Football never stops. And a gamblin' we will go. But first, a word about baseball. The soothsayers in the desert say that the New York Yankees are about 2-1 favorites to vanquish your reigning World Series champion Phillies, and I concur. C'mon. Don't let hope cloud your judgment.

Despite the long odds that favor the Yanks and despite the excruciating misery that is sure to accompany their inevitable ticker-tape parade, take heart. It will always be better to root for anyone but the Yankees.

That's because the Yankees have purchased their glory. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui - all lured to New York by greed. It's OK. It's their right to get rich. If I had been a superhuman baseball player instead of an abjectly bad doofus whose greatest diamond glory involved diving catches of short tosses from myself as I tumbled on the family couch, I'd have probably taken George Steinbrenner's over-the-top cash when I became a free agent, too.

And don't forget that some combination of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera has also been purchased. What? Weren't those pillars of Yankee-osity bred in the New York farm system? They were, indeed. And, were they not playing for a team and a fan base able and compulsively driven to spend anything, one or all of them would long ago have fled in free agency, like, say, oh, I don't know, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui did.

The Yanks will have bought their 27th World Series title when all is said and done. Again, it is their right to have done so.

It's just that being excited about the Yankees is like being excited about being a spoiled rotten brat who sees other kids' toys and gets his rich daddy to buy them all. Then, they have a huge celebration about having the best toy collection. Yay.

It is the Yankees fan's First Amendment right (freedom of religion?) to be excited about its spoiled rotten brat of a franchise. It would also have been one's right to have rooted for Apollo Creed in Rocky, for the Soviet hockey team in the 1980 Olympics, and for the Borgata over visiting gamblers. "How was A.C.?" "Awesome! The house cleaned everybody out! Can you believe it? When that craps table stayed cold, the place was literally shaking with excitement! Let's have a parade!"

Anyway, no sour grapes. The Yanks will be World Series champs because they are the best team. The duty of everyone else is to sap the joy out of it for Yankees fans.

And in that spirit, let's pick football games against the spread because it's more important than the World Series (unless the Phils pull it out).

Texans (-31/2) at Bills

So A-Rod starts earning his $252 mil, and suddenly New York's in love with him? It's all good? Typical. And loathsome.

Texans 24, Bills 17. Kate Hudson is the most annoying celebri-fan since. . . EVER.

Dolphins (+4) at Jets.

If the Marlins had Steinbrenner's money, they'd have won every World Series since 1997. And we'd be forced to believe that Landshark ProPlayer Dolphins Multipurpose Suburban Stadium was some magical shrine to greatness.

Dolphins 27, Jets 24. I went to the New New Yankee Stadium (once). The first new one was overrated, and the new one is not as good as that.

49ers at Colts (-121/2)

The Indiana Pacers wore pinstriped uniforms, too. Indeed, when I hear "pinstripes," I think of Vern Fleming.

Colts 30, 49ers 16. Didn't the Diamondbacks wear pinstripes in 2001? That was so excellent.

Seahawks at Cowboys (-91/2)

Who decided that it was "good for baseball" that the Yankees are in the World Series? It appears that "good for baseball" is bad for everyone except Bud Selig and Rupert Murdoch and people who would take candy from babies. Unless the Phils prevail, in which case this World Series would be "good for humanity."