PRIDE GOETH

HITLER NEVER PUSHED ONE JEW INTO AN OVEN

Temecula, CA – As the dust once again blows around Bill Cosby and people take various stands, it's important to remember that Hitler never pushed a single Jew, Gypsy, or homosexual into an oven. Though he gets all the credit and all the blame, as he should, it was people called enablers that helped him build his Jericho Walls. Enablers are to blame for much of what's wrong in the world, so it's nice to hear an upfront apology from one who realizes his mistake.

Such is the case of David Carr, the New York Times’s late media commentator. This is his report:

'With public revulsion rising in response to snowballing accusations that Bill Cosby victimized women in serial fashion throughout his trailblazing career, the response from those in the know has been: What took so long?

What took so long is that those in the know kept it mostly to themselves. No one wanted to disturb the Natural Order of Things, which was that Mr. Cosby was beloved; that he was as generous and paternal as his public image; and that his approach to life and work represented a bracing corrective to the coarse, self-defeating urban black ethos.


Only the first of those things was actually true.

Those in the know included Mark Whitaker, who did not find room in his almost-500-page biography, “Cosby: His Life and Times,” to address the accusations that Mr. Cosby had assaulted numerous women, at least four of whom had spoken on the record and by name in the past about what they say Mr. Cosby did to them.

Those in the know also included Ta-Nehisi Coates, who elided the charges in a long and seemingly comprehensive article about Mr. Cosby in The Atlantic in 2008.

Those in the know included Kelefa T. Sanneh, who wrote a major profile in The New Yorker this past 2014 September and who treated the accusations as an afterthought, referring to them quickly near the end of the piece.

And those in the know also included me. In 2011, I did a Q. and A. with Mr. Cosby for Hemispheres magazine, the in-flight magazine of United Airlines, and never found the space or the time to ask him why so many women had accused him of drugging and then assaulting them.

We all have our excuses, but in ignoring these claims, we let down the women who were brave enough to speak out publicly against a powerful entertainer.

Mr. Whitaker has said he didn’t want to put anything in the book, which he wrote with Mr. Cosby’s cooperation, that wasn’t confirmed — which of course raises the question of why he wouldn’t have done the work to knock down the accusations or make them stand up.

And given that the accusations had already been carefully and thoroughly reported in Philadelphia magazine and elsewhere, any book of the size and scope of Mr. Whitaker’s should have gone there.
Mr. Coates recently expressed regret on The Atlantic website that he did not press harder on Mr. Cosby’s conflicted past. In the course of his reporting, he said he came to the conclusion that “Bill Cosby was a rapist.”

He added: “I regret not saying what I thought of the accusations, and then pursuing those thoughts. I regret it because the lack of pursuit puts me in league with people who either looked away, or did not look hard enough.”

I was one of those who looked away. Having read the Philadelphia magazine article when it was published, I knew when the editors of the airline magazine called that they would have no interest in pursuing those accusations in a short interview in a magazine meant to occupy fliers.

My job as a journalist was to turn down that assignment. If I was not going to do the work to tell the truth about the guy, I should not have let him prattle on about his new book at the time.
But I did not turn it down. I did the interview and took the money.

I paid for that in other ways. The interview was deeply unpleasant, with a windy, obstreperous subject who answered almost every question in 15-minute soliloquies, many of which were not particularly useful.

After an hour of this, I mentioned that the interview was turning out to be all A. and no Q. He paused, finally.

“Young man, are you interested in hearing what I have to say or not?” he said. “If not, we can end this interview right now.”

Mr. Cosby was not interested in being questioned, in being challenged in any way. By this point in his career, he was surrounded by ferocious lawyers and stalwart enablers and he felt it was beneath him to submit to the queries of mere mortals.

He was certain of his own certainty and had very little time for the opinions of others. Mr. Cosby, as all of those who did profiles on him have pointed out, was never just an entertainer, but a signal tower of moral rectitude.

From the beginning, part of his franchise was built on family values, first dramatized in “The Cosby Show” and then in his calling out the profane approach of younger comics and indicting the dress and manner of young black Americans.

Beyond selling Jell-O, Mr. Cosby was selling a version of America where all people are responsible for their own lot in life.

He seldom addressed bigotry and racism. Instead, he exhorted individuals to install their own bootstraps and pull themselves into success. And while they were at it, they should pull up their pants and quit sagging, a fashion trope Mr. Cosby found inexcusable.

It proved to be a popular theme with white audiences and less so with black ones. A generation of black comics who revered other pioneers like Richard Pryor found Mr. Cosby’s lectures tired and misplaced.

But that moralism, which put legs under his career as an author and a public figure, made Mr. Cosby a target. In 2005, ABC News reported on accusations of a former Temple University employee, who said that the entertainer drugged and fondled her.

That was followed by a report on “The Today Show” that he had done the same thing to Tamara Green, a lawyer in California.

The Philadelphia magazine article, with a more comprehensive list of victims, came out in 2006 and was followed by a piece in People magazine about Barbara Bowman, who said that she was drugged and assaulted. And then the story just died.

