Critique of Whitney Houston Coverage:The Story Not Told

At this time last week, what were your thoughts of Whitney Houston?

Assuming you were in the camp that didn't ignore her problems and thought she wasted away her early successes as a singer on drug use...flash forward a day later - are you still thinking those same thoughts?

Maybe I'm just not connected to people's conversations about musicians and pop culture all that much or I'm watching/reading the wrong coverage, but everything I've heard about Whitney Houston before she died was nothing at all like the thoughts that are coming out now.

When someone with her recent problems passes on, the conversation changes from her being a talent that withered away amid substance abuse issues to forgetting about the problems altogether and just focusing on her career and positive things in life.

With my dad off of work and his habit of watching those Hollywood-heavy shows like Extra and Inside Edition on the boob tube, I could not count how many times I heard a news segment begin with "Annnnd IIIIIIIIIIeeeeeeeIIIIIIIII willllll always love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, ohhhhh" in the past week while working downstairs. Every major network was covering this story as she had never done anything wrong.

A similar situation occurred with the death of Michael Jackson, where the simple mention of his past allegations of child molestation would give you nasty glares from many people in the room, arguably some of his fans.

I never understood why the complete story of people isn't presented when someone dies. Well, I do understand - we want to preserve a positive memory of someone as our first thought when that person's name is mentioned.

But isn't telling the complete narrative (the good and the bad) important to tell? Shouldn't it be mentioned more that the last decade of her life that saw her devolve from one of the world's greatest singers to a person with a substance abuse problem?

I'm not trying to take anything away from what she did as an artist in the 1990s, but for hardly a peep to be mentioned about the whole story of her life puzzles me. It's like the 2000s never happened.

If you were to ask someone who knew little of Whitney Houston to base their opinion of her off the coverage the past week, you'd think she was a saint her whole life.

side note: If Michael Jordan is to pass away in about 10 years and he continues to suck as an NBA owner, I believe it should be noted in the stories about him that he was bad as a basketball executive. But we all know that the Powers-That-Be would write the fluff pieces like they have always wrote about him. The only thing that media people have felt comfortable critiquing him on was his baseball experiment. You hardly ever heard anything about his womanizing or gambling for fear that a media member might lose access to the guy.

I digress.

When it comes for my time to pass on from this Earth, I'd expect people to remember me for the good AND bad of my life. Granted, the bad in my life might be limited to a few moments/time spans in my life. I'd prefer the entire narrative of my life be told, not just the good parts.

In my case, the bad moments in life were the prequel for better moments that were on the near horizon that had a "redemption/comeback story-feel" to them. Some people aren't as fortunate to bounce back from their bad moments to live and tell about it.

That doesn't mean we should ignore that it ever happened. Instead of making all of these pop stars out to be Statue-esque Idols who are above all humans and could do no wrong, let's present them as the humans that they are - a complicated blob of success and failure, littered with good and bad decisions, events and moments along the way that made them the person they turned out to be.

Linough is Linough: The True Comparisons Made Between Lin & Tebow

Since I took my sports blog hiatus a couple weeks ago, a new "Mania" has emerged in the sports world. Just when ESPN and other media outlets thought that they were going to lose ratings/viewers with the disappearance of Tim Tebow from the news cycle, a new world-wide phenomenon started his ascent in the city that already dominated the news cycle earlier in the month with a Super Bowl victory.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jeremy Lin.

The undrafted Harvard point guard was out of a job on Christmas Eve when the Rockets released him right before the regular season. The season before, Lin was buried on Golden State's depth chart behind such guards as Stephen Curry & Monta Ellis and saw very little playing time.

A few days after being released, the Knicks picked him up - but they played him very little. Lin played in just 9 of the team's first 23 games, playing in less than 55 total minutes in that time.

By many accounts, he was close to being released again due to the Knicks' depth at the guard position. Luckily, injuries forced Mike D'Antoni's hand as the Knicks coach gave Linn some playing time.

In the 7 games he has played significant minutes (past 6 have been starts), the team has been undefeated. In his 6 starts, he averaged almost 38 minutes per game while averaging 24 points and 9.5 assists in helping lead the Knicks back to the .500 mark and the playoff race.

Comparisons to Tebow

As a result of this performance, Lin has dominated the social media news cycle. Any casual sports fan with a television on in the past two weeks has seen at least a handful of highlights if only watching TV minimally.

With ESPN and other major media outlets shoving the story down our throats, comparisons of the coverage have rivaled that of Tim Tebow. In this madness, people have also gone out of their way to say that their careers have had similar arcs.

