Knicks -3
They will defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That is all.
Burnett Headed to the Pirates
Despite some success in the postseason, A.J. just never seemed completely comfortable here in New York.
NFL's Sacrificial Lambs
Steve Spagnuolo, Raheem Morris, and Bill Polian all join the unemployment list.
2012 Election Begins
The Iowa Caucuses are tonight. We know Obama will be the Democrats' nominee, who win the Republicans choose?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Lock Of the Day: January 25 2012
Pimp My Office!
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Contest Factory for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Do you have a messy office? What about a boring one, with too much gray and white? Are your electronics out of date? If your office looks anything like this, then it might be time for a change.
Well, there is an exciting new contest brought to you by the Contest Factory. They are looking for you to send in a video of your office and explain why you deserve to have it "pimped out". The video should be funny and entertaining, and demonstrate what is wrong with your work space.
After you upload your video, you'll need your friends, family, and colleagues to vote. Ultimately, the winner will be chosen by a panel of judges who will use the votes and story as the criteria for their decision.
The Grand Prize is a $1200 value and will either be:
- A new computer system
- New desk, chair, and decorations
- New entertainment package with stereo, espresso machine and others
But wait, there's more!
A sweepstakes will also be held for all the registered users who do not win. You can earn tickets to the sweepstakes by voting and commenting on other videos, and referring other users to join the contest. So even if you don't win the Grand Prize, you still have a shot at the consolation gift card.
The sweepstakes prize is a $200 gift card chosen at random.
As of the posting of this article, nobody has uploaded a video which means you're odds of winning are unbelievable.
To submit your video click on the link below.
Monday, January 23, 2012
NBA Lock of the Day: January 23 2011
Well, the NFL season is almost over and for all intents-and-purposes the year of betting on football has come to a close. Yes, there is still the Super Bowl (more on that in the coming weeks) but it is time to focus on basketball for the next couple months.
So, without further adieu my NBA pick of the night.
Phoenix Suns +5 1/2
Orlando Magic
I like Phoenix for a couple reasons.
1. They have played pretty well of late, including wins on the road against both New York and Boston. Those two teams are a little overrated, but they are still two solid teams and the Suns not only played well against them, but actually won the games.
2. Dallas played a tight one, and won against New Orleans a few nights ago, but with Dirk they were not nearly as good as they are with him. He's not playing tonight either and the Mavericks will suffer.
3. Dallas has played 4 tight games in a row and Phoenix has played tight in their last two. Either way, win or lose, in a close game you always take the underdog. Getting points in a 3 point affair is way better than giving them.
So, I'll take the Suns.
Remember, this is only for fun. Never bet on a game unless you can afford it and live in a state or country where it is legal.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Rick Perry drops out
And then there were four. All the media networks are reporting that Rick Perry will drop out today, after terrible performances in Iowa and New Hampshire. Perry is a great local candidate, he's boisterous and fun and personable, but he's a fool when it comes to national issues. He had no clue about foreign policy and was very poor on the national economy.
Basically, he was a worse version of Bush.
This is now the second candidate to drop out this week, and we'll see how it affects the polls come Saturday in South Carolina. Huntsman endorsed Romney and while there is no indication as to who Perry will support, I would guess it will be Gingrich. Either way, most of his voters will probably go to Gingrich anyway.
Hakeem Nicks: Prediction Pain
On the Boomer and Carton show today Hakeem Nicks predicted pain for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Carton tried to rope him into saying something stupid so there would be headlines but Nicks barely gave them anything. It was a fun interview, and even though I personally am a Jets fan, I hope the Giants come up strong and win in S.F. this sunday.
NYC!!!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Piston's Plane Makes Emergency Landing
It is somewhat amazing that this doesn't happen more often.
Last night, the Detroit Piston's chartered flight was forced to make an emergency landing after discovering an issue with the hydraulics that help with the landing gear. I'm not sure what any of that means, but it seems to me that this was more of a precautionary measure than a full fledged emergency.
