Let’s Go CRAE

One of the best feeling as a University of Tennessee sports fan is beating Florida. And the Rocky Top Rowdies in Thompson-Boling Arena were going Craaaae for Jordan McRae and his 27 points to beat the No. 8 Gators in a game that could determine the Volunteers faith on Selection Sunday.

Where did this UT team come from? This isn’t the same UT team that only won three games in January. Maybe you can blame the slow start on the over exposure to turtle spray (opposite of deer antler spray) that was cleaned out of the football office when Dooley got the boot. One thing is for sure is that the VOLS are living and playing basketball like Good Ole Rocky Top! Now on a six game winning streak, the VOLS have taken down two top 25 teams (crushed No. 25 Kentucky) and have won three on the road.

And the streaks continue: Tennessee is 13-5 in the past 18 basketball games against Florida and the Gators head coach, Billy Donovan is gator bait when it comes to Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin having lost his third straight game to Martin’s VOLS. Talk about Chomp Chomp!

Florida fans try to use the “we didn’t have our top 3-point shooter and their most effective freshman, Michael Frazier II in the game.” I guess any excuse they come up with is better than trying to justify “jorts” being cool. You didn’t have Frazier for one game. Tennessee hasn’t had their best player Jeronne Maymon all season!

There’s no question that the key to the winning streak has been Tennessee’s defensive game. Big Man on Campus, Jarnell Stokes had 14 rebounds and dominated the boards against Florida. At one point Stokes went for the rebound against four Gators and Stokes ended up with the ball. They double teamed him all night to hold his scoring to only eight points, but that left Jordan McRae wide open to rack up 27 points. Tennessee out-rebounded Florida 41-31 and held the Gators to their lowest scoring game of the season.

From each win the VOLS get better and stronger. They are peaking at the perfect time of the season and if they could make free throws, then they could be a dark horse in this year’s bracket. Call me a biased UT fan, or just call me a college basketball fan watching ranked teams go down every week. It’s really anybody’s bracket to win right now and the way the VOLS are playing- they want everyone to be scared of ROCKY TOP!

Shake It Up (said in your best Scott Ferrall voice)

Six more Top 25 teams went down two weeks ago, including two of the top 5. The Number one spot has changed 6 straight weeks making it the second-longest streak since the first rankings started in 1949. Top 25 teams lost to unranked teams 36 times from January 17^th to February 6^th, the most in at least 17 years of men’s college basketball.

With the Madness already in full affect on Saturday as college basketball was still shocked that Tennessee crushed Kentucky by 30 points. Yes the Wildcats were without Nerlens Noel, but going down by 30 points to a 13-10 (6-6 SEC) UT team is called being exposed. It was a great win for the VOLS!

Later Saturday night Duke lost to Maryland by 2 points in a much needed win for MD and this could be the last time the Blue Devils play in the Comcast Center as the Terrapins move to the Big 10 in 2014.

It was a fun game, but it’s wasn’t a pretty game. The Dukies played 4 games in 10 days with two on the road and taking on UNC at home was clearly exhausting. You could tell it wasn’t the same Duke team and they were playing a sloppy and scrappy Maryland team at home. Duke’s lack of energy kept it a close game, but Mason Plumlee was held to four points and fouling out (he scored 18 points against UNC). With three seconds left in the game and an 81-81 score, Duke’s Quinn Cook fouls Maryland’s Seth Allen and he made both foul shots for the win. Call me crazy, but that was not a foul on Cook. The game should have gone to OT.

But where Maryland really won the game was in the student section! Now this was my fourth Duke-MD game in the Comcast Center and I can assure you that UMD students still fear the classroom for their lack of creativity for “chants”. Each year I think they are going to come up with something, anything- besides “sucks” and the F bomb. But give them some music and they put on a good show. The new You Tube flash mob craze is the “Harlem Shake” and the students did not disappoint.

What is the Harlem Shake?

For the uninitiated, it consists of users uploading videos to YouTube that last about thirty seconds in length and feature the opening of electronic music producer Baauer’s song “Harlem Shake.” The videos begin with the song’s sample of a man giving a shrieking siren call of “Con los terroristas!”—Columbian Spanish for “with the terrorists”—followed by one person, usually in a ridiculous mask or helmet, dancing to the song alone as the beat builds. He or she is surrounded by others who are stationary, blissfully unaware of the dancer. When the directive, Then do the Harlem shake is uttered about 15 seconds in, the bass drops and the video metastasizes into pure chaos—the entire coterie engaging in paroxysms of dance for the next 15 seconds in outrageous outfits, and wielding bizarre props. -The Daily Beast

(See links below)

Duke-Maryland game

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rX-sJffB4Y

Maryland students were not the only ones making YouTube videos of the Harlem Shake.

Former UT Vol and current Milwaukee Bucks player, Tobias Harris made an appearance at the UT vs. Kentucky game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbLReWwXwt4

Other good ones ODU Baseball team and UGA Men’s Swim & Dive team

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnaabjP14Rw 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkNrSpqUr-E

Beating Duke may have been a game changer for the Terrapins shot at getting asked to the dance in March, but their dance moves can only take them to You Tube. Then again, with this year of madness already taking over in February is proving that no one really knows how the brackets will play out so until March- Shake it up!

