In front of me as I type these words is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  I never miss it.  It has been playing on CBS as long as I can remember.   I never tire of watching it.  There are so many elements of Rudolph we can relate to.  Misfits…we know them.  Some of us are them.  Friends…we know them.  Some of us are them.  Heroes…we know them.  We are all a hero to some one at some time.  I believe that.  Weather…we all know it.  Some of us love snow and some of us don’t.

Every year for many years and in some cases, recently, there are a few other Christmas shows I try to get around to looking at when they come through my living room.

Frosty the Snowman is my second favorite.  The fastest thirty minutes on television.  I still get upset when Frosty melts in the hot-house.  That is just plain sad…pitiful…not right.   Thank God he comes back to life in good time.  Had he not come back the first time I saw it I would have needed therapy I am sure.  I took my babysitter killing over on me when I was five better than watching Frosty melt!

The Little Drummer Boy is another show I try to watch every year.

In recent years there is a movie my family and I have been watching on the Hallmark Channel when it shows up.  The Christmas Card is a movie about an Army fellow that gets a card in the mail while he is deployed to the Middle East.  He takes his card and tracks down its origins and we are entertained by the twists and turns of a predictable story that is still pretty cool…not unlike Rudolph and Frosty.

We can’t forget A Christmas Carol.  I like the Reginald Owen 1938 version the best.  I have a copy of it.  I try to find it on TV.  God Bless Us…Everyone.

There are others….many others.

Along with television there are songs.  I enjoy listening to the Christmas Songs on the radio.  One station in Louisville plays them constantly right now.  I tune for a while every day.

Carrie, my dear wife,  and I have a simple wooden Nativity…a great manger scene… on display in our living room 365 days a year.  I never tire of looking at that either…especially that.  God Bless Us…Everyone.

Songs…one of my favorite seasonal tunes is The Christmas Song…you know…the one that talks about chestnuts roasting on an open fire and all.

I sang that song as a 5th grader at Brownstown Central Elementary School and as a 6th grader at North Harrison Elementary School.  The song sounded much different in year’s time and 50 miles south from one school to another.  In Jackson County the vowel is much tighter and defined than it is in Harrison County where the vowel is much looser and more country sounding.

The difference is kind of like this:

Jackson Co.:  And every mother’s child is going to spy to see if reindeer really know how to fly.

Harrison County:  And ever-ry mother’s chiiiild is gonna spyyyy…to see if reindeer really know how to flyyyyyy.

Me….I have a hybrid accent that can take on any place any time.  That is what I get for being a child of Mississippi born parents who was born in Columbus, Indiana.  South meets North.

Most folks think I have a southern accent.  I have no problem with that.

It came in handy one day in 2011.  I was getting gas in the Village of Amherst, New Hampshire.  The gas station attendant asked me a question.  I answered.  He declared I was not “from around here (Amherst, NH)”.  He asked where I was from.  I told him I was from Indiana.  I can still hear him in his northeastern accent: “Indiana? I coulda swore you were from South Carolina.”  I was most appreciative.  I love South Carolina.

Speaking of Southern Accents…who in their right mind would cast Dan Akroyd as an Atlanta resident…witness Driving Miss Daisy.  This Canadian actor sounded about as Southern as a Walleye Sandwich.  Pitiful.  I still like the movie though.

Enjoy the holiday season.  Tell someone why you love them. God Bless Us…Everyone.

Speaking the Rights.

Danny Johnson

How many deer did you dodge today?

I thought I was going to buy it…a new car that is…on more than one occasion this morning.  With the time change and the winter solstice on the horizon, it is not uncommon for me to drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark. This translates, given my commute is of a rural persuasion, into my chances of hitting a deer going up.  I know many posts ago I mentioned that I alone had hit no less than 5 of Bambi’s cousins myself over the years.  Good luck and God bless us all trying not to hit the deer!

College Football Picks Week # 15 for my Possum friend named Carl.

Conference championships will shake out this weekend, as will the decision to choose those to play in the mythical four team playoff for the so-called national championship.

Here goes:

Northern Illinois beats Bowling Green…MAC Football is quality football.  The Huskies will take care of business.

