I HAVE THE MICROPHONE AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO EVERY DAMN WORD I HAVE TO SAY

Here is a list of teams that suck:

1. New England Patriots
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. Duke Blue Devils
5. Republicans
6. Brooklyn Nets
7. Nadal
8. All other tennis players
9. Dave's mom
10. Philadelphia Phillies

Thank you.  May Richard Dawkins have mercy on your souls.

Dave's Top 10 Albums of 2011

So, after many weeks of listening to dozens of CDs recorded last year, trying to get this list perfected, I recently decided to settle.  Sure this list will probably change (in my head) in the future, but for now this is it.

A few notes before we get started:
- There are some albums that I really didn't get to spend enough time with (aka I like them, but they haven't really gotten the chance to develop staying power and marinate in my head.  Some examples:
Destroyer - Kaputt
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Real Estate - Days
Fucked Up - David Comes To Life
Okkervil River - I Am Very Far

-Honorable Mentions:
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See; this is a great album.  They really showed that they are able to write the slower, melodic songs that we saw a hint of on Humbug.
TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light; the only thing wrong with this album is that it came out after Return to Cookie Mountain and Dear Science.  It's hard to follow up on two of the best CDs released in the past few years.
Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost; awesome CD!

THE LIST
10 - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong (Recommended Songs: Belong, The Body, Even In Dreams)
9   - Radiohead - The King of Limbs (Recommended Songs: Bloom, Give Up the Ghost, Separator)
8   - Panda Bear - Tomboy (Recommended Songs: Tomboy, Slow Motion, Last Night At The Jetty)
7   - M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming (Recommended Songs: Intro, Midnight City, OK Pal)
6   - James Blake (eponymous) (Recommended Songs: The Wilhelm Scream, Give Me My Month, Measurements)
5   - Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne (Recommended Songs: Niggas In Paris, Otis, Murder To Excellence)
4   - Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo (Recommended Songs: Jesus Fever, Runner Ups, In My Time)
3   - Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (Recommended Songs: Helplessness Blues, The Shrine/An Argument, Grown Ocean)
2   - Bon Iver (eponymous) (Recommended Songs: Perth, Holocene, Calgary)
1   - Drake - Take Care (Recommended Songs: Marvin's Room, Under Ground Kings, Lord Knows)

The End!

Super Bowl Predictions

Pats

Conference Championship Picks

Ravens @ Patriots
I might not live through this game, so in the event that I go into cardiac arrest, I leave this blog to Dan.  Keep the name though.  The first 3 times the last decade that New England played in the conference championship, I still had enough other interests to not really be too invested in the outcome of the games.  The year that the Patriots were up 21-3 at halftime vs the Colts, the Bears were already in the Super Bowl, but that AFC Championship still fucked me up.  The next year, the Patriots were the best NFL team I'd ever seen and were hosting a Chargers team that had Billy Volek as their starting quarterback.  I was not worried.  Since then, 3 disappointing seasons (by Patriots standards) have left me hungrier (pun intended) to get back and avenge that Super Bowl loss.  I want this win so badly.
Obviously, the Ravens play better defense than a majority of the teams that the Pats have faced this year.  They will put pressure on Brady and have the kind of personnel that can take away some of the Patriots offense (as well as the Pats run game).  However, this doesn't change the fact that they can beat you deep with Branch, over the middle with the tight ends, or with Welker.  It's going to be up to Belichick and O'Brien to call a good game to keep the Ravens on their heels.  I don't think that the Pats will struggle to put up 25ish points.  As far as the Ravens are concerned, Joe Flacco has played so inconsistent at quarterback, I really don't know what to expect.  The Patriots, as the media loves to point out 13092 times a game, have the worst defense in the league.  New England is going to have to win the turnover battle to win this game (something they have been quite good at this season).  I also would like to address the fact that Patriots haven't beaten a winning team this entire season.  They are 14-3 this season and 2 of those losses were on last second field goals.  The other was playing a very good Steelers team in Pittsburgh.  Also, it's not like the Patriots were playing nail biters against these .500 teams.  They won their games by an average of over 12 points this season, playing the schedule that the NFL provided them.  You can't criticize teams for not beating teams that they weren't scheduled to play.  I'm taking the Patriots in a close game that has my heart rate hovering around 130bpm for a majority of it.

