Macca

Ha ha ha! A 15 yard penalty doesn't ever seem to be a big enough deterrent for what can be quite a deliberate, violent act. All things considered. The latest with Brady is that he cut his hand at Wednesday practice. And because it's the Pats it becomes a larger-than-life story. Regardless, the Jags are the kings at sacking the QB so Brady will almost certainly cop some late hits.

The Jags may have had it in mind to go at Brady hard anyway ... it's always an option. There might be nothing much wrong with his hand but he'll almost certainly get tested and feel the heat.

Brady at the latest press conference with gloves on ... would the Pats go that far to try and fool people? Maybe. My guess it's a thumb injury and it's in some sort of cast/bandaging. And thumb injuries can be nasty & painful. If he needs to take a painkiller then his throws could be off - especially the deep throws. The story isn't going away Gorg.

@Wadda We Sing & @Demon77 Will almost certainly end up going 4-6-6 tomorrow at Sha Tin (race 9) ... I don't want to leave the 3 out to win (Time to Celebrate) ... and with that name it's a bit of an omen pick anyway. 4-6-6 is a bit liking boxing 5 with 1 extra ... cost a tiny bit more but there's no 'What if' factor

Sooner or later I'm going to whiff completely D77 but keep in mind that I would never advocate a large outlay. $20 on a 3-6-6 combo can return 33% if successful and $30 will net 50% (if successful) I always try and do the form before I look at the odds. But for this race I'll do a 4-6-6 combo. A $20 outlay returns 25% whilst a $30 outlay returns 37.5% I like any of 4 runners to win ... Nothingilikemore, Exultant, More Than Lucky & Time to Celebrate and I've got ''Singapore Sling' & 'Lockheed' for 2nd & 3rd only. Here's the race form again ... The Hong Kong Classic Mile $1.5million SW 4yo (C&G) (Sunday 21 Jan 8.10pm)

I used to go to the feature race-days (only) a lot in previous years Wadda and am planning on going again down the track (moving in the near future to inner city Melbourne) As previously mentioned, I gravitated (along with a few friends) to getting decent seats with a great view. All 3 big venues are great when you've got a good vantage point near the finishing line. I wouldn't do the madding crowd bit again. With decent seats even if you lose a bit you've had a good day at the races watching the best horses going around. As for one of my Trifecta systems ... 3 - 6 - 6 gives one 60 combinations and about 20 of those combo's can pay anywhere between $200 - $2000. But equally, there's about 20 combo's that will give money back, a small loss or thereabouts. And then there's the inbetween combo's that might pay alright or a small to reasonable profit. I take the good with the bad.

You went close Wadda - that 8th race was a wide-open affair ... small field too. Rock 'N' Gold was overdue for a win but any of the 8 horses could have featured. There was an eye-catching run from 'Nature Strip' in the Inglis Dash - set for the Rubiton Stakes now and then maybe the Oakleigh Plate. I got 50% of the Tri in the last which amounted to the grand sum of money back! - but I'll take that. A collect is a collect.

The 2 on top ended up fighting out the finish @Demon77... the winner (Malaise) probably had a slightly easier run than Wise Hero. Dan Zephyr set the pace for the first 800m but just tired in the last 2 furlongs. I found a decent Group race to bet on (tomorrow) ... The Hong Kong Classic Mile The race is for 4yo (C & G) only, set weights at 57kgs. Worth a cool 1.5 million and is on at 8.10pm.

Comparing times is tricky D77 because races are often run at different tempo's ... but if a horse is a clear winner and runs a quick time then that is often a good sign that the horse has genuine speed. It's what caught my eye with Sunlight ... it won in a canter with a very fast time in the lead-up to the 2yo Classic last week. Wise Hero with Malaise & The Avenger are my 3 top picks in the Zephyr race but I've included the Dan and 1 or 2 others in a Tri. By the way, for those who may not know, one second generally converts to 16-17 metres or 5-6 lengths. Weight is another big factor for me especially over the longer distances ... for instance, Civil Disobedience carrying 60kgs in race 3 proved too much over the 2000. It was easy to make a case for the 5-4 Favourite to be beaten. But watch out for the horse when it meets its rivals on equal terms. It's why I prefer to bet on WFA or Set Weight races.

I'm into the NFL but that's nearly done Wadda - games are on Monday morning too which isn't exactly the weekend! The EPL for similar reasons. I'll get into the tennis from this weekend - Ash Barty is playing later this afternoon whilst Roger & Novak are both engaged in matches this evening. The Autumn carnival is just around the corner though (Feb 10) ... kicking off with one my favourite events - The CF Orr Stakes. As you well know, it's then full on for another 10 weekends! I may have mentioned this here before but the Demons only play 2 Saturday arvo games this season (plus 2 Saturday twilight games) so it's the horses all year round for me. Just a couple of small Tri's today though with nothing to recommend especially. I do like 'Wise Hero' in the Zephyr race - it is up a couple of kg's against its rivals though. 'Amber Sky' back from running well at Sha Tin is a speedy one which I've included in multiples (it's in the preceding race - The Kensington Stakes) Anyway, let's hope that the Dan can get into the finish today

