The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

The concept of plane confuses some players. It also confuses some players that come to me for golf lessons. Many are unclear about what it is and what its impact is on your golf swing. Whether you understand the concept of plane or not, swinging off plane is never good.

Focusing on two pointsspine angle at address and the position of the left arm on the downswingclears up the confusion about swing plane and explains its effect on your golf swing and your golf handicap.

Several reasons exist for swinging off plane. Picking the club up with your hands or rolling the clubface open during the swing are two. The most common reason for swinging off plane is adopting the wrong spine angle at address, as I’ve often pointed out in my golf tips,

Spine angle forms the natural axis around which your shoulders should turn at a 90-degree angle. The spine angle you set at address is critical because it decides the shape and plane of your swing. It’s the reason why I focus on adopting the proper spine angle in my golf instruction sessions.

If a player tilts too far over at address, the flatter spine angle causes the shoulders to “tilt” during the swing. As a result, your left arm comes off your chest during your swing, your backswing becomes upright, and your swing plane too steep. Fat shots, deep divots, and pulls and slices are symptoms of a steep plane.

If a player leans too far back at address, the more erect spine angle causes the shoulders to flatten during the swing. As a result, your left arm squeezes too tightly against your chest, your backswing becomes flatter, and your swing plane too shallow. Hitting behind the ball, thin shots, and loss of power are symptoms of a shallow plane.

Keep in mind that a taller player has a naturally steeper swing plane than a shorter person does, and a shorter player has a naturally flatter swing plane than a taller person does.

While your shoulder turn and arm swing are related, a good backswing requires a left arm swing that’s on a slightly higher plane than your shoulders. This arm angle allows your shoulders to have more of a free passage to the ball on the downswing. If your left arm swing is off, you’ll automatically be on the wrong plane with your swing will be off.

Here’s a test I use in my golf lessons to tell if a player is on plane with his/her swing. Take a club, assume your normal posture, and swing to the top. Hold that position for a second. Now, loosen your grip and let the shaft fall.

If the shaft hits you on the top of the right shoulder, your swing is on plane. If it hits you on the head or neck, your swing plane is too steep. Conversely, if it falls behind your back without hitting your body, your swing plane is too shallow.

Employing a simple move at the top of your backswing ensures that you’re taking the right swing plane as you start into the downswing. As you begin your downswing shift your weight onto your left foot while, at the same time, bringing your right elbow back down to your body. Remember to retain the angle of your wrist as you complete this move. It’s the seat of power and the key to maximum distance.

As the weight shifts to the left and the elbow drops down, the club falls automatically into the right slot for the correct swing plane. This movement flattens the swing ever so slightly. It’s the ideal position from which to swing the club down at the ball, delivering the clubhead squarely to the ball.

In essence you’re actually employing two swing planes to hit the ball correctly, one slightly different than the other. The first comes from executing the correct take away. The second from dropping down your right elbow just before the downswing.

That slightly different swing plane is crucial. It runs right through the correct angle of your spine, the natural axis around which your shoulders should turn, enabling you to deliver a clean crisp blow to the ball with a square clubhead and good power. And that’s the goal of all golf instruction on swing plane.

I hope this article clears up the confusion about swing planes. If you work on taking the club back on the right plane and on dropping your right elbow down during your swing, you’ll see results. That, in turn, will help you lower both your individual golf scores and your golf handicap.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book “How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros.” He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instructions.

If you watch any golf on TV, you have surely seen the interview with the Saturday leader about what he plans to do the next day to win the golf tournament.

Almost without fail, these great golf stars tell you they will hit one shot at a time. They will play their own game and see what happens. They will stay in the moment.

If there is one thing the average golfer can do to improve their golf, it is understanding this concept and applying it to their game.

What does it mean to stay in the moment. Does it meant to think about nothing but exactly where you are and what you are doing on the golf course?

While some would say Ben Hogan did just that, it really isn’t necessary. What would be the fun in that anyway. Golf should be about having fun and you can do that while playing your best golf.

How many times have you shot a great front nine, only to lose it on the back and shoot your normal score? This happens because you become concerned with your score and began to focus on making a number instead of a golf swing.

