My blog has moved!
You will be automatically redirected to the new address. If that does not occur, visit
http://www.fumbledreturns.com
and update your bookmarks.
Call it a sign.
But with all the birds dropping from the skies unexpectedly.
My fumbled prediction is no winning bird teams in the playoffs.
First of all: I hope everyone has had, is having, and will have a Happy New Year!
Reflecting on what has happened over the course of 2010, one of the things I looked at was my blog.
I have been keeping Google Analytics running on for this site for quite some time and I also noticed that blogger itself has started doing the same thing.
I love looking at statistics. People think they are unbiased, but they are not.
I look at them kind of like quotes. You can use them to point out or prove just about anything you want.
But what struck me as interesting about both Google Analytics and Blogspot Stats is both the similarities and differences. This was especially interesting because I thought Google bought out Blogger. I would have thought they would use the same methodology for collecting statistics. But obviously they do not.
So in the spirit of sports, more specifically the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll and the BCS Poll, all of which I often find equally baffling; here is my Top 10 Fumbled Returns Posts.
First, Google Analytics Top Ten
Rank -- Page -------------------------- Views
1) ---- The conditioning test --------- 3035
2) ---- Dog Gone Spies ---------------- 261
3) ---- Three Cheers for Health Care -- 104
4) ---- An Educated Investor ---------- 89
5) ---- Impersonation ----------------- 85
6) ---- Leap Frog Commentary ---------- 84
7) ---- NFL Stocks -------------------- 72
8) ---- Ready Set Go ------------------ 63
9) ---- Mutt Madness ------------------ 58
10)---- Last but not least ------------ 57
Second, Blogger Stats
Rank -- Page -------------------------- Views
1) ---- Conditioning Test ------------- 3,920
2) ---- Leap Frog Commentary ---------- 416
3) ---- Dog Gone Spies ---------------- 357
4) ---- Impersonation ----------------- 266
5) ---- An Educated Investor --------- 181
6) ---- Last but not least ------------ 132
7) ---- NFL Stocks - Revisited -------- 110
8) ---- New Plays --------------------- 65
9) ---- Randy Moss, Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger - 55
10) --- I want ------------------------ 45
Obviously I have to thank Fat Albert Haynesworth and the Washington Redskins for the inspiration and SI.com Extra Mustard for accepting my submission. They are the real reason for the surge in views for that particular post.
All the expert Bloggers say quality is better than quantity when it comes to blogging but, as we all know, a viral video or two doesn't hurt either.
These stats can be pretty good for looking at key words and where the viewing traffic comes from; Like some of my referring sites Snot Bubble Football, Life with Dogs (blog hop), Networked Blogs, Facebook; but I'd also like to ask anybody who happens to be reading this if their favorite post is listed and what they like most and least about my blog.
So go ahead, let'er rip, I can take it.
I'm actually contemplating some changes and my asking here helps with my decisions and my upcoming soon to be posted 2011 goals.
Thanks for helping make my year of blogging fun and interesting and hope you all stick around for 2011.
As always, be good, do well, have fun.
I am old school. No big secret there.
I am a big proponent of clearly defined and simple rules.
Not the least of which should include: Having fun and being good.
The best memories and even wisdom can come from life’s experiences.
When it comes to Football, There should be one clearly defined rule.
Actually several, but the first ones should go like this.
- NFL Football Stadiums should be outdoor stadiums.
- NFL Football Fields should be natural turf.
- NFL Fans should love the elements as much as the game itself.
Plain and simple: Football is an outdoor sport!
As I watched the Vikings Monday Night Football Game against Da Bears, I came to the realization that I, and these simple rules, have been right all along . . . ;-)
And a lot of important people agree with me. Here are just a few:
Joe Gibbs: There is no indoor practice facility at Redskins park because of his long standing belief that football is an outdoor sport.
Leslie Frazier: grew up in the cold and experienced many a football game in the elements and loves the idea of being out in the elements.
Zygi Wilf: wants to reinstate the tradition back in Minnesota, or where ever he ends up moving the team . . .
I sincerely hope that this outdoor tradition catches hold and we see a lot more games played out in the elements like the one last night and see more new OUTDOOR stadiums being built.
And for those of you who want to point out that I was inside a climate controlled room with a wide screen TV while I came to this enlightened realization remember this:
I was about 1200 miles away
and
TV is NOT an outdoor sport!
Who will win?
My original idea for this post was a kind of Drama award for the NFL.