Mr. Cosby was (mostly) out of view, his lawyers pushed back and tried to knock down every story and victim, and no one in the media seemed interested any longer. Mr. Cosby was old news, he had been investigated but never criminally charged, and there seemed to be little upside to going after a now-ancient story.

But as Mr. Cosby’s profile rose again when it became clear that he would get another ride on television with planned shows on NBCand Netflix, so did the scrutiny.

In February of this year, Newsweekpublished accounts from two of his victims, including Ms. Green, who called Mr. Cosby a “rapist” and “liar.”

In the end, it fell to a comic, not an investigative reporter or biographer, to speak truth to entertainment power, to take on the Natural Order of Things.

On Oct. 16, the comedian Hannibal Buress took the stage in Philadelphia, Mr. Cosby’s hometown, and railed against the incongruity of his public moralizing and private behavior. He told the audience, “I want to just at least make it weird for you to watch ‘Cosby Show’ reruns.” (TV Land has since canceled those reruns, and both Netflixand NBChave shelved projects with Mr. Cosby.)

He said Mr. Cosby had the “smuggest old black man public persona that I hate. Pull your pants up, black people. I was on TV in the ’80s. I can talk down to you because I had a successful sitcom.”
And then he dropped the bomb. “Yeah, but you raped women, Bill Cosby. So, brings you down a couple notches.”

Social media, a non-factor when the accusations first surfaced, feasted on a clip of the set posted on Philadelphia magazine’s website.

On the heels of Mr. Buress’s routine, Mr. Cosby’s public relations people asked his Twitter followers to make funny memes of the entertainer, and that promptly backfired in a huge way.

With NBC and his other former partners having jettisoned Mr. Cosby, his lawyers were left alone in the bunker, denying the charges and playing Whac-a-Mole against accusations from women that are popping up everywhere. And on Sunday, The Washington Post published a comprehensive recap of the charges.

For decades, entertainers have been able to maintain custody of their image, regardless of their conduct. Many had entire crews of dust busters who came behind them and cleaned up their messes.

Those days are history. It doesn’t really matter now what the courts or the press do or decide. When enough evidence and push-back rears into view, a new apparatus takes over, one that is viral, relentless and not going to forgive or forget.'



You see, Sports Fans, reporters tell you about things; journalists tell you of things. David Carr knew the difference and now you do too. Happy New Year to all our readers, fans, and thinkers from all the journalists at the Temecula Calendar.

(All emphasis - Ed)

PHILLY BRED, PHILLY DREAD

HELLO FIEND

Temecula, CA – When Abaddon comes, now predicted in March 2016, should we all be wiped out, Janice Dickinson and at least 50 other women will go out with a smile on their hearts, as will I. William 'Bill' Cosby, Jr. has at least now been charged criminally in one instance of his serial drug rapes. Naturally the trial might not be over by then but the satisfaction of a day in court is what was really sought.

'Bill Cosby was charged TODAY with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his home 12 years ago — the first criminal charges brought against the comedian out of the torrent of allegations that destroyed his good-guy image as America's Dad.

The case sets the stage for perhaps the biggest Hollywood celebrity trial of the mobile-all-the-time era and could send the 78-year-old Cosby to prison in the twilight of his life and barrier-breaking career. Cosby was charged with aggravated indecent assault and was to be arraigned in the afternoon.

Prosecutors accused him of rendering former Temple University employee Andrea Constand unable to resist by plying her with pills and wine, then penetrating her digitally without her consent, when she was unconscious or unaware of what was happening.

She was "frozen, paralyzed, unable to move," Montgomery County District Attorney-elect Kevin Steele said in announcing the charges.


Cosby acknowledged under oath a decade ago that he had sexual contact with Constand but said it was consensual.

Today's charges came down just days before the 12-year statute of limitations for bringing charges was set to run out.

The case represents an about-face by the district attorney's office, which declined to charge Cosby in 2005 when Constand first told police that the comic violated her by putting his hands down her pants at his mansion in suburban Philadelphia.

Prosecutors reopened the case over the summer as damaging testimony was unsealed in Constand's related civil lawsuit against Cosby and as dozens of other women came forward with similar accusations that made a mockery of his image as the wise and understanding Dr. Cliff Huxtable from TV's "The Cosby Show."

At that point, "reopening this case was not a question. Rather, reopening this case was our duty as law enforcement officers," Steel said. He urged any other alleged victims to come forward as well. Constand, who is now 42 and works as a massage therapist in her native Canada, is ready to face Cosby in court, her attorney, Dolores Troiani, said this fall.

"She's a very strong lady," Troiani said. "She'll do whatever they request of her."

The charges add to the towering list of legal problems facing the actor, including defamation and sex-abuse lawsuits filed in Boston, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania.

