For those of you who watched the FSU-UF game on Saturday, you might have noticed the "Did You Know" stat on ABC referring to the true origin of Gatorade. Simply, the graphic said the drink was created by Florida State not Florida. My little brother texted me as soon as he saw it. I'd never heard that one before and was hesitant to believe it. Then Awful Announcing posted this.  

Including: "The University of Florida is so concerned about this new revelation that they are supposed to issue a press release later today, perhaps to quell what has become the hottest new smack talk in Florida."

I'm pretty sure their reputation is safe. Gatorade belongs to them. That game was awful, as in 45-15 awful. And rumors have now surfaced about job security for Chuck Amato and Mickey Andrews. Swirling is that both Amato and Andrews will be gone after the bowl game. Again RUMORS but where there's smoke...

There was an article written after the game about a particular play, the throw-back pass. Here you go...

"Florida called a throw-back pass from Tim Tebow to tight end Aaron Hernandez in the waning seconds of the first quarter. The play called for Tebow to roll left, stop, turn and throw a pass back to the right to Hernandez, who the Gators hoped would be alone in the flat.

There was risk involved.

The ball floated through the rainy sky for about 30 yards, and if a Florida State defender was alert and nearby, the possibility of a long interception return for a touchdown existed.

However, it turned out perfectly for second-ranked Florida, as Hernandez caught the imperfectly thrown pass and scored untouched.

Hernandez said he wasn't surprised the play was successful.

"We knew we were going to run it because the past few weeks other teams used it against Florida State and it worked," Hernandez said. "We put it in our playbook and it worked."

I've always been a fan of Mickey Andrews, standing on the sidelines, smacking his gum, yelling at his boys. The defense is one part of the Noles game that hasn't completely fallen apart. But maybe it is time... Time for coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher to usher in a new staff consisting of the people he wants and needs to get this program back on track.

Or Florida can continue on with their win streak of 8 straight wins against FSU.

Along with that of course, Jimbo, must stay as coach to usher in his new staff.

Just another rumor out there floating around.

TV might be one of the hardest industries to figure out "how to do it". How do you start? Where do you look? Who out there can give some insightful advice? I've always been compelled by people's stories and career paths, the most interesting part being how it all happened. When I graduated college, I couldn't find a job right away. I spent a solid four months sending out resumes and working as a substitute teacher. (That's a whole other post, let me tell you.) Easily, I had some free time on my hands and I spent most of it reading anything within my grasp about the different paths people in the industry took to get jobs. I still do it. In fact last night I met up with one of my producers and a friend who works with us at NBC to watch the Steelers-Bengals game. Somehow we got on the subject of books and somehow I confessed to reading AUDTION by Barbara Walters. Note to the ladies, boys + Barbara = non-stop ragging on you. Granted I can see why they wouldn't read it but I see it as researching the industry I'm in.

Today I was on Deadspin and clicked on a story about ESPN's Michele Tafoya. She did a podcast for ON THE DL. If you have any interest in sports, TV, you're a woman wanting to work in both, you're a guy who likes her, whatever it may be I suggest to take a listen. She's pretty open and has very interesting things to say.

Now if you have an interest in just being entertained... watch Matty Blakes show this week. He manages to get the whole work crew in on his act, which is a talent in itself. Both Clifton and Ed (our co-workers) dress up in the most ridiculous pilgrim outfits. It's pretty funny.

My friend Roy, who is perhaps the biggest Florida State fan I know, passed along this story to me today. It was written by Stewart Mandel, whom I had the chance to meet back at last years Big East Tournament when we sat next to each other during the game. The subject is Myron Rolle, the FSU safety and pre-med student who holds a 3.75 G.P.A.

Oh yes, and a Rhodes Scholar finalist.

But what happens when education clashes with sport? The dilemma: 32 spots and a chance to study at Oxford OR play, this your final season, in the game that will (most likely) decide the ACC Atlantic Division? Maybe you are wondering why there has to be a choice? Can't he just have both? Sure...

Except both are decided on the same day.

Read here... to learn what decision Rolle makes. And then pass it on to athletes who perhaps are in search of what a true role model should be.

Would you want your teammate to make the same choice?

...As in what was this weekend and my sports teams.

I should never have done it. Even while I was doing it, I thought to myself: "Jinx." Then I went and did it anyways. When FSU beat Virginia Tech, I got excited. I looked at the rest of the schedule and counted games the Noles could and should win. I had us beating GT, Clemson, BC, close call with Maryland and then losing to Florida (see I was trying to be realistic). Shoulda known betta!

Saturday afternoon (ME: getting ready for a wedding, darting between the bathroom and the TV): FSU takes a loss to Georgia Tech after fumbling the would be game winning touchdown in the final minute of the game. Sigh. A brief stint in the Top 15 is over, now back to clinging to the bottom of the Top 25.

Switch to the Fighting Irish.. ND lets the game get tied in the fourth. After four OT's, FOUR!, and Brandon Walkers missed field goal, Pitt's kicker makes it and wins. My motive? The weekly ND shows are much easier to do when the Irish win.

Saturday night (ME: attending a wedding, pestering my roommates boyfriend to check for scores on his phone): I rooted for my "other" college football team- Texas. All looked pretty decent right up until Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree connect to create one of the most unforgettable moments in college football. One second left and plus seven...for Tech.

Sense a pattern here?

Sunday afternoon (I get home from doing Fantasy Fix and turn on the TV to see stats for Sage Rosenfels): Immediately I text Gregg and learn Matt Schaub of the Texans busted his knee. He's out, Sage is in. Not that I have a problem with Sage or that I expected them to beat the Vikings, but we were on a three game winning streak!

Now before you tell me "Well maybe you should like better teams..." the loss (all of them) is bad enough. And so a new week begins...

Switching to baseball... I made sandwiches with Ryan Howard on Friday.

In 6th grade I loved Celine Dion and Matthew McConaughey. Today, half of that duo would still be legit. But regardless, at the tender age of 11, there aren't words available to describe the possibility of meeting the one person you admire most. Yesterday, a sixth grader at George G. White Middle School in NJ had the kind of day no kid forgets.

Chase entered and won the "Bring an NFL Player to Work" contest. The prize? An NFL player in the area arrives in a limo and takes the winner to school where together the two promote the importance of fitness. Chase told me of all the players he could choose, Amani Toomer of the NY Giants was the one he wanted to meet the most. Lucky for him, Amani was the player assigned to hang out with the winner.

While those two were hanging out at Chase's home, enjoying a nice breakfast (fruit) and posing for pictures, the faculty and students at the school were itching for any sign of the limo. I was hanging out in the principal's room. Well, me and John Discepolo of CBS 2 and Otis Livingston of WNBC 4. There aren't really that many spots in a middle school for people who are over five feet to stand and not get noticed or in the way.

A great prank... all of the kids were brought into the auditorium and were waiting for the arrival of Amani and Chase. Otis, being a little funny, walked in waving as if he was the man all the kids were waiting for. The place erupted into cheers; I burst into tears of laughter. It was hilarious.

After the official visit was over, Amani and I sat down to speak. I said, "Of all the times you are referred to as a role model, when you walk into a school like this and see the kind of reaction these kids have over you, does it re-emphasize the impact you have?" He responded by saying of course but then went on to say how it's amazing to him that someone whom he's never met or heard of before could be that happy to meet him. I asked him when he was in sixth grade, who would he have wanted to bring to school with him? He thought for a second, smiled and said: "Jerry Rice."

Every weekend NFL players run onto a field surrounded by tens of thousands of fans wearing their jerseys and screaming their names. I don't think that situation is intimate enough to register on a consistent basis what those players mean to little kids like Chase. It's a cool contest (going on throughout the country) and I think both sides get rewarded. The athletes are reminded (and probably warmed to know) that what they represent to young kids goes beyond big hits and scoring TD's. And the kids.. well who could forget a day like that?

I'll link to the interview once it's up.

I turned on my computer this morning at 1:30 a.m. and then hopped in the shower. When I returned the first headline I saw made my heart plummet.

First, back during a time when I had a life, say around May (?) we had an Olympic training seminar for the on-air talent. It was designed to introduce the new and old, address the goals for the games, serve up some kool-aid and open our eyes to the major stories of the summer.

Michael Phelps was one.

Liu Xiang was the other. His name (pronounced Loo Shawn) was used in sentences like:

"1.3 billion people are counting on him."

"He has the weight of an enitre country on his shoulders."

"To these people, he's bigger then Yao Ming."

"It will be the moment of the Olympics."

Now, I'm not sure about you but I can't relate to any of that. As the oldest of four, I remember feeling responsible for my two sisters and brother if I was babysitting and that was pressure. But this?! Unfathomable.

However, and it happens so often, the athlete forced to take on the pressure normally succeeds. See: Michael Phelps. We expect it and they deliver. So what happened with 25-year-old Liu?

Football. How I almost forgot about you! If there's one thing the Olympics brought to the sports world this past weekend, it is a relief from the 24-7 stalking of Brett Favre. Just as I write this, I turn on ESPN First Take and what are they discussing? A phone interview with yet another Brett update. Well, so much for that. And for that matter, I'm glad to hear Aaron Rodgers wasn't dreadful against the Cincy Bengals and did it without Ryan Grant and Greg Jennings!

We shot a bunch of college football previews late last week and hopefully will have them up soon. As a girl who grew up in the south (kind of) I love the college game. Georgia. As I read more and more about this team I can only think to myself: "What could have been..." Mark Richt left FSU and took our offense with him. In turn it is the Bulldogs surrounded by talk of a potential run at a National Championship this year. But, like last year, it's going to be a crazy scramble for anyone to come out on top in January.

In the NFL, here's a video from Lake Tahoe with the question: "Who are you taking, Peyton or Brady?" Which QB do QB's and players from the league take?

And in Super Bowl news, The NY Post's Page Six is starting rumors. Please, fingers crossed, I wish I wish, let this come true... Could the Boss be performing?

I'm like a grandma. I wake up early, eat at 5 p.m. and get all tucked into bed as Bob Costas' voice sings me good night.

These hours I'm telling ya! So basically I sleep while all the good stuff happens. (Not that I'm complaining. For most of my co-workers sleep is now in the category of: Things I Used To Do.) I'm awake for everything sabre, water polo and badminton. Nothing a few highlights can't fix and after watching those, I'm all set to go. It's as if I saw it live anyways. No one at my house is up so the results aren't given away. Try as I may (I even set the alarm last night for 10 p.m. so I would wake up to watch Michael Phelps go for three.) but apparently three texts and two missed calls later, I still missed all of it.

1:16 (in the a.m.) and my alarm goes off. About 20 minutes later, grandma finally crawls out of bed. It's a habit by now to automatically turn on the TV and the computer at the same time, then hop in the shower. Afterall, I want to see what everyone else got to watch last night!

At this point I honestly don't know if I dreamt it or if someone told me right as it happened, but Phelps is now 3-3. Sweet. Awesome but no surprise, right? Kid hasn't lost that event in some like 400 years. But what threw me for a loop this morning was the title: GYMNASTICS: U.S. Men's win bronze. What?! Seriously? Yes, they were hoping for a bronze. They also had everything from their fingers to their toes crossed in hopes of anything being put on their neck. Of course, that wasn't the only thing to happen. BUT... that was a huge win for the boys. HUGE.

Well done Team USA.

The SNL Studio has been destroyed! Where's the Grand Central clock? The set? A band? It should all be here somewhere?

Nope, at least not for the month of August. You'd have to look long and hard to recognize what you and I are used to seeing on TV every Saturday night. It's all been pushed aside and shoved into the back of a closet somewhere at 30 Rock. With the transformation complete, the Olympics have moved in.

I just got back to my apartment (only to kill a few hours before heading back- which side note, there is nothing on TV at 4 am except guess what? Olympics!) before heading back to NYC's Olympic HQ. 600 plus employees are scurrying around the hallways drinking coffee and for the most part still functioning. After all, this whole thing just started.

In a weird twist, most of the sports are actually being called from back here in the states. Mini grey sound booths have been set up, placed in line one after another, across the traditional SNL stage and seating area. When the event is about to start, announcers enter through a door, shut themselves away from the rest of the world, strap on a headset and watch on a TV. Just like you and me. Off to the side, rows of computers are set up where (from what I've heard) interns (?) are devouring tons of footage and processing it over to the web. Back down the hallway, MSNBC and USA Network have their sets up and running, both of which are really beautiful.

"Are you a morning person?" That was the title of the email I received telling me my hours for the next two plus weeks would begin at 3 am. And that's nothing, some of the guys I was hanging out with this morning have already passed the 24 mark.

Obviously the big stuff, Track and Field, Swimming and (my fav) Gymnastics are going to be airing primetime on NBC. But evvvveeerrrryyyyyttthhiinnnggg else (and there's a lot) will be available across the rest of NBC's channels (MSNBC, CNBC, USA) and on the internet.

Hilton, as in the Hotel not Paris (which I guess are one in the same but for intensive purposes-the hotel) is sponsoring the show I am hosting. Called "While You Were Sleeping" (Partying, Studying, Spending a late night on Facebook), the show is basically a highlight package getting you caught up on what you missed. Short enough to not take over your day but meaty enough to give you the heads up on what happened. "While You Were Sleeping" will be up and running every morning on NBCOlympics.com

Also, look out for Matty Blake's own version of an Olympics show. I watched it yesterday and it's hilarious. Guys, trust me, Matty has your best interest at heart when it comes to his special correspondents.

College Football vs Professional Football. Which one is better? In Lake Tahoe, I asked a couple of guys who've played both what they thought.

And then... what rules would they make for their team if they were head coach?

It's as good as you've heard, possibly better. I'm not one to hype things beyond any reasonable expectation, I hate when I hear over and over how amazing something is and then show up only to be dissapointed and it drives me nuts when people say something is cool just because it makes them sound cool. So with that on the table, the movie is seriously that good. 

I'm in Cleveland, OH for the second stop of AST Dew Tour. My co-host Kenan Harkin and our co-worker Chad Perry and I went to the midnight show last night. Years ago when the first Batman movie with Christian Bale came out, the same group went to see that film in Denver. Keeping with tradition, we decided to see Dark Knight together except this time Kenan insisted we arrive early... as in 90 minutes early. Obsessive? A little. (At least we had awesome seats.)

Heath Ledger, who left behind one of his finest performances in the most unfortunate and sad way, steals the show. It's so hard to play a villan that in some twisted way manages to have the audience sitting in the palm of his hand but he does. As complex as the Joker is, he makes you laugh, keeps you on your toes and charms you. The show started at 12:01 and finished shortly before 3 am. Sure enough, it's been the discussion of the TV compound throughout the day.

****

Tonight we had the BMX Dirt Finals which will air in less then an hour from now on USA Network. The course was a bit of a challenge for the guys due to the short jumps and curved first two hits. Luke Parslow threw a double backflip and Ryan Guettler threw a 1080 both on the third set. What?! Cameron White FINALLY got a win tonight with an incredible showing. I say finally because he has been so close several times and yet this is only his second win on the Tour.

Congrats to Steven McCann who is the first guy in the history of the Dew Tour to make it into all three BMX Finals. He placed 4th tonight in Dirt and will compete in BMX Vert tomorrow night and BMX Park on Sunday.

My heart goes out to James Foster. He crashed in BMX Park Prelims (he advanced to Finals) and gashed his eyebrow right above his right eye. Then while taking a practice run during Dirt Finals, he crashed again and this time slammed on the left side of his face. He was unable to finish the contest.

Ryan Guettler- back in the game! Kid looks focused, hungry and ready to live up to the high expectations that were placed on him back in '06 after he dominated in '05. He took second place.

Finally, congrats to daddies-to-be Ryan Nyquist and Alistair Whitton. Nyquist and his wife are expecting a little boy and the Whittons will find out in the Fall!

****

Tomorrow if you're by a computer you can catch the live stream competition of SKB Park and RYAN SHECKLER go for his second win this year on NBCSPORTS.COM at 1. Then at 4 pm ET on NBC it is SKB Vert. In Baltimore, Bucky Lasek edged out PLG but the key factor was there was no Shaun White in the mix. White will be competing tomorrow.   

CAA

If you Google it, you'll read under the second link down: "Founded in 1975, CAA is one of Hollywood's top talent agencies...".

Back in Phoenix, AZ at the Super Bowl, CAA hosted a private party in Scottsdale at some swanky hotel. Apparently a few people knew about it because we pulled up and the line of cars waiting for valet wrapped around the block. I'd just wrapped up shooting at the Playboy Party and had the night to go out and meet up with friends. After handing off the keys to a kid barely older then 17, I was standing under a massive white tent lit by glaring bright lights and not far from a distant rumble of music. To the right a shall-not-be-named-QB was macking on some girl and to the left was the entrance to the party. Passed the bouncers, across the courtyard and once inside, it was a candy store with every major player (not necessarily just athletes but them plus all the big names in the 480 area code) letting their guard down to have a good time.

No media. No cameras. No questions.

Perfect.

At this point I've interviewed a "little black book" list of famous athletes. Not to down play my job, but it gets to the point where I know I'm there to ask questions and not fawn over having met so-and-so. I leave that duty to all of my friends. For the most part that way of thinking works (To quote the classic Anchorman- "60% of the time it works every time"). Except that night in Scottsdale when I looked across the room and saw him.

No bigger then 5' 9" according to his stats, he barely covered me in height (gotta love those damn high heels.) But he carried an aura that represented what I grew up loving about football; a guy I've rooted for his entire professional career in the NFL. I'd never interviewed this one. I'd never met this one. The following minutes of what happened next played out so storybook typical of fan finally meeting star.

In my replay it goes-

3- number of times FSU has played Miami this season. Today will be the fourth.

1- the number of times FSU has beaten Miami.

While the numbers above don't make FSU's odds for a win today look too good, the situation is perhaps what this team has become used to and where they have learned to play their best. With the fear of losing and being sent home right on the tip of their tongue, freshman Tyler Holt said: "Thats kind of what this team has been built on - fighting back."

The Noles lost the first game of the Regionals to Bucknell. After a moment of "What the hell just happened?" FSU pulled it together and came back to beat Florida, Bucknell and Tulane (twice) to advance. Over those four games the Noles put up 74 runs (the other teams combined came up with 35).  

Advance to the Super Regional they did only to turn around and lose the first game (yet again) creating the same story but with a different team. This time victory belonged to Wichita State after the Noles went down 10-7. And yet it when it mattered most, their backs pushed against the wall, somehow this team managed to do it again and win the next two.

Finally, after eight years, a return to the College World Series. A place Mike Martin has visited 13 times in his career but a title he's never won. A game against Stanford and the story repeats, a first game loss. Not of course without some notable records, the third-longest nine-inning game in CWS history and a tied record by Stanford for most runs scored in an inning (11 in a brutal ninth). Seven other teams share that record. Unless you are a Stanford fan, watching that inning sucked. It went on forever and got worse with each batter (or error).

And so it all starts over again. FSU down, facing elimination, going against not only an in-state rival, but a team they have only been able to beat once this season and a favorite by many to win it all, the No. 1 team in the nation.

And I wonder, can they do it again? Can this team, with the best offense in college baseball, manage to win another one and hold off Miami? Or has luck run its course? Which Florida team will be the last one standing?

I've got my fingers crossed that the numbers above read like this at the end of the day:

4- number of times FSU has played Miami.

2- number of times FSU has beaten Miami.

Here's a scenario for you:

Picture a competitive situation where you are a vet and a few rookies have just joined your team. Now this doesn't necessarily have to pertain to sports. You can think of perhaps the PTA (you are in charge of Teacher Appreciation Week and newbie is in charge of bringing candy), Girl Scouts (Junior to a Brownie), your job (you have a desk and a window, they have a cubicle. It's simple office hierarchy.), even the school lunch room (you obviously sit at the cool table cause you know people, they just sit). Ok, got it? Competitive situation, you're a vet, they're a rookie... and done. Good. Moving on.

Now this rookie, who has done nothing but be selected to join your crew, has a great deal of potential. A real star this young one! However, don't we all know (as former rookies) everyone must pay their dues? Earn our keep in the club, prove we're worthy. Rule "Suck it up and take it" 101.

And yes we all have been in a situation where we realize our genius is superior to the current leader. We take a moment, glance around and think: "You're kidding? This idiot is running things? Pssshhttt... I could do wayyy better." But most of us know better. We politely smile and nod our head while listening to said leader. We volunteer, ask if we can do more, and bury our complaints. When asked: "Who wants to __________ at 6am?" Our hand involuntarily shoots up and offers. We earn our spot one stupid early morning after another to prove we belong. We keep our mouths closed. Hello. The reason a rookie doesn't get to do it is because there are older much grumpier people who've been around way longer and have rightfully earned their position to complain. If there's one thing that puts a target on a rookie's back, it is the act of speaking. Period.

So imagine how the vets of the Indianapolis Colts, the XLI Super Bowl Champions mind you, must have felt after hearing what their prized new little rookie Mike Hart said about them! From Profootballtalk.com 

“Indianapolis is a different organization.  You watch ‘Hard Knocks’ on HBO and you expect to be hazed and a lot of those things, but the Colts are a lot different.  It’s not as bad as I thought — we don’t get taped, we don’t get hazed with the Colts.”

Oh that's nice. Wait, he keeps going.

'Cause we just can't stop making our own NBA commercials.

Set the scene: I'm chillaxin (no I did not make that word up. Rather it was used in all seriousness by a guy on a beach to my friends and I this past weekend. I've since adopted it in all of its ridiculousness) reading my New York Magazine standing in line with other greedy Manhattanites who are all impatiently waiting to get in. Into what you ask? A random building on the West Side where two flights above valuable merchandise is kept, all of which is disgustingly overpriced at major stores except HERE for three brief days, aka a Sample Sale. It's all the pleasure of buying good stuff minus the remorse of having to fork over an entire paycheck for a dumb dress.

The line is long so I entertain myself by reading. At page 11, the first article leaps out. 

'Vogue' Ranger Is a Hardworking Intern
He'll even get coffee, if only someone would ask.

I remember hearing about this...

A week into his Conde Nast career, New York Ranger turned Vogue intern Sean Avery hadn't yet had to fetch a cup of Starbucks. He later says, "Hopefully no one asks, but if they do, I'm definitely there to get the job done."

I hear ya Sean. It IS a job, trust me. I once was responsible for ordering oatmeal every morning for 19 days in the middle of December for the Executive Producer of a show I was working on. You do not screw up these people's orders, especially anything in the breakfast category. They take it seriously.

"Today I went to a Steven Klein shoot for a little bit in the morning, then I had lunch with Michael Bastian, a men's designer (I was wondering who that was?)," he said at the FiFi fragrance awards on May 20.

Now it makes sense. Just a few pages over I'd seen a picture of Avery attending the 36th Annual FiFi Awards. Because I had a brief stint working in the fragrance department of Bloomingdale's (Narciso Rodriguez anyone?), I'm all too familiar with the FiFi's. And I'm also aware that there aren't many male athletes clearing out their social calendars to attend this event. I read on...

The burning question appears: What does a hockey star do on a photo shoot?

"A lot of times it's just helping out wherever. If it's with clothes or lighting or whatever, I'm there just to learn it all and help anywhere I can."

Awww.. He sounds like a true intern! Love it while it lasts, buddy.

Now this is interesting...

That story was posted yesterday. The blog where said story was written is no longer up. From LAobserved.com:

Hmm, ESPN.com blogger Laura Lane's blog item where she calls the wife of Kobe Bryant insane — and talks about rumors of an affair — has gone off the air. In fact, her whole personal blog is gone.

Drama.. drama.. drama.

The Today Show.

If VH1 isn't playing music videos, Matt, Meredith and Al are my number one morning background noise of choice. I don't normally pay special attention to the stories because I'm getting ready for work and racing out the door. But today one story unexpectedly made me put the hair dryer down and pay attention. And at 8 something in the morning, that is hard to do. Grab my attention, not stop blowing my hair. 

Here's what I remember:

Ann Curry talking...
Mentions "A young boy... "
Says something about being against all odds...
And that what I'm about to watch will make me feel inspired...

Yup. Heard that one before. Blow dryer goes on full blast and I head back into the bathroom. 30 seconds later I come back out of the bathroom (hard to stay in one spot), yanking my hair with my brush and only able to hear the loud "oooooooowwwwwwoooo" of the blow dryer.

I look back at the TV. It's muted yet the screen is a screaming picture. There's this little boy, with one arm, no legs riding on top of a skateboard. He uses his one arm to push himself as the rest of his body lays belly down. What?

Then an interview, I'm assuming his father. Then a series of shots peaking into his daily life. Him hitting a baseball pitched to him by his mom. He holds the bat with his arm and between his neck and the top of his shoulder. A school musical where he plays the drums. His little body scooting down the stairs one at a time, secure only by the use of his elbow. A kitchen scene where he sits on top of the counter and helps cook with one hand.

An interview with his mom.

I turn off the blow dryer. 

At one point the boy is wearing a Tiki Barber jersey and playing football in the yard. It's football by a completely different definition then you or I know it but it's his version. A few more sound bites. Another shot of him back on that skateboard racing down the street.

The piece ends and Ann Curry is back. I'd forgotten what I'd been doing before. There sitting on a couch on the Today show set is the little boy squeezed in between his mom and dad. He's wearing the Barber jersey. They begin to talk. All I can think is "Tiki better be coming to the show today. They have to introduce him."  

I turn the volume up. Nick is his name and he's happier then most 12 year olds I've ever met. His eyes sparkle and I can't help but think, "I hope that little spirit never gets broken."

As I watch the interview I'm thinking to myself what I would do as a producer. I'd want to be careful that if I brought Tiki onto the set, the football star wouldn't overshadow the tiny boy. The presence of a famous athlete wouldn't take away from the story. Would I have had the two meet before?  No time for an answer...

Ann asks if Nick would like to meet someone special. You can tell Nick is hoping it's who he thinks it is but doesn't want to jinx it. Tiki walks out holding a skateboard. The boy lights up.

As Tiki tells Nick how brave he is and Ann asks how cool this all is Nick tears up. But the tears are a mixture of awe, joy and privilege. There are none of pity. Ann asks: "Do you want to play football with Tiki Barber?" Nick nods, rubs his eyes and then responds with quick wit: "Are you kidding me?" It was a nice way to start the morning.

So I check my email today and find one titled:

Psychic Judi Hoffman hits Kentucky Derby Trifecta. Who's Next for The Triple Crown?

Did you get this in your inbox too? (Cause I don't have a clue how Judi's people found me.)

Anyways, I read on ... it is after all for immediate release.

Vibrant celebrity psychic Judi Hoffman hit a trifecta at the May 3, 2008 Kentucky Derby. A "trifecta" is when a bettor predicts exactly which horses will finish in first, second, and third place. With an OTB ticket to prove it (scan attached), Judi predicted that horses Big Brown (20), Eight Belles (5) and Denis of Cork (16) would be the winning order.  (Don't we all wish we were at that 44th street OTB!)

The Chicago White Sox Locker Room, a unique spot for work to be conducted...

Granted most work environments are large spaces filled with desks, computers, TV's, printers, and a fax machine or two. Few "offices" are actual locker rooms... yet the very fine line between a typical locker room and a professional office was crossed on Tuesday. Of course which side of the line the offense falls on depends on who you talk to.

Gist of the deal is someone (no one person has been to blame) placed two inflatable female dolls, propped by bats (you can guess where the bats were placed), inside the locker room. The new "mascots" had signs hanging around their neck that read: "You've Got To Push" and "Let's Go White Sox". It was a petty and cheap display of team spirit with the laughable hope that a few dolls could bring the team out of a losing slump. Hey, we all have our ways of finding motivation. Turns out the cheerleaders dolls didn't work, they still lost. 

Now here's the thing... was the act tasteless? Yeah, pretty much. Offensive? I could see how someone would be. I did not walk into the locker room, so as a woman I can't say 100% that I would or would not be offended by it. Did it completely lack in good judgment? Absolutely. But in the scheme of things, was there any harm meant in it? No way. A bad joke is a bad joke. Beyond someone looking for a cheap pick me up, I don't think there was any bigger meaning beyond it.

I'm not defending the team. This is no Matt Leinart invasion. Displaying it in the locker room where media has access made it fair game to become a big story. On top of that, when the manager has been known for poor taste in past decisions, it's hard to make excuses. 

The real question is should the behavior in the locker room have to change? Is what's acceptable behind closed doors between teammates still ok when visitors aka journalists have access inside those closed doors? Does the set environment have to fit the people who are present? Or should the media recognize that they are only guests in someone else's office and the purpose of their stay is to gather information for the story? The story being the game at hand.

I'd like to think that sometimes our sensitivity gets in the way of humor. Then again, humor can be harsh and repulsive.

In this case, it makes one think. Who knew a blow-up doll could make you do that.

AST China Invitational - the first ever - is complete.

Saturday kicked off with an opening ceremony that was almost presidential. Before I describe that I'll go back to a conversation I had last night. I was soaking in the oil pool (that's what you do before you go and sit in the 'fish pool', a pool filled with Turkish fish that nibble at you!) I was speaking with a man who has been working with us all week. He asked what I thought about the opening ceremony and I responded with compliments on how it all  went. "It's not similar to what you do in America?" he asked. At that moment it sunk in how different the two countries kick off a sporting event. Take baseball for example. We grab beer and hot dogs, have a famous person throw out the first pitch, a singer takes a crack at the National Anthem, a fat guy yells "Play ball!" and that pretty much does the trick. Here? Well let's just say it was a tad more formal.

College Baseball has a sweet match up this weekend. It's been a while since these two schools have stood atop the football rankings, but in baseball they're dominating.

Florida State University (2) vs. University of Miami (1)

Gotta love a 1 vs 2 and it's even better when an in-state rivalry is involved. Games are Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 1 pm.

We moved.

Bye Beijing, hello Daxing!

This morning the boys sadly put away their fanny packs, slid out of "tourist mode" and jumped onto the bus. The time had come for the athletes to do what they came here for: compete.

The buses drove us an hour and a half outside of Beijing to an area known as Daxing. The competition is to take place in an outdoor stadium that was actually built for bull riding competitions. I was told that back in November it was still under construction. However, we arrived to a beautiful and finished stadium (the business offices smell like fresh paint). Too bad our bus wasn't in as mint of a condition as the stadium. Somehow, someway, somewhere along the drive our bus busted the front tire. Nice.

As for the new competition digs? Well, it was compliments all around from the athletes. The build is very similar to how a tennis stadium is designed: four sides of raised seating looking down onto the court/area. Now its practice, practice, practice...

Our new hotel, ahem excuse me, our new resort isn't too shabby. There are hot springs inside and massages available downstairs. I didn't hesitate taking advantage of that massage service, consider it done and done.

One thing I haven't mentioned: there are these white almost dust bunny like things floating through the air. If you didn't know any better, there are times during the day when it appears to be snowing outside. We've been told it is actually a seed from a tree that has been carried by the wind. Takes a little getting used to especially as those suckers have a way of finding their way into your mouth, nose, eyes...

One note: in our new hotel CNN is listed as channel 2 (HBO is channel 3 and in ENGLISH!!) So I excitedly clicked to channel 2 hoping to get some American news. I got to channel 2 but just found on the TV screen a CNN logo. I was so close, so close... Oh well, HBO it is.

Click for a look at some photos from Tiffany's trip

I'm athletic (when it's warm out and right after New Years). I like to run, workout, you know stay active. Pssshhttt... today that was put to the test. Even the most athletic people (including the AST athletes) would have a hard time climbing up The Great Wall without breaking into a little sweat. And sweat we did...

(As I write this, playing on the one English TV station I can find over here, is a Mariah Carey video. Timbaland was on before that.) Last night was a difficult sleep. At breakfast this morning we all realized we each woke up between the hours of 3 and 5:30 am. Some people went outside and walked around, others tossed in their beds to pass the time. Conveniently there is a Starbucks down the street from our hotel so around 8 or so I ventured on my own to get some coffee. The streets were filled with people, mostly dressed in business attire, walking to wherever they go to begin their day. I admit, it was a little weird to walk around by myself, not knowing any words past "hello" and "thank you" (even that I don't pronounce entirely correctly), and take in the looks I got from the people passing by.

The Starbucks was about as different from say one in Atlanta, GA. Nada, overwhelmingly the same as back home. Tasted pretty good too. Our group met in the lobby of the hotel at 9 and we loaded onto two buses and headed outside the city for our trip. I woke up hoping the day would be clear and I'd see a bright blue sky. False. Grey and hazy again! Eh, what can you do? So we drove about an hour and half outside of Beijing and learned some information from our tour guide Emily. Take the word Beijing for example. It's two characters "Bei" and "Jing". The symbol (looks like a runner) for the '08 Olympics represents "Jing". The color red in China means good luck and happiness. You get the idea...

The countryside of Beijing is vastly different from the city. It's much further behind in development. The rural looking photos of people sitting on the road or riding their bikes on streets passed old weathered buildings are much more accurate to the area we drove through. At one point, off to the right side of the road, a huge castle like structure appeared randomly out of nowhere. Think Cinderella's castle at Disney but an unfinished version. Emily explained it was similar to an amusement park back in the States but had yet to be complete. I can't get over how clean the roads are. I've yet to see a single piece of trash on the road. I'm not kidding you. Not one.

The Great Wall.. well to get there you have to...

Monday at around noon, I boarded a non-stop flight, destination Beijing, China. 13 plus hours and 6,830 miles later, I found myself on the other side of the world, further then any place I'd traveled before. 

I'm here for the AST Dew Tour, which essentially means I'm here for work. For me, when travel is involved, it's hard to consider anything work. I love going on the road and exploring. Being here a few months before the OIympics swoops in and the entire world moves its attention on Beijing, I'm excited to absorb and learn as much as I can about a language, culture and country I know little about. (Thank you Lonely Planet for the pre-arrival help provided by the book.) We landed at PEK, picked up our luggage, received a warm welcome by out greeters, stuffed the van (literally) with our things and began the hour and a half drive into downtown Beijing. I've heard people say the growth of this city is racing at an unbelievable speed. Being that I'm a virgin to the hood, I have no reference for what things may have looked like a few years ago. However the amount of construction surrounding the area proves a solid case that the city has developed and changed much over a short amount of time.   

Walking around today, I took pictures of anything I saw interesting...which was everything. A street sign, bikers riding in unison, a little girl no more then six dressed so trendy she looked like she belonged in SoHo, a man next to a pineapple stand. Let's just say he wasn't thrilled. I tried to snap, he began to yell and that was the end of that photo shoot. At one point, standing at a cross street light waiting for a police officer to blow his whistle and signal it ok to walk across, I looked around at the people surrounding me and listened to their voices. The constant murmur of sound was everywhere and yet I didn't understand a word of it. The light changed, the officer blew his whistle, and we began to cross in large mass. A guy here with me said: "Man, talk about being a minority." Simple statement but precise, we are so the minority. In America when do you walk around and not understand the language, recognize a person who looks similar to you or enter a grocery store and not understand what anything is? It's a new feeling and perhaps an important one to experience.

In Tuesday's China Daily on the front page reads an article titled "Measures to improve air quality". It says... 

It's one of the best parts of my job: interviewing people. People who happen to make their living as an athlete. Having the chance to go out in the field and learn something new while speaking with someone is what I always look forward to. I've met a few athletes in my day. Some are funny. Others are shy. Most are interested in just getting through the necessary obligations so they can return to whatever "normal" routine their life entails. (Can't nor do I blame them.) In fact, it must be exhausting to always be 'on' or aware of the tiniest sentence that might slip out and be taken the wrong way. It's a worry most of us never have to deal with. Then, however, there are the exceptions. The interviews that occur with people, not simply athletes, that seem real.

