Famous Motorcycle Helmet Spokesman Won't Be Charged

After looking at the upcoming NFL schedule and seeing no games between the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers a DA has decided not to charge Big Ben with any criminal charges relating to an alleged sexual assault case.

"The investigation, interviews and report in the Roethlisberger matter have been completed and reviewed," said Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Frederic D. Bright made the announcement today at a news conference. He said prosecutors would not be able to bring a case that he would convince a jury "beyond a reasonable doubt."

Bright emphasized that the accuser did not want the case prosecuted.

There was word from the very begining that Ben Roethlisberger would not be charged and that there was more smoke in this case then fire.

How long till football season starts anyway? I wonder if the NFL will be allowed to continue playing under the Obamacare rules? You know they knowingly engage in practices which result in injuries and that of course drives up the cost for all of us. If I can't eat salt and must be continually warned about the dangers of everything that I eat, drink, breathe, or smell I would expect these wanton displays of personal injury would need to be stopped too.

I wonder which HHS employee is going to tell Ray Lewis he has to wait on that MRI or arthroscopic surgery?

I stand corrected. Atlanta will play Pittsburgh this year. WTH was the DA thinking?

Angry Steelers Fan Kills Puppy

Before the game, mind you. Just imagine the carnage that may have been after Pittsburgh's overtime loss to the dreadful Chiefs Sunday had he not been taken into custody.

A Bridgeville man told police he killed his girlfriend's puppy yesterday afternoon because the animal would not behave before the Steelers football game broadcast.

William Woodson, 22, is being held on $25,000 bail in the Allegheny County Jail, pending a preliminary hearing on animal cruelty at 1 p.m. next Monday before District Judge Elaine McGraw in Bridgeville.

The puppy, a 13-week-old pit bull named Flip, had been the focal point of recent arguments between Mr. Woodson and his girlfriend, Christine Gielarowski, 21, with whom Mr. Woodson lives on Jane Way.

Ms. Gielarowski still may face charges after she gave police a false name and address, then refused to identify her boyfriend as the suspect, officials said.

A witness called Bridgeville police at 1:09 p.m. after the suspect, who was supposed to have been walking the dog, instead was kicking it down the street, according to a police affidavit.

Ms. Gielarowski told police her boyfriend kicked the dog because the pup would not walk with them. When the near lifeless dog no longer was able to move, Mr. Woodson walked away from it and his girlfriend, she told police.

'There Were a Lot of Crying Kids'

I'm sure if these kids came with cash donations they'd have been welcomed right in.

"The person who headed this White House trip up came out and said, 'I’m sorry, the White House tour's off.' There were a lot of crying kids," parent Barbara Stine said.

The White House tells a slightly different story. A spokesperson said the group was actually supposed to be there at 9:30, but they held the gates for the group until 10:30, 15 minutes longer than they told the group, but when they still hadn't arrived, they had to draw the line.

Paty Stine said the White House staff should have made an exception. She feels the kindergarteners were snubbed for the Steelers.

"Here we have President Obama and his administration saying, 'Here we are for the common, middle class people,' and here he is not letting 150 5- and 6-year-olds into the White House because he’s throwing a lunch for a bunch of grown millionaires," Stine said.

Obama obviously doesn't care about the children.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Super Bowl XLIII

Here in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, this may rank as the least anticipated Super Bowl ever. After the Giants went down in flames all the interest pretty much died. But since we're been prognosticating all year, we're at least obliged to make a prediction. We went 5-5 so far in the playoffs.

Take the Cardinals with the points (+6.5), but expect the Steelers to win 27-21.

The Giants beat both these teams in their own building, so yes, this will be frustrating to watch.

So with that, we bring you the best play in Super Bowl history. A lovely memory.



Oh, what the hell, may as well add this:



Bruce Springsteen does the halftime show today. But nothing will ever top this.



That still brings me to tears.

NFL Conference Championships

As we get set for the championship games today both No. 6 seeds are still alive, presenting us with the possibility of an unlikely Super Bowl matchup. Although the way things have gone the past few seasons, would anyone be shocked by that? Pittsburgh won as a No. 5 in Super Bowl XL and the Giants were a No. 5 last season. What it now comes down to is who's hot at the right time.