Just a few months, Oklahoma St coach Kurt Budke and his assistant Mirand Serna, along with 8 others, were killed in a small plane crash in Colorado and 10 years earlier a plane carrying some of the Oklahoma St basketball players were killed in a similar crash.
Of course, in 1970 a plane carrying 37 of the Marshall football team were killed in perhaps the most infamous sports related crash of all time. All totaled, 75 people perished in the accident along with most of the coaching staff and crew members.
Plane travel is a necessity of the modern athlete's schedule and these scary situations will become even more common as more and more colleges and even high school teams choose to play teams from across the country rather than those in the next state over.
Monday, January 16, 2012
SocialSpark
We are not a big famous blog yet. So it is very difficult for me to generate enough revenue for any significant amount of cash. I get maybe $2 from Google's adsense per month, which is not very much. At that pace it would take nearly 4 years for me to reach a $100.
So I registered for Socialspark.com and have managed to bring my earnings up by quite a bit. I now can easily earn an additional $30 per month for writing a couple of additional blog posts.
Here is how it works. Once you register for the site, you'll be asked to join as either a publisher or an advertiser. You'll want to sign up as a publisher, which will enable major companies to pay you to advertise for them on your site. Add your URL and some other general personal information to your profile and you are all set up. They do the rest for you by finding advertisers that feel that you write well enough for them to pay you.
Generally speaking, you receive a "lead", which means that an advertiser wants to know if you are interested in writing for them. They'll offer you a payment (usually for around $10), but you have the option to counter and request a higher fee. I have not done this, probably because I am so desperate for whatever they'll offer me that I don't even bother. But I'm sure if you try you could maybe squeeze an additional few dollars out of them.
Either way, if you accept yes then hopefully they'll send you an offer which means that they actually want you to write a blog post about them and their project. Usually the posts are about a campaign the company is running, or a press release they want publicized. I've written articles about Walgreens' contract negotiations, "Pimp my Office" contests, and mini-TV series. Generally there are a couple of requirements they want you to include in the post; a link or video that helps their cause. Most posts also request at least 200 words.
The only catch is that they make you wait 30 days from publishing the post before the funds register in your account AND you need to have at least $50 before you can request a payout as well. Otherwise, they charge you a $20 fee, so if you have $40 in your account you only get $20. Right now, I'm waiting another 22 days before I receive $15 and then I'll cash out for $75. Not bad, for only 5 blog posts. Right now, they offer both Check and Paypal pay outs.
Just remember, this is not as simple as posting advertisements and you will need to put in some work into the project. Each post usually takes me around 30 minutes, which still means that I'm equaling around $30 an hour which is great money.
Anyways, if you are interested you can click check it out at Socialspark.com.
Best of luck to all!
Seth Rogen and Kate Beckinsale
I was watching football, but if you were watching the Golden Globes last night you saw one of the funniest moments of live television in a while.
Now we all know that Seth Rogen has an erection.
Correction, a massive erection.
Well, there it is. An American classic. The semi-attractive dork acting all awkward next to the absolute beauty. It looks like Beckinsale took it in stride, but we don't know if she threw a shoe at him during the after party.
Plus, this gives us an opportunity to post a picture of the beautiful Kate here on the blog.
If you have questions or comments, please post or email me at countzacky@yahoo.com. Don't forget to bookmark us by clicking Ctrl-D on your keyboard.
If you have questions or comments, please post or email me at countzacky@yahoo.com. Don't forget to bookmark us by clicking Ctrl-D on your keyboard.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Show your Support for Walgreens
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Walgreens is an amazing store; you can buy almost anything there. For those of us who live in NYC, their Duane Reade stores are particularly amazing as most of us do not have easy access to the supermarkets of the suburbs. Although they started out as only Pharmacies, these stores have become go to places for daily and weekly shopping.
