a mailbag? wow!

Four months without a mailbag? Oy!

* "My team is the best there is! Again! Admit it Stevo, Duke rules!" -- Dusty J, KCK.

Fine, I'll admit it. They certainly look great on paper. And it's not like I'm a late convert here -- I nearly won our tourney picks pool by being the only person to pick Duke to win it all last spring. This year's team looks even better than last year's team that was good enough to win it all. I'm looking forward to (hopefully) seeing them on Monday against legitimate competition.

The real question is, though, not how good this Duke team is going to be. It's how great is this team going to be. Namely, can the Blue Devils run the table?

No team has done it in the regular season in 20 years, since the 1991 UNLV Running Rebels. No team has won every game it ultimately played since Bob Knight's Indiana Hoosiers in 1976. When I look at their schedule, I see seven potential pitfalls prior to the tournament, the one place you never want to hang a L in the record:

* Tuesday Nov 23, against either KSU or Gonzaga (ESPN). I hope its KSU, simply because the idea of two top-five and legitimate national title threats throwing down in week two is really appealing. Gonzaga would put up a fight, but probably would never draw closer than 6 or 8 in the second half, if they got that close down the stretch.

Odds of losing: KSU 40%, Gonzaga 15%.

* Wednesday Dec 1, vs Michigan State (ESPN). Gotta give the Dukies credit -- they have one impressive non-con this year. If this game was in East Lansing, I could see the upset, but probably not in Cameron.

Odds of losing: 20%.

* Saturday Dec 4, vs Butler (ESPN). A rematch of last season's tremendous, epic national championship game. Sadly, Gordon Heyward won't be on hand to recreate his near-championship winning shot.

Odds of losing: 5%.

* Saturday Jan 30, at St. John's (CBS). I love Steve Lavin as a head coach. Thought this was the best hire of the offseason. St. John's has talent. The question is, do they have enough to actually make MSG loud and rocking once again?

Odds of losing: 15%.

* Wednesday Feb 2, at Maryland (ESPN). Always a tough place to play. Duke got massacred there last year. But this ain't Grievis Vasquez' Terrapins.

Odds of losing: 25%.

* Saturday Feb 26, at Virginia Tech (ESPN). This is gonna be one really intriguing matchup. Va Tech's tourney hopes might be riding on this game. Blacksburg is anything but an easy place to play.

Odds of losing: 40%.

* Saturday March 5, at North Carolina (CBS). The second best rivalry in hoops brings down the ACC regular season, this year in the Dean Dome. You have to figure Roy isn't going to stink up the joint a second year in a row. Huge NCAA seeding and ACC regular season championship ramifications could be riding on this game.

Odds of losing: 50%.

There's other intriguing contests (namely at Florida State and hosting Temple), but these are the seven most likely trip-ups on the Duke schedule. And I can't legitimately give any opponent greater than a 50/50 shot of pulling out the victory. We could be in for an epic, historic season. And here Duke fans thought last year was something to remember.

* "I know you're a big TV guy. The question is, are there actually any new shows you like this fall?" -- Frank L, El Paso.

Yes, I am a big TV junkie. I'd much rather invest an hour a week into a tremendously written, acted, and directed TV show, than spend three hours in a movie theater. TV is more compelling to me, because it's just more real.

The only new show I make a point to never miss, is "Detroit 1-8-7". The comparisons to "NYPD Blue" are absolutely ridiculous -- "Detroit" at its finest (and the pilot was tremendously good television) isn't even comparable to "Blue" at its lowest (season eight). But I do agree, this is the best cop show on the air since "Blue", and it's got a rock solid set of actors (led by Michael Imperioli of "Sopranos" fame) that draw you into the storylines.

There were two other shows I had tremendously high hopes for ... and neither one of them is working for me. "Law and Order: Los Angeles" is, in a word, atrocious. I cannot stand Skeet Ulrich. Terence Howard is wasted here by only showing up in every other episode. And dammit, I miss Jack McCoy. Seriously, the last two years of "Law and Order" were as good as any they ever did. They finally had a rock solid cast at every position. Why cancel what's working for a watered-down inferior version? Yet another reason why NBC is in the crapper.

