This Week in Review

What a fun week! Don't you love having three days of football games in one week? Considering the utter wasteland that television is right now, it certainly helps to add a day on. It was an action packed week, so lets take a look at the highlights through the week...

THURSDAY

Ooh boy, I was excited for this one. Packers at Cowboys - the Sheriff versus the young gun (GRRR Romo). I didn't truly believe that the Packers could win this one on the road but an NFC Championship game at freezing cold Lambeau Field sure did sound like an exciting way to end the season, and would hopefully set up my ideal Super Bowl - a 1996 rematch of Patriots versus Packers. Alas, it did not quite go that way. Brett Favre got HURT. It was painful to watch him on the sidelines. His eyes were hollow and at times he couldn't even put his helmet down. One look into those eyes and you understood why this man cannot retire - he does not know what to do with himself when he isn't playing football. Aaron Rodgers came for Favre and surprised everyone who witnessed his half of a game played last year, where he looked like crap and went on to break his leg instead of assuring Packer Nation that he was the heir apparent. The kid played well and I am no longer completely concerned that the Packers will be flushed down the toilet when the Sheriff does eventually retire. He has to sometime, right? I think? Read his profile for SI's Sportsman of the Year, its fascinating.

SUNDAY

I was up late on Saturday night for a friend's birthday party but I thought, hey, I'll still set that alarm for 9:55am, and I'll lay in bed and watch the Eagles. This should be a good game, right? The Eagles played well against the Patriots, there was some hope if they could do it again and pull out a win, right? That would be a big old no. I definitely should have stayed asleep. I think its safe to say that Philadelphia's one-week love affair with AJ Feeley is officially over. When you stare down your receivers and throw continually into triple-coverage, that ball will be picked off. Multiple times. And with those picks goes the Eagles playoff hopes. The game was flat-out ugly, not helped by the vicious sleet and wind, and the play-calling was horrendous. I said to one of my friends earlier this week that Seattle had a speedy secondary, and they'd need to run the ball a lot to get anything done. Yet again, the Eagles insist on throwing entirely too much when they have one of the best runners in the game, Brian Westbrook. A couple of the Boys came up with a theory that Westbrook isn't taken seriously because Brian is too wimpy of a name for a running back. Maybe he should change it to Bryondo or something.

MONDAY

I knew I put that dang bracelet on for a reason. Something pulled me to my little silver jewelry box and I took out my little leather Brady bracelet (the leather looks like a football - its adorable) and put it on before I left my house to watch the game on Monday night. I was actually nervous not wearing my jersey. Last week I hadn't worn it for the first half, and after I left my location and went home, I put it on again just to try to change the cosmic vibes. And it did work (well, I think AJ Feeley just made a crappy play but still). Somehow we kept those cosmic vibes and some way, some how, remain undefeated, a proud 12-0! I know I sound like a greedy fan to say this but, the Pats didn't look good. They looked like crap actually. Randy Moss had 34 yards. We gave up 166 rushing yards because we could not tackle at all. The offensive line struggled and Brady got sacked several times. My friends and I prepared ourselves mentally to lose. We started talking about how it meant nothing to have one loss and that it wouldn't change our playoff stature. And then came the stupidest time out on the planet.

As a very special addition this week, I have a guest-blogger! My friend Lauren can continue on to tell us about this game, as she was in attendance. She's a Raven's fan, but we'll forgive her this once.

Tommy Can You Hear Me? Tommy Can You See Me?

For those of you who don’t know me – I’m Lisa’s good friend from college. I like to think that her passion for football started when she attended my Super Bowl party freshman year in which the Ravens played the Giants. Being from Baltimore, I have been a true Ravens fan through and through…Lisa saw me that day in probably one of my most intense moments… let’s just say I am a passionate fan. While I don’t think it’s appropriate to give myself full credit for Lisa’s love of football, I like to think I had something to do with it. So, thank you Lisa for letting me be your first guest blogger.

That said. I have to admit that this season for me has been all about the Patriots. Yes, I am admitting to being a fair weather fan or more accurately, fair weather Tom Brady fan. (I also just love how cute Tom Brady and Randy Moss are together. Boy love. Gotta love it). When my Dad told me I was invited to the Ravens/Pats game (he’s a season ticket Ravens holder) I looked at it as an opportunity to meet my future husband (the child out of wedlock – just a blip on the radar, of course).

Nothing was going to stop me from going to that game. Not 50 mph winds. Not a cold. Nothing was going to keep me in the way of my Tommy…except maybe the Ravens. At the start of the game, I informed those around me that I would be making my love for Tommy known throughout the game – the cheer I came up with is the title of this entry.

Something got in the way. The Ravens decided to show up.

We had planned to leave the game at halftime – expecting the score to be 20 – 0. Now mind you, all throughout the game deep down I knew it was going to be a heartbreaker, but part of me started to think could
the impossible really be possible? Emmitt Smith had said yes on Monday NFL Countdown… maybe he was right.

WRONG.

We forgot I think… us Ravens fans… that Brian Billick is our coach.

Now, I know defensive coordinator Rex Ryan called the time out. I know we had a lot of stupid penalties (and have the most in the NFL), but in my opinion Brian Billick is the worst coach out there:

Time Management: Do I really need to elaborate on this?
Play Calling: Do I really need to elaborate on this?
Stupidity: Do I really need to elaborate on this?

