Week 2: Predictions from the Pressbox

Ladies and gentlemen, help would be appreciated! My picks are due by 6 p.m. Thursday.

High school games:
Dover at Bermudian Springs
Biglerville at York Catholic
Delone Catholic at Trinity
Gettysburg at Manheim Central
York Suburban at Hanover
New Oxford at West York
Susquehannock at South Western
Pius X at Fairfield
Kennard-Dale at Littlestown

College games:
Hampden-Sydney at Gettysburg College
Penn State at Notre Dame
Pitt at Cincinnatti
Ohio State at Texas

NFL games:
Baltimore at Tampa Bay
Cincinnatti at Kansas City
Philadelphia at Houston
Denver at St. Louis
Atlanta at Carolina
Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants
Minnesota at Washington

Labor Day Horseshoe Results

(Click image to enlarge)

Wasn't expecting this...

So now I'm a 3rd-week medical student! We've finished our dissection off the lower extremity (which was a heck of a lot more complicated than I originally exected!) and have moved on to the thorax. On thursday we opened the chest cavity and on friday we dissected out the lungs! Very very exciting!

Except for two things. To get to the thoracic cavity you need to remove the ribs. I anticipated using special medical tools for the dissetion.... thinking that speical instruments were going to be provided to saw through the ribs and sternum. Nope! Each group was handed a hand-saw from the 1950s for the big bones and a wire-cutter for the smaller sections of the ribs.

Then, to our surprise, 2/3rds of the left lung of our human cadaver was missing, and in its place was a goo-of-sorts. To the best of our ability, me and the other first-years in my group couldn't find a reasonable explanation for the missing lung, because there was no scare tissue that would indicate it was intentionally cut out. Our cadaver died of bladder cancer (age 88). Our professor says that its common for invasive cancers to spread, and in this case to the lungs. At which point, the lung may have destroyed itself in the process of trying to destroy the invading cancerous bladder tissue, leaving behind the goop that we found!

I thought that was interesting, and had never heard of anything like it. The goo was pretty gross looking, and we had to scoop it out with our hands and put it in plastic cups for testing. Yuck!

Reminiscent

The O's won another ball game last night defeating the Twins 6-3 behind a stellar pitching peformance from Adam Loewen (8 IP, 4H, 1 R, 0 BB). In the 7 games since being swept in Boston, the O's have gone 5-2. In those 7 games, 6 of them have seen solid starting pitching performances. Erik Bedard stumbled last Sunday (5 IP, 7 R) against the Blue Jays to end a season high 4 game winning streak for the O's. That stumble makes Loewen's effort last night look even better. The team ace gets beat up to end a winning streak and the next guy goes out and pitches a gem to (hopefully) get another winning streak started.

In the last 7 days, O's pitching has a 2.67 ERA and a record of 5-1.

The O's are definitely having a power surge, belting 5 HR's off of Carlos Silva last night to bring this recent 7 games total to 15. Brian Roberts and Corey Patterson went deep to complement the 3 HR's hit by Nick Markakis. Markakis is the 1st Oriole to hit 3 HR's in one game since Albert Belle did it in 1999.

Markakis is hitting .344 in August with 12 extra base hits (7 HR, 5 2B) out of 22 safeties. In the 6 games that Markakis has hit 2nd in the order, he is 10 for 23 with 6 HR, 10 RBI and 11 Runs Scored. That qualifies as 'starting to show some power'.

Solid pitching and home runs. Earl Weaver would be proud.

preserve a cadaver

I'm just entering my 2nd week of medical school... and as most 1st year medical students are doing, I'm spending at least 3 hours a day dissecting a human cadaver.

This anatomy course lasts 11 weeks, and I'll be working on the same cadaver for all 11 weeks! So your thinking (as was I) that there must be some special method for preserving this body day after day after day, otherwise it would rot and smell.

Possibly it has already been preserved by a specialist who pumped the body full of chemicals?
Nope

Then every night it is submerged in a preserving liquid?
Nope.

So it must be that every night the body is cooled, like in a special freezer or something?
Haha, no.

This is how its done:
Every day, when I'm finished with the dissection for the day, I cover my cadaver with paper towels. I then douse the paper towels with formadehyde, and then lay a small tarp over the top.

Not a very effective method, huh? I can't wait to smell the cadaver lab in late october! After one week its pretty bad in there!

But it's pretty neat that I've held the 4 quadricep muscles in my hand as well as the sciatic nerve (which is as big around as my index finger)... and many other things. So far I've dissected most of the lower limb. On wednesday we start the thorax!

Big Game for O's?

Baseball teams with a 54-68 record do not play big games.
But since I have the misfortune of holding the Baltimore Orioles in favor and I pine for something to care about, I have elevated todays game with the Toronto Blue Jays to Big Game status.

This requires a modicum of imagination.

Baltimore took 2 in a row from the Yankees in the Bronx and came home and whipped the Blue Jays 7-2 behind a solid starting pitching performance from Kris Benson (7IP, 6H, 2ER). This makes 3 wins in a row (tying the season high for the O's) and 4 straight solid starting pitching performances (which I believe is a season high).

