Random Musings on the world of sports

2011-10-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

The best conversation EVER!!!

2011-05-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

UPDATE!!!

This conversation was taken directly from a fake Casey Matthews page. I copy and pasted the whole thing so that I could show Casey what someone who was pretending to be him was saying. Casey Matthews confirmed via twitter that this fake book page is NOT him.
"CaseyMatthews55 Why do people make fake facebook pages??? You got nothing better to do than try and impersonate me...I guess thats cool"
"CaseyMatthews55 @SpiroPettas Not when they are posting some stupid ish......and a #pickle"

There is also a Clay Matthews page that has frequent contact with the Fake Casey Matthews page, and I'm assuming that that one is fake as well. Clay, his agent, and official website have all been notified.

Here is Clay's twitter response to the FB page
"ClayMatthews52 Clay Matthews III
Don't b fooled by these lazy good 4 nothin tricksters... crack smokin swindlers!! My OFFICIAL Facebook fan page ----> http://on.fb.me/atPdeB"

Pretending to be someone else is a crime. And misleading fans is just wrong.

I know these fools won't offer an apology to the tons of fans that they have lied to, but honest, die hard fans deserve better.

Mary Jane BlankCasey Matthews
I make you to unhappy I think I am better off just going to FL...bye Casey :/
4 hours ago · Like ·
Casey Matthews ‎:(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews You dont make me unhappy :'(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:'( You seem unhappy with me
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I'm not :'(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Then why are you always upset
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I just dont want to leave LA in a few months
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank You still seem upset with me tho
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I'm not
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:/ I don't believe you
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:'(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:/
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Its not you :(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank It seems like it :( maybe my drama isn't good for you while your focused on the season
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I dont give a damn about the season :(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank My drama still isn't good for you i've been stressing you out
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews No your not :(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I only need you :(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I love you Babe
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I love you to
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:'(
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:''(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Baby I'm going to be strong for you
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank You've been strong this whole time Babe and im proud of you
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I dont feel like I have though babe
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank You have tho Babe you been strong since I've been being weird with my moods and you been strong through the lock out
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I love you so much baby
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I love you so much to Babe
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Baby I want you to tell me everything thats bothering you
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Nothing is bothering me im just stressed out :(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Okay why are you stressed out baby
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I don't know I just am :(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Is there anything I can do?
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank No
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Okay :/
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:'(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/ are you still going to go to florida
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I don't know
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:( This is the 3rd day in a row we started fighting
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Baby I think maybe if we got away from the house that would help, cause when I was little my parents got in fights 24/7 but when they left the house for the weekend they stopped
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Maybe Babe but I just hate fighting with you,when we fight I cry for three hours or longer :(
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Baby I'm sorry :/
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank It's not your fault
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I feel like it is. I feel like I'm not trying my hardest to put a smile on that pretty face of yours
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:/
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews What can I do to make you smile
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I don't know im not really in the smiling mood right now im still crying
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/ will you being in my arms help?
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I don't know
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Okay
3 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:/
3 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I'm going to be here for you 24/7
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank You already have been Babe
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Okay baby
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Babe I sort of set up a surprise for you earlier but we started fighting
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Aww you did?
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Yeah I still have the surprise if you want to know what it is
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews I do :)
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Well Babe I got you a puppy :)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:D you did
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Yes I did :) I knew you wanted one Jay has it right now I didn't wanna give the surprise away
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Thank you baby :D
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Welcome Babe :)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I made you happy :)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Yes you did :)
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:) I got you a pug
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:D
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:) I love you baby
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I love you to :D
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews You smiled :D yay
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Yes I did :)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:) I'm glad
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I made you happy so I smile :)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:) baby do you want to go out for lunch later
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Yes I do Babe :)
2 hours ago · Like
Casey Matthews Okay baby :)
2 hours ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I love you Babe :)
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews I love you to :)
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Baby im scared that im going to lose you :(
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Your never going to lose me baby
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I've been feeling like I am since we started fighting all the time
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews You're not losing me I promise
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Okay Babe
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Baby you and our baby are my world, I know Ive said that before but I really mean it
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:) Your our world to Baby ♥
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank What do you think we should name it if it's a girl or a boy? :)
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews I dont know babe. What do you think?
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Um im not really sure :)
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Well babe I like the name Natalie for if its a girl
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Thats a cute name :)
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Yeah :)
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:O What if it's twins
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:O
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I'm watching 16 & pregnant and this chick is having twins lol
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Lol damn
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Yea lol
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Lol
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Babe my body feels tired but sorta in a relaxed way
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Awww
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Yea so I kinda don't know about lunch Babe
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews That's fine baby
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Babe I love you ♥
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews I love you to baby
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:D
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Your my forever
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews ♥
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank My heart
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Forever
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:D
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ♥ :D
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Babe xD My mom said shes already planning my baby she said it's gonna be a few weeks before my due date lol
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Lol
about an hour ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Baby my mom said your gonna be at the shower xD
about an hour ago · Like
Casey Matthews Lol okay
58 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Shes on the phone and she sounds soo excited
58 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews Aww
56 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I'm hyper but I don't wanna get up and be bouncy
56 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
54 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Oww I fell :|
52 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/ you okay?
50 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I don't know I hit my tummy -_- and my head
48 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/
42 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Owie
42 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews Aww
42 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:/
41 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/
39 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank That pain hurts again
39 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/
37 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Why is it always hurting on my side GR!! -_-
37 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews I dont know :/
35 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:|
33 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:/
32 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank I'm fine tho Babe no need to worry
31 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews Okay babe
29 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Babe what do you wanna name your pug :)
29 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank It's a girl by the way lol
28 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews Lol I dont know
23 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Aw :) you must have some name
23 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:) I'm thinking lol
18 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank ‎:)
16 minutes ago · Like
Casey Matthews ‎:)
15 minutes ago · Like
Mary Jane Blank Cuddles is on the attack AHH run xD
15 minutes ago · Like

The Elite 8

2011-03-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ah, brackets.
Ah, Spring.

I know most of you are riding the high that was the opening week of the NCAA Men's basketball tourney. I would be right with you if stupid Notre Dame hadn't messed up my ENTIRE bracket last night. And while I'm somehow magically third right now in the CHTV/pocket doppler pool, I know it won't last. Therefore I am turning my attention to an even better bracket, the UEFA Champions League!!!

Anyone still here?

For those of you that didn't click the giant red X in the upper corner of the screen, thank you.

Champions League is one of the best soccer tournaments ever, and recently on twitter I was asked to help clear up some things about it.

Champions League takes the best teams from all of the European Leagues and pits them together in a season long knock out fight until one team is left standing to rule over all of Europe. How a team is selected differs in each country. In England the top three teams in the top league get automatic bids. The fourth place team must play in a play in round game. In Italy, its the top two teams that get auto bids and the third that has to play in. I don't know each country qualifiers, but suffice to say if its a country/team you haven't heard of, they probably get less auto bids. (we'll call them the mid majors). (the people who finish in their league just under the CL teams get thrown into the Europa League, the NIT of the Europe).

We start off with 32 teams. They get grouped together and play each other twice. The top two teams in each group advance into the KNOCK OUT stages, the third teams gets thrown into the Europa League (NIT) and the fourth team gets sent home. All of this happened months ago.

Then we're down to 16. The real sweet 16.
The confusion starts NOW.
The teams are not bracketed. Their names are thrown into a bowl and the UEFA committee literally draws names to see who plays each other. Rule, teams from the same league can NOT play each other. Also, people who finished number 1 in their group can not place a team that also finished first.
With me?
Okay, so then the teams are set to play each other twice. The teams in UEFA CL always play each other twice, except for the final, which is a straight winner take all game.
In the two games, obviously, the team that scores the most goals moves on. So you can lose the first game 2-1, but if you come roaring back and win the next game 3-0, you move on; its what we call AGGREGATE scoring. The aggregate score would be you 4 them 2. YOU WIN! and you advance.
But what happens if the score is 3-3 on aggregate?? are you sitting down? do you have a piece of paper out? AWAY GOALS. they are like magic beans. You want them. If after two games, both teams have scored the same amount of goals, the team with the most away goals advances. see, that's not that complicated. It's a pretty simple idea, until you start to think about it.
Example: in the first game, you are away. the game ends 0-0. in the next "leg" of the round, you are home. If the other team scores 1 goal, they are up 1-0 on aggregate. You would now need TWO goals to advance. one goal would make the aggregate 1-1; but the other team would have the away goal and they would move on.
These rules apply to all the knock out rounds of Champions League.

Okay, so if you followed all of that, and are still with me, give yourself a pat on the back.

Last Friday was the draw for the Elite 8 of Champions League. And NOW we are bracketed. The first group pits Real Madrid (pronounced Re-Al not real) vs Tottenham (pronounced Tot'nm) and FC Internazionale Milano (aka Inter) vs FC Schalke 04 (um, you're guess is as good as mine is on this one)
The second groups has Manchester United vs Chelsea (figure those are self explanatory) and Barcelona vs FC Shakhtar Donetsk (which is REALLY fun to try to pronounce. SHOCK TAR!!!) Each team plays each other twice, the winner moving on to play the other winner in their group. (Americans should be very familiar with this set up).

So now that you have yourself a primer, its time to fill out your bracket!!
If you're not the kind of person who likes to blindly fill out these things, let me give you a very American-ized back ground of each team.

1. Real Madrid. As much as people like to hate on both Chelsea and Man U (we will get to that later) Real is the New York Yankees (and sometimes the Washington Redskins) of the soccer world. Two summers ago, they broke the bank bringing both Ronaldo and Kaka on board. If there's a good player out there, asking for a lot of money, rest assured, Real will pick them up. Despite all their efforts though, Real still comes in second to power house Barca (see below). Real has won Champions League nine times. Is it time to make it a nice round ten?

2. Tottenham Hotspur FC (the full name of Tot'nm). English. need I say more? Tottenham is not a team generally considered a current powerhouse of England. The two years prior to making the CL, Tottenham finished middle of the table. Failing to qualify for Europa league. They're a good team, but this deep run into the CL is definitely helping their popularity. If you'd like to cheer on an English team but are turned off by Chelsea and Man U, Tot'nm could be for you.

3. Inter. They're good. Like really good. Played in last years final and just took our last years winner, Bayern Munich. They play at the San Siro, which has like 10 foot tall wire fences separating the field and the stands. When you watch games there you will frequently hear a loud bang sound that is very similar to a cannon going off. SB believes it is Inter executing dissenters. Their goalie, Julio Cesar sometimes has the face of a Disney character. So if you like Italy, power by force, and/or Disney movies, this might be the team for you.

4. Schalke. I got nothing. They're German. I really don't watch the German league, all I know about German teams is that Bayern Munich is their Inter. And I know about Werder Bremen because Bremen makes me think of the childhood story about the animals that took over the house from the jewel thieves. So if your German and like an underdog, this is your team

5. Manchester United. I am a Man U fan. And while Man U has it's fair share of haters, see my mentions column from Saturday night, Man U sells more jerseys every year than ALL of the NFL teams combined. They're owned by the Glazer family, who own the Tampa Bay Bucs, which I admit is off setting. Their coach is a knight. They talk big talk, and generally back it up. Real cool, Man U fact, they have twins on the team. What are the odds that twins would both be great a soccer, both play for one of the best teams in the world, and both play the same position, just on different sides? Man U has money but doesn't always spend it as much as Real. (They lost both Ronaldo and Tevez in the same off season, weren't going to pay). I'm biased, I think they're a great team. Most people think they're jerks. Which they can be. On Saturday a Man U player made an awful tackle on American Stu Holden (who currently plays for Bolton in England) and now Holden is out for 6 months. So currently Man U is especially hated. But if you want to be like me, cheer for a winner, and have the fun of saying GLORY GLORY, this is your team.

6. Chelsea. Chelsea and Man U are pretty much the same. Good players, good team, spend the money. They also have the world's best (okay, maybe second best to Ronaldo) flopper/actor in the world on their team, Drogba. (Drogba's the guy who played with a broken arm in the World Cup for the Ivory Coast). They're coach is Carlo Ancelotti, and he likes to raise one eye brow at a time and that makes me smile. Three seasons ago, Man U and Chelsea played in the final and it ended in penalty kicks in the rain. (with Man U the victors) Blood has been boiling even more so ever since. This is also Aaron Nagler's favorite team. So if being on Nagler's good side is important to you, This is your team.

7. Barcelona. Once you see Barca play, you'll stop and think to yourself. "Wait, I've seen this team before. In the World Cup. When they called themselves Spain." and you'll pretty much be right. If you're Spanish and really good and you're name isn't Fernando Torres, you are probably on Barca. Barca is fast, and good. And they have a lot of good players. And they beat Man U two years ago in the CL final and that kind of broke my heart.

8. FC Shakhtar Donetsk. They're from the Ukraine. And that my friends, is crazy. They're the Richmond of Champions League. or VCU.

I know some people find soccer boring, but I'm guessing most of those people watch random games, and not the top 8 teams in Europe battling it out for the most coveted prize.

So if you're like me and your NCAA bracket has fallen apart, get out a pen and join me in this one.

THESE ARE THE CHAMPIONS. (last years intro)

Are you FREAKING kidding me?!!!

2010-12-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this here because pretty sure Alex and Lounge Readers don't want to listen to my SC/NCAA/Cam Newton Rant. But Hot Damn, this is pure cow bull crap!

It took the NCAA committee four years and a fake photo to conclude that there was wrong doing by USC regarding Reggie Bush and Bush's parents getting money (house). And in a matter of weeks, the NCAA has concluded that Newton's father and another nameless person requested money for Cam to attend a school but Cam knew nothing and therefore is completely eligible. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went on record saying that I think the NCAA acted too harshly with false evidence, but I cut Reggie out of my life. I said, F U, you hurt my program. I played along. Walked around spouting Bowls are for Salads and wore the probation with pride. And now you're telling me that someone who ACTUALLY cheated, THE SCHOOL THAT ACTUALLY RECEIVED A BENEFIT where as USC received nothing, (Bush was persuaded to leave not stay) GETS NO PUNISHMENT! Newton can compete, can win a national championship AND WIN and keep a heisman! This is bogus. Newton is a great player. I think he has earned the Heisman, but based on what happened to Reg and USC, there is no way that this kid should be playing and get the Heisman. I WANT OUR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BACK!!! I want to scream from the top of my lungs that this is officially the stupidest day in the history of days (sports related - look at me being logical mid rant, I am so cool!)

Today's trip to the gym is going to be a good one, a lot of angst today. I AM FULL OF RAGE. ANGRY JAYME!!! I WANT MY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BACK AND I WANT TO GO TO A BOWL!!

Attention please

2010-11-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

So I have an announcement to make. I have decided to sit down in the Lounge.

Alex has hired a girl!