Cosby in 1965 became the first black actor to land a leading role in a network drama, "I Spy," and he went on to earn three straight Emmys. Over the next three decades, the Philadelphia-born comic created TV's animated "Fat Albert" and the top-rated "Cosby Show," the 1980s sitcom celebrated as groundbreaking television for its depiction of a warm and loving family headed by two black professionals — one a lawyer, the other a doctor.

He was a fatherly figure off camera as well, serving as a public moralist and public scold, urging young people to pull up their saggy pants and start acting responsibly.

Constand, who worked for the women's basketball team at Temple, where Cosby was a trustee and proud alumnus, said she was assaulted after going to his home in January 2004 for some career advice. Then-District Attorney Bruce Castor declined to charge Cosby, saying at the time that both the TV star and his accuser could be portrayed in "a less than flattering light." This year, Castor said the allegations in Constand's lawsuit were more serious than the account she gave police, and if that information had been known at the time, "we might have been able to make a case."

Castor tried to make a comeback as district attorney in the November election but lost to Ferman's top deputy.

After the criminal case went nowhere, Constand settled her lawsuit against Cosby in 2006 on confidential terms.

Her allegations and similar ones from other women in the years that followed did not receive wide attention but exploded into view in late 2014, first online, then in the wider media, after comedian Hannibal Buress mocked Cosby as a hypocrite in his hometown and called him a rapist during a standup routine. That opened the floodgates on even more allegations.

Women mostly from the world of modeling, acting or other entertainment fields came forward and described being offered a drink by Cosby and waking up to find they had apparently been sexually assaulted. Cosby, through his representatives, accused some of the women of trying to extract money from him or get ahead in show business.

Earlier this year, The Associated Press persuaded a judge to unseal documents from the Constand lawsuit, and they showed the long-married Cosby acknowledging a string of affairs and sexual encounters.

Cosby testified that he obtained quaaludes in the 1970s to give to women he wanted to have sex with. He denied giving women drugs without their knowledge and said he had used the now-banned sedative "the same as a person would say, 'Have a drink.'"

In the deposition, Cosby said he put his hands down Constand's pants that night and fondled her, taking her silence as a green light. Constand maintains she was semi-conscious after he gave her pills he said would relax her.

"I don't hear her say anything. And I don't feel her say anything. And so I continue and I go into the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection. I am not stopped," Cosby testified.

He said Constand was not upset when she left that night. She went to police a year later.

Her lawyer has said Constand is gay and was dating a woman around the time she met Cosby in the early 2000s.

The AP generally does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to have their names published, as Constand has done.

Laurie Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said Cosby no longer enjoys the celebrity appeal that might sway a jury.

"His reputation has already been tarnished, so I doubt that jurors would be inclined to believe him just because of his prior image," she said in September. She said the judge in the case will have to decide whether to allow other accusers to testify or whether that would be too prejudicial.

(Story source – Maryclaire Dale)

FOOTBALL NEWS AFTER WEEK SIXTEEN

FROM THE DESK OF THE “FUGITIVE” COMMISSIONER 

Hello Football Fans,

There is only one week remaining in the NFL regular season, with 11 of the 12 playoff teams determined but with only 1 of the 12 seedings fixed.

In college, the bowl games roll on.  The CFP Semifinals will be played on Thursday night, New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year, and enjoy.

The Fugitive Commissioner of the FFHL

 

NFL 

 

There is only ONE week remaining in the regular season.  All sixteen games will be played on Sunday, December 27th(no Thursday or Monday game). 

 

TENof the twelve playoff teams have now been determined.  However, there is only oneteam whose seeding in the playoffs is set in stone. 

The eleventh playoff team is almost certainly going to be the Houston Texans, who have all but clinched the AFC South Division title and #4 seed in the AFC.  

Indianapolis still has a faint chance to become the division champion; the Colts must win, have HOU lose, and have seven other teams win in Week#17 (ATL, MIA, DEN, BAL, BUF, OAK, PIT).  For you gamblers out there, that is a nine-team money line parlay with astronomical odds to win. 

 

The twelfth playoff team will be either the NY Jetsor the PITSteelers.  The Jets earn a playoff spot with a win at Buffalo in Week #17.  And even if the Jets lose, they will still get into the playoffs if Pittsburgh loses at Cleveland. 

 

NFLACTION – UNDERDOG WINNERS 

 

SEVENunderdogs won outright in 16 NFL games this week for an upset rate of 43.8% (25.0% the previous week).   

 

On Saturday night, Washington (+3) won handily at Philadelphia, 38-24, and clinched the NFC East Division title in a huge shocker.  The ‘Skins were projected in the preseason to end up in the cellar. 

 

Chicago (+3) won at Tampa Bay, 26-21. 

 

Atlanta (+6h) won at home over previously undefeated Carolina, 20-13, and the Falconsat the timeremainedfaintly alive for a playoff spot.  The CAR Panthers’ 18-game winning streak in the regular season was snapped. 

UPDATE: The Falcons were later eliminated from the playoffs when Minnesota won. 

 

NFL History: 

Two weeks ago, Carolina smoked Atlanta 38-0. 