We certainly have had (and continue to have) plenty of teams, coaches, owners and players all worthy of some sort of Headline or Drama award this year.
I even had a couple top contenders in mind (Vikings and Brett Favre) vs ( Redskins, AH, McNabb, Shanahan). Yes the Redskin side out numbers the Vikings, but only in candidates.
There are plenty of other contenders out there and everyone (fans), depending on their loyalties and personalities, will have his or her own favorites.
The first dilemma I encountered was how to choose and whom?
One way might be to go simply by number of news articles for 2010. I quickly realized, that despite my , and a certain followers preferences, the previously mentioned; surprisingly are NOT necessarily top contenders.
Google 2010 news articles:
Brett Favre --------- 19K results
Donovan McNabb ------ 9K results
Albert Haynesworth -- 4K results
Mark Sanchez -------- 11K results
Minnesota Vikings --- 21K results
New York Jets ------- 28K results
New York Giants ----- 31K results
I could have done more but I did not feel like going through every possible team and player combination out there.
Another way to choose a winner might be to go simply by popularity.
For this I turned to social media to look for answers.
Again, I found some surprising results.
Teams with most Facebook fans:
#1 Dallas Cowboys
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers
#3 New Orleans Saints
#4 New England Patriots
#6 Minnesota Vikings
#10 Washington Redskins
Then we have the number of people who “like” something, or in this case, somebody else:
673K people like the Minnesota Vikings
440K people like the Washington Redskins
1.16 million people like the New England Patriots
1.26 million people like the Steelers
But what about some of the players?
T.O. has 390K people who like him (obviously there is no accounting for taste as you will soon see)
Favre 98K like him
Mcnabb 40K like him
Only 1K people like Haynesworth.
Randy Moss, has 170K liking him.
Ochocinco 1.3 million people like him (Really?)
And, sad to say, two of my personal favorite NFL role models:
5K like Darrell Green.
2.5K like London Fletcher.
Twitter had some equally interesting results for top followers:
#4 Kerry Rhodes
#7 Mark Sanchez
#9 NY Jets
#11 New England Patriots
#16 ndamukong_suh
#21 Vikings
Oh, and now for something completely different, one funny listing I saw regarding “most retweeted” for 2010 . . .
OK, now that I have totally digressed beyond / past my original idea, let me pull everyone back to how to choose and present an award.
For this, I took inspiration from the original photo I so grandiosely trashed. The Oscars and the Academy Awards.
Instead of creating a dull and most likely incomplete poll, I am going to create discussion threads on my Fumbled Returns Facebook Fan Page with the following Categories:
Best NFL Actor
Best NFL Art or Sign
Best NFL Fan Costume
Best Rant
Best Action Shot
Best Sound Effect
Best Unscripted Comment
Best Dance
Best Score
Best Commercial
And stealing one from categories turned down . . .
Best Juvenile Award
Within these discussion threads anybody will be able to nominate their own personal suggestion / link and or agree with one that is already there.
I will keep the threads open through the remainder of the season, including the playoffs and super bowl.
And in keeping with the original inspiration, tally the votes and announce the awards sometime around the real academy awards in 2011.
So, you all have some time to think about your choice awards for each category and submit an entry.
Submit multiple entries if you like.
Or confirm that you end up liking one already there.
Lets see who wins!
This is a wonderful time of year.
Many people are focused on the holidays, Friends, Family, and all things which we are thankful for and have contributed to making our lives better.
I would like to think that one of the things which make our lives better, or at least more fun and memorable is sports.
This past week, the sports world lost a legendary sports and entertainment figure Don Meredith.
Don Meredith was part of what is now an American Institution. Monday Night Football.
Oh yeah, he was also a Dallas Cowboy, and a pretty Dandy one at that, but I certainly don't hold his choice of teams against him...
When I look for gift ideas, I often try to think of ideas that give either a different spin on a popular topic or represent the "classic" or "best of" a topic.
So, in honor of Dandy Don and Monday Night football I've come up with two Gift Ideas.
Monday Night Mayhem:
Based on the book by Bill Carter and Marc Gunther, this immensely entertaining made-for-cable film tells it like it was in chronicling the golden age of Monday Night Football, a bold experiment in prime-time programming that transformed the pop-culture landscape. Carrying the ball for the lesser-known ensemble is John Turturro's Emmy-worthy performance as Howard Cosell, who played the role of "provocateur" in the then-revolutionary three-man booth that included in its heyday "Dandy" Don Meredith (Brad Beyer) and Frank Gifford (Kevin Anderson). John Heard gives a career-best performance as ABC producer Roone Arledge, who nurtured his brainchild and brilliantly massaged the egos of his stars. His prickly, more complex relationship with Cosell is the heart of this film. Rich with incident, Monday Night Mayhem spans from Muhammad Ali's controversial anti-Vietnam War stance and the blood-soaked 1972 Munich Olympics to John Lennon's death, which Cosell announced to a shocked nation. Also comic and compelling is the behind-the-scenes in-fighting and the colorful backstage characters.
