Never a cheesehead.

As a loyal Bears fan i find it almost UNBEARABLE to root for that evil empire in Wisconsin.Their players claim that their fans dont BOO when they play badly. They act like everyone should just love them and their traditions. I hate the pack. Never will i root for the cheeseheads and that leap their touchdown scorers do is unbelievably annoying. My nephews are now sporting packer jerseys and whats worse is that their parents have accepted it like it was supposed to happen. This Sunday people tell me that i have to root for the pack to help the Bears into the playoffs. I refuse to do it. My cheering for the packers was an idea i embrased over Christmas  during a moment of holiday weakness. I will stay silent and wait for the game to play out. Should the Bears beat detroit and the pack defeat the vikes i wont be sending a thank you card to titletown. I will be happy the bears are in the playoffs ready to fight another day but i will NEVER root for the  Packers.

Goodbye cruel world.

Ok so today is end of the world day and since im not exactly sure when or where im gonna be when the bell tolls im gonna type some predictions that i hope come true if there is a 2013. The Superbowl in New orleans involves 2 teams not involving brady rodgers or manning we need new blood in the big game. Alabama and Notre Dame end in a scoreless unresolvable tie and Sabin and kelly have a fistfight at midfield over the BCS trophy. I dont hear the phrase bracket buster or bubble team before the NCAA basketball tourney in march. Phelps and Billas get colds before the tourney starts and are forced to mail in cardboard cut outs of themselves to ESPN. Rumor has it that the cutouts will make better predictions and sense than the real dopes. Daily spring training updates get interuppted everytime ESPN starts kissing Red Sox ass. The Cubs dont really do anything. The sport of hockey completely dissapears from the face of the Earth never to be seen again. Canada will be sad. Every college football coach will either quit or be fired over the summer and noone will notice. The Dodgers will end the season 162-0 and tommy Lasorda will still be pissed. I will spend 12 hours trying to predict who will win every game in all sports except Golf and will be wrong. Well if thats the last thing i ever do is ignore golf my life didnt turn out so bad.

Tebo fan.

What a difference a year makes for Tim Tebo. Last year hes the toast of the NFL and people were talking about him like he had super powers. Tebo mania was sweeping the country for good or bad and he and his bronco teammates beat Pittsburgh in the playoffs. This year in New york the guy cant buy a break. Mark Sanchez is having a horrible year and the third stringer in new york is an inexperienced rookie. Rex the coach says hes been terrible in practice and thats enough to keep him sidelined. Of course the Jets are an easy target. They drafted a bunch of talent on defense and dont have any talent or imagionation on offense.My problem with the Jets is that they are COWARDS and wont play Tebo because they dont want the uproar if he is somewhat successful the last 2 games. The Jets thought Sanchez was gonna be better and when he wasnt they had no idea what they would do on offense. They aquired Tebo and made it a point to keep secret their plans for him at the start of the season.The fact is they had NOTHING in mind for Tebo and they used Tim as a publicity stunt. Really the same thing happened in Denver when the Broncos found out Orton was a bust.The difference in Denver was that the coaches there were willing to work to try and save the season with Tebo as quaterback. Im not sure why Denver drafted Tebo and what the Jets did was even more pathetic. Did the Jets GM think that the fans would simply wanna see Tebo on the sidelines? New York fans are not stupid and wont tolerate that moron for very long, Tebos future in the NFL is certainly up in the air.. I believe he might be more of an asset to any team if he would switch positions and turn into a pass catching tight end or a special teams killer. Because im a fan of Tebo both as an athlete and person I think he will succeed at whatever he attempts in football or life. I just wish some of the idiot coaches in the league would see Tim for what he is a leader an athlete and an asset to any football team.

Old school.

