tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37477975132474592102024-03-13T07:18:45.370-07:00Pretty PigskinFor women who love football.Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-31851069141515985772013-09-03T14:51:00.000-07:002013-09-03T14:51:09.403-07:00Blurred Lines: The NFL Settlement - Who Won? Why Now?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bX8eBrliUQw/UiZY6tkFfrI/AAAAAAAAARI/_-nIxvpz2Iw/s1600/NFL-Cleveland-Browns-at-Baltimore-Ravens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bX8eBrliUQw/UiZY6tkFfrI/AAAAAAAAARI/_-nIxvpz2Iw/s320/NFL-Cleveland-Browns-at-Baltimore-Ravens.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you love the NFL, you've definitely heard the “cha-ching” ringing through cyber space with news of the $765 million settlement between the league and the 4,500 retired players and their families who were suing the league.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These retired players, most suffering from serious neurological conditions, filed the lawsuit claiming – and their physicians agree – that these conditions were a result of repeated head injuries suffered in their playing days. The legal action implied that the NFL had not taken sufficient action to protect the players and even covered up medical data about just how serious the long-term impact of concussions and head injuries could be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For those of you who love the numbers, <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-players-reach-whopping-765m-settlement-concussion-case-165508435--nfl.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Settlement Details"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></a> you can see the financial details of the agreement and the way it all breaks out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of the online palaver about the settlement has to do with “Who won? The league, or the players?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One could definitely say the NFL is the winner. Under the terms of the settlement, it is stated very clearly that the league is <em>not</em> admitting guilt of any wrongdoing around concussions and brain injuries. Expert projections estimated that a trial could result in <em>billions </em>being paid out to players and their families compared to this “measly” $765 million. And a trial would have tied up headlines and caused <em>serious </em>PR problems for the league, likely for years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to Christine Brennan, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/2013/08/29/nfl-concussion-lawsuit-settlement-christine-brennan/2735531/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="USA Today">USA Today</a> Sports, “The settlement likely means the NFL won’t have to disclose internal files about what it knew and when it knew it regarding concussion-linked brain problems. That’s too bad because that’s an important piece of sports medicine history.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the flip side, is it better to have the matter settled now for the players and their families? “These are the ex-players who have medical bills to pay right now. These are the wives and children who are trying to live with and help a man they barely recognize anymore,” writes Brennan. “This settlement is not nothing to them. It’s something. It’s tangible. And they believe it will help them right away.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Even the lead plaintiffs’ attorney, Christopher Seeger, had a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/columnist/2013/08/29/nfl-concussion-lawsuit-settlement-christine-brennan/2735531/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="USA Today">positive response</a> to the settlement. “This is an extraordinary agreement that will provide immediate care and support to retired players and their families. It will do so faster and at far less cost, both financially and emotionally, than could have ever been accomplished by continuing to litigate.”</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XtJWnNxD3Ms/UiZY6nIBIuI/AAAAAAAAARE/6eCmJv9l0DM/s1600/Goodell+Interview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XtJWnNxD3Ms/UiZY6nIBIuI/AAAAAAAAARE/6eCmJv9l0DM/s320/Goodell+Interview.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The one question I kept asking as a die-hard NFL fan: Why now?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Was it because the players and their loved ones were getting impatient as they watched medical bills piling up and days passing by with no resolution? Were players just weary of the fight and ready to move on? Or, did the NFL push to get this issue resolved before the start of the regular season, to eliminate the possibility of “distractions” during the 2013 season?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a fan, I am clearly distracted. Instead of breaking down the pre-season performance of rookies and putting together my</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://hellogiggles.com/everything-i-know-about-fantasy-football-and-why-im-insanely-jealous-of-it" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Fantasy Football">fantasy league</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, I am – once again – feeling</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://hellogiggles.com/as-the-nfl-season-kicks-off-giddy-turns-guilty" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Giddy Turns Guilty">guilty</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> for loving the game like I do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The quote that struck me most about this settlement came not from a lawyer, or a player, but from</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9612672/reaction-nfl-concussion-settlement" style="font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Reactions to the Settlement">Garrett Webster</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, the son of former Steelers center, Mike Webster, who died in 2002 from brain disease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I hope this settlement is the NFL saying, ‘We’re taking concussions seriously. We’re going to keep working on it.’ The worst-case scenario for me is the NFL saying, ‘We paid you money. Now go away.’ … “It felt like for the longest time we were making stuff up, that we were after money. I would give $200 million for my dad to be back here and be alive. There’s no price on the hell you go through with this.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Webster, I hope so, too, and I hope that the research and education fund of $10 million created as part of this settlement, alongside the new rules and protocol instituted by the NFL over the last four years, will protect players from these kinds of tragedies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, players will have to be willing to “play along” with this new protocol and look out for their own well-being, as well. That’s something that the NFL can’t control.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the April 2013 issue of ESPN Magazine, 48 players were surveyed about injuries and concussions. Of the guys polled, 54% say that if they suffer brain damage as a result of playing in the NFL, it’s still worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then they were asked: If you could win Super Bowl MVP, but it takes 5 years off your life, would that be worth it? Almost half, 48%, respond “yes”. One NFL veteran lineman says, “Hell yeah! And at the rate I’m going, I’m probably going to be in a wheelchair for the last 10 years of my life anyway.”</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">Images courtesy of <a href="http://www.kvue.com/news/221675521.html" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Goodell Interview">ABC News</a> & <a href="http://www.toledoblade.com/Pro/2012/09/27/NFL-regular-officials-return-as-Ravens-take-23-10-lead-over-Browns-after-3-quarters.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Toledo Blade">Toledo Blade</a></span></em></div>
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<em>First published via <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/blurred-lines-the-nfl-settlement-who-won-why-now" target="_blank">HelloGiggles</a></em></div>
Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-85668440060861557342013-06-09T12:54:00.000-07:002013-06-09T12:54:06.707-07:00Amanda Bynes, Meet Your Meltdown Match: Titus Young
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">I heard about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Bynes"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Amanda Bynes</span></a> recent
“issues” not through TMZ or Twitter, but via pro-football channels. Makes
sense, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">The tongue-in-cheek NFL news site, <a href="http://profootballmock.com/amanda-bynes-signs-three-year-deal-with-detroit-lions/"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ProFootballMock.com</span></a>,
broke the “news” that Bynes had signed with the notoriously dysfunctional NFL
team, the Detroit Lions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">As I caught up on the Bynes <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/amanda-bynes-v-rihanna-the-twitter-feud-that-may-have-gone-too-far"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">shame spiral</span></a>,
I started thinking about the equivalent bologna that goes on in the NFL and
other professional sports, too. The current terror Bynes is on made me think of
former Lions wide receiver, Titus Young. How similar is a self-destructing
young Hollywood star and a self-destructing young star athlete?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">Amanda Bynes</span></b><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">•<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">Bynes is currently facing charges in
New York for reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, and possession of
marijuana from a May 23rd incident at her Manhattan apartment. She faced a <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amanda-bynes-dui-hit-and-run-arrest-374951"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">laundry list</span></a>
of charges in 2012: multiple DUIs, 2 counts of “driving with a suspended
license” 2 hit and run charges , and just recently, she was kicked out of her
gym for smoking pot in the women’s locker room at 4:20 pm (<a href="http://rumorfix.com/2013/04/amanda-bynes-kicked-out-of-gym-for-smoking-weed-in-bathroom-on-420/"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">how original</span></a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BoN4Uv1tJWo/UbTcu1Te3yI/AAAAAAAAANU/B3PF5DLMTCw/s1600/bynes+mugshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BoN4Uv1tJWo/UbTcu1Te3yI/AAAAAAAAANU/B3PF5DLMTCw/s320/bynes+mugshot.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">Titus Young</span></b><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">•<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">You might have heard about it when
this former Detroit Lion was arrested not once, not twice but <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20130512/SPORTS01/305120136/detroit-lions-titus-young-arrested-again"><i><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">three times</span></i></a> in
one week, with two of those arrests happening within 24 hours of each other.
First he gets a DUI, gets arrested and his car is impounded. Fourteen hours
later, he’s arrested again for trying to break into the police impound lot to
get his car. Later in the week: burglary and assault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbyrq2O1qnU/UbTcy1l3dYI/AAAAAAAAANc/HhgRVdyD8O0/s1600/Young.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbyrq2O1qnU/UbTcy1l3dYI/AAAAAAAAANc/HhgRVdyD8O0/s320/Young.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">Here you have two young, uniquely
talented people who appear determined to self-destruct and ruin the chance of
them capitalizing on the skills and success they have built so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">It may seem that the high-profile
careers chosen by Bynes and Young exist in an enabling breeding ground for all
sorts of dysfunction. And, in many ways, that’s probably true: the money, the
fame, the attention and adoration of fans. But, there is a difference that, I
believe, makes a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">If you look at Bynes, her career in
showbiz is hanging by a thread – pending a Mickey Rourke style comeback.
