ASSHOLE. Posted without further comment.

@Lions pick up Kareem hunt

— HUSTLE (@DjGNasty) December 1, 2018

UPDATE: Kareem Hunt FIRED!

Released by the Chiefs after the video.

NFL Political Rankings: November 30, 2018, 5 PM Pacific

I have to put that there because of a major change that just came up in the last few hours.  (Hint:  It's in the post below me.)

But, right now, looking at the tea leaves and being a conspiracy theorist about it, here's where I think we are -- right now....

AFC:

The big story is the Kareem Hunt video.  If I were in Vegas and had money to lose, Kansas City is a 14.5 point favorite at Oakland, total 55.5 at the Superbook.  Well, forget it because it's Oakland, although that would be the ultimate tell.

But any vibes now that Patrick Mahomes is going to be the starter for the AFC in the Super Bowl this year just literally went out the door.  I'm not even sure they win the division.

I would've had them a shaky #1, especially with the loss to New England, largely because they are the representative of the NFL of "POINTS!!!!"

That said, here's what I have now.

4.  Houston

Yes, Houston.  Not really for any real chance to pull it off.  They are, however, a very quiet 8-3.

3.  Pittsburgh

The real question on them is going to come in the next four weeks, facing three teams on this board:  the Chargers this week, the Patriots two weeks after that, and the Saints after that.  We'll know where they stand on a Super Bowl run in the rigging after all that.

2.  Los Angeles Chargers

And there's only really two scenarios I see in this:  Rams-Chargers (which has been mini-coalescing as my gun-to-head pick for a month or so) or the Rams get a scandal like the Hunt video and have to be junked.  There's too much money invested in this LA experiment for it to fail, and next year is the stadium opening.  (Which see #1 in the NFC.)

1.  New England

Yep, it's back to Brady and the boys again, though with a lot less assurance, because of banking on LA by the league.

Others:  #5 is probably KC for at least one week.  #6 would be Indianapolis.

NFC

I'll do this one the other way around.

1.  LA Rams

Probably the centerpiece of this season to this point, and the NFL of "POINTS!!!"

That, and the LA stadium opening next year, has to make them, IMODO, a clear favorite to get the Lombardi Trophy.

One caveat:  In both LA teams' cases, this would be PURELY a money/stadium move.  And it might represent the first time a major sports league would try to use a championship to manufacture a fan base, instead of using a known fan base to manufacture a championship.

2.  Dallas, after Thursday night

I have said for years that, if Jerry Jones got the suspensions under control, the NFL would think about it.  Too bad for Dallas (biggest merch base, MAGA owner, etc.) that LA is so set...

The thing is, though, if something happened in LA like the Hunt video which made the Rams not palatable, you would be about out of other options than finally going with Dallas, especially after what they did to New Orleans.

3.  New Orleans

There was a reason last night happened, and it's clear to many paying attention something happened.

They had to get New Orleans off the 1-line to get the Rams back up top.  The question has to be, though:  Why?  And why did they get New Orleans to 10-1 to start with?

4.  Chicago

Simply because.

Next:  #5 probably Seattle.

Not related to last night, but we have a major NFL rewrite coming...

Kareem Hunt, star of the Kansas City Chiefs, is on a video Yahoo! and TMZ report tonight of shoving and kicking a woman earlier this year.

Hunt is accused of assaulting a 19 year-old girl after Hunt and friends had a night of partying and thought the girl (and others) were of age.  When they turned her down afterward, she began throwing racial slurs at them.

She was then shoved to the ground and kicked by Hunt.  Hunt has been sent home from the team facility.

That's it for the Chiefs, if this is true.  To me, this would get The List down to 4, though if you wanted to put Pittsburgh on it today, I won't stop you.  I just think New England and Rams/Chargers are too delicious for the league to pass up.

If the league had 24 hours or so notice, one has to wonder if that might've been the oil behind last night as well.

Hunt was also involved in a second incident in July with a male he apparently punched out.

Chances are, this video will get Hunt, at minimum, the six-game suspension -- and the Chiefs the de-push.

Somebody smells a rat. (So do I.)

OMG is this Saints v Cowboys game a con job on NFL fans.

— Brian Tuohy (@TheFixIsInTuohy) November 30, 2018

Dallas wins the Thursday nighter...  13 to 10.

Well, they had to get New Orleans off the 1-line, frankly.  But this is another obvious and blatant one.

• The 23 points is the fewest points in an NFL game in three weeks.  (WAS 16 - TB 3)
• It is the seventh lowest-scoring game in the NFL this season.
• It is the fewest points New Orleans has scored in exactly one season (Week 13 last year:  Seattle 13 - New Orleans 7).
• It is the first time New Orleans has, this season, scored fewer than 20 points.