I love a good hard hitting football game where the defenses shine and the game is determined by blood and guts at the end. Most people jump up and down when the offenses roar down the field and a ton of points are scored. I hate games with no defense its like its not really football but a game of basketball on grass. The NFL has turned into a pass first league with an occasional rush of the football for the surprise effect. Gone are the days of defenses having tough nicknames like the Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh or the Doomsday defense in Dallas. Minnesota had the purple gang and Miami had the infamous no name  defense. You cant even celebrate offenses because everyone in the game scores at such a rapid rate that its almost expected.-.Defensive safeties cannot touch receivers without a flag every other pass so that the physical nature of the sport is disappearing. The dopey commissioner is so paranoid about player safety and concussions hes actually proposing eliminating kickoffs from the sport. There are no dominate defensive teams because all the rules give the advantage to the offensive teams. Fans can chant all they want for defense but as far as i can see there is none.The awful conclusion i have come too is that american sports fans are action junkies and have the attention spans of nats. We want scoring and excitement and if we dont see greatness in the first five minutes of a game we get bored and want our candy and cookies. As for me give me defense and bring back guys like MEAN JOE GREEN and Billy Kilmer. I love shutouts and guys blasting each other with dirty grass stained uniforms and dented football helmets. Give me defense or get off the field.

Bowl mania.

Christmas is approaching and that means im going to pick 35 bowl games thinking that i have any idea of what will happen. Ill watch the majority of them and because i entered a couple of bowl pools ill probably be rooting harder and louder for toledo than i probably should. OK i know most people think its ridiculous to watch some of these games but i dont care. The famous Idaho Potatoe Bowl or the New mexico Bowl wont go down in history as classics but I think I will watch them anyway. Wouldnt it be great if i picked all 35 games correctly and ESPN called and said i won their giant online bowl pool? Ok so thats not happening either. Some people just watch the teams in the BCS or the national championship game. They are probably people with jobs kids and lives much different then mine. The life im leading for the next three weeks will be filled with passes kicks and touchdowns and thats not a bad life at all.

Young people and sports.

There is definately a problem that needs to be addressed in our culture. Teaching our children the value of  healthy competition is a really good thing. Rewarding them with  particpation ribbons and trophies is not a good thing. Participating in active physical activity at an appropriate age is a wonderful thing.Signing your 9 year old kid up for basketball camp because you want him to have a shot at a college schlorship is not a good thing. High school coaches who prohibit kids from playing other sports because they want a state championship is a terrible idea. Allowing kids to play all kinds of sports and choose what they enjoy is a good thing. Bottom line parents and coaches need to STOP vicariously living through their athletes and children.Its about healthy development and learning competitive physical and mental skills. Being physically healthy and learning to win and lose in a competitive world is a valueable lesson. At the other extreme are those parents and coaches who reward children for doing absolutely nothing because their afraid to bruise their fragile egos. Usually politically correct and believing that they need to be the childs avocate and best friend  these people annoy the hell out of me. They are usually the parents who avoided athletics at all cost and got their asses beat up by the big mean jock after school.  We live in a competive world and kids need to experience failure a time or two in their  young lives. Stop being whimpy best friend parents and coaches and be what your supposed to be....Teachers. Another idea is to allow your children to naturally explore all kinds of activities and learn to appreciate lots of different people and activities. We need to stop trying to create college sports stars from the ground up and let the kids naturally gravitate towards activities. Thank you ESPN for spreading another one of your STUPID entertainment money driven ideas that states that all children with determination and desire can become Lebron James or Tom Brady if they just start early enough and want it bad enough. Just another reason to hate the new sports entertainment philosophy that is dominating the air waves.

The choice.

I have always been a fan of the NFL.I love the speed the hitting and the controled violence. The frustration of this football is that i also want my team to win. The game has gotten so physical that the winners are now simply the teams that stay healthy more than anything. The steelers lose Ben the Bears lose jay and the seasons over. Oh sure i could stick around and hope jason cambell could back us into the playoffs but give us no chance at the superbowl but id rather not. There is no solution to the problem and im not avocating taking kickoffs out of the game thats stupid.  Time is valueable and the game is great but the injuries are ruining the game. The decision is tough but if the game gets any more physical my only option for sunday might be CHURCH. Lord help me!!

#28 MVP

The choice for league MVP is obvious. With a decent offensive line and receivers that I challenge anyone to name their offense is limited. Percy harvin out and Christian Ponder still learning the vikes need this BEAST.When the vikes have the ball the defense the crowd and everybody within 50 miles of minneapolis knows whos gettin the rock.Eight months out of major surgery AP has 1600 yards. Manning is a terrific QB and it took courage to come back from neck fusion but really bubby bristers sister could have been the QB and denver would have won the division . Brady is terrific but the pats could make the playoffs with any successful QB in the league. Anyone else who might be considered cant possibly be of more value than #28.If the vikes ever get mad at AP and his occasional fumble as a Bear fan I would entertain making a trade with the vikes.Offering ANYONE on the Chicago roster Jay who?? Matt who?? I would even think about a coach swap for former Bear Les frazier and make the deal news worthy.

