Okay, Here Are Some Football Picks (September 28-30, 2018)

College (14-4 overall)

UCLA +9.5 Col loss
Syr +22 Clem win
VT +6 Duke win
TTech +3.5 WVA loss
ND -5.5 Stanford win
Penn St +3 Ohio St. win
Wash -17 BYU win
Ore -1.5 Cal win
LSU -10.5 Miss win
Miss St -7 UF loss
Fres -8 Tol win
Wash St +1.5 Utah win

9-3
23-7 overall


NFL (10-11 overall)

Cin +4 Atl win
 Mia +6.5 NE loss
NYG +3.5 NO loss
TB +3 Chi loss
Den +4.5 KC win
Phil -3.5 Tenn loss

2-4
12-15 overall

Athlete of the Month, September 2018

August was here.

Breanna Stewart.  Runners-up: Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic, Patrick Mahomes

3/4 of the way through 2018.  Who will be Athlete of the Year?

     January: Nick Foles
     February: Yuzuru Hanyu
     March: Azura Stevens
     April: Arike Ogunbowale
     May: LeBron James
     June: Kevin Durant
     July: Kylian Mbappe
     August: Brooks Koepka
     September: Breanna Stewart

Okay, Here Are Some Football Picks (September 22-23 2018)

College (10-4 overall)

Michigan St -6 Indiana win
UNC +3.5 Pitt win
Tex +3 TCU win
Coastal Carolina +3 LaLa win

4-0
14-4 overall

NFL (5-9 overall)

Atlanta -3 NO loss
Phil -7 Ind loss
NYG +6 Hou win
Ari +5 Chi win
Wash +3 GB win
Balt -5.5 Den win
Det +7 NE win

5-2
10-11 overall

Emmy Awards, 2018 Picks

I watch TV.  I make predictions

Best Comedy Series: 
Will Win: Atlanta (or Maisel, it's a two show race)
Should Win: Barry (or Atlanta, I haven't decided yet)

Best Comedy Actress:
Will Win: Rachel Brosnahan
Should Win: Pamela Adlon

Best Comedy Actor: 
Will Win: Donald Glover
Should Win: Bill Hader

Best Comedy Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Kate McKinnon
Should Win: Betty Gilpin

Best Comedy Supporting Actor:
Will Win: Henry Winkler (only person I'm rooting for all night)
Should Win: Tituss Burgess

Best Drama Series:
Will Win: Handmaid's Tale
Should Win: The Americans

Best Drama Actress:
Will Win: Elisabeth Moss
Should Win: Keri Russell

Best Drama Actor:
Will Win: Matthew Rhys
Should Win: Matthew Rhys

Best Drama Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Yvonne Strahovski
Should Win: Thandie Newton

Best Drama Supporting Actor:
Will Win: David Harbour
Should Win: Mandy Patinkin

Okay, Here Are Some Football Picks (September 15-16 2018)

College (3-1 overall)
TTech +1.5 Hou win
Ole Miss +23 Ala  loss
Florida -20 Col St win
Syr +3 Florida St win
Boise -1 Ok St loss
Geo So +32 Clem win
NMex St +3 NMex loss
Duke +4 Bay win
Ore St +3.5 Nev win
Geo -34 Mid Tenn win

7-3
10-4


NFL (2-6 overall)
Dall -3 NYG win
NO -9.5 Cle loss
Wash -6 Ind loss
Atl -6 Carol win
Pitt -5.5 KC loss
Mia +2.5 NYJ win

3-3
5-9

Okay, Here are Some Football Picks (Sep 8-10, 2018)

NCAA Picks:

A&M +12.5 Clemson (win)
Cal +3.5 BYU (win)
Memphis -6.5 Navy (loss)
Kansas +3 Central Michigan (win)

3-1

NFL Picks
NYG +3 Jags  loss
Carol -3 Dall win
GB -7.5 Chi loss
Det -6.5 NYJ loss
Oak +4 LAR loss
NE -6.5 Hou win
Pitt -3.5 Cle loss
Sea +3 Den push
Niners +6.5 Minn loss

2-6

Best Television Shows 2018 (July-September)

April-June is here.

