Hi-FIVE

It’s Just Emotion, That’s Takin’ Me Over…
The joy (or perhaps curse) of being a fan of Washington teams is that you take disappointment in stride because it happens so often, and therefore end up really cherishing every win. We think, however, it’s getting to a little too much of an emotional rollercoaster (hence the Bee Gees reference above).

The Wizards followed their fantabulous win over the Spurs with a 5-game losing streak against mediocre teams, at best. Larry knew the Wiz offense like the back of his hand, so he, boy wonder Lebron, and the rest of the Cavaliers ran them into the ground. But what’s their excuse for the Timberwolves, Nets, Nuggets and Magic? Of course, just as we were down in the dumps, they grab an amazing, nail-biting win in Detroit city in double overtime, 120-114. We put the brakes on the Pistons, two-time NBA finalists. Then what happens two days later? They lose to the Bobcats. The BOBCATS!

Not only does that leave us scratching our heads, but it also gives us some emotional pain. C’mon Gilbert & company, save us from this rollercoaster and give us some consistency!

And speaking of consistency (NOT), how ‘bout those 5-6 Redskins? Washington just can’t seem to hold onto a win, as we dropped another one to L.T. and the San Diego Chargers this past Sunday, 23-17. San Diego had 17 unanswered points in their victory. Our defense, which was once our saving grace, has now officially fallen apart, even with LaVar Arrington back. We couldn’t even lose with the dignity of a field goal in overtime. Nooo, we had to deal with humiliation of a touchdown on, like, the second play. How pathetic! This was the second week in a row where a former Washington coach rolled into FedEx Field and got the W against their former team (Norv Turner and his Oakland Raiders beat the Redskins the week before). To this we say…BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You’re making it hard for us, but we still heart you, Redskins. Because we have to!


Westwood vs. South Central
Rivalry weekend in college football may be over, but the biggest one of all (at least in our humble opinion) is this Saturday when the Bruins of UCLA (or “the enemy” as Fenella frequently refers to them) take on the two-time national champion Trojans of USC. It’s set to be a great game where the PAC-10 title and LA bragging rights are on the line. If – excuse us, WHEN - USC wins, they’re a lock for the BCS Championship Game at the Rose Bowl (ironically, UCLA’s home field – ouch). UCLA’s playing for a BCS bowl trip.

Since Fenella is a USC alum and thus, brainwashed into a crazy Trojan fan, her take on this is reduced to “UCLA SUCKS, TROJANS RULE. GO USC!” This game is SO important to her that she told her boss she couldn’t work an event on Saturday because she had to watch the game (priorities, people, priorities). Perhaps Andrea can provide better insight into this PAC-10 match-up…

Andrea says: The City of Angels isn’t big enough for two powerhouse college football teams. This Saturday, one team will prove who remains supreme (Iron Chef, ha ha!). Southern California’s performance this year has been no surprise – with Heisman Trophy-winner Matt Leinart (cutie patootie!) having an even better season than last year, and Reggie Bush looking to be the second Trojan in a row to garner Heisman honors. What is a little more startling is the Bruins bouncing back from their 6-6-season in ‘04 to go 9-1 thus far. Well…it does help to have Marcedes Lewis, one of the top Tight Ends in college football, and Heisman candidate Maurice Drew as TB.
So who will win the matchup? Both squads have had some quality non-conference wins (Bruins against Fresno State and the Trojans against Fresno State and Notre Dame), but SC has the slight edge, because the Blue and Gold’s lone loss came from Arizona (and boy do THEY suck!), where they got trampled in Tuscon, 52-14. For that reason, I favor Southern California this Saturday.

Big Ben versus P Mann: Roethlisberger’s Rusty Return to the Field in a 26-7 Loss to Indianapolis
The bubble had to burst at some point. What was a freak, Cinderella rookie season for Ben Roethlisberger last year is no more. He returned to football on Monday after being out for three weeks from having arthroscopic knee surgery, and the horse and carriage that carried the Steelers to an AFC Championship game has now turned back into a pumpkin. Indianapolis had been labeled as a finesse team so many times they could endorse shampoo (Women of the world, say farewell to flat hair!). But the Colts played tough against the Steelers (nine tackles from 5’8” Bob “Tiny Tim” Sanders), and Peyton “D CAF” Manning continued to show his excellent management skills on the field. The tone of the game was pretty much set when Indy scored on the first play of their first possession. Yikes!

And how ‘bout them Colts, eh? They’ve got Tennessee, Jacksonville, San Diego, Seattle and Arizona left on their schedule. Can one of these teams upset them, or are the Colts on their way to an undefeated season?

With the absence of Laguna Beach, Andrea missed the first half of the game and went to the mall instead. She does regret it but…LOOK HOW SHINY!