Columnist Sal DeFilippo: We backed into it with a loss, but could be back into it with a win

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Jan. 7, 2005 | 10:48 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4076.

Every Sunday, sometime between the late afternoon games finish and before the evening game kicks off, my phone inevitably rings.

My wife refuses to answer, and with good reason. She knows that no matter who is on the other line, the call is going to be about the day's NFL games -- especially after I signed up for the national Do Not Call During Football registry.

This week, the call came from Mike, my neighbor and a big Eagles fan. Everyone has a neighbor like Mike -- if not, they should, particularly if they are as tool-challenged as I am. He's the guy I depend on to come over and fix all the things around the house that I have expertly un-fixed.

"Hey, Sal, what's this sound?" Mike says. "Ready? Beeeeep ... beeeeep ... beeeeep."

I take the bait and he answers, "That's the sound of the Jets and Vikings backing into the playoffs."

Ouch. He knows I'm a New York Jets fan and knows I don't have a good comeback, since the Jets and Minnesota reached the postseason despite losing during the final week. Plus, the faucet has been sticking lately and I know it's just a matter of time before it will need to be replaced.

Indeed, my beloved East Rutherford, N.J., Jets of New York fell in overtime at St. Louis in a game that catapulted the Rams into the postseason. But thanks to Pittsburgh, an 8-point underdog, winning at Buffalo, New York will be playing at San Diego on Saturday night.

The Vikings, for the second year in a row, lost a game against an inferior opponent with a playoff berth on the line. Last year, Arizona scored on a fourth-down touchdown pass to eliminate Minnesota. This year, the Washington Redskins led Minnesota from start to finish.

This year, however, the Vikings still qualified because New Orleans, a 7 1/2-point underdog, won at Carolina.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman topped the field of 10 celebrities in this year's football picks contest, posting an impressive 31-19-1 mark against the point spread (62 percent).

"This is the greatest feeling I have had in my entire life," Goodman said. "The bad news is that I didn't follow my own advice when I went to the bookmaker."

The mayor credits a self-imposed reward system.

"I cut the picks out of the paper each week and put them on the fridge. If I had a good week, I'd allow myself a little fudge each night. If I slipped a little, I'd keep a lock on the refrigerator."

Mirage headliner Danny Gans made a good impression this year, finishing second with a 29-22 mark (57 percent). KMXB 94.1-FM radio hosts Mark & Mercedes also finished in the mix, coming in third at 26-24-1 (52 percent).

"I feel like the mayor is Muhammad Ali and I'm Joe Frazier," Gans said of his runner-up finish. "I'll live to fight again!"

Goodman becomes the fourth champion to receive the traveling trophy, the Golden Nerf, joining past winners Lance Burton (2001), Clint Holmes (2002) and Rita Rudner (2003).

Thanks to all 10 participants and look for more on the Friday before the Super Bowl.

This week's picks: After a vintage 25-25-1 regular season, here are this weekend's picks. Odds are I'll get two right -- I just wish I knew which two. I'll take the Rams plus-4 and Jets plus-6 1/2 on Saturday, and the Colts minus-10 and Vikings plus-6 1/2 on Sunday.