PS. I still do not understand why UMD students “riot” when they beat Duke. One future scholar of America was quoted for justifying why setting a trashcan on fire was better than setting a couch on fire. “It gives us something to burn and we have a bad reputation of burning couches; this way we can burn something and do it basically to celebrate”. 

Super-Baugh

Jim and John Harbaugh

For the first time two brothers were coaching against each other in the Super Bowl. For the first time a set of parents went into the game already knowing that their son would be World Champions. Jack and Jackie Harbaugh also went into the game knowing that their son would lose. Proud parents, absolutely! But watching Jim hurt from a loss cast a shadow on celebrating the joys of victory with John.

Jacoby Jones returned a 108 yarder in the second-half kickoff to make it a 28-6 game. It wasn’t looking like the SuperBaugh football fans were expecting. Then the ghost of New Orleans made an appearance and a power outage delayed the game for 34 minutes and gave the 49er’s the surge to battle for the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. But it was John and his Ravens who held Jim and the 49er’s to a 34-31 victory.

As the brothers met at midfield surrounded by media as purple and yellow confetti started pouring from the superdome, it may have been the hardest walk for both brothers. John told his younger brother that he loved him. Jim said “congratulations.” A family that is as competitive as the Harbaugh’s isn’t expected to take a loss well, even if it means your family still wins.

Super Bowl 47 is a bitter sweet moment for the Harbaugh family. It was also an emotional day for one of Jim’s sons, Jay. Jay worked for his uncle John and the Ravens as a support staffer. His employer and his family were celebrating in the locker room and down the hall his father was grieving a devastating loss.  

Winning a Super Bowl demands non-stop appearances for media, players and all those suits invested into the team. Even if John and Jim wanted to have more a private moment it wasn’t going to happen while the cameras were still rolling. It may take days even weeks, but when the time is right Jim will look back and be proud of his big brother John.

Time may never fully heal the wounds of a Super Bowl loss for Jim Harbaugh, but like John said in a post-game interview there is “no greater coach in the NFL than Jim Harbaugh.” There will be more Super Bowls appearance for the Harbaughs; maybe even a rematch, but Jim will not leave the game without a collection of Championship rings of his own.

The Tackle of the Year

LeBron James tackles a Miami Heat fan after he made a one handed hook shot form half court to win $75,000.

It was just another home game for the Miami Heat on Friday as they played the Detroit Pistons. But for Michael Drysch, a 50 year old computer technician from Illinois, it is a day he will never forget.

Drysch was randomly selected from a drawing to take the half court shot by the LeBron James Family Foundation. Before taking center court during a time out in the fourth quarter, a friend told Drysch to “put some spin on the ball”. Drysch got more than spin, he got nothing but net. American Airlines Arena went nuts watching the shot of the night! But it was really the tackle of the year that left fans jumping up and down.

LeBron James left the team huddle and leaped on to Drysch in excitement. LBJ’s was cheesing from ear to ear as if he just hit the game winner of the NBA finals. How can there be any LBJ haters out there after watching his excitement? This was a raw emotion, a pure reaction, and the true colors of one of the greatest players to play the game.

It’s amazing to witness the difference a ring can make. LBJ is finally enjoying playing the game without the pressure to prove he’s not just another millionaire taking his talents to South Beach. When was the last time you saw an A list athlete get THAT excited for a fan?

Years from now Michael Drysch won’t remember what he spent the $75,000 on, but he will never forget being tackled on center court by LBJ. The tackle wasn’t just a memory for Drysch, but a great moment for the NBA and one of the best celebrations by a professional athlete.

#Catfish

Here’s what I understand in the short story:

There was a four year internet relationship with Notre Dame star linebacker Manti Te’o and Lennay Kekua. While “Lennay” and Manti never physically met in person, Manti told his father they had met in fear of people thinking he was a weirdo. (It was a little white lie at the time that anyone in his shoes would have told.) During their relationship “Lennay” was in a car accident and then died from leukemia. Ironically, “Lennay” died the same day as Manti’s grandmother, on September 12, 2012. The two losses for the Notre Dame Heisman frontrunner became a story the media widely reported and the heartbreak story was a script college football fans were buying into.

On December 6^th Manti received a phone call from “Lennay” saying she was still alive. Confused, Manti thought someone was trying to prank him and hung up saying the “Lennay” he knew died September 12^th. He continued to speak of “Lennay” in interviews. He then told his parents when he was home in Hawaii on Christmas day about the phone call from “Lennay”. Notre Dame was informed on December 26^th 2012.

On January 7^th Notre Dame played Alabama in the BCS National Championship game.

On January 16^th Deadspin.com published the #Hoax

On January 24^th Manti does his first on camera interview with Katie Couric.

My conclusion:

Notre Dame should really invest in better team doctors and counseling.

Let’s be honest. With the number of social media sites and the ability to connect to millions of strangers is easily just a click away. At some point I’m pretty confident that anyone on the World Wide Web will be contacted by a “stranger”. Sometimes it’s a scam, sometimes it’s a pick up line and sometimes it’s just to chat. Sure you can make friends online, but I can’t ever imagine a normal person having a committed boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with some that you have never met in person or even seen live online. (With webcams, facetime, skype, and the list goes on you can see others live without being able to touch them.)

I really think he was the victim.

