Weekend TV Preview

- An update on the Hammer before you ignore your wife/girlfriend.

From the Lost and Found Dept.: The Ticket's Greg "The Hammer" Williams
Wed Nov 14, 2007 at 11:03:41 AM

I’ll have much more on this saga in next week’s paper version of Unfair Park, but after finally talking with KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket) afternoon co-host Greg Williams last night, I can answer the most pertinent questions:

He’s alive. If not totally well.

His on-going absence is indeed drug-related.

He’s on the road to recovery.

And, yes, he hopes to return to "The Hardline" before the end of the month.

“I’m OK,” Williams said from his Dallas condo. “I’m doing what I need to be doing. Getting the help I need.”

Williams wasn’t real talkative. Not at all forthcoming with specifics. He was, in fact, a hollow whisper of the boisterous, bad-ass “Hammer” persona that made him one of the area’s most popular radio personalities the last 10 years.

Which is not at all surprising, because nothing about the past month has been normal.

Williams disappeared in mid-show the afternoon of October 12. Whether he left voluntarily or was ordered out remains a mystery, but he hasn’t been heard from publicly until now. In Williams’ absence, station management has offered only short, shallow responses along the lines of, “He’s taking personal time off.” And on-air hosts have sprinkled "The Hardline" with only hints: A recent return from a commercial break included Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” punctuated with the infamous Greggo drop, “No! … No! … NO!”

There has been much speculation here (and here and here) that Williams suffered a relapse to the drug addiction that forced him into a Dallas detox center for six days in 2004. Williams will not address that speculation on the record, nor will he discuss on the record whether his problems this time around are due to the prescribed painkiller Lorcet or something harder. But there's no hiding this one fact: This sabbatical has forced him to miss 23 shows. And counting.

Williams has had limited contact with his colleagues at the station since his disappearance, but it sounds as though he wants to return to The Ticket. But after all this, will The Ticket still want its Hammer? --Richie Whitt



Last Week - 5-13
YTD - 101-93-8

Thursday

San Antonio at Dallas (-4) - TNT - 7:00 pm
San Antonio is picking up right where they left off and bucking their trend of slow starts to the regular season. Ginobli is playing about as good of an all around game as anyone in the league. They'd be my pick to win it this year, as my optimism with Dallas has subsided a bit. I still think Dallas is built to beat SA, and poses the biggest threat out of anyone else in the West to beat them in the playoffs, I'm confident in that. I just don't think they're built to beat anyone else. I'm beginning to think more and more this team's one and only shot at winning was in 2006. I hope I'm wrong, but it's the vibe I'm getting. For tonight's purposes, SA is just playing too well, and Dallas looks like they're playing with 2 left feet half the time.
Pick - San Antonio +4

Oregon (-12) at Arizona - ESPN - 8:00 pm
Oregon is coming off of a bye week and Arizona is not very good. If they had any sort of homefield advantage, I'd give them a shot to pull an upset. They can score points, I'm confident in that, but Oregon is just playing a totally different ball game right now. They're shoving down team's throats running the ball and that will prove the difference. Give me a high scoring, 10 point win for Oregon.
Pick - Arizona +12


Friday

Hawaii (-8) at Nevada - ESPN2 - 10:00 pm
Colt Brennan has been cleared to play after suffering a concussion. Nevada is a semi-decent team that can run the ball. The temps will be down in the 30s Friday night, so that is a huge plus for Nevada. A recovering Brennan, weather issues, and a long road trip all equal Hawaii's first loss of the year.
Pick - Nevada +8


Saturday

Ohio State (-4.5) at Michigan - ABC - 11:00 am
So sick of the love fest over this rivalry. This is ABC's wet dream every college football season. They hype this thing up like the Super Bowl. It's a great rivalry, agreed, but come on, these 2 teams are always overrated and play in the inferior Big 10. Both teams are coming off losses, probably for the first time in a long time. I've been thinking Ohio State's been overhyped all year, so I'm definitely taking a home underdog in a rivalry game.
Pick - Michigan +4.5

Missouri (-7) at Kansas State - FSNSW - 11:30 am
I've latched on to the Missouri betting bandwagon. They are currently 7-2 against the spread and after seeing what a horribly coached, unmotivated Nebraska team did to KSU last week, I think Missouri rolls them as well this week. Missouri is on a mission to get to the Big 12 Championship and possibly more, and they won't let an average KSU team slow them down.
Pick - Missouri -7

Duke at Notre Dame (-6) - NBC - 1:30 pm
What a pitiful team, and an overrated coach. Charlie Weis suffers from Callahan-itis.