There is nothing I appreciate more then having a conversation with an athlete who is witty, articulate, interesting and at the most unexpected moment, surprisingly unaffected by all that surrounds them. What's even better is when said athlete also happens to be on your Fantasy Baseball team. To be honest, yes rooting for a guy on your roster just because he's there is likely. We all want to win. But it's a nice (albeit unnecessary) plus when the guy you want to do well also happens to be likeable. Meet Chase Utley. He's about as cool as someone can be without being arrogant. He answers questions, whether asked by me or you or a close buddy, truthfully but with a sense of humor and dry wit. A 'take it with a grain of salt' type, it's one kind of approach that is always appealing.

Here's the interview with Chase...

Got one for you. Btw 19th and 17th streets on 3rd Avenue. No clue what they are shooting (all the people with walkie talkies seemed to have disappeared) but the crew has taken over the street two days in a row now. So I'm sure it's something good (last time it was Leo DiCaprio's movie). Speaking of movies...

If you haven't seen it already, I recommend SHINE A LIGHT. My argument for the film is (partly) based on the 100% guarantee that the following plot lines are non-existent- cheesy love stories, bad jokes, awful special effects, Eddie Murphy and/or Lindsay Lohan, politicians. Ok, I take the last one back. Bill Clinton (of all peeps) does make an appearance.

Essentially the actual movie is nothing more then...

Each morning I get an email that serves as a brief run down of what is going on within the world of television. A buffet of useful information such as executive moves, ratings, teeny bit of gossip, new show line-ups... blah blah blah. (And yet guilt sets in if I try to skip reading it.)  

Lately the emails have been dishing out different companies upcoming programming slates. Today featured the new hopes for Discovery Communications. As I'm skimming through the list reading/passing over what Discovery Channel, TLC, and Animal Planet have in store I come across the Travel Channel. First one up reads:

Dhani Tackles the Globe NFL linebacker, Dhani Jones travels to different countries and immerses himself into the culture's specific sport.

I guess my question is: Inside a locker room, who gets ragged on worse? Dhani Jones for attempting Muay Thai Kickboxing in Thailand or Jason Taylor doing the waltz?

And then there were two...

Memphis.

Kansas.

Great. Exciting. Way to go! But umm, there's just one thing. These aren't the two I picked. (Hats off if you called it.) I thought for sure UCLA and UNC were in. Not that I underestimated the talent on the two teams who won, but once I made my picks I pretty much assumed the end result would be the same. I imagined CBS had already geared up obnoxious promos starring K. Love vs "Psycho T". And you know, for a hot second, it looked as if UNC was going to garner a miraculous come back, scream "Got ya!" at Brandon Rush and sneak out with a crazy win. Not. So. Much.

Now there's a positive in all of this. When the final game is between two teams with no connection whatsoever to the person watching (me) it puts a more enjoyable spin on the whole thing. Because as much as I'd like to see a good great game Monday night, I'll wake up a happy person on Tuesday. Now those kids from Kansas on the other hand...

This weeks show is possibly one of my favorite episodes. Thanks to guys like J.R. Rider, the level of creativity sprinkled with sarcasm was elevated. In addition to the overall thought of: "I can't believe this person is real."

Right now 90% of the TVs in our office have a baseball game on. Currently for me, Alex Gordon is up at bat against Detroit, bottom of the 6th, scoreless game. What I'd give to be at a game and not inside an office...

Hopefully you have become fairly acquainted with your Fantasy Baseball team this week. It's a long season and really there's no need to be strangers. In the slight chance you care about my team, here's who I took (in no particular order):

At catcher: Joe Mauer, 1B: Justin Morneau, 2B: Chase Utley, 3B: Garrett Atkins, SS: Miguel Tejada, CI: Todd Helton, MI: Stephen Drew, OF: Grady Sizemore, OF: Andruw Jones, OF: Willy Taveras, OF: Lastings Milledge, OF: Casey Blake, UTIL: Frank Thomas.

For pitchers, I've got: C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Derek Lowe, Matt Garza and Kerry Wood.

(somewhere in all of this Kansas City went up 2. How'd I miss that?)

Overall the team isn't looking too bad. Course Wood didn't do too hot, Lowe got hit in the leg and Chamberlain took out my utility guy. But the season is long...

If you haven't signed up for the Baseball Daily Dose coming to you from Aaron Gleeman himself straight into your inbox, you might want to do that. From one playa to another...

*As a former Bat Girl for FSU, want to toss out a small congrats to No. 3 Seminoles after beating No. 13 Gators Tuesday.

Safe to say by now you've filled out your bracket and settled on a Final Four.

UNC ... KANSAS ... MEMPHIS ... UCLA ... Most people would agree, the selection committee did a pretty good job getting the top seeds right.

But for those of us who aren't on the selection committee and live in the real world this is when all the magic happens. Because in our own personal bubble, we direct who's in and who's out. It's up to you and me to guess the Cinderella, pick out the spoiler, and decide which of those four top seeds will crash and burn. Ahh ... there's such power involved.

Now add in a little old fashion gambling for good measure and suddenly people who don't even like basketball are into it. March wouldn't be half as fun if there wasn't a little risk involved, some type of friendly wager and a few bragging rights.

So the process begins ... At this point "the responsible person" in the office has already collected the money, organized the filled-in brackets and is planning whose cubicle will play "host" to the rest of the office and watch the games. From now up until April 7 there will be absolutely no work accomplished at any office in the country. It's why we all love March.

Pay attention to the South Region. Memphis is the top seed, 33-1 only losing to Bruce Pearl, and went 8-1 against NCAA tournament teams. And yet, I'm not so quick to put them on a plane and ship 'em to San Antonio. I like PITT. I like them not just to beat Oral Roberts and Michigan State but to go all the way and meet Texas in Houston at the Regional.

Before you call me crazy ... I went to the Big East Tournament at MSG here in New York City. Watching Pitt warm up along side Rick Pitino's Louisville team, I thought they might just pull it off. I made a bet with my co-worker and said: "I'm taking Pitt. You?" He laughed, shook my hand and said: "Hundred bucks says Louisville." He kept his money but he and his team both headed home 0-1. Jamie Dixon's team was ready to go, they were confident and best of all not intimidated. Even when it got to OT, they got the job done. Saturday night against Georgetown (my pick last year to go all the way) Pitt looked even better then they did on Thursday. Pieces are fitting pretty nicely for those Panthers.

March Maddness arrived on Sunday and the interviews are still going. Sunday night John Walters and I spoke with Ben Howland, UCLA's coach. Today I interviewed Bobby Knight. While he had much to say and at the same time no picks to give, the thought that struck out at me the most was when he said: "You tell your parents they did a good job." Haha.. ok, will do Coach.

Spring Training. I hate to admit it but as a kid, it didn't seem like anything super special. I will even go as far to say I grew up thinking all kids had a team come and train in their town. Obviously I was a delusional victim incapable of appreciating things until I lived life without them. (I experienced something very similar with the beach after I moved away to college and NYC. To this day I crave salty air, sand in my toes and hot sun.) But just like growing up next to the beach, Dodgertown was always there and while I loved both, there was no reason to think about it beyond that. Senior year of high school I worked at Perkins, a CVS-type store just down the street from Holman Stadium. Players came in and out of there all the time. It was totally normal to come home, slam the door and yell: "Hey dad, guess who was in tonight!" 

Growing up, for as long as the Dodgers were in town, a few things came guaranteed on the corner of 43rd and 26th street. Field trips (yes, our high school justified this as some kind of learning experience; an administrative decision I completely support), jobs (you can easily dig up a long list of bat boys), photos and autographs (all I have kept to this day), food (for some reason stadium popcorn + hot dog + coke = perfect! Don't forget small Dodger helmets filled with dip n' dots.), socializing and crazy fan support (VB is almost equal to any small town in Texas), a Florida tan (rookies rolled up their sleeves, the rest of us knew to wear tank tops) and it was fun.

Have you ever been to Vero Beach? Well friend, not many things change. There's this one sign on State Road 60 that reads: "Welcome to Vero Beach, home of Dodgertown". Actually, I'm not 100% sure it says exactly those words. The sign has been there for so long I've etched a mental image of it in my head. So if we're being honest here, I never take time to read it as I drive pass. In my head, I already know it. It's just always been there. I mean there are restaurants the same age as Dick Cheney that have outlasted hurricanes. All of them. It's also a town that for the past 60 years has proudly wrapped its arms around a baseball team. Side note: if you do visit, we've got a drink named Dodger-Dodger. I challenge anyone to try and find something stronger then this drink. Not happening. With this being the last spring training for the Dodgers in Vero, a definitive change, of the biggest kind, is lurking on the horizon.   

Tommy Lasorda was, and still is for that matter, a legend. So imagine my smile when this morning I open up USA Today and see the headline: "Fill-in Lasorda gets back into swing with umpire dispute". Haha.. what?! You mean to tell me Joe Torre goes to the other side of the world for an exhibition game, Lasorda takes over and in a matter of five minutes, he causes enough drama to grab a few headlines! The man hasn't coached in 12 years! But you know what, only a fool would think any of that famous fire had burned out. It was refreshingly familiar, like a piece of home from a very long time ago. Looking at the article I smiled and happily thought, even when things leave, it doesn't mean they change.   

I must say a small gracias to our special guest. Over the course of the past two days, Studio H (where the magic happens) has been graced by the presence of the one and only Aaron Gleeman. Normally Aaron calls in to give his advice but for this special occasion, he flew in to co-host the Fantasy Fix Baseball Preview Shows.

It's not often we hang out. Backing up a tad, Aaron and I's relationship has mainly consisted of telephone calls and a few emails here and there. We've met in person only a handful of times so as one would expect, 48 hours of Gleeman in Stamford was a treat. We shot I think four shows yesterday and then another six today (give or take a few). Let me be the first to tell you AG happens to be extremely comfortable gabbing to a camera (I definitely had wayyyy more mess ups then him) and offers some good one liners along with his analysis. Throw in Gregg Rosenthal with his list of sleepers and you got yourself some pretty good advice from two credible experts. Plus the "Man Crush" segment is a nice touch.

Considering the draft will be here before you know it, I'd say plan on watching these videos before you pick your team. In addition to valuable info, advantage number two is they're short! It gives you exactly what you need to know for each position without taking forever to do it. Let's be honest, no one really wants to spend 7 and a half minutes disecting catchers and guessing when their health will bail and ruin your team. It's a "Just tell me who to draft and when!" guide that will offer free entertainment while you're at work. Sold? Nice. Look for them to be up next week.

Brett Favre retired! I mean, wow. It's crazy, right? I can't believe NO ONE is talking about it. ESPN hasn't even mentioned it. Not once. No matter how hard I look, I can't find any information on it. Can someone call him? 

(sarcasm my friends, all sarcasm)

I understand yesterday was a monumental day in the world of crazed-football fans. (I will feel the exact same when Bobby Bowden retires.) And to those Packers who loyaly stuck by their gunslinger for all 253 games, I can only imagine how you handled the heartbreaking news. As my co-worker Beret said: "I love him." Yes Beret, so many people do.

But... and I'm talking a huge BUT... is he really gone? The end? No mas? I don't and won't believe it until AFTER next season is complete. If he actually doesn't suit up and play a game then I'll believe his legacy is complete and the records will hold with his final numbers of the '07 season. I am not even sure I buy the "I'm tired" excuse. Not because I think he'd lie. No, because this is a man who played like a kid his entire career. Favre doesn't get tired. He's superhuman. Could it have to do with the failed attempt to get Randy Moss? Maybe.

My thinking (for all its worth) is that when he sat down, looked back at this past season and all he'd accomplished, there was just no way he could come back and top it. No way in hell. As my partner in crime Gregg Rosenthal always reminds me: "The NFL is a crazy league. Anything can happen." Normally this reminder comes after I've said to him "Wow, the Browns look really really good for next year." It's not a statement made to paint the future rosy rather to remind us that high hopes and a stacked roster often have a way of disappointing us in the long run.

Getting back to Brett, just think about it. To try to come back for another season after what he just did at the age of 38: finished 13-3, shattered the books by taking out records set by John Elway and Dan Marino, advancing into the playoffs, and going down just one game away from the Super Bowl. That's a lot to try to surpass. A lot even for a guy like Brett Favre. When you think about it that way, yes returning for one season would seem exhausting. It's not the playing the game part but attempting to out due what he did last year.

Face it: in August of '07, no one expected him to bust out the caliber of season he did. Yes, there were expectations (as they are for any team and any QB) but there were also questions swirling on what kind of production he'd bring. But now the bar for August of '08 would be just too big, too much, and too high. It'd be through the roof. And very possibly, highly impossible to top.

My cafe. I love it because it covers all the basics: location (quick walk from my house), food (breakfast all day, coffee, salads, crepes!), and offers free internet (that actually works, except when a bus passes by or they use the blender, then its hit or miss).

Why am I here? Some "project" is underway at the apartment building next door to mine and it involves a lot of banging. A lot. Somewhere in the middle of all that banging something happened to my internet and I wound up at my cafe. Regardless I've got a window seat, Frank Sinatra humming in the background, and MSNBC on the flat screen. Like I said it covers the basics.

I walk in and sit down. As if on cue, lady next to me immediately gets up and moves to another table. "I'm sorry, am I in your way?" I said. Lady: "No, I'm allergic to perfume." Now before I become insulted (I'm wearing all of three squirts), I sympathize with her.

Sitting at home with the flu sucks. Aside from attending a meeting this morning, I've got no plans to go back outside today. Which is fine by me because I can't stand this weather anymore. Yes, that's right. I'm complaining. I turn on the TV this morning and it says: "With the windchill it feels like 7 degrees." 7. That's 73 degrees less then what I'd like.

So I'm home with Oprah, a box of tissues, my comfy couch and A LOT of extra time to peruse the internet. I haven't checked out this website in just short of forever. However, I'm glad I did today because I came across this hilarious article on The Onion. With the title: Canseco: 'Hey guys, who wants to come to my big steroid party this weekend?' I don't see a need to explain.

And in case you are wondering what Kelvin Sampson is up to, just go here to find out. The fact that it's completely made up is a small point. It makes perfect (fiction) sense.

According to this, Mr. Darren McFadden will be Daddy McFadden not once but twice this summer. So to the lucky team who takes the honor of drafting the Arkansas RB, it really will be a family event. (Travis Henry and McFadden can host family bbq's)

In non-sports news (unless you consider dancing a sport, in that case take out the non), this video will bring a smile to your face today (and through the rest of the boring work week.) Adorable.

Rockets fans are not going to be happy. Houston center Yao Ming is done for the season. They go and win 12 in a row and then this happens.

You're a Chicago Bears fan. So does this news make you smile or scream?

Buzzer Beater was on location this weekend in New Orleans. Here's a recap of the weekend including but not limited to Shaq, Magic, some "immaculate" fashion, what'd be different if the players were running things, some sweet dance moves and an atrocious dunk by yours truly (now affectionately known as Tiffizany). Enjoy.  

Over at SI.com, you can take a stroll down memory lane and look back at some of the best stories from the NFL combine. It's amazing what one good day can do to a guys draft status. It's also a great reminder of why it would be just as effective (if not cheaper) to use a magic 8-ball and take a guess.

Pop Quiz:
He entered the draft as a junior and did not have the benefit of postseason All Star Games. His draft grade was heavily reliant on the combine and he did not perform well. He was inaccurate with his passes throughout his workout and as a result became the third quarterback chosen in the '04 draft.

Where: Dallas, Texas

What: Barack Obama Campaign/Rally

Who: Emmitt Smith

What's he say: well you'll have to watch it now won't you?

Why you should: Because Smith actually does something that will impress you. He speaks clearly, avoids making up words and gets Dallas all riled up. (Well the end gets a little choppy but on an overall scale, he keeps it together)

According to Emmitt, what do he and Barack have in common: "As a young man people told me I was too small and not fast enough to do the things that I wanted to do in terms of football. Well you know what, I did not allow them to keep me down. Barack Obama is not going to allow them to keep him down." And there you have it, simple as that.

Ok, John McCain you're up. Which future Hall of Famer is speaking at your next rally?

Here my friends is a brilliant take on the now final (although not surprising) Jason Kidd deal. As is apparent after reading, retirement has never been so good to anyone, let alone Keith Van Horn.

From the website Cousins of Ron Mexico:

"That's the last time I ignore an e-mail regarding a bank in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso. I just hope next time the Mavericks need to make an 8 player deal, they contact me."

Check out my one-on-one with the newest member of the Suns:

Team East vs. Team West Practice: By the way things looked, I'd rather hang out with Team East. LeBron was making Dwyane laugh, Kevin was goofing around with everyone, Doc was cracking jokes on the microphone. They were giving a show to the fans that came out to watch. The West seemed asleep. Fans yelled for Carmelo and Allen but other then the screams, the West was pretty boring.

Allen Iverson might be the same size as me.

Jason Kidd to random reporter:

FELIX. Next time your down here (which you should plan a trip, this city is back) hit up this dive. Fancy? No. Fast service? Slow as they come. Location: Right on Bourbon Street. Touristy? Hardly. It's bare boned, the bartender is named Shock-A-Kon, you eat oysters right off the bar and if you're lucky you might get one tossed to you by the server. In short, it's awesome.

Sheraton Hotel is across from my hotel. It's where a slew of athletes are staying.

Finally, its stopped raining. A simple glance out the window onto Canal Street shows that the sunshine is out. What a nice replacement.

Getting ready to head over to the Convention Center. The East All-Star Practice begins in less then an hour followed by the West All-Stars taking the court. I'll let you know how it goes.

At NBA Celebrity Game:

Scene: older woman sitting next to man. Might be her husband/boyfriend/best friend she has a crush on and he doesn't know it yet. They're looking at a group on the court. She's talking, he's drooling.

Heard: "I'm telling you, they're not women. They are high school girls out there with tons of make-up."

-------------

At Interview:

Scene: Me taking a picture with Shaq.

Heard: "Hope your boyfriend doesn't get mad."

-------------

NBA Celebrity Game:

Scene: Chris Tucker getting fouled.

Heard: "Whattt!?!"

Pitch Level: 9.2 (he did not like that call)

New Orleans and Katrina will forever by synonymous. But this weekend, the NBA squeezed right into the middle of that relationship. Yes, the All Star game is in N'awlins. However the game brought hope and reconstruction along with the rest of its stars. I'm in my hotel room and playing on NBA TV is a montage of players thoughts on the league and what it means to bring the game to this city and participate in NBA's All Star Day of Service.

I'm amazed by the extensive role community service has played in the festivities. 2500 people helped out. From Lebron to Kobe to Yao to Doc to even the Commish himself, the game's biggest names have traded basketballs for hammers to help restore this great city. And while what they can accomplish in a few hours won't fix everything, that's not the point.

Every family has a lock and chain on the closet of secrets. Well, the family of Florida State University busted the chain, picked the lock and let the skeletons run wild.

Here's an article you should read. If you like that kind of stuff.

Here is the interview I did with Tito Ortiz and the response Dana White gave to Tito's comments:

It'd be nice if they both learned how to express their true feelings. Kidding aside, the fight on May 24, 2008 is something you don't want to miss. If you want more info on Tito, check out his website here.

Side dish: The sports world loves the question "What if..." There have been and will always be those moments that make any fan, athlete, or journalist stop and ask "What if..." Watch this interview with Michael Jordan from CNBC. Bet you the peeps over at Adidas lost some sleep running that question through their minds once or twice.

And finally.. a little Buzzer Beater action coming at ya!

Last week was crazy. And I blogged about it. All right here. Then as I went to click "Publish" my fingers pulled some teret syndrome move and erased the whole thing. There before me was a blank screen. "Fabulous." I thought to myself.

So finally I've had a moment to sit down... and yet I can't keep away from the TV. My eyes keep darting. My body leans closer and closer to hear the voices. Roger Clemens vs. Brian McNamee. This is the stuff you can't look away from. It's the accident on the highway. You want to drive by and get back to what you need to do that day and yet... it slows you down. You just have to see what happened, who was there, have they cleaned up, what part of this horrific scene am I going to catch?

What part of this ridiculous yet intoxicating mess will be unveiled today.

Thoughts so far:

Andy Pettite is in the worst spot out everyone. And he's the nicest one out of the entire report.

Is it actually possible to not recall so many conversations? According to Roger, either he has a very selective memory OR the guy needs to be checked for Alzheimers.

McNamee's hair is __________________.

If you were Roger, sitting that close to McNamee, how long before you jump over the middle man and punch him?

It's over. Good times, good times. My producer and I just finished a wrap up piece of our week at the Super Bowl. As exhausted as we are, looking back on all the footage we have, it's easy to realize how much fun this past week was. There is just nothing else like the Super Bowl.

All fun and no work? Don't kid yourself. I'm wiped out as I'm sure anyone who covered this event is but the opportunity to be here and experience this kind of action overrides any feeling of being burntout. When the video is up, watch the final piece. It gives you outtakes, a look back on the last 8 days, a couple of laughs and a great insight to all this week brings.

Time to catch a plane!! See ya...

There are no words to describe what the University of Phoenix Stadium was like last night. From the pure joy and excitement to the heartbreak and utter shock, there was no emotion left out of the equation.

Remember how I said I would go and explore? Well I did just that and found myself sitting with all the media up on one of the top levels, near the Giants endzone. I spent most of the third quarter up there with Gregg. It was an amazing view and it really allowed me to just sit back and see the enormity of it all. Yet a certain etiqutte comes along when sitting in those seats. You have a long bench that serves as a table for your computer, you furiously type, you are equipped with your own personal TV that can be programmed to the channel of your choice (with or without stats), and most importantly you don't cheer. For anything. I personally like to enjoy my games with a little yelling, clapping, jumping and hollering.

At about 9 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter, I raced back to the media bunker to grab my bags. There was no way I was going to watch any of it on TV. I missed Brady's drive down the field but walked back in with perfect timing. I was on the first level right next to Pats fans and watched as Brady worked the endzone and connected with Moss. They went crazy. The win was a breath away.

I decided to move with the game and continued to make my way down the field. I was right there with the Giants fans when Eli almost threw the ball into the hands of Asante Samuel. That is something Giants fans are all too familiar with but the crowd I was with didn't yell in disgust. They simply took a huge sigh of relief and waited for the next play. The play that not only changed the entire game but put Manning and David Tyree into Super Bowl highlights Hall of Fame. I was right there.

The fans jumped, hugged, high fived and screamed. Photos of randoms snapped away and necks twisted to see the replay. To be right there, on that side, with Giants fans when Plaxico Burress caught the game winning TD was unbelievable. To be right there when Brady got sacked (yet again) and to scream knowing what that one hit meant ... surreal.

As soon as the clock ticked to 1 second, I raced to get down on the field. The confetti was flying, people were hugging and jumping, Giants players were screaming. I walked out onto the field and looked up to see thousands of New Yorkers happy! (Think about that for a second.. kidding). Suddenly the familiar song that lights up any Big Apple heart blared out of the loud speaker.

"Start spreading the news... I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it, New York, New York!"

Like I said above, there are no real words to describe what it was like in there. But there was a definite feeling. And I don't think anyone who experienced that emotion will ever forget it.

Watch post game video here.

Dear mom,

Can you please go in my closet, look in the back and towards the bottom. Tom Petty is cool again. And I want my old cd's.

Loveyou,
Tiff

Hef is the man. No matter which way you cut it, you can't argue the success he has had in his life. Imagine the stories in his vault. He's tiny both in height and in frame. But that smile can light up a cave and that wit is sharp as ever.

The red carpet last night was one of the toughest I've had to deal with for a number of reasons. Crowded, unorganized, cold and mainly the week of long hours and not a lot of sleep weighing down. But you make new friends, grind it out and take a huge sigh of relief when it's over. All because you have to.

The Kevins from Entourage, Dillon and Connolly, were hilarious. Dillon brought his dad to the party... which for some could be considered an early Father's Day gift. The bunnies were... well bunnies. It was held at this ranch wayyyyyy out there in the middle of nowhere. Which is why i don't think it was saturated with celebs. There were definitely people there but one thing I've learned from this experience is if you want to throw a mad party, put it in prime location. The event itself was in a giant white tent. It had high platforms throughout with girls dancing like crazy. One girl was actually paid to sit in a giant martini glass and smile at the horny old men standing below her. (Hey, if you are trying to pay off those Christmas credit card bills... it is an option).

Playboy Party Video

I want to write more but Halftime is coming up ... and if Tom Petty has anything halfway close to what Prince did last year, I don't want to miss it.

Pre-game stuff has been going on for a while now. You've been watching it I'm sure. We got a little excited reading the Deadspin website and the link they posted about our Maxim Party story. Suddenly I look up.

Jordin Sparks is singing an amazing version of the National Anthem. Everyone in the white tent is standing facing the mini tv's. Everyone except us.

We quickly rise. Look back and forth at each other. Our producer frowns and says: "You've gotta be kidding me." So much for going unnoticed.

(If you've seen Love Actually and remember the car scene with Hugh Grant and the octopus, the title just got a little bit cuter, no?)

Before I go on blogging about last night and the Playboy Party, Hugh Hefner and the amazing after party we hit up I must fill you in on events from today.

Ok, here's the deal. Getting to the stadium was about as easy as rolling up in a pinto to the White House and enjoying a five course dinner with GWB and the Mrs. To spare you the annoying pain we felt, let's just say that we met a fair share of cops, one who felt it necessary to run down a parked car and yell at a bus "Are you kidding me?", reached the open lot only to have to leave and hit up an ATM in order to pay 50 bucks for a parking spot and then hiked a short marathon to reach the stadium, only to have to keep walking (on dirt) to the other side and enter through the Media Entrance.

But whatever, We're here!!

Well kind of. Here's how I put it to Gregg over IM.

"we are in a far away location hidden from all the world tucked away in a white tent with mini tv's to watch the game"

Awesome. How SUPER of them to stash media away off to the side. Allegedly we get on the field after the fact which would be pretty cool. But for now it is basically a huge white tent with wireless internet and table after table. On the menu for today is a combination of America's finest: including hot dogs and fries and nachos (is that what you're eating?) and all the water and canned soda you can imagine. Unfortunately we waited to get in line and they are officially out of food.

Among the three of us, we do have one auxillary pass which gets us into the stadium. I for one plan on using it. I'm all about sneaking around this place. It's the Super Bowl. And this game is minutes away from getting started!!!

Maybe you are one of those wonderful people who wake up early, make some coffee and just can't wait to get the day started. You feel energized and ready to accomplish something amazing. It's the beginning of the day, the grass is still wet outside, and the sun is just peaking through your window. You love it.

Yeah, well that sounds lovely and all but I'm not really into that. I come from planet "Can I get just five more minutes?? Please let me stay tucked into my comfy bed and sleep a little teeny bit longer. Please. (shut eyes and roll over)"

Today however I had to come off Planet Sleep-A-Lot and get up at 5 am. Which is convenient considering I'd gone to bed at 3 am. But it was for a very important one-on-one. Safe to say when it comes to rest and sleep vs Tiki Barber, the big guy wins. Tiki, you want 6:45 am? You get 6:45 am.

We met in a sports store right next to the stadium in Glendale. He'd just finished doing a live shot for the Today Show. We jumped right into our conversation about the game, his feelings on Strahan, Toomer, the Pats, and how he's handling his former team playing in the big game. He's as well spoken as you would imagine, passionate about his new gig and a guy who loves football. After we finished up he took advantage of the location and shopped to get some gifts for his family. We waved goodbye and he was on his way. All right as the sun was rising over Phoenix.

During the ride home, I couldn't help but smile. Today, I was actually excited to be one of those wonderful people who enjoy getting it started earlay.

Check out the video!

MAXIM.

We'd gotten wind throughout the week from some doubters. There were people out there who thought the party made of legends, the event that consistently year in and year out has been the spot to be, wasn't going to cut it this year. We questioned if we should cover it. Maybe hit a different spot? Go somewhere else?

Man, I'm glad I don't listen to lame rumors. Here are some highlights from the red carpet:

John Elway. Man walks in and the entire carpet lights up. People are craning their heads to try and get a glimpse. He poses for pictures, he waves and then he walks. Right on by. Everyone. I say: "Hey John, can I ask you a couple of questions?" He smiles and says sure. Bingo. I got what everyone else wanted.

Kyle Boller. Ladies, if you haven't noticed this one, allow me to introduce you. Kyle, this is the ladies. Ladies, Tom Brady is taken, and this is a fine replacement. Emphasis on fine.

Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber. Sigh. There is a reason she's made millions off her looks. I think every jaw in Scottsdale dropped when she stepped onto the carpet. Girls still got it. Randy and his son love watching football together and dad is rooting for the Giants come Sunday.

Akon. Akon. Akon! The second I saw him, I got excited. For those of you who know me, you might recall that I devoted much time on my i-pod to the amazing song and lyrics of "Smack That". (I am laughing as I write that ridiculous statement but it's true, I love(d) it/him). So he comes over, I introduce myself and he says: "What's up Tiff." I respond by saying if he has a nickname for me, what is my nickname for him? He says: "You can call me Kon. We're T K." If that doesn't tell you we got along, take away the small fact that I got him to sing to me "Smack That". A personal serenade on the red carpet! Holla!

Santonio Holmes and McLovin, of Superbad fame. Yes, together. You think you find this pairing odd? Think about looking down the carpet and seeing those two together. I ask: "Normally when people attend these events, they bring a hot date. I see you two brought each other." They laughed and explained they just met at a party right before and came to Maxim together. When asked: "Who approached who?" that conversation led to a really funny back and forth between the two of them. I see those two lasting a long time.

Ryan Seacrest. Working it. We didn't talk idol. Rather he talked. About Tom Brady, the game, Brady, his duties for the Super Bowl and Brady. Not necessarily in that order.

I hate to even mention them. But I just remembered and I feel like the least I can give you is a picture of what happened. From there you can make your own assumption. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. Are you confused? Maybe you're thinking who are they and at the same time it does ring a bell? He is the guy on The Hills. She is his girlfriend/fiance/ex/back-on-again girl on The Hills. Together, well they don't offer much except drama on the "reality" show. Pratt carried his personal video camera in one hand (to film her) and a boom box hoisted onto his shoulder with the other hand. And people question what his talent is?!

Also spoke with Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa, Billy from Entourage, Jim McMahon, Vernon Davis, Evander Holyfield, Sanya Richards, etc.,

Working the carpet for Fox was Jillian Barberie and for Extra the great Mario "AC Slater" Lopez.

Tons of people were there and chose not to do interviews like P. Diddy, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Rick Fox, Jimmy Johnson, David Spade, Adrien Grenier, Tom Petty, Shannon Sharpe, Reggie Bush and all the Kardashians...

I'm sure I'm forgetting someone but I'm on three hours of sleep. Barely.

Here's the video!

Here are a whole list of guys giving you their prediction on what will happen this Sunday!

Last night Gregg and I split up. He headed over to Madden Bowl and I took care of 50 Cent and the VitaminWater Party. Now to get to this party, you have to park in the back lot of a church and then be shuttled to the top of Camelback Mountain.

Girl, let me tell you. GORGEOUS doesn't even begin to describe. The "house" or mansion by my definition is located on top of a mountain with a scenic view of the entire Scottsdale area. As you walk in, the entire living room area is surrounded by glass windows and a wrap around porch area. Outside the view goes on and on with glimmering city lights, the outline of the jutting rock formations, and at one point fireworks were in the air. There is an infinity pool, an open fire, an upstairs, multiple bars.. basically you and I would have a field day in this place. Meanwhile it's some guys 'second' or 'Arizona' house or something like that.

50 Cent arrived and we got a little one on one time. You know I wasn't nervous to meet him more like just hoping that we got him in a good mood. He had to perform later that night, was being shuttled around and I'm sure it gets to the point where the guy just wants to hang out and not have to bother with any media. He was in a great mood and fun to talk with. Guy loves his Giants. He started explaining how there is a difference from where the Patriots come from and the "New Yarwkers". I asked him if you could tell Eli Manning one thing before the game what would it be? His face got all serious and he just looked me straight in the eye and said: "It's game time baby." Haha.. Trust me, Eli wouldn't throw a single interception with a look like that.

Watch the Ping Pong Party!

Donovan McNabb was up next. All you Eagles fans out there, don't worry, your boy is getting back to being healthy, strong and hungry for next season. After we talked some football we played some ping pong. Now why it was a ping pong party you ask? I have no idea. Someone tried to explain it to me and I just nodded my head. I do know that McNabb played with me for a loonnnggg time and we are mutually lacking some talent swinging a paddle. But what we can do is dance. Before I would hit the ball I (for whatever reason) started to dance to the music, it made him laugh and then he started swaying too. I think that's why we wound up playing for so long. At one point, he put his finger to his mouth, told me to give him the ball and then whacked it against my producer/camera guy's head. Haha.. little jokester.

Yesterday the 944 VILLAGE officially opened up and it kicked things off with a live broadcast on Spike TV of the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl. Obviously there is no ocean here so they piled in sand/dirt to make a field, dragged over a couple of bleachers and set up a giant music stage. Game on.

Watch the fun in the sun!

Michael Irvin and Shannon Sharpe served as the Host's of the show. Lance Briggs from the Chicago Bears and Michael Smith of ESPN were the refs. As for the "athletes" you got the blue team aka Sunday Ticket coached by Cardinals QB Matt Leinart and the white team aka Nascar Hotpass coached by Bengals WR Chad Johnson.

From the get go... the blue team was ready to roll. Doug Flutie, Rocket Ismail, Daryl Johnston, Carl Banks, Michael Clarke Duncan, Brody Jenner and the flashiest of them all Terry Crews. Terry was announced, ripped his shirt off and started making his pecks alternate going up and down. Crowd loved it.

Team White had some star power with Warren Moon, David Spade (who I'm pretty sure never played one down), Kendra Wilkinson (think Girls Next Door), Ickey Woods, Stacey Keibler and Pete Wentz and Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy. Pam Anderson was supposed to be out there playing but according to a Boston reporter who was standing next to me, she was: "playing diva like always." Snap!

Chad Johnson got a little creative with his play-calling at one point. Had Warren Moon throw the ball into the end zone and out of nowhere Chad pops up and catches the ball. No rules against it, points for the white team. So Matt Leinart comes up with his own trick play, has Flutie run to the side, toss him the ball and then launches it down to the end zone. But Flutie's flag came off before he tossed the ball to Leinart. At the end of the day, it didn't matter because the Leinart and Co. dominated.

If there was an ultimate highlight reel from this game, Doug Flutie would be alllll over it. Michael Irvin told me after the game was over: "Did anyone tell Doug Flutie that he was old?" Guy was running everywhere, scrambling, blocking, spinning! Even caught a diving INT to end the game in the end zone, all barefoot.

Spoke to Carl Banks, Michael Irvin, Daryl Johnston, Doug Flutie, Terry Crews, Rocket Ismail, and Warren Moon after the game and got their predictions for this weekend. That story should be up sometime today.

Totally forgot to tell you. But last night after leaving a bar, we turned right and proceeded to walk across the street. Mind you there were two other people doing the same thing just to the left of us.

Pedaling towards us (yes they were on bikes) two cops (affectionately named Ace and Gary by one of my co-workers) skid to a stop and surround us.

"Where you from?"
"New York."
"Well did you know that each year we have at least two people killed by cars and that people who are walking around this area just step out onto the street and subject themselves to possible harm and the law around here crossing the street without the right of way is a first degree misdemeanor and the fine is 150 dollars?"

Jaw drops. We just stare. Long awkward pause. Cop number 2 shifts to the other side of his bike seat.

