as Missouri goes, so goes the nation...

Hi loyal followers of the BiffBlog! The old man is still cruising down I-95, so the youngun gets to guest post for a while. No worries, though, I've been promised on-the-road updates, which will then of course be put up here.

Anyway, it's Saturday, and that, of course, means utter college football madness. This particular Saturday was without question a truly epic one--for multiple reasons, but mainly because of the Texas-Texas Tech game. I would describe it here, but really, it's something that needs to be seen (ESPN's highlight reel is at this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3677736&categoryId=2378529&n8pe6c=2). Suffice to say that Tech beat a number one team for the first time in their history, and a minute-thirty on the clock is just way too much time to start slacking off on defense. Mack Brown, of all people, should know this--he's the one who beat USC in the '06 Rose Bowl with 19 seconds left.

In other exciting news around the conferences, Rice clinched bowl eligibility (this'll never get top billing in other media outlets, so I'm giving the event its due right here and now), Michigan clinched a losing season in a last-minute fall to Purdue, Florida stomped all over Georgia in a cold-blooded act of revenge (I want to see the new Heisman rankings, even though I suspect McCoy will still be leading), and the Huskers got shucked by the Sooners. ESPN, that master of self-promotion, floods the airwaves with Monday Night Football reminders throughout these games, but frankly, I find the college game infinitely more exciting and interesting than that of the pros (and to think I didn't even pay attention to it until, well, I got to college). The rivalries are more intense, the plays and players less refined and more gritty--football started at the college level, and it's here, still, that the game is best watched.

However, Chris Berman is interviewing McCain and Obama during the MNF halftime show, which is something definitely worth watching.

Sen. Obama spoke at Mizzou this past Thursday to a crowd of about 40,000 people, of which I was one. I had seen him earlier this winter, when he was still campaigning for the primaries in Texas, but to have a presidential candidate come to your school in the waning days of election season...well. That's something entirely different. The speech he gave was much more focused than his Houston talk, zeroing in on the economy (no surprises there), and encouraging all to go out and vote on Tuesday. I know the audience for this blog is not quite at 40,000 yet, but I'll do the same on that latter issue. VOTE. Please. You can't complain about the government, be it Democratic or Republican, unless you cast a ballot. My excitement levels over the election probably have a lot to do with this being only the second time I've been able to participate, but I hope they don't decrease in the future. Having spent the past couple weeks working on a research paper detailing apartheid policies, I appreciate all the more my right to have a say in how things are run. It's not something to take for granted--I don't buy the "principled non-voting" argument. Plus, you get the "I Voted Today" sticker!

Stepping down from the soapbox, here's to an extra hour of sleep tonight! Peace out, and look for a Biff update in the near future :)

Breeder's Cup...money Departed, Palin puck problems...

So I had the first exacta...with a morning line 6-1 on top paid 12.80! Not a a good sign. There was a heartfelt story in the second race. The twenty-nine year old trainer of Maram, Chad Brown, missed his grandfather's funeral to supervise the saddling of the winner. It was nice to see an American horse win a turf race. With these synthetic tracks (less abusive) I have no clue. Some horses don't really like the stuff, even though it's easier on them. So my strategy was to bet one exacta (both ways) in all fourteen of the Cup races. In the fifth, third BC race, I had half of the exacta and my other horse was in in until the final three hundred yards. So I'm one for three with eleven to go. I'll need at least two more scores to come out of the two days a winner. In the sixth, winner Forever Together has an interesting part of her training regimen...she gets a pint of Guiness every morning. They're still looking for my duo. The first day looks dim for the old man...sucks when you cash the first ticket. In the next, and last race on today's card, I had to go against the odds on favorite Zenyatta. Well, she, with the name from the Police's (which the original vinyl is on the shelf,right behind me) third album ran away like her tail was on fire. She did what the Patriots couldn't, she ran the table. If Curlin gets beat tomorrow she could be The Horse of the Year.



The best line in the Departed is when Matt Damon tells the shrink what Freud said about the Irish, "They're the only people who are impervious to psychoanalysis." I'm Irish...and Im buyin' it.

How about Sarah Palin causing an injury at an NHL game? In St. Louis, the mat laid out for her to drop the opening puck tripped up goalie Manny Legace, and he had to leave after the first period. Anyone else think this was taking the "hockey Mom" bit a little too far?

You know, when Obama throws out the first pitch in D.C. the Nationals might sign him when you think of their pitching staff. I've seen his jump shot...

The fact that Jimmy Rollins didn't go ape shit when the ball hit his shirt the other night is simple in my mind. I don't think he really knew he was hit. Bear with me, I umpire on the High School level and have awarded a kid first in that very situation...and the batter looks at me like I'm nuts. He doesn't realize he's been hit! Rollins, had he been positive (being 0-9 at the time, and at such a critical time of the game) he would have lit up the blue like an umpire bon fire.

All right it's Saturday morning and hope springs eternal for my afternoon at the races...which is known as the "dungeon" in my house. It's actually very nice, I'm surrounded by books, albums, sports memorabilia and the washer/dryer is in the next room. The latter sort of allows my existence down here.

So, after hitting the first exacta yesterday (a measly $12.80), at four dollars per bet ( for the sake of conversation), two dollars each way on the combinations...I'm down $27.20. In order to come out ahead I need to hit at least two out of the nine races today. I have a total of thirty six dollars invested today. For those playing along at home here are today's bets:
Race 1 1-4
Race 2 2-5
Race 3 1-6
Race 4 5-11
Race 5 6-11
Race 6 4-8
Race 7 1-2
Race 8 2-11
Race 9 1-2

Yes I went against the returning champ in the last race, Curlin, for two reasons...the price has no value, and he's never been across the synthetic track.

I'm still solid with the Devil Rays, but with a looming monsoon in this area, I doubt they'll play tonight. If they do, Digger Phelps son-in-law, Jamie Moyer could be in for a long night. Once again I say bunt on the forty-five year old guy. It's funny, but the Phillies and their big sticks and the Devil Rays with their jack-rabbit running game has sort of reversed the roles of the leagues in this World Series.

May the horse be with you, later, biff