The truth is if the Ravens are going to get me to leave my Tommy for good – and move on, they are going to have to let Billick go…We all Know Kyle Boller isn’t the best, but he certainly is hot… and let’s face it, he doesn’t have a child…at least that we know of.

With all that said, I would like to congratulate MY Ravens on a hard-earned effort. You fell just short of knocking off one of the best teams – and quarterbacks to ever play the game.

Wow, I feel for ya girl. And you should be proud of the first 55 minutes that the Ravens played. You definitely managed to scare the beejesus out of us Pats fans.

Can't you see why Lauren and I are friends?



The State of the Babies

I'm just going to gloat for a minute. I have to. I told everyone at the beginning of the season that I'd be good at fantasy football. Well, I AM GOOD AT FANTASY FOOTBALL. I sit at a computer and answer phones all day. I have plenty of time to be updated on everything happening in the NFL. I drafted well, I made some good pickups throughout the season and now I have made the playoffs in both of my leagues! Wooooohoooooooooooo!

Ok so now that the gloating is over, I will admit that I lost both my games this week. Oops. I was playing the number one team in the Boys' league this weekend and I was pretty sure that I'd actually win up until yesterday. This team had LT, who scored him over 30 points, but I'd gotten almost as many from Peyton. Going into Sunday night, I still had both of my running backs (Willie Parker and Willis McGahee) to play as well as the New England defense. My opposition had one player left - Ravens receiver Derrick Mason. Do you see where I am going with this? Both of us thought that Mason would do nothing, and my remaining players would each get me a bunch of points. Well as we know, it didn't quite go that way. The Ravens are just cramping my style this week.

I also lost in my Dad's league, again to someone who had LT. I just had to be playing both of these teams in the week he finally breaks out, huh. I was sure I would win, so it was a big letdown. I thought I was doomed when I got to the point where I had to start Ryan Grant and Earnest Graham, but they've been great. Ryan Grant has had a touchdown every week I've played him. Receiver was my issue yet again. I chose to not start Kevin Curtis this week and of course he had over 100 yards. Colston has been hot and he had one catch (granted it was a pretty awesome catch). Still though, I'm going to be a division winner and will get into the playoffs. My dad is winning the entire league at 9-2. He's won his leagues the last two years as well. I can't argue - he's the man.

Now if only we can make a last surge in our Family Pick-em League.


This Week's Favorite Things in the NFL:

1. Brian Billick's kisses. Please tell me you all saw this moment. Rodney Harrison makes a clutch defensive play almost directly in front of where Billick is standing on the sideline. Turns right to him afterward and says something in his face. As he turns away, Billick, so smug, looks right at him and blows him a single kiss. Then moves his mouthpiece away and gives him two more. Priceless.

2. Tom Brady's postgame interviews. Whew, man does NOT like to play badly. He was downright salty and smartass to the reporters. You could tell he was mad at himself more than anyone else out there, but not exactly beaming with pride toward his teammates. Ok, am I the only one who things the anger was kinda hot? Anyone?

3. Adrian Peterson (the good one) is unreal. Just unreal. He's also just kind of adorable, he's this beast but he's a baby.

Random Thought of the Week

STRIKE. END. PLEASE.

This Stupid Game

For months, I dreaded the game between the Eagles and the Patriots that took place this last Sunday. I dreaded what it would do to my friends - most them incredibly die-hard Patriots fans and a few of them die-hard Eagles fans. I had long ago told them that my initial plan was to watch this game at home, alone. I didn't want to get involved on either side and I didn't want to be there to see the carnage. I was also a bit torn about who to really root for and I didn't want to get crap from either side as to what to do. Of course this was long ago when the schedule was announced and we thought that the Eagles would be having a better season. Because the spread was so big and the Eagles weren't even starting their first string quarterback, I figured it would probably be ok to go to my friends' place anyway.

My fellow Pats fans decided to watch it on their own, which in the end proved to be a wise choice. I went with my gut and chose to just blatantly root for the Patriots, and turned out basically to be on my own while my Eagles fan friends happily FREAKED OUT at what their team could do. I was happy that the Eagles did put up a fight, they at least got some dignity out of it and a bit of hope for the season - I wish them well always though I'm glad they lost. I literally got up and left as things got tighter. I didn't want to put myself in a position to say or do something stupid. I just know that it would have gotten ugly if everyone was in the same room. It sounds a little ridiculous that I was so stressed while watching this game but come over once to watch a game with my friends and you'll get it. They're all, well, lets use the word passionate. We also had a couple guests over that I don't know so well, and I really preferred not to embarrass myself. The game was definitely a scare for the Patriots but I expected that would come at some point. It is just not possible to be blowing out teams for 12 straight weeks in the league as it is right now. Any team can turn it on at any time. People still seem to think that the Pats can remain undefeated and I think its possible. I am sort of glad that this Eagles game was a bit tougher than we all thought, because it makes the Pats realize that they cannot get too comfortable. Every team has at least one game where they just aren't "on" and I'd rather this game come now than later.

Again, kudos to the Eagles for a great performance. It certainly will be interesting to see what happens to this team in the offseason. I am not sure I am ready for an Eagles team quarterbacked by AJ Feeley.

For those of you wondering, the Turkey Bowl was quite a game. My team, the Booschmasters, lost to the Rats, but it was a close game. At least we all got some exercise before our massive meal. I caught one ball and therefore am happy with my performance. It doesn't take much.