He physically heard a feminine voice on other end of the phone for years. There are phone records and voice mails to confirm. No guy spends that much time on the phone to add texture to a hoax. Manti’s family had also talked to “Lennay” on the phone and they never questioned the relationship. They all believed she was real. “Lennay” is a real person that matches the photos that Manti had, but the voice pretending to be the picture and behind the phone calls was Ronaiah Tulasosopo, Manti thought Ronaiah was “Lennay’s” cousin.

What I question:

What I don’t understand is how a good looking guy, a rock star football player, and the BMOC (Big Man On Campus) doesn’t have a line of girls trying to get a Hawaiian Lei. Couric asked him about his sexual orientation and he didn’t hesitate to say “far from it, faaaarrrrrr from it”. I’ll believe him when at least two girls tell TMZ that they know about his Samoan roots. Until then, something some thing smells fishy… Playing for the other team is highly shunned in the Mormon religion and a Catholic school is the best place to cover up a sexual scandal… just saying…

Scam for the Heisman?

What annoyed me about the Katie Couric interview was that she continued to use the Heisman card. The Heisman is awarded to the most outstanding college football player, not to the most gullible story in college football. Notre Dame went undefeated; Te’o’s performance on the field during the regular season got him invited to the trophy presentation, not this story.  

The NFL Draft:

Maybe it was just a cover up to draw less attention on the SEC beat down that Notre Dame took in the National Championship game against Alabama. Clearly his performance during the National Championship game was an illustration that his mind was somewhere else. A player who averages 8.4 tackles a game, had seven interceptions and only one missed tackle all season recorded zero sacks, zero interceptions, missed two tackles in the first half and the misses continued throughout the game.

A 14-42 embarrassment was a reminder to all of college football that you have to “Play Like an (SEC) Champion Today” to win a National Championship. That game will hurt his draft stock more than #Catfish.

A Playoff Classic

The sports gods have spoken: they want Ray Lewis to keep playing football.

Most players would take the league fines, avoid post-game interviews, and just be ready to leave the stadium after suffering a season ending loss, but not Peyton Manning. After his media responsibility he waited an hour and a half after the game to personally congratulate Ray Lewis on the Ravens victory. The moment was captured by an image that looks so simple, but the image is truly a special moment for the NFL and all of sports.

The image of Peyton and Ray standing in the Ravens locker room is symbol of sportsmanship, friendship, respect, a class act, and a heart felt moment by two future hall of fame members.

It’s not easy to win on the road as the underdog and when you’re playing Peyton Manning in 13-degree temperatures it’s even more difficult to win.

The first quarter set the tone for an exciting gridiron matchup that would go back and forth until the time clock expired. Ray lead the Ravens with 17 tackles and Peyton was 38 seconds away from winning the game and ending the playing career of Ray Lewis. But the game changed when Ravens cornerback Corey Graham intercepted Peyton’s pass on Denver’s 45 yard line. Five plays and a gain of 16 yards set Justin Tucker up to kick three points down the middle and give Ray and the Ravens a 38-35 victory in two overtimes.

This game will be remembered by football fans and be a part of history for both franchisees. It was a cold game in a hostile environment full of fans cheers and then holding their breath. Peyton and the Broncos ended the game disappointed while Ray and the Ravens cried tears of joy as they celebrated one of the most important games the Baltimore Ravens have ever won.

Baltimore’s best play all season was releasing kicker Billy Cundiff (remember last year when he missed the 32-yarder to tie AFC Championship game against the Patriots last year?)

Ray Lewis is a special gift to the NFL. There are a lot of guys who prepare, train, and play hard for Sunday, but there’s no other player in the league who plays with the passion that Ray Lewis bleeds. After 17 seasons in the NFL, the end of his playing career is close to an end for Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens. As a fan of football I’m rooting for Ray to take revenge on the Patriots and win the AFC Championship and then one last win in the Super Bowl to end his playing career like the champion he is.

I’m hoping for a Harbaugh (Ravens) vs. Harbough (49er’s) Super Bowl. And with Ray Lewis on the field for the Ravens and Billy Cundiff now kicking for San Fran, all my faith is in the Ray-vens!

Third Times (not) a Charm...

The last post season home game for the Washington Redskins was in 1999 for a Wild Card Playoff (beat Detroit 27-13). The only other post season action for the Redskins have both been Wild Card Playoffs games against Seattle in 2005 (lost 20-10) and in 2007 (lost 35-14). Third times a charm right…

At most Redskin home games the stadium is full of at least 30-45% visiting fans in attendance. (This is based on my observation, not actual numbers.) It was amazing to see 99% of fans all layered in burgundy and gold on Sunday against Seattle. I only saw two Seahawks fans during tailgate time! This would explain why my ears are still ringing! I’ve never heard FedEx field that loud, that excited, and that shocked.

The Redskins came out strong and FedEx was electric. The energy from the team and fans seemed like déjà vu from shaking RFK Stadium.

I’ve said it all season; anything can happen when RG3 is on the field. It was total domination by the Redskins in the first quarter leading the Seahawks 14-0. Seattle fans were throwing coffee beans at their TV’s and Wilson and Carroll almost peed in their pants- they were scared of the Washington Redskins. For the first quarter of the game the entire NFL was scared of the Washington Redskins. A Redskins fan a few rows back yelled “We’re about to the shock the world” and when the game ended, we were all in shock.