Oregon beats Arizona…I think.  They game is in Eugene and the Ducks have a regular season score to settle with the Tuscon boys.  Mariotta should wrap up the Heisman with this game giving the Pacific Northwest its first Heisman winner since 1962 when Oregon State’s Terry Baker took the statue in 1962.

Marshall beats Louisiana Tech…The Herd better be ready to play defense after the meltdown that was an embarrassment to the Herd last week.  They lost their shot at a BIG TIME BOWL …but not all is lost.  Go Herd.

Cincinnati will beat Houston…The weather alone will help the Bearcats win this one.

Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State…The call this game Bedlam.  It will be a tough one.  Always is.

Tulane will beat Temple….The Green Wave beats the Owls…in case you care.

Kansas State beats Baylor…Most folks will turn their heads like a hound listening to a goofy sound when they see this one.  This thing is…some media types are already calling for K-State to play Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl…based on the fact K-State will lose this game.  Hogwash.  How soon we forget Bill Snyder is coaching the Wildcats AGAIN.

Georgia Tech beats Florida State…Maybe this will get the Seminoles out of the championship race and satisfy 99.8% of college football fans in the process.  FSU has been a joke and a black eye for a great game.

Wisconsin beats Ohio State…I don’t have it in me to pick OSU to move on to the final four. Besides…Swissconsin has cheese-fed and grain-fed beef up front that will cause December woes for the Buckeyes.  Too bad this game is played indoors.  Not very Big Ten like.  Even Minnesota is playing outdoors these days.  Putting a Big Ten Football Championship indoors is like putting perfume on a hog.

Boise State beats Fresno State…The Blue turf at Boise is enough to make anyone want to go back to California.

105 winners  35 losers and counting…next up is the bowl season and the call for the champs.

Have a great weekend.

Carl the Possum is doing well.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

What follows is a column I wrote in 2006.  It saw the light of day in another publication.

Thanks goes out to all the prayers and well-wishes my family has received following the death of my grandmother.  Personally, I am still having a hard time being convinced she is gone.   I half expect her to come waddling around the corner propped up on her ‘Hurry Cane’.  But…I know…that is not going to happen.

I read this piece again tonight for the first time in YEARS!  At the time, Carrie and I were taking care of her grandparents.

Yes…football fans…I know…I was 6 good picks and 4 bad picks this past college football weekend.  Here is what I am going to do.  I will pick the conference championship games this weekend….and the Army-Navy game….and maybe a few FCS games to get ten games picked out of the deal.  Then, when all the bowl games are matched up, including the mythical 4 team playoff, I will pick all the bowl games at once for good measure.  This is a risk.  We don’t know who is going to get hurt, or stabbed, or decide to join a monastery between now and bowl season time.  So be it.  I will be a man about it and stick by my picks!  So far this season I have 105 winners and 35 losers.  I am not disappointed.

I hope you enjoy the following:

It Pays to Hold Hands

Carrie, my dear wife, and I were sitting at a table in an urban eatery recently.  We had placed our order and were waiting patiently.  We can do that, Carrie and I; we can easily wait patiently because it’s not about the wait.  It’s about spending time together.  That may sound like an audition for a greeting card commercial, but it’s true.  Circumstances called our life have rendered us, Carrie and me, precious little time together in the last few years.  Caring for folks whom can no longer care for themselves will do that to you.

So there we were, quietly enjoying each other’s company when the manager of the restaurant came bounding over to our table.  He was a tall man with a neatly trimmed mustache.

“Here’s a coupon for five dollars off your meal because I caught to the two of you holding hands” he said.

“Thanks” is what I said back to him.  Then I thought, I wonder if the old boy would give me a ten-dollar coupon if I gave her a kiss on the mouth.  Alas, I decided not to press my luck or my lips.  The five-dollar coupon was a kind gesture.  I really appreciated it.

Carrie made mention that holding hands is a very involuntary thing between the two of us.  Without thinking about it, I agreed.

Hand-holding is a time-honored tradition.  When I was a kid handholding was the second public sign that you were sweet on a girl.  The first sign was standing closer to a girl than normal while being seen with each other more than absolutely necessary.  After this, hand-holding was sure to come later.  Next was pushing a girl on a swing on the playground.  Speaking of which, not long ago I crossed paths with the first girl I ever kissed on the playground.  I started to speak to her, knowing she graduated high school with friends I had kept up with over the years.  I spoke authoritatively about Jerry Brown, a dear friend and Mike Warren, another old crony and Mark “Great” Brittain.  Inquisitively, she looked at me and asked, “Do I know you?”

