I was RIGHT!

I called it...yep, I called way back when in the beginning of the NFL season that the two (then) undefeated teams would and SHOULD meet each other in the Superbowl. And guess what happened? The Saints and the Colts are those two teams!!! WOOOOO! Well, I'm not surprised, they truly were the best two teams this year. It's also interesting that it came down to the best three teams being in the running: Saints, Vikings, and Colts. Not sure how the New York Jets slithered their way into playing for the Superbowl shot....*pregnant pause to ponder*....yeah, just glad that Peyton Manning and the Colts put that young whipper snapper Mark Sanchez in his place. I mean, don't get me wrong. he had a GREAT season and as a fellow Trojan I am proud of him, but we really don't need no rookie quarterbacks going to the Superbowl! Who would be able to tell him anything after that if he did? Dude is already from Southern Cal, big head city, he doesn't need to add an historical accomplishment to his resume! But anyway, I am happy for both Superbowl bound teams, and I think it's the perfect match-up. I just hope that the Saints shake off their "first time going to the Superbowl" high well before the game on February 7. Sometimes, performing well on one special occasion can be a deterrent for continuing the trend. not sure who I am rooting for yet, but I just hope it's a good game! :D

Coaching Conundrum!

Whew! Seems like coaches in the NFL and the NCAA are being passed around like two dollar hoes nowadays! LOL, "pimping ain't easy, and that is nowhere more true right now than in the sports world. Players are pimping, coaches are pimping, EVERYBODY is chasing that dragon, that almighty dollar and the word "loyalty" has nothing to do with sports any more. In fact, today, being athlete or a coach can be seen as one's "hustle." LOL. So in true hustler fashion, Pete Carroll decided to leave USC to go coach the Seattle Seahawks. I'm not mad at him! Dude's gonna make 7.5 million a year, and was given a 35 million dollar contract deal over five years. he paid his dues at USC. And the NCAA sanction probability notwithstanding, USC garnered a "sweet young thang" in the person of Lane Kiffin (the former NFL bad boy coach for the Oakland Raiders). Kiffin had just been hired as the coach for Tennessee a year ago, but decided to drop them like a hot potato in order to come back to sunny Cali. Now that's GANGSTA! This week started out with a lot of conjecture, confusion, and as a veritable conundrum...and methinks it's probably not over yet. There is a lot of Carroll/Kiffin hating out there among fans, and even among some people in the media. Crazy days, crazy times for sports when coaches nowadays don't seem to care that much about building a legacy...at least not when it comes at the expense of them getting "the job they always wanted" (*wink* at Lane). Hee hee!

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is DONE!

Yes, the fight is off.....that's all I have to say about that.....Oh, and that I'm not surprised one bit...that's it.....And this, Wow! Talk about soap opera worthy drama. Ahem, was all the bickering, suing, and accusing necessary?Is this just an indication that boxing is truly dead? That it's been killed by the MMA monster? Please, don't doubt me, this is a HUGE blow to boxing as a sport. When a sport is already dying out, the last thing it needs to do is completely leave a bad taste in the mouths of the last few fans it has. So ummm, not gonna really take much seriously in the boxing world for a while. Besides, next thing you know, Pacquiao will be working on jiujitsu and muay thai and saying he wants to take on BJ Penn! Stay tuned, kids! LOL

Playoff Party!

Wow, this season seemed to fly by! Now it's time for the REAL excitement: the playoffs! I can say that there are a few surprises as well as disappointments at the end of the regular season. Some teams performed better in the later hour, and some performed worst! Like what in the WORLD happened to the New Orleans Saints? Egads! it seems they have imploded. Don't get me wrong, they are still in the playoffs, but they have now lost 3 games in a row. Thus, they aren't going into the playoffs with a bang, ya know? It seems they are a tad beat up from trying to keep that undefeated record. I do think they may have pushed themselves a little too hard in the regular season, and it's coming back to haunt them. On the other hand, who opened the gate and let the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs?? NOOOOO! I am still mad at them for letting my boy T.O. go, and I am no real fan of that "divo" Tony Romo. Hopefully they will do what they always do, what they have done since the mid 80s in the playoffs: LOSE their first game.....okay...maybe that is way harsh. I guess I shouldn't really hate the game, just the player, lol. I am actually looking forward to seeing what all the teams do in the playoffs. personally, I think the Vikings have the Superbowl rings this year (though I can't say I'd be happy about that either). At any rate, congrats to all of teams who played their butts off and made it in! Kudos and let the games REALLY begin!!