Griffin ran on the second scoring drive trying to throw to Garcon and he planted wrong and his knee buckled. He had his knee taped and said he was fine, but he never played with both legs for the rest of the game. Taking away RG3’s legs is a game changer and it definitely changed the rest of the game. 

In the fist quarter Washington had 129 yards and only 74 for the rest of the game. Griffin went 6 for 9 with 68 yards, and two TD’s in the first 15 minutes. He went 4 for 10 with 16 yards, and one interception for the rest of the game. Seattle then scored 24 unanswered points to beat the Redskins again; 14-24. Third time is not a charm.

We all questioned why Kirk Cousins was not warming up. It was obvious RG3 was hurt and running like a 40-year old man and not like the 22-year old super hero that he is. I understand that Griffin wants to be out there and he deserves to be out there, but Coach Shanahan- YOU ARE THE HEAD COACH, YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS! We ALL could see that Griffin was hurt and that hurt the chances of winning the game. Coach, I hope you and Kyle are both praying to the sports gods that this injury doesn’t hurt RG3’s and your future in the NFL. For an athlete with medical history of knee issues and the type of player he is, he’s making decisions to play the next play- the coach should make decisions to play for the future. (Especially when you have the best back up QB on your bench!) With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter Griffin’s knee buckled while trying to save a bad shotgun snap. He was in so much pain that he didn’t even try to recover the fumble. 

Maybe I’m partial to the knees because I’ve had three knee surgeries and my knees have never been the same. I avoided surgery and played through pain only to do more damage. I’m also convinced it’s the reason I didn’t get a second growth spurt.

Who knows what would have happened if KC1 would have entered the game early. But once he let go of the nerves in Cleveland he proved he can play. QB’s protect the ball, Coaches should protect their players.

I’m going to be honest and say I don’t know a lot about field maintenance or even know how to mow grass, but I do know that FedEx Field looked awful! There were so many divots it looked like Charles Barkley has been hitting golf balls before the National Anthem. I thought maybe they just ran out of paint they use make it look camera ready, but clearly they ran out of fertilizer and water and just added some dirt straight down the middle of the field. Horrible! I’m no expert, but that has to be a red flag when your franchise QB, the future of this team, and the only hope in Washington to get back to glory days that you would make sure YOUR field is game ready and safe. ComeOn Man!

Even though we’ve lost to Seattle in the last three post-season appearances this team and Redskins Nation has a lot to cheer about. NFC East Champions with a 10-6 season winning the last 7 in a row was a huge surprise to the NFL. Peter King and most of the ‘experts’ only picked the Redskins to win two games. As we go into the off season we will pray to sports gods that RG3 makes a full recovery and next year we’ll be ready for dessert.#HHTR

I Need to Vent

I apologize, but I need to vent. (Sorry to Steve Nance who heard the potty mouth version of this rant.)  

I was asked to play in a Fantasy Football league with a $50 buy-in. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve never bet more than $20 on anything. The league manager begged, I mean he beeeeggggggggged me to play. He was acting like the neighborhood cat; I couldn’t get rid of him so I said I would play. But I made it clear, don’t be mad when I beat you.

I’ve been playing in fantasy leagues year round for years. I’m lucky that my twin brother is a champion in most leagues he plays in and has taught me how to play like the boys. This was the first league I played in that was outside my normal circle of fantasy leagues.

League Go Hard or Go Home- with League Manager Captain Shady-

After the most unorganized live draft I couldn’t stop laughing. Who drafts a kicker in the 7^th round (Mason Crosby who has 87 total fantasy points this year)? I took Stephen Gostkowski with my second to last pick and he’s tied for first place with 144 points. One kid even picked the Lions defense in the 6^th round (who has a total of 54 fantasy points). I waited until the 10^th round and snagged up the Bears D who leads the league and earned my team 204 fantasy points.

And how was Adrian Peterson stilllll available in the 3^rd round? Talk about a steal All Day, All Day!

Have you ever played in a league that counted week 17? Teams with an automatic playoff will rest the superstar so it can hurt your team in the Championship.

Let’s be honest, he has a reputation of being shady and holds a grudge against me because I have schooled him week after week in a weekly NFL pick em game for the past two years.  

No one was surprised when he magically had the first round draft pick. A $50 buy-in with ten players = $350 for 1^st and $150 for 2^nd.  Somewhere along the way he created a 3^rd place for a $50 payout. I didn’t realize I was playing in an all-girl league. Third place gets a payout in a league of 10? Shut the front door! Just give everyone a trophy and tell them they won too. I guess I grew up playing ball where I learned to win or lose and you accept it. There was none of this let everyone win crap.

So now, this ‘made up’ addition makes the 1^st place payout $250 and 2^nd $150, but wait that’s still only $450….? I’m pretty good with numbers, but the average 2^nd grader can figure out there’s still $50 unaccounted for. He then decides the $50 is for the draft kit. Whaaaat? Those things are partially free and if you do purchase a draft kit (it’s a poster board and stickers) you might spend $25 at the most.

Worst league management ever! The funny thing about this league is that my team DaNuhNuh has been crushing it all season in first place and I’m playing in the Championship. I’m playing team Maclin On Your Girl, Yes Her (I hate the Eagles, but that’s hilarious Mr. Nance). He, like most of the other teams are pretty cool people. I’m just glad that we beat Captain Shady at his own game.