The only question left is does this now represent a full push, at least to the division, for the Cowboys?

My guess is yes.

2018 Week 12 Score Report

All the byes are now over, with Kansas City and the Rams getting this week off.  All teams have now played 11 games.

• Even though there certainly was the potential for a downer week scoring, the NFL still averaged 47.4 PPG for the week.
• Meaning, for the year, the 176 games played have scored 8,512 points, for an average of 48.364
• Versus the total scoring record, average 46.707, they are now 292 points ahead.
• Versus the all-time average points per game record of 47.2 (again, many many years ago -- the NFL, as one thing, only had ten teams!), they are now 205 points ahead.
• Home teams went 10-5 this week, for 105-66-2 total (.613)
• The Over went 7-8 this week, now also one game under .500 for the year.
• Vegas gave some back to the bettors this week:  Favorites went 9-5 against the number (Cleveland and Cincinnati kicked a Pick) for 79-90-6 for the year.
• 11-3 straight up for the favorites:  113-60 for the year.
• Team with more penalties was 8-6, 72-77 for the year.
• 3 Cliffhangers for 35 total (19.9%)
• 8 games finished within 8 points for 93 total (52.8%)
• 5 non-competitive games this week for 61 total (34.7%)
• 4 Last Chance Miss games for 47 total.

And now, the Storylines Report:

AFC:

1. Kansas City 9-2 outright
2. New England 8-3 (tiebreaker over Houston because of HTH, would have the tiebreaker over KC for the same reason if it applies)
3. Houston 8-3
4. Pittsburgh 7-3-1
5. LA Chargers 8-3
6. Baltimore 6-5 (tiebreaker over Indianapolis, 6-3 in conference vs. 5-4)

Careful, though, they may be mini-pushing Andrew Luck here -- 5 wins in a row.

NFC:

1. New Orleans 10-1 (tiebreaker over the Rams because of HTH)
2. LA Rams 10-1
3. Chicago 8-3
4. Dallas 6-5 (tiebreaker over Washington, for the moment, because they've won and played one more division game (3-1 vs. 2-1) after the HTH split)
5. Minnesota 6-4-1
6. Washington 6-5 (wins tiebreakers with both Carolina and Seattle due to conference record)

Frankly, we're down to five teams, I think.  The two LA teams, New England, Kansas City, and New Orleans.

Everyone else can go home.

Suspension Blotter and another update: Idiots, doing idiot things, because they're idiots...

• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Leonard Fournette:  SUSPENDED one game for his role in that fracas.

Should've been two, maybe three.

The suspension will cost him almost exactly $100,000, per the league rules (his contract was HEAVILY signing bonuses).  So the Jaguars are charged $50,000 against their Club Remittance number.

And that means a $50,000 fine for Jacksonville for reaching Level 1 status with that $50,000 hit on their number.  Could they get another $60K or so to get to Dollar for Dollar???  Very possibly could.

• Meanwhile, over in MAGA League Baseball Politics...

Cindy Hyde-Smith struck again.

this effing lady, jfc. Mississippi Sen Cindy Hyde-Smith jokes about how women are like dogs and why it’s funny to shoot them in the head......... 🤦🏽‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/H2JzoUQ8Xe

— ᴿealfarmacist (@real_farmacist) November 26, 2018

And you're cool with this, Rob Manfred...  Why am I not surprised???

Rigged high-school game aids in winning state championship...

Fucking piece of shit.

Update from that bizarre story out of Illinois:

Nazareth Academy of LaGrange Park won it's 7A state championship yesterday, 38-10, over St. Charles (North).

This was the school aided by that parent and Illinois referee who openly admits to manipulating and rigging the quarterfinal match against the top-ranked team in that division.

It always seems to end that way, does it not?

Nice knowing you, Major League Baseball!!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Somebody is trying to start a South American soccer war...

You know...

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I mean, I get it – probably better than most... There are people who view soccer as more important than their lives.

But we have had another high profile ultras attack this weekend. It has marred, and (hopefully not just) temporarily delayed the South American club championship match between rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors.

River Plate fans attacked the Boca Juniors bus with rocks and other projectiles, shattering the glass of the bus while the Boca team was on the way to the stadium yesterday to play the second legs of the Copa Libertadores.

The first leg was drawn, there is no away goals rule.

Several players were injured, including the Boca captain getting glass up near his eye and basically ensuring that, had the match been played yesterday, he would've been unable to play.

A fierce battle ensued to try to get the match delayed, with even a five-year ban against Boca Juniors weighed should they actually have refused to take the pitch.

