Pixie League, week 2 of caring about the NFL

I'm in a football pool at work. I couldn't care less about football but I enjoy making picks using my own criteria. And no, I don't base my picks on colors or logos. Jenni does but she's a designer and has the cred to do this.

We nicknamed the pool the Pixie League due to a mis-hear on the part another pooler. "Picks league" does sound a lot like "Pixie League."

The first week I didn't get my picks in on time. I wasn't thinking and thus thought my picks had to be in by 5 p.m. on Sunday. But I'm an American, conscious and do know that Sunday afternoon is full of football. I was ridiculed, rightly, for this.

Week two pick criteria is below. I was in the top 3. I sincerely hope that that unnerves those who are taking this seriously.

• Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee -- Pittsburgh. For a number of factors but it boiled down to MONEY magazine's top cities list. Pennsylvania has two cities in the top 100. Tennessee has just one.
  
• Miami vs. Minnesota -- Miami. On the pick form Miami is abbreviated MIA which is the abbreviation for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The idea that the MIA (arts one) would play against the MN Vikings delighted me to no end. Also, I can't stand the Vikings. Pay for your own stupid stadium!
• Arizona vs. Atlanta -- Two friends live in Atlanta. And I really like the city. It's quite beautiful. In Arizona it's hot, it's a desert landscape (not too cozy).
• Baltimore vs. Cincinnati -- Cincinnati. The football league overlord wrote Cincinnati as Cincy. I chose it despite this black mark on the city. We were on a family trip in D.C. and in traffic. A woman pulled up next to us, crying, and asked, "Do you know how to get to Baltimore?" Also, there was a huge oil spill in Cincinnati in the 1970s. Marathon Oil handled it so well that no one remembers it. Unlike the Exxon Valdez fiasco. Both companies' actions are frequently used as ueber-examples in crisis communication courses.
  
• Kansas City vs. Cleveland -- Cleveland. Our weather in MN is becoming like that of Kansas City. And that is not a good thing. Granted, it's not their fault. I do give in to one 'girlie' pick this week and it's Cleveland. In the 1980s their quarterback was Brian Sipe. Easy on the eyes.
  
• Chicago vs. Dallas -- Chicago. It would be tough for any city to win against Chicago. Museums, great walking city, friends Paul & David used to live there, great eats. Dallas is in Texas. Their separatist state of mind is a mystery to me.
  
• Philadelphia vs. Detroit -- Detroit. Detroit is the city with the big reputation here. One the one hand its nickname is Detroilet. On the other, Jude's husband, Bill, is from there. So it can't be all bad.
• Buffalo vs. Green Bay -- Green Bay. I love that the team is owned by their fans. And one of our student workers is from there. And he's a spectacular writer.
  
• Tampa vs. Carolina -- Tampa. Whenever I think of Florida I think of the northern part. There it's scrubby and blah. No deciduous trees and I get a bit fidgety. However, Tampa does have Busch Gardens. It was close though. Charleston is one lovely city.
  
• Seattle vs. Denver -- Seattle. This was a toughie. Two of my favorite people in the world have lived in either Denver or Seattle. Seattle does have the advantage for its culture. And, it is the home of the first Trader Joe's I visited. Took a taxi across town to a go to a grocery store.
  
• St. Louis vs. Oakland -- Oakland. I didn't have strong feelings, or facts, on this one. I picked Oakland because of its proximity to San Francisco. And St. Louis has the hot, humid weather that now seems to be our lot in Minnesota.
• Houston vs. Washington -- Houston. I'm taking a politically correct stance on this one. Even though it means choosing a Texas team. The Redskins is just a terrible name.
• New England vs. NY Jets -- New England. New England contains Boston. New York is neighbor to Newark, NJ.
  
• Jacksonville vs. San Diego -- San Diego. Again, Florida just doesn't do it for me. San Diego has a great zoo. Although we did lose my brother, Steve, there when he was 5 years old.
  
• NY Giants vs. Indianapolis -- NY Giants. Although NY is in proximity to Newark, Indiana includes the city of Gary. Enough said.
  
• New Orleans vs. San Francisco -- New Orleans. Although the crime rate is higher and the summers can be oppressive, New Orleans still wins based on its architecture and Cafe du Monde. And the city could really use another break.