Step aside and just re-evaluate the situation: The streets are empty and there are no cars. Here is a cop, on a bike, wearing his helmet, with his "buddy" tailing along. Two people just did the exact same thing and we were stopped. And possibly fined.

Mentally I ask: "Do you accept debit cards?"

Ace says: "I'm going to consider this a warning. But this is a very serious offense." We nod our law breaking heads and break through the bike gang to finish crossing the street.

As we walk away, Gary says: "Which way is the traffic signal to go?"

Note: I fully understand A&G were just trying to be protective and abide the law. It's just funny to a couple of kids who live in NYC because we cross the street everyday dodging crazy cab drivers and mad buses.

Morning!

Last night we tried to hit up some of the spots our dear friend and fellow co-worker John Walters gave to us. The area as a whole can be a little overwhelming when trying to figure out where to go. To make it simple: we are staying in Tempe, the game is in Glendale, Media Center/Radio Row is in Phoenix, and the night life is all in Scottsdale. Talk about spreading the good stuff out as far as you can! Apparently the good place to go is Scottsdale. I'm hoping that because it was a Wednesday night people are starting the week off slow because to be honest there wasn't much going on at all. It didn't look like the Super Bowl was in town, but like I said the week is young.

We enjoyed dinner at Pink Taco, which was next to the 944 Village that opens up today. The village (according to the website) is: The week of January 31 to February 3, 944 will transform four acres of the Scottsdale Waterfront at Stetson Canal into the event headquarters for Super Bowl week with an action-packed itinerary of top-notch events. The village will consist of a festival-like environment from day into night, which includes a mini Las Vegas Strip, live music, food vendors, charity fundraisers, art displays, fashion shows, and world-class DJs. This tented city will become the Mecca of PGA/Super Bowl commerce during the daytime hours, offering a multitude of culinary delights, musical entertainment, sports and celebrity meet-and- greets and autograph sessions, designed to attract young and old to downtown Scottsdale.

So today we are headed there. Matt Leinart is hosting the DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl which is always fun and a guranteed competitive game with cheating from both sides! (You might recall Steve-O from last year was the ref and was officially kicked out due to a little too much boozing!) Then tonight Gregg is headed over to the MADDEN BOWL party. I looked on the list of attendees and did not see reigning two-time champ Alex Smith on there. But the list includes:
Plaxico Burress, Laurence Maroney, Kellen Winslow, Patrick Willis, Chad Johnson, Shawne Merriman, Jason Witten, and then other guys hanging out are: Ben Roethlisberger, Donnie Edwards, Luis Castillo, Antonio Gates, Derek Anderson and Tony Paker. The list goes on and on...

I on the other hand and am headed to a 50 Cent party. All I know is Ping Pong is supposed to be involved. Yesssss!

Hey guys...

Yesterday we shot another Fantasy Video from the Media Center. While we were doing that Brett Farve, Mike Ditka, Warren Dunn, Chad Johnson, Adrian Peterson plus many more were all out making the rounds at Radio Row.

At one point I was on the phone trying to get information on an event and a guy waves me over. I walk over and on his computer is a picture of me and his radio co-host from last year!! So we did a little talking on his show for a bit and then I helped introduce Charles Godfrey, a Draft Pick for next year, onto the program.

Check out this video where we asked the athletes themselves if they play Fantasy Football.
"ELLIS HOBBS, CHANNEL 7 NEWS."

Have you ever watched the video of Tracy Morgan being interviewed on a local news show in Texas.? If not for pure enjoyment, you should watch it. It gives new definition to what a ladies man really is.

And then there is the players definition of what makes a ladies man. I asked some guys at Media Day and got great answers. One funny thing was how the two teams interpreted the question. All of the Patriots would automatically say a name. The Giants on the other hand would laugh, smile, look away and say: "I can't get anyone in trouble." Take away from that what you want.

But first watch the video and hear who the boys have to say is the biggest ladies man.

WOW.

Just so you know ladies, those Giants have a way with words. You've been warned.

Media day... (I can think of a few other things to call it but so be it)

I have one year under my belt with how this thing works. Covering Super Bowl XLI in Miami was a first. And as they say, you never forget your first. Which in the scheme of things isn't really much when compared to the Berman's of the sports world. Yet all you need is one, and forever more you've got a reference on how things work.

Reflecting back on Miami, this year brings some similarities and refreshingly enough, some nice surprises. Last night our crew met for dinner in hopes of a chance to discuss our game plan going into today's media spectacle. What was a simple meal hoping to generate ideas turned into a long conversation about ____________ and a slight argument with our waitress over the price of wine. Apparently our version of a certain Sonoma Coast bottle and her interpretation of a distinctly different Sonoma Coast bottle cost an extra 35 bucks. Consider it noted. And for the curious, this might be a place to skip when visiting the greater Phoenix area.

Moving on... we accomplished little at the dinner yet we did finally come to a few conclusions: no swarming the booths, no slugging around step stools, and no annoyingly common and predictable questions. Avoid the obvious. Immediately Belichick, Coughlin, Brady, Manning, Strahan, Welker, Moss, Burress were out of the plan. Our proposal was to grab the fun guys, hand them a mic and let 'em rip. Initiate a conversation that led to us learning about their teammates, hear about the funny jokes, get the scoop behind the locker room pranks, and perhaps a little slip of a secret or two.

We arrived at the University of Phoenix Stadium and parked. Victory was short as we reached the entrance (along with a handful of other naive credential holding reporters) and were told it was the wrong spot. Sweet. Upon reaching the desired and real entrance a familiar vision flashed before me. The security line, the try-not-to-be-obvious-and-fail-miserably-as-you-check-out-the-who's-who-of-the-line, the wait, the cue that signals the massive cattle call down to the field, even the muffins on the catering table were the same from last year.

The athletes are even similar. This years class can easily be lumped into two groups: Pats/Colts. Giants/Bears. The favorite versus the underdog, the QB people wanted to see win vs the QB who's path to the big game was rocky and often doubted, the explosive offense versus the dominant defense, the team ready to take care of business whereas the other team was happy just to be invited to the office party.

Upon first glance you might not think they are similar. Then again maybe you find them to be exactly the same. I found them to be predictable. Now I'll give you one guess on who was more fun to interview. Times up.

Once for a hockey interview, I had to ask some of the guys who they would pick if they were stranded on an island. After today, I know which team I would pick. The Giants are fun. They are fearless. They are enjoying all of this. The sheer magnitude of it all is not lost on them nor does it scare them. It excites them. The Pats aren't scared. They aren't worried. They are just kind of ________. Don't take this observation the wrong way. I am in no way taking a swipe at what could be one of, and in some minds the, greatest NFL team ever. I'm just saying that when you 're in my position and competing against thousands of journalists from all over the world, some who think it is a good idea to dress up as brides and crazy magicians mind you, it's invigorating to be with a team who still finds humor in it all. The unit that lives up to the larger then life hype of the game through words, their own emotions and a harmless dose of teasing (on each other).

We have some great videos out on all of it. My favorite questions to ask that got the best answers were "Who has the best car?", "Who is the biggest ladies man?" and "Who does the best pranks?" Ohhhh the answers we got. Look for our video. Classic.

(I'll try to link it as soon as it is up. In the meantime, it is 1:20 am ET and I'm beat. Night.)

The Northeast (our crew) and the rest of the world sports media has picked up and moved in to its new home for the next 9 days.

Scottsdale, Phoenix, Glendale, Tempe... take your city. They're all in it together when it comes to the hosting duties of the Super Bowl. We arrived late (eastern time) last night and here to greet us was Mother Nature doing her best performance of "I'm Going To Rain In A City That Never Rains... Ever." Thankfully it has all cleared up and while they say it should rain a bit more tonight, hopefully that is the end of that.

Arizona and I have never met before. Today, we both agreed it was long overdue. The second I saw palm trees I knew this would be a lasting friendship. Yet I still can't get over how you can be driving along on the highway, on totally flat land mind you, and out of nowhere a huge rock appears. I'm talking "Is that a mountain?" looking kind of rock. These things take time.

This might be the nicest, friendliest and happiest state I've ever been to. Hospitality is known to have been invented by the Southerners. Arizonians however have mastered it. Not one person allows you to walk by without a smile, a friendly hello or (as in never an occurrence in NYC) eye contact!! So far it seems as though citizens of the area, regardless of their feelings towards sports, have embraced this week and all it brings (good and bad) to the place they call home.

Pats got here on Sunday. Giants avoided a premature meeting in the airport and arrived here today. Every sportscaster has been giving their predictions since... the second Giants kicker L. Tynes made the field goal in OT against the Packers. It's just the beginning.

Folks, Media Day kicks off tomorrow and Gregg Rosenthal, Tom Curran and I will be there. With Bells On!

I wake up the other day to a text message from my little brother.
It says: "You haven't blogged in two weeks. Slacker."
Way to get motivation.
Bro.

He's right, like always. It could've been the post holiday chill mode we all seem to slink into. It could've been just wanting to sit back and watch to see who will play the Pats in the Super Bowl. Or lazy. Or frozen. Whatever.

It all stops on Sunday.

Flight out of Newark straight to Arizona and a full week of hitting up the parties, gathering the stories, interviews and hanging out at the Super Bowl. Expect a whole lot of blogging cause there's not a dull moment in sight.
Bro.

From OrlandoSentinel.com:

What business did Meyer have recruiting Moore's girlfriend to be a UF gymnast?

Meyer: "Say no more -- full ride!"

Click here to read the entire story about the ongoing investigation into Urban Meyer's recruiting tactics.

Tonight the culmination of the 2007 College Football season comes to a decisive end. The national champion will be crowned and we can all walk away with the knowledge of one team ruling on top of the polls. Finally.

Ohio State? LSU? LSU? Ohio State? Take your pick. 50-50 says you are right.

Now some feel this game is a let down, not the *real* championship game, perhaps even boring. A dull ending to what was a never ending turbulent season with more flip flopping of the rankings then on the campaign trails.

Well sorry to disappoint you. But this is what we've got. Two teams, whether they deserve to be in New Orleans or not, fighting for one last game. I read an article stating the Buckeyes were banned from entering the downtown casinos in order for them to stay focused. I get that. Of course you don't send your boys down there and say: "Hey go nuts! Run over to the craps table and gamble all you got. Have a few Hurricanes and then I'll see you at the team meeting at 9 am tomorrow!"

But .. come on .. this is the game these kids have been playing for all season. This is it. Ohio State needs to get over what happened last year. If they come out thinking this one is all about redemption and showing the world they deserve to be here, well then Tressel and Co. might want to talk to Hawaii. I'm pretty sure June Jones and Colt Brennan tried the same thing. They psyched themselves up and sometimes that equation equals an embarrassing loss. They took on the rest of the country, the negative opinions and all the doubts INSTEAD of taking on Georgia. In the end, they lost to both.

These boys, OSU and LSU, need to go out (game, bars.. in that order) and have fun. They know why they are there and frankly at this point it does not matter how they got there. They are blindly aware of what is at stake. But at the end of the day/weekend/season, what it comes down to is this is a one time deal. ENJOY IT. And that goes for all the college fans out there who feel like this isn't the real game. TOO BAD. It is what it is and all you've got. This is the game the BCS gave us. Deal with it.

Regardless of the system...
Regardless of USC...
Regardless of Georgia...

This games business is between Ohio State and LSU.

Still not satisfied?

Well this is America and we love our TV, so you've got options.
If you don't like the game, here's a look at what else is on:

American Gladiators on NBC
How I Met Your Mother on CBS
Law & Order on TNT
Dance War: Bruno vs Carrie Ann on ABC
Critic's Choice Awards on VH1
SportsCenter Special on ESPN
Good East on Food Network

There you go.
After tonight it's all over.
Finally.

Check out this hilarious video of Chris Bosh.

Just for that, the guy deserves your vote to go to the All Star Game. Send him to New Orleans!

He's back. NFL open those arms and give the old man a hug..

Bill Parcells meet the Dolphins.

Dolphins meet the guy who is going to turn your ship around... the right way.

And to go back a few months... Simons Says knew this was going to happen.

I can't ignore the lack of responsibilty the players of the Florida State University football team have shown.

Not because they cheated, received help or had someone else take a test for them. As wrong as it is, there are far too many who are guilty of that, athletes or not, to go and rant on the ethics of education and the importance of students doing the work on their own. To assume every athlete goes to school for an education first and a chance to play a sport second is naive.

I'd also hope that not too many other universities will jump quickly to criticize because unless a thorough self evaluation has been done, it's impossible to truly know the actions of every athlete. As FSU has found out.
While its embarassing, I'm satisfied to know that this was something FSU took action to take care of.

I'm more dissapointed in the blatant disrespect this shows. And not just to the team or the current students and administration, but the alumni and fans who have supported a school through years of underperformance and unacceptable behavior.

The disrespect it shows to the guys who played at FSU and made it into the dominant football team it was.

The disrespect it shows to Bobby Bowden.

I am tired of having to defend what is a great school because the actions of some who are reaping the benefits of what those accomplished before them fail to recognize the mess they create.

Florida State was there long before these kids arrived. In my mind... they are free to go. Don't come to this school and assume you will not be held accountable. Don't put your team in a position where it must scramble to adjust and re-work a game plan days before going to a bowl game.

Don't be that kind of athlete.

All I can say is I hope he's being honest with this very direct claim. Because as much as people don't like a cheater, they hate a liar.

Did he or did he not take the juice?

And no I'm not talking about the Mitchell Report.

I'm talking about the HOUSTON TEXANS beating the Denver Broncos! Only a few days after beating Tampa Bay and with a backup QB and their running backs injured, the Texans rocked last night!

Every sports guy out there has already brought up the NFL Draft and that fateful decision between Reggie Bush and Mario Williams and Vince Young. I don't feel the need to repeat it. Or to rub it in. Williams is a stud and has quietly built his case.

I will say that it is (for the first time) fun being a Texans Fan!!

If you are searching for holiday gift ideas, I have one for you.

I actually heard about this from the '07 BMX Dirt Dew Cup Champion, and friend, Ryan Nyquist. His new wife Ali sent the information to him and he then passed it along.

It's a gift that not only will make you feel proud to give it, but it will help someone you've never met. Consider it the best bake sale you've ever contributed to. Why? Because it will help advance the cure for hundreds of children suffering from a rare form of cancer. And there aren't many reasons better then that.

A group of parents banded together and took charge of an otherwise hopeless situation, all for the sake of their children. They bake the cookies and ship them out to you or whoever you buy them for and 98 percent of the profits go to funding a new and necessary treatment. It's not a lot to ask and a simple way to make an enormous difference. Don't like cookies? No worries. You can simply make a donation.

So 'tis the season...get a ordering!!!

Read this article to learn more.
And go here to order!

In what was a not-so-secret announcement, Florida State officially stated Bobby Bowden would return as Head Coach next season and that when he in fact chose to retire, it would be Offensive Coordinator Jimbo Fisher who would succeed him.

Now what you may not have known is that Jimbo has long been an FSU fan and there couldn't be a more perfect fit.

From Warchant.com:
Ever since his high school days when he participated in the Bowden Academy Football Camp, Fisher adopted the Seminoles has his favorite school. His love for all things Garnet and Gold only grew after he went to play quarterback for Terry Bowden at Salem College (now Salem International University) and Samford University. During his senior year at Samford, when Fisher was named Division III National Player of the Year, he was frequently seen on the sidelines sporting a Florida State cap.

That year was ironically the start of FSU's record-breaking 14-straight seasons of top five finishes. Now, 20 years later, Fisher is officially the head-coach-in-waiting and sometime within the next few years he will begin his own era at Florida State.

A little additional information forwarded from my friend (and one of the biggest Nole Fans alive) Roy about Fisher:
He said he has stayed true to one philosophy throughout his coaching career - be honest to himself, his bosses and his players. He said a wise coach told him some 20 years ago that he should worry only about doing the best job he could, and that the rest would take care of itself.
"If you want the next job, don't go chasing it," the coach told him. "Do a great job in the one you've got, and somebody will notice."
That coach was Bobby Bowden.

Transition is hard.
Change is difficult.
But given this situation and the respect these two men have for each other, it can only mean positive things for the future of this football program. And how adorable is that picture?

After attending the Heisman Ceremony Saturday night, I've come to this conclusion:

I'd probably love you if you wore garnet and gold.

In the last year and a half I've covered everything from the Super Bowl to the NFL Draft to just drafted NBA players to playing basketball with an NBA star. Each and every single time, I've interviewed a Florida Gator. Each and every single time, I've walked away thinking: "I hope he does really well in the _ _ _. What a nice guy."

So of course it was no surprise when I walked away from Tim Tebow, the only sophomore to ever win the biggest award in college football, thinking: "That's a great kid." I even walked up to his mom, shook her hand and told her congratulations for raising a wonderful son.

Now to be fair, when I am covering an event, I leave my personal team loyalty at the door. I would never be disrespectful to a guy just because he played for a team I didn't root for. It's just not the way you do things. And I know that the other 100 plus journalists that were there on Saturday night do the same thing. We have a job to do. When Urban Myer took the stage, I couldn't help but look at him with respect and admiration. He's a man who has handled his role with class and perspective. I have a job to do. Once the job is done, the time comes to go back to being a fan.

It amazes me how as a fan, you decide regardless of the type of person, who you like and who you don't. You automatically pledge loyalty and devotion to the person who throws on the uniform you like and vow utter disgust and intolerance towards the guy who puts on the uniform you dispise. All that without ever truly knowing what type of person they are. (Maybe that is why we are shocked when one of our favorite players acts in a way we would never expect. We never take the time to ask, just blind allegiance.)

Of course, games are not won based on who is the nicest or who plays fair. Ask Colt Brennan. He'll tell you, "I learned a long time ago, life is not fair." His path to Hawaii was one tainted with controversy and a long hard look at himself. Now he can't imagine himself anywhere else. Games are not won based on projected potential, just ask Chase Daniel. The MIssouri QB was told he was too short to play, passed on by schools who did not believe in giving someone a chance because the person did not measure up to the numbers those schools used to put a player into uniform. Awards are not won because you are the most hyped player in college football. Darren McFadden would know, times two.

And while the Heisman is reserved for the best player in college football, this year it represented something more. It told the story and struggle of the four men who were nominated. And even though none of the four nominees carried the colors of my team, they each carried strength and character. And sometimes that in intself is worth rooting for, regardless of if it is my team or your team.

Fact: The following was sent to me this morning by a friend.
Note: This friend is a die-hard Pats fan.
Unfortunate Fact: I owe this friend half my paycheck due to "double-or-nothing" type bets.

Subject: Football Humor

John Madden was in Pittsburg to announce a football game one weekend when he noticed a special telephone near the Steelers' bench. He asked QB Rothlisberger what it was used for and was told it was a hotline to God.

Welcome to God's Country.

Tim.
Darren.
Chase.
Colt.

Which of the four will be this year's Heisman Winner?

They arrive to NYC for the announcement of the winner on Saturday night. Welcome to the Big Apple boys. May the best playa win.

But Hannah!! That was so quick.

After five years on the CBS Early Show, Hannah Storm is leaving the show.
Or was pushed out. (?)
One can never really tell.

Staying on the subject of mixing sports with celebrities in Hollywood...

How do we feel about this?

Dissapointed?
Exactly how I felt.
Its just that I thought Matthew McConaughey got all the sports parts.
Jake is just too... too... I don't know.
But I know enough to say he is NO Joe Namath.

After reading this story, are you more shocked to find out that:

A) Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo are dating?

B) Her dad set it up?

or

C) She's recording a country album?

For me, personally, I just can't get over option C. Ya'll.

And you don't even have to be A) registered, B) 18 or C) interested in politics.

Just sports.

Go to this link and click on your choice for best -- oopss sorry -- greatest college football coach of all time.

I can't imagine what'd it be like to lose a loved one in the way Sean Taylor was taken from his family, friends, and teammates today.

I understand many people have opinions on the situation. It is human nature. I'd also like to believe that when moving forward, people will remember to use a certain amount of respect towards the tragic situation.

Regardless of speculation as to what might have happened, who was involved, the motive, and certain life choices made by Taylor... my small opinion is that it is important to remember what actually happened.

That a 24 year old man was shot and killed suddenly. In the flash of a moment, his life taken. And left behind were people who cared and loved him very much. All this at a time of year when we are supposed to be thankful for what we have and aim to give to those who have less.

When the evidence comes out, there will be a right moment and time to voice opinions on what might have led to this. In the meantime, my heart goes out to his family, daughter and friends.

No matter what, 24 is never an age where your life should end.

Head coaches at various college football programs are dropping, dropping, dropping!

So what do you do when your number one guy says "See ya!" You go steal away great talent from other schools. Great talent that is itching/looking/ready/willing to jump into the hot seat. Naturally, its the thing to do.

Normally I would not be concerned. Bobby Bowden is to FSU what Santa is to Christmas. Connected forever. Foorrreeevvveerrrr.

But this! This! This news is a little rise for concern. A little.

Turns out Jimbo Fisher, the man Bobby fought long and hard to get to come to FSU, isn't exactly happy. (After this season and our offensive woes, I can't/don't blame him.) And with alllllll these schools, (GEORGIA TECH) looking to steal away some talent, Fisher knows his name has been dropped more then casually as a candidate.

According to WARCHANT.COM, FSU wants to do all that it can to keep Fisher put. And if that means possibly setting up a path to make him the NEXT head coach.. then that is a real possibility.

Rumor has it Bobby is looking at a final contract. Some say 5 years. Probably closer to the 2-3 range. A key component is the bonus at the end of the contract... which would be if retirement is in fact chosen, a cool $1 million paycheck would be in the mail.

Gonna be an interesting week in Tally.

From the sound of this, the folks at THE ONION sure aren't going to be watching tonight's Steelers vs Dolphins game.

BRISTOL, CT—The advertising, promotions, and publicity departments of cable sports network ESPN are being lauded for refusing to simply give up on attempting to promote the upcoming lackluster Miami-Pittsburgh Monday night matchup, instead turning in what some are calling a "championship-game level of hype." "Our business is all about blowing things out of proportion, but rarely do we see a game as one-sided as this given this kind of dedication," said Advertising Age columnist Alan Quensbury. "Talk about turd-polishing... I'm in awe. My mind says it'll be hard for Steeler fans to stay awake through the blowout, but the ESPN people have made me believe it'll be one for the ages." ESPN promotions personnel have responded to the praise by saying they were "just doing their jobs" and that they will issue a full statement of thanks after "Monday night's classic clash of tradition-rich AFC powerhouses."

As for me.... my whole entire Fantasy Football season depends on the skills of one man: WILLIE PARKER. Please let Fast Willie find the end zone many many times. PLEASE!!!!

BRISTOL, CT - Craig Kilborn, the former host of The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn, actor from the film The Benchwarmers, and SportsCenter anchor from 1993 to 1997, was spotted at 5:30 a.m. this morning broke, homeless, and passed out in front of ESPN's SportsCenter studios.

Funny article from THE ONION.

LSU lost.
Missouri is your new number one.
Just another crazy week in College Football.

Check out the new AP Rankings.

FSU was embarrassing last night. UF dominated, no question.

Fortunately, I only caught part of the game in the airport while I waited to catch my plane from Florida back to NYC. It was too much to handle. At one point, I sent a text to my brother and sister who were in Gainesville for the game and said: "Hope you are at least out having fun."

Yet there is a slimmer of glistening light in this dark hole known as our season this year.This piece of news goes to show one thing: God is a Seminole.

*ok ok ok... not really. Just so you know, I don't want the guy to be hurt. That sucks.

"Tim Tebow is going down this week. Ya'll put that down, that is our attitude."
-Geno Hayes, FSU linebacker
Best part of Thanksgiving:
-hanging with my family.
-the great food.
-lots of wine.
-Florida is warm which means nice days at the beach.
-FLORIDA STATE-FLORIDA game.

Each team coluld be 0-11 and it wouldn't matter. It's the last game of the season and it's the one you want to win.
Let the trash talking begin.

Fact: Every sports fan has a rival.
Fact: Rivals are not friends.
Fact: I hate the Gators.

Today however let us play a little hypothetical game. Lets say one day I'm walking down Broadway and suddenly out of absolutely nowhere I get struck by a lightning bolt. (Cause it is proven that a strike of lightning can transform you) And this particular bolt happened to be the tacky color of orange and blue. I fall to the ground and am knocked out.

Fast forward to six minutes later. I'm surrounded by people trying to help me. They ask me questions I should know the answers to in order to make sure I am ok.

"What is your name?"
"Tiffany." -check.
"Where were you born?"
"Houston, Texas." -check.
"Foods that you hate?"
"Pickles and all purple foods." -check.
"Who is your favorite football team?"
"The Florida Gators." -uhoh.

GASP...

Cause if you do, you'll find this article to be nothing short of hilarious.

DA GREAT WHITE HYPE blogged a HIlls type version of the Yankees talk with Alex Rodriguez.

Enjoy!

"One day you're in. The next day you're out."
-Heidi Klum, Project Runway

Alex is in.
Alex is out.
Alex wants to talk.
Alex is back in.

WTH? Did you keep up with all of this? How is Baseball, BASEBALL, as in the season was over weeks ago, still making all the headlines in sports at the end of November? All I can say, is that if both parties are happy then fine. Get it over with. Sign the papers. Bring him back to the Bronx.

Busy day in the world of number 25.

Barry was indicted on federal perjury and obstruction of justice charges.
Bonds' personal trainer was released from prison today.

Recap: Dude sat in a cell for a year because he wouldn't speak out against his client. What oh what could he have said that got him out of jail???

After all that has happened today, Barry might start rethinking that "I don't want an asterisk on my record" situation. Holding the homerun record with a little star next to it versus sitting in jail and being stripped of the title all together?

Note: Innocent until proven guilty. Sometimes opinions are formed regardless of evidence. Rumors don't make you guilty. Now if he was caught lying? Psshhttt.. you're in trouble!

My wonderful friend Scott had a good point. From now on, I should consider wearing these:

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.. gather 'round and listen! One very luck criminal hit the jackpot yesterday!!

That's right. I got straight up robbed.

Turns out one woman's bad luck is absolute bliss for a thief! While I was eyeing some hot red stiletos at a shoe store, the robber licked their chops as they eyed my purse. And when the opportunity arrives, a true professional knows when to strike.

So, let's tell everyone what the crook won! (Insert applause and game show jingle)

Here's an article from the ever funny and completely inappropriate website: THE ONION.

This time they tackle Andy Reid's "family" and the problems facing them over the next few months.

"As fun as it might sound, you don't want to lose your virginity to Jenna Jameson. You won't last long. She'll get bored and frustrated. And everyone who sees the tape will fall down laughing."

Nice to see sports talk can cover allllll topics.

Charlie Weis is/maybe/could be/will never be on the hot seat as head coach of Notre Dame. While you may agree or not agree with this particular writers style and opinion, he does bring up some interesting points in the situation at ND.

READ IT HERE

And when you're done with that, go watch this video. If for nothing more then a laugh.

LENO.
LETTERMAN.
COLBERT.
STEWART.
SOAP OPERAS..

The list goes on and on and on... Which is exactly how this writers strike is beginning to look. I'm sure you are aware of the circumstances and the issues that are upseting the members of Writers Guild of America.

What you might not be aware of YET is this little video on YouTube.

It's a classic example of how even in the mix of a heated debate and a stalling moment in their careers, writers still pull through with humor.

Want to see how this year's Super Bowl is going to be different from the past?

Watch this!

Sigh. I think this story has been beaten into the ground.
Mark Rict. Georgia-Florida. Planned Celebration. Depending on what side you're on, you either agree with Richt knowing he had to do something to get his team going. Or you believe it was a low act that lacked class and respect. Come on. This is sports, not an etiquette class. There is no love lost between these two teams. You do what you gotta do to win the game. And if an extra dance in the endzone gets you going, not to mention a HUGE conference game, then by all means celebrate. Sound the horns, bring out a pinata, confetti and all... fire. it. up.

However, the man who changed SEC Football and brought UF to the national stage in college football had something to say about it:

FROM CHICAGO SUN TIMES:
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier knows what he would have done if he had been coaching Florida and Georgia's players got the mass-celebration penalty:

Start a fight.

Spurrier said if Gators coach Urban Meyer had known what was going to happen after the Bulldogs' first touchdown last week, he should have sent out ''one of his third-team guys and get in a wrestling match with the guys, get a fight started.''

Spurrier's reasoning? With all of Georgia's players off the bench, they all might get suspended as part of the Southeastern Conference's penalties for fighting.

''Leave the bench in a fight, and you're out the next game,'' Spurrier said. ''That's what we'd do if the other team ever does that.''

If Meyer had followed Spurrier's tactic, the Bulldogs ''would have been in deep trouble for the game next week,'' Spurrier said.

OTHER COLLEGE COACHES THOUGHTS HERE.

You're the coach. What call do you make?

"Of course, Boston College is No. 2 in the nation so it gives us a chance to be the spoilers. You can remember how many years where we were ranked one, two, three, four and they would come in and be the spoilers. Well now, the opportunity is in our hands."

September 17, 2005
Bsoton, MA
Florida State at Boston College
28-17 Noles

We are the last team to beat BC at home. I went to that game, it was my first trip to Boston actually. The entire city seemed to be made of only garnet and gold. Fans were everywhere and I must say I was quite impressed with the tailgaiting at BC. Both sides were friendly to each other not knowing who was rooting for who. That is until people spoke...

"Hey ya'll..."
"Wicked game man..."

Fast forward two years later. Boston College has had a dream season. We have had many ups and forgettbale downs. I'm not going to be an idiot and say Florida State is going to beat Boston College. They're undefeated, have a Heisman quality QB (ranked 11th in passing yards), and are at home playing in a city that has been ridiculously blessed this year in the world of sports. They have a huge wave of momentum coming off a nail biter against VA Tech last week. They almost saw their Cinderella season slip away and rallied to save it in the final minutes of the game. This team wants it. They're hungry for it.

My team is well... confused. That can't pull it together. QB is inconsistent no matter who you put in there. Lee can get it going and then makes a rookie mistake, throws an interception, fumbles the ball (again and again). Weatherford.. eh. Never been a real fan. And the kid has had so much time to develop. He should be better and it is obvious he is never going to be what we need on this team: a leader who gets it done when it matters most. They did manage to put up 534 yards last week.. but that was against Duke. (insert Debbie Downer music)

So what do the Seminole Fans have to look forward to this weekend? We've got nothing to lose. And in college football that sometimes can be the best thing on your side. The pressure, and there is a ton, is all on Boston College. How many times have they been in this situation? How many of those players can look back and say, "Hey, we've been here before. We know what we need to do to finish this thing out." When have they ever had so much on the line? At what point in history has BC been the name dropped in National Title conversations?

As Bobby said... FSU for so long, was that team. The one everyone wanted to beat, knock down and get thrown out of title contention. It's an odd spot to be in, having the shoe on the other foot, being the team that people write off.

BC may be having a dream season... but we've got no problem crashing this party. Afterall, parties are things we're good at.

Gregg blogged about my team, the Texans today. And yes, Matt Schaub is out. However consider a few bright spots with the possible return of Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels back in the mix and the questionable health of Aman Green isn't as scary when compared to Oakland's rush defense. If only they had been healthy this first half of the season... what could've been???

As Joe Girardi put on his jersey and was introduced to the press as the new manager for the Yankees...

Joe Torre was hanging out with Mike and the Mad Dog answering questions about the season, the players, and yes Scott Boras (a man he says, really does have the players best interest at heart). Torre does so well at just remaining calm and even though the entire Yankee situation is still so current, he brings no unneccessary emotion to his answers. No anger or resentment.. classy.

He wanted a two year contract and said the reason that second year was so important to him was because he didn't want the first year to get interrupted. He didn't want to put the pressure on his players to have to answer questions about his status. He felt he could go into the season knowing he wasn't going to be fired.

No question, he's talking to the Dodgers about managing the team. He says they haven't reached "that point yet." It would be nice to have Joe in Vero Beach as the Dodgers spend their last Spring Training in my hometown. If he does in fact "reach that point" with the Dodgers. We'll know soon...

Gregg, and rightfully so, has had the TV on the Red Sox celebration since 9 am.
It is now 2 pm.
In that time span, I've officially learned/seen the following:

Every highlight from Game 4.
Listened in on interviews with everyone from Terry F. to the Secretary of Catering for Fenway Park.
David Ortiz sporting the flashiest zip up of all time. Bling!
On that note, Ortiz's son, D'Angelo? Auh-dorable. That hair!
Footage of the team bus ride back into Boston.
Curt Schilling say he wants to come back to Boston for one more year.
Thousands and thousands of fans lining the streets of Boston cheering for their team.
Jonathon Pappelbon in a kilt. That's when my jaw dropped and I realized the NE is just a different group all together.

If you're near a TV, it's pretty cool to see. Lots of Bostonians called in 'sick' today. I'm talking masses of people with signs, jerseys all yelling and screaming.

Now imagine if the Patriots win...

Joe Torre may have been pushed out the door in New York, but it looks like his stint on the un-employed list won't be lasting for much longer. That is, if he wants it...

Rumors on the West Coast is that the LA Dodgers want him... bad. And if Joe goes, then its safe to expect that rejected Yankee-wannabe-skipper Don Mattingly might be right alongside him.

"This guy is like 70-years old, and he's overthrowing us."
-Greg Jennings on old man river Brett Favre

Denver took it into overtime, but the Packers took home the win. And Green Bay, my friends, was my Survivor Pick of the Week.

Nice.

Dear Diary,

I'm devastated. I thought he might not do it. I thought he was telling the truth when he said he loved me. He told me there was nowhere else he wanted to be. He promised me he was happy. He told me he wanted to stay. Liar!

I saw a future with us... many days and nights of happiness, joy and laughter. I wished for spring in Florida and long Octobers in the Bronx. Who else could give him that???? Who!

Ugh... but I was fooled. I believed him but should've known it was just a scam. A way of holding out hope, when all along he knew what he was going to do. He played me and he played me well. Even though he cheated on her, I never thought he'd do it to me.

I was wrong.

So fine, go to whoever is next. Take him. Give him all you've got. Support him, cheer him on and give all the benefit of the doubt. But when he sucks for you, don't say I didn't tell you so. When the leaves change and a chill is in the air, girl.. he won't perform. I'm telling you!

When it comes to relationships, there's only room for him.

"I've always said it: I love New York." - he says. Ha!

Four years and he walks out on me! Don't let the door hit you on that expensive ass on the way out.

I'll get over it,
New York, New York

Monday morning. Nothing really to get excited about unless...

You're a Red Sox fan. Listen, congrats on winning the Series. Yes, you should celebrate. Yes, you should wear your B hat and talk about it all day today. Has there ever been a city that has just dominated a season in EVERYTHING like Boston?

RED SOX - World Series in four
PATS - Brady, Moss, Undefeated, Unstoppable
BOSTON COLLEGE - Number 2 in BCS. Number 2!!
CELTICS (who knows what they'll wind up doing but it's not crazy to think it might be something special)

Just don't turn cocky. Cause everyone admires a champion, but people LOVE to hate domination.

The Boss along with his sons, team president, GM, COO and the catering lady are allllll scheduled to sit down and talk a little '08 Yankees today in Tampa.

First up on the agenda:
Does Joe stay or does Joe go?
Does Steinbrenner stick to his threat or go soft and let Joe back for another year or two?
I'm not even touching the A-Rod stuff.

It seems everyone in New York has an opinion and I'm not really sure what the general consensus is. However a name that has been thrown around as the likely successor (mainly due to him being hand picked by Steinbrenner) is Don Mattingly. Some say he wouldn't want the job and would not want to take over Joe's role.

Read what his agent came out and said today disputing that theory.

