With a streak of 14 for Progressive/ESPN’s Streak for the Cash, as I unfold my mind for the morning, I am leary about choosing anything. Yesterday felt like a great day to choose games. Ahem. Choose WINNING games.
Late last night I found out that my 23 year old daughter and her Knight are expecting a baby! I get to be a Grayless Grammy at 41 years old! Yeah!!! So mixed with happy and nostalgic emotion, everything suddenly seemed less important. Until we woke up without oil. And we’re in the Northeast. Yeah again!!!
NOT!
The games that I chose yesterday all felt right for me. Yeah, I pick, then I check stats to make double sure. A 14 is the highest that I’ve gotten so far, and my own mate, who introduced me to the game, has gotten as high as an 8. So we can’t stop here! Espn is kind enough to let us dive off the board into their pool of 100K…simply for choosing the winning team!!!
My Om is feeling half open and half fizzled with swirling thoughts of things outside of Streakdom.
So do I choose today? Do I put my vulnerable 14 out there? Well, let’s see what we have.
Juventus vs Chievo Verona. Equals Soccer. Hell to the no. I rarely choose soccer anymore because I rot up the room with it. However, last Wednesday (15) days ago I was compelled to choose Juventus over Manchester City. A pick that the Honey and I were on opposing sides with. I inexplicably put my 7 on the line for it. After nearly stating in the court of law that I will NEVER choose soccer again.
Until I look at the board and choose it….Again – victoriously!
Today however, I will not be dipping my toes in this net.
Being Sunday, there is quite the palete of NFL games going on. My heart goes with the Ravens, but they are playing the New Orleans Saints. I’m not sure that I want to go there. NEXT!
One thing that I usually do not do is base any of my answers on what the majority chose. Although I did just happen to click on the Houston @ Tennessee game simply because TN has only a 3.9% gang o’ gamblers who think they have a shot at the 1pm home game.
After about a minute check down of the stats…..Houston losing the last 4 Away games but also seeing the Titans on a recent losing streak as well. So – who’s losing streak will perpetuate today? That’s where I may side with the majority on this one. My favorite wins are underdog wins – that I’VE chosen of course. I’ll admit that in the past I’ve chosen teams based on who’s mascot I like better….perhaps the SoAndSo Evil Vampires over the Who’s It Puffy Poodles. Yes, it’s a typical Girl’s Decision Process but I think I’ve grown out of it.
So I’ve committed and chosen the Texans. Not easy for me since in the past I made it a rule not to choose anything that reeked of Texas. No Cowboys (ew - and sorry to my Honey who’s cells encapsulate all that is Dallas) and in the past, no Texans. I’m going to have to bend the rules and get out of the 14 year old mindset of Journey vs. Def Leppard*.
*Quick explanation: When I was 14, MTV had Friday Night Video Fights where one video would go up against another video and young suckers like me would call in to vote for your band. Def Leppard won for weeks and weeks. I dutifully contributed with my kiddie votes. Then one dark night (and aren’t they all dark?) I didn’t make the call. Journey won. I vowed my vengeance by doing the most dastardly thing I could think of…..I would NEVER listen to Journey again. Ever. I want my $2.00 back.
Fast forward to my late 30’s….I eventually listened to Journey. But boy did I show THEM…I waited nearly 20 years later before I’d leave the station on that dared to express their roster with “Don’t Stop Believin’.
So I’ll go with the Texans today with that resolve to Be the Change you want to see in the World. Yes, I can bend, I will breathe…I will BE….Texan!
But now that I’ve chosen that game with my neat little checkmark, I have to doublecheck and check out the video that goes with it.
And perhaps peek at the other 1pm games.
And upon further examination, there is the Eagles vs the Giants game. Oh how I’d love to pick the Eagles as they’ve already won against them this season. I still might….but then that goes against my inner rule of Once You Pick it, You Keep It. I rarely go back on my picks and choose either another game or the other team.
Checking in on the Arizona Cardinals vs the Carolina Panthers just made me sad. I hadn’t realized that the Panthers only won one game this entire season. Still, that doesn’t make me feel safe in choosing Arizona, who have won only three. Who knows…maybe Carolina will suddenly become Ralphie from a Christmas Story and end up on top, beating the living pigskin out of the Arizona Scut Farkas’s.
The rest of the 1pm picks are white noise to me. By no means am I a sports aficionado, but I do enjoy playing the Streak. I have to chose straight up Who Will Win this Match sort of games. Once they get into choosing who wins by double digits, who wins with a larger margin of victory, what player yields more passing yards and how, or who’s mom makes the best shepard’s pie, I’m out. I won’t play these games as it requires a transformation on my part into one of those folks who actually either watches the game intently or is a brain overflowing with sports stats. Survey SAYS : X! I’ll take it like my martini, straight up, thanks.
*****Post Game comment****
Did I or did I not say never go with Texas? Ah well…see what happens? I get on the phone at 1pm, check the stats within 15 minutes and see that Tennessee has made a nice Touchdown Cake for themselves with my 14 that they were now up by. Within 15 minutes???
Yipes. So now I can Yipes all I want as I stare out the window at the Streak of Tires where my “14” squealed out of here.
Ok, no problem. I feel rather lucky to have gotten as far as I did. But of course…I want to win!
Time to restart! I went to the store to breathe off my loss and when I came back had only 5 minutes to choose the next game to go for a shiny, overly used but necessary building block that is “1”.
With under 4 minutes to choose, I did exactly what I said earlier that I rarely do. I listened to the voices on the outside of my eyes and body. Not a typo…I meant My Eyes. Looking at the board on ESPN to see that over 80% of folks chose Notre Dame Fighting Irish (basketball) to win by 20+ points against Stony Brook. I took it. The zero is round and balanced all by itself but I’m currently looking for a tall, erect “1”.
Thankfully, all is well, my Folks Crutch has gotten me there.
Next game…
Dang. The only straight up there is for me is hockey. Canadiens vs Colorado Avalanche.
I’ve chosen the Canadiens before…during my last streak actually. They’ve done well by me. Tonight they’re visiting like relatives do at holiday time. And hopefully will wreck da house as good relatives do!
First thoughts: check and see if there are any matchups between these two for this season. None. Next, I check to see what same teams they’ve played with outcomes. Although I was initially leaning toward the Canadiens, I’ve decided to hand my 1 over to the Avalanche hoping they will perform magic tricks and pull a Streak 2 out of their hat for me. My reasoning? They’re home and like the Canadiens, they are #1 in their division.
Meet me here next time to see if I was a mere babe in the woods, trusting my puck to the wrong hands!
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