The O's send Daniel Cabrera to the mound today against the Blue Jays Sean Marcum. If Cabrera can produce a solid performance today, it would represent the first time in I don't know how long the Orioles have taken a complete turn through the starting rotation with a good performance from each pitcher. It certainly hasn't happened this season or last.

Cabrera is 2-1 in 3 starts vs. the Blue Jays this season pitching 18 innings in the 3 contests while allowing 13 hits, 5 runs and 9 walks. Cabrera and Marcum faced each other on August 8th with Cabrera getting the win and Marcum getting a No Decision. I do not give the Orioles the pitching edge in any game Cabrera starts, but if I were forced to do so, I would give it for this game.

The Orioles are undefeated (3-0) with Nick Markakis batting 2nd in the order. Markakis is 6-12 with 2HR, 5 RBI and 6 Runs Scored in the 3 games since being moved to the 2 hole.

The O's may be experiencing a power surge. 6 home runs in the last 4 games and none of them by Tejada. Melvin Mora went deep in yesterday's victory over the Blue Jays.

So, on to victory this afternoon against the Blue Jays and season highs all around! I can hear the Orioles faithful chanting - You can't take us with Markakis!.... (batting 2nd)

Be Ye Inspired

Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Ths was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face...

Ezekiel 1:28

Is There Anything They Can't Do?

Bravo!

Shocking News: Gettysburg Times reporting that Niece/Nephew Team ace pitcher might not be available on Labor Day

I do not have a link, but Adams County's morning daily local is reporting that Jamie Pitzer, an 18-year-old phenom right-hander, who pitches regularly for the Nieces/Nephews team in the summer Mentzer Family wiffleball tournament, may not be available this Labor Day...

More news, sure to come...

the Tour de Testosterone

I have naturally high levels of testosterone.

Did he cheat?

Numbers

Why was six afraid of seven?

Because...

seven eight nine!!!

Lightning Strikes.... Again

Have you seen this?

Sic

It's a weak mind that can only think of one way to spell a word.

- Sir Walter Raleigh

WORLD CUP!

Everyone has to be excited about this thursday!!! But why the excitement? Well, after the US squad surprised the world in 2002 by making it the entire way to the world cup semi-finals, the US media played the 2006 games up big! The US team came out and completely stunk in their first game of group play, getting embarrased by the Czech Rep 3-0. Lucky for the rest of the group, the US managed to injure the Czech's best player, Koller. The US came out the next game against Italy and played to a 1-1 draw, playing a large portion of the game one man down due to terrible officiating! For the US to make it back to sigle elimination play we have to beat Ghana, who managed to be the Czech Rep. 2-0, but with out their best player, Koller! Meanwhile, this is Ghana's first ever World Cup. Their team is full of youth who have won major junior international tournaments, but never on the premier level! For the US to save our dignity we need to beat Ghana and Italy needs to beat Czech Rep. who now have another one of their best players injured.

The game will be shown thursday at prime time!

2006 Memorial Day Horseshoe tournament

It was a thrilling tournament and the level of play has been increased dramatically from last year and the next tournament will prove to be a grueling test of stamina.

Please -- Call me Squire

Spring has Sprung!

Where's Clark Kent?

"Apr 23 Spencer Fordin, of Orioles.MLB.com, reports Baltimore Orioles P Daniel Cabrera leads the American League in walks this season, with 22. "


Spencer Fordin, aka Jimmy Olsen, is trying to be as helpful as possible to fantasy baseball owners. He may want to look into the whole story and let us know just how Daniel became so proficient in walks.

Holy !@#$$%

Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, are excessively mischievous. They are always getting into trouble and their parents know all about it. If any mischief occurs in their town, the two boys are probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually. So the mother sent the 8 year old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon.

The preacher, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Do you know where God is, son?"

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.

So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?!"

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "Where is God?!"

The boy screamed & bolted from the room, ran directly home & dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?" The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time."

"GOD is missing, and they think we did it!"

They've Got Everything at that Mall

An Amish boy and his father rode into King of Prussia to visit the mall for the first time. All that they saw had them reeling in amazement, but the one thing that really caught their eye was a pair of shiny 'walls' that could slide open and close effortlessly shut again. The boy looked at his father and asked, "What is this thing, father?"

Having never seen an elevator before, the old man responded: "Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life. I don't know what it is."

At that moment, a fat lady in a wheelchair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady moved between them into a small room. The walls then closed, and the boy and his father watched in awe as a series of semi-circular numbers above the walls lit up sequentially. They continued to stare as the numbers lit in reverse order. Finally the walls opened again and a gorgeous, voluptuous blonde woman stepped out.

Without taking his eyes off the young woman, the father said quietly: "Son, go get your mother .."

Epiphany?

I know more than a few ladies who root for a particular sporting team because they claim to like that particular teams' uniforms. This reasoning has always flummoxed me. Until last week, that is, when I found myself in a public house watching a figure skating competition on TV.