Drama, Drama, Drama!

Well, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight has turned into a soap opera! I was really looking forward to seeing this fight about a month ago, now, I can honestly say that I can take it or leave it. And...I hate to admit it, but I think I smell fear coming out of the Mayweather camp. Mayweather turned me off when he agreed to do the fight, and then two days later he started demanding a blood test before the fight. Why?? I mean, I can't say that I haven't suspected that Pacquiao was taking something the past few years. But it's bad protocol to ask for a blood test before a boxing match!! When has THAT ever happened? Understandably, Pacquiao freaked out. Granted he might be on that stuff, but why would he agree to have blood taken before a fight? There's a big risk that losing blood would slow him down. But does that warrant him suing Mayweather?? Good lord! Mayweather has backed down from demanding the test since Nevada has ordered both fighters take urine tests, but I don't think he's happy about it. Check out this video of him verbally abusing his sparring partner!

Back in the Day.....

Is it me, or do they just not make NFL ball players like they used to? It's not just me! It's true, and that was proven to me over this past weekend. I was fortunate enough to have a sit down talk with two former NFL players from "back in the day" and it was fantastic! I sat there enthralled listening to their stories and hearing how things were in the game of pro football in the late 70s and early 80s. Kenny Harrison was drafted to the San Francisco 49ers in 1976, and played the wide receiver position for them for two years. He has quintessential "wide receiver hands." They are huge, LOL. He went on to play for the Washington Redskins for one year in 1980. He played with Tony Dungy and even roomed with him on a road trip once. He is a very lean man at 6'1, so I asked him how he liked taking those hits, his reply was "They couldn't catch me." Tadow! I believe it. Kenny is still a very athletic man, working with high school students in track and field, and looks more fit than some men half his age. And the NFL blood runs in the family, whereas Kenny's brother, Dwight Harrison, also had a long NFL career. Cedrick Hardman also played for the 49ers from 1970-1979, and he and Kenny are good friends. Cedrick is 100% ALL man defensive end, even to this day! I'm telling you, he's the kind of end that would stare across the line at the other OE and smile while chewing a mouth full of nails. And his voice sounds like he's done that more than a few times! He still has his football player stature and physique and the word TOUGH doesn't describe this man! When asked if he had ever broken any bones, his reply was "I've broken a few on other players." OUCH! He went on to play for my Oakland Raiders from 1980-1981. He won Superbowl 15 with the Raiders and he let me hold his ring! Yes, I actually held a superbowl ring in my little hands.....I LOVE diamonds, even manly diamonds on a superbowl ring. In all, Cedrick played pro ball for 13 years, and he has the war scars to prove it. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting across from these two veterans discussing, what I believe is, the best era for NFL football EVER. In my view, the boys nowadays try to do their thing, but they just don't seem to have all of the heart and pure love for football that the "back in the day" guys did. When you hear these men reminisce, you hear the camaraderie that was so important. It wasn't just about who could get the highest contract amounts, who got the spotlight on the field, and all the razzle dazzle off of the field. Getting a superbowl ring was about "teamwork" and a collective accomplishment. That sentiment doesn't seem to be the focus with players today. So, thanks Kenny and Cedrick for setting a wonderful example for the NFL hopefuls out there! Kudos! :)

Favre Be Da Boss!!!!

LOL, okay, what does it mean for pro football when a quarterback overrules a head coach?! Apparently that's what happened Sunday night during the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings game. The Vikings played HORRIBLY *snicker,* and apparently their coach tried to bench "Brett the purple dinosaur" (Barney's brother, hehe) in the third quarter. Well, Favre seemed to have had a massive BF and the benching thing didn't happen ya'll! Ultimately, the Vikings ended up losing the game with a deplorable score of 24-7. But, all in all, it's no real biggie that they lost, they are still 11-3 for the season so far and are definitely playoff bound. Heck, I'd say they are probably the STRONGEST team heading for the playoffs. That said, the coach, Brad Childress, was wrong, in my view. Why bench Favre just because in ONE game his offense was only able to garner 7 points? So the backup qb is gonna do better? Please, it's just one game! Sounds to me like the Childress and Favre have some "bad blood" between them. Well, if they didn't before, they certainly do NOW, haha. I'd also imagine that Favre pulling rank over the coach will not sit quite well with his fellow players....personally, even if he were right in theory, I still wouldn't like that dude. I say, 'twill be an interesting remainder of the season for the Vikings organization. Hmmmmmm....