However, TMZ, People Magazine, US Weekly and Perez Hilton are making a pretty
nice living off of her name right now. It’s just like the way the British
tabloids cover the Royal Family to keep the presses rolling. But, the studios
and executives Bynes has worked with are in no real danger of tanking due to
her collapse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">A great example: <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/lindsay-lohans-going-to-rehab-again-will-it-work-this-time"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Lindsay Lohan’s</span></a>
biggest box office success before her collapse was <i>Freaky Friday,</i>
released by Disney, but no one now labels Disney as a dysfunctional, has-been
success in the production of films and television. So, even though Bynes
may lose work, her downfall feeds the beast of the industry that spit her out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">On the other hand, the Detroit Lions
– because of Young and others <a href="http://www.foxsportsdetroit.com/nfl/detroit-lions/story/Another-Detroit-Lions-player-arrested?blockID=895361"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">like him</span></a> -
have become the “halfway house” of the NFL. The team is a punchline. Their value
as an organization has been diminished, which hurts their trade negotiations,
ticket sales, merchandise sales and credible media coverage. That’s why it’s in
an NFL team’s best interest, and even more so, in the league’s best interest,
to avoid problem players and look for ways to support those players on the
edge. Under the direction of NFL Commissioner, Roger Goddell, the league is now
about as strict as it has ever been when it comes to <a href="http://www.chron.com/sports/texans/article/NFL-teams-shying-away-from-troublemakers-1816228.php"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">player conduct</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">What would be Hollywood’s motivation
to support and protect young talent to gracefully succeed as they mature in
their careers? There is none. Every negotiation with these stars is based on
“What have you done for me lately? How hot are you now?” Any project already in
the works is completely malleable. They can change a plot line at the drop of a
hat - or an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cChPthVuM1c"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">“elevator shaft”</span></a>
– with the right lawyers to undue any contract language, and slick public
relations professionals to make the executives look squeaky clean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">At the end of the day in both
industries, you are still looking at the exploitation of young talent for the
financial gain of big people with big stakes in the game in the name of
“entertainment”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">Should I feel guilty for being an
actress, an entertainment writer and a rabid NFL fan? Maybe. But I don’t. Every
chosen profession or business comes with a price tag. It’s up to the person
performing or playing to decide if it’s worth it, and to navigate the life it
creates as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #551c3d; font-size: 16pt;">Images via <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20130512/SPORTS01/305120136/detroit-lions-titus-young-arrested-again"><span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Detroit Free
Press</span></a> and <span style="color: #ce3248; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20703248,00.html">People</a></span></span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #551c3d;"><span style="font-size: 21px;"><i>Originally published on <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/amanda-bynes-meet-your-meltdown-match-titus-young" target="_blank">Hello Giggles</a></i></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-88481162445112043692013-04-30T10:23:00.002-07:002013-04-30T10:23:53.643-07:00Yeah, You Were Drafted...Now What?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_LeB_W55ic/UX_80gnle5I/AAAAAAAAAK0/UWeen_2lf2g/s1600/eric-fisher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_LeB_W55ic/UX_80gnle5I/AAAAAAAAAK0/UWeen_2lf2g/s320/eric-fisher.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Number One Pick, Eric Fisher goes to the KC Chiefs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
Yes, another column about the 2013 NFL Draft. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
But, t<span style="background-color: transparent;">his isn’t about rating </span><a href="http://nfl.si.com/2013/04/28/2013-nfl-draft-grades-jaguars-49ers-rams-top-the-class/?eref=sihp" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Team Draft Grades">how teams did</a> this year, or a collection of inspiring stories about the men who were drafted (my favorite, <a href="http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0ap1000000160668/article/dj-hayden-brings-amazing-neardeath-story-to-2013-nfl-draft" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="DJ Hayden Near Death Story">D.J. Hayden,</a> taken in the first-round after nearly bleeding to death following a freak injury in November).<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
This is for the fans – and the would-be fans. I ask the question “what happens now?” for these NFL draft picks. These young men say being drafted is “a dream come true”, the realization of everything they’ve been working for since their <a href="http://www.popwarner.com/football" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Pop Warner">Pop Warner</a> days, and makes the sacrifices their families made to get them there worth it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
But as you’ll see (if you keep reading), the most intense and uncertain part of their journey begins once they do get drafted. This can be even more uncertain for those players drafted by teams who have a pretty uncertain future of their own – see <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1621582-comparing-geno-smith-to-mark-sanchez-tim-tebow-and-jets-qbs" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Geno Smith to the Jets">Geno Smith,</a> for example.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
Here is a glimpse of what life will look like in the coming months for these athletes.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Step 1: Getting To Know You</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
First of all, no money for the rookie right now. For the newly drafted, the week following is about packing up, leaving home and getting acquainted with the franchise who chose him. For some of the top picks, less than 24 hours after having their name called, they find themselves getting <a href="http://www.azcardinals.com/videos-photos/videos/Coop-Arrives-at-Cards-Facility/341d1636-51b3-424d-8f55-e752c3c9bf9d" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Coop Arrives in AZ">a facility tour,</a> being welcomed by the owner, the coaches, shaking hands with Pro-Bowl players and being interviewed in press conferences. More importantly, they get a copy of the massive team playbook – typically as thick as a phone book, now fitting completely on an iPad, with just as much complex content. This is the most important homework they have ever been assigned.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Step 2: What’s Mini About Mini-Camp?</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
The weekend post-draft begins a 3-day <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini-camp" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="What Is Mini-Camp?">“Mini-Camp”</a>. It’s hard to imagine an event with players who look like this being called “mini”. Right now, for the rookie, there is still no payout. Mini-camps are geared toward getting the newly drafted acclimated to the NFL playing schemes. It also gives coaches and management a chance to see their new players in action learning plays from the team’s playbook.</div>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" id="attachment_152178" style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin: auto; width: 211px;">
<a href="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/94/941324.jpg" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Yeah, You Were Drafted, So What Now?" class=" wp-image-152178 " height="280" src="http://hellogiggles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/28/Bigguy_display_image.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 660px;" title="Yeah, You Were Drafted, So What Now?" width="201" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="color: #0d6472; font-family: Rama, 'Arial Narrow', Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 1.3em; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.23em; padding: 0px;">
Ole Miss offensive lineman, Terrell Brown, 388 pounds, 6-foot-10.</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Step 3: The Rubber Meets the Road, Training Camp</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #72174d; font-family: Sanchez, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 1.25em; margin-top: 1.25em; padding: 0px;">
Before any rookie sets foot on Training Camp soil, the dirty details of the contract have to be ironed out. Depending on draft position, the management of the organization and who the agent is, this process can be anything from easy-breezy to a <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/840510-the-8-most-disastrous-rookie-contracts-in-nfl-history" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Worst Rookie Contracts">nasty tug of war</a>. Assuming this negotiation is complete, now the rookie gets paid and Training Camp starts in July. This is where a spot on the team is won or lost. No, being drafted doesn’t guarantee this young man will be in the game when the season kicks-off. Of the 8 players (on average) drafted by a team, <a href="http://www.draftmetrics.com/files/draft101.pdf" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Draft Numbers">1.25 will start </a>in their rookie season – that’s just less than 16%.</div>
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<strong>Step 4: Are You In or Out?</strong></div>
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After a summer of grueling workouts and playbook study, the teams’ final rosters are set in August. The fellas drafted in rounds 1-5 are almost guaranteed to make the team – after all, the organization had to invest some cash to get these guys in the door – but, again, 16% chance of actually starting. For the rest – those drafted in rounds 6-7 or picked up undrafted – the odds are slim they’ll see action this year… or ever.</div>
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In the end, 62% of the players drafted will actually be signed to an NFL team, according to<a href="http://www.draftmetrics.com/files/draft101.pdf" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Draftmetrics">DraftMetrics.com</a>, but only 30% of them will start for at least three years. And each of those years will be a battle, as 300 new college players fight to make their way into the NFL and make their own dreams come true.</div>
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If you thought the <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/theyre-just-not-that-into-you-finding-a-job-edition" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" title="Finding a Job">job market</a> was tough in your field, imagine yourself competing for your post at this level year in and year out. Of course, the money probably helps a lot. As of 2010, the <a href="http://canespace.typepad.com/canespace/2012/01/just-the-facts-nfl-average-salaries-.html" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="NFL Average Salary">average rookie salary</a> was $325,000 for a season.</div>
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I’m certainly happy for all of the guys picked-up in the draft, and I will be watching to see how they do. But the cynical part of me keeps thinking, “I hope they took the time between snaps to get a degree they could actually use when they need it in 4 years.” On the other hand, having that <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/high-five-your-way-to-following-your-dreams" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Dreams Come True">dream-come-true</a> moment in your life is almost certainly worth figuring out a new future later.</div>
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<em>Images via <a href="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/94/941324.jpg" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Scout.com">Scout.com</a> & <a href="http://nfl.si.com/2013/04/25/eric-fisher-selected-no-1-by-kansas-city-chiefs/" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Number One Pic">Sports Illustrated</a></em></div>
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<i>First published at <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/yeah-you-were-drafted-so-what-now" target="_blank">Hello Giggles</a></i></div>
Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-80861451316624354842013-01-22T10:37:00.000-08:002013-01-22T10:37:41.718-08:00The Notre Dame Story That Matters: Lizzy Seeberg<br />
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<a href="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/01/18/lizzy182way_wide-b03a728fe54ce066f92501094b5c0a6099b9004e-s6-c10.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B0fg1u6bch4/UP7bMXtb5HI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/LyFNhMNnOEw/s320/Lizzy.jpg" title="Lizzy Seeberg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Even if you don’t follow college football or the NFL, it is likely that</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://hellogiggles.com/manti-teo-um-what" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The Manti Te’o Fiasco: Um… what?">you have heard</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">all about – more than enough about – Notre Dame’s star football player, Manti Te’o, and his dead girlfriend that didn’t exist.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The short version of the story: A star college football player creates a long distance love affair with a wonderful girl who has leukemia. Hours before one of the most important games of his football career, the player’s grandmother dies and then, on the same day, the “love of his life” succumbs to cancer. Yet this hero – a finalist for the 2012 Heisman Trophy and predicted #1 NFL Draft pick – fought through the pain and went on to play the game of his life as Notre Dame beat Michigan State 20-3.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Could Hollywood have scripted it any better? </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/notre_dames_double_standard/" style="background-color: white; color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The Notre Dame Story That Matters: Lizzy Seeberg" class="aligncenter wp-image-128214" height="186" src="http://hellogiggles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/20/Manti-350x232.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: auto; max-width: 660px;" title="The Notre Dame Story That Matters: Lizzy Seeberg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Well, there’s your problem right there. It was scripted. There was a grandmother and a football game, but there was no girlfriend with leukemia. The “girl” was nothing more than <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/manti-teo-denies-faking-girlfriend-hoax-admits-tailored/story?id=18255156" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="The Hoax">a hoax</a>. Now, it’s yet to be determined if Te’o was just a naïve numbskull roped in to an elaborate <a href="http://aol.sportingnews.com/sport/story/2013-01-17/what-is-catfishing-catfish-manti-teo-dead-girlfriend-hoax-mtv-tv-show" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="What is Cat-Fishing?">“Cat-fishing” </a>scam, believing he had found a true love that he had never met, or if he was in on the hoax and helped create this sob story to draw more attention to his soon-to-be NFL career. Regardless, his story has been told… and told… and told.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">But that’s not the story I am interested in telling, or even exploring. I’d like to write another headline for a young woman who did exist, and really is dead: <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/notre_dames_double_standard/" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Notre Dame Double Standard">Lizzy Seeberg.</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Lizzy Seeberg was a 19-year-old freshman at Saint Mary’s College, across the street from Notre Dame. She had accused a Notre Dame football player of sexual assault and eight days later, committed suicide.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">From Melinda Henneberger, <em><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/12/04/why-i-wont-be-cheering-for-old-notre-dame/" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Not Cheering for Notre Dame">Washington Post</a></em>: “After Lizzy went to the police, a friend of the player’s sent her a series of texts that frightened her as much as anything that had happened in the player’s dorm room. ‘Don’t do anything you would regret,’ one of them said. ‘Messing with Notre Dame football is a bad idea’.