Football

I didn't realize until a couple of days ago that this was Super Bowl weekend. That is pretty surprising for me. With the Patriots not going to the big game, I guess there really wasn't any reason to know.

Years ago, it was a different story. My TV would go on in the morning and off after midnight each and every Sunday. I would watch all the pre and post shows and whatever games were being shown in the Providence market. Teams I enjoyed were: Kansas City Chiefs (my favorite)along with the Buffalo Bills and Patriots (of course.) I also loved to watch Green Bay and the Pittsburgh Steelers (who I am rooting for this year!)

The Kansas City Chiefs were my favorite team, lead by Marty Schottenheimer, who is my all time favorite head coach. Steve DeBerg, Derrick Thomas (inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame today) along with a great defense.

My second favorite team was the Buffalo Bills - Jim Kelly, Steve Tasker, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith - my all time favorite football player! Here he is, pictured below, back in the day:

What fun he was to watch! The determination he showed as a player was always something I admired the most of him.

“I am overjoyed,” said Smith, the career sacks leader who spent most of his career with the Bills.

A defensive end, Smith retired five years ago with 200 sacks and made two all-decade teams.

Drafted No. 1 overall in 1985, Smith had the most seasons with double-digit sacks (13) and the most postseason sacks (14½). He earned defensive player of the year honors in 1990 and 1996 with Buffalo and concluded his 19-season career with four seasons as a Redskin.

Smith previously said making the hall would be a bigger honor if two other Bills, Wilson and wide receiver Andre Reed, also got in the same year. He got half of his wish.

“What a phenomenal class, and especially with having Ralph Wilson, the founding owner of the Buffalo Bills, to be inducted in the ’09 class as well,” Smith said. “This is truly special.”

Then his thoughts turned to his family.

“Just thinking about my father and all the sacrifices he and my mother made when I was a child growing up to be a man,” Smith added, tearfully. “How he wanted me to have a life better than he had. I just wish he was here. He would be extremely proud of this day.”

Say It Isn't So Tom

I'm sure I'm not the only Patriots or Tom Brady fan who is in denial about Tom Brady's injury. It seems impossible to think of watching the Patriots without Tom throwing the ball. It also seems impossible to think of them winning without Tom throwing the ball.

Somalia's Runners Provide Inspiration

Samia Yusuf Omar of Somalia reacts after a heat of the women's 200-meter during the athletics competitions in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008

I really enjoyed the Olympics this year. The swimming, diving and track and field especially. I watched much more of the women's beach volleyball than I ever thought I would! I noticed this runner from Somalia, but didn't know anything about her - other than the fact that she wore a tee shirt, which seemed odd and was certainly different. Today I found an article that gave much more information that I learned from the TV coverage.

This is a great story about the 2 Somalia athletes at the Olympics. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! To me, this is what the Olympics should be all about.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/track_field/news?slug=cr-somalirunners082408&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Pride In America

A week ago I had never heard of Michael Phelps. Now I, along with the rest of the world, are completely aware of this phenomenonal athlete. Eight gold medals. Wow.

For those of us who remember Mark Spitz winning his 7 gold medals 36 years ago, we thought that could never happen again. Not only did Michael Phelps tie that record, he went one better.

Thank goodness the Olympics are taking place this year. Watching the American athletes represent our country so well has restored some of my pride in our country. Thank you for that.

Celtics Bring NBA Title Back To Boston

It wasn't Larry and Kevin, or DJ and Robert, or even Danny and Bill, but the Celtics did win the NBA title after 22 years! The score was an unbelieveable 131 - 92 over the Lakers!

Larry Bird Is Old

and fat!!!

I saw this picture and just had to blog about it and him. I love, love Larry Bird.

The NBA just hasn't been the same since he and his teammates from the Celtics retired. Larry was one of the hardest working players ever in the NBA!

He was known to fly over tables and into the crowd to get a loose ball. He made those around him play better and I sure do miss DJ, McHale, Parrish, and even crybaby Danny Ainge. I especially liked when Bill Walton joined as I am known for my appreciation of red headed men.

I haven't watched a game since to be honest.

There was nothing like the rivalry they had with the Lakers, and Detroit. Boy did we hate Bill Laimbeer. That one time that Larry turned around and socked him brought us all to our feet.

Anyway, Larry is almost 6 months to the day younger than me, as his birthday is 12/7/56. So it's nice to know that he and I are in good company in the old and fat category.

Brett Favre Retires

Football will not be quite the same now that Brett Favre has retired from the Green Bay Packers. I always enjoyed him and watched him regularly through the years.

He was always fun to watch, because he showed how much fun he had while playing.

He played 276 consecutive games, which is amazing considering there are just 16 games in the regular season.