"Maybe the 2007 Pats were caught stealing signals, but only one signal matters anymore: two middle fingers turned toward the sky."

That should be enough to get you wanting to read the story. Go here for more.

With LSU and CAL losing this past weekend, the respective number 1 and 2 teams in the nation, the new question is: what is the true value in an undefeated team? Is an LSU loss to #17 Kentucky equal to #4 Boston College's perfect record? At first glance it seems easy, a team that has been beaten should be ranked below the team that has not lost. But really.. is Boston College a better football team then LSU? Taking it a step further: was Appalachian State better than MIchigan or Stanford better than USC? Hmm...

Take Boston College for example. Undefeated-yes. However of those six wins, BC has only beaten one team ranked in the Top 25- Georgia Tech (who was 15 at the time). LSU, on the other hand, has played and beaten (at the time ranked) #9 Virginia Tech, #12 South Carolina, and a squeaked out win against #9 Florida before losing in triple overtime to #17 Kentucky. Boston College beat ND last night, and we all know what kind of 'special' team the Fighting Irish have been this year, but definitely didn't blow them out. (And had it not been for the flag that took away the ND TD, it could've been a different game.) So who do you rank higher? LSU or BC?

Let's take a look at USC, the undisputed #1 coming into the season. I've always had a problem with USC. Not because they lack talent (in some cases, they may have the most talent in depth), nor because they lack good coaching. No, my problem with USC is their schedule. Heavy hitters? Depends if you consider wins against: Idaho, #14 Nebraska, Washington State, and Washington (beating them by 3) and Arizona a big feat. Toss in a loss to Stanford and we're not exactly looking at the best team in the nation. Number one teams, who want to keep their spot in the polls, should be playing ranked teams. Period. To give USC some credit, the second half of their schedule picks up some weight with games against 3 top 15 teams: Oregon, California and Arizona State.

Then we must deal with teams who have risen out of nowhere and become a threat to anyone's schedule. LIke Rutgers. Or how about Missouri? Ranked 11th, its the highest they've been since 1981. What about USF? Typical state dominating the Top 10, totally different name.

This season has proven one thing without question: preseason rankings DO NOT MATTER. Just ask anyone in the Top 10. Here's what it looked like on August 19:
1. USC (62) 0-0 1,622
2. LSU (2) 0-0 1,511
3. West Virginia (1) 0-0 1,396
4. Texas 0-0 1,375
5. Michigan 0-0 1,371
6. Florida 0-0 1,276
7. Wisconsin 0-0 1,192
8. Oklahoma 0-0 1,166
9. Virginia Tech 0-0 1,148
10. Louisville 0-0 1,031
11. Ohio State 0-0 876
*bold names have dropped out

Here's what it looks like on October 14:
1. Ohio State (50) 7-0 1,599
2. South Florida (11) 6-0 1,503
3. Boston College (1) 7-0 1,448
4. Oklahoma (1) 6-1 1,399
5. LSU (1) 6-1 1,331
6. South Carolina 6-1 1,247
7. Oregon 5-1 1,177
8. Kentucky 6-1 1,098
9. West Virginia 5-1 1,090
10. California 5-1 1,065
*bold names were not in original Top 10

A few weeks ago, Gregg and I got a TV at our desks. Now this new freedom comes with a few rules, rules I've come to terms with slowly.

*70-30% of the time, the TV will be at a slight angle. Towards Gregg.
*On Sunday, we will have Game 1 and Game 2 to view at our desk (the wall off to the side has TV's playing the other games).
*On Sunday- Game 1 and Game 2 will be chosen between those games that are in HD.
*The Texans are never in HD.
*The only channels we ever watch are SPORTS.. until today.

Gregg: "Want to see what Tiki Barber is up to these days?"
Tiff: "Sure."

Gregg changes the channel and as soon as the screen becomes clear you see this:
Tiki's face just off to the left side of the screen, a bookshelf, and a graphic that reads: "How to decorate a bookshelf".

Who would've thought, Tiki Barber, talking about the X's and O's of decorating.

Lamont Jordan.
Back in action this week! Which means my team might be able to recover from that dismal performance last week.

If you own Travis Henry.. there's still hope yet for your pot smoking RB.

The return of Brian Westbrook. Luckily the Eagles are playing the Jets and that hopefully means good things for Westbrook and my QB Donovan McNabb.

BOBBY BROWN, isn't 38 too young to have a heart attack? Mild or not.

Britney vs. Celine: Who'd win?

Remember Mike Gundy's rant? How could you forget, it was everywhere. Well here's a new press conference with a commercial spin. I'm not buying the car, but that is pretty funny.

This article paints Scott Boras out to be greedy, coniving and unbelievably selfish. Agree?

Hey you, with the Fantasy Team. Better check your roster cause chances are, you've got a few of your guys on the bench. It's Week 6 and that means 6 teams are on a bye. Check out this article on good QB's. Sunday is going to be a loonnnngggg day.

Ever have one of those days when you think everything in your life is a mess?

You're late to work. Then you can't get a cab and it's raining. You miss the express and get stuck on the local smashed in between strangers. Let's not even go through the work day or personal life stuff! Like I said, one of those days where everything is a mess.

Last night I'm walking to the ATM to get some money for dinner. I was being lazy and ordered in... that is until the man on the phone said, "We don't accept credit cards." Thanks. So much for being lazy.

Anyways, I get to the ATM and there on the sidewalk is a man sitting. It's obvious he has no place to go and nothing to eat. Reality check: "What am I complaining about?" I bought him some food. This morning I get an email in my inbox and thought: "Well, this could help a lot more people."

DailyCandy is an email service that pimps out a lot of good (and sometimes bad) stuff. Sample Sales. Clothing. Restaurants. Trends. And today, A GOOD CAUSE.

From the email:
"More than one million New Yorkers rely on soup kitchens and food pantries for a meal. Unfortunately, the Food Bank is currently undergoing a major food shortage. And it's almost the beginning of the holiday season.
DailyCandy is joining the Food Bank's fight to wipe out hunger in the city that we love by Going Orange - the color for hunger awareness. You can help by making a contribution ($1 = five meals) and encouraging your friends to do the same. Then rock the Food Bank's "I Went Orange" (just remember to request one when you donate) to help raise awareness of the worthwhile cause."

So even if you're having a sucky day... check it. Chances are, you are better off than most. Do a good thing, help some people out and then go back to your complaining. That way, at least you did something.

Moving on up... moving on up.. in the AP Poll! Ok, more like getting into the AP Poll. Small baby steps.

Quite the college shuffle... check out where your favorite team ranks.

Yankees season is done. Playing season that is. The wheeling and dealing behind the scenes has just begun.

Scott Boras, A-Rod's money man, has already started to stir the pot about what the likely AL MVP is worth.

Play till he's 45?
Break the home run record?
Help a regional sports network increase its value to over a billion dollars?

All the things that Alex Rodriguez could bring to YOUR team. That is if he wishes to leave the Big Apple.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/10/02/isiah.trial.ap/index.html?cnn=yesTHIS GUY is having a bad week. Really bad. Isiah, tsk tsk.

Xavier Lee named ACC Co-Player of the Week.

Boy threw for 224 yards, 2 TD's and rushed for 59 yards in a win over Alabama. He also got the starting job this weekend against NC State. Plus, when asked to speak about Drew Weatherford he commented on Weatherfords support throughout the game. He even remarked that it was Drew with the huge smile on his face during the game.

Loves it.

I understand pro football and the excitement it brings to Sunday. I get the fans dressing up in idiot costumes, the tailgaiting, the rush to set that Fantasy Roster. It's a great thing, pro football. But it's nothing compared to college ball.

From the start of ESPN's College Gameday to that midnight last minute field goal, college games are unpredictable, exciting, heart breaking and ego busting. The underdog has just a good of a chance as any to win. It takes just one game to change a season.

Just ask:
OKLAHOMA
FLORIDA
WEST VIRGINIA
TEXAS
RUTGERS
CLEMSON
PENN STATE
ALABAMA

What a Saturday it was. Now every year there's a guaranteed weekend of the season where we see the mighty fall. This year it seems as if every weekend has had one surprise after another. However, yesterday was Surprise Saturday.

Oklahoma lose to Colordao? No way in hell. Not buying it. That is... until yesterday.

Are you kidding? Texas! Texas! As if UCF wasn't a big enough scare, this one blew up in your face and Kansas State took full advantage of it.

I bet West Virginia won't laugh at the sight of South Florida on the schedule anymore.

Auburn: sweeping in and doing what they do best: beating Florida and ruining a perfect season.

Then there are the ones who managed to sneak by like USC and Wisconsin. They got the win but showed they're far from invincible.

FSU beating Alabama... highlight of the day. Our defense looked so good. They were the factor that allowed us a chance to win the game. Xavier Lee... woah! Consider yourself a fan favorite and I'm backing you as our starting QB any weekend you want. Huge win for Bobby and the boys.

Wonder what that new 25 is gonna look like... See ya next Saturday.

PICK 'EM UP

Brian Leonard.

Rutgers star is getting the start this week due to Steven Jackson being hurt. Leonard couldn't be nicer as a person. I know that doesn't count in football games. It does however, make it easier to root for the guy.

Speaking of rooting for, if any of you happen to think about it on Saturday, keep your fingers crossed for my Noles as they take on Alabama in Jacksonville, Fla.

Nick Saban is doing some good things at 'Bama. They barely lost to Georgia last week in overtime and knocked off Arkansas the week before. We beat Colorado and luckily had an off week giving us a little extra time to prepare for this game.

Now a question that many articles have been trying to answer this week: What if 'Bama would've hired Bobby?
At one time, that was not only a consideration but for some a given.

Here are two of the many articles that have brought the question back up in anticipation of the game and team many at one point thought was to be Bobby's.

What If...1987?

Best Thing That Never Happened

I really hope you held out over the weekend and kept Donovan McNabb.

As hard as it was to remain optimistic, it goes back to the old saying: "Good things come to those who wait." Now, I didn't want to wait a whole season, however, Sunday our boy brought the goods.

I actually had a trade offer come in twice last week. It basically offered me Peyton Manning and Ronnie Brown for Willie Parker and Anquan Boldin. I needed a QB seeing as how my backup is Matt Leinart. Exactly. But I wanted to give McNabb one more shot.

THANK. YOU. EAGLES. For finally getting in the game and playing like it matters.

Don't do it just yet, but Brandon Jacobs is on his way back from that Week 1 injury. They hype begins... again. (My little brother is still mad at me for making him draft Jacobs early. Sorry Boo.)

Michael Vick still hitting the pipe.

I leave you with GREGG and his WAIVER WIRED column. The greatest source to answer all your ?'s.

Thursday.

Definitely Top 3 in the "best day of the week" category. Why you ask? Cause it represents the very thing you've been waiting for all week: the start to the weekend.

Friday, no one really accomplishes that much in the office (let's be honest, this is usually due to the fact people were out celebrating the upcoming weekend the night before). Saturday and Sunday are filled with freedom, shopping and sports. (Unless you work on the Fantasy Fix...which includes working on Sunday. No bitterness.)

So really, Thursday is the day it all begins. Know what else begins on Thursday?

SEASON FOUR OF THE OFFICE. That's right. And to get you just in the mood, here is a little clip. Let's take a step back in time, to one particular basketball game. If you don't laugh at this then our friendship has run its course. Stanley's dribble alone is worth it. The "Secret Weapon" begins around 3:15.

"When I am playing hoops, all of the stress and responsibility of my job here just melts away. It's gone, I'm in the zone. Who am I? Am I Michael Scott? I don't know. I might just be a basketball machine."
-Michael Scott.

Watch it. Just another reason to love Thursday.

Looks like Chicago has had enough.

Grossman and his interceptions are out, the 10 year vet Griese is in. Or so they say.

CONGRATS to: Nate Adams, Ryan Sheckler and Shaun White for getting it done in SLC. The FMX, SKB Park and SKB Vert comps were clinched and the overall Dew Cup was awarded to those three after just four stops. Nicely done boys.

SLC was an amazing host city. FAVORITE COMPS of the weekend: BMX DIRT and BMX PARK

In Dirt:
Cam White became the first guy to ever nail a barspin to tailwhip backflip. Yes you read that correctly. Awesome.
James Foster hands down had the greatest winning reaction on the history of the Dew Tour. It was precious.

In Park:
Welcome back two dominate faces that haven't been around much this season: SCOTTY CRANMER and RYAN GUETTLER.

Scotty busted out with the first ever frontflip tailwhip and his first win on the Tour this season. It's been an odd year for Scotty, who dominated the Park course last year and took the Cup race into Orlando against eventual winner Daniel Dhers. However, this season, he's been anywhere but in first. This couldn't have gone any better for him.

Guett has been up and down all year. He finally put it all together in what he told me was a dream run. 1080. Let's just remember that the first time that was done in a competition was last month in Portland by Mike Spinner. Guett nailed it twice in finals. Only to follow it up with a double backflip in the same run. Kid did good.

My girl MORGAN CULLEN is doing big things and I felt it necessary to give her a little spotlight.

Mo is an amazing designer of wedding gowns and now has broadened her appeal one more time with a brand new website. It's called WWW.RUNWAYDAILY.COM Yes, sports can be fashion conscience too. So go take a peek!

Saints ... without Deuce for the rest of the season. Yup, change your lineup, make a trade, drop him from your team. Unless, you enjoy a benchwarmer.

Read more about it.

Nate Adams became the very first Dew Cup Champion of 2007 today. He dropped in on his first run and put up a score of 93.33 that held the other 9 riders to a fight for second. This is his second consecutive cup. Orlando looks to be a nice victory lap for Nate.. Congrats!

A special thanks to the Governor of Utah, Mr. John Huntsman, who spent the weekend here in Salt Lake checking out all of the events. He told me he's been rididng for 30 years! Great to have him here.

Next up today, a little Supercross action and then Skateboard Park Finals will be later on tonight.

Side Note: Can we give NOTRE DAME a little shout out: Charlie Weis and Co. finally got their first offensive touchdown of the year. Only took four games, but at least it is a step in the right direction.

My Irish Live buddy John Walters wrote a nice article that encompassed two of my favorite things: music and football.

Have a read.

"...that's what Maryland does."

Ahhh.. the great movie we all love: Wedding Crashers. It gave so many good one liners to spice up regular conversation. However, most would agree the state that does football best isn't Maryland.

Here's a Texas-sized article on two teams representing their state the best way they can: by winning some games.

*Do I give up or do I hold on?? The question myself and so many other Fantasy Football players are feeling about Donovan McNabb. For right now.. I'm holding on. Loosely.

*2 FSU players suspended. My only comment is that Potbelly's is a fine establishment and I'm glad to see its getting some press.

*Just another reason why it is NEVER a good idea to name your son Floyd.

*If you would've said four months ago: Come September the NY Mets will crumble and let their lead slip to the Phillies and in the Bronx, the Yankees will be making the Red Sox sweat it out for the division title, I would've bet you my pay check that it was a lie. Now, I'd just think you were a genuis and I'd be poor.
*Reason #72 on why you don't gamble kids.

*My Texans are 2-0. Even if they lose this weekend to Peyton and his Colts, I'd still be happy because Andre Johnson is out and let us be honest: it's Peyton and his Colts. If the Texans win?? Well, I'll stop myself there.

*DEW TOUR.. we are in Salt Lake City, UT. The competition begins tonight with BMX Dirt and BMX Vert. Updates tomorrow.

20-3.

I'm not even joking.

Yes, they played Kansas City. However take note:

Matt Schaub was 16/22 with 225 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
Andre Johnson had 7 receptions with a whopping 142 yards and 1 TD.
Defense had two interceptions off of Damon Huard and Larry Johnson had only 43 yards on 10 attempts.

All I'm saying, is for my team, it's a nice start.

Jets fans.. did you just cringe?

Your boy, Chad Pennington, back on the sidelines. And that looked like it hurt. BAD.

Longest kick return in NFL History just made by Hobbs of the Patriots.

108 yards. Write that down.

If only you could've been in my chair and watched Gregg's victory dance. Priceless. Just Priceless.

Then switch your teley over to MTV around 9 pm tonight. Yes the VMA's are lame (at least that has been the case for the last ___ years) HOWEVER there is one reason you should watch at least the first ten minutes of the show.

BRITNEY SPEARS.

Homegirl is set to open the show and that means one for sure thing: absolute mess. Some say it will be the true start to her comeback. Others are screaming this is the final meltdown for the pop tart mother of two. Hell, who cares. Either way it is bound to be interesting. And I for one do not plan on missing it.

Gregg and I just got done with our very first FANTASY FIX LIVE show.

Thanks to all of you for calling in and asking your questions. Hopefully you got your answers and now have your line up set and ready. Cause its that time.

Now briefly a look back at that Thursday Night game. Umm.. for those who thougtht the following:
Saints will beat the Colts - easy.
The Colts D is and has always been bad.
Super Bowl Champs lost a lot of guys.. Saints have unstoppable Reggie Bush.

Not. So. Much.

I'm not sure if the Saints Offense was just sloppy or the Colts D actually is good. Yet to be determined.
Reggie Bush didn't look that stellar. While Bush was filming commercials, Joseph Addai was working the playbook. And doing it well.

Speaking of commercials, did anyone else feel like the game was an insignificant part of a series of commercials. They'd come back to the game for twenty seconds, say that the Colts were up with 3 minutes to go in the quarter and back to yet ANOTHER COMMERCIAL. Ugghhhh..

Here's what I wrote while watching the game, starting with Kelly Clarkson kicking things off.

Kelly Clarkson is so sick.. she's awesome.

Faith Hill... needs to get a new song. This Kiss??? Even after all this time, it still is an awful song.

If this was your first time watching football... you’d think the only person playing for the Colts is Peyton Manning and for the Saints its Reggie Bush.

Fantasy Owners: did your heart stop when Addai got nailed on the first play? Yup. Maybe they gave up DeDe Dorsey a little too soon. No offense to Kenton Keith.

Olindo Mare... 52 yards and a no go.

Waiting for Tonight by J Lo takes us to break... (lets update the playlist)

Addai w/ the ball... looks like he feels fine.

Dallas Clark with 1st first down of the season

Awww.. Marvin Harrison and Peyton get their first connection of the season. Tear.

Marvin with the first touchdown of the season.. the game has finally begun.

Adam V up for a kick. O. Mare take notes... that is how you kick a field goal. Try it next time..

Switched to Greys' Anatomy... Meredith's mom is crying. Uhhh... No thanks... back to the game.

Drew Brees wears contacts??? What?

Well at least we know he can see.. nice catch off that blocked pass.

And the Colts Offense is back up ... for a total of six seconds.

Is it just me OR does it seem like there are a million commercials?

Love the Visa Check card commercial with the "When the Saints Go Marching In" song and the guys getting fleur de lies shaved on their heads..

Back to Greys... even though its a rerun, I still watch.

After four straight plays, Addai with the first down.

FUMBLE... Oh Reggie Wayne. Bad Boy. Touchdown SAINTS.

Tie game.

Not really sure about that Sprint commercial where the woman voice countsdown the seconds until Manning gets sacked. Semi a little creepy.

Sunday night promo...

ANOTHER FREAKING COMMERCIAL. I’m sorry I thought I was watching a football game? My bad.

Yo... Louisville is only up on Middle Tenn by three points.. 38-35.

Back to the game... Peyton changes the play... umm doesn't work that great.

Does anyone else laugh every time they hear "Will Smith"?

Colts punt the ball... woah! Nice job Moore on that 30 yard return.

Colts D is looking good... Brees and Co. are having trouble getting down the field. 3rd and 3

Mare is up.. for the kick.. take two. Well done.

Pink takes us tooooo you guessed it a commercial...

Kick off... commercial. This is getting ridiculous. So I turn it to Louisville game... Freaking Peyton Manning commercial for DirecTV. I cant escape.

Back to Grey's... this time its Meredith who is crying and the mom who is listening. Time for surgery. Hellooooo Dr. McSteamy.

Plug for Tony Dungy. New book out, great. Sure to pick it up so I have something to read during all these damn commercials.

Andrea Kramer on Tony Dungy and his monumental events in history.

Time Out by Manning

Hahaa. Tony Romo commercial is cute. You know I met Jerry Jones at the Super Bowl. Why do we care? B/c the game isn’t on.

Offsides on the Colts.

Saints 99 is a B-I-G boy

HARPER bats away Manning throw. 4th and 13. Come on out punter.

Al Michaels says "New Or-lee-ens"

False start by the Saints. First penalty of the night for them. Too bad b/c it looked like Bush was going to have a good run.

FUMBLE. Only to have the Saints scramble to get it back

Nothing for Bush... punt to the 15 yard line,

Could Olivia Mannings ring be any bigger??? Wow.

Whoever drafted Dallas Clark is loving him tonight.

Oh wait, I did. But I benched him. MISTAKE.

Addai nice first down at the 20 yard line.

Minute left before the half, Colts looking to score...

3rd and 5. Saints call a time out. Incomplete. Kick by Adam V, its good. Tie game.

Manning 101 yds and TD

Brees? Not so much.

Colston first down, TO for Saints.

29 seconds left, Brees goes down by Dwight Freeney.
Brees shovels it off to number 67 who is like "what the hell is going on?" flag on the play.

Tie game, now to NYC for halftime show.

Not really sure what this halftime show is supposed to be? I guess it is just meant to be fun and not talk about the game at all. However nice to know Cris Collingsworth is noting the same thing about the commercials.

Tiki Barber thinks the Giants have a chance against Dallas. Wow. What insight.

Peyton Manning has his name attached to a hospital?? St. Vincent’s? Derek Zoolander Center for children who want to learn how to read good.
Ok, nom Manning is beginning to make all of us look like slackers.
There's Olivia's ring again.
Archie looks miserable.

First down Addai.

Dallas Clark, first career rush. Freaking great game for this guy. I'm an idiot for benching him.

Harrison, first down and goal, 42 yard reception, nice. Think they score here?

Addai TD. He is pumped and so are the fans and I'm happy cause its been a while since a commercial. 71 yard drive, kick is good.

Aerosmith takes us to break.

Ben Utecht , first down. Colts Offense starting to look normal- as in good. 173 passing yds for the Colts, 57 for the Saints.

Everyone kept saying tonight would be a high scoring game. They were right, just picked the wrong game. Louisville 58-Mid Tenn 42 with 11 minutes left in the fourth.

TD Reggie Wayne, nice dance now 24 pts over the Saints with 10. Fantasy owners are starting to breathe normal b/c Manning is starting his magic.

Brees 11-18 for 57 yards, McAllister saves the day with a first down.

Ohhh Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style is on, yeah! Dipping out of the game for a moment

Best Commercial of the night? Gregg and I were just on. V-Cast and John Madden commerical. Granted we were the size of ants on a camera screen on the TV. But hey it's a start.

And a what a great start to the 2007 season. Enjoy the games today kids!!

Gameday.

It's like Christmas. Except it's every weekend. You hang flags instead of lights. You eat burgers and wings instead of ham and fruit cake. You drink beer instead of wine. Santa Claus wears a headset, paces on the sidelines and brings gifts in the "W" column. You wake up and you simply.. Just. Can't. Wait.

I got a text from my little sister at 9 in the morning yesterday: "Gameday mi familia! F L O R I D A S T A T E!"
Another text came in at 11: 45 "You coming tonight?" The phone rang throughout the day, friends making sure everyone would be at our spot ready to go for Bowden Bowl. Garnet and gold shirts, ones that haven't been touched since last December, were finally dragged out of the bottom of the dresser, ready for action. Another text: "Go Noles!" The same two words filled my inbox for 30 minutes before kickoff.

I stepped out of the cab and even though Tallahassee, Florida is a thousand miles away, walking up to the bar felt like home. The tomahawk chop was ringing on the streets of New York. The city that is too busy for college football, the part of the country that doesn't quite 'get it', the great Big Apple was taken over on a small corner on the west side by a bunch of crazy kids all ready to root for their favorite team.

Gameday.

Kickoff starts. And damn we looked good on that first drive. FACT: illusion. The great Jimbo Fisher has some work to do. Rick Trickett better find an offensive line.. fast. I might be able to run faster then Drew Weatherford. First half and all we could muster was one first down. ONE. Eight punts and seven straight three and out... are you kidding?

About the beginning of the second quarter those texts changed to

8:38 "Uh oh. I'm pulling for ya'll."

8:39 "That's why we play 60 minutes!"

8:42 "Uh.. we'll be good next year? Or something."

8:55 "Little Noles need to pick it up."

**The "We are a second half team" mentality begings about now.

9:11 "Ummm.. at what point do we stop watching."

10:19 "I wish ESPN would get rid of Holly Rowe and hire you." (The little brother is very supportive!)

10:21 "Still learning third down here... gotta stop em."

11:16 "Go FSU! We can do it!"

12:10 "After watching the FSU game I will now plummet 2 my death off of my 2nd story apartment."

That last one is a little dramatic... but still. As frustrating as the first half was, the second half showed a different team. Mistakes? A ton. (Dear Mickey Andrews, a few of our guys forgot how to tackle last night. Exactly, I'm not sure how either, but I know you will fix this. Immediately.) But it did show a team who managed to gather themselves together after a complete meltdown in the first half. Aside from the fact that my heart was stomped on after totally believing we would win in the final 2 minutes only to see Weatherford get pounded into the ground AGAIN, I haven't totally given up on us. Here's why...

It wasn't exactly so long ago when we were at the top. FSU only lost 13 games over the span of 10 seasons. I was a freshman when we won our second national championship. We lost to Tennessee the year before and to Oklahoma the year after that.. both national championship games. We finished in the Top 4 or higher (twice number 1, three times number three) every year for a decade. Why does this matter you ask? Because after games last night, its easy to forget.

I also hold out a little faith because consider the changes in the off season: new Offensive Coordinator (Fisher), new Offensive Line Coach (Trickett), Return of Chuck Amato, new Receivers Coach (Lawrence Dawsey) and new Running Backs Coach (Dexter Carter). I'm no football genius, but I do know one thing. Alllllll that doesn't gel in one summer or one game for that matter.

So I'm giving them a little time. They are my team after all.. and you don't give up on your team. Especially on gameday.. and nothing beats that. Not even Christmas.

And so do you.

After last nights loss to Clemson (more on that later), this little clip has made my day slightly brighter.

Anyone a fan of The Office? Michael Scott wants you to watch.

Don't let LANCE BRIGGS borrow your car.

Fantasy Draft - NBCSports.com Crew - Last Night - 7th Pick

Herrrreee'ssss who I will be counting on to take me far into the playoffs this year. I present to you PRIME TIME-Tiff's Fantasy Football Team for Double 07.
*The boys are listed in the round they were taken.

1. Willie Parker
2. Chad Johnson
3. Anquan Boldin
4. Donovan McNabb (Please Please Please stay healthy.. I beg of you!)
5. Lendale White
6. Lamont Jordan (I realized later.. prob not the best to have both but could prove to be a worthy trade later)
7. Jason Witten
8. Bernard Berrian
9. Leon Washington (You think I'd really go a whole draft and not have at least two FSU guys?)
10. Chargers D (Thank you.)
11. Matt Leinart (If McNabb goes down, Leinart better be ready.. NOT on diaper duty or Paris Hilton's arm.)
12. Derrick Mason
13. Ron Dayne
14. Dwayne Jarrett (Wishful Rookie Pick)
15. Dallas Clark
16. Sebastian Janikowski (Also the point of "I don't care anymore just let this thing end!")

Notables: Peyton Manning taken in the first round, 6th overall pick.
Larry Johnson taken first round, number 2.
Gregg (of all people) Mr. Wait to take your QB stole my pick and took Tom Brady as his fourth round pick. I took McNabb right after.
7th Round, 7th pick .. I wanted to take the Chicago Bears D.. was told to wait.. they'd be there the next round. Two picks later they are GONE. Gee.. thanks.
Just to prove a point (what I'm not sure) .. the first pick of the final round .. in a surprise move, Michael Vick - formerly of the Atlanta Falcons - was drafted.

"I will redeem myself.. I have to." -Vick earlier today.

Hopefully he will have the chance to do just that. You'd think a year and some change in prison would give someone an ample amount of time to figure out how to do just that.

Drew Weatherford. Congrats. Now don't f*#@ it up.

Fantasy Fix Live premiered just a short two hours ago.

We handled our first live call in show pretty decent (so bias I know). Gregg, as always, can answer anything thrown at him. I still say Joseph Addai over Frank Gore but whatever. Also, lets just get it out there.. if you can grab BRANDON JACOBS do it. We spent at least 50% of the show talking about that guy. Same answer every time: PICK HIM UP!

We (Gregg, myself and our co-worker Brett) had our NBC Fantasy Football Draft last night. We had the 11th pick (14 teams total). Lesson Learned: NO SUCH THING AS A STRATEGY. We took Reggie Bush as our first pick.. and then on the way back picked up Chad Johnson. Now let me just say that after that second round was done Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer and Marc Bulger were all gone. Cause Gregg's the pro.. we held off on our QB until the 6th round and picked up Big Ben. Another surprise (maybe you won't think so) but one team took the Bears D in the 6th round.

Here's our team in the order we drafted:
R. Bush
C. Johnson
M. Colsten
M. Lynch
S. Moss
Big Ben
L. Betts
B. Watson
L. Washington
J. Campbell
R. Curry
Packers D
D. Graham
A. Peterson (Chicago)
E. Wilford
J. Hanson

Monday night is the big draft... we have a league here at the office. Gregg and I each must manage our own team. He has the 8th pick. I have the 7th. Sucker!

One of my best girlfriends from college works for this place in London and got a great review in Marie Claire Online.

So what if I'm bragging and it has nothing to do with sports?

Go here to read alllll about it!

Jason Whitlock on Michael Vick and what the future should hold for the QB.

If the guy goes to jail and serves his time, doesn't he deserve a second chance? Isn't that the strength of our country... those who make mistakes, can be forgiven and afforded the opportunity at another chance?

"We have to put an end to the political game of "racial gotcha." It's backfiring on everybody. We no longer seek understanding. We seek vigilante justice. We want high-profile people to serve as examples of the kind of harsh punishment America is willing to dole out if you make a mistake. We think if Vick and Imus lose their jobs and are totally disgraced, their demise will make the world a more civil place."

No one is saying what the guy did is acceptable or worthy of anything less then a harsh punishment. But you have to believe that within everyone is a person who is good. Yes, even Michael Vick.

At some point in life, we all encounter a situation where our hearts wish to dictate the punishment rather then the law. A person we care deeply about makes a bad choice. They are forced to pay the consequences. But do we just give up on them? Does a horrible mistake (and yes, what he did is horrible and proves he is capable of using the worst judgement) equal a total lost cause?

Or because we are humans, do we allow Vick the chance to prove over time, that he is in fact at the very least decent?
Or maybe more directly, if it was you.. would you deserve a second chance?

This is something you never want to have to read, regardless of what team you pull for. I can't imagine how hard this must be on the Andrews' family... I'm sure all sports fans hearts and prayers go out to them.

Mickey Andrews' son dead at age 41

Here's yet another person telling you just how screwed Michael Vick is.

Two little girls run up to me after the SKB Park competition. The conversation goes like this:

Tweens: "Do you know Ryan Sheckler?!"
Tiff: "Yup. I do."
Tweens: (insert squeal) "Is he nice? What's he like? He's so cute, don't you think!?" (insert squeal)
Tiff: "Haha.. yes he is nice."
Tweens: "Are you friends with him?"
Tiff: "Yes, we're friends." *Mentally thinking: "Where in the hell is this convo going?"
Tweens: "Do you have his phone number?"
Tiff: "Umm...."
Tweens: (squeal is notched up a few levels, the jumping begins, the grins grow wider, their goal in sight)
In unison (just like the Olsens) "Will you give it to us?!"
Tiff: "Umm.. no."

Serioulsy. 17 and this kids a stud. So much so he's got his own MTV show coming out. Add another to the list of shameless TV I will be watching during the week.

The AST Dew Tour has set up camp in Portland, Oregon. Already 4 of the 6 prelims have taken place.

Surprises:
BMX Dirt: No Cameron White, Luke Parslow, Steven McCann or Allan Cooke.
Looks like marriage suites Morgan Wade- he took first place with James Foster and Diogo Canina right behind. Ryan Guettler and Ryan Nyquist rounded out the top 5.

BMX Vert: Congrats to Austin Coleman who made it to his first BMX Vert Final ever! Steven McCann looking like a real threat in the Vert world as he placed third in prelims. Jay Eggleston came out swinging and placed second behind the big guy himself, Jamie Bestwick.

SKATEBOARD Vert: Shaun White just might be the real thing. He wants to be an amazing skateboarder. He won in Baltimore, Cleveland, X Games and now takes first in place in prelims in Portland. Bucky Lasek, the defending champ, finished in fifth place... for now.

SKATEBOARD Park: Lights, camera, Sheckler. MTV is here (again) filming the 17 year olds new reality show and he definitely gave them some good footage as he took first place in prelims. But Greg Lutzka, who looks so smooth, is right behind him in second. Austen Seaholm is back in the action sitting in third going into tomorrow's Finals.

Be sure to watch NBC this weekend and catch SKB Park on Saturday and then BMX Park on Sunday. Also on USA Network there will be an hour show of BMX Vert Friday night followed by SKB Vert on Saturday night.

I can say it's official. I've played basketball with an NBA player.

David Lee of the New York Knicks had a basketball camp for aspiring youngsters last week. I caught up with him at his camp and took on the challenge of playing a little game of "Knock Out". No, inspite of what you might think, the NBA coaches have not started calling to sign me up.

So what if my NBA career will never be, this is a guy who is certain to have an amazing career. He enjoyed hanging out with the kids and did an excellent job of staying positive while offering constructive advice to help the young athletes better their skills.

Go here to watch the video!

Rex prediction for this season:

Rex Grossman is a free agent at the end of the year. The quarterback tells us it was his decision not to negotiate a new deal. Grossman said, "You want to re-up after a big season. My numbers will be much better after 2007." And after watching him in practice, we believe Grossman is primed for a huge season.

-From this guy on this website.

Physical traits: 6' 2" and 240 pounds.
Profession: Baseball Player.
Greatest Achievement: Home run king*.
Key personaliy trait: Highly sensitive to those who accuse me of doing bad things.
Seeking: Two lawyers to defend me against my enemies. Which is basically everyone.

Ohhh Barry. You do keep it interesting. After all that has been said about Mr. Bonds, and let us be honest, is there anything that has NOT been said? He goes and does something like this. The guy, who has had his name damaged in ways that can never be repaired and owns the charming title of Most Hated in Baseball (exception: Bay Area) has now decided to hire a few lawyers to defend him against those who say mean things,false things, fairy tale things, illegal things.

From MSNBC: "While pursuing Hank Aaron’s home run record, Barry felt that it was more prudent to remain silent," a statement read. "Now that the record has been broken, Burris and Schneider will evaluate any and all statements attributed to him that are false."

Huh?

Dear Barry,

Question:

You let 'them' (the old girlfriend, the former dude you did business with, that guy who plays for the Red Sox) say whatever they wanted about your character while you were out going after the single greatest record in all of sports and then once you shatter it, suddenly it's time to put Operation Save Barry into action?

What. Kind. Of. Plan. Is. That?

Answer (from eager new lawyer Mr. John Burris) is something along the lines of: not to go after media publications or to curtail free speech and opinions against the controversial baseball player. Instead, he said, it is to stop those who might think they know something about Bonds from telling a false story.

False story??
I wish this story was FALSE.

NFL DENIES REPORTS THAT VICK WILL BE SUSPENDED.

I mean really, you don't think they will suspend him?

The can deny all they want.. until next week.

