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The Win Now Indianapolis Colts

October 18, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

The Cover 4.com presents you with The Win Now Indianapolis Colts! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @thecover4 or facebook at theCo VerFour

Coming into the 2013 NFL season, people weren’t expecting the Indianapolis Colts to replicate their magical 2012 success. Admittedly, I was one of these people. Through five games, the Colts are 4-1. If I told you before the season that they would be off to this type of start, you might not have been surprised because their schedule had them playing the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars which would seem like relative locks for wins. The Colts, however, took a different and more impressive route to their first four victories.

The lone loss for the Colts was handed to them by the Dolphins. I went back and looked at the box score, and the results were peculiar. The Colts led in all significant categories (total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, first downs, third down efficiency and time of possession) and each team turned it over once. The final score was 24-20, and you could say the Dolphins escaped with a win by the looks of that stat sheet. Their four wins include the aforementioned creampuffs Raiders and Jaguars but what sticks out is an impressive and dominant win against the San Francisco 49ers and a nail biter victory against the Seattle Seahawks’ vaunted defense. The Indianapolis Colts are no longer a team that should be regarded as average or maybe even above average. Advanced stats and metrics have come a long way, and the Colts’ 2012 season screamed overachievement by having the look of a 7-9 team while going 11-5. If you want some more nitty gritty on that, this article does a pretty good job outlining just how lucky they were last season. I tend to side with advanced metrics more often than not, but sometimes numbers can’t account for a variable that defies the logic and objectivity mathematics gives us. That variable is Andrew Luck.

At the end of the 2012 season, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III were the talk of the town. They were all young quarterbacks that seemed to be the future stars of the NFL. It’s hard to believe a No. 1 pick in his rookie season didn’t generate much buzz (either good or bad) after his first season, but this was just the case. People (read: ESPN) love to sensationalize stories and games even if they gloss over the players and teams that are doing just as well or even better. For ESPN, everything has to fit a narrative. Even though the numbers clearly show that Griffin and Wilson had better numbers, they were also put in better positions to succeed than Luck. For Griffin, Mike Shanahan created a hybrid offense that was tailor made for him to excel, the read option and having a surprise rookie year from Alfred Morris played perfectly with his strengths as a quarterback. For Wilson, he had the support of a top-five running back (Marshawn Lynch) and also had a top-five defense protecting the lead for him, so he was not forced to do more than he had to. Luck had none of these royalties the other two were afforded. You could make an argument that the Colts running back tandem was serviceable, but they can not hold a candle to Morris and Lynch. Beyond Reggie Wayne, they didn’t attempt to surround him with weapons in his first year, even though Coby Fleener and T.Y. Hilton have emerged as legit NFL starters after promising rookie campaigns. On top of that, the Colts gave up the most QB hits last year (114) which over a 16 game season amounts to a little bit more than seven hits a game, a ghastly figure. And to boot, their defense was No. 25 in yards allowed on defense, so more often than not Luck was made to throw when defenses were expecting it, and most likely forced throws to try and mount a comeback. All of these shortcomings were not lost on Indianapolis owner Jim Irsay, who addressed all the shortcomings of the Colts this offseason and during the 2013 regular season. Irsay, known for not being complacent and certainly not reserved, pushed all the chips to the center of the table and went all in to bring the Indianapolis Colts another Lombardi Trophy.

By saying Irsay “pushed all his chips to the center of the table” it may have given the impression that he made a rogue decision. This is certainly not the case, it was a smart and calculated move that I would be very happy with if I am a Colts fan. Part of the reason Irsay did right by selling out for Super Bowl aspirations is because Luck (and all young players on rookie deals) are on dirt cheap contracts under the new CBA. Some numbers: Russell Wilson’s cap hit ($700,000) for this year means that Mark Sanchez will make more money in one game than Wilson will all season. Yeah. However, draft position matters. Wilson was drafted in the third round, so he is compensated less than Griffin and Luck, who are at $5 million a year. With such incredible signal callers at bargain prices, it gives teams a chance to sign impact players they might not be able to afford once those rookie contracts are up. However, before the new CBA was signed, teams had to shell out the big bucks for their first overall picks before they even took a snap in the NFL. Case in point: Jamarcus Russell, who the Raiders paid $61 million ($32 million of which was guaranteed) to be an overweight black hole under center. Somewhat related: new Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor requested to wear #2 for his jersey number after Russell was released and was denied because the team didn’t want another quarterback wearing #2 again. Anyway, I am 100% on board with Irsay being all in; having a world class quarterback only making $5 million the next couple years is a luxury few are offered. But just because I agree with the strategy doesn’t mean I agree with what he did with all that cap room.

To be fair, Irsay did address all the aforementioned shortcomings with his team, he just went about it in an illogical and more expensive way that will eventually come back to bite him. For their offensive line, the Colts signed Gosder Cherilus and Donald Thomas. The Thomas contract was a savvy signing, but the Cherilus contract seems to be a gross overpay and is not even the worst one they made. The worst contract they made was to Erik Walden, an above-average linebacker but not one that you pay $4 million year. The last particularly bad contract that sticks out is the one they gave to the marshmellow man himself, LaRon Landry. Landry, a safety who is a workout freak, keeps putting on muscle to his frame even though it makes him slower in pass coverage, so apparently Irsay thought the next logical step was to pay him $6 million a year. I appreciate the effort Irsay put into making his team better, even if that effort was somewhat misplaced. The final move that made the Colts throw their hat in for a Lombardi Trophy was when they made an in-season trade a few weeks into this year for enigmatic running back Trent Richardson. Richardson’s body of work certainly suggested that he wasn’t worth the first round pick the Colts had to give up for him, but I thought maybe Indianapolis could put him in a better position to succeed (namely: not having Brandon Weeden as his quarterback). That seems not to be the case, as Richardson seems on his way to be labeled as a bust after being taken No. 3 overall in 2012. Another swing and a miss by Irsay.

I will just bluntly say what I was eluding to in those previous couple of paragraphs: Irsay was handed an opportunity on a silver platter and simply screwed it up. In a particularly weak conference, if Irsay had made savvier signings in the offseason they might have been able to afford a couple more key players that could contribute in a big way. The Colts made a big splash on the first day of free agency, overpaying players they thought would also be sought after. Smarter teams stayed complacent, waiting until they had the leverage to underpay players because the players had no other option but to sign (cough cough Aqib Talib and the New England Patriots). Looking back, you could say that I was somewhat piling on Indianapolis with the decisions that it made, but my claims were justifiable. The Colts are still a good, if not very good, team, and can do some serious damage in the playoffs assuming they make it. It seems like they will be, because it seems like someone has a Matt Schaub voodoo doll and is just endlessly jabbing it with every pick six that poor human being throws. With the Texans faltering, the division seems ripe for the Colts to grab a stranglehold on. Irsay may have screwed up some decisions this past year, but it may not end up mattering with a stud like Luck under center.

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Mike Devarenne
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Filed Under: Football Tagged With: 2012, 2013, back, CBA, Erik Walden, ESPN, Indianapolis Colts, Lombardi Trophy, nfl, quarterback, read option, Russell Wilson, season, thecover4, year

Inside the Circle: David Levi, Personal Assistant of Floyd “Money” Mayweather

September 21, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

The Cover 4 was fortunate to catch up to David Levi, who is Floyd Mayweather’s personal assistant. We asked Levi what it is like to be part of The Money Team. Mayweather will be fighting Canelo Alvarez on Saturday.”

Thanks for reading and thank you to David Levi for the interview!

What is your position with The Money Team?

I am Floyd’s personal assistant. I also take care of various things needed for The Money Team.

What is your boxing background?

I started boxing back in high school. Every Friday my brother and I invited kids over from school and we all boxed each other in the backyard with 16-ounce gloves and headgear. A short while after I started, a boxing gym opened up near my house and I started training every day. I had my first amateur fight during my senior year of high school and won by knockout. The following year I attended UNLV just to fight for the boxing team there. After my freshman year boxing, I stopped fighting altogether to work at Mayweather Promotions.

Have you ever stepped in the ring with Floyd? Even just messing around?

That’s a funny question because Floyd always asks me if I want to spar a little bit with him. He always tells me he’ll “take it easy on me.” The guy beats the hell out of world-class fighters, so I’m not so keen on getting in the ring with him. Maybe if I started training again I would do it for fun. I would like to do it someday just to say I did.

How did you join the Money Team?

I interned for Mayweather Promotions on and off for about a year and a half. I then was hired as an office assistant for about six months. One day I was over at Floyd’s house, which rarely happened, and I approached him when he was alone and asked him to give me a shot and I would do whatever he needed to be done. About a week later he called me and said he was going to “test me out” and it’s been two years since!

What is the typical day in the life of David Levi?

I’m on call 24/7. No day is ever the same and that’s what I like best about my work. Usually if Floyd is out of town my day consists of running a couple errands for him, paying people and I usually sit in the sports book and bet for Floyd the rest of the day.

During training my schedule is a little different. The day starts at the boxing gym around 2 p.m. The whole team encourages Floyd while he trains. I usually have to run out of the gym to the sports book to put bets in while he is training. We usually go to dinner after training and head to the fitness gym around 2 a.m.

What type of role do you take in fight planning or marketing?