Somehow, and, given the world of South American futbol, shockingly, some sanity reigned, and the match was delayed.

Not enough, or are we going to have another Galatasray – the Turkish club whose ultras killed several Leeds supporters before defeating the team to aid in winning what I believe was then the UEFA Cup??

There was only one acceptable solution: A long ban for River Plate (yes, the same River Plate whose fans rioted when they were relegated) and the immediate awarding of the Copa Libertadores to Boca Juniors.

EDIT TO ADD:  And now the match is off completely, pending a meeting on Tuesday.

2018 Week Eleven Fine Blotter

I watched the fiasco Monday night.  And I knew there were going to be some fines from it...

• Kansas City Chiefs:  Tyreek Hill:  $10,026 for taunting -- flashing a peace sign on a TD catch.
• Kansas City Chiefs:  Eric Murray:  $26,739 for unnecessary roughness

I would think there would be more -- saw two balls flying into the stands, for one...

Other Week 11 fines:

• Denver Broncos:  Justin Simmons gets a double for REPEAT OFFENDER:  $53,482 for helmet to helmet on a defenseless receiver.  Broncos charged $50,000 against their number.
• Los Angeles Chargers:  Jeff Richards:  $26,739 for unnecessary roughness
• Los Angeles Chargers:  Derwin James:  $10,026 for a facemask.
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Calais Campbell:  $20,054 for roughing the passer.
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Yannick Ngakoue:  $10,026 for unnecessary roughness, making him a THREE TIME LOSER.
• Jacksonville Jaguars:  Telvin Smith:  $10,026 for unnecessary roughness
• New York Giants:  Olivier Vernon:  $20,054 for roughing the passer.
• Minnesota Vikings:  Harrison Smith:  $10,026 for unnecessary roughness -- the hit took out Chicago QB Mitchell Trubinsky.
• New Orleans Saints:  Alvin Kamara:  $10,026 for unsportsmanlike conduct
• Indianapolis Colts:  George Odum:  $10,026 for unnecessary roughness.
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Dre' Kirkpatrick:  $10,026 for unsportsmanlike conduct
• Green Bay Packers:  Bashaud Breeland: $10,026 for unnecessary roughness
• Philadelphia Eagles:  Malcolm Jenkins:  $13,369 for the Finger du Middle.

There could be more.

But for now, some cleanup:

• That $50,000+ fine makes the Broncos the third team, under what we know, to reach Level 1 status, and are fined another $50,000 as a result.  Simmons has about $76,000 of that.
• Cincinnati gets fined $50,000 on their next fine -- they're at $140,000+, just not quite with the few dollars left over to get to Level 1.
• With team penalties, we're over $2.3 million now for the year.

Wow. That was BLATANT, NFL!!!

Some Thanksgiving notes:

• According to Pro Football Reference, unless the Saints-Falcons game takes a reversal in the Vegas total, it'll be the fourth game in NFL history to kick at a total at or above 60 points (60.5 last I checked).  Two of them have been in the last two weeks.
• And EDIT TO ADD:  Like last Monday:  7-0 less than four minutes in!
• And what is it with Thanksgiving and these celebrations with the ball as a prop and all?  (Including two mass-celebration events with the Bears in Detroit!!) But, when Dak Prescott is "donated" into the Salvation Army kettle, THAT'S a penalty?
• But blatant holding by the Dallas defense on a key interception in the fourth quarter and a clean helmet shot on the Washington receiver to effectively seal the game (and two acts of unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of said receiver after the incident) are not?

That was blatantly rigged for the Cowboys -- and it's really no surprise.  It's the first year in at least FOUR that the 'Boys haven't been in the league doghouse and the Cowboys are still about the only team holding the line somewhat on the ratings.

Not that I think it makes any material difference in the first place, but there you go...

You've even got COWBOY FANS recognizing the refs' fuckery.

This high school story in Illinois... Oh brother...

I've covered a lot of things in 2,600 posts on this blog.

I think this is the first time I have ever commented on an ADMITTED RIGGED football contest in the United States.

Deadspin reported on this gem from the state of Illinois and their high-school football playoff quarterfinals.

Class 7A quarterfinal nine days ago.  Simeon Career Academy, ranked #1 by the seeding committee, faced #8 Nazareth Catholic Academy.

Incredibly, or so it seemed, Nazareth defeated Simeon by a touchdown.

The problems began on the last play of the game, when Simeon was driving for a tying score and overtime when the officials could not properly set the ball after the previous down run was stuffed in the middle of the line.

The clock ran out, the game was over.

But what really got the situation to a boil, especially for Simeon fans, was the "actions of one Richard Mercado".  You see, he had two problems here:  First, he was the dad of a Nazareth player.

