HAPPY NEW YEARS

The Floss assumes all responsibility for the 11 day layoff. Surveys are in and the readership has dropped 50%. All kidding aside, the Floss is ready to set some resolutions for the "Great '08". This is a good name for the year the Steelers get the 6th Super Bowl. This was going to also include Pitt making the Final 4, but we all know what happened to that team. 10 Resolutions for a "Great '08"

10. Find the cheerleader who took out Levance's ankle and kill her. Seriously.

9. Stop being such a girl about eating a 3 pound hamburger.

8. Line up at Center for the Steelers. (Mahan needs a kick in the ass)

7. Completely go through with the plan to have a boozefest on National Letter of Intent Day, which is Feb. 6th, 2008(Great '08 when TPry commits). 36 days away. If TPry commits, you can double my tab on the 72 hour coke binge. (Note: The 72 hour coke binge was a promise from me during the 2nd quarter of the Backyard Brawl)

6. Don't gamble on sports for a whole year. (Personal resolution, after football it shouldn't be too tough)

5. Celebrate my first St. Patricks Day. Never drank for it in high school. Stayed in to study last year. I wanna drink some green beer for the first time.

4. 3 roadtrips for Pitt football games. This is a big one. I wanna go to Notre Lame and beat up on some Catholics. I don't know where number 2 is, it is the big question mark(Cinci, maybe Cuse). Number 3 will be a bowl game. I have wanted to go to a bowl game since I started following Pitt football. This should be a resolution for the Pitt football team as well.

3. Pay no attention to the '08 election. As long as Hillary Cunton doesn't win, I really don't care. Seriously, I don't care.

2 a. This is a 3 part resolution. Stop being such a negative sports fan.
2 b. Disacciote with all yinzers who thought that the Steelers loss to Baltimore was a result of bad play, not the players just not giving a shit. This basically means I can't talk to any family members over 30.
2 c. Riot after the Steelers win the Super Bowl(stopping the negativity).

1. Update the Floss 3 times a week in a "Great '08". When people go to review 2008, I want them to say, "I remember that year, it was the year of the Floss".

PITT HOOPS

The Dayton game is one loss, but Levance Fields injury will be many many more losses. I have no idea what this Pitt team will be able to do without him. Honestly, I don't think they are a tourney team without him. Brad Wannamaker is the key. If he can step up into superstardom right now, this team can win enough to make it to March. It really f-ing sucks that the Pitt team has lost 40% of its starters in 2 games. 60% if you factor in that Ronald Ramon has been so non-existant.

PITTSBURGH STEELER TIME

I may be out on a limb very alone here, but I am fine with the Steelers performance yesterday. I said all week I wanted rest for the players, which the offensive unit got. The defensive performance was mainly starters, but the defense has been bad and I don't know if they even wanted to play yesterday. How much fire could they have played with yesterday? I don't think the Jagoffs can come and beat us in Heinz Field for the 2nd time in a month. Ain't gonna happen.

Happy New Year

LETS GO PITT

This is probably the best Thursday in terms of sports of the year(maybe first day of the tourney is better). First Pitt vs. Duke at the Garden at 7 and then Steelers vs. Rams at 8:15(Navy vs. Utah in the Poinsetta Bowl too). Tomorrow should probably be considered one of the many hangover days built into your work schedule. A case of beer and a large pizza per person, lock it up, write it down, championship. Tonight could have four possible outcomes: Super Shitty(Steelers and Pitt loss), Shitty(Steelers win and Pitt loss), Great but Empty(Pitt huge win early, Steelers choke late), and Fuck Yeah(Pitt wins and Steelers win). FUCK YEAH.

PITT-DUKE MATCHUPS

Fields-Paulus: This matchup will go Fields way as the most overrated player in cbb will be exposed once again. Fields is quicker and will force turnovers all game. However, if Ramon guards him, it will be a different story as Ramon is slow and reaches often.

Ramon-Henderson: This matchup is really tough for Pitt. I don't think Ramon is anywhere near Henderson in athleticism or quickness. Ramon best be stroking the threes or he will not get many minutes tonight. Look for Gil Brown, Benj, and Wannamaker to get a lot of minutes b/c of their size and defensive ability.

Cook-Nelson: Up til the Ok. St. game, I was worried about this matchup, but now not so much. Cook did a great job guarding James Anderson, who is longer and better than Nelson. Nelson has been stroking the three ball this year, which is a concern. I still like Cook to play well tonight.

Young-Singler: What Sam Young is doing this year has been special, even if a lot of his points were against lesser teams. On defense he is suspect. He can make the big block, but he doesn't have very good lateral quickness. Singler hasn't impressed me much all year. Unless Singler is stroking it from deep, Sam Young shouldn't have a prob guarding him.