Golden Boy Promotions basically does all the planning and marketing for Floyd’s fights. I use my Twitter and Instagram as a marketing tool by posting photos of Floyd while training. I occasionally do some interviews about Floyd’s training as well. I also seek out sponsorships and endorsements for various Mayweather Promotions fighters and Floyd.

What is the typical day in the life of Floyd Mayweather?

Floyd usually spends a lot of time with his children when he’s not training for a fight. The afternoons always consist of watching football and basketball. He and I are usually on and off the phone nonstop because I’m placing bets for him while he watches the games at home or wherever he happens to be at the time. He knows more about football and basketball than anyone I’ve ever met. He’s a tremendous athlete, he often plays basketball late at night at the fitness gym in pick-up games.

What’s your favorite part about being part of The Money Team?

There are definitely various perks in Vegas being part of the team. I’d say my favorite part is being able to see Floyd spar every day during training. Most people only get to see him fight once a year, I get to see if every day while he’s training!

What is the coolest experience you have ever had with Floyd?

I’d say my favorite experience this far was the whole fight weekend for the Mayweather-Cotto fight. The fight was so intense and I am a fan of Miguel Cotto as well, so I was extremely excited. I’ll never forget being in the back area with Floyd before the weigh-in and he was jumping around talking shit out loud as Cotto just glared at him nonstop. Definitely the type of stuff I love, being a huge boxing fan.

What was it like being interviewed by ESPN for their article?

Today’s social media has really simplified the ways to get into contact with media outlets. Over the last two years on Twitter I’ve created friendships with various writers for ESPN, Yahoo, FightHype, etc., and I get quoted from comments I make on Twitter. I’d say I enjoyed my interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole the most.

What happened with the 50 Cent split?

I think there was some miscommunication between Floyd and 50 while Floyd was locked up. One thing was said and another came to fruition which Floyd didn’t agree with. I tend not to talk about it because it’s between the two of them.

What should people know about Floyd?

Floyd is one of the most fun people to hang around. He’s always joking around and talking shit. He has great energy and is a tremendous person. He does a ton of charity work, which most people don’t get to see that side of him.

After Pacquiao just got knocked out, will that fight ever happen?

The fight is basically never going to happen at this point. Pacman was knocked out cold and is going to need a couple fights to get back to where he was. I don’t think he will ever be the same after that knockout. The money that was there for the fight is no longer there because of how Pacquiao lost.

When will Floyd step back into the ring?

Floyd will actually be fighting here in Las Vegas on May 4^th. The opponent is yet to be named, but believe me it’s going to be a great match up! He also is scheduled to fight September 14^th.

After Floyd’s boxing career is finished, how will he be remembered?

I think after Floyd’s next two or three wins and retires undefeated he will go down as the greatest boxer of all time. At the end of the day, Floyd has fought dozens of world champions and hall of famers. He makes all of them look like amateurs. There is no fighter ever in the history of the sport that has faced the opposition he has and made it look so easy.

What do you have planned in the future?

I’m really enjoying my time with Floyd and The Money Team but of course eventually all things come to an end. I would like to get into promotion or work behind the scenes for television involving boxing and entertainment. I really enjoy the entertainment industry and I plan on staying involved with boxing one way or another.

Thanks for the interview Cover 4!

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James Kaikis
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Filed Under: The Other Sports Tagged With: back, Canelo Alvarez, David Levi, ESPN, Every Friday, Facebook, Floyd Mayweather, football, Kevin Iole, Mayweather Cotto, Mayweather Promotions, media, Money Team, talk, thecover4, time, year

Fantasy “Start Em Or Sit Em”

September 7, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

Ahh it’s time to offer up some “Start em Sit em” advice and though its not as epic as offering pre draft insight it’s still fun. The obvious weekly basis starts (Brees, Peterson, Megatron, Graham etc.) will not be mentioned.

– Note: This was done before the Thursday Game but did not run on the site !

Start em

Matt Ryan: Matty Ice is playing in New Orleans. I repeat, Matty Ice will be going up against the Saints defense. Expect a shootout between him and Brees. ‘Nuff Said.

Andrew Luck: Luck’s starting his sophomore season off against Oakland at home. You can expect him to try and get ahead of the Sophomore slump whispers and the opportunity to take advantage of what will most likely be a lack luster defense, is only going to help.

RB – I think outside the obvious RB 1’s there are some sweet starts to either plug into that RB2 or your flex slot.

Shane Vereen: At Buffalo you can expect the Patriots to do two things offensively. Run the ball, and get Tom Brady on page with his new weapons. I think Vereen will get a few carries, more receptions, and close to 100 total yards and a TD.

Daryl Richardson: Going up against Arizona DRich isn’t exactly a safe bet, but look for the Rams to split him out wide. He’s the Rams starting RB. I think he comes out and shows he deserves that role. I bet you he catches 50 passes this year as a nice little bonus for PPR owners.Ben Tate: If you’re searching for a nice RB 2 or flex option Ben Tate is another worthy start. Adrian’s not getting a full workload the first game according to Gary Zubiak. Tate’s gonna get more touches than usual, and he runs really well in that zone run system.Ahmad Bradshaw: I like his chances against Oakland. I like anyone’s chances against Oakland but Ahmad is a good back. Indy will always look to establish the run whether its with Bradshaw or Ballard is a different story. This week I like Bradshaw.

Hakeem Nicks: Nicks hasn’t been getting the love he deserves in drafts, many owners have him as their 3rd WR and/or flex guy. Nicks is in a contract year and football players like getting paid. He’ll want to start well and despite common belief, Nicks is Eli’s favorite target especially in the red zone.

Danny Amendola: His value really shot up by the time owners were drafting so he may be a WR1 in most cases inevitably making him an obvious start making him a guy who should go unmentioned. I don’t care some got him as their WR2 and some guys even have him as their flex. So here it is. Start Amendola, he may not play a full 16 game season judging by his injury history. But he’s playing this game, and he’s going to score points.

Kenbrell Thompkins: Another Patriot receiver. The hype is oh so real. Start the man if your flex is still up in there, just play him. I’m thinking he’s a sure bet for 6-8 receptions and maybe more. PPR gold as I’ve said before. TDs may be his only downside due to the Pats love of the play action pass to the TE. But he’ll score a few.

Greg Jennings: This is a bit of a weird one. I find it funny he’s somewhat of a no name fantasy receiver this year. Jennings can play, his QB is horrible but the Vikings’ intentions are clear. They desperately need to make defenses respect the deep ball even if its just a little bit. Giving Adrian a little more room will pay off big time, they drafted Patterson who I think will be involved, but Jennings is the proven receiver. I think they’ll try to get him the ball deep right off the bat in week 1 to get it on tape for opposing defenses coming later in the year. I think he catches a TD in this game, and a long one.

Zachary Sudfeld: While I’m not exactly sold on this guys hype despite my bias being a Pats fan I think if you’re going to play him, nows a pretty good time. Ron Gronkowski isn’t expected to play and any time that’s the case Sudfeld should probably make your lineup.

Julius Thomas: Again I’m trying to stay away from obvious guys to play. I think if you have a choice between say Greg Olsen and Julius Thomas you should start Thomas this week. Olsen is playing Seattle and Thomas has been drafted as a backup pretty consistently in fantasy drafts this year. If not check your waiver wire and get him. More on Olsen in the sit em part of this spectacular article.

Defense/Special Teams

New England: They’re playing Buffalo and though they’ll struggle with Spiller like any defense they should have fun with the EJ Manuel experiment.

Tampa Bay: Tampa for two reasons. Darrell Revis gets his revenge on the Jets and Geno Smith is absolutely horrible and is starting for NY. This should be a ridiculous year. Play any defense playing the Jets every week!

Kicker

No one should have backup kickers! Play who you got sonny!

You never see specific predictions like this! Cover 4 baby.

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Sit em

Both Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton will have their worst weeks this season in week 1. But you really can’t sit Rodgers and in many cases you can’t sit Cam either. Both are playing the best defenses in the league (Rodgers @SF, Cam has SEA at home) so if you have excellent backups with good match ups then I don’t blame you. I’m scared for Rodgers’ life going against the best pass rusher in the game in Aldon Smith with a rookie left tackle to boot, and Cam well, he likes to run so he’ll be taking hits from a very physical Seattle defense no matter what. Scary stuff. If you drafted right you start whomever you took first at the QB position however these are two guys to look at.

Arian Foster: Head coach Gary Zubiak has said they will gradually get him involved in week 1 considering he didn’t play a snap in the preseason. Ben Tate may be getting more carries in this one or the Texans may be bluffing. I like Tate more than Arian week 1.

DeAngelo Williams: Please don’t play this guy against Seattle, please don’t.

Eddie Lacy: Welcome to the NFL rook, have fun against San Fran, Pat Willis and company.

Isaac Redman: If you don’t have to I wouldn’t. He is going to start for PIT for awhile while Bell is out but he’s a fill in at best. That’s something you shouldn’t have to worry about week 1.

Wes Welker: I’m not so sure Peyton is impressed and I think he’d probably even rather have Stokely I’m the slot considering he’s worked with him for so long. Give Welker time to get accustomed to what Peyton wants from him I don’t think you’ll get much from Wes early.