I watched his press conference where he showed the same type of emotion he showed on the field. He gave it his all, he said, and he doesn't have anymore to give.

Now he wants to do nothing, which I can say from my own experience, is a pretty good thing to do.

A Superbowl Shocker

When the NE Patriots won the Superbowl a few years ago, my brother Jack and I looked at each other in disbelief and shock. We didn't think it could possibly happen. Tonight, I feel the same way, shock and disbelief that the NE Patriots lost.

Somehow they just didn't get their rhythm going tonight. And the Giants did. The Patriots have nothing to hang their heads about - they had an unbelieveable year and 18-1 is something to be proud of, that's for sure. Though I wonder if it's cuz Gisele was there!

The show opened with many athletes and others reading the Declaration of Independence, which I was much impressed by and enjoyed thoroughly. Jordin Sparks did a great job singing our national anthem and it was great to see the "handsomest man in football" and the "most adorable man in football" on the field together.

I thought the commercials were pretty good, especially the Diet Pepsi Max with Chris Kattan and the one with JustinTimberlake. Loved, loved, loved the Fed Ex commercial with the pigeons, that made me laugh out loud! The ugly girl with the cashew perfume was pretty good too. And I love the fact that Charles Barkley can laugh at himself.

It was a good game, and just didn't have the finish that I was hoping for and expecting. I'm gonna blame this on GWB also!

Self-Made Man

I found this article through CNN which led me to Sports Illustrated. By Lee Jenkins

Brady's success a testament to dedication, hard work

Kevin Krystofiak is on his way to Arizona this week, a living reminder that Tom Brady's football career was not built on touchdown records and undefeated seasons. Krystofiak was the starting quarterback of the freshman football team at Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, Calif., in 1991. The team went 0-8 that season, scoring two offensive touchdowns. "I was a really bad quarterback," Krystofiak said.

That does not say very much for Brady, who spent the year as Krystofiak's backup. At the end of the winless season, Krystofiak quit the team to concentrate on basketball. As a result, Brady became the starting quarterback for the junior varsity.

"To be honest, I think the coaches would have moved me to defensive back, anyway," Krystofiak said. "Tom always had a better arm than I did."

They both found success. Brady went to Michigan to play football; Krystofiak to the University of San Diego to surf. Now, Krystofiak is working at Prudential in San Francisco; Brady is playing in his fourth Super Bowl on Sunday.

"The thing about Tom," Krystofiak said, "is that he was never given anything."

When someone is as accomplished as Brady -- as rich and talented and handsome and universally respected -- it only makes sense that he got every break along the way. But Brady is actually distinguished by all the breaks that went against him, starting in '91, and how he responded to each one. The setbacks are what separate him.

As a sophomore, Brady started at quarterback for the JV, thriving in the team's wide-open offense. At the end of the season, though, Serra coach Tom MacKenzie told Brady he would have to work harder in the weight room to play in college.

Brady promptly went home and convinced his parents to find him a personal trainer, as well as an off-season quarterback coach. Relaying that anecdote years ago, MacKenzie said: "I don't think we ever had to tell him to work harder again."

In two seasons on the varsity, Brady's record was a modest 11-9. He signed with Michigan, for the chance to be a seventh-string quarterback. He was beaten out first by Scott Dreisbach, then by Brian Griese. Brady charged into the Michigan football office, looking for head coach Lloyd Carr, intent on transferring to Cal.

Instead, he did something that seemed even more extreme at the time. Just as Brady hired a personal trainer when he needed to bulk up in high school, he sought out a sports psychologist when he needed to mellow out in college. From the psychologist, he learned to worry less about the other quarterbacks on the roster and more about himself.

"That was the low point," said Scot Loeffler, who coached and played with Brady at Michigan, in an interview before the 2005 Super Bowl. "But those hard times paid off. From then on, he just decided that he was going to be our starting quarterback."

Brady's biographical history -- from Serra to Michigan to New England -- has been well chronicled over the years. And yet, it bears repeating right now, because Brady's roots are so much more revealing than the joy ride that his career has become.

As a junior at Michigan, Brady finally won the starting quarterback job. Carr told reporters before the season: "I'm excited about Brady. I think he is talented enough to be a NFL quarterback at some point." Still, Carr seemed more excited about Drew Henson.

Even though Brady played well as a junior, Carr made him share the position with Henson in his senior year. Brady played the first quarter, Henson the second, and then Carr decided who would start the third. Brady proved the rotation ridiculous. Shortly after the midpoint of the season, Carr decided that Brady should be taking all the snaps.

But the fact that Brady was not the full-time starter in his senior season, that he weighed only 190 pounds and that his delivery was a little bit unorthodox, scared some NFL scouts away.

