What about Bob?

Ten weeks into the Beat Bob Glauber picks contest, a gentleman listed as Alan Bazer (I assume that's his real name) of North Massapequa not only tops the local leader board. But he's in first place on the national leader board as well.

He leads a packed field with an astounding 106 wins (straight up, not against the spread).

I don't know exactly how many people are entered in the national contest - or the local, for that matter. But I'm pretty sure it's in the thousands.

I also hope that I am not putting the whammy on Mr. Bazer, because I would like nothing more than to anoint one of Long Island's own as the champion of the world in NFL picks.

He currently leads Jason Bell of Litchfield Park, Arizona by two games. Patricia Starr of Pfafftown, NC heads a logjam of contestants with 103 wins.

I'm not sure if Alan is a regular reader of this blog, but if he is, please accept our best wishes for continued success. If not, and if someone knows him, please tell him he is now famous.

Our own Tennessee Tom is having a fine season, too. Heck, even our beloved NKR is in the mix on the local leader board.

Me? I am hopelessly behind the pack, because I basically suck picking games.

It's that time, people. The regular season is nearly upon us, and so is the Beat Bob Glauber NFL picks contest.

Sign up here, and join in on the fun. Simply pick the games, and at the end, we'll see who wins. There are goodies like a 42" high definition TV and more.

Ok, so the headline is sophomoric and is simply designed to catch your attention. But look on the bright side: at least I didn't write about the guy who ate sausages and puked at a Jets' tailgate a few years back.

Anyway, I digress.

I'm here to give you a heads up to what has now become an official rite of passage on What About Bob: The Beat Bob Glauber Football Picks contest.

We'll roll out details in the coming days, complete with sign-up information.

With the regular season just two weeks away, it's time to sharpen your forecasting skills and see if you can do better than the trained professionals like us who spend hours upon hours studying this great game ... only to look like a complete doofus when we try and predict which teams win. Or, if you prefer, a horse's a**.

...

Speaking of which, we checked in with M'Asia in Beijing this morning, and asked her to confirm whether, as Boland's media pal told him a few days ago, that there really was a menu item called "shaved a**" at a local restaurant. She told us of course there is "shaved a**" on the menu, although she stayed away from it all week.

In fact, she went conservative the other night and ordered a chicken and vegetables dish. When the meal came out, she took one look at the "chicken" and decided it looked nothing like chicken. Unsure if it was "shaved a**" she noshed on the veggies.

No wonder she said she can't wait to dive into a good ol' American-style cheeseburger when she comes home next week.

With three games on the docket tomorrow, here's a gentle reminder to get your picks in if you've joined up in the Beat Bob Glauber contest. Even if you haven't joined in, you can still do so and be eligible for weekly prizes.

Glauber himself is riding somewhat of a hot streak, nailing 12-of-16 last week, although such chest-thumping usually means that a cold streak is about to begin. Immediately. But he's at least reached an important milestone in this competition, and that's surging ahead of our own NKR, whose unique and complicated formula of picking games had her on a red hot streak early on.

Had he paid more attention to Big Ben is Back!'s angst about his beloved Steelers, he'd have gotten another one right. Instead, Glauber will honor BBiB!'s contributions with an especially annoying conversation in the third person a la Bo Jackson.

Here's to a great day of Thanksgiving NFL football, people. Eat up and enjoy.

OK, we're all set for the football prediction contest. Let's get 'er going.

Anyone and everyone can sign up and pick the games each week against me. I'll post my picks (straight up, not against the spread), so SIGN UP HERE to be included. (Please note this is a new link -- if you signed up before 11 a.m. Wednesday, you'll need to sign up again using the new link.)

Don't worry about being put on any spam lists or unsolicited e-mail groups by signing up. The website we use is expressly for things like this, and it goes no further.

I'll post my Week 1 picks in advance of Thursday's opener, so watch for it. We'll also try and print the link to the signup somewhere else on the blog so it's easy to get to.

Oh, as for "prizes," apparently we'd have to go through some legal hoops to offer a Newsday coffee mug or T-shirt, but each correct pick wins you a 'ticket' you can use to enter drawings for cool stuff like barbecue grills, Best Buy gift cards, and even a 46" Samsung HDTV.

It'll be a work in progress, so stay tuned. In the meantime, sign up and let's have some fun.

Everyone loves picking the outcomes of NFL games - although Newsday NFL handicapper Ed McNamara might beg to differ when he goes 6-10 against the spread - so I figured I'd get a weekly contest going right here on this blog to have a little fun.

We're figuring out the logistics of how to have folks get picked for the contest, and we'll come up with the games to pick on a weekly basis. We'll keep you posted on how it'll work.

In the meantime, if you come up with a catchy name, pass it along. "Beat Bob" comes to mind, although that can be taken in any number of ways. "Bash Bob" ... whatever.