On to Phase 2; Lindsay's Night Out; Tiny Zoo; Pickup Football

On to Phase 2
With us having completed the regular season in the MAAC and finishing as the #1 seed for next weeks MAAC Tournament in Trenton, NJ (at the home of Yankees' AA affiliate Trenton Thunder), today is a day off.  I can't really say it's much needed since the rain earlier in the week coupled with commencement setup in the gym meant that we had two days off from practice (Monday, Tuesday) but it certainly isn't something I'm complaining about.

We had a game Friday and two Saturday with Iona, who always plays us tough, but took care of business and hopefully built up some momentum going into the four team playoff.  With the sweep, our regular season record is 21-2 in MAAC games (31-17 overall).  A pretty good year by any standards, but it really means nothing without some hardware at the end.

And that hardware is the MAAC Championship ring. 

The dogpile after the final out is recorded in the clinching game - that feeling (although I never experienced it as a player since our teams were slightly above average with talent and champions of boozing) was something I cannot explain.  It makes all the shitty practices at 6am in January with snow on the ground worth it.  It makes taking out and putting up the outfield fence (yes, we might be the only team in DI baseball that does this) worth it.  It makes not having music or a National Anthem (definitely the only school in the country not allowed to play it because the parks woman in charge is a complete piece of shit bitch) a little more tolerable.  But more importantly, it's something the players will never, ever forget.
We have a solid core of seniors, and for them, this is everything.  I just hope the rest of the guys realize what these four seniors have done for this program (almost 1,000 hits combined in 4 years) and play with a little pride for them (and themselves).  The most important thing though, is staying loose.  Remain focused on what it is we're there to do - win the whole fucking thing! (to quote the legendary Jake Taylor from Major League).  But we gotta stay loose, play loose, have fun, and just do what we've managed to do all year - win.

We just gotta go out there and do it.  Believe in ourselves. Trust one another.  And throw strikes and get good performances from our starting pitching.  When we go to the bullpen, we need tough SOB's coming into the game to get outs.  We need to scratch across runs anyway possible.  Solid defense needs to be paramount as well.

I can wax poetic about this and that and what everyone needs to do but in the end it comes down to one thing:  who wants it the most?

I'd like to think it's us.

Lindsay's Night Out
Last night was her first away from Nolan.  With me at a doubleheader until 5:30pm, my parents were nice enough to come in and help look after N & N while Lindsay got ready to go out for her friend Rosie's bachelorette party. 

She opted for the dinner portion of the party so she drove into the city to meet up with the girls.  She had some champagne and a glass of vino at dinner (at some Greek place on 60th) and got back to the apartment around 10:30pm. 

She had hangar steak, something I don't think I've ever seen her order at any point since we've known one another.  She never gets steak, but hey, I guess a baby makes you crave different things.

Overall she said she had a great time seeing everyone.  The next time we'll see them all is at the wedding in Syracuse sometime in June.  Jesse and Julia will be traveling with us to take care of the little man while we head to the wedding. 

Should be a cramped 5-hour ride to the Cuse.

Tiny Zoo (for iPad)
This game is seriously a safe version of crack.  The premise is simple - build the best virtual zoo ever!

And I am well on my way.  Call me a loser, go ahead - but you're a loser too because you're definitely checking it out right now.

I've got African elephants, jackrabbits, black bears, chimps, Indian rhino, red panda, an ocelot, cheetah, butterflies, and even a mustang.  I got plenty of shops and food vendors to keep my loyal customers happy.

I am currently waiting for the second expansion of my zoo to be completed (ETA 17h 50m) before I can add some more badass animals.
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=9171629383088672152
Seriously though, this game is like crack.  Remember FarmVille for Facebook?  This is that times 1,285.  At least.

Pickup Football
There's a park behind my building where all sorts of crazy shit goes on (see previous posts about boy's softball) but right now, there's a pantheon of men (some young, some with a full head of white hair) playing pickup football.  Maybe they're hoping to get picked up if the NFL is looking for replacement players.  They scream, hoot, and holler - and part of me wants to join the game, but I think I'd be a little too intense for the older guys out there.  I might be compelled to put on on his ass (yes, even though it is two-hand touch).