1. Succession (HBO)
2. Better Call Saul (AMC)
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling (AXS)
4. America to Me (Starz)
5. GLOW (Netflix)
6. I'm Dying Up Here (Showtime)
7. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Netflix)
8. Who is America? (Showtime)
9. Last Chance U (Netflix)
10. Big Brother (CBS)

Succession is the big surprise; HBO pulled out another premium drama which created a wholly new world.  The best analogue is The Deuce, which will be eligible in the next quarter.  Saul is only a portion of the way through the season; the Breaking Bad universe increasingly intrudes (to largely good effect) on what's been a period piece about estranged brothers.  I'm a wrestling fan; the best wrestling in the world (and many of the best matches literally of all time) is now on US TV for free every week.  America to Me is a well made documentary about race in the modern American high school.  GLOW is a little overrated, he says as a wrestling fan, those who really like it see a deeper bench within its ensemble than do I.  I don't think season one of the '70s stand up comedy show I'm Dying up Here made any of my lists; nor do I think the Crackle seasons of Seinfeld's 15 minute chat with comics was so included, but both make this cut.  Who is America was equal parts unmissible and unwatchable; I'm a sucker for a football documentary, and always enjoy Last Chance U - finally, the show on which I spend the greatest number of hours each year is Big Brother.  The game is always good, the show very often much less so, but both the Celebrity version early in the year and BB20, which will wrap up in a few weeks, were really solid versions of the nearly two decade long series.

The only show from the quarter that I just haven't gotten to yet is Goliath (nope, I also haven't watched Unreal).  I'm halfway through Ozark and will consider it for the next quarter.  Here are the 20 shows from the first half of the year (updated to reflect episodes viewed following original rankings)

Here's Jan-March 

1. Atlanta (FX)
2. The Good Place (NBC)
3. High Maintenance (HBO)
4. All in With Chris Hayes (MSNBC)
5. Crashing (HBO)
6. Baskets (FX)
7. Superstore (NBC)
8. Portlandia (IFC)
9. Love (Netflix)
10. Alone Together (Freeform)

Here's April-June
1. Barry (HBO)
2. The Americans (FX)
3. Cobra Kai (YouTube Red)
4. Killing Eve (BBCA)
5. Arrested Development (Netflix)
6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
7. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
8. AP Bio (NBC)
9. Billions (Showtime)
10. Silicon Valley (HBO)

There's some heat coming in the last quarter of the year, Matthew Weiner, Kidding, Camping, the return of the Deuce, Julia Roberts, Emma Stone/Jonah Hill, American Vandal is back, Fred Armisen/Maya Rudolph, the end of Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Toni Collette.  I assume the networks might have something as well.  It should be a heated last quarter in the race to claim the top spot for 2018.

2018 NFL Predictions

 AFC East

1. NE 11-5   

2. Mia 7-9 

3. Buff  6-10      

4. NYJ 6-10

AFC North

1. Pit  10-6 

2. Balt 8-8 

3. Cin 7-9  

4. Cle 5-11

AFC South

1. Jax 9-7   

2. Hou 8-8  WC

3. Ten 8-8   

4. Ind 6-10 

AFC West

1. LAC 10-6

2. KC 9-7  

3. Den 7-9  

4. Oak  6-10

NFC East

1. Phil 10-6 

2. Dall 9-7    

3. Wash 7-9  

4. NYG 6-10  

NFC North

1. GB 10-6

2. Minn  9-7 

3. Det 8-8

4. Chi 7-9

NFC South

1. NO 10-6

2. Atl 9-7

3. Carol 9-7 

4. TB 7-9

NFC West

1. LAR 10-6

2. SF  8-8

3. Sea 8-8

4. Ari 6-10

I'll say it's a rematch of Super Bowl 36: Patriots vs. Rams