Sunday, December 30, 2012

Friday, December 28, 2012

Malls

There are very few thriving physical retailers these days outside of the daily consumables markets. I did a quick analysis on the high-level health of the National Retail Federation’s list of the Top 100 retailers in 2012, focusing on merchandise retailers that would likely be located in malls (removing grocery, drug, restaurant and online retailers). I looked at three measures of retailer health: total sales growth, comp store sales growth and number of stores.
The analysis doesn’t paint a very pretty picture regarding the health of the leading physical retailers in the United States. Total sales growth is mixed and is negative for 20 percent of the sample. Comp store sales growth—arguably the key measure of retailer health—is also mixed and a quarter of the sample is negative. And note that many of these sales results include the retailers’ online segments, so the picture for their physical stores is even worse. Lastly, store counts are simply stagnant—about as many top retailers shrank their store count as expanded it, and precious few are expanding aggressively. The largest retailers in the U.S. do not look very healthy. And if they’re struggling, it’s likely that their more marginal physical competitors are struggling even more.
The Death of the American Shopping Mall

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Friday, December 14, 2012

it begins!


a few notes

I did actually simulate the first two games and nevada and toledo won them.

I picked Syracuse just so i could say 'apple pickers.'

I meant to pick the B1G to win every game but I forgot about Purdue and now I don't care.

Imagine being a senior at Pitt. Three straight PapaJohns.com bowls. Plus all the coachdickery.

Correct my math, but that looks like a bunch o' crisis


Tha Captain first, befitting the elder

Nevada vs. Arizona
Toledo vs. Utah State
Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky
Bowling Green vs. San Jose State
Duke vs. Cincinnati
UCLA vs. Baylor
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
Air Force vs. Rice
Syracuse vs. West Virginia
Texas vs. Oregon State
Clemson vs. LSU
Michigan vs. South Carolina
Nebraska vs. Georgia
Wisconsin vs. Stanford
Oregon vs. Kansas State
Oklahoma vs. TAMU
Kent State vs. Arkansas State

Charles picks bowls

Gildan New Mexico
Nevada vs. Arizona (-9.5)
Dec. 15
This should be a fun start, right? Two high-powered offenses, bad teams, etc etc? I'm not quite sure why Arizona is such a big favorite, but I do expect them to win.
My pick: ARIZONA

Famous Idaho Potato
Toledo vs. Utah State (-10.5)
Dec. 15
It's famous! It's in Idaho. It's a potato? Utah State is pretty good.
My pick: UTAH STATE

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia
BYU (-3) vs. San Diego State
Dec. 20
I like Bronco Mendenhall, and I think BYU is pretty good, too. I like how ESPN, in the little Matchup things, lists BYU as 0-1 in their division.
My pick: BYU

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg
UCF (-7) vs. Ball State
Dec. 21
My natural inclination is to pick the upset, since UCF lost the CUSA title game. But! Nobody cares about the CUSA title game, and Ball State is pretty mediocre. UCF is too, but less.
My pick: UCF

R+L Carriers New Orleans
East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (-6)
Dec. 22
I'm kind of surprised that both of these schools' coaches are still around, especially ULAF. East Carolina is not a good football team.
My pick: ULL

MAACO Las Vegas
Washington vs. Boise State (-5.5)
Dec. 22
Boise State's pretty good; Washington is less so.
My pick: BOISE STATE

Sheraton Hawaii
Fresno State (-12.5) vs. SMU
Dec. 24
It has been years since I have watched an SMU football game.
My pick: THE REAL FSU

Little Caesars Pizza
Western Kentucky (-5.5) vs. Central Michigan
Dec. 26
If CMU weren't so thoroughly uninspiring a football team (according to the Football OUtsiders rankings, CMU is worse than Auburn (so is East Carolina; see above)), I would pick the upset. But even with all the whatnot going on at Western Kentucky, with the stench of Petrino, I can't pick Central Michigan to win this. I do like the regional face-off flavor of this game.
My pick: WESTERN KENTUCKY

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
San Jose State (-7) vs. Bowling Green
Dec. 27
I was just telling my wife there's not enough militarism in America today. Bowling Green: also not terribly good at football. Let's see if San Jose State plays hard for their interim coach.
My pick: SAN JOSE STATE

