Shazza Is Coming Back

Look what the Neighbours TAFKA Twitter account announced yesterday.

Jessica Muschamp, who played Sharon Davies in Neighbours during the late-80s to early-90s, is returning to the soap opera for a guest stint.

As I have written many times over the years, I think it's a really cool 'gimmick' to bring old characters back whether it be for a brief period or for longer stays. 

You can pique the interest of older fans that way. Nostalgia piques interest every time.

Sharon was last seen on what was believed to have been the final episode last year. She appeared in a video that was played to the residents. 

Before that would have been, to make a guess: 1991.

After finishing off the post, I checked to see when Muschamp first left the soap. It was 1990. However, I am going to call that a win for me because we were eighteen months behind Australia back then, so it would have been around 1991 when she left our screens!

A Giants Mess

It looks like I was wrong all along.

I am, of course, referring to what I wrote in yesterday's post when I stated that I thought the New York Giants would win or - in the very least - cover the +2.5 spread in last night's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Many handicappers - and even my own spreadsheet - had the Seahawks to win handily.

I, on the other hand, took it upon myself to ignore all the signs and strongly believe the Giants would get the W. My inkling came from the fact the team had not played since Thursday of week three. I thought the freshness would be a benefit.

How wrong.

The final score was 24-3 to the Seahawks.

I happened to wake up early this morning, so watched most of the game in bed. The Giants are bad. Very bad.

Thankfully, I didn't bet on the result. That's a positive.

A Giants Hunch

I am very keen to see how the New York Giants .vs. Seattle Seahawks game plays out tonight.

That's because I have a strong opinion on it. And it goes against a lot of other things.

I believe the Giants will win. There. I wrote it. What is going against me are numerous things. The main one being nearly every football handicapper I have read or listened to thought Seattle were the correct favourites when the line for the game was published.

The Giants have since been moved into the role of underdog, for what it's worth. They're currently +1.5. They were -1.5 in the middle of last week.

Also opposing me is my very own spreadsheet. It has the Giants losing by eleven points.

I won't bet on the game. Well, I doubt I will end up placing a wager on the result as of the time of writing (2:42PM on Monday afternoon). 

The main thing which has me confident in the home team getting the win is the fact that they last played on Thursday of week three. They've had more time to prepare than their visitors. 

The Seahawks currently have a 2-1 record in 2023. The Giants, on the other hand, are 1-2. They lost to the 49ers in week 3 and - obviously - find themselves in a position to attempt to bounce back from the loss with a home win tonight.

My Week 4 DFS Fantasy Team (2023)

Here's the team I've entered into the daily football contest for tonight's slate of NFL games.

Last week's team, even though it scored 117.56 total points, did not finish in the money.

It looks like 142.52 was the number to reach the cut.

As you can see, the team finished in 268.182nd place out of 457,118 entrants.

The Arrest

As a 2Pac fan, there is obviously one thing I have to write about today.

Yesterday, it was announced that Las Vegas authorities had arrested Duane Keith 'Keffe D' Davis in relation to the murder of Tupac in 1996.

I found it surprising to see the news because I have always been of the opinion that Orlando Anderson - Davis' nephew - was the prime suspect in the case.

Anderson was killed a year or so after Shakur, so I did not expect an arrest to ever be made.

Davis was in the car that shot at Pac's entourage. He hasn't shied away from that fact. He has written a book and appeared on many documentaries about the death.

If the book and interviews weren't enough evidence, what have they got on him now?

This is something I'll be watching intently.

Neighbours 3.0: 2 Weeks In

Ever since Neighbours returned last week, I have found it difficult - on most, but not all, days - to remember to watch the episode each morning.

I didn't have that trouble today. I woke up and thought to myself 'time to watch Neighbours'. However, there was one thing I didn't factor into my quest to be ahead of today's curve.

It's Friday. Neighbours is only available on Mondays to Thursdays.

I am sure I'll find myself fitting into a routine eventually. Like I said, it's the first fortnight. I'll adapt.

When I last wrote about the show, I said that it was a case of 'so far, so good' after episode one of the relaunch. To be fair, I am still of this opinion.

Here are some thoughts after watching the first two weeks.

• The new Nell Rebecchi is a huge upgrade from the first. I dislike having to write that because the original Nell had been in the soap since she was a baby. With that said, I cannot imagine her being able to pull off the scenes the current Nell has performed
• I don't know if it's a case of me being more focused on these new episodes, but I have noticed some continuity errors along the way. In one scene, there was a painting on a bedroom wall of Terese's home. In the preceding scene, that very same painting was carried from Toadfish's old home to his new place
• It's good to see Guy Pearce back as Mike Young even if it is going to be short-lived. However - in a scene filmed yesterday - Jane and Mike mentioned Cardiff. Jane said something about 'Cardiff Castle car park'. The castle does not have a car park!
• I have to see some more of Mischa Barton's work because - as it pertains her performances on Neighbours - I am not blown away. 
• Ian Smith being back as Harold Bishop is my next best favourite think next to Guy Pearce popping back in. However, just like with Mike Young, I don't expect Harold to be in for the long haul

Predicting The TNF Week 4 Winners (2023)

This is yet another week where I'll pass on giving out a pointspread or totals play on Thursday Night Football.

The most reluctant pass in my new approach to these posts so far.

My spreadsheet has the Green Bay Packers winning by a field goal at home against the Detroit Lions and for the total number of points to be forty-nine.

Those projections mean the spreadsheet is calling for plays on Green Bay +1.5 and Over 46. 

I have looked over the database of results between the Lions and Packers to make a case for either recommendation. Only one thing stood out to me.

The Packers are 38-18 Straight Up in all meetings dating back to the 1995 season. If I were to narrow it down to Packers having home field advantage, they are 24-4 Straight Up.

With the Packers home dogs, I looked at their record in that scenario against the Lions. And that is what led to me reaching a pass.

They are 1-2 against the spread in that role. To include all fixtures, the Packers are 3-9 overall. 

It seems like such a small thing to deter me, doesn't it? I also have factored in those Packers teams were run by Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in this period. Plus, they went up against some poor Lions teams over those years. 

The Over-Under is 28-27-1 overall and 14-14 in Green Bay, so there is nothing standing out to me.

It's a tough pass on the Packers +1.5, though. Rules are rules.