With the start of the New Year, Walgreens and Healthcare provider Express Scripts have been unable to reach a new contract - mostly due to the inability to Express Scripts to provide a fair and affordable service. Walgreens and Express Scripts
During the negotiations, Walgreens did not seek in an increase in compensation from Express Scripts whatsoever, rather it was they who sought to unilaterally define the terms of reimbursement for prescription medication; unheard of for all other companies.
This hurts both Walgreens and Express Scripts customers. Patients who have Express Scripts will now need to drive further for their medication, many of who are the elderly and may not be able to drive long distances. On the other side, other Express Scripts who did not use Walgreens may see their rates increase due to the restricted competition.
Besides for the average citizen, Express Scripts is putting our military servicemen in danger as well. Tricare, which is owned by Express Scripts, is the prescription drug program for America's military. During the negotiations, Walgreens made its best efforts to keep reach a separate contract with Tricare, despite what the eventual result would be with Express Scripts. This included an ironclad agreement that Walgreens would match or discount any other pharmacies prices. Despite all this, Express Scripts refused and now our military personnel are in danger of higher prices and diminished service.
As you can imagine, most Walgreens customer are not happy about this.
But Walgreens is attempting to help their customers by offering a special discount on their annual membership. Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens
Remember, if you want to help, contact local media and news outlets and get them to report on the story. In addition, call Express Scripts and explain your situation. With enough grassroots support you can make a huge difference.
Lastly, follow Walgreens on Facebook and Twitter for future updates about the situation and any other offers from Walgreens that will definitely help you.
Tracy Burgess Leaves WFAN
Apparently she left the station in December. I thought she was just on vacation and only now realized how long it has been since she was last on the air.
Tracy joined the Don Imus show nearly 8 years ago and after his departure from WFAN, she stayed on to work on the Boomer and Carton show. Her wit and charm will be missed, as she not only added a feminine voice to the show, but also could punch back when Esiason or Carton would tease her.
It seems that Christina Lang has replaced her although her name is not on the WFAN website. It's possible that they have merely outsourced the traffic updates for the show and will no longer feature a specific reporter as they did with Tracy.
In any case, she said she has left on her own terms and enjoyed her 8 years with the station.
We'll miss you!
Tony Kornheiser Challenges Josh Blanchard
It's bowling night!!
Looks like Tony Kornheiser is going bowling. On Monday's show, he teased the professional bowler that he could outscore the pathetic 139 Blanchard shot in a bowling match a few nights ago.
Looks like Tony Kornheiser is going bowling. On Monday's show, he teased the professional bowler that he could outscore the pathetic 139 Blanchard shot in a bowling match a few nights ago.
Blanchard has become infamous in recent days for his epic flop where he spilled into the lane a few nights ago.
In any case, Blanchard hear about Kornheiser's comments from monday's PTI program and sent an email to the show challenging the co-host to a match. Tony seemed a little startled but eventually seemed good natured about it as long as he got home court and played in a specific hub in Washington D.C.
I think Wilbon is probably the best bowler of the three of them but I would definitely watch a 30 minute show of Blanchard, Kornheiser, Wilbon, and maybe Tony Reali have a little competition.
Television Gold.
Boomer Esiason on The Kelly Ripa Show
I'm watching now and the two seem to have pretty good chemistry from the start.
Of course, Kelly Ripa immediately got Carton's name wrong and called him Carter. But, she apologized and then said "Oh, he's probably so mad right now".
Over on MSG and 660 radio, Craig looks and sounds like he's having the time of his life doing the radio show all by himself. I'm sure he misses Boomer but for this one day, he is making great radio all by himself.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Schottenheimer Gone
The New York Star Ledger is reporting that Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will not return after this year.
Furthermore, Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan would then want to leave as well since the Jets have said they will not promote him to Offensive Coordinator. He, reportedly, will go to Dallas to be their O-Line Coach.
In turn, ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that Tony Sparano will replace Schottenheimer here in NYC.
