happy thanksgiving comments

Fast, before Thanksgiving arrives…

I'm in first place, by the way. And, as per JRyan suggestion, we're going to pick the New England game every week�either as part of the usual three or as an extra pick.

1. KAWAKAMI (last week 2-1, overall 18-13-2)/

* KANSAS CITY -5.5, over Raiders. My comment: I smell a shutout.

* 49ERS +10, over Arizona: I don't take the Cards giving double-digits vs. anybody. But I thought about it this week with the Dilfers. This is my one-week test. Might regret it.

* DALLAS -14, over NY Jets: Zzzzzz. Turkey!

-Patriots' extra: NEW ENGLAND -22, over Philadelphia: I'd give 35 in this one.


T2. GERACIE (overall 1-1)/

Status: Absentee owner.

T2. RYAN (last week 3-0, overall 16-16-1)/

* RAIDERS +5.5, over Kansas City. Ryan comment: I'm not sure if this is true, but I heard Len Dawson and Christian Okoye were starting for the Chiefs.

* ARIZONA -10, over 49ers.

* GREEN BAY -3.5, over Detroit: Going for two in a row with Packers while rest of world remains unconvinced as to just how good they are.

-Patriots extra: PHILADELPHIA +22, over New England: What I really want to know is, will the Pats' point spreads ever reach USC-Stanford levels?

4. BROWN (last week 2-0-1, overall 15-16-2)/

* KANSAS CITY -5.5, over Raiders. Brown comment: Chiefs have been surprisingly vulnerable at Arrowhead this year, but Raiders are on 2-25 skid vs. AFC West.

* ARIZONA -10, over 49ers: With all due respect to Ted Tollner, he is a Band-aid for an offense that needs open-heart surgery.

* NEW ENGLAND -22, over Philadelphia: First rule of gambling is to "bet your streaks" and Patriots are on the greatest streak of all-time.

―-My extras…

My 6-star play this week is Dallas -14 over NY Jets. I'll toss in a 4-star play with Jacksonville -7.5 over Houston.

Last week I hit my 7-star play Seattle -5.5. And I missed my 3-star play Detroit +3. Overall, I'm +26 stars.

My special non-counting bonus pick this week is Chicago -2.5 over Denver.

Last week I missed my SNCBP with Cincinnati. Overall
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the P-I.

And yes, some of us are working today. It's that "news never stops" thing. Though actually this morning it's pretty slow so far under beautiful sunny (if somewhat chilly) Seattle skies.

There's a development in Perugia in the case of Seattleite Amanda Knox (held in connection with the brutal slaying of her roomate. She's saying, according to Italian media reports, that she was beaten by police.

And a man was killed in a police chase in Spokane.

On the national front it's a pretty typical Turkey Day. The Macy's Parade happened as always. President Bush is at Camp David.

Internationally, the financial markets are mixed, the U.S. markets closed for the holiday. And a court in Pakistan has ruled for embattled President Pervez Musharraf, allowing him to rule as a civilian president. Of course, he threw out the judges that opposed him.

On the sports front, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts face the Atlanta Falcons tonight. The Washington Capitals in the NHL have fired head coach Glen Hanlon after the team's worst start in 26 years.
And in sailing, the America's Cup race has been postponed.

We'll be working on other stories through the day, so stay tuned and have a great day.
I'm taking most of the day off, but I just wanted to take a moment to thank the Rocky Top Talk community for making this site what it is. Since the first post on August 26, 2006, we've had nearly a quarter of a million visitors (216,540, to be exact) and nearly half a million page views (okay, more of a stretch at 438,006, but you know me and numbers). We're up to 416 registered users and 4,719 comments. All of this despite having done nothing controversial and the fact that the Tennessee message board community hardly knows we exist.

More important than any statistics, we've having a lot of fun, and it's all thanks to the developing community. So I just wanted to mention today how grateful I am for all of you. On the rare day that posting gets a bit tedious on top of the 50-hour a week day job, it's your involvement that maintains the momentum.

At the very great risk of forgetting or neglecting anyone (sorry!), thanks especially to the following:

Corn from a Jar, who's made the site more than twice as nice since he joined up.
Aerobab, Rusty, Smitty and the other charter members (you know who you are!) who have been involved from the very beginning. Aerobab himself has left 749 comments.
Hooper, for the math.
BloodSpite, who's bearing the orange proudly into enemy territory.
The Vol Abroad, who allows us to claim that we're global.
OneNationUnderVols, Rusty, and the others who ensure that this place doesn't just become a fluff-factory for the Tennessee athletic department.
Old Smokey, for his absolute inability to go negative and for always having more news to come.
For all of the Hail Mary Haiku contestants and the participants in the RTT College Pick 'Em game.
For all of the regular commenters, including (I'm forgetting somebody, sorry!) recent active commenters XRayVol, Volorado, ttoscwob, jbragg, bulldurham, MeytonPanning, Holly, Ghost of Neyland, RevOrange, gramsey712, getoffmyvols, and all of the others.
For all of you lurkers out there who keep coming back, hoping that we've finally fixed it.
For anyone's who's ever spread the word and invited someone to join the fun.
Happy Thanksgiving.
at News Hounds wish all our readers, fans and detractors alike, a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We hope you enjoy a day off with friends and family, as we plan to do, as we take time from our over-busy lives to reflect in gratitude.

I think I speak for all of us here in saying we are most grateful to the family of the young man whose lungs have breathed new life into our beloved blogfather Jim Gilliam, and to the dozens of doctors and nurses and assistants whose expertise and caring brought him through the incredible procedure.

You're all welcome to add your thanks to the comments and please keep it in the spirit in which this thread is offered. We have 364 other days to complain; today let's just look on the bright side