Blair-Zubek or Thomas: Blair will own either one of these two. Blair will be absolutely dominant tonight, but Dixon must watch Blair close. The Dookies will be flopping all over the court b/c Dejuan loves putting body on players. Dixon CAN'T let Blair get 2 quick fouls. Zubek and Thomas are about as solid offensively as a MAC level player.

I think Pitt will win b/c that is the homer in me. I also think Levance truly plays one of the best games of his career tonight. Howver, the one thing that scares me is bench play. Dixon has been very hesitant in playing his bench all year. Biggs should give solid defensive minutes and 5 fouls. Benjamin WILL have a huge game tonight. Probably like 12 points and 5 boards in 20 min. Brown has seen his time cut recently and he looked nervous at the Pete last Saturday. I hope he comes to play on the big stage in NYC. We need Gil for defense. Wannamaker and Diggs haven't played in the last 2 games, which was a huge mistake by Dixon. They will probably need to play each around 6 to 8 big minutes tonight. They could be the difference in a W or L because thats how even these teams matchup. When its all said and done I still like Pitt.

Pitt 77

Duke 72

GRAYZILLA

Aaron Gray recorded his first career double-double last night in Washington. Aaron Gray had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in 29 minutes of action. Never saw this coming. Congratuaflossinlations.

STEELERS VS. RAMS

Truly lost in all the Pitt-Duke hype in my life are the 9-5 Steelers. How spoiled has Pittsburgh become with the Steelers? They are 9-5 under first year coach Mike Tomlin and fans are going ape shit. They are favored tonight against the Rams and will be against Baltimore next week. Win these 2 games, 11-5. Who wouldn't have been happy with 11-5 at the beginning of the year? If they finish at 11-5(Floss thinks so) they will be the 3 or 4 seed. 3 or 4, it doesn't matter, we aren't shitting the bed at home in the playoffs against the Brownies or Jagoffs. Then to Indy or New England, again probably doesn't matter, both likely losses. The season would not be a disappointment unless the team loses the division to the Brownies. If that happens, all of Pittsburgh will be jumping off the Clemente Bridge. The Steelers WILL execute tonight, and they WILL WIN.

STEELERS 31

RAMS 21

PI-TT......Here we go Steelers

TILA FINALE RECAP

I wanted all of my thoughts from tonights Tila fresh, so here goes the closest thing to a live blog that you will ever get. Going into the season finale, I thought Dani was a lock. Not so fast my friend. Bobby pulled what some analysts are calling an upset of Stanford-USC proportions(not quite Brawl worthy). The finale started with Tila showing Bobby and Dani what her "career" is like. Tila has about as much singing talent as the Floss in the shower. Then she gave the contestants a chance in the studio. It was a freestyle while sober, nearly impossible. Bobby was probably the whitest rapper I have ever heard. It was painful. As described by T, "I feel second hand embarassment". Dani came in and killed it. She could rhyme and seemed to not want to stab her eyeballs out like Bobby did. I thought this segment was just another example of Dani being the right fit for Tila. Next she invited both families to her house for dinner, funny thing is it really isn't her house. Why do reality shows think all viewers are morons? This segment was boring other than Tila dancing on stripper poles. Honestly, if Tila was a stripper, it would be 10000000000 times more believable than her being a singer. She is much better on a stripper pole than in a recording studio. Her singing "manager" also looked like an illegal immigrant who could definitely run a strip club, I'm just saying. The families coming was a dumb time killer. Then it was on to the last 2 dates. Dani was up first and gave Tila some stupid ass gift with her phone number in some keychain dealy. This was lame, but you could see that their date was going well and that Dani clearly had a lead. So it was time for Bobby to step it up. I wanted Bobby to make up some much needed ground in this war. He comes into the date with his present. I predicted something lame. He went with a songbook or some stupid journal that looked like a burlap sack. Her comment is "I have something just like this". So his creative gift, the only chance he had left, just backfired. I thought it was over, but Bobby hung in there. He had fun and had "the kiss everyone hopes for". He should have phrased that as, "the kiss that everyone waits for on bullshit reality shows". Going into the finale everything was set up for a Dani victory. T was saying the whole time, this is all setting up for a Dani victory, but Bobby is going to win. He pointed out that many reality shows had the exact same spin on the episode to create more drama. Bobby utters right before the final ceremony that he isn't confident at all. After that, I should have known that line was set up. I still didn't believe it. I thought Dani and Tila were headed to lesbian paradise. Then Tila picks Bobby, who was as stunned as I. Dani reacted like a professional. I was happy the way she handled herself after the loss. To put it into perspective, how many lesbian dating shows have ever been on TV? Zero. How much notoriety will she get amongst the gay and lesbian community? A ton. She will be the god damn Jessica Simpson of dykes. She will be pulling soo much pussy that she will probably go straight. Tila and Bobby will probably not be together after the show is over because of the long layoff. This show had a great run and hopefully another similar show will air. In related reality TV show news, mid January Rock of Love returns. Rock of Love II with Bret Michaels is a lot better than Tila and involves way more boozing and way more sluts. Booyah.