Atlanta is only the fifth team in the last 20 years to lose to a team by 38 points and then beat the same team later in the season. 

The others: 

2010 NY Jets (New England) 

2000 Chicago (Tampa Bay) 

1999 Cleveland (Pittsburgh) 

1998 Indianapolis (NY Jets) 

 

Indianapolis (+2h) won at Miami, 18-12, even after having to finish the game with their 3rdstring QB Charlie Whitehurst after backup Matt Hasselbeck was injured in the second quarter. 

The IND Colts remained alive for a chance to win the AFC South Division title and make the playoffs.  However, Whitehurst was injured (hamstring)during the game,has been placed on “injured reserve”, and is out for the year.  Hasselbeck has a strain in the AC joint of his throwing shoulder, and Andrew Luck still has a lacerated kidney.  That leaves only oneuprightQB still on the Indy roster - Stephen Morris, who was just signed last week off the PHI Eagles’ practice squad.  The team worked out free agent Josh Freeman, whose last action was in the FXFL in October, but he has not been signed to date. 

The Colts’ opponent for Week #17 is Tennessee, whose starting QB Marcus Mariota is still questionable (maybe doubtful) to play in the game with a strained MCL. 

[Editorial Comment: it’s hard for teams to stay healthy with a 16-game schedule; does the NFL really want to push for 18 games?  And look at Cincinnati’s QB situation; they could be reduced to their #3 QB Keith Wenning (Ball State) for Week #17 in which the Bengals are playing for a “bye” week in the first round of the playoffs]. 

 

SECOND-GUESSEROF THE WEEK 

NY Jets (+3) beat visiting New England 26-20 in overtime.  The Patriots won the coin toss to begin the overtime periodand chose to “kick off” rather than to receive the ball first (in hindsight, the wrong call by HC Belichick).  The NE Pats’ offense never got the ball in the extra period, as the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, marched 80 yards in only five plays for the winning touchdown. 

If you need a reason for the decision by Belichick, it was probably because his offense was struggling and he didn’t want the team to go 3-and-out and then have to punt and give the Jets good field position and an easier chance to get into FG range for the win. 

 

NFL History: 

Since the change of the overtime rules away from true “sudden death”, only two other times has a team chosen to kick off(rather than receive); both teams won the game. 

2013New England defeated Denver 

2015Minnesota defeatedSt. Louis   

 

 

SHOCKERSOF THE WEEK 

Baltimore (+10) beat visiting Pittsburgh, 20-17, and the Steelers are now in jeopardy of not making the playoffs.  They are one game behind the NY Jets for a wild card spot with only one week to go. 

 

St. Louis (+13) won at Seattle, 23-17, but the Seahawks had already clinched a playoff spot prior to the game. 

 

DIVISIONAL RACES 

 

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE 

 

AFC EAST: NEW ENGLAND (12-3) – division winner 

TheNY Jets (10-5)beat visiting New England in overtime, 26-20, and are still battling with Pittsburgh (9-6) for a wild card playoff spot. 

AFC NORTH: CINCINNATI (11-4) – division winner 

The Bengals lost at Denver on Monday night, 20-17 in overtime, and are now still fighting for a “bye” week in the playoffs.  In Week #17, Cincy needs a win over Baltimore and a loss by Denver, since the Broncos would win the tiebreaker for the #2 seed (Cincinnati would also lose a tiebreaker to New England). 

 

AFC WEST:   

DENVER (11-4) clinched a playoff spot with a win on Monday night over Cincinnati, 20-17 in overtime.  Denver can still get the #1 seed in the AFC, since they hold the tiebreaker over New England if the Patriots lose at Miami in Week #17 (and of course the Broncos must beat the visiting Chargers).  

However, the Broncos have not clinched the division title, holding only a one-gamelead over the KC Chiefs (10-5), who beat visiting Cleveland 17-13on Sunday.  Kansas City clinched a playoff berth. 

DIVISION TITLE:  With the tiebreaker advantage, the KC Chiefs will win the AFC West with a Week #17 win over Oakland combined with a Denver loss to San Diego. 

 

AFC SOUTH 

HOUSTON(8-7)won at Tennessee on Sunday, 34-6, and holds a one-game lead in the division over Indianapolis (7-8).  The Colts still has a shot to win the division, but as mentioned above, they have to win a “nine-team” parlay. 

The division winner gets the AFC #4 seed in the playoffs, and the runner-up is eliminated. 

 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE 

 

NFC SOUTH: CAROLINA (14-1) – division winner 

After a loss, the Panthers still haven’t clinched the #1 seed in the NFC. 

 

 

NFC WEST:  ARIZONA(13-2)– division winner 

The Cardinals clinched a “bye” week in the playoffs with a blowout win over visiting Green Bay, 38-8. 

 

 

NFC EAST:  WASHINGTON (8-7) – division winner 

The WSH ‘Skins clinched the division title with a win at Philadelphia (6-9) on Saturday night, 38-24, and will be the only team from this division to play in the postseason. 

