Excuse me sir

I believe that's my lung.  I managed to cough it up at least 5 or 10 times today.  No work for me today, not because it's Columbus Day as the markets were still open today.  Nope, it's because I didn't want to infect the rest of the office not to mention I barely slept last night.  I was coughing so much I couldn't lay down and so after trying twice and coughing like a madman when I laid down, I spent the rest of the night trying to sleep in my recliner.  I got some sleep but it was pretty fitful.  There was no chance I would be able to work today so I called off.  Went to the doctor and got a couple of prescriptions to help me with the coughing and help me sleep but nothing else she can do for me as she believes this is a virus and there aren't any drugs that will take care of it.

Sunday did give me some good news at least.  Besides the Jets covering by 1/2 a point anyway.  I am in a death pool with some guys at work and a bunch of other guys.  All told 61 people pitched in $10 and the payouts are $310 for first, $200 for second and $100 for third.  When this weekend started there were still 31 people left.  I barely made it out of week 1 myself as I had Arizona over Carolina and Carolina led that game for a good chunk of time.  But Az did come back and save me unlike KC and a few others.  Since then I've had some pretty good picks like GB last week.  This week there weren't a lot of games I looked at and felt comfortable with.  One of the biggest lines was Seattle at NYG.  I really thought about taking the Giants, a lot of other people did take it, but in the end I just do not feel comfortable with Eli Manning in a game he should roll in.  So I took San Diego over Denver instead. 

And I was right.  Seattle led much of the game then the Giants took the lead and knocked out Tavaris Jackson who was lighting them up pretty good.  Figure this one is over.  Nope, Seattle comes back
The greatness that is Charlie Whitehurst takes them 80 yards downfield in a little over 2 minutes and punches in a TD to take a 4 point lead.  I wasn't really paying all that close attention to the death pool as I was feeling so lousy and watching my fantasy teams more than anything.  Still there was more than 2 minutes left for Eli and the GMen to take this one down.  Eli lead them straight down the field mostly using his new favorite toy, Victor Cruz instead of my guys, Nicks and Manningham.  1st down NY on the Seattle 5 with 1:27 left.  Plenty of time for NY to run a couple of plays to try to punch it in but on 1st down they get a false start penalty to get moved back to the 10.  Bad teams do that, get false start penalties at home in key situations.  First and goal from the 10 and Eli tries to hit Cruz in double coverage and leads him just a little too much, tips off his hands and is grabbed by a Seahawk who goes coast to coast for the TD.  Game over, thanks for the memories Eli. 

Something stinks in NY

This was such an important game because 27 of the 31 players remaining had taken NYG.  While this is going on I'm watching the end of the Houston/Oakland game.  I looked at the death pool then to make sure I hadn't taken NY as I had thought pretty hard about taking them early in the week.  When I saw how many people got knocked out I looked at who was left.  3 of us had taken SD and one guy had Houston.  I watched Oakland sitting on a 25-17 lead try to pull defeat out of the jaws of victory.  I really thought they would lose it as Houston moved almost at will down the field late in the game.  But Richard Seymour got a big sack and forced them to take a FG.  Houston kicks off to Oakland who does a quick 3 and out and here comes Houston again.  This time Seymour roughs Schaub on an incomplete pass and Houston is down on Oakland's 26,  I know this time they're gonna punch it in and it looks pretty good as with 8 seconds Houston is down on the 5 but Schaub scrambles out of trouble on the next play and throws an inexplicable dead duck with no pressure on him that is picked in the end zone.  Game over.  We're down to 3. 

Now all I have to do is depend on Norv Turner and the Chargers to beat Denver in the late game.  I hate depending on untrustworthy coaches in big games, but if SD pulls it off, we're in the money.  I like being in the money.  San Diego jumps on Denver early and it's 23-10 at the half.  I'm feeling pretty good.  We're 26-10 in the 4th quarter but I see Denver has finally brought in Tebow to play QB.  Now do I think Tebow is a young gun who will light up San Diego, not really.  But there is something about the kid.  He is a winner and he makes things happen around him.  He runs a ball in from 12 yards out and they get the 2 point conversion to close to 26-18.  Next series Rivers gets sacked and fumbles and Denver has the ball on the 33.  Couple of plays later Tebow throws a screen to Moreno and he takes it all the way in.  I can see it now, Denver gets the 2 point conversion, ties the game then wins it late.  But they just missed a pass in the end zone and SD still leads 26-24. 

SD takes the kickoff and for some reason starts passing.  There's only 3 minutes left, is it too much for me to expect you to run some time off the clock.  Incomplete, Incomplete.  2 plays and they take 9 seconds off the clock.  But somehow Rivers hits a 42 yard pass on 3rd down and they take it down field and chew up clock finally kicking a field goal w2ith 28 seconds left.  SD kicks off and Denver starts on the 20 with no time outs.  Tebow hits Lloyd on the sideline for one of the nicest catches I've seen this year.  Originally called incomplete but reversed and Denver is on the 40.  He hits Fells in the middle of the field for 31 more yards and they're down on the Charger's 29.  I can't look. Tebow spikes it with 1 second left.  Oh no.  One last play and they are easily in range.  San Diego is not the most imposing pass defense either.  Tebow takes the snap, runs around some, gets away from some tacklers and unleashes one into the end zone.  It hits a Charger then a Bronco but fortunately falls incomplete, game over.  And the 3 nicest words pop into my head, In the Money.  Amazing that if Denver catches that TD, all 31 people remaining lose on the same day in the death pool and everyone is still alive.  I know 28 others were rooting for Denver at the end.  But it was not to be.  We might do a split and everyone get 200 or we might play it out, I don't know yet.  Since I wasn't at work today I didn't do anything about it. 

So I want to thank ole Eli Manning for pulling defeat from the jaws of victory on Sunday and killing off 27 players in the death pool all at once.  I heard the screams.  Damn Chicago just missed scoring the back door cover at the end of the Detroit game so I went 1-1 on the pros.  Well it's bed time for me.  Doubt I will be working tomorrow unless my cough is a whole lot better.  I hope you all had a better weekend than I did, but knowing I cashed the death pool makes me feel so much better.