A dear co-worker at NBCSports.com left a few weeks ago to make it big in Chicago. Aside from being hilarious (I'm a sucker for anyone who is funny) it was our mutual love for Eddie Vedder (mine more circa mid 90's, hers still present day) that led to a budding friendship. Since she has left, well let me just say, the office isn't the same. AT ALL.

But distance doesn't stop this girl from being a die hard METS fan. So I present, for your viewing pleasure, her website. GO TO IT!!

Out to dinner the other night with a crew of friends. FSU comes up and someone (we'll call him Jack) asks:

Jack: "Who is your QB going to be this year?"
Friend responds: "It doesn't matter who our QB is going to be."
Jack: "What? Of course it matters."
Friend: "No way. Jimbo Fisher is the man... he can turn anyone into a good quarterback."

Yes, he can. It is sooooooo good to have Jimbo Fisher on FSU's sidelines this year. And anyone who thought Fisher was going to come into the Seminole locker room quietly should just read this article. He's not looking to do anything less then turn our offense around.

"Two things in football you can never fake - toughness and intelligence."- Jimbo Fisher.
Welcome to Florida State... we love you already.

Busy week in the world of baseball. And for once, the headlines were screaming about what players did on the field rather then exploiting the latest mess they got themselves into off the field.

Bonds.
Rodriguez.
Glavine.

756. (now 757)
500.
300.

Good for them.
The glistening shine cast on baseball lasted for all of about two seconds. And then sports turned back to what it has been doing best lately, exposing a side most of us try to avoid. Controversy. Cheating. A tarnished game.

Now, about Chipper Jones and his latest rant on Alex Rodriguez. I understand why this would be a big story. But this was way overblown and completely out of proportion. Frankly I don't think Chipper was 'attacking' or dropping an 'A-Bomb' on anyone or anything. He was probably just answering the questions he was asked.

On if the steroid questions once targeted solely at Barry Bonds will now be attached to Alex Rodriguez:
"There's going to be the questions because his name's been brought up," Jones told the Associated Press before last night's game at Shea. "If I had to pose a guess on A-Rod, I would say no. But I don't know. He's going to have to answer the questions. And that goes for everybody that approaches the number. It's just so farfetched, the numbers that those guys are putting up. And a lot of it comes from the era that they're playing in."

True A-Rod's 500 mark tags him as the next potential future Home Run King and could raise a few eyebrows. However any speculation may stem more from Jose Canseco's recent comments where he claimed to have "other stuff" on the Yankee player.

Jones on Jose Canseco:
"There's been a lot of validation to some of the things that Jose Canseco has said over the years," Jones said. "At first when it came out, a lot of people didn't want to give him a lot of credit for it. But a lot of it has been proven true. Now, when he opens his mouth, people listen. And unfortunately, this cloud is following probably two of the best players of this century."

Unfortunately this 'cloud' seems to never go away. And it is getting annoying.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Saw it on Monday. (Perks of the job).

Loved it.

Nice article to read up on it.

"It wouldn't matter if I were the mayor of the Munchkin City. What matters is the validity of the information and the validity of the comments I have made, and very often when people have no credible argument -- and in this case Barry Bonds has no credible argument -- they resort to nonsense and ad hominem attacks, and that's what he did."
-Bob Costas on Barry Bonds

Well said.
Now, where exactly would one find this Munchkin City?

It would be redundant to state my feelings for that other school in my home state of Florida.

It's no secret; I'm no fan of the Orange and Blue. Now, hate is a strong word for an entire school and general grouping of people. I mean I hate things like pickles and purple skittles. But to hate an entire university of people, 95% of which I'll never meet? To despise something for the simple fact that they are a rival to my alma mater? To disasociate myself in celebrating a team that wins it for the state of Florida? 100% Yes. When it comes to sports, feelings reserved only for disgusting food can suddenly transfer over to evil little opponents running around in helmets. So with this admission, the following two stories (which both occurred in a matter of 72 hours time) horrifies me. To. No. End.

Thursday- July 26, 2007
Joakim Noah. Corey Brewer. Heard of em?
They were in town (when I say town, I mean Scarsdale, NY) to sign autographs and promote their new NBA trading cards. I will not go into detail about my feelings towards these two before this encounter, but lets just say I was none to happy when the Gators ruined my NCAA bracket and wound up in the Final 2.

To get to the point, I was a little more then pleasantly surprised by Noah and Brewer. They were charming, funny, and well spoken. They were nice to the little kids. They smiled for pictures. They were happy to be there. They were ... likeable! I left the signing pretty excited for them to do well in the NBA. Could I maybe...? I couldn't, could I?

Saturday- July 28, 2007
Out to dinner with huge group. Discussing sports. Guy tries to tell me that USC deserved to be in every National Championship game they played. While I had no hard feelings to the Carroll-Leinart-Bush regime, I stated my case by saying USC didn't exactly play the toughest of schedules to get there. He began to argue. I referred to the SEC. I actually went there and said, "Look at UF's schedule. Come on. You're telling me USC can compare?" The fact that I used UF as an example actually made my argument stronger. The rest of the table agreed, UF had a harder schedule then USC. We went back to talking about Dan Marino.

*Lesson learned: Maybe, just a very little bit, I might actually semi begin to stick up for UF. Of course the circumstances for this to happen must be when FSU isn't in the discussion, I've actually met the players (and liked them) and someone has the courage to argue that UF doesn't have a hard schedule. Even I know that's a ridiculous statement. And I hate ...

Another begins.

Your favorite NFL Bad Boy, Adam "Pacman" Jones, is on the rebound. Seeing as how he will have some free time this coming Fall, rumor has it the cornerback is ready to torture a differnt 'sport'. Wrestling.

Don't get too excited yet. Jones' attorney claims he will not be "wrestling" and is not set to play a villain.

So does that make him a ring girl?

Apparently, it's SEC Media Day.

Yeah, I didn't really care either.

Remember that show?

The one where all these former celebs are thrown into a house and videotaped as they completely self-destruct in front of all of us, who at some point in life, used to adore them (well maybe adore is overstating). It was entertaining at the least and beat out watching Real World (which is now way to predictable and boring and plain stupid). And until they make The Hills a year round show, I'll take the reruns of Surreal Life. (PS: Hills, LC, Heidi and that awful Spencer start it up for round three on August 13th! TIVO!).

Back to Surreal Life... The premise of getting cast on the show is:
You have to have been famous. (Child stars really have the advantage here.)
Your career got derailed by controversy. (Drugs, sex, crime, bad hair)
Currently, at best, you rank as a C-List star.
You posses that sad but true desire to do anything in front of the camera and consistently put yourself in bad situations that provide for dramatic and interesting television.
You have a temper, which equals fights with roommates, which leads to ridiculous storylines, which keeps us normal people laughing and more importantly watching, which makes the producers and TV company *very* happy. (Hey, everyone wins!)
And finally... People still have an interest in you.

So with all of these qualifications laid out, combined with the latest celebs making headlines in the past two weeks, don't you think the following list of names would be perfect for a new show?

Michael Vick-former NFL God, now Dogs Rights Activist?
Paris Hilton-she spent time in jail, she can do time in the house.
PacMan Jones-only allowed entry if entourage and guns are kept outside of house. Gotta play fair.
Lindsay Lohan-if she doesn't scream train wreck, I don't know what does.
Tim Donaghy-who will officiate all of the games played by the housemates and will surely swing the vote your way for just a small fee.
Britney Spears-easily the STAR of the show.

The sad part is I'm sure this list will grow. And grow. And grow.

I just don't understand how so many of these people can not just once but continuously make horrible decisions. So instead of sitting here and trying to make sense of it all, I say we just throw them all into a house and get some entertainment out of it! You can not tell me you wouldn't watch. Honestly.

I'm laying out in Central Park yesterday and a guy comes up to my towel and says: "That's a huge book! Talk about summer reading."

First: Guys, when approaching a girl, let's try to come up with something more creative then that?
Second: If you haven't bought the book of the summer yet, what are you waiting for? (Acceptable answer: My roommate/sibling/friend bought it and I'm waiting for him/her to finish it so I don't have to drop the 23 bucks.)

According to this, more then one million copies were sold on the first day! Yes, I'm talking about Harry Potter.

Only for kids you say? Well tell that to the five people I saw at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night who were so intently reading it they didn't notice their own luggage at baggage claim (all of which were well over 24 thank you).

Don't you dare to tell me what happens. I'm only on page 200 something. And with 759 pages, I got a ways to go. If you haven't started yet, it gets really good about oh say, page 2.

First of all, lets just say one thing: Cleveland rocks. Not really sure what I was expecting, however I had no idea what a great city this is. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity to return (and won't have to work crazy hours) and will actually enjoy it!

The second stop of the Dew Tour:
The theme for the weekend has been: if you won in Baltimore, you win again in Cleveland. With two competitions left to go, FMX and BMX Vert, four of the six disciplines have seen repeat winners. Shaun White took SKB Vert yesterday when he edged out Bucky Lasek in his very last run of the day. If you missed me interviewing White at the end of the show, it was pretty funny. He was so ecstatic on the win that he was literally all over the place. At one point he said: "This is the worst interview ever! I'm all over the place." Haha... it came down to a high pressure situation where he had to do his best, and the kid got the job done.

In BMX Dirt, Ryan Nyquist squeezed past Corey Bohan for his second Dirt win of the year. A wonderful tribute to fellow BMX'er Stephen Murray was the theme of the show and the night. The riders sported black t-shirts and almost the entire staff and rider community all have worn blue bands with "Stay Strong Stephen Murray" on them. Be sure to go to ASTDewtour.com and check out the insane amount of stuff you can bid on to help raise money for Stephen. Guranteed your favorite rider put something up and this is your chance to not only buy it but also an amazing opportunity to help someone out in the greatest way possible. Nyquist donated his entire earnings from BMX Dirt to Stephen. Way to lead by an admirable example.

In SKB Park, Sheckler dominates the playground. He came into finals in a surprising 6th place (due to crazy weather situation). Yet that didn't slow, stop or scare the guy. He showed up ready to go and even surprised himself (possible?) when his board failed to flip on a trick and he STILL managed to land it. Classic. I was pretty happy for Greg Lutzka who came into Finals as the number one qualifier but failed to make due during Finals. Maybe Portland will be different.

And that leaves us with BMX Park. New format, same winner. It was a battle between Ryan Nyquist and Daniel Dhers but in the end the Brazilian stomped the competition. He just has soooo many tricks and he consistently throws runs that make you tired just watching them. Way to go Josh Harrington and youngin' Garett Reynolds for breaking into that top 6. Dave Mirra looked as good as ever and if it hadn't been for that crash into the railing, we might have had a different name at number one. Congrats to Morgan Wade who is getting hitched this week.

BMX Vert is tonight. FMX was scheduled to be coming to you today LIVE on NBC however this wind has made things difficult and I'm unsure when that will happen. Try to keep you posted. Nate Adams finished first in prelims last night and Jeremy Stenberg is back with a nice third place prelim finish.

Alright gotta run to the show... Have a good Sunday. A few weeks and we'll be in Portland for the third stop. Don't forget GO TO ASTDEWTOUR.COM and bid on items to help out the Stephen Murray fund. If you don't want to buy anything, no worries. You can donate and remember, every little bit helps!

The second stop of the AST Dew Tour is well under way.

The athletes started pouring in early this week and in spite of some crappy weather yesterday, the prelims have begun. Tonight BMX Dirt Finals will take place. Anthony Napolitan is back and claims to have recovered from that shoulder injury he took in back in Baltimore, MD. Ryan Nyquist, coming off of a huge win at the Red Bull Elevation contest-barely edging out Corey Bohan, is looking to continue his winning streak. Not to be counted out, Cory Nastazio making the big return to the dirt course after undergoing knee surgery. And of course you gotta keep an eye on guys like TJ Lavin, Ryan Guettler, Cam White, Dave Dillewaard and the ever consistent Chris Doyle. Sure to be a good comp tonight and you can catch it on USA Network at midnight.

Yesterday we tried to get the Dirt prelims underway but rain swept in and sent everyone running. Seriously, I wish I had pictures because it would make you laugh to see everyone scattering, dripping wet, and laughing because really, what else are you going to do? However, before the skies opened up, the entire group of riders at the Dirt course were sporting black t-shirts with yellow writing. On the front it said "Stay Strong" and the back read "Stephen Murray". Just another awesome example of how aside from this being a competitive sport, the athletes are each others family and will always unify to show support for one of their own. Murray must be proud.

Heyyyohh!

The blog is officially back up and running. I took a little break (vacation).

However, vacation is over and that means back to work.

And work means doing a blog.

Today.

Wow.

Woman was NOT about to let some Paris Hilton story lead her news. Mmmmmmkkkkkkk.

Watch as she spends three minutes trying to burn, rip and toss the script on Paris.

Hilarious.

Noooo, not Bayside High School from Saved By the Bell. Put your Zack Morris phone away!

I'm talking Bayside High School in Virginia. Where the number two QB in the nation attends high school.

E.J. Manuel: "I've come to the conclusion... that for the next four years... I will be attending ________________."

Cheers!
Applause!
Chills!
Smiles!

Click here to find out where oh where this star will be going to school.

For NYC to get any hotter.

Disgusting does not even begin to describe what it feels like today. It is beyond miserable here. After running errands outside, I came home to see why I was on the verge of suffering from a heat stroke.

Right as I turn on the TV, I hear a peppy voice say this: "And at times today, it will feel as hot as 104 or 105 degrees outside. Whew, it's a hot one!"

Thank you Captain Obvious.

This city needs more pools. Ice. Cold. Pools. EVERYWHERE.

This article was sent to me today by a friend.

The email was titled: WOW. A Must Read.

From the article: "The four, including the son of a Disney manager and the son of a Philadelphia civil-rights lawyer, were banned for life from Disney World property late Friday."

So what could these high school soon to be seniors have been doing to get them banned for life from Disney? Apparently they violated the "No Loitering Policy." A policy that has been used to ban people from the area.

"Orange County deputy sheriffs have issued at least 48 trespass warnings at Downtown Disney during the past two weekends since the push against loitering began. Records of those cases provided to the Orlando Sentinel show that 45 of the 46 people banned from Disney for life during the past two weekends were blacks or Hispanics."

The football players had been introduced at a BBQ "as a way for the recruits to form bonds they hoped would last through their college years."

I think after reading the article you can come to your own conclusion. These boys certainly have bonded in a way they probably never expected.

In what was an absolute blur, the first stop of the AST Dew Tour was this past weekend in Baltimore, MD.

(You are welcome for the heads up.)

Actually I would've loved to blog all about it. I gladly would've given you up to the minute recaps on all the competitions, the inside deets on superstar Ryan Sheckler, and talked all day long about Shaun White dominating the Skate Vert ramp. However, my home for a week, that would be the Sheraton on Fayette Street, had about as much internet access as one would have on a stranded island. Picture Tom Hanks and Wilson in Cast Away. My man was never going to be able to send an email. And room 1701 was no different, hence no blog.

The shows were great and we covered everything... In spite of having a few rough patches here and there, overall this season is going to be amazing. You are really going to see the progression of the sport, new talent emerge and a strong battle for the Dew Cup among all of the riders.

My thoughts and prayers to Stephen Murray and his family. He had a rough week but he is a strong guy and will pull through. The entire action sports community is behind you...

And so the next stop is Cleveland, OH. We roll in on July 19th for Prelims and the competition will air on NBC the 21st and 22nd. The USA Network will have shows on at midnight that Friday and Saturday.

*This picture was sent to me by my sister and her boyfriend. They strolled up to a sports bar in Miami and got the guy to turn on the show. She was a little excited to see her sis' mug on the big screen. haha...

Take a moment and go back two Saturday's ago...
Gorgeous summer day.
Hanging out at PANYC- the place I go to you know, touch up my natural blonde.
Reading the paper and come across an article about AIRPORTS. Especially AIRPORTS in New York City.

As I sit with tin foil coming out of my head, I read out loud to all in the salon, that NYC is notorious for delays, cancellations, and carries a huge amount of responsibility if/when the rest of the country feels the affects of flight changes. I then state: "Hmph, I mean I have had some of this stuff but nothing ever that bad."

I might as well have stapled a huge target to my head that read: "JINXED."

Tuesday I pack and hop in the car and head to Newark. I arrive with plenty of time and because I travel often, jump in the Elite Access line, throw my bag on the scale and scan my credit card to get my ticket. At that moment, the jinx put its nasty little hold on my travel plans.

"Miss Simons, your 3:30 flight has been cancelled. The next one available is at 7:30. Have a good day."

Umm... did anyone think to tell me? No. So now, I've got a solid five hours to fill chilling in the airport. Don't know when the last time you got the joy of roaming around an airport for five hours, but you quickly realize your options of entertainment are few and far between.

I eat.
I buy gum.
I buy water.
I sit and wait.

In an effort to not drag you through the torturous delay, my flight wound up actually boarding at 11 pm that night. We took off at midnight. We landed around 1 am. We waited on the runway for another thirty minutes. To top it off, it is raining. Because of some fire marshal order, there is nothing connecting our plane to the gate. We then had to walk through the rain. Sweet.

So 12 and a half hours later, I am in my hotel room ready to go to sleep. All that just to get to Baltimore, MD. I could've taken the train and arrived in under an hour. Wow.

Things I learned:
Airports are freaking loud. The PA system goes non-stop. Try listening to that for 8 and a half hours.
The chairs at the gate are the single most uncomfortable things to sit in. No one sits that straight up and that forward naturally.
It costs a dollar to make a long distance call on the pay phones. I also have no clue on how to use one. Seriously. I tried to help this kid from Norway call his brother, the phone ate my change.

Marianne Pearl is one of the bravest women alive and her husband should be a symbol of all things good in this world. I picked up the book "A Mighty Heart" hoping to get some reading in while waiting. What a story. It hurts your heart and you feel such pain for this woman who in a foreign country and pregnant must hold on to any small glimmer of hope that her husband might come out of the darkest situation imaginable alive.

It is a great great read. I know the movie is out and I've heard wonderful things, but I always like the book versions better. And so in a weird way, I'm thankful for being stuck in the airport and getting the chance to be touched by such a powerful yet tragic story.

(*but I really hope that the jinx is over*)

A girl can only ask for so much. But you, Dad, are more then I could ever hope for.

Wish I could've been at home, heard the steaks were real good! haha...

Happy Father's Day.
be loving you,
Tiff

For Breakfast with Jets Stars Thomas Jones and Andre Wadsworth

For some Fantasy Football dish

And ... if you consider yourself any kind of RED SOX fan.. then

What is a Friday without this weeks Fantasy Baseball...

Goooo to it!

Win.

La-dee-freaking-da.

Worst NBA Finals in history? Or just time for the NBA to fix things?

What you should know: My Grandfather is the biggest Houston Astros fan out there. (As well as a fan of the Cubs -growing up his hometown team - and the Cardinals. Poor guy is having a rough season.)

When this took place: Last night, on the phone, discussing Roger Clemens return to NY.

What was said:
Tiff: "Grandpa, were people mad that Roger came back to NY?"
Gramps: "Ohh no. He's not really that well liked around these parts."
Tiff: "Really?"
Gramps: "No. He kind of did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. New York can have him!"

And that's that.

Sunday marked the one year wedding anniversary of a couple I went to high school with. They live here in NYC, (small Vero Beach, FL is slowly taking over the Big Apple.) They invited a few friends to hang out, grill, and celebrate 365 days of matrimonial bliss. Which sounded great...

Suddenly a bird flies over our heads and gives a nice 'how-do-you-do?' onto one of the guys hanging out with us. Everyone got a good laugh, and I said: "Hey, that means good luck!" Where I come from, this is a widely known and often believed saying. And it happens to everyone.

*Mom-remember at Disney World? Your hair? While we were on Dumbo? Total blessing in disguise right?

Moving on... only a mere ten minutes later a scene from Hitchcock's THE BIRDS erupted and all 500 of those suckers came at us. Guess who got bombed on next?

Yours. Truly. Everywhere, thank you very much. Of course the obvious (and way to easy joke) was: "Who has all the luck now?"

So as I read this article today, my instant thought was: "Now here's someone who could really use a little 'extra' in the lucky category."

I mean you lose your job and THEN you get into an accident and hurt your hand, possibly your throwing hand at that? Help a guy out and lets send some birds down to Miami...

I mean, even if the Cavs lose tonight and blow the first chance they have EVER had at a championship, James still has something to smile about.

And coming out looking gorgeous!

Let's be honest, each year as soon as your local weatherman tells you the high is expected to be anywhere near 80 degrees, your lifestlye does a quick 180. Rising temps mean one thing: looking good in a lot less. Suddenly binge diets are trendy, the local gym is packed with those annoying 'fair weather gym rats' (you know the type. They show up out of nowhere two weeks before Spring Break. They make you wait forever in line and are plain confident that 14 days on the treadmill is going to make a huge difference.) Suddenly looking good for the beach and in bikinis/boardshorts becomes the goal of summer.

Well, why wouldn't a TV studio do the same thing?

NBCSports.com had a little visit from the 'plastic surgeon' this week. You won't even recognize the new look. When I walked onto the set, I was like: "Woah, woah, woah.. what is this?"

It's out with the old dark dungeon set and in with a banging new *brite* and oh-so glamorous new one. We just finished taping the UFC Show TAPOUT. And aside from this morning's SIdelines, TAPOUT was the first show to be taped on the new set.

Not gonna lie, standing on the set that resembles a much smaller Today Show studio (ok, maybe not the Today Show, but a definite upgrade for sure) I felt a little out of place wearing my summer gear: shorts and flip flops.

That lasted for all of two seconds.
I got over it.
But I'm pretty sure I won't be getting over this new summer look anytime soon.

In an effort to help out anyone who may have let it slip their mind...

FATHER'S DAY is right around the corner. As in June 17, 2007. As in you have only five days left to get creative, send out those cards and buy those gifts.

Unless of course you're a member of the Simons household, then you have approximately a week and a half left. It is a scientific fact that as a family, we are incapable of celebrating anything on the correct day.

There are certain 'life phrases', that no matter what, the instant you hear them come out of someone else's mouth you know nothing good can come of it.

Such as:
IN WORK:
"We think you're great, really. But we think you will achieve better success elsewhere."
IN DATING:
"You're a really nice person...but this isn't working out. It's not you, it's me."
IN AUDTIONS:
"The effort was there. A great effort. Maybe next time."
SETTING UP YOUR FRIEND ON A BLIND DATE:
"They've got a really great personality."

Maybe you are lucky and have never been fed one of the lines above. However, just in reading them, I'm sure you can see how lame they sound. A truly poor effort to try to beat around the bush.

Apparently sports people use the same lines:

AS TOLD TO DAUNTE CULPEPPER:
"We're going in a different direction."

As in "We, the Dolphins, are taking Trent Green and shipping you off elsewhere." Wow. What direction exactly is that? I would think that if the Dolphins were concerned about Culpepper's health then trading for Green isn't exactly moving 'up'.

I say this because look at last season. Green got injured in the very first game (a concussion) and had to miss eight games. According to this article Green: "Didn't believe he'd have a chance to fairly compete with Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard for the starting job in KC in 2007."

In effect, Culpepper got all of the above lines wrapped into one: "We're going in a different direction." That just sucks.

Sports, celebrities, and music. All three are so intertwined at this point in our culture that I feel its ok to post a little note about my newest music obsession. We've been in love for three days now. I don't see this relationship ending anytime soon.

First I apologize for arriving to the music party fashionably late considering this CD has probably been out a while. My only excuse is NYC living limits your time in a car. Which means no radio.

And that equals a conversation such as this one:
"Have ya'll heard this song? I love it!"
Response:
"Tiff, that was out at Christmas."
Oh.

That being said, a co-worker made me a copy of the TIMBALAND CD. If you haven't heard it yet, do yourself a favor. Buy, beg, borrow or steal.. and play it on anything that will let you. It's good people. REAL GOOD.

PS: Thanks Marcella! As always, you were right.

Roger Clemens is (gasp) hurt.

The Yankee multi-million dollar savior was due to grace the mound with his presence today. The anticipated match up against the White Sox was supposed to be the beginning of Clemens quest to sweep into the Bronx and turn around the season. The Yankees, after taking the series against Boston, were set to start their comeback. Yeah, not so much anymore.

Turns out the ole man has a little groin problem he needs to take care of first. Pushing his start date back to say, well how does this Saturday work for ya'll?

Now the Yanks have come out and said there are no plans to strip the 44 year old of his contract. So I ask you this: You've got $28 million riding on a guy who lets face it, ain't getting any younger. And now must push back his start date because he's hurt, which is basically like everyone else in your bullpen. Just way more expensive.

Now when I go shopping and make a major purchase, I can justify spending the big bucks on certain things. I do that by using a very simple equation we girls refer to as "PPU" or price per usage.. You just tally up how many times you can wear it or use it versus the total cost. If the use number is high, then you've got yourself a deal.

Example: jeans. Expensive? Yes. But jeans can be worn over and over. High usage value. Shoes? Again, can be very expensive but often times are necessary when completing 'the look'. Purse? Absolute must and if chosen correctly (as in classy, not trendy) then a solid investment. Buying a bright green dress for $350 bucks knowing you're only going to be able to wear it max three times before people start wondering if you own anything else? Bad purchase. You get it...

So when the Yanks went shopping, they were looking for something that although pricey, would be used a lot through the season, could help complete the team, and viewed as a solid investment. A Marc Jacobs if you will. Unfortunately, what the Yanks ordered is not what they are getting. And as the season moves forward, there are a lot less opportunities to get the Rocket on the mound. To get the wins they desperately need. To get maximum value out of their major purchase.

Now Clemens is no Pavano. He'll play. But when you are sitting 12 1/2 games behind Boston, every possible win counts. If I were G. Steinbrenner, I'd want a small refund. Or a really big Championship Ring.

I hesitate to pass this along.

Of all things credible, the National Enquirer is not my first choice.

But because I think you are dying to know about Tony Romo's love life (or are simply bored at work), here you go.

Everytime I hang out with my friends back home the first thing they want to know is....

"Have you seen anyone famous?"

The magazines build up star sightings by constantly tallying where any and nobody has been. There are always stories hyping it up with lines like: "So and so was spotted here... Love birds x and y were all over each other at this hot night club... A-listers blah and blah were caught dinning in the Village." Throw movie sets into the mix and I understand how my friends believe that celebs are crawling all over the concrete jungle of Manhattan.

Yesterday was a day that my friends would jump and get giddy and take pictures and talk about for days. Not gonna lie, I kinda semi a little bit got excited too when I approached my house. After hitting up a little Trader Joe's to buy some two-buck chuck (great cheap wine .. a must try if you have not) I'm walking and notice crowds of people all over the street. In addition to that there are 1950's type cars lined up on one side of the street. You see a lot living here, but that is not a normal sight. Instant thought: movie set.

Of all the movie sets I've walked by (most recently was the newest Bourne Identity) I've never actually seen the lead actor. Until yesterday.

"That's a cut," someone yells. The crowds part and that is when I see him. Mr. Titanic himself, Leo DiCaprio. Umm.. hello. I do not care who you are, the guy is a stud. And he was standing on the street right behind my house. Too bad he was working, I would've offered him some two-buck chuck. Haha...

The very first time I interviewed a professional baseball player, I called a friend. (Kind of like Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.. I used a lifeline) And I asked for some advice.

Tiff: "So what do you think? What's he like?"
Lifeline: "He's cool... just watch out. He loves blondes."
Tiff: "Haha.. shut up."
Lifeline: "Haha.. I'm not kidding."

The athlete I was going to interview? The man now affectionately known as Alex Stray-Rod Rodriguez. Hmph, guess my lifeline was right. He does like them blondes.

In all seriousness, can someone please tell the boy to be a tiny bit more discreet next time? I'm not sitting here saying what he did was right or wrong (however if he was my husband, he should not even bother to come home. His stuff would've been given to the homeless man on 92nd and 3rd. The only item he'd be autographing would be divorce papers). Where was I?

Oh yes... cheating. This is not new. Nor was it invented yesterday. Ball players on the road taking advantage of a quick bout of freedom? Not new either. However what is new is this dive into privacy by mediattzi. (I made that up but I think it works in this case) This is not journalism. This is not front page news. It is tabloid gossip and pictures used to make people jump to conclusions. Might I add there is no proof that the man did anything more then go out to a strip club, dinner and enter an elevator with a woman not his wife. Wrong? Maybe. But we weren't there. Assume what you want, but the photos we have seen prove nothing. The man going to strip clubs is not a crime. Tacky, but no crime. Maybe his wife is ok with him going? You and I do not know.

That being said, Alex buddy, you make it tough for anyone to defend you. Do I want to wake up and see your mug plastered all over the paper for anything other then baseball? Ummm.. no. So unless you get back to your April self and start smacking some homeruns OR are the sole reason the Yankees make a turnaround and actually begin to look alive (yes they won last night .. but really? It takes more then a win to jump back into contention) then please, do something with the millions of dollars the Yankees paid you besides spending it on some strippers.

Go win some games.

Another begins.

Keyshawn Johnson said the hell with playing another year of football, I'm getting on TV in a different way. Gone are the pads and uniform to be replaced by a pressed suit and sharp tie. Sunday will remain a big game day for Johnson however, this time he will be worrying about makeup and cue cards rather then a playbook.

Yup, he joined ESPN's cast for "Sunday NFL Countdown" and "Monday Night Countdown".

This could get interesting.

Jim Breuer.

AKA - Goat Boy.

Huge (I'm talking the single most enthusiastic baseball team supporter I've ever met) Mets Fan.

Funny.

Random.

Unpredictable.

Just a few things that come to mind when reflecting on my morning spent with Breuer at a Reebok Event, hanging out in Times Square in New York City. He's an awesome guy, very personable and quite possibly the most animated guest we've ever had. A must see!!

Two of my absolute favorite things: Will Ferrell and Wedding Crashers. I have often said, if I were stuck on an island and had to choose one person to play LOST with, it'd be Ferrell. I don't care what you throw at me, how HOTT anyone is, sense of humor beats out looks every time. (Ok, fine. I'd take Matthew McConaughey, if you insist.
He's the only exception.)

That being said, allow me to introduce to you two of my absolute favorite people who are doing more then just "Living the Dream!" Lauren (one of my best girlfriends, we met back at Florida State University and then moved to NYC and owned this island circa summer of '03) and her fiance Troy (charming handsome Australian who knew Lauren was a catch the first moment they met circa summer of '03) are living the life in a huge way.

Upon deciding they wanted to ditch their jobs for a year of worldly travels, the two saved all of their money for over a year. They then left the U.S. of A. and headed for Asia. They've spent the last nine months hopping from one country to the next. Yet, Lauren and Troy are two people who are not capable of one thing: anything dull. EVER. They've climbed down waterfalls, rode on elephants, slept in the desert (with no tent), made national TV at a cricket match and even somehow landed on a famous soap opera in India. That is not even half of the stories these two have.

"It was so great to see Jason after such a long time, almost a year to be exact! Not much has changed though, save for the new language he speaks, suave suits he wears everyday, amazing apartment (with a view of the Eiffel Tower), and the harem of gorgeous French women that follow him everywhere. As you might have noticed though, nothing has changed with us either......still telling lies! "

They've landed in Paris, France for a quick stint and then take off next for Argentina. If you have any spare time at all... you should check out their blog: Adventure of a Lifetime. They are truly just living the dream!

Not feeling too hot today at work. You know when you don't know what is wrong, but you're sure that whatever it is, it's not right? Exactly. Diagnose me with whatever that is.

Part of a daily ritual, I checked my horoscope for today.

May 21, 2007
You are cheerful and outgoing by nature, but today your spirit is somewhat dampened. You don't respond with your usual enthusiasm to invitations to a myriad of social activities. Don't fight the way you're feeling, tiffany. This is a day for trusting your instincts and behaving accordingly. A home-centered, relaxing evening is exactly what you need right now.

Like I'm gonna argue with that?

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... These are a few of my (not so) favorite things."

Yesterday afternoon, NYC got poured on with a nice rain shower. Now normally that would not bother me. However, right when the skies decided to open, I was all the way on the complete opposite side of the island, with no umbrella, wearing flip flops and too far from a subway to make a run for it. So I just walked. Whatever.

The reason I was on that side of Manhattan was to hit up B&H for a new lens for my camera. Excited to use it, I went over to a friend's apartment and we climbed up onto the roof to take pictures. While taking pictures we noticed the normally very color-coordinated Empire State Building looked (not to be mean) but it looked ugly.

Conclusion: Some of the lights had blown out or the man controlling the color switch had a little too much at Happy Hour and just turned a bunch of switches on. How wrong we were...

Apparently, to show support for the Subway Series, the building was lit for both of NY's baseball teams. One side sported blue and white for the Yankees and the other blue and orange for the Mets. See what I mean? Ugly.

Tonight the building will be back to its coordinated self with blue and orange as the color of choice. The Empire State Building's current team of choice: the Mets. When you win 2 out of 3 the building has no choice but to go with the winner.

Hey, Yankees, if you start winning some games, you can have the whole building to yourself. Not just half.

This week on Breakfast with Tiffany, I interview LPGA star Natalie Gulbis. She is in town for the Sybase Classic .

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being Tiger Woods, I rank about .05 with my golfing skills. Awesome, right? So here I am at the golfing range sporting sweet flip flops and shorts (very golfer of me). Natalie and I are hanging out at the driving range, where her adoring fans have been all morning to watch her hit balls. Dedicated fans. We start our interview and I'm asking her about the course and what she was working on during her practice when she throws out: "Why don't you try?" Inner thought: "Excuse me? Cause that's not a funny joke." I look back at John, my producer/camera guy. He's beaming, nodding his head saying: "Yup. Go for it. This is going to be funny."

It basically goes down like this:
I get the club.
Stand where Natalie tells me.
I swing.
Miss.
Take out a chunk of grass.
Applause from the people who are out to watch Natalie (not the other blonde) hit a golf ball.
What's a girl to do? I curtsy and laugh.

As embarrassed as I was, my competitive side won't let me make a complete fool out of myself.
I attempt again but not before doing a mini prayer for the ball to at least move.
Take 2: swing.
Ohhhh and there she goes. A hit!!

To quote the flim: Dumb and Dumber
"Just when I think you couldn't do anything worse, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!"

I may be .05 on the golf scale, but I'd say take two was redemption.

Happy of all Happiness to my "little" (that would be in age ... height? not a chance) brother.

Boo, as I like to call him, turns 19 today.

He's basically the coolest kid ever. And my number one go-to for anything sports related. Growing up in a house of four kids, it was always necessary to divide and conquer. Everywhere we went things were done in two's: sitting in a car, riding the rides at Disney, whatever. Bud was always my partner in crime for anything we did. And he's the only person who gets away with calling me a hobbit.

Happy Birthday...
Love,
Your "Big" Sis

One of my favorite teachers consistently used the word exquisite. Every class she would ask, "Did you have an exquisite moment in your day?" When looked up, synonyms for the word are: dainty, beautiful, elegant, rare.

Marla Simons is one of the most exquisite people I've ever known.

You can't describe my mom. You certainly can't categorize her. But you can admire and adore her for being so wonderfully complex. The term Steel Magnolia is often bestowed upon women who are elegant and polite yet possess strength and wisdom underneath. That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my mom.

Few of us ever get to lead a life where we find ourselves doing what we are meant to do. Mom got lucky. Family is what she was meant to do. To anyone who assumes being a mom is easy - I can only hope intelligence catches up with you quick. It's one of the most important jobs we can ever take on. It's the very foundation that shapes and molds the future.

