARIZONA (-10.5) over Arizona State
Game 7: HAWAII (+7.5) over Cincinnati
Game 8: TROY (-11) over Arkansas State
Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (-7.5) over Western Kentucky
Game 10: East Carolina (+12) over TULSA
Game 11: Boston College (pick'em) over VIRGINIA TECH
Game 12: Alabama (+9.5) over FLORIDA
Game 13: OKLAHOMA (-16.5) over Missouri

December 04, 2008 1:17 PM 
Blogger The Fat White Guy said...

Scott Baio....

...only furthering my point.
http://www.scottbaio.com/

December 04, 2008 1:32 PM 
Blogger Chip Malafronte said...

Hey Rob,

I'll take Scott Baio (or Chachi, as he'll forever be known to my adoring grandmother) over Ray Romano, the other guy people say I look like. I get Andy Pettitte, too.

December 04, 2008 1:47 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Putting up the picks last week post Thanksgiving hurt my chances since I couldn't get to a computer to get my picks in. As a matter of fact, I didn't even see any football scores until Sunday at like 11:30pm.

Oh well, it's not like I had a chance anyway.

Game 1: Navy. You gotta take your hat off to these guys on both teams, this game is awesome.
Game 2: UConn, thanks Chip for ensuring a win for the Huskies by picking against them.
Game 3: South Florida, I don't know if they'll win, but it'll be close.
Game 4: Cal. How is Washington a top tier job?
Game 5: USC. The steamrolling continues in the home reds, on the road.
Game 6: Arizona State. Haven't seen either team play this year, just a hunch.
Game 7: Cincy. Just imagine, if Cincy wins their BCS game, and Oklahoma wins the National Championship, that means, only Oklahoma and UConn would have toppled the Bearcats.
Game 8: Arkansas St. Red Wolves fever, catch it!
Game 9: Western Kentucky piggy-backs off their hoop team upsetting Louisville and pulls of a nice win.
Game 10: Tulsa. Remember when East Carolina was supposed to be the BCS buster?
Game 11: VA Tech. I just want to see BC shipped to Boise again.
Game 12: Florida, they'll win by 30.
Game 13: Oklahoma, they'll win by 30.

December 04, 2008 1:47 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Game 1: Navy
Game 2: UCONN
Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA
Game 4: Washington
Game 5: UCLA
Game 6: ARIZONA
Game 7: Cincinnati
Game 8: TROY
Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Game 10: East Carolina
Game 11: VIRGINIA TECH
Game 12: Alabama
Game 13: Missouri

Please don't let Vinny win.

December 04, 2008 2:13 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Game 1: Navy
Game 2: Pittsburgh
Game 3: South Florida
Game 4: CAL
Game 5: Southern California
Game 6: ARIZONA
Game 7: Cincinnati
Game 8: Arkansas State
Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Game 10: TULSA
Game 11: VIRGINIA TECH
Game 12: Alabama
Game 13: OKLAHOMA

Sammy

December 04, 2008 4:13 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Game 1: Navy
Game 2: UCONN
Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA
Game 4: CAL
Game 5: UCLA
Game 6: ARIZONA
Game 7: Cincinnati
Game 8: TROY
Game 9: Western Kentucky
Game 10: East Carolina
Game 11: Boston College
Game 12: Alabama
Game 13: OKLAHOMA

December 04, 2008 5:15 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

do us a favor and post those high school hoops game on your blog so we can understand the legend of Chip!!!

December 05, 2008 9:00 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

First, I hope he takes this as a compliment and is not insulted.....well done Mr. Lunn, well done. Feels like just yesterday we were wondering if UConn would cover the spread against Hofstra. Football season seems to fly by. At the beginning of the season, I picked UConn to finish 8-4. Make me look smart out there on Saturday boys. Vinny, let me clarify something for you. We are not delusional UConn fans. We know who we are. We are happy with the progression the program has shown since going to D1A. Your posts were originally mildly amusing. That ended sometime around week 2. And if you win, some people may read your manifesto and continue not to laugh. Now that I got that out of my system, onto the picks.

Navy - If you really love college football, you have to love this game. These guys may be fighting side by side in a few years defending our freedom. I salute each and every one of them. These guys embody the very best America has to offer.

UConn - I picked them to go 8-4, so why not? I'm looking forward to the McCoy-Brown showdown.

WVU - Too much emotion at Pat White's last home game. I will not miss Mr. White. Great player, but good riddance.

Washington - Teams tend to rally around ousted coaches in their final games for some reason. This may be closer than you think.

USC - This one will not.

Arizona St. - Remember when the Sun Devils were ranked earlier this year.

Cincy - I don't like this game. It's a no win situation for the Big East's BCS representative. Everything to lose, nothing to gain.

Troy - I couldn't name one player on either team. All I know is Troy gave LSU a real scare in Baton Rouge.

FIU - I always get mixed up with FIU and FAU. Surely I can't be the only one.

Tulsa - Seems like a decade ago that ECU shut down Pat White and the Mountaineers.