You can rig all the rules, you can change the rules, and you can even use your veto power to make sure others can’t beat you and you still get beat by a girl.

Naughty or Nice?

The entire year comes down to one list. There is one list that is created by the sports gods and Santa that decides the fate of your season; are you on the Naughty or Nice list? Being on the naughty list is season ending and being on the nice list keeps your post season dreams alive. Luckily, Santa and I are pretty close (I leave him the best cookies year after year- he loves me) so he shared the “List” with me. Here is the inside scoop to the most important list of the year. 

I was lucky enough to be invited to go to the NFL Draft in Radio City Music Hall when the Washington Redskins drafted the best Christmas present we could ask for; Robert Griffin III! He has proven he is the real deal and he knows how to put on a show. FedEx field goes NUTS when he runs out of the tunnel, steps on the field or just when he smiles on the jumbo-tron. RG3 is truly the hope and change we have been waiting for in Washington. Robert you are on the NICE List!

Redskin nation is so mesmerized by the talent and charisma of RG3 that the attention for the other life line on the field has been sidelined. Holy Kai! Kai Forbath is an undercover superhero. (Really, he is! Only superheroes can wear a size 7. 5 shoe on their kicking foot and a size 10.5 on the other foot.) This California golden-foot is not getting the attention he deserves. But then again, I’ve met Kai and he doesn’t have a Hollywood ego at all. He was so nice and humble to be playing in the NFL. I’ve read articles where the “Redskins took a chance on him”. Let’s be honest, when Billy Cundiff is your kicker- that’s called taking a risk. Picking up Kai was a steal!

(I’m not a fan of his favorite UCLA memory when he kicked the game winning FG in OT to beat my VOLS in 2008.) But I am a fan of winning games. In his 9 games with the Redskins he has scored 82 fantasy points for Washington. I know, his kickoffs stats are a little debatable, but Special Teams Coach Danny Smith has a strategy inside that wad of gum he’s always chomping on. Kai explained it to Dan Steinberg by saying: “We think our cover team does best when we’re not letting the other team know where we’re going with it.” Keep up the Cali-swag Kai; we are glad you are here! Kai- you are on the NICE List!

Alfred Morris, gosh I love this swinger! Redskin fans know his TD celebration is a home run swing. But what’s the story behind it? During spring OTAs he met some Little Leaguers who were staying at the same hotel for an All-Star tournament. He became a huge fan of these little ballers. He swam with them, he ate cupcakes with them (Morris LOVES cupcakes), he watched them play ball and he became a role model. Morris decided he would do a TD celebration for them the first time he got into the end-zone. He hit his first home-run against the Colts in the preseason (the imaginary baseball swing) and the Little Leaguers and their parents sent Morris messages thanking him for showing them some love. Morris was so touched by their excitement and he decided it would be his signature celebration all season. How can you not root for a guy who has a heart like that? Keep swinging in the end-zone buddy, keep swinging! Alfred, a lot of little kids wrote letters to Santa telling him that they want a football for Christmas so they can grow up to be a like you. Alfred, you are on the NICE List!

Santa’s Naughty List:

Philadelphia Eagles

New York Giants

Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys vs. Indians

This was my first Thanksgiving away from my family and to be honest, I think they are relieved that they could enjoy a home cooked meal without having to wear a homemade Pilgrim or Indian hat. Yes, my kindergarten art skills still excel beyond the classroom. Construction paper and a glue stick, it never gets old and yes, you have to wear the hat to eat.

I can’t remember the last time I used my stove when I wasn’t prepping for tailgate festivities with the White family. I attempted to make my own Thanksgiving dinner- not a tradition I will continue. But knowing another tradition was making a come back could make up for me missing my mom’s crock-pot mac & cheese; Cowboys vs. Redskins on Thanksgiving Day!

HA- Cowboys vs. Indians on Thanksgiving Day, well played NFL, well played. After a rough start and a Brandon Banks error, I felt my Thanksgiving meal starting to rise for a reversal of fortune. And then it was as if the sports gods wanted to rain on the Dallas parade and sent rain in the Cowboy Stadium (once the roof is open, it can not be closed) in the second quarter and the RG3 show featuring the Redskins began. WOW- what a show it was with 28 unanswered points in the second quarter. Total domination! 

RG3 was back in his home state of Texas and he did not disappoint in the second quarter. Maybe they ate some turkey during halftime because the third quarter was pretty boring and the Cowboys scored ten unanswered points. 35-21 with less than ten minutes left in the game and an RG3 interception. WHAT? Superman can’t throw interceptions. And just like that 35-28 for a seven point game. My heart-rate was racing and my turkey still had not settled.

Any Redskin fan will tell you that it’s not over until it-is-over. And usually, it doesn’t end well for us. But my new phrase for the Redskins and my ringtone- Anything Can Happen when RG3 is on the field!

With three minutes left, Kai Forbath lines up for a 48 yard field goal attempt. Holy Kai it was perfect and the Redskins take a ten point lead; 38-28. Redskins fans are thankful that Billy Can’t Kick Cundiff was replaced by this hidden golden foot of Kai Forbath.

My heart was still pounding until the game clock expired and the Redskins finally BEAT Dallas 38-31 on Thanksgiving in Texas and put an end to Tony Romo’s 5-0 winning streak on Thanksgiving Day. The Redskins are thankful for RG3 everyday and today we are very thankful for RG3’s 311 passing yards, 4 TDs, and the WIN!