The pros all seem to be able to go in an out of their “zones”. When it is time to swing the club, they are 100% focused on what they have to do. Us mere mortals are subject to having anything creep into their mind.

Everybodies mind work a little different, so you will have to find whatever it is your mind needs get into that zone. Maybe find a starting point, an action that you can do on every shot.

It could be a hat adjustment or something similar. Just let that action become the doorway to your zone. In fact, you probably already have such an action in your preshot routine.

Your mind needs to be 100% focused on the shot before you ever address the ball. Once you have selected your club, you should stand directly behind the ball until you are totally commited to the shot you are about to hit.

You should have a good idea of how the swing will feel before you make it. And that is all that should be on your mind. Nothing else. Not the bunker on the left or the score you will shoot if you par in.

Staying in the moment just means having a mind clearly focused on the shot at hand, with no outside thoughts entering the mind. This doesn’t just happen naturally.

You must devote some practice time to getting into and out of your zone. You can improve this area of the mental game and shoot better scores as a result.

Darell is the author of the revolutionary putting ebook Target Putting. His website features free golf tips, a golf tip forum and free golf tip ebooks to download.

http://www.targetputting.com/golftips

Golf swing aids are rampant! Every golfer has dozens of them gathering dust in their garages or closets. How many wives have threatened a “clearing out” of these contraptions? If you are feeling me…keep reading.

Have you purchased golf swing aids only to use them once or twice and not see improvement? Isn’t this an everyday occurrence for golfers? I see and hear this all the time, and yet golfers will continue to spend hundreds of dollars by the ‘latest/greatest’ gimmick.

I don’t know if they (golfers) think they will find the “one” training aid that will change their game forever; or they are just trying to take the easy way out?

Either way, the main reason most golf swing aids don’t help is because you are not working on what’s causing your swing faults. You! Your machine (body) dictates your outcome! There’s no way around it!

What your body is capable of in that moment is the result you’ll get.

How many times have you wished you could make a bigger backswing but can’t? How often do you walk off the course with a sore back? How many times did you have a good front nine only to blow up on the back nine and shoot your normal score?

The above results were because of the “physical” issues within your body. Until you realize this and take a different approach to your golf improvement program, you’ll be a frustrated golfer for a long time.

In my opinion, there are a couple of golf swing aids that are effective when you incorporate them with your new golf training program. One is the medicus. This is a fantastic golf swing aid that gives you instant feedback. Swing it too fast or out of plane and the shaft breaks at the hinge.

Another golf swing aid I like is the weighted golf club. I swing mine everyday and boy does it loosen me up and strengthen my golf swing muscles.

Other than the above golf swing aids, there are dozens and dozens of ones that are a total waste of money. Save your money and work on you! The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll stop buying the latest, greatest golf swing aids.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is the featured expert for Golf Magazine’s GolfOnline.com site, one of the top golf performance experts in the country, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf performance sites. Take a look at his just released golf performance dvds and manual at his golf swing tips site - Perform Better Golf.

Hi, This is the second in a series of tennis tips. I don’t
assume to tell you something new every time, however sometimes
you need to hear something you already know one more time! As
promised, this time I will give you some tactical advice. It’s
called: CONSISTENCY! In tennis the basic idea is to hit the ball
over the net into the field of the opponent and preferably one
time more often than him/her. If you succeed you win the point.
That’s the basic idea. Now I know there’s more to it, however
since it is so basic, so essential, it’s worth paying attention
to. On almost all levels you win more points of your opponent’s
mistakes than you do of your own winners. Every now and then on
a professional level you will see a player hit more winners than
his/her opponent made unforced errors, but often it is the other
way around even on that level. This balance between taking risk
and not making to many unforced errors is very delicate and very
important if you want to enjoy some success in tennis. A good
example of this is the match Dutchman Verkerk played against
Federer in Paris in 2004. Verkerk hit an enormous amount of
winners, but unfortunately made almost as many unnecessary
mistakes as well. His unforced errors evened out his winners.
Although he had the initiative during most of the match, in the
end he lost. Experience (gained from years of practice and
playing lots of matches) and talent will help you decide when to
go for the winner and when to play it ’safe’. This is called
playing the percentages (or percentage tennis). It’s all about
consistency in all game situations. (More about that next time.)
All this is assuming you can already play both offensive and
defensive shots. If you just started to play tennis the most
important thing for you is: CONSISTENCY! Yep, just concentrate
on keeping the ball in play. Try to get to every ball, run the
soles off your shoes and hit the ball to the other side. Be
persistent and you’ll drive people crazy! “All he/she does is
bringing back the ball”, they will say. (You will smile and know
that you consciously chose this strategy while you are still
developing your game.) So, remember to play with consistency!
HAVE FUN, Mark Luyk