Random thoughts.

Im a pritty big redskin fan. And right now im nervous about RG3. For the love of God robert please learn to slide !!!! Already with an ALC  in 2009 the Redskins need to sit him down both literally and figuratively and tell him to stop running so much and find the sideline. His judgement needs to improve because if it doesnt he will have a very short stint in the NFL. The Commissioner of the NBA david stern needs to refund the Spurs their 250 grand  because i know he definately has threatned the integrety of the sport in his time as commissioner.He denied intially that one of his referees was point shaving. HE WAS WRONG. He himself has taken many nights off and thinks his position is far more important than it really is. Money grubbing power hungry kissass of the owners and im really glad hes going away. Bobby patrino is the new coach of Western kentucky. I wonder if hes contacted his local honda dealer .....Maybe scouted out the hilltopper secretarial pool. He says hes learned his lesson, i dont believe him. Maybe the media could stop kisssing bradys ass for a second   and remember they dont call them the cheatriots for nothing. Unbelievably light punishment for such an infraction. More serious i believe than what the saints did or did not do. Another terrific commissioner.

Monsters of the Midway?

Another loss to a mediocre vikings team and im sick of another lovey smith press conference telling me that the protection of Cutler was ok. Really LOVEY??? Were you watching the same game i was??Jay took some unbelievable shots.The fact that he is listed as day to day tells me it was not ok. I dont accept ok when Jays absense means the season is over.Three years of this patchwork pass blocking makes me think the Monsters of the midway really are hiding something. You cant spend millions on Brandon Marshall and draft elshon jefferies and not put an offensive line in front of them.Coach Smith also gave Cutler a pass when he was asked about Cutlers play he said Thats just jay we know what we have in JAY. I know what WE HAVE in you Lovey and if you dont make the playoffs we will have NO MORE of you. This was a divisional game the Bears should have won. What we got instead was Jared Allen and his buddies dominating the Bears upfront.Smith ought to stop giving his QB a pass when he plays badly and tell Bears fans the truth. For 3 years this teams pass blocking has stunk and if management doesnt improve this situation jay Cutler will be gone.

Holiday news.

Christmas Alert!!!  Three of Santas reindeer are holding out for a contract extension. Rudy wants more vacation time plus better vegetation. Dancer says hes looking for a better spot on the sleigh and a pay raise. Donner is unavailable for comment but rumor has it he wants better health benefits and is thinking about retirement. Rudy and his agent met with Santa this week and Rudolph left angry telling the Northpole Press that it was like this his first year when everyone made fun of his nose. "Its gonna take more than a little fog to get me to pull that heavy thing this year" Santa responded by putting the rebelious reindeer on the naughty list. In the latest Northpole opinion poll 35% of people are unsatisfied with the job Santa is doing and 73% are sympathetic to the reindeer and their plight. As an act of good faith all the Christmas elves are continuing to work around the clock and phonelines to the Northpole remain open for parents who wish to either order or cancel their lists to Santa. Santa hasnt been seen in the last week but was seen two weeks ago at sleigh practice He reportedly was training possible replacement reindeer and looking at advanced weather predictions for Christmas Eve.

Good ole boys.

I am not a Manning family fan. The football mannings that is. People crushed Lebron James for his half an hour on ESPN and rightly so. Peyton was enjoying his tour of the NFL and ESPN was hanging on his every word i see little difference in the two. Peyton and his im just like every other guy additude irritates me because i know he is not like any other guy. Did i mention i hate false humility? Eli at the NFL draft on camera with the Chargers jersey looking like a deer in headlightsWHAT? yanno there was a backroom deal with that situation. Archie got on the phone with his good ole boy voice and said to the Chargers..Now you boys know that my Eli would Neva not be in a major television market suppose you work on somethin a bit more pricey k?? Yes they both are hall of fame quartrbacks but it doesnt mean i have to like either of them.  It all seeems a bit too perfect sort of like wally and the Beaver. Where the hell is eddie haskell in this story? Archie was an old QB and mom was probably the head cheerleader and prom queen. Maybe im jaded but if i have to see peyton in that car commericial one more time calling his sweet daddy on the phone for their afternoon BBQ im gonna puke. Why dont we just have a Bronco Vs Giant Superbowl so that ole Eli and his brother can play in their backyard and we can go on a tour of the Manning country Estate for our Superbowl halftime entertainment.I can smell the Christmas goose now as good ole Arch and the family gather round the fire for the family photo. UGH!