GET EXCITED

"They put a lot of players in the league, and it's a good test. I can't wait. I'm not going sleep at night while I'm thinking about this game, so it's going to be a fun game. I'm going to have fun, so you'll see a lot of smiling. Duke didn't recruit me at all, so that's another reason why I'm going to go off on them."--Pitt Star Freshman Dejuan Blair

PI-TT

THE HAMBURGLAR

The Floss is ready to take his show on the road. Literally, I'm talking road trip. Currently, I am sitting at home wanting to poke my eyeballs out because everyday here is so boring. Why not road-trip-it? This just isn't going to be a road trip, it's going to be an experience for the ages. The town is Clearfield, PA. North of State College, east of Pittsburgh, 2 hours and 14 minutes from Murrysville. The destination of the trip, Denny's Beer Barrel Pub(http://www.dennysbeerbarrelpub.com/). They are home to the World's Largest Cheeseburger. They have 4 types of challenge burgers, a two-pounder, a three-pounder, the Ye Olde 96'er(6 pounds), and a fifteen pound burger(2 people). They also have over a fifty pound burger and an over 100 pound burger that is 379.95! Picking the burger to eat is the most important decision. I don't care if I win the challenge, I just want a respectable effort. I don't actually think I could make the wall of fame because I refuse to eat all that is on the burger. I don't eat pickles, lettuce, mayo, mustard or relish. Call me a Plain Jane. Their Wall of Fame means nothing to me. In setting this goal, I need to be realistic yet also optimistic. A little known fact about the Floss, in 10th grade I polished off a 1 1/4 lb burger that was a giant. Since 10th grade, I have gotten fatter and wiser. Basically I see three burger options, so I have to pick the best option for me. I think it all boils down to this:

1. The 2-pounder. Obviously the most realistic of the choices. Since it is so feasable, it is therefore not sexy. The Floss is all about sexy. Probability of getting picked: 20%.



2. The 3-pounder. Taking it a pound further. You eat this burger, they pick up the tab. That adds incentive. I would like to think I have a chance at this guy. This is like Rocky stepping into the ring with Drago. I wanna eat this burger and find Adrian at the end. Probability of getting picked: 70%.



3. The Ye-Olde 96er. A 6 pound burger. I could never eat a 6 pound burger(with all the fixins, it is well over 10 pounds). The only person to eat this burger is a 100 pound woman from New Jersey. This goal is unrealistic, however I see some potential. This pick has the potential to be a huge letdown, even eating half would be a letdown. I was thinking about a charity event with this burger, like a dollar for every ounce I eat, but I don't think I could realistically get past three pounds, which basically eliminates this burger. Probability of getting picked: 10%.

This road trip really doesn't require much. I will gladly drive this remarkable journey to Burger Heaven, but I would prefer 3 wingmen to my side. Anyone interested should contact the Floss. I need at least one can of chew, preferably mint or peach(road trip chew). I would need inspiration, signs, cards, posters, words of encouragement, etc. I would also like one of the wingmen to help document this trip because it would make for great blogging.

Three Pounds of Fun.

PITT BASKETBALL

Lost in the shuffle with all of the beautiful Pitt football commitments has been the overachieving Pitt Panthers basketball team. Since the Steelers HAD been playing well, I really wasn't too concerned with the Pitt basketball team, but I'm right back with them. They are in the middle of a terribly tough 5 game stretch(@ Duquesne, W, @ Washington, W, Oklahoma St., W, Duke @ MSG, and @ Dayton). I did not expect the Panthers to win those 3 games. They have a great it factor with this team. I am starting to trust Levance Fields more and more to win this team any game. Sam Young has developed into a much more polished jump shooter and a scorer for this team. Mike Cook and Ronald Ramon provide some senior leadership. But this team's real heart and soul is the BIG guy in the middle, Dejuan Blair. He is going to own Duke in MSG. This team is going to shock the college basketball world Thursday, when the realize that Young-Blair-Fields is a better nucleus than Paulus-Nelson-Singler. Pitt pulls a HUGE upset Thursday, 77-72.

TILA FINALE

The end is in sight for Tila, as she picks who ultimately gets the shot at love. After last weeks huge letdown, airing a stupid unseen moments show, MTV is giving us the finale Tuesday. Down to Dani and Bobby, she will make the choice of man v. woman. It was shocking to see the 2 favorites last the whole way and be in the finals against each other. Dani has been the front runner for weeks now, and the Floss ultimately thinks she will win. The Floss and every other man in America should be pulling for Bobby however.