Definition - An NFL coach who goes to the college game thinking he can coach the same, run the team the same, practice the same, and conduct himself the same as in the NFL. And who also thinks because he's in college, that he's moved down a level, and he is 1 step ahead of everyone because he's from a professional league. It doesn't work that way. Inter-personal relationships are key. Teaching fundamentals is key. Simplifying playbooks is key. Adjusting gameplans to your personnel is key. Not treating the college experience like a paying job is key. Thinking your "scheme" is supreme and thinking you can just plug in robots is not key. The NFL arrogance all of these guys have is just amazing. They don't get it and will be back in the No Fun League soon.

Back to the game, Duke only a 6 point dog at Notre Dame? You kidding me??? ND still covers unfortunately.
Pick - ND -6

Iowa State at Kansas (-26.5) - ABC - 2:30 pm
You know how some coaches hide plays, keep things simple against inferior teams in order to save them for their big games in the following weeks? Well Jaba the Hut doesn't follow that rule. He goes for the throat of every opponent he faces. He absolutely kills ISU this week.
Pick - Kansas -26.5

LSU (-19) at Ole Miss - CBS - 2:30 pm
LSU has a cake walk until the SEC title game, and Ole Miss could be the worst team in the SEC. They will have no problem handling this team. Blowout big time.
Pick - LSU -19

Penn State (-2.5) at Michigan State - ESPN - 2:30 pm
No real reason to watch this game, but MSU covers at home I bet.
Pick - MSU +2.5

Oklahoma State (-14) at Baylor - FSNSW - 6:00 pm
Oklahoma State has crapped the bed twice at home the past 2 weeks. With a chance to play Oklahoma for the Big 12 South title on deck, they blew a 3 TD lead at home to Texas and played like crap in front of a national audience against Kansas. Now they're back to a mediocre record. But they will run Baylor right out of their own stadium.
Pick - OSU -14

West Virginia (-6.5) at Cincinnati - ESPN - 6:45 pm
West Virginia has a very outside shot of making it to the BCS championship. A lot needs to happen, but they still have a shot. Cincinnati doesn't have a bad team at all, and after watching that pitiful performance by WVU last week vs. Louisville, I'm definitely taking the home team. That WVU team is on my crap list, what a bunch of thugs. Cincy has the defense to shut that shotgun spread option BS down. Cincy is 7-2 vs. the spread this year, and WVU is only 5-4.
Pick - Cincy +6

Boston College at Clemson (-7.5) - ESPN2 - 6:45
BC continues their free fall from #2 with a road game at Clemson. Clemson has actually put together a decent season, with an 8-2 record. Death Valley is a tough place to play, and BC will continue the fall.
Pick - Clemson -7.5

Oklahoma (-8) at Texas Tech - ABC - 7:00 pm
I can't figure TT out at all. Looks good one week, and then loses to Colorado at home. The defense always sucks, they always beat up on bad teams, and never beat good ones. But for some reason I have a hard time seeing them lose by more than 8 at home, and at night. I think Oklahoma's defense can be exposed through the air, and this could qualify as the one game a year where Tech is close in a game it shouldn't be. And those games usually happen at home.
Pick - TT +8

Louisville at South Florida (-7) - ESPNU - 7:00 pm
2 disappointing teams. Lousiville has yet to match preseason expectations, and South Florida is proving to be a major fluke after spending the 1st half of the season undefeated and highly ranked. Louisville doesn't have a bad team, and I think is just as talented as SF. Brohm can keep it close.
Pick - Louisville +7

NO CROWN GAME



Sunday

NY Giants (-3) at Detroit - FOX - 12:00 pm
NY isn't that bad. A few breaks go their way last week, and they beat Dallas. Holding calls, a few other penalties don't get called, and it's a whole different game. Detroit is playing way over their heads and is way too inconsistent.
Pick - NYG -3

KC at Indy (14.5) - CBS - 12:00 pm
Indy and Peyton Manning played about as bad as they could have played last week at SD and lost by 2 points. Like I said earlier, they're a damn good team, and I think only a notch below New England, when healthy. But they're severely banged up and are relying on spares I've never heard of to catch passes. And now Freeney is out for a while. KC covers.
Pick - KC +14.5

Washington at Dallas (-10.5) - FOX - 3:15 pm
Dallas has some sort of bad ass mojo working right now. Romo is playing like an all-pro, TO Owens is proving to be a top 3 game-changer in the league, and the defense is getting healthy. Dallas can stop the only thing Washington can do, run the ball. Campbell sucks, the defense is average, Dallas is at home, is playing lights out, and Portis should be neutralized.
Pick - Dallas -10.5

New England (-15.5) at Buffalo - NBC - 7:15 pm
A 15.5 point favorite on the road is just absurd. But the way they're playing this year, it doesn't surprise me at all. Buffalo got up on Dallas and almost won on Sunday night because of 5 INT's from Romo, a defensive TD, and a kick return for a TD, and they still lost. Brady is not Romo, NE special teams are way superior, and they're playing too well to have this happen to them.
Pick - NE -15.5