J....E......T.....S....jets!! jets!!! jets!!

Breaking NFL news the New York Jets are bad. Never in the history of my brief sports watching life have i seen so much attention paid to a bad football team. It is after all New York and Tim Tebo is there ready to resue the little football team that couldnt. The Sports mothership is hovering there watching to see if it can find the drama that drives the big ratings machine. Waiting for Rex the dragon slayer to SCREAM and spread venom at whoever is in the way of his frustration. Maybe the field general who is failing will melt down and crumble in front of his teammates. Maybe if the motherships cronies can stick a needle in the right place the dominos will fall and we all can see the Green football team CRASH. The media is waiting the players are playing and the mothership continues to drone on talking about the demise of the Jets. The bottomline is their is no contraversy. The Jets are exactly who we thought they were. They are a bad football team. The drama seems strange and media driven and outside of the Big fishbowl that is New York it just seems silly. There are plenty of good stories to talk about in the NFL and ill be glad when a six win Jets team is off the football field and out of the news.

Hooray!!! Im for the other team!

Probably my best shot at seeing my favorite college basketball team this year and it could not have gone better. I get a great seat I even get a cheerleader to throw a tee-shirt to me in the crowd.  But it cant be without one BIG ass annoyance. Now do not get me wrong i have had spastic yelling fits at officials and seen some unbelievable calls but tell me if this particular fan doesnt just piss you off. From the beginning this fan is bitching at the officials. Bitching about illegal screens non existant traveling calls and too much contact under the basket. There is NO TRAVELING there are NO illegal screens and the contact under the bucket is physical but not abnormal. Alot of these type fans come into the arena griping at the officials from beginning to end. If the home team loses its always the zebras fault. I wanted so badly to tell this fan to SHUT HER GIANT PIEHOLE but then a great idea happened. I decided to start cheering for the other team.  Fan complainer looks at me sneers and says so are you cheering for the other team?  This was a definate break through and a smile came to my face. She got really pissed when the other team drilled a three and i raised my hand signaling a made three.Moral of the story: The next time a complainer fan who has no knowlodge of the game starts bitching at the refs start cheering wildly for the other team it will make your experience alot better and piss off a fan who definately could use an extra kick in the ass.

The BIG LIE

BCS selections are in and what we have discovered is what we already knew. ESPN is full of protect the establishment in college football idiots. Kirk herbstreet saying that the section of northern illinois to the orange bowl is a commentary on the sad state of affairs in college football. Really KIRK you think im that stupid?? The BIG LIE that nobody talks about on that lunkhead network is that schools like northern are not given the same opportunities to play schools like alabama or florida.....The argument assumes that the abillity to schuedule everyone is equal. There are 125 schools in major college football why dont we just make it simple and eliminate all schools that dont schuedule teams and seasons that are BCS worthy. They can start their own separate division in college football down in the valley where the "commoners" play football. How about we address the real problems in college football and get rid automatic births and conference affilated bowl games? No problem with wisconsin getting a rose bowl birth with 5 losses or louisville getting a bowl birth despite coming from that sickeningly weak Big East? Instead of celebrating a breakthrough for a small school and an opportunity for football players who wouldnt ever get a chance at a bigtime ballgame herby the punkass is super critical. Poor oklahoma has to slum it in the cottonbowl this year and floridah State has to put on kid gloves and play the huskies.Oh and dont forget the powerhouse yellow jackets from GTECH getting a bowlgame with a losing record.Why not put LA tech at 9-3 in that spot and give those seniors a deserving bowl trip? Most of all ESPN stop telling me that stupid lie about parity in college football because it doesnt exist.

Some new rules.

