Week 14 NFL Picks With Cline -- I Miss Peter Wolf

Amidst accusations of attempting a reverse jinx by Goose, I stand here before you to say that my bravado is based solely on the knowledge that this contest is basically over.  We're just playing out the string as my unrelenting march to hops continues.

After the jump, my picks, a bunch of musical vids, and a little Voltron art...

Well, I can guarantee at least one person is now reading this.

In honor of finally getting my iPod up & running on my new laptop, I'm going to put it on shuffle and find some YouTube goodness for the first 16 artists and/or songs that I can find.

I hope you like Marah, early Elton John, Slobberbone, and The Streets... Now onto Week 14 in the league where they play... FOR PAY!

Week 13 Records:

Cline -- 9-7 (+$40) (LOTW=W -- BDCS=W)
Goose -- 8-8 (-$160)

Overall Records:

Cline -- 94-65-2 (.591) +$1290 (LOTW=6-4 -- BDCS=5-5)
Goose -- 85-74-2 (.535) -$510

My Picks:

Oakland at SAN DIEGO (-9.5)

Ugh. Oakland stinks, but I also think that San Diego is just about done for the year. Atlanta did everything they could to hand them that game, and they said "No thanks, we're good." I'm going to put my money on a veteran team playing a night game to put up one last stand before reverting to mediocrity. Also, Oakland stinks.

This one's in the books already as Goose's track record for badly picking Raider games continues.  The first song on shuffle is "Catch" by The Cure off Galore (The Singles 1987-1997).  I don't really know this song that well, but it has some lovely violinning.  I've been on a bit of 80s kick lately with the Cure & Depeche Mode.  This is the official vid.  Surprisingly it involves Robert Smith brooding.  And the rest of the band strolling around a picturesque castle.  Which is probably a waste since Smith would still find something to be depressed about.

Jacksonville at CHICAGO (-6.5)

I am fully off of Jacksonville, when a veteran player makes statements as bold as this, it's time to stop picking them.  Especially on the road against a good team.

Shuffle: It's a cover of Brian Wilson's  "Love & Mercy" by Golden Smog, a lower-case "s" super group with members of Wilco, Soul Asylum, the Replacements, and the Jayhawks, amongst others.   The version I have is off of the "Until You Came Along" CD single.  I was really into GS for a while during my alt-country-centric phase. I still appreciate their stuff, but I think I like the bands' separate work better than this collaboration. This clip is from an Obama rally in Minneapolis earlier this year.

 

As a bonus, here's Brian Wilson doing the same song with Springsteen on backing vocals:

MINNESOTA (-9.5) at Detroit

Everyone (well a few people) are breathlessly wondering whether Detroit can go 0-16.  After looking at their schedule, I say "yes".  They're not beating Indy on the road or Minnesota at home this week.  Their best shot is an inconsistent New Orleans at home in Week 16 or if Green Bay is out of the playoff hunt in Week 17.  What you have to take in consideration is that even if the teams they're playing aren't playing for anything other than pride, no team wants to be the one that gave the Lions their only W.

Shuffle: "Heavy Rotation" by Dilated Peoples (f. Tha Liks) off of an EMI New Music Sampler.  As with most samplers, I'm not real familiar with their stuff, but I dig the laid-back groove on this track. 

As a bonus, here's a cool video & song featuring Kanye:

Houston at GREEN BAY (-6)

I'm going to use my really complicated formula to pick this game.  Green Bay's a better team and at home.

Shuffle: "Horn Intro" by Modest Mouse off of Good News For People Who Love Bad News. 

Bad news: It's only 10 seconds long.

Good news: It led me to find a clip of an Asian kid getting pelted with fish, cake, & OJ while this song plays.  Hang in till the end where you see some slo-mo reverse shots of him getting pelted.

Cleveland at TENNESSEE (-14)

There's lots of big lines, but I feel good laying the points with the Titans defense going against Ken Dorsey.

Shuffle: "Darkness on the Edge of Town" by Patterson Hood from a live recording at Athens' 40 Watt Club last December.  I think it was part of a charity show where he covered six Springsteen songs off that CD.  You can download them here.  I couldn't find a clip of him doing that song, so here's a 30-year old clip of the original:

 

And 20 minutes of Patterson and a guy from Widespread Panic covering Stones songs (actual music starts around 1:20):

 

Cincinnati at INDIANAPOLIS (-13.5)

I don't feel good about this pick because Indy's been winning, but not scoring a lot.  But I'm gonna give 'em one last shot to have an offensive explosion.

Shuffle: "Wildwood Flower" by Mike Ness off of "Under the Influence".  It's a cover of an old Carter Family song, and quite good.  Huge fan of Ness & Social Distortion, by the way. 

The original:

ATLANTA at New Orleans (-3)

I'm gonna keep riding Atlanta until they prove otherwise.

Shuffle: "Cure for Pain" by Morphine off the album of the same name. YES!  A great song by a great artist. And here's a live version:

Philadelphia at N.Y. GIANTS (-7)

Philly does have the pseudo-bye week to get ready for this big game.  Philly could conceivably make the playoffs if they run the table.  They've done it in years past, but I don't see it happening.  The giants are too good and the Eagles too maddening to expect the upset.

