September 23 - Today Marks the Anniversary of the Discovery of Neptune

On this day back in 1846, German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle looked out through his telescope, and found a new planet: Neptune. He was at the Berlin Observatory at the time. 

French astronomer Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier had expressed his belief that this planet, which came to be known as Neptune, was there. But it was on this day, 173 years ago, that this belief was finally confirmed by Johann Gottfried Galle.

Giants Earn First Win of 2019 With Big Comeback Victory in Tampa

New York Giants 

at

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

N.Y. Giants 32, Tampa Bay 31 – Okay, so this win by the Giants was, in certain respects, almost a blast in the past for me. How so? Well, the Giants played this game on the road in Tampa, and won by a single point after their opponents missed a field goal attempt that sailed just wide to the right. At one point, the Giants were down 12-3 (in fact, they were down by 18 points at one point), but they managed to come back and win in the end. And they did it with a new, mobile quarterback who had replaced the largely immobile, longtime starting quarterback, who had enjoyed Super Bowl success in the past. If you are a Giants fan beyond a certain age, all of that should remind you of another very huge game in Giants history, when they beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, which was played in Tampa, by a single point after Scott Norwood’s field goal sailed wide right. They did it with Jeff Hostetler having replaced Phil Simms at the helm earlier in the season, and they had to overcome a 12-3 deficit.              

Now, to be sure, there were differences. And yes, I am aware that this was far from a Super Bowl game. In fact, both teams are 1-2, and hardly looking like playoff caliber teams, let alone Super Bowl championship teams. But Maybe, just maybe, that is a positive sign, the beginning of a turnaround. Hey, I’m a Giants fan, so I can hope, right?              

It was also just nice seeing the G-Men actually win a game again, as their 0-2 start was a bit rough. They looked awful in Dallas during the season opener, and never got anything going against this year’s addition of the Buffalo Bills last weekend, which was a far cry from that Super Bowl back in January of 1991, when Big Blue just edged the Bills to win their second title in five seasons.              

This, however, was just the first victory of the season for the Giants. But it was the first win for Daniel Jones in his first career start. The Giants offense actually showed some real life, scoring 32 points. Jones himself completed 23 of 36 pass attempts for 336 yards and two touchdowns, and running for two more touchdowns. All of which is very good, given that this was his first ever start. But he capably led the Giants offense, keeping them cool and focused when down 18 points on the road, using both his arm and his legs to help get New York back in the game and, ultimately, lifting them to a win. Wide receiver Evan Engram was instrumental, reeling in six passes for 113 yards and one touchdown.              

It was not all pretty for the offense, however. While they did gain 384 total yards, the vast majority of it came from the arm of Jones. They turned the ball over twice, produced significantly less first downs than Tampa Bay, and lost the time of possession battle.  They also appeared sluggish through most of the first half. But the biggest blow to the Giants came in the first half, when Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain in the first half. He had an MRI, and it is as yet unknown the severity of the injury, or when he might return for the Giants. Clearly, that was the worst news of the day for Big Blue, on a day that was kind of a mixed bag of fortunes for them.              

Also, their defense looked suspect at times. They played well enough in the end to allow the offensive production to stand up enough to secure the win, although some of that was luck, given the missed field goal that otherwise would have provided Tampa with the win. Jameis Winston had a fine day, even in a losing effort, as he completed 23 of 37 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns, with one INT. But Winston was really on fire in the first half before the Giants defense cooled him off in the second. Tampa Bay also nearly produced 500 yards of offense, falling just one yard shy of that mark. Winston had one of the best games of his NFL career, even though it was one that ultimately fell just short of success. Tampa Bay also produced 144 rushing yards, which helped them win the time of possession battle. Ronald Jones gained 80 yards on 14 carries, leading all runners. The good news is that New York’s defense finally tightened when they had to. Down 28-10 at halftime. They yielded only one field goal in the entire second half, which obviously helped the G-Men to finally win their first game of this season.           

