Chapter 10

The other night I’m driving home from the Barclays Center after watching the Heat drop buckets on the Nets. I let my Spotify playlist run, and on came Stargazing by Kygo. Now, the song has a certain meaning, but have you ever just isolated yourself and looked up at the stars? In Rahway, and in many light polluted areas, this is a hard task. It is rare you get a clear sky. But when I travel, or on those rare nights where I can look up, man that’s special. When I had the house in LBI I would look forward to getting on the beach at night, laying in the sand and just looking up.

What would I think about? Stars give me hope, they give me life. There’s some positive energy they give me and I just think. I think about the journey I’ve been on, called life. Sure, we all have some regrets, we wish we could have played some situations differently, but I have really enjoyed my path so far. The roller coaster went low. I could’ve/should’ve flunked out of college, I’ve lost loved ones, and at points I feel I let myself down. The roller coaster has gone high. My family is special, my friends care for me, I’ve traveled to awesome locations, I love my job, and I’ve taken advantage of second chances which includes excelling at Rutgers after the dark days.

What does this have to do with the Korner? Since this past Sunday, I feel on top of the World. The journey of life is definitely on a high, and sports has a lot to do with it. Sunday the 11th I was at MetLife to see my former high school teammate score his first NFL touchdown for the Bills, Monday I went golfing at Rutgers where I had one of my best rounds, Tuesday I had a great dinner with my mother at the Irving Inn #BurgerNight, Wednesday Jordan and I went to the Nets vs. Heat game, Thursday I got to write the article, and this weekend … oh this weekend! Please watch the video below for this weekend.

**Disclaimer** The Rahway football game has been moved to sunday at 1pm, still at Summit. There was a horrible winter storm, and we hope everyone was safe.

Recap:
Rutgers -12.5 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson – HIT! Rutgers 90 FDU 55.
Coastal Carolina +6.5 vs. Arkansas State – Miss. Arkansas State 44 Coastal 16. #ThanksGian
#19 Texas at Texas Tech Over 62 – HIT! Texas 41 Texas Tech 34 (75)
UAB -11.5 vs. Southern Miss – Miss. UAB 26 Southern Miss 23.
Falcons -5.5 at Browns – Miss. Browns 28 Falcons 16.
Eagles -6.5 at Cowboys – Miss. Cowboys 27 Eagles 20.
Ouch. Last week 2-4. YTD 34-36.
NCAAF 17-23 NFL 13-9 Basketball 3-2

**Friday Knight Knicks**

Rutgers +3 vs. St. Johns – The college basketball season just started, but looking at the schedule, we can call this the biggest home game of the year for Rutgers. It’s an early non-conference battle versus their neighbors in St. Johns. St. Johns came in to this year very hyped up, and rightfully so. Their guard play is one of the best in the country. Rutgers beat up on two weak opponents and their defense looked suspect against the guards early on. Rutgers can shoot though with anyone. They also catch a break with power forward Sedee Keita missing the game for St. Johns. Rutgers will have the size advantage, and a packed RAC on their side. The RAC is small, and hasn’t been packed much, but when the people come, it gets LOUD.
Rutgers 78 St. Johns 74

Pelicans -10 vs. Knicks – The Pelicans suffered a tough lose in Minnesota Wednesday night, and look to get back on track against the struggling Knicks. The Knicks are beginning to experiment with lineup changes to salvage their season. Their rookie, Kevin Knox started for the first time Wednesday against Oklahoma City. The Knicks looked out of sync and lost by 25! They are still trying to figure things out, and I don’t expect them to get back to form for a little. The Pelicans have playoff aspirations, and good teams bounce back after a loss and plummet inferior opponents.
Pelicans 129 Knicks 112

**Saturday Slate**

Pittsburgh -7 at Wake Forest – Pitt has won three straight, and with a win will clinch a spot in the ACC championship game! Wake Forest upset NC State last week, after making a quarterback switch. After spoiling NC State’s senior night, I expect them to return to their normal self, where they had a weak defense. This could allow the New Jersey native Maurice Ffrench to get lose and have another multiple touchdown day. Pitt is a running machine who strikes big plays, and I expect them to score five on Saturday.
Pittsburgh 35 Wake Forest 24

Oklahoma State at #9 West Virginia Over 72.5 – One of the best games last week was when Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 48-47. They couldn’t stop each other and racked up the points. This week, Okla St. gets another dominant offense in West Virginia. Led by Heisman hopeful Will Grier, West Virginia almost always scores over 40 points. This team is loaded, including having three receivers who have over 600 yards this season! Oklahoma State plays up-tempo vertical offense as well. They have one of the worst defenses in college football, but have five wins because their offense is elite. This game is set-up for Grier to have another Heisman moment, and have West Virginia light up the scoreboard.
West Virginia 49 Oklahoma State 38

Louisiana -17 vs. South Alabama – Louisiana has the best team name in college football. The Ragin’ Cajuns come in to this game hot. They host a balanced offense averaging 230 passing yards and 220 rushing yards a game. South Alabama on the other hand, is reeling. They lost their last three games on average of 38-14, against teams just as good as the Ragin’ Cajuns. A win will get Louisiana bowl-eligible, so I don’t think they will play around in this one.
Louisiana 38 South Alabama 14

**Sunday Funday**

Bucs +1.5 at Giants – Eli Manning looked impressive last week, but don’t let that fool you. The Giants have some good pieces, but the puzzle is far from complete. The Bucs have had a disappointing season as well, constantly shuffling between their two quarterbacks. They know how to score though, led by their fantastic trio of receivers. A matchup I only care about because I am going with seven friends, the struggling Bucs edge it out versus the struggling Giants. A more interesting bet would be which #13 will have a better day between Odell, and Mike Evans.
Bucs 28 Giants 24.

Saints vs. Eagles Over 55 – The best team in football takes on the Super Bowl hung-over Eagles, whose season is slowly ending. Their locker room is frustrated and they need to turn around this ship before it is too late. I expect the Eagles to finally play with some urgency, even though that still might not be enough. The Saints are rolling, and Drew Brees is having another historic season. The Eagles have banged up corner backs so I expect Michael Thomas, the best #13 in the NFL to feast. The Eagles will give every punch they have and keep this one interesting.
Saints 33 Eagles 26

Thank you,
Goose