The complete story of the early years of the greatest night in sports.
In September 1970, ABC Sports started a revolution that became an American Institution. Now, 25 seasons later, the beginning of every autumn work week is much easier to handle. The 25th Anniversary of ABC's Monday Night Football celebrates the highlights and history made by football's greatest players and play-by-players.
The hard-hitting action is all here in classic overtime victories, amazing runs, winning kicks, blitzes, bloopers and bizarre moments from the NFL's greatest night. John Frank Gifford, Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, and former announcers Howard Cosell, "Dandy" Don Meredith, O.J. Simpson, Joe Namath, Fred Williamson and Keith Jackson for magic moments from the booth to the backfield to the bench.
This special collector's edition also features: inside stories, classic anecdotes and great gaffes; moving moments of triumph, defeat and courage; and much more!
Now this is a site I could and would get behind!
There could be something for everyone.
From Belichick to Sports Writers
From Owners to Fans
From Players to Cheerleaders
Imagine the possibilities!
Well, as you may be able to tell, I've been pretty silent on the blog lately. But I've been here in spirit.
Just too busy to really write about it.
So lets start with the basics and a little catch up of events, both with sports and stocks.
Sports:
Fantasy wise, I am doing OK. I will most likely make the playoffs in both my Fumbled Returns League of Experts and even in my other Borderless league. There, I am top point winner but currently 3rd out of 12. I think I stand a good chance of getting in but I was really, really hoping to be top in my division so I get that all important 1st round bye. But James has to loose and I have to win this week for me to even have a chance of that happening and I have a tougher match up than he does.
After being the wise old man that I am and drafting handcuffs to Frank Gore (Anthony Dixon) and Chris Johnson (Javon Ringer) in the beginning of the year, I subsequently dumped them when everyone stayed healthy and I needed players during the bye weeks. Now with Gore out for the season, folks are scrambling to get Westbrook. But he is hurting too and Dixon could become a factor yet. I think I will take a gamble and pick him up just in case. In looking at the waiver wire both are amazingly still available. Strangely enough, Byron Westbrook was picked up . . .
Hmmm I wonder if somebody made a silly mistake . . . Yes, (an email confirms it), yes he did ( wow )
A lot of folks around here are talking about the Skins but unfortunately they have performed just about they way I had expected. There were just way too many weak spots to address and way, way too few draft picks to work with. Personally, I think Shanny and Allen have done a really good job with the hand(s) they were dealt with. It will be a few years before we can get back to the glory days.
And speaking of glory days, while in NY over thanksgiving, my father in law had out on the table an anniversary edition of the history of the Giants. What I was really struck with was all the good ol’ shots and stories of football from the days before AstroTurf, over protective / restrictive rules, and domes. This is probably why I enjoy working with and watching youth football so much.
I am putting natural turf, celebration dances, less restrictive player rules on my NFL Christmas Wish List.
Stocks:
My Share builder November list did really well. MOTR was the big winner and, though I did have a few lose money, none were big drops. Overall my investments returned a healthy 6% for November.
I did learn one very important thing about Share Builder and Auto Investment Watch Lists. If you have Sharebuilder set to auto invest, as most accounts will, and you sell a stock that has done really well, like I did with MOTR, move the proceeds out to your regular savings or checking account. Otherwise, whatever stock(s) you have listed in your Auto Invest list will be purchased with said proceeds on your next scheduled Investment Tuesday.
But other than that little bone head ‘gotchya’ moment, I have been very pleased with my experience with Sharebuilder. I just wish it had better research tools to use for building my watch lists. But that is OK, I got that covered elsewhere.
Speaking of watch lists, yes it is December, but I will not be able to get my December list(s) out before this weekend. So stay tuned.
I saw today that ARO took a tumble because of an analysts downgrade. I think people just might be pleasantly surprised by the retail returns this holiday season so this downgrade just might be a good opportunity to get in on the low end of this stock price.
And speaking of buying on the low end, MSFT recently appears to have bounced off of a key support level and is rising back up as is TRLG which is up nearly 14% as of today.