I am hear to completely dispel the notion that their careers are parallel as some have been saying. Outside of the media coverage, not much is the same between the two. Since everyone loves charts, I decided to make one that compares the two on many key components of their short careers:

Name	Jeremy Lin	Tim Tebow
Sport	Basketball	Football
Position	Point Guard	Quarterback
Team	NY Knicks	Denver Broncos
Height (according to team site)	6'3"	6' 3"
Weight (team site)	200 lbs	235 lbs
Years in Pros (of current/completed season)	2	2
College	Harvard	Florida
Other Colleges That Recruited Him	Brown	Alabama
Round/Pick that each was picked	Was not drafted	1st Round, 25th pick
Main Reasons for Promotion to Starter	Injuries	Overwhelming popularity/Starting QB Inefficiency
Before he started, fans _________.	never heard of him for the most part.	were quite polarizing regarding his future effectiveness.
When he finally started, his coach ______.	had him run the offense he has always run as coach	changed team's offense around, saying they'd be screwed
		if they ran a regular offense
Team record before he started in 2011-12 season	(9-15)	(1-4)
Team's record in first 8 games started after promotion	(6-0 - does not include game preceding streak - came off bench)	(7-1)
Notable win streak	6 wins (current)	6 wins
What each man averaged during streak:	51% shooting (averaging 17 shots/game)	50.4 Completion% (averaging 20 attempts/game), 7 TDs, 1 Int
	averaging 24.3 pts, 9.5 asts, 6 turnovers,3.8 rbs per game	Averaged 146 yards passing/60 yards rushing
Downfall during streak	Turnovers	Low Completion Percentage, Bad Passes
Shooting/completion % compared to league avg	49.7% Shooting - League Average is 44.4% as of 2/16/12	46.7% Completions - League Average was 60.1%
(includes games not started - 2011-12 stats)
Most Popular Nickname for Hype	Linsanity	Tebowmania
Reasons for Sudden Hype	Long win streak, out of nowhere "feel-good" story	His fourth quarter comebacks (5 total, including 4 in a row)
Many Suspect Hype is Based on…	Race	Religion
Start of Career Hype resembles that & reminds me of…	Kurt Warner	Danica Patrick
Twitter Followers as of 2/16/2012:	380,057 (@Jlin7)	1,216,574 (@TimTebow)

I tried getting through the blog without a Lin pun, but the title itself dispels that notion.

While the chart shows some similarities, the one thing to remember is that the Lin story is changing daily and the mania is likely to level off at some point. That's not to say he can't be a solid point guard in the league for years, but I highly doubt he will maintain his averages once opposing scouts learn of his deficiencies and exploit them.

To say that their careers are similar, particularly when Lin was barely recruited (basically by those two Ivy League schools - a conference not known for their athletics) and Tebow also had an offer to play at Alabama, is hyperbole at its finest.

In either case, for fans of either player, I say the best thing to do is this: enjoy the ride, ignore the critics (including me of Tebow) and hope that their joy rides can last a little while longer.

From Fatness to Fitness: Chapter 2

As you know from last week's writing, I have started working out once again. Unlike my blog towards the end of summer/beginning of fall, I am fully committed to getting back into the great shape that I was back in July 2010.

At that point, I was about 175-180 pounds and working out 4-5 times a week. I could jog three miles in about 25 minutes without much of a problem. Slowly but surely, after I started working from home and going to school full-time, I got fat again. Back up to 220 pounds fat.

Here I am again - right back where I started in November 2008.

Some updates since last week:

• I've been sticking with my "No Fountain/Canned Pop" mantra, although I just had a dream (or maybe a nightmare) that I broke this rule. It's been somewhat difficult not getting my mega amounts of Diet Coke, but not as difficult as I would have thought (given my dependence on it in the recent past).
• The treadmill is no longer a useless machine that has boxes stacked on it - it is now featured in the basement area facing the television. It has been used three times so far and still does not have "Extra Coat Rack" status, although I did recently line up my four new Beer of the Months on the machine. I am hoping to continue using this as a tool for when I cannot make it to the gym.
• My weigh in after leaving the gym today was 218.0, a drop of 1.6 from last week's weight. That brings the total weight to 2.8 pounds in two weeks. I am hoping the pounds start to shed a little more, but the key (as I've learned) is to continue working out and eating better. The goal is 1-3 pounds per week, so I can't complain as I am hitting my goals so far.
• Outside a single order of chicken rings at White Castle, I have also been able to avoid fast foods this month. I feel this, combined with the pop thing, will allow me to trim down and get into better shape.

