No Déjà Vu at Six Flags, but definite déjà vu for groggy Girlie in Picks

Her cell phone rings, waking her from a deep sleep. She answers the phone in a tired voice. It's her dad, reminding her that it's Sunday, and that the Picks are about to move ahead without her. Groggy Girlie gets to a computer with her eyes half closed. She logs onto Picks Central and makes her football choices within 60 seconds.

That's her style, that's how she rolls, so don't mess with her mojo. It's the unorthodox but successful approach that gave D.J. the Sunday Football Picks title in 2002, and it's turning out to be a repeat performance in 2008. Her 9-4 record in Week 6 put her back into first place in the overall standings. Call it déjà vu if you will. The similarities are definitely there.

After six weeks of Picks in 2002, D.J. had a 50-31 record. This year, she's 50-30. She held a one-game lead over her mom back then, and holds a one-game advantage over her mom and dad this time around. Both years she's had a Week 6 underdog pick pull out a big victory in Denver. It was her Dolphins in 2002, and her Jaguars in 2008. And both years she's enjoyed sleeping late and making her picks while dazed and bleary-eyed.

Sleepwalking through a Picks season isn't necessarily recommended, but if it works for Girlie, more power to her.

"Treatment for sleepwalking isn't usually necessary," say the experts at MayoClinic.com. "It's not dangerous to wake a person who's sleepwalking, but it can be disruptive. The person may only be confused and disoriented if awakened."

Since D.J. is picking winning teams consistently while remaining mostly asleep, the experts think it would only confuse her to shake her awake and introduce relevant football facts such as team records, the game line from oddsmakers, and the history between longtime rivals.

"Sleepwalkers have been noted to do complicated or bizarre maneuvers such as opening doors and going outside, climbing out windows, or turning on the gas in the kitchen," said a Duke University pediatrician certified in sleep medicine. "Making successful picks in NFL games is something I've never heard about, though."

D.J.'s déjà vu season comes at a time when the Déjà Vu ride has disappeared from Six Flags Great America. Season passes brought several Picks members to the Gurnee amusement park last weekend for Fright Fest, only to see the familiar holes in the ground where the fabulous Déjà Vu coaster once stood. It was sold to Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho, where it opened under the name "Aftershock" in July.