Therefore if you wish to keep following my tails of Packer fun, or the drama of FNL or things of the like, you should head on over to the lounge and pull a chair up next to the couch. Stay a while.

FNL- Epi 2; On the outside...

2010-11-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

So peeps, my recap is a couple days late, but its here nonetheless.

Let's start with the best part of the show, Luke traded a pig for Becky. It was rally girl selection time at East Dillon. Vince got himself the slutty redhead - those gingers are tricky - but declined cause he has Jesse. Tink got Becky. Luke look dismayed, "but we made a baby." Later after a "wild" party, where Luke is pissed cause he's suspended, the slutty red head drinks a lot and Jesse throws up, we find out that Luke has traded his beloved pig to Tink to have Becky as his rally girl. The beginning of all great love stories. Becky arrives home to the Riggins' house after learning her worth to find Mindy - who was previously threatened by Becky's young and skinny-ness - and Billy waiting up for her. She's worth a pig and has an ex-stripper caring about her. She's hit the bank!

Principal/guidance counselor Tammy Taylor is still having troubles at East Dillon, but makes some strides in this epi. She convinces the poorly named Epic to stop smoking in the school parking lot, and gets her to come to a meeting. She also goes out to happy hour with the very bitchy teachers at E.D. and gets some drink spilled on her. This warms the heart of the meanest of the mean girls and looks like the after school tutoring session might not be for naught.

But the real story is on the field. The Lions don't get ranked. And the board of some important group is reviewing Luke's awesome tackle for the previous game. Turns out, most people aren't happy with the Lions winning. The players complain the whole epi about not being ranked. Coach Taylor tries to calm the storm, until he finds out that Luke's suspension is also bs and due to people hatin' on them. So pregame Coach walks into the locker room and writes the word STATE on the board. We have ourselves a battle.

Next week, on a very special episode of FNL, we examine a you tube video of the "wild" party. Very drunk, slutty red head is shown and then shots of the Lions players in attendence. We see clips of a speech in response to the video from Coach Taylor and I can now fully imagine what it must have been like in the Bengals locker room. So, thus far, we have a tackling issue and a character issue; is Roger Goodell now a script writer for FNL??

Also, I don't want to leave out that Vince is awesome. He received many letters of interest from schools, and got his momma a job.

Can't wait for more episodes. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

CLEAR EYES, FULL HEART, CAN'T LOSE! STATE!

Packers and Dallas

2010-11-03T15:41:00.001-07:00

A new BrentFavre post is up. I really like it.

Props to Mr. Rodahl for being the best history teacher ever.

Green Bay and Dallas - Ready to Fight This Battle

Boo! Did I scare you?

2010-11-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween weekend did not fail. Highs and lows (lower than low lows) but like I said last week, I'll trust in the Packers to pick it all back up.

The sports weekend started Saturday afternoon. Vidic, in all of his glory hit a perfect header off of a Nani free kick, giving Man U the lead in the first half. But the real fireworks of the game came toward the end, when after Nani was brought down in the box and no penalty was given, Tottenham keeper Gomes placed what he believed to be a dead ball on the ground. In what I can only describe as a mass of confusion, it seemed like no one on the field - including the refs - knew if the ball was live or being set for a dead kick. Nani capitalized on the confusion and kicked the ball into the net giving Man U a 2-0 victory. Nani had every right to go for the goal. I wouldn't want anyone on my team who would try to capitalize on every single opportunity. I don't know if the refs should have allowed it, though. Here's my slightly biased opinion of what happened. Nani was taken down in the box, clearly, and should have had a penalty kick. However, it wasn't called. While on the ground, expecting the PK call, Nani handles the ball. Seeing as the PK wasn't given, the ball was still live and therefore Nani touching it was illegal and should have stopped the play. Gomes then picks up the ball and places it for what he believes to be a goal kick. The refs did not see the hand ball. And when Gomes placed it, believed the ball to be live and therefore available for Nani to kick it.

I know a lot of Man U haters. And take their abuse far far too often (esp since I never publicly diss their teams), but on Saturday all I could do was laugh at all the hatred. Anyone who says that Nani was wrong is lying. And anyone who wouldn't want their player to do the same, is lying. With all the flopping in soccer, or in the NFL when a receiver begs for pass interference even though they tripped on their own accord, when the play isn't reviewable you play to what the ref can and can not see. This isn't golf; players are not self policing. If you want to go back and prove that the handball would have negated the goal, then you also would open the door for them to go back and see Nani clearly taken down in the box.

I spent the rest of my Saturday desperately searching for something red to wear for #redout. I missed watching the game though. It wasn't on here. And it was Trevor's birthday, so the family all went out. Followed along on my phone and really, I think SC hung in their longer than most people expected. I was rather bitter though at the loss and tried to drink away my sorrows. Didn't help that I was now being harassed on twitter by Ducks fans. Takes a big man to not say a word to me the week leading up the game and then after victory is secured talk all the trash you want. I told one such fan off Sunday morning, as I tried desperately to nurse away the hangover and the pain. He tried to give me shit for tweeting him, calling him out at 5 in the morning. I then explained to him that there are different time zones in the USA and I woke up at 8:00 am to a tweet from him, so I responded. I didn't start anything, but when attacked, I will fight back. He then said, "have a nice day." What is this world coming to with the trash talk? I literally was called a B$@tch because my team lost. Twitter makes people lose all sorts of inhibitions and social norms.

And that brings us to Sunday. "I could really use a hug to make today better, and I'm hoping that hug comes from the Green Bay Packers." I really believed that the Packers would win. I also believed that the game would be a shoot out. I thought that Sanchez would struggle, the Jets would then go to LT and he'd be able to run on our patch work defense and then ARod, coming off the momentum of Monday night would keep up. I was half wrong. The Packers won. And boy did they! Holding the Jets scoreless, and scoring 9 points is a big deal. For a win, there were a surprising number of haters - wait, haters upsets them - severe doubters. And I agree that MM and his play calling left much to be desired. But at the same time I'm not ready to set him out to pasture for it. MM knew what kind of a game he was in. He knew that the defense was going to carry the team. Is that "fair" on the D - as soooooo many people lamented? Yes, yes it is. You want to know why? Cause sometimes your d carries the team, sometimes your offense does. Either way, you're a team. But getting back to McCarthy. There were more long passes on third and short, which is still frustrating and mind boggling. But then there also was the genius of the three run plays at the end of the game. Some people hated that. I got texts from two different people wondering what MM was doing. You know what he was doing, he was being smarter than us. He forced New York to use their time outs. While the fan base clamoured for passes and the first down, MM knew that making the Jets waste all their time outs, was more valuable. They weren't going to be able to move the ball. Was it risky? yes. But it would have been just as risky to throw it up, have the receiver drop it or go out of bounds, and give the ball back to the Jets with time and with a time out. I am not defending MM's play calling in total. But given the day of perspective, I don't think everything he did yesterday "sucked".

Also, is there no happy medium between sucking and greatness? It has seemed to me lately that if someone makes a mistake in game they now suck. Case in point, Mason Crosby sucked yesterday according to more than five people I talked to after he missed his second kick. Forget the wind, forget that Mason is having a decent season, forget that the guy kicked two more field goals for the Packers and forget that the Jets kicker also missed, Mason Crosby sucks. Give me a break! You want to run around saying everyone sucks, good for you, but then be prepared for my eye rolls.

But anyways, back to happier notes. The game rocked. This defense is awe-inspiring. I don't even know everyone on the team, it does feel like we just picked up some people off of the street, and yet we blanketed the Jets. A few snap shots that I liked: 1. after giving up a big play, the D did not fold. That's key. In prior games this season if the other team made a big play, they almost always scored on that drive. But not yesterday, the D dug in their heels and said "no more." 2. Rushing three on third down began to work. Could our three get to Sanchito? No, except for that one time, but the coverage down field held up and the three did not allow Sanchez to scramble for the first down. That's the point of rushing three and it started to work. 3. The D finally managed to combine being opportunistic and while maintaining tight coverage. All of the turnovers were won because our guys fought for them. But at the same time, there wasn't a lot of jumping routes and letting people go.

And lets also give out a big hand for the special teams. Minus the one run back to open the half, ST looked great. Masthay's finally came together. He's shown us glimpses that this performance was in him, but would still manage to shank at least one punt a game. Not yesterday, in a defensive and field position battle, Masthay proved to be invaluable. And lets give it up for the coverage. They were right their with him. Hustling and working hard. Even on the fake punt - which it now comes out was a decision made by the punter (think Rex has some choice four letter words for him) - I was impressed by the Packers hustle and drive on the play.

Am I worried about our offense. Yes, somethings not there. But I'm not ready to start pulling out my hair. We play Dallas next week (which I'm a little worried we might over look), and then its the bye week. I really feel that the Packers are back on track. And I'm excited for the rest of the season.

Who Moved My Cheese Curds 10.28.10

2010-10-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

From tonight's episode of Cheesehead Radio:

Growing up I rarely listened to the TV announcers during football games, my Grandmother had a deep, passionate love for Jim and Max which was carried on through me. When I moved away from Wisconsin, I felt like a child thrust into a new world without my friendly and competent radio broadcasters. Since then, I have always been a little more than harsh TV football announcers, but this year it seems to be worse than ever.

During my Monday drive home, listening to a Cincinnati local sports broadcaster, who I generally don't like, this face was ever more so drilled into my skull. Apparently, the CBS team on Sunday decided to list Antwan Odom in the starting line up for the Bengals versus the Falcons. Odom is hurt. And suspend and was definitely NOT on the field. And while this bothered the radio jockey a little, he then spent the next ten plus minutes detailing what CBS got right that Sunday - and I'm quoting from his blog here - CBS got "multiple shots of a pretty solid-looking Falcon cheerleader squad." The host and his sidekick then went on to debate the quality of the Falcon's cheerleaders versus that of the Ben-Gals, and which NFL teams have the best cheer squad. I turned the radio off before hearing the end of the debate.

I get that I'm not in the typical demographic of sports watchers, and I understand that the majority of 18 to 40 year old guys like cheerleaders, but have we really sunk so low in our expectations that all that is required are quality shots of the cheerleaders.

The CBS crew is not alone in its lapse. Packer fans have had to endure hearing announcers say that Dorsey Levens is in the back field and how tired Cullen Jenkins must be after playing...not a single snap. And apparently no one can say the name Kuhn. And I'm still waiting to find out who Trey-mon Williams, Mike Flynn and Jeremiah Finley are. Let's face it, the quality of broadcasting this year has been pathetic. Announcers and their technical crew have only one game to prepare for each week - it shouldn't be so hard. So announcers, networks, step it up! Learn the roster, at least know the starters! Because my standard is higher than you simply being able to make hot chicks appealing.

la Dia de la roja

2010-10-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Calling all USC fans!

1. Where is your cardinal? Is it clean? Is it ready to go at the butt ass crack of dawn on Saturday? Prepare yourself!

2. While you're digging through the closet and trying on different looks, read this. Chuckle, get pumped up and crush some duck!

RED OUT!

Friday Night Lights - Expectations

2010-10-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

I can't help but think the title of the premiere of the final season of Friday Night Lights had to do not only with the plot of the show but also with us fans. Expectations. After a long long off season (at least for those of us who didn't watch it on NBC) and much anticipation and media hype, there are at least a couple of expectations for the final season.

But let's get into the show. I was not disappointed. I rarely am. We start with our Lions, fresh off of last seasons final game victory against the now evil Panthers. They are the talk of the town. And are going to play some clearly stronger opponent that the person on the radio thinks they have no business playing. We see Luke and Vince running together, topless - thanks Directv no better way to start the show then making me feel like a cougar, and therefore we know they're totally cool now and are leaders of the team. Tink - who will later kiss a pig and is a pretty awesome guy is driving the car next to them. Fat jokes abound in my head.

Then we take a trip to the joint to visit Matyr Tim Riggins. He's still tough, telling Billy that he doesn't need as many visits from Billy and Becky, and he's still got his whit "can't be your biggest cheerleader, I'm in jail." Billy wants to coach football, as that's the way to right the gigantic wrongs in his life and apparently will learn to stop making dumb choices through osmosis of standing as close to Coach Taylor as possible. This news seems to upset Tim. "Coach coached me." But he's in jail so tough for him. The producers clearly made the right choice and placed Tim in white as the usual prison orange would have been very unflattering.

Becky meanwhile is living at her mom's house with her step mom. (still not fully clear how that set up worked) Mom is on a boat, dad is in a truck and step mom likes to drink and smoke around the baby while being concerned about the kid choking. So Becks goes to live with the Riggins, why not? They're her family now.

Julie and Landry are leaving for college. Julie argues with her mom because Mrs. Taylor now has the ever demanding job of guidance counselor at the poor school. And Landry wants "an epic" last night so he plans a Crucifictorius show. The show isn't the biggest hit, despite having fans that seem to know the words to the songs....and he ends up at the Landing Strip thanks to Julie, who then ditches him there. He also stops by Matt's grandma's house, and she's wearing shoes and nail polish. She now apparently likes Landry and has his music on her "mp" player. Mostly the scene makes Matt look like a douche, but I think its just trying to play a nice little wrap up for us. Matt's still gone, grandma still has problems and now there's a nurse involved - one that since Matt isn't here, he can't sleep with. Julie leaves for school and I tear up, but not before playing one last game of ping pong with Coach.

Jesse is now with Vince. And is now the sole parental figure in her household. Her dad left to turn the store into a franchise and the Aunt only seems to be around at convient script times. With Landry leaving, there needs to be another corner to our love triangle. Enter Hastings Ruckle. Tall, kinda wierd looking, perfect for Jesse. Coach Taylor commits the apparently outrageous crime of "stealing" a basketball player for the football team, and hippie runs a route at the end of the game and out jumps the defender to score the go ahead touchdown.

That brings us back to the game. The Lions go down early. Of course, but they fight back and on a great play fake on the two point conversion at the end of the game, the beat whatever better team they were playing. They're on the map now. What will our underdogs do now that they aren't so scrappy? We will have to wait and see. Will principal Taylor be able to save some of the wayward children? Will Crucifictorius be enought to bring Landry back to Dillon? Will crazy named Hastings cause some drama? and will Vince go to USC? only time will tell. I'm in for the ride, and I hope you are too!

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!

ouch charlie, that really hurt

2010-10-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

everytime I watch Charlie bit me, I laugh. And I don't feel bad about it. Contexually, its really funny. But having worked in day care for over two years I have very real life experiences with children biting other children. It's not a laughing matter. Some kids draw blood; others leave bruises that last for weeks. And parents, parents never take kindly to the news that their child was bit or that their child is "the biter". There have been many tense moments staring into a parent's face giving them the news or icing a child's arm wiping their tears. Yet Charlie biting his brother is hysterical to me.