The State of the Babies

I am playoff-bound baby! I have proudly clinched a playoff berth in the Boys' league, even though I lost this week. My team did pretty well but the team I was playing had Chad Johnson and the finally awoken Frank Gore and that was just too many points to overcome. Each of them had about 30 points, which is ridiculous. This week Andre Johnson didn't come through like he has in past games but hopefully that is only one game.

I also killed it in my Dad's league. I had a magical weekend where every player I put in except one, Steve Smith, got a touchdown. Brees had three passing TDs and one rushing TD. My kicker made three field goals and four extra points. I dropped the Titans waning defense (stupid Albert Haynesworth!) and picked up the best option I could find, which was the Bucs. Well that paid off in the form of 20 points including two sacks and two interceptions. All in all I hit my highest point total yet this year and I think I will also make the playoffs in that league. So should my dad, maybe even as the top seed. Wow, how mad do you think these dudes will be if the championship is me versus my dad? How cool would that be?? I'd be at home during that time so we'd be able to sit there all day and goof on each other. If we can pull that off it would be incredible.


This Week's Favorite Things About the NFL:

1. Devin Hester is pretty nuts. Nuts is the only way to describe him. The all-time record for combined punt and kickoff returns is 13 and its through 200 and some games. Hester now has 11 through two seasons. Not even 30 games.

2. Having at least one good game on Thanksgiving. Packers at Lions was actually pretty entertaining to watch while I made my stuffing and attempted to cut two large butternut squash. Have you ever tried to do that? It was impossible! I tried to buy pre-cut but it was $7!

3. Ricky...oh wait, he got hurt, already.

4. Eli Manning flat out regresses with Peyton watching from above. Having played on Thursday, the older Manning brother takes the trip to New York to watch baby bro play and baby bro throws 4 interceptions. The Giants get blown out. Its going to be quite interesting to see what happens in the NFC playoff picture. It is one hot mess right now.


Random Thought of the Week

I am incredibly saddened by the death of the Redskin's Sean Taylor. What an immensely tragic story. There has been far too much violence associated with the league this year, and I hope that maybe the death of a very talented colleague can make some of these players realize that they need to watch themselves more carefully.

The Turkey Bowl

Someone asked me yesterday if I too was on a writing strike since I didn't post last week. I'm not at all, it just happened to be an uninteresting week, and really why make you read something completely boring. Anyway, we're back in business this lovely Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving day will feature two completely lame games: Indy-Atlanta, which I'm sure everyone thought would be awesome when it was going to be Michael Vick playing...now he's spending his holiday in jail...how sad, and Dallas-Jets, which is just lame because the Jets will literally get stomped. The only good game is Green Bay at Detroit, and we all know I am there for any game featuring this year's Brett Favre. Plus Detroit is actually, well somewhat, good this year. That will be fun to watch while I make my Grandma's stuffing and prepare for our annual Turkey Bowl game.

My friends and I will be preparing our third Thanksgiving on our own this year. Really I have been in Los Angeles for four of them but the first one was a bit different. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Its based around eating - what is not to like? We've made a lot of effort over the years to make our day as fun and homey as possible, so that no one gets too sad that they aren't at home with their families. Everyone cooks the dish that is the most traditional for their families and in the afternoon we play a football game. This football game has gone back and forth between really fun and excrutiating. Lets just say that some people in our group take it much more serious than others. Some people in our group are rather athletic, and some leave something to be desired in that area (you will be shocked, shocked! to hear that one of those people is me). It all starts out fun until there are one too many dropped balls and people start getting frustrated. Last year it seemed that we couldn't get anyone to move ahead and actually win the game, and finally everyone got so tired and bored that we called it a tie. The highlight of the game for me was when my team was driving and I ran straight up to my largest friend, who is well over 6 feet, and just threw my whole body at him to attempt to block him. He was in such shock that I had the balls to go at him that he just stood there staring at me. That's as good a block as any for me - he didn't get to that ball! We have a real trophy and everything that goes to the MVP. Its all very Friends (though I know the boys hate when I say that). We go back and retreat to our own corners to shower and bring over the last of the food, and by time we get back to the homestead the glow of what we are about to eat takes over and everyone is happy again. In the end, I'd really rather cook and watch parades and NFL games all day, but I play anyway. Or try to, at least.

NFL Things I Am Thankful For:

1. The Pats are 10-0 baby! Statistic - only 9 teams have ever gone 10-0 and 5 of them have won the Super Bowl. Interesting. I was one of these people who thought, yeah sure, Buffalo at home will at least give us a bit of a game. Maybe if they'd had Marshawn Lynch in but boy was I wrong. Next week they will play the Eagles at home, which before the season I had thought would be so stressful to me as a fan of both teams, I'd told everyone I was probably going to watch the game at home alone and refuse to answer my phone. But that was when I believed the Eagles were in contention...and we've seen how that's going. At this point we're aiming more for them to just not get embarrassed. Apparently the Eagles are 22 point underdogs. Jeez.

2. Pittsburgh lost to the JETS. Hahahahahahhahahhahahahahaha. Beatable.

3. The Colts almost lost to the Chiefs, at home. Adam Vinatieri misses 4 field goals in 2 games. HAHAHAHAHA. I like Adam a lot, he still means something to us Pats fans, but don't you feel just a little bit vindicated?

4. Tom Brady (of course) and his new pal Randy Moss. Both are close to breaking all-time season records for touchdowns. I want them both!

5. Brett Favre and Vinny Testiverde started against each other last week, resulting in the oldest QB combination ever. I believe it was 81.