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">At the time of her death, the campus police – who have jurisdiction over all crimes on school property – still had not even interviewed the accused.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Ironically, as the story of Te’o’s fake girlfriend started to unfold, Notre Dame used private investigators to assist Te’o in unraveling the mystery and attempting to prove his innocence.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This is a stunning <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/us-news-blog/2013/jan/17/notre-dame-manti-teo-hoax-lizzy-seeberg" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Notre Dame Double Standard">double standard</a> and the Notre Dame brass should be ashamed of themselves. I could go on to explore the many allegations that the school ignored – and even covered up – abhorrent behavior by players to protect their precious football program. For that matter, I could explore what could be called an epidemic of sexual violence against woman on college campuses, specifically at the <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/dear-steubenville-sexual-assault-victims-are-never-asking-for-it" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Women Are Never "Asking For It"">hands of athletes</a>. And how about violence against women at the hands of <a href="http://www.nextdoor.org/sexual-assault-nfl-stop-defending-athletes/" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Stop Defending Athletes">professional athletes</a>?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">But something else is bothering me. I wonder how much we – as fans – have to do with the “real news” of all these terrible acts being buried to protect the reputation of the game, and the men who play it?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">If you’ve followed the posts I have written for HelloGiggles, you know that I am a die-hard football fan. And with my two favorite teams out of the playoffs, my fanatic attention now turns to the draft and the college talent hoping to make it to the big game. I realize that my appetite for the sport feeds a marketing machine that fuels the news. The media, publishers and reporters know that any good-news headline about the NFL or about college football players will be greedily devoured, which means one thing: revenue.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Fans don’t want to hear the bad news headlines about the men they cheer for week in and week out. We will look for any explanation that turns our gridiron heroes back into one of the good guys.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Erin Gloria Ryan of <a href="http://jezebel.com/5742679/sexual-assault-and-the-super-bowl" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Sexual Assault & The Super Bowl">Jezebel.com</a> explains it this way: “We don’t want to believe that our heroes aren’t worthy of our adoration. We want our conscience clean when we celebrate their victories alongside them.” She points out the most clichéd excuses we use to explain away these kinds of claims and stories.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">“But those charges were dropped!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">“She’s just trying to get money out of him!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">“She just regrets a sexual encounter!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">“She’s just trying to get famous!”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I’m embarrassed to admit that I have not only had these thoughts, but also uttered similar words, when I have heard of these kinds of allegations against both college and NFL players that I liked. I wanted to continue to love the game without guilt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Therein lies the rub, as they say. Until “we the people” demonstrate that getting to the truth, demanding justice and holding people accountable for their actions are more important to us than “the game”, more important than our fantasy players, than our college pride, nothing will change.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">If I tell the truth, I’m not sure that will or could ever happen. But I know, for myself, from now on I will hear and listen to these kinds of reports and accusations much differently.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I am so sorry, Lizzy Seeberg. You deserved to be heard, to be protected, to be vindicated.</span></div>
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<a href="http://ncronline.org/news/people/volunteer-house-carries-students-legacy-service" style="background-color: white; color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="The Notre Dame Story That Matters: Lizzy Seeberg" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-128215" height="227" src="http://hellogiggles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/20/Volunteer-House-350x227.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: auto; max-width: 660px;" title="The Notre Dame Story That Matters: Lizzy Seeberg" width="350" /></a></div>
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<em style="background-color: white;">After Lizzy’s death, her family raised a memorial fund, which founded The Lizzy Seeberg Volunteer House in Chicago. <a href="http://ncronline.org/news/people/volunteer-house-carries-students-legacy-service" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Lizzy Seeberg Volunteer House">Please take a minute to see this</a>.</em></div>
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<em style="background-color: white;">Images courtesy of <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/18/169712092/more-tears-for-notre-dames-fake-tragedy-than-real-girls-death" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">NPR.org</a>, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/01/17/notre_dames_double_standard/" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> & <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-120406-lizzy-seeberg-sexual-assault-suicide-home-pictures,0,2991741.photogallery" style="color: #ea1f50; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Chicago Tribune</a></em></div>
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Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-51764354648964437972012-12-10T14:37:00.001-08:002012-12-10T14:37:39.788-08:005 THINGS TO DO NOW THAT YOUR TEAM WON’T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS<br />
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With the end of the year around the corner, so is the end of the NFL Season – for most teams. My apologies to fans of the Eagles, the Raiders, the Panthers and the rest of the teams who are scraping the bottom of the barrel for wins. I am in agony with the rest of you, as my Arizona Cardinals take beating after beating.</div>
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And it leaves me with the terrible question; as we move into the playoffs, how will I endure those Sundays? How will I pass the time?</div>
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I’ve put some thought into this questions and here are my recommendations to help you power through the playoffs.</div>
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<strong>1. Take up knitting</strong></div>
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My mother and other friends who have taken up this quaint hobby insist that it is <a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/the-benefits-knitting-playing-yarn-can-353065.html" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">absolutely therapeutic</a>. “I do it to relax and get away from the real world,” says Katara on <a href="http://knitting.about.com/u/ua/learntoknit/reasons-to-knit.htm" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">About.com</a>.</div>
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One of my favorite testimonials, “It lets me watch television without feeling guilty about being idle.” Who knows, may even ease the pain of watching a game while knowing your team is D.O.A.</div>
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Talk about easing pain, HelloGiggles’ contributor, Shannon Robb, even wrote about knitting as a way to lessen the stress of moving back in <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/moving-back-into-the-nest-a-survival-guide" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Moving Back in with the Parents">with your parents</a>. Surely it can work some magic for hurting football fans.</div>
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<strong>2. Bake cupcakes</strong></div>
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Cupcakes are the “it” item of the baked goods scene these days. People who show up at parties with cupcakes are immediately adored.</div>
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Don’t be intimidated by that oven. Forget Betty Crocker. Let the Internet be your teacher and learn to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngN4TWgL3sY" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">make your own cupcakes</a> from scratch.</div>
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The good news is, with cupcakes being the hottest thing in the kitchen (ok, that was bad, sorry), there are places popping up <a href="http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=best+cupcakes&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">everywhere</a> selling these delightful treats. Maybe one Sunday you could plan a tour to the <a href="http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=best+cupcakes&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Best Cupcakes">cake hotspots</a>.</div>
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<strong>3. Make Sunday Spa-Day</strong></div>
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Don’t waste the money and the time on one Sunday. Spread out the pampering over a few Sundays – and maybe a Monday night.</div>
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Just think about it. You can get a mani/pedi one week – your <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/nails-of-the-day-164" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">nails</a> could even match your cupcakes! The next week, it’s time for a <a href="http://www.allure.com/hair-ideas/2011/find-the-best-haircut-for-your-face-shape#slide=13" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">haircut</a>, don’t you think? Get the best look for your face shape here. Maybe you’ll even get inspired to try on a<a href="http://hellogiggles.com/ladies-who-made-me-want-to-dye-my-hair" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">new color</a> for the New Year.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
“But Heather,” you say, “My team was supposed to be GREAT this year. We were in year two with Cam Newton, Superman. It hurts so bad!”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
I feel your pain, my friend. In that case, you might want to take the spa-day to another level. Plan a Spa Stay-cation with other friends who either don’t care or can’t bear to watch those divisional play-offs. You can thank HelloGiggler, Michelle Konstantinovsky, <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/how-to-have-a-spa-stay-cation-without-spending-a-fortune" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">for tips on how to do this</a> without breaking the bank.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
<strong>4. Clean out your closet</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
Admit it – you have a “standard rotation” of clothes, your most popular outfits, but if you really went through that closet (and those drawers) you’d find bunches of clothing items you haven’t touched in months. Ok, years.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
Something about cleaning closets gives you a feelings of new hope, new beginnings, just what you need right now. Don’t know where to start? <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/how-to-clean-your-closet" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Start here!</a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
Once you’ve purged, you can take those clothes to a consignment store, donate them to Goodwill, <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/to-donate-or-swap" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">or arrange a friend swap </a>– another chance to fill a Sunday.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
<strong>5. Just get on the bandwagon </strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
That’s right; trade your team in for a hotter option. If you’re like me, turning off the football is just not an option. So, don’t feel guilty. It will only be a holiday fling.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
Who should you cheer for? Well, it’s a personal preference, but let me give you some factors to consider.</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">
<li>New England Patriots: After all, as a girl anyway, it’s pretty easy to cheer for <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZq3fGZsII/AAAAAAAAAGE/eF5GctW2r4Q/s1600/tom-brady-hot.jpg" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tom Brady</a> – he’s Tom Brady. The franchise has been counted on for some great games for a long time. Not enough? Then let’s say, to be “Patriotic.”</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">
<li>Houston Texans: The Texans have always been the “other” Texas team. If you are sick of the Dallas Cowboys (and their fans) walking and talking like football royalty with no regard for their actual record, think of how fun it would be to see the Texans take it all the way.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">
<li>Atlanta Falcons: As of right now, Atlanta has lost only one game this season and yet no one takes them seriously. The “experts” point to the fact that they haven’t won a playoff game in the last eight years. No one’s buying what they’re selling. If you cheer for them, you are kind of cheering for the playoff “underdog”.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">
<li>San Francisco 49ers: Coached by Jim “Crazy-Eyes” Harbaugh, this historic franchise is back to it’s winning ways. But even better, Coach can be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIR8EW3riZc" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">seen here</a> as Screech’s cousin in ‘Saved by The Bell.’ Now, that’s worth a cheer.</li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
As for me, I’m going to bandwagon it like nobody’s business. If you’ve read my other Giggles, you know <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/my-first-crush-how-i-fell-for-football" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">why I love the Denver Broncos</a>. But it’s really Peyton Manning’s incredible comeback that leaves me cheering. After a very serious neck surgery that many thought would sideline him forever, on Thursday night he extended his franchise record with his 30th touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive, became the fastest quarterback to reach <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nfl/recap?gameId=321206013" style="color: #dd1736; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">5,000 career completions</a> and earned his record 12th 10-win season as a starter.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 8px;">
However you decide to cope with your disappointment, have faith that we will get through this difficult time of year together. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Well, I may not be able to think of anything aside from what I’ve said already, but I’ll try.</div>
Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-80380002127474000592012-10-06T19:37:00.000-07:002012-10-06T19:37:34.638-07:00My First "Crush": How I Fell for Football
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6pEqplYY00/UHDqtH6W1cI/AAAAAAAAAJo/O4eW0aYUDXo/s1600/122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6pEqplYY00/UHDqtH6W1cI/AAAAAAAAAJo/O4eW0aYUDXo/s320/122.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With the NFL season in full swing at last, so is my
obsession. Life is arranged around games that I don’t want to miss. Of course,
in this busy, busy life I can’t sit down and
actually watch the games I care about as they kick-off. Especially now that there
are games not just on Sunday and Monday, but on Thursday night, too. Thank
goodness for DirecTV and DVR. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I end up recording three to four games a week, the ones most
important to me: one of my favorite teams is playing, or it’s one of the week’s
most competitive matchups. And once those games have kicked off on Thursday,
Sunday and Monday, I’m ignoring Facebook, Twitter and most news outlets to
avoid “spoilers”. I’m also texting clear instruction to friends and relatives
that they better not text me any news, or cheers, or jeers that could tip off
the outcome of these games.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did keep myself out of the fantasy leagues this year –
somehow. I was trying to avoid feeding my pre-occupation with football during
the week to try and get more done this fall in real life. Frankly, I regret it.