Sports injuries are no laughing matter. Lately there's been a lot of talk about knees and heads. I don't want anyone to get hurt. I am one of the strongest supporters of the NFL's new concussion and helmet to helmet policies. And being a fan of a professional team that can nearly field an NBA team with the number of people they have on injured reserve; there logically should be no reason for me to laugh at a sports injury. And while I didn't laugh, or even chuckle, I would be lying if I said I didn't crack a smile when B Favre ended his super strange post game press conference by grabbing on to the railing and hobbling off stage. I'm not over joyed that he has broken his ankle in two seperate places, but I'm not crushed. This probably makes me a horrible person, but truthfully I'm okay with that.

I admired Favre's toughness for most of the years of my life. From spitting up blood on the sideline versus Pittsburgh to not being able to feel his arm in 2006. From leaving games and havng TJ Rubley fumble the snap and knowing that of course Favre would be back. I don't sit at home at night and wish his start streak would end for any other reason than he finally decides to leave us alone and retire. I would like Favre to take this ankle opportunity and sit. End the streak where it began. Take some time to really evaluate this injury. But Favre doesn't do what I want. He doesn't do what anyone but Favre wants. And so we'll all just have to wait and see what he feels like doing on Sunday. If he does start the game simply to get one snap and then sit, I will be singing a different tune, and probably be driving somewhere to yell or smack someone.

In other news, Friday Night Lights starts up again tomorrow. And I plan to try to do a recap/review for this last season.

Poetic Justice

2010-10-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

Last night SB brought to my attention something that I am almsot ashamed to say that I did not think of on my own. It would be nearly perfect if Favre's streak were to end now. It started and then ended at Lambeau. I have no idea if Favre will play Sunday; history tells me that I will have grandchildren before Favre hangs it up. However, if he really can't go, I will acknowledge the monster achievement of his starting streak, and think it would be pretty sweet if it were the Packers and Lambeau to be the ones to end it.

Victory Dance and Sleepy Eyes

2010-10-25T10:56:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning at 7:42. And with losing my keys, I still made it to work - dressed, hair brushed and make up on - by 8:10. I consider that one of the many great victories from this weekend.

Let's recap; Chicharito es muy perfecion y te amo! Rooney wanted to leave Man U and then realized he didn't so he stayed and then turned 25. Vidic also had a birthday. Another number one team in college football fell, Oregon despite killing fUcla did not become number one in the BCS - computers hate Ducks - and hopefully never will be number one, as USC will crush them on Saturday at homecoming. Not many SC fans read my blog, but if you do and you're going to homecoming, wear red. I got a new SC shirt this week, and found the most perfect cardinal eyeshadow so I'm all set for Saturday.

And then there was last night.

There are no words. Mostly because I am a zombie at work today and my brain has lost the ability to properly function. So I will let this picture speak for me

What made the game even more perfection was Favre's post game presser. Sounded like a really old grandfather at a family dinner telling a story that rambles on without a point, that you can't follow and you have to keep leaning in to hear what they're saying cause they talk so low....and then he limped off the stage.

In other news, yesterday also marked Greg Bedard's last game covering the Packers. I heard he cried this morning. Wuss! :) He will be missed.

Also, I will be on Cheesehead Radio this week, and for the next three weeks (? don't quote me on that, there might be a week off, brain can't do math). So don't miss it.

Another also, SB might have broken his wrist yesterday playing soccer. Doctor's appointment today. I'm so over people who think soccer is a whimpy sport. Players run for approx. six miles a game with metal spikes on their feet and the only protection is a flimsy piece of plastic on their shins.

In completely non sports news, I found out today that I am allergic to fake nails. :)

the battlefield

2010-10-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I came out of the weekend unscathed. But unfortunately not every one else was as lucky.

USC lost again on a last second field goal. I lost my feed after they scored the go ahead touchdown. I spent the rest of the night mad at SB for not letting my watch the rest of the game.

Then it was the showdown in our living room. He won; I lost. Luckily I had Brian Carriveau and the rest of the cheesehead tv gang to keep my company and distracted. I wanted a hug from SB, but he brought me a beer. As my best friend Katey said, "that's hug in guy speak."

I can definitely say that I am more impressed with the way SB and I handled ourselves (although I did have a mini freak out pregame as I was making breakfast and was running late and didn't get to enter MM's quotes into the live blog) than I am impressed with the way the Redskins and the Packers handled themselves. I think I will live with the "dunk" sound of Mason's kick hitting the upright for a really long time.

I said on the post game show, while the injuries seem nearly insurmountable - and quite honestly I can't even figure out what our starting defense will be, I don't think that's our biggest problem. Two clear things are different this year from last year. 1. production on third down and 2 the big play making ability - ie. turnover - of our defense. Last year Arod was the best quarterback on third down, right now we have an abysmal third down conversion rate. Last year, if the other team was driving late, I felt pretty confident that eventually Nick Collins would step in front of a pass and end the whole thing. Yes, the injuries play a role, but if we could somehow find a way to better our production at turnovers and third downs the world would be a much happier place.

In other news, slightly non -sports related, I started my new job this week. My availability on here and twitter might be lessened during the day, but I am really happy about where things are right now and this new opportunity.

Also, I have a lot to say about Favre/Dongs/Interceptions, but I'm saving that for a BrentFavre post hopefully to come out sometime this week.

And scene...

2010-10-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

Late night, Chilly's office

BF: Dude man, we need to talk. You didn't tell me this team would be crap.
Chilly: Well maybe if there weren't so many intercept...
BF: WHAT did you just say to me? I'm Brent Favre, no wait, Lord Voldemort, oh hell, you know who I am, I am perfect, I am a god, this is not my fault. You need to fix this.
Chilly: (cowering in corner) Yes, Brent, I'm mean Lord, I mean...
BF: you know what to call me
Chilly: Sorry, Yes Daddy, but what should I do?
BF: Get that guy Moss in here, the one the Packers wouldn't give me, not the other one. He'll know how to catch my balls.
Chilly: Yes Daddy. Anything else?
BF: Where's my phone, and my crocs, and my balls, I got work to do!

More crazy make up lesson

2010-10-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

More Packer Make Up tutorials.

Can't embed it but seriously, there's just so much make up involved. I will say though, this chica did incorporate old Packers music like "I'm a cheesehead baby" and "The Packerena"

So Much make up

This one let me embed.

I'd be "lion" if I said I was happy about this weekend

2010-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Oy VEY!

We need to take this in steps.

1. USC.
I don't like playing Sark. Can we just say that from now on? How many years will pass until this stops being a payback/welcome back/old friends and foes game? Honestly, I didn't want the game. Ridiculous, I know. I had more pressing issues of a 4 year olds birthday. But anyways, I think I handle this loss well. Perhaps because I was following the game via gamecast from the front seat of my car parked in the Bigg's parking lot, or perhaps because honestly the number of losses really doesn't affect anything this year. For the next two years USC can define itself differently than before. Yes, we want to win games. But winning all games gets us no further than winning no games. This year really is about the team and the school's ability to fight on. So, I'm taking this loss in stride, walking as arrogantly as possible shouting (okay, not really shouting more like whispering under my breath) "You can't sanction the end zone" and "Lane F#$%ing Kiffin!" I really want us to weather this storm.

2. Manchester United.
So not even the locker room wanted Man U to win. A sewage pipe burst in the Manchester United locker room before the game causing a twenty minute delay of kick off, a very unpleasant odor and the loss of many suits. But more distressing was the starting line up. Hey, so Rooney's hurt. That's okay, we got Berb. Oh, but wait, lets not start him. Let's start Owen and Macheda! Owen has been playing decent ball with the B team and reserves, but throwing him up there by himself, not the wisest. And Macheda...okay we all remember those couple of games late two seasons ago when he was the hero. But starting, really? I would have much preferred Owen and Berb starting with Macheda and Chicharito as subs off the bench. Chicharito did get to sub in, but failed to provide the spark that was so desperately needed. Man U is in third right now, so its not completely time to panic, but their ship seems off course, and if they keep dropping points, walking away with ties, this could end up being a very long season for the red devils.

In other EPL news, West Brom (yes, WBA) is 6th. SIXTH right now. And Liverpool is in the relegation zone.

3. The Packers.
I love one o'clock games. LOVE them. Get to fully enjoy the pregame, and when the game is done, get enough time to rest off the beers before bed time. Coming off the loss to the bears (who looked completely awful versus the Giants and the Packers got a look at what Monday night could have been if they wouldn't have shot themselves in the foot) the Packers needed to bounce back. The game should, like most games thus far this season, the promise and the weakness of the team. When given the opportunity, there seems to be nothing that Aaron Rodgers can't do. But the game plan did not allow for that. For about half the snaps, it seemed like the offense finally got it, you can't run Jackson up the middle, and Kuhn can't run to the side. But on the other half of the snaps, the play calling made little sense. Send Kuhn out on a wide run on a short third down. Start drives off with a long bomb with a receiver double covered. To me, it seemed like half the calls were scripted and did not necessarily match the spot on the field, the down and distance, or the timing of the game. The offense seemed to be completely on track on its first and its last drive of the game. What happened in the middle is beyond me.

And then there's the defense. Its starting to remind me of Pete Carroll's defense at USC in his final years there. They cause big plays, sacks and turnovers, but they don't always stop the drive. I will say that holding the Lions to field goals at the end did turn out to be the winning formula, but again we are faced with the question, is this enough for a team with super bowl aspirations? And then there were the injuries. Rookie stand out Morgan Burnett out for the season. News just came out that perhaps Chillar could be out for the season as well. We still have two games until the PUP guys can even think about coming back, and who knows about their conditioning and game readiness. I fully believed after the Chicago game that this was a team that can solve its problems. And to a point, I still believe that. But every week it seems that new problems arise as we solve the old ones. Case in point, against the Lions the Packers only had three penalties, Crosby managed to keep all kicks in bounds, and Tramon looked better than average in the return game. As we solve some of these problems, Jordy Nelson decides to present us with a new one, he's decided to stop hanging on to the ball. And Matshay decided that kicking the ball as far as I can is far enough.

Let me say this, I am not off the bandwagon. In fact, I was "yelling" at people on Sunday, reminding them during their complaining that the Packers were, in fact, winning the game. But I am a little cautious. I believe that the Redskins game will be a big one for the Packers. The Redskins are a little like the Packers. Good pieces, slightly inconsistent play. What the Packers need to do is to stop the bleeding now. Make some choices, even tough ones on areas that we are struggling, replace the injured people with either someone consistent who can play the role or with a couple new packages. If the Packers go into FedEx field and beat the Redskins, even if it is a little sloppy, I believe we will be righting the ship. Go in and play like they did versus the bears, and there could be some rocky seas ahead. Also to note, SB is a Redskins fan. He was swearing at the TV yesterday. Seeing as we're both emotional sports watchers, I stated now that it just is not a good idea to watch the game together. For the sake of our relationship, and the ear drums of our neighbors.

Who moved my cheese curds 9.30.10

2010-09-30T19:14:00.001-07:00

In case you missed it, here's my rant from tonight's Cheesehead Radio (thanks again to them for letting me on air!!)

This week, there were actually many, too too many, things to rant about. McCarthy’s infatuation with the challenge flag, Mason Crosby’s complete infatuation with the sideline, and everyone complete infatuation with penalities…but this week I would like to focus not on the Green Bay Packers Players, despite their many attempts to earn it, no, I’m focusing on us. Here is my two-fold rant on the fans.

1. Being a fan of professional sports has always been an act of believing in the miraculous. I have little respect for the fans that midway through Monday Night’s third quarter were hanging up their towels and calling it a year. Did the Packers look atrocious? YES! A very emphatic yes. But they also demonstrated the ability to perform lights out, at will. I was raised to believe that even with :02 seconds left in a game, you still stood, chanted, prayed, paced, etc willing your team to victory. I have vivid memories, as I’m sure most fans do of the waning moments of the 1997 super bowl. I walked in circles around my kitchen table until the very last moment of Chumra laying on the turf the ball bouncing away from him. Painful yes. But I’m glad I watched. I also remember the Monday Night San Francisco game from 1996, when Robert Brooks got hurt and it felt like our entire year was going to slip away. And then Antonio Freemen gets up after the ref decided Marquez Pope did not down him, and runs and runs and runs. And Chris Jacke made the great 53 yard kick to secure victory. Both of those plays were purely magical and were only witnessed and performed by those who did not give up. Giving up in the third quarter, giving up three games in is not a true fan. So you know what, I’m still saying Super Bowl or Die and its because I still believe it.

2. Fan involved in the altercation with Nick Collins, I’m looking at you now. Back in the fall of 2000, as a bright eyed freshmen at USC I was involved in an altercation in the stands. The Trojans were awful that year, and Notre Dame was playing great football. As the final game of the season came to a close and the Trojans accepted their 7th defeat that year, a couple of very drunk Notre Dame fans entered the student section and began to taunt us. Annoyed, disheartened and angry that they were on our “turf” I threw my pom pom at them. Looking back now I am not completely proud of that moment, but there we were fans jarring with other fans. Fans have every right to talk trash to other fans. Fans have no right to talk to
trash, especially on a personal level, to a player. The player actually was on the field, actually working and making plays, you mister yell slurs as a player is walking to the locker room, you sat on your butt all game. You want to talk trash to a player, then learn to play the game, spend hours/months/years training and maybe then you can say something. Until then, sit down, joke with your friends
about the greatness of Jay Cutler, and no mouth guards will be thrown at
you. And Mr. Collins, I get that you regret your actions, it’s a feeling I am familiar with, but I sir am behind you 110% and I probably would have thrown a lot more than a mouth guard.

Loss #1

2010-09-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

I started the season predicting the Packers would go 12-4, so a loss should not really be any surprise. I have to admit though, this one was shocking!

I could dissect it, say we gave the game away - which we did - with our 18 (18!!!!) penalties, horrendous special teams play and complete lack of a running game, but quite honestly I can't even be mad about it anymore. There were so many issues with players, with coaches (why the challenge, and why not just let them score????), with a complete lack of discipline that left this very elite team looking a hot mess, but I can't "get up" for it. I shouldn't have to yell. So I'm not going to. These are professional coaches and players, and yes its the same old mistakes (who needs special teams and time outs??), but I am going to reserve my yelling unless this happens again. I would be lying if I said that I didn't think the Packers had that type of performance in them. Any true Packer fans, sports fan, knows that at least once (hopefully not terribly more than that) your team will implode upon itself (most likely when the most people are watching) and be completely exposed for the fraud that it is. I am not surprised this happened; I want to see the reaction. How will the Packers come out against the Lions (poor Lions) this weekend? Will any changes be made? Will veterans stop making rookie mistakes? will Crosby stop kicking the ball out of bounds? Will McCarthy stop wasting challenges? I know things look bleak, especially in MM's presser from yesterday (Mike, there was no run game, it wasn't productive, and Clifton does have a performance issue), but if there's one thing I have learned as a die-hard Packer fan, its holding out hope that the ship will right its course. There are enough good pieces (GREAT pieces) to this team that when every thing is clicking, the Packers can be unstoppable. If Monday night showed us anything, its that other teams can not stop the Packers, the Packers can stop the Packers. So I'm not jumping ship - in fact I'm Leo running up to the front (don't know ship terms) with arms outstretched. We've seen the worse. It can only go up from here.