The other show I was geeked about was "The Event". I lasted two episodes. This is not the new "Lost". It's the new "Flash Forward", only p*ss poorly acted and with no discernable clue about where the show is headed.

Oh well, at least we have Simon Cowell on "Idol", and 16 straight weeks of "Lost" to look forward to come January, right? Oh. Dammit!

* "So what shows are left that you still watch, now that your favorite is no more"? -- Megan K, River Market.

Not much. The only four shows I make a point to watch are "NCIS", "Detroit 1-8-7", "Rules of Engagement", and "Two and a Half Men". I also TiVo "One Tree Hill", which I still cannot believe has gotten at least 70% better without Lucas and Peyton. (jose voice) Other than that, yo. Its just sports.

* "The DeJesus trade. Your thoughts"? -- Heath C, Harrisonville.

I'm fine with it. I get the fans frustration, the belief that this is just another "fire sale" type trade. My response to that is, what the hell did we ever win with David DeJesus? Zero winning seasons. Zero pennant chases. The only reason to show up after May was to either (a) tailgate, (b) get a tan, (c) watch the other team, or (d) tailgate. DeJesus is a nice complimentary player, but if he's the face of your franchise, you're going 67-95.

* "You've gotta be loving the finish to NASCAR" -- Brett H, Harrisonville.

Oh, absolutely. In the last three weeks, we've seen Mr. Invincible whiz away his points lead, we've seen two of the calmest, mild-mannered, most respected drivers in the sport throw down on pit row, and we've got three drivers entering the finale this week with a legitimate shot at winning the Championship. I'm grateful the Chiefs play early, so I can at least catch most of the finale.

* "No midseason Chiefs thoughts? Come on man!" -- Damien J, Midtown.

OK, fine, twist my arm.

Best game: Chiefs 21, Chargers 14, week one. If you were there that night to witness the rebirth of a once proud franchise, you get why this ranks as the best. I haven't seen Arrowhead that fired up in at least four years, since 2006. Probably because for the first time in four years, the fans had a reason to hope. That night was something I will never forget. It was the moment that made the last three years worth it.

Worst game: donkeys 49, Chiefs 29, week ten. It could have been 70-29, denver stopped trying after getting up 30.

Best moment: the whole Castro imitation and fallout, vs Bills week eight. You had to be there to truly realize how hilarious the moment was. One of those rare moments in life that not only meets the hype, but exceeds it.

Worst moment: holding in my emotions during the Chiefs no-show at denver. I apologize to everyone who was there. It's not truly a Chiefs experience when I don't act like, uuh, me.

Moment that could go either way: the new tradition of me taking liquor-flavored whipped cream shots after a Chiefs home win. On the one hand, we're undefeated when I take those suckers. On the other hand, having a white semi-liquidy / semi-solid substance blasted into my mouth as I'm on my knees is a little disturbing.

Best play, offense: the wildcat flea flicker touchdown to Dwayne Bowe, vs 49ers week three. Put the Chiefs ahead for good, opened the floodgates to a boatrace victory over a desperate opponent, and was honestly the most creative play I think I've ever seen executed on the field at Arrowhead.

Best play, defense: 4th and goal stand, vs Chargers week one. At home, these guys can beat anyone, if the crowd is as into it as they were that night. Three hours of standing in the rain, the cold, the misery, and the loudest that stadium got, was the final play. Awesome stuff.

Best play, special teams: forcing the punt return fumble midway through the 4th quarter, at oakland week 9. Even though the Chiefs ultimately lost, I firmly believe, if we don't somehow get that turnover, oakland would have run down the field, scored to go up 11, and put the game out of reach. Our defense was spent at that point. That was a huge moment in that game that gave the Chiefs life, and the Chiefs took full advantage of it, scoring on a Dwayne Bowe catch four minutes later.