When it’s Cowboys vs. Indians- Anything Can Happen.

PS: That Cam Newton Play 60 commercial with the little kid- HILARIOUS!

ROCK BOTTOM

"The Rock" after the loss to Mississippi State 

Smokey mountains and a sea of orange; welcome to Knoxville, Tennessee. Ah, Neyland Stadium, the place where dreams come true… for the visiting teams and fans.

Going into Saturday’s game against Missouri I was confident that I would hear the student section yell “It’s-great-to-be-a-Tennessee-VOL” Instead, I heard a non-UT fan yell back to a guy selling I will give my all for Tennessee today signs “No body wants that sh*t”.

With 0:43 seconds left in regulation the score is 28-28. UT has the ball, 1^st &10 and at UT 39 yard line- incomplete pass. 2^nd & 10 at UT 39 yard line- pass complete to Marlin Lane- no gain and Dooley let the clock run with two timeouts left. Dooley always preaches that players need to finish the game, what about the coaches? At least act like you want to win the game.

It was a nail biter that took us into four Overtimes, an exciting fake field goal, and a 51-48 loss to Missouri.  That was the seventh straight loss in SEC match ups and forcing Tennessee to look for our fourth head football coach since 2008.

Going into the Vandy game, UT is the underdog for the second straight year against the armpit of the SEC. It’s simply embarrassing. The VOLS are 4-6 this season and 0-6 against SEC teams. There’s a possibility we could be 0-8 in the SEC before this season is over and that is not acceptable.

 

Dooley, I know you are a nice guy and all, but nice doesn’t win SEC football games. Yes, there has been improvement; however there hasn’t been enough improvement to WIN A FREAKING GAME! Life as a UT fan has officially hit Rock Bottom!

I understand that while we wanted to hear on Monday that Dooley was DONE! It’s not smart to fire him without knowing who the next coach will be. The fear of the unknown would send the wrong message to recruits that we could lose. Nice comb over, love the pants, but you have got-to-go!

 

Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is for a football coach at Tennessee to beat Florida (and Georgia, and South Carolina). Is that too much to ask?

 

All this flirting with Gruden has to be too good to be true. It’s obvious that we want him and we are willing to pay celebrity money to make it happen. There’s just too much “speculation” on the situation and lets be honest, only those in the Tennessee fan base actually believe that Gruden could happen. Just thinking about Gruden makes me want to sing Rocky Top! It would be a game changer for the program and a platform for Gruden to show his true colors in college coaching. His ability to recruit would be second to none and the miracle that could revitalize the brand of Tennessee Football. My fingers are still crossed, but we are prepared that it might not happen. UT fans have suffered a lot more disappointment over the years.

 

The Monday after the Missouri loss, I was wearing a UT hoodie in the grocery store and I hear a man 70+ years old yell “Go VOLS”! I paused and then turned and looked at him. He still had a fist in the air from fist pumping. I smiled and we began talking about Tennessee Football. He is a UT alumnus with family still in Tennessee and he is still cheering for the Big Orange. He summed up the problem in one sentence “I just want to be respected again”. 

The Good Ole Days

Did the Redskins know they had a game on Sunday? Did they realize they were playing a 1-6 Carolina team? Did they know it was homecoming? Did they know how many heroes that were in the stands? Do they know the history of the throw back uniforms? Do they know about the Good Ole Days?

Redbull shortage, ready for a bye-week, too cold, blah, blah, blah- bottom line: THE TEAM DIDN’T SHOW UP TO PLAY!

 

How do you NOT score on 4^th & goal on the one yard line? Only to have Carolina drive the ball 99 yards and score seven.

 

21-6 with 3:19 left in the 4^th quarter, two touchdowns nullified and third time is charm- Royester scores 21-13 with 1:34 left. Can someone explain why we wouldn’t go for two? I understand that a failed attempt would take you out of the game, but at this point what do you have to lose? Hypothetically, say Shanahan went for it and the score was 21-14. We stop Scam Newton and we get the ball back (which DID happen). We would have had the momentum with 0:17 left to move the ball/hail mary/RG3 special powers unleashed and the chance to TRY and WIN the game! Anything can happen when RG3 is on the field, so why not try to win with each second of the game?

 

On Dallas’s 17 yard line, Romo hail married on 3^rd & 20 with 5:35 in the FIRST quarter of Sunday night’s game for a 65 yard completion to Ogletree. Next play 1^st & 10 on Atlanta’s 18 yard line. My point; it took ten seconds off the clock to move the ball down the field and to put them in scoring position. The Redskins had seventeen seconds to at least TRY to make it look like they wanted to win in the fourth quarter in a must win game.

 

As a Redskins fan, I’ve been a loyal fan my entire life. My dad tells me stories about the Good Ole Days of the Washington Redskins. Stories about his hero, Sonny Jurgensen, the Hogs and the Fun Bunch, but these are all just stories to me. I wasn’t born when Sonny was in his prime and I was too young to remember the mid 80’s and early 90’s of Washington pigskin. So basically from 2^nd grade (1992) to present I have been a fan of a 139-186 Redskins team that has only made it to 4 playoff games (losing all of the divisional games) in 20 years. The previous 20 years the Redskins were 197-104 with 11 play-off appearances, played in 4 Super Bowls and won 3 rings.

