Booze, boobs, and a baseball great

Ah the Day After.

Still in one piece, physically if not mentally, from my wife's Christmas Party.

It's always fun when you wake up, err come out of your gin-induced coma, the next day and see your nice suit strewn across the bedroom floor, your glasses in the bed under you and the feeling that someone is beating a conga drum inside your skull.

Some highlights from the night included:

-My wife's dress (let's just say it was revealing and was a big hit)

-A big hug from Jen Holloway (who looked great, of course)

-Partying with Ed "Lova" the Hawaiian Dancing Machine & his wife Christine, some old friends from "back in the day"

Hmmm, am I forgetting anything? I am still a little fuzzy ... oh yeah...

- Hanging out with The Crime Dog, Fred McGriff

That's right the former big league great and Tampa native was at the bash because he is working for the Bay News 9-owned sports channel Catch 47. So of course this is the first year in the 10-year history of the event that I didn't bring my camera because it is a piece of crap that will be replaced in about 8 days.

But McGriff and I shot the bull for quite a while. I told him I remembered his first game for the Braves, in July of 1993 when he hit a monstrous home run to win the game on the same night that a section of the old Fulton County Stadium caught on fire. Needless to say he was thrilled I remembered that and thoroughly impressed with my knowledge of the game. I'm a Sox fan I explained to him.

We also discussed the failed Hit Show experiment the D-Rays tried with him, Greg Vaughn, Jose Cansteroid and Vinny Cashstealer. When he tried to defend Little Vinny by saying he thought people got on him too much about because of his salary, I had one thing to say to that: "Fred, he played third base like he had all that money in his glove!" That got a good laugh from the big guy.

I'll finish my McGriff mode by saying that he is a terrific guy, he seemed to have a genuine good time at the party and was very approachable and talkative. He loved when my wife told him he looked young enough to still be playing. And he's huge. I think I came up to his navel.

One more funny note:

- Standing next to him at the bar (no I didn't buy him a drink- he's made millions, not me) my wife's coworker Tanya introduced her husband Steve to Fred. Steve, not exactly a sports fan, tried to remember who he was. I said he played for the Braves & the Rays, he hit nearly 500 home runs (493) he grew up in Tampa and he had a great nickname. "Oh yeah," Steve says, "you're the Crime Thingy." I asked Fred if I could follow him around and film that kind of stuff. Priceless.

Anyway, on the the NFL. I woke up in time to catch the thrilling game between the Bucs and the Bears. I, like most sane football fans, thought the Yucs were going to get squished like a lovebug on a windshield, but this is the No Freakin Logic league, remember?

Not only did Tampa Bay score a touchdown for the first time since Thanksgiving Day, it scored 4 in a just over 1 full quarter and also compiled the most points it had scored in a game all season. Monsters of the Midway? More like Munsters of the Midway?

I've been saying for weeks that this is the worst (fill in the record) team I've ever seen and every week it continues to prove me right. Three weeks ago Chicago prevailed in one of the ugliest games I've ever witnessed over Minnesota. Lat week it gave up over 400 yards of offense to the Rams. And now it allows 31 points and a 21-0point 4th quarter comeback by a team that was averaging 11 points per game.

Plus, to adfd more embarrassment to the vaunted Bears D, all the damage was done by Tim No I haven't been in a cave for the last 5 years Rattay. Chucky finally came to his senses and benched a pitiful Bruce Gradkowski after a putrid 5-11, 37 yard performance. All Rattay did was go 20-35 for 268 yards and 3 TDs in a little over a half of action. He threw more touchdowns in a quarter than Gradkowski had in the last month.

But it was all for naught as the Bears recovered to pick up the win on a field goal in OT. I'll have more on this game in tomorrows post.

As for the game tonight it has all the makings of a good one.

Kansas City (7-6) @ San Diego (11-2) 8:15 NBC Sunday Night Football
These two old AFL foes have a lot more in common than just the fact that both came from that upstart NFL competitor. Both have steady defenses, productive quarterbacks, excellent tight ends (who both played college basketball) and electrifying running backs.

Even though the Chiefs' Larry Johnson is leading the AFC in rushing yards coming in (1432), the man behind him, LaDanian Tomlinson, is leading everyone in most touchdowns scored in a season. Ever.

This one should be a hard hitting, run-dominated affair with both backs going at the other team like men possessed. Johnson may get his yards but the Chargers and their hard-hitting linebackers will be swarming Trent Green and could give him another concussion.

One thing you can bank on is LT getting his. He has been a scoring machine for the past 2 months and although the Chiefs defense is much improved with Herm Play to Win the Game Edwards at the helm no defense on this planet can stop the Tomlinson Express right now.

Which is why no one should bet against the Chargers right now either.
MY PICK: Chargers 28, Chiefs 17


Okay gotta go. I need to drink about a gallon of water and eat a loaf of bread to soak up some of this alcohol.

I think I'll pop in my Tom Emanski videos too.

You know the ones that are endorsed by the Crime Thingy.