Worst play, offense: Dwayne Bowe's drop of a touchdown, at Indianapolis week four. I firmly believe if he catches that, we win that game. Instead, the Chiefs have to settle for a field goal to tie the game, instead of taking the lead, and the Colts scored the winning touchdown on their next possession

Worst play, defense: Any play from the first four drives, at denver week ten. The donkeys ran 28 plays, all of which either gained yards or broke even. That is atrocious. Absolutely atrocious. 28 consecutive play (that eventually reached 41) without a negative play. You ain't gonna beat anyone when you play like that.

Worst play, special teams: the onside kick, at Indianapolis, week four. I completely agreed with the call, and I'd do the same thing again if I was in Todd Haley's position. But the way the ball was kicked, ensured it wouldn't go ten yards, it was going to fall short of the 40, which it did. Gotta do a better job of just kicking the damned thing forward, like Auburn did against Georgia to open the 2nd half on Saturday.

Most Valuable Player: Jamaal Charles. How can you pick anyone else? The one irreplacable part on this team.

Least Valuable Player: Chris Chambers. Is he still on the roster? I was unsure until the overshoot of the pass intended for him in denver last week. Is it too soon to just start calling him "Brett Perriman"?

Best development: Todd Haley's "riverboat gambler" approach to coaching. I have been screaming for years that you never punt on the opponents side of the field, unless you're up 7 late and trying to hold them for one last stop. I've been screaming for years that it makes far more sense to go for 4th and short than punt. College coaches figured this out a decade ago. There's only two coaches in the NFL right now who have the right mindset to milk positives out of bad situations, and we've got one of them.

(Side note: care to guess who the all-time 4th down "go for it" guys in NFL history are? Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, and mike shanahan. Call me nuts, but when you're coaching philosophy mirrors those guys, all of whom will eventually be in the Hall of Fame, four of whom have won a Super Bowl? You're probably doing the right thing).

Worst development: the "sellouts" at Arrowhead. Come on guys. We're better than this. It's utterly inconceivable to me that certain people who read this every week, aren't out there for every home game. The Hunt Family and the Chiefs organization gave you everything freaking thing you demanded -- a new GM, a new coach, new coordinators, better players, a state-of-the-art stadium, and oh yeah, A FIRST PLACE TEAM! What the f*ck is your excuse to not be out there every Sunday? It's an outrage.

Even Debbie and Beth are back this year. They bolted after 2007, vowing not to return until the Chiefs cleaned house and turned it around. And they'd been coming to games out there for at least 15 years at that point. Well, they're back. They kept up their end of the bargain, because the Chiefs fulfilled their end. Come on folks, you're missing getting in on the ground floor. And for what? Again, the Chiefs right now are the WORST they are going to be for at least the next four to five years. This is rock bottom for the next five years guys! And if rock bottom is a tie for first after ten weeks, and being the Vegas favorite to win this division with seven to go? I'll take that every day and twice on Sunday.

Show up Sunday! Make your mark! Do your part! This team needs you all to be what you are: the loudest, best, most passionate, most knowledgeable fans in football! The Sea of Red! Ok, let's move on.

Final thought: I still believe at the end of the day, the Chiefs / raiders finale will determine who wins the AFC West. I believe we will enter at 9-6, oakland will enter at 8-7, the winner takes the division. "Double or nothing". I'm sweating just thinking about how stressed out I will be that week ...

* "No NBA thoughts yet? No Bucks thoughts? Come on man, this is outrageous!" -- Brent S, Roeland Park.

I know, I know.

* "Seriously, no NBA Predictions? As one of the five confirmed NBA die-hards in Kansas City, and as your brother, I am embarrassed" -- Drew K, Shawnee.

I know, I know.

* "The Bucks are back to .500, and host the Lakers tonight ... and not one word of it so far? What, are you in a medically induced coma or something?" -- Gregg G, Bonner Springs.

I know, I know.

* "You suck Stevo! Give us some NBA thoughts already!" -- JRob, parts unknown.

Fine.

The Bucks host the Lakers tonight (available on the NBA League Pass). I will be tuned in.

