Football Overtime and CBS sunday scheduling

Since it seems impossible to arrive at a fair overtime situation in football that doesn't involve playing an entire quarter, why not allow regular season games which are tied at the end of regulation be scored as a tie?  That would generate a great deal more interesting playoff scenarios and end of game decisions.  Now in the playoffs, just play an extra quarter.

On a tangentially related note, I was disappointed that tonights CBS late game, Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore failed to go into overtime.  You see, CBS airs 60 minutes at the end of the game and all the rest of their sunday programming after that.  Well tonight, the season finale of Survivor was on CBS, and I bet there were a lot of people out there who record it who don't watch football and don't know to record the two hours after the program just to make sure they get it all (Amazing race fans have learned this lesson the hard way already).  An overtime would have made it so that even if you were recording the hour of reuinion show after Survivor you wouldn't have got the winner.  

CBS would have gotten many, many well deserved complaints and just maybe instituted a meaningful change.  I suggest airing 60 minutes in progress, then re-airing it after the regular sunday programming concludes.

Michael

Finger Foods

The pediatrician recommended starting Sammie on solid finger foods.  Specifically cheerios and Gerber Puffs.  I have a policy about trying whatever the baby gets, so I toss a cheerio in my mouth and try to eat it without using my teeth.  It takes a while to soften up, but then disolves to a swalloable paste.  Now I had no idea what a puff was, but I was imagining it to be something akin to a cheeto - light and airy, instantly disolving to nothing when eaten.

No.  Puffs are sort of like flavored cereal.  They take slightly less time to dissolve than a cheerio, but they are still pretty solid pieces of food.  We've fed her both.  The cheerios have caused a few spit ups already - especially if she gets more than one in her mouth.  

Yesterday, I bought one of my favorite snack foods, the all natural white cheddar cheetos.  Light, airy puffs of wholesome fat.  YUMMY!  It occured to me that this was something Sammie could really get into.  So I took a couple of cheetos and sliced them thin using a very sharp knife (courtesy of Barry Maurer).  Each cheeto makes about 10 pieces.  

They were a HUGE hit.  Even babies know a good snack when they get one.  So what would you want - a cheerio that takes 2 minutes to chew, or a cheeto?

Jan 09 MSC Problems

A:  Imps, Fav.  QT64, AQ853, K6, 84

1D (2S) ??

DBL.  It is too clever to try to stop short of game, so I will try to reach the best one.  I'll show modest hearts via the double and then a spades stopped with 3NT.  If partner insists on hearts, then he will be correct.

B:  MPs, ALL.  --, T64, QJT2, AQ9642

(P) P? (1C) P

(1S) P? (2S) P

(P) ??

3C.  I'd've bid minimal clubs both of the previous rounds and I bet there will be more than a couple of complaints from the panel.  Too dangerous to double here, as partner will be passing inappropriately.  I hope to push them up to the three level or more.  2NT is possible, but I don't think that shows more than 4 clubs catering to partner's potential length. (in general, if anyone is to show up with long clubs here, it would more likely be partner than the player behind the 1C bidder who failed to overcall).  

C:  IMPS, UNFAV.  J93, JT, KJ642, AT3

1H - 1NT;

2C - ??

2NT.  Isn't this a prototypical 2NT call... 10 HCPs, good pushers, lots of trick potential?

D:  MPS, NONE:  7643, A5, AK7, AKQ9

(1S) ??

DBL.  Then 3C over 2H.  With some partners I use power doubles, which would solve this problem nicely.

E:  IMPs, NONE.  AJ, 2, AQ9642, Q843

(3H) P (P) 4D

(P) 4H (P) ?

4S.  I don't see an alternative answer, although I guess the panel will come up with one.

F:  IMPS, ALL:  --, AKJ3, AT8532, K54

1D - 1S

??

2H.  A survey problem:  what is the min. to reverse?  I can't see bidding 2C, leaving these hearts unbid.  Partner doesn't have to have a disaster hand.

G:  IMPS, FAV.   J4, J9765, AK653, 6

P (1C) ??

2NT.  I'm in there with this type of hand.  Might find a good save.  Might disrupt their auction.  Against that, we might draw a roadmap in the play or go for a number.  My experience is that the odds favor bidding with the right shape.  And not by just a little.  In some partnerships, we use roman jump overcalls, so 3D would show this handtype, which would blow them out even more.

H:  MPS, BOTH,   J72, K62, JT8, Q942

(1NT) - (3NT)

DJ.  Safe.  I try not to blow a trick at the form of scoring.  Nowadays, more and more people blast 3NT with good majors on the theory that opening leader goes out of their way to lead one.  A spade lead is most likely to blow a trick (at imps, the SJ might be a good shot).  A heart lead is probably safe, a club isn't.

Over 8 hands, I held 18 spades and 34 diamonds.  I suspect that the way bidding systems are set up, you are more likely to encounter difficult problem with minor oriented hands than major hands.