 

And when you think about it, it’s hard to be a Redskins fan. But still, we are some of the most loyal fans in all of sports; you’d have to be to support a team who has finished last in their division 9 times, second to last 7 times and only finishing in second place 3 times and ONE first place finish in the past twenty years.

 

I went to college in South Carolina and the local bar didn’t show Redskins games (owner was an Eagles fan and a total prick) so I would listen to the games in my car on SIRIUS satellite radio so I wouldn’t miss a game. Since moving to the DC area four years ago and thanks to the White family, I almost have perfect attendance to all home games. I’ve traveled to away games in Dallas, Carolina and Pittsburgh. Rain or shine, wind or snow, the fans show up every game. Is it too much to ask for a team to show up and play?

 

Last week in Pittsburgh with 0:26 left in the game, the team takes a knee. (I know, there was no way we were coming back from being down 15 points) but for the love of the fans, act like you want to win and finish the game. The fans stayed until the end and finished the game.

 

Thank you sports gods for RG3- I don’t want to imagine how awful this year would be if we didn’t have him. (As in, instead of just losing, we would have been killed with nothing/no one to make us believe that the Good Ole Days will come again.)

 

Humor me. Why is the Redskin sideline of the stadium in the shade/cold and the visitor sideline is in the sun/warm? Kyle Shanahan’s nose looked like a clown the entire game, the players were draped in coats and sitting close to each other on the bench to stay warm. Looking at the Redskins made me even colder. Across the field, the Panther’s are moving around and staying lose. I understand in baseball putting the visitor’s bullpen in the baking summer sun, but in winter football, basic common sense tells me I want my team in the warm sun. Just a thought…

 

Dan Snyder was advised to change the way he ran the team. He took a back seat and let his management and coaching staff run the program. It’s been a few years and after this year with no real change- I hope Snyder holds them all accountable and makes changes himself.  

 

If I was Snyder, I’d never hire a head coach whose son is the offensive coordinator. If Kyle was “that” good, then he could get a job at any other NFL team. His only previous experience was one year at Houston 2008-2009. Mr. Mike Shanahan, honestly- was Kyle Shanahan the BEST OC you could find? I hope you both are renting.

 

It’s hard to be a Redskins fan when you watch your team play as if they don’t care, a coach who doesn’t finish games and a loyal fan base that is tired of watching a team SUCK year after year. It’s a bye week in Washington and if I was the coach, the team would have two-a-days all week and the entire team and staff would donate this week’s paycheck to charity. Goodell and the Players Union can fine me all they want, but when you have a history of winning, your fans will pay you back.

 

I hope that one day I will be able to experience the Good Ole Days of the Washington Redskins.

1934 Called, They Want Their Uniforms Back

The White family does it again! I’m so thankful they always invite me week after week and year after year to watch the Redskins play. So what did I say when they offered me tickets to go to Pittsburgh for the Redskins vs. Steelers game? HAIL YEAH! Who cares if it’s cold and raining with a little wind, all you need is your big girl panties and a poncho. And maybe layers and layers of burgundy and gold to keep warm.

For years I had named M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, as the most unorganized stadium for fans to enter. That was until I checked Heinz Field off of my bucket list last Sunday. Hands down- it’s a debacle! After being “in line” an hour before kick off, I was confident we would be in our seats before the National Anthem with plenty of time for me to booooo as Roethlisberger was introduced. However, we were still waiting to get in and to our seats and I missed the perfect booing moment. Hello, front office; you are losing so much money from fans “waiting in line” when they could be inside ordering beers and hotdogs! Also, what stadium doesn’t accept credit cards at the concession stand?

 

Dan Snyder isn’t the most popular owner in the NFL, but he knows you have to get fans in quickly and they will spend money. Snyder figured out that teams can lose on the field, but don’t take a loss of revenue from not having the logistics strategy of how to get fans in faster. Now, if FedEx only had more Coors Light in the stadium, they would be a gold mine!

 

To the 6’3, 300 pound Hulk Hogan wanna-be Steeler fan with a beer gut bigger than me who kept pushing his way through the crowd with his gut: Just because you can see over me, doesn’t mean you’re getting in front of me. Like most 5^th grade “line cutters” he was a big bully. At one point, I seriously contemplated jabbing my EpiPen right in his stones. And guess who made it in the game first- ME!

 

But for the most part, Pittsburgh fans were nice to us Redskins fans. Actually, they didn’t even care we were there and this was before they lit up the score board. I’ve never seen so many Carhartt boots in my life; it’s truly a blue collar town and stadium. One man even asked me if I needed a hug at the end of the game- HA I laughed and said ‘nope, I just need a team that is able to CATCH THE BALL!’

 

I was more embarrassed to witness the temper tantrum from D-Hall than I was to lose the game. You can’t expect to win when you drop 10 catches, but I expect a team of grown men to have a little respect for the game. Fans in the nose bleeds could hear D-Hall’s F-bombs at the refs. It’s not the refs fault D-Hall can’t cover. I honestly don’t care if the head linesman Dana McKenzie missed the call that caused D-Hall to be taken down by Steelers receiver Emmanuel Sanders, there’s no reason your teammates should have to restrain you from trying to fight an official.