Ultimately, it was a win for the G-Men. Since they had a total of eight wins in the prior two seasons, and none prior to this narrow victory so far this season, these have been few and far between. But it was a solid win for the Giants, one that fans like me can be happy about. This was the second biggest comeback win by a rooking quarterback in NFL history, and it was also the biggest comeback for the Giants since they came back from 18 points down against the then Baltimore Colts back in September of 1963. To put that into perspective, John F. Kennedy was still in the White House, and the war in Vietnam had not yet captured the attention of the entire nation, as it soon would. So, this was a big deal for the Giants, a huge win. It also gets the monkey off their back to produce their first win, and it also means that they produced at least 30 points in a game much earlier than they have done it in a long time, as 30 + point games have also been few and far between for the Giants offense in recent seasons.              

A huge win for Big Blue!

My prediction: Fortunately Inaccurate!

⚽️ Paris Saint-Germain 1, Olympique Lyonnais 0 ⚽️

⚽️ ⚽️ Paris Saint-Germain 1, Olympique Lyonnair 0 ⚽️  ⚽️ 

PSG 1, Lyon 0 

So, PSG benefitted from their big star, Brazilian Neymar, scoring very late in the game once again to break a scoreless tie and hand PSG a solid win on the road in Lyon.              

This was the second game in a row that Neymar scored very late in the game in Ligue 1 play to lift PSG to a win. He did it in their prior game against Strasbourg, scoring the game’s only goal in the second minute of extra time right at the end.              

The win keeps PSG on top in the Ligue 1 standings, as they look to win their third straight Ligue 1 championship, and what would be their seventh title in an eight year span. PSG has won a total of eight championships in their history, and they are looking to win their ninth overall, which pull them to within one of both Olympique Marseille and Saint-Étienne, each of whom have won 10 titles in their history, tied with each other for the most in history

NFL 2019-20 Week 3 Predictions

Miami at Dallas - The Dolphins clearly need to play better. Many are accusing them of deliberately tanking, and that very well may be. However, that does not excuse allowing 102 points in their first two games, while scoring only 10 points total. Add those numbers up, and that means that they average 5 points per game, while allowing 51. Now, they take on the Dallas Cowboys, who look red hot at the moment. On top of it, this is in Big D! This will be Miami's first road game, and it is also not likely to be pretty. A trip to Dallas would be tough for anyone at the moment, but right now, the Dolphins are looking historically bad. They seem to have the worst defense in the league, certainly to this point in the season, anyway. And they very well may have the worst offense, too, although that is a bit less certain. Put that on the road against a team who's confidence is soaring, and who may feel are legitimate contenders in the NFC, and the picture does not look pretty for the Fins. Right now, it would be hard to predict not only a Dallas win, but likely another blowout win, at that. Not sure if it will be a historic level beat down like the two that Miami has already suffered, but I would not exactly bet against it at the moment, either. My pick: Dallas

N.Y. Jets at New England - Speaking of blowouts, the Jets have been outscored 40-3 since taking that early 16-0 lead up at Buffalo. They lost their starting quarterback, and then lost the backup, before losing their first home game in blowout fashion to the Browns. Now, they head up to New England, quite possibly the toughest place to play in the NFL, to take on the league's defending champions. Pretty grim scenario, and the outlook appears bleak for Gang Green. The team seems in disarray, and they are taking on a team that looks ready to make a very serious run at another championship. The Pats offense looks hot, averaging 38 points per game. And their defense looks great thus far, allowing 3 points total to this point in the season. Not sure that this game will be as ugly as the Pats-Dolphins game last weekend was, but I am also not sure that it will not be. Hard to predict anything but a Patriots blowout win, and impossible not to predict at least a win for the home team, even if they have an uncharacteristically bad day. Right now, yes, the Jets do look that bad. My prediction: New England

Cincinnati at Buffalo - Whenever these two teams meet, it gives me flashbacks to the great games that these two teams had with one another back in the eighties. They met twice in 1981, once in the regular season, and once in the playoffs. Ditto for 1988. The Bengals won each of those meetings, and advanced to the Super Bowl both of those seasons, ultimately losing to the 49ers each time. But the Bengals are nowhere near that level of play right now. They are 0-2, and played a horrendous game in getting blown out by San Francisco after a promising, albeit disappointing, loss to the Seahawks to open up the season. Meanwhile, the Bills look awesome and have to be flying high, after a comeback win against the Jets, followed by a blowout win at the Giants. The Bills finally enjoy their first home game, and that defense should be able to contain the Bengals. Meanwhile, Buffalo's offense looks fairly solid. Not the most explosive offense, but they have gotten the job done well enough to win their first two games, which is a solid accomplishment. This is a great chance for the Bills to keep pace with the Patriots early in the season - assuming that New England beats the Jets - and to put some cushion between themselves and the two bottom feeders in the AFC East, the Jets and especially the Dolphins. The Bills just look too good right now not to pick them. My prediction: Buffalo

