LETS GO BOWL-ING

Football junkies have to be ecstatic. There are 39 bowl games plus the Football Playoff National Championship game. There are 78 teams who will participate in this year's  bowls all over the country, including Hawaii (what, no Alaska?). All the good names were taken many, many years ago, so they have to come up with new ones. Every year I think we've scrapped the bottom of the barrel and every year I discover that the barrel is bottomless, so let's see what we have this year.

Would You Be Embarrassed Bowls
Gasparilla Bowl - This bowl was named after the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar. How nice - except for the fact that he never existed.
Cheez-It Bowl - Is this a game for criminals who have successfully avoided the police? This could lead to a conversation like this: "I'm in a Bowl Game this year." "Yeah? Which one" "The Cheez-It Bowl." "No really, which one?"
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - It's famous only in Idaho and takes place in Boise, ID, as you might expect.
Dollar General Bowl - I haven't been able to find out what the tickets cost, but I'm guessing you won't need any discounts.
Camping World Bowl - The game will be great but the player accommodations involve tent stakes. It's okay though, the game is in Orlando, Florida.

Didn't have a very good year? No problem, here's a couple of bowls made to order:

Cure Bowl -  Tulane (6-6) plays Louisiana-Lafayette (7-6). And the name fits, too
Texas Bowl - Baylor (6-6) and Vanderbilt (6-6)

Need Help Getting Into a Bowl?  No problem, just use the old home-town method.
New Mexico  Bowl -  Utah State vs (you guessed it) New Mexico   ***
Hawaii Bowl - Louisiana Tech vs Hawaii
Armed Forces Bowl - Houston vs Army

Are You Hungry Bowls
The Citrus Bowl
The Peach Bowl
The Sugar Bowl
The Orange Bowl
Don't forget Cheez-it and Idaho Potato

Shameless Bowls 
There are 12 bowls with the corporate sponsors name right up front. Some are listed above and then there are:
Camellia, Belk, Quick Lane, Redbox, Outback, Alamo and Music City bowls.

Unlike in the past, there are no teams with losing records this year, but there are 10 teams with 6-6 records. The four teams vying for the championship certainly appear to belong there:
#2 Clemson (13-0)
#3 Notre Dame (12-0)
#4 Oklahoma (12-1)
#1 Alabama (13-0)

Last night, an FCS playoff semifinal was on TV. North Dakota State vs South Dakota State. Believe it or not, the game was played in Fargo, North Dakota. Oh yeah, North Dakota St. won 44-21.

See, this is why we need football analysts. At the start of the Army-Navy game, analysts Gary Danielson gave us an insight into the game: "The formula for Army: no negative plays, no turnovers and no penalties.” Who knew?


***THEY SAID IT***

"The Mariners’ Jerry Dipoto, despite coming down seriously ill during the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, nonetheless pulled off a three-team swap from his hospital bed. It’s believed to be the first deal in MLB history that’s contingent on a GM passing his physical."  -- Dwight Perry

 "Connor McDavid has two straight scoring titles, is currently in the top five, but hasn’t made the NHL playoffs and his Oilers sit 22nd in goals. Dolly Parton has less trouble finding support."  -- RJ Currie
" The Thursday Night Football referees were so bad they've just been hired by the Big Ten."  -- Brad Dickson
" First five College Football Bowl games start on December 15. And if you can name more than one of them, you just might need a life."  -- Janice Hough
"As for the Yankees, will they offer Manny Machado X millions of dollars more if he occasionally plays as if he gives a rat’s retina? Will there be a running-to-first bonus? So buy your tickets now! Come on out and watch them quit!"  -- Phil Mushnick
"Green Bay parted ways with coach Mike McCarthy. Or should we say they sent him Packing?"  -- RJ Currie
" Free agent reliever Adam Ottavino says he would “strike out Babe Ruth every time.” Mostly because the Bambino has now been dead for 70 years."  -- Jim Barach
"As we get to mid-December, casual basketball fans can rejoice in the fact that we are only about six months away from NBA finals."  -- Janice Hough
"Best seats for next season’s Yankees – Red Sox games in London will set you back $500 each. That would only get you parking, program, hot dog and a beer at Yankee Stadium.  (or 2 standing room only tickets on Fenway’s Green Monster)"  -- TC Chong

"The NFL has decided to hold the 2020 draft in Las Vegas. What could go wrong?"  -- Brad Dickson

"Delta announced it will drop zone boarding on its flights, starting in 2019. Jim Boeheim, we hear, is inconsolable."  -- Dwight Perry

CP-

*** It appears that I've been a victim of poor information. The New Mexico bowl does NOT feature New Mexico  but North Texas. I hope the right team shows up for the game. Sorry about the mistake [C Picasner - 4:30 pm]