Sunday mornings year round is football in Riverdale.  There's some yarmulkes (pronouced:  YAH-ma-ka) out there too - I think they know they'll never make it the NFL as a player (however, as an owner, they might have their day). NY Giants QB Sage Rosenfels gives them a little glimmer of hope, though.  After doing a but of research - read: Googling "Jews in the NFL", the results indicate there are quite a few Jews in the NFL (here's a list).  Pretty surprising names on this list - and a lot don't even sound Jewish.  I mean San Diego's long snapper David Binn (apparently Jewish) used to date Pamela Anderson for shit's sake!  Binn there, done that - like most of Hollywood.

Mazel tov!

OK.  Nolan's been sleeping in his lamb swing while I've been sitting next to him writing this post and he's finally starting to stir, so I am gonna get going.  Lindsay is feeling a little worn down lately, so she's still in bed (it's 9:33am, practically a hibernation on a baby's clock) so she is trying to recuperate a little bit.  It wears me out so I can imagine how it must kick her ass - home all day with the dog and the baby.  She enjoys it immensely, I know she does - but that doesn't mean she doesn't get worn out.  I am sure she'll read this when she wakes up - hopefully feeling a little better.

Til next time knuckleheads.

Ada, Ohio

"Home of the only factory in America that makes nothing but footballs"

Pretty neat video and story.  Small town people responsible for a big part of American culture.

Awesome.

Most Disliked People in Sports

Just got in to the office before baseball practice - it's 5:40am - and came across an article on Yahoo!.  Before I clicked the link, I knew who was going to be at the very top - Oakland Raiders' own Al Davis.

If you want to read the article, go ahead, it'll show you why a once proud franchise struggles with consistency.

If you don't, here's the list of the least-liked figured in sports:

1. Al Davis
2. Michael Vick
3. Jerry Jones
4. Tiger Woods
5. Manny Ramirez
6. Terrell Owens
7. Albert Haynesworth
8. Mark McGwire
9. Bobby Knight (strongly disagree)
10. Randy Moss

Six of the top ten least-liked sports figured are from the NFL - you think there's much of an image problem? 

Tiger Woods still has work to do to get his image back. 
Manny is Manny, he does it for himself. 
McGwire is a pock-faced liar. 
Bobby Knight doesn't even deserve to be on this list.  The guy was a winner wherever he was and is a great motivator and a great coach.  Hell, he is a pretty good analyst too - it's nice hearing a game called from a coaches perspective.

Time for baseball.

Cutler Gets Tweet-blasted

WOW.  I said I thought it was a soft move to come out of the game but the league has spoken.

Jay Cutler is WEAK!

Take a look at this link from Yahoo!

Eagles need Auburn's K Wes Byrum

Wes Byrum needs to get drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, so long as there's an NFL Draft.  He won the Auburn Tigers a national championship - rare air for a college kicker.

The Eagles fans were watching last night thinking, "why couldn't our kicker do that?"  Sure, Akers is 82% on field goals throughout his career.  But this Eagles team was supposed to go to the Super Bowl.  Michael Vick was a hero all season.  MVP.  Comeback player of the year, sure, maybe.  Goat?  Nope - he personally accounted for 12 of their 16 points.  The goat?  Come on down David Akers - had he made the 34- or the 41-yard FG, they'd have been in a little better spot.  They could have attempted a FG late to win it.  Just saying. 

Sure, Akers has been great for the organization.  He's been an Eagle for a long time - 188 of his 189 career games are with the Eagles (1 as a Redskin in 1998).  Your time has come and gone.  Ask Jeff Reed out in Pittsburgh.

Wes Byrum needs to be in an Eagles uniform.  New blood!

DeSean isn't a total punk; More snow; Nat'l Championship Game

I thought, based solely on his on field antics and facial ice-grilling against the Giants, DeSean Jackson was just another smug, cocky NFL douche bag.  Turns out, the guy's got some class.  Take a look at this clip, right around the :18 second mark.  I know they both went to Cal, even though Rodgers left for the NFL the year Jackson stepped on campus.  Birds of a feather I guess.  Game respects game.  (Side Note:  Jackson threw Vick under the bus after the game, questioning his decision to throw it instead of spiking it - but he's not a bad guy)


Weather is headed back towards the northeast it seems, which I'm not all that upset about.  Sure driving in it sucks, but when I take Nathan out to the dog park, the mud created after the snowfall and after most of it melts is a real pain.  When there's snow, Nathan just gets wet.  Heavy snow is 100%, and winds are gonna be gusty.  We live right near the mighty Hudson River, so the winds coming off the river are brutal and frigid.  Here's the forecast:

Heavy Snow

National Championship is on, although I haven't yet tuned in.  Rules of Engagement is on until 9:00 and then I'll switch on over.  I think it's a repeat though, but I'm going to watch it anyway because Patrick Warburton is one funny mo-fo.  I hope Oregon punks these jack wagons from Auburn.  Auburn is giving 1.5 points (for you non-gamblers, if you put money on Auburn, they'd need to win by at least 2 points for you to win).  Let's Go Ducks!  I hope The Duck has to do 200 pushups.