Belk
Cincinnati (-7) vs. Duke
Dec. 27
I notice the defensive line coach is the interim coach for Cincinnati, that's neat. I assume that, just as I would, they will play real hard to impress Tommy Tuberville.
My pick: CINCINNATI

Bridgepoint Education Holiday
Baylor vs. UCLA (pick'em)
Dec. 27
This is the first decent game, isn't it? What a crap bowl lineup we have. But this one is pretty good, two improving teams. It's also real tough to pick! I am going with the coach I like better.
My pick: BAY, LORD OF THE BEARS

AdvoCare V100 Independence
The Ohio University vs. Louisiana-Monroe (-7)
Dec. 28
Ohio is slightly overrated, LA-MO slightly underrated.
My pick: LA-MO

Russell Athletic
Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech (-2.5)
Dec. 28
Woof. Virginia Tech's best win, I guess, either pasting Bowling Green or Duke? Rutgers beat a bunch of nobodies, and they're sad about not going to the BCS. Va Tech doesn't want to go out with a losing record.
My pick: VA TECH

Meineke Car Care of Texas
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech (-13)
Dec. 28
TOMMY! Another line coach, this time TTU's offensive one, is the interim coach. This is the dumbest bowl season ever.
My pick: TEXAS TECH

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Rice vs. Air Force (-1.5)
Dec. 29
This is really an unfair advantage, for the Air Force to get to play in the Helicopter Bowl. My favorite line in the STATS LLC bowl preview: "Rice has split two bowl games since a postseason drought from 1962 to 2005." Even though they finished with a bunch of bad teams, Rice has the Big Mo Mentum. I think this is my first upset pick so far.
My pick: RICE

New Era Pinstripe
West Virginia (-4) vs. Syracuse
Dec. 29
It's a new era of distinctly flawed football! We live-tweeted a Syracuse game, that was fun. It would also be good to the Belk Bowl teams, but their basketball teams, and then have those four play. Last year I picked Clemson to beat West Virginia, and I was (to put it gently) wrong about that.
My pick: WEST VIRGINIA

Kraft Fight Hunger
Navy vs. Arizona State (-14.5)
Dec. 29
The dumbest bowl name of them all returns to grace for another year with its stupidity. I tend to think the option is less of an advantage with plenty of time to prepare. If nothing else, I think ASU can just outscore this game.
My pick: ARIZONA STATE

Valero Alamo
Texas vs. Oregon State (-2)
Dec. 29
Remember the Alamo Bowl is a thing I would say a lot if Auburn ever went to bowl games ever again. I think Oregon State is pretty good, and Texas lost their offensive coordinator.
My pick: OREGON STATE BEAVERS

Buffalo Wild Wings
TCU (-2.5) vs. Michigan State
Dec. 29
I hadn't realized how close Michigan State was to a much better record. Only one of their losses was by more than four points. I like TCU and I think Patterson is a better coach, but Michigan State looks like the better team.
My pick: Michigan State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City
NC State vs. Vanderbilt (-7)
Dec. 31
Vandy is dandy, and Doeren is scorin'. Uh, yeah. I was surprised that NC State fired Tom O'Brien. NC State got beat handily by Virginia and Tennessee; Vandy was competitive against everybody not in the top five, and they beat (an admittedly much worse, much later in the season) Tennessee.
My pick: VANDY

Hyundai Sun
USC (-10) vs. Georgia Tech
Dec. 31
Georgia Tech should not be in a bowl game.
My pick: USC

AutoZone Liberty
Iowa State vs. Tulsa (pick'em)
Dec. 31
Iowa State should not be in this bowl game.
My pick: TULSA

Chick-fil-A Peach
LSU (-4) vs. Clemson
Dec. 31
Hot Tiger on Tiger action. Do you remember when Auburn used to play in bowl games, like the Peach Bowl? I do. Anyway, I think LSU can slow down Clemson's offense. I do not think Clemson can slow down LSU's offense.
My pick: LSWHO?