VA Tech - I don't know what to root for here. I despise BC with the intesity of 10,000 burning Notre Dame golden domes, but a part of me would love to see them play Cincy in Miami. Nah. Go Hokies.

Alabama - I can't remember the last time the top ranked team in the country was a 9.5 point dog. Unreal.

Oklahoma - A Sooner-Gator matchup in the BCS Title game would be something else. Wonder what the over/under on that game would be?

Chip, great job on the blog this year. See you in Toronto.

December 05, 2008 9:27 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rich's picks
Game 1: Navy
Game 2: UCONN
Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA
Game 4: Washington
Game 5: Southern California
Game 6: ARIZONA
Game 7: Cincinnati
Game 8: TROY
Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Game 10: East Carolina
Game 11: VIRGINIA TECH
Game 12: Alabama
Game 13: OKLAHOMA

December 05, 2008 9:43 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Game 1: Navy
Game 2: Pittsburgh
Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA
Game 4: Washington
Game 5: Southern California
Game 6: ARIZONA
Game 7: Cincinnati
Game 8: TROY
Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Game 10: TULSA
Game 11: Boston College
Game 12: FLORIDA
Game 13: OKLAHOMA

December 05, 2008 10:31 AM 
Blogger Dan said...

Danoooo's picks
Game 1:ARMY
Game 2:UCONN
Game 3:South Florida
Game 4: Washington - Too many points...
Game 5: UCLA- See above
Game 6: ARIZONA
Game 7: HAWAII
Game 8: TROY
Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Game 10:TULSA
Game 11: Boston College
Game 12: Alabama (+9.5)
Game 13: OKLAHOMA

Seems like I have not picked in a few weeks...oh yeah I haven't...glad to be back at it...just pick the opposite and you will do well!

December 05, 2008 12:32 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Game 1: Navy
Game 2: UCONN
Game 3: South Florida
Game 4: Washington
Game 5: UCLA
Game 6: Arizona State
Game 7: HAWAII
Game 8: TROY
Game 9: Western Kentucky
Game 10: East Carolina
Game 11: VIRGINIA TECH
Game 12: Alabama
Game 13: Missouri

December 05, 2008 5:46 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Brian Bennett of ESPN.com is saying UConn could end up now at the PapaJohn's bowl. Any word about that?

December 05, 2008 5:47 PM 
Blogger Dougo said...

Game 1: Navy over Army
Game 2: Pitt over UConn
Game 3: WVU over USF
Game 4: Cal over Washington
Game 5: USC over UCLA
Game 6: Arizona over ASU
Game 7: Cincy over Hawaii
Game 8: Troy over Arkansas State
Game 9: WKU over FIU
Game 10: Tulsa over ECU
Game 11: BC over VaTech
Game 12: UF over Bama
Game 13: Oklahoma over Mizzou

December 06, 2008 12:19 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

UConnHuskies86 Picks
Game 1: Navy (-11)

Game 2: UCONN

Game 3: WEST VIRGINIA

Game 4: Washington

Game 5: UCLA

Game 6: ARIZONA

Game 7: Cincinnati

Game 8: TROY

Game 9: FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

Game 10: East Carolina

Game 11: VIRGINIA TECH

Game 12: Alabama

Game 13: Missouri

December 06, 2008 7:50 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

JZ's Picks:

Really wishing I didn't miss that one week.

Navy
Pitt
WVU
Cal
USC
Arizona St
Cincy
Troy
FIU
ECU
Va Tech
Alabama
Oklahoma

December 06, 2008 11:38 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vinny's picks:
1. Navy
2. Pitt
3. USF
4. Cal
5. USC
6. ASU
7. Hawaii
8. Troy
9. FIU
10. ECU
11. Va Tech
12. Alabama
13. Missouri

December 06, 2008 12:38 PM 
Blogger Chip Malafronte said...

Results
1. Chip 9-4
vinny 9-4
3. JZ 8-5
sammy 8-5
pete 8-5
6. Wil 7-6
rich 7-6
caleb 7-6
dan 7-6
ian 7-6
dougo 7-6
uconnhuskies86 7-6
13. gary 6-7
14. den 5-8

December 07, 2008 11:30 AM 
Blogger Chip Malafronte said...

Final Standings

1. Dougo 96

Caleb Mandrake 96

3. Vinny from East Haven 95

4. Chip 93

5. JZ 92

6. Ian 90

7. Pete 88

8. Kevin 83

9. Sammy 82

10. Rich 80

11. Wil 74

12. Den of Stupidity 68

13. Sean O 64

14. DanO 63

15. Gary 62

uconnhuskies 86 62

17. Big Donny Bertolotti 35

18. Stretch 21

19. HuskyBarker 5

December 07, 2008 11:35 AM 
Blogger Chip Malafronte said...

Congrats to Dougo and Caleb, who tied for the title. Vinny came up just short of making it a 3-way tie.

A promised, I'll allow the winners to take over the blog for a day. Just let me know if you're interested, first. If you are, I'll give you the details.

Thanks to everyone for playing and making this fun. I'll run another bowl picks contest as well, to be posted sometime this week.

December 07, 2008 11:37 AM 

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