And last but not least, here is a bit of holiday spirit courtesy of my daughters 7th grade band. They have been practicing really hard all year and her music teacher is really one of the best I have ever met. He has a funny little saying which he tells them when he thinks they are not doing well and that is
“you are all playing like 7th graders . . . “I believe he did not say that during the holiday concert. But you can be the judge.
So this week we had a leak of new Nike NFL Uniforms hit the web.
By now everyone knows they are fake.
But where did they come from?
Who drew them? What is the source?
And Why?
Well, here at Fumbled Returns we strive to uncover the truth behind the story.
To separate fact, from fiction.
We of course started with the various news agencies, press releases and sports talk shows.
It did not take long for us to realize that there were basically three variations of this story.
1) It was real – later supposedly proven to be false
2) It was a hoax – generated by lonely bored and or failed graphic artists.
3) It was really a conspiracy theory hatched by the NFL and Nike to judge market and fan reaction to their concept drawings.
Which one of these is the truth, if any; and how do we go about exposing the real source of this news and sports story?
Lets start with the last one. The conspiracy theory - With a little of "hoax" thrown in for good measure...
If one were to expand this hoax and conspiracy theory in a predictable next step, we should soon see one of these “concept” drawings show up as a real true prototype.
And when you have a prototype, you have the chance and the opportunity for theft, smuggling and illegal transport of goods for monetary gain.
I believe that the feds have already taken action to stop this from happening by instituting new scanning 
and pat down procedures for the TSA. How else would one hope to uncover smuggling of these concept prototype uniforms?
Don't believe that lady could hide a uniform in there? Well if Leslie Johnson, the wife of the arrested PG executive, Jack Johnson, can stuff $80K in here bra, you can see why hiding a uniform just might be plausible.
I applaud the TSA for “checking out” every potential passenger traveling into and out of airports. But I believe there is a better way to catch a thief. And the source.
Fraudulently claim to be that said source yourself!
Following the money is often the best, quickest and most reliable method to getting to the root of a problem, investigation or uncovering the source.
So here is my solution.
Post up on Zazzle the new concept uniforms and sell them for $19.95 a piece.
Trust me, real , fake , liked, disliked or otherwise, you will get a lot of interest and people wanting to buy them if for no other reason, memorabilia.
If they are really test marketed by the NFL and Nike as a hoax , I guarantee that you will have them jumping all over you with their lawyers and the conspiracy theorists will be proven correct.
If they are really from bored lonely fans and failed artists, and that person(s) sees you making tons of money off of their idea, you will be contacted.
Wow, I knew they were working out a deal but this is truly surprising.
Guess Donovan was right when he said he wanted to stay a Redskin. This is more than I was expecting. 3 years with maybe a 4th but FIVE? !!!
And if the rumors are true about the $78 million contract extension, $40 million of which is guaranteed. This is not a bad deal for either party.
Donovan has average $9 million per year prior to this so it fits very nicely into the scheme of things.
Not too shabby for a hall of fame caliber QB and a 2nd round trade.
Congratulations to Donovan!
Congratulations to the Redskins!
Though, it does make me wonder what he could have gotten if he had been able to run a two minute drill....
Now go out there and toast the Eagles tonight!
I posted last week about parity in my Borderless league and how crazy this NFL season has been.
Week 10 has continued the crazyness.
Jason Whitlock had a very interesting article about this. I was working on a similar train of thought regarding the Cowboys game and the new interim coach, but as is always the case, somebody else said it much better than I could ever hope to.
So here is the article and link. Thanks to Jason.
Explaining the NFL's craziness
You can blame parity, the salary cap, free agency, officiating or even your bookie.Read more...
I’ll blame coaching.
Coaching an NFL team is quite possibly the hardest thing to do in sports, more difficult than playing quarterback or hitting .330 for the Kansas City Royals.
Football is a military sport. A coach leads his men into war. Just imagine if a significant percentage of General Patton’s soldiers had multimillion-dollar contracts and know-it-all agents chirping in their ears.
Further imagine there was a 24-hour TV network dedicated to second-guessing Patton and his infantrymen and all-talk radio stations located at every combat zone dissecting the day’s events. Suppose Patton’s savviest soldiers spent part of their day plotting how to build their brands in hopes of landing a reality TV show or a post-career broadcasting job.
It’s impossible to lead nowadays.
Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry and Chuck Noll had it very easy compared to Tom Coughlin, Mike Tomlin and Sean Payton.