TaxSlayer.com Gator
Mississippi State (-2) vs. Northwestern
Jan. 1
Mississippi State didn't beat anybody of note. Northwestern didn't really, but they got closer. Mississippi State is coming off a disappointing season close-out.
My pick: NORTHWESTERN

Heart of Dallas
Purdue vs. Oklahoma State (-16.5)
Jan. 1
I like Oklahoma State, big. They didn't just fire their coach and they're actually a good team. If it comes to a shoot-out, OSU is much better positioned to win. This might be one of those 45-28 kind of games, in Oklahoma State's favor.
My pick: OKLAHOMA STATE

Outback
South Carolina (-5) vs. Michigan
Jan. 1
I'm surprised this line isn't bigger. South Carolina lost to better teams, beat better teams, and has been more consistent doing so.
My pick: YEAH CLICK CLACK SOUTH CAROLINA

Capital One
Georgia (-10) vs. Nebraska
Jan. 1
Georgia comes out of the SEC Championship game feeling like they were a play away from beating the defending (and soon to be) national champions. Nebraska does not come out of their conference title game feeling good. I would be very sure about this pick, except for the possibility that Georgia will be overlooking Nebraska. It's been a really long time since I picked against Nebraska in a Pick Them.
My pick: UGA

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio
Wisconsin vs. Stanford (-6.5)
Jan. 1
Stanford is good, Wisconsin is out a head coach. If Beliema were still around, this might be an upset pick:  Wisconsin's losses were all pretty close, big win over Nebraska, etc etc, but the way it went down, I feel like Wisconsin will not be 100% mentally, which they would have to be to win this game. I'm interested to see how Barry works out, though.
My pick: SAMFORD

Discover Orange
Northern Illinois vs. Florida State (-13)
Jan. 1
Other than FSU overlooking Northern Illinois, is there any reason to pick the upset? Maybe NIU playing to prove they can win without their head coach? MACtion? The only thing is, FSU may have heard all that "NIU shouldn't be here" talk. Plus, if any team is going to have a pointless upset against an inferior team, FSU would be that team.
My pick: FSU

Allstate Sugar
Louisville vs. Florida (-13.5)
I think Louisville has more going for them than NIU -- better coach, better team -- but they're also playing a better team. This might look close in the first half, and then not at all at the end.
My pick: FLORIDA

Tostitos Fiesta
Oregon (-9.5) vs. Kansas State
Jan. 3
Maybe the only thing, as an Auburn fan, that I have really liked about this season is seeing a bunch of other teams feeling like they got screwed out of a national title shot. What's neat about this game is, it's two teams that are a bad match-up for each other. I also want to see if Klein had a concussion, and if so, if he's better now. This is the pick, of teams that I have seen play a good bit, that I am least sure about.
My pick: KANSAS STATE

AT&T Cotton
Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. Oklahoma
Jan. 4
I'm a little surprised TAMU is favored, not for my pick but for the national perspective. If it comes to a shoot-out, I like TAMU's chances. They're two teams that have had great offensive numbers, but Texas A&M has done so against better teams.
My pick: TAMU

BBVA Compass
Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss (-3.5)
Jan. 5
Both of these teams actually closed out pretty strong. Looking over the season, though, Ole Miss has clearly played the tougher schedule. Also, I like that Blind Side guy.
My pick: OLD MIST

GoDaddy.com
Kent State vs. Arkansas State (-4)
Jan. 6
Even without a coach, Arkansas State is better and they've been here before.
My pick: ARKANSAS STATE

Discover BCS National Championship
Notre Dame vs. Alabama (-10)
Jan. 7
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.
My pick: alabama

THA CAPTAINZ PIX

The blurb for every single bowl is: This matchup really made me think... that God has truly abandoned his creation.

Nevada
Holy Toledo
bYu
UCF
UL-Laffs
Boysy
Fresno
Chips
BG
Dook
Ucla
War Hawks
Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi
Minny
Hair Force
THE Arizona State University
Apple Pickers
Horns
Spart-tee
Blanderbilt
USC
Tesla
Clempson
Pokes
Purple
Mitch Again
Nerdbraska (owned)
Wiscuntsin
Knolls
go gata
quack
Broklahoma
Old Mist
Kent read
tahd


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

i got ncaa football 13

and i'm going to make all my picks via simulation

UPDATE: NO I'M NOT.

