merry

Las Vegas - First order of business is to wish the millions of readers that have supported America's Line as well as Ecks & Bacon over the years, a VERY merry/happy Christmas!!!

From all of us, Mrs. Ecks & Bacon and my little Bacon Bits, it is my HONOR to write for YUSE guys & gals. Since starting in the New York Daily News back in 1980, it has been and continues to be a TREEmendous run. Reading your letters & Emails has brought both joy & tears. From Joey in Jersey City, to The Other Silver Brother, to Eddie from the Berkshires, to Sgt. Matt, to the Lower East Side Kid, to Mr. Vingt-Et-Un, to Lyman S., to Yonkers Ted, to Gordi, to Martin Calia, to Mighty Quinn and all the glorious readers in between, a yuge, yuge, YUGE THANK YOU!!! I will KNIGHT each of you with my samurai sword when you come to Vegas!!! And YEA, I have a SAMURAI SWORD!!!

Now lets make some Christmas cash. Looking at the Saints -7 points over the Vikings. For all the skeptics yelling about Drew Brees, tune in and watch this first ballot Hall of Famer. Yes, Brees was dreadful in the first half last week against the Chiefs in his first game back (5 of 16 for just 87 yards and an INT), but he knocked off the rust in the 2nd half. The Saints will come with nostrils flaring as they look to clinch the NFC South and possibly get a bye in the first round. Oh yea, there's also a little matter of REVENGE! Minny rolled into the Superdome last season and knocked New Orleans out of the playoffs. OUCH! So, plz set your clocks. It's PAYBACK TIME!

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