Giants @ 49ers
I'm not buying the fact that the weather is going to give this game to the 49ers.  Eli Manning is, and has been, an elite quarterback.  I watched Tom Brady put up 30+ points against the Bears in a blizzard last season.  Having said that, I think the Giants are in trouble elsewhere.  Alex Smith is surprising everyone by playing quarterback at a very high level this season.  Again, I don't know a great deal about the 49ers because they're never on TV, but their offensive line might doing something right.  The Giants had trouble getting to Rodgers last weekend and will need to hit Alex Smith early and often to get ahead in this game.  The 49ers will need to play smart football (short passing game, Gore runs) and try to get the ball into the end zone instead of just piling up field goals.  The 49ers defense held one of the best offenses in NFL history down last weekend for 50 minutes, before the end of that game just got crazy.  I have no doubt that they will be able to contain Eli.  However, the 49ers must be careful of how good Eli is in the 4th quarter and will have to look to keep him off of the field with the game on the line.  The Giants crazy-good pair of receivers are going to need to repeat last week's performance in order to have a chance in this game.  Okay, so a paragraph later, I really haven't shown any sort of favoritism in this pick.  I don't think the momentum of the Giants really matters as much as the media is writing.  This 49ers team has been overlooked all season and I don't think the enormity of what their trying to accomplish will effect them.  49ers in a good game.

I'll write something else tonight or tomorrow regarding my happiness/heartbreak, as well as some random thoughts on JoePa, the Aussie Open, internet porn, and other related subjects.

Go Pats!!!!!!

A Shout out to All of SST's International Readers!!!

Apparently, us crazy Americans aren't the only ones who can't get enough Selsky!  According to our web stats, we have readers in:
United Kingdom
 9
Russia
7
Germany
4
Croatia
3
Brazil
 2
India
 2
New Zealand
 2
Thailand
 2
Latvia
 1

Keep up the good work!!!!!

The Other Pick Packers v Giants

2:11 PM...Wow I don't think it's possible to get outplayed anymore than Baltimore is right now and still not have trailed in this game...As I say that, Lee Evans makes one of the best catches in recent memory

Giants @ Packers
The Packers offense looks unstoppable.  So many weapons to pass to and a quarterback that looks invincible.  They don't have a real strong option at running back; more just a collection of average to slightly above average backs that can put up yards, but don't really wow you.  Then you have a Giants team with one of the best front four defenses in the NFL.  Combine that with the fact that Green Bay's offensive line is banged up.  I don't think we are going to see the Packers put on the same show today that we have seen all season.  Rodgers will be under pressure for a lot of this game, and again, the run really isn't anything too intimidating.  On the other side, the Giants have essentially the same probably on offense, minus the injuries: 3 great WR, 3-headed running attack, and a tight end who can make catches.  The Packers defense will let Eli put up yards but also look to capitalize on all mistakes and force turnovers.  To make my pick, I'm going to do something I hate, and rely on intangibles.  Eli has been in this situation before, and he plays just as well on the road as he does at home.  He also has a history of being able to pull off late game miracles.  However, Rodgers has had 3 weeks to rest up and this Packers team was the best in the NFL all season long and are playing at home.  I'm taking the Giants in a classic, down-to-the-wire game that will end up being the game of the playoffs (which is saying something after yesterday's 49ers victory over the Saints).

Other notes-
- The first Grand Slam of the 2012 Tennis season begins tomorrow (tonight in the US).  I'm fucking pumped.  I'm taking Roger Federer to win this one.
- After this weekend, look for me to hold true on my promises to make this blog (that no one is reading) less of an NFL picks page.  We'll also start seeing posts from our other columnists.
- I have a few works in progress for you to look forward to: my long anticipated Best of 2011 post, my live-blog of listening to the new blink182 CD for the first time, and my live-blog of CBS's #1 new hit comedy, 2 broke Girls!!
- Final note: I saw the flick "The Kids Are All Right" this weekend.  Fucking awesome movie.  I thought the acting sucked at first because the same-sex parents and their family seemed forced and unnatural.  Then I realized that's the point.  It's not supposed to seem natural to most people at this point; we're not used to it.  However, the film perfectly captures all of the issues that families like that could/probably have to go through.  Probably the best film from 2011 I have seen (although I still have The Town, The Fighter, The King's Speech and (The) Winter's Bone to watch).

2:36

Divisional Round Sunday QUICK PICK

WOOO GO PATS!!! Gotta make this quick due to the game about to start!