The State of the Babies

I'm pretty happy with the state of the teams right now. In the Boys league I am still in second place and I think I can keep a hold on it for now. I'll definitely make the playoffs, as I also will in my Dad's league, where I am leading my division and I'm pretty sure I'm ranked about 5th overall. The Boys' league Babies absolutely crushed my opponent this week. I took a chance and put Andre Johnson back into my lineup because in the first few games he played before getting hurt, he was amazing. It paid off big time and he got me 18 points! I hope he can stay healthy the rest of the year. That helps my receiving corps so massively, who had been solid but not spectacular. I'd usually been playing Brandon Marshall, Donald Driver, and Reggie Wayne. Now I can interchange Driver and Marshall. Someone also dropped DeMeco Ryans, who I grabbed immediately, and has been just the right addition to my defense.

I also got Deion Branch back in my Dad's league but that didn't pay back the same dividends as Johnson did. But with Seattle passing as much as they are, I have to believe that once he's back in the swing of things that Branch will produce better. Now I am a bit concerned about my running back situation though. Larry Johnson and Marshawn Lynch both got hurt and didn't play, so I'd picked up Ryan Grant and also played Brandon Jacobs. However, both of them also got hurt in their games last week and now I am very thin at the position. Grant appears to be planning to play on Thursday, but Jacobs isn't as optimistic. I stole back Earnest Graham this morning but I don't know how much that will help. I just have to hope one of them gets healthy enough to return. My dad is also going to make the playoffs, so I better have my team in tip-top shape!

Random Thought of the Week

It really is the little things in life that can make you so happy. For me one of those is Gingerbread lattes arriving at Starbucks. You can only get them for a few months of the year but they are my favorite coffee drinks ever. Today I stopped at my first ever drive through Starbucks to get one. It was so cool! Really fast and easy. Just a nice way to start a morning.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am thankful for all of you :)

Whaaaaa?

I don't believe it. Hours upon hours later, I still don't believe it. Did that game happen? Was it real? Did we really WIN? I'm told we did but I'm still in shock. The Pats-Colts matchup was one of the most emotional and insane experiences I have had in a long time. How?? How, Bill, how did you do it? Sunday was a roller coaster. I'd spent all week telling myself this game really didn't matter in the end. We'd still win our division with a loss, even several, and we could still even get home-field advantage in the playoffs with the right combination of events. One loss to Indy wouldn't cost us a Super Bowl. But when the game rolled around, all sense of logic went completely out of the window. Right around the end of the first half, the Boys and I had to stop ourselves for a moment. We realized that we'd never had to experience this feeling this season. The feeling of losing a game. The feeling of watching your team make, gasp!, mistakes. Coming down to earth, we laughed at how silly that concept was - how could we honestly think that we'd never have a game like this? However, as soon as the game started up again, I could barely watch. Luckily we were grilling and I could distract myself by helping to set up lunch. I needed to back up a bit. We were going to lose.


Then miraculously, the Pats started to come together. "Just throw the ball to Moss," one of the Boys kept saying over and over. And they did. And...it worked. A succession of passes to Moss, including one of the most incredible one-handed catches I have ever seen, got us down into scoring position and tightened up the score. The defense massively stepped up and forced the high-powered Indy offense to punt late in the game to get the ball back. Following another nasty bomb to Stallworth, Kevin Faulk punches it in. We're just about at two minutes left, but I fully believe that Manning can produce a score in that time, even with no timeouts. He takes the snap and out comes Jarvis Green (who isn't even a full-time starter always by the way), who sacks Manning and forces him to fumble, which we're later told is Manning's first fumble in the RCA Dome since 2005. We've got the ball and all Tommy has to do is kneel. We've won. We've won? It all went so fast. We won.


I'll hand it to the Colts - they are damn good. I think we could play them 10 times and at least 5 of those times they would win. Their defense is head and shoulders above any level its been in the current rivalry era. I honestly don't know what will happen if and when the teams meet again in what everyone expects to be the AFC Championship game. I certainly don't feel 100% sure that the Pats would win. The only thing that has changed now is that the Colts have one loss and Pats have none, and probably will get home-field for the next game. Important yes, but not a guarantee by any means. This win will of course, bump up the excitement of the possibility of going 16-0. Realistically, I am not one that believes this will happen, as much as I'd like it to. Though our most difficult test has been passed, anything can happen. We still play the Steelers and each of our division teams again. Any team can and does have bad days in the NFL and that can happen to us too. My guess? We drop one totally stupid game late in the season and end up 15-1.


Other teams did play this weekend, though I'm not sure anyone remembers, and one of them was my other favorite team, the Eagles. Watching them play last night made me remember why I am neglecting them....they stink. They just stink. They look distracted and completely lack chemistry. McNabb seems constantly nervous in the pocket and is taking too long to release the ball. They don't show the receivers on TV enough so I can't tell if this is his fault or if the problems is that his receivers can't get open. But he seems to just run away all of the time. The big Eagles story this week was Andy Reid's kids getting in trouble and a judge calling their home a "drug emporium." Now I like Andy Reid, I do. I think he's given Philadelphia nine great years and has been ultimately incredibly successful in a very hard division. However, I find it hard to believe that he can or should continue to coach this team. The team hasn't gelled and you can't blame that on anyone but the coach. The team had a pathetic offseason that didn't do anything to enhance the team. Bottom line is that as good as a coach as Reid is, I don't want him if he can't give the team 100% and its clear that he can't. Nor should he. In talking with my mom this week, she as a parent said that as tragic as this situation is, she can't help but feel like the Reid's parenting is to blame, and I agree. To have so many drugs and guns in your own home means that you aren't looking. They have younger kids in that house! To have your kids regularly traveling to the poorest and most dangerous part of a city to deal drugs means you aren't watching them. These kids are crying out for help and instead their father is running back to his team. It is just incredibly sad to watch.