A lesson from a mom goes further then any ever learned from a book. My mom is an amazing teacher. She's ingrained within my siblings and I to have an open heart and mind, never to judge but to try to understand, and always be thankful for what we've been given. And damn it if she's not always right... about EVERYTHING! Not to say she's got some kind of psychic power, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised. She's got some intuition!

I titled this All My Mom's Children for two reasons. A) The only soap opera I was ever allowed to watch growing up was All My Children. B) I've grown up, moved a couple thousand of miles away from home to this crazy city I love. Yet I always carry with me all that my mom has taught me. Among all of my friends, I'm the sanctuary of advice. Always. Yet the truth of the matter is, I only pass along what I've learned from the lady I respect most. In a way, she's been a mom to people she's never even met. My friends, sisters, brother and I have always been grateful for the way she thinks and views the world.

And so mom... from all of us who adore you, love you and think you're the coolest: Happy Mothers Day! You're truly an exquisite part of everyday.

"Everyone has days and events in life they'd love to push the rewind button on, yesterday was one of those days"

Sigh. Don't I wish that button existed.

Here's Curt Schilling's newest apology.

Umm, I could think of 473 different ways to kick off the weekend.

However getting arrested because my buddy is an idoit and decided to speed while driving my car drunk is just not one of them.

Read more about Steve McNair's headache.

I can't even begin to describe how incredible the wedding was. As a professional bridesmaid/wedding guest, I can tell you when a wedding is good. This one was not good. It was AMAZING.

It was personal. It was about what mattered most: them-nothing more, nothing less. Gregg and I have shared many conversations about the wedding over the last few months. Actually the first time I met Gregg, he had just proposed (right before football season conveniently enough!) To see it all come together, knowing just how hard they worked on it, was such an honor.

Take some notes from the new Mr. and Mrs. Rosenthal:
The ceremony was all time record breaking fast. I'm talking "Do you Gregg? Do you Emika? Great, husband and wife! Let the party begin!"
A personalized wedding is key! From the different colored paper umbrellas to the fortune cookie gifts, they made the wedding their own.
They made cd's for all the guests. Thankfully they have good taste in music.
STUNNING MOMENT: Emika walking down the steps with her father. She decided to ditch the traditional wedding march and instead surprised everyone by playing I'll Believe in Anything by Wolf Parade. It was beyond cool. It also is the song I've had on repeat ever since.
Friday weddings rock. You still have the entire weekend to hang out.
The Best Man and Maid of Honor were so sincere in their speeches, they even spoke in Japanese for Emika's family.
Outside + California + top of a mountain + a ton of flowers = SIMPLY GORGEOUS.

GREGG'S WEDDING SLIDESHOW

More then any decorations or cool music, Gregg and Emika looked incredibly happy. They both come from amazing families who welcomed us with open arms. Gregg's mom and dad are fierce dancers. They owned that dance floor!! They are also quite possibly the sweetest people you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. Emika's father and mother were as equally elegant as their daughter. As soon as Gregg and his wife finished their first dance, Emika and her father danced next. Gregg came over and we hugged. He then said: "No matter how much I try, her dad always looks better then me! Look at his tux." haha.. Gregg you looked great!

I could go on and on.. instead I will leave you with pictures. I think they, more then words, can give you a glimpse at just how special these two people are. Some things are just meant to be. I'm just lucky I got to share a small part in it. Congrats!!!!

In case you haven't watched the SI show today, please go back to the homepage and watch Matty Blake's take on the latest David Hasselhoff video. Classic.

Roger Clemens keeps coming back for more and NY'ers couldn't be happier. My roommate was at the game with her boyfriend when Clemens appeared on the big screen and made his announcement. She said you couldn't even hear what he was actually saying because as soon as fans saw his face on the screen, the cheers roared. The Bronx suddenly see a glimmer of hope to the rest of the season. April showers brings Clemens to the mound?

As for the title, no Roger will not be sporting a cone-bra any time soon. However he and the Material Girl do manage to have something similar in their careers: no matter how old they get, people still want more. Every next move is always a surprise, controversy, or at least gets people talking. Word on the street: NY is ready for this comeback.

Ladies, Gregg Rosenthal is off the market!! Well, that becomes "official" in a few hours.

A few of us from work have made it to the City of Angeles and are about to head down to SoCal for the ceremony. I'm so excited for the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Rosenthal. In a short amount of time, they've managed to plan a wedding, move to a new apartment and Gregg has still held it down as Fantasy Guru throughout the whole process.

You gotta admit anyone who can write on their invite: "join them in celebrating the coolest marriage of the century" has to equal good times and even better company. I'll keep the Wedding Crashers quotes for another entry, but will be sure to take a ton of pictures. I mean, Gregg in a tux is something YOU don't want to miss!

The Miami Heat are done. Season over. A repeat championship run finished. So the decision must be made, what to do with D-Wade.

From the Miami Herald: Dwayne Wade likely will decide in the next few days whether to have not only surgery on his left shoulder, but also on his left knee, both of which could potentially require an entire offseason of recovery and rehabilitation.

Wow.

Coach Riley: So it's not an easy time for Dwyane. He's absolutely distraught about the loss. The guy got hurt, came back, spent six, eight weeks rehabbing, and to go out in four games, he's really bothered by that.

Wade is expected to make a decision in the next few days.

Check out this guy.

Last night was kind of a big deal. Let's go down the list, shall we?

It was his birthday, he got called up to play for the Braves, got the runner out at second as the guy tried to steal, ALMOST had a HR against Phillies Freddy Garcia, they won the game, AND his last name barely fits on the back of his jersey. Call him Salty for short.

Here you go, read alllllll about it right here.

Fantasy Fix Baseball and Football will be up shortly, however a key piece is missing: GREGG.

Yes, our beloved Rosie is off in LA counting down the minutes to "I DO." So as hard as it is to have a show without him, we try. Tom Curran will be giving you all the info on football and Aaron Gleeman will be dishing about baseball. Be sure to look for the shows on the homepage.

Not that I've ever tried, but I'm assuming if attempting to go after a married person, one would use the email that husband doesn't share with wife.

Conclusions from this soap opera:
This guy must think he's awesome...
His wife couldn't have handled the situation any better...
I can't believe this woman actually sent bikini pictures in an email?? Maybe she should've started with a more subtle approach like "Hello, how are you?"

You should read this story. Even with all of this, somehow, they've still got time to report the news.

Sorry I've been MIA. It's been busy. Quick little shout out to my college girlfriend Brooke Williams, who this past weekend got hitched! She looked stunning and the wedding was beautiful. The best man speech was one for the ages and all had a great time. The happy couple is off to Tahiti for their Honeymoon.. enjoy!

So in between the "I Do's" and crazy wedding festivities, I caught a nice size portion of the first round of the NFL Draft. In spite of what anyone feels personally towards the kid, you must've felt something for poor Brady Quinn. My heart went out to him as he sat there waiting for an eternity to hear Roger Goodell say just once, "With the ____ pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, the ______ select Brady Quinn." Only took him 21 times to finally say it.

The Texans made a fantastic choice with Amobi Okoye!! Take a moment to read up on his story. He's amazing, young, eager, and talented. Right before the Draft, I spoke with Mario Williams, number one pick of 2006. Of course I told him I'm a huge Texans fan and at first I think he thought I was kidding. Once he realized I was serious, he told me how they are really excited for next season with the addition of Matt Schaub. Baby steps my friend. We'll get there.

Other point of interest... the Patriots. It will be interesting to see how they come out at the end of next season. Bill Simmons had a really really funny article about what Bill Belichick must've been thinking when he took Randy Moss. Just have to wait and see if it actually pays off. Or if it creates an absolute disaster. I'm an optimist. But a little drama is always fun.

Miami. Ted Ginn Jr. What?

And as if there wasn't enough going on, a little baseball game was going down in the Bronx this past weekend. Red Sox vs. Yankees. Man, the Yankess are doing bad. Honestly, even if you hate them, baseball isn't half as fun when the Yanks aren't in contention. Admit it. So if you can pitch, contact Joe Torre. I'm considering volunteering my dad. He was really good in the 70's. He's a lefty. Why not? With the way things are going, the Yankees can't be that picky can they? Dad, start warming up.

Normally I associate the word PHENOMENAL with Vince Vaughn and my friend Brendan (Who says it twenty times a day. I'm sure because of Vaughn).

But it wasn't a movie star who dropped it in a sentence this time.

So exactly who is Barry Bonds talking about? Go here.

Pop quiz: What do Barclay Tagg, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Jim Breuer have in common?

An interview with yours truly this week. Yup, its a random mix of what's coming up on Breakfast with Tiffany.

Yesterday morning I went out to Belmont Park to hang out with Nobiz Like Showbiz, a favorite entering the Kentucky Derby. He's beautiful!! Just a few stalls over, the 2003 Derby winner Funny Cide was just chilling, eating some food. He says "Heyyy." (bad joke). The Barclay Tagg piece will be up next Friday right before the Derby goes down that Saturday.

Today I'm meeting with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Confession: His new movie is something that I'd never go and watch. That is until I checked out the trailer. While I'm not an action movie type of a gal (think more Little Miss Sunshine, Wedding Crashers, perhaps a little Borat) I will confess this movie looks awesome. The concept is unlike any other movie I've ever heard of. And Mr. Austin will be telling you all about it .. on Friday.

Now while that interview goes up on Friday, that morning I'll be kicking it with Jim Breuer. I can't wait to hang out and hopefully get a few good laughs in as well.

The unofficial color of NYC? Nooooo, it's not all black (although that is the color of choice for most people's wardrobe. BORING.)
Actually, the unofficial color of NYC would be pale.
It begins in November and lingers around until April-May.
Yes, I'm talking about that pasty-white-almost-green tint that people begin to get after wearing seven layers of clothes for five months of freezing cold. In the words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot" does not apply EVER in this case.
(I kind of hate that I just quoted Paris in my blog. Call it a moment of weakness.)

So you can imagine the joy, excitement, pure pleasure and bliss New Yorkers felt this weekend as they stepped outside of their cubicle sized apartments. Because for the first time in a "I don't even remember if the sun exists" weekend, NY'ers had a feeling most had forgotten: warmth.

It was hot outside. HOT. Sunny. Pretty, if you will. I don't think there was a spare piece of grass to lay on. Not an extra chair to sit in or a table to eat at outside. Every rooftop was filled with grills, beer and happy people. The jeans came off, sweaters forgotten, and puffy jackets tossed to the back of closets. Quickly replaced by tank tops, shorts, flip flops and for those who dared-bathing suits.

You might think, "What's the big deal?" Obviously you've never lived up North. Or anywhere where it remains cold for this long. Take it from me, it's a big deal. And the fact that I've got on flip flops at work and the beginning signs of tan lines has made this Monday an extra good one.

"He really is so nice! Just the nicest guy." -Rep of New York Dragons

I turned around to watch the New York Dragons practice.
I had my eye on number 6.
The tall one.
The guy who played under Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher at LSU.
The one who went on to play in the NFL under Bill Belichick and Charlie Weis.
The back up to Tom Brady and winner of two Super Bowl rings.

On a field much smaller then a traditional football field, Rohan Davey threw ball after ball, ran play after play. Once the team finished practice, Davey stayed behind to throw a few more balls and run a couple of more plays with some of the receivers. Then he talked to his coach. Then he came over to speak to me.

To break the ice, I asked about his hometown Miami. I then mentioned I was from Vero Beach, just a two hour drive North. "No way, really?" We started laughing about how we're two Florida kids who can't take this NE weather anymore. How his kid brother and my kid sis both live in Miami. And both enjoy rubbing it in that they are hanging out in gorgeous weather. I told him my favorite number was six. He loves it too. It's always been his number. The rest of the conversation went easy.

Davey has seen football in so many different lights. College. NFL. Europe. AFL. He's worked under and with some of the best. And that's what he expects from himself, to do the best he can. What impressed me most is his sheer enjoyment for the game. He's done a lot as well as seen a fair amount of setbacks in his career. None of that has kept him from pursuing the game he wound up playing by chance. Once we were done, I smiled and thought, "They're right. He's just the nicest guy."

VITAMIN WATER
VITAMIN WATER
VITAMN WATER...

Please note: All checks payable to the NFL.
Mr. Urlacher, Kindly send your payment of $100,000 to the Commissioner's office.
With love, The NFL.

Who knew a ball cap could cost so much?

Honestly, I was there on Media Day. I was one of the hundreds of reporters at Dolphin Stadium and I stood at Brian Urlacher's booth. I asked questions. I listened to other reporters ask questions. Listened to answers. Reported.

You could've asked me five minutes after seeing him or three months after the Super Bowl and I still wouldn't have a clue what hat he was wearing. A more appropriate response would've been: "Huh? He wore a hat? Oh."

I understand the NFL has the right to be upset. I also understand that as a business, they owe it to their sponsors who pay a large amount of money to be titled "The Official Drink of the NFL". But are you telling me no representative of the NFL was there to say, "Hey buddy, you might want to take off that hat. People will be upset. People as in the league." Shouldn't there be someone there.. if this is SUCH A BIG DEAL... to at least make sure these kinds of things don't happen?

Yes, the athletes are adults. Yes, they should be responsible for their own actions. But come on, we're at the Super Bowl. You're telling me on top of everything else going on in that crazy place, they now have to worry about what hat they have on? This is football and to think that one hat would equal a fine of that amount is a little out of control. It also is probably the best $100,000 Vitmain Water has ever spent.

Always stirring up trouble. Radio personality and sports hot head Howard Eskin took on Phillies manager Charlie Manuel at a press conference.

From SI.com: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was provoked by a local radio personality in the postgame news conference who asked why Manuel didn't show more anger in news conferences. Manuel -- nicknamed "Red Devil" when he played in Japan because of his explosive temper -- challenged his questioner to meet him in Manuel's office, where, Manuel promised, he would display temper.
-- Philadelphia Daily News

Basically Eskin was challenging Manuel to get angry and maybe that would fuel some kind of passion within his failing team. Manuel shot back with a come-into-my-office-and-I'll-show-you type response.

I've met Eskin a couple of times. Most recently I ran into him at lunch during Meida Day at the Super Bowl. Just a few months before that I interviewed him on his home turf at his radio station in Philly. When I listened in on his radio show one thing was certain, that man knows exactly what he is getting into at all times. Any viewer who calls and DOESN'T agree, Eskin goes at him. He knew he was going to piss off Manuel with a comment like that. I just don't think Manuel knew he himself would get so mad.

Since when did going to a baseball game result in a food fight? Apparently Boston fans are still elementary school kids in the lunch room at heart.

I had about three people IM me this link all at the same time. Watch the whole thing... and listen to the announcers Emmy-Award worthy analysis of the unfolding events. Definitely some quotable moments from these two.

At least that is what Vince Young did when he agreed to be the new cover boy for Madden 2008.

Honestly, name one person who after being on the cover has had a good season? One. I can't think of anything he should've run away from faster. Ok, maybe hanging out in Vegas with Pacman but even that might be safe in comparison.

The TV era of Tiki Barber.

I love how the use of quotations in the title stress the word GIANT and REAL JOB. As if it wasn't obvious.

Extra time on your hands? Take this Tiki quiz. Apparently I know him pretty close to perfect.

With the NFL Draft right around the corner (there are signs promoting the event all over NYC), the hype is a growing, the teams are a debating, and some players are just sitting, waiting to learn their fate. While others are campaigning for the top spot.

I personally don't care when Brady Quinn gets drafted. Just pick the guy (someone) and move on. In my opinion, no one's proved anything until they've played in the NFL and all this self-promotion of "I'm the best, take me number 1" is getting old.

Exhibit A: Sugar Bowl 2007. Case closed. Just get drafted, win a few games and then make the team who passed you up feel like an idiot. (Yes, I'm talking about the Texans with Reggie Bush/Vince Young).

One player we here at NBC have kept a close eye on is Rutgers hero Brian Leonard. Apparently USA Today had the same idea.

Aaron Gleeman's blog... read it.. he's funny. And it was his blog that directed me to this blog. You may have heard of it, if not add it to your favorites.

Over the past few weeks, members of the Fantasy Fix team have been making fun of Gregg. The boy is getting married in t-minus two weeks. I have had the pleasure of meeting his lady (love her, she's the cutest not to mention sweetest person).

But of course because none of us are married, we singles reserve the right to make fun of his impending walk down the aisle. And so we taunt him with constant reminders that his freedom, bachelorhood, basically his LIFE is rapidly ticking down to a big fat OVER. He laughs, puts his head down and smiles. Then he changes the subject to something like football. I'll be sure to post pictures of the moment his new life begins (or ends depending on your personal stand on marriage) the week after the 'big day'. Until then, who has wedding gift ideas??? Cause after what seemed like 50 weddings last year, I'm fresh out.

"What's also apparent, however, is that FSU's long, six-year nightmare is over."

Words have never sounded so sweet. I just finished reading Stewart Mandel's article, A Fresh Start, and its made me excited for college football - yes a whole five months early. After last years disasterous season, that says a lot.

"Following a staggering run of dominance during the late '80s and '90s, including 14 straight seasons (1987-2000) ranked in the top four of the AP poll, the 'Noles had sunk deeper and deeper toward mediocrity the past six years, culminating in a 6-6 regular season record in '06, including a 3-5 ACC mark."

Exactly. It felt as bad as it sounds. Then came hope... in the name of Jimbo Fisher.

"The winningest coach in [Division I-A] history was going through a tough situation with his son, who was also a very good friend of mine," said Fisher, a former counselor at the Bowden Academy passing camps. "For him to come ask you to be the guy to help, you have to step back and be like, 'Wow.' He's what's right about college football -- he deserves everything good to happen to him. To hopefully play a small part in helping to fix that, to me, it would be great self-satisfaction."

Every FSU fan out there (and even some who are no longer kicking it with us) hopes that Fisher will be able to help fix our team. And not to play a small part but a HUGE part. A dominating part. A part that takes FSU up to the level most of us are used to.

No one expects us to make a run at a National Championship next year. We gotta build back up to that level. However things in Tally are slowly returning to normal. The swagger of Bobby and his boys is coming back. And that makes me very very excited about August.

I, like everyone else, applaud Roger Goodell, Gene Upshaw, the NFL and all other parties willingly backing the new smackdown. It's a step in the right direction- keep the boys in line, the league respectable, and the game a money-making machine.

However, I think it's important not to go overboard with the high-fives and congratulations to Goodell and Co. for making this decision. Why? Because this did not take rocket science. Nor did it take a huge amount of courage. It was the right thing to do when backed against the wall. They didn't really have a choice. And had Goodell looked the other way, he would've been crucified for a blind approach to the NFL's bad boys.

Let's be honest... Where else can you work making millions upon millions of dollars, get arrested on multiple occasions and keep your job? Why should someone who happens to be a really fast runner and can catch/throw/block/kick or warm the bench be able to get away with breaking the law?

From NBCSports.com AP article on Pacman Jones and Travis Henry's many run-in's:
Henry, one of nine Bengals arrested last season, was arrested four times in a 14-month span, resulting in two benchings by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and a two-game league suspension.
Jones' off-field conduct has included 10 instances in which he was interviewed by police.
The most recent took place during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas. Police there recommended felony and misdemeanor charges against Jones after a fight and shooting at a strip club that paralyzed one man. Police are still investigating.

It's about time these players realize that they aren't above the law. They are employed by the NFL and their football career is a job, not a right. The opportunity given to them can just as easily be taken away if necessary. This is a simple reminder that the risk is far higher and the loss greater then those temptations that have gotten some of these players in trouble.

If you are a secretary, lawyer, doctor, teacher, bus driver or accountant and break the law chances are you are going to suffer some kind of ramifications for doing so. It's the world we live in. And today, Roger Goodell re-introduced that world to the players of the NFL.

Sopranos.

Entourage.

And the return of HBO dominated Sunday nights.

I admit I've never seen an episode of The Sopranos and last night was my first time ever watching an Entourage episode that wasn't a re-run. That being said, Gregg, our "Boss" Matt (he hates it when I call him Boss) and intern Brett are sure to keep me updated on what happens with Tony and the Gang.

As for Vince and the rest of the male version of Sex and the City, I'll be tuning in for the rest of the season.
Great moment: Drama standing on the side of the road under his own billboard waiting to get noticed. Even better was when he stood up in the limo and was pissed to find out the spotlight on his billboard had blown out. Haha...

Everyone should have a friend like Lloyd. Just for the sheer ridiculousness of it. Loudest laugh was when he and Ari did the whole charade scene in the office.

And if you ever have a birthday bash on the Queen Mary, I will be sure to consider myself a guest and show up. Well done Turtle, well done.

Some of Baseball's best moments go here and check out these photos...

A few of my personal favorite pictures are:
Number 8- the Mariners chilling in the snow.
Number 10- Just looking at it makes your work day seem not so bad.
Number 13- C.J. Wilson could be a Rockette.
Number 15- The cigar smoking "Phillies Bunny".

Hope you enjoy the holiday weekend, no matter what you are celebrating. If anything, have a nice few days off!

Mi Familia:... This lil note will have to do until my card arrives, of course in true Simons fashion: LATE. Have fun without me!!

I must admit one of the devestating things about not going home for Easter is the family egg hunt. My parents or shall I say the "Easter Bunny" insisted on having the egg hunt OUTSIDE every year. So all four of us would stumble to the front door in our pj's and tennis shoes and pose for family pictures with our baskets. However, no one is actually looking at the camera because we were all scoping out for eggs and planning our attack. I love Easter for one simple (albeit selfish) reason: money. In our house, every egg gathered equaled an instant profit! Hard-boiled, plastic egg, slip of paper inside plastic egg, golden egg...whatever. It was a one hit lottery ticket on Easter Sunday. No other holiday like it. And I'm missing it. Sigh. That is what happens when you move far far far away. Haha.. I'm kidding. Not trying to promote a pity party here.

In all seriousness, hope everyone has a great holiday!

PS: Bud- you better win the egg hunt. Don't dissapoint me Boo. Also let's split the profits? Remember I taught you everything you know.

Hey you, yes you who has missed a few Breakfast Episodes here and there...

Play catch up and enjoy a breakfast sampler of CHRIS ROCK, BRIAN LEONARD, RANDY COUTURE, CHARLIE WEIS, TOM ARNOLD AND ADAM VINATIERI. We sit, we laugh, and we chat sports, sports, sports.

A little nibble at next weeks episode? DeAngelo Hall from the Atlanta Falcons. Verrrryyy nice!

This week Adam Vinatieri was my guest on the show... Despite what is happening in the NFL (over the course of the last few months players getting in trouble off the field has continued to make headlines) here's one man who represents all that is good in his profession.

He couldn't be nicer and more willing to sit down and have a chat while taking a break from signing some autographs for fans. We met up with the kicker at Legends of the Game in Westport, CT. Which by the way, next time you are looking to get some autographed sports gear... stop by this store. THEY HAVE EVERYTHING.

With Adam, you get what you see... a really nice guy who has been blessed by a successful career. Whoever said nice guys finish last never met this nice guy. Hello, 4 Super Bowl rings?

Ok, in all seriousness, congrats to UF and the Gator Nation.

On with the more important topic...the lingering question surrounding the NCAA Tournament.

Does Billy Donovan stay? Does he continue to build what he's started?
Or does he take the ring, the trophy, the money and run all the way up to Kentucky?

I'll be honest with you. I hope he stays. I vote Donovan, in Florida at Florida. Here's why... I don't care how many people say basketball will always be the step-child to football at UF. You do what Billy and the kids did last night, make history with back to back championships with a returning starting five (a historical note that has never been done before) and people at ANY school will start to pay attention. Will attend games. Will love the sport.

Yes, Kentucky has long dominated basketball. Yes, the tradition is built. FACT: Basketball and UK are ingrained in generation upon generation, all who grew up bleeding blue and white. Fine. Fabulous. Fantastic.

But Billy, here's your chance to build it on YOUR OWN. You've got every recruiting weapon in your back pocket. You've got a school, town and alumni who ADORE YOU. According to Dick Vitale, members of your extended family just moved to G-Ville. Your roots are growing ever so deeply into the kool-aid of orange and blue.

And you might walk away? From all this?

Hear me out for a sec: A few weeks ago I interviewed Brian Leonard, the star RB at Rutgers who will enter this year's NFL Draft in a few short weeks. He told me he chose Rutgers over dominate football programs like Penn State, Syracuse and Notre Dame for one simple reason: to have the opportunity to help build a foundation from the ground up. Leonard wanted that chance to create something special, legendary, and long lasting for the first time at a school who'd never had that before. He skipped last years draft, came back for another year and saw his team reach higher acclaim then they ever dreamed of. His plan worked.

So Coach, I say, keep building upon the empire you have going on in Florida. Kentucky had its day and may return to dominance once again ... but right now, its UF who's dominating all of us. And you sir, are at the head of it all.

Woo. Hoo.

NCAA College Championship.
Same Two Teams.
Different Sport.

Just a few days ago, my bracket looked pretty nice. All I needed was Georgetown to beat Ohio State and Florida to lose to UCLA.
Of course, the exact opposite happened.

Final Two:
Ohio State vs. Florida.
(Haven't we seen this before?)
Greg Oden and company vs. Joakim Noah and the defending champs.

If these two schools don't hate each other enough already, tonight's game will lock in the rivalry.
In less then four months:
Ohio State lost to Florida in December in a regular season (yet big) basketball game.
Ohio State lost to Florida in the National Championship game, football that is.
Will Ohio State add another loss to the Gators? A national championship loss at that?
There are a lot of people out there who are saying yes.

I will say this, the last national championship (football) where a certain team (Buckeyes) was heavily favored to beat the other (Gators), the exact opposite happened.

When: Tonight
On: CBS
Tip Off: 9:18 pm EST

Carl Pavano.

Talk about pressure.

Opening Day for the Yankees.

He's the starting pitcher because everyone else CAN'T pitch today.

His girlfriend dumps him and it makes the front page of The Post.

He signed with NY for some 40 million dollars.

However the last time he actually pitched in a major league game was back in 2005.

It's not just Opening Day for the Yankees. It's also Pavano's personal plea for a little respect in the Bronx.

First pitch: BALL.
Second pitch: Swing and a miss-STRIKE.
Third pitch: BASE HIT.

A-Rod just dropped a pop-up.
Now if you're Pavano, that's one guy who'll take the focus off of you.
If only for a little while.

Scoreless first inning.
Pavano survives ... for now.

Opening Day has arrived. So all you baseball fans, get ready for long days lounging in the sun, eating hot dogs, drinking beer and singing traditional songs. Oh yeah.. and watching some games.

The greatest thing about Opening Day is every fan, player, and front office really believes this is the year that October will be theirs. Admit it, even YOU are filled with the inflated hope that this year will be the one where your team goes to the World Series. And here's to hoping that hope hangs around as long as possible.

SI.com writer John Donovan wrote an article about ten things we should be ready to hear, see and remember for this season. Check it out.

This week's show stars Tom Arnold. Not sure if you caught him on the Conan O'Brien show, but if you did, then you are aware that the man says ANYTHING! He is unpredictable and random yet at the same time you can't help but be naturally drawn into his chaos. When you interview a guy like him, the best bet is just to sit back and let the man go. Cause he will!

He also is extremely giving. His new movie PRIDE was filmed down in New Orleans. While down there he found out about the mother of an up and coming sports star who was tragically killed. Arnold decided to help out and give her a scholarship to go back to school and help her obtain her degree. Its stories such as this that are pleasant surprises that just sort of come out when talking to Tom.

We hung out in his dressing room for a solid 30 minutes, which is a long 20 minutes more then we anticipated. He then was off to go do another event and then fly down to Florida where he is filming his next film with Sharon Stone. Ahh, the life of a movie star!

Harry Potter news:

Any fan, go here and see what it is.

I am fully aware that this has absolutely nothing to do with sports.
Now the question is, are you aware of how freaking good these books are?

WHO:
Jeff "Derd" Stoeckel
Harvard Baseball
Sophomore SS

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HIM:
Named to the Ivy League Honor Roll March 27 after batting .444 (4-9) with a .500 on-base-percentage in three games for the Crimson while playing errorless defense at shortstop. He was 3-for-3 with a walk, RBI and three runs scored against Northwestern ... Was on base three times with a single and two walks at Eckerd on 3/26

FACTS OF LIFE:
When you grow up with your best friends, you also grow up with their siblings.
Sightings of the siblings, also known as 'little ones', occur often.
Such as:
When you pick up friend to go to the beach.
When you attend slumber party at friends house.
When you and friend are supposed to study but watch the Titanic win 75 Oscars instead.
And of course there are guaranteed sightings at family required events such as
Prom(s)
Recital(s)
Graduation(s)
Holiday(s)
and yet to be had by anyone in the Stoeckel/Simons family
Wedding(s). (Ahem.. Luke?)

Then one day, you wake up and get a smack in the face. Suddenly the 'little guy' ain't so little anymore. The kid who ran past you and out the door when you'd come over to chill with his big sister, is standing at 5'11" and making waves in college baseball. I am looking up ... just to look at him.

MAD PROPS:
Here's to one of the 'little ones' ... Way to go Derd!

Check out more of #7.

The island of Manhattan was actually....gasp... hot today!

That is if you can count 73 degrees as hot.

Spring is here...Bring it on baby!!!!!

You already know how I feel about the FLORIDA GATORS.

But did you know how this guy feels? Talk about needing to let off a little steam. Randy is not exaclty screaming, "Oh Gators, how I love thee." Especially towards Gators center Joakim Noah. Here's an appetizer:

"But on the court, Noah has become just slightly less annoying than the TV timeout. "

"Foremost in Noah's arsenal of annoying acts is the primal yell...Noah has taken the yell to the extreme, choosing to howl after damn near every move he makes to enhance the Gators' shot at victory."

"No, the Gators are using honest methods to gain unpopularity."

Hey he said it, not me.

You know him from Late Night with Conan O'Brien . It's the Horny Manatee.

What is the last song played on your iPOD?
My Hopeless Manatee by Rocket Me Nowhere. They wrote the song about me, and it makes me even hornier to listen to it (if that's possible)!

What celebrity would you most like to trade places with? Why?
Bryant Gumble. First of all, who wouldn't want to be a Gumble? Secondly, I'm realistic enough to know I could never fill Greg Gumble's shoes.

What website can you not live without?
www.HornyManatee.com. I literally cannot live without it.

What did you do with your first paycheck?
I was really messed up back then. I'm not going to lie to you, my first paycheck went to booze and drugs. I'm not proud of it. But now, I save as much as I can. I know my killer body won't last forever, so one day I'm going to go to college.

What's your favorite thing in your closet?
My favorite thing in my closet has to be my Manateen outfit. I love looking cute and sexy all at one time!

So I have this camera... a Nikon D50 to be exact. I love it. (Spent the majority of today in Central Park taking pictures. Snnnaaappppp).

However, I can NOT figure out one thing: how to transfer my new pictures.

Already, I've taken several pictures and loaded them onto my computer. Then the next time I go out and shoot, if I try to transfer the new photos onto my computer it only allows me to transfer EVERYTHING not just the new ones. In other words, I keep copying the same pictures over and over in addition to the new ones. So I guess my question is: A) Is there a setting I can put it on that will allow me to only tranfer the new pictures? B) Should I be clearing my memory stick after every download to avoid duplicating?

This is suddenly starting to sound like a Craigs List posting, a very G-Rated one. Haha...

I'm going to B&H tomorrow to get answers. But if you happen to know how to fix this, help a girl out and email me!!!! Tiffany.Simons@nbcuni.com

The Final Four: Florida, UCLA, Georgetown, Ohio State. I didn't get UCLA, but the other three are sitting pretty nice in my bracket. Hope you did even better then me!

SIDE NOTE: As I'm writing this, America's Next Top Model is on and if you could just see the 'Pose Master' in this episode you'd be laughing soooo hard. He is wearing a gold unitard. A GOLD UNITARD. Enough said.

Speaking of models and costumes, check out John Walters blog on the Miss USA Pageant. He blogged his way through the beauty contest on Friday night. Unfortunately, I was running around hanging balloons and streamers on Friday night for a friends surprise birthday party, so I had to catch the show on Saturday. Say what you will, I love watching those things!

Dear Matt Schaub-

It is with great hope, high expectations and excitement to welcome you to the Houston Texans as the 2007 starting quarterback. Be sure to enjoy today. Let it all sink in. You finally, after all those seasons sitting the bench in Atlanta, are a real life starting QB. And that check?! Talk about money. You, my friend are set!

So, yes enjoy it all now. Because in a few months, on the back of your jersey, there will be a huge target on your back. Coach Kubiak, the owners and this team are looking to you to turn things around. Pressure? Uh.. yeah.

David Carr had five years to do it. Couldn't and is now shopping for a new place to call home.
"We're working with his representatives and David to find a place for him to continue his NFL career," Smith said. "Matt is our starting quarterback. We're trying to help David find another place. We're trying to trade him today, maybe the next couple of days."

So enjoy today.
Welcome to the team.
Now go win us some games.
With love, (until you disapoint)
Texans Fans

There's new video in town!

SIdelines is the new sports video show right here on NBCSports.com. Jimmy Roberts is the host and you won't want to miss it. The show combines the expertise from the guys of Sports Illustrated with the latest news in sports.

You don't have to search too far to find it. Just look on the front page in the Top Video section. Now you've got a sports show right at your desk!

Hey, in case you missed it, there are new options at the top of the blog. Included in that is email... so if you get the urge to write, by all means send an email my way!

Saturday was St. Patrick's Day- a holiday in Manhattan that is just slightly less popular then New Years.
Just slightly.

While everyone was out drinking green beer and celebrating the Irish, I was at home studying up on the Irish. The Irish of Notre Dame, specifically Charlie Weis.

He and his lovely wife Maura were in town for the fundraiser Hannah and Friends, a foundation they created in honor of their daughter Hannah. We'd arranged an interview with the Weis' for our next Breakfast with Tiffany.

Pause for a moment and let me ask: Have you ever watched Charlie Weis on the sidelines of a football game? Does intimidating come to mind? Exactly. I had no idea what to expect once the two of them walked in the room. They blew me away.

This interview may be one of my favorites. For two people who have so much, they are determined to give as much or more back to families who are in need. What a down to earth, sweet and compassionate couple. They've dedicated themselves to using the clout that comes along with Charlie's success as a tool to help build awareness for their daughter. It was inspiring because they were so sincere, open and warm.

Of course we got around to some football talk as well, including Brady, the upcoming draft, the 2007 season and the QB situation at Notre Dame. This is one story you have to watch, coming up this Friday!

My love of sports is in large part due to my love for my dad. Growing up in a family of four children, 3 of which are girls, dad had his hands full of girlie stuff: ballet slippers, dance costumes, pom poms, hair spray, you get the picture.

My sisters and I never played sports. Dance, gymnastics, cheerleading-yes. Soccer, softball, tennis? Not so much. However, he did always take us girls to the park. Sometimes just to run, or go fishing, or throw some basketballs into a hoop (a full on game wasn't happening). But my favorite was when he taught us baseball. A left handed pitcher in college, dad made sure to give us the softball pitch so we had a chance at making some contact.

Swing and a miss. "Keep your eye on the ball. Try again."
Swing and a miss. "Good try. Watch the ball. Remember your stance Tiff."
Swing and a hit! "Go! Go! Go! Keep running!" We'd run around our made up bases, straight into home and then get a high five.

The main reason I can throw a football? My dad.
Why I like the Angels? My dad.
Who took me to Spring Training at Dodgertown to watch Tommy Lasorda and the Dodgers? My dad.

Sports aside, he's also just about the coolest person ever. And I couldn't be happier to wish him the biggest Happy Birthday ... Have a great day dad... Be loving you.