Texans @ Ravens
Like I said last week, it's really too bad for the Texans that they lost Matt Schaub in a year where everything else seemed to be working perfectly.  Today, they are going to have a harder time than usual moving the ball.  The Texans aren't used to playing in the cold (32 and sunny isn't THAT cold, but it's not Texas) and will have to make big plays in order to keep the Ravens defense honest.  Look for the Ravens to put tons of pressure on rookie QB Yates (who is in wayyyyy over his head) and probably isn't ready for this stage.  If he can do a good job of getting the ball downfield to Andre Johnson and hitting his tight ends over the middle, perhaps the running game will be able to put up the other-worldly numbers that we saw during the end of the regular season.  On the other side, Joe Flacco gets his first home playoff game and is probably highly motivated by the fact that he doesn't have to deal with the Steelers no matter what.  However, this Texans defense is underrated, even without their best player on the unit, Mario Williams.  Joe Flacco's schiezophrenic record as a QB (he could put up 400 or 100 yards and neither would surprise me) make it hard to confidently pick Baltimore in the past, but with Ray Rice doing so much damage and the emergence of incredibly fast Torrey Smith on offense to comliment a more physical Anquan Boldin, I'm going to take the Ravens in a good game.  Game 2 picks coming up in a little bit.

Divisional Round Playoff Preview!!! Saturday

Saturday January 14, 2012
10:14am

Saints at 49ers-
This is difficult game for me to predict because I think I've only seen the 49ers play maybe 3 games in the past 5 years due to scheduling.  I can really only rely on stats and word of mouf.  I predicted a Saints win and huge game from Brees last week mostly because of the fact that I expected that game to be a shootout. However, the Saints haven't been half the team on the road this year as they are at the MERCEDES BENZ SUPERDOME.  I've also heard comparisons between this years 49ers defense and the 85 Bears defense.  Obviously, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but some of San Francisco's defensive stats are staggering.  San Francisco will have to run the 9 velcro (from their Madden 12 playbook) to keep Brees from running screens to Sproles all afternoon.  I really don't know how San Francisco's offense works, but I'm pretty sure running the ball mixed in with 5 yard passes to Vernon Davis will be enough to move the ball into field goal territory, where the NFL's real MVP David Akers will be able to put points on the board.  I'm not sure Alex Smith will take enough chances to even allow a below-average Saints defense to capitalize off of mistakes.  I'm taking the 49ers in a really close game.  Good for the 49ers organization.

Broncos at Patriots -
I don't want to get cocky here, because we all saw what happened when I did that last year.  I respect and fear Denver's solid defense and strong running game.  My biggest problem with thinking they have a shot is imagining Tebow playing a perfect game.  I think if Timmy plays as good as God could ask for, the Broncos have a ceiling of 24 points.  Yes, I keep hearing about how awful the Patriots defense is and how they allow more yard than any other team in the NFL.  They also have better than league-average numbers in POINTS allowed per game, and a defense that is very good at forcing turnovers.  Those hypothetical 24 points are not going to be enough to stop these Patriots.  They simply have too many weapons offensively and just have too many ways to beat you.  Between the 2 TE attack, having to deal with Welker (who despite his size, is probably one of the 5 best WR in the NFL), and having to deal with oft forgotten deep threats like Deion Branch or even Chad Ochocinco, Denver simply just doesn't have enough coverage to get this job done.  X-Factor: if Logan Mankins doesn't play and Brady is under pressure all evening, he could be forced into making mistakes.  I think there is a limit to what Tebow can do, but if he has the defense helping him out, it is a different story.  I'm taking the Patriots with a comfortable lead by the start of the final quarter.

As you all know, the Patriots are my preferred NFL team.  It is awesome to cheer for such a successful organization, especially one with such great management and coaching.  However, there are some fortunate organizations in sports such as the Yankees, Colts, Pats, Heat, (the Bulls and Blackhawks for the next 5-10 years) where making the playoffs is expected.  The regular season is fun, but after a playoff loss, you're not hoping to get back to the playoffs next year; you are simply WAITING for the next playoff game.  The Patriots have not won a playoff game since January 2008 before their loss in Super Bowl XLII.  The next year, the Pats became only the 2nd 11-5 team in NFL history to miss the postseason.  And the next 2 years, a loss in the first round in Foxboro.  There has been a lot to cheer about in the Patriots organization in the past 4 years, but for fans, the season really begins tonight.  The country seems to be obsessed with the Brady-Tebow matchup.  I have almost forgotten who were are playing.  The Patriots need to win this game to get a playoff losing streak off of their backs.  If Denver pulls off the upset tonight, a team that has gone 64-16 the past 5 regular seasons will be taking heavy criticism and may even lead to some personnel changes.  So what I'm really trying to say is that it was another fun regular season (especially going under the radar this year), but I've been patiently and anxiously waiting for this day for exactly one year.  Go Pats.