On to happier things, my Favorite Things About the NFL:


1. Adrian Peterson sets the single-game rushing record. What a kid. I saw his post-game interviews and he was so humble, I was touched. We need more of him in this league.


2. Brett Favre (clearly a Favorite Things mainstay) joins Tom Brady and Peyton Manning on the 31 Teams Beat list, after another stunning game in one of the hardest stadiums to play in, Kansas City. The Pack is fo' real!


3. Cleveland and Buffalo. Two teams I am utterly enjoying right now. Cleveland is 5-3! This is a team that we thought might fire their coach mid-season. Buffalo was left for dead after being ravaged with injuries and are now 4-4. I think they'll give the Patriots a bit (only a bit) of a game when they play in 2 weeks. By the way, the best part? Brady Quinn won't play a down this year.

The State of the Babies

Ok, first thing, my big fantasy pet peeve - don't join a league if you don't want to keep up with it! The league I am in with my dad is a public league, and I won this week by playing against a guy who was starting Matt Leinart. Clearly he hasn't touched his lineup in ages. But then again, I got a win and am now tied for the lead in my division, which is always a good thing. I think I could have beaten almost anyone in the league anyway because Drew Brees had just a sick day (445 yards passing!) and a lot of them were to my man Marques Colston. Marshawn Lynch also had a high scoring day, and the Titans defense I picked up is going to definitely remain my starter. They didn't exactly have a challenge against the pathetic Panthers but they are a hard-hitting team. Going back to the Panthers, I think I might be considering sitting Steve Smith next weekend. I feel strange doing that, considering he's supposed to be a top 5 receiver, but with David Carr throwing to him, I don't know what else to do. I was completely right about Carr - he sucks no matter what city he's in. He might go down as one of the all-time draft busts. My other options are Dwayne Bowe, Kevin Curtis, and maybe Deion Branch. He'd been having a great season until he got hurt, but I am beginning to hear that he might be coming back soon.

Speaking of injured receivers, I really want Andre Johnson to come back. He'd been my star in the Boys' league and my receiving core has never recovered. Everyone I have has been adequate but not quite good enough to secure me weekly wins. This week I lost to Jon Kitna's Rabies, and pretty badly at that. Granted this team had Randy Moss, Derek Anderson, and I couldn't keep up. Peyton was average, my receivers were average, and I played Tony Scheffler at tight end while Jeremy Shockey was on bye and Denver got just slaughtered. Oh well, you can't win them all. I'm still somehow in second place but if I don't win again this week then I am in major danger of beginning to fall in the standings. A couple teams in the league are surging and I have to be able to hold steady. Come back Andre...

Random Thought of the Week

As I am sure many of you have seen or are experiencing, the film and TV writers have gone on strike. Folks, its not a good time in Hollywood. Everyone is angry and doesn't see a quick end in sight. My office is actually getting picketed. It is a very strange, depressing, and confusing experience to work in an office that is being protested. Personally, I'm angry at the situation. I'm watching people like Tina Fey go on strike. Do you have any idea how much money Tina Fey makes? A good friend of mine (and blog reader -wooo!) is from Detroit and comes from a GM family. She told me yesterday how her grandfather was part of the "sitdown strike" at GM many years ago. They were fighting for basic labor rights, i.e. to be able to receive livable wages, basic health care, and general safety in the factories. They were striking to not DIE at their jobs. Now decades later, people are using the union concept to turn their millions into more millions, ironically stepping on the little people to get it. People like me who will be paid less during a strike, or the production assistants on shows that will get shut down, just in time for the holidays. Everyone should be paid fairly for what they do, but I wish there could be a little more perspective on these issues from both ends.

I'll be pretty bored until the strike ends...maybe that means more posts...see you next time!

We Are the Champions!

My friend Nolan (one of The Boys) is just about the only person that I have ever spoken to who can actually say he's an arena football fan. Yes, that's right, arena football. Personally, as much as I like real football, I can't get on board with the arena version. The poor league is trying so hard to promote it and make it a legitimate league in this country - I mean they've got an arsenal of John Elway, Ron Jaworski, and freaking Bon Jovi people! What about that doesn't make you want to watch arena football? I've tried to watch a full game but failed miserably. The game is so fast that you can't keep up with it. You look away for two seconds and someone has already scored a touchdown. The scores more closely resemble college basketball than the NFL. A running game and this thing called defense barely exist. The only amusing thing is that sometimes a player brutally crashes into the sides of the arena field and some drunk idiot gets clobbered along with him. But no matter what, Nolan remains a fan of his hometown Philadelphia Soul (Bon Jovi is a part-owner...get it...he's got...soul). Well Bon Jovi my friend, let me tell you that my buddy is doing everything he can to promote your team. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsTSXqFbhmg

There you go Jovi - we don't care if its a Boston bar, or its baseball that we're watching...Nolan will wear his darn Soul hat. But Nolan also gets props for finally getting himself some sort of Boston sports clothing and becoming probably the only person in Sonny's to proudly wear a Dustin Pedroia shirt. I got a Youklis shirt after discovering that strangely enough, we are kind of connected. My family is originally from Cincinnati though we left when I was only 7. Youklis is also from Cincinnati and just this year my dad told me that he'd grown up with Kevin's dad and funny enough, played on softball teams with him. Then I find out that they lived in the same area as I did as a kid and he went to the same high school that I would have if I'd stayed past elementary school. Then to top it off, I find out that my childhood friend's husband was one of his best friends in high school - he was the quarterback of the football team and Kevin was the big baseball star. In light of us basically being from the same stock, I always root hard for him and decided he should be my first j-shirt purchase. My next one is an Ellsbury. We returned to Sonny's on Sunday night following the Red Sox amazing sweep of the Rockies and it was so much fun. Championship one, done. Now onto number two....

The State of the Babies

Ahhh, everything is as it should be...I am winning again. Wins in both leagues this week, again cementing me in a comfortable second place in the Boy's league. Everyone performed nicely this week - Peyton got himself a bunch of touchdown passes, Reggie Wayne finally had that sick game I've been waiting for, and my rock, Willie Parker, again had over 100 yards. Add to that a nasty beatdown of the Redskins by my Pats defense and it all added up. We only have eight members in this league so we've started to play everyone the second time. Next week I have what should be a hard matchup with Jon Kitna's Rabies (yes, its the Rabies vs. the Babies), though funny enough he's not even starting Kitna anymore. He picked up Derek Anderson so we've discussed that they really should get their name changed to Derek Anderson's Blandersons. Its all we could come up with.

I also finally, FINALLY, got my big numbers from Brees and Colston in my Dad's league. I knew they'd come around at some point and they both had huge games. I picked up the Titans defense this week because I'd had to drop the Chargers on their bye week and someone snagged them before I could get back there. I'd had the Redskins last week but I made the smart decision not to keep them this week because they were playing the Pats, and well, we see how that turned out.

This Week's Favorite Things About the NFL:

1. Shaun Alexander is a nice person. He came into my office last week! He's really good looking in person actually and shorter than I'd have thought. Still a big guy though. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that he was very nice to my friend who walked him to his meeting and even commented on how the security guard had given him a bottle of water really quickly. I love it when celebrities act like humans.


2. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, on the same day, at the same time, became the first quarterbacks ever to beat all 31 teams. I love this stuff, I think that is just incredible. Granted there have only been 32 teams for a few years now, but still, its pretty amazing. To add to it, Brett Favre can do the same thing next week.


3. Which leads me to...how awesome, again, is Brett Favre. That Monday night game was great all the way through, but to win with an overtime touchdown pass over one of the better corners in the game is top notch. Vinny Testiverde's dad is still rockin it at 38.


3. The newest addition to my sports wardrobe. Yes, I realize it is a completely a-hole shirt, but I come from Philly and Boston...I'm an a-hole. It will arrive just in time for Pats-Colts this weekend.

Random Thought of the Week

I don't think anyone who reads this is in the Writer's Guild, but if anyone is listening, please don't go on strike. Please don't cause tons of young, poorer people than you to lose their jobs or their pay for a couple weeks or the overtime they desperately need for you to make more millions. I get it, I know that there are issues to be dealt with and that the big studio corporations can be total d*cks but really, it just sucks. My job might literally come to a halt. All these 22 year old PAs making $500 a week will just get nothing. So you can make more money than you already do...as in much more than us. Can't we all just get along????

Thanks for reading! Pats vs. Colts this Sunday - its a big showdown! I'm sure I'll have lots to say!

The Father-Daughter Matchup

Work was painfully boring this week. My office is in a weird lull period where we just finished up a busy time and are about to go into another busy time, so I spent a lot of time watching TV, baseball games, and surfing the internet. Therefore my head is in all sorts of places this week.

I think I watched too much ESPN. I have a television with cable at my desk at work (you know, because I work in TV) and a couple of months ago I realized that on the west coast, NFL Live airs at 1pm, which happens to be when I take lunch. I started just watching that while I ate and then got into the habit of leaving it on for a while afterward in the background. Then earlier this week I had a dream that I went out on a date with this guy I really liked, who randomly had a baby that also came on the date. I think the mother had died. I woke up thinking, who was that guy, I think it was someone I know. I later figured out it was Tony Reali - the guy who hosts Around the Horn and makes occasional appearance on PTI. Like I said, I think I watch too much ESPN.

I know that in an earlier post I kind of bashed the NFL's new line of women's apparel, but I did make one disovery this week that quite excited me - that Reebok is now making a women's size Bill Belichick grey Patriots hoodie! Anyone who knows the NFL knows that Coach Belichick wears this hoodie almost every week and last season several of the boys purchased them. I am so tempted. Now I just need the Writer's Guild to not go on strike so that I can actually continue to have a job to go to every day.

Luckily, with all this time I had last week, I had the chance to really watch this ALCS series, which was a complete emotional rollercoaster. The Sox can be so torturous, though luckily I am new to really being interested in baseball and haven't had to suffer this for my whole life unlike some of my other friends. But man, I get it. Every game was a challenge and I really was doubting it would happen, but my friends, the Red Sox are going to the World Series! It sucks that the games start at 5pm here, because now I will be forced to watch game one and two in the office while I embarrass myself incoherently screaming at the TV. I try to stop but its hard! I can't decide how I feel about the Rockies. Part of me thinks that they have been lucky and haven't had to match up against a team like the Red Sox yet in the playoffs (apologies to the Diamondbacks and Phillies but I think its true), and the other part is completely frightened of them and their destiny-filled postseason. We all know that Boston fans also know a lot about that fate and destiny stuff.