Lombardi and Co. excelled during the era when a coach’s voice rang loudest, when a coach had all the power. A coach could be an absolute bully during the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. He could say and do pretty much anything he wanted. Players feared him.
Marvin Lewis fears Chad Ochocinco. Brad Childress fears his entire roster.
In the new millennium, there has been only one coach who has been able to build and sustain a hold on his football team week to week and year to year -- Bill Belichick.
His success in the postseason, his ruthlessness in regards to dismissing players and his relationship with Tom Brady have allowed Belichick to rule the way Lombardi, Noll, Don Shula and Bill Parcells once did.
Belichick’s competitors pull off an old-school imitation for a stretch of games or perhaps a season, but eventually they lose their grip on their football team. Even Belichick's team can still lose it -- look at the 34-14 loss to the Browns last week.
Mike Tomlin is a good coach. But his Steelers laid an egg in a high-profile, important football game Sunday night. They weren’t ready. They got smacked at home in the marquee game of the weekend.
Like Tomlin, the Giants' Coughlin has a Super Bowl title on his resume. For five weeks, the Giants looked like the best team in the NFC. Sunday, the Cowboys and their interim coach, Jason Garrett, embarrassed the Giants.
The AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs fell behind the last-place Broncos by 35 points. Chiefs coach Todd Haley has been trying to impersonate Parcells for two seasons. Sunday, when his team got exposed, Haley resorted to postgame whining and finger-waving because mean-old Josh McDaniels scored two second-half touchdowns.
It seems that every good NFL team has at least one head-scratching, let’s-reevaluate performance this season. There is no Super Bowl favorite. There are 10 to 12 teams that could win it all if they get on a roll.
It’s coaching. And I don’t mean bad coaching. It’s simply much harder to coach in this current era. It’s more difficult for a coach to sell and get players to buy into an overarching theme for an entire season.
There are more voices in a player’s head. Take the Cowboys. At one point, you had Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips and head-coach-in-waiting Garrett all leading the Cowboys.
Lombardi was the absolute final word in Green Bay. What he said was all that mattered. Now you have star general managers and team presidents and offensive and defensive coordinators.
Plus, you have a commissioner, Roger Goodell, who has appointed himself as the league’s top cop. The players fear the commissioner far more than they do their head coach. Goodell suspends and fines players for their conduct on and off the field. Discipline/punishment used to come from the head coach. Now it comes from the commissioner’s office.
Punishment is a primary tool in leadership.
It’s impossible to lead nowadays, which makes it impossible to predict what will happen week to week.
I’m sticking with my preseason prediction that the Steelers will win the Super Bowl. They’re the most complete team.
I planned on ending this column ranking the 10 best teams. I can’t do it. It would just be a lot of speculation and guesses. In no particular order, the Steelers, Patriots, Giants, Jets, Ravens, Colts, Saints, Eagles, Packers and Falcons can all win the Super Bowl.
I found this great sports article that honors veterans. All credit goes to back to this link.
If you see a veteran today (or any day for that matter), please be sure to thank him or her for their service and dedication.
Here, we mention some of the professional athletes who have served our nation on the frontlines during war.
Bob Feller: He was the first major leaguer to volunteer for active duty, enlisting in the Navy on Dec. 9, 1941, two days after Pearl Harbor.
Grover Cleveland Alexander: During the middle of his 373-win (tied third all-time) pitching career, Alexander was an Army sergeant fighting in France for about a year duing World War I. He suffered shell shock, partial hearing loss, seizures that grew increasingly worse and other illnesses that were either caused or aggravated during his service.
Yogi Berra: A Navy gunner's mate, his boat reached the shores of Normandy a few days after D-Day. Two years later, the catcher made his debut with the New York Yankees. He went on to win three MVP awards and make the Hall of Fame.
Rocky Bleier: As his 1968 rookie season was about to end with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bleier was drafted into the Army. He volunteered for duty in Vietnam and arrived there in May, 1969. That Aug. 20, Bleier was hit by rifle fire in his left leg and moments later, was hot by shrapnel fro a grenade in his right leg.
Doctors told Bleier he would not play football again, but he returned to the Steelers in 1971. Paired in the backfield with Franco Harris, Bleier was an integral part of the Steelers' four Super Bowl championship teams of the 70s.
Al Bumbry: Fewer than 10 major leaguers served in Vietnam. Bumbry earned a Bronze Star there during his service as a platoon leader. Soon after getting back to the United States, Bumbry began his 1973 American League Rookie of the Year season as a Baltimore Orioles outfielder. He played 14 major league seasons.