Remember to visit my website at
http://www.game-set-and-match.com

“Get Ready, Get Set, Go!”

I remember hearing these words somewhere in my youth. Have you ever heard these words? I don’t remember exactly where or why I have heard them but today they are going to apply to your golf game. It seems like a “golf” set of words to me so we are going to use them for your lesson today.

“Get ready.” There are several get ready’s. First is the get ready to develop your golf swing. Next is to learn the shots you need to play good golf any where. The next get ready is when you get to the course and warm up for the round. And of course you need to get ready for the shot you are faced with.

Get Ready #1, Develop your swing: Notice the words - develop YOUR swing. That’s exactly what you will do with the five Concept Golf swing principles. Those simple five principles give you the mental foundation so you can develop YOUR swing. Those principles make your swing development simple and quick. Once your swing is developed, you will spend only a little time practicing and little, if any, time fixing it. OK, your first get ready is done.

Get Ready #2, The shots you need: This is not just a drive and a wedge and a putt. These are straight, low, high, low fade, high fade, high draw, low draw for long shots. Learn to hit a shot that will not go left and a shot that will not go right. Learn how far you hit each club in your bag. How far do YOU hit them, not some standard measurement. The shorter clubs need the high and the low trajectory. Learn the short pitch shots with the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. That ranges from very high and soft to very low and running with the pitching wedge. Learn these shots from fluffy lies and from tight lies. Learn how to putt well from 10′ and closer, actually from 6′ and closer. Learn right-breaking and left-breaking putts of 5′ and less.

Get Ready #3, Warm up: This is getting ready for the round today. This is a time to prepare your body for the job at hand - to play 18 holes of golf. Start with a few short wedge shots, 25-30 yards. Loosen up gradually. Then a few short 7-irons of about 75 to 120 yards. Then stretch them out to your full distance. Now you are ready to hit a couple 5-irons at full distance. Now a few 3-woods off the ground and then a few tee shots with whatever club you use for that.

All this warm-up time is for is two things. First, loosing your body for the job at hand and second, finding out how your shots are going today. Each day is different and you are different each day. DON’T TRY TO BE THE SAME OR HIT SHOTS EXACTLY THE SAME WAY EVERY DAY. Use the warm-up time to find out who you are today and then adjust your game to who you are today. Do not try to make your shots fit who you think you are supposed to be every day. Be flexible in your approach to your game because you are a different person every day.

There are some - maybe more than a few - who think they must be the same every day. That means that if the shots are not going exactly right on the range during warm-up, their swing must be fixed. They are not going to play with what they have, they are going to try to play with what they think they ought to have. By the time they go to the first tee they have no clue what direction the ball could go. Now, that is a real feeling of confidence.

Rather that trying to fix your swing during your warm-up, just play with what you have. Your chances of success are quite high if you dance with what brung ‘ya rather than trying to fix your swing. If you really insist on fixing your swing, do it after the round

Get Ready #4, Your current shot: Every shot is brand new. Even though you think you have hit that exact shot many times before, it is really brand new. You are new each day and the wind or the pin, or the grass, or something makes the shot a new one. Similar in many ways to a shot you had some time but still brand new. The question then is how to prepare for a new shot.

For a tee shot on a par 4 and par 5, have your plan and a very specific target. Check the wind and anything that may affect your shot. Know how the wind or the cold or whatever you are dealing with will affect your shot. Know where you want your ball to end up and why you want it there. It should make the next shot the easiest. Your target should very small, like the edge of a tree trunk rather than the whole tree. With your shot determined, keep the picture of the target in mind and deliver the ball to your target.