 

NFC NORTH: 

GREEN BAY (10-5) and MINNESOTA (10-5) are tied for the division lead after the GB Packers lost at Arizona on Sunday, 38-8, and the MIN Vikings beat visiting NY Giantson Sunday, 49-17.  The division winner will be determined in the head-to-head matchup between these two teams in Week #17 at Lambeau Field on Sunday night. 

Both teams have clinched a playoff spot. 

 

NFL PLAYOFF CONTENDERS 

 

With only ONE game remaining in the regular season, following is a snapshot of how the playoff picture looks at this point: 

 

NFC SEEDINGS PROJECTION 

 

#1 Carolina (14-1) Panthers’ win clinches #1 seed 

#2 Arizona (13-2) AZ Cardinals hold tiebreaker over Carolina 

#3 Green Bay (10-5) or Minnesota (10-5) 

#4 Washington (8-7) LOCKED IN 

#5 Seattle (9-6) Playoff spot clinched 

#6 Minnesota (10-5) or Green Bay (10-5) 

 

Still alive: no other teams can qualify for playoffs 

 

AFC SEEDINGS PROJECTION 

 

#1New England (12-3) Patriots secure #1 seed with win 

#2Denver (11-4) Broncos would have tiebreaker over NE 

#3 Cincinnati (11-4) Loses tiebreaker to both NE & DEN 

#4 Houston (8-7) virtually” LOCKED IN 

#5 Kansas City (10-5) Could still win division & get #3 seed 

#6 NY Jets (10-5) Playoff spot NOT clinched yet 

 

Still alive: 

Pittsburgh (9-6) needs a win and a Jets’ loss 

Indianapolis (7-8), but only if division winner, and must hit 9-team parlay 

 

THE PLAYOFFS - WILD CARD WEEKEND 

 

The Wild Card Weekend will consist of four games, two on Saturday, January 9th and two on Sunday, January 10th.  The #3 seeds in each conference will host the #6 seeds, and the #4 seeds will host the #5 seeds. 

 

The #1 and #2 seeds in each conference will have a “bye” on this weekend. 

 

COLLEGE 

 

FBS COLLEGE BOWL GAMES  

 

CATCH-UP FROM FFHL WEEK #15 

 

TUESDAY, DEC 22ND 

 

Utah State -6h vs. Akron Idaho Potato Bowl Boise, ID 

UPSET RESULTS: AKR 23, UT.ST 21 

In the 7thbowl game of this postseason, this game marked the first underdog straight-up winner. 

 

CFP#24 Temple -2 vs. Toledo Boca Raton Bow lBoca Raton, FL 

UPSET RESULTS: TOL 32, TEMP 17 

 

WEDNESDAY, DEC 23RD 

 

Boise State -8h vs. Northern Illinois Poinsettia Bowl San Diego, CA 

RESULTS: BSU 55, NIU 7 

After three quarters, Northern Illinois had gained less than 20 total yards from scrimmage (including negative 20 yards rushing). 

 

Bowling Green -7h vs. GA Southern GoDaddy Bowl Mobile, AL 

UPSET RESULTS: GA.SOU 58, BGSU 27 

The BGSU Falcons were ahead 27-23 at halftime, but it was all GSU Eagles after intermission and the resulting blowout by the underdog over the favorite. 

 

THURSDAY, DEC 24TH(Christmas Eve) 

 

W. Michigan -3h vs. MID Tennessee Bahamas Bowl Nassau, Bahamas 

RESULTS: W.MI 45, MdTEN 31 

The game was tied 24-24 after three quarters; the WMU Broncos took over in the final stanza, and RB Jamauri Bogan rushed for 215 yards and 4 TD’s on only 19 carries. 

 

San Diego State -1 vs. Cincinnati Hawaii Bowl Honolulu, HI 

RESULTS: SDSU 42, CIN 7 

Cincinnati ended up not playing QB Gunner Kiel, and his backup threw three interceptions; the Aztecs won the turnover battle 3-0.

 

 

FBS COLLEGE BOWL GAMES – FFHL WEEK #16 

 

SATURDAY, DEC 26TH 

 

Marshall-4h vs. Connecticut St. Petersburg Bowl Saint Petersburg, FL 

RESULTS:  MARSH 16, UCONN 10 

The MU Thundering Herd kicked an “insurance” 32-yard FG with 1:44 remaining in the game to cover the spread by 1½ points. 

 

WAState -2hvs. Miami of FL Sun Bowl El Paso, TX 

RESULTS:WSU 20, MIA.FL 14 

The WSU Cougars took a 20-7 halftime lead and then hung onfor the victory (and cover ATS) in snowy El Paso, forcing several red zone turnovers by “The U” Hurricanes.  WA State won a bowl game for the first time since the 2003 Holiday Bowl. 