Bears Still Suck Day 8

2010-09-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

This guy has one very clear message. The Bears Suck. And it is hysterical.

And you have to hand it to these guys! There's a puppet.

A Random Football adventure

2010-09-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in the middle of the first quarter of the USC game, a friend invited me to the University of Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma game at Paul Brown Stadium. The SC game had all the makings of a blow out, so I abandoned my post in front of the tv and headed down town, still clad in my SC gear. We tailgated with her family outside the stadium, and at nearly every tailgate was a group of people playing cornhole. After a couple beers we headed into the stadium and were pleasantly surprised by the number of people at the game. We had pretty good seats, sandwiched between the student section and the band in the corner of the end zone.

Jenn, a UC fan, was realistic regarding the game, and we both expected UC to get crushed. Having watched Oklahoma destroy FSU, I didn't think we were in for much of a game.

A few snap shots from the game:

We really like peanuts

We thought this guy should invest in a new jersey

This lady has a very interesting outfit

At half time a fUcla fan walked past and said the SC sucks. Jenn jumped to my defense. And the guy continued to say that fUcla was great because they beat Texas earlier in the day; I kept thinking/saying 4 and 0! The whole situation allowed me to say the word fUcla a lot in a family setting and I appreciated that.

The game got pretty intense in the second half, and we pounded on the backs of seats and made as much noise possible whenever on defense. The pounding would help explain why my hand is a little numb today.

UC couldn't pull off the upset though, and the Sooners (which are covered wagons) walked away the victors. Personally, in a battle between a bear cat and a wagon, I'm pretty sure the bear cat would win. As we were leaving, a very very drunk college kid tried to hit on me.

Kid: Hey, I like USC
Jenn: Yeah? who's their quarterback?
Kid: I don't know. But I like Carson. And Mike Sanchez.
Kid stumbles nearly falling into us.
Me: His name's not Mike.
Kid: I like Jarret Booty
Us: Jarret?
Kid: John Booty
At this point, I put my hand on the kid and tried to direct him back to his friends who were trying to pull him away from further embarrassment.
Me: that's still not his full name.
Kid's friend: Sorry he's really drunk.

After the game we went to Old Willies and watched Boise State overtake Oregon St. and wondered how the QB can spot his receivers wearing blue on that blue field. Then, after two more beers and a shot of Jamo, my body decided it was time to go home, I got the hiccups and SB - who met us at the bar, drove me home.

It was a really random day, but definitely very fun. I highly recommend going to a game where you are not emotionally invested and wear gear of a team that is not playing. When I lived in San Fran one of my roommates and I went to a San Fran/Philly game and I wore my Ahman Green jersey and she wore a Redskins jersey. Situations like those make me laugh and make for a good time.

Bears Still Suck Day 7

2010-09-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

Found this on answers.yahoo

10 reasons the bears suck?
1. Hester is not a WR, too small, should only be doing KO and PR.
2. O-line cant block my grandmother.
3. I could pick apart a D that only runs Cover2.
4, cant get pressure on any QB.
5, Cutler hates his life and his teammates.
6. Tillman tries to punch the ball rather than tackle the ball carrier.
7. Lovie couldnt motivate a virgin to screw a playboy bunny.
8. Ron Turner run a college offense (never runs the ball with the D spread out)
9. Who is Jason Mckie? and why is he still on the team?
10. There best WR is a TE?

Also just realized that you could get this awesome picture as a T-shirt. LOVE IT. 1. its from 1989 and 2. our QB was still the Majik man. I wonder if it would be possible to order one as I think the site's been abandoned. MUST look into.

In non-bears still suck news a friend sent me this joke for the Cowboys and Vi-queens.

Knock,Knock
Who's there?
Owen.
Owen Who?
Owen Three Bitches!

Hope everyone enjoys a nice relaxing day of football.

Bears Still Suck Day 6

2010-09-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to BeerKid from PackerPalace for passing these gems along.

100 Reasons to HATE the Bears!

Bears Still Suck Day 5

2010-09-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

For your viewing pleasure

Bears Still Suck Day 4

2010-09-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Some Chicago Bears jokes for your entertainment.

Bears QB Jay Cutler has been rumored to be dating Hills Star Kristin Cavallari.
Truth is he made a pass at Heidi Montag, but Kristin intercepted it.

Q: Did you hear the new penalty for speeding in Illinois?
A: On the first offense they give you Bears tickets, and on the second offense, they make you use them.

Q. How do you keep a Chicago Bears player out of your yard?
A. Put up goal posts.

Q. Where do you go in Chicago in case of a tornado?
A. Soldier Field - they never get a touchdown there.

Q. What do the Chicago Bears & possums have in common?
A. Both play dead at home & get killed on the road.

Q. How can you tell when the Chicago Bears are going to run the football?
A. Forte leaves the huddle with tears in his eyes.

Bears Still Suck Day 3

2010-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Also, thanks to this video I found one of the world's best websites. Bears Still Suck!

Bears Still Suck Day 2

2010-09-21T11:21:00.001-07:00

Today's Bears Still Suck Moments courtesy of youtube.

Look at that Leap!

Game Winner!

You Can't Sanction the End Zone

2010-09-21T08:12:00.001-07:00

So far this year Reggie Bush has broken: 1. my heart and 2. his leg. Anyone who has read me before, knows that I am holding what can only be described as more than a slight grudge against Reggie. Having said that I don't wish injury on anyone, even VY. However, this morning when I started talking about Reggie's leg with SB he said, "poor guy. He's had a rough week." And I agree, in part. I'm sure it is very hard to give back the Heisman, to be the center of a scandal, and then to break your leg on top of it. But its not like these things "just happened" to him. He gave back the Heisman as, in my opinion, a brilliant PR move, and the scandal and reasoning behind the move are all direct consequences to Bush's own actions. Should I feel terrible for a guy who made a mistake and now has some consequences. Especially when it seems he is getting off lightly with respect to the sanctions that USC is facing? I do feel bad about his leg. It hurts, both physically and his team. But he'll be back and playing this year. And I feel that the Saints will be fine without him. I don't think anyone deserves an injury, but I am definitely not losing sleep over this. Karma is a b$tch.

In other SC news, JamieSC on twitter turned me on to this blog, Lost Angeles, yesterday, and let me just say, it is brilliant. I am more than slightly envious of this dude. Everyone should check it out, informative and highly hysterical.

Winnings

2010-09-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

You know what makes Monday's "bear"-able? When all your teams win on the weekend!

USC won and managed to slip only two spots in the poll. I am considering that progress. The game started off slowly. But eventually Barkley and Kiffin turned the ship around and USC took over Minnesota. Highlights of the game: USCpyscho's text about Minnesota fans complaining about the USC Marching Band playing the same song over. Which it turn prompted me to download the virtual piano app for my phone and try to pluck out Fight On.

Sunday morning I woke up early (I'm sure 8:30 is normal for most people but its not for me) to watch the very crucial match up between Manchester United and Liverpool. Midway through the second half, it felt like the same old story, Man U goes up and then lets a team come back, but Berbatov finished his hat trick late in the game, and sealed the victory for the Red Devils. I must say that I am supremely excited about Berbatov. He's also lagged behind his promise after signing with Man U, but lately he has really stepped it up as a leader of the team and with his ability to make plays. This is one case of the hair cut helping the player. I tried to find a video feed of his magnificent second goal, but the FA has taken them all down, so this picture from ESPN.com will have to do for all who missed it.

And then it was on to the Packers. Tried to get a mini pre-game nap in, but with Corey and Brian unable to be on the blog, felt like Alex and I were kids left alone for the weekend and trusted with the house. Can't disappoint. Things I took from the GB game. 1. CM3 is my hero (got a twitter DM later in the day from a fellow USC alumni who is now a converted Packers fan all because of Clay). 2. The Offense scored on its opening drive, while they should have scored a touchdown on that defense, any points off the bat is a step in the right direction. 3. I'm not really sure what went wrong with the offense in the second quarter, but I was relieved to see adjustments that fixed whatever was wrong 4. AND most importantly I was impressed with the Packers offense ability to stick the game plan and wear down the Bills. While the Packers were vastly superior to the Bills I really don't think at this stage of the season with this team, the Packers will be jumping out to many quick leads of a couple touchdowns or more. The Packers have to stick to their brand of football and know that by the middle of the third quarter, the other team will be worn down and the thumping will begin. I felt the same way regarding the SC game.

This weeks agenda:
1. The Bears Still Suck
2. Write for brentfavre.com
3. Guest host Cheesehead Radio on Thursday!

The Bears Still Suck Week

2010-09-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

One of the first jokes I learned to tell as a child.

A young cub talking with a social worker

Social Worker says, "You can go live with Papa Bear."
Cub "Papa Bear beats me."
Social Worker says, "You can go live with Mama Bear."
Cub "Mama Bear beats me too."
Social Worker says, "You can go live with the Chicago Bears, they can't beat anyone."

Welcome to the Bears Still Suck Week. I'll be here all week.

2010-09-16T09:22:00.001-07:00

Wow. Thanks for Cheeseheadtv.com for finding this. I will admit to having my game day make up, but man this girl puts me to shame. There is one time when living with "Roommate" (and yes I honestly called her that) and her vast make up collection that I found the perfect cardinal and gold for my lids for an SC game, but still no where near as intense as this chica. Am now watching the series.

The Rumor Hawk

2010-09-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Last night the Green Bay Packer twitter world was all ablaze with rumors of possibly trading A.J. Hawk to the Buffalo Bills for Marshawn Lynch. Hawk's house in DePere is up for sale, the Bills are thin at linebacker, the Pack is thin at running back, Hawk is currently under preforming his contract, all the pieces seem to fit. The Bills tried to hush it all by announcing that they are standing pat and not open to trading Lynch; Hawk's agent said his client would be open to a trade. I'll go on the record here and say I really don't have a firm opinion either way about the trade. I do believe that Hawk is under performing and I am a little worried about our running back situation. However, I also know TT and his line of thinking. When has he ever jumped at signing a veteran when some unknown players could fill the role just as well? Also, I would like to see at least one game with Bjax in the starting role, and I would like to see how the Packers adjust before jumping off the bridge and trading away a player. On the plus side, the Bills play the Packers this Sunday. Its the perfect scout game. How does Lynch run? We'll see. How will the Packers backs step up after the Grant injury? We'll see. How will Hawk respond to the trade rumors? We'll see. How desperate are the Bills at the linebacker position? We'll see. Should be an interesting game.

And the Oscar goes to....Derek Jeter

2010-09-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

So I didn't watch the Yankees game last night. Big surprise there. Finale of Top Chef was on and then Top Chef just desserts, clearly there were more important things on my agenda besides another baseball game. But apparently I missed out. Woke up this morning to quite the drama surrounding Derek Jeter.

Honestly I can't help but laugh. Such a performance, Drogba and Ronaldo would be proud. And while, clearly the ball did not strike Jeter and yes he "cheated" and acted for an extended period of time to get on base, I really don't think its that bad. This is definitely not bringing about the end of civilization.

Every sport has its bit of acting. Every one's heard of soccer players diving to draw a foul/penalty kick/gain advantage. And anyone who's watched a game of football I'm sure can recall at least one receiver who after getting beat on a long ball turn to the ref and pull on his jersey, hands raised in the air, pleading for the pass interference penalty. Like it or not, its part of sports. Is it cheating? In some ways, yes. But it is also a very real part of the game. In soccer when a player dives, they also risk getting carded themselves for diving. Its the competitive nature of sports. No holds bar. And while annoying, its not going anywhere. So Derek Jeter, thanks for making me laugh.

And a big green and gold welcome to...

2010-09-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Dimitri Nance.

The Packers have signed rookie running back, Dimitri Nance, off of the Falcons practice squad. Nance played for ASU, but honestly I don't remember him from last years game. Word on the street is that he's a low runner and has dreads, can't be all bad right?

In other break your ankle news, Antonio Valencia was carted off with oxygen and immediately taken to the hospital following this tackle. I put it as a link as really its not for the squeamish.

Also, in breaking my heart news, Reggie Bush has announced he is returning his Heisman Trophy. Really, its the right thing to do. They ruled him ineligible and therefore he shouldn't have been able to win the award. I don't think it should go to anyone else, as I don't think I could stand the site of VY holding the trophy. I wish Reg would have said something more in his release about returning the trophy. Perhaps an apology. But alas, that day may never come.

So Ahman...

2010-09-14T10:52:00.001-07:00

Ryan Grant. IR. Done for the season. Not confirmed yet by the Packers but Glazer is reporting. Guess I know what they'll be talking about on Packer Transplants tonight.

Why Win?

2010-09-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

There was so much wrong with the Jets offense last night, Mark Sanchez becoming best friends with check downs, complete nonsensical play calling and then this:

Its so bad, its classic!

The weekend of intense endings

2010-09-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Oy, so much happened this weekend, and I wanted to sleep through all of it.

Glory, Glory?

First off Fergie sat Wayne Rooney. Why? Because he didn't want Rooney to have to suffer the abuse from the Everton fans. Gag me. First off, I don't think that's the sole reasoning. Like David Moyes, I believe Sir Alex gave Rooney a big F U, you're not above the team and we will sit you. Second, tomorrow starts the beginning of the Champions League campaign. Third, Rooney has always been booed, etc at Goodison Park. No matter how many prostitutes he sleeps with while his wife is pregnant, Everton fans will always dislike him. That's how soccer works.

So Rooney didn't play, and honestly I don't think the outcome of the game would have been different if he had. It was just another case of Man U not seeing a game through. They had the striker power, and Berb looked great, but they didn't hold their ground (which ended up being a theme of my weekend).

In other EPL news, Chelsea won. Again.

Also, I should add that this game started at 7:45 am my time. (yes, eastern time is now considered my time). So promptly after the end of the game, I crawled back in bed.

Fight ON!

Spent the rest of my day following TommyCam (for non USC peeps, its the constant live stream of the Tommy Trojan Statue in the middle of SC campus) and wishing I was tailgating.

Finally made it out of bed for the 10:30 kick off. And what followed was one of the sloppiest and most boring SC games I have ever seen, and I lived through the Paul Can't Hackett years. In total there were 24 penalties costing the teams almost 250 yards! On the plus side, the defense finally learned how to tackle, but the offense forgot how to score. Following the theme started by Man U, after taking a ten point lead with five minutes left, USC allowed UVA to scored. Granted there were only 4 seconds left on the clock, but for reals, lets try to end some games.

Other NCAA news, James Madison just shot Boise St. in the foot. Beating Virginia Tech was supposed to be Boise State's big quality win, now VT is a two loss team, with one loss coming against a vastly inferior opponent. Gotta love the BCS.