An iron shot from the fairway is also affected by the lie as well as the things mentioned above for the tee shot. Is your ball sitting up or is it on bare ground? Is your lie on flat ground or are there some angles you need to deal with? How will that affect your shot? You need to know how these things will affect your shot.

You also must know the golfer. What is the golfer really capable of? Is he playing within his ability or at the ragged edge of hopefulness? Is he trying to hit shots he has never practiced or never succeeded at? Is he trying to drive the ball with 100% of his strength or staying within himself at 80%? Is this a day when you are not hitting the ball quite solidly so are conservative in your target selection? Or are you having a very good ball-striking day so you can be aggressive and play for the pins?

It seems the Get Ready is a bit involved - and it is. When you are playing, all these decisions should take only moments. Learning your swing is not too involved. Learning the shots you need to play golf will take some time, some learning, some watching the best players, some experimentation.

Get Set is simple. Make a forward press and Go, swing. It’s just like many things in life, the preparation is where most of the effort lies. Good preparation yields good results. Caution: Don’t spend all of your time in preparation. The good players shoot low numbers; they cannot be stuck on the driving range.

John Toepel is a Veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author, and professional speaker. He is also the discoverer of Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone’s golf game. To learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, “The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System”, please visit http://www.conceptgolf.com/PSMS.htm and Discover the Par Golfer in You!

When is the last time you ate cranberries? Was it with a turkey dinner? With all the research pointing to the amazing health benefits of this simple berry, shouldn’t cranberries be more than a once a year side dish?

How Cranberries Are Proving Their Strength:

The Cranberry Institute provides the results of studies and research that highlight the fantastic health benefits of the humble cranberry.

Cranberries have been used for thousands of years by Native Americans as a source of food and to extend the shelf life of dried meats. Colonial sailors also made use of the natural preservatives in cranberries (from benzoic acid) which allowed them to last through long sea voyages, and the high Vitamin C content which prevented scurvy.

Perhaps they were on to something since new research suggests that cranberries may prevent the adhesion of the e.coli bacteria - a common cause of food poisoning from contaminated meat - to the urinary tract. This ‘anti-adhesion’ effect may also help in preventing bacteria from causing stomach ulcers and gum disease.

Vitamin C is also a known powerful antioxidant and is being widely accepted as a means of combating the effects of free radicals in the body which can cause cancer, heart disease and other health problems. Antioxidants from cranberries are being researched for prevention of kidney stones and lowering cholesterol.

While many fruits contain antioxidants, according to research cranberries have more antioxidants than 19 commonly eaten fruits. With this news it makes sense to include cranberries into a balanced diet throughout the year.

How Can You Include Cranberries Into Your Diet?

Fresh, frozen or dried, cranberries can be eaten anytime of the year.

Adding dried cranberries to baking (such as scones, breads and cookies) is an easy way to enjoy their tart sweetness. Adding frozen cranberries to smoothies or soups can lend a mild tang to your creations. Fresh cranberries make excellent garnishes and dressings.

The easiest way to add cranberries to your diet is to drink cranberry juice. While sweetened juices have less antioxidants than unsweetened, the benefits of adding cranberry to your diet are still there. If you add unsweetened juice to sparkling water you can enjoy a refreshing spritzer.

While studies are still being conducted on the health benefits of cranberries there is no doubt that increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables in your diet will lead to a healthier body. Choosing to use a variety of berries, citrus and other fruits will ensure you are giving your body everything it needs for optimum health.

About the Author

This article provided courtesy of http://www.low-cholesterol-tips.com

OVERVIEW: NFC North

Look for a changing of the guard In the NFC North in 2005 as I fully expect to see the Green Bay Packers pass the torch to the Vikings and finish below the .500 mark, Pack QB Brett Favre has spent 14 of his 15 NFL seasons in Green Bay and has had a Hall of Fame career which includes the honor of being the NFL’s only three time MVP, Favre also has the distinction of being the NFL’s “Iron Man” with regard to his starting 225 consecutive games.