I miss that personal stake in those games. I won’t make that mistake next
year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week, as I was making my pre-game plans and
preparations, I thought, “How did this all start? This passion for a ‘boys’
game?” No one in my family played football. I only ever dated a boy that played
football once – my freshman year of high school.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With that question, I was rewarded with a warm memory. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There I am, 6 years old, at home in Colorado. I am sitting
at the dining room table with my mom and dad and the Rocky Mountain News. It’s
the Sunday paper, open to the sports section with the upcoming NFL Sunday games
schedule. Around the edge of the page is a border, pictures of the helmets of
each team in the league. My mom and dad are encouraging me to match up which
helmet belongs to what team. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was so much fun, and I was a really good guesser, too.
At least, that’s what my mom tells me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then another memory: John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore
Colts (yep, they used to be in Baltimore, but that’s a whole
other story….) and traded to the Denver Broncos. I was only 9 but
I remember the heated discourse between my mom, my dad, my grandpa and my uncles
– I think one of my aunts even piped up - about this Elway guy. Was he the real
deal? Was this the man to return Denver to “Orange Crush” glory?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
John Elway actually made a permanent mark in our family’s history
when he autographed a pizza box for my uncle at a place just a couple miles
away from our house. It’s a story that gets told again and again – sometimes
embellished – during family gatherings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7TozVFcctsY/UHDp-o3FQcI/AAAAAAAAAJY/q67dXAwkBO4/s1600/orange+crush+dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7TozVFcctsY/UHDp-o3FQcI/AAAAAAAAAJY/q67dXAwkBO4/s320/orange+crush+dance.jpg" width="219" /></a>Then there was my 11<sup>th</sup> birthday, Dec. 30<sup>th</sup>,
1984. In his second year, Elway had led the Broncos to the AFC Divisional
Playoffs. The whole family was there and cake and presents were set to follow
the game. I even had on my favorite Orange Crush t-shirt, like a true fan. It
was about to be one of the best days of my young life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Only one problem - they lost, 24-17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I was inconsolable. There’s picture of me at our kitchen table, cake front and
center, presents, even a new Barbie, but my expression is one of utter despair.
I wish there was a digital copy I could post, but it’s firmly planted in a
family scrapbook.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Roaming down this memory lane, it became clear that I had
for sure inherited my passion for the pigskin. I guess it’s no coincidence that
I went on to be a cheerleader, or that the man I married ended up working for
the Arizona Cardinals. Almost seems like destiny, don’t you think? Actually,
I’m kind of surprised I didn’t end up being a mascot…<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-51542046654629617392012-09-08T10:21:00.001-07:002012-09-08T10:21:59.452-07:00Giddy Gives Way to Guilty as the NFL Season Kicks Off
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I’ve never related to my addiction to NFL Football as a
problem - time consuming, for sure, costly in the pizza and wings department,
absolutely. But as the season kicked off this week, I started to hear some
things, read some things and consider some things I had tried really hard to
ignore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m sorry to say, I now have to look at my passionate fandom
as a guilty pleasure. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For years now, this last year especially, so much has
surfaced about the life changing nature of the injuries these gridiron warriors
endure - especially the brutal consequences of concussions. With the news of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Saints_bounty_scandal" target="_blank">“Bountygate,”</a>
players intent on taking each other “out” for a game, or even a season, it
takes an even nastier turn. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I was reading in <span style="color: #3366ff;"><a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8286445/jr-moehringer-120-reasons-why-football-last-forever-espn-magazine" target="_blank">ESPNMagazine</a></span>, in a great article by J.R. Moehringer, about suspicions that
the neurological damage caused by concussions, known as “subconcussive injuries”,
could be at the source of recent player suicides.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Moehringer notes, when Titan’s wide receiver, O.J. Murdock,
killed himself this July, he became the SIXTH former or current player to
commit suicide in the past 2 years. Each of these players reportedly suffered
symptoms of <span style="color: #3366ff;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_traumatic_encephalopathy" target="_blank">chronic traumatic encephalopathy</a></span>
(CTE) – headaches, slurred speech, psychosis, depression, dementia, and memory
loss.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ0YFUcMOhc/UEt8rc9VYDI/AAAAAAAAAIs/gAmj3jeAiNQ/s1600/nfl_injury_panel_576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ0YFUcMOhc/UEt8rc9VYDI/AAAAAAAAAIs/gAmj3jeAiNQ/s320/nfl_injury_panel_576.jpg" width="320" /></a>One player, Dave Duerson, left a suicide note for this wife
that said, “Please see that my brain if given to the NFL’s brain bank.” He shot
himself in the heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another 500 players have signed waivers willing their brains
to the center. One of them being Matt Birk, a 15 year center for the Ravens. He
says this is his way of giving back to the game and helping future players. But
he says, “It’s too late for me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even if injuries are not life ending, they certainly could
kill quality of life for these guys, especially as they age. There are
countless players – current and retired – with metal plates holding their
extremities together with joints that have been rebuilt in surgery. You’ll hear
them in interviews joke casually about the pain of getting out of bed in the
morning and the ringing in their ears.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, it’s not exactly breaking news to say that this is a
brutally violent sport with physical consequences. Anyone who has ever seen
even one game can imagine the damage being done.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I know that for me, when I would witness the vicious hits,
the nauseating injuries, I would just say to myself, “Well, it’s their choice”.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZejrugWzxcY/UEt8qydX2QI/AAAAAAAAAIk/9fFdHCSzHD0/s1600/injured+eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZejrugWzxcY/UEt8qydX2QI/AAAAAAAAAIk/9fFdHCSzHD0/s200/injured+eagle.jpg" width="200" /></a>In the same issue of ESPN Magazine, 48 players were surveyed
about injuries and concussions. Are you ready for this? Of the guys polled, 54%
say that if they suffer brain damage as a result of playing in the NFL, it’s still
worth it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another question asked: If you could win Super Bowl MVP, but
it takes 5 years off your life, would that be worth it? Almost half, 48%,
respond yes. One NFL veteran lineman says, “Hell yeah! And at the rate I’m
going, I’m probably going to be in a wheelchair for the last 10 years of my
life anyway.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, there you go. They don’t <i>have</i> to play football. There are other professions, other sports,
and other ways to compete. If it’s their choice, why should I feel guilty?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Even if their passion for the game outweighs their concern for
long-term physical disability, that just makes me an enabler. Even a player who
says that football was their “only way out” of a life headed nowhere that makes
me the person who agrees with them. “There was no other way,” I’m
agreeing. The truth of the matter is
that my beloved NFL Sunday Ticket package, each carefully selected fantasy player and every jersey I buy keeps the
games in motion and in demand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p> </div>
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This leaves me with a question: to watch or not to watch?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s what I’ve decided: I will honor the passion and
commitment these men have for what they do. After all, I can’t think of a profession
I would be willing to risk my life and limb for in this way. There’s something
primal and strangely honorable about it. In fact, this depth of passion is something I truly admire and part of what draws me to this game.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, I will be cheering for you, guys…and quietly praying for you,
too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-17127371679050949742012-04-27T15:58:00.001-07:002012-04-27T15:58:32.213-07:005 Ways the NFL Draft Is Like the Miss America Pageant<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You should know, I have a passion for NFL
football unmatched by most fellas I know. I have been counting down the days to
the kick-off of the NFL draft this week.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was reading up on the expected top picks, and the stories
of these players’ journeys to the draft – years of Pop Warner football, touch
football in the neighborhood, and college fame. I asked myself the question: “Is
there a female equivalent of the NFL draft?”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I scratched my head as I thought about it. Where, in what
venue, are woman assessed for talent and training that they’ve been crafting
for years and years of their life, with a single objective, and massive public
exposure?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wj8nAMGjec/T5seH9gSL0I/AAAAAAAAAIY/syBCoVcJ85U/s1600/Miss-America-2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wj8nAMGjec/T5seH9gSL0I/AAAAAAAAAIY/syBCoVcJ85U/s320/Miss-America-2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, it hit me: The Miss America Pageant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay with me here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The women in these pageants are the product of years of intense
focus on their beauty, grace, poise and “assets”. They have been coiffed and
pampered from top to bottom (literally), a millions times over. Some got
started as soon as they could pull up their own Pampers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C’mon, don’t try to pretend that you haven’t guiltily soaked
in an episode of <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41302280/ns/today-entertainment/t/toddlers-tiaras-producer-explains-pageant-moms/#.T5CaCu33C2x">“Toddlers & Tiaras”</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me get specific about some similarities:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The swimsuit competition</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, let’s call it like it is: “let-us-see-what-you-look-like-almost-naked”
competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every year at the NFL combine, about
350 or so would-be-NFL-draftees compete to be ONE of the roughly 250 men
selected in the draft each year. Sure, they are there to have their football
skills assessed, but let’s face it – they are being sized up much like Miss
Georgia in a one-piece. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some may regret this objectification. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/gallery/tom-brady-shirtless"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DCOPSa1jAFA/T5seCBMYa0I/AAAAAAAAAIA/gT-4vzPmg8Q/s320/tom-brady-shirtless.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others, should look into opportunities
to model underwear if the aren’t selected in the draft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://madamepickwickartblog.com/2011/11/cheer-readers-a-thiefs-playbook"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2XIUdACjka8/T5seFJMRipI/AAAAAAAAAII/Sx5U_i5go7w/s320/Combine+photo.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Talent competition<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, there is no baton twirling at the NFL combine, but these
guys do have skills and they are assessed from every angle. Like, “can you take
a snap from center?” No idea what that means? <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/09000d5d8273476e/Weeden-Blackmon-show-off-their-skillls">Take a look</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for the ladies, last years talent competition offered
everything from classical ballet en pointe, playing to flute, Celtic fiddle and
even a jump rope routine. Singing seems to be the “go-to” for the gals – not
always for the best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. An intelligence test<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be part of the NFL draft, players must take The Wonderlic
Cognitive Ability Test (formerly known as the Wonderlic Personnel Test. Per wonderful
Wikipedia, this is a popular group intelligence test used to assess the
aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving. It consists