Of all the matchups, the most interesting one is how the Bucks are going to guard Pau Gasol. I think the Bucks are smart enough to realize Kobe is going to go off for 30 some odd points no matter who guards him. As long as the offense runs through Kobe, you have a chance to win. I know how ridiculous that sounds, put the ball in the hands of the best player in the Association, but trust me, watch the Lakers play. Everything they do well, funnels through Gasol in the post. He's incredible to watch. I'm not sure the Assocation has had a player like him since ... maybe Scottie Pippen in his prime? A natural power forward that can more than adequately fill the five hole, can attack the rim, and yet looks smooth and natural shooting it from 18 feet. Gasol makes me drool. I freaking love watching the guy play.

The other key, of course, is how controlled BJ plays. If he tries to "one-up" Kobe, this game is going to be ugly. You can't "one-up" Kobe. Rondo kept making that mistake in the Finals last year, and it killed the Celtics. (Well that, and a 23 rebound deficit in game seven). BJ has to play within himself. He has to pass the ball, he has to run the offense. If the shot is open, fine, take it. But don't force it.

The beauty of this Bucks team, and you've really seen it over the last week, week and a half as they're starting to gel after a 1-4 start, is the depth. There's no bona-fide "superstars" on the floor. There's nobody out there who is going to command a max contract or get ESPN to cover the announcement of where they're going to play next season. But there is talent everywhere. It's truly a "team". And they're starting to play like it.

As for the other request ... I wanted to wait until I had seen every team play at least once to post the predictions. There are still three teams I have not watched play for at least a half yet -- the Clippers, the 76ers, and the Pistons. The Bucks play Philly on Friday, and visit Detroit next week. I promise my season long picks with at least some analysis of each team, will be up by then.

For my initial thoughts (aka after ten games, still subject to change) though ...

Atlantic Division: Celtics (1).
Central Division: Bucks (2).
Southeast Division: Magic (3).
Other playoff teams: Heat (4), Hawks (5), Bulls (6), Knicks (7), Pacers (8).
First team out: Bobcats.
Other lottery bound teams: Raptors, Nets, 76ers, Pistons, Cavs, Wizards.
First round: Celtics over Pacers in 4; Bucks over Knicks in 6; Magic over Bulls in 5; Heat over Hawks in 5.
Second round: Celtics over Heat in 5; Bucks over Magic in 6.
Eastern Champs: Celtics over Bucks in 7.

Northwest Division: Jazz (3).
Southwest Division: Mavericks (1).
Pacific Division: Lakers (2).
Other playoff teams: Spurs (4), Blazers (5), Thunder (6), Hornets (7), Warriors (8).
First team out: Kings.
Other lottery bound teams: Wolves, Nuggets, Suns, Clippers, Rockets, Grizzlies.
First round: Mavs over Warriors in 6; Lakers over Hornets in 5; Thunder over Jazz in 5; Spurs over Blazers in 7.
Second round: Spurs over Mavs in 7; Lakers over Thunder in 7.
Western Champs: Spurs over Lakers in 6.

Hoisting the O'Brien Trophy: Celtics over Spurs in 7.

* "What the Book of the Month"? -- Ashley K, Shawnee.

Amazingly, I haven't read a new book in a couple months. Kind of surprising to me too. The last one I really got through was "Game Change", the look at the 2008 election that was very good (and gives the up-close and inside look into how the media destroyed the Clinton campaign by actively hiding all of Obama's flaws and scandals). Guess I need to take a trip to Borders to see what's worth reading. Although there's once I'd like to get through, Michael Eisner's look back at running ABC and Disney.

* “Any Big XII thoughts as we enter the final season of the conference as we’ve always known it”? – Scott H, Liberty.

Yeah, four actually.

(1) Come next year, if Iowa State is the worst team in the conference, how freaking loaded is the conference? You have six teams that are virtual tourney locks every year right now (KU, KSU, MU, UT, Baylor, A&M). You have three more that are usually in the mix for the postseason (OSU, OU, Tech). And Iowa State isn’t that far removed from being an annual top 3, top 4 seed in the tourney. This conference is going to rule next winter.

(2) KU is the most overrated team in the country. I’m not saying the Jayhawks are going to pull a UNC style collapse and fall to .500 this year. But this is not the best team in the conference at this point. If Selby is cleared, maybe. But this current roster at best finishes third.