 

Washington-8hvs. S. Mississippi Heart of Dallas Bowl Dallas, TX 

RESULTS:U-DUB 44, USM 31 

The UW Huskies started 12 freshman and sophomores and never trailed in the game, although the USM Golden Eagles tied the game 24-24 on a TD with three minutes remaining in the 3rdquarter.  But on the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive, U-Dub RB Myles Gaskin ran 86 yards to paydirt to quickly retake the lead and the Huskies never looked back.  Gaskin rushed for 181 yards and 4 TD’s on 26 carries. 

 

Indiana-2 vs. Duke Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium, NYC 

UPSET RESULTS: DUKE 44, IND 41 (OT) 

In a game with six lead changes, Indiana scored a TD late in the 3rdquarter to recapture the lead, 31-27 and then kicked a FG early in the 4thquarter to lead 34-27.  On the ensuing kickoff, the Blue Devils returned it 98 yards to tie the game with 11 minutes to go.  The UI Hoosiers took the lead again on a TD with only 4 minutes remaining in regulation, but Duke responded on a 13-play, 78-yard TD drive, leaving only 41 seconds on the clock and sending the game into overtime. 

 

The Devils got first possession and settled for a FG; Indiana was stopped and set up for a 38-yard FG to tie the game, but the kick went over the right goal post and was ruled “no good” (play by rule was not reviewable).  Game over.   

 

Duke won a bowl game for the first time in 54 years! (1961 Cotton Bowl) 

 

Virginia Tech -13hvs. Tulsa Independence Bowl Shreveport, LA 

RESULTS:VA.TK 55, TULSA 52 

After a wild 1stquarter ending with VA Tech ahead 24-21, the Hokies took charge, led by as much as 24 points, and was still ahead 55-37 after kicking a FG with 11 minutes remaining in the game (covering ATS by 4 points).  But the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes responded with two unanswered TD’s, easily covered the spread, and almost won the game. 

 

 

UCLA-6hvs. Nebraska Foster Farms Bowl Santa Clara, CA 

UPSET RESULTS: NEB 37, UCLA 29 

The Bruins led 21-7 in the middle of the second quarter, but the Cornhuskers scored 30 unanswered points to take a 37-21 early in the fourth quarter.  UCLA finally scored a responding TD and 2-point PAT with 11½ minutes remaining in regulation play to make it a “one-score” game, but the Bruins’ final two drives ended in a missed FG and an interception in the end zone. 

Nebraska (6-7 record) ended a disappointing season on a positive note. 

 

MONDAY, DEC 28TH 

 

Pittsburgh+3 atCFP#21 Navy Military Bowl Annapolis, MD 

RESULTS:NAVY 44, PITT 28 

Navy QB Keenan Reynolds rushed for 3 touchdowns in this game, recapturing the all-time Division I record for career TD’s that he had lost to LA Tech’s RB Kenneth Dixon last week.  Reynolds ends his college career with 88 TD’s; Dixon finished his career with 87.  Reynolds also rushed for 4,559 yards during his college career, another all-time FBS record for quarterbacks. 

 

Minnesota-6 vs. Central Michigan Quick Lane Bowl Detroit, MI 

RESULTS: MINN 21, C.MICH 14 

Minnesota scored a late TD to take the lead by five points, and then converted on the 2-point conversion to win by seven points and cover ATS by 1 point. 

The MIN Golden Gophers got their first bowl win since 2004, snapping an ugly 7-game bowl losing streak.   

Factoid: 

There were three teams that received a bowl invitation with 5-7 regular season records (because there were not enough “qualifying” teams to fill 80 bowl spots).  All three of them, including Minnesota, won their bowl games (Nebraska, San Jose State). 

 

 

TUESDAY, DEC 29TH 

 

California-7 vs. Air Force Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, TX 

RESULTS: to be played tonight 

 

CFP#17 Baylor -1hvs. CFP#10 UNC Russell Athletic Bowl Orlando, FL 

RESULTS:to be played tonight 

 

Colorado State -3vs. Nevada Arizona Bowl Tucson, AZ 

RESULTS:to be played tonight 

 

CFP#20 LSU -7vs. Texas Tech Texas Bowl Houston, TX 

RESULTS:to be played tonight 

 

 

WEDNESDAY, DEC 30TH 

 

Memphis+3 vs. Auburn Birmingham Bowl Birmingham, AL 

RESULTS:to be played tomorrow night 

 

Mississippi St -5hvs. NC State Belk Bowl Charlotte, NC 

RESULTS:to be played tomorrow night 

 

Texas A&M +4hvs. Louisville Music City Bowl Nashville, TN 

RESULTS:to be played tomorrow night 

 

CFP#25 USC -3hvs. Wisconsin Holiday Bowl San Diego, CA 

RESULTS: to be played tomorrow night 

 

FFHL RESULTS – WEEK FIFTEEN 

Overall, we FFHL’ers posted a decent record of 43-36-5 ATS (54.2%).  In college games we were a monkey-like 12-12-5ATS (50.0%).  In the NFL, we posted a solid record of 31-24-0 ATS (56.4%).    We selected only 12 underdogs and posted a record of 5-7-0 ATS (41.7%).  With the college ‘dogs, we were 0-3-0 ATS (0.0%) and with NFL ‘dogs we were 5-4-0 ATS (55.6%). 