This week on Breakfast with Tiffany, I interview Randy Couture. He is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion, five-time champion overall. Upon first glance, Randy is an intimidating guy. For someone who reaches 5'5" on a good day, (there is a reason my brother calls me 'Hobbit') this guy is huge! However, after the "Hello, how are you?" I realized he's also one of the kindest men in sports.

We spoke about his return to the UFC and how he had to prepare to take down Tim Sylvia. Through our talk, it was refreshing to get an inside look at the world of UFC. To the untrained eye, it appears that the guys just jump into a ring and begin to fight. That way of thinking couldn't be further from the truth. There is an immense amount of training, discipline and dedication that goes into these fights.

And for a man who is respected and yet feared inside a ring, he couldn't have been any kinder in person.
Check out the story!

Xavier for pulling out that win last night. It was a close one, but you did it. Now please follow along with your pre-destined tournament journey and lose to Ohio State.

Marquette, Gonzaga, DUKE, and Texas Tech ... so much for this year guys. Thanks for coming to the Dance.
Good-bye.

Mad props to Eastern Kentucky They were down by a half a million points in the first FEW MINUTES of the game. They went into halftime trailing 27 points. After the half, a new team emerged in Eastern Kentucky and they came pretty close to making a real threat at 48-44. UNC pulled it out. But for those who pushed UNC all the way into the Final Four...beware.

Coach Roy Williams of UNC : ''I think it was so easy (early) that we lost our focus and then all of a sudden we got a little sloppy and made some bad decisions,'' Williams said. ''We have a really young team ... and I think we thought it was going to be too easy.''

Not so much.

I would like to give a huge congrats to Julie Rubinstein, who successfully predicted 15 correct NCAA Basketball wins yesterday. She was the only one in our office pool to do so and leads the pack! Her Final Four are:
Pitt, UNC, Wisconsin and Ohio State. She's got the Buckeyes pegged to win it all.

Excuse. Excuse. Excuse.

Today is the kind of day when its perfect to work in the world of sports. Why? Well my friend, March Madness is officially underway in T-minus a couple and I don't have to give my boss an excuse OR sneak out of the office to catch the first games at Noon. In fact, we're expected to watch. How's that for studying up on the job? But in order for YOU to catch the start of the game, we might have to get creative.

Lets go over options for your escape:
At about 11, your stomach should start cramping. Could it have been that sushi last night? Your head will begin to pound. (Side note: For those with children, here's your chance. You always can blame it on the kids. Little Jack and Sydney been coming down with something and suddenly you think you have it too). Of course you could probably go with the sore throat or a hacking cough routine. What about allergies? That's a good one.

Either way make yourself sick, real sick, convincingly sick. Then allow your campaign for Mr/Ms Congeniality to play into action. Plead your case that you're so concerned about the well being of your co-workers and you would simply feel horrible if you infected those at nearby cubicles. With sincere regrets, its time to go home and rest.

Then bee-line it for the nearest bar, pub, hole-in-the-wall spot that is sporting some plasmas and a nice selection of beers. (Note to ladies: it is unacceptable to drink anything other then beers while watching March Madness. Yes, I hear you about the calories, but seriously? Might I remind you... Rule No. 76: No excuses, play like a champion).

At about 12:20, Marlyand takes on Davidson and shortly after Texas Tech goes at it with Boston College. The first two games to spark 19 days of basketball craziness.

You ready? I know you're ready for the game, I meeeaaannnn are you ready with your excuse?
In the words of Tim Gunn, "Make it work."

Which NCAA basketball contender might be set back due to a recent injury to their star point guard?

Which 8-9 match up just got even better considering one teams star is definitely out for the first round game?

Read it here.

Florida?

Kansas?

UCLA?

A Cinderella?

Ohh... Yes, March Maddness is in the air.
Your co-workers are focusing extra hard at their desks today thinking:

"Can Winthrop beat Notre Dame?"
"Marquette. No Michigan. No Marquette."
"Greg Oden, he's the one to win it."
"Am I crazy? Creighton? Going to the Elite 8? What am I doing?"
"Kevin Durant, he's the one to win it."
"Florida. Done and done. Why even fill this thing out?"
"What about Pitt? Now there's someone...."

Sure enough if you work in a place that has at least three males and one 'sporty' female, office pools are well underway. If you have no idea what you are doing, well then of course there are those experts who are more then willing to predict winners, losers and surprises at this years Dance.

And still... even with everyone throwing out the predictions...it took me forever to fill out my bracket. You too?
Back and forth, back and forth. Do I take Texas to the Final 4? They did let Kansas sneak back and go into OT and then win. Can Florida seriously do what no team has done since 1991-1992 and repeat? All five starters are back...but it just kills me to put them in the Final 2. Kiiiiiiillllllsssssss meeeeeeee. And lets be honest, I haven't exactly been following the seasons of say Winthrop, Oral Roberts or L.B. State.

However, there's nothing I can do about it now. I debated the teams. Read the websites, the papers, and listened to the analysts. I've run out of ink and turned that sucker in.
Done and done.
No mas.
Over it.

My Elite 8 and Final 4:
WEST:
Between Kansas and Pitt: I know Kansas is a heavy heavy favorite but my pen insisted I put down Pitt as the team from the West to head to Atlanta. If I'm wrong, I blame the Loews Miami Beach Hotel pen.
EAST:
Between Texas and Georgetown: Hmmm. I like Durant. I like Texas. I like everything really. Yet I don't know if they will pull through in the end. Brett, our intern, said Durant got tired on Sunday while playing Kansas. Well, that's nice but you can't get tired in the Championship. I'm going with Georgetown.
SOUTH:
Between Ohio State and Creighton: Yes, that is correct Creighton. You didn't read it wrong. Your glasses still work. I picked them to beat Memphis and Texas A&M. Before you go calling me an idiot, allow me to ask: what is the fun in doing any of this if you don't veer off the path sometimes. Ok? Hi, George Mason. That being said, Ohio State goes on to Atlanta after advancing through what some consider the weakest/easiest/free-ticket region.
MIDWEST:
Between Florida and Oregon: After Oregon beats Winthrop (who surprises you and beats Notre Dame) and then beats UNLV (who out of nowhere beats Wisconsin) Oregon meets last years champs the Gators. Florida wins. I seriously thought my computer would burst into flames after writing that.

Final 4:
Georgetown and Ohio State.
Florida and Pitt.

G-Town beats Ohio State. Don't ask me how. That isn't how the whole bracket thing works. There is no 'How' category. No extra points for discussing a necessary defense. Just if you got the team right. Go G-Town.

Pitt beats Florida. Upset? Yes. However, no apologies for not sending the Gators to the final game. (Lock it up Drew) I also admit I can only defend my choice due to my bitter feelings to a school I feel is due to run out of championship glory and luck at some point. (And yes, I admit my team isn't even in contention. Nor have we ever dominated college basketball. Nor did we enjoy a solid football season either. Thanks for the reminder). Go Pitt.

Here's to you and me winning those office pools (or at least having a good time watching the games).

Texas vs Kansas.

Kevin Durant... He's ridiculously good.

Final seconds of the game... Kansas makes a three. Sends the game to OT.

Texas blows the lead and the game. Check out these photos.

Monday. March 12, 2007.

Most likely, today was better then your typical Monday. Why? Because this particular Monday marks the beginning of the crazy, exciting, and unexpected college hoops extravaganza: The Dance Is On. And that means the workplace is going to be a little extra fun for the next few weeks. (And you, slacker, will be doing your bracket instead of your work)

Selection Sunday came out with some surprises and some huge let downs. FSU aint in it. A huge disapointment for a second year in a row. I know its my school and I'm partial BUT there are a lot of people out there that agree. The Noles will just keep on pushing until they are invited. Someday.

However the Selection Committee managed to crush a few other hearts.
No Drexel.
No Syracuse.
Does Arkansas deserve to be there?
People always want to root for the little guy, the cinderella story, the one team who plays with a big heart over the huge odds and hype. And so the arguments over who should be in and who should be out, who got snubbed and who got a gift, will be all you hear for the next few days. Which is why so many people love March.

John Walters and I taped bracket breakdown shows this morning and they should be coming out today and tomorrow. Be sure to watch!
Also, I spoke with David Mihm a bracket genius... here's his site. When it comes to predicting the bracket, the guy is incredible at getting it right. Just don't get busted on it at work.

If THIS is true... well then Tom Brady is one busy man.

FSU has a basketball team?

Ever since forever, the ACC has been one of the nation's best in the world of college basketball. And poor FSU has been the ugly step sister just trying to get noticed.

During my junior and senior years of college things began to change. FSU got a new head coach in Leonard Hamilton and a hunger was born to prove basketball at Florida State held a place in the athletics traditionally dominated by football and baseball. My junior year, we beat the number one ranked team in the nation, on our home court: DUKE. It was insane. Everyone rushed the court... it was the kind of win that came out of nowhere. And no matter how bad we were, there was something redeeming in knocking Duke off of its number one pedestal. The next year, we did it again.

And so this time around, the ACC tournament in full swing, FSU has a little more somethin' somethin' to prove. Last year the Noles believed they deserved a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But that was not to be and had to settle for the NIT. This year, things are looking different. FSU beat Clemson. They are on to the quarterfinals against North Carolina. A long shot, yes. But stranger things have happened. If anything, this is just one step closer to reminding everyone that yes, Florida State has a basketball team. And they actually just might surprise you.

Dwyane Wade had a big decision to make.

Should he... be done for the season and get surgery on his left shoulder.

Or shouldn't he... and instead hold off on the surgery. Then (with fingers crossed) try to come back and play for the Heat after a few weeks of rehab.

It is certainly a question several great athletes have had to make in their careers. And at 25, the defending champion had a lot to think about: a team, a title, and most importantly, his health.

"My decision for the next two to three weeks is to rehab with the possibility of coming back, but with no guarantees," Wade said. "I'll find out after therapy and rehab how my body responds to things."

Decision made. Game on.

In the meantime, how will the Heat respond? Without D. Wade in the game can they attempt to still make a run at making it into the playoffs to try to defend their title? Right now without him, Miami is 3-2.

Regardless, Wade will still have to get surgery, a surgery that will require four to six months of recovery.

Coach Pat Riley:
"He's a warrior. He's a soldier. And these are his guys," Riley said. "The doctors are world-renowned, and they said he can go forward this way. This is what you do when you're a defending champion. He has made the decision to try to rehab it and hopefully help the team, and he should be admired for that."

Admired? Yes. Of course. Dwyane is admired for several things both on and off the court. But I know a lot of people who do admirable things that at the same time are just plain stupid. And what I worry about is if this is one of those situations.

As for now, Wade will go through the rehab and then attempt to come back. But what is he coming back to? A team that may or may not be in the playoffs? A team that could or just as easily could not have a shot at the NBA Championship?

Is it worth it?
Would you or wouldn't you?
Hopefully at the end of the season, D. Wade's big decision will have been the right one and we won't be asking ourselves the worst question: why did he?

...Or un-tying it for that matter.

Chris Rock's new movie I Think I Love My Wife takes a look at a man bored in his marriage and the temptation to venture off the commitment path and down the sexy oh-to-be-single-again road.

NBCSports.com writer John Walters takes a different look at marriage. DIVORCE.

Specifically: Welcome to New Jersey: The Guardin' (Your Assets) State. Unless you've managed to not pick up a NY paper at all this season, you know there's trouble in the land of love for some very big name NY athletes. The not-so-private unraveling of these relationships have certainly been just as fierce as any battle on the field or court. But of course, Walters has some relationship advice! Example:

"All of which is to say that if you're a professional athlete working at the Meadowlands, you'd do yourself a favor to examine the parallels between matrimony and the New Jersey Turnpike that borders your workplace: with both, eventually you're going to have to exit and when you do, there's a toll to pay. You wonder why most professional athletes would ever be dumb enough to get married in the first place. Income taxes are out of their control. But infidelity tax? That's self-imposed."

Have a read.

The other day on our show, Gregg got me all pumped up at the possibility of Jake Plummer coming to Houston to save the Texans from another disastrous year. Out with David Carr and in with Plummer.

In the words of Borat: "Not so much."

Looks like Plummer is going to Tampa Bay to take over for Chris Simms. And once again, the Texans are scrambling to figure out how to resolve a situation that since 2002 hasn't really gotten that much better.

Sigh.
And we wait.

While we are on the subject of Texas... I would like to remind you that today, March 2, is the 171st Anniversary of Texas' declaration of independence from Mexico. History lesson of the day.

"The stars at night, are big and bright ... deep in the heart of Texas!"

Across America, during football season, each Sunday is devoted to the NFL. You gather friends, hang out, eat, drink and cheer on your favorite team.

In NYC, we tend to celebrate Sunday Funday by going to sports bars. There are a few reasons for this. The walls are lined with TV after TV. So even if your crew is mixed with Cowboy fans, Redskins fans and a few Pats, there are enough TV's to cover everyones Sunday needs. Food and beer are just one order away, which means no cooking or dishes. Plus when you live in a shoebox, its hard to have guests over 'comfortably'.

SIDE NOTE: If you've never seen an NYC apartment, just go to Craigs List and peruse through the listings of available apartments. You'll get the visual pretty quick.

But for those of you who are lucky enough to live in a spacious house and chill with your friends in say, a living room, (again a novelty to New Yorkers) your Sunday has the potential to get a lot better. Check out this video sent to me by a friend. Imagine if this actually became an item you could buy at your local Wal-Mart, Target or Best Buy. How much better could Sundays get (potentially)?

Watch video.

I thought they were over.

The commercials. The voice. The costumes (wig, mustache, bathrobe). Apparently I was wrong.

Peyton Manning will be back under the lights, testing his acting chops on the comedic stage as the Host of Saturday Night Life. I honestly haven't watched the show in a long long time but I'm sure they can get some good sketches with the MVP of Super Bowl XLI.

All I can hope is that they do something with Maya Rudolph and her character, Donatella Versace. That is hands down always one of the funniest skits every time she does it. And anything with Andy Samberg is hilarious. Might I remind you of he and Justin Timberlake's awesome video? If P. Manning can pull off something like that... I'll be impressed.

He goes LIVE on March 24 on NBC.

"Excuse me, you're Tiffany right? Can you please stand right here, Chris will be ready for you next."

And there I stood, facing a wooden door with a white piece of paper taped to the front. It read "CHRIS ROCK".

I was at the Regency Hotel on the Upper East Side at a press junket for Rock's new movie "I Think I Love My Wife". The 18th floor was devoted to housing all the PR people, (that would be the girls wearing the really important black headsets), the stylists, the makeup artist, the press and of course the stars of the movie: Chris Rock and Kerry Washington.

As I waited to go inside, I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous. At the Super Bowl, you just had to roll with whatever happened. But at something like this, there was a lot less going on and a lot more time waiting which just leads to thinking and that very thing leads to getting nervous.

The door opened and in I walked. Immediately you notice the clutter everywhere. But its not junk, its just a lot of stuff squeezed into a small room to make all the 'magic happen'. There are already two cameras set up and behind those cameras is the crew who just waits as people revolve in and out of the room. Two promo posters hung off to either side of the carefully placed chairs. More people with headsets sat around the room. Cable cords are everywhere, lights hanging, a black curtain makes a U around the middle of the room. And in the center of all of it is Chris.

"Hey, I'm Tiffany. Nice to meet you."
Chris gave me that classic sly smile and said, "Nice to meet you too." Ha.. I thought to myself. This is going to be fine.

Part of the pressure is you only get a set amount of time. As soon as the cameraman says "GO" you have exactly four minutes to get your interview. Four minutes on a treadmill after you've run for 36 minutes is a long time. You just want it to end and it won't. Four minutes with one of America's funniest comedians is a flash in the pan. You blink and the whole thing is over.

I get the official word: "GO".
"Hey Chris.."
"Hey Tiff.."
Normally close friends call me Tiff.. but hey if he wants to call me Tiff that's cool. And for the next four minutes we talk. A little about the movie (cause we have too) and then we get into sports. Did you know he's a big Mets fan? Yup. So if you want to know more... then you'll have to tune in to Breakfast With Tiffany to see the interview!

If you are at home eating a microwavable dinner tonight, you might want to check out a special on Bob Woodruff airing on ABC. Yes I realize this is on another network. And at the risk of getting in trouble, I believe the story is worth watching regardless of the channel.

Bob Woodruff is an extremely handsome man who was making a name for himself about this time a year ago. He was given the co-anchor position as News Anchor for ABC World News Tonight. After only 20-something days on the job as the news anchor, Woodruff and his crew were hit by a roadside bomb while covering a story on Iraq. He suffered such damage that half of his skull had to be removed in order for him to survive the swelling. At first he could not recall the names of his two twin daughters or even name one single state in the U.S. The next 13 months were a long road for both he and his family. His recovery is a tale of survival, endurance and definitely to a certain degree-miraculous.

Here's where you can go to read up on what will be airing tonight:
"To Iraq and Back" explores Woodruff's treatment for traumatic brain injury at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. The center has cared for more than 2,000 injured soldiers since the start of the Iraq campaign in 2003, according to hospital officials.

Game: College Basketball- Ohio State vs. Wisconsin

What Happened: OSU's Coach Thad Matta yelling to his players on the sideline.
Gum flys out of his mouth, onto the floor of the basketball court.
He bends down.
He picks it up.
He puts the gum back in his mouth.

Wow. That must be some really really special gum.

Lifetime tournament winnings in excess of $9.6 million and ranks 3rd on the all-time money list.

Next time someone insists you need a degree to make money in your life, please introduce them to Daniel Negreanu. I mean, earning 9.6 million under the age of 40 is kind of a big deal. The fact that he did it playing Poker in Sin City... well that's just talent. The Canadian left his country at the age of 21 and moved to Las Vegas to pursue poker. Today the "Poker Kid" is one of the best in the game.

What is the last song played on your ipod?
Redemption Songs by Bob Marley and the Wailers

What celebrity would you most like to trade places with and why?
Brad Pitt. Seriously, I think the answer to that question should be fairly obvious!

What's the one website you just can't live without?
www.alternativehockeyleague.com. It’s the address of my fantasy hockey league and I get more enjoyment out of that pool than you can imagine.

What did you do with your first paycheck?
I used it to play in a bigger tournament the very next day. I won that tournament too!

What's your favorite thing in your closet?
My collection of NHL hockey jerseys. I have over 30 of them.

For more on Daniel check this page out.

Gregg is back. All is normal in the world. We taped our first Fantasy Baseball and Football shows together today in the new studio. It looks awesome!

The two of us do the show sitting on stools... which of course brought back to life the great debate on who is really taller. Me or Gregg? I'll let you judge that one.

One thing we didn't talk about in the show was the situation with Lovie Smith and the Chicago Bears. I can't seem to grasp the concept that the man who took a team to the Super Bowl (a team that hasn't played in a Super Bowl since 1985) is the lowest paid coach in the NFL. What? Does that make sense to you? At all? He was Coach of the Year in 2005. I mean Rex Grossman, love him or hate him, had a guaranteed one million dollar bonus in his contract just for making it to the Super Bowl. No, he didn't have to win the game to get the extra money. He just had to go.

Lovie made $1.35 million last season. Now to you and me, that's a lot of money. However within the NFL coaching world, Smith is the lowest paid coach on the list. As in 31 other head coaches made more money then him YET only one other head coach besides Smith was able to take his team to the Super Bowl: Tony Dungy.

At the Super Bowl in Miami, people could not speak highly enough of Lovie Smith. The entire week people repeatedly had such respect towards this man. Players, reporters and analysts had nothing but nice things to say about him as a coach, leader, and most importantly as a person. It's a shame that the Bears aren't treating him with the same respect.

Monday night a good friend of mine turned 27. So to celebrate we all headed down to the Lower East Side for a solid game of good ole fashion BINGO. However at Mo Pitkins, Monday nights are no regular old grandma bingo. Try Drag Queen Bingo. The host/hostess dress up, crack jokes and try to make it fun for everyone. Hey, its New York, things like that are normal here.

Ok, before you go saying "Why are they playing BINGO in NY?" think back to the last time you actually played BINGO. Exactly. A lonnngggg time ago. Let me refresh your memory. It's actually really fun. Plus there is not another game that is so stupidly simple yet competitive as BINGO.

To spare you all the details, we had a blast and our table actually won a few times. The first time I won, I had to have a tie-breaker because someone else also won that round. At this point, there had already been several tie-breakers. Examples include a chugging contest, guessing a random number, simple stuff. Umm.. as for me? I had to arm wrestle the girl who tied with me. Which would be fine if the girl across the table from me was Nicole Richie. Let's be honest, I'd win in a second. This was NOT Nicole Richie. That being said, I went down in 2.5. Awesome. So I lost the prizes: a magic eight ball and shower caps. They felt bad for me and gave me a tee-shirt. Haha...

Then the final round arrived. The last game of the night. "Blackout." It's where you must have every number on your card called out in order to win. The Grand Prize? 120 bucks. Our table was determined to win. So was everyone else in the room.

Music was playing, people were laughing and glasses were clinking. It takes a while to get an entire BINGO card filled. At this point people are managing two or three cards because some have given up and left. Randomly you'd hear: "Yessss!!" "I needed that one!" "Ugh... that wasn't me." "Give mamma a G-16." I'm telling you, BINGO is serious. So we get down to the wire and I'm looking at my card. I need two more. She calls the number. Suddenly I need one more. B-1. All I need is for Murray Hill (the Host) to call out B-1 and I have BINGO.

The anticipation. The suspense. Murray reaches in and grabs the ball. She looks at it. Smiles. Will you just tell us the damn number puh-lease?? "Ladies and gentlemen.... the next one is.... B.... 1."

BBBBBB-I-N-G-O!!!
Biiiinnngggg-freaking o!!
My whole table errupted into cheers and high fives! We were all so excited.
Ha... I may have lost the arm wrestle competition but took home the big prize!! Really, it's the simple things in life that are so fun.

Bunch of random (some surprising) storylines are coming out over the last few days. No, I'm not talking about Britney. Bless her heart, that whole thing is a complete mess.

But while we are on the subject of someone who hasn't exactly adjusted to the parenting lifestyle, lets talk about the newest daddy to be in the NFL. TOM BRADY. Ladies, yes he may be back on the dating scene (Giselle Bundchen is currently holding the QB down in Paris.) However Brady's ex-girlfriend busted any new romance bubble when she announced she's carrying a mini-Patriots fan. Three months pregnant and keeping it, Bridget Moynahan dropped a bomb over the weekend. Today Brady's camp made a statement through his agent, Don Yee. "Tom and his family are excited about the pregnancy, and want to thank everyone who has shown support, and particularly for their consideration of Tom's privacy." Hmmm...

Alex Rodriguez. Derek Jeter. Yankees. Drama. Nothing new. A-Rod yesterday decided to tell reporters that no, he and Jeter are no longer BFFAE (that would be Best Friends Forever And Ever. I realize guys didn't carry around BFFAE charms when they were in elementary school. Liz-do you still have yours?) Now people are saying they aren't surprised by this honest confession, yet they keep writing about it and making it a big deal. According to Jeter, "It's annoying to hear about it all the time. Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is." Meanwhile, Bernie Williams still hasn't shown up in Florida leaving Yankees fans to believe they may have to get through this season without him. Hmmm...

Dominic Rhodes played well for the Colts and got the Super Bowl ring in Miami.
He drove drunk early Tuesday morning and got a DUI in Indianapolis.
What luck.
Now NFL guys getting in trouble with the law is nothing new. But it does suck that this happens just a few days before Rhodes enters free agency. Seeing as how this isn't his first offense either, it will be interesting to see what happens. Bet he wishes he was still at Disney World. Hmmm...

And that was all after a holiday weekend.

On Sunday, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin face off on NBC.

Earlier in the season I hung out with some of the Washington Capitals and got a chance to interview Ovechkin. What a character. He seems very tame in the interview, but I can assure you the funny stuff got left on the cutting room floor.

Hear what he has to say about his mom, the NHL, fame and Crosby in the interview. Also, take note that in the piece, you see Ovechkin in his jersey. What you can't see is that Alex is wearing slider sandals, knee high socks, and his boxers. Told you, he's a character.

The brand new Fantasy Fix set was up and running for the very first time yesterday! It's pretty sweet and will obviously grow and change over time. I had to hold down the fort by myself as Gregg is still in Japan. (He flies back today). But this will be the new home for Gregg and I when we do the Fantasy Fix and Baseball shows!

Check out the video coming up later on today!

There are certain things I admire in people.

People who are funny.
People who can sing.
People who go out of their way to help others... just because.

Last week I went to a Fashion Show for New York Fashion Week and my friend Scott and I hit up the free magazine table like no other. I seriously dropped my pile of mags on the way to the subway at least five times. Which thankfully, Scott found funny.

Yesterday on the train I began to read Time Magazine and came across an article that I absolutely loved. My apologies to those who are already 'in the know' about this story, man, and idea. For those who don't know..

Blake Mycoskie just might be the coolest guy ever. After finding success career wise and TV wise, he picked up and moved to Argentina. You know, just to learn some stuff like how to tango and sail. (Like I said, cool guy). Well after looking around and seeing how many children didn't have shoes he decided to start his own company. The goal being, for every shoe he sold, he'd give a pair for free to a kid who needed one. Ok, this is a guy who'd never worked in fashion before. You don't just really wake up one day and decide "Hey, I'm going to start a shoe company." It's a great concept, but to actually pull it off is a little unrealistic. Unless of course your name is Blake Mycoskie.

The shoes are called Toms-Shoes for Tomorrow. And at only 38 bucks, you can have a new pair of shoes as well as give (at no extra charge) a pair to someone else. The article said that by the Fall he'd already sold 10,000 shoes. He went back to Argentina with volunteers and gave away 10,000 free pair of shoes to little kids. The word has spread and now more and more stores are picking up the shoe. Which means more and more little ones are getting new kicks sometime soon.

Next time you are stumped at what to buy for a friend, family member, loved one, neighbor, teacher, (do you see where I am going with this? Basically anyone you need to buy a gift for) consider getting Toms. Cause at least you are helping someone when you do buy them.

Here is where you can buy them online

Three things I never expected to see at a Dog Show:

1) Hair spray (lots and lots of hair spray)
2) Blow dryers
3) Hair straightner

Yet, yesterday as I walked through Madison Square Garden backstage at the Westminster Dog Show I saw that and more. 2,500 dogs were registered to show at the Westminster. Now add in the owners, the handlers, the stylists and the fans all backstage obsessing over their little pooch. As strange as it may seem to an outsider, its serious business to the people who compete.

So if I was going to ever enter a dog, I'd definitely make sure it was a short-haired. The longer haired dogs take absolutely forever to get ready. I'm talking hours and hours. First you wash them, then blow dry, then comb, then spritz with a water/conditioner mixture, then fluff. Now repeat for the next 12 hours and maybe your dog will be ready to go. Oh and I saw them cutting stray hairs after all the poofing. Plus hairspray. Don't want all of that hard work getting messed up or falling out. And somehow throughout this whole process the dogs stand there. Still. Calm. No barking. How do they do that? I can barely stay still for three minutes.

A few of my "What?!" moments:
I witnessed one lady take a sharpie marker and color in her dogs toe nails.
I saw a guy using a hair straightner on a dog that weighed no more then four pounds soaking wet.
I saw a little girl sitting inside the dog crate coloring.

If you ever go:
Dress like you are going to the beach. It is sooooooo hot backstage.
Don't bring big bags. Trying to push through the crowd is hard enough, why torture yourself by adding on excessive extras.
Hang out with the guys at Chocolate Champions. Really funny and if they like you, you might get some goodies.

Our story should be up soon...

A new little item I'm going to have on my blog is "Five Questions With _________" (insert athlete, celeb, interesting person, if slow day: a family member). Every couple of days I'll feature someone new. That way you get to learn a little something extra about the people you're reading about on all the sites. To kick things off... we begin with Steve Smith - Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver

What is the last song played on your ipod?
God's Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash

What celebrity would you most like to trade places with and why?
Denzel Washington because he plays so many different roles.

What's the one website you just can't live without?
iTunes Apple Website.

What did you do with your first paycheck?
Bought my first car!

What's your favorite thing in your closet?
Shoes, I love shoes.

Hey check this out. Great recap of Super Bowl, Miami, and all the peeps who took the time to talk with us.

Um... my blog has been a little slow the last few days. I admit it, I've been a slacker. There, I'll call myself out on it.

It's definitely taken me a few days to recover from the Super Bowl. That was such an intense go-go-go experience. At one point towards the end of the week, I was buying something and while standing at the counter, I almost passed out because for the first time in a few days, I actually slowed down. Everyone I've talked to has slept amazing the last few days. However just because football is over doesn't mean things slow down.

Back in NYC and back to work... I'm getting ready to head over to Union Square to cover the Union Square Street Sessions. If you are a fan of snowboarding, come on over. It should be really cool. Starts at 3 and goes for a couple or hours. I'm also shooting this weeks Fantasy Football and Baseball shows out there. I'll be all by my lonesome because our buddy Gregg is off on a much needed vacation. Hopefully he has a good time hanging out with his soon to be inlaws. Fly safe!!!

Super Bowl XLI.
Miami, Florida.
February 4, 2007.
Colts vs Bears.
Manning vs. Grossman.
Coach Tony Dungy or Lovie Smith will be the first African American Coach to win a Super Bowl Title.

All of the above are facts. The rest? Specluation, predictions, hunches, and some lucky guesses made by the so called experts.

So here's my speculation, prediciton, hunch and perhaps a lucky guess. Not that I consider myself an expert in any sort of capacity... but rather as a formality, I should at least blog before I go and watch the game right?

I observed quite a bit over the last week. Media Day was interesting in the sense that the energy between the two teams was different. The Bears were like little kids enjoying the fun and hype of a football game for the first time. Just excited to be here in Miami and in the Super Bowl. The Colts were more business and focused. They radiated a strong feeling that this was finally their time, they were due.

All the hype will finally be just that in a few hours, hype.
One team will win. One team will lose.
One quarterback will go down as a 'great' and one will be just 'good' until next time.
One coach will be the African American who did it first. The other will be the African American who couldn't get it done.

Both teams are easy to want to root for...which isn't always the case in a championship game. The Bears are by all accounts worthy of the spot they are in. They might not always win in the most thrilling blow out victory type of way. They might not have the most consistent quarterback. But they win. And all you need is a W at the end of the day. Grossman has faced such adversity throughout the season and yet he has marched back onto the field with a silent determination to get the job done, no matter what the obstacle. Plus the guy played at UF and as it has been named "The Year of the Gator" luck just might be in his favor. The Bears Defense is without doubt one of the fiercest in the NFL. And as you know, it is Defense's my friend that win Championships.

The Colts are in some way the Saints team of last year. Dungy lost his son only a year ago. After that happened, so many people wanted them to go all the way. Yet they were met with dissapointment in the end. This team is filled with a lot of heartache. At Media Day, Dungy spoke about how he wished his parents could be here. He even mentioned the last game his mom saw and the last game his father saw. He said that when Lovie went to the airport to pick up his parents, he wished that he could share that with his own. Reggie Wayne lost his brother in September. If asked about his brother, his eyes welled and he politely asked not to have to answer questions about it. Peyton Manning is the man who so many times almost got here but has missed out. His career is highlighted by record breaking stats yet lacks the one title that so many say qualify you as a 'great' player rather then a 'good' player. Its easy to want to root for the guy to finally get that ring.

So Colts or Bears? The celebs picked their favorites all week long, the sports guys yelled about it all week long, the fans have wished for it all week long. I'll simply write it. Bears 27- Colts 21. Here's to a good game, great company and even better commercials.

Super Bowl Saturday Night was a big deal down here. Fireworks, music, parties and people EVERYWHERE! So after the Playboy Red Carpet, I was ready to head back to South Beach. The American Airlines Arena wasn't a convenient spot for two reasons: A) Its across the bridge which means off of South Beach which means mega traffic on the way back. B) Its right on the water which means freezing cold which reminds Tiff of what life will be like when she goes back to Manhattan. (I know what your sarcastic little mind is thinking: boo hoo, life's so rough. I concur. Things could be worse.)

So I grabbed a cab and about 35 minutes later was able to hop out close enough to walk a "few blocks" to meet up with friends. Ummm... a block in Miami is nowhere near the same as say a block in NYC mmmkkkkk. My feet officially hate me and are considering a boycott against all heels forever.

Ocean Drive ... home of all the gorgeous people and things all week long looked a mess. Kind of had this Mardi Gras feel going on but replace Bourbon Street with Ocean Drive. The historic buildings with palm trees and sand. Take away the Creole and insert the Spanish. Instead of beads as accessory of choice, it was team jerseys. And the kicker: drunk people and trash littering the streets. I don't know if they had a parade or what, but I feel so bad for whoever is responsible for cleaning that up today. A lot of drunk people roaming the streets (this is around 1 AM mind you) and people chanting for their team. The Chicago Bears were well represented last night!

I made my way to the Versace Mansion where my girls somehow have the hook up. As Terrell Owens went in the front, I snuck in through the back doorway (complete with the sketchy alley and secret security). The mansion is everything you've heard and more. Its gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Winding stairs take you up to multiple levels, there are fountains, ornate designs and decor, an amazing outdoor patio complete with a pool, bar and DJ. Upstairs there are couches and chairs, TV's and a slew of people. Important people. Famous people. Random people. It's pretty much awesome. And I'm pretty much exhausted.

The Playboy party started early. Here's a list of the people that I've run into during the night:

Danica Patrick
Ryan Howard
Joe Gannascoli (Vito Spatafore from The Sopranos)
Warren Moon
Alyssa Milano
Jeremy Piven (from Entourage)
Nas
Terrell Davis
Lil Jon
Tony Romo
Bunnies everywhere!

and surely more to come, as the night is young

I am at American Airlines Arena during the media check-in for the Playboy party. Right now there are fireworks going off over Biscayne Bay. There are spotlights all around the arena, cars are pulling up and people are getting out. We are expecting a long list of athletes and celebrities tonight at this party.

We are at the Maxim party at the Sagamore Hotel and it is absolute chaos outside. Fans are lined up trying to get peeks at all the stars. It is a media circus: paparazzi, cameras everywhere.

I got a chance to talk with Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who was impressed with my football knowledge, I might add Tony just got into Miami and is out for his first night. He will not be going to the game because he is flying to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.

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Tony said he is not sure who the next Cowboys coach will be. He also said he learned a lot of things this season -- little things that he will carry with him.

Romo's Super Bowl pick: The Colts, being a big Peyton Manning fan and all.

We have also seen Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez and Chris Isaak.

Once again, it is hot as hell here.

A little later, Steve-O made his way down the carpet. I made fun of his lack of ability to ref the football yesterday. He wasn't even supposed to be here, he just walked in off the street. He said now he is going to break something.

Terry Crews was here. I asked him what he has been up to in the few hours we haven't seen each other. He joked around about flags and how he keeps getting free stuff. I asked him what the coolest thing was he got and he said definitely the PS3 with his name engraved on it because "even if anyone steals it, it is still mine."

I also ran into Craig Ferguson. He is really pulling for the Colts so "Peyton can get his little ring." His show is on the road, and he is doing a live show Sunday. He said there would be a ton of guests on the show like Billy Bob Thornton and Mike Dikta.

Katie Joel, wife of Billy (who is performing the National Anthem for the game) made an appearance. I asked her, what do you know about football? Her reply: "Absolutely nothing." Hey, at least she is honest.

And of course there was Shemar Moore, from the TV show Criminal Minds. He likes to give kisses on the cheek (A LOT). He took the microphone and did the interview himself. It was the easiest interview I have done all week.

P.S. It is still hot in here.

About 45 min later...

Donovan McNabb walked in with his full entourage.