There’s just something about feeling the pulse of another hand in yours.  Plus, it’s convenient.  Hands were made to join.  But more than that, there is a great deal of significance in dealing with the hand.  The hand is what feeds us.  The hand is how we express ourselves non-verbally.  Those love notes have to be written somehow.  And it just feels good.

I enjoy shaking the hands of old friends when we see each other for the first time in a long time.  That’s special.

Playing music at church is good times and so are the times when we gather hands and pray.  Hands brought together in prayer are strong hands.  I always think it’s cool when the prayer is over and the one who is holding my hand gives it an extra squeeze at the end to punctuate the amen just delivered. Amen.

Last night I was totally taken aback by a hand-holding ceremony.  I was visiting the home of a ten-year-old boy who is the son of a friend of mine’s cousin.  The boy had surgery today.  Last night I was asked to lead a prayer for the boy.  His chemotherapy-deprived hair could not diminish the smile attached to his face or eyes that danced in time with each of us in the room.  So, so special.

We gathered around the boy’s bed and before I began to offer prayer, out from under his covers came the boy’s two arms extending his hands to those on his immediate right and left.  We all joined hands.  I prayed.  Today that boy had a large portion of one lung removed.  I’m still praying.  And I’m still seeing the smile on a face that has more trust and strength and hope than any other ten guys I know.

You could say, yes, but the boy doesn’t know any better.

I say he does.  I say we just think we know more.

Remember the old Beatles song I Want to Hold Your Hand?  It really is “such a feeling”…

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

Wow.  This will be my 100th entry on speaktherights.com.  Time flies under all circumstances.

This is the final full week of the 2014 College Football regular season.  The record of picks so far is 99 winners and 31 losers.  My biggest faux pas is being so stubborn I refuse to pick against some of my favorites.  I mix picks with hopes and that is not always a good thing.  As I said before, I would never bet on football games.  Therefore, I can do as I darn please with my picks and face the music…regardless of the last tune.

RIVALRY WEEK…

This is the weekend of great rivalries.

Ohio State beats Michigan…This game has lost some shine since the Michigan team has struggled of late.

Purdue beats Indiana…The Old Oaken Bucket game is the Stinker Bowl.  These two teams are bad. They have one conference win between them.  I had four tickets to this game and had a hard time giving them away.

Kentucky beats Louisville…Don’t ask me why.  Just a feeling.  The Notre Dame win will be hard to come down from for the Cards.  The Cats are hungry.

Ole Miss beats Mississippi State…I refuse to pick the Bell Ringers and I refuse to shy away from this pick.  Hotty Toddy!

Alabama beats Auburn…This is a classic.  The Iron Bowl is a happening like no other in college football.  There is a reason why UAB is thinking about dropping their football team. This game.  These teams.

USC beats Notre Dame…In what is my personal favorite rivalry game of the all, this game brings back so many memories of Thanksgiving Weekend of days gone by.  Great memories.  I am back on Dubarry Lane in Jackson, Mississippi at Uncle Durwood and Aunt Barbara’s house each time I so much as think about this game.  That is enough to make it my favorite rivalry.

Washington State beats Washington…This is a long shot.  I just have a hard time doubting Mike Leach when they need it most.

Oregon beats Oregon State…Ducks and Beavers…I may watch a few minuted and try to feign interest.

Florida State beats Florida…This is a game I would love to miss my pick on.  Go Gators.

Georgia beats Georgia Tech….Another classic game.  I think Georgia has a good team that has been through too much turmoil than they deserve.

Enjoy the weekend.

Speak the rights.

Danny Johnson

We gave my Granny, Flo Johnson, a proper send-off last night.  Her funeral service was held in Ramsey, Indiana at the Swarens Funeral Home under the caring, watchful eye of one Norman Swarens and crew.  God Bless them.  They are like family to us.