The State of the Babies

It was a big week this week - the first time my dad and I played each other in fantasy. To say he was excited would be a massive understatement, considering the text I got midday Friday:

"I am favored and u r going down. Reading your blog when u get
trashed by the old man will be a hoot. By the way I now have a
Blackberry so it will be easier to text smack to you. Love Dad"

Now that is a throwdown challenge if I have ever heard one! I was happy though because I text my dad many times on Sundays and then usually don't hear back until I get woken up at 5am by my cell phone, which means he isn't responding until the next day at 8am. I had no doubt that this week we'd text-war all of Sunday.

It is true that according to our website preview, my dad was favored, but only slightly, by something like 8 total points. That basically meant it was wide open. Here is the roster comparison, with my team first and the edge player in bold:

• QB - Drew Brees vs. Matt Hasselbeck
• WRs - Kevin Curtis, Marques Colston, & Dwayne Bowe vs. Reggie Wayne, Jericho Cotchery, & Donte Stallworth
• RBs - Larry Johnson & Brandon Jacobs vs. Marion Barber & Frank Gore
• TE - Chris Cooley vs. Eric Johnson
• K - Kris Brown vs. David Akers
• D - Redskins vs. Jaguars

So yeah, I could see where my dad would have a slight statistical edge but really, any of those players can have an up week or down week easily. The morning started out quite pleasantly. At about 10:30 I got a text from my dad - "U r going to kill me." I hadn't even checked yet but at the time, I was up on him 36-1, mostly due to the Redskins defense! But I am smart enough to know that nothing is close to decided that early. Through the day I was leading by 6-12 points. Drew Brees had a great game, and Brandon Jacobs, replacing my beloved hurt Sammy Morris, ran for over 100 yards and 2 TDs. But again my Achilles heel was my stupid receivers. Completely mediocre days for Kevin Curtis and Marques Colston (who I think I'm close to dropping - thoughts?) and a decent-ish day for Dwayne Bowe. To top it off I got no production from Chris Cooley, who before now had been on a great run. We really didn't watch much of the Pittsburgh-Denver game at night due to baseball, so I didn't look at what had happened until the end. And the score was 94-93, favoring my dad, with my players done and his defense yet to play.

Final score after the Monday night game - 111 to 93. Congrats, Dad. The student has yet to overcome the teacher.


This week's NOT AT ALL Favorite Things About the NFL (I hate to be negative, but a lot of things are bothering me):

1. The deafening silence that the Eagles' heartbreaking loss has caused. The game that the Eagles played was flat-out depressing. Do they not understand how to score a touchdown??? Three drives ending in field goals is not ok. You don't win games like that in this league. The officiating was also incredibly suspect, even though usually Ed Hochuli is one of the best, but there were some weird calls. But if you ask me, you should never put your team in a position to have a game come down to referrees. Score points. The season is over for them, considering the strength of their division. I just watched a full several minute highlights package on NFL Primetime and they didn't even talk about the Eagles, they only talked about how awesome the Bears are. Barf.

2. That the rest of the NFC East all won on Sunday, and all have winning records. Every team I just despise.

3. There are too many injuries this year and its scary. Maybe we say this every year but the number of relatively severe injuries to marquee players is getting out of control. This weekend Matt Schaub and Ronnie Brown among others got hurt enough to leave games permanently.

4. People getting pissy at the Patriots for scoring more 2nd half points in Miami. Give me a freaking break. They are a football team and they are there to play, not sit around waiting for the game to end. Everyone knows that crazy things can happen at any time - I mean look at the way Houston scored all those points in the 4th quarter with their 2nd stringer! Its not their fault that no one can stop them. You don't want them to score more points, then make them stop.

Random Thought of the Week

Considering that this blog is mostly read by people who know me already (I'm not quite egotistical enough to think that strangers are checking it out), I had to put this video clip in. Many of you have seen it, but many of you have not. I have a twin, and she's a French pop star.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ceSxEjwXHcM

We Do Mess With Texas

I am sure many people are tired of hearing about the Patriots-Cowboys "Duel in Dallas" game but seeing as its basically all I have thought about all week, I don't care. I couldn't help but dedicate this week's entry to the game. It was a very interesting week in the NFL, that is for sure.

First us poor football fans were made to suffer through Dallas' six turnover, come from behind, last second win in Buffalo on Monday night, a game that literally made my blood boil. Being also an Eagles fan, I HATE the Cowboys. I hate them with a passion I don't think I have for any other team. I was angry after that win. I know some people are saying, oh we should be so IMPRESSED by Tony Romo that he could turn the ball over so much and still find a way to win. On what planet should I be impressed?? If Dallas had been playing a good team, even a slightly better team, there is no way that would have happened.

Then of course no week could go by without some sort of T.O. event, and we were forced to sit through a week of intense media scrutiny about his infamous letter, stating that he would not answer any questions until after the game and that we should "get our popcorn ready." Impressive.