Steve Smith: Smith is facing one of the better cornerback tandems in the league in Browner and Sherman. They are massive compared to Smith and just as fast. He’ll struggle. If you’re sensing a theme you’re getting it, stay away from Carolina guys this week with Seattle in town.

Cecil Shorts: Love the guy but he’s simply not as talented as Blackmon and Gabbert is awful. Play KC’s defense is very underrated and should have some fun playing Jacksonville.

Anquan Boldin: I hope you didn’t draft this guy to start him. Don’t think you’ll be happy this year. He’s a big physical guy who will help block for the run game. He’s very similar to the type of player Hines Ward was.

Greg Olsen: Carolina guy taking on Seattle. Olsen is far from a safe bet. However I do think if anybody scores on Carolina not named Cam Newton, it’ll be this guy.

Owen Daniels: I’m so over this guy as a legit starting TE for fantasy teams. He’s so boring. Never anything spectacular you’re better off going for someone with high upside like a Sudfeld or Pettigrew. Maybe even Rob Housler from Arizona.

Defense/Special Teams:

Buffalo: I think they’ll be improved this year but they have Tom Brady in week one. If they’re defensive line shows up they’ll do alright.

Atlanta: Enter Drew Brees.

Kickers

Enough with the kickers already!

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Christian Stinchfield
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Filed Under: Fantasy Sports, Football Tagged With: Ben Tate, Brees, Cam Newton, Christian, ESPN, fantasy football, James Kaikis, Matty Ice, Peyton, PPR, QB, RB, Rodgers, season, sit, start, starting, TD, TE, the cover 4, time, Tom Brady, WR, yahoo, year

September 6, 2013

September 6, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

The Cover 4 presents you another installment of The Sound Off by Long Island Sound…

Let us know what you think!

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Long Island Sound
Sports Activist for The Cover 4
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Filed Under: The Sound Off Tagged With: 2013, Dan Patrick, Denver Broncos, ESPN, Facebook Twitter, Johnny Manziel, Long Island Sound, Manning, mlb, NCAA, nfl, sports activist, Suspension, tebow, thecover4, twitter

Don’t Be “That Guy” During your Fantasy Draft

August 21, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

It’s officially August, and that means it’s the time of year that sports fans forget about all other fantasies that don’t involve fantasy football. Although many of us have been doing mock drafts and rating running backs since the Super Bowl ended, draft time is officially right around the corner. With crimes being so rampant in the NFL right now, I’m here to make sure you don’t commit one during your draft. Don’t be the one who ruins their league’s draft and gets his trades vetoed all season long. Everyone hates “that guy.” Nobody wants to be “that guy.” So, don’t be “that guy.” Protect yourself and don’t act as any of the following:

The Delay of Game

Don’t be the guy who shows up late to his draft. Odds are you’ve known about the date and time for weeks. If you’re doing an online draft, all it takes is one or two auto drafts and not only can your team be ruined, but the whole league drastically changes. If you are all drafting in person, you are making the whole league wait on you. We all know that fantasy drafts are a process that will take hours to get done. Also, by being late you drastically increase the risks that the beer will be gone before the kickers start going. If you make the league wait for the draft, you will wait on the league during the draft. Enjoy being the guy to grab everyone’s beers from the fridge.

The Bum

If you’re playing in a money league, don’t show up to the draft without having paid your dues. Asking someone for money is always an awkward situation, so do your best to avoid it and pay on time. Don’t be the douche that keeps trying to get out of paying because he doesn’t like the team he drafted. The earlier that all the money is collected, the better it is for the entire league. Good luck trying to get a guy that is 2-10 to fork over $100 come playoff time. Make it easy for everyone and don’t be the bum that can’t pay.

The Caveman

This is the guy who has been living under a rock, sat in the dark, or suffered a serious head injury the day before the draft. You know, the guy who is going to draft Aaron Hernandez in the fourth round and think he got a steal. You’ll know you are this guy because you will draft a person and immediately hear the entire room laugh out loud at you. Not only will you ruin your draft, but you will be the butt of every joke the entire season.

The Whiner

We’ve all heard them before: “I never get the first pick,” “this is the worst year to pick eighth,” or “if I had your pick my team would be so much better.” There’s always that guy who decides to whine about his draft position. Nobody wants to hear your excuse for why your team sucks. It’s not where you drafted, it’s just you.

The Whistleblower

This is the guy who gets most hated by his fellow fantasy players. It’s bound to happen at some point during the draft, and odds are it will ruin the pick you had lined up. This is the guy who yells “How is (insert player here) still on the board in this round?!” If you scream about a player still sitting on the board, everyone who wanted that player will hate you and rightfully so. Odds are some people saw him, but didn’t want to blow their chance getting him by yelling it out. This is a fantasy no-no and may get you punched in the throat.

The Einstein

Big whoopdy doo, you watched NFL Network and ESPN all week long and are throwing around more facts than Biogenesis throws out steroids. Few things are more annoying than this guy. Just because you watched and read Matthew Berry all week doesn’t mean you should pretend to be him. Nobody likes a know-it-all and everyone hates a person who simply is ACTING like a know-it-all. No matter what you say, I don’t need to know the name of every center, tackle or guard and their lingering ankle, middle toe or nipple injury to draft my running back. Some things are better left unsaid.

The Computer Thief

If you’ve ever had to share your computer with someone during a fantasy draft, you’ll know that this is one of the worst things that can happen. Don’t be the guy who forgets to bring his laptop to the draft. When you make someone else share their computer with you, you take away their time to research, can look at their draft queue, and just all around piss that person off. Make sure to bring your own computer and charge it before the draft. Draft picks are like girlfriends, some things you just don’t share.

The Macaulay Culkin

This is the guy who brags about his fantasy championships throughout the draft even though he hasn’t won in years. The only champ that escapes being a Macaulay Culkin is the league’s champion from last year. If you won your league last year, boast away, you’ve earned it. If you have to talk about the 8-man league you won five years ago, nobody wants to hear it. You may have been a hit in the past and had some glory moments, but you’re washed up now.

The Snail

There’s a time limit on draft picks for a reason, so don’t be that guy who uses the ENTIRE time limit each and every time you pick. Fantasy drafts are already a long process and don’t need to be made longer by you taking forever to decide between kickers. Few things are more annoying than the first or twelfth pick taking the full time for their two picks in a row. It’s like being stuck in line at a drive-thru because the guy in front of you placed a huge order. Don’t be the guy that slows everything down to a snail’s pace.

The Ed Hochuli

This is the guy who is constantly asking about the rules of the league. He’s either complaining about them, asking what they are or suggesting new ones. He’s bound to bust out, “we should really go PPR” or “the flex position shouldn’t allow running backs,” if it would help his team out. All this does is make everyone else wish they hadn’t allowed you in the league. The draft is not the time to bring up issues with league rules.

The Sleeper

This is the guy who read a bunch of fantasy articles about this year’s fantasy football sleepers and proceeds to draft every player named. Not only does he draft every sleeper, he also makes sure everyone knows that the player is indeed a sleeper. If you say “this guy is going to be good, he’s my sleeper pick,” you’re guilty. He’s everyone’s sleeper pick and ESPN has shown him about 10 times in their fantasy sleeper segment. By the end of the draft this guy is bragging about his team’s potential and the entire league is hoping that they’re all busts.

The Roster-bater

So the draft is completely over and you managed to not commit any of the acts that’ll turn you into “that guy.” You’re not out of danger yet, however, and the last thing you want to do is be caught roster-bating. Roster-bating is when you simply stare at your team saying how good your team is and how much you love it. If you’re going to do it, don’t do it out loud or in public, you’ll only embarrass yourself.

Filed Under: Featured, Football, General Tagged With: Aaron Hernandez, ACTING, back, Computer Thief, draft, Ed Hochuli, ENTIRE, ESPN, football, Macaulay Culkin, nfl, PPR, super bowl, talk, time, year

The Betting Corner : NBA Round 1, Day 3 & 4

April 22, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

NBA Betting Corner Round 1, Day 3 & 4

Welcome! To the NBA Playoffs Betting Corner.

4/22/13

8PM ET on TNT

Series 0-1

Chicago Bulls @ Brooklyn Nets

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10.30PM ET on TNT

Series 0-1

Memphis Grizzlies @ Los Angeles Clippers

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4/23/13

7.30PM ET on NBATV

Series 0-1

Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat

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8PM ET on TNT

Series 0-1

Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks

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10.30PM ET on TNT

Series 0-1

Golden State Warriors @ Denver Nuggets

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Our Sunday started out with an easy win as the total in the Indiana-Atlanta game went over. The Lakers-Spurs game (+9) was really close. The Bucks kept it close in the first half but just had a total meltdown in the second half. In the last game of the night, we had the total over 213 and the final score totaled up to 211,If you watched the game, you’re just as frustrated as me.

YTD Season: 3-4-1

In the first game of the night, the Brooklyn Nets will continue to route the Chicago Bulls. I had the Bulls +5 because the Bulls are still a great defensive team and with Joakim Noah back, things were promising. Apparently not. The most productive center in the league, Brook Lopez, is playing great along with Deron Williams who’s been on a tear since the All-Star break. Noah came back but wasn’t a huge factor. The Chicago starters combined for just 50 points while the Brooklyn starters combined for 78.