of 50 multiple choice questions to be answered in 12 minutes. Sample questions:</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a rope is selling 20 cents per 2 feet, how
many feet can you buy for 30 dollars?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which of numbers in this group represents the
smallest amount? a) 0.3 b) 0.08 c) 1 d) 0.33</span></li>
</ul>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, how about Miss America? How are her wits tested? We’ve
all seen these beauty pageant interviews, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ_2FIRwD7k">mostly underwhelming</a>, and sometimes
embarrassing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, in a column called “What I Learned About Interviewing
from Miss America” by <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/01/13/what-i-learned-about-interviewing-from-miss-america">The Daily Muse</a> in Forbes Magazine, she brought up some
interesting points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Imagine walking into a room with six pairs of eyes
immediately fixed on you. Each of those six people are chomping at the bit to
ask you the most difficult questions they can come up with—politics,
controversial issues, your personal life, you name it. They’re testing you,
challenging you, and trying to prove that you aren’t good enough. And they’re
judging you. Literally. After grilling you for a painstaking 20 minutes, each
person will put a score next your name.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. A “combined score” for performance based on different
parts of the competition<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Miss America, this is what the <a href="http://www.missamerica.org/news/press-kit/national-judging-process.aspx" target="_blank">measuring stick</a> looks
like to see if she is fit to wear the crown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preliminary Competitions and their score values:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimsuit - 15%</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evening Wear - 20%</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Talent - 35%</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Private Interview - 25%</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>On-Stage Question – 5%</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></o:p></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For players looking to be valued at the top of the NFL
draft, here are a few ways they are <a href="http://www.topendsports.com/sport/gridiron/nfl-draft.htm" target="_blank">sized up</a>:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Measurements of height, weight, arm length, and hand length </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The timed 40 yard dash Height of vertical jump </span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The length of broad jump (how far you can jump,
not how many broads you can jump over)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Timed three-cone drill - an agility test,
players run around three cones placed in the shape of an "L" (not how
fast you can eat three cones without brain freeze)</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Evening wear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3_LFgklDQs/T5seG6q2N5I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/P6F60x5sm_Y/s1600/Draft+evening+wear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3_LFgklDQs/T5seG6q2N5I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/P6F60x5sm_Y/s320/Draft+evening+wear.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, I admit, this is a bit of a stretch. But, some of these
guys are dressed to the nines, flaunting their individual and looking GREAT for
their big day. Thanks for that, guys! Check it out…there’s even a <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1133087-2012-nfl-draft-best-dressed-draftees-of-recent-years" target="_blank">slideshow</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wouldn’t think it would be necessary to point out the
differences between the NFL draft and the Miss America Pageant, but here are a
couple things I found interesting.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Per NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, the average
NFL player is in the league and getting paid to play <a href="http://nflcommunications.com/2011/04/18/what-is-average-nfl-player%E2%80%99s-career-length-longer-than-you-might-think-commissioner-goodell-says" target="_blank">for 6 years</a> vs. Miss
America, who gets to wear the crown for only one year <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scholarships awarded to Miss America totaled
$52,000 in 2012 vs. top draft pick, <a href="http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/30970626" target="_blank">Cam Newton</a>, who was guaranteed $22 million
for his 4 years deal with the Carolina Panthers. <o:p></o:p>
</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, brawn beats out beauty in the free market. Anybody feel
like taking a stab at where “brains” might rank?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First contributed to, and published by <a href="http://hellogiggles.com/5-ways-the-nfl-draft-is-like-the-miss-america-pageant" target="_blank">HelloGiggles!</a></span></i></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-14786093104528705832012-01-27T15:20:00.000-08:002012-01-27T15:20:09.273-08:00Tom Brady: You owe me one. Seriously.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's late in the day, Feb. 3rd, 2008. </span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There I sit, in University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ, watching my husband's heart break and his stomach go queasy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">See, my husband is a native of Boston. He is a Patriots fan....big time. And in 2008 he worked for the Arizona Cardinals. This meant the perfect storm of opportunity: </span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Since he worked for an NFL team, we could get tickets for face value = expensive but NOTHING close to free-market</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The game would be at the Cardinal's 'nest' = 40 minutes from our home, no travel, no room and board, no time off from work</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">His (now second) favorite team would be there, playing for the perfect season = once in a lifetime experience.</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Given ALL of this, I just had to 'break the bank' and get those tickets - the ones WAY up above, with a birds-eye view of the grid-iron.</span>With just barely a minute left in the game, and Mike looking more anxious by the second, it occurred to me that these seats were WAY too high-up. I wondered if I could keep him from jumping over the rail if I had to....</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And then, it happened.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">On third-and-5 from the Giants' 44-yard line, Manning took the snap in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun_formation" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Shotgun formation">shotgun formation</a> and immediately faced pressure... he was able to stay on his feet and duck under the arms of the Patriot defenders, before <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarterback_scramble" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Quarterback scramble">scrambling</a> backwards into space at around the 34 yard line, and throwing the ball down field to David Tyree at the 24 yard line of the Patriots. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Broadcasting_Company" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Fox Broadcasting Company">Fox</a> announcer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Aikman" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Troy Aikman">Troy Aikman</a> said after the play "I don't know how he got out of there."</blockquote></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">Due to the Patriots' pressure, Tyree was unable to run his intended route and instead came back towards the line to give Manning an option down the field.... As the ball arrived Tyree fell on the ground, along with Patriots defender <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Harrison" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Rodney Harrison">Rodney Harrison</a> who was attempting to knock it down. Tyree was able to secure possession of the ball by pressing it against the top of his helmet with his right hand.</blockquote></span><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The play gained 32 yards for the Giants and gave them a first down with 58 seconds left. Four plays later, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaxico_Burress" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad; text-decoration: none;" title="Plaxico Burress">Plaxico Burress</a> scored the touchdown that won the game for the Giants 17–14.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1em;">From Wikipedia</sup></span></span></blockquote>Well, Mike didn't jump. He just sat there in silence, stunned and sickly pale, staring at the field.<br />
I, for once, was speechless. In my mind, it sounded like a cash register, calculating the cost of his shattered dream.<br />
<br />
So, listen up, Tom. You guys owe me. There's no way I'm going to bet on your defense to pull this off. I don't think you should either. So, whatever had you "suck" (your words, not mine) last week in the AFC Championship Game, shake it off.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Heather<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vC-QggQgVw/TyMvnI8p6OI/AAAAAAAAAHw/8e6nswi8ZWc/s1600/073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--vC-QggQgVw/TyMvnI8p6OI/AAAAAAAAAHw/8e6nswi8ZWc/s200/073.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike, pre-devastation, picture not available post-devastation</td></tr>
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</div></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-16205269564736285442011-12-07T09:03:00.000-08:002011-12-07T09:03:18.749-08:00Lock-out OR Conspiracy? You be the judge...<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 4 more weeks, the NFL regular season is over and we are headed into the playoffs. Can you believe it? The post-season will be here as quick as Santa!</span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And just think, we almost didn’t have any football this year….remember? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L2K5Ab2hv5o/Tt-bfy0MqlI/AAAAAAAAAHY/mgVMxUOnPss/s1600/lockout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L2K5Ab2hv5o/Tt-bfy0MqlI/AAAAAAAAAHY/mgVMxUOnPss/s320/lockout.jpg" width="246" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No? Yeah, me neither.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Seems like an absurd, distant headline, doesn’t it?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From SeatGeek.com back in July: “I know it’s early to say this but the NFL is on the verge of not having a season. Any NFL fan sees this as a tragedy and if they are as pessimistic about the situation as I am they are either 1) coming to terms with the possibility of there not being a season and experiencing the most boring fall/winter ever or 2) cursing the players and the owners for wanting <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">more money</span></em>.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, the lock-out lasted a whopping 135 days - messed up mini-camps, some OTAs…and… so what?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For all the gloom and doom predictions, this 2011 season has been just as thrilling and loaded with parity as any I’ve ever seen!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And, ironically, it seems to me that the “uh-oh-lock-out” headlines did nothing but draw even more attention to the NFL in the off-season – way more attention than a “business-as-usual” off-season ever could have.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hey, wait….do I smell a conspiracy? Ok, I won’t go there. Just not that kind of blog.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy Holidays, everyone! Pass the pizza and bring on the playoffs!</span></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-35647953060123727312011-10-12T22:44:00.000-07:002011-10-12T22:44:41.012-07:00Al Davis: Visionary, Legendary, Feminist? Yep.<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There have been a lot of colorful adjectives used to describe Al Davis over the years – some scathing and others admiring. With his passing this last weekend, people have been reflecting back to see what made this man the extraordinary figure and force that he was for the NFL.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One thing that most might miss: Did you know that in 1997 Al Davis hired the first female CEO in the NFL?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her name is Amy Trask. And she is STILL the only woman in the NFL with those credentials.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Amy Trask grew up in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles" title="Los Angeles"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Los Angeles</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and graduated from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California,_Berkeley" title="University of California, Berkeley"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">University of California, Berkeley</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> with a degree in political science and a law degree from the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USC_Gould_School_of_Law" title="USC Gould School of Law"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">USC Gould School of Law</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. She became a fan of the Oakland Raiders while at Berkeley. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I did an internship for the Raiders [1983] while I was in graduate school in Southern California. It had long been a dream of mine to work for the Raiders,” Trask has said. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After completing her degree in political science in 1985, she worked for a law firm in L.A. But two years later, she reunited with her Raiders’ and Al Davis, who had remembered the young intern.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 1997, Davis promoted Trask to the top post inside the Raider Nation. She’s still there today, and all reports indicate she will be for a long time to come.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WXxJ8XWblBY/TpZ6ZxxOSPI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/GwB_qTst1ZQ/s1600/trask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WXxJ8XWblBY/TpZ6ZxxOSPI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/GwB_qTst1ZQ/s320/trask.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In interviews, Trask has shared that one of the guiding principles of the Raider organization is that young people should chase their dreams, no matter how ambitious. “I dared to dream. It's a message we should carry to young women everywhere, and even little girls. Take advantage of your opportunities. </span><a href="http://www.imdiversity.com/Article_Detail.asp?Article_ID=18"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don't sell yourself short</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.” </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has she said about working for Al Davis? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an article by Whitney Holtzman, espnW.com, she was quoted as saying, “It's a privilege and an honor to work for him and for the organization.”</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Away from football, Trask is an avid animal lover – she even serves on the board of directors of the Animal Rescue Foundation - loves horses and equestrian activities and reportedly, her favorite food is “desert”. This is a woman I want to call my “B.F.F.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a world built by testosterone and in an organization denoted by masculine bravado, to have an inspiring, idealistic woman with a heart at the helm seems like a pretty progressive move by Mr. Davis. I think he should be credited for that. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And if you think about it, that’s who Al Davis was for the NFL: a man who could recognize talent and was willing to bet on it. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From Larry Garcia of RaiderDrive.com, “Al Davis hired Art Shell, the first African-American coach in the NFL; and how about Super Bowl coach Tom Flores, who was the first Hispanic coach in the NFL<span style="color: black;">? John Madden had no head coaching experience, but he took the Raiders to AFC championships, playoffs and a Super Bowl. Gruden turned the Raiders around and made them both a playoff contender and a championship caliber team.”</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks to Larry Garcia for this toy box full of great information about Amy Trask. Take a minute to check out the entire article, it’s a great read!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="http://www.raiderdrive.com/amy_trask.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.raiderdrive.com/amy_trask.htm</span></a></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-66774027341100994362011-09-02T23:15:00.000-07:002011-09-02T23:15:24.438-07:00Let's get this season kicked-off, Mom...<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The message said “So, is Arizona this good, or is Denver that bad…I hope you are watching this game!” The agony was palpable - a fan feeling the pain of a pathetic performance by their team in the fourth game of the pre-season. Now, that’s a fan right? Attached to a game that most relate to as meaningless? I mean, this must be someone who really LOVES this game.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The message was from my mom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And when I heard it, I couldn’t quit smiling. I thought, “And this is how it turns out I love football.”</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She was calling me about the 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> pre-season game between her beloved Denver Broncos, and “my team”, the Arizona Cardinals. It was not going well for the Broncos.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The message meant great news for me – NOT because the Cardinals were winning. It wasn’t that at all. It was a great message for me because it meant football season is here, and I could look forward to many funny, passionate, silly exchanges between my mom and I about this sport that we love so much.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I know most people probably think of sports – and football, especially – as something that men and fathers and sons can connect over.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But, I have to say, I LOVE when my mom and I talk pigskin as much as any other “girlie” thing we might talk about. In fact, it’s kinda nice to talk about something just for the playful, insignificant fun of it. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think sometimes women find that there are just too many people to take care of, things to worry about, boo-boos to kiss, birthdays to remember, showers to host, to just indulge in fun for the sake of fun. </span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mom, I can hardly wait for this season to kick-off. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love, Heather</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3li2tISXeiQ/TmHFdcoAEpI/AAAAAAAAAHM/k8Rkdi_59AY/s1600/Me+%2526+Mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3li2tISXeiQ/TmHFdcoAEpI/AAAAAAAAAHM/k8Rkdi_59AY/s200/Me+%2526+Mom.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-63719283707807937692011-08-16T14:43:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:50:47.273-07:00Why is this pre-season "Must See TV"?Q<span style="font-family: Calibri;">uestion: Why bother taking up space on your DVR and time away from your fading summer to watch pre-season NFL football?</span> <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The average NFL fan knows that the games don’t really predict anything about their favorite team’s season. And there’s no point in paying too much attention to most of the new guys. They’ll more than likely be cut or relegated to the practice squad.</span></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7RANJ-f48YY/TkriXZqmCJI/AAAAAAAAAHE/B7CJ1huhEsw/s1600/preseason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7RANJ-f48YY/TkriXZqmCJI/AAAAAAAAAHE/B7CJ1huhEsw/s200/preseason.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The players – the ones who have contracts and rosters spots in place already – want little to do with it. After all, each pre-season snap increases their chance of injury and it’s not really “worth” their time. Players only make a few thousand dollars during the preseason. The big bucks only kick in once the regular season starts.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These teams haven’t had any offseason meetings, no OTAs (offseason training activity) no minicamps, nothing. Many of these guys only met their coaches for the first time just a few days before training camp started. So, what we’ll see for the most part is sloppy football from lack of practice.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, why watch? </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll tell you why: This preseason might be the most important in the history of the NFL. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At least for rookies and guys on the “bubble” this year who only have 4 games and stunted training camps to “wow” coaches. That’s a tiny window of time to either grab a roster spot or find themselves back at work at the carwash in Muncie, Indiana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To quote comedian Jay Mohr’s post on Twitter, before the Jets played the Texans on Monday, “I am freaking pumped for JETS football tonight. Love 4th qrt in preseason. 1 missed tackle is 1 lost career.” </span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And there you have it – watch because during the 3<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> quarters of these games, you just might catch some pretty fantastic football. Remember, each player in the NFL was one of the BEST players and athletes on any college football team and they have their lives – at least their life’s ambitions – at stake. To me, that’s a game worth playing and worth watching.</span></span></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-72542184793823318892011-01-21T21:34:00.000-08:002011-01-21T21:34:43.611-08:00Say, "Cheese!" Mr. Rodgers!I have never been to Wisconsin. I have never liked cold weather. I would never wear an enormous slice of fake cheese on my head, although I do like brats.<br />
<br />
But let me tell you, this weekend I will be leading the parade in front of the Green Bay Packers band-wagon! They are now MY TEAM and I’ll be cheering my lungs out for them this weekend. I want them to win it ALL!<br />
<br />
Well, when I say “them”, I really mean “him”. Him: Aaron Rodgers.<br />
<br />
Ever since Brett Favre waved goodbye to Green Bay with his tear-soaked hanky in March 2008, Aaron Rodgers has been nothing but classy, composed and competitive. Amidst the endless circus of media and mayhem that has been the “Favre Follies” for the past 2 ½ years; Rodgers kept his mouth shut, and kept improving.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TTprNqs2d9I/AAAAAAAAAG0/2dVaC4B1i3c/s1600/Favre%252C+grounded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TTprNqs2d9I/AAAAAAAAAG0/2dVaC4B1i3c/s200/Favre%252C+grounded.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This year, Favre hit an all-time low – looking more and more like a desperate, middle-aged, pervy uncle than the hero he had been in Green Bay the day he rode out on his white horse. Fast forward to the end of his career (let’s hope) on the frozen ground in Chicago in December. And the rumors that he couldn’t keep the fly to his “real. comfortable. jeans.” zipped up. No end could have seemed more pathetic and anticlimactic for a man who seemed destined to be a beloved legend.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Now, nothing could be a more fitting closing comment on Favre’s football epitaph than the bitter irony of “the back-up,” Aaron Rodgers, rising to the top, when Favre has hit bottom. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>God speed, Mr. Rodgers, and “Go, Pack, GO!”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TTprJmq4VSI/AAAAAAAAAGw/s6wewv8e1jE/s1600/aaron-rodgers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" s5="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TTprJmq4VSI/AAAAAAAAAGw/s6wewv8e1jE/s320/aaron-rodgers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-795892531710217502011-01-03T12:56:00.000-08:002011-01-03T12:56:51.339-08:00Bengal Chris Henry’s Last Season Took My Breath AwayRoman culture tells us of the gift-giving gesture of Saint Nicholas, whose acts of compassion for those in need evolved into the idea of charity within the Christmas holiday. Today, we often refer to this time of year as the “season of sharing.” So it’s ironic that when former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Chris Henry died just before the holidays more than a year ago, a most charitable season of sharing emerged. <br />
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On December 16, 2009, NFL star Chris Henry died from injuries suffered when he fell from a moving vehicle. Although the tragic incident initially received some national attention, it quickly faded away. Very recently, a final redeeming chapter emerged from a very sad story. <br />
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Chris Henry’s mother Carolyn Henry Glaspy, was devastated by her son’s senseless death and made a decision in hopes of furthering the meaning and value of his life. Although Chris had not signed up to be an organ donor himself, when his mother realized that his passing was imminent she chose to have his organs donated. <br />
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In all, four individuals’ lives were saved with Chris’ lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Just recently those individuals and their families had the opportunity to meet Carolyn personally and thank her for her most unselfish act. Donna Arnold was one of those recipients, getting a kidney and pancreas. Her husband poignantly said about Carolyn and the experience, “Life is not about the breaths that you take, but the moments that take your breath away…this was one of those moments.”<br />