After rolling through the playoffs the past two years with 9-2 and 10-1 marks, we've stumbled this season to 3-5, including a 1-3 mark last weekend. We'll need to run the table from here on out to get above .500.

NFC Championship
CARDINALS +3.5 Eagles: Never thought I'd see the day when the Arizona Cardinals were hosting the NFC Championship, but here they are after destroying Carolina last week, while the Eagles have knocked off the Vikings and Giants to get here. Throw out the 48-20 Eagles win Thanksgiving night. That game may as well have been played two years ago. The Cardinals look nothing like the team that was obliterated by New England 47-7 a month ago. The key to this game is Kurt Warner controlling the ball and not fumbling or throwing bad interceptions. Arizona has put up 63 points in two playoff games while the Eagles have been inconsistent offensively. Philly was able to shut down Eli Manning last week, but Warner has too many weapons, led by all-world wideout Larry Fitzgerald. Look for a fast start from the Cardinals that will stun the Eagles and leave them struggling to play catch-up. I won't be shocked if Arizona wins going away before a raucous crowd. Cardinals 31-16

AFC Championship
STEELERS -6 Ravens: Everyone expects another low-scoring bodybag game between these hated rivals. Just one problem. Ravens are so banged up they may not be able to keep pace. Steelers really seemed to have it rolling on offense last week while Baltimore gave up huge chunks of yardage to the Titans. If Tennessee doesn't turn it over repeatedly in the red zone the Ravens get blown out. I don't see the Steelers coughing it up so much, nor do I see the Ravens putting up more than 10 or 13 points on offense. Steelers have a penchant for losing title games at home, but not this time. Steelers 27-13

NFL Divisional Playoffs

The best weekend of the NFL playoffs is upon us and we have four games that are all rematches from the regular season, including a rubber match between the Eagles and Giants.

We were 2-2 for Wild Card weekend, winning with the Ravens and Eagles.

It's snowing here in the east, so what better to do today and Sunday than watch football?

SATURDAY
Titans -3 RAVENS: Tennessee won in Baltimore 13-10 earlier this season and expect another fairly low scoring slugfest between two teams that have no love for each other. Baltimore forced their defense upon Miami last weekend, but don't look for the Titans to rely on Kerry Collins to win. Expect Tennessee to follow the blueprint used by the Giants against the Ravens and to pound it on the ground. I don't see Baltimore mustering much offense and expect Tennessee to be far more physical than Miami was and get after Joe Flacco. The loss of Kevin Mawae could hurt the Titans, but I expect them to play a safe ball-control game. Titans 21-13

Cardinals +10 PANTHERS: Cardinals were better than I expected last week and found a good rhythm after staggering down the stretch. They kept it close at Carolina back in October, losing 27-23. The loss of Anquan Boldin really hurts, however, but since Arizona is playing with house money, expect them to air it out anyway. Still, Carolina is rested and hasn't lost at home this season. They should be able to chew up the clock with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Oh, and Arizona is 0-5 in the east this year, a bad omen. Carolina 31-23

SUNDAY
GIANTS -4 Eagles: Philly was the lone road team to beat the Giants at home this year, but New York was on cruise control at the time at 11-1 and coming off the Plaxico Burress fiasco. Having already won at Philadelphia, they just didn't match the Eagles' intensity and desperation that game. Sunday is a different story. Brandon Jacobs is healthy, the team is rested and the Giants will want to assert their strength early by ramming it down Philly's throat. If they contain a banged-up Brian Westbrook as they did in their first meeting, the Eagles will be hard pressed to score much. The Giants are right where they want to be: at home defending their title with people doubting them. Too much for the Eagles to overcome. Giants 27-10

Chargers +6 STEELERS: Their first meeting in early December resulted in the only 11-10 game in NFL history and conditions tomorrow should be about the same: Snowy and in the 20s. I really like how San Diego has run off five straight wins but I have serious doubts whether Darren Sproles can come close to matching what he did against the Colts going up against the league's best defense. Still, don't underestimate the determination of Philip Rivers. Big question is whether Ben Roethlisberger has sufficiently recovered from his concussion and if he holds up. Defense rules the day here. Steelers 17-16.

