Week 3 — 27 Sep 2004

From: Jeff
To: mnf@doobie.com
Subject: It's monday...

...and yesterday, the Dolphins lost in a monsoon, Tampa Bay got spanked, the 49ers embarassed themselves, and the Chiefs lost a nailbiter at home, to the Texans.

Ladies and gentlemen, those are the four remaing winless teams this year. (There are also four teams that are 3-0: Eagles, Falcons, Seahawks, Jaguars... and the Jets are 2-0 with a week 3 Bye). I think this was the 'parity' that the NFL was talking about when it reorganized the league and tightened up the salary cap rules.

It makes you long for those days of the legacy teams. Teams that could make the playoffs year after year. And the teams that made sure that the good teams had someone to beat (hello Saints fans). Years when it wasn't suprising at all that the Steelers beat the Dolphins in the mud.

...The days when Howard Cosell would talk about legendary coaches like Tom Landry, the cameramen would try to keep the lens from pointing at the hookers in Jack Kent Cooke's booth, and the highlight reels would inevitably show off the beauty of the nearly perfect strategic matchup between innovative coaches like Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs.

oh wait.

Tonight... Bill Parcells leads the 1-1 Dallas Cowboys to the distant, yet huge, 85,000 seat FedEx Field in Raljon, Maryland (which is next to Landover, a serious haul from the District of Columbia), to take on Joe Gibbs and the 1-1 Washington Redskins and to continue one of the league's longest and best rivalries...in the rain. Don't forget to watch for the hookers in Dan Snyder's booth.

And if the Redskins can keep from turning over the wet, slippery football, they might just win this one.

Ahem. Monday Night. Washington Redskins. Dallas Cowboys. Do you have to tell your boss anything more???

The Line:

(The smart money lost last week. It is now 0-1) The Redskins are favored by two, with an over/under of 36.

The smart money will be invoking the Pete Rose exemption[1] and won't bet for or against the spread. The smart money is on the over, UNLESS IT'S RAINING when the game starts (in which case, it might still be on the over). Ask again at the bar with 10 minutes to go before the game.

[1] The Pete Rose exemption says that bettors shouldn't ever admit to considering betting against their own team.

The Bar: Kezar Pub 770 Stanyan St b/w Waller and Beulah. in unassuming Cole Valley. Steps from the 66 bus Within a block or two of the 71 7 37 43 busses and the N train. Easy, inexpensive parking in the lot across the street.

Kickoff is at 6:00.

See you there?

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