Saturday, December 08, 2012

Bowl Schedule

Gildan New Mexico
Nevada vs. Arizona Albuquerque, N.M.
University Stadium Dec. 15
1 p.m. ESPN

Famous Idaho Potato
Toledo vs. Utah State Boise, Idaho
Bronco Stadium Dec. 15
4:30 p.m. ESPN

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia
BYU vs. San Diego State San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium Dec. 20
8 p.m. ESPN

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg
UCF vs. Ball State St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tropicana Field Dec. 21
7:30 p.m. ESPN

R+L Carriers New Orleans
East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette New Orleans
Mercedes-Benz Superdome Dec. 22
Noon ESPN

MAACO Las Vegas
Washington vs. Boise State Las Vegas
Sam Boyd Stadium Dec. 22
3:30 p.m. ESPN

Sheraton Hawaii
Fresno State vs. SMU Honolulu
Aloha Stadium Dec. 24
8 p.m. ESPN

Little Caesars Pizza
Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan Detroit
Ford Field Dec. 26
7:30 p.m. ESPN

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
San Jose State vs. Bowling Green Washington, D.C.
RFK Stadium Dec. 27
3 p.m. ESPN

Belk
Cincinnati vs. Duke Charlotte, N.C.
Bank of America Stadium Dec. 27
6:30 p.m. ESPN

Bridgepoint Education Holiday
Baylor vs. UCLA San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium Dec. 27
9:45 p.m. ESPN

AdvoCare V100 Independence
Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe Shreveport, La.
Independence Stadium Dec. 28
2 p.m. ESPN

Russell Athletic
Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl Dec. 28
5:30 p.m. ESPN

Meineke Car Care of Texas
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech Houston
Reliant Stadium Dec. 28
9 p.m. ESPN

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Rice vs. Air Force Fort Worth
Amon G. Carter Stadium Dec. 29
11:45 a.m. ESPN

New Era Pinstripe
West Virginia vs. Syracuse Bronx, N.Y.
Yankee Stadium Dec. 29
3:15 p.m. ESPN

Kraft Fight Hunger
Navy vs. Arizona State San Francisco
AT&T Park Dec. 29
4 p.m. ESPN2

Valero Alamo
Texas vs. Oregon State San Antonio
Alamodome Dec. 29
6:45 p.m. ESPN

Buffalo Wild Wings
TCU vs. Michigan State Tempe, Ariz.
Sun Devil Stadium Dec. 29
10:15 p.m. ESPN

Franklin American Mortgage Music City
NC State vs. Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.
LP Field Dec. 31
Noon ESPN

Hyundai Sun
USC vs. Georgia Tech El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl Dec. 31
2 p.m. CBS

AutoZone Liberty
Iowa State vs. Tulsa Memphis, Tenn.
Liberty Bowl Dec. 31
3:30 p.m. ESPN

Chick-fil-A
LSU vs. Clemson Atlanta
Georgia Dome Dec. 31
7:30 p.m. ESPN

TaxSlayer.com Gator
Mississippi State vs. Northwestern Jacksonville, Fla.
Everbank Field Jan. 1
Noon ESPN2

Heart of Dallas
Purdue vs. Oklahoma State Dallas
Cotton Bowl Jan. 1
Noon ESPNU

Outback
South Carolina vs. Michigan Tampa, Fla.
Raymond James Stadium Jan. 1
1 p.m. ESPN

Capital One
Georgia vs. Nebraska Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl Jan. 1
1 p.m. ABC

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio
Wisconsin vs. Stanford Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl Jan. 1
5 p.m. ESPN

Discover Orange
Northern Illinois vs. Florida State Miami
Sun Life Stadium Jan. 1
8:30 p.m. ESPN

Allstate Sugar
Louisville vs. Florida New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome Jan. 2
8:30 p.m. ESPN

Tostitos Fiesta
Oregon vs. Kansas State Glendale, Ariz.
U. of Phoenix Stadium Jan. 3
8:30 p.m. ESPN

AT&T Cotton
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma Arlington, Texas
Cowboys Stadium Jan. 4
8 p.m. FOX

BBVA Compass
Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss Birmingham, Ala.
Legion Field Jan. 5
1 p.m. ESPN

GoDaddy.com
Kent State vs. Arkansas State Mobile, Ala.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium Jan. 6
9 p.m. ESPN

Discover BCS National Championship
Notre Dame vs. Alabama Miami
Sun Life Stadium Jan. 7
8:30 p.m. ESPN

Bill bale pale mayo



McGurk effect

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

3E Approves

HALINP!*



*Hey, at least it's not Petrino!