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Last weekend was bizarre in that everything went right. Every flight was on time, every restaurant had an open table and every source called when he said he would. I had the best oysters I have ever eaten, and I don't like oysters. My sons and I had one of the great weekends of 2009.
You take your kids to Walt Disney World. I'll take mine to New Orleans.
KIDS: Daddy, we saw Mickey Mouse in the French Quarter at 4:15 a.m. What was he doing out so late?
ME: Same thing you were.
I ran successfully for the first time since April. I left the hotel at 6:15 a.m. Sunday, turned a corner and jogged past a bar full of music and laughter. Although many of the bars had a crowd, the streets were beautifully empty. The Mississippi River was my finish line, and I crossed it wheezing and smiling.
More importantly, as far as this column is concerned, the teams that were supposed to win did. I picked three road upsets last week - Arizona at Chicago, San Diego at the New York Giants and Pittsburgh at Denver - and each stomped its opponent. When my team wins, the margin is a stomp, regardless of the score.
Let's see if the run continues.
Last Week: 10-3
Season: 92-37
Upset of the Week (picking an underdog to win): 2-0
Upset of the Week for the season: 6-3
Lock of the Week (picking against the spread) 1-0
Lock of the Week for the season: 6-3.
This week's games, with the home team in CAPS:
Upset of the week
I can't find one. If I pick a winner I don't expect to win, and you believe in me and put mythical money on the game and lose, and as a result your kids have to go without mythical shoes, what good am I? I'll look for two next week.
Games of the week
OAKLAND 2 over Kansas City: This is still a great rivalry. The talent might not be there, but the contempt is.
INDIANAPOLIS 3 over New England: An NFL executive once told me that the Colts and Patriots are immune to slumps because quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are worth three victories a season.
If so, don't teams that lack a franchise quarterback try to do whatever they can to move up and take one, such as Atlanta's Matt Ryan?
PITTSBURGH 3 over Cincinnati: The Steelers played Monday night, so they could come out as sluggish as New Orleans, which also was coming off a Monday game, did last week against Carolina. But you really expect me to pick against Pittsburgh at home?
SAN FRANCISCO by 5 over Chicago: In a blog that ran on charlotteobserver.com Thursday afternoon, I picked the 49ers by 5 over Chicago. I'd love to tell you that by five I meant Jay Cutler would throw five interceptions, but I'd be lying.
The rest
TENNESSEE 4 over Buffalo
Denver 7 over WASHINGTON
MIAMI 5 over Tampa Bay
N.Y. JETS 4 over Jacksonville
New Orleans 14 over ST. LOUIS
Atlanta 4 over CAROLINA
MINNESOTA 16 over Detroit
Dallas 1 over GREEN BAY
SAN DIEGO 2 over Philadelphia
ARIZONA 4 over Seattle
Lock of the week
Baltimore, an 11-point favorite, by 13 over CLEVELAND