However, Favre will turn 36 yrs old on October 10 and his offensive line is significantly weaker with the key losses of starting offensive guards Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle, and those losses are in addition to losing starting S Darren Sharper and bit players S Michael Hawthorne and S Bhawoh Jue who provided depth in an already weak defensive secondary.

Other than snagging Favre’s replacement in QB Aaron Rogers with their top draft selection the Packers had a very average draft which is not a good thing when considering that they really didn’t pick up anyone of consequence in free agency, Green Bay opened up their 2004 campaign with a 1-4 straight up and ATS record which includes losing their first three home games to the likes of the Bears, the Giants, and the Titans which is not a good sign considering that these three teams finished up 2004 with a combined record of 16-32 straight up.

The Vikings appear to be the heir apparent to the NFC North throne as the ousting of WR Randy Moss who was nothing but a distraction along with the best draft of any team in the division and a good free agent crop might just turn these Vikings into a serious contender for the overall NFC crown when the smoke clears.

However, with that being said the real question is whether the Vikings can overcome the distraction of the team being sold as well as the silly game time decisions and poor clock management of HC Mike Tice who if you recall was busted for scalping Super Bowl tickets.

Detroit figures to give the Vikings a battle for the crown as long as they can remain healthy, Lion HC Steve Mariucci is in his third year with the organization and needs to make strides this year if he wants GM Matt Millen to hang around after 2005, Steve Mariucci was brought in after the Lions finished 2001 and 2002 with a combined record of 5-27 straight up and 15-16-1 ATS.

In Mariucci’s two seasons with the Lions they have gone 11-21 straight up and 17-15 ATS which means although slowly there has been improvement, the Lions selected three Pac-10 players with their top three choices by drafting WR Mike Williams out of USC with their top selection which makes this the third straight draft that a WR was chosen with the Lions first overall pick, with the Lions second pick they chose DT Shaun Cody out of USC and with their third choice they picked CB Stanley Wilson out of Stanford.

The Lions got a possible steal in the fifth round with QB Dan Orlovsky out of Connecticut, Detroit was also very active in the free agent wars by picking up QB Jeff Garcia who used to play for Mariucci in San Francisco and thus knows this offense very well, if QB Joey Harrington continues to under perform expect to see a switch to Garcia. The additions of problem child WR Kevin Johnson and TE Marcus Pollard will bring veteran leadership to the offense.

HC Lovie Smith and his Bears continue to be a work in progress as they once again will bring up the rear in 2005, windy city faithful had high hopes for this team following a 13-4 straight up and 11-5-1 ATS season in 2001, however, in the three seasons since that break out year of 2001 these Bears have tallied a dismal 16-32 straight up and 20-28 ATS record and the song will remain the same in 2005 as the Bears used their top draft choice on RB Cedric Benson.

Benson will in all likelihood be one heck of a back, the problem lies in the fact that the Bears don’t have an offensive line to block for the poor guy, Chicago’s terrible offensive line play in 2004 was the root cause of the Bears seeing three QB’s including Rex Grossman sidelined with injuries, its head shaking stuff to consider that this offensive line allowed a staggering 66 sacks which in the end caused the Bears to finish with an overall offensive ranking of 32nd in the league.

In closing I see the NFC North as a race between the Vikings and Lions for the top spot with the Packers coming in third and Chicago bringing up the rear, if not for the Vikings bad game time coaching I would expect to see them win this division handily, however, Viking HC Mike Tice will probably cost his team two close losses via bad decisions when its said and done.

The Vikings will probably be a public darling for most of the season so not much “Value” will be found by backing them, instead look to play against the Vikes when they are installed as road favorites this season as they are 4-10 ATS in this role over the past four years, the Vikings also tend to be way over valued by the public when playing at home as evidenced by the Vikes 1-10 ATS record as a home favorite of more than six points.

Look to jump on the Lion bandwagon this season when they are installed as road doggies, Detroit posted a road mark of 3-5 straight up and 5-3 ATS in 2004 which is eye opening stuff when considering that they had lost 24 straight road games prior to 2004, if these Lions can remain healthy and QB Joey Harrington or Jeff Garcia have a decent season these Lions will have an offense that can keep them in any game they play.

