Happy New Year!!!

Here's a toast to 2009 and hoping that this year is a safe and good one for everyone. New President, new outlook, time for change...whatever. I hope and pray he is up to the job and does well. We certainly could use some help down here in the trenches.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and from the sounds of everything when we spoke you all did. We sure missed Joan and Jay here in Birmingham this year but I know they had to stay in FL. The important thing is Mom is feeling much better and we are all thankful for that. Here's hoping she continues to improve. Besides it may be time to start planing the return to the Cape. You know it is never to early to start that planning. Just don't forget the canvas cooler bag.

So, how was your fall? We sure had a busy one here. I am going to share some photos of some of the high spots starting with Thanksgiving. Jason, our resident butcher, chef and food experimenter fried his first turkey this Thanksgiving. In word it was excellent. He did his research and had everything planned out, well look for yourself.

No Thanksgiving in the Roche household can not start until the first batch of Bloody May's is made. Jackie actually saved this Thanksgiving by finding an open package store since we forgot to check our supply of Vodka beforehand.

There is no other place to fry your turkey in Alabama then in the front yard. You want to make the neighbors envious of your good food. Notice the safety goggles and fire extinguisher in the back ground. Jason certainly made me feel good that our house would be left standing after all of this was done.

The turkey goes in the oil and it doesn't take too long to cook and I have to tell you it is excellent.
No turkey frying is complete with out the peanut gallery. From left to right Jillian, Jackie (Jason's girlfriend), Jackie, and Roz (Jackie's sister). As you might notice we graduated from Bloodies to Whiskey Sours. Jill is drinking Sparkling Grape Juice. She drank the whole bottle and she swore never to do that again as she was, in her words, loopy. Go figure. We had a great day, not too cold nor too hot.

Time to check the temperature. It looks done to me but what do I know? I'm not the cook.

It was done and then Jason put in some potatoes to fry up some homemade chips and they were excellent as well.

The three kids, excuse me, young adults, after the successful turkey and potato frying. I must say Jason did a great job and the food was so good.

Now, below is Jill at one of her football games in the fall. She finished up her senior year in the band and had a great time. This spring she will be traveling with the band to Virginia beach for her spring trip.

Always the clown. I'm not really sure where she might get that from.

Cathy and I have continued to run. Here we are after The Race For The Cure in Birmingham with Jason, the two Jackie's and our friend Pat Perry. This was a 5K (3.1 miles) Pat and Cathy's first one. We did another one the first week of December too!

It was on to Christmas and even though we missed Mom and Dad, we soldiered on. I guess in my case it would be Marined on. Any way here are some photos from our celebration. Mom, you will notice the new vest and how well it fits.

Already to rush to the presents and see what Santa brought. Above everyone gets a funny hat. The funny thing is everyone forgets they have it on and continue to wear them the rest of the night. Silly people.

Well I guess that is it for now. Oh, how could I forget, below is two more pictures of a dinner Jason had last night for some friends. He actually paid for this pig's head and cooked it for us and about 12 of his friends. Surprisingly, they all ate it. Everyone was very curous about this pig. It was actually more biology class than culinary arts. Even I ate part of the tongue. Talk about cultivating your taste buds. I was amazed how much it tasted like pork. Go figure. Talk to you all soon.

Love,

Mike

Wouldn't you love to see the faces of the customers as he parades this thing through his market in a clear plastic bag? Yum!

2008 NFL Season in the Books

Here is our 2008 winner and third place finisher, Bryan Bailey and Adam Bailey enjoying a cold Harpoon at Humarock this summer. Little did they know at that point they would be winners this year. Boy what a difference a year makes too. Bryan's winning score of 165 points would have been good for a strong 6th place finish last year. Either the games are getting tougher or we are getting worse at picking, perhaps both. Adam owes a bit of thanks to perennial college expert, Scott St. Joseph, for not opting to pay this year because in his words, "he is no good at the pros." You can pay next year Scott. And, to bad everyone seems to be cutting back on expenses so as a result the payouts this year are a little less than last year. I know I speak for myself that any time I get something back in these games I view it as a successful season. On to the results.

1. Bryan Bailey 165 points $40.00

2. Scott St. Joseph 163 points no $$$

3. Mike Roche 162 points $24.00

4. Adam Bailey 160 Points $16.00

5. Amy Roche 159

6. Big Jay Roche 158

6. Susan Bailey 158

7. Jay Roche 155

8. Brendon Bailey 153

9. Liz Melby 143

It has been a fun season and I can't believe it is over nor can I seem to come to terms with the Patriots not playing in the post season. We have been spoiled over the years. Well, only a couple of months and pitchers and catchers report to spring training...I can't wait.