Key(s) to winning- Rebounds

1 Unit (Brooklyn Nets -5)

In primetime comes the highlight reel Los Angeles Clippers who will try to take a 2-0 lead in their series. The Clippers’ bench only scored nine more points than the Grizzlies bench but the difference in the game was rebounding, The Clippers out-rebounded the Grizzlies 47-23. There’s a saying in basketball, you control the board/paint, and you control the game. The Grizzlies just don’t have enough intensity to match up with the Clippers, especially in Los Angeles.

Key(s) to winning- Rebounds + Bench Production

1 Unit- (Los Angeles Clippers -5.5)

On Tuesday we have the Miami Heat taking on the Milwaukee Bucks in what looks to be a four-game sweep for the King and his gang. Even though Brandon Jennings showed up and played a decent game in Game 1, the picture shows exactly what happened on Sunday. King James took matters into his own hands and flirted with a triple-double as the Heat erased any doubt in Jennings’ mind that the Bucks will win in six. In summary, the Bucks simply can’t handle the Heat. And with another blowout in mind, I don’t see any value in taking either the total points because it could go either way in a blowout situation.

Key(s) to winning- King James leading the way

0 Unit- (No value in either points or total)

In more Tuesday action we have the still emotional Boston Celtics at New York taking on the Knicks and like I predicted in Game 1, the Celtics did put up a fight and could have easily covered the game, but were held to eight points in the fourth quarter. Boston also turned the ball over several times in the final two minutes. While emotions ran high during the first game, I feel like the Knicks showed the Celtics first hand why they are 31-10 at home this season. With New York’s stellar defense in the second half forcing turnovers, and with Boston lacking a true point guard, the Celtics had plenty of trouble taking care of the ball. I predict that the Celtics will win outright in Game 3 at home for their home crowd, but for Game 2, take the Knicks.

Key(s) to winning- 3pt% & FT%

1 Unit- (Knicks -6.5)

The nightcap on Tuesday features a GoldenState team that is missing David Lee for the remainder of the playoffs. I had predicted that the Warriors would put up a fight and make it a tough series with Lee and Andrew Bogut being paint problems for the Denver Nuggets but it’s not happening now.The Warriors lost their main low-post threat and about 20 points per game to go along with 10 rebounds per game. With that in mind, the Nuggets were lucky to come out with a win via a buzzer-beater by 37-year-old veteran Andre Miller, who came off the bench with 28 points. It doesn’t look like George Karl will have the need to play Kenneth Faried with Lee out of the picture, so were going to keep going with the under for Game 2.

Key(s) to winning- Points in the paint

1 Unit- (Total under 207)

____________________________________________________________________________
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Chin Tan
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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: ABC, Basketball, bucks, bulls, celtics, champions, clippers, David Lee, ESPN, grizzlies, heat, james, knicks, NBA, nba playoffs, nets, nuggets, TNT, warriors

The Betting Corner: Round , Day 2

April 20, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

1 p.m EST on TNT

Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers

Series 0-0

5:30 p.m. EST on ABC

Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs

Series 0-0

7 p.m. EST on TNT

Milwaukee Bucks @ Miami Heat

Series 0-0

9:30 p.m. EST on TNT

Houston Rockets @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Series 0-0

At 1p.m. EsT we have the sixth-seeded Atlanta Hawks featuring Josh Smith and Jeff Teague visiting the third-seeded Indiana Pacers with Paul George and David West. Indiana is trying to build on its great season despite missing star Danny Granger. The Pacers are 30-11 at home while the Hawks are 19-22 on the road.

11/7/12 Indiana @ Atlanta 86-89

12/29/12 Indiana @ Atlanta 100-109

2/5/13 Atlanta @ Indiana 103-114

3/25/13 Atlanta @ Indiana 94-100

As you can see the matchups these two teams have had in the regular season, home court advantage is HUGE and can determine the momentum of the series. I don’t want to sound like a broken record but the NBA playoffs are all about defense and limiting turnovers is a huge key to winning games. The Pacers and Hawks are similar in that category, with the Pacers committing 1227 turnovers while the Hawks committed 1219 for the whole season. While the Hawks are not known for their three-point prowess they rank 7^th in the league in three-point percentage at 37.1 percent while the Pacers converted 34.7 of their three-point attempts. Whichever team can take care of the ball and limiting 3’s from the opposing team will win the game. But I do see this game going over the total 185.5

Key(s) to winning:Limiting turnovers and three-point percentage

1 Unit (Total over 185.5)

At 3:30PM EST comes one of the most exciting matchups we have in the West. The seventh-seeded Mamba-less Los Angeles Lakers visit the playoff experienced second-seeded San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are 35-6 at home while the Lakers are an ugly 16-25 away from Staples Center.

11/13/12 San Antonio @ Los Angeles 84-82

1/9/13 Los Angeles @ San Antonio 105-108

4/14/13 San Antonio @ Los Angeles 86-91

With and without Kobe Bryant, the Lakers have managed to keep all three regular season meetings close. Both teams know each other very well and without a doubt the key players for this game will be Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard versus Tony Parker and Tim Duncan., Ever since the All-Star break and the passing of Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss, the Lakers have found a sense of urgency and have clawed themselves back into the playoff picture. The Spurs however have been well… the Spurs, despite several injuries throughout the season, with the managed playing times of his star players, Gregg Popovich has a full squad ready for another championship run. It will be a close game and even though the final score will not show, free-throw percentage will determine the outcome of the game as the Spurs shoot .791 while the Lakers shoot a disastrous .692 from the charity stripe.

Key(s) to winning- Free-throw percentage along with the Gasol/Howard versus Parker/Duncan matchup

1 Unit (Lakers +9)

Interesting matchup coming in at 7 p.m. EST, the top-seeded defending champions Miami Heat host the eighth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat are 37-4 at home and the Bucks are 17-24 away from home.

11/21/12 Milwaukee @ Miami 106-113 OT

12/29/12 Miami @ Milwaukee 85-104

3/15/13 Miami @ Milwaukee 107-94

4/9/13 Milwaukee @ Miami 83-94

First questions that comes into mind, how many eightseeds have upset the No. 1 seed to move on to the second round? The answer is five.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Seattle Supersonics 3-2 in 1994.
The New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat in 1999, 3-2.
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 2007, 4-2.
The Memphis Grizzlies defeated the San Antonio Spurs in 2011, 4-2.
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Chicago Bulls in 2012, 4-2

Both teams will be healthy to start their playoff run, and as I’ve highlighted in red above, we have had upsets in the past twp years in a row where an eight seed knocked off a oneseed. Will Miami share the same fate or will it be the Thunder that will be a part of history? Opening games are always hard to predict even more so for this matchup, but 13 is just too much in a playoff game to be favorite by even when you’re the Heat.

Key(s) to winning- Big 3 of Miami Heat versus the entire Milwaukee Bucks

1 Unit (Milwaukee +13)

No hard feelings? At 9:30PM EST we have another great matchup between the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets visiting the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are 34-7 at home while the Rockets are 16-25 away from Toyota Center.

11/28/12 Houston @ OKC 98-120

12/29/12 OKC @ Houston 124-94

2/20/13 OKC @ Houston 119-122

If you’re looking for an up-tempo/transition type of game and you absolute HATE defense, look no further, we bring you Houston at Oklahoma City. Why no defense? The Houston Rockets are an atrocious 28^th in the league at holding their opponents to 102.5 points per game while the Thunder sit 9^th at 96.5 points per game allowed. Knowing that the Rockets can’t play defense, offense will be key to winning this game as the Rockets rank second in the league with 106 points per game and the Thunder just slightly behind at third with 105.7 points per game. Will The Thunder feel the effects of missing James Harden in the playoffs and be the sixth team to lose to an eighth seed? Or will Harden finally get his revenge on his former team?

Key(s) to winning- First team to 100 wins.

1 Unit (Total over 213)

____________________________________________________________________________
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Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: ABC, Basketball, bucks, champions, ESPN, hawks, heat, Lakers, NBA, nba playoffs, pacers, rockets, spurs, thunder, TNT

Inside the Circle: David Levi, Personal Assistant of Floyd “Money” Mayweather

January 25, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

The Cover 4 was fortunate to catch up to David Levi, UNLV Graduate and Floyd Mayweathers Personal Assistant. We asked David what it is like to be part of the money team! Check out the article below!

Thanks for reading and thank you to David Levi for the interview

State your position with The Money Team?

I am Floyd’s personal assistant. I also take care of various things needed for The Money Team.

What is your boxing background?

I started boxing back in high school. Every Friday my brother and I invited kids over from school and we all boxed each other in the backyard with 16oz gloves and headgears. A short while later a boxing gym opened up new my house and I started training every day. I had my first amateur fight senior year of high school and won by knockout. The following year I attended UNLV just to fight for the boxing team there. After my freshman year boxing, I stopped fighting all together to work at Mayweather Promotions.

Have you ever stepped in the ring with Floyd? Even just messing around?

That’s a funny question because Floyd always asks me if I want to spar a little bit with him. He always tells me he’ll “take it easy on me”. The guy beats the hell out of world class fighters, so I’m not so keen on getting in the ring with him. Maybe if I started training again I would do it for fun. I would like to someday just to say I did.

How did you join the Money Team?