Good night!

Best TD Run I've Seen In My Life

He went from second fiddle on a bad Buffalo Bills team to the MANIMAL in Seattle.  Awesomeness experienced first hand, I wasn't even sure what was going on, and I was watching the game.  It was almost surreal.

Playoff Season

The NFL Playoffs are officially upon us.  Last night the final team was anointed postseason bound - the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks - following a less than stellar 16-6 win over the drop-happy Rams.  Hey, Danario, catch the damn ball.  Fells, you too.  Bums.  At least an 8-8 team is justifiable.  7-9 is a joke.

Here's a little rundown of the match-ups this weekend in the NFL.

Jets v. Colts - There are some good match ups in the first round, including the Colts hosting God's team, the Jets (the Jets are 2-1 in the playoffs against the Colts).  The Colts ended the Jets season last year with a 30-17 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Peyton Manning always seems to rally his troops, regardless who's out there.  The Colts are at home, laying three points.  They've won four straight heading into this match up, and I  like the Colts.  Plus, I'm kind of hating on the Jets because everyone thinks they're God's gift to football.

Packers v. Eagles - The Packers got in on an interception from Nick Collins with just seconds left against the Bears, to seal a 10-3 win at Lambeau, and a postseason berth.  They'll travel East to take on Michael Vick, err...Kevin Kolb and the Eagles.  The Cowboys took down Philadelpia yesterday, so the Eagles aren't exactly rolling, having lost their last 2 games (both at home).  Luckily for them, the Packers are only 3-5 on the road this season.  The Eagles need to find their offense if they're gonna have a chance - problem is, the Packers let up an NFC low 240 points all season (PIT led the NFL with 232 points allowed).  I like the Packers in this one - they showed off their electric offense against the Giants (who I'll decline comment on) and their stellar defense against the Bears.  The Pack is +2.5 points, and I'll take them in this one.

Saints v. Seahawks - Really, this one shouldn't even be close.  The Seahawks got in because the Rams couldn't catch the damn ball.  They're 1-2 against playoff teams and 6-7 against everyone else.  Their defense is suspect at best (25.4 PPG) and their offense (19.4 PPG) is bad.  The Seahawks were outscored by 97 points this season, the worst differential EVER by a playoff team.  The Saints, well, they've won 7 of their last 9 games.  Their defense is stout (19.2 PPG) and their offense is pretty decent (24 PPG), led by a guy named Drew Brees who threw for 4,620 yards this year.  Let's compare:  Brees - 4,620 yards.  Seattle Seahawks - 5,080 yards.  The entire Seahawks team only outgained Brees by 460 yards.  Think about that.  Saints giving ten points and I think they'll cover easily.  But it depends which Saints team shows up - the one who lost to the Browns or the one who stifled the Steelers 20-10.

Ravens v. Chiefs - Baltimore heads in having won 4 straight - two on their offense, two on their defense.  They're finally a well-oiled maching on both sides of the ball.  Wacco Flacco had a great season and their running game (Ray Rice) is a beast (1,220 rushing, 556 receiving).  They got the X-factor in Anquan Boldin and a defense that speaks for itself.  The Chiefs, well, let's just say my Raiders beat up on them twice - 23-20 and 31-10.  KC comes in playing some decent football, and surprisingly, they have some weapons.  Matt Cassel is finally showing fans in KC why they got him from NE (3,116 yards, 27 TD, 7 INT).  Jamaal Charles (1,467 yards) and Thomas Jones (896 yards) are also key factors why they Chiefs have a chance - besides the fact that they're 7-1 at Arrowhead - their running game was #1 in the NFL.  In a ball control game, the running game always plays a major factor.  Baltimore is -2.5.  I like the Chiefs in this one though.