Checks Are In The Mail

Well sorry this is late but hey I work for a living. Well most of the time anyway. The regular season is over and since we are now finished with the first round of playoff games I thought it might be a good idea to recap the season. I'm sure have already looked to see where your entry came in but in case you haven't here it is. After the big shake up after the Baltimore game, Jay and Sue fought for first place but the last weekend of games was just too much for everyone. Jay finally pulled it out and came in first for the first time in this group. Congratulations, well done. Sue however stumbled (like she has never done that before) the last weekend and I was able to tie her for second place. The difference was, and this never works out for me, listening to the pregame, we had the Houston game and when I saw how many of the Jags were sitting out the game, I changed my pick. One point but enough to tie Sue. Since we pay out three places, Sue and I share the money from 2nd and 3rd place. Here are the results:

1. Jay 174 pts. 99.3% $45.00
2. Mike and Sue 171 pts. 98.2% $22.50 each
4. Amy 167 pts. 95.1%
5. Adam 166 pts. 94.1%
6. Bryan 160 pts. 87.6%
7. Big Jay & Jon Beemer 159 pts. 86.5%
9. Liz 158 pts. 85.5%
10. Lin 156 pts. 83.5%

Rounding out the group were Scott St. Joseph, Matt Scalisi, and Brenden. It has been a great season especially for the Pats. Only three more to go. AS i mentioned in the by line, the checks are in the mail as well as certificates suitable for refrigerator framing. Put it up right next to the grocery list and dental appointment notice.

Questions, Questions, Questions

Last Sunday evening I went outside because the dogs were barking like crazy at something no one could see. I was looking at them and they just had their noses up in the air sniffing and barking. It was really weird and I didn't know what to make of it until the next day. That evening after the Patriots escaped with another victory. I mean how many times can you get to try a 4th and 1 and then 4th and 6 and still make it. Anyway, it was when I turned to the standings in our little NFL soiree and saw what had happened Sunday. It was a season changing weekend with Jay loosing ground, Susan gaining ground and a big shake up in the race for third place, between Adam, Amy and me.

The dogs did something similar last year when they could smell (somehow) Lin's sweat as the season came down to the wire and he started loosing ground and then finally lost the title. I'm not crazy like the Steeler's safety who is guaranteeing a victory for Pittsburgh but I am saying that the top dog really feels the heat this time of year. It is amazing how the dogs can smell fear. Heck I think I can hear the sweat pouring out of Jay's pores and my hearing sucks. What?

Just three weeks left to go so every pick counts. Da! Just looked at the group score sheet and see that Jay and Adam have picked Chicago. Go Washington!! It will be fun to see what unfolds these next weeks. May the best picker win. I just wish I knew a way to shut those dogs up. Hey Jay, quit sweating, it's just a game!

College Bowling Has Finished Last Frame

Here is the photo of our winner for the 2006-2007 season, Joey Plaia. It looks like he just found out he won but this is before Christmas with two non entrants, Jackie & Cathy Roche. Joey did not have the best won lost record this year but his confidence points were in the right spot AND he correctly picked Florida to win the National Championship. That and a few other upsets put him over the top this year.

What a season it was too, so many great games, so many upsets and few blow outs. You have to love the Chutzpah of Boise State in beating Oklahoma and how about Oregon State going for two to win the game instead of playing for the tie and playing to overtime. That is confidence and it takes guts to do that. Years ago that decision cost Nebraska a share of the National Championship when Tom Osborne was coach.

It wasn't easy this year with 32 Bowl games and the corresponding confidence points but our top five folks all were at the 90% or better level. Let's look at the results of our top ten competitors.

1. Joey Plaia 22-10 403 points 95.7%
2. Jay Roche 22-10 398 points 94.2%
3. Bryan Bailey 21-11 393 92.4%
4. Windsor Roche (Jay's Alter Ego) 24-8 389 90.6%
5. Mike Roche 22-10 388 90.1%
6. Scott St.Joseph 21-11 380 85.9%
7. Big Jay Roche 21-11 371 80.4%
7. Amy Roche 23-9 371 80.4%
9. Matt Scalici 22-10 356 70.1%
10. Jason Roche 18-14 306 33.7%
10. Susan Bailey 19-13 306 33.7%

It has been fun this year. Most of the games I watched were entertaining, I hope you felt the same way. As for the game with in a game, Matt finally beat Jason at something, Lin never showed up, and there just wasn't enough interest in a money game, which turns Joey's smile to a frown. Maybe next year people will put money down before the cut off date to make this more interesting. Time will tell. Enjoy your summer off from football unless you live in SEC country where it is just beginning again now that Alabama has hired Nick Saban. Should be fun and remember, only 230 more days until we kick it off again!