OK i know this is something that is hard to do but im going to imbrace a few of these rules in order to enjoy the rest of my 2012 sports year. Do not be influenced by my absolute hatred for certain schools when picking college bowl games. Do not scream at Jessie palmer or lou holtz when im watching the ESPN bowl game special ...Do not make fun of Lou and his GIANT ears and lispy speech or say that Jessie palmers a third string pretty boy whos real claim to fame is one of reality televisions WORST shows EVER. Im gonna refrain from screaming when digger phelps whose claim to fame is one game that happened almost 40 years ago picks every single favorite to advance in the NCAA basketball tournament 3 months from now. Im gonna turn the television up when dick vitale tells me fort he 458th  time that coach K is the finest human being since mother teresa. I will definately listen to Chris spielman  when he talks about defensive football. I will listen when Bob knight talks about keys to winning a ballgame when i hear his voice on the mothership.I will accept the fact that chaos exists in college football and will not listen to another coach ever when he says he is not taking another coaching job. Well this is the short list i have probably 50  more but im tired of typing. Predictions for saturday are Georgia 24 Alambama 20 .....predictions for the bowl season ..Notre Dame will lose to who ever wins the SEC title game.

Your fired!!

This college football season is not unlike alot of other seasons with its share of upsets and craziness. Maybe its always been this way but i believe the expectations of certain teams regarding their successes or failures is just as crazy. Teams with reasonable seasons such as Purdue and North carlina state decided that bowl eligabillity was not good enogh for their programs. NC state was 7-5 with a victory over florida state and a close loss to Clemson. Purdue finished 6-6 winning their last three games and playing ohio state and Notre dame down to the wire. These pink slips are premature and stupid. Athletic directors and fans need to be more realistic and understand that lofty goals within top 40 programs take time and alot of fortunate circumstances. Granted going to a bowl game is not as glamorous as it used to be but a bowl payout is better than a losing season. Purdues athletic director stated that their goal was to play in the Rose bowl. He said that coach Hope was a hard worker and that he cared about the football team. He also said that he believed that offense was their ticket to Pasadena. Translation i wish joe tiller was still the coach. My question to them is what coach that you could hire is much better than Danny Hope? No big time coach is coming to West Lafayette to take Purdue to the Rose bowl. A top 40 program is going to the Rose Bowl if the junior and senior classes produce quality players and they stay healthy You dont fire a coach and look for lightning in a bottle. You stay  with the coaches and quality players that are in your program and be satisfied with bowl trips. You wait for your experienced players to improve and you take a shot at a conference championship when that happens. When your 3-8 next year Boiler fans you will be clammering for that terrible coach you just fired. And my response to Purdue and other programs like them is You cant fix stupid.

The fan fanatic.

My favorite type of sports fan is the minor sport fan fanatic. They show up at the sports bar dressed in their team gear and when the bars 15 televisions arent showing their sport they go balistic and demand the center television. Because the english premier soccer league is what they live for. Last march i got together with a buddy to watch March madness and some guy comes in the bar dressed like a combat vet looks at the tv screen and says to my buddy WHAT?? your not watching the wrestling championship?? Dont you know that Joe schmoe is wrestling in the final!!! We both looked at each other with a mixture of surprise revulsion and confusion. Dont get me wrong i dont begrudge you for being a fan of a sport you love but dont act like an idiot when i dont share your passion. This fan is convinced that if i just opened my mind and went to see POLO i would fall in love with it.  That might happen if all other sports were gone and my other option was watching a documentry on weather patterns on educational television. Let me and the rest of the world watch the sports we care about and we can set you up with your buddies in the backroom of the bar where you can shoot for a takedown with plenty of space. Just dont make too much noise because the ballgame is on. Thanks.

O......H......I.....O

It was the 1960s and i was watching college football on my first black and white television. This strange man was screaming at the men in the striped shirts about something he didnt like on the football field. He was quite an ugly man and i decided right there at the age of seven that i did not like him or his team. They won that game and i found out later much to my dissappointment that this team and its coach were usually quite successful. At the age of fourteen being much wiser and more refined in my sports tastes I continued to see not only this man but also noticed that there was always a loud and obnoxious band that played their fight song continuously throughtout their games. I hated that. At the age of eighteen i started college and baught tickets to see this team play my beloved school and was quite delighted when we upset their uppity loud mouthed asses. There were no band songs played that day and the old codger had long since passed on. Spending the rest of my time closely following college football and meeting with fans the additude from this school has always been a bit cocky and somewhat arrogant.. They always make sure you know who they are and where their from. The band is still LOUD and they wave their flag in your face whenever they score a touchdown on your field. They are the biggest RAH RAH school in the conference and much to there dissappointment they are STILL not kings of the conference. This past Saturday im watching football and this team is AGAIN honoring one of its coaches. A coach that cheated and was put on NCAA probation. The fans thunderously applauded the nerd in the sweater vest and celebrated like he was a war hero. I was sickened and weirded out at the same time. I quickly lightened up when i remembered the words of a former USC tailback when asked a question about this school. He calmly but quite fiercely said three words that say it all OHIO STATE SUCKS!

