Solar-powered Bucs lose at night to ruin Mark's bid for perfect week

A lack of sunshine in Jacksonville, and Warren Sapp's failure to close a gap in the Buccaneers defensive line, kept Mark from achieving the first 13-0 record in Picks history.  He reluctantly settled for a dominating 12-1 performance in Week 13, extending his first-place lead to 11 games on the way to his second career Picks title.

Mark predicted every afternoon game correctly on Sunday, including five upsets, to enter the evening with a perfect 12-0 record.  But that night he picked the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs (5-6) to beat the struggling Jaguars (2-9) despite knowing Tampa Bay would have to operate successfully with depleted solar energy.

The critical game had several momentum-shifting moments in the fourth quarter, including two calls that were reversed after being challenged by coaches.  Mark's unblemished record eventually depended on Tampa Bay needing to stop Jacksonville on fourth-and-inches with under 3 minutes left.  The underdog Jaguars were clinging to a 17-10 lead.

"Sapp, plug that hole you fat bastard!" Mark shouted to the Bucs' 303-pound defensive tackle as the Jaguars handed off to running back Fred Taylor.  But Taylor blasted through the line for a 3-yard gain, and Jacksonville then ran out the clock.

Mark had made an unscheduled commute to the Picks Central family room that night to partake in a wine-popping celebration upon going 13-0.  The only celebrating that night, though, occurred after the game when Mark and Blaine set a two-lap ATV record of 3:39.94 with dozens of nasty head-on collisions.  There were veteran moves galore.

D.J. dodged a bullet and retained the best record in Picks history with her 12-0 mark in 2001.  Nicki and Brandon remain the only members with 13-victory weeks.  Brandon was 13-1 in 1996, and Nickster was 13-1 in 2001.  The 12-win plateau has now been reached 30 times in 24 years.

Although Mark fell short of an undefeated week, he still made the prestigious Picks record book by beating the favored teams by five games (12-1 to 7-6), which had never been accomplished.  His victorious underdogs included Cincinnati scoring a game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in Pittsburgh, and New England stopping Indianapolis three straight times from the 1-yard line in the final minute.  Wow!

Alicia led the rest of the group with a dazzling 9-4 record, and she also led the group with some fabulous cooking on Thanksgiving.  The Little Bird filled that other bird, named Larry, with her tasty blend of stuffing.  D.J. contributed her delicious green bean casserole, Nicki made splendid mashed potatoes, and Dad prepared an award-winning vegetable pasta dish.  QT's turkey, salad and rolls were outstanding, too, and Helen gets credit for the scrumptious French Silk pie.