After the first night of 2000 NFL draft, when no team called Brady's name, he lay in bed and began to consider other professions for the first time.

New England picked him in the sixth round, 199th overall, behind quarterbacks such as Giovanni Carmazzi and Spergon Wynn. Not long after the draft, Brady ran into Patriots' owner Robert Kraft for the first time. According to the book The Impossible Team, by Nick Cafardo, Brady extended his hand, introduced himself, and said in all seriousness: "Mr. Kraft, I'm the best decision your organization has ever made."

It was cocky, but it was true. Heading into his first training camp, Brady was listed as New England's fourth-string quarterback. By the end of his first season, he was not much better.

When the Patriots needed a backup to Drew Bledsoe, they signed Damon Huard as a free agent from the Miami Dolphins, refusing to promote Brady.

Desperate to learn the offense and improve his delivery, Brady worked tirelessly with New England quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein. But in August '01, during training camp at Bryant College, Rehbein died of a heart attack. Because of the late date, head coach Bill Belichick had to take over Rehbein's duties. He had to work with Brady.

Apparently, Belichick was impressed. On the eve of the '01 season, he announced that Brady, not Huard, would back up Bledsoe. In the second game of the season, Bledsoe was injured, and Belichick announced that Brady would start against the Indianapolis Colts. At his weekly press conference, Belichick told reporters: "I don't think I'll be standing up here in 10 weeks talking about all the problems Tom Brady had."

The Patriots thumped the Colts, 44-13, but it was not all happily ever after. They lost the next week at Miami. Three weeks after that, Brady threw four interceptions in the fourth quarter of a loss to Denver. But just as Brady responded at Serra and at Michigan, he reset himself and won 11 of the next 12 games, including his first Super Bowl.

Since then, he has become a caricature of success, accompanied by actresses and supermodels, tailed by the paparazzi. It is hard to remember a time that Brady was not the face of football. But Brady remembers his lean years vividly. They drive him still.

Before his last Super Bowl, three years ago in Jacksonville, Brady was asked if he had any flaws, and his response was surprisingly candid. "There are plenty of things I'm deficient at," he said.

"I've never been the fastest, never had the best arm, and never been very strong. I still question sometimes whether I'm really cut out for this. I think I am pretty insecure. I have some old scars that are very deep, and I don't forget them."

Brady keeps his past close by. In fact, Krystofiak and the rest of the high-school crew will be in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday for the Super Bowl. They are still coming to grips with the notion that their gangly friend is an international celebrity.

"He went from being a backup in high school to almost transferring in college to splitting time as a senior to being a sixth-round draft pick to going to the Super Bowl," Krystofiak said. "It's a fairy tale."

The Most Adorable Man In Football

Steve Young - Still holds the title of "handsomest man in football!"

Back in the very early 90s I christened Steve Young, then quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, as "THE HANDSOMEST MAN IN FOOTBALL" a title that he graciously accepted and kept alive through the rest of his football career. It totally became official when I received a Steve Young coffee mug (which I still covet) from Rachel, Timothy and Joseph in 1992 or 1993, when they were just little kids.

When Steve Young retired in 1999, no other football player seemed worthy of that title, so it has remained as he went into his next career -broadcasting. I think Steve Young deserves to keep the title, so I officially retired my proclamation of The Handsomest Man in Football along with his retirement.

Today I need to make another official announcement of "THE MOST ADORABLE MAN IN FOOTBALL!"

This title goes to another football quarterback who has had a career very much like Steve Young - both players replaced (then) better known quarterbacks who had been injured, and went on to their own greatness - Steve Young replacing Joe Montana and Drew Bledsoe's replacement - Tom Brady!

He is, by far, the most adorable man in football. His humble attitude, gleaming graciousness, clever coyness, perfect smile, superb personality and brilliance on the field had earned him this first time coveted ACDC award!

I also should make this comment official - I have a complete and total crush on him!

I know, I know he is young enough to be my son, but I don't care. If I DID have a son I would want him to be just like Tom, even if he didn't play football! His parents did a great job with him and they must be so proud of all his accomplishments.

His shining moment, I think, will come this weekend when he wins his 4th Super Bowl! This week should be fun leading up to the big game. I know I will be watching the TV for THE MOST ADORABLE MAN IN FOOTBALL!!!!!

Mission Impossible?

Wow, I just woke up.

After the patriots won, I went to bed. I am amazed that the Giants beat Green Bay!

I can't imagine that they'll beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl, but that's why they play the games.

Peyton must be green with envy!

NE Patriots

Can they do it?

18 games in a row with no losses?

Another trip to the Super Bowl?

Great win! 21-12

I wonder who they'll play?

Practically Perfect In Every Way

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26 of 28

262 yards

3 touchdowns

Unbelieveable!!