Some quick lessons I learned this week while working out and dieting:

1. While the treadmill is nice to use, I work out harder when I am at the gym. I used the treadmill on Friday and Saturday in lieu of going to the gym. While I did break a sweat with each work out, I didn't feel the obligation of maximizing my work out the way I would when getting in my car and going three miles down the road.
2. I went about things the right way by not giving up EVERYTHING at once. And by everything, I mean all the bad dietary stuff I do. The fast food and pop are eliminated, but I still continue to enjoy a couple beers every now and then. I don't think I could give up everything bad at once and expect myself to remain level-headed. If anything, if I went about it that way, a severe regression could likely occur and make me want to work out/diet even less than before. I figure some of these continued vices are okay as long as they are done in moderation.
3. Working out while a good pump-up song is on - easy; when John Mayer comes on - not so much. As I mentioned in my Goals blog, one of my objectives for the year has been to listen to my entire I-Pod within a year's time for the first time. I will not skip a song and will listen to each song to its end. Like many people who work out, I use music to get through the process. Didn't really think about the difference between bands and my intensity at the gym. Before, I'd have work out mixes (some purely hard rock, some with some up-tempo hip hop music) that would make workouts a non-stop, intense experience. The motivation to work out through a slow tune must be increased.
4. Speaking of headphones, my most important lesson: just because you have headphones on, doesn't mean that other people can't hear you pass gas. Farting with headphones on is like farting in your sleep - you have little idea on the volume of your doings. Hopefully you're not like me and don't have much gas. In case you are not, just be careful of your surroundings when you're about to let one go. If you're a single guy who might be using the gym as an outlet to meet women, your best bet would be to avoid farting altogether. But if you have to, perhaps just walk over to the bathroom and then walk back to work out might be your best option. Thank God I have a girlfriend who is accepting of this bad trait that my dad will swear I picked up from my mom's side of the family.

Now that I grossed you out with that thought, I shall bid you good night for now.

For my sports-loving people, I'll be writing a sports blog soon. I needed a break after the Super Bowl - another New England/NYG tilt that lightened my wallet. I have a few ideas on blog topics - notably the Jeremy Lin phenomenon and its comparison to Tim Tebow (and how the situations are completely different).

On the Fast Track: The Restarting of My Weight Loss as a Local Fast Food Joint Perishes (Chapter 1)

You may need to lose a pound or ten if the disappearance of a fast food place in your neighborhood makes you mildly depressed.

Last month, I saw the Arby's that's a couple miles away disappear from our town. No, I didn't leave a bouquet of roses next to the building or pour a 40 ouncer on the ground for my dead homie, but I was disappointed that I didn't get to have one last Giant beef sandwich there with the delicious Arby's sauce.

Thinking about this set of events more in-depth made me realize, subconsciously more than anything, that I definitely need to lose some weight.

I think I mentioned this back in August or September on how I wanted to do this. The major difference between then and now is the attitude and dedication: I didn't have it then, I definitely have it now.

I started thinking about a lot of different things:

My upcoming trip to Costa Rica in a month. My brother's wedding in July. My recent back problems that crippled me for a portion of 2011 - which I'm convinced had a little something to do with being overweight again.

How I Ate Your Brother (or: How I Lost My Good Habits)

It's quite easy to pinpoint exactly where I went wrong in my dietary & exercise regimen. After having about three months off of work in 2010 on what I'll call a "vacation", I got hired at my current job that has me working from home. At the very same time, I started a night school program at the Illinois Center for Broadcasting, which had me at the school from 6:30pm-10:30pm three days a week, with me often going there early to get the necessary studio hours that are required to graduate. Often, I spent a 4-5 hour period on the weekends at the school as well, some of that time that in the previous years would have been spent at the gym.

I was able to fit in some workouts at the gym, but definitely not at the 4-5 days/week frequency that I was doing for much of my time since becoming a member (Nov 2008 thru July 2010).

Five times a week devolved into 2-3 times a week, which then became a once a week event after a while.

Before you know it, I stopped going to the gym for months at a time. All 45 pounds I lost during my intense workout period got put back on. Pants started to lose their comfort level as I struggled to put some of them on once again.

To start this year, I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to go back to the gym. But I knew I'd have to be in the right mindset to do it. Working out and getting into shape is something that has to be done right or you might as well not do it.

As many of you know, I try not making New Year's Resolutions like "Losing Weight", as I believe change should happen at any point of the year, not just the first day.

So Here I Am....

Now that I'm back in the mindset that I was back in November 2008 when I joined the gym, I know that getting back into shape will come in time. I've already started eating better - no Diet Cokes or fountain pops of any kind in the past week & only one fast food appearance on the resume in that same time.

I've been away from my gym for so long that it changed its ownership while I was MIA. I had to get a new card for the gym, which is now Charter Fitness. Today was my 4th time in the gym in the past week.

I'm looking to lose 1-3 pounds a week - my first week I lost exactly 1.2 lbs. For narrative purposes, I started at 220.8 (now at 219.6, for those of you who are math-impaired) and will be weighing myself once a week hoping to reach my goal. Perhaps I'll give an update every now and then

With the better weather coming around, I'll look to take walks on my lunch breaks from working at home. Maybe I'll start walking the chunky dog around the block a little more.

No more will I mourn the loss of a fast food joint. I'm back to embracing Subway and grocery shopping more so I don't have to eat out as much on my lunch breaks.