Look for a Pitt football recruiting update this week along with a Tila recap, and maybe even a blog about the burger.

Back to Bed

FUCK YOU REPEAL DAY--DAN ONORATO

The night before Repeal Day(much more legit than Black Friday), Allegheny County passed a law to tax all poured drinks 10%. The 18th amendment to our Constitution was enacted in 1919 and repealed in 1933 by the passing of the 21st amendment. 14 years without booze, a.k.a the first 14 years of my life(sorry Terr, I know you didn't hold out that long). The money from the drink tax will go to the city's public transportation system. Our city's public transportation system needs funding, but this might not be a best way. Since the Floss isn't 21 yet, this law doesn't affect me yet one bit. However, when I turn 21 they are going to have .91 cent draft nights in order to keep draft nights one dollar. In such a monumental week for boozing in America, how is Allegheny County gonna do us dirty like this.



STEEL CURTAIN



The Steelers play the best team in the NFL this week, so what does it's least important player on the defense do, guarantee victory. Anthony Smith, what in the flying FUCK were you thinking? Why give them more motivation other than their quest to be the best team in NFL history and the greatest dynasty in history? Anthony Smith claimed he has always been a winner. Good one, you were 18-30 in your career at 'Cuse. A stellar 1-10 in your senior season. Last year as a reserve on the Steelers, the team went 8-8. Smith hasn't had a winning season in 5 years until now. Shut your mouth Smith. I don't like the Steelers chances this week in New England. People are getting down a little bit off the New England horse. They will be motivated at home. The Steelers are BAD on the road under Tomlin. I think our defense will come to play, but the offense will have trouble because of Parker's recent struggles and Ben will turn the ball over a few times. The Floss likes the Pats 28-17 in Foxboro. I will say this, what I have been saying all season, we will lose now, win in the playoffs. Ben Roethlisberger is going to elevate this team to a conference championship game and possibly a Super Bowl. He will silence any critics he has ever heard.



TILA UPDATE



Due to school commitments, the Floss was unable to catch Tila this week. I did hear who is in the finals, Dani and Bobby. The Floss made a prediction that Amanda was taking this, but he was wrong as with most things. I have noticed the recent support from females for Dani on Tila. A lot of facebook stalking has made me realize the recent support for Dani from the womens. She is a woman crush for chicks apparently, although since all girls are lesbians, this is just proving my new Tila theory. The new Tila theory, a guy won't mind threesomes, a dyke will. Tila is going with the d-piece on this one(no homo).


KILLA CAM



The Floss ain't talking about rap music. We are talking about Killa Cam Saddler and his commitment to Pitt this Wednesday. A 4 star prospect who projects as just a kick and punt returner on the next level(he does soo much more). Ask the Bears how Devin Hester is working out for them? Keeping the WPIAL players in Pittsburgh is so big because of the number of studs every year, especially a team like Gateway. Cam Saddler is on record saying he is going to be recruiting kids until LOI day. A huge get would be his cousin and teammate Shayne Hale. Hale is a hell of a player, a MLB or OLB or DE who can step in as a freshman and strengthen the D. Hopefully he announces at the US Army All American game on January 5th. That game has 3 potential Pitt commits in it(Luke Nix(committed), Jonathan Baldwin(90%), and Shayne Hale(60%)). This could be Wanny's best class ever, which is amazing since the team has been underperforming, but after WVU we are ready for the Wanny dynasty to truly begin. Zack Stoudt also committed today, which is not good in a numbers sense because Pitt is also trying to land Tino the Great and Greg "Im a boss and love the Floss" Cross. Pitt football will probably be referenced in every blog from here til the end, so get used to it.

If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. If you can't stand the Floss, get out of the bathroom(so lame).

"I'M SO PROUD OF THIS FUCKING TEAM"

Tyler Palko uttered those infamous words just 3 years ago, but the echoes are louder today. What happened at Notre Dame stadium was awesome, but nothing matches the buildup for the Backyard Brawl. WVU was playing in the biggest game of their lives. A 4-7 Pitt team walked into THEIR HOUSE and beat them up and down the field. Dave Wannsteadt and all the coaches deserve a ton of credit for pumping that team up to play. They had them believe all week. I could sit here and gush about all the players, but I'm going to limit it to 2. LeSean McCoy is officially the savior. I've never seen a kid earn more yards than McCoy did last night. He fought for everyone of his 148 yards(had 20 more if no phantom holding calls). The next player is Scott McKillop. I remember him 2 years ago as a RS Freshman playing at WVU and getting ran all over the field. He grew up in the Panthers backyard, he FUCKING hates WVU and showed it. He should be a finalist for the Butkis next year, he is that good. He flew all over that field. This game will never be forgotten by either school. How many days 'til spring ball???????

"It was a nightmare, just a nightmare."