'Apparently' Tom Brady hurt his hand at Wednesday practice and didn't practice on Thursday. Normally you'd be inclined to dismiss the concerns but he is a 40yo. They are saying he 'collided' with a teammate. My guess is his hand followed through onto his teammate's helmet during practice. But is it a serious injury? Vegas reacted by bringing the Pats into -7.5 favs (they opened at -9.5) Anyway, we'll find out soon enough whether he's effected or not. Read more here ... ill-advised Jimmy G trade will haunt Patriots if Tom Brady isn't healthy

Series 3 (6 eps) of Black Mirror was a step-up again ET. Currently watching season 4. I haven't seen an average episode yet but I am a huge fan of the genre. X-Files season 11 has just kicked off after the iconic show returned last year (season 10) Duchovny is looking a little worse for wear but he's lived a life. The chemistry is still there with Gillian Anderson but I like the new series' mainly for it's nostalgic value revisited. Hangin' out for Billions, Homeland, Better Call Saul, Silicon Valley, Goliath, Baskets, Westworld & True Detective - all should be out (hopefully) early this year or at least by June/July

Minnesota 20 Philadelphia 17 Jacksonville 20 New England 31 I'm not confident with the Vikings pick so I wouldn't be displeased with an Eagles win. Same sentiment for the Patriots - I'd like to see the Jags knock them off that pedestal. Putting the post-season tipping comp aside, it would be great to see Dappa & Clint squaring off in the Super Bowl ... one would have to win that elusive SB with that match-up. Of course if @cowboy_from_hell was still lurking here we'd have 3 reps out of the last 4.

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I'm a fan of Black Mirror and so is the rest of the household ... quirky, futuristic tales with a twist. The episode with the Star Trek theme was riotous. All the episodes aren't A grade but each episode is at least original and thought provoking. The show might have escaped my attention but for this thread. Homeland was another that I followed up on after the show was recommended here. The new series of X-Files is worth a look - a lot to live up to but just seeing Scully & Mulder back along with Skinner & the 'Cigarette Smoking Man' is enough for me - a trip down memory lane.

There's not a great deal happening until about mid February D77 so the Zephyr race keeps the interest. It's not a bad looking field but you never know. The 3 (Wise Hero) has only ever run the 1400m once but it won in 1:22.42 and it was at Flemington (in it's last start) Looks the horse to beat. The 10 & 12 have claims too. The preceding races - Inglis Dash (Race 7) and the Kensington Stakes (Race 8) are both interesting races ... smaller fields but that suits me (less horses to eliminate for the Tri's!) The Kensington Stakes in particular is a wide-open affair ... only 8 runners but nearly all the starters could feature in the finish.

Livin' the dream @Grapeviney Good on ya mate! (great snaps too) That Liverpool/Man City game from the weekend was all the talk back in Oz. A 3.00am Monday morning kick off made it difficult to watch live but the extended highlights are worth another look ...

It's going to be some sort of game ... the 2 D's could dominate but it doesn't always pan out that way. As an example, the over/under total points in the Jags/Steelers game was around 40 points yet both teams scored over 40 points each! And as Gorg said (above) you won't be facing Brees. The weather might be mild and not too cold though ... which swings things over to the Vikes (only slightly) I reckon the Eagles were in their element in the game against Atlanta (re the freezing windy conditions) I can't make up my mind which team I'm going to pick and with 2 points on the line, I won't want to get it wrong. If I were an Eagles fan I'd be quietly confident - but I might say the same about the Vikes. This should be a close game throughout but again, sometimes these games are blowouts.

Hey @Dappa Dan & @Clintosaurus ... both your teams are the underdogs but I reckon there's a few factors that can go your way next week. With the Eagles it's home field, the weather, their defence, the underdog status which the Eagles players are feeding off and the fact that in a possible low scoring game the aforementioned factors come into being. Again, this is a line-ball game and fumbles/picks/luck could play a big part. The Jags have a much tougher task but have a strong defense which the Pats aren't too familiar with. A nothing-to-lose attitude can be a factor in the sense that the Jags could try a few different plays that might surprise. Beating the Steelers (twice) will fill the team with confidence too. It's a big ask but you never know.

Here's that play and catch again ...

The saving grace is that it didn't happen in a Super Bowl. The Seahawks not handing the ball off to beast-mode in the dying seconds of that Super Bowl will haunt that organisation and their fans forever. And I still maintain a 60/40 stance on last year's SB - the comeback by the Pats was greater than Atlanta blowing that lead. Many will disagree of course but I don't believe any other team could have come back from a 28 - 3 deficit in a SB.

I'm actually in line for the 3-peat in the post-season tipping comp ... not bad for the world's worst tipster.

Leaderboard in the Comp (post-season) 5 - Macca 4 - Go the Biff, Dappa Dan 3 - JV7, Clintosaurus, Gorgoroth Remembering that it's 2 points for each winner in the Championship games with 3 points up for grabs for the Super Bowl winner.

It's pick the Pats to win and hope you get it wrong. That's how I'm viewing it. I give the Jags a puncher's chance ... maybe more of a chance than I would have given the Steelers. New England are -9.5 point favourites. As for the NFC Championship game - that's a toss of the coin even though the Vikings are -3.5 point favourites.

How was that crazy catch off the Atlanta players knees? The following link provides the video of the play ... the videos that follow on adds some humour and analysis to the Eagles win (including the dog mask bit) Torrey Smith makes immaculate-ish reception after pass bounces off DB's knee