Rest in peace to the Arbys. Your death, much like the sandwiches of yours I used to eat, will not go to waste.

They're Super (Bowlers), Thanks for Asking!

As the AFC & NFC Championship weekend was about to commence, I was wondering how often a mediocre quarterback has won the Super Bowl. With Alex Smith still in contention, this was a reasonable thing to research.

Smith & the 49ers lost, but that didn't stop me from researching the history of Super Bowl quarterbacks and how many of the quarterbacks were average (or at the very least, not Hall of Fame worthy).

I broke down the QBs into two different eras - Super Bowls I - XXX (1 thru 30 for the Roman Numerically-impaired) & then the rest (many players since then are not eligible for the Hall yet).

I also took a look at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to see how the QBs from the Super Bowl era are represented. I used several sites that verify starting QBs in the Super Bowl history.

Super Bowls I - XXX Era

During this time, there were only 33 different starting quarterbacks in the 30 year period (out of a possible 60). This shows that many QBs stayed dominant for extended periods of time. During this time, 4 distinct dynasties (Green Bay in 1960s, Pitt in 1970s, SF in 1980s & Dallas in early 90s) dominated the league - so the lack of QBs to appear in the big game makes sense.

18 different QBs won championships (7 QBs won multiple titles) in the first 30 Super Bowls. Out of these, 10 are in Canton, with only one QB (Jim Plunkett) that has failed to make it despite winning multiple Super Bowls. The others who won include average slingers like Jeff Hostetler & Mark Rypien. Surely not worthy of HOF-busts.

Of these champions, 21 of the 30 were won w/ a Hall of Famer behind center. I'm not going to break down the other positions, but I'd have to guess that the 70% clip that QBs have in this time frame of going to the Hall of Fame is the best of any position.

I found it strange that only three Super Bowl losers have had Hall-of-Fame QBs in this time frame: Jim Kelly (lost 4 straight), Fran Tarkenton (lost 3) & Dan Marino (lost 1).

That means that the other 22 Super Bowl losers featured a QB that was less-than-Canton-worthy. Names like Joe Kapp, Tony Eason, Stan Humphries & Neil O'Donnell are among those who could be answers to trivia questions of Super Bowl losing QBs.

Bears fans don't need me to mention Rex Grossman, but that's for another day.

Looking at this group of QBs, it makes me think that Alex Smith making a run in the playoffs and potentially making a Super Bowl wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed. Although one point is clearly proven - you may only need to be an average/above-average QB to make a Super Bowl, but you have to be a spectacular QB (HOF-worthy) to win them consistently.

In fact, only 4 QBs of the 18 who have made the Hall of Fame from the Super Bowl era did not make a single Super Bowl (Warren Moon, George Blanda, Don Fouts, Sonny Jurgeson). It definitely helps a passer's chances to go from having a passing chance of making the Hall of Fame to a legitimate one to make at least one or two Super Bowls (and preferably win one or more).

XXXI - current: More of the Same

There's been 15 Super Bowls in this timeframe, and no surprise, Hall of Fame QBs (future and potential) dominate the appearances. Particularly the AFC, who has seen a trifecta of New England, Pittsburgh & Indianapolis appear in 9 of the past 10 Super Bowls - who by no coincidence have 2 sure-bet Hall of Famers & a potential one (Big Ben being in the latter). This time span also includes John Elway's 2 titles before he retired.

While the NFC has had scattered success (the Giants are the first NFC team in the past 11 years to make 2 Super Bowls), it has still had its share of HOF or fringe-HOFers representing them. Among them: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Brett Favre & Eli Manning - all of which could make the Hall.

Obviously, like the first 30, the past 15 have seen its share of duds. I count 9 QBs of the 19 who made it in this time frame who definitely will not make it, including two winners (Trent Dilfer & Brad Johnson), 5 who will (Brady, Peyton, Favre, Rodgers, Brees) and several question marks (Eli & Big Ben among them).

If you give all of my ? mark QBs the Hall nod, that'd be 10 of 19 QBs from this era in the Hall. The other ? marks I had were for McNabb, Kurt Warner & Bledsoe, with Warner the most likely of the 3 to make the Hall in my opinion.

Compared to the 70% of Super Bowls in the first 30 to feature a Hall of Famer behind center for the champion, this current era has featured 13 of 15 titles won by HOFs or future HOFs (assuming Eli, Warner & Big Ben would make it). With Brady and Eli facing each other this year, it'll be 14 for 16; so 35 of 46 Super Bowls have been won by a HOF-caliber quarterback.