To add to all this, Peter King appears on Inside the NFL on Wednesday night and says that Wade Phillips made comments to him about feeling like the Patriots had a black mark on their success due to the spying controversy. Then Phillips later denies saying it. Good work, Wade. That is exactly what you need - for the Patriots to get angry again. Hasn't anyone learned yet that the Pats love to be the underdog, they love to be told they aren't good enough? They use it, they feed off of it. I have heard a lot of commentary on this issue through the week, and the thing that struck me was that not one journalist even considered the idea that Phillips had been misquoted by PK. You do not mess with PK.

And you know what else you do not do? YOU DO NOT MESS WITH THE PATRIOTS. The game was a rout, a gem, a clinic in how to be the best team in football. I'll even give Dallas a bit of credit and admit that they did not play a bad game. Romo and T.O.'s stats were quite respectable and they only committed one turnover (the inevitable "Romover," as The Boys are now calling his interceptions), which can be commended after such a mess of a game last week and considering the level of pressure they were under. But respectable wasn't going to cut it. The Patriots are absolutely frightening and Tommy Brady is going to finally win his league MVP this year.

The Boys and I have been noticing that since the whole Spygate thing happened, Chris Collinsworth and a few other notable commentators have seemed almost mad at the Pats. They begrudgingly admitted they were good but always had this tinge of anger. Well Sunday night there was none of that anymore, there was only shock and awe and the admission that this may be the best team that anyone has seen in the NFL in years. I don't particularly like that people are starting to seriously talk about them going 16-0 - I am just too superstitious - but how can I fault them for bringing the idea up after that game? Maybe we'll lose to Indy, maybe we'll fall to our divisional nemesis at Miami (there's something about Dolphins Stadium) but maybe we won't. All I know right now is that Tom Brady is on pace for 56 touchdown passes and a 72% completion rating (both would be league records), and that Randy Moss is leading the league in touchdowns caught (8), and that our two "other" receivers both had over 100 yards in Dallas, and that the team is on pace to score the most points EVER in a season. That is all I know.


The State of the Babies

Not a good week for the Babies, my friends, not a good week. Mental note for next year - PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT WEEKS YOUR PLAYERS ARE ON BYE! This week I was missing a substantial amount of my team - Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Marshall, Willie Parker, and my best backup RB Marshawn Lynch. Adding to that, my beloved Andre Johnson is still hurt. So it was time to make some moves. My backup QB had been David Garrard, who is playing well but doesn't get a whole lot of points. Midweek I found that Eli Manning had been dropped from someone else's team so I am going start him this week. Baby Manning has actually been pretty solid and they are playing Atlanta this week. The receiver position became a bit more of a problem because I was missing not one but two starters. Since I refuse to drop Johnson, I was forced to start Bernard Berrian (ok he didn't turn out that bad) and find someone else, who ended up being Jerry Porter (who stank). It was a best available situation and I wasn't expecting much. I also had to find another running back and again landed in a best available situation, which became DeShawn Wynn, who actually scored as well. But this was all to no avail. I had absolutely no expectation to win the game, which was unfortunate timing because this was the week that I went up against the other 5-0 team, Silence of the Rams. He's got LT and that was all he needed to absolutely trounce me. I know he is reading this so hats off to you - you've managed to unseat the girl.

My Dad's league Babies are getting incredibly frustrating, and for different reasons this week. I had very low expectations considering Deion Branch got hurt, which was such a disappointment, and the fact that I'd just had such low production so far from all of my other offensive "stars." This week some of them actually woke up! LJ had a great game, and Steve Smith and Marques Colston both caught TDs. And of course, I draw the guy who has Adrian Peterson. All 40 points of Adrian Peterson. To add to the suckfest, Vince Young again gets me zero points and then gets hurt, and Brees finally has a decent day. I scored the 3rd highest amount of points in the 12-person league and I still lost. UGH! This weekend my dad and I are playing each other for the first time ever. Smack talk has already begun.


This Week's Favorite Things About the NFL

1. Not many people may care about this, but for my female readers, Tom Brady is the new face of Stetson. HOT




2. Vinny! Vinny! Vinny! 43 year old Vinny Testiverde joins Carolina 4 days ago, ends up starting and wins against a good Arizona team. Check out PK's Monday Morning Quarterback this week for the story of how this all happened, its the feel-good sports story of the season so far if you ask me.

3. It was Old Man Week in the NFL. Quarterbacks playing this week - Vinny Testiverde (1987 draft, last started in since 2004) Kurt Warner (1999 MVP), Gus Ferrotte (1994 draft), Kerry Collins (1995 draft), Trent Dilfer (1994) and Jeff Garcia (undrafted in 94), Damon Huard (1996), and Brett Farve (1991) in their normal roles, all giving a beat down to quarterbacks of tomorrow (Vince Young, Carson Palmer, and Jason Campbell respectively). It ain't good but at least it provides some entertainment.

4. Tony Romo's post-game press conference. Couldn't someone from the Dallas PR team at least have grabbed Romo before he went out and turned his collar out? Romo looked like a zit-covered 17 year old in his dad's shirt. Cut to Tom Brady, perfectly coiffed in a designer suit. Don't even try, Tony, don't even try...(yes, I know, I'm biased. I promise further blogs will not be so Brady-focused)

Random Thought of the Week

Airfare is the biggest mystery on earth. Can someone please explain to me why it now costs so much to travel? I just want to go home to Philadelphia over Christmas, and a coach seat, with stops on both segments, is costing $700 and up. $700! I should be able to fly to Europe for that, not between two major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Half of my friends can't even afford to go home this year. It is so depressing.

Thanks again for reading and see you next week!