And the winner is......

Heisman trophy hysteria!!! This guy had this many yards and so many touchdowns and to all of it i say WHO gives a crap....Over hyped ridiculousness is what i call that trophy. Does it go to the best college player?? Does it go to the player that is the most valueable to his team? I say lets throw the statue in the garbage and concentrate on something more important like hockey. Oh wait those pinheads are striking and ruining whatever limited fan base they had in the states.Lets talk about fantasy football or whose going to win the rider cup next year.The good old H trophy is steeped in tradition and i should respect its history. Is there any fan out there who really believes that? The drama and the breakdown by region and the early voting ....i can barely stand the suspense. ESPN the great sports mothership is leading the way with its hype machine and keeping the ghost of Nile Kinnick alive. New York and my favorite ESPN loudmouth oh wait thats almost all of them too. I propose that all 5 candidates have an arm wrestling contest and the winner can buy the other 4 guys some pizza and free beer. That might be a party worth watching.

Not so stupid after all......

College football has been a blast this year. Who will play in the national championship game is still in doubt and the bowl games are just around the corner.Im happy about all of it but could you imagine if a 4 team playoff were put in place in 2010 and made affective NOW? We heard all the excuses then about how there was no need for a playoff because of a variety of reasons. This line of BULL was put out there by university presidents who smuggly told coaches and fans just how stupid they were for sugggesting a playoff system. Now that a 4 team playoff is set for 2014 these same people and anti playoff snobs are now clammering for an expanded playoff of 8 or more teams. The stupid fans and coaches knew all along what your true objection was and it had nothing to do with anything else but losing the money that was already guarenteed to you with the old system in place. Now that you realize the playoff system can generate millions of dollars in new revenue your all in. The Presidents and academic types that are supposed to be alot smarter than the average fan or coach are in fact just much better liars and hippocrites than we are and im not sure just how i feel about that.

A lesson learned.

I love when a winning program in college football has a bad season. The fans and writers in the local papers make such ridiculous statements it is almost comical. Every move the team makes is scrutinized and everyone is frantic about the failure to have a successful season. The coach who was catagorized as excellent most seasons is now a dope who knows nothing. Fans start yelling about how the coaches salary is too high and want him fired yesterday. Suddenly recruiting tactics are questioned and the whole program is a loser because fans who pay big money for tickets are entitled to a "winner". The newspapers are filled with negative headlines and sports writers are hoping to get a quote from one of the coaches admitting his failure to perform at an acceptable level. The best excuse i heard this season for the teams failure was that the coach did not take the wind on kickoffs on several occasions.When winning becomes the only thing  that makes a sports fan happpy it can make for some long and unhappy days and months during the football season. I am not immune to such thinking but it is wrong thinking.  Sports are not ONLY about winning and losing they are supposed to build character and bring joy into peoples lives. People coaches and fans are not defined as people by their success or failure on the athletic field. This brings me to an old saying that i used to think as an athlete was CRAP  but now i believe i understand its wisdom. It is not wheather you win or lose but it is how you play the game. That also applies to how you watch a game as well. The season of 2012 didnt see many wins for my beloved Hawkeyes but it did teach me a thing or two about graditude and the joy of competition.

MMA not my favorite.

Really dissappointed with the sweet science and the corruption that has gripped the professional boxing game i decided to give MMA a try. The street vibe and the combination of wrestling boxing and various forms of self defense make for some interesting entertainment. The athletes that participate in the sport are legit and the people who promote MMA do an excellent job bringing their sport to the masses.The final verdict for me is that i am really not a fan. The violent street fight vibe is something that id rather avoid and the wrestling and boxing that happen during matches just make me want to watch wrestling and boxing matches. When the object of the sport is to choke the other participant untill they almost sufficate im really not interested. What the MMA fan craze has done for me more than anything else is make me angry at the crooked people involved in professional boxing.The fans that are crazy about MMA should be just as excited about a great prize fight. I definately dont blame fans for searching for an exciting alternative and if its what they enjoy i can hold it against them.What i have resorted to now is watching great old fight on the classic sports channel a sad alternative for a huge boxing fan.