If you wonder why teams scout this position so carefully in hopes of finding the franchise savior, the above stat is why. Getting the right guy behind center, even if it's just for one championship, can be the difference between the Colts building Lucas Oil Stadium & being in Los Angeles right now if they would have drafted Ryan Leaf instead of Peyton.
As far as the QB category of those who have not made a Super Bowl making it to the Hall in this current era, only Tony Romo comes close to that designation at this point, and if you read the blog I just posted, you'd have to imagine he'd have to make a Super Bowl (and probably win it) to get consideration.

XLVI Prediction

With this being the last football blog before the big game, I am being paid by unnamed sources to provide my Super Bowl pick.

Much of the public is on the Giants, as they have hit their stride since their Week 15 loss to the Redskins. Meanwhile, the Patriots have put together the quietest 10 game winning streak ever.  Their bend-but-don't-break defense will be tested by the aerial attack led by Eli Manning, who has greatly benefited from the emergence of Victor Cruz as a top-notch target.

A lot of focus is on the Gronkowski injury, which I believe has gotten a little too much press. Brady has won with crappy receivers before - he wins with subpar receivers better than anyone. And before you say Welker is awesome - I'm in the camp that Brady has made Welker good. His stats broken down:

Pre-New England: 96 catches, 1121 yards, 1 TD in 2 seasons as a receiver with Miami
New England: 111 catches, 1221 yards, 6 TDs AS AN AVERAGE SEASON in 5 years w/ NE

Brady may be the one great QB who doesn't get enough credit for what he has done with such little talent at wide receiver. The only great WR he ever had was Randy Moss, and look what happened the full year that they played with each other. Welker and Hernandez would be sufficient enough of targets for Brady but it looks like Gronk is going to play, which is fantastic for New England.

With how much pressure the Niners got on the Giants line a few weeks ago, I'm surprised that the NE defensive line isn't getting as much attention in the press, particularly Wilfork. I think the Pats will be able to get decent pressure on Eli enough to rattle him.

I'm going Patriots 31-20 (so I'm likely betting Pats -2.5 or 3 and the under of 54).

Good luck to anyone betting this game or anyone who is rooting for either of these teams outside of gambling (you know, that whole fandom thing).

I know my girlfriend is counting down the minutes until football is over and smiling thinking about it, while I'm on the verge of tears as another season ends.

Hey, at least there will be Thursday Night Football almost every week next year!

Judging Today's Crop of QBs (not named Tom or Peyton) & chances for HOF

I decided to break down the current worthy QBs in terms of their chances of making the Hall of Fame. I'm currently working on another piece which shows that there is a correlation between making/winning Super Bowls & making the Hall of Fame as a QB.

I decided to analyze a few QBs that are at or near the elite level and have played for the better part of the past decade that may have some level of debate on whether they are in the Hall of Fame. Brady and Peyton excluded for obvious Canton busts already being built for them.

Sorry, no Alex Smith or Rex Grossman. I hope you can make it through.

Eli Manning

The current matchup, a rematch of 4 years ago, features one QB who will definitely be a Hall of Famer in Tom Brady versus a likely one in Eli Manning. Some ask - does Eli have to win this to make the Hall of Fame?

Short answer: no. Longer answer - if he continues to lead his team to playoff successes every so often(and I'd argue they've succeeded this season regardless of outcome on Sunday), I have no doubt he will be a Hall of Famer.

Everyone seems to want to compare Eli to his brother as if to minimize what the younger brother has accomplished so far. Critics say that Eli benefited from a once-in-a-lifetime catch by David Tyree & a stellar defense. To those critics, I raise you an overachieving Bears team headed by Rex Grossman as the one and only team that Peyton has beaten to win a ring.

I know Eli is not as good as Peyton at this point, but who the hell is?

Current HOF verdict: IN

Drew Brees

Brees has been a crucial part in not only building the Saints into a perennial contender, but also providing the city of New Orleans a much needed shot in the arm for morale purposes. He has led the Saints to 2 NFC Championship Games, winning a Super Bowl a few years ago. He fits the mold of what is expected from a Hall of Fame QB.

Current HOF verdict: IN

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers is well on his way to making his way to Canton. In what will likely be recognized as an MVP season despite the playoff failure, he will be adding to the accolades that include Super Bowl MVP for his performance last year in beating the Steelers. As long as he continues this career arc and doesn't get hurt for an extended period of time, I like his chances of not only making the Hall of Fame, but also winning another ring or two before his career is done.

Current HOF verdict: pending (likely in)

Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben has made quite a name for himself on and off the field since he joined the Steelers in 2004 for good and bad reasons. I don't think the incidents he has had will hurt his chances of making the Hall of Fame. I'm not sure what to make of his chances though. Does he have the credentials of a Hall of Fame QB? Does he seem like a Hall of Fame QB? I'd say yes (3 SB appearances, 2 wins) and....I'm not sure. If he does make it, I don't think he'll make it first ballot.