NFL Week 12: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh

I'm not crazy about these Thursday night games for several reasons. First, I don't have the NFL Network, the games are usually lousy matchups and then I have to put up a single game without having taken much times to go over all the games. And tonight is a dud with the lowly Bengals at the Steelers.

We were 8-8 in Week 11 and stand at 77-80-3 for the season. We'll have the rest of Week 12 later in the week.

STEELERS -10.5 Bengals: Pittsburgh has had a brutal stretch of home games the past month, but get a reprieve with the visiting Bengals, now at 1-8-1 and with no Ocho Stinko. It'll be 30 degrees and snowing and the last place Cincinnati wants to is in Pittsburgh. Steelers defense shuts down this low rent outfit easy. Steelers 31-3.

NFL Week 8

As we hit the midseason mark in the NFL, we have perhaps the best matchup of the season in Pittsburgh as the Giants and Steelers meet. With both teams at 5-1, it's being touted as a potential Super Bowl preview, but that's so far off now it's impossible to say where things may stand come January. As it is, the Giants are finished with the cream puff portion of their schedule and need to start playing better. Another big matchup is Monday night as the stumbling Colts face the last unbeaten team in the league, the Tennessee Titans. A special added bonus this week: No Sunday night game, so you won't have to be on alert for that moron Keith Olbermann.

We managed an 8-6 slate in Week 7 and stand at 52-47-3 for 2008.

SUNDAY
JETS -13.5 Chiefs: You have to be really bad to be a two-touchdown underdog to the very mediocre Jets. Well, Kansas City is just awful. Jets would love nothing more than to pound on their former coach Herman Edwards, and they will. Jets 38-6

RAVENS -7 Raiders: Baltimore may not score much, but the Raiders will be fortunate to muster any offense against Ravens. Ravens 23-3

Chargers -3 Saints: Saints are technically the home team, but this game is being played in London. The Chargers may well win their division by default, but they might want to start winning some games. Saints are all banged up and reports are flying a couple of players may have failed drug tests. Not good. Chargers 31-21

Bills -1.5 DOLPHINS: Bills are going to be fooled by Miami's offensive gimmicks and Trent Edwards is rapidly rising to stardom. Bills may be the best team nobody has seen this year. Bills 24-17

Buccaneers +2.5 COWBOYS: I'm supposed to believe a team that was humiliated by the lowly Rams is to be favored over a Tampa team with a stout defense? The implosion continues in Dallas. Buccaneers 27-20

Falcons +9 EAGLES: Atlanta is a legit 4-2, coming off a bye and getting nine points? Eagles will throw everything at Matt Ryan, but guess what? Falcons have a great running game. Eagles 24-23

PATRIOTS -7.5 Rams: Rams may be flying high after beating the Redskins and Cowboys, but New England may well have gotten their offense in gear last week, although they have huge problems with the running game. Patriots 27-13

Cardinals +4 PANTHERS: Carolina is another solid team playing in relative obscurity. While the Cards will likely cruise to an NFC West title, they're not quite ready to beat elite teams on the road. Panthers 30-27

LIONS +7.5 Redskins: Sure, it seems insane taking a winless Detroit team, but they've covered two straight while Skins have been in an offensive fog. Probably not enough to win, but Lions may keep it interesting. Redskins 20-17

Giants +3 STEELERS: Problem child Plaxico Burress returns for first time to Pittsburgh and is due for a big game. Without Willie Parker, Pittsburgh will be forced to throw a lot and Giants pass rush will get to Ben Roethlisberger. Giants 24-20

JAGUARS -7 Browns: Rested Jags finally have some offensive lineman back and will run all over Browns. This may be the week Derek Anderson gets the hook in favor of Brady Quinn. Just a hunch. Jaguars 31-21

TEXANS -9 Bengals: Carson Palmer may be finished for the season. Seriously, Bengals could go winless. Texans 34-10

49ERS -5 Seahawks: Niners stink, but they already won in Seattle this year and the Seahags are swirling the drain. What the hell happened to them? 49ers 30-13

MONDAY
Colts +4 TITANS: Titans could bury erratic Colts with a win here, but I suspect Peyton Manning and the Colts aren't quite finished yet. Titans finally stumble in prime time spotlight. Colts 24-21

NFL Wildcard Weekend

We wrapped up a dismal season picking games against the spread, coming in at 114-130-12 after a 7-8-1 mark in Week 17.

