Derek Day XXIX

Thank you to all who called, wrote, and texted me Happy Birthday wishes on Sunday. Derek Day/Hollywood Day XXIX was a resounding success. Special thank to Scott for driving up on Sunday for a fun viewing of the 1:00 Sunday games at my "Cheers" PJ O'Sullivan's in Manchester, NH.

While the Broncos with Jake Plummer 2004 and 4th and Lynches sputtered, we were entertained by the Eagles fans in the bar and my hairdresser who was nice enough to buy me a shot to go with her six. Scott claims she was checking me out from across the room. In fairness, we were sitting in proximity to the Jaegermeister chiller.

Other weekend observations:

-Expect The Ohio State to take over No. 1 in The Pizza Parlor Top 25 tomorrow. I decided the winner of that game would take over the spot but USC, Auburn and of course Boise State look REALLY good so far.

-Syracuse was given every opportunity to beat Iowa but of course this offense is grasping the West Coast Offense like I grasped Calculus in my sophomore year.

-Where was CBS running Stat Ticker. I enjoy CBS football coverage because of its Fantasy Friendly format, definitely not its announcing lineup.

-My mom HATES Football Night in America ("we've already seen these highlights 100 times"). I can't say I liked it much better with the living room format and Sterling A. Sharpe screaming about how good every team is.

-My text message to Josh "So they're brothers? And they're on different teams? And they're playing each other?, you'd think they'd hype that a little. Maybe show their parents once or twice."

-And while we're at it. Can these guys get some endorsements?

-To anyone who watched The Wire on HBO based on my recommendation, I say be patient. Last night's Season Premiere was painfully slow as there is a massive influx of new characters and reopening of storylines that were wrapped up when the writers thought HBO was going to cancel the show. While killing a guy with a staple gun was jarring, it isn't exactly the Nip/Tuck attention getter that gets people talking Monday morning. Replacing Stringer Bell with Marlo Stansfield is a lot like replacing Johnny Damon with Coco Crisp. You expect a drop off early but hope Marlo reaches somewhat close to the quality of the Stringer character. Once McNulty is back on the detail and Omar hits the screen, this show is captivating television. The campaign pollster lost some weight, she was A+ "wheelhouse" last season. HBO is actually offering the next week's shows on OnDemand before they air on Sunday. The constant ebonics and subtle writing make it tough to follow so a second viewing would do you good.