Roger Staubach: The 1963 Heisman Trophy winner as the quarterback of the U.S. Naval Academy team, Staubach could have requested a military assignment in the U.S. after his graduation. Instead, he volunteered to go to Vietnam, where he served as a supply officer.
Staubach began his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys at age 27 in 1969. He retired in 1979 as one of the game's most successful and exciting QBs, and was elected to the Hall of Fame.
Don Steinbrunner: Played offensive tackle with the Browns in 1953, but was forced to retire because of a knee injury.
Steinbrunner soon joined the U.S. Air Force. He went to Vietnam in 1966, and on July 20, 1967, his plane was shot down in South Vietnam, killing all five crew members.
Steinbrunner was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and a Purple Heart.
Pat Tillman: An Army Ranger, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Tillman had played safety for four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, making Sports Illustated's first-tea all-pro team in 2000. He finished the 2001 season and decided to enlist in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Ted Williams: Considered by some as baseball's greatest hitter ever, Williams served a total of nearly five years in World War I and the Korean War -- both stints during the prime of a playing career that ended with a .344 batting average and 521 home runs.
Williams served in the Marine Corps and Navy. Much of his World War II duty was as a flight instructor. He flew 39 combat missions in Korea. He was awarded an Air Medal for a mission during which the hydraulics and electrical systems on his plane were hit by flak and ruined, and yet he managed to fly the crippled plane back to its base.
Some individuals who did not engage in combat get special mention. For instance, heavyweight champion Joe Louis, regarded by some as the greatest boxer ever, enlisted in the Army in 1942, during World War II. The U.S. military was then racially segregated and Louis, an African-American, was assigned to a cavalry unit at Fort Riley, Kansas.
The Army soon realized the positive impact Louis's personality made on the troops, and felt the best way he could serve was to visit troops around the globe. Louis fought exhibition matches and also proved to be a master recruiter.
Obviously this list is far from complete. If you wish to add to, or comment on this post, please feel free to do so.
Pike called up from the nether worlds to take command beside his highly effective offensive line and teammates.
BTW – That would be Tony Pike of the Carolina Panthers. Not Captain Pike of Star Trek but hey, I could not resist.
The Panthers burned through Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen and finally called Pike to get him some playing time because , well, just because.
With seemingly ever star name either out or on the bench, this team is really hurting.
But honestly, I can’t decide who is hurting more. Panthers, Bills or Cowboys.
The Bills proved that they stink no matter what country they are in.
They Cowboys proved that there is no low too low for them to go this year.
If I were Jason Garrett, and thank god I’m not, I’d be worried.
Hey Jason, here is a tip from a devoted Redskins fan. Keep calling up those wonderful passing plays!
And on a more positive note.
The Browns took it to Uncle Bill and the Pats! (I actually picked that one in my pickem league)
I know, everyone else was baffled too.
The Redskins didn’t lose.
And I am still winning the division in both my leagues thanks in part to my being able to (unbelievably) pick up Jacob Tamme off of waivers this week. If he is still available in yours, he is definitely worth a consideration.
!!! UPDATE !!!
Cowboys dot Com site goes down due to registration failure !!!
Default Network Solutions page with two kids playing soccer is shown instead of all the wonderful personnel and player headlines !!!
Ha ! Ha ! Ha !
Is football. Yeah!
And auto tune. Booo!
My kids have been going gaga over these viral videos lately where folks put news casts and events to autotune.
They think it is the funniest thing since loony tunes and pre sliced bread.
So in honor of their viralness I have select two such auto-tune news videos for Fun Strip Fridays. Both feature football though you have to sit through at least half of the first one to get to What people really want and the second one features good ol' Randy Moss.
So without further delay....
Not that I am a believer in “hitting them when their down” or politically incorrect cheap shots, but here is one worth publishing. In order to give credit where credit is due, I took a screen shot.
Romo shouldn’t worry though, I’m sure Jerry can still get him good seats to the Superbowl !
There, I feel better for having dumped on da boys.
Now on to the rest of my post...
I think I am going to change my teams name in my Borderless Fantasy League to the Bar Brawlers.
Right now they are called The Fun Bunch (my little protest and honor to the good ol’ days).
But after picking up Kenny Britt and moving him to the starting roster and totally blowing away my competition. I think a name change might be in order.
(Confession time) The only reason I played him was because DeSean was knocked out (literally) this week.
If anybody made a case for not being on the bench (bar stool) or otherwise, it was Kenny Britt.