I found myself rooting for a particular competitor for the exact same reason.

Cardinal Rule of Technology Engineering

Never confiscate power from your end users.

NFL Officiating

"What has to be recognized is that the job of an NFL official is difficult and dangerous. Imagine being an NFL umpire. You're positioned five yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield. There are linebackers on either side, receivers running in front and behind you and quarterbacks throwing balls that go whizzing past your head. It's like being locked inside of a washing machine on spin cycle.

Your first task is to avoid being killed and second, look for holding. By the way, you're 60 years old and this is your hobby. Good luck. "

Read the whole thing.

Polar Bear Club News....

Simon says...

I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won.

The Jeff Mentzer College Football Rankings - Final

After the mythical championship game has been played, here are the final top 25 for the first ever Jeff Mentzer Rankings.

1. Texas 1.0000
2. USC 0.9940
3. West Virginia 0.9615
4. Penn State 0.9461
5. Ohio State 0.9440
6. TCU 0.8887
7. Oregon 0.8764
8. Alabama 0.8438
9. Virginia Tech 0.8295
10. LSU 0.8033
11. Georgia 0.7565
12. UCLA 0.7505
13. Florida 0.6723
14. Oklahoma 0.6649
15. Notre Dame 0.6579
16. Wisconsin 0.6283
17. Texas Tech 0.6235
18. Miami (FL) 0.6129
19. Auburn 0.6109
20. Boston College 0.6085
21. Louisville 0.5693
22. Nebraska 0.4213
23. Tulsa 0.3975
24. Toledo 0.3966
25. Michigan 0.3927

Still playing with the suggestions, may incorporate into next years rankings. The higher ranked teams in the top 25 from pre-bowl rankings went 11 - 5 in the bowls.

The Jeff Mentzer College Football Rankings

As I have been encouraged to publish my rankings, I will not tell you how I come up with these numbers, but I will let you know my top 25. I rank all of the teams, but the following is just the top 25.

Have fun and let's see if my #1 Texas is really better than my #2 of USC.

1. Texas 1.0000
2. USC 1.0000
3. Oregon 0.9897
4. West Virginia 0.9571
5. Penn State 0.9527
6. Ohio State 0.9388
7. Georgia 0.8670
8. TCU 0.8668
9. Alabama 0.8395
10. Virginia Tech 0.8219
11. Auburn 0.7943
12. Notre Dame 0.7863
13. LSU 0.7820
14. Miami (FL) 0.7613
15. Louisville 0.7600
16. Texas Tech 0.7382
17. UCLA 0.7063
18. Florida 0.6824
19. Wisconsin 0.6283
20. Oklahoma 0.6169
21. Boston College 0.5706
22. Michigan 0.5699
23. Minnesota 0.5248
24. Northwestern 0.5145
25. South Carolina 0.4940

How this top 25 has fared in the bowl games this year.

#1 Texas to play #2 USC
#5 Penn State to play #30 Florida State


#3 Oregon lost to #20 Oklahoma
#4 West Virginia beat #7 Georgia
#6 Ohio State beat #12 Notre Dame
#8 TCU beat #40 Iowa State
#9 Alabama beat #16 Texas Tech
#10 Virgina Tech beat #15 Louisville
#11 Auburn lost to #19 Wisconsin
#13 LSU beat #14 Miami (FL)
#17 UCLA beat #24 Northwestern
#18 Florida beat #29 Iowa
#21 Boston College beat #26 Boise State
#22 Michigan lost to #32 Nebraska
#23 Minnesota lost to #50 Virginia
#25 South Carolina lost to #46 Missouri

9 wins to 5 losses so far for the higher ranked teams with 2 to go. I guess that's not too bad.

Stay tuned for the post bowl rankings.

JSM

Nero fiddled......

In the old days, the Minnesota Vikings played NFL football in Metropolitan Stadium, an outdoor facility in Bloomington, MN. Even though the Vikings hey-dey during those years was under the leadership of "Nice Guy" head coach Bud Grant, the Vikings were a bunch of tough, cold and ruthless overachievers. Playing outdoors in Minnesota in December will do that to a football team.

Then the Vikings moved indoors into the Metrodome; and they got soft. They've had some good teams, but have yet to win a big football game in the indoor era. Not one.

Vikings management in the indoor era has fiddled around, coddling players and coaching staffs, ignoring weaknesses on one side of the ball or the other and never demanding accountability from anyone in the organization.

Yesterday, the Vikings whipped the division champion and hated rival Chicago Bears 34-10 to finish with a 9-7 record after a 2-5 start. A nice turnaround, but, apparently nice isn't going to cut it anymore.

Zygi Wilf, who bought the Vikings this past summer from former fiddler Red McCombs, fired head coach Mike Tice after the victory. Before the locker room had even cleared. Tough, cold, ruthless. Accountability demanded.

No more fiddling. Zygi plays guitar.

Should old acquaintance....

Happy New Year!