Other highlights. The Michigan QB was photographed in game doing the Heisman pose. If that isn't the coolest thing ever, I don't know what is. Also, FSU got ran over.

Go PACK Go!

Ah, the start of the NFL. Is there anything more sacred? Prior to the start of the game I told SB I was worried about our defense, going out with only 4 d linemen! hello! and we really hadn't proved the ability to stop anything or anyone most of the preseason. I predicted a shoot out game. I was wrong.

Apparently the only thing the GB defense needs is a healthy Clay Matthews. He was a beast on Sunday, 7 tackles, and he seemed to be everywhere on the field. Speaking of the field, maybe it lays over an old Indian burial ground or something, because there was a lot of bad luck going on there. Three players out for the season, two concussions, and a couple more sidelined for extended period of time. WTH!

Speaking of WTH moments:

Stewart Bradley clearly is having some trouble. I'm not a doctor, but I'm also not blind. Something is not right there. Last year the NFL changed its concussion policy. A player is not to return to the field if there is an inability to remember assignments or plays, a gap in memory, persistent dizziness and persistent headaches or the player has lost consciousness. Futhermore: Once removed for the duration of a practice or game, the player should not be considered for return-to-football activities until he is fully asymptomatic, both at rest and after exertion, has a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing and has been cleared to return by both his team physician(s) and the independent neurological consultant. I fail to believe that the Philadelphia team doctors had enough time to fully evaluate Bradley and determine his mental state.

I'm being critical about the concussion issue because as the potential lockout and labor issues loom, one of the main touching points is long term care, medical insurance, and financial security for the players. If I'm going to ask players to put their bodies on the line for my entertainment week in and week out, then I'm going to be concerned about Bradley, and any other player, risking having long term damage and no way to take care of themselves. Therefore, I have no problem with the NFLPA and fully support them.

But I digress...
I'm proud of the way the GB defense stood up and stopped the Eagles when they could. As another game against the Eagles came down to a fourth down, I clutched on to my beer can as tightly as I could. This would not be another 4th and 26th. The Packers survived. The can did not.

Other quick reactions to the game
1. I hope we never have to play against Michael Vick again
2. Bjax can run, but is best at the delay. Once you get him in the second tier, he's taking people down
3. Where was AJ?
4. We need more people active on the D line. We were clearly gassed at the end of the game.
5. Poor Justin Harrell

Quick reactions around the league:
1. They should change the rule that cost the Lions the game.
2. Congrats to Big Mike Williams
3. Um, Bengals?

Day One.

2010-09-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

It is finally HERE! The NFL season starts today, and brings with it the ever growing potential that Favre will be sacked and intercepted, A LOT!

In other news, I feel like crap. Stupid summer cold/flu is killing me! I'm finding it hard to even get half excited for tonight. So on my way to "work" today (I use that term loosely, as right now it just feels like I'm working towards unemployment), I thought back to the start of last year's NFL season. Oddly enough, I barely made it for that game too. I was fighting a fever and crawled downstairs to watch the game with some of SB's brother's friends. There was one guy there who is/was the pro-typical Cincinnati homer. 1. The Steelers were on so we spent the entire game talking about how incredibly awful Big Ben is 2. The Steelers were on so we spent the entire game talking about how they tried to kill Carson Palmer 3. The guy repeatedly and emphatically stated that had Carson not gotten hurt by the Steelers, Cincinnati would have won the Super Bowl. NO QUESTION!

I realize that I live in this town now and am friends with a lot of the Who Dey supporters, so I'm sorry if this offends, but the Super Bowl was not Cincinnati and Carson's to lose that year. Yeah, him getting hurt, took away practically any chance the team had, but that chance wasn't 110% guaranteed.

I'm thinking that tonight I will be laying on the floor in my living room watching the game, cursing the weather change, snarling at Childress, doped up on sinus meds, and enjoying some quality live blogging with cheeseheadtv and cheeseheadradio! Thursday Night Live Blog

Men of Character

2010-09-05T14:26:00.001-07:00

One of my first posts revolved around the constant "character" issue in the NFL. Tebow vs Rolle vs Johnson. Here's the Outside the Lines story about two brothers who are showing what true character and faith mean.

Lookin Like a Fool with your Favre on the Ground

2010-09-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

New Brentfavre.com post is up!

Lookin' Like a Fool with your Favre on the Ground

Lucky Number 100

2010-09-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my official 100th post. I feel so old now!

Taking a break from the non stop job search (ugh) to tell a special story.

Last night was the packers last preseason game (thank god!!) and the first game on the Kiffin Era at USC. I am exhausted today. I know this is my east coast bias but really its just not right for Hawaii to host week night games. Kick off was at 11:00 pm eastern. At 2:00 AM we hadn't even broken into the fourth quarter. No lie, this week was draining on me, getting the news of my job closing and then Packer Transplants followed by Cheesehead Radio followed by a night of non stop football, it can only be expected that I watched the USC season opener curled up on the couch. (which is actually where I slept last night, so I could fall asleep to the end of the game and not wake SB - I'm such a great girlfriend). I posted this picture on my twitter feed. FoundinIdaho (aka Colleen) commented, "cute bear" and it got me thinking about that bear and how special he is. So here's his story.

Freshman year at SC was beyond exciting. I felt so cool, being far away from home, living it up in LA. So when Christmas rolled around I planned on getting everyone in my family USC gifts. USC discretionary account was my first introduction into the world of credit, and man, I lived it up. All the aunts and uncles got mugs, my Grandmother, who helped raise me got the bear. I know everyone says that they love their Grandma, but I really really did. I moved in with her when I was 13 and we developed a very close and special relationship. She has always been the most stable and loving person in my life. As a teenager, I'm sure I never told her this enough. And in my freshman wisdom I assumed a bear, clearly superior to the coffee mugs everyone else was getting, would suffice to explain my love and appreciation. My Grandmother loved that bear. Every time I came home from college, or when I eventually moved back to Wisco and came over to visit, he was always perched up right on a chair in the living room. When she had to sell her house a lot of things were sold or given away in an attempt to downsize and when she moved into her hospice/assisted living facility, all of her possession were contained in one small room; on the chair next to her bed, was the USC bear. The doctors told us a few days before she passed that the end was near. Numerous visitors came to say good bye, to share last moments, and they sat in the bear's chair. He took up residence at the foot of my Grandmother's bed, facing her. She passed in the middle of the night, peacefully, while she slept. The bear, with her, on her bed the whole time.

The bear now lives with me. As does the chair he used to sit on. Generally he has a place on the tv stand in my room, but he never misses a USC game.

Stafon Fights On.

2010-08-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Peter King wrote the following in his Monday Morning Quarterback piece for SI.com. I've linked the whole article here.

This is the Stafon part. Reading it makes me proud and honored to be part of the USC family. I will be routing for Stafon for hopefully many years in the NFL. Forget Tebow, I have my NFL inspiration right here:

"Stafon Johnson: "God don't put nothin' on my plate I can't eat.''

"Don't feel sorry for me,'' Stafon Johnson said over the phone from the Titans trainers' room the other day. "My story's not a sob story.''

Sure seems it to me. Last September, the USC running back was lifting weights in the football program's weight room, and a bar with 275 pounds in the bench press came crashing down on his neck. His larynx was crushed. If not for the football strength in his neck, the bar might have broken it. But he survived, and the former mid-round prospect got a free-agent invitation to Titans camp this year. Coach Jeff Fisher, a Trojan himself, was so excited for the first preseason game this year, in Seattle, that he conferenced with the game officials before the game and told them he wanted to be sure that after the first carry of the game by Johnson, the officials took the ball out of play and sent it to the Tennessee sideline. "After all the kid has been through, I want him to have that ball,'' Fisher told the crew.

Johnson made a nifty move on his first carry midway through the second quarter, gaining six. The ball was tossed to the sideline, put in an equipment box by the Titans. Late in the third quarterback, he caught a pass and tried to get away from two Seahawks, and he was tackled, and his leg twisted awkwardly.

"I don't remember too much.'' Johnson said. "But I looked down and my knee was facing coach Fish, and my foot toward the pylon. I figured I was in trouble.''

He broke his leg and dislocated his ankle. His first thought, he said, was "Why? Why now?'' But he said that by the end of the night, "I was thanking God that I was here. I went from being almost deceased to being in the NFL, playing in an NFL game.''

When the team gathered in the locker room, Fisher spoke. "Life's not fair sometimes,'' he said, and he went on to tell the players about the ball he had for Johnson, and he told his players to go into the trainers room and be with Johnson.

"We're not getting rid of him,'' said Fisher, though Johnson was waived injured, then placed on injured-reserved for the season. "He had very successful surgery, and he'll be back with us next year in camp. I expect him to have a good shot.''

That he should. He'll only have all of America rooting for him."

FIGHT ON!

Is This Real Life?

2010-08-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

Remember that you tube clip, David after dentist?

Sometimes that's how I feel about Fantasy Football.

On Friday, SB called me on his way home from work. The league he's in with an out of town friend was short a couple people. I've avoided Fantasy Football like the plague since it started. But reluctantly I agreed, what kind of girl friend would I be if said no. And besides I was promised I could draft A Rod. In the end, turns out they didn't need me. And I was relieved. SB said I could join his other league, but honestly I don't want to. I have absolutely no desire to play fantasy football.

When it first came around, I hated it. I hated that instead of highlights during my half time show, we had to talk about fantasy points leaders. At my core, I'm sometimes a purist when it comes to sports. Just run the with the ball, knock someone over, call it a day. Why all the gimmicks? Who needs something to make football more entertaining? But as I held firm, the world around me changed. Everyone I knew was joining leagues, starting leagues, either asking advice, asking me to join or wondering if so and so running back would get any receiving yards....So I walked back on my completely anti-stance and started becoming helpful. Why have all this football knowledge and let it go to waste right? But I still refuse to play. I'll sit next to you why you draft, and shake my head when you contemplate a Phily WR, but I will not participate.

During the World Cup, I joined a fantasy league. and I consider it the one and only time I will ever play such a game. It just has no appeal to me. I like watching my team and hoping for plays to happen simply for how it will benefit the Packers. I don't even like betting on the Packers. Last season a friend wanted to wager a 12 pack of Miller Lite that the Packers would be over 9-7. I couldn't do it. It made me very uncomfortable to think that once the Pack acheived that ninth win, my motivation for cheering might be tainted. Back in 2005, Katey and I joined the Harp's (awesome little Irish Bar in mke) football pool. We kicked butt. The pool didn't last the whole season - something tells me the guys at the Harp didn't enjoy losing to Team Skirt who filled out their pool in hot pink magic marker every week. And when it ended, no lie I was a little happy. Maybe I'm old school. Maybe I'm naive. But when I'm stuck watching NFL network pregame as three guys around me frantically try to get their last minute line up changes in, I feel like David. Is This Real Life? Is It Going to Last Forever?

The answer is, yes.

brentfavre

2010-08-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

a new post is up at brentfavre.com
Check It!

The Name Game

2010-08-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

I get it, Preseason football is a time for everyone to shake off the rust; fans, players, coaches, refs, and announcers. But this preseason I have noticed an unsettling trend. Announcers repeatedly getting players names wrong. So here's a list of people that do NOT play for the Packers yet apparently the announcers think they do. If you can, please pass this list along to Jon Gruden, Mike Tirico, the Cleveland Browns announcing crew, the people who called the intersquad scrimmage and anyone even thinking of stepping into the box to call a GB game.

1. Brett Favre
2. Dorsey Levens
3. Mike Flynn
4. Jeremiah Finley
5. Trey-mon Williams

Champions League Draws

2010-08-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

Group A
1. Inter
2. Werder Bremen
3. Tottenham
4. Twente

Group B
1. Lyon
2. Benfica
3. Schalke
4. Hapoel Tel Aviv

Group C
1. Manchester United
2. Valencia
3. Rangers
4. Bursaspor

Group D
1. Barca
2. Panathinaikos
3. Kobenhavn
4. Rubin Kazan

Group E
1. Bayern
2. Roma
3. Basel
4. Cluj

Group F
1. Chelsea
2. Marseille
3. Spartak Moscow
4. Zilna

Group G
1. AC Milan
2. Real Madrid
3. Ajax
4. Auxerre

Group H
1. Arsenal
2. Shakhtar Donetsk
3. Braga
4. Partizan

THESE are the Champions!

2010-08-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

Are you a typical American who doesn't follow soccer, but every four years gets wrapped up in the world cup? Well then, I HAVE THE THING FOR YOU!

Meet Champions League.

Today is the annual Champions League group draw and its every bit as exciting as the World Cup group draw! And I'm not joking here folks, they're both riveting. I'm not exactly sure the lure of hollowed out ping pong balls is but it's real.

Champions League is like soccer with benefits! It takes the top teams from all of Europe's club leagues and pits them against each other in a winner take all cage match. ... Okay, not exactly, but kind of.

Here's why its genius, and here's why you should be watching:

1. Only the top teams play each other. No bottom barrel "boring" soccer teams here. We're talking cream of the crop here people; if you're a newbie why come in at some bottom level? get to know the best, watch the sport played at its highest level and maybe more people will appreciate it.
2. Its a bracket. Us Americans, we LOVE our brackets and play offs! Champions league is set up nearly identical to the World Cup. A round robin group stage, top two teams advance and get bracketed in the knock out stages. Of course, Champions league has to be difficult and throw in the home-home and aggregate scoring, but we'll get to that when we need to. And it all ends in one, winner take all game.
3. No vuvuzelas. Novice soccer fans tuned into the World Cup and wondered if that noise is at every soccer game. Guess what peeps, its not.
4. It surprises you! Champions league is not crammed into a four week whirlwind. No, its spread out over months. Groups stages start half way through September and the championship game isn't until May 28th. While that might take away from the intensity for some, I argue that the added gift of waking up one morning and realizing Champions League is on that day is one of God's small gifts.
5. The Champions League theme and lead in music, sponsored by Heinekin is simply awe inspiring.

So if the World Cup got you thinking of maybe giving soccer a try in your life, I suggest you start with Champions League. The draw is today at noon, which I'm sure I'll post "results" of here, and groups stage begins September 14th. Mark your calendar people, its going to be a great Champions League season.

Because We Can

2010-08-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

If you want to know how I feel about the USC sanctions and don't want to listen to me drunkily go on about picture sizing, then watch this video.

Thanks to the infamous, USC Psycho for linking to it on twitter.

Greatest Players by Numbers

2010-08-25T09:16:00.001-07:00

SI.com posted this article (00-49) and this article (50-99)naming the top players by number. A lot of the QBs are obvious choices, but the most noteworthy thing for me, check out the worthy of considerations for numbers 27 and 30. Buckley and Green.

Out with the OLD

2010-08-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

This morning Reggie Bush tweeted that will never get used to seeing guys cut from the team. "You spend so much time with your teammates that they become family!" Honestly it makes me sick to hear him talk this way.