Current HOF verdict: Leaning IN

Tony Romo

There's no questioning the numbers that Romo has put up in his career have been stellar. You could win a lot of bets from people if you wagered that Romo has a better career passer rating than every QB in NFL history but Aaron Rodgers among qualifying QBs (according to Pro Football Reference). However, there is a huuuuuuuuge void in his resume, one that will forever haunt his public image (ie - ESPN junkies) and probably voters as well. The 1000 lb gorilla in the room of no playoff success, particularly not making at least one Super Bowl to this point, will likely keep him out of Canton if it doesn't change. I know my Cowboys friends can tell you that it hasn't always been his fault with the Cowboy collapses, but until Dallas has moderate playoff success, these ghosts will haunt his chances (fair or not).

Current HOF verdict: OUT

Philip Rivers

See above critique of Romo. OUT.

Betting 101: An Insight Into Super Bowl Betting Madness

Betting 101 is now in session.

Remember that last class where I said you shouldn't gamble if you haven't started already? Yeah....about that.

Most of my friends around me stayed in the classroom, looking for a lesson in how true degenerates gamble away their hard-earned money.

Enter Professors Little Man & Tim.

Betting 101 isn't a class to them - it's a lifestyle. Specifically, betting 101 Super Bowl props.

Yes, 101 separate bets. Thank God it's just 101 separate 1 dollar bets, with the biggest winner in their 5-6 year run of betting this being about $6, according to Professor Little Man.

In their run of doing this, the prop semantics and some of the props themselves have been refined. I can vouch for these gentlemen not messing around when it comes to gambling.

Have you ever met anyone who has wagered on games of Madden on a video game system? With a point spread created for the game by the gamblers themselves? Well, if you have met either of these gentlemen, then you have met a degenerate gambler. (Not like I have room to talk, as I am the proud winner of once selecting the correct infant in a baby race at the halftime of a Bulls game).

After a two-day process of picking props on a rotating basis (Little Man won the right to pick the first prop - funny enough, by winning the "coin flip"), I asked the gentlemen some questions about their degenerate gambling ways through Facebook messaging:


Please note that this is unedited for some salty language, which you should know is coming when Tim (and references of Tim) is involved


B-Bo Knows: When and how did you come up with this idea to do 101 bets?

Tim: I'm trying to look at past super bowls to narrow down the time. Feels like 2004, car vs ne wouldn't be surprised if it was earlier though. And as for as coming up with the idea...as we all know props are extremely popular this time of year and we want to go above and beyond and pick a ridiculous number.

LM: ...standby to receive narrative...

Tim: Haha, I knew Little Man would be good at this...

LM: Well, you see there laddy, in the irrationally exuberant times of the early new millennium, when cares were light and money freely disposable, and particular people unburdened by the soul-dimming responsibilities of adulthood, there was a compulsive gambling atmosphere that flourished deep underground. That's not to imply that there were hipster gamblers; the gambling literally took place underground, in the basements of houses occupied- but naturally not owned- by the gambling participants. This was back in the heyday of compulsive small-time gambling, when gambling wasn't about money, but about the act itself; a time when quarters were won and lost on simulated Madden Games, and $100 phones were smashed to oblivion in disproportionate response to losing bets on said Madden games. When Super Bowl squares were applied to a regular season NBA basketball game, and then to every regular season NBA basketball game for an entire year. When proposition bets were picked just for the novelty of being untraditional and offered the best free-form medium to express your inner gambling chi. It was only in this type of atmosphere that such a tradition could have been born: 101 Super Bowl Proposition Bets.

101 Super Bowl proposition bets, because it's the single biggest sporting event in world. 101 Super Bowl proposition bets, because it's our small token of appreciate to the gods of sport and competition. 101 Super Bowl proposition bets, because professional gamblers don't have the stomach or the stamina to see it through. 101 Super Bowl proposition bets, each for a dollar, because it's not about getting money, it's about getting money you didn't have to work for. 101 Super Bowl proposition bets: Just because.

B-Bo: Awesome response. What the 8 to 10 regular readers of B-Bo Knows will want to know is - why the 1-2 year break in the 101 bets?

Tim: It basically stopped because of time constraints, couldn't find a common time to get this through this long process.

And back to the Madden bet, with the breaking of the phone...my team could have ran out the clock but apparently had Andy Reid coaching them and did not have proper time management. So I lost my cool and spiked that phone like I scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Booze may have been a factor, but I rarely touch the stuff.

LM: #TrueStory

Yeah, it was very tiring renegotiating the bets that needed to be changed every year, which is why it stopped for 3 years. This is why we moved towards more generic prop bets (NFC starting RB, for example, or team leader in tackles) rather than deciding beforehand which players to specifically name.

Tim: Yea...looking up Nielsen ratings and commercial info the following days was also tiring and time consuming.

B-Bo: Does it always take about two days to make these picks? And how long are we talking from game's end till you're done grading the bets?