We celebrated Granny’s life last night.  Rev. Jeff Reed did a great job sharing words of truth, compassion, hope, and comfort.  My Dad sang “Sentimental Journey” to open the celebration and closed it as we all joined in to sing “Amazing Grace”.  I got up and had a few speaks myself.

If you are not familiar with the lyrics of the song “Sentimental Journey”, words include reference to 7 o’clock…which was the time of of Granny’s service and there is mention of a train ride in the song.  As we sang that very song a train came rumbling through Ramsey as if right on cue…horn blowing and the whole works.  Understand the funeral home sits less than 100 yards south of a set of East-West rail tracks.  The whole scene was most wonderful.

Folks showed up last night that we had not seen in a while.  It was good to see them all.

The day before the funeral, I thought it was best if I called one of Dad’s old football players from Brownstown…Barry Hall.  On less than 24 hours notice, Barry and his wife Tammy were there.  Thank you, Barry Hall.

My friend brother Tim “Roll Tide” Petty was there with his folks James and Janet Petty from Decatur, Alabama.  They were visiting for Thanksgiving.  They are wonderful folks.  Tim’s wife Michelle was there and so were her folks, Mike and Alice Combs.

I can’t sit here and mention all that were in attendance.  I would bound to leave someone out.  Know we appreciate your love and care and concern.

The joy that exists from a group with faith in a loving God and the redemption offered by his son Jesus is palpable in times like these.  We have been held up by and with prayer and faith and love that none of us can truly comprehend.  We can, however, say “Thank You.”

I told a few stories about my Granny last night.  I also told everyone thanks for sharing my Granny.  I then rattled off the list of places and peoples that had also shared time with my Granny:

Germany, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Italy, France, Bermuda, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and most of the United State including Hawaii and Alaska.

Let me also give special thanks to my friend Dan Goins.  Danners loved Granny.  She loved Danners.  Dan didn’t show up to the funeral home with a customary pot of flowers.  Dan showed up with a football.  He called it the game ball for Granny.  On one panel of the football Dan had written in two-tone marker two words…two words that Granny was famous for when it came to her watching a football game.  When her team was on defense and a guy for the other team was running with the ball she yelled two words:

“GET HIM!”

One day she was explaining how it doesn’t always work out.  Said she:  “Sometime they get him…and sometimes they don’t get him…and sometimes he runs out of bounds.”

And like what happened with Granny Saturday, sometimes the clock just runs out.  And the rest of us are left to carry on.  Thanks to her, we can do so with so much more clarity than we could have without having her around so long.  We have indeed been blessed.

I Love You Granny.  And I miss you so much.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

The title of this post was inspired by an email I sent to a cousin this morning in Shreveport, Louisiana.  It was a phrase that made complete and total sense at the time.

What I was describing to my cousin was the daunting task of summing up the life of my Grandmother,  Flo Johnson, in a few measly paragraphs.  I was writing the obituary of my Granny.  It had to be done.  I cringed with every syllable.

Granny’s worn out body gave it up yesterday afternoon.  She was 89.  She passed as the college football games of the day were in full swing.  Man, I miss her already.

So…there I was trying to put 89 years on a few lines of paper.  It is an arduous task that has to be done.  I get that.  And I get that her old body needed rest…and finally got it. Yes…I understand.  It was a blessing that she was able to die in her own bed with her family close at hand.  There was a sense of peace and calm in Granny’s little apartment after the local funeral director did what he had to do and rolled his hearse out of the driveway with Granny in it.

I have some words I need to put together to say at her funeral service on Tuesday.  I will find them.  Putting them out there will be the hard part.

I can’t begin to thank the wonderful folks of Hosparus Southern Indiana.  They were all magnificent with their care for my Granny.  These folks were also grateful for the effort that was put forth by my family members in caring for Granny along the way.

Granny checked out of the hospital on October 25th and lasted nearly a month after she was told her Leukemia was not going to get better.  In that short time I witnessed as dignified and as graceful a tough death as one could. Granny never wavered.  Granny never complained.  She wanted the song “Sentimental Journey’ to be sung at her funeral.  My sister was at her bedside singing that song to her when she breathed her last.  It was a fitting end.

Below is the obituary I submitted:

Coralyn Floreta Johnson

Coralyn Floreta (Flo) Johnson, 89, Depauw, died Saturday, November 22, 2014 at her home.

