NFL WEEK 18 2025

 Here it is, sadly, the last week of regular season games for 2025. It's been a great year and we are going to miss the steady diet of football on Sunday, Monday and Thursdays. 

The games this week are bleh, and it is too difficult to really know which teams will be playing starters and which have pulled the plug for the year. For example, the Dolphins are sitting Devone Archane, who has been our go-to money-making prop bet on the over for his rushing yardage. 

But we have a secret. 

One word, and it's not "plastics".  (for those of you born after 1990, especially judges, see below)

Under. 

You know what the line was in the Seattle-49er's game Sunday night? 48. The final was 16-3! It was not even close. 

So today we are loading up on under parlays, including this gem: 

Browns/Bengals under 48 + Titans/Jaguars under 46.5 + Fins/Chaters under 45.5 +Lions/Bears under 51. 

All of them are good plays by themselves. But a four team parlay hit would be as sweet as a SDNY Judge granting a Maduro defense motion to suppress- and as unexpected. That's why they call it gambling.

Have fun. See you in the Playoffs. 

FF AND SURVIVOR

Going into the last weeks Rumpole had won the Survivor pool and was a top seed in the FF playoffs! He had the never done sweep of both blog football contests in his sights. 

But alas injuries decimated his team, including the loss of starting QB Mahomes, and even with that, heading into a San Fran 49ers MNF game he was up and just needed  49ers star running back Christian McCaffery not to score two TDs, which he did, allowing the eventual champion to knock Rumpole's Last Hurrah FF team out of the playoffs and into a respectable third place finish (above a certain judge who loves Minnesota wide receivers who are vastly overrated if you ask us).   

And the Champion was....Fantasy Femme Force! 

Step forward and identify yourself for the accolades which are deservedly yours. 

It just kills us that most you have no knowledge of culture before 1985. 

IN VICTORY MAGNANIMITY

 This crossed out desk: 

POSITION AVAILABLE: CJA ATTORNEY SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

Must have three years of experience in criminal law, two jury trials, one in narcotics trafficking. Spanish speaking preferred. Apply on-line. SDNY. 

Many readers are emailing us asking our opinion of the military operation to arrest Maduro and his wife in Venezuela. We have these thoughts: 

1: As the secretary of state repeated multiple times, Maduro was not the elected leader of Venezuela. He lost the election and seized power. Three cheers for nation building!.

2. In watching the press conference by the President, secretary of defense, and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, we were struck by one thought: They all ignored, or forgot, or never learned of one of the most valuable lessons taught by the greatest statesman of the 20th Century: Winston Spencer Churchill: 

In Victory Magnanimity; 

in Defeat, Defiance.

We saw a lot of chest thumping "no could do what we did" kind of statements, that strangely we never saw Eisenhower do after the Normandy Landings, McArthur after the Inchon landing, the Israelis after the Entebbe raid, or the government under Obama after Bin Laden was killed. 

In short, there was no magnanimity. And that leads to people believing their own hype and PR and chest thumping and over-confidence. And that leads to a terrible tragedy. We hope this does not occur. We shall see. 

MEL BLACK MEMORIAL

 We received many wonderful comments about Mel Black, including the below from his daughter., There is a celebration of his life on Sunday January 11, 2026 Shake-A-Leg Miami from 4-7PM.  Click on the link for the location, which is 2620 Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove. 

Kadie Black said...

Thank you all for your very kind words. My dad was a very special human who is leaving behind a beautiful legacy of kindness and impact. This world is better because he was in it.

There will be a celebration of life on Sunday, January 11th from 4pm to 7pm at Shake-a-Leg Miami for those who want to join.

LAST POST OF 2025

 We could write some pablum about the end of the year and hopes for the future. But it doesn't really amount to a hill of beans. Most new year's resolutions do not last until February. 

So let's do what we like. It is our blog after all. 

What Rumpole is reading and watching. 

We loved Song Sung Blue. A great cast. Great performances, and a movie that takes a sharp turn when you least expect it. Less so Marty Supreme. A great concept, but everyone's heart throb Timothy Chalamet just doesn't pull it off. Don't miss the first and go to the second if you have nothing better to do. 

We are absolutely loving 1929- Andrew Ross Sorkin's recounting of the 1929 stock market crash. You know a book is great when it's a historical accounting of a well-known event, and you know what happens, and it still reads like a thriller. Don't miss this book. 

And how about Richard Nixon, The Life, by John Farrell? A great biography that covers the same ground with a fresh perspective. There is so much good in Nixon, his desire to serve, becoming the Republican's leading voice on civil rights in the 1950's, when southern democrats controlled the senate and filibustered every attempt at a civil rights bill until Nixon, as Vice President, maneuvered around the filibuster and got Ike's bill through. There's a fresh perspective on the Alger Hiss -Whitaker Chambers confrontation in the HUAC* that enthralled the nation. And a new recounting that congressman Nixon had lost the support of both parties as he was in the middle of his investigation of Hiss, and risking his career, pushed on alone, until he exposed Hiss as a spy. And there is this great exchange during a congressional hearing: 

Nixon: Where did you go to College?

Hiss: John Hopkins and Harvard, and I believe you attended Whittier College. 

Hiss was an urbane, educated member of the eastern elite. He was a protege of Felix Frankfurter at Harvard Law school, and a polished Assistant Secretary Of State during World War II. And he was a Soviet spy, who nearly escaped exposure but for Nixon. 

Anyway, it's a great read. 

Miami Canes v. Ohio State. Tough game to call. Late money has flooded in on Canes, dropping the line from Miami +9.5 to Miami +7.5. The O/U is 40. We think we will stay away from this, but if we had to, it would be Ohio State and under. 