(3) MU is one of the two most underrated teams in the country (along with Temple). They’re my pick to win the Big XII regular season, and it wouldn’t shock me to see them win the Big XII Tourney as well. I can’t even begin to put into words how much I love Mike Anderson as a coach. You can say a lot of things about MU, and God knows I’ll join you in poking fun at that school all day long, but that basketball team will never quit on a game.

(4) My predicted outcome for each team:

Missouri: 1st in Big XII, 3 seed, reaches Elite 8.
Kansas State: 2nd in Big XII, wins Big XII Tourney, 2 seed, reaches Final Four.
Kansas: 3rd in Big XII, 3 seed, reaches Sweet 16.
Baylor: 4th in Big XII, reaches Big XII Tourney final, 4 seed, reaches Sweet 16.
Texas A&M: 5th in Big XII, 6 seed, reaches Elite 8.
Texas: 6th in Big XII, 7 seed, reaches second round.
Texas Tech: 7th in Big XII, 9 seed, loses opening round.
Oklahoma State: 8th in Big XII, play-in game participant, loses play-in game.
Nebraska: 9th in Big XII, NIT.
Iowa State: 10th in Big XII, NIT.
Oklahoma: 11th in Big XII, no postseason.
Colorado: 12th in Big XII, no postseason.

* “What song or songs are you digging at this point? We haven’t had a musical update in a while!” – Kellie B, soon to be J, KCK.

I can tell you what I’m not digging, and if he’s dead, Terence Trent D’Arby is rolling over in his grave. (If he’s not dead, he’s probably rolling over underneath the bridge he’s living under).

Sheryl Crow’s version of “Sign Your Name”. To call this song an abortion of a performance, is to give it credit. This version is absolutely dreadful. There’s some songs that should never be updated. This is one of them. It’s horrible.

The top 5 songs playing on my iPod over the last two weeks:

* “Find Your Love” by Drake. Like the beat, like the sound. It’s on the tailgating mix for Sunday.
* “All or Nothing” by Theory of a Deadman. Absolutely love this song.
* “Into the Night” by Benny Mardones. In the interest of full disclosure … yes, this song is 30 years old. But Benny was the featured guest on “Into the Night with Tony Bruno” last Friday, and explained what the song was about … and I gotta tell you, any person with a conscience would tear up hearing him describe how he came to crank out his only number one single in less than an hour. It’s an awesome story. Just go to tonybrunoshow.com and choose the podcast feature, then go to Friday November 7 and listen to hour one. Awesome stuff. (That, and it really is a pretty sweet song).
* “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. Thank you, Sirius / XM, for bringing back at least one week of “Neil Diamond Radio”. So here’s a simple request – if you’ve given the Grateful Dead (who had exactly 1 top 20 hit, and if you can name it in the comments, I’ll buy you a beer next time I see you, provided you didn’t cheat to find out what it is) their own channel, you’ve given Pearl Jam (a band that hasn’t had a hit in a decade) their own channel, you’ve given the Chairman of the Board, Francis Albert Sinatra himself, his own channel, come on. Carve out one more slot on the dial for Neil permanently!!! But your undisputed leader:
* “DJ Got Us Falling in Love” by Usher. My favorite song of 2010 so far. I absolutely love this song. It’s on the mix for Sunday as well.

* “Wait, what do you mean, “tailgating mix for Sunday”? Dare we dream? Are we entering the mid 2000s and ditching CDs for the iPod”? -- Katie H, Lenexa.

Yup. I bought the FM tuner thingy that runs on batteries, so we’re going with iPods going forward. No more outdated mixes, no more cd’s that skip every two seconds. We’ve entered the modern era!

* “Wait, you’re picking the mix? Great. Just effing great. So we’ll get a healthy dose of late 70s / early 80s rock, a few modern songs, and some “light up a fatty for this pimp daddy” songs by Ben Harper or Dave. Just effing great” – Will D, Independence.

Hey, I didn’t say it would be my iPod on the player. I’m just saying, we ain’t CD dependent anymore. You can thank me later.

And I think I make a healthy mix of songs to please every person present. Unless you think the Black Eyed Peas are like the greatest thing since wine in a box. Then, well, sorry, you’ll be disappointed.