Second, he was an Illinois referee who decided to actually suit up as an Illinois official, commiserate with the other referees, aid and abet Nazareth's victory, and then slam it in the face of Simeon fans on Facebook!!

(Which the above-linked Deadspin article has.)

At least 20 persons, the booster club, the team itself, and other parties have sued Mercado and the Illinois high-school sports sanctioning body to reverse the decision.

Well, looking up further results:  The decision stood, Nazareth defeated Batavia 47-28 the next week, and will face 10-3 St. Charles North High School for the 7A state championship on Saturday.

And last night fooled basically NOBODY in Vegas...

Multimillion-dollar Vegas loss on the big over last night, reported by ESPN this morning.

William Hill had a large loss on the record total last night, and the split was 70-30 to the over!  Even at the record 64.

Nobody was fooled by what they saw, and Deadspin openly wonders if this is football's future...

2018 Week 11 Score Report: Monday Night Script-Job Goes TILT in Los Angeles.

As I said the last time this happened, we might as well just start with the elephant in the room.

LA Rams 54 - Kansas City 51 in the relocated game for #LATogether.

At least three NFL records were broken in this game:

• The highest NFL Vegas total in history.  64.  (And, as said before, it only took less than 43 minutes for THAT total to be exceeded!!!)
• The most points ever scored on a game of Monday Night Football.  In the 773rd MNF game, this game broke the record of Green Bay's victory over Washington, Week 7 1983 (48-47 for a total of 95).
• The most points ever scored in an NFL game by a losing side.  (Old record was 49, done once each in the NFL and AFL:  The NFL was that 2015 NO-NYG game where the Giants scored 49 but gave up 52.  The AFL was Houston losing to Oakland by the same score on December 22, 1963.)

The game was also:

• The third-highest scoring NFL game in history -- and the fourth to exceed 100 points.
• #2 was November 28, 2004, Cincinnati beats Cleveland 58-48 for 106.  
• #1 was the Redskins beating the New York Giants 72-41 for 113 total on November 27, 1966.

(All such stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference, sans the number of MNF games -- that was on the ESPN broadcast after the record was broken.)

And if you don't think this game tonight was the biggest goddamn snow job in history!!!

The only thing I think the NFL got wrong was not having Kansas City, on two different attempts (which constituted a Last Chance Miss after the Cliffhanger touchdown at 1:56 for LA), getting a field goal to tie the game at 54 and having six in the overtime make 114!

And there were a TON of bad calls in the fourth quarter benefiting the Rams.  Including the last punt to KC having one of the Rams commit both a late hit AND taunting, and getting called for neither!

So, with that tilt-job in LA...  Let's see what that does to the record-breaking scoring this season...

• 52.38 PPG for the week.
• 681 points this week.  680 last week.  
• The catch?  14 games last week, 13 this week!
• Not even the highest week average of the year (Week 4 -- 53.4)
• 48.453 PPG for the season.
• Now, for the 161 NFL games played (I think this means the Rams and Chiefs are the last two teams to take their byes!), to break the season total scoring record when the average was 46.707, the 7801 points are now 280 points ahead of that pace.
• And as for the all-time average record of 47.2 points per game, the NFL is now 202 points ahead!
• Home teams were 8-5 this week for 95-61-2 for the year.  (.612)
• Over was 7-6 this week for an even .500 for the year 79-79-3.
• Another big winning week for underdog bettors and the books.  Favorites were 3-7-3 ATS -- yes, three pushed (the Rams were -3, Pittsburgh was -4 and won 20-16 (in the lowest scoring game of the week at 36!!!), and the Giants were -3 and won 38-35).  9-4 straight up.
• So that makes 70-85-6 against the number and 104-55-2 straight up for the season.
• Team with more penalties was 5-7 this week, 64-71 for the year.
• 21 penalties in each of the Rams and Chargers games put the average for the week at about 12.2.
• By contrast, Dallas-Atlanta had only 4, Detroit-Carolina only 3!
• Season average is just one penalty total under 13 a game.
• Only TWO non-competitive games this week, in contrast to several previous weeks.  Total of 56 for the year.
• All 11 other games finished within 8 points!  Five of them were Cliffhangers.
• That totals 32 Cliffhangers (about 20%), and 85 finishing within one score (about 53%)
• And 4 Last Chance Misses for 43 for the season

(MNF Record Night) And it's already started...

How is that a penalty? How? How is there no comment?

— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) November 20, 2018

Phantom holding call in the first drive, by the "all-star crew" in LA.

Anyone NOT thinking this game goes over about 80 or 90??