Baltimore at Kansas City - This may be the first really big showdown between two hot teams this season. Both teams are undefeated at the moment. The Ravens specialize in tough defense, while the Chiefs have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, and possibly the most explosive. We all know that Arrowhead Stadium is a very tough place to play right now, and that is a big advantage for KC. The question is whether the Ravens can overcome that, and if their defense can keep that explosive Chiefs offense in check, at least enough to give the offense a chance to stay in the game and, ultimately, to win it. My guess is that the Chiefs offense, and the tough environment at Arrowhead prove too much. My pick: Kansas City  


Detroit at Philadelphia – The Lions should be 2-0. They should have beaten the Cardinals in the opening game, but at least they made up for it by producing an upset over the Chargers last week  Now, however, they play another tough one. This time, it is at Philadelphia, against a team that won the Super Bowl just a year and a half ago. The Lions have a decent defense, but they will need an exceptional day to keep the Eagles in check. And Philly, meanwhile, has a tough defense in their own right. They did not play too well last week, which is all the more reason why they want to remedy that and find a way to win it at home this time around. And I believe that they will win this one, too. My pick: Philadelphia  


Denver at Green Bay - Like with Minnesota and Oakland, this is a game of teams that met in the Super Bowl. That one was a memorable game that went in favor of the underdog Broncos. Denver will be underdogs again in this one, but unlike the 1997 Broncos, this Denver team just does not have the strengths necessary to dig deep enough to pull off a win at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers can be too explosive, and his veteran leadership will be tough for the Broncos defense to contain. Meanwhile, the Packers defense looks very impressive, and Denver’s offense has not exactly been firing on all cylinders with their new quarterback, Joe Flacco. The Packers should be able to remain unbeaten after this one. My pick: Green Bay  

Oakland at Minnesota – The Vikings fell behind badly against the Packers early, when Green Bay took a 21-0 lead. But then Minnesota came back to make a serious run at winning the game. They did not, because in the end, 21 points proved to be just a little bit too much to overcome. At home against a weak team, and desperate not to drop a second straight, look for the Vikings defense to come up big, and for the running game to have their way against an Oakland defense that will probably have just a bit too much on their hands to be able to handle this and make much of a game of it. My pick: Minnesota  

Indianapolis at Atlanta – The Falcons came up big against the Eagles last week, right when they needed it the most. But they have another tough game this time around, as the Colts come to town. Indy seems to be playing well, and their offense has a decent quarterback who is still trying to gel with the offensive system. They have played well, but this will be a tough test for them, as Atlanta is not an easy place to play. The Falcons always seem to play particularly well at home, and their offense should really put the Colts defense to the test. Look for Matt Ryan to come up big, and for the Falcons to down the Colts. My pick: Atlanta  

N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay – The Giants look really troubled right now. They made a switch at quarterback, but is Daniel Jones really ready for this? Tampa is coming off a solid win last week when they upset the Panthers in Carolina. Now, back at home against a Giants team that already appears like it is reeling this early in the season, it is hard to predict anything but a Tampa Bay victory. Hope that I am wrong, but it just seems like this one is headed towards a convincing Bucs victory against a weak and overmatched New York squad. My pick: Tampa Bay  

Carolina at Arizona – Both of these teams look bad right now. The Cardinals were widely considered a serious candidate to be the worst team in the league entering this season, while the Panthers have opened up the season looking surprisingly bad, losing both of their first two games. Right now, the Panthers still can recover, and they still have talent, despite the poor start. Arizona, meanwhile, has surprised some people with how well they have played to this point. They came back from way down to force a tie against the Lions in the season opener, and then played tough against the Ravens in Baltimore. So, I believe that the Cardinals can really challenge the Panthers, and perhaps even win a surprise. It would not shock me, since Carolina looks on the verge of disarray. However, I figure the Panthers are overdue for a win, and they should be able to beat the Cardinals, frankly. So while the Panthers look vulnerable and could lose, I figure that they should be able to put aside whatever problems and limitations that have plagued them to date, and win this game. My prediction: Carolina 