LM: It used to take through the next day, or sometimes longer depending on when the Nielsen ratings became available. We used to have a prop for that.

Tim: Normally we would have a block of time and the bets would take about a few hours. Grading was helped out by the fact that we pay attention very closely to the game and score what we can during the game. And then like Little Man just said the rest usually gets cleaned up the next day.

LM: It used to take about 6-8 hours to negotiate new props and make the picks. this year it was spread out over a few days, but I'd say the elapsed time devoted to this was probably about 4 hours. I anticipate it taking about 2-3 in the future.

Tim: Yep, betting on it longer than it takes to play the game, that was the insane part of this in previous years.

LM: And part of the charm.

Tim: Yea, it was, unfortunately we don't have that type of time anymore.

B-Bo: Back to the Madden bet - I remember witnessing the breaking of the phone on a bet worth a George Washington coin, and I can vouch that drinking is out of Tim's character (I cannot vouch for this). I know there's been some games you've watched together when doing these bets. Do you guys show the same intensity for these 101 bets as the Madden simulation?

Tim: Definitely. One Super Bowl moment I wish he was there for was the NE-Philadelphia game. The infamous coin flip as I like to remember it. When a 10 year old portly (cant confirm he was portly) little bastard came out to do the coin "flip". Flip is in quotations because it wasn't really a flip. The coin did not make one rotation and I was fucking steaming. Little Man laughing at me through text didn't help.

LM: My personal favorite is the Burger King commercial moment. BK had been running football ads all year of the King scoring TDs, rushing TDs, interceptions run back for TD, everything, and the commercials were pervasive, several per game in like every market. So we had a prop, the BK King scores ov/un 1.5 TDs during the SB. Tim took the over and said, "The King is finding that end zone." Three quarters go by and there's no King, then finally, in the fourth, near the end of the game, a BK spot, and it's the weirdest commercial I've ever seen. Virtually unrelated to football. All I really remember is the King was swinging on a rope swing while a model brought him chicken or something. Tim was pissed, and I was laughing uncontrollably. "You spent a million and a half on that piece of shit?"

Tim: That commercial was ridiculous, what a piece of shit. Made not eat burger king for years....or maybe it was the food that did that.

B-Bo: I don't think you could be blamed for avoiding it in either regard. I'm guessing there's a little adjustment to these bets on a yearly basis?

Tim: Yea, with it being generic now there will be even less. We usually double check the wording to so there is no gray area on anything. So the language changes a little each year.

But in the past when specific player props were in there then there would be a good amount of changes.

B-Bo: You guys say it takes about a couple hours or so to make these bets. Do either of you do any extensive research on them before making your selections? Any strategy involved?

LM: I do some, not much research.

Tim: Same here, very little research. As far as picking is concerned we both pretty much know the strengths of these teams now.

B-Bo: To wind up this unofficial first "interview" of B-Bo Knows, I'd like to hear both of your thoughts on my prediction of Little Man winning the 101 bets 57-44. (I imagine some ties will ensue, but I refuse to pick ties)

Tim: I tend to agree with it. This year there were bets I didn't mind getting the Giants. And I kind of let him take those over more so than I have in the past. I wish I would have stopped it in hindsight, it just kind of got away from me at some point. But if the Giants have a big day, that number could be flipped.

LM: I'm going to predict 101-0.

And my secondary guess will be 52-49 in my favor.

Tim: Haha...if someone gets ejected, you will see a world class meltdown.

Thank you to the two gentlemen who shared their insight into the madness that is "101 Super Bowl Proposition Bets". For those curious on the props and their bets, here they are below. The ones highlighted in color were chosen by the person, with the other getting the other side by default.

For those interested, Little Man's first pick was "No" to there being a successful onside kick; the last category left, he chose New England getting more interceptions.

Feel free to browse the material below. Class dismissed.