Goodbye mr twinkie.

I am writing today with a heavy heart. Today marks the end of hostess brand snacks.No more cupcakes twinkies or ding dongs. I loved the cherry pies rinced down with an ice cold mountain dew in a glass bottle. The stomach ache and terrible pain that followed after i ate 3 ding dongs in 23 seconds was well worth it.Mom just knew I loved hostess cupcakes so that was always the treat i got if i promised to eat my sandwhich  first which i usually did. I confess i never really did like twinkies much but i did enjoy making my friend chuck mad by calling his beloved minnesota twins the twinkies. I guess there is not much else i can do to relay both my gladness and sadness regarding this important event. What my stomach wants to do is buy thousands of snacks and store them so that i can hang on to that last bit of sugary goodness. What by heart wants to do is make the disagreement between the cupcake people and its workers go away!! But what my brain wants to do is probably the right thing which is to thank hostess and all of its workers over the years for making my childhood better and giving me memories that i will last a lifetime.

The great money grab!!

Basketball is my favorite sport. I will not bore you with the reasons for it because you have heard them before many times from people who love the sport. One aspect of the game that i am growing weary of is the officials rewarding players for flopping and drawing charges. Ive always disliked the "charge call" more often than not the defensive player moves into the path of the advancing dribbler and because he fails to move his feet on defense is out of position. Many times you hear announcers and coaches say this particular call is the toughest one for any official to make. Granted the call is tough but it is definately the officials call to make. The NBA is deciding the issue a different way. Which is probably worse than any officials call could ever be. They are considering a fine for players who try  to draw a charge call  by flopping.Why is it the players fault for attempting to influence the officials? The players are always trying to gain a competive advantage. . The officials need to make the rules in this situation clearer to the players and be more consistant when making the calls. This is an attempted "money grab"by the the NBA and the players and their union should stop this nonsense before it gets started.

SEC be gone!!!

Ten games into the college football season im usually rooting heavily for one or two teams to win the national championship. This year im rooting for the annoying SEC confrence to be shut out of the title game.What I wanted first and foremost was for Oregon to drop 50 on alabama and watch sabin and his pom pom waving tide fans grow sullen and very sad. Thanks to johnny mansell and the aggies that didnt happen. Six years of crowing and pom poms and chants of SEC SEC!!! will be silenced. Thank heaven. Added to my pleasure was Auburn and their pinhead coach "chiz" going 1-9 after absolutely screwing Iowa State. Im not really a believer in karma but if their is any im glad gene got some. The people in death valley are quiet and the Gators got thumped by the Georgia chokedawgs and i couldnt be happier. My parting shot at the hillbilly confrence is that the bottom of it stinks more than a skunks butt. Tennesee is awful and the river schools in missouri and mississippi are mediocre at best.  Life in college football is good this year but it will be even better when I see no SEC in the title game.

He's BACKKKKKKKKK!!

Today my sports sense felt a twinge and my stomach knotted up when I found out Bears QB Jay Cutler might not play on Monday night.Of course all Bear fans remember the calapse last season when jay broke his thumb and the promising 7-2 season turned into 7-9 and no playoffs. This year the bears wised up and aquired a decent backup QB ex raider jason cambell. Not happy but less concerned i went about my day thinking that even if jay wasnt playing Monday all was not lost. The twinge and knots came when i learned that the Bears in their infinate wisdom had resigned old reliable JOSH MCown .....I realize the guys third string but what happens if....My mind starts to race and my palms sweat as i think back to all the REALLY BAD bear quartrbacks that have taken snaps over my lifetime. The list is long and the pain is still very real and all i can type is FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JAY PLEASE COME BACK SOON. Ok now im better.

24 hours of hoop.....WHOS IN??

The tip off marathon on ESPN starts now. I can still feel the sting of kansas ruining my tourney bracket and me saying  why does Kansas always beat teams I root for? I will not make any silly predictions about this season except to type that i hope to see less of digger phelps and more hawkeye wins. A bit of hawkeye trivia and a negitive point about coach Ferentz and a pattern that is very dissappointing. Since 1999 the hawks have played no top 20 teams in the first four games of the year. BAD IDEA IOWA why not play tougher opposition early so you improve BEFORE the big ten season begins. Let the roundball begin!!