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Chris Henry’s last season was not played on a football field, but in the lives and families of these organ recipients. It was most definitely his finest season. So as I wrap up this year, and reflect on how my 2010 season is concluding, I’m so proud of Carolyn Henry Glaspy’s courage, compassion and commitment to make people aware of the importance of organ donation. And I reflect upon a moment more than ten years ago, when at a small reservation health fair I learned about the disparity of organ donation in Native communities. Recent statistics said that only 12 Native Americans donated an organ in a year when more than 1,400 Native Americans were on the transplant waiting list. So I sat at a little table and registered to become an organ donor.<br />
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I doubt my story or my moments will ever make national news, but on this day and in this moment, a professional football player, his mother and a woman from a tiny town on the Navajo reservation share something special. And it takes my breath away.<br />
<br />
by Patty Dimitriou<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TSI37Q_cj2I/AAAAAAAAAGs/i84OOh0P79Y/s1600/Patty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TSI37Q_cj2I/AAAAAAAAAGs/i84OOh0P79Y/s200/Patty.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br />
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* Please consider joining me and the 90 million Americans who have signed up to be an organ and tissue donor at www.donatelife.netHeather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-37075462507276628842010-11-26T09:30:00.000-08:002010-11-26T09:30:43.202-08:00Can I get some cotton candy to go with that prediction?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TO_swXUwSUI/AAAAAAAAAGc/Bppxq3MIHSU/s1600/Carnival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TO_swXUwSUI/AAAAAAAAAGc/Bppxq3MIHSU/s400/Carnival.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I had predicted right after the 2010 draft that by mid-season the Dallas Cowboys would be in last place in the NFC East and Wade Phillips would be given walking papers, you would have argued with me. You would have talked about a roster rich with talent, and pointed out that the Cowboys clenched their division decisively against the Eagles in 2009.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I then had gone on to predict that the Vikings – with Brett Favre back under center – would be 4 games back from first place in the NFC North behind not only the Packers, but ALSO the Bears - AND that their coach, Brad Childress, would be canned, AND Randy Moss would be cut loose, you would have thought I had completely lost it, right?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let’s say I then added that the Raiders, with Jason Campbell at QB, would be making a serious run at winning the AFC West and that the Bengals, with “premier” wide-outs Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens, would be last in the AFC North behind the Browns.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After all this, wouldn’t you have called in a prescription for crazy pills?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking at the NFL season thus far, I can’t help but shake my head and wonder how on earth anyone who calls themselves an “expert” on the NFL could make such certain predictions before the season starts. Here in Arizona, our color analyst for the Cardinals, Ron Wolfley, calls these predictions an “affront to the athletic process.” I would have to agree.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clearly, the human dynamics involved in this fiercely competitive league make it silly to think there are any “givens” in any given season. The cliché “any given Sunday” came to be cliché for a reason – it’s accurate. The balance of team chemistry, injuries, contract negotiations, and the alignment of the planets inevitably conspire to keep parity alive and well.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, this is why we love the NFL, right? Isn’t that what makes it worth your time to watch and cheer? Think about a movie that was spoiled for you, either because key plot points were given away by a friend or because it had been so totally overhyped it could not live up to your expectations. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This begs the question: since most of these expert predictions end up being about as accurate as the fortune teller at a parking lot carnival, what is the point of all the pontification?</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The point is, we love the carnival.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div></div></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-83854584880132688392010-10-25T23:04:00.000-07:002010-10-25T23:04:13.712-07:00Who do you think is the "hottest pic" at QB?With all this heavy NFL talk about concussions, a looming lock-out, coaches on the hot seat, we need a break. I want to talk about something different – specifically starting quarterbacks.<br />
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But this is not about passer ratings, or total yards. Here’s the question I pose to you, ladies: <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZuNpyI9fI/AAAAAAAAAGY/jOFjGILvSLo/s1600/josh+freeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZuNpyI9fI/AAAAAAAAAGY/jOFjGILvSLo/s200/josh+freeman.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh Freeman</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Who is the best looking <u>starting</u> quarterback in the NFL?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Here are my TOP FIVE pics...and picks:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">5. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the bottom of the pile is Josh Freeman. Josh was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 draft, and with the recent success of Tampa Bay, I hope we’ll get to see more of him. I think he has a great smile, and his eyes melt my heart. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZqVsoANLI/AAAAAAAAAF8/weleu67KkN4/s1600/David+Carr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" nx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZqVsoANLI/AAAAAAAAAF8/weleu67KkN4/s200/David+Carr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Carr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>4. David Carr, San Francisco 49ers. <br />
Looks like David Carr is going to get to start for the 49ers with Alex Smith injured. David has been in the league since 2002. With an average passer rating of 75.1%, I don’t see him making a difference for San Fran this season, but I won’t mind watching him try. He’s got a great, strong jaw and a sultry grin. That’s how he gets away with this buzz cut.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZqgoV4kTI/AAAAAAAAAGA/pRayCyk1i3Q/s1600/brees_ribeiro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" nx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZqgoV4kTI/AAAAAAAAAGA/pRayCyk1i3Q/s200/brees_ribeiro.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drew Brees</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. Drew makes the top 5 for me. I have always thought that there was something really attractive about him, but when I saw his eyes teared up, holding his son at the end of the Super Bowl, that did it. I always noticed his great smile, but never noticed how gorgeous his eyes were until those post game pics. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZq3fGZsII/AAAAAAAAAGE/eF5GctW2r4Q/s1600/tom-brady-hot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZq3fGZsII/AAAAAAAAAGE/eF5GctW2r4Q/s200/tom-brady-hot.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Brady</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots. Tom takes 2nd place – something he probably would not like. I know most women think he should be in the top spot, but he’s not edgy enough for me. And frankly, the long hair is a complete turn-off - well, not a COMPLETE turn-off. He still made a run for the top spot. I mean, look at this picture – seriously.</div><br />
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</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZrLLXBYUI/AAAAAAAAAGI/zrFRZ9wwVZE/s1600/mark-sanchez-jets-2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZrLLXBYUI/AAAAAAAAAGI/zrFRZ9wwVZE/s200/mark-sanchez-jets-2009.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Sanchez</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets. I think Mark is absolutely smoldering. His smile is heart-stopping. I can’t tell you how much I love the post game interviews when they win. Have you girls seen his GQ spread from last year? Muy caliente!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZtTjYSedI/AAAAAAAAAGU/YGB443s4jFY/s1600/Matt+Leinart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" nx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZtTjYSedI/AAAAAAAAAGU/YGB443s4jFY/s200/Matt+Leinart.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There are two guys who get an “honorable mention”. Matt Leinart, the number 3 QB for the Houston Texans, missed the list because he is not a starter. Sorry Matt, looks like you lost out in this competition, too. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>And I know most coaches will say that a player won’t lose their job because of an injury, but they will lose a spot on the list. Seneca Wallace, of the Cleveland Browns, sorry to add insult to injury but you are not a starter. Better luck next year! <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZsEwIFu7I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/xceUiF5dhMM/s1600/Seneca+Wallace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" nx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TMZsEwIFu7I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/xceUiF5dhMM/s200/Seneca+Wallace.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seneca Wallace</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Ladies, I want to hear from you. Who is your favorite fella under center in the NFL?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-16779132223801539302010-10-04T23:53:00.000-07:002010-10-04T23:53:36.384-07:00Maybe female fans need a uniform code... <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TKrAU7XpvDI/AAAAAAAAAFs/8gIZDMjzzVw/s1600/nfl_fans_dolphins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TKrAU7XpvDI/AAAAAAAAAFs/8gIZDMjzzVw/s200/nfl_fans_dolphins.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">During a game, if an NFL player's socks are not pulled up to the "mid-point of the lower leg", touching the bottom of his pants, he gets fined $5,000. An un-tucked Jersey will cost him up to $10,000. During the playoffs a uniform violation can set a fella back $75,000.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, if your sitting next to this guy during the game, should he pay a fine?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have to say, I would love to share season tickets in the same section as this guy versus the wanna-be-gold-diggers at the stadium - "kickin' them daisy's", their thongs showing whenever they sit down or raise their arms. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Watching them teeter through the crowded concourse on stilettos leaves me embarrassed - for them. I refuse to post pictures and give them the attention their daddy never did.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I consider myself a huge fan, and I make it to every home game to see my team play. I have jerseys and girly gear of all kinds sporting my allegiance. I'm there to experience the awesome energy of live NFL action and cheer for my favorite players. I'm not interested in playing the role of "eye candy" to a rowdy crowd of inebriated men with testosterone levels in the danger zone.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">So, I'll see you at the game - in my Chuck Taylor's and my Adrian Wilson jersey.</div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-25720776207525684332010-09-30T21:56:00.000-07:002010-09-30T21:56:30.544-07:00"Shake it off!" What great advice...How many times have you heard - or said - "shake it off", referencing some misfortune on the football field - or some misfortune in life? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TKVlMytgw0I/AAAAAAAAAFo/C7T5AFgRDig/s1600/shake+it+off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TKVlMytgw0I/AAAAAAAAAFo/C7T5AFgRDig/s320/shake+it+off.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I know for me and other people, it's become a sort of running gag when something bad happens to say this to someone, knowing full well the "something" we're talking about won't be easily shook.<br />
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This week though, when I was watching the Monday night game between the Packers and the Bears, something hit me. After every snap, any professional football player who wants to be one of the best , who wants his team to win, really does have to "shake it off". <br />
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"It" could be throwing an interception, blowing a tackle, comitting a stupid penalty, or getting lit up like a Christmas tree by a Pro-Bowl linebacker. <br />
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Regardless, if that player wants the next snap to have any chance of resulting in success, he's got to let "it" go - and fast! In most cases, the player has all of about a minute to take his mind off the last play to prepare for the next. <br />
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And can't you tell when he doesn't? Isn't it so obvious when the opposing team is able to get "in a player's head," and his play suffers throughout the rest of the game? <br />
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Get ready. I'm about to get philosophical. <br />