Born August 10, 1925 in Jackson, MS, she was the daughter of the late Ila Ashley and Fred Harvey.  She was also preceded in death by her husband, Herbert D. Johnson in 1987.

Flo moved from Shreveport, Louisiana to Depauw, Indiana in 1994 to be closer to her son.  Prior to moving to Indiana, she lived in Shreveport for nearly forty years.  In Shreveport, she served as the secretary of The First Presbyterian Church for fourteen years and fourteen more years as the secretary of Agudath Achim Synagogue from which she retired.  Flo enjoyed traveling, spending time with her family, being a positive example for others, and watching football.  She was a member of The First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Survivors include her son, Larry (Tressie) Johnson, Ramsey; a sister, Lula Hodge of Shreveport, LA.; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral service will be held at Swarens Funeral Home on Tuesday evening, November 25, 2014 at 7PM.  Visitation the same day after 4PM.

A graveside service and burial will be held at Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The family suggests memorial gifts be made to Hosparus of Southern Indiana.

Here are some recent and slightly not so recent pictures of my Granny I wanted to share:

Granny with her grandchildren and their spouses.

Granny with with three generations around her

Granny with great grandchildren Katie and Matt

Granny and my brother-in-law Steven cheesing it up!

Granny and me admiring her spoon collection.  It is a sight!

My dear wife, Carrie, and me with Granny last Christmas.

I have no idea what had granny so tickled…but I know it was worth it.

With grand daughter-in-law, Emily…so what if Granny was only 4’9′.

She packed a great deal of love and life in that little body for over 89 years.

As I finish this post I still feel a bit like I did when I was writing Granny’s obit.  It still feels like I am trying to build a pyramid with a few grains of sand.  She was that large.

And…she would want all of us to press onward. Keep moving.  Keep enjoying life.  Find something else to explore.  Live.

She knew what she was talking about.  The list of countries and sights and sounds she witnessed in her lifetime is an entirely different post.

When I watch football on TV without her, I suppose it is now up to me to yell “GET HIM!” the best I can.

Speaking the Rights.

Danny Johnson

I was asked about this week’s football picks today (Friday).

It is good to know there are a few folks paying attention and are polite enough to ask the whereabouts of the picks.

First things first.

I visited my Granny tonight.

I would like to believe she knew I was there.  I do believe she knows I love her with all my heart.

I was reminded tonight that there are some things we are not meant to understand or figure out.

Whether it is just pure grief or the fact that I can’t ask my Granny how LSU did this weekend, when I looked at the grid of games I can watch on TV this weekend…I just sort of shrugged my shoulders.  Yes…it is grief.

Nonetheless…Granny would want me to keep picking games.  She got a kick out of the pro games she picked for us on speaktherights.com.  It was the last weekend she was able to do so.  Please consider yourselves lucky.

WEEK 13…Here we go…oh, by the way, the record so far this year is 93 winners and 27 losers.  I hope we make it to 100 victories this weekend.  I must say, the wild cards worked out last week…maybe they will again.

BIG TEN IS FEATURED THIS WEEK…

I was brought up on the BIG TEN.  I used to be able to say I had seen every Big Ten team play in person, including Penn State and Nebraska.  I can’t say that anymore.  I could care less if I ever do.  Rutgers joined the Big Ten for New York television dollars and Maryland joined the Big Ten for Mid-Atlantic television dollars.  I care about football more than I care about football money.

Still…I feature the Big Ten this week out of respect for my past.

Michigan beats Maryland…The Terps look to beat the Maize and Blue.  They should be black and blue.

Ohio State beats Indiana…They have since 1988…except for a tie in 1990 (I think).

Minnesota beats Nebraska…Goldy the Gopher is on a roll.  This will make some folks turn their heads sideways like a confused beagle.  I still believe in Goldy.

Penn State beats Illinois…the Illini are at home.  The boys from Happy Valley…do they still say that?…are determined to prove their worthiness.

Northwestern beats Purdue…A let down for Northwestern after the Notre Dame win?  No…Purdue let me introduce you to Wildcat Buzz Saw.  Good luck.

Michigan State beats Rutgers…See Rutgers money reference above.