Those are this weekends games, and who knows how much I will actually watch - there's basketball games both days this weekend - talk about being sour.  The game on Sunday is at 2pm though, so I should be able to catch the Packers/Eagles game.

Now I am going to head over to iTunes and listen to the new release from GlassJAw, Our Color Green EP.  It's only available for digital download, so I may be forced to wait until I get home to purchase this beast.  Based on what I heard the other night, these five tracks should rock and roll.

Oh to be a Raiders fan

Little fun fact before the Week 17 NFL games begin.

The Oakland Raiders, with a win at the Kansas City Chiefs today at 1:00pm, can become the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in their division and NOT make the playoffs.

Even in a good year, the Raiders find a way to torture their fans. 

Let's go Silver & Black!!!

Tim Tebow = Kent St.

He has quite the following.  It began with his days on the campus at UF.  It continued when the Broncos drafted him.  And his harem has followed the wannabe QB on Twitter (73,875 followers).  As a devout man of faith, it's easy to see why his good-guy image attracts swarms of followers.  Every team who passed on him in the draft was scorned by throngs of Tebow fans.  Shit, he probably has people over in his native Philippines tuning in last Sunday.

Everyone was singing his praises after the Broncos game in Oakland this past weekend once again, because the Golden Boy was given his shot to shine in the league.  The results were very, very average - maybe even below average - in a 39-23 shellacking at the hands of my beloved Raiders.

8/16 for 138 yards and 1 TD - the Raiders are 5th in the NFL against the pass
7 carries for 78 yards and 1 TD (an exciting 40-yard run) - the Raiders are 26th in the NFL against the run

His QB Rating was great (100.8 - however the hell that's calculated is still a mystery to me).  He had a hand in 207 of the Broncos 235 total net yards (88%).  He ran a stale offense that has plenty of weapons, as was indicated during the revival of Kyle Orton earlier this year.  Brandon Lloyd became a go-to receiver.  Jabar Gaffney is having a career year in his 9th year in the NFL.  Knowshon Moreno is having a decent season (I just wanted to try to type his name and get it right - took me 3 tries).  There's just no QB in Denver right now to lead that team.

Tim Tebow is not the answer.  He is certainly not the savior in Denver - that title was given to Orton when he was hot as a pistol at the start of the season.  Everyone was talking about him breaking records for passing yards and whatnot - he had very good numbers on a terrible football team.  Orton - although benched and/or hurt - is 5th in the NFL in passing yards (ahead of Wonderboy Tom Brady, Wacco Flacco, Eli Manning, and Matty Ice).  You know why?  Because they are busy getting pumped every week and have to throw the ball.

Tebow cannot win a game with his arm in the NFL.  Yes, they've cleaned up his throwing mechanics, but he is still a work-in-progress at best.  He is as athletic as any player in the league, don't get me wrong, but a franchise, long-term QB in the NFL - no shot.

Tim, you're a great story and God loves you, but you may be headed down the path of Brad Smith (QB at Mizzou, WR NY Jets), Julian Edelman (QB at Kent St., WR NE Patriots), and Josh Cribbs (QB Kent St., WR Cleveland Browns).  He has the fact that he went to Florida and not Kent St. going for him, but I don't think that's enough.  Heisman or no Heisman, he's not a next level QB. 

I have to take Nathan out.  He's gonna break off a 40 yard TD run.  Then maybe follow Tebow on Twitter.

Numbers Game - #12

The only #12 to be inducted into the HOF (as a Devil Ray, no less) - Wade Boggs (SI.com)

Future HOF QB and All-Hair Team QB Tom Brady

Thursday Night Football

Andre Johnson is a man!  Six catches for 149 yards four days after his boxing match with CF.  No touchdowns though.  Matt Schaub played a pretty tough game too - his head looked like a rubber handball bouncing off the wall when he was sacked late in the game - he finished with 337 yards passing.  Tough SOB.

The Eagles won 34-24, partly because Michael Vick is playing like a man possessed (302 yards passing, 48 yards rushing).  Vick became just the fifth quarterback since the merger to pass for 300 yards, throw for 2 TD's and rush for 1 TD in a season TWICE.  (Tony Romo '07, Steve Young '98, Warren Moon '89, Ken Anderson '82).  He's also the first to do it after serving time in prison.  What a guy.

Going to dinner tonight and then to see American Idiot.  Looking forward to a good night ahead.

