Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sunday Morning Coming Down
“Well I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head, that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast
Wasn't bad so I had one more for dessert
Have you ever felt a sense of loneliness and despair, yet a yearning for change? That’s what life is like for most people who struggle with addiction. They know deep down in their inner soul, during moments of clarity, a truly better way of life is out there for the taking, just not today.
For those awaking to a new morning, there is something in a Sunday that makes a body feel alone. So said Kris Kristofferson, the legendary songwriter and performer, in his classic tune, ‘
Sunday Morning Coming Down’. And he can relate to his words. Kristofferson wrote this song while living in a run-down tenement in Nashville when he was working as a janitor for Columbia Records. He was told that if caught pitching songs to any artist he would be fired.
That didn’t stop him, though, when he personally delivered the song to Johnny Cash after landing his National Guard helicopter in Cash's front yard. This song became No. 1 on the Country charts for two weeks in September 1970 and eventually earned Kristofferson the ‘Song Writer of the Year’ award. In fact, when Cash performed this song on his ABC variety hour he was asked to change the verse, "I'm wishin’ Lord that I was stoned" to "I'm wishin’ Lord that I was home." Rather than do so, and much to the chagrin of ABC executives, he sang it just the way Kristofferson wrote it. (Yet another reason Johnny Cash was known as ‘the man’.)
While the song remains one of my all-time personal favorites today, the title applies to a favorite theory of mine in college football. It involves teams playing games during the regular season on Sunday, as opposed to a normal Saturday. The fact of the matter is their body clocks are not quite in synch, and when taking to the road they tend to be a bit more out of their element. As a result they, too, can come down on Sundays. Here is how it works -
PLAY AGAINST any college football road team
on a Sunday during the regular season.
Simple enough, wouldn’t you agree? And it works, too, as these road teams tend to perform like binged-out junkies on Sundays, going just 12-19-1 ATS prior to the 2008 season. Furthermore, when they tackle a foe that they defeated in their more recent meeting (those seeking revenge) they dip to
1-10 ATS.
If it smells like ‘Kentucky’ Fried Chicken this Sunday your senses are right on as the Wildcats of UK will be in this SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN ‘play against’ role at Louisville. FYI: this article was contained in the 2007 edition of the BLACK BOOK™. Ten all new Super Systems for this season are available in the 2008 BLACK BOOK™ – available at
www.PLAYBOOK.com or by calling 1.800.752.9266.
Yes, as the man says, there’s certainly “something in a Sunday - and the smell of someone frying chicken - that makes a body feel alone. And there’s nothing short a’ dying that’s half as lonesome as the sound of the sleeping city sidewalk, and a Sunday morning coming down.”
Written by Marc Lawrence
Marc Lawrence can also be found at
Playbook.com - One Click Handicapping
Monday, August 11, 2008
Where Have All the Powers Gone
It’s strange how life comes at you fast, in full circle, without even realizing it.
In a classic tune written by war protestor Peter Seeger in the 1960’s he asked, "Where are the flowers, the girls have plucked them. Where are the girls, they’ve all taken husbands. Where are the men, they're all in the army."
It was back in the same time when college football powers began to form. From the south it was Alabama and Texas. Out of the Midwest, Nebraska and Oklahoma came into prominence. Eastern powers, Syracuse and Penn State had their day. And then, like Jones, along came Michigan and Ohio State. Not to mention Miami, Fla. and Florida State.
Suddenly, with help from ESPN, college football sprouted wings and the wealth began to spread. Today, like free agency, high school recruits are seen dotting rosters all across America from West Virginia to Southern California. And because of it the shift of power changes quicker than most highway motorists who forget what a turn signal is.
Let’s take a look at five teams who have recently fallen from grace while assessing their prospects for the 2008 season ahead and their chances of returning to super power status. In alphabetical order, they include:
ALABAMA – long gone from the glory days of Bear Bryant, the Tide sent an SOS out to Nick Saban in hopes of resurrecting this once proud program. He guided Alabama to just its 2nd winning campaign in six years in his debut last season. However, seven wins will not be acceptable to the Houndstooth Society in 2008, road games at Georgia, LSU and Tennessee not withstanding. Plenty of work still ahead for a coach that has never had a losing season at the college level.
FLORIDA STATE – in battle with Joe Paterno for winningest coach in college football history (Division 1), Bobby Bowden’s days are numbered in Tallahassee. With heir apparent Jimbo Fisher lurking on the sidelines, a new coaching staff and a sense of urgency may not be enough to see Bowden usher in the octogenarian years with the Seminoles.
MIAMI FLORIDA – it’s been a mighty fall for this former power and the chances of recovery won’t happen anytime soon. Despite arguably the best recruiting class in college football last season, Randy Shannon won’t be able to utilize his players from Northwestern High School (two-time state champs) for a while as many of them failed academic requirements and will be playing at prep schools until making grades. With no quarterback on the current roster that has ever taken a snap in a major college game, patience will be the operative word in Miami.
NEBRASKA – Woe is Bo. Pellini, that is. The new Cornhusker boss has the dubious honor of erasing the memory of last year’s nightmarish season in which the Huskers surrenders 73 and 65 points in conference play. The key here, however, is that Nebraska still has plenty of corn-fed talent and Pellini’s forte is defense. Expect a quicker climb back up the ladder by Nebraska than others in this club.
NOTRE DAME – Wow. From back-to-back BCS bowl games in 2006-07 to 3-9 last year. And were it not for Duke and Stanford being the final two games on the schedule last season a one-or-two win effort would have been likely. Was it an anomaly or a sign of things to come? Not sure but until sophomore QB Jimmy Claussen comes around and performs more to the level of his press clippings the road to redemption will be rocky.
Let’s hope, for the sake of the aforementioned former powers, that it’s more a case of rebuilding rather than lying to rest. Because, as Seeger so sagely put it, if we don’t learn from our mistakes we’re only doomed to repeat them. Which begs the question: “Where have all the graveyards gone? Covered with flowers every one. When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?”
Written by Marc Lawrence
Marc Lawrence can also be found at
Playbook.com - One Click Handicapping
Friday, August 08, 2008
College & NFL Pre-Season Extravaganza!
The FREE 2008 Playbook Pre-Season Newsletter
Welcome to the pre-season edition of the 2008 PLAYBOOK Football Newsletter. As you can see by the volume of information inside, we're ready for the season to get underway. Whether you're a football fundamentalist, a technical buff, or a stats freak, we have it all for you under one cover in the PLAYBOOK, where each and every week through the Super Bowl we help you get every edge imaginable.
In each issue, Mark Lawrence will share his personal BETCHA DIDN'T KNOW handicapping article with HRI readers, revealing his insider's approach to the art of football handicapping. Along with Best Bets on the college and pro gridirons, Mark will share his awesome angles and tremendous trends. The 2008 PLAYBOOK Football Newsletter will provide you with every edge imaginable. Sign up online at
Playbook.com or call Toll Free for instant service at 1.800.PLAYBOOK.
The FREE 2008 Playbook Pre-Season Newsletter
Mark’s College and NFL Pre-Season newsletter contains his Tremendous Trends feature, coaches and teams’ spread records, NFL QB ATS Logs and Pre-Season Rotations, NFL Pre-Season Over/Under Review, and the Entire 2008 NFL Pre-Season Schedule.
Written by Marc Lawrence
Marc Lawrence can also be found at
Playbook.com - One Click Handicapping