Iowa beats Wisconsin…May not happen.  I just like my Hawkeyes.

Marshall beats UAB…Like a drum and the Herd still gets no love from the Playoff Committee…Oliver Luck is a member of that bunch, isn’t he?

Louisville beats Notre Dame…The Cards have waited for a game like this since they beat Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl circa 1990.  They take advantage of a Domer team down after a defeat to Northwestern while being less than thrilled to play the likes of Louisville.

UCLA beats USC…Dear Lord…I want to watch this game…please don’t adorn the Bruins in some crappy colors.

Have a great weekend!

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

Firstly…thanks.  So many have sent their well wishes and prayers to my Granny and my family as my Granny is slowly fading away.  She is still here.  How?  You tell me.  She is amazing.  After visiting with her tonight, I can’t help but to believe we shared our last words last night.  She still has the chance to prove me wrong…again.  I will be looking in on her tomorrow afternoon.

Secondly…thanks again.  My speaktherights posts have been paltry of late.  My attention has been on my Granny…not my words.  I know you understand this.  Many of you even appreciate it.  I thank you.  I will be so glad when Granny finds peace.

I was looking at a picture of my Granny today.  She was hanging on to the Great Wall of China in 1993.  How many grandsons can say that?

WVU hate?

No.

Just playful gamesmanship.

I have been asked why I give the West Virginia football team…and even more so their fans…a hard time when it comes to speaktherights.com football picks.

I have nothing against West Virginia.  I LOVE the state.  West Virginia is one of the favorite places of Carrie, my dear wife, and myself.

My beef with the Mountaineers is with their Athletic Director.  His name is Oliver Luck.  Many in Indiana are familiar with this last name.  He is Andrew Luck’s father.  He…Oliver Luck… doesn’t seem to be a fan of the state of West Virginia.  If he loved the state he would do his best to schedule a home and home against the only other FBS school in the state….Marshall.

Carrie and I were at Marshall in 2010 when The Herd hosted big brother at the Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington.  The final score was 24-21 in favor of WVU in overtime.  The stadium was electric.  You couldn’t fit anyone else in the place with a shoe horn.  The official capacity of “The Joan” is 38,000 and change.  There were over 41,000 people jammed in that place that night.  In earnest, it was kind of uncomfortable.  But we sure had fun.

I don’t have anything against the WVU team or their fans.  Am I going to root for them?  No.  Not until Oliver does the right thing for the people of West Virginia and a couple football fans from Harrison County, Indiana.

The couching burning remarks I have made in previous posts?  Just fun.  Albeit a great deal of truth is ingrained.

Personally, I think WVU being a member of the Big 12 was a joke.  I still feel that way.  Have you seen a map lately?

Regardless…do the right thing for the football loving people of West Virginia, Oliver.  Play the Herd every year.  You’re selfish and class conscious if you don’t.

Speaking the Rights.

Danny Johnson

This the sight we woke up to this morning.  School was cancelled today.  That was a good thing.  Carrie, my dear wife, and I were able to spend some time with my Granny.

Granny is still here.  She is weak.  She can put two or three words together. Those words are rare.  She is confined to her bed.  Thankfully, she is still at home.  That is the plan.  Never have I ever seen such a combination of toughness, stubbornness, grace, and dignity.  As much as I hate to let her go…I am ready when she is.  She is a great inspiration.  I am a blessed grandson.

Granny is not asking about football games anymore.  I miss that.

This past weekend I got back in the game in a big way picking the winners and losers.  Had Notre Dame played like they want to be there, I would have been 10 and 0 this weekend picking college football games.

The Northwestern Wildcats beat Notre Dame.  They earned it.

I finished this past Saturday with 9 winners and 1 loser.  I hated to see Duke get beat.  I was afraid they would.  I hope they bounce back against UNC on Thursday night.  Talk about a short road game for the visitor.

So far this year at speaktherights.com we have picked 92 winners and 28 losers.

My friends in Morgantown have no doubt emptied the local supply of lighter fluid.  They look to burn a great many couches this week.  They will be hosting the WIldcats of Kansas State on Thursday night.  The moon shine business loves weekday games in West Virginia.