Houston at L.A. Chargers -  Two teams who both made it to the playoffs last year, and have realistic hopes of winning their division and making some noise in the playoffs. The Texans more or less gambled to win this season, while the Chargers have solid talent on both sides of the ball, and are one of the most complete teams in the league. That said, it was a disappointing loss for the Bolts last week in Denver. If they hope to make a leap and contend for a title this year, they need to win those kinds of games. But back at home, against a Texans team that has hardly looked particularly impressive to this point, it really is hard to go against the home team. My pick: L.A. Chargers

New Orleans at Seattle – The Seahawks are off to a hot start at 2-0. Meanwhile, the Saints struggled to beat Houston at home on the opening weekend, and then lost star quarterback Drew Brees for several weeks, before being blown out last weekend to the Rams. And they have to go to Seattle, which is not an easy place for an away team to play. It will be tough for the Saints offense to make proper adjustments without Brees at the helm, and especially against a tough Seattle defense. The Seahawks and their fans should be fired up, and this should prove a tough test for a vulnerable Saints defense going up against a potentially dangerous Seahawk offense led by Russell Wilson, who himself is now a seasoned veteran with significant experience. All in all, you have to like the home team’s chances. My pick: Seattle    

          

Pittsburgh at San Francisco – The 49ers look awesome so far, with two solid road wins on the East Coast (well, Cincy is not exactly the East Coast, but it was a good road win nonetheless). Now, they get to enjoy home field advantage for the first time this season, and they will face the winless and struggling Steelers, who appear on the verge of a precipice this season. Usually, you can rely on the black and gold to be a solid team, but this season could not have started off more disastrously for them. They were blown out by the Patriots in the season opener, although that was not exactly a shock. But then, they lost last weekend at home against the Seahawks, where they lost their starting quarterback for the season as well. Now, they are 0-2, and heading into a tough game all the way out on the West Coast, even if they are trying to stay on East Coast time for this game, still looking for their first win. Pittsburgh has started off 0-2 for the first time since the 2013 season. The Steelers defense has allowed an average of 30+ points per game, and their offense is not looking nearly as explosive as it has in recent seasons, to counter this. Against the 49ers, who are averaging 36 points per game while allowing, on average, merely 17 points per game, Pittsburgh will have their work cut out for them. They are surely feeing a bit desperate, but they at least have had a full week to try and work on their issues, and Mason Rudolph has had a week to try and gel with the offense and get more comfortable behind the helm. He did not play poorly in last week’s game, and there is already speculation that his replacing Roethlisberger might not be temporary at all. Still, even if he plays well, and if the Steelers defense steps it up, it might be asking a bit too much to expect them to actually win this game against one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment. San Fran has not seriously contended for the playoffs since the 2013 season, when they went to the NFC Championship Game, and they clearly are eying what would be an impressive 3-0 start. With the offense on fire, and with home field advantage, it all feels like a little bit too much for a Steelers team that seems in a state of disarray. My prediction: San Francisco

Sunday Night Football - L.A. Rams at Cleveland - Things are looking up right now for Cleveland. They entered the season with a lot of momentum and hype, which has not been the norm for Cleveland for quite some time. A lot of enthusiasm, and a second straight nationally televised game. Unfortunately, this will feature the Rams. Even with home field advantage, the Browns will have a much tougher time than they did against the Jets. It is certainly not impossible that the Browns can win this one, although Los Angeles has one of the best and most explosive offenses in the league, and a defense that seems to do the job fairly consistently. Plus, they have a good amount of experience, having enjoyed two straight division titles, and made a run to the Super Bowl last season. They come in as one of the hot teams in the league, and they likely need to reach 3-0 to keep pace with either the Niners or the Hawks, or possibly both. Hard to predict anything but a win for the Rams in this one. My pick: L.A. Rams

Monday Night Football - Chicago at Washington - Da Bears escaped with a win last week at Denver. Now, they go to the nation's capital for a Monday Night Game. Like last week, Chicago faces a winless team, although Washington will be a tough test. They are better than their 0-2 mark suggests. While the Bears have a tough defense, they clearly have limited capabilities on offense. That proved very costly in the game against the Packers to open the season up, and it almost cost them last week at Mile High. My guess is that it will cost them in this nationally televised game again this week, and that the rumblings about this among the Chicago faithful begins to grow much louder after this game. My pick: Washington

Honoring Stephen King on His 72nd Birthday

Some pictures I found recently of chalk sketches of the great writer himself.