OK, one for old time's sake:

TKO (AP Photo)

Numbers Game - #9

The Splendid Splinter and best hitter to ever play Ted Williams

Mr. 61 Roger Maris

The late, great Steve "Air" McNair

Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe

My sinful Raiders reference, Punter Shane Lechler

Bravo NFL, Bravo

I commend Roger Goodell for not suspending Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnegan, but rather fining them the league mandated $25,000.  Problem is, Johnson (who was in a scuffle last season) has a great rep in the NFL.  Finnegan has been fined three times - this season!  The reason he wasn't suspended may be because he didn't throw any punches - he was too busy getting blasted by AJ.

I am fine with what was done, but this bully act CF plays is getting old.  The Titans got pushed around Sunday for the entire 60 minutes.  They got embarrassed.  Their defense got shredded (albeit moderately).

They were outgained 346 yards to 162 yards.  158 yards passing (2 sacks for 20 yards) for Matt Schaub (two TD's - one to AJ).  188 yards on the ground (on 39 carries).

CF, quit your instigating B.S. and start playing defense.  You team's lost four straight games.  Your defense lets up 360 yards per game (250 per game through the air).  He's lucky he's on the defensive side of the ball, otherwise he'd be a dead duck going over the middle.

Steve Johnson's Message to God

I actually do feel bad for this guy for dropping that pass in the end-zone that would have beaten the Steelers.  He had a bad, bad day - 5 drops or something like that.

Here's what he tweeted after the game:

 

You'll get more chances.

Andre Johnson = Beast

Courtland Finnegan is a dirty player.  That's been said time and time again.

Check out the video:


Finnegan throws both hands directly into Johnson's facemask.  A.J. is a quiet guy, but something leads me to believe this douche Finnegan was doing this type stuff all game.

Football fights, baseball fights, hockey fights - all these used to be the norm back in the day when competitors competed.

Johnson, sadly, will probably be suspended for a while.  Finnegan, the instigator, will probably get less.

Best part was that after Johnson threw a few haymakers (and connected), Finnegan got up clapping.  Piece of shit.

NFL Fright Fest

Yesterday was quite an eventful day in the NFL with plenty of stories to go around.  Here's a brief recap for those of you who spent entirely too much time trick-or-treating.

Buf @ KC - The Chiefs needed every one of Jamaal Charles' 177 yards on the ground (along with 61 receiving) to eek past the bumbling, stumbling, (not) fumbling Bills 13-10 in OT.  13-10 KC.

Car @ StL - Break up the Rams!  Behind the strength of their defense (4 turnovers), the Rams held the listless Panthers (201 total yards) to 14 first downs and 25 yards on the ground.  Tough to win when you're that one-dimensional - ask the Cowboys.  20-10 St. Louis.

Den @ SF (in London) - Another dud for the Brits.  3-0 SF at the half, this one turned into a fun one with 30 points scored in the 4th quarter alone.  San Francisco got their 2nd win of the year 24-16 over the Broncos.  Kyle Orton had his typical Sunday afternoon, dropping back 40 times and amassing 369 yards (265 Euro yards).  Denver scored the first 10 points of the 2nd half, but not before the 9ers scored two TD's in just under four minutes to seal it.  24-16 SF.

Was @ Det - Stafford to Johnson was the M.O. of this one - 9 catches, 101 yards, 3 TD for Megatron.  Washington's ineptness on 3rd down (2-14) didn't help any.  37-25 Detroit.

GB @ NYJ - Shutout for the first time at home since 2006, the Jets offense looked out of sorts all day.  The Packers kept them in the game by looking just as bad, but when all was said and done, Dirty Sanchez couldn't lead Gang Green to victory.  The Jets moved the ball well - 360 yards to 237 for GB - but their three turnovers told this story.  The best team in the league puts up more than a goose-egg.  9-0 GB.

Mia @ Cin - The Dan Carpenter Show rolled in to Cincinnati and poured in 5 FG's (38, 42, 24, 54, 31) and an XP.  T.O. caught two TD passes but got no help from the rest of the Bungles.  22-14 Miami.

Jax @ Dal - The Cowgirl Show fell to a pathetic 1-6 as Jacksonville dominated this one beginning to end.  Kitna isn't the answer.  Romo isn't the answer.  Good to see MB3 finally came alive and scored a TD.  Garrard stole the show (260 yards, 4 TD, 1 rushing TD).  Wade Phillips needs to be out in Big D.  35-17 Jacksonville rolls!