It was a good week for my Fumbled Returns League of Experts team too!
I figured if the Giants defense could beat up on Cutler and the bears, so could the Skins.
In a game where I swear they were both trying to see who could throw the game more, The Skins Defense ended up being my teams top scoring “player” on the team.
And speaking of the Giants, I suppose congratulations are in order. Though I had my hopes up that da boys would actually win this one and force a tie with my beloved Skins and the Giants. Imagine that, me routing for da boys! What was I thinking ?
But alas, the football gods had other plans.
What is and is not a touchdown catch anymore . . .
Or why certain plays are or are not reviewed . . .
Or why you would celebrate before being tackled?
Why Cutler decided to make DeAngelo Hall his #1 receiver
Why McFadden waited until I vowed never to draft him again to prove how good he really is . . .
Oh yeah, he gets injured too much and (it's only one game)...
How old man Collins can be a stud QB
Oh yeah, bar brawler Britt showed why he should never be kept on the bench
Why going down on a knee is a celebration penalty but going down on two is not excessive . . .
Oh yeah, he's looking up thanking God he managed to run 92 yards !
Why a team averaging 5+ yards a carry would abandon the run or even think that passing it could be better
Why anybody EVER thought that not trading for Cutler was a missed opportunity for the Redskins
That Andy Reid once made the brilliant coaching decision to bench Donovan then brought him back the next week? Yup - he was making bone headed plays
Hmmm Shanny is a pretty smart coach who demands excellence. I wonder if he will do the same?
Yes, I know the original Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins. But I'm not quite that old (yet) and the Washington Senators I remember are the ones who became the Texas Rangers.
I'm so glad the Damn Yankees lost. (That is my dad's old Brooklyn Dodger Fan gene coming through)
The other day I saw a photo slide show from the Washington Post about White Collar Boxing.
Because it was basically a captioned photo slide show, it really did nothing more than make me go
"hmmm, that is interesting..."
or
"I would never think about getting into a boxing ring for a workout and risk potential serious injury".
or
"Isn't this sport on the way out?"
or
"after all, all the talk now-a-days is about concussions and head injuries."
If some groups are talking about shutting down junior athletic leagues because of risk of injury, wouldn't something like this be a legal and insurance nightmare?
But, the slide show did say that typical routines include core work, running, rope-jumping and hitting light and heavy bags. They don't lift weights, but it is a total, complete workout.
OK so this struck a familiar cord with me. When I was a kid, my dad had a punching bag and a large workout bag in the basement and it was a whole lot a fun to go down there and put on a pair of practice gloves and punch the 'ol bags. So I can see the fun and value in this type of workout and exercise routine.
However, the slide show also mentioned a local club that has all the usual gym equipment: elliptical machines, weights, a mirrored studio; But in the middle of the large room is an Olympic-sized boxing ring, and there are plans to add a mixed martial arts cage.
Like anything else that involves clubs, membership fees, and organized activities, questions regarding safety, there is always more than meets the eye.
So, I did a little bit of research.
Starting with Wikipedia:
White Collar Boxing is a form of boxing where men and women in white collar professions train to fight at special events. Most have no previous experience of boxing. The sport started in the 1990’s.
In 2007 the World White Collar Boxing Association (WWCBA) was formed in London with the aim of regulation and promotion of the sport throughout the world. The WWCBA provides a common platform in the form of rules and guidelines allowing boxers to become ranked nationally, regionally and globally and to contest for championship titles.
In 2008 the WWCBA sanctioned 9 events throughout the world.
In April 2009, the largest White Collar Boxing event in the world took place at Suntec Exhibition and Convention Centre according to a BBC report. Staged by Vanda Promotions it saw over 900 people attend the black-tie event and 7 bouts to decision on the night.[8] The article also cited completed events in Hong Kong and further events in Hong Kong and Singapore.
The ranks of white-collar pugs have swelled so much that at the storied Gleason's Gym -- a decidedly blue-collar boxing redoubt in Brooklyn, N.Y. -- they now account for 65% of the membership. That's up from just 10% in the early 1990s. And in London, the Real Fight Club has signed up more than 2,600 City professionals at local gyms in the past four years. At the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, 70% of the members are white-collar boxers. "They pay the rent," says Freddie Roach, who runs the club.
In fact, without the influx of hobbyists, many of the old-style boxing gyms would be down for the count. As fans and local bouts have dwindled and boxing has become a tougher way to make a buck, gym memberships have declined as well, so folks such as Oden and Smith are filling the gap. "White-collar boxers have been the salvation of Gleason's Gym," says owner Bruce Silverglade.