Tom Brady is the Man!

Tom "Terrific" Brady

Tom Brady may well be the greatest NFL quarterback of all time.

At the very least, he is the one quarterback who seems to have more fun than any other while playing the game.

Seeing him tonight after the game, running to the locker room - it wasn't hard to be caught up in his enthusiasm and enjoyment. Yet he's humble, sharing the win with the other players and not taking the credit for himself.

He even shared the win with the team owner, Robert Kraft, by giving him the last ball used in the game.

He is one of the brightest, nicest and most earnest young men I've ever seen and he does misprove the old saying: Nice guys finish last.

Not this nice guy.

New England Patriots Win 38-35

Well, they squeaked it out, winning by the closest margin this year and it was fun to watch!

Many records were broken:

16 wins - perfect season - team record
589 points in a season - team record
50 touchdown passes in a season - Tom Brady
23 receptions for touchdown - Randy Moss

single season reception - Wes Welker

I never doubted them - and never thought that they would lose - all year, actually. There's something about this team; they know what needs to be done and they do it.

Patriots vs Giants

It would be neat to see the Patriots finish their season perfect. Their players and coaches have an amazing focus. This team has shown it can win close games and stay consistent. They don’t show any signs of treating this game any differently than the past 15.

The Patriots have shown they deserve a perfect season, and they’ll get it. This is what makes the NFL so great – it will be such a great game, and you’ll see that this is more than just a business. These guys will play with passion.

I think the score will be 34 - 17.

We'll see.

BREAKING NEWS

Grand jury indicts Barry Bonds on perjury, obstruction charges.

That pretty much says it all!

Red Sox Nation

I'm really not a baseball fan. As I wrote in my America's Favorite Pastime blog (7/17) I usually say that I was a baseball fan for a couple of weeks 3 years ago. (Red Sox sweep Yankees, go on to win the World Series against some team.)

So, tonight (or actually this morning) the Red Sox won the World Series again!!! I forgot that they were playing tonight, not that I would have watched anyway, so I spent the night with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. The movie was Rear Window. I've seen it many, many times but it's been quite awhile. It finished at midnight, and when I turned it off there was the game.

It was the bottom of the 9th, 1 out and the Sox up 4-3. So I watched more baseball than I have all year over the next few minutes. Papelbon threw a couple of crazy pitches, and then struck out the batter.

And while I'm not a fan, I'm happy that they won. I'm happy for all of my friends and family who are fans and love the game of baseball. I'm happy that the Curse of the Bambino seems to be a thing of the past. I'm especially happy that the season is over.

Breaking News-Sad Day For Baseball

Bonds hits career home run No. 756, breaking Aaron's record**

**In reality this record wasn't really broken because Barry Bonds is a known cheater.

America's Favorite Pastime

I'm not really a baseball fan. I rather like baseball movies, The Natural, Bull Durham, A League of Their Own and Field of Dreams especially. I enjoy seeing my 8 (almost 9) year old nephew Matthew playing and hitting. He takes the game very seriously except when he's surreptitiously waving to his auntie.

I usually say that I was a baseball fan for a couple of weeks a couple of years ago. (Red Sox sweep Yankees, go on to win the World Series against some team). It might have been 2004.

I like the history of baseball. Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Yaz, Barry Bonds. SCREECH!! Hold on, back up. Barry Bonds? Isn't he the guy who is on the cusp of tying and then passing Hank Aaron's all time hitting record? Isn't he the guy who's use of steroids has increased his hat and shoe size? He had a growth spurt in his late 30's, go figure.

I saw an article on the internet yesterday that Barry Bonds says that he is an "embarrassment" because he's in the middle of a slump. That's it!!?? That's all he has to be embarassed about? He's not embarassed because he is a CHEATER? Doesn't he realize that when you cheat to win, you really don't win. This guy is 40 something and he hasn't figured it out yet? Yikes. I hope he doesn't ever tie the record. Not that I'm hoping for an injury, that wouldn't be fair. Fair, what am I talking about, he doesn't play fair. But maybe something could happen. We could hope. I am anyway.

We don't know when this will happen, especially with the "embarassing" slump, but from what I understand, even the baseball commissioner is thinking of avoiding that particular game. I just hope that there's not a big deal about this, that . Maybe the "embarassing" slump will last until he retires. Or he dies from "embarassment".

A few weeks ago, my nephew Matthew was playing with his team and he was covering a base, third, I think. The ball and the runner were heading to him. He caught the ball but missed the runner. The ump called the runner out. But then Matthew, who is 8 almost 9, told the ump that he missed him. So the runner took the base. I'm thinking that maybe Barry Bonds might have done that when he was a kid playing little league. And I wonder what he forgot in the meantime.