	Tim	Little Man
1. Heads/tails:	heads	tails
2. Calling team picks:	tails	heads
3. Calling team wins/loses coin toss:	wins	loses
4. Coin toss winner chooses/defers:	defer	chooses
5. Football travels ov/un 1399.5 yards (Net offensive yards + return yards + punt yards + penalty yards):	under	over
6. NFC first play from scrimmage, pass/run:	run	pass
7. AFC first play from scrimmage, pass/run:	pass	run
8. First score, TD/FG:	FG	TD
9. First team to score:	NYG	NE
10. First turn-over, fumble/interception:	int	fumble
11. Which team benefits from the first turn over:	NE	NYG
12. Which team commits more turnovers:	NE	NYG
13. First team to take a timeout:	NE	NYG
14. First team to challenge play:	NE	NYG
15. Total number of red flag reviews in game, over/under 1.5:	under	over
16. First quarter points, over/under 13.5:	under	over
17. Total points second quarter, over/under 13.5:	under	over
18. Total points third quarter, over/under 13.5:	over	under
19. Total points forth quarter, over/under 13.5:	over	under
20. Total points for game, over/under 55:	under	over
21. All timeouts used in the first half:	yes	no
22. All timeouts used in second half:	yes	no
23. First penalty committed by which team:	NYG	NE
24. Length of first penalty, over/under 9.5 yards:	under	over
25. Most penalties, NFC/AFC:	NE	NYG
26. Most penalty yards, NFC/AFC:	NE	NYG
27. More QB rushing yards, NFC/AFC:	NYG	NE
28. Most team passing yards:	NYG	NE
29. Most team rushing yards:	NYG	NE
30. Most team passing TDs:	NYG	NE
31. Most team rushing TDs:	NYG	NE
32. AFC/NFC starting RB, more rushing yards:	NE	NYG
33. More starting RB TDs, AFC/NFC:	NE	NYG
34. More FG/TD in game:	FG	TD
35. Will there be a score in the first 6:30 of the game:A74	no	yes
36. Will there be a score in the last 2:00 of the half:	no	yes
37. Will there be a score in the last 3:30 of the game:A76	yes	no
38. Will there be a safety in the game:	no	yes
39. Will there be an OT:	no	yes
40. Will there be a successful 2 point conversion:	yes	no
41. Last team to score:	NE	NYG
42. Last team to score win/lose:	lose	win
43. Anyone ejected from game:	no	yes
44. From kick off to end of final play, over/under 3h 45m 00s:	over	under
45. First/second half, most points scored:	2nd	1st
46. Which team will record more sacks:	NYG	NE
47. Will there be 3 unanswered scores:	no	yes
48. Most tackles by team leader, AFC/NFC:	NE	NYG
49. Longest play of the game from scrimmage, over/under 35.5 yards:	over	under
50. Which team will score the longest TD:	NYG	NE
51. Will there be a defensive TD:	no	yes
52. Will there be a special teams TD:	no	yes
53. Which team will kick the longest FG:	NYG	NE
54. Will there be a successful onsides kick:	yes	no
55.Will game be tied after 0-0:	yes	no
56. Longest scoring drive of the game, over/under 6m 30s (game clock):	under	over
57. Winner of Super Bowl:	NE	NYG
58. Penalties resulting in first down, ov/un 1.5:	over	under
59. Highest passer rating starting QB AFC/NFC:	NYG	NE
60. AFC QB throw TD/Int first:	TD	int
61. NFC QB throw TD/Int first:	TD	int
62. Will starting NFC RB fumble:	no	yes
63. Will starting AFC RB fumble:	yes	no
64. Which team will recover more fumbles (not only turnovers):	NE	NYG
65. Which team will intercept more balls:	NYG	NE
66. NFC QB first pass complete?	no	yes
67. AFC QB first pass complete?	no	yes
68. More special teams yards, NFC/AFC:	NE	NYG
69. More offensive yards, NFC/AFC:	NYG	NE
70. After red flag review, more reversals/call stands:	stand	reverse
71. Longest pass completion of game, NFC/AFC:	NYG	NE
72. Longest rush of game, NFC/AFC:	NE	NYG
73. Longest kick off return, NFC/AFC:	NYG	NE
74. Longest punt return, NFC/AFC:	NYG	NE
75. Which team punts from deepest spot:	NE	NYG
76. Which team kicks for more points:	NE	NYG
77. Longer punt average, NFC/AFC:	NYG	NE
78. Number of drives that start inside own 15 yard line, ov/un 1.5:	under	over
79. Which is greater, AFC/NFC RB receiving yards:	NE	NYG
80. 4th down conversions, over/under 1.5:	under	over
81. Longest FG, over/under 44.5 yards:	over	under
82. Will there be a FG attempt over 50 yards:	no	yes
83. Will there be a missed FG:	yes	no
84. Last score, FG/TD:	FG	TD
85. Will there be a red zone turnover:	yes	no
86. Who places more punts inside the 20:	NYG	NE
87. Will a Super Bowl pylon be seen knocked over during the game:	no	yes
88. Will there be a roughing the passer penalty:	yes	no
89. Will there be a blocked FG:	yes	no
90. Will there be a blocked punt:	no	yes
91. Will a non-QB attempt a pass:	yes	no
92. Will a timeout be called to ice a kicker:	no	yes
93. More receptions by team leader, AFC/NFC:	NYG	NE
94. More receiving yards by team leader, AFC/NFC:	NYG	NE
95. Longest scoring drive, over/under 75 yards:	under	over
96. Shortest scoring drive, over/under 35 yards:	under	over
97. Is a double digit lead ever established:	no	yes
98. Who spends more clock time in the lead:	NE	NYG
99. Who has more time of possession:	NE	NYG
100. More points, kickers vs. NFC QB:	QB	kickers
101. More points, kickers vs. AFC QB:	kickers	QB