Furthermore, Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan would then want to leave as well since the Jets have said they will not promote him to Offensive Coordinator. He, reportedly, will go to Dallas to be their O-Line Coach.
In turn, ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that Tony Sparano will replace Schottenheimer here in NYC.
Hue Jackson Fired
After a very solid 8-8 season, The Oakland Raiders have fired their 1 year Head Coach.
This comes as a particular shock since The Raiders not only lost their starting QBs (Jason Campbell) but also starting RB Darren McFadden for most of the season.
No doubt 8-8 is not a great year, but had they won just one more game they would have been in the playoffs. With a full healthy team next year the Raiders can easily win 10 and the division.
I feel sorry for Hue and as he was the late Al Davis' last hire I'm a little surprised they didn't give him another year. But whoever takes over this team will have an immediate contender to work with.
This comes as a particular shock since The Raiders not only lost their starting QBs (Jason Campbell) but also starting RB Darren McFadden for most of the season.
No doubt 8-8 is not a great year, but had they won just one more game they would have been in the playoffs. With a full healthy team next year the Raiders can easily win 10 and the division.
I feel sorry for Hue and as he was the late Al Davis' last hire I'm a little surprised they didn't give him another year. But whoever takes over this team will have an immediate contender to work with.
Alex Rodriguez has a new beu
Craig Carton of WFAN's morning show "Boomer and Carton" loves to point out A-Rod's glistening glowing body whenever he appears in the newspaper. Well, this morning he was featured in the NYC's Daily News this morning with Torrie Wilson, his new girlfriend.
As you can see from the photos, it looks as if Alex's dabble with the performance enhancing drugs has left its mark on his body. Those once glorious pectorals have become a little loose and now more resemble his girlfriend's ample bosom. It's not like he has man-boobs or anything like that, but he should expect to be wearing some form of support by the time he is 50. Hmm, how bout a Bro, or a Manziere.
On the brighter side, the last time Alex started dating a new girl - Kate Hudson in 2009 - he hit 30 HRs in only 440 At Bats. Thats on pace for close to 40 HRs over a full season. If he is happy this year then maybe he'll improve off his paltry 16 HR season last year.
In any case, Torrie Wilson is super hot and we are all very proud of A-Rod for what will hopefully lead to a happy union and future nuptials.
Monday, January 9, 2012
William Daley out at White House
William Daley, chief of staff for President Obama, will announce his resignation shortly from the White House.
Daley joined the staff in 2011 after Rham Emanuel stepped down to run for Chicago Mayor - he won that election. When Daley was first introduced it seemed as if he would lead the Obama election campaign and see the President through to his 2nd term. Nobody expected him to continue as Chief of Staff beyond the election, but it is quite a shock that he left after only 1 year. President George W. Bush only had 2 different Chief of Staff over 8 years. Obama will now have nominated 3 people for the position in under 4.
Jacob Lew will replace him.
This is a breaking story. We will update as the news comes in.
Jorge Posada to Retire
Nothing is certain yet, but all signs point to Posada retiring after 17 years in baseball, all with the Yankees. Sweeny Murti of WFAN first broke the story on Saturday, before all the Giants and Tebowmania of Sunday.
Posada was one of the many instrumental players during the Yankees' three-in-a-row Championships of the the late 90s and became the full time starter in 2000. In the subsequent 7 healthy years he averaged around 25 HRs per season along with around 80 RBIs and .275 AVG. All great numbers for a catcher.
But his body has worn down over the last few years and this season he was forbidden from catching and relegated to the full time DH slot.
Posada was never a great defensive catcher and many a pitcher had been known to request other catchers to call their games. But through it all, he played well and earned so much needed DH days that all catchers need to stay healthy during the long season.
But his defensive weakness will probably keep him from the Hall of Fame. We hope to see him their someday but I doubt that he'll make it.
On a side note, Posada's son suffers from Craniosynostosis and if you wish to donate to his charity for a cure you can visit the website here. Jorge Posada Foundation
In any case, he'll certainly be an all time Yankee great and his number will be retired soon.