I interned for Mayweather Promotions on and off for about a year and a half. I then was hired as an office assistant for about six months. One day I was over at Floyd’s house which rarely happened and I approached him when he was alone and asked him to give me a shot and I would do whatever he needed to be done. About a week later he called me and said he was going to “test me out” and it’s been two years since!

What is the typical day in the life of David Levi?

I’m on call 24/7. No day is every the same and that is what I like best about my work. Usually if Floyd is out of town my day consists of running a couple errands for him, paying people, and I usually sit in the sports book and bet for Floyd the rest of the day.

During training my schedule is a little different. The day starts at the boxing gym around 2PM. The whole team encourages Floyd while he trains. I usually have to run out of the gym to the sports book to put bets in while he is training. We usually go to dinner after training and head to the fitness gym around 2AM.

What type of role do you take in fight planning/marketing?

Golden Boy Promotions does basically all the planning and marketing for Floyd’s fights. I use my twitter and instagram as a marketing tool by posting photos of Floyd while training. I occasionally do some interviews about Floyd’s training as well. I also seek out sponsorships and endorsements for various Mayweather Promotions fighters and Floyd.

What is the typical day in the life of Floyd Mayweather?

Floyd usually spends a lot of time with his children while he’s not training for a fight. The afternoons always consist of watching football and basketball. Him and I are usually on and off the phone nonstop because I’m placing bets for him while he watches the games at home or wherever he happens to be at the time. He knows more about football and basketball then anyone I’ve ever met. He’s a tremendous athlete, he often plays basketball late at night at the fitness gym in pick-up games.

What’s your favorite part about being part of The Money Team?

What is the coolest experience you have ever had with Floyd?

I’d say my favorite experience this far was the whole fight weekend for the Mayweather-Cotto fight. The fight was so intense and I am a fan of Miguel Cotto’s as well so I was extremely excited. I’ll never forget being in the back area with Floyd before the weigh in and he was jumping around talking shit out loud as Cotto just glared at him nonstop. Definitely the type of stuff I love being a huge boxing fan.

What was it like being interviewed by ESPN for their article?

Today’s social media has really simplified the ways to get into contact with media outlets. Over the last two years on Twitter I’ve created friendships with various writers for ESPN, Yahoo, FightHype, exc. and I get quoted from comments I make on Twitter. I’d say I enjoyed my interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole most.

What happened with the 50 cent split?

I think there was some miscommunication between Floyd and Fifty while Floyd was locked up. One thing was said and another came to fruition which Floyd didn’t agree with. I tend not to talk about it because it’s between the two of them.

What should people know about Floyd?

Floyd is one of the most fun people to hang around. He’s always joking around and talking shit. He has great energy and is tremendous person. He does a ton of charity which most people don’t get to see that side of him.

After Pac just got knocked out, will that fight ever happen?

When will Floyd step back into the ring?

Floyd will actually be fighting here in Las Vegas on May 4^th. The opponent is yet to be named, but believe me it’s going to be a great match up! He also is scheduled to fight September 14^th.

After Floyd boxing career is finished, how will he be remembered?

I think after Floyd’s next two or three wins and retires undefeated he will go down as the greatest boxer of all time. At the end of the day when it is all said and done, Floyd has fought dozens of world champions and hall of famers. He makes all of them look like amateurs. There is no fighter ever in the history of the sport that has faced the opposition he has and made it look so easy.

What do you have planned in the future?

I’m really enjoying my time with Floyd and The Money Team currently but of course eventually all things come to an end. I would like to get into promotion or work behind the scenes for television involving boxing and entertainment. I really enjoy the entertainment industry and I plan on staying involved with boxing one way or another.

Thanks for the interview Cover 4!

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Filed Under: The Other Sports Tagged With: back, David Levi, ESPN, Every Friday, Floyd Mayweather, football, Kevin Iole, Mayweather Cotto, Mayweather Promotions, Miguel Cotto, Money Team, sport, time, UNLV, year

ESPN – Blinded By The Light

January 7, 2013 by James Kaikis Leave a Comment

Why do we constantly talk about Tim Tebow? Are LeBron James and Jay Cutler really such bad people? Are the NFL personal foul calls that terrible? These are just some of the questions that have been asked redundantly, skewed, or answered by ESPN and other sports networks in such a way that creates the image now perceived by the public.

The majority of the public does not recognize ESPN is owned by Disney, which is a business with the ultimate goal of making money. The purpose of this article is not to detract from ESPN’s success or prominence, but to enlighten viewers to their ulterior motives and recommend alternative outlets.

As most of us know, any television network’s success is driven by advertisements that are dependent on ratings. ESPN is crafty in its way of creating ratings and the main technique it utilizes is creating controversy amongst all sports. To enhance viewership, they present ruffles within the most highly watched sport at the most scrutinized position — the quarterback. What other person to plug relentlessly than Tim Tebow?

Tim Tebow is a pop culture and sports marketing god that carries a fan base similar to that of a boy band. Try asking a diehard Backstreet Boys fan what they think of Nsync. Tebow carries a following in person and on Twitter, similar to a cult. Daily, notorious ESPN troll Skip Bayless sets the controversial tone by shoving Tebow in your face, driving the pop culture icon to the front pages, causing unfair media questions and scrutiny upon his incumbent. Theoretically, Tebow is Super Mario after eating the mushroom; however, those mushrooms are not permanent, and no one wants Tebow when his mushroom wears off.

Educated people within the NFL circle recognize the above, but still continue to publicly loathe the discussion. How many times do you hear one of your friends say, “I can’t stand Skip Bayless!”?

Ever wonder why we think of LeBron and Jay Cutler the way we do? Where is the origin of their disapproval? First, LeBron held the most pompous press conference announcing his decision with one of the greatest lines in sports of the twenty-first century: “I’m taking my talents to South Beach.” The event and phrase itself deserved at least a few months of scrutiny. On top of the initial pressure of being the most highly touted player coming into the league in history, LeBron held his press conference creating ESPN’s dream scenario (insert conspiracy theory here). Not only did ESPN cover this buzz relentlessly, but upon the start of training camp they ran a completely separate website for the Miami Heat titled the “Heat Index”. Let me repeat, ESPN who covers the entire sporting WORLD, issued a webpage covering a SINGLE team in the NBA (http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/). People wanted their insight on any down moment for LeBron, and ESPN presented every flaw, while creating buzz around the entire country.

Next, Smokin’ Jay Cutler has been considered one of the most controversial QBs in the NFL, and honestly, this can probably be traced back to two legitimate reasons for his troubling reputation. The first and biggest reason was his decision to sit out of 2011 NFC playoff game with a knee injury. Some athletes, including Cardinals DE Darnell Dockett and Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew, took to Twitter to announce their disapproval, stating that they’d play with the knee injury. The next issue was Culter’s cross-field rant with Phillip Rivers back in 2007. It could be interpreted that Cutler was being incredibly immature in this incident because Rivers’ Chargers were rolling. Honestly, being an avid sports fan, there is absolutely nothing that Cutler has done to deserve such harsh media scrutiny outside of having a semi-accurate canon of an arm with a back pedal as a drop back. Is his posture not that of a leader? Please, and Belichick’s is? He happens to grab water after a mistake and walks by his boss. Please enlighten me of a single person that does not get frustrated in his or her working environment. Does he look mad after getting sacked 7 times in a game? I ask you to face Jared Allen with the Bears’ left tackle twice a year. Furthermore, the chatter of him being a below-average quarterback can entirely be put to rest after a week and a half of Jason Campbell. ESPN has taken his minor altercations and created controversy with a guy who, until this season, has had zero weapons at receiver and still has no offensive line. Want a controversy? See Tom Jackson convey his Denver Broncos grudge on national television here:

Each of these aforementioned athletes has done absolutely nothing off the playing surface to trigger the criticism they receive. Each of these people has conducted themselves in a manner that represents their organization with class, even donating to charities. Kobe and Big Ben are the star children again, but what about during their little frisky incidents? It is particularly interesting that those incidents have not surfaced again because that would detract from game views or result in ticket losses. These athletes are unfairly judged in their workplace in order to drive ratings benefitting the business plan of ESPN.

Tonight on this SportsCenter’s made-up headline, “LeBron and Heat slumping, Cutler moping, and is Tebow the short-term answer for the Jets– right now!” A completely false headline, but extremely believable. You are now hooked and SportsCenter just opened.

Lastly, there has been a tremendous amount of conversation regarding the new NFL rule changes and the amount of “defenseless receiver” and “roughing the passer” calls that have recently been made. Every day, ESPN, FOX, NBC, and CBS present this topic of whether this is impeding into the game play, and all the analysts that were former players uniformly agree that it does. Analysts acknowledge the fact the league is looking out for players’ safety, but they all consistently leave out one critical point. The NFL is currently facing BILLIONS of dollars in concussion negligence lawsuits from a multitude of former players. If they were to budge on any kind of stance regarding these issues, they would lose a tremendous amount of legal leverage which would be detrimental to the league and ultimately us, the fans.

Hypothetical situation: you are the owner of a small business that is facing a sexual harassment lawsuit. During that time, you determine it would be smart to reevaluate the procedures for your employees and enforce them more strictly. Now, the judge can be more lenient and realize you are a competent owner. Smart, right? I know.