There is something incredibly familial about college football. You live on campus, walk to the games, attend classes with the players; it truly is integrated into your daily routine. USC is my family. And should be Reggie's too. And after everything that has happened, that he has done to hurt SC, my family, his family; I don't really believe anything he has to say about loyalty to a team. USC's new AD was on the Dan Patrick show (full article here) and said, "Reggie Bush was a great player, an exciting player, but the NCAA report says that we must disassociate ourselves from Reggie."

I have no problem with the school distancing itself from Reggie (and O.J. Mayo). Its time to move on. He got off scott free, which kids who never even played with him are accepting the punishment. I can't wait for September 2nd when the new era of SC football will begin! FIGHT ON!

The Glove part 2

2010-08-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a picture of it when I posted my original post, so here it is in all its glory, my worn down - way too big for my little hands - yellow packer glove. Also in the picture, the mini helmet that my grandmother had in her basement. Its ridiculously old and I love it!

and some more

2010-08-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

me: Torres just shouldn't have cut his hair. It all started going wrong with his hair.
sb: and his knee. he had a knee injury.
me: i don't know if you know much about soccer, it has less to do with the knees than the hair. its all about the hair.

Drama Queen (thanks Jersey Al)

2010-08-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Jersey Al came across this today, and the more places that this is shared, the merrier!

The Little Pea

2010-08-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

So Man U tied Fulham at the cottage...I guess that's better than two straight reds like two years ago...

1. Rooney never leave me! Man U might be one of the most striker loaded teams in the EPL (and Europe), but without Rooney in the line up, something is clearly missing.
2. Chicharito! ¡ me encanta Chicharito! pero necesita más trabajo y todavía no está en forma superior. I fully believe that Chicharito is the future, but he didn't always seem to be on the same page with Berb or the rest of the team, and he also got tired as the game wore on.
3. PK. Listen peeps, hand ball in the box = penalty kick. Deal with it. It was justified. I'm still confused though as to why Nani took the kick and what kind of kick that was.

Its too early in the season to start making sweeping generalizations about teams and the season, but so far my first impression is that the EPL is lacking parity. Soccer has never been about 6-0 games. And the EPL had three of them this weekend alone! I will say that while I wasn't annoyed with the Vuvuzela's I am happy to return to a soccer world without them.

Coversations from the weekend

2010-08-23T05:45:00.001-07:00

Morgan: Didn't OJ Mayo go to USC?
Me: Yes, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to talk about it.

Me: Let's watch Hurt Locker.
SB: But the Vikings are on.
Me: I don't care. Let's watch Hurt Locker.
SB: Aren't you even a little curious?
Me: No. And don't pick the Vikings over me, I don't handle that well.
SB: The Packers really are your family.

Posted from my phone...

2010-08-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm laying in bed, cursing the stomach bug gods for ruining my Friday night, attempting to gather strength to get ready for the Packers game that is still nearly five hours away from kicking off.. So I thought I would amuse myself by seeing if I can post from my iPhone. Herds some brief thoughts:

1. EPL. Chelsea is ridiculous b plus twelve in goal differential and only two games in. But more interesting to note from that game should be the second dismantling in a row for Wigan. Last week they feel victim to this years darling team, blackpool and this week it was at the hands of Chelsea. Clearly Wigan has some sorting out to do otherwise they're booking an early ticket to relegation. Speaking of Blackpool they fell apart today against Arsenal, who clearly arrived today to make a statement. I believe that both Arsenal and Blackpool need to hold on tight this year, I see consistency problems for both. And lastly a round of applause for Stu Holden who started again for Bolton today! Cheers for him.

In case you missed this weeks Cheesehead Radio here's my Who moved my cheese curds

Top 5 reasons that I am thankful that Aaron Rodgers is my quarterback
1. Rodgers ability to grow a mustache and mullet. Does anything else scream Wisconsin more? He's practically one pair of Zumbaz away from being inducted as a life long resident.
2. He's not a grandfather. I loved my grandfathers but not really what I'm looking for in a quarterback.
3. I really like having a QB with a quirky little nick name and a silly celebration dance.
4. He quotes dumb and dumber and other classic movies with fans on twitter.
But most importantly
5. He, like us, is a fan. He doesn't jut enjoy playing sports, he enjoys sports all around. He still possesses the ability to be in awe of other great players besides himself. Like when he went golfing with Michael Jordan and Jerry Rice he tweeted that he "played terrible but had a blast with two childhood idols". He also closely followed the world cup and the NBA off season trade drama. Brett Favre was famous for his child like love for the game, but Rodgers possesses the ability to understand sports from both the prospective of a player and a fan.

A busy week

2010-08-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Last night I was privilaged to be able to fill in for Holly on Cheesehead Radio.

If you missed the live show you can download it on itunes or listen here.

I had a blast, and hope I did Holly proud.

Tomorrow the Packers play the Seahawks. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Pack can improve on pass defense (although really, where's the passing threat on Seattle?) and on kick returns. If we can get some QB pressure and catch a punt, I'll consider the game a success. I will also be interested in watching my boy, Mike Williams, who now plays for the Seahawks. A non-Packer, that I am always rooting for, I hope he can at least get a good grab in, probably against Bush.

If you're going to be in front of a computer for the game tomorrow, make sure to stop on by cheesheadtv.com and participate in the live blog, which I will be moderating. Just try not to swear or piss people off, makes my life easier!

New Brent Favre post

2010-08-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

Posted an extra time this week, woke up at 4, couldn't go back to sleep as thoughts of Packer land danced through my head.

The Glory Days: You Tube Clips and Memories

Happy Monday

2010-08-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've been relatively mum on here last week. Things have been quite crazy. Writing for brentfavre.com, moderating the cheeseheadtv game day blog and now preparing for cheesehead radio on Thursday. I'm quite the lucky girl.

So here's a brief update.

1. the new EPL season began this weekend. Man U plays today, and I can hardly wait. Initial reaction: Chelsea looks scary good. Blackpool makes me want to cheer loudly. I know nothing of their history or about their team, but after their fight last year for promotion and after their stomping of Wigan, I am cheering for them. Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Fulham and Bolton should be interesting to watch. I'm also super excited that Holdon got the start and the 90 mintues with Bolton. He's clearly the future!

2. The reds and the cardinals got in a "fight". I'm using the term fight loosely, as I'm pretty sure the official definition of fight means that someone throws a punch. I think the whole thing is silly. You want to talk trash Brandon Phillips, fine, but then don't friendly tap the catcher to say "hey" when you go up to bat. And catcher (I don't care enough to know your name) chill out! And the rest of the people on the teams, if you're going to get involved in a bench clearing brawl, don't just stand there, that's bad tv. What I want to know is how did it become Phillips' thing to get to tap the catcher AND ump with his bat? That's balsy, and I like it.

3. Lets all take a moment of silence for Dustin Johnson. I feel for the guy. Golf is difficult like that. I'm sure everyone knows, but if you don't: On the 18th hole yesterday Johnson hit his ball into an out of bounds sand dune. Not knowing it was considered an official bunker grounded his club, costing him two strokes. He missed the playoff for the win by 2 strokes. In what other sport does this happen? none.

4. I was really impressed with Neal, Bulaga, and Wilson in the Packers preseason game Saturday. Can't wait to see more.

5. Thanks to Cincinnati and its inability to sell out a preseason game I missed the debut of Tim Tebow last night. But apparently his throwing motion has NOT changed (confirmed via twitter). Why isn't it more clear to the Denver Broncos that a quarterback should be able to throw the ball, and make quick reads of the defense? This should be interesting.

6. Lastly, a new post is up at brentfavre.com

The Halo Rule

Check it out and support the blog!

And listen in to Cheesehead radio this Thursday (and every Thursday) where I will be guest hosting in place of Holly (shout out to Holly for helping a sister out these past weeks!). Also, make sure to check out the live game day blog/chat at cheesehead tv on Saturday. Try not to swear or get in fights, make my life easier. :)

Annoucement

2010-08-09T10:25:00.001-07:00

I have joined the brentfavre.com team and will be writing weekly posts there.

Here's the link to my first post

What A Girl Wants - Women Sports Fans

The Glove and Traditions

2010-08-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

For Christmas in 1995 my father was given a pair of Packers Gloves. One was yellow, one was green. I don't recall the circumstances, but somehow I became the owner of the yellow one, while my dad kept the green.

I'm sure most people who grew up in Wisconsin have set traditions for game day. Ours: 1. you were NOT allowed to miss kick off. Doing so meant banishment to outside until you were deemed worthy to come in. 2. One must hold (tightly) their beer/soda can during all defensive plays, and drink during long offensive plays (I'm really hoping I'm not the only one whose parents turned Packers games into drinking games) 3. If you were out of the room (bathroom/kitchen) when something good happened, you had to stay there. 4. Vice Versa if you were out of the room and something bad happened, you had to return immediately regardless if you were finished. 5. No colors of opposing team were let into the house (during the starter coat trend, my friend was forced to take off her Dallas starter jacket outside - in December - and we weren't even playing them that day). 6. No phone calls in the middle of a play and no walking in front of the tv in the middle of a play (pacing was allowed in the kitchen. I also later amended this rule so that during kick offs I would stand at the back of the living room - holding my 1960s bobble head - and walk towards the tv as the returner kept running - DON'T ask). 7. Something with the opposing teams colors was generally found and placed underneath a green and gold pon pom.

Until typing all those, I didn't really realize how many rules there were. And as I aged, I only created more, but the rules I most took to heart involved drinking (imagine that!). As a 13 year old girl I would clutch my Coke cans like my life depended on it.

1995 was a pretty big year for Green Bay. We won the division for the first time in 30 years! (thanks Yancy Thigpen) and were cruising into the playoffs. I don't think anyone expected the Pack to play hard in San Francisco against Steve Young in the divisional round that year. What followed was, in my mind, one of the most miraculous games ever played. Green Bay jumped out to a first quarter lead of 14-0. First score was a glorious fumble return for a TD. I was holding so tight on my first can of soda, I tore it in half. I am not joking. The day went on to be a defensive show case for the Packers - ended up giving a lot of yardage but created turnovers and big stops - who won the game 27-17. I ended up breaking 5 cans of soda that day (I might also have a pretty severe caffeine addiction). I wore that yellow glove for the whole game. And I have continued to keep that yellow glove with me for every game. Even if I go to a party or bar, that glove is with me. I have never washed it. The soda stains from one of my favorite family and Packer memories still remain.

Always read the Shin Guardian

2010-08-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Link to a story at the Shin Guardian

Notes: Awaiting the USA v Brazil Roster...

Happy Third Annual Brett Favre Retires Day!

2010-08-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why more people didn't see this coming; but it is here, The Third Annual Brett Favre Retires Day! But before we can fully celebrate this treasured holiday, lets take a little jog down memory lane and remember the two previous Happy Brett Favre Retires Days.

March 4th, 2008:
I checked my phone at work, three text messages announcing the retirement. I teared up on the spot.
I wrote this entry with quotes from Page 2 and my initial reaction
Quotes from the Page 2 article

My words from the day, "we knew it had to happen sometime. today is one of the saddest days in my life. the brett favre era is officially over. i am not handling this well." I watched Favre video tributes on you tube all night while drinking wine and managed to cry so much that I lost my contact. I basically was a wreck. My friend got me a dvd with the retirement speech on it. I watched it about once a week that summer. I wrote essays comparing his retirement with my break ups. I lived in this retirement.

Then five months to the day, he reported to camp. and we traded him away. Difficult to handle, to understand. Team before player. Always. I couldn't watch the Jets games at first and as the season went on, I became more and more angry.

The Second Annual Brett Favre Retires Day.

breathe again...

And then mere days later, I again got text messages at work, Favre signed with the Vikings. Again, I teared up. How could someone seem so hell bent on pissing me, and a whole group of fans, off? I know that wasn't his goal, but that was my emotional reaction. I spent a season cringing at every sight on him. And the NFC championship game was perhaps the happiest days of my life.

In between each Brett Favre retires day and Brett Favre breaks Jayme's heart day, he throws the football with some high schoolers and has a surgery he leaks to someone over at espn.

So today, I'm not mourning. I'm not celebrating. He hasn't left us, he's not being simple and just showing up. He's being Brett. He's completely predictable in his unpredictability. I have high doubts that today is the last time we see him under center in the nfl. Like I said before Lebron might have had a tv special, Favre is a mini series, the never ending cliff hanger. And in true B Favre style, even as I write this rumors on twitter, that he doesn't know where this retirement news is coming from. Hmmm.....maybe he should just come out and say what he's doing instead of the passive aggressive game...but then he wouldn't be B Favre.

In other actual news that I care about...Mason Crosby needs a massive shot of confidence, and perhaps the ability to preform under pressure. The GB linebacking corps is making more even more excited for the start of regular season.

Fighting on..

2010-07-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

Its been a rough couple of months to be a USC fan/alumni/former student. Sanctions, giving back the heismen, disowning Reggie Bush, law suits, new AD, apparently the dumbest looking media guide on the planet... But our will has always been to fight on has always been USC's strength. And here's why I feel confident that USC will be okay. 1. Its USC, you can't keep power house schools down for long, think back to Paul Hackett. and 2. Because Matt Barkley said this yesterday on ESPN, and it gave me hope, "You can't sanction heart and you can't sanction the will to win."

USC has always been a glitz and glamour kind of school and program. We like style with our wins. But at the heart of it, is a connection, that I'm sure exists at other college programs. Everyone is ONE. The players, the coaches, the students, the community. And no matter how shiny we might like things, at the core, you can take away the tropheys and tell us we can't play in post season, but you can't tell us not to care, and you can't take away the desire to fight for Troy. She is, as Brad Pitt would say, "the mother of us all. Fight for her!" (possible favorite movie quote).

But I'm happy that the very young, QB has taken it upon himself not to complain that his college career is being hampered by the mistakes of others, but instead he has risen to be a leader of the team, and is embracing the future. I likey that.

Okay, that's today's installment of Jayme being a homer.

quiet times

2010-07-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

With the whirlwind of birthdays, these have been relatively quiet times from me.

But let me just throw a couple of things out there.

1. Kansas City beat Man U. And they beat them with 10 men. Not really a lot to say here. Good for them. Hope Kansas City and the MLS can use it as a building block, but on the real, I don't think a month from now ManU players are really going to be thinking about or concerned about a loss to Kansas City.

2. Chicharito! I can NOT wait to see him in a ManU jersey on Friday Funny thing is, apparently I will have to wait a couple more days and one half of a soccer game. Chicharito is playing the first half of the game with his former club, Chivas de Guadalajara, and the second half with ManU. If this isn't the strangest thing I have ever heard, I don't know what is.