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Here's my thought: What if I was able to "shake off" every poor result in my life in less than a minute? What if I could look at each mistake, each failed attempt, and disappointment and recognize that it was just one "play" in a very long game? <br />
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Of course, I am the only one who could say what "winning" my game would look like when the clock runs out. But how much more likely - and much more quickly - would I be able to accomplish the win just by letting go of what didn't work? <br />
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And even if I "lost", what would the experience of playing the game be like? <br />
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It seems to me, it would be exhilarating, intense, inspiring because it would have been all of me in the game all the time. I would still go back and "watch the tape" to really get my mind around what didn't work, but there would be no time to wallow or luxuriate in it.<br />
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As a matter of fact, wouldn't it even be great to shake off a win, too? Think of the players who have been so in love with their own talent and accomplishments that the game, and his team, took second place to his own ego. (Can you say, T.O.?)<br />
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And what is the game of my life - of your life - worth when compared to a 60-minute football game?Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-4870351704088352132010-09-15T21:46:00.000-07:002010-09-15T21:48:13.996-07:00I agree with Keith Olbermann?!?! Anyone hear...did Hell freeze over?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Never thought I'd hear myself say this, but here it goes: "You are right Keith! Preach on, brother!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keith Olbermann was commenting on the alleged "harassment" of Azteca "reporter", Ines Sainz, when she was in the New York Jets locker room Monday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Olbermann said, "S<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">he undermines every hard working woman sports reporter who knows the game." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I could not agree more. </span>Ines Sainz is nothing more than a piece of eye candy for Azteca and everyone knows it - including her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Listen, as I woman, I know what reaction I'm trying to elicit or what impression I'm trying to create when I put myself together every day. There are certainly different "themes": job interview, baby shower, beach day, date night....girls night out. Each theme has a different make-up application. Some call for stilletos and thigh-highs, others call for a ball cap and sneakers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd be willing to bet Ms. Sainz has pondered over these kinds of choices, as all women do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, you tell me: what reaction...response...impression....was she trying to create when she made the choice to wear this?</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TJGWUrGC1iI/AAAAAAAAAFg/GenzvWus3gc/s1600/Ines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TJGWUrGC1iI/AAAAAAAAAFg/GenzvWus3gc/s320/Ines.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I heard one woman say on a call-in sports show this morning, "She dressed to get attention and attention is what she got!" Exactly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ms. Sainz made a <em>choice</em> when she painted those jeans on - and choices have consequences.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would any reasonable, rational person - even a reasonable, rational feminist - expect a locker room full of intense and competitive men, coming down from an adrenalized testosterone high, to "mind their manners"?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it is a shame that the Jets players chose to react the way they did to this calculated <em>choice</em> by Ms. Sainz (and her producers) to show up for "work" dressed this way. The players could have made a choice to treat her like any pudgy, middle-aged male reporter in the locker room.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which brings up another good point by Olbermann: "<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ultimately, what the hell are reporters doing in locker rooms anyway?"</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What upsets me the most about this? I had to agree with Keith Olbermann. Damn.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-43075947621494158292010-09-02T22:14:00.000-07:002010-09-02T22:47:05.520-07:00It's almost midnight, Cinderella....<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TICLXo5U6LI/AAAAAAAAAFY/E5ks5oueZt4/s1600/Cinderella.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 146px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512559182132603058" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TICLXo5U6LI/AAAAAAAAAFY/E5ks5oueZt4/s200/Cinderella.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I was watching pre-season football games wrap-up and started to think about sleep when it occured to me, "Lots of these guys won't be sleepin' - no way."</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>After all, how could they? Imagine the suspense as Saturday approaches and teams are mercilessly cut down to 53 men. If it were me, I would be lying in bed playing every snap from every practice and every pre-season game over, and over again in my mind.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Tonight was the last time that some of these players will get to take the field with an NFL team. For others, life "on the fringe" begins - waivers, practice squads, trades - but no starts. </div><br /><div></div><div>And frankly, how many of them would we even remember or recognize? </div><br /><div></div><div>Made me think about Cinderella...</div><br /><div></div><div>Made it to the ball, dressed to kill, danced with a hot prince, had a glass of bubbly...and still ended up going home in a pumpkin.</div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-44030418194347189922010-08-30T21:08:00.000-07:002010-08-30T21:35:04.613-07:00I vote "NO!" on 18<span style="font-family:arial;">I think my "girly" side is kicking in again - trumping my love of the game.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It looks like, inevitably, the regular NFL season is going to be extended to 18 games. I hate this idea. Hate it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Sounds crazy, right? Here I am, sitting on the couch, writing a blog about football and saying "no more football" - but hear me out.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Adding two more games to the regular season means that my favorite players will be subjected to two more punishing and dangerous battles each year. I think it's reasonable to think that this could very well shorten their careers, and even worse, impact the quality of their lives <em>after </em>football. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As it is now, the average player only lasts in the NFL for about 3 seasons. Think of that...everything you've worked for your whole life used up in 3 years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I know...I know, "Don't feel sorry for them! They make more in those 3-4 years than I will make in my lifetime!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here in middle-class-ville, it's easy to imagine that the money would make it worth it. But does it?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Most of these guys start their careers in the NFL still so young that they believe they are invincible, immortal - with pockets full of cash. They can barely see past tomorrow, much less 10, 20, 30 years into the future. Could you at 22?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But does the fact that they get paid obscene amounts of money to "play a game" make it right to capitalize on their talents for our entertainment until their bodies are pulverized?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Something about that just seems "off" to me.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Am I the only one?</span>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-51175027832078446852010-08-22T21:37:00.000-07:002010-08-22T22:06:05.795-07:00One snap, your season's over.<span style="font-family:arial;">You're 21 years old. You've played football for more than half your life. You had one dream: to play in the NFL.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">And you've worked hard to get good - really good - good enough to make it to the NFL draft. This is something that thousands of little boys dream of, but something few ever achieve.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But you, you've made it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Can you imagine? Can you imagine the excitement, the anticipation of being one phone call away from having all your dreams come true? And not just for you, but for your friends, your family, the people who love you, the people who got you there.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Ben Tate was the Houston Texans' second-round draft pick this year. When he got "the call", shouts of celebration and tears of joy erupted from him and his friends and family.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=896515962718">http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=896515962718</a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Ben's season is over. On Aug. 15th, his ankle was broken during a pre-season game against the Arizona Cardinals. His first NFL game.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Now, being the fan that I am, I can't deny that there is something about the brutal , physical battles between these modern day gladiators that I love. But, Ben's story - one of many that make the pre-season headlines - makes my heart ache for him, and for all the others.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I just imagine the shock and the crushing disappointment of having the dream you've worked so hard for, and just barely got to taste, stolen from you in a moment. When I see these things happen, I feel sick. Is this just my "girl" showing?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Of course, I'm sure that the Texans plan to "get value" from this "pick" next year. Coach Gary Kubiak said, "The surgery should be fine, he should be back playing next year. But it's a big blow. We were counting on him a great deal. He's a dang good-looking young player."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">But, in the "win-now" NFL with coaches' jobs at stake, a lock-out looming and other talented young men fighting to take his place, I would imagine Ben Tate had a hard time choking down his birthday cake on Saturday.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">I bet I know what he wished for when he blew out those 22 candles...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-6483358572908594192010-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:002010-08-18T21:18:51.590-07:00Follow Pretty Pigskin!<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.facebook.com/PrettyPigskin"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 147px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506970190437102466" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TGywNgWrM4I/AAAAAAAAAFA/fmOzN14yM98/s200/prettypigskinlogoOFFICIALjpg.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Ladies, two more ways to be part of Pretty Pigskin:</span></div><br /><div></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Join our fan page on Facebook! </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/PrettyPigskin"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.Facebook.com/PrettyPigskin</span></a></div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">And you can tag along via Twitter! @PrettyPigskin</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Looking forward to hearing from you!</span></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747797513247459210.post-6522618898693906042010-08-17T19:14:00.000-07:002010-08-17T19:31:17.772-07:00"What about Brett Faverer?"<a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/438044-brett-favre-returning-to-minnesota-vikings-no-one-is-surprised"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 138px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506571104355930530" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AyXCpDwyDIY/TGtFPo2Q0aI/AAAAAAAAADo/2pX201jJTiM/s200/Brett+Favre.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Ok, I am SO SICK of this story line.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">To me, he has completely tarnished what was an incredible reputation and fan following with his self-indulgent, attention seeking, dramatic "will-he-won't-he" production.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">And the worst part: If he is coming back to the league this year (Magic 8-ball says, "It is decidedly so"), then we will have to go through this all over again at the end of this season! Unless of course, his 41-year old body takes a beating he can't recover from at some point during the season.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Maybe the 2011 lock-out over the collective bargaining agreement will give him the "closure" he needs to retire. Do I think there'll be a lock-out? Magic 8-ball says, "Signs point to yes."</span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Heather D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01429707688700122136noreply@blogger.com2