Reason??  Tonight is a new NFL record.  The Rams-Chiefs MNF game tonight kicked at a Superbook total of 64 for the over-under.  That is the highest ever Vegas NFL total to kick off in the history of the NFL and the Las Vegas books.

And largely due to that penalty??  6-0 (missed the PAT!) Rams, 3 minutes in.

EDIT TO ADD:  23-23 at the half.

AND THE OVER HITS with a PICK SIX - the PAT makes it FORTY TO THIRTY Los Angeles -- with two minutes and fourteen seconds to go...  IN THE THIRD QUARTER!!!

EDIT TO ADD SOME MORE:  You HONESTLY thought that was going to be a fumble for seven more just afterward?  Fortunately...  called correctly.

Sunday notes: Well, the hands are back on the wheel!

• Only 2 games have been non-competitive.
• The rest of the afternoon schedule (+ Thursday night) is either within 8 points at the end or a Cliffhanger.
• Four Cliffhangers, including a double.
• Average is about 48 1/2
• Only 2 favorites have covered.  Favorites are 2-7-2 ATS entering Bears-Vikings.
• But the big news is the game moved to LA tomorrow.  As of writing, the Superbook in Vegas has the over/under total of Rams/Chiefs at 63.5.  If that total holds, it will be a new record.  The current record is 63.

And catching up some old Fine Blotter:

• Carolina Panthers:  That Vernon Butler facemask last week was a TWO TIME LOSER in just two weeks.  Butler was fined $40,110 for REPEAT OFFENDER Roughing the Passer in Week 9.

2018 Fine Blotter Week Ten

Probably going to be another light one this week.  In fact, the only reason I'm posting this one now is because of a part in this that I believe should make this (despite the Club Remittance Policy) an automatic dollar-for-dollar for the team:

• Indianapolis Colts:  Guard Quenton Nelson:  $26,739 for a helmet rule violation, battering ram for a block.

The reason I say the above on this one?  No penalty was called, and the team actually used that battering ram video in a viral video they have since taken down.

That should be $26,739 for the Colts as well.

And I'm already seeing the apologists:  "It was a good block.  He either has to do that or allow his quarterback to get destroyed."

IT WAS A BATTERING RAM.  I just saw the damn video that someone else kept!  That was NOT a good block.  If he has to use his helmet to actually block anymore, he's got a problem.

I'm beginning to wonder how much the reduction in penalties is (even though, in this case, this was an offensive block) that many defenses are just giving up.

Couple more reported over the weekend:

• Seattle Seahawks:  Justin Britt:  $20,054 for a late hit.
• New York Giants:  Nate Stupar:  $10,026 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Oakland Raiders:  Johnathan Hankins:  $20,054 for Roughing the Passer
• Los Angeles Rams:  Aaron Donald:  TWO TIME LOSER same game.  $23,395 total.  $10K for a facemask, $13K for an altercation with Britt after the game.  That makes him THREE TIME LOSER total.
• Los Angeles Rams:  And here's a name we haven't heard these parts for a while:  Ndamokung Suh:  $20,054 for Roughing the Passer
• Carolina Panthers:  As has been the standard, the ejection free shot to the quarterback's head, this one by Eric Reid, only gets fined the standard $10,026.  That's also TWO TIME LOSER for him.
• New York Giants:  Alec Ogletree:  $26,739 for injuring a player through unnecessary roughness.
• Carolina Panthers:  Vernon Butler:  $10,026 for a late hit.
• Los Angeles Rams:  Third one is for Dante Fowler:  $10,026 for a facemask.
• New Orleans Saints:  Good news and bad news for David Onyemata.  He had a $40K+ fine reduced to $6,250 for two infractions from Week 1, but was fined most of that difference back ($26,739) 

Some Tuesday Musings for November 13, 2018...

• The Game of the Year for MNF is now in Los Angeles for next Monday.  It was scheduled to be the Mexico City Game this year between the 9-1 Rams and 9-1 Chiefs, but the field is unplayable at Estadio Azteca.  (Too many events, too much rain.)  Game's moved to LA -- reminding anyone who doesn't recall that it was an LA home game in the first place.
• I do have one thing to wonder, however:  Would they have made more of an effort to play the game in Mexico City if it was THIS week's MNF matchup (1-8 Giants vs. 2-7 49ers) rather than, right now, the Super Bowl Preview?
• I add my sentiments to those of others:  May this be an opportunity for the NFL to raise money and awareness for the California fire victims.
• Sounds like it's Irrelevant Time again for Golden State.  After an 11-1 start, losses to Milwaukee and the Clippers have led to an altercation between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant.  Green is suspended for tonight's game with Atlanta.
• Le'Veon Bell is done for the season.  He has refused his tender by the deadline today and cannot play this season.  No secret that getting that drama out from under them is one of the reasons Pittsburgh is now riding high in the AFC after a bad start.