For what it's worth, my friends at the NY Post, who run the Bettor's Guide every week, didn't fare much better. Nine of the 10 folks listed there also finished under .500, and I had the identical record as the erstwhile Hondo.

Good thing I don't gamble outside of the occasional office pool and Super Bowl boxes.

For the record, here's who we saw in the playoffs way back in Week 1.

NFC Wildcards
GIANTS over Dallas
SEAHAWKS over Panthers

Divisional
SAINTS over Giants
BEARS over Seahawks

Championship
SAINTS over Bears

AFC Wildcards
PATRIOTS over Ravens
Broncos over BENGALS

Divisional
CHARGERS over Broncos
Patriots over COLTS

Championship
CHARGERS over Patriots

Super Bowl
Chargers over Saints

Shows you how much I know, getting only six of the 12 playoff teams right. Alas, last year we went 9-2 in the playoffs and Super Bowl, so let's see if we can approach that mark.

On to this weekend's game.

SATURDAY
SEAHAWKS -3.5 Redskins: Forecast calls for rain in Seattle, but what else is new? Love the Redskins coming of their four-game win streak just to get here, but think this is where it ends. Short week, Seattle is relatively rested, and Todd Collins is due to come back to earth facing a sturdy Seattle pass rush. The Seahawks are better than I thought they'd be this year and don't be shocked if they wind up in the Super Bowl. Seahawks 27-20

STEELERS +2.5 Jaguars: Pittsburgh lost at home to the hot Jags three weeks ago and are in a rare home underdog spot tonight, which I believe gives them more than enough motivation. Sure, they're banged up on the offensive line and miss Willie Parker, but I expect Ben Roethlisberger to outplay David Garrard, while sloppy conditions slow the Jaguar rushing attack. Expect a nasty slugfest. Steelers 24-21

Viewer alert: Both games today are on NBC, so do your best to avoid their studio show and that douchebag Keith Olbermann, the current leader for the famed LGF Fiskie Award.

SUNDAY
Giants +3 BUCCANEERS: New York has been on full throttle the past two weeks, putting up 73 points against Buffalo and New England while Tampa has been on cruise control. Look for the Giants to establish the run, play it safe underneath in the passing game against sturdy Bucs pass defense. Giants have more weapons with Jacobs, Bradshaw, Burress, Toomer and rookies Kevin Boss and Steve Smith and are 7-1 on the road. Jeff Garcia 2-0 against New York in the playoffs, but the Giants league-leading pass rush should keep him in check. Giants 24-20

CHARGERS -9.5 Titans: San Diego hasn't won a home playoff game since the 1994 season and is peaking at the right time, while Titans may be left with Kerry Collins at QB and are missing their top receiver in Roydell Williams and TE Bo Scaife. On top of that, LenDale White is questionable. Forecast calls for rain, so expect LaDainian Tomlinson to get the ball around 25 times and ornery defense to take out their recent playoff frustrations on Tennessee. Likely the only blowout of the weekend. Chargers 37-13

If these picks pan out, the matchups you'll get next weekend are Seattle at Green Bay, New York at Dallas, San Diego at Indianapolis and Pittsburgh at New England.

NFL Week 16: Pittsburgh at St. Louis

We'll review Week 15 and cover the rest of Week 16 on Saturday.

For now we have another NFL Network game few will see.

Steelers -7.5 RAMS: Steelers coming off two bad losses to New England and Jacksonville, and are in a dogfight now for a playoff spot. Screw this up and they could be facing disaster. They should be able to physically handle the 3-11 Rams, and need to grind it out with plenty of Willie Parker. Rams may keep it interesting for a bit, but are just overmatched. Steelers 33-21