 

FFHL RESULTS – WEEK SIXTEEN 

The FFHL Week#16continues through Wednesday, December 30th. 

 

FFHLLOP-SIDEDand CONTESTEDPICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD (ATS) 

 

Listed below is a breakdown of ALL of our 84 picksfor Week#16. 

In college bowl games, we had 8 contrary picks (16%) out of 50 picks.   

In the NFL, we had 5 contrary picks (15%)out of 34totalNFLpicks. 

 

 ATS Picks 

Team               For-Against                       Result / Unsolicited comments 

 

KC Chiefs      -10h vs. CLE        5-0 LOSS, a lackluster Kansas City win, 17-13 

PIT Steelers   -10 at BAL           4-0 LOSS, Baltimore wins outright, 20-17 

WSH ‘Skins    +3 at PHI             4-1 WIN, Washington wins outright, 38-24 

CAR Panthers  -6h at ATL          3-0 LOSS, Atlanta wins outright, 20-13 

NE Patriots      -3 at NYJ            3-0 LOSS, Jets win outright in OT, 26-20 

DET Lions      -10 vs. SF            2-0 WIN, Detroit wins 32-17 to cover by 5 pts. 

SEA ‘Hawks   -13 vs. STL         2-2 STL Rams win outright, 23-17, to cover ATS 

CIN Bengals     +3 at DEN         1-1 TIE, Denver won in overtime, 20-17 

CHI Bears        +3 at TB Bucs    1-1  CHICAGO wins outright, 26-21, to cover ATS 

NY Giants        +5h at MIN         1-0 LOSS, Minnesota won handily, 49-17 

AZ Cardinals    -5 vs. GB           1-0 WIN, Arizona wins handily, 38-8, to cover by 25 

BUF Bills         -6 vs. DAL         1-0 WIN, Buffalo wins 16-6 to cover ATS by 4 points 

NOR Saints      -3h vs. JAX        1-0 WIN, New Orleans wins 38-27 to cover ATS by 8 

 

Marshall          -4h vs. UConn     4-0 WIN, The Herd covers on 4thqtr.FG, 16-10 

UCLA              -6h vs. Nebraska 4-0LOSS, NEB ‘Huskers win outright, 37-29 

LSU                 -7 vs. TX Tech    4-0 

Navy               -3 vs. Pittsburgh   5-2WIN, Navy won 44-28 to cover by 13 points 

Miss St           -5h vs. NC State   4-1 

USC               -3h vs. Wisconsin 4-1 

WA State       -2h vs. MIA.FL     3-0 WIN, WSU Cougars win 20-14 to cover by 3½ 

UNC              -3 vs. Baylor         3-1 

CAL              -7 vs. Air Force    3-2 

Minnesota     -5 vs. C. Mich       2-0 WIN, late 2-point PAT gives Gophers the cover 

Auburn          -2h vs. Memphis   2-1 

TX A&M     +4h vs. Louisville  1-0 

 

Duke            +2h vs. Indiana       1-0 WIN, Blue Devils win outright in OT, 44-41 

Colorado St  -3 vs. NEV            1-0 

Tulsa          +14 vs. VA Tech      1-0 WIN, Tulsa loses only 55-52 to cover by 11 points 

 

NFLSTATS 

 

In the 16th week: 

ATS                     STRAIGHT-UP 

Record                Record 

 

FAVORITES       6-9-1(40.6%)      9-7(56.2%) 

HOME TEAMS  8-7-1 (53.1%)     11-5(68.8%) 

 

NFL- CUMULATIVE after 16 weeks: 

 

ATS                     STRAIGHT-UP 

Record                Record 

 

FAVORITES   110-122-8(47.5%)  150-90(62.5%) 

HOME TEAMS 111-117-8 (48.7%)  128-108(54.2%) 

 

FOOTBALLNEWSand MINUTIA 

 

NFL – RACE FOR THE #1 OVERALL DRAFT PICK 

 

The #1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft is still up for grabs. 

Here is the latest list of contenders: 

Tennessee3-12 

Cleveland3-12 

San Diego4-11 

San Francisco4-11 

Dallas4-11 

Tennessee will get the #1 overall pick with a loss in Week #17 at Indianapolis, since the Titans hold the “lower strength of schedule” tiebreaker over Cleveland. 

 

COLLEGE COACHING CHANGES 

 

Texas State 

TSU Bobcats’ head coach Dennis Franchione retired after five years at the school.  He had previously been a head coach at TCU, Alabama, Texas A&M, and other schools during his 35-year HC career (20 years in FBS). 

 

Brigham Young University 

Ty Detmer, legendary QB for BYU from 1987-1991 (and Heisman Trophy winner in 1990), will bethenewoffensive coordinator at his alma mater. 

The Cougars’ QB depth chart will be a bit thinnernext year. 

With QB Taysom Hillpossibly returning, and with Hill’s replacement, Tanner Mangum, definitely returning, QB McCoy Hill has decided to transfer out of BYU and continuehis collegiate playing career at FCS Southern Utah. 