Has that picture ever been painted to the public regarding the new NFL safety rules? No. Why? It would come close to burying the story leaving Skip Bayless and ESPN’s NFL Live with nothing to stir up on a Wednesday other than more Tebow and Cutler talk.

It should be noted that sports entertainment and talk radio thrive on controversy, rankings and conflict. Any show on ESPN or NBC would not be in business without analyzing or creating some sort of controversy. I, along with all of the sports community, will continue to watch our favorite shows that help formulate our own opinions on issues. To resolve this issue, I suggest that you diversify your media outlets.

If you only watch Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, your views are obviously leaning in one direction. If your only sporting intake is Skip Bayless and Steven A. Smith, then you have been exposed to a finite size of information. To enhance this on the sporting side, much like in finance, diversify your portfolio of sports knowledge each morning by taking in a portion of Colin Cowherd’s show and Dan Patrick’s show. If you are a West Coast late riser and indulge in some lunchtime viewing, you can flip between ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption and CBS’ Jim Rome. It can be quite enlightening to hear two completely different perspectives when one of those despises the “Mothership”.

We all remember the high school essays of compare and contrast, which forced us to comprehend all sides of an issue, but we tend to lose this perspective as we get older. These foundational values of debating or becoming a knowledgeable person can be lost amid the opinions forced upon us, but there is always an alternative side to any story. Although the most powerful outlet presents a certain perspective, it does not necessarily mean it should be your opinion, it is the correct opinion, or is the underlying issue of the topic (i.e. NFL concussions).

In short, I encourage all of you to continue to watch ESPN as much as I do, but please maintain perspective of the big picture while watching it. If you get mad at Skip Bayless, take a breath, and realize that’s exactly what ESPN wants you to do, move on, and look for an alternative opinion. If you do not like Jay Cutler, just gather yourself and recognize that your hatred is either driven by ESPN or merely a personal problem. For future viewing, I recommend you to become more educated on the topic by opening yourself up to different sports information dispensaries rather than simply watching ESPN and immediately posting to Facebook or Twitter in outrage because you are only contributing to the irrational, uneducated audience in which ESPN is aiming.

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Filed Under: The Great Debate Tagged With: back, CBS, Cutler, Dan Patrick, DE, ESPN, FOX, Heat Index, Jay Cutler, NBC, nfl, Phillip Rivers, RB, Rivers Chargers, SINGLE, Skip Bayless, Smokin Jay Cutler, Tim Tebow, WORLD

We’re Going Bowling! In Depth Analysis of 2012-13 College Bowl Season

January 5, 2013 by James Kaikis 4 Comments

We’re going bowling!

WHO DOESN’T LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON!?

We are fast approaching one of the most exciting times of the year as college football bowl series is set to begin.

The Cover 4 is giving our readers the ultimate guide to this years bowl games. Our very own Sports Activist Zack Kay has predicted every bowl game of the 2012 season. Each game is complete with analysis, spreads, over/under and an alternate name to each bowl game! You don’t want to miss this. PERIOD……….

*Based on LVH odds as of 12/9/12

Saturday, Dec. 15

New Mexico Bowl
At Albuquerque, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

201 Nevada (7-5) vs 202 Arizona (7-5) -9½
Over/Under 76½

Alternate Name: “Who won’t give up 40 Bowl?”

Breakdown: Despite both teams sitting at 7-5, they like to give up points as much as they like to score them. Each team is giving up a rough average of 40 points per loss, and I don’t see that changing. Zona has the better resume, and will win a shootout.

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Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
At Boise, Idaho, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)

203 Toledo (9-3) vs 204 Utah State (10-2) -10
Over/Under 58½

Alternate Name: “Child’s Play, Seed of Chuckie Bowl”

Breakdown: Consider this game Chuckie Keeton and Utah State’s way of putting the college football world on notice, and planting their seed to bust the BCS next season. USU has been quietly obliterating teams, with their two closest wins coming by 7 points, and the rest by an average of nearly 28. Their only two losses came on the road at BYU and Wisconsin, by a combined 5 points. Toledo has played solid this season, including an upset of Cincinnati, but they’re going to end up on the business end of this game.

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Thursday, Dec. 20

Poinsettia Bowl
At San Diego, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

205 BYU (7-5) -2½ vs 206 San Diego State (9-3)
Over/Under 49

Alternate Name:”Mountain West Defector Bowl”

Breakdown: With both teams recently leaving the Mountain West Conference (SDSU on its way out), there will be some familiarity to this game. How can you not take the +2 ½ in this one? With what is essentially a home game, and the Aztecs playing their best ball late in the season, I don’t think BYU, whose been on cruise control since accepting their bid to this game earlier in the season, will be able to pull this one out.

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Friday, Dec. 21

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl
At St. Petersburg, Fla., 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

207 Ball State (9-3) vs 208 UCF (9-4) -7
Over/Under 61.5

Alternate Name: “10 Wins or Bust Bowl”

Breakdown: This is going to be a solid game, with two good mid-conference teams trying to get to that magic number of 10 wins. When stepping up in competition this season, UCF handled themselves better than the Cardinals did, keeping it close with Ohio State for 3 quarters, and losing by 2 points to Mizzou. Look for UCF to pull away late and the game to get over the total.

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Saturday, Dec. 22

New Orleans Bowl
At New Orleans, Noon (ESPN)

209 East Carolina (8-4) vs 210 Louisiana-Lafayette (7-4) -5½
Over/Under 65½

Alternate Name: “Bourbon Street Bowl”……because I assume that’s where most of the fans will be instead of in the stands for this one.

Breakdown: These teams are like mirror images as far as where they stand, with solid offenses, and consistently inconsistent defenses. Despite the home state advantage, I think playing inside favors the Pirates a little more, and while I’m tempted to take the Over, I think it’s going to hit right below the number.

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Las Vegas Bowl
At Las Vegas, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

211 Washington (7-5) vs 212 Boise State (10-2) -5
Over/Under 45

Alternate Name: “Foreshadow Bowl”

Breakdown: This will be a preview of each team’s first game of the 2013 season. Boise comes in much more consistent on both sides of the ball, and after the Huskies’ last showing against Wazzu, I wouldn’t back them even if they brought Jake Locker back for this game. I like the game to get over the number, and for Boise to control the line of scrimmage with each unit.

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Monday, Dec. 24

Hawaii Bowl
At Honolulu, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

213 SMU (6-6) vs 214 Fresno State (9-3) -11½
Over/Under 59

Alternate Name: “June’s Not So Joyous Return Bowl”

Breakdown: Anyone else think Fresno could hit the over by themselves? The Bulldogs are averaging almost 48/game when they win, with an average margin of victory around 27. I’m sure June Jones is hoping for a nice experience in his first time coaching in Aloha Stadium since his departure, but I look for Fresno to put it on the Mustangs. Hey, at least he’ll get leid while he’s there.

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Wednesday, Dec. 26

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
At Detroit, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

215 Central Michigan (6-6) vs 216 Western Kentucky (7-5) -5½
Over/Under 60

Alternate Name: “No Willy, No Problem Bowl”

Breakdown: Despite the departure of Head Coach Willy Taggert to South Florida, Western Kentucky should cover the spread fairly comfortably. All but one of the Hilltoppers losses (35-0 to Alabama), have been competitive, and come down to the 4th quarter, and they have some very quality wins. Despite playing in their home state, CMU’s defense just gives up too many points to keep them in this one. Playing indoors is going to help them hit the over.

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Thursday, Dec. 27

Military Bowl
At Washington, 3 p.m. (ESPN)

217 Bowling Green (8-4) vs 218 San Jose State (10-2) -7
Over/Under 45½

Alternate Name: “Best Mid-Major Matchup Bowl”

Breakdown: This is good matchup, and going to be a great game. Bowling Green comes in the 9th ranked points against defense in the country, and San Jose State has been a sleeper all season, dropping a 3 point loss to Stanford, and losing to 10-2 Utah State. BGU’s 3 losses came on the road, in the first 4 weeks of the season to Florida, VT, and Toledo, but since then, have been stingy defensively. I’d feel more comfortable with -6 ½, but with BGU playing a very good team away from home, I’ll take SJSU.

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Belk Bowl
At Charlotte, N.C., 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

219 Cincinnati (9-3) -7½ vs 220 Duke (6-6)
Over/Under 60½

Alternate Name: “Rather See This Basketball Game Bowl”

Breakdown: 1995……That’s the last time Duke went to the post season in football, on a campus where basketball is king, relevance is something the Blue Devil football team has been searching for, for quite some time. Both of these teams have had their ups and downs this year, and while Cincinnati has played very good defense this season, Duke will come into this game with two things that have stayed consistent throughout the season, their coach, and their quarterback. The Bearcats come in with Butch Jones having high tailed it to Tennessee, and an inconsistent showing at the quarterback position. Not only do the Blue Devils want this more, they need this more, and will be playing in their home state. That’s why I feel comfortable with them covering the +7½.

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Holiday Bowl
At San Diego, 9:45 p.m. (ESPN)

221 Baylor (7-5) vs 222 UCLA (9-4) -1
Over/Under 80

Alternate Name: “Oxygen Bowl”……as in, what both defenses will be huffing on most of the game.