2006 Season in the Record Books

Well friends, family and neighbors, the 2006 Pro Pickem season is in the books and it was one for the ages. another season that came down to the last weekend to see who would take the top spot. Congratulations to Adam for winning this year and the top prize of $40.00. Not a bad return on your initial investment. This season Adam started out very strong but faded in the middle of the season only to average 10 points per week the last 7 weeks of the season. A very strong finish, not unlike the Eagles of Philadelphia this year. That is Adam in the middle of the picture relaxing with his brother(R) and cousin(L).

Second place was a tie this year and belongs to newcomer, Liz Melby and last years champion, yours truly. It was a close race but Adam just blew away Liz and myself the last 4 weeks in particular. Liz was not unlike the Bengals of Cincinnati who started out very strong only to fade a little in the end of the season but unlike the Bengals, she ended up with a prize. Both Liz and myself get $20.00 for our efforts this year.

Special mention should be made to Jon Beemer who although lead most of the middle of the year faded in the end and actually placed second. He was not in the money game, however, and thus came away empty handed for his strong efforts.

The final standings are as follows:

1. Adam Bailey - 162 points - 99.4% - 2,057th in the country out of over 200,000 entries

2. Jon Beemer - 158 points - 97.6% - 7,890th

3. Liz Melby - 156 points - 96.0% - 13,063rd

3. Mike Roche - 156 points - 96.0% - 13,063rd

5. Susan Bailey - 151 points - 90.4% - 31,057th

6. Amy Roche - 150 points - 89.2%

7. Bryan Bailey - 143 points - 81.4%

8. Big Jay Roche - 142 points - 80.5%

9. Jay Roche - 136 points - 75.1%

10. Scott St.Joseph - 117 points - 67.5%

11. Lin Stokes - GPA 0.0

Well folks it has been a great season, checks and other awards will be in the mail this weekend.

Individual awards are as follows:

Rookie of the Year - Adam Bailey - First year and winning the whole championship. I know he felt the pressure but did not buckle under it. Well done.

Come Back Player of the Year - Amy Roche - Missing one weekend and still in contention down to the last two weekends. The vacation in FL may have cost her some money but I know she had fun down there. Still a very strong showing.

MVP - Adam Bailey - same reasons as above

Bluto Blutarski Award - Lin Stokes - For ceasing all football and fantasy operations less than half way through the season. We may run a special next year where you can pay for the rest of the decade and you don't have to show up for anything. There might even be a discount involved. Stay tuned.

Final Thoughts: 2006 has been a very full year, trip to NYC, Reunion in Humarock, Mom's 80th Birthday, Joan & Jay's 60th wedding anniversary, many of you made the pilgrimage to Notre Dame, the many emails back and forth, the comments on the blog. I have enjoyed writing these and hope that you have enjoyed reading them. As for me in 2007, I think I will take a break from Fantasy sports for a while. Like Bill Cowher, I'm not retiring but going to spend more time with my family. I will be watching form the sidelines and outside the ropes. As my daughter Jackie likes to say, "I will catch you burgers on the flip side."

Not Much Time Left

Wow, what a season this has been. Just one weekend left and it is still close race. Those who were around last year remember that someone (Me) came from second place to beat Lin on the final weekend of NFL games. I think the loss got to Lin so bad that he has stopped all football operations this year since the 9th week. The pressure can get to you, just ask Adam as he tries to hold on to the top spot this season. He has had a masterful run the past five weeks as he has averaged 10.4 points per week during this stretch. If he does win, he would certainly be deserving of it. Remember, first place gets $40.00, second gets $24.00 and third gets $16.00. One might ask is all the pressure worth it? You bet your $10.00 it is, just ask a winner.

Right now only 5 points separate top from third and Susan and Amy (wonderful comeback from taking a week off) are only nine points behind Adam. I say Adam even though Jon is also in first place, he did not opt to get in on the money side of the game and thus if he does come in first place it will be a hollow victory.

The other two games we are involved in don't mean much since no one is close in the Eliminator and the Gridiron is just too tough to call each week.

I will report my final standings after the games this weekend and report on the numerous awards for the 2006 NFL season. See you next year. Hope you all have a Happy and Safe New Years.