Jim Campbell is one of the nations most respected Sports Handicappers, he specializes in College and Pro Football, you can visit Jim at his website located at footballforecastor.com for all of your handicapping needs including free play selections, College and NFL stats, trends and award winning analysis on upcoming games.

With over 30 plus years experience in the handicapping profession Jim has built a solid reputation, his web based handicapping service at footballforecastor.com as been in existence since 1997 and year after year proves to be one of the very best handicapping services in America.

Milton Keynes, UK, 16 May 2005 - ABSOLUTE MICROS, ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF THE NEW WEB-BASED ONLINE BOOKINGS SOLUTION IN-ZONE, which centralises and automates facility bookings for the Leisure Industry. Any number of courts, group classes or facilities can be set up instantly and linked to any website.

This remotely hosted application from Absolute Micros offers the leisure industry, private clubs and memberships the opportunity to increase bookings which in turn increases facility usage and generates revenue for clubs.

In-Zone offers memberships 24/7 booking or cancellation access to their facilities, allowing members to check availability and book at a time convenient to them. The benefits include reduced queues at busy club reception desks and higher member retention. All bookings and cancellations are made ‘real time’ so members and club staff can see current availability.

Martin Smith, MD of Absolute Micros estimates that facility uptake could easily increase by 50% in the first 6 months of using In-Zone. “Combine this with increased footfall, and providing an on-site terminal for your members to make their next booking while in the club, and you’ll increase revenue and free up staff in one hit”.

The easy to use software requires no installation, little technical expertise to set up and no staff training. In-Zone has been designed to be an intuitive application that can be customized to fit the look and feel of any corporate website.

In-Zone includes detailed reports on facility usage and provides clubs with plenty of back office statistics all in an easy to digest format. Clubs can find out which facilities are the most popular by time slot, day, month or which time slots are most used and which bring in the most revenue.

In-Zone is an off the shelf, pay as you go, fully customizable application with instant online set up.

To learn more about In-Zone booking software visit www.in-zone.co.uk.

About the Author

Liz Toone is marketing manager for Absolute Micros a UK based IT software solutions provider since 1996.

You have permission to publish this article in its entirety
either; electronically or in print, free of charge. As long as
bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication; or
notice of your use of my article would be greatly appreciated!
Thank You.

Catfishing tips from a PRO

Last week I attended a seminar on catfishing presented by a
local catfish guide. He guides on the Ohio River for boating BIG
flathead and blue cats.

He has a very nice boat rigged with a 20 gallon fish tank. The
two large outboard motors moves him from place to place quickly.
He mainly covers the mid range of the Markland pool. That means
he finds big catfish close to Cincinnati. He likes the river
stage to be around 27-28 feet. Normally at that level there is a
current in the river that keeps the fish actively feeding.

His main bait is FRESH live gizzard shad. He stops and collects
the shad with his casting net before heading for the fishing
holes. That is why the big fish tank is so important to him.

When the river has NO current he depends on LIVE bait. He wants
the Shad to be giving off vibration to get the attention of any
Flathead in the area. When there is some current then he prefers
to use fresh CUT bait. The cut up fish put a scent trail in the
water that draws the catfish to his rods. He fillets the gizzard
shad the threads it on the hook. This makes it hard for a fish
to just knock the bait from the hook. He also likes to use
skipjacks for they are very oily. The small skipjacks he cuts in
two pieces and puts as many as he can on a hook. Large skipjacks
can be kept in a freezer and then filleted when thawed. The key
here is locating the skipjacks. Skipjacks around here come and
go very quickly, so you have to harvest them whenever you get
the chance.

His rod is 7.5 feet with a strong back bone. He uses non- roll
sinkers that are 2-5 ounces depending on the river current. The
line is 20-30 pound solar mono.

Hopefully, this information will enable YOU to catch more and
bigger catfish. I plan on using these pointers on my future
trips. Tight lines to all.

nlcatfish@fuse.net webmaster for Cincinnati Catfishing
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com AND SHOP WITHOUT DROPPING
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/Shop1.html LINKS 4 FISHING
INFORMATION AND SUPPLIES
www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/links4fishing.html

When it’s bad, college football can really suck. But when it’s good…oh boy.