Detmer, age 48, has never coached at the collegiate level; he spent the last six years as a high school HC in Austin, TX. 

 

NFLMINUTIA 

 

OAKLAND RAIDERS 

Defensive back Charles Woodson (age 39) is retiring after a stellar 18-year career.  Last Thursday night, he played his last home game in Oakland, a 23-20 overtime victory over San Diego.  Woodson got the first-ever rushing attempt of his long career in this game (a 3-yard loss). 

During his football career, he won a collegiate national title, won a Heisman Trophy (as mainly a defensive player), won an NFL defensive player of the year award, and earned a Super Bowl ring. 

 

Place kicker Sebastian Janikowski (age 37) is NOT retiring.  During last Thursday night’s game, he tied the NFL all-time record when he kicked his 52ndfield goal of 50 yards or longer.  And quite amazingly, the “Seabass” accomplished that feat in a beat-up outdoorstadium at O.co Coliseum stadium in Oakland.  See Quiz Question at end of newsletter. 

Janikowski, the “Polish Cannon”, is currently ranked 10thon the all-time NFL list for total number of successful FG’s with 384. 

 

BECKHAM UPDATE 

The one-game suspension of NY Giants’ WR Odell Beckham, Jr. was upheld and he missed a critical game at Minnesota in Week #16. 

And to update the ugly Week #15 game between Carolina and New York FB Giants, CB Josh Norman battled Beckham the whole game and was flagged for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties of his own that ended up in fines from the NFL totaling $26,000. 

 

GAMBLING LAWS 

The State of Illinois followed suit with the State of New York in banning daily fantasy sports (DFS)betting.  I don’t really care personally, but why is the Illinois Lottery legal and DFS banned?  The federal courts are eventually going to have to get involved. 

 

LOOKING AHEAD 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - FFHL WEEK #17 

 

The postseason bowl games continue; a total of 40 bowl games will be playedthrough January 2nd,after which the CFP title game on Monday, January 11th, will wrap up the season. 

Thebowl games through Wednesday, December 30th, are listed above. 

 

Following are the bowl games to be played from December 31stthrough January 2nd. 

 

THURSDAY, DEC 31ST(New Year’s Eve) 

 

CFP#9 FSU -6hvs. CFP#18 Houston PEACH BOWL Atlanta, GA 

Semifinal College Football Playoff (CFP)games: 

CFP#1 Clemson +3hvs. CFP#4 Oklahoma ORANGE BOWL Miami, FL 

CFP#2 Alabama -10vs. CFP#3 Michigan State COTTON BOWL Arlington, TX 

 

FRIDAY, JAN 1ST (NEW YEAR’S DAY) 

 

CFP#13 Northwestern +8hvs. CFP#23 Tennessee Outback Bowl Tampa, FL 

CFP#14 Michigan -4hvs. CFP#19 Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL 

CFP#8 Notre Dame +6hvs. CFP#7 Ohio State FIESTA BOWL Glendale, AZ 

CFP#5 Iowa +6hvs. CFP#6 Stanford ROSE BOWL Pasadena, CA 

CFP#16 Oklahoma St +7hvs. CFP#12 Ole Miss SUGAR BOWL  New Orleans 

 

SATURDAY, JAN 2ND 

 

Penn State +6hvs. Georgia Taxslayer Bowl Jacksonville, FL 

Arkansas-12hvs. Kansas State Liberty Bowl Memphis, TN 

CFP#15 Oregon +1vs. CFP#11 TCU Alamo Bowl San Antonio, TX 

West Virginia -1vs. Arizona State Cactus Bowl Phoenix, AZ 

 

NFL WEEK #17 – THE FULL SLATE OF GAMES 

 

This week ends the NFL regular season. 

All games match up divisional opponents. 

All 16 games are on Sunday. 

 

Sunday Divisional Matchups (all 16 games): 

Jan 3rd New Orleans +4at Atlanta 

NY Jets -3at Buffalo 

Tampa Bay +10hat Carolina 

Detroit+1 at Chicago 

Baltimore at Cincinnai CIN QB situation ?? 

Pittsburgh-10 at Cleveland 

Washington(no line yet)at Dallas 

Minnesota+3h at Green Bay 

Jacksonville at Houston HOU QB Hoyer ?? 

Tennessee at Indianapolis IND QB situation ?? 

Oakland+6h at Kansas City 

New England at Miami NE walking wounded 

Philadelphia+3 at NY Giants 

Seattle+7 at Arizona 

San Diego +9hat Denver 

St. Louis +3hat San Francisco 

 

FOOTBALL QUIZ QUESTIONS 

 

QUESTION #1:  Sebastian Janikowski kicked his 52ndfield goal of at least 50 yards last Thursday night.  Whose all-time NFL record did he tie? 

 

 

ANSWER #1: 

Jason Hanson of the Detroit Lions, who kicked a high percentage of his FG’s indoors.