A few additional notes:
- Go Bulls...Just ran over the Celtics last night...Looks like their perennial winning might be stopped in this condensed season
- Go Blackhawks...playing the Redwings again in Detroit with only a 1 game lead over them
- Go Florida State...the giant slayers always pull off the big upset (it was Duke last year; UNC tonight)

A New Year: 2011-12 NFL Playoff First Round Thoughts and Other Notes PART TWO

January 6, 2012 12:17AM

First some notes on New Years goals
- It's 12:17 and I'm starting a blog post because once again I passed out from 7:30-10pm.
- I ate Pizza Hut for dinner (I will hate myself for this tomorrow)
- I'm driving to work tomorrow and have every day this week
- I'm starting to think that chewing 1.5 packs of gum a day might be one of the reasons I have terrible stomach pains around 4pm every day of the week
In general, better luck next week...this weekend is going to be a shit show...mistakes will be made

On Carlos Zambrano being traded...I could probably write a 10 page paper about my feelings on this and memories of Big Z.  Along with Aramis going to Milwaukee after 9 years in blue, seeing Zambrano is leave officially ends the 2000s era Cubs.  Yes, I know, the highlights of the past decade from an outside perspective are one of the worst playoff collapses of all time and 2 straight years of getting swept in the NLDS.  The fact is, the postseason woes aside, the past decade was one of the best in Cubs history as far as winning percentage goes.  These players were also fun to cheer for.  If you asked most of my friends who my 2 favorite Cubs were from the past decade, they would tell you it was Zambrano and Ramirez.  I understand and totally agree with the moves from a managerial standpoint, but I'll always remember the no hitter and the years of constantly teasing us with so many games where he looked outright unhit-able (and then following it up with a game with 5 walks and 80 pitches through 3 innings).  Also, as a teammate I might not have appreciated him singling out teammates, being an asshole, and retiring in the middle of the season, but as a fan, he just seemed extremely passionate.  Cubs fans are suckers for this, as made evident by our extreme appreciation for Ron Santo, despite being one of the worst broadcasters in radio history.  I'd wish you good luck Carlos, but you're on the Marlins.  So go fist yourself.

Speaking of this weekend, how about the Sunday games?!

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants-
Much like last year, I think the Falcons are overrated.  That defense doesn't show me anything that leads me to believe that they can stop the passing game with the deep threats of Nicks and Victor Cruz.  Also, I don't think the Giants unpredictable running game will be a problem.  For the Falcons, their strength really seems to be in a slow offense that keeps the other team's offense off the field.  This could be effective if it gets into a rhythm, but I'm also expecting Roddy White to drop at least 3 big passes.  Michael Turner will put up yards and have a good game, but I feel like each Falcons scoring drive will take as much time as it takes the Giants to score twice.  This isn't even taking into account how good the Giants pass defense is.  Ryan will be under pressure all afternoon, and the Giants secondary will capitalize.  If it seems like I'm really selling the Falcons short here, keep in mind that this game is going to be played in cold, and most likely windy, conditions.  The Falcons play in a dome.  All of this, along with Eli's reputation of being a 4th quarter QB this season leads me to believe the Giants should comfortably win this game.  I'd probably rank this as my highest confidence pick of the 4 weekend games.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think the Broncos are going to win this game.  While Tim Tebow may totally suck as a passer, his ability to rush as well as the threat of Willis McGahee will keep Pittsburgh's defense honest.  Pittsburgh's defense hasn't been as dominant this year as in years pass, and I don't think Denver is going to give them enough opportunities (as in, I think Tebow probably attempts 15 passes this game max., and half of them will be at least 10 yards away from anybody on either team).  I really wish John Elway wouldn't have issued a statement this week telling Tebow to essentially just go for it (paraphrased).  I interpret that as stop trying to win games on the last drive and throw more passes.  THIS IS A BAD IDEA!  Regarding the Steelers, injuries are going to play a major role.  Obviously, Mendenhall will be missing this game (as well as the rest of the postseason), but I really don't think the gap between him and Isaac Redman is as substantial as I would have believed pre-season.  The real problem is Big Ben playing hurt.  I understand that he is a tough quarterback and has played hurt before, but his biggest strength is his ability to extend the play and buy himself time.  With a bum ankle, scrambling against a very good pass rush, he is going to be forced into playing out of his comfort zone.  Thankfully for him, he might only have to throw 20 yard passes to Mike Wallace who will already have Champ Bailey beat by a few yards on each play.  I'm still saying that we might see Roethlisberger making more mistakes than Tebow in this game.  Also, keep in mind that this is an incredibly loud stadium and home field advantage will matter. I didn't want to mention this, but Tebow seems to find ways to pull miracles out of his ass every other game.  I think he'll add one more this weekend before heading to Foxboro on the 14th.