Breakdown: Both these teams can fill it up, and in San Diego, the weather should be permitting. I have to take the Under, simply because 80 points is a ton, but feel confident in saying that this could easily go over. This is going to be a fun game to watch, and while I think Jonathan Franklin will run for about 160, I believe Baylor is going to find a way to squeak this one out in pretty exciting fashion.

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Friday, Dec. 28

Independence Bowl
At Shreveport, La., 2 p.m. (ESPN)

223 Ohio (8-4) vs 224 Louisiana-Monroe (8-4) -7
Over/Under 61

Alternate Name: “What was La Tech Thinking Bowl?”

Breakdown: Ohio jumps into this bowl game by default, after the bonehead move Louisiana Tech made, in turning down the committee, and thus their 9-3 team missing a bowl all together. ULM has played some good ball this year against top talent competition, and their defense will be the difference in this one (Sorry James Kaikis).

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Russell Athletic Bowl
At Orlando, Fla., 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

225 Rutgers (9-3) vs 226 Virginia Tech (6-6) -2
Over/Under 40½

Alternate Name: “The Hard to Watch Bowl”

Breakdown: VT was probably this season’s biggest disappointment, and even in the 6 games they won, were hard to watch some times. Rutgers started out at 7-0, but have dropped 3 of their last 5, and could’ve ended up in the Sugar Bowl if it weren’t for a string of bonehead decisions in their game against Louisville to cap the season. The Hokies should have this one in had by the final whistle, but don’t expect much scoring.

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Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
At Houston, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

227 Minnesota (6-6) vs 228 Texas Tech (7-5) -13
Over/Under 56

Alternate Name: “Guns Up, Gophers Down, Bowl”

Breakdown: “Tubberville or not, the Red Raiders are going to ROLL in this one. TTU can score, and the Gophers, to put it lightly, can’t. I’m looking for a 3 score deficit in this game, with the Texas Tech offense moving up and down the field on Minnesota, but will take the under, looking at a final score of around 38-17. This might also be a great game to lay the points in the first half as well, especially if you can get 6½.

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Saturday, Dec. 29

Armed Forces Bowl
At Fort Worth, Texas, 11:45 a.m. (ESPN)

229 Air Force (6-6) vs 230 Rice (6-6) even
Over/Under 60

Alternate Name: “Run and Fun Bowl”

Breakdown: Both of these teams come into this game with dominate rushing attacks (AF 328 yd/gm and Rice 201 yd/gm), and I’m assuming they’ll stick with what they know. On paper it’s as close as they come, and I anticipate a turnover deciding the game. That’s why I’ll take the fly boys in this one, as military teams tend to be more disciplined with the football.

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Fight Hunger Bowl
At San Francisco, 3:15 p.m. (ESPN2)

231 Arizona State (7-5) -14½ vs 232 Navy (7-4)

Over/Under 56

Alternate Name: “Just Another Bowl Game”

Breakdown: There’s nothing to special about this one. ASU has had problems stepping up in competition this year, and the Midshipmen have as well. If you’re interested in seeing two promising young quarterbacks battle, with two drastically contrasting styles, then this one should strike your interest. ASU will pull out the game, but Navy will cover the number.

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Pinstripe Bowl
At New York, 3:15 p.m. (ESPN)

233 West Virginia (7-5) -4 vs 234 Syracuse (7-5)
Over/Under 74

Alternate Name: “Big East Basketball Championship Bowl”

Breakdown: If I told you that one of these teams has beaten the other,2 straight years, would you believe me if I said it was Syracuse? Well believe it. The Orangemen have won two straight over the Mountaineers (both fairly handily), and will be looking to do it again. There is going to be ton’s of talent on the field at wide receiver in this one, and the looks fairly appetizing, as West Virginia can’t stop a thing. Still, I think they find a way to win by a touchdown since those upstate New York kids are used to playing in their cushy dome in the winter.

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Alamo Bowl
At San Antonio, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)

235 Oregon State (9-3) -2 vs 236 Texas (8-4)
Over/Under 57

Alternate Name: “Quarterback Carousel Bowl”

Breakdown: Sean Mannion, Cody Vaz, David Ash, Case McCoy. Who knows who’ll be under center for either team when game time hits, although the Beavers seem to be more set than their counterparts. This is a tough game to pick, and while it’s hard picking against Texas in their home state, I think OSU’s defense will be enough to scratch out a field goal win.

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Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
At Tempe, Ariz., 10:15 p.m. (ESPN)

237 TCU (7-5) -2½ vs 238 Michigan State (6-6)
Over/Under 40½

Alternate Name: “Lost Potential Bowl”

Breakdown: With TCU entering their first season in the Big 12, and Michigan State competing in a Big 10 with an ineligible Ohio State and Penn State, both of these teams looked like they were in position to make waves. That all changed with the departure of Casey Pachall, and Michigan State’s inability to find the endzone without Kirk Cousins. This one is going to come down to field goal kickers I believe, but should be a good game.

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Monday, Dec. 31

Music City Bowl
At Nashville, Tenn., Noon (ESPN)

239 N.C. State (7-5) vs 240 Vanderbilt (8-4) -6½
Over/Under 51

Alternate Name: “Even Kiel Bowl”

Breakdown: Both of these teams (while Vandy is improving) seem to be unable to break past this grey area in their conferences, where they’re always just middle of the pack. The ACC has had a TERRIBLE time with SEC teams this year, but despite that, I believe NC State, if not win, can cover the 6½ here, with Sean Glennon heading to the Senior Bowl with one last win under his belt.

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Sun Bowl
At El Paso, Texas, 2 p.m. (CBS)

241 Georgia Tech (6-7) vs 242 USC (7-5) -10
Over/Under 63½

Alternate Name: “The Disappointment Bowl”

Breakdown: With USC preseason #1, and Georgia Tech poised to be a contender in the ACC (they played in the championship game, but only because Miami put itself on probation, and the Coastal Division was abysmal), both teams crapped the bed, a la Virginia Tech this season, with USC losing 5 games, and GT having to petition to even play in a bowl. Now they’re in El Paso, and let’s be honest, the people that live in El Paso, don’t even want to be there. This game will mean more to the Yellow Jackets, and they’ll play inspired, but it won’t be enough, and I think they’re secondary will get toasted in this one.

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Liberty Bowl
At Memphis, Tenn., 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

243 Iowa State (6-6) even vs 244 Tulsa (10-3)
Over/Under 50

Alternate Name: “Déjà vu Bowl”

Breakdown: This game is a rematch of each team’s season opener, where the Cyclones put up a 15 point home victory over the Hurricanes. After seeing both teams play, I think the outcome will be close to the same. Tulsa has two very good running backs, and can churn out yards on the ground, but I don’t think their quarterback has the ability to win games for them if it comes down to that.

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Chick-fil-A Bowl
At Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

245 Clemson (10-2) vs 246 LSU (10-2) -4
Over/Under 59½

Alternate Name: “Battle for Death Valley Bowl”

Breakdown: Ok, so my blood runs orange and I can’t help but be a little impartial in this one. Both teams are coming in off of great seasons, with Clemson coming off a not so great performance against South Carolina, and LSU having only lost to the number 2 and 3 teams in the country. LSU has been synonymous with “BCS,” and might be a little disappointed to be in this game which is why I believe Clemson can cover this 4 points, and might be able to squeak out the win. One thing is for sure though, and that is that this will be a very fun game to watch, with a tremendous amount of speed and talent on the field at all times.

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Tuesday, Jan. 1

Heart of Dallas Bowl
At Dallas, Noon (ESPNU)

247 Purdue (6-6) vs 248 Oklahoma State (7-5) -17
Over/Under 70½

Alternate Name: “Mom, Look Away. This Could get UGLY Bowl”

Breakdown: Take out FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky, and the Boilermakers haven’t beaten a .500 team this season, much less one with a winning record. The Cowboys come into this matchup with all of their losses coming to bowl bound teams, and three of those ranked in the top 15. At 2nd in the nation in both passing and scoring, I don’t see where Purdue will be able to find enough points with their mediocre offense to keep it close. The Boilermakers will need to run the ball effectively for four quarters to have a shot at keeping this one close. The first half might also be a good bet in this one.

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Gator Bowl
At Jacksonville, Fla., Noon (ESPN2)

249 Northwestern (9-3) vs 250 Mississippi State (8-4) -2
Over/Under 53

Alternate Name: “Sneaky Good Bowl”

Breakdown: This is going to be a good game against two scrappy teams. The Bulldogs started the season 7-0, but dropped 4 of their last 5, and even though 3 of them were to the top tier of the SEC, a loss to Ole Miss in their final game doesn’t have me very high on them. Northwestern is just fun to watch, and they have taken another small step forward this year, winning some good games, and nearly knocking off both Michigan and Nebraska. I like the Wildcats in this one, while Miss St is still trying to figure out what going on.

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Capital One Bowl
At Orlando, Fla., 1 p.m. (TBA)

253 Nebraska (10-3) vs 254 Georgia (11-2) -10
Over/Under 58½

Alternate Game: “Sea of Red Bowl”

Breakdown: If there is one thing that Championship Week showed us, it’s that Georgia is for real, and Nebraska is probably still picking turn out of their butts from getting molly whopped by Wisconsin. The Bulldogs edge out the Huskers in all phases of the game, and Taylor Martinez can expect to be looking up at the Florida sun from his back most of the game, with the help of Jarvis Jones. Nebraska will score enough to help with the Over, but not nearly enough to make the Bulldogs sweat the final in this one.