Oh yeah.....Happy New Year and all that. See you in 2026. 

NFL WEEK 17 2025

 Good post Xmas /Holiday morning/day. We head into the final weeks of the NFL with a few important games to be played, and more seriously, plenty of money to be won. 

We start off with our go-to prop bet: Fins RB Archane over 65.5 yards rushing. He's apt to get that on one breakaway carry. 

The best matchup of the day is Eagles at Bills. Not too sure if these teams will be holding back star players, as they both have playoff spots guaranteed. The Bills have more at stake. They can lock in the highest seed as a wildcard team and head to Pittsburgh, where they have already handled the Steelers once. The Bills need to establish a strong winning theme as they enter the playoffs, so we like them today. Take Buffalo minus 3. We are also parlaying the following: Rushing: James Cook over 87.5 yards, Saquon Barkley over 85.5, Josh Allen under 31.5 and Jaylen Hurts under 30.5. 

Teams have windows for championships. And sometimes those windows coincide with another team that has that team's number, and they never get to the big game. Such has been the Bills fate, as they have been unable to get past Mahomes and the Chiefs right at the time Josh Allen has been peaking as a top QB. Now Mahomes is out of the playoffs, and the Bills are poised to beat the newcomers like the Broncos, Jags, and perennial one and done Steelers, who we do think can beat Buffalo in the playoffs despite how well A Rod is playing.  So this is Buffalo's year. They have been warned by Rumpole. They will do with that as they will. 

We like the Steelers on the road at Cleveland with a game they need to win to keep the Ravens, who won last night, out of the playoffs. If the Steelers  win today, their last game against the Ravens becomes meaningless as they will be up two with one today. The line opened as Pittsburgh -3.5 and has risen to -4.5. This could be a close game, coming down to a game winning field goal. So take the Steelers money line or pay the odds (a teaser) to move the line to -2.5. 

The Sunday night game is Chicago at San Fran. The Bears locked up their division when the Ravens beat the Packers last night. Take San Fran -3.5 and/or the under 52. That number is too high. Fun fact. The 49ers have NOT punted since November 31. 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS 2025

 In England we say HAPPY CHRISTMAS. 

For today, as you're celebrating around loved ones, spend a few minutes debating this important Christmas question: 

What is the best Christmas movie? 

1. It's a Wonderful Life. 

If you want to claim the title you gotta knock off the champ, which this movie is. 

A timeless reminder that an ordinary life can have extraordinary impact. Frank Capra’s classic turns Christmas into a meditation on purpose, community, and the quiet heroism of showing up. A movie that starts with despair (not unlike the feeling we frequently get seeing the REGB judge assigned to a new case), flirts with catastrophe, and ends by reminding you that showing up for other people is the whole ballgame—Christmas or otherwise. If this one doesn’t move you, the problem isn’t the film.

2. Miracle On 34th Street 

A warm, witty defense of belief in a skeptical world.  A federal trial for Santa Claus, complete with evidence, Jencks, witnesses, and a judge who understands that the law occasionally needs a nudge from common sense. (We need more Marcia Cookes on the bench is our Xmas wish for 2025).  Something that would never happen these days which is why liking the movie is an automatic disqualification from membership in the nattering nabobs of negativity known as the federalist society It’s a Christmas movie that believes institutions matter—but only when they abandon balls and strikes for faith, decency, and a little magic.

3. Love Actually

A messy, charming, thoroughly British mosaic of romance, loneliness, and connection, all unfolding in the weeks before Christmas. It insists—sometimes awkwardly, sometimes beautifully—that love really is all around. Nine stories, several questionable life choices, and at least one Xmas Eve visit that could have resulted in a restraining order if it took place in Hialeah.  And yet—it works. A chaotic reminder that love is inconvenient, imperfect, and often embarrassing, which makes it feel honest enough to pass the Christmas test. Mr. Bean in two small scenes quietly makes a play to steal the movie from a large, talented ensemble cast. 

4. Christmas With The Cranks. 

An exaggerated cautionary tale about what happens when you try to opt out of the holidays—and your neighbors take it personally. Loud, broad, occasionally silly, but it lands on a familiar truth: Christmas is less about what you want than what the community expects you to survive together.

5. Die Hard. 

Stop the nonsense. This is a Christmas movie. "Now I have a machine gun. Ho Ho Ho" on a sign on a body in a Santa Claus Cap ends the discussion. A high-octane action movie disguised as a Christmas classic. Set during a holiday office party, it proves that reconciliation, sacrifice, and even explosions can belong under the Christmas tree. Yes, it’s a Christmas movie. It takes place at a Christmas party, reconciliation is the emotional engine, and goodwill is literally defended with bare feet and bad intentions. If explosions disqualify it, then so should family dinners.

Trivia Q: name the one actor that appears in two of the movies on the list. Ho Ho Ho. 

NEW BOND SCHEDULE 2026

 You wanna dance you gotta pay the band. 

You wanna borrow, you gotta pay the man. 

Rocky Balboa. 

Without further ado, here is the much anticipated (only if you're a legal nerd) Florida Supreme Court administrative order on Bonds effective January 2026. 

Practice Tip; The State of Florida objected. To any bond, Any time. For any reason. Victim wants max. 

Aosc25 69 Bond by Anonymous PbHV4H

We gave you Carolina over Tampa and Steelers over Lions yesterday. No thanks necessary. We will be opening an Opus One rather than a Trulia on Christmas this year. 

Coming this week. What you have been waiting for all year. Best Christmas Movies and Best Christmas Songs.