This weekend: JIM AND KRISTINA's wedding.  I wish I could live-blog this event, but that would be a little rude/lame.  I'll post highlights next week sometimes.  Also, coming soon: my long overdue and anticipated Best of 2011 post.  I have actually been working on this post for around a month, but I've been trying to give it some time when it comes to ranking things.  Last year, I made the mistake of putting Yeasayer's Odd Blood on my Best Albums of 2010 list.  I don't want to make another error like that.

I'm Out

1:02AM

A New Year: 2011-12 NFL Playoff First Round Thoughts and Other Notes

January 2, 2012 4:35
Where do we...begin?...
Last year, I created this blog as a way to put my thoughts in a place where people would actually read them if they cared enough; as a way to not clutter up people's Facebook news feeds with my annoying blurbs.  I fell a little bit short on my plan and ended up not making a post after the first week of January.  Well it's a new year so I'll give it another shot.  A few random thoughts before my NFL Playoffs Round 1 Predictions:
- Alright, so I was a little overconfident with my Patriots Super Bowl Champs prediction last year.  I'm going to try to be less of a homer going forward, but it's going to be tough considering that 4 of my 5 favorite sports teams are all serious contenders for their championships this year.
- My landlord just stopped by to let me know that he's going to fix the 4 dead lights in our living room.  If this gets done tomorrow, it will only have taken him 5 months!
- I'm probably not going to stop posting excessively on Facebook.  Sometimes I literally only have 80 characters worth of thoughts and I'm not too fond of the Twitter.

NFL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS (1 weekend at a time this year)
SATURDAY JAN 7 (aka THE DAY I WILL MISS DUE TO JIM'S WEDDING)
- Bengals @ Texans - It's probably a good thing that I'm going to be away from the TV during this game, because I'd probably be asleep by the end of the 1st quarter.  While the Texans may be down to their 3rd string QB, I don't really see them having any problem putting up enough points to win this game.  Andre Johnson and their 2 tight ends, as well as the double-headed running attack of Foster and Tate will be able to put up enough points to cover the Bengals.  What a shame for Houston; they have 1 year where the division is up for grabs due to Manning's injury and their Pro Bowl-worthy QB Matt Schaub goes down for the season.  I think this team could have made a deep run with their key players being healthy.  The Bengals really don't show me anything that leads me to believe to that they're a playoff threat.  Rookie surprises Andy Dalton and A.J. Green are the only real big play threats and I can't see this team winning if they find themselves down early in the game.  Cedric Benson blows.  I'm taking Houston in a snorefest.

- Lions @ Saints - Goddammit Jim.  Couldn't have gotten married on Friday?  I am PISSED that I'm missing this one.  This is going to be such a high scoring game with strong play on both sides of the ball.  Brees has so many threats and tight end Jimmy Graham might be the best in the league (you could argue for him or Gronk).  Also, the screen passes to Darren Sproles are going to be a huge problem for Detroit.  On the other side, you have a super aggressive Detroit line that will put pressure on Brees for the entire game and force him into making mistakes.  Detroit's passing game should continue to turn heads with QB Stafford (putting up over 5k passing yards in his first full season) throwing to deep threat and best WR in the league Calvin Johnson.  The problem here is that Detroit does not have much of a run game.  Expect New Orleans to blitz early and often.  I really like both of these teams, and this matchup makes me realize that the NFC is officially the power conference.  Detroit is a great team, but I just think the Saints balanced team (offense, strong takeaway defense, and special teams), combined with the deafening crowd of the MERCEDES BENZ SUPERDOME will give the Saints this game.

NOTES REGARDING NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS or Some things I'd like to do this year:
- Save money (no more driving to work, spending less money at 7-11 on bottled water and gum, 200 dollar  (or more) hands of blackjack, less fast food/delivery)
- Lose some LBS (I'm pretty sure I'll lose a shit ton of weight just by doing the above things and drinking a bunch of water; hit the gym)
- Start reading more; beat the new Zelda game

Alright, I'm out of shit to write about for today.  Gonna watch the rest of the Rose Bowl (Go Badgers!) and the Fiesta Bowl/Blackhawks games.

Dave signing out.
5:11 PM