Oh, and he also has a beautiful wife.
BCS National Championship Game Prediction
Tonight is the rematch of the infamous November "Game of the Century" between LSU and Alabama which LSU won by a grand score of 9-6. NO TDs, just 4 FGs in regulation and one in OT.
So the game was pretty boring from an offensive standpoint, but everything you could want from two tough teams. A defensive struggle that went into OT. I think that everyone would have enjoyed the game much more had it not been built up to be the best game of all time.
With that being said, I am of course a little disappointed that this game is a rematch. Had Houston or Boise St finished undefeated it would have been great to see those two play. Or maybe even Oregon where we could have all seen a high flying offense VS. a tough defense.
But you've probably read about this for the last couple of weeks so I won't delve into it.
Here is the pick. LSU!!!
LSU won the first game and there is no reason to believe they won't win the second. Since they defeated Alabama, they've gone on to crush Arkansas and Georgia to finish their undefeated season and win the SEC. Plus, they beat Oregon earlier in the year and have won a total of 8 games against ranked opponents.
No disrespect to Alabama, but I just don't think they will win tonight. They've only defeated four ranked opponents all year and I know they also beat Arkansas earlier in the year but that is really their only highlight win.
This game should be nothing like the first; I don't like doing the over/under but I'd bet that they'll go over the 40 1/2 points as well.
Final Score
LSU 27
Alabama 14
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Knicks lose: Fall to 2-4
Well, another season and another losing record. Yes, I know it's early and I know that the Knicks started off slow last year too, but this is not supposed to happen. They have Carmelo, Amare, and now Tyson Chandler and yet they continue to lose to bad teams - certainly teams without a "Big-3". So if they don't have a "Big-3", how are they supposed to defeat a team with one.
Well, I think the answer is something that everybody knows, but nobody wants to say. These teams who keep defeating the Knicks are, a team. Or maybe perhaps the Knicks are just not a team. Just remember, the grand total of Wade's, Lebron's. Chris Paul's, Carmelo's championships are exactly one. And that victory came in 2006.
I watched portions of the game last night and whenever Carmelo is on the court the call usually went like this...
"Douglas takes the ball up"
"He passes to Carmelo"
"Carmelo shoots and... off the rim"
Hmm, something is wrong here. There are only two of the five players on the court mentioned during the possession. And yes, I know that Anthony scored 32 points and he is averaging 28 points a game this year but his presence on the the court is the reason that the team is losing. Actually, he makes no difference as he has a whopping -1 on the +/- scale this year. WHAT!! This great player, that the Knicks mortgaged their future for, is essentially irrelevant.
Now you could say that they would be even worse without him. That's possible, but since Carmelo has joined the team the Knicks are 16-18 (14-14 last season and now 2-4 this season). Beforehand, they were 28-26 last season.
I don't know how to fix this team, except perhaps for them to remember that they are a team. This is not Carmelo's team, Amare's team or whoever's team.
They are the New York Knicks.
Kickers, Brunettes, and Bowl Games
In David Wells' autobiography, he wrote that America's Pastime was not baseball, nor was it football. For him, it was "babe-watching". Sitting back on the beach, with a bunch of friends and watch and flirt with the girls as they go by.
Well, Michigan Kicker Brendan Gibbons has taken this to an entirely new extreme. In the Sugar Bowl two nights ago, Gibbons hit 3 field goals (amazing for a college kicker) including a game winning 37 yarder in OT. When asked how he managed to keep his cool in the intensity of this game, Gibbons responded with the line of year.
"Every time we were struggling in kicking, coach tells me to think about girls on a beach or brunette girls. So that's what we did. [and] Made the kick".
Wow, good for him. Normally if I think about girls on the beach I would be distracted or at least nervous. But I guess this kid has far more confidence than I do. In any case, hopefully he gets a haircut soon. If he wants to make it to the NFL, he should know that many a player has been tackled by their long hair. That probably hurts.