2018 Week Ten NFL Scoring Report; Me And My Big Mouth

• Well, there goes that string.  Cliffhanger tonight in the 3-15 Fest.
• Scoring this week:  48.57 PPG for a season total of 7117 points in 148 games:  48.088.
• That's now almost 1.4 points more than the season scoring record when they averaged 46.707.  The league is now a full 205 points over that previous-record pace.
• And as for the per-game record of 47.2, they're 132 ahead of that.
• Home teams 8-6 for 87-56-2 (.607)
• Over was 8-6 for 72-73-3
• Another bad week for favorites:  5-8-1 against the number.  8-6 straight up.  Year totals:  67-78-3 against the spread, 95-51 straight up.
• Team with more penalties was 7-4 this week, 59-67 for the year.  Only about 10 penalties a game this week.
• 1 Cliffhanger for 27 for the year
• Only 4 games ended within eight points for 74
• 8 non-competitive for 54 total for the year.
• 4 Last Chance Misses for 39 total

Notes, Mostly Week 10, but one non-football update...

• Kevin Harvick qualified for the championship.

Now onto a messy week in football.

• Home teams were 8-5 so far, the over is 7-6, the average is about 48.5
• Another losing week for favorites against the number -- 5-7-1 so far.
• Team with more penalties is 7-3!  Another week like the two light fine blotters, though.
• Another week with zero Cliffhangers.  Have not had one in two full weeks of action now.

Several interesting stats:

• EIGHT non-competitive games this week.  Same number as Week 7 of 2017, but two fewer games, so far.  Week 2 of 2017 also had 8 in a full schedule.
• The last week with 9 non-competitive games:  Week 9, 2014.
• Since I have started tracking, I do not believe there has ever been two consecutive weeks without a single Cliffhanger.

Those were from my research.  The rest of this is from Pro Football Reference:

• Philadelphia lost a Last Chance Miss Sunday Night, 27-20 to Dallas.  The unique nature of this was that they committed zero penalties in the game.  This has only happened 13 times since the turn of the millenium.  Last team to do it was Cleveland, losing to Jacksonville 19-7, committing no penalties on November 19, 2017.
• Speaking of Cleveland:  They actually WON a non-competitive game today.  First time since December 13, 2015, beating San Francisco 24-10.
• For the second time this year, a touchdown or more favorite has lost by 31 points or more.  When the Jets, as seven point favorites, fell to Buffalo 41-10, they became only the 8th such team in NFL history.  Ironically, the Jets WON a game under these same conditions, Week 1 this year, vs. Detroit.

With two of the dregs playing Monday Night -- have fun, ESPN!!! -- now it's time to start looking at storylines.

AFC:

1.  Kansas City 9-1

2.  New England 7-3  (big loss today to Tennessee)

3.  Pittsburgh 6-2-1

4.  Houston 6-3

5.  LA Chargers 7-2

6.  Cincinnati 5-4  (Tennessee eliminated on 3-4 AFC record vs. Cincy's 3-2)

Tennessee, as of the end of Week 10, will be the only NFL team with a winning record eliminated from the playoffs.

NFC:

1.  LA Rams  9-1

2.  New Orleans 8-1 (will take the #1 seed with a win on LA's bye week, they have the HTH tiebreak)

3.  Chicago 6-3

4.  Washington 6-3 (NFC Record:  Chicago 4-1, Washington 6-2)

5.  Carolina 6-3

6.  Minnesota 5-3-1

Beginning to get a real Rams-Chargers vibe.  League needs to justify the NFL experiment out in LA, and if getting one to the Super Bowl won't do it, will getting BOTH there do it?

Two examples of why The Show CANNOT Still Go On...

Two stories this week...  And both sanctioning bodies seriously fumbling the ball.

First, Q-School of the LPGA Tour.

Doris Chen was thrown out of the tournament of qualification for the LPGA Tour when her mother was caught replacing a ball Chen shot out of bounds back in bounds.

Let that process.

Doris Chen (or, at the very least, her mother) thought they could get away with the equivalent of the ol' "foot wedge" or somesuch AT Q-SCHOOL.

And Chen is no lightweight, or at least supposedly so!! 

She's the 2014 NCAA women's golf champion.  Along with other honors.

And her caddie was told to shut up about all this!!!

There is no word on further penalty at this time, but I agree with the golf fan who sometimes anonymously gives me information and a bullshit detector:  Start the bidding at about a FIVE-YEAR BAN.

And then, there's Kevin Harvick last Sunday.

We're smack dab in the middle of the Eliminator Round -- the final round before the one-race championship.