SHUFFLE: "Cyclone" by The Lords of Altamont off of "Lords Have Mercy".  This is a pretty cool little project involving members of MC5 & The Fuzztones.  Just straight-ahead catchy power rock.

KANSAS CITY at Denver (-9)

Just like I picked Denver over the riding-too-high Jets, I think the Broncos may be riding too high after beating the Jets.  Also, I didn't like a lot of the other big underdogs.  I may sprain something reaching for this pick, but there you go.

SHUFFLE: "Call the Legion in Tonight" by Centro-Matic off of "All the Falsest Hearts Can Try".  This is a band out of Denton, TX (like Slobberbone) which is one of Will Johnson's many projects and definitely my favorite.  The style is a bit hard to pin down, but very good live.  Odd lyrics, odd vocals, but put together really well.  They've opened for the Truckers many times, but are very much their own thing.  I strongly recommend picking up "Love You Just the Same" if you dig these tracks.

 

MIAMI at Buffalo (-1)

This is in a dome in Toronto for some stupid reason.  Weather report for Buffalo?  28 degrees, snow, & wind.  Thanks,  NFL.  We hate watching football in the snow.  It's much better in a dome.  Screw you.

SHUFFLE: "Tear-Stained Eye" by Son Volt off of Trace.  Initially I was firmly in the Son Volt camp after Uncle Tupelo's break-up but Wilco slowly won me over.  "Trace" is still a hell of an album.

N.Y. JETS (-4) at San Francisco

The Jets bounce back from the Broncos game and beat a bad 49ers team.  They're firmly in the camp of decent/good teams that should beat mediocre/bad teams pretty much every time.  And 4 points is not too much to give.

SHUFFLE: "You My Lunar Queen" by Cousteau off their self-titled debut.  This something of a guilty pleasure.  Their very dramatic tunes are a little bit too easy-listening-ish at times, but the lead singer has a great voice.  And if I were a woman and prone to wearing panties, I'd have to wring them out after every song.

 

Their best-known song (used in several commercials & movies):

 

 

Probably my favorite song of theirs:

NEW ENGLAND (-4.5) at Seattle

File the Pats under the same category as the Jets.  They're a good team that I'll take on the road against a bad one.

SHUFFLE: "Come Baby Come" by K7 off of "Swing Batta Swing!"  Hells yes!  One of my favorite old-school jams, and featured as one of my Musical Interludes choices (baseball entrance music).

A mixture of live performances here, introduced by Fab 5 Freddy, Arsenio, Steve Harvey, and British Fab 5 Freddy:

 

There's comedy, high comedy, and then there's a bunch of white women taking what I can only guess is a hip-hop dance class.  YOU HAVE TO WAIT TILL ABOUT THE 0:58 MARK WHERE THE OLD WOMAN IN THE BACK ROW HAS HAD ENOUGH AND WALKS OUT:

 

St. Louis at ARIZONA (-14)

Not exactly Baltimore/Cleveland in terms of franchise-stealing rivalry, but I like the Cardinals to put up a big number in this game.

SHUFFLE: "Everybody Got Their Something" by Nikka Costa off the album of the same name.  This is a great CD that I know Goose digs too.  Saw her live at the Electric Factory a while back and dug it.  Haven't heard much from her since then, though she has put out a couple albums.  This is just great danceable funk/r&b, and she's not too hard on the eyes.

And here's "Like a Feather":

Dallas at PITTSBURGH (-3)

This should be a hell of a game.  If it were in Dallas, I'd take the Cowboys, but I think the Steelers pull out a close one.  But not too close since they're laying 3.

SHUFFLE: "Fever" by Marah off of "Let's Cut The Crap And Hook Up On Later Tonight" (possibly the best album title ever).  Well, you knew we wouldn't go entirely Marah-less.  This is off their first CD and it's really one of the songs that drew me in to them. I was firmly in love with alt-country and when XPN played this and a few other cuts, I was hooked.  I don't know where the band's going, but this song will always have a place in my heart.

Here's a bunch of songs including Fever and the All in the Family theme:

 

You knew you weren't getting just one from Marah...

 

 

And continuing a theme, here they are jamming with Bruce:

 

Washington at BALTIMORE (-5)

The Ravens have been berry berry good to me.  I'm dancing with the one that brung me.

SHUFFLE: "I'm Sorry Huston" by the Drive-By Truckers off of "Brighter Than Creation's Dark".  This is  one of Shonna's songs off the last album, and it's probably the best.  It's also probably about her failed marriage with Jason Isbell.  Enjoy.

TAMPA BAY at Carolina (-3)

The battle of 2 teams that aren't as good as their record.  I still believe in TB more for some unknown reason.

SHUFFLE: "Weirdo" by The Charlatans off of "The Best...Album In The World...Ever! Vol.3". I  love these compilations (I have several), as they provide a pretty expansive coverage of 90s Brit pop.

Beastie Boys & Charlatans mash-up