White-collar boxers 'are risking injury or death'
In this boxing revival, men in their forties and fifties - when the brain is at great risk of hemorrhage - are stepping into the ring.
Dr Chris Allen is a neurologist based at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. "I've seen the brain of a boxer," he said. "It isn't a pretty sight. If these white-collar competitors could see the damage that they are potentially inflicting on themselves, they'd certainly think again."
Dr Allen, previously the clinical dean at Cambridge University, offered stark advice to those tempted into the ring. "If you're keen on your brain functioning when you're 55, don't box," he said. "The dangers increase for those in middle age. Reactions are slower, so more punches are taken, and the brain is more susceptible to damage and bruising." The brain also begins to "dry out" at the age of 30, making its impact with the skull more severe.
White collar boxing is getting more attention these days, and Dumbo’s Gleason Gym, the famous boxing club has been in the news again. In Thursday’s USA Today, an article shows why baby boomers are taking up the sport.
“None of this is news to Bruce Silverglade, owner of Gleason’s Gym, the storied joint that embraced the likes of Jake LaMotta, not to mention Robert De Niro when he was transforming into LaMotta for Raging Bull or Hilary Swank during her Oscar-winning turn as Million Dollar Baby’s ill-fated fighter.
For the past 17 years, Silverglade has organized white-collar boxing bouts at his club, but more recently, he has been packing them in for $1,600 weekend fantasy camps. Boomers fly in from around the globe to, for a wink, live the life of a pugilist on the verge of a big prize.”
For most, the draw lies in the authenticity of the physical conditioning routine. At a boxing gym, a real trainer will not only get you into shape but show you the techniques of boxing. Gleason’s has a long history of training world champions such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Jake La Motta “The Raging Bull”, Roy Jones, Ray Leonard, Juan Laporte, and George Forman…a total of 129 world champions. But anyone can join for $80 per month.
White-collar boxing had officially been banned. But that didn't stop Silverglade, who became obsessed with trying to revive his franchise. He met with Gov. Paterson and persuaded elected officials to sponsor a bill to legalize the events. The proposal was approved by the State Senate in 2006 but later stalled in the Assembly.
Then, last year, Silverglade brokered a deal to allow USA Boxing-Metro to sanction white-collar boxing on a trial basis as an amateur sport.
Silverglade, and other gym owners in New York, are awaiting confirmation from an insurance company to underwrite the venture before it can get started on doing shows, Auclair said.
When he finally stages a white-collar show, possibly before the end of the year, and observes the fruits of his hard work - a doctor belting an accountant - how will he feel?
"I'll get a lot of satisfaction," he said over the phone. "I have a lot of pride having started this 20 years ago. Now, to be able to do it again is great."
And one of the longest running smokers will finally be legalized.
Considering some of the "allegations" of the Ines Sainz fiasco, I love this commercial.
Those are the rounds my top fantasy players were picked during my Borderless League Draft.
Round 5 - Jahvid Best
Round 6 - Matt Ryan
Round 7 - Hakeem Nicks
Thanks to these guys, I am 2 - 0 in that league!
At this rate, I just might have a real difficult decision to make next year regarding a keeper.
My only regret, disappointment, frustration at being pissed off a loser beaten out for top dog (weekly high score) by Brett Favre's Return (and no, that old man is not on that team). Tommy beat me out in the draft and picked Matt Schaub ahead of me. I lost top dog award by 5 stinking points! Oh well, at least I was not matched up against him this week.
In my Fumbled Returns League of Experts I managed to improve to 1 -1; thanks to my two top picks Aaron Rogers and Frank Gore finally deciding to show up and rock and roll some points.
Hopefully this trend can continue.
When I was growing up, lots of kids had nicknames and lots of kids had idols.
It gives you an identity, an ideal, a role model to emulate.
It can even be a way of trash talking and taunting in a clever sort of way or even describing your style.
I understand this.
There were your "Dukes", "Mean Joes", your "Hogs".
Now, we have a kid on my sons Junior Falcons team whos nickname is Katy.
Why?
Because he dances around on the field singing "You think I'm pretty without any make-up on"
I have to admit that it is kinda funny seeing someone in full football gear dancing around singing this in between plays. Especially since he is one of the smallest, yet fastest players on the team, and nobody can catch him.
I just wish he had a different role model...
© Blogger templates Newspaper III by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
+-+Copy.jpg)