* “So I saw the picture, but I still don’t believe it. You really sang at this Halloween party you were at? Steve? On stage? The dude who hides from the camera when it comes around, the dude who admits his voice “sounds weird”, you sang in front of a bunch of folks?!?!” – Ashley G, Bonner Springs.

Yup. It pretty much went down as I recapped it. The band had never performed the song, I knew the song, but froze up on the lyrics … so it was pretty much three straight minutes of the chorus. And with all due respect, I brought the house down.

Also kind of potentially cool? My brother and our buddy Phill’s birthday bash is at Argosy on Saturday night. Scheduled to perform on the casino floor that night? KC Prime. Dare we dream “double or nothing”?

* “You suck Stevo. I have kicked your ass twice at fantasy football this year. You’re the doormat of the league!” – Jeff S, Omaha.

Admittedly, it’s a down year for team tito version 1.0. I will finish below .500 and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Having said that, my roster is ripe for the picking. If you own the Salty Bananas, the Angry Beavers, GO BIG RED, or my new-found favorite team, Mistake by the Lake, please, feel free to make me an outrageous offer that is just fair enough to have the commish approve. (Or, and I say this as a hypothetical, I “hypothetically guess” that the commish of our league enjoys Hanover pretzels, peanut M&M’s, and quality domestic brews, in case you doubt he’d approve our trade proposal).

* “Let me close! You have to have some thoughts on the election!” – Shannon H, Harrisonville.

OK, you can close.

My thoughts on the election are basically … if turning the country back to the folks who turned a $500 billion surplus into a $1.8 trillion deficit in 8 years, if turning the country back to the folks who presided over the collapse of the credit and housing market, presided over the collapse of the stock market, launched two unwinnable and unsustainable wars, and, realizing the only way they could win in 2004 was to turn the nation against itself, decided to do just that by painting people with legitimate (and as it turned out, factual) objections to the wars as anti-American, as pro-terrorist, as traitors, if turning the country back to these people is viewed as a good thing, we’re screwed.

If turning the country back to the people who had eight years to overhaul Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, name the entitlement program, and instead chose to do nothing, if this is a good thing, we’re royally screwed.

And if believing that the party of “fiscal sanity”, you know, those same folks who literally bankrupted the country by $2.3 trillion dollars a year from our surplus in 2000 to our deficit in 2008, trusting those folks to make wise fiscal decisions, is the height of idiocy.

As I noted when we elected President Obama, a man I am no fan of, “you get what you vote for”. We elected an idiot as our President. We’ve elected a bunch of quack idealogues to run our Congress. Let’s just hope 2012 gives us something worth rallying behind and supporting, because another election cycle or two like the last three of them, and we’re staring a nation fracturing at the seams in the face. We’re better than John Boehner, better than Pelosi, better than Reid, better than Obama, better than the religious right, the radical left. This nation leads the world when it is run from the center. Please, please, please: remember that come 2012.

Having said that … you don’t emerge from a crisis, from rock bottom, overnight. It is going to take the collective effort of both sides, as well as the American voting public, to turn this country around for the better. As much as I agreed with the Clinton agenda in 93-94 … it took the Gingrich Revolution to move Clinton to the center, where he always should have been. Bush never had the revolt to move him to the center, where he should have been. Now, we see if Obama moves to the right, to meet the Republicans half way. If the Republicans truly care about the future of this country, they move a little left to reach out and meet him. If this crop of Republicans is what I fear them to be, they’ll move even further right, as ridiculously self-confident and “mandate driven” delusional as my side was after 2008. Sorry to close on a sad note … but the next two years are gonna be worse than the previous two. Let’s just hope, and believe, that in 2012, we reject both extremes, and elect moderates who care more about “Country First”, to quote Senator McCain, care more about “Country First” than “Party First”.

Sorry this one wasn't as funny or sarcastic as usual. So until the next one, please ... show up Sunday! Do your part! There's two regular readers I'm particularly thinking of, who have no legitimate reason to not be there Sunday. You know who you are. Do your part! (todd haley voice) Do your job and we'll win this game!