Buffalo up...Jacksonville shutting out the Eagles! Same old screwy NFL Sunday. Of course some things remain the same...Patriots and Steelers lead their games and Oakland looks mediocre. If it wasn't for the Jets turnovers they would be killing the Raiders. The Eagles are the big shock...down 0-17 to Jax? I guess the NFC East isn't as cut-and-dried as we thought. If the Eagles can lose to the Jags, then it's anybody's division. Which is good news for Walter and his Cowboys. Might be one of those years where 8-8 wins the division.

As the games kick off...yeah I know there was a game Thursday but Sunday will always be opening day for me...I can't help but think of Brett aka pottedplant, and wish she were still here to join the fun and watch her beloved Saints. I hope they have the NFL package wherever her soul now resides. Who dat!

In the nick of time zepscoda! A fellow Raiders fan is always welcome!

What the hell panther!?! I bet CBS didn't see that coming! How are they going to sell the Croat vs. the Japanese to America? Hahaha. Meanwhile, may I offer my condolences to Fire Opal, as we Federer fans lick our wounds and countdown to next year's Wimbledon. Of the four majors, Wimbledon is Federer's best chance to add another major to his tally. The French Open is out, as clay is Nadal's domain until he retires. The Australian is too hot and the wear-and-tear too hard on his old legs. The US Open is still a possibility, especially when Nadal gets knocked out early, but he's going to be another year older next year. Besides, Nadal got knocked out this year and Roger couldn't come thru. No, it's looking more and more like the hallowed grass of Wimbledon is the last stand for our knight of the nets.

Duly noted, Paul.

Saw this real great creepy double-bill the other night...both directed by Robert Wise. YES, the same Robert Wise who directed "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music"!!! Of course, "The Haunting" is well-known by most of you...based on Shirley Jackson's story "The Haunting of Hill House". The sexual tension between Claire Bloom and Julie Harris is sublime. But "The Body Snatcher" from 1945 was one I had never seen before, and what a treat to see it for the first time on the big screen in a gorgeous print. The last film that Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi did together, it also stars that Master of Snide, Henry Daniell. Paul, we share a love of Karloff and Lugosi, so if you haven't seen "The Body Snatcher" yet, put it immediately on your list! Karloff is malevolently superb in this...a brilliant performance!

If you remember the documentary "Supersize Me", Morgan discovered a guy who ate at McDonald's every day, all day...breakfast, lunch, dinner...and was in perfect shape. I think the catch was that he walked to and from his local McDonald's, so he was getting exercise. That's the key...you can eat junk food and still be fine as long as you're burning off the calories. I'm doing laundry and having a bowl of Captain Crunch myself this morning. Yeah, I'm an overgrown child.

California is a story of culinary variety, Charles. Sure, the state has contributed its share of junk food innovations...the chili dog, chili fries, and chili burger were popularized here. But California also has more health nuts than any other state. There are vegan and vegetarian restaurants galore and every morning, an army of young women with yoga mats under their arms make their pilgrimage to their local yoga center. Alice Waters and her restaurant Chez Panisse revolutionized the restaurant and culinary scene decades ago by her focus on local and seasonal ingredients and getting away from the typical heavy, rich sauces of French cuisine. As for water, I've been drinking water like a fish for most of my life. Don't mistake my occasional ribbing of your water intake as me being anti-water. I'm just not as fastidious about listing my intake as you. But I drink at least a gallon a day. As a foodie, I am particular about what I drink with my meals and I find that, with the exception of a burger or a slice of pizza, I don't like drinking sodas/cokes/carbonated beverages with my food. I prefer water, tea, coffee, juice, beer, or wine. Actually, Los Angeles is where the water craze took root. That's what Robert Altman was satirizing with the Griffin Mill character in "The Player".

Oh what the heck...I'm you're Huckleberry. Presuming you're taking Djokovic of course, as I want Federer.

No problem Mack. You're in like Flynn. That goes for any other football fans out there that want to play. You've only missed one game, so as long as you get the rest of your picks in by Sunday morning before the games begin, you'll be eligible. I know there have been tons of new members joining since the announcement of the Led Zeppelin remasters, and I figure there has to be some football fans among these new members. Don't be bashful...it's free, it's easy, and it's something to do while we're waiting for the next batch of remasters.

Angels win. Orioles lose. Maybe the Os won't catch the Angels this week.

My man Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic continue on their path to meet in the US Open Men's Final. The Men's semis are set for Saturday, with Federer taking on Croatian Marin Cilic in one semi and Djokovic playing Japan's Kei Nishikori in the other. Meanwhile, Serena Williams looks unstoppable...the Women's Final will be Serena versus Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark. But I haven't really been passionate about women's tennis since Steffi Graf retired and broke my heart. My main interest will be to see if Federer can win one more major and put some more distance between him and Nadal...it's been a couple of years since his last major title.