Also, hopefully an NFL team gives him a chance - he seems like a pretty good guy and will make a great personality for any team that he can make the squad for.
Anyways, here is a picture of who he was probably picturing as he won the game for Michigan.
And for those of you who don't know, that is a picture of Israeli model (and Israeli army veteran) Esti Ginzburg.
If you have questions or comments, please post or email me at countzacky@yahoo.com. Don't forget to bookmark us by clicking Ctrl-D on your keyboard.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Iowa Caucus Results
Wow, what a finish. Romney finished in first place by a photo finish of only 8 votes.
It was really compelling to watch. As the votes kept coming in, neither Romney or Santorum could ever gain more than a 200 vote or so lead. Even Paul was right there for a long time and at one point the three were only separated by around 60 votes. Has this been the final state in a Presidential Election (i.e. Florida in 2000) it would have been unbelievable and must see television.
Sadly, Romney gets no bonus points for finishing in first, and Santorum no minus for finishing in 2nd, since the delegates are divided up by a proportion of the vote. I'll post the total projected delegates later in the post.
So what does this all mean for the future of the Republican Primary season.
Mitt Romney: Not much, he is the presumptive favorite so he should have won. He did, but only by the slimmest of margins. He'll still win New Hampshire, no question about that, but going further, he probably will struggle in South Carolina and then could in Florida as well.
Rick Santorum: Wow, I wish I could have said I saw this coming. No I did not. Nobody did. He could use this as a huge amount of free publicity, and will shoot forward through the rest of January off this finish. But, he is not well know nationally and will need to campaign in multiple states in the same time from now on. I don't know if he can do this consistently and may be just another flash in the pan candidate.
Ron Paul: Paul is Paul, he'll press on - win, lose, or draw - and will continue well into July. He probably won't win, but he could gain enough delegates to play spoiler at the convention.
Newt Gingrich: Oy, you almost feel bad for him. He was doing so well just a few weeks ago, now not so much. But, he is a strong souther candidate and with South Carolina and Florida coming up next, he can press on strong. Plus, he is well known and has a huge war chest. He'll be in through the Super Tuesday.
Rick Perry: Done, end of story. He'll quit after South Carolina (at the latest), then probably endorse either Santorum or Gingrich; whoever seems to be the strongest at the moment.
Michelle Bachman: Also finished. It actually looks like she is going to end her campaign in about 5 minutes. She was fun and a little goofy, but I guess at the end of the day she was a little too weird to be a viable candidate. It was fun Michelle, maybe in 2016.
Jon Huntsman: Didn't compete in Iowa, should do OK in New Hampshire, but won't go much further.
And there you have, 5 hours of news coverage all in one blog post. Come here to get the short summaries that you need. I saw a statistic over at Fox News that Rick Perry spent nearly $364 per vote that he received in Iowa, Romney spent $49, and Santorum spent only 79 cents. That is unbelievable. Santorum only went through around $23,000 in Iowa. I could run for President on that kind of money. Good for him. Drive around, meet the people. Talk to the people and most importantly convince them that you are the right guy for the job. He truly is a fiscal conservative.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Racism in the Gator Bowl
In the Ohio ST - Florida game the other night, linebacker Tyler Moeller claims that racist trash talking was taunted throughout the game.
"They're classless, thats the way I'd put it. I've never seen more people swing at our players and call us racial slurs. I've never been called a 'cracker' more in my life than I have today. So I don't really have much respect for them in terms of that but they're a good team. They came out and outplayed us today."
Ok, these situations are always difficult to diagnosis. What is considered racism? What is reverse racism? We are not going to discuss this though, it is way too complex of a topic for a simple blog post.
But we can discuss the general idea that racism still exists in the sports world, especially on the field. We heard reports of this a few weeks ago in the hockey season, but that was from the fans. To hear that this comes from player to player is a little alarming and somewhat disappointing. Although the term "cracker" is not nearly as controversial or insulting as the "N" word or other slurs, it is still not appropriate on the field.