 

But let’s talk about the real embarrassment of the Heinz Field: who picked out the Steelers Uniforms? They looked like prisoner bumble bees who got scalped below the waist. Hey, nice nude pants, said no one ever! If this was an ugly Halloween costume contest, the Steelers won! Or maybe it was a wake up call to Big Ben of what he looks like in a prison uniform. Anyway you look at it; it’s a hideous look for Pittsburgh and an embarrassment to the game of football. Please, burn all of them!

The crowd wrapped around Heinz Field

The Power of the T

Life is full of stories. Stories people are dying to tell and stories that are never told enough. Theses stories make your heart smile and your eyes water; stories that have the power to change how you live your life.

In a perfect world children and cancer are two words that would never be mentioned in the same sentence. But too often an innocent child’s life is shortened, weakened and then surrenders a life that was never truly experienced.

 

In November 2005, Jay Rodger’s was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that is a bone tumor- he was 13 years old. Most of Jay’s life was threatened by the gauge of time doctors expected him to live. Cancer: a cureless disease that took away his hair, his ability to attend high school, to play football and to live a normal life as a kid. Most teenagers spend their life playing ball and having fun. Most of Jay’s life was spent in hospitals and beating his life expectancy odds. Cancer didn’t take Jay’s heart, spirit or his soul to fight each day with the hopes of just one more smile, one more breath, and one more day to live his life.

 

After a seven year battle, his body began to surrender and the gauge of his time on Earth would soon becoming to an end. Last Wednesday, he and his family prepared for hospice where Jay would spend his final days, hours and minutes in his Tennessee home. His family fought back tears, but Jay never stopped smiling and telling everyone about how his hero, Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos to a comeback win that Monday night.    

 

On October 13^th his family set up the facebook page “Jay’s Warriors”- for the people who have supported Jay and his family during his battle with cancer for the final fight of his life. The page was updated with how Jay was doing and asked for pictures of Jay’s Warriors signs and ‘Likes’ of encouragement.

Growing up in Tennessee, Jay was a fan of UT sports and hunting. It was no surprise to see him in his camouflage Tennessee hat. Leave it to VolNation and social media to spread the word and the messages of encouragement flooded the facebook page. Former and current athletes and coaches reached out to Jay and in one week, Jay gained over 35 thousand new Jay’s Warriors.

 

“My favorite was from Peyton Manning. As I told him how much Jay loved to watch him play and looked up to him as a hero Peyton said "Jay is more of a hero than I will ever be." JayStrong.”  -Posted on October 17^th

 

The University of Tennessee is built on tradition and there is more power in the Power T than can be measured. Saturday’s game against Alabama was played in honor of Jay Rodgers and players showed everyone at Neyland they were one of Jay’s Warriors. 

Jay’s life was timed on Earth, but time can not touch or calculate the impact of how Jay’s life of fighting for every smile, for every breath, and for another day to live life has changed the lives of Jay’s Warriors to live JayStrong. VFL

 

Glen Jennings Rogers

January 21, 1992- October 21, 2012.

Monumental Meltdown

The Washington Nationals haven’t been employed in October in 79 years. The Nationals are one of two MLB franchises, and the only one in the National League, that has never played in a World Series (the Seattle Mariners are the other) and after the monumental meltdown of game five, World Series dreams will remain a dream.

Crazy things started to happen in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) the past few months. The Nationals AND the Orioles were both playing postseason baseball, Teddy WON his first President’s race, talk of a beltway World Series packed bars and fans came out of hiding to root for the Nats and O’s. Was the district becoming a sports town? Baseball was being talked about at the office water cooler and fans were showing their Natitude!

 

I love the game of baseball and I was pumped when I found out I had a ticket to game four Nats/Cards. Pimp seats, a sold out crowd, and a great game of postseason baseball is a fans dream. With the game date being 10-11-12 it was only fitting that it was a 13 pitch at-bat in the bottom of the 9^th for Jayson Werth to blast the Rawlings 406 feet to left field for a walk-off home run to force game five and giving Jayson Werth his 14^th walk-off home run in the post season since 2004.  It was awesome to experience a walk-off homer in the postseason, simply awesome!

 

Game five the Nats took an early 6-0 lead and people were booking flights to San Fran for NLCS. After all, no team has ever come back by six runs in an elimination game. But after the third inning, the Nationals bats only scored one more run for the rest of the game. Before you knew it was 7-5 in the top of the 9^th. My stomach turned, I’ve seen this horror story; 2011 game six Rangers/Cardinals- same score, same Cardinal comeback.

 

Deep down, I kept thinking Davy Johnson would make the crowd go nuts by sending in benched pitcher, Stephen Strasburg for ONE pitch to end this game. Instead, Drew Storen struggled on the mound.

 

Something about the Cardinals being down 7-5 in the 9^th with two outs and ONE strike away in an elimination game that motivates them to magically manage to come back and win, crushing the hopes and dreams of a Championship starved city and franchise. How the Cardinals scored four runs with one out- even with one strike away twice seems like a game you watch in the movies, not live in postseason baseball. Natitude quickly became Sadatude.

 

How could the sports gods be so cruel? Players and fans were left shocked and in disbelief that the comeback happened against them and their postseason dreams were officially over. Instead of rushing out of the stadium, fans stared at the field and grown men wiped their eyes. Players didn’t leave the dugout. No one wanted to accept that game five would end in a monumental meltdown of epic proportions.