Oh, by the way, THE HERD is undefeated.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

Week #12 College Football Picks

Cold…cold…cold.  This week’s college football games will be played…many of them…in some very cold weather.  Polar Vortex…polar bear…polar whatever.   It is cold.

I said something about being sad last week because November is here.  The end of college football’s regular season is on the horizon.

I’m also sad because I have been on this planet for over 46 years and this is the first weekend that I have seen college football come around without being able to watch it with my Granny.  She is still here as I type these words this late Friday morning.  But…she won’t be watching football this weekend, I don’t think.

I am so glad Granny was a guest two weeks ago at speaktherights.com as she picked a Sunday’s worth of pro football games.  Granny is famous for uttering a shrill of a yell when her team is on defense and they are closing in on an opposing ball carrier…”GET HIM!”

For Granny…these are the speaktherights.comCollege Football Picks for Week #12:

South Carolina will beat Florida…The Head Ball Coach goes to Gainesville one more time and gets one from the jaws of the Gators.  Steve Spurrier, the SC coach, won a Heisman trophy at UF.  He won a national championship there as a coach.  Gator fans miss him…and they hope to beat his butt!

Penn State will beat Temple…A Nittany Lion should always be favored over an Owl.

Va. Tech will beat Duke…Oh how I hope I am wrong.  Here’s the thing…Duke is 16-1 in their last 17 regular season games.  It has to stop somewhere before they get to FSU in the ACC Championship game, doesn’t it?  Understand…I hope Duke wins 100-0.

Rutgers will beat Indiana…All the grumbling about the basketball team’s tom-foolery in Bloomington will probably give Kevin Wilson a reprieve.  That and the injury to his quarterback may keep him around.  The Hoosiers playing a conference game in New Jersey?  That is almost proof that players should be paid.

Notre Dame will beat Northwestern…This game is a must for the Domers to keep any hope of a grand bowl game they feel is befitting to them.

Tennessee will beat Kentucky…The last time the Wildcats won in Knoxville was thirty years ago.  The Cats have improved.  They will need to beat Louisville to make it to bowl eligibility because they won’t beat the Vols.

Georgia will beat Auburn…UPSET CITY, baby.  The SEC West gets all the love.  Georgia wants some love.  They have the tools to beat Auburn, though it won’t be easy and it will probably come down to a turnover or some form of stupid tax.

MichiganState will beat Maryland…Coming off the embarrassment that was the OhioState defeat last week; Sparty is ready to take it out on Big Ten new kids on the block.

Alabama will beat MississippiState…The Tide just won’t stand for it.  The players don’t want to disappoint the home folks.  They won’t.  The Bulldogs are good…but not good enough to come into Bryant-Denny to beat Bama…not yet.

Marshall will beat Rice to push their record to 10 wins and 0 defeats and the jockeying for being placed in a major bowl game will begin in earnest.  The Herd is a tough bunch.  They really are.  I think they will win 13 games and still be robbed of a chance to win a BIG TIME bowl game.  That is one reason I am not a fan of the college football playoff.  In 1984 BYU won all its games and was crowned the National Champion of college football.  That BYU team beat a 6 win Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl to finish undefeated.  Funny, within the context of playoff to be or not to be…I rarely, if ever, have heard anyone complaining about the BYU Champs of thirty years ago.  Translation: be careful what you ask for.   The bigger College Football tries to get, the more clamoring you will hear about paying players.

By the way…I am so over all these alternate uniform schemes.  Teams wearing three or four different helmets/ uniform schemes in a season is stupid tax.  What is it for?  Recruits?  Are we relegating the tradition of college football because a PR guy said you’ll get more/better recruits who like to play video games where they like to make their own uniforms?

When I turn on the TV I want to look at the screen and know I am watching Alabama.  Check that…I do know.  Alabama hasn’t screwed that up.

When I watched Louisville play FloridaState on a Thursday night recently, U of L came out not looking like Cardinals.  They looked like pelicans that had been drug through an oil spill.  They were gray…oil gray, I would say.  Butt-ugly oil gray.

Which leads me to this:  pass a little of that wasted alternate helmet money on to the players in the form of a stipend to help them get relatives to the game that might not have a chance to see a game in person.  We’re not talking about kids getting rich.

All we are saying…is give good sense a chance.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson