Above cloudy Tampa, Picks Gods again fail to connect with earthling friend

The Super Bowl champion Buccaneers came home in Week 2, fresh from an impressive 17-0 triumph in Philadelphia.  The NFL's top-ranked team appeared more than ready to stomp the mediocre Carolina Panthers.  After all, the mighty Bucs were favored by a whopping 9 1/2 points.  This one could get ugly.

But wait.  What's the game-day weather in Tampa?  The forecast called for clouds and isolated thunderstorms.  That's kryptonite for the solar-powered Bucs!  Throw out the intimidating statistics and prepare for a shocker because the Bucs can't find end zones without the beautiful sunshine reflecting off their helmets.

High above the cloud cover in Florida, the almighty Picks Gods sent yet another subliminal message to their Picks pal on Earth.  That's Mark, who seems to get helpful hints in mysterious ways every week from his heavenly advisors.  The bonehead usually ignores them, and this time was no different.

Mark was in the process of jotting "Bucs" on his Picks sheet when the directive from the Picks Gods arrived, but without the flashy fanfare you see in the movies.  His pen simply stopped working.  Not accepting this obvious sign from above, Mark became frustrated and tried several times to write "Bucs."  He had successfully written the word in Trevor's column two inches to the right, but the pen seemed inkless when he tried the same thing under his own name.

Mark eventually was able to scribble "Bucs" next to that cursed space, feeling a sense of accomplishment until Tampa Bay lost in lethargic fashion hours later.  The Bucs had a game-winning extra point blocked as time expired, and then fell 12-9 in overtime.  To make matters worse, Mark remembered having the same trouble writing "49ers," who also lost in overtime because they, too, made a dumb mistake in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

Sibling QT didn't wait around for goofy signs from supernatural forces, and went directly to an Internet forecast that indicated non-solar weather in Florida.  She checked the Tampa webcam to confirm the dreary day, and confidently chose the Panthers.  The Little Bird smartly elected to go with Carolina as well, and reaped the benefits by moving up to fourth place (18-11) in the overall Picks standings.