Can Connor Cover? Nostalgia and Sectional Fever
January 25, 2023 at 11:52 p.m.
Can Connor Cover? Nostalgia and Sectional Fever
By Connor McCann-
I’ve been hard at work working on Sectional Preview tab that will be releasing on Tuesday, so truth be told I completely forgot about the column until late Wednesday afternoon. It’s been a blast and a privilege to cover our seven area girls basketball teams this season and talking to coaches once again while putting together some pages full of artwork has given me playoff fever. I’m extremely excited to cover some sectional matchups next week, hopefully followed by a regional contest or two. Best of luck to all of our participating athletes! It’s been an honor watching you grow this season!
Not much is new with me. I’ve recently tried taking myself back to a simpler time, rewatching movies I loved as a kid, including the entire Rocky series as well the Indiana Jones movies. Last night I watched the 1993 animated Batman movie Mask of the Phantasm for the first time since I was a kid. What a masterpiece. I can say with full confidence that if you have been thinking of taking a trip on the nostalgia train, go for it. Some things may not hold up as well as you remember, but more than a fair share do.
Since finishing my LEGO Titanic I have not yet begun working on my next project. I initially wanted to take a little break after finishing to prevent burnout (and also save some money) but I’m starting to get the itch again. Stay tuned.
Perhaps the best part of my week for the previous two and the next seven has been the weekly releases of HBO’s newest series The Last of Us. The show is based on the video game of the same name and follows two survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they try to cross the country in search of a cure.
I’m a huge gamer but I have never played the game, as it is a Playstation exclusive while I am a lifelong Xbox guy. Friends of mine that have played have told me that the adaptation is extremely faithful and the story only gets crazier from here. As someone who knows nothing about what’s to come, I could not recommend it more.
I mentioned in last week’s column that the divisional round, or the quarterfinal in any other sport, is my usually my favorite round of any tournament. While last year’s divisional round certainly lived up to that billing, this year’s games were filled with duds.
My prediction for the best game of the week, Bengals at Bills, was a blowout from the first possession onward. The Bengals look like a well-oiled machine right now while the Bills are slowing falling further and further from contention.
Elsewhere, the Chiefs handled the Jaguars despite Patrick Mahomes getting injured while the Eagles dismantled the Giants. The lone close game of the weekend was Dallas-San Francisco, which wasn’t even that entertaining, just close. At least it had the funniest final play of all time. Lucky for the league, I don’t care how good the games are. I tune in anyways. At least I went 3-1.
This week we’ve got two razor thin spreads for Conference Championship weekend. No matter who wins these two games, it’s shaping up for an exciting final few weeks of football.
Let’s do this.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)
The two best defenses in the league face off against each other in what has looked to be the inevitable title game for a few months now. The Eagles didn’t miss a beat against the Giants last weekend, as it looks like the bye gave the team the health they needed. The Niners struggled offensively last weekend, though Dallas has a great defense as well. That being said, Brock Purdy has looked like the rookie he is under all of the hype the last few weeks. The good people of Philadelphia are not going to make his life easy on Sunday. I’m taking Jalen Hurts and company.
The Pick: Eagles -2.5
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Cincinnati Bengals (-1) at Kansas City Chiefs
The Patrick Mahomes ankle injury must be something worth noting if the Bengals are favored in this game at Arrowhead. Cincy proved they are not underdogs anymore with that performance in Buffalo last weekend and this line is evidence. It seems like too easy of a layup to take the Chiefs as underdogs in this position, so I am going to go the other way. As good as Joe Burrow was in college, I would laugh in your face if you told me on draft night he’d be in his second Super Bowl on his rookie contract. That might be the case.
The Pick: Bengals -1
There are no games next week, so there are obviously no spreads to cover. I am currently unsure whether I will skip the week or just put together some opinions. Lord knows I have plenty.
I’ve been hard at work working on Sectional Preview tab that will be releasing on Tuesday, so truth be told I completely forgot about the column until late Wednesday afternoon. It’s been a blast and a privilege to cover our seven area girls basketball teams this season and talking to coaches once again while putting together some pages full of artwork has given me playoff fever. I’m extremely excited to cover some sectional matchups next week, hopefully followed by a regional contest or two. Best of luck to all of our participating athletes! It’s been an honor watching you grow this season!
Not much is new with me. I’ve recently tried taking myself back to a simpler time, rewatching movies I loved as a kid, including the entire Rocky series as well the Indiana Jones movies. Last night I watched the 1993 animated Batman movie Mask of the Phantasm for the first time since I was a kid. What a masterpiece. I can say with full confidence that if you have been thinking of taking a trip on the nostalgia train, go for it. Some things may not hold up as well as you remember, but more than a fair share do.
Since finishing my LEGO Titanic I have not yet begun working on my next project. I initially wanted to take a little break after finishing to prevent burnout (and also save some money) but I’m starting to get the itch again. Stay tuned.
Perhaps the best part of my week for the previous two and the next seven has been the weekly releases of HBO’s newest series The Last of Us. The show is based on the video game of the same name and follows two survivors of a zombie apocalypse as they try to cross the country in search of a cure.
I’m a huge gamer but I have never played the game, as it is a Playstation exclusive while I am a lifelong Xbox guy. Friends of mine that have played have told me that the adaptation is extremely faithful and the story only gets crazier from here. As someone who knows nothing about what’s to come, I could not recommend it more.
I mentioned in last week’s column that the divisional round, or the quarterfinal in any other sport, is my usually my favorite round of any tournament. While last year’s divisional round certainly lived up to that billing, this year’s games were filled with duds.
My prediction for the best game of the week, Bengals at Bills, was a blowout from the first possession onward. The Bengals look like a well-oiled machine right now while the Bills are slowing falling further and further from contention.
Elsewhere, the Chiefs handled the Jaguars despite Patrick Mahomes getting injured while the Eagles dismantled the Giants. The lone close game of the weekend was Dallas-San Francisco, which wasn’t even that entertaining, just close. At least it had the funniest final play of all time. Lucky for the league, I don’t care how good the games are. I tune in anyways. At least I went 3-1.
This week we’ve got two razor thin spreads for Conference Championship weekend. No matter who wins these two games, it’s shaping up for an exciting final few weeks of football.
Let’s do this.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)
The two best defenses in the league face off against each other in what has looked to be the inevitable title game for a few months now. The Eagles didn’t miss a beat against the Giants last weekend, as it looks like the bye gave the team the health they needed. The Niners struggled offensively last weekend, though Dallas has a great defense as well. That being said, Brock Purdy has looked like the rookie he is under all of the hype the last few weeks. The good people of Philadelphia are not going to make his life easy on Sunday. I’m taking Jalen Hurts and company.
The Pick: Eagles -2.5
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Cincinnati Bengals (-1) at Kansas City Chiefs
The Patrick Mahomes ankle injury must be something worth noting if the Bengals are favored in this game at Arrowhead. Cincy proved they are not underdogs anymore with that performance in Buffalo last weekend and this line is evidence. It seems like too easy of a layup to take the Chiefs as underdogs in this position, so I am going to go the other way. As good as Joe Burrow was in college, I would laugh in your face if you told me on draft night he’d be in his second Super Bowl on his rookie contract. That might be the case.
The Pick: Bengals -1
There are no games next week, so there are obviously no spreads to cover. I am currently unsure whether I will skip the week or just put together some opinions. Lord knows I have plenty.
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