Harvick won the race, which would've gotten him automatic qualification for the Homestead finale.

Instead, he has received one of the stiffest possible penalties.

• 40 championship points
• Removal of the championship qualification
• Suspension of the crew chief for the remainder of the season
• A probable rule change for 2019 which will make offenses at this level (and perhaps others below it) OUTRIGHT DISQUALIFICATION (... which should've been the case for years already!)
• And changes in the inspection procedures, as it's now apparent the sport cannot be trusted by it's sanctioning body.

Harvick's team won the race with an illegal non-standard spoiler -- a very, very serious offense.

Harvick was also thrown out of his victory in Las Vegas -- and he has the pole for the final Eliminator race tomorrow.

Why is he not parked until Daytona?  None of this is going to change until the sponsors are effected, monetarily.  And there's only one way that gets done -- remove the damn car and team from the track.

2018 NFL Fine Blotter Week Nine

(And, technically, seven and eight as well...)

Week 7:

• Carolina Panthers:  Eric Reid:  $10,026 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Jordan Whitehead:  $26,739 helmet to helmet on a quarterback -- call was not flagged in the game.
• Chicago Bears:  Eddie Jackson:  $10,026 for a face mask.
• Cincinnati Bengals:  Shawn Williams:  $20,054 for helmet to helmet.  Making him a TWO-TIME LOSER, may have been a doubled fine.

Week 8:

• New England Patriots:  Julian Edelman:  $26,739 helmet to helmet on a quarterback.
• Minnesota Vikings:  Laquon Treadwell:  $13,369 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

That's why I didn't do any blotters the last two weeks -- and the penalty numbers from those two weeks back it up, surprisingly.

Week 9:

• New Orleans Saints:  Michael Thomas:  $30,000 for being a TWO-TIME touchdown celebration LOSER.  Enhanced fine for using a cell-phone as a prop.
• Tennessee Titans:  Kevin Byard:  $10,026 for excessive celebration.  He TO'd on The Star in Dallas.  He feels the fine is worth it and expected a mass brawl.
• Stupid fucking way to lose your team's clean sheet, Kevin!!! 
• Speaking of, down to two clean sheets:  Washington and Arizona.
• Chicago Bears:  Aaron Lynch, also $10,026, also for an illegal celebration.
• Kansas City Chiefs:  Aaron Hitchens:  $13,369 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• More possibly to come.

More Thursday night musings...

Decided to watch some of the game tonight to get down some things:

• Missed a blatant Cam Newton fumble, at least two obvious holding calls...
• But, thankfully, one they did not miss was THIS...

Eric Reid taking a shot at Ben Roethlisberger, who was clearly sliding. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/rUWQLyyzbi

— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) November 9, 2018

GONE. Ejected from the contest for it.

Now, we'll see if he gets more than the standard $10K the other people who've taken that free shot this year -- and by my math, I think he's at least the third or fourth this year.

But 73 points in the 52-21 Pittsburgh win (and they're out of their mind if Bell comes back next week (which is the last week he can before he loses the season!) and then don't just bench or suspend him for conduct unbecoming -- because if he didn't fuck up the start of the season, the Steelers are 8-1 or something sick like that!!).

• The 52 is the highest number of points scored by a team this season.
• The 73 points this season mark the 12th time an NFL game has gone over 70.
• Highest scoring Thursday night game this season, highest scoring Thursday night game since the third week of 2017, Rams 41 - 49er's 39 for 80 (which is the record).

Wow. I can see why people would get hoodwinked by the NFL of today...

One of the few acceptable Thursday night matchups tonight.  Carolina and Pittsburgh, each probably the top "second-tier" choice for the Super Bowl right now.

So, we're five minutes in as I write:

• Carolina marches the ball down the field, nine plays, 7-0 Carolina.
• Pittsburgh gets the ball and does THIS...

Ben Roethlisberger finds JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 75-yard touchdown! #TNF pic.twitter.com/qvHJPhFIaX

— Sports Notes (@TheSportsNotes) November 9, 2018

Now FOX wants to blame #24, but #41 clearly releases Smith-Schuster for the freebie, leaving #24 off to dry.

• Ensuing kickoff called back to the Carolina 12 on holding penalty.  Cam Newton about to take a safety -- chucks the ball up for grabs...  and two becomes PICK SIX.
• Within FIVE MINUTES:  Twenty-one points, 14-7 to Pittsburgh.

Really...  Really...

Fine Blotter: Vegas must know about all injuries and their true severity...

• Miami Dolphins:  For hiding the severity of quarterback Ryan Tannehill during the week of their game versus the Chicago Bears, the Miami Dolphins were fined $30,000 and the head coach, Adam Gase, $15,000.