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Outback Bowl
At Tampa, Fla., 1 p.m. (ESPN)

251 Michigan (8-4) vs 252 South Carolina (10-2) -5½
Over/Under 47

Alternate Name: “Best Bet Bowl”

Breakdown: THIS IS MY BEST BET OF THE BOWL SEASON! This spread is just off, and I think it should be closer to 10-12 points. Michigan has not faced a defense like this since week 1 against Alabama, and we all know how that one ended, or when it ended…….1st quarter. Despite what he’s done in four years at Michigan, Denard Robinson will not like how his final game turns out, especially with the already diminished role he is playing in the offense.

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Rose Bowl
At Pasadena, Calif., 5 p.m. (ESPN)

255 Wisconsin (8-5) vs 256 Stanford (11-2) -6½
Over/Under 46

Alternate Name: “Snot Bubble Bowl”

Breakdown: This one is going to be brutal in the trenches, and I anticipate that both teams will combine for at least 65-70 carries with their backs. Both teams are impressively balanced, but the Badgers haven’t scored more than 24 points against anyone that has a defense with a pulse. Stanford has been impressive all season, and they are an inexplicable loss on the road to Washington, and a controversial call against Notre Dame away from being in an even bigger bowl game. The Cardinal do what they do, and wear Wisconsin down by the end of the 3rd quarter, and the brief return of Barry Alvarez (who they’re paying $118,000 for this game) will be for nothing.

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Orange Bowl
At Miami, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

257 Northern Illinois (12-1) vs 258 Florida State (11-2) -13½
Over/Under 57½

Alternate Name: “For the Sake of the ACC Bowl”

Breakdown: For the sake of the ACC, not only does FSU need to win this game, but it needs to be decisive, and it needs to be violent, the type of violence that the 4th ranked defense in the nation is suppose to impose in all their games. If you don’t know the name Jordan Lynch, then you are not a true college football fan. Lynch is Jonny Football-esque statistically, and the only shot the Huskies have in this one. Despite how good Lynch is, and the type of magic he can produce on the field, he’s going to have to be David Copperfield to pull this one off. The Noles should, and will roll, and I believe the total should be covered as well.

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Wednesday, Jan. 2

Sugar Bowl
At New Orleans, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

259 Louisville (10-2) vs 260 Florida (11-1) -14
Over/Under 45

Alternate Name: “Gator Bait Bowl”

Breakdown: Louisville played its best ball in the first half and middle of the season, but has somewhat struggled as of late with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater dealing with injuries. The Gators on the other hand, nearly ended up in the National Championship game, and are playing some of the best defense they’ve seen in Gainesville in quite a while. With a more consistent offense, Florida could be the best team in the country, and will most definitely be looking to improve that facet of their game in the practice time for this bowl. After watching both these teams throughout the season, I just don’t know where Louisville can find the ability to keep this one close.

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Thursday, Jan. 3

Fiesta Bowl
At Glendale, Ariz., 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

261 Kansas State (11-1) vs 262 Oregon (11-1) -8
Over/Under 75

Alternate Name: “Chip’s Farewell Tour Bowl”

Breakdown: This has the potential to be one of the best bowl games of the entire season, if not for anything else, the fact that these boys are going to light it up. Optimus Klein is coming off his 3rd place Heisman Trophy finish, and will be looking to leave Kansas St in style. The Ducks have once again posted a one loss season to narrowly miss the National Championship, but seem to be back to firing on all cylinders, and will look to continue that as I predict Chip Kelly will be coaching in the NFL next season. Oregon is more used to these big games by now, and I think they’ll pull away late and probably cover the spread by a field goal or so.

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Friday, Jan. 4

Cotton Bowl
At Arlington, Texas, 8 p.m. (FOX)

263 Texas A&M (10-2) -4½ vs 264 Oklahoma (10-2)
Over/Under 71.5

Alternate Name: “Like Old Times Bowl”

Breakdown: These two teams are familiar with each other, and it’s almost weird to see them matched up in a bowl game. Heisman winners are 5-7 since 2000 in their bowl games the year they won the award, with the last three all posting wins. I believe the Aggies can and will win this game, but I look for the Sooners to cover the number and lose by a field goal (38-35 sticks out in my mind). Johnny Heisman has been ridiculous this season, and with a month to prepare, I’m sure Oklahoma will come up with a few ways to keep him off balance, but won’t be able to effect him for an entire game. Landry Jones has rebounded this year from being notoriously bad away from home, and I think his solid performance just won’t be enough to overcome the growing legend that is Johnny Manziel.

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Saturday, Jan. 5

BBVA Compass Bowl
At Birmingham, Ala., 1 p.m. (ESPN)

265 Pittsburgh (6-6) vs 266 Mississippi (6-6) -3½
Over/Under 53½

Alternate Name: “Above .500 Bowl”

Breakdown: Both of these teams have shown flashes of potential this season, while some probably feel Pitt has underachieved, and Ole Miss has outperformed their expectations. The reason this is such a tough game to pick, is that you just don’t know which Pitt team is going to show up, because they play great in the heavy underdog roll, but incredibly mediocre when they are expected to compete. With all things considered, and adding on the fact that Ole Miss has underrated team speed, I think the Panthers are going to fall short in this one.

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Sunday, Jan. 6

GoDaddy.com Bowl
At Mobile, Ala., 9 p.m. (ESPN)

267 Arkansas State (9-3) -4½ vs 268 Kent State (11-2)
Over/Under 62

Alternate Name: “Who the Hell is Coaching Us Bowl?”

Breakdown: With Gus Malzhan headed back to Auburn, and Darrell Hazell the newest coach for the Boilermakers, both teams will come into this game without the men who have lead them all season. These are two of the best mid-majors in the country, and should be an exciting game. Kent State makes a living with their ground game, but I think Arkansas State’s balance will be the deciding outcome in this game. They are as equally good on the ground as through the air, and the will keep Kent States defense guessing for most of the game.

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Monday, Jan. 7

BCS National Championship
At Miami, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

269 Alabama (12-1) -9½ vs 270 Notre Dame (12-0)
Over/Under 41½

Alternate Name: “Legends Never Die Bowl”

Breakdown: It’s fitting that one of, if not the best bowl game of the year, will be in the National Championship game against two of the most legendary programs in college football. From Bear Bryant, to Knute Rockney, and Touchdown Jesus to “Roll Tide,” these two teams are not only historic, but have some of the biggest fan bases in the country. During a time in college football where scoring 50 is normal, arguably the two best defenses in the country managed to separate themselves from the rest. Notre Dame comes into this game on a mission, and I believe they have the ability to cover this spread, without going as far to say that they’ll win outright. The Irish’s lucky number is 5, and no, it doesn’t stand for Manti T’eo’s jersey, it stands for how many goaline touchdowns they’ve allowed all season. The Crimson Tide have been here before, and while they will ride their defense, they are not going to win this game without something special from AJ McCarron. I’ll be counting the days until this one.

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Filed Under: Football Tagged With: BCS, cover, El Paso, ESPN, football, Georgia, las vegas, Miami, National Championship, New Orleans, Notre Dame, San Diego, UCF, USC, Utah State

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The Cover 4 was fortunate to catch up to David Levi, who is Floyd Mayweather’s personal assistant. We asked Levi what it is like to be part of The Money Team. Mayweather will be fighting Canelo Alvarez on Saturday.”

What is your position with The Money Team?

What is your boxing background?

Have you ever stepped in the ring with Floyd? Even just messing around?

How did you join the Money Team?

What is the typical day in the life of David Levi?

What type of role do you take in fight planning or marketing?

What is the typical day in the life of Floyd Mayweather?

What’s your favorite part about being part of The Money Team?

What is the coolest experience you have ever had with Floyd?

What was it like being interviewed by ESPN for their article?

What happened with the 50 Cent split?

What should people know about Floyd?

After Pacquiao just got knocked out, will that fight ever happen?

When will Floyd step back into the ring?

After Floyd’s boxing career is finished, how will he be remembered?

What do you have planned in the future?

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The Delay of Game

The Bum

The Caveman

The Whiner

The Whistleblower

The Einstein

The Computer Thief

The Macaulay Culkin

The Snail

The Ed Hochuli

The Sleeper

The Roster-bater

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State your position with The Money Team?

What is your boxing background?

Have you ever stepped in the ring with Floyd? Even just messing around?

How did you join the Money Team?

What is the typical day in the life of David Levi?

What type of role do you take in fight planning/marketing?

What is the typical day in the life of Floyd Mayweather?

What’s your favorite part about being part of The Money Team?

What is the coolest experience you have ever had with Floyd?

What was it like being interviewed by ESPN for their article?

What happened with the 50 cent split?

What should people know about Floyd?

After Pac just got knocked out, will that fight ever happen?

When will Floyd step back into the ring?

After Floyd boxing career is finished, how will he be remembered?

What do you have planned in the future?

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Saturday, Dec. 15

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Thursday, Dec. 20

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Friday, Dec. 21

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Saturday, Dec. 22

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Monday, Dec. 24

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Wednesday, Dec. 26

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Thursday, Dec. 27

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Friday, Dec. 28

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