In other news, Moeller has not had particularly good luck with the state of Florida in general. A few years back he was punched in the head during a bar fight in the Sunshine State which fractured his skull.
I don't expect this too become a major issue, but it is always important to be aware of the feelings of others. Nobody likes being referred to by a slur about their race, whether they are the majority or the minority. This is not even close to the level of hate that black athletes faced when they entered the NFL or MLB but it still hurts and is uncalled for.
What do you all think? If you have any thoughts, ideas, or comments let me know.
Iowa Caucus Tonight
Here we go again. Four years ago it was Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and John McCain. Well, this time around there are six on the Republican side and just one on the Democrat side. This much we know right now; Barack Obama will be the Democrat's nominee for the 2012 Presidential Election.
(There is also a Democratic Caucus tonight, but it will go uncontested. Hopefully Obama will win 100% of the vote)
The rest is not so clear. Mitt Romney is the presumptive favorite, Rick Santorum had become popular of late, and Ron Paul has his usual intensive support. Then there are Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, both had their moments and have huge amounts of money. Even if they start off slow, they can hold on and stay in it for a couple of weeks. That leaves Michelle Bachman, who in all likelihood will end her campaign tonight. It has been a fun ride with her, but she doesn't have the votes, or the money, to justify a continuation of this campaign.
The most recent polling shows a close race between Santorum, Romney, and Paul. Here is the Real Clear Politics data, which has been reposted here. They have a great amount of information over on their website and encourage all of you to visit.
Polling Data
| Poll | Date | Sample | Romney | Paul | Santorum | Gingrich | Perry | Bachmann | Huntsman | Cain | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCP Average | 12/21 - 1/1 | -- | 22.8 | 21.5 | 16.3 | 13.7 | 11.5 | 6.8 | 2.3 | -- | Romney +1.3 |
| Insider Advantage | 1/1 - 1/1 | 729 LV | 23 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 2 | -- | Romney +1 |
| PPP (D) | 12/31 - 1/1 | 1340 LV | 19 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 4 | -- | Paul +1 |
| Des Moines Register | 12/27 - 12/30 | 602 LV | 24 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 2 | -- | Romney +2 |
| Rasmussen Reports | 12/28 - 12/28 | 750 LV | 23 | 22 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 3 | -- | Romney +1 |
| NBC News/Marist | 12/27 - 12/28 | 425 LV | 23 | 21 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 2 | -- | Romney +2 |
| CNN/Time | 12/21 - 12/27 | 452 LV | 25 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 1 | -- | Romney +3 |
But there are a few other ways to help predict the election outcomes besides for simply polling data. Nate Silver has designed a computer prediction model and he has Romney pulling away tonight with a 42% chance of winning.
Iowa Caucus Projections
CANDIDATE
PROJECTED VOTE RANGE
CHANCE OF WINNING
Mitt Romney
21.8%
42%
Ron Paul
21.0%
34%
Rick Santorum
19.3%
20%
Newt Gingrich
15.1%
3%
Rick Perry
10.4%
0%
Michele Bachmann
7.9%
0%
Jon Huntsman
3.8%
Finally there are the Intrade Markets which give:
Romney a 50% chance,
Paul 30%,
Santorum 20%
Gingrich 0.5%
Perry 0.2%
Bachman 0.1%
Huntsman 0.1%
I was looking to post the data from oddsmakers in Vegas but I can't find them anymore. I will definitely post the lines for New Hampshire though.
Anyways, there is all the information I can think of. I'll just post my predictions for your entertainment. (And mine)
ZNN's Predicted final standings
Ron Paul 23%
Mitt Romney 20%
Rick Santorum 19%
Newt Gingrich 17%
Rick Perry 14%
Michelle Bachman 7%
Best of Luck to all the candidates.