See title.  That is all.

Has the IOC finally found a spine, or is the USOC just grandstanding?

Probably the biggest story in sports this week is that USOC finally basically having enough of the US Gymnastics scandal and preparing to decertify them.

USOC President Sarah Hirshland told a number of the gymnasts after the recent World Championships (in which the women, again led by Simone Biles, cleaned up) that the USOC would begin revocation proceedings, feeling there was no progress, and no chance of progress, that USA Gymnastics would change sufficiently.

USA Gymnastics was given an opportunity to disband voluntarily, and chose not to.  So Hirshland and the USOC are moving to dissolve them completely.

The decision, with Tokyo looming within two years, should be made quickly.  The USOC has decertified only three US Olympic sanctioning groups in it's history:

The FAQ I read indicates that the USOC will ensure that the United States fields a top-flight gymnastics team in Tokyo, but this also raises a very real question as to how these women were selected in the first place.

2018 Week Nine NFL Score Report

Almost forgot to do this one...  Now that Election Night has quieted down a bit...

• Third-lightest scoring week of the year, at 46.62 PPG.
• Season average is now down to 48.04.
• The highest modern average of 46.707 is now almost 180 points in the distance.  178, to be precise.
• The all time record average of 47.2 is 112 points beaten by this year's 6437 points through 134 games.
• Home teams were losing this week.  Only 6-7, for 79-50-2 (.611).
• That's two out of the last three weeks home teams had a losing record.
• Over bettors also lost last week, 6-7 as well.  64-67-3 now, meaning Vegas wins.
• ... that is, until the spread and the like is brought to attention.  It was a brutal week for Vegas, because money-line bettors on dogs were cashing in like flies!  Not only was the favorite 6-7 against the number, but, in all seven losses against the number, they also lost straight up!!
• For the year, 62-70-2 against the spread.  87-45 straight up.
• I am interested in finding the last week the NFL actually had a losing week for favorites straight-up.  If I do, it'll go here.
• Team with more penalties was 5-7 this week, 52-63 for the year.
• After two weeks of lighter penalties (and hence, not even a real need for the Fine Blotter -- literally two is all I saw for each week -- and, in these two cases, I believe it), sounds like some heavier numbers and probably some fines this week.
• No cliffhangers at all, and only four games finished within 8 points.  Five were non-competitive, three Last Chance Misses.
• Totals:  26 Cliffhangers, 70 ended within one score, 46 non-competitive, 35 Last Chance Misses.

This Maryland situation is far, far out of hand...

So, let's see what is happening at the University of Murder For Football...

• They actually tried to rehire the old coach, DJ Durkin, the man who orchestrated the murder of Maryland football player Jordan McNair.
• 24 hours later, they fired him.
• Now word that the punter was taken off to the side and jumped by a number of the other players (obviously, the team is refuting this report) for snitching to investigators on McNair's death.
• Backup punter Matthew Barber was tied up by two players and repeatedly punched by a third -- he was seen as the team snitch.

Someone, within the law or outside, has to step in, like...  YESTERDAY???

Hey, Football Nation America... The actors are deserting your ship!!!

I can't say what I am about to rehash here is that surprising.

I mean, we are eight weeks into the NFL season and there are only 4-5 teams left.

But have you ever seen an NFL season where players are openly quitting (if not their teams, the entire sport) to get out of bad situations?

• I mean, we had a Buffalo Bills player quit at halftime of a regular-season game!  Vontae Davis retired from football, rather than have to put up with it anymore.
• Then, the continuing sabotage of the Oakland Raiders has led to the retirement of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.  I've said, since the beginning of the season and the (still apparently pending) lawsuit between the city of Oakland and the franchise that the NFL needs to investigate and intervene before the entire situation blows up and the team which makes it to Las Vegas is none of:  a professional team, the Raiders legacy, or as good as UNLV, one of the worst teams in FBS football.
• And now, the story of the biggest rig-job of Week 8.  Ty Montgomery participated in throwing an NFL game this week.  You've all probably heard the story.  Down 29-27 to the Rams with just 2:05 to go, Montgomery deliberately took the kickoff out of the end zone and deliberately fumbled it (and the game!) away to the Rams. 
• He was traded to Baltimore on Tuesday.  There is belief of significant dissension between Montgomery and the Packers.

You get the fucking hint yet, America?

This sport -- which you spit all over grieving friends and head injuries and accelerated deaths to continue to support -- is openly and accepted-as rigged.

Otherwise, Ty Montgomery would be criminally investigated and almost-certainly arrested for his actions on the field on Sunday.

But keep spitting all over what means anything -- for this...

Really...