3. Dez Bryant. I do not care. So he didn't want to carry Roy Williams pads. Let Roy Williams and the Cowboys deal with that. If that's their ritual/hazing/expectations and he doesn't want to, then that's their issue. Not mine. Not yours. I admit, I'm a fan of this kid. I want him to do well. I think he very unfairly got a bad rap and I want him to prove people wrong. But seriously, him not wanting to carry Roy Williams' pads (and let's not fool ourselves, Roy Williams is NOT a big star on the team) is not a big deal in my life.

4. Maurice Clarett. I posted this after the car chase arrest in August of 2006. Yesterday news came accross the wire that Clarett was out of jail and once again attending Ohio State. I honestly, couldn't be happier for the guy. I don't know him from Adam, grew up learning to despise OSU people, but honestly his life hit rock bottom as much as anyone's could and to see him back in school is hopeful. Good luck to him.

Mr. Baseball

2010-07-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

Breaking news today. Bob Uecker will be back in the booth for the Brewers on Friday. This is great news for the brewers and baseball fans everywhere. After having successful heart surgery, Mr. Baseball is back!

Uecker returns, ESPN article

Worst Soccer Interview EVER!

2010-07-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

If you have ever watched The Soup on E! then you are familiar with this show. Good Day New York. To be fair, I don't like most morning shows, and I've only ever seen clips of these people messing up, but from the little I know about them, my opinion is that they are morons. Recently they "interviewed" Thierry Henry (I use the term interview loosely), and I am simply amazed at Henry's class at being able to hold the whole thing together.

Here's the link to the interview, but be warned, it is almost painful to listen to. They start the whole thing off by telling him he won the World Cup...
Is this the worst soccer interview ever?

2010-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Trojan family honors and respects the USC sporting careers of those persons who did not compromise their athletic program or the opportunities of future USC student-athletes. Accordingly, I have instructed the senior vice president for administration to remove athletic jerseys and murals displayed in recognition of O.J. Mayo and Reggie Bush by mid-August - before the incoming class of students moves on campus - from Heritage Hall, the Galen Center and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The univeristy with also return Mr. Bush's 2005 Heisman Trophy to the Heisman Trophy Trust in August. - Incoming USC president C.L. Max Nikias

Along with the hiring of Patrick Haden to replace Mike Garrett as athletic director, clearly USC means business.

Read the whole letter here.

an oldie, but a goodie

2010-07-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

A while back I wrote about how I had Ryan Grant's tickets to a packer game. Today I mentioned on twitter that my favorite GB/chicago game was my first Lambeau game, and I got to thinking about this post, about when I had Edgar Bennett's tickets.

A trip down memory lane. Packers vs. Bears November 16, 2008, my first game at Lambeau

Johnny Jolly

2010-07-17T08:25:00.001-07:00

So Jolly is suspended indefinitely. I don't care. I know that he was a crucial part of the defensive line last year, but any fan who's been following his case and issues over the off season should not have realistically thought we'd have him for this season, and therefore I feel confident that Ted Thompson did not think that we would have him for this season and that the Packers organization has prepared for this.

Jolly is suspended this year for failing the substance policy, he is not suspended for anything having to do with the impending charges and trial, therefore by my assumption, Jolly will probably not be reinstated after the 2010 season for violating the personal conduct policy. I don't know much about Jolly's personal work ethic, but after seeing how he spent his free time lately, I'm guessing that two years without playing and team conditioning will be a death sentence to his career in the nfl.

I hope that Jolly can get his head on straight. I don't know him from Adam, but I'm over it. He clearly made choices that are now threatening his career, and our team, and I think its best that the Packers move on from this. I'm glad that the suspension was announced pre-training camp so that the team, and the players and the fans can move on.

So I'm not going to run around in the streets worrying about what's going to happen to the defense, I'm going to trust that some guy who continues to show poor judgement wasn't going to be the most stable team member and that we have drafted in preparation for him not being around.

MLS follow up

2010-07-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to my MLS/Henry post, here's a link to a blog about the MLS all star game and its implications with the CONCACAF champions league.

An Annual MLS All-Star Game Complaint

soccer stars don't die, they just go to the MLS.

2010-07-14T06:11:00.001-07:00

Henry joins the Red Bulls

In his farewell address General Douglas MacArthur said "old soldiers never die; they just fade away" and I once had a Lee Jeans t-shirt that said, "old jeans never die; they just fade away." I suppose the same can now be true of soccer legends.

Latest to join the trend of European star later in his career to make the jump to the MLS is Thierry Henry. Rumors were widely circulated early spring that he would be joining the New York Red Bulls, but with the official opening of the transfer window, the news is now official. Probably more recognizable to the average U.S. audience as 'that guy who handled the ball and kept Ireland out of the World Cup.' he will always be known as the Arsenal player, the fat head on the wall at Wall 2 Wall to me. I was hoping that Henry would join the team in time for the Columbus Crew vs New York game this weekend, but alas, I am not that lucky.

But what about former stars joining the MLS? Clearly the MLS is levels below the English Premiere League, La Liga and Serie A, therefore when players have exhausted their talents and welcomes there, they have to move on. And what better a place that will pay you tons of money because even in your waning years you're still heads and shoulders above half the players out there. And I get why the MLS would want and welcome these stars. They are the big names that the current MLS is lacking. A way to draw in the crowds of people who love European soccer but haven't been sold on the MLS yet. Money, visibility and game attendance. But what really does this say about the MLS and the state of American soccer. Will we ever be able to grow talents of our own? Clint Dempsey doesn't get more "American"; he's from Texas, (hell the guy's name is CLINT!) and likes rap; he's well respected on his epl team and by his peers, but will any MLS team ever pay Beckham or Henry money for him? Okay, I admit Dempsey is NOT a Beckham, but when Dempsey's days playing in Europe are behind him, will he return to the mls? will he be given a hero's welcome and tons of money? I don't know. But something tells me no. And that's because U.S. players are not yet the attention, headline grabbing names like Henry and Beckham.

I'm happy that Henry is coming. The more people tuning in, watching and getting excited about soccer in the U.S. the better. I just wish, at the same time, that there was a way to find more respect for the U.S. game, and to cultivate better players and names from within. Without a doubt, playing more with high level players helps this, but at the end of the day, there is a big part of me that wishes that the MLS could turn from a final resting place for the greats to a launching pad to a high level of play and competition.

Gotta love it!

2010-07-14T05:24:00.001-07:00

Must read cheeseheadtv blog about Charles Woodson.

Charles Woodson Called A Hero In Aftermath of House Fire

I found this and it made me think back to the glory that was the weekend celebrating the return of B Favre and Charles Woodson day.

2010-07-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Because sometimes when things like this happen, you have to stop, take a second and think, "wait did that really just happen? and did he really not get a red card for that?"

The De Jong picture is now replacing this picture

as my favorite Kick That The Refs Missed.

and because I'm a nerd, wonderlic scores

2010-07-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Found this linked on twitter this morning.

40 times and wonderlic scores for current Packers

Put it this way. Jolly = 13; Underwood = 16; You should average a 17 to be a security guard. A Rod's = 36.

Also, though JerMichael got a 9 (I blame Texas) as did James Jones... ouch.

I'm most impressed with the linebacking corps numbers. Having a high wonderlic score as an LB is important - I don't care what the cynics of the test say. I want someone leading my defense who knows how to make quick, correct decisions.

George Steinbrenner

2010-07-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

In the moments between now and my last post, it has been announced the George Steinbrenner has passed. Rest In Peace.

George Steinbrenner

2010-07-13T06:39:00.001-07:00

Regardless of personal opinions of the Yankees, its hard not to admit that George Steinbrenner is/was a genius when it came to running a team. He's the Jerry Jones of baseball. I despise his team, disagree with most of his tactics, but dammit they are genius and without him the sport would be light years behind where it is today. Its hard to imagine the current MLB without Steinbrenner. Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family, as he is in critical condition in a New York hospital following his heart attack this morning.

post wc disorder

2010-07-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

So the World Cup is over. Spain won. And justifiably so. Wasn't the most thrilling game, but in the end the right team, the better team won. Netherlands was lucky to play with 11 men for as long as they did, as generally kicking someone straight in the chest kung fu/karate kid style with no attempt to go for the ball, cleats up, is not allowed in soccer. Some of the more American Football sports writers that I follow on twitter had some issues understanding the game, and quite honestly I was pretty fed up with the seemingly constant complaints that the game was boring or that somehow extra time and penalty kicks is uninteresting. If anything, this world cup has taught me that some people don't get or understand soccer - and that's fine, as nascar lacrose and cricket will never be things that I care for. But there is a difference between ignoring and letting people enjoy their sport and constantly complaining that the biggest sport in the world either somehow doesn't live up to your shallow american standards or complaining because it has somehow infiltrated your life. (do i sound annoyed by that? cause i am). So yeah, I sent some strongly worded tweets to Pat Forde and Chris Mortenson. Come on, what isn't tense about extra time or penalty kicks in the finale of the World Cup?

In other news, Favre has starting playing football with high schoolers again. Its a dual purpose event. 1. it makes him look like he really does just enjoy playing the game and will play it with anyone and 2. YES, live feed of him throwing!! Lebron might have had a one hour special, but if you really break it down, Favre has a yearly mini series.

Brian Carriveau just posted this link on twitter. Our own Dorsey Levens, on a whole new playing field.
Dorsey Levens acting career

Also, Bodog has set the over/under for Packers wins at 9 1/2, I'd take that bet!

Okay, my stomach is waging war against my body, and I'm spending the day in bed with a marathon of the Office. back to bed for me.

Man United

2010-07-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

The list of Man U players traveling to the States was announced today:

Travelling squad: Edwin van der Sar, Tomasz Kuszczak, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, John O'Shea, Wes Brown, Rafael, Jonny Evans, Darren Fletcher, Darron Gibson, Chris Smalling, Nani, Fabio, Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez (will join in Houston on 27 July), Mame Biram Diouf, Tom Cleverley, Ritchie De Laet, Corry Evans, Ben Amos, Gabriel Obertan.

Man what I wouldn't give to see Chicharito, Welbeck and Diouf!

Dan Gilbert

2010-07-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

Apparently no one ever told Dan Gilbert the trick of typing that really mean letter/email/text and then putting it in the draft folder until the next morning when cooler heads will decide if sending/publishing is a good idea. I'm guessing that at some point tomorrow, he will definitely wished that he had learned and utilized that trick.

The link to the ESPN copy of the letter

I linked to the ESPN version because the one on the cavs website is in a such a ridiculous font, no one should have to sit through it.

I get it, I've been disappointed and felt betrayed by a player. "Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us." In the Heat of the moment, the decision is hard to understand and accept from the Cleveland perspective. But Gilbert goes on to say, "You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal."

Cowardly? Betrayal? Really? Okay. Lebron was honest from the beginning, he was entertaining options to go play somewhere else. It was all over the news each time he met with a team. Its been public knowledge for years that Lebron desires to be an international superstar and a billionaire. He never promised to be in Cleveland for ever. Cowardly would have been lying, and then having a hidden announcement about his plans. But he looked Cleveland straight in the eye (through the tv set) and announced his plans. That's not cowardly. Was it, as Gilbert says "narcissistic, self-promotional"? yes. but not cowardly. Also, one can feel betrayed without actually having been a victim of betrayal. A fine distinction that Gilbert doesn't seem to comprehend at this moment.

It is after these statements that Gilbert seems to really lose his cool. "some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there." Oh Dan, so over the line.

I get the point, you're pissed. You want to reassure your followers that the team will use this as motivation to keep fighting and that you will deliver the much anticipated championship to Cleveland. But the letter was not written by a confident man, who is in charge of his emotions and team and message. It does not inspire hope. It comes across as a petty attempt to lash out at someone who hurt you. If the team can rebound with out the "chosen one" then why put this much effort into destroying his image and publicly admonishing him.

I say all this from the outside though. I'm not a Cleveland fan. I'm barely even a basketball fan. So this personally does NOT affect me. Its a lot easier to be objective and logical when you have no emotional attachment to the situation. When B Favre came back I was pissed. He looked us right in the eye, promised to always be a packer and wiped a tear from his cheek. And now he's a friggin Vicking. I think if I ever meet him someone will have to forcibly stop me from punching him. Or at least screaming in his face real loud. (okay, lets be honest, if I ever see him, I'll prob just burst into tears and curl up in the corner - but a girl can dream). So on some level, I get the passion that Gilbert is/was feeling, but at least you weren't lied to. At least you didn't take a day off of work to cry in front of a computer feed of the press conference. At least you don't have a copy of that crying press conference on dvd and didn't rewatch it once a week that summer before he came back and broke your heart. Take comfort in that. and as always, Keep it classy, Cleveland.

T-minus Two hours

2010-07-08T16:00:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to put this in writing before it actually happens. I WILL NOT BE MAD AT LEBRON JAMES IF HE LEAVES CLEVELAND.

1. I'm not from Cleveland nor a cavs fan, so why should I be mad at all?
2. This is different from Favre. I don't know how to explain it, Favre felt like part of our family. He grew up with us. We really felt like we knew him, we watched him grow up, struggle, marry, lose his father, etc. I, for one, was always under the assumption that our bond with him went further than football, than the business of it all. Lebron is from Ohio. but his ambition has never been hidden; he wants to be a billionaire superstar. He is not lying to the people of Cleveland.

So Lebron, if you want to go, go! This is a business. I know some/most in Cleveland will despise you, but I'm sure you'll get over it; they're just mad cause you were the last great thing their city had and now they're the next Detroit. And if you want to stay, stay. Just promise us all this, make a decision and live with it. As someone who mourned a player leaving, having them come back from the dead is just complicated - to say the least.

Tonight my biggest problem will be trying to watch this spectacle while listening to the premiere of cheesehead radio.

Thursday at 9pm

2010-07-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

I don't care where Lebron goes; him having a tv show to announce it is ridiculous; I'm putting 10 dollars on B Favre getting in a private jet and circling over the midwest at about 8:55 pm EDT Thursday night; I did have a pretty sweet dream that involved a Lebron song and dance explaining where he's going to go.

Is anyone going to watch this? Is anyone going to watch it and then admit they did? Is anyone going to watch this and not be pissed off?

In other news: I am now making a solid showing in my WC fantasy league. Thanks Sneijder.

weekend wrap up

2010-07-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

So...

Brazil's out of the World Cup, and Dunga is out of a job. All those saying they saw this coming are lying. No matter how good one thought Netherlands is/was, i don't believe anyone who said they had Brazil out before Uruguay.

Speaking of Uruguay, way to cheat your way into the semis! That game was Ghana's. But as I say that, I also believe that the one game suspension for Suarez is the right call. (Can't change a rule mid tournament), and while clearly that would have been a Ghana goal at the end of extra time, if you want the win, TAKE it. And they didn't. It was heartbreaking, yes. Would I have loved to see Ghana win and a team from Africa move on. Yes! I doubt the WC will return to the continent anytime soon; that was their chance. But this is not a Disney movie. So while my heart goes out to Ghana, "what happened, happened." Nevertheless, it was some of the most intense and amazing moments of the World Cup.

