Sunday, November 2nd, 2008...1:10 pm
Daunte’s Inferno
Saw Feist at Massey Hall last night. Wish I hadn’t……the Tennessee Titans have won ten regular season games in a row. They entertain the Green Bay Packers at home today and, coming off a short week and a draining win, I’ll be damned if they don’t look vulnerable again…Titans coach Jeff Fischer believes in wearing down opponents. He preaches a successful running game combined with a stingy run defense. It’s classic, old school football, not dependent on the mercurial talents of titular leader Kerry Collins…Steven Jackson will be a game time decision for the St Louis Rams. Not sure if the Marc Bulger offence is much of a threat without him…on ESPN’s Mike & Mike show yesterday you had to love the over the top rant predicting a New England Patriots victory today. The charismatic hosts can’t imagine giving points with the Colts, and challenged Colts backers by enquiring if they had actually watched the struggling Indianapolis team play this year? Hmmm, the rejoinder, it seems to me, would be to ask if they had actually watched the Pats play this year…Tampa Bay, out of Conference, on the road, giving nine points? That seems a stretch, especially with their running backs banged up…Houston Texan Andre Johnson is trying to become the first receiver in NFL history to record five consecutive games with 130 yards or more in passing yards. A little publicity would be in order, no? Imagine if Owens, Rice or Cinco De Choke (or whatever Chad Johnson goes by these days) were playing with such aplomb? Texans are resurgent since Matt Schaub assumed the starting role following Sage Rosenfels historic meltdown against the Colts…Jaguars against Bengals should be a gimme, but David Gerrard and his cohorts are adept at making punters feel queasy this year. Writers out of Jacksonville have suggested the team has played tight all year after buying into the Super Bowl contender hype…I’ve watched allot of JaMarcus Russell this year and can’t help but think the Raiders QB would be a gold plated prospect with any team other than the dysfunctional Al Davis conglomerate…oh, so this is why Brett Favre is considered the most overrated QB of all time by hard core gamblers…seems like yesterday when Daunte Culpepper was on the cover of S I proclaiming he would be the greatest QB of all time. Enjoy Detroit, Daunte…Antwaan Randle El makes his first start against his old team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday night…you must read Bill Simmons, on the ESPN site, ruminating on the Raptors acquisition of Jermaine O’Neal. The Sportsguy suggests it is a disaster and predicts that Raptor Nation will turn on the former Pacer by mid-January…Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals suggested to a Russian paper that Sydney Crosby is the product of league hype, a seriously overrated player…with Cliff Fletcher in charge it is wonderful to see the Leafs bidding on high profile players again. The Buds are active in efforts to obtain Marian Gaborik and Ilya Kovalchuk…a rare event in boxing, Vic Darchinyan, the best fighter you’ve never heard of, unified all the major belts in the super flyweight division by stopping Cristian Mijares in the ninth round Saturday night. Also, Julio Ceasar Chavez Jr grabbed a decision over Matt Vanda, a meaningful win given the difficulty Chavez had in their earlier meeting…Manchester United has swooped up to third place in the Premiership after a very dodgy beginning to the 2008-09 campaign. With Arsenal and Liverpool both suffering shock losses Saturday the standings tightened considerably…at Woodbine…CINEMA SHOW, surprisingly, is the only animal dropping from MSW class to the selling ranks in the days first.She should boss these around…in the second young filly RUN ALL DAY has demonstrated an eager attitude toward racing. The daughter of War Chant tries the main track, traveling a route of ground. Mommie Whiz will likely be favoured but note many Asmussen shippers require a start on Poly before hitting their best stride…D’WILD LADY burnt allot of my cash with that indifferent display Sept 24th. She faces an even easier crew today and the smart interim works should have her ready for her best now…the fourth gathers a fantastic group of older sprinters. Miner’s Claim was on the Kentucky Derby trail earlier this year and is a welcome addition to the local ranks. I’ll try LAKES SECRET, a hard knocking type, to shock this well heeled collection…CUVECIOUS looks best in the fifth. The well bred one is entered for a tag, so her long term viability is certainly a question…in the sixth Pat Husbands elects to leave a logical one from the Mark Casse barn to take the mount on ROYAL CORREDOR. We’ll take that as a tip off and follow the grounds best jock…ANDALUSIAN is marketed aggressively in the seventh despite a string of good efforts. He can take the measure of A P Valor in a tight one…ferocious gathering of fillies contest the Ontario Fashion, the days eighth race. Many are untried on the Woodbine polytrack, so it is a bit of a guessing game. PORTE BONHEUR has a lovely just off the pace style which could suit this field. There is an abundance of credible speed so you don’t want to be too close, or too far behind…OK NOTHANKSFORASKN has found his best stride for Scott Fairlie and his experience over the Rexdale oval should be a factor against a trio of well meant shippers in the ninth…many in the last are simply too slow to be racehorses. WOVOKA should have found a soft spot for her Maiden score…
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