Last weekend, it was very, very good. I have two TVs in my living room, side-by-side, and in the span of about 15 minutes, Wisconsin won their ridiculous game over Minnesota thanks primarily to a blocked punt, Michigan topped Penn State’s gutsy drive with one of their own (aided by two phantom seconds added to the Big House clock) and Matt Leinart somehow got the clock stopped when he fumbled out of bounds (it’s not supposed to do that) and made his QB sneak into history, helping Southern Cal overcome a nation’s worth of Irish rooters in the best football game I remember seeing this century.

Wow.

Add to that Alabama’s clutch drive against Ole Miss leading to a game-winning field goal with no time left, West Virginia’s tackling of Louisville QB Brian Brohm just outside the goal line, stopping what would’ve been a tying two-point conversion in that game’s third overtime, and UCLA’s outrageous comeback on Washington State, including a third-and-three from the Wazzou nine with precious little time on the clock, whereupon the Bruins scored the tying TD and sent the game into OT. No, my crummy cable company didn’t let me see all those games (though I did get the Tide and some of the Mountaineers), but all I can tell you is this: whenever your know-it-all brainiac friend with the pocket protector and mounds of statistics about how big-time intercollegiate athletics are leeches on the forehead of American universities, think back to last Saturday, remember play after play of pulse-pounding excitement that only sports can consistently give, and offer your friend a winsome smile.

He just wouldn’t understand.

The White Sox are in their first World Series in 46 years. How does that play in the handicapping world? Are a lot of bettors (including you) on that bandwagon? What were the odds on them winning the AL before the season started? Do you find them to be an appealing team to root for?

Rob Gillespie, BoDog.ws: Not really. I think bettors were shocked to see the Yankees and Red Sox out so fast and were playing wait and see. On the year, the White Sox got no love from bettors. They opened at 35/1 last fall and moved as high as 50/1 in the offseason. Their fast start drew a couple of large bets but bettors never really showed support in any numbers. I don’t find the team itself particularly appealing, but its tough not to like Ozzie Guillen and the way he has his team play.

Assuming the Astros win one of the next three NLCS games, who do you like between them and the White Sox in the World Series? Do you expect the world to care, or will this be one of those Series that no one watches?

RG, BoDog.ws: Pujols hits a clutch monster Home Run Monday night, the Colts come back from 17 down early to destroy the hapless looking Rams and all anyone is talking about at the water cooler today is USC/Notre Dame. I think this will be the World Series time forgot if you live outside of Texas or Illinois. I’ll take the White Sox starters and rested bullpen and say Chicago in 5. Just guessing here of course!

How about that USC/Notre Dame game? Boy, was that an Instant Classic, or what? How did Vegas do on that one, and what were your impressions of the Trojans. Are they going to win the national championship?

RG, BoDog.ws: Action was so balanced on that one that we got to be true fans for a game, and what a game. I stood in front of my TV and applauded at the end. I wonder how the Houston Texans would fare against either team right now? That was an instant classic for sure. I would worry about a letdown next week if wasn’t Washington up next on their sched. USC has not played championship caliber ball in the first half of their last three games and they will give Cal and UCLA shots to beat them if they don’t get that sorted out quickly.

In the NFL, is New England in serious, serious trouble, or do you expect them to get healthy and make another run?

RG, BoDog.ws: I put my back out once. The most surprising thing was how much other muscles hurt from having to compensate. I think the same is true of the Pats right now. The more that bench gets stretched, the more guys are going to get banged up. They have the mental make-up to recover quickly but there may not be enough time left in the season to physically recover given how good the AFC looks this year. Bruschi’s return is likely to give a small emotional lift, but I don’t think he will make enough physical difference to stop the bleeding. The bye week will help as well. Buff/Ind/@Mia the next three games: winning two is a must if they want to get back to the Super Bowl; winning all three would show they are still the team to beat; losing two or more of those and it’s time to build for next year.

Christopher Harris is a man of many talents, including head writer for The Professional Handicappers League at http://www.procappers.com