That was up until the Spain/Paraguay game. I was suffering from a migraine all Saturday, but luckily enough SB woke me up just in time to see perhaps the strangest 5 minutes of soccer. Penalty kick Paraguay. Saved by Casillas. Penalty kick Spain. Converted. Oh but wait, Pique's (I think it was Pique, but it might have been someone else) foot was crossing the penalty box as Alonso (who was on my fantasy team!!) kicked the ball. Re-kick. Saved. The only time two penalty kicks were saved in one World Cup game. Classic.

So Dunga's out of a job, the South Korea coach is out of a job. And somehow Bob Bradley still has one. Baffles me. Listen, after the World Cup, the coach generally leaves. Maradona might even leave. And Brazil lost to a good team, Korea lost to a good team, Argentina lost to a good team. And they all still leave. I'm done with thinking half way is good enough. BB's contract is up in December, lets move on already people.

In non-soccer news. Lebron is still a free agent.

Responses to Mike and Mike in the Morning.

1. No, not every MLB team should be represented in the All-Star game. The best are the best. You can't in one breath try to make the game more significant and at the same time also make it a consolation prize.

2. There is a difference between being a fan of the game, and a fan of a team. When your team is out of it, ie. playoffs/tournament and you don't want to watch the rest of it, either one of two things is happening. 1. you're a fan of the team and not really of the sport itself or 2. you're bitter. I don't care if you're only a fan of the team, but then don't walk around saying you love the sport but you can't watch it. When the Packers lost to the Giants in that stupid NFC championship game, I was MAD at football, I took some time off from listening to ESPN radio, but I still watched the superbowl. When the USMNT team lost to Ghana, I was MAD at soccer, but I still dragged my very hungover butt downstairs and turned on the England/Germany game. If that's not you, fine. That's you, but don't pretend its the same. Cause its not.

Looking ahead

Back when I did my first WC bracket, I had Germany beating Spain in the Semis as payback for the 2008 Euros. After Ballack got hurt, I waffled. So while at one point I really believed in Germany, I will admit that I didn't stand behind it. So tomorrow, if Germany does win, I get no credit. There, I said it.

Also, today I look like a lobster. Sunburn is fun. Really kids, it is.

The Daily Show

2010-07-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Incase you missed the Daily Show from Wednesday with BB and Donovan, the clips are below.

You're Welcome - World Cup

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

You're Welcome - World Cup

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Vuvuzealots

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

World Cup 2010: Into Africa - Vuvuzealots

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

The BB and Donovan interview

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Landon Donovan & Bob Bradley

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

While I love Donovan on the field, I really think he should stay away from being interviewed for a while. He just does not translate well.

Landon Donovan

2010-06-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does Donovan's personality one that has trouble translating to late night television?

shoot out part 2

2010-06-29T12:03:00.001-07:00

So 1. I think I get a little credit for semi-calling the shoot out in today's first game!

2. Trey Wingoz just asked on Twitter: worse way to end a game: Penalty kicks in soccer, or overtime rules in college football?

Honestly, I like both of those options. College overtime rule may seem a little "sissy." but come on! its college. And it adds strategy to the game. on a fourth down, do you kick it, knowing the other team could beat you with a touchdown? or do you go for it and risk no points?!!?!! I like it! and penalty kicks, PENALTY KICKS! is there anything more intense? In "American" football we make a big deal about a place kicker and the pressure of making a winning field goal at the end of the game. PKs are like the same thing, but more. Does it kind of suck that one team can lose because one player missed, or because one keeper made a great save? yeah, a little. but hey, that's the game. don't want it to come down to that? then win during regular time. You get 120 minutes!

Overtime rules will never be universally liked, but I'm standing firm that @wingoz is a fool on this one!

SHOOT OUT!

2010-06-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

About an hour ago on twitter I stated my desire for a shoot out...

A friend shared this link with me. Combining everything I love in life. Humor, The Packers, making fun of the Eagles, and a soccer term.

SHOOT OUT!!!

2010-06-28T08:57:00.001-07:00

DeMarcus Beasley just posted this pic on twitter. Makes me feel a lot better seeing them all smiling.

Ricardo Clark serenading the team with a vuvuzela on the return flight.

USA

2010-06-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

1. I am still alive and functioning.

Those of you who know me, know that in general, I do NOT take losses well. See 2006 Rosebowl or my broken tv after the GB/TB game in 1995 for examples. But I think I manage to handle this one okay. Perhaps it was the 5 stella's and numerous American Bomb Pop shots, or perhaps it was the fact that from the second we walked on to the field, this game felt a little off. But I am up, managing to not completely hate the world and am still watching soccer. (fyi, the netherlands just scored)....

American Shots

2. I have not managed to re watch the game yet - and I'm not sure when I'll be emotionally stable enough to do so

Therefore any observation right now, is probably half emotion filled, half alcohol filled, and half logic filled.

I'm not really sure what happened to Bob Bradley in this game; but this was not the coaching that we have come to know from him. I said before the send off games, Bradley's ability to pick the right formations and game plans and his ability to make proper adjustments would be crucial to our run. Prior to Saturday's game, he was impressing me. Picking the right line ups, showing patience and wisdom when it came to subs - and then bam Saturday all that goes out the window.

Ricardo Clark. I'm a homer. I like him. But clearly something wasn't right in his game on Saturday. I'm guessing that he was started over Edu because he is a more defensive player. And I get that a change was needed. And at the time, I was behind the mid-first half sub, but after the game and with some reflection time, I'm still not sure A. Why did Clark start? and B. Why was he subbed out so early?

Ghana is a quick team, but they're not overly fancy or more talented up top than any of the other teams we have faced. Why Bradley felt the need to take off mid field creativity for an extra defensive man is beyond me. We were losing the battle through the mid all day. We needed strength there.

Bradley is not a first half sub kind of guy. Even when Torres was getting worked, we waited until the half. We've almost fallen into a pattern of two subs at the half, one post 60th minutes. We're a wait and see team. By making the sub so early, Bradley showed me that clearly he was not fully behind his plan, nor was he really trusting the team that he put on the pitch to be able to come together and get the job done. I have never been a fan of changing the way you do things are you progress further into a tournament or post season play.

2b. We did not rise to the occasion. We shy'd away from it.

I do not believe that we overlooked Ghana. I think we just never stopped looking at Algeria. We were so pumped and affected by that moment. That instead of using it to galvanize us, we relished in it and never moved on. I do believe that many of the players who were on the pitch on Saturday will feel regret. As not everything was left out there. One noticeably for me, is Jozy Altidore.

Again, I'm a fan. SB is not. So I do spend some time having to defend him, but Saturday's showing clearly demonstrated to me that Altidore has a lot to learn. He was not our go to striker. And having relative new comers up top with him, he needed to carry that weight better. I'm hoping that he gets picked up by another European side and learns and grows a lot between now and the next gold cup. He's a monster athlete and the US needs him.

3. I am happy with what Bradley has done with this team. But also, I can hardly wait to see what our next coach can do. The 2011 Gold Cup will determine who will play in the next confederations cup. Bradley has taken us on a good ride, but I am confident that we can go further and that there are other options out there available to us (Klingsman?!????).

So this girl is taking this loss in stride. Hell, at least Italy, France, and England are also all back home watching too. :) And I'm going to focus on the next step, the return of Charlie D and the future of the USMNT.

Anyone want to start planning viewing parties for the GOLD CUP?!

Reactions to Donovan's Goal

2010-06-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Just watched this youtube video. Pretty much the greatest video ever made! It almost made me cry.

Reactions to Donovan's Goal

US win triggers coast to coast celebrations

2010-06-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Soccer Article by my Twitter friend Chris

I do have very understanding co-workers. The bottle of Pepto is still on my desk.

Soccer Rants

2010-06-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

ALSO,
my good friend, and overall good person, Brad has started a soccer blog.

CHECK IT!
Soccer Rants

June 23, 2010; the best day ever!

2010-06-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

So lets all just say it together "Today was the BEST DAY EVER!"

(you'll note if you become a frequent reader, I really like to list things)

1. Today started last night with the viewing of Espn's 30 for 30 "The Two Escobars". Fantastic film; well told; great/tragic story. Pretty much should be required viewing anytime, but especially now during the world cup. My summation of the film: Columbia combined violence, drugs, and soccer and rose to greatness. Only two out of the three survived.

2. This morning I received a twitter message asking if I would like to be a guest blogger/panelist on Packer Transplants. Yes! A thousand times yes! Talking/typing Packers with people that appreciate Packers (and understand football), is like a gift from heaven for this girl! (side note: show ended up being cancelled but I was promised a spot on a show during training camp! CAN'T WAIT!)

3. The USA game. Oh where, oh where to begin. I was in charge of giving "Joers quality updates" to a friend, who's from Nigeria, LOVES England and likes the USA. I think my thumbs hurt from texting :). England scored in the 23rd. My stomach remained in knots until Donovan saved all. People at work did find me some Tums, so that helped....

First off, I definitely 100% approve of not starting/playing Spector. 1. I don't think Onyewu was playing that bad, but I'm guessing that his form just wasn't where Bradley wanted it to be for this crucial match. 2. Spector played like garbage against the Czech Republic! And saying garbage is me being nice. Yes, there were a lot of other tactical issues that the US had that day, but Spector was slow, lazy and never where he was supposed to be. I don't care if he has more experience; if he's sucking he's not playing. So I was all behind the Bornstein pick. Immediately made me think back to the last game in qualifying and the last minute header; and I worried that this too would be a nail biter.

I believe that the US played a solid game. The Dempsey goal should have stood (and would have given me TONS of fantasy points as he was my captain!!!). And really the woodwork was killing us. Seven shots on goal to their two midway through the second half and it was still zero zero.

Bob Bradley made me appreciate his ability to adjust the team even more. He knows how to might slight tactical changes, and when and where to insert fresh legs and talent.

Donovan sure has a lot of haters, but let's all agree that for at least a little while, he's our hero.

4. Since the US won the group, they will play Saturday and I will be in MKE for the game. Made plans to watch game with the bestest of best friends! Can't wait!

5. While talking about being in mke for the game with AP reporter friend on twitter mentioned that I watched the game online while working. He's doing a story about people who watch the games while working. He called and interviewed me!

6. Germany won its group, and Ghana moves on. USA is paired with Ghana. Hey, let's avenge 2006!! And we're in the grouping with Uruguay and South Korea. I'm preferring this to the Mexico/Argentina/Germany fun that England has.

7. While ALL of this was going on, two young men, who I had never heard of played the longest match in tennis history. The Isner/Mahut Wimbeldon match was called at 10 hours with game 5 tied at 59-59. Will be continued tomorrow! Insane times.

8. And now I get to go celebrate the USA win with my bestest boy SB and bestest sister!

Can you tell I like the word bestest??

WC brief wrap up

2010-06-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

As we start the final leg of the group stage, I thought I'd take a look back at a couple of things that I have learned thus far.

1. I am bad at picking a fantasy team.
2. Latin American countries might end up being the stars of this World Cup. Hello Uruguay y Mexico. And yay for my main guy, Chicharito! Can't wait to see him in a Man U jersey next season!
3. Having a loaded squad does not equal dominance. Hello France, England, Germany, Spain.
4. Having the world on your side and home court does not always provide Disney movie endings. Hello South Africa.
5. Getting a red card or giving up a penalty kick has not been hard; however converting the free kick or penalty kick has been.
6. Apparently the refs only had to be good for one round at a time. Stellar in round one, weak in round two.
7. the 30 for 30 "The two Escobars" premieres tonight. Seeing how at one time it really was a matter of life and death I think we all should be a little concerned for the North Korean team.
8. Rain makes Portugal better; Ronaldo can amuse even himself.
9. Having a crazy coach can sometimes bring out the best; having a calm coach can sometimes bring out a curse filled tirade.
10. Vuvuzelas are the new Beenie Babies. They're here to take over the world people!

My lovely sister is in town this week, so actual posts and reflection will take a back seat. Promise more next week.

Its a little over 24 hours out and I'm anxious! Bring on Algeria. Come on you YANKS!

Vuvuzela

2010-06-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

I would first like to say that I am a Richardo Clark fan and I think he proved my point on Saturday's game. For those doubters, go back and watch him on defense, he's not a Torres kind of mid fielder, but against a squad like England we needed that extra help in the back. Him and Howard seem to be on the same page too, which also helps. More thoughts on the game(s) later.

The main story of this World Cup has been the Vuvuzela. Let me start by saying this: They do annoy the hell out of me. I do miss the chants and drums and all the things that I associate with soccer crowd noise. They do give me a headache. BUT I do not want them banned.

Part of what I love about the World Cup (and also the Olympics) is how the host country is represented through out the events. Do I always enjoy the Olympic opening ceremonies? Thinking back to Canada's, NO. But I do respect that that is part of the event. SB informed me last night that the vuvuzela's have only been a massive part of South African culture for 7 years; not sure his source on this, but frankly I don't care. Part of the joy of hosting the world cup is getting to do it your way, with your people and your culture. I am in no position to tell South Africa how to watch the games, how to attend the games, and what I perceive their culture to be.

People have complained that the noise has drowned out the typical chants and crowd noise of soccer. I agree, but that is my perspective of viewing. The world cup is not supposed to always be from my perspective. That's why its the WORLD CUP.

I still heard the crowd yell "GOOCH" after a good play by Onyewu on Saturday. And the crowd I was with all chanted and provided me with the crowd noise that I am familiar with.

I doubt we will all ever agree on this topic. But I think its time we face it; they are not going anywhere. We can either spend everyday for the next three weeks complaining about them. Or we can create our own atmospheres to watch the games and embrace the international power of this game. I'm choosing the latter.

hateenglandday

2010-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well its here. Its after one am edt and today is officially BEAT ENGLAND DAY and HATE ENGLAND DAY! I'm vacationing with SB and his brother and Ally is Cleveland. Phish Show tomorrow night, hoping to be celebrating a great victory well into the night.

I'm going to refrain from any real posts until we get back. Today's games were mixed for me. The South Africa/Mexico match was great, exciting. And yes, he was offsides. The France/Uru game was boring, so boring that I took a half time nap that turned into a half hour nap. But I did enjoy the hand ball issue and it made me realize that I think the only fair way to deal with the Henry handball controversy, is to let each team that France plays in the World Cup get one free hand ball.

The Greece game is not less than 6 hours away, time to prepare!

(side note: I am still a TROJAN and will always be! FIGHT ON! expect a post on it soon.)

Tips for England game

2010-06-09T06:56:00.001-07:00

Just found this blog thanks to @shinguargian

Ways to BEAT England!

Its catching on!

2010-06-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

Getting into the World Cup spirit at work. Brackets filled out and up!! Can't wait!

Now we just have to make it to the WC without any more injuries people. Players are dropping like flies!