Stephen King is obviously a very accomplished writer. He jokes around about how some literary critics refer to him as the "Big Mac" of the literary world, yet he says that's okay, because people actually eat Big Macs.

Personally, while I try to stay clear of Big Macs, and McDonald's in general, I enjoy the writings of Stephen King. Very much so, in fact. He became one of my favorite authors back in the late 90's, when a friend basically urged me to start reading his work, and I was instantly hooked. Have been a big fan ever since.

Well, today is King's birthday. And so, it seemed appropriate to dedicate at least one blog page to him and his contributions to American letters. 

Right now, there is a lot going on with King. There is the second part of "IT" in the movie theaters right now. Another King work, "In the Tall Grass," is set for a Netflix release next month. His latest novel, "The Institute," has just recently been released. Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Complete Graphic Novel Series is set to be released next month. 

Hell, even his son, Joe Hill, is busy, with a new novel, "Full Throttle," set for release early next month.

All of this, plus the occasional political quip, usually a shot taken at President Donald Trump, more often than not blasting the man-child's trademark immaturity and general idiocy.

Frankly, I do not remember a time when it has been quite this bust for Stephen King, when he has been so much in the public eye, and that's saying something!

So, I thought I would dedicate a blog page to wish my favorite living author well on his birthday, and so share some links that might be of interest. The first three are links on how to be a great writer. 

The final link is more recent, having just come out. It is a video clip, meant to be humorous, in which 

Stephen King, James McAvoy and Bill Skarsgård come together to try and quell everyone's fears about clowns with some very reassuring "facts."

Very funny stuff! Please take a look!


Here are some pertinent links concerning news on Stephen King:


King talk nets $100,000 for his lifeline – libraries By Susan L. Rife, January 29, 2015

www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150129/article/150129611?tc=ar




Stephen King to share writing tips in new short story collection by Allison Flood, March 18, 2015:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/18/stephen-king-writing-insights-bazaar-of-bad-dreams

22 Lessons From Stephen King On How To Be A Great Writer MAGGIE ZHANG JUL. 15, 2014:

http://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-king-on-how-to-write-2014-7

Stephen King, James McAvoy and Bill Skarsgård cure your Pennywise phobia with reassuring clown facts by Caitlin Welsh, September 17, 2019:


https://mashable.com/video/stephen-king-james-mcavoy-clown-facts-colbert/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=scribner_social&utm_content=2660515548&fbclid=IwAR2CvP1bp0BgkjprsuruwxsTOZJvY-a8GAK2HwBUY11t_AUbzq2yKbqs0qo

September 21st - International Peace Day

September 21st - Today is International Peace Day.

It was established as this back in 1981, through a United Nations resolution that was passed unanimously. The idea is for people the world over to focus and dedicate themselves to peace, between nations and between people. 

⚽️ Paris Saint-Germain Tops Ligue 1 So Far ⚽️

⚽️ ⚽️ Paris Saint-Germain 1, Strasbourg 0 ⚽️  ⚽️ 

Ligue 1 play in France has started while ago, and it took a bit of time for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to reach a point where they are alone in first place.

They just defeated Strasbourg, 1-0, this past Saturday, to earn their fourth win in their first five games. Neymar scored the decisive goal in the second minute of extra time at end of regulation time. It gave PSG the win, and that is good enough for sole possession of first place, as PSG earned their 12th point. They are two points ahead of Rennes, Nantes. and Olympique Marseille, who are tied for second place, each with 10 points.

PSG will next host Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade de France on Sunday at 1500 Paris time (9:00EST). Let's see if they can win to stay hot!