As I See It: Bayonnaise
As part of a new running feature, each Friday one franchise owner will have the opportunity to write whatever they want in this space. This week’s guest writer is Bayonnaise, fresh off a $1,000 week and a wild card win. ‘Naise, take it away….
Seven franchises with positive money totals so far this year. SEVEN. Ok, people. What’s going on here? Most of us have done this before, right? Are our girlfriends/wives/fantasy hockey leagues distracting us from the task at hand? (Did he say fantasy hockey?) In the words of the “best damn programmer Initech’s got!” – Samir Nayanajaad (yep, had to look that one up)…”this is a….a SUCK!”
While I’m speaking for myself here, (I’d still be knee deep in the red were it not for one lucky week) there has to be some rational explanation for why only a quarter of this league is in the money. Let’s examine some possibilities:
The Year of the Underdog
By this point in the season we all know that the underdog has been responsible for wreaking havoc on our money totals. Week in, week out, the underdogs have continued to make noise. For instance, on the heels of Week Five, in which the ‘dogs covered a majority of spreads, Week Six saw three underdogs win outright, and three others cover the spreads. This past week, NINE underdogs covered, with six winning outright. Without really knowing where to point the finger for almost an entire season thus far with a sub-zero money total (other than at myself) I’d select the underdogs as the number one culprit.
The 2009 NFL Season Hangover
Not satisfied with shifting his career focus to making Wrangler jeans commercials, #4 comes back for (cringe) ANOTHER season and isn’t as healthy/well-protected/lucky as he was last year. Without getting into the issue of Favre getting “lucky” off the field (hey-oooooo) it doesn’t appear the Vikings are who they were last year. Despite a poor season thus far, Favre and his team made such noise last year that perhaps franchises could still be betting with 2009 in mind?
One can turn to the defending Superbowl Champs for another example. I know I’ve bet the Saints at least once this year when they’ve failed to cover the spread, thinking they were one of the top teams in the league. Why would I think this? With exception of two weeks ago against the Bucs, they certainly haven’t looked like a team that’s capable of covering any large spreads. I blame 2009.
Home Field Not an Advantage?
I think it’s fair to say that some teams clearly do have a home-field advantage…a few that come to mind are Seattle, Kansas City, Atlanta (this year) and Green Bay in the heart of winter, for example. But in some cases, there are teams good enough to go on the road and take care of business, perhaps nullifying any home-field advantage that may lure us into taking a home.
With wins at Tennessee, Tampa Bay, and Miami, the Steelers come to mind here. While Big Ben’s bunch are likely better overall than all of these teams, they were 5.5 point underdogs in Tennessee, only 3 point favorites in Tampa Bay, (and won by 25 without their starting whore-terback) and would have covered in Miami this past week were it not for Roethlisberger being stripped on the goal line. Perhaps I’m biased because of my recurring nightmare of the Patriots getting spanked by the Dolphins in Miami with those blindingly bright orange jerseys, but as they seem to be a decent team this year, one might tend to think twice about betting against the fish in their own tank, right? They’re 0-3 at home.
Favorite Team Bias
Cowboys fans, if you’ve been betting in line with how the “experts” have predicted your ‘Boys to do this year, then your wallet’s probably not too full right now. Clearly, though, this bias can apply to anyone. Sure, I thought my Patriots would get the job done this past Sunday in San Diego…but I stayed away (so close to betting it). I’ve been screwed by believing in my team a little too much in as many a FMFL season as I can remember…yet once again, earlier this year I fell prey to the temptation. Far be it for me to think a Bill “run up the score” Belichick-coached team could win by more than two touchdowns against one of the two worst teams in the NFL. Really? Not even against the team that people were arguing might actually lose to a UFL team? It’s okay…I’m not bitter.
This brings me to another issue; a momentary departure from my attempts to explain our collective Funny Money Football betting ineptitude this year. When there are conflicting interests involving your favorite team and a team you have FMFL $$ on…what do you do?
As any franchise owner in this league can attest to, including FMFL rookies, betting in this league and subsequently watching a game on which he bet can make a man lose his mind.
As I slowly molded into my seat at a Hooters in Chicago a couple weeks ago, proudly donning my Patriots jersey after a big win over the Ravens, it dawned on me that my reactions after the Pats game ended were probably quite perplexing to the patrons of this fine establishment with delicious wings.
The average Urlacher jersey-clad Joe sitting a few tables away from me was in all likelihood thoroughly confused when I fist-pumped for the questionable pass interference call at the end of the Broncos/Jets game. In fact, he probably thought I knew nothing about football (who wears a Ben Coates jersey, anyway?)
I was torn throughout the course of this game on how to react. After all, rooting for the Jets is akin to a sin in New England. But……my bets!! San Diego had already laid their egg in St. Louis, so I was already in the red for the week, and was at the time wondering why I had bet on a team led by Donovan McNabb over a team led by Peyton Manning later that evening (home field bias?) So if I had any hopes of staving off another $500 loss, it rested on the shoulders of my least favorite team in the NFL. Even given the tight race in the AFC East, I couldn’t help but be somewhat pleased when LT ran in that final TD to put the Jets over the Broncos. Money, however so loosely connected to one win in Week Six of a Funny Money Football Season, had me reacting completely irrationally from the standpoint of a normal Pats fan. Again, this league can make a man go crazy!
One more attempt to explain this year….
The Apocalypse?!
The Bucs and Rams just played a somewhat meaningful game almost halfway through the season. What was considered the worst team in the league (sorry again, Bills fans) almost beat a team considered one of the best in their own house. It has rained five times within the last week and a half here in San Diego. It doesn’t rain in San Diego. I couldn’t even tell you the last time it rained before last weekend. J-Wowww may have “lost” in a fight. Don Mattingly is poised to bet the Chiefs again for the rest of the year and rise from the cellar to become a contender in the West. Who really knows WHAT is going on?