Ten @ SD - The Bolts looked like a team with a chip on their shoulder after the Titans went up early.  San Diego scored 26 of the final 32 points in this one and the Chargers D held CJ2K in check (59 yards rushing).  When a team is dependant on VY or Kerry Collins, things aren't looking good.  Perhaps SD is starting their run to the top?  Stay tuned.  33-25 Chargers.

TB @ Ari - A high octane scoring game, these Bucs are for real.  Improving to 5-2 and accumulating over 400 yards of offense, the boring, ho-hum TB team is on the radar as a legit contender.  They have Josh Freeman (287 yards, 1 TD) who doesn't make mistakes, a running game that can pound the ball, and an opportune defense that can tack points on the board.  Follow the Bucs.  38-35 TB.

Min @ NE - I watched simply because I was hoping Favre got his clock cleaned - and he did.  Leaving bloodied and battered, the Patriots went on for a 28-18 win.  Danny Woodhead took a misdirect snap in for a TD in the first quarter, All-Day AP was held under 100 yards (92 to be exact) and the Law Firm of BenJarvis Green-Ellis ran wild (112 yards, 2 TD).  28-18 Patriots.

Sea @ Oak - Silver and Black is baaaaaaaack!!  The Raiders poured it on yesterday to bring them to .500.  4 and 4.  Come on!!  545 yards of offense?  310 yards passing for Jason Campbell?  Another 100-yard game (111 yards) for Run DMC?  A defense that held an opponent to under 200 yards of offense (162 yards for Seattle)?  Could these Raiders be dumb enough to believe they're a good team?  It sure looks like it.  Cable has these guys believing in themselves.  Halloween game in Oakland - you better believe the Black Hole was ready to rock and roll for this one.  Huge game next week in Kansas City at 4:15 EST.  33-3 RAIDER NATION!

Pit @ NO - A ho-hum game for most of the night, the defenses were good, the offenses not so good.  The Saints did a little more and came out on top.  The Saints are a pass-first, pass-second team with zero ground game (= trouble).  The Steelers just seemed out of sorts last night.  They're still a top-3 team in the AFC and a top-5 in the NFL.  20-10 Saints.

Hou @ Ind - Looking like a good one in the making tonight - Indy looking for revenge from their season opening loss in Houston.  Addai and Clark are out but I'm sure Peyton and Co. will find new ways to move the ball.  Should be entertaining to say the least. 

Thanks for reading and I hope the week is starting off well and continues to get better.

Tens-Day

Ten points of emphasis that are running through my mind this morning:

1. MAAC Tournament.  Game one at 3pm vs. Canisius.  Game one is ever important in a double elimination format, and I think we'll come out loose and ready to play.  We're the #4 seed after all, and we have nothing to lose.  Everyone else is supposed to be better than us, all we gotta do is play the game hard, have a little fun, play some defense, pitch well enough to keep us in the game, and score more runs.  That formula translates to wins.  That's pretty evident.
2. A Mosque at Ground Zero?  I don't think this is something that NYers should have to deal with.  I was watching Channel 5 and there was a debate on it and all three on the panel said it wasn't a good idea.  The money ($100 million) is being funded by Islamic countries, and how the hell do we know who this money is coming from?  It also serves as a reminder of that grim day on September 11, 2001.  "I don't deny anyone a church or a mosque, but if I were to walk by that mosque, I would think of my son's plane," Hanson, of Easton, Conn.  (NY Daily News).  I am not against it either, but the fact remains that almost 3,000 Americans perished in the 9/11 attacks.  NYers did a great job of coming together and bouncing back, but they don't need any more reminders.  Not 100' from where Tower 1 once stood.
3. DWTS winner announced.  I'll be honest, I watch this show but generally don't pay much attention.  The Bruno guy is hilarious though, and I look forward to hearing his comments.  Nicole Scherzinger beat out figure-skater Evan Lysacek and ESPN's Erin Andrews.  Not sure if this was a shocker or not, but either way, I'm looking forward to seeing this Bruno Tonioli guy again.
4. Phoenix Suns tie series with Lakers 2-2.  I hate the Lakers, as I've stated before.  What won them the game?  Simple, their bench, which was non-existent in the first three games of the series.  The Suns bench scored 54 points last night (76 previous three games).  Good for you Phoenix, take the series.  I don't need another Celtics-Lakers finals.
5. 2014 Super Bowl at Meadowlands Stadium.  Good to see a Super Bowl being played in a cold weather state.  Bloomberg said it, this region is a great place to come to.  NYC is an awesome place and I know people from all over the country attend the Super Bowl every year, and many probably have never been to the NYC area.  Bob Golic is saying that weather shouldn't be an issue in the biggest game of the year, but in 2007, Super Bowl XLI was played in the rain down in Miami.  It's cold in February, sure, but why not.  Why the hell not?  Good for you NFL, now let's hope the Giants or Jets are playing.
6. Yankees woes!  A.J. Burnett finally settled down and was throwing a good game - 5 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K and 75 pitches before the rains came and washed out the game against the Twins.  His last three starts before last night were a mixed bag.  He got rocked vs. Tampa on the 19th, pitched well vs. the Twins on the 14th, and was tattooed by the Red Sox on the 9th.  I hope he uses it as something to build off, because his stuff is way better than he's showed the past few.  The Yankees, however, are 6-3 in games he starts.  Still waiting for a 10+ strikeout game.
7. King beds.  At home, me and Lindsay and Nathan share a double bed.  After sleeping in this king bed in the hotel last night, it brings me back to my thoughts whenever I stay in a hotel - king beds should be mandatory.  It's like sleeping in an in-ground pool.  The thing is huge.  Maybe it's the hotel bed idea, that they are always so comfortable (except at a Days Inn).  
8. "Future gay terrorists."  This is stuff that shouldn't happen.  A soldier is under investigation after a video was posted on Facebook.  The video showed two children who were asked, "Are you going to grow up to be a terrorist?", to which the children gave thumbs up.  Chances are they didn't understand English, but seriously, are you that stupid that you'd:  1. say something so ignorant to two kids, and 2. post it on Facebook?  Stupid ass.
9. Flying anytime soon?  Here's a few tips to securing some cheaper airfare.  1. Very few seats are ever on sale - when you see a low price deal, book it.  2. Tuesday is the best day to shop for airfare, at around 3:00pm.  3. Friday and Sunday are the most expensive days to fly, so plan accordingly.  4. Book at least two weeks in advance, maybe even three weeks.  Here's a test I just did on Southwest Airlines - if I wanted to fly from NY to Denver: in 5 days, $311; in 12 days, $219; in 20 days, $189.  5. Pack a carry on bag.  Baggage fees suck.  6. Fly midweek.  Have a good flight.
10. Back to the Bronx.  Some local news from the Bronx.  This morning, two parents are under arrest after leaving their baby in a parking lot near 161st St.  Both parents say they thought the other had the child.  Maybe they thought there was a Yankee game that the kid wanted to see. 

OK, time to get ready for a late breakfast.  It's nice not having to wake up at 7:30am and get to the park at 9:15am to start batting practice.  Let's hope we can dust the sand out of our eyes and play a great game today.  Lindsay is coming up today, Nathan is staying in Long Island.  We'll miss that pup.  He's become the unofficial mascot of the Jaspers.

Sports Free

The Celtics and the Red Sox.  They're both on television - and I am watching neither.  I am a New York sports fan - well, a Yankees fan.  I can really care less about the other teams in New York.  I do like when the Giants do well though, but I can't really get into the NFL all that much. 

Dinner tonight was at the Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem - some kids looked completely out of place.  It's not that hard to fit in, but a wool cap or brown leather flip-flops in Harlem?  Come on.  I went with the Elgin Sausage and the Brisket, with Macaroni & Cheese and Simmered Veggies as my sides - and of course the corn bread.  Y'all!  Oh yeah, and two pieces of PB Pie to go!

"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" is on, and funny enough, the Neely's are on right now ranting and raving about some cobbler.  I hate them.  But I like this show, a lot of the places are in NYC.  I can't afford any of them, but it's kind of cool to know that they're close, in case I hit the lottery.  Or win a scratch-off ticket for like a few hundred.

Night off from sports tonight.  We head up to Fishkill tomorrow and play at 3pm Wednesday against Canisius.  Follow it live at the MAAC Championship site.  Go Jaspers!!

It's hotter than hell in here, fan's on, sleeping's easy. 

WOW!  That's a LOW price!