As it rightly should between such heated rivals. May the best team win.

Quite surprised 5 people took the Packers last night.

You know the saying: Join the Army, travel to exotic places, meet new exciting people...and kill them.

No last-second Hail Mary pass needed for Seattle to beat Green Bay this time. I didn't see the game but it looks like Seattle didn't suffer any post-Super Bowl slump. Et tu Denver and San Francisco? The bar has been set.

Now that the schedule-maker has tossed us Minnesota, the Angels might hold off the Orioles a little longer. At least the Angels are thru with the mighty Astros for the time being.

Can anybody pm zepscoda and let him know about the pool?

^^^ Hahaha, yeah just made it under the bell...I've been hanging art all day at work. Seattle Seahawks New Orleans Saints St. Louis Rams Pittsburgh Steelers Philadelphia Eagles New York Jets Baltimore Ravens Chicago Bears Houston Texans Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins Tampa Bay Bucs San Francisco 49ers Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Arizona Cardinals Paul, since you're busy with the baseball contest, I'll keep track of this pool and everyone's picks.

You remind me of a cross between a young Pamela Des Barres and Nancy Wilson of Heart. I have always said Led Zeppelin attracted the prettiest women in rock and roll and this thread proves it. Led Zeppelin crowds always had more women than Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Rush, and the like. Thank you ladies for sharing your beauty with us hounddogs.

You guys won't believe what they've come up with now...a SPAM donut!!! Or, I should say a "Cro-nut"...half croissant, half donut. Don't worry, Charles and CP, I turned away from that Spam monstrosity. Instead, I breakfasted on 4 oz. organic Greek yogurt, topped with local organic granola, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and orange blossom honey. Coffee and tall glasses of water, natch. I'm still hungry though...must resist urge to eat a bagel smeared with cream cheese. Damn Charles...I don't know how you do it. Like you I am cutting down on wheat...just not doing it cold turkey like you. A little at a time. My curse is that I love fresh bread...both baking it and eating it. One of the joys of the holidays for me is making Sherry Pumpkin bread for my friends.

Thank you, Steve. Any photos exist of the two Jimmy's together? Fascinating to think there were two Jimmy Page's working in close proximity...Led Zeppelin used Showco almost exclusively. When someone asked for Jimmy Page, how did they know which Jimmy they were asking for? There must have been a lot of double-takes, haha!

^^^ That would be something if the AL West sent 3 teams to the playoffs. I don't think anybody expected the division to be that strong...most assumed it would be the AL East with Boston, Baltimore, Tampa and NY duking it out.

You know, for the first time in a week I had a day off. Was I going to spend it at the beach or hunched over a computer arguing with you? No contest...the beach won. Yes, kingzoso aka Izzoso aka Bouillon aka whatever other names you've had here over the years, I know you don't like me. Ever since you and your pals Joel, Del Zeppnile, Brad Hamilton, and whoever else was banned several years ago, you've been convinced that it was me or Knebby or Electrophile who turned you into the mods. Even though I told you I didn't and even invited you to check with any of the mods if I had asked for you to be banned, you and the others still persisted with this obsession that I was pals with the mods and had gotten you all banned. You see, that is a very telling statement on your part, for it shows you're still obsessed with the idea that 1) I want to get you banned; and 2) That I somehow have the power to get you banned. Neither of which is true. I don't want you banned. I usually just ignore you and I should have ignored you this last time, only you dragged poor ebk into it and I just couldn't see that happen to her and allowed my emotions to trump common sense. But this is a baseball thread...and I have well over3,000 messages and e-mails to sort thru. In other words, winning this spat is not important enough to me to derail this thread and spend hours trying to find those messages. Plus, I made a promise to someone that I would never reveal those e-mails and even though that person is no longer here, keeping my word of honour is more important than this battle. So I concede...I withdraw everything I said. Call me a lier and every name in the book. Dance on my grave. I don't care. And I don't and never have wanted you banned. From now on I will just ignore you. I won't give you the oxygen of attention. I still pick St. Louis to win the NL Central. Now, back to baseball... Rick, the Angels lost AGAIN to the Astros! Can you believe it? The way it stands now, I think Baltimore beats the Angels in a 7 game series.

Wow. You picked the Raiders! Ballsy choice KB. Once again, thanks for joining us this year. Oh, and let me take this time to publicly apologize to you. I was rereading some old threads and I was a right cunt to you during our spat over Donald Sterling. I am sorry.