Surprise, surprise K-Fed = no interview.

Brooke Hogan and CariDee from Next Top Model is here. Also, Dhani Jones showed up. He was laughing at how hot it is. He said he was going to chew on some ice to cool down. Jones is rooting for the Colts his prediction is 40-30.

Former Laker and Best Damn Sports Show Period host John Salley arrived. He said everyone should leave Peyton alone. But his heart is torn between the teams. He also tried to say Miami and New Orleans are the only places to have the Super Bowl. Then he added San Diego. Oh yeah and Detroit! Ha.. make up your mind!!!

Fergie. Fergalicious is here. Said she is rooting for the Colts. She had a great time performing the other night. Says she still gets nervous when performing by herself. After the Super Bowl, her schedule is packed. She will be in Vegas for the NBA All-Star Game. (meanwhile, people are making out on the carpet. Gross).

Perez Hilton, aka gossip gangsta blogger is here. Said he is pulling for the Bears because Oprah lives in Chicago. I asked him if he met anyone totally cool this week: Andy Roddick was the response. As he said that, I saw Andy's head pop out from the entrance to the party. Sneaky sneaky!

Cal Ripken Jr. just walked in. He is not doing interviews, but he is here.

OMG. I got Terrell Owens. T.O. is rooting for the Bears. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has guys on the Bears and Owens said they are like a team and close to him. His prediction: 21-18. Like Romo, I asked him about getting a new coach. He said hopefully in a few weeks they will find out. I told him I spoke with Romo, and Tony told me what he had learned this season. I asked T.O. what did he think Tony learned and his reply: What Tony learned is every play counts and that will be important. I also asked him if Marvin Harrison will get a TD in the game. And Owens said, Yeah Marvin is going to do what he needs to do. P.S. Looking sharp, rockin' the blazer.

Michael Strahan walked in with his "girlfriend." Asked him if Super Bowl week was treating him well, and he said he was a little sleep deprived (so that means a good week). He said he has never been disappointed with a Maxim party in the past (can't wait).

Also, Jim Leyritz, the retired Yankee, World Series hero was here.

Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minillo walked in and right through the carpet. Nice to see ya'll, too.

Inside... honestly the party is gorgeous. I ran into friends outside and we all went back into the party together. A ton of people and music, flashing lights, drinks and definitely a gorgeous night on South Beach. Cheers!

"Ten to fifteen more minutes."

"He's coming in twenty minutes."

"Almost here...just hang in there."

Here I am, at the Super Bowl in one of the most amazing cities in the country. Its a beautiful day. I'm standing with my feet in the sand next to a half a million dollar glass house. And I'm waiting on Kevin Federline.

K-FED
FED-EX
PAPPA-ZOW
Mr. Britney Spears-formerly known as

The man has a lot of different names and apparently that makes him a celebrity. All I can say is that when he finally did arrive (with full entourage in tow) he didn't want to do any interviews. He actually looked annoyed that there were people with cameras waiting for him at the door.

A reporter from a local station down here in Miami was standing next to me. When K-Fed exited after five seconds of standing in the doorway to light a cigarette and walk around to the other door, we both looked at each other and laughed. Not because there was anything funny. More because we couldn't believe we were playing this game with Britney's babies daddy. Seriously?

So K-Fed went out the door, came in through another entrance and began to walk around. He let his bodyguards (if that is what they are) do all the talking and shoving. Literally a camera man got a hand put in his lens and was told to stop filming. He wasn't too happy when that occurred.

So K-Fed did his thing. At first people tried to follow, take pictures, ask questions. (Just so you know, I stayed in the back. I just can't chase a guy like this down.. at the same time here I am writing about him. Hypocrite?) Then he went upstairs and no one was allowed to follow.

The crazy thing about all of this is I passed the guy yesterday TWICE and not one single person noticed who he was. How the world can change in a day.

Ran into Alex Smith again, we hugged and said hey. He was still happy about his big win at the Madden Party last night.

Stacy Keibler was there as well. Another tall blonde!! Between her and Brooke Hogan, yours truly is a shrimp. I fully blame my parents for that one. She said she's pulling for the Colts.

I wonder who K-Fed wants to win? Guess we'll never know.

So we finally got to see the Sprint Style Villa up close and personal. It is a huge glass house that was set up directly on the beach at the corner of 8th and Ocean a notorious Miami hot spot. As great as the weather has been in Miami so far it is hot as hell today!

The Villa is crawling with celebrities and former/current NFL stars.
First up was Former NFL player and current actor Terry Crews.

He was in high-spirits being in Miami even though he attended Shaq's party last night. Crews was pretty sure he was still in recovery from the party and I'm sure this weather wasn't helping out his cause. He is in Miami with his brother just trying to enjoy the atmosphere that the Super Bowl has created in Miami.

Next up was a shockingly tall Brooke Hogan. While Brooke might be most famous for being the daughter of the Hulkster himself she is carving out a space in the music world for herself. Ms. Hogan was so tall I had to stand on my tippy-toes just to get an interview with her.

She is hanging out around all the festivities as a guest of Sirius satellite radio. While football is not exactly her cup of tea, Miami is practically her backyard so getting caught up in the environment has been an easy adjustment.

Next up was Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers. Now Mr. Driver was in an exceptionally good mood as the news of Brett Favre's return had found him earlier than the rest of the media. Favre called Driver himself this morning and said he wanted to be the first to tell him that he would be returning for another year.

He was overwhelmed with excitement once he heard the message and was in high spirits that the phone call just goes to show how close of a relationship they truly have. Driver noted, "Next season we are not going to leave our dirty laundry for anyone else. We are going to take care of our business on the field."

The excitement for Driver could not have come on a better day as he is celebrating his birthday, which caused for an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday from myself (I probably should have spared him the off-key notes).

He is heading back home tonight to be with his family so that they can celebrate his birthday.

When asked for a victor in the Super Bowl he tried to remain as PC as possible and avoid any straight answers. But I smooth talked him into telling me that he's rooting for the NFC despite his hate for the Bears, HOWEVER, deep down he thinks the Colts are going to pull this one out.

Stay tuned, K-Fed is on the way, help us all!

Boys and their Madden. It's serious stuff. Tonight was the EA Sports Madden Bowl Party. Chad Johnson, Alex Smith (Bucs), Alex Smith (49ers), Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, and Carson Palmer were players in the one night tournament. Basically the party is set up with a gaming station in the middle. Each player is assigned a spot, he plays against another guy, the one who wins moves on. Three rounds-one winner.

Ocho Cinco gives Gregg a shout out

HIGHLIGHTS-
Dan Marino. Yes, THE Dan Marino was my first interview of the night. Not too bad huh? The guy was incredibly nice (considering he had a camera in his face every second). I asked him how good he is at playing video games..he laughed and said his kids are really good at playing .. him? Not so much. His advice to the guys down here for the Super Bowl? Remember its business, they are here to take care of business and need to stay focused on what is at hand. Marino's prediction? Colts.

Next I spoke with the defending Madden Champ-Alex Smith. The man was ready to defend his title. Super nice guy, having a great time this week and just enjoying hanging out with all of his friends. Oh and he wears the invisiline too!! (Remember I told you Jerry Porter sports it too). He claims because he didn't wear his retainer he has to wear it now. See kids, it pays to wear the retainer!!

KNOCKED OUT AFTER ROUND 1: PORTIS, PALMER

As we moved through the party we came upon the one, the only, the Mr. Chad Johnson. Now not many people can say they've interviewed Ocho Cinco. However, an even smaller amount can actually say they've been interviewed BY Chad. Well, the microphone got turned around and I got asked the questions. Haha... it was really fun and he is such a character. Always entertaining and I can honestly say, cool guy. Hey Gregg... be on the look out for a special message too!

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Willis McGahee was there. We spoke about the Madden game, the Super Bowl, the Colts. Everything was going so well. We were really building a solid friendship. Then I brought up FSU and it all went downhill from there. See, McGahee gave FSU's defense hell for years. The entire stadium would shiver when McGahee got the ball because you just knew, you just knew that the guy was going to make stuff happen. He said "Hey, I'm 4-0 against FSU." I replied "You are sooo right. High five!" Friendship back on.

KNOCKED OUT AFTER ROUND 2: MCGAHEE, SMITH (49ERS)

Marcellus Wiley , a fellow NBC Sports blogger, was there. This is a guy who can talk about anything and put sentences together too! Haha.. seriously, check out his blog. Columbia Grad. Insider to the NFL. And a personality to boot.

Down to the final two... it was Chad Johnson and Alex Smith. At halftime, the game was tied. However in the second half, Johnson had a few fumbles and Smith capitalized.

So congrats to Alex Smith-two time Madden Bowl Champion. He's already claiming he's going for the three-peat. Until then, he's celebrating victory in SoBe.

The Motorola Football Field became a dance floor tonight as fans lined up to dance their way to two free Super Bowl Tickets. You'll have to check out the footage to understand, but seriously these people really really wanted these tickets.

The judges: not as intimidating as Simon Cowell BUT defintiely men worthy of saying yay or nay when it comes to judging the skills. Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Hall and of course the king of the endzone dance-Chad Johnson.

Some funny quotes from the night:
Chad Johnson: "If you're gonna celebrate, please do not be intoxicated."
Chad Johnson: "You gotta be original!"
DeAngelo Hall: "It's like American Idol-the contestant that knows they can't sing."
Chad Johnson: "Kid-N-Play's been done already man. Deion Branch did that in the play-offs."

Funny enough, if someone came out and in their routine did a move that has already been done.. Johnson would know. He called out everyone. Truly an expert when it comes to the endzone.

Steven Jackson said he's rooting for the Bears while DeAngelo Hall is pulling for the Colts saying "Peyton man you are my boy!!"

The winner of the night: Big Pappa Pump. He stole the show. He's got moves you've never seen before!! Stay tuned!

The rest of the Celeb Beach Bowl Bash was a ton of fun and of course a little crazy. Halftime was performed by New Found Glory. They were stoked to be back in their home of South Florida and performing for a hometown crowd.

Steve-O was hammered. Haha ... he had a hard time making some of the proper ref calls. Michael Smith had to try and keep the game under control. Ran into Michael after the game at the restaurant and he was laughing saying he had just been asked to ref the day before. He said it was the hardest thing to do!

Carrie D of America's Next Top Model said she had a great time. Gotta give the girl credit for playing against the boys. Steve Young said the advice he would give to the guys who are playing this weekend is to concentrate on the game. Leave the celebrating for next week.

Coach Matt Leinart said there were some faulty calls out there. At first I thought he was seriously mad so I said: "But you did at least have some fun right?" He starts cracking up, says he was joking around and that he had a really good time.

The biggest ham on the field was definitely Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis. He was cracking jokes, nicknaming people and pulling some pretty funny pranks on the field. Even though his team didn't win, it was a great game of fun on the beach.

The celebrity football game, being played on the beach, has reached the halfway point. Former NFL star Warren Moon is behind center for one of the two squads. Moon has promised that his side is a second-half team and that they are looking to make a comeback to take home the victory.

The game is loaded with celebrities, current and former NFL stars. Among the list of players competing in the game are; Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis, former NFL wide receivers Andre Rison and Tim Brown, current Seahawks receiver Deion Branch, former NFL stars Doug Flutie, Steve Young, and Ickey Woods are playing as well. Michael Clark Duncan is taking up an immense amount of space on the playing field while MTV personality Steve-O is up to his usual antics on the field.

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I had the opportunity to share a drink with Steve-O and boy was that an experience.

Current Cardinals QB Matt Leinart is holding the clipboard while coaching on the sidelines. Speaking of good-looking people there are models everywhere I seem to turn.

The real party has arrived.

Ladies and gentlemen -- Kevin Federline is on South Beach. I just passed him walking down Motorola Mile and picked him out because of his bling.

K-Fed won't be performing during the Super Bowl's halftime show, but keep an eye out for the debut of his Super Bowl ad.

Let me fill you in on a few things. At an event like the "Moves Magazine Super Bowl Gala Hosted By Reggie Bush and NFL Legend Jim Brown" there are a few things you should know.

First that is the longest title ever for a party.
There is a red carpet. [Obviously needed to show importance of event.]
There is a hanging backdrop with sponsors and logos listed. [A simple way of thanking all of those who willingly spent gobs of money on the occassion.]
There is a velvet rope to separate the papparazzi and the celebs. [Duh.]
There is a walkway exclusively for the guests. [A given...what party wouldn't have a VIP entrance?]
There is a grazing area for those hoping to get into the party. [AKA Normal people looking to be able to get at least in the same room with famous athletes so that they then can go back and brag about how they danced all night long next to so-and-so. Whatever, you know you've done it.]

There is a holding pen for those who are desperate enough to wait a few hours until the bouncer deems them worthy enough to get in.

What there is NOT is a person telling you just who it is walking down the exclusive walkway onto the red carpet to stand in front of the sponsor backdrop. For about two hours, all you could hear among the people covering the event was "Do you know who that is?" "Who's that?" "He did what? Played for who?" Personally, I found that funny. Seeing as how we are the 'media' and all.

Ok, so the list of people was pretty good. Richard Dent from the 1985 Bears was extremely nice and spoke with just about everyone. (He complimented me on my eyes so of course I will only write good things about him).

Jerry Porter and I high fived after I asked if he was wearing invisline. It's the clear thing you place on your teeth that straightens them out. His teeth looked fine to me but he is going to stick it out until he gets to stop wearing it in April...so be looking for a new straight and beautiful smile next time you see Mr. Porter!

Reggie Bush was the man of the party and handled himself so well considering the poor guy was being pulled from every direction. This was the second time I've interviewed Reggie and he really is a class act who carrys himself in a very assured yet calm and approachable way. He told me he was so glad to be a part of the Saints team and that things work out in mysterious ways (meaning he almost wound up in Houston). He also wears the most insane watch ever. If there is ever a shortage of diamonds in this country, that's because Reggie is wearing them on his wrist. It has some like six different time zones. We went through the zones and counted all the places he's actually been to. That would be two, maybe three. Haha.. he's got time to add to the list.

Erik Dickerson and Marcus Allen arrived together. They were having a good time just hanging out making their way back into the club. They both tried to say they aren't big partiers but I get them to laugh and told Mr. Dickerson I knew he would be dancing the second he walked in the door.

Braylon Edwards...such a nice guy. Seriously, he talked and talked and was sincerely having a good time. Plus he got extra style points for rocking the blazer jacket, shirt, jeans, and glasses look. (Guys, note to self: this is a solid look. Always works. Try it out sometime).

Alex Smith has longer eyelashes then me. Seriously.

Ray Lewis was nice enough to stop and talk to me (I'm not sure he stopped for anyone else). He didn't have a prediction on the final score of the game, just is hoping for a good one.

Other people who arrived and zipped right in were Michael Strahan, John Elway, Marvin Harrison, and Star Jones. Yes, I said Star Jones.

Alright, it's really really late which is cool if you are out on South Beach. Not so cool if you are in the lobby of your hotel drinking Gatorade (lemon lime - its the only way to go) listening to an ipod in your pjs. See you tomorrow!

Motorola has a gigantic football field set up on the sand. It has goalposts and yard lines, surrounded by a huge U filled with shots of fans so it looks like there are people sitting in the stands. They have three different pylons set up with jerseys: one is Brian Urlacher, one is Reggie Wayne and one is Marvin Harrison. You're supposed to stand at the 20-yard line and try to hit each one with a pass. You get points for hitting the pylons, and double points for knocking off their helmets.

My friends Todd and Geeter decide that I need to play the game. So they get me the small football (because I have midget hands), and I get ready. Geeter is on the microphone and there are people everywhere watching. It's all on a Jumobotron set up nearby, and there's a camera man filming you while you do it, so basically anyone walking past will see you. A little intimidating.

So I step up, throw my first one, hit Urlacher, and his helmet falls off.

My second throw is a little to right of Wayne, so everyone's cheering. Geeter is on the mike shouting, "TIFFANY SIMONS from Florida State, NBCSports.com!" So I say I want to try one more time. On the first throw, I hit Reggie Wayne, the helmet falls off. I was so excited -- everyone was high-fiving everywhere, and crowd was cheering.

I didn't get Marvin, but I did get two out of the three, and so far, no one else has gotten two out of the three (and they've all been men after me).

We're going to come back here tomorrow, when they're going to have an end-zone dance off. The winner gets two tickets to the Super Bowl. The judges will be Chad Johnson, DeAngelo Hall and Steven Jackson. Todd and Geeter said we could interview the judges, so we're looking forward to that.

Right now, we are on Motorola Mile. It's still under construction, but it's a strip of Ocean Drive where all the celebrity events and concerts are going to happen.

The cars that we have passed are insane: We've seen every hummer, Lexus, stretch limo, Yukon, Escalade, and of course they are all black with dark tinted windows. We think we saw T.O. in one, but that's questionable. Everyone is strolling up and down the street, checking out the other cars.

John and I got interviewed by a Hungarian TV show. The reporter spoke English but was also saying things in Hungarian, so we have no idea what we did.

After that we ran into a friend that we met at the New York Rangers fundraiser. He's from Bader TV, after we said hey, he told us that Friday night, J. Lo and Marc Anthony would be doing a duet on the stage that happens to be right where we were standing. He also promised us a sound bite with J. Lo on the red carpet. We're definitely holding him to it, so check back for that.

Right next door to where Miss Thang is going to perform is the Sprint Style Villa. It's this gorgeous two-story glass house that cost $500,000, complete with an elevator, even though it's built on sand. The entire purpose of the house is to look good. Right now there are random people milling about outside it, but they're still getting it ready. On Friday, it will be the place where all the celebs will be hanging out. Of course, yours truly will be sneaking in back door to get in on the action.

We're continuing down Motorola Mile, to check out some more of the stuff. I'll be back soon with an update.

Media Day is crazy in the sense that not only are you trying to get down the stadium stairs and onto the field in one piece, but you are surrounded by every major sports guy/gal in the industry. Maybe if you were in my shoes, you wouldn't gawk, but for just a moment put on a pair of Bernardo's and let's gawk.

Sighting: Security Line
Who: Chris Berman Stuart Scott going straight through (because they, unlike the rest of us, had no gear to carry)

Sighting: Media Day Circus
Who: Michael Smith from Around the Horn hanging out with Michael Strahan in the stands

Who: Terri Okita from CBS. When I was an intern I had to take down the feed (TV talk) when her packages would come into the newsroom. I'd recognize the voice anywhere and sure enough, when I looked up it was her.

Who: Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight. He tried to present an award to Rex Grossman in the middle of the circus. Judging by the camera guys reactions and the producers face, I don't think it went down how they wanted. It's so hard to get the shot you want because you are literally standing on top of people smooshed. The camera guys are on step stools or bleachers. Actually its an ideal situation for an awards presentation, what am I talking about?

Who: Tom Jackson. He and I are going through the lunch line together and we are both trying to do the "Is this the kind of bagel tray that is chewy or hard as rocks?" You know what I mean, you want to check it out but then if you touch the bagel, you kind of have to take it whether you want it or not because you've already put your grubby hands on it. Well, we both touched them and they were hard, put the bagels back, laughed, said don't tell and moved on. Let's keep that one just between us.

Who: Howard Eskin. We ran into each other at lunch as well. He said the QB job at the Eagles is McNabb's hands down. No question. Regardless of what Jeff Garcia does.

Who: Shannon Sharpe. Umm...best dressed award maybe? For sure.

Who: Warren Sapp. He's down here working for the NFL. He's also the biggest man I've ever seen. Which is good if you need a body guard. Not good if you were by yourself in a dark alley.

Who: Maria Menounos from Access Hollywood. She told me because her assistant wants the Bears to win, she'll pick the Bears on Sunday. Fair enough.

I could keep going, but the people at Starbucks are starting to give me weird looks. I've moved from chair to chair because as the sun rises, I can't see my screen. However the lady next to me is from another country and just asked if I thought she could take a seven dollar magazine out the door for free. Maybe my musical chairs act is fine.

We're at Media Day, which is held at Dolphins stadium. We got here early this morning and had to go through intense security: dog-sniffing, metal detectors, the whole nine yards.

Finally, we get in, and there are thousands of media here. We've seen Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Warren Sapp (who's working for the NFL Network), Tom Jackson, and even people from Entertainment Tonight, including Kevin Frazier.

Basically, what happens is, everyone rushes down the steps onto a blocked off section of the field, and all the Bears players are set up at different stations. You have to push your way through to the podium and ask your questions.

I talked to Rex Grossman, and asked him about all the criticism he's taken this year. Now that he's made it to the Super Bowl, would he like to say anything to his critics? Rex said no, that he was excited to be here and that's what matters. The time to respond to the critics is after Sunday, he said.

After Rex, we walked around, and hung out with a few different players, including safety Tyler Everett and guard Anthony Oakely. I even wound up getting interviewed by Telemundo.

There are not a lot of girls here, so when I found Maria Menounos from Entertainment Tonight, I did a little interview with her.

The Bears have all left now, and people are just hanging out or going to get food, which I'm about to do, too. We are just waiting until the Colts come at noon.

Location: Hollywood, FL
Venue: Hard Rock
Party Purpose: Kick off Super Bowl Festivities
Sightings: Jerry Rice, Shannon Sharpe, Don Shula, Leslie Visser, Jason Taylor, Bob Griese, Dolphins Cheerleaders, random mascots, among others
Musical Guests: Hootie and the Blowfish
High/Low: H: Dancing with Jerry Rice; L: Waiter spilling an entire pitcher of coffee down my jeans and into my purse. Awesome. Love the smell.
Simons Says Score: 7.5

The Hard Rock in Hollywood is this massive grouping of buildings. Kind of like a City Walk in Orlando. There is an outside area for bands and bars and then you can go inside venues to hang out. Thankfully tonight's party was inside in the main concert area (it's freezing outside).

So let's get right to what was cool: Jerry Rice standing next to me working it while listening to Hootie and the Blowfish perform on stage. [Side Note: Don't know when the last time you listened to Hootie, but the man sounds good! I was impressed.] So Jerry starts doing some moves, my producer moves to start filming him. I am watching thinking, 'Hey this is a once in a lifetime shot' and say to Jerry "Don't be shy, you know you want to dance for the camera." He then takes my hand and starts spinning me around. Ha. Man's still got them moves. Later when the concert was done I interviewed him and he insisted that he didn't get to dip me earlier and it must be done now. I wasn't about to tell him no. DIIIPPPPPPP....

I mentioned Hootie ... seriously even live, they sound exactly like the radio version of their songs. Well done.

Don Shula walked out on stage and the entire room erupted into applause. The man is a legend around these parts and rightfully so. Do you know anyone else who has coached a perfect NFL Season? Won 328 regular season games? Won two Super Bowls? Exactly.

Bob Griese took the time to speak with me right before Hootie jumped up on the stage. He was in attendance along with several other Dolphin Alums. He told me he's rooting for the Bears because his son will be out there BUT that he's very good friends with the Manning's and would be happy for them if the Colts won. I told him my prediction was 27-21 Bears. He smiled, said he liked it, and then agreed. I knew we'd get along.

The only thing that wasn't fun: coffee. All over me. In purse. Smelled. Gross.

Moving on... so the forty-first Super Bowl is officially underway. Let the parties begin.

Press pass. Credential. Plastic ID. Weird photo with name and affiliation. Call it what you will, but during Super Bowl week the thing is invaluable. You must at all times have this hot number around your neck if you want to hang out in the media room and eat for the next seven days.

So today, John Moody (my producer, cameraman, partner in Miami) and I went to go pick up our little golden ticket. We took the shuttle (sooo trendy to be riding on a bus down Collins Ave on South Beach. Really I suggest you try it) and arrived at the Miami Beach Convention Center. We made our way inside to get our passes and after the nice gentleman behind the desk told me I looked to young to be here, he handed me my pass and my free Super Bowl notepad. I officially became a member of the Media.

John and I decided to check things out (because we are nosy) and found ourselves at "Radio Row". This is where every radio station known to man calls home during Super Bowl week. The guys you are listening to on your way to work, on your lunch break, or while your wife is sleeping are all huddled in desks scattered around a huge ballroom. This is where the hype happens, the arguments rage and the fun starts. John and I decided to shoot some footage and as we did we began to get noticed for several reasons. A) John is really tall. B) He's carrying a camera around a bunch of guys who wear headsets and speak into microphones. They don't do cameras.
C) I'm the only chick to be seen anywhere.

Seeing as how I really thought we were just going to go and pick up our badge of honor, I didn't really put on make up or try to do my hair. This is South Florida. We don't do 'done up' we do 'beach messy and sunny cool' looks. So when I got asked to do interviews, I thought why not, its only on the radio. So here I am-the one who is there to interview other people-suddenly sitting at random tables with headphones and speaking into a microphone. I did a radio show broadcasting to Hawaii, ESPN and Denver. It was a blast. We talked football, FSU, Gators, Super Bowl predictions, parties and the good ole boys from Denver even had random questions for me to answer. I think I held my own against the boys. I just never imagined picking up a credential would be so fun.

Off to Hard Rock for the official kick off party. More later tonight!!

It was 1995 when we were first introduced.

He- a famous witty writer for a heavily circulated newspaper.

Me- an 8th grade brace-faced blonde toting around bags of candy to 'fundraise' for the cheerleading team.

The man who introduced us- my history teacher (or maybe that year the class was titled Civics? Should've been called 'Waste of your Time' but either way its irrelevant). We'll call him Mr. Woods. (Not because I think he would read this blog and figure out it was me writing this but because I can't for the life of me remember his name. And right now ESPN is running for the seventh time a story on Tiger Woods).

Moving on... Mr. Woods was short, scratch that, very short. He had messy (and at least two times a week greasy) brown hair. He wore un-tucked shirts, glasses, and triple knotted his shoe laces. He was the kind of teacher who must've hated teaching us and we were the kind of 8th graders who were... well typical. We didn't care about anything except what happened in the hallways between classes for the five minutes we were allowed to roam among our friends.

So when Mr. Woods read the column of He- a famous witty writer for a heavily circulated newspaper, none of us liked it. Nor did we get it. We were 12 and 13, way too young to appreciate the humor, the witt or the just plain original writing style of the author. Besides if Mr. Woods thought he was cool, then clearly there was no way He was remotely cool.

So today when I picked up the Miami Herald, I was surprised to see that on the cover was an article by who else? He-a famous witty writer for a heavily circulated newspaper. It'd been years since we'd last spoke, but this time I decided to give him another chance. I read it. I got it. And I laughed out loud at least four times.

So, if you're still reading this... I really suggest you go and read this It turns out Mr. Woods was right. Dave Barry is actually really funny.

Brian Urlacher at the Miami Press Conference...

On arriving in Miami...
Weather was perfect number one. It was exciting... I'm going to say that a lot cause I'm excited to be here. I slept the whole flight which was nice.

On Peyton Manning...
It's his 8th or 9th year. I think he'll be one of the best of all time (numbers wise). He has a start streak of 100 games in a row.. (On his commercials) I think he does a good job with the acting .. I like his stuff... It's going to be tough... we've got Peyton throwing all over the place... It will be a challenge but we're happy to meet that challenge...We are where we want to be since day one...its the biggest challenge to date for us..

On the last time he heard Lovie Smith yell on the field...
I don't think I've ever head him yell on the field.. never heard him say a cuss word... He gets his point across to us very well... It's the same with our assistants .. They all get the point across without yelling at us.. There is no doubt on what your job is on every play.. But the number one thing is your effort has to be good.. Everyone runs to the football, offense and defense. All he really cares about is effort... He cares about mistakes but efforts cure a lot.

On finishing the season and about the banner with word "finish" all over the hotel...
To finish it to us would be the Super Bowl champs... It's been the goal from day one.. We felt like we had the team to do it this year after what we did last year...and then coming out of nowhere... It's been our motto all year for the most part...whatever happens happens but make sure you finish all the time.

On following in footsteps of famous backers in Chicago...
It's a huge honor to play same position as Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary.. a great honor and tradition... not fair to compare me to them... they are in the Hall of Fame.. maybe one day I will be there.. but great tradition to play linbacker...

On the Super Bowl being a business trip...
It is a business trip... We had to wear our suits on the plane down here.. I'm just going to concentrate and practice... I'll get back to my room and be just like it's in Chicago.. I'll try to take my mind off the game when I'm not doing too much...

On dealing with media attention...
When I have to speak I will.. When I don't I won't. I do what I'm told when it comes to this stuff no more then I have to no less then I have too...

On is it easier to be here (Miami) rather then Chicago because they are the underdogs and what is Chicago like...
I'd rather be home... in my bed and my house.. in my own element with my routine...instead of having to travel.. Chicago is crazy right now... They are excited just like we are... but I'd much rather be there.. in my own environment.

On how important it was for Tank Johnson to make this trip...
My man Tank... He's great, he's a big part of this team.. we need him to win this game... For the most part he's got things cleared up. We're excited to have him here... He's my buddy, my friend... it's over with now and I'm just glad he's here.

Here are a few things Coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears just said at a press conference after arriving in Miami for the Super Bowl...

On being the underdog...
Have a hard time saying we've been in an underdog role with our record...we've met all the obstacles... here's a stage where we can finish the job one more time... we will get that respect that we deserve.

On Peyton Manning...
Again we give them all the respect that they deserve... I've known Peyton for a long time, since he was a freshman at Tennessee but we have a couple of scholarship players too.. hopefully we can slow them down a little bit.

On prep for the game...
We got a chance to put in 80-85 percent of our game plan...right on schedule.. we need this week. Been a couple of weeks since we've played... get in some practice. Get one good padded day of practice in...we'll go from there.

On impact of Big Sandy (Smith's hometown)...
I don't know how much impact I've had on Big Sandy but it's had a lot on me...proud to be from there. A lot of people making the trip down.. It's a town about hard work, small town, football town, more in that Friday Night Lights type of setting.. proud to be from there. Hopefully we can make them proud.

On the word "finish" being hung on signs throughout the Bears hotel...
After last years playoff loss... we had to come up with something... we needed to finish the season on a high note, we didn't do that last year. It seemed fitting to have that as our word...we've stuck with it. We've had a chance to finish a lot of football games... we've played a lot of close games (Arizona) and some kind of way we find a way to pull it out. We're anxious to have that opportunity.

I'm here! Back in my home of South Florida for the Super Bowl. Flew down this morning. I always forget how on any flight into Miami International Airport they always announce everything in BOTH English and Spanish. Maybe by the end of the week I'll be able to blog in both English and Spanish. Today was a perfect sunny day. Its so pretty outside. Plus its nice to know that I don't have to use my winter coat for the next week! Got all settled in to my 'home' for the week. I'm staying at one of the many NFL Media Hotels and already the media are storming South Beach. When I pulled up to the hotel, the guy in front of me got out of his car wearing a Bears sweater and carrying camera gear. Then at check in I saw another camera guy and his reporter come in. "We" as in the media are resorting back to the days of elementary school for transportation. Everyone is hoping on the bus and being shuttled from place to place throughout the week I'm sure new friends will be made considering we're all going to be at the same spots.

This whole week is looking to be pretty packed with all kinds of parties and events to celebrate the big game. We get our 'golden ticket' aka credentials on Monday. I think that night our plan is to head over to the Hard Rock and attend the kickoff party. And then on Tuesday its an early morning as it is Media Day.

I know the Bears Team arrives tomorrow around 4. They are doing a little photo shoot at the airport and then going to their hotel.

The streets on South Beach are lined with Super Bowl banners and signs. Ha, I'm watching the local news and they just ran a story on the Super Bowl Trophy. There was a presentation today upon its arrival and then it was taken to the stadium in a guarded car. Wow. Talk about taking things seriously. The next news story was on the NFL Experience at the stadium. Its definitely a little kids dream where you can run around all day and play football, take pictures and hang out.

Alright... I'll be back tomorrow with more from Miami! Have a good night...

Any credibility I ever had as a journalist was lost last night in the back corner of Virgil's Restaurant in Times Square. I interviewed two friends who dress as Da Superfans and cheer on Da Bears. There are actually four but tonight only two could make it. I don't think I would have survived all four together. So, two of the four dressed in true character joined me for some ribs and to talk a little football. They talked alright. However it was me who couldn't keep a straight face.

Let's discuss Da Superfan's outfit first so you can get a visual. The following are necessary before ever leaving the house:

Long hair-Check
Chicago Accent-Check
Bears gear (including but not limited too t-shirt, sweater, jacket, watch, and hat)-Check
Whistle-Check
Fanny pack-Check
The Bible: A book on Mike Ditka-Check
Mustard (Chicago Yellow Mustard)-Check
Pepcid AC-Check
Mustache (preferably one that stays on IF not authentic)-Check
Sunglasses (any style that existed in the 80's)-Check
Hatred for the Packers (apparently this is a gene you are born with if a true Bears fan)-Check

Now do you have a visual of what was sitting across the table from me? Is it possible to begin to understand why I couldn't stop laughing? These two 'fans' walked right into that restaurant chanting 'Da Bears, Da Bears, Da Bears, Da Bears' causing everyone to look and either cheer or yell something back about the Colts. Rory O'Callahan from Gurnee, IL and Larry Puchalski (pictured above) from Aurora, IL sat down and immediately tried to explain to me what it means to be a Superfan.

Watch 'Da Superfan Shuffle' music video

After ordering the sampler (ribs, popcorn shrimp, hush puppies, sausage and the key item: corn dogs) plus some PBR's the two began to talk. They read to me from the Bible-that of the man, the legend, Coach Mike Ditka. They told me how to make a true Chicago hot dog (there is so much junk on there, I don't think they even know what the actual hot dog tastes like). I listened to their favorite Bears players and how they are 100 percent behind Rex Grossman, Lovie Smith, Bernard Berrian, and Brian Urlacher. According to Rory and Larry, Peyton Manning's thumb hurts because he got a paper cut looking at his playbook and is wasting his time even showing up in Miami.

Rory had a hard time keeping his mustache on. Ha.. so thankfully he had a backup. When the video goes up, you'll see what I'm talking about. Scene 1-dark long black mustache, Scene 2-no mustache at all, Scene 3-short brown mustache. Awesome.

When I asked them what they would do if Mike Ditka walked in the door and offered them a beer I actually had to lean out of the camera shot so you couldn't see me laughing and the tears rolling down my face. I tried really I did. But I just couldn't get a question out without smiling, muffling laughter, or just plain cracking up. Nope, not exactly one of my more serious pieces in my career but definitely one of my favorites.

More with Mardy Fish...

Andy said he was playing as good as he cany play when you two met up in the quarterfinals. How would you describe your playing?
Andy played great out there yesterday. Everything that I came up with, he came up with someone better. Just one of those matches I guess.

What has this Major done for your confidence as a player?
Doing well in this tournament has been great for me, not only has it moved my ranking back into the top 25 in the world but it helps with confidence as well, knowing that I can play with anyone.

Can Roddick beat Federer?
I think Andy has a great shot of taking out Roger. If he plays as well as he played out there yesterday he can beat him. Roger is playing great as well and when he is playing his best tennis no one can beat him. But it will be interesting to watch!

Obviously you're going to move way up in the rankings. What are your goals for this year?
My goals haven't changed for this year. No real ranking goals, simply to just get better and better and keep working hard. I think everything else will take care of itself if I do that.

[DISCLAIMER: IF THE ABOVE TITLE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO YOU, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER, PUT IN THIS DVD, AND WATCH. YOU'RE A FEW YEARS BEHIND IN THE WORLD OF POP CULTURE. CATCH UP MY FRIEND!]

"Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."

So I went to a professional photographer today to get headshots done. First time for everything and in true Tiff fashion, it was an experience. I am not a model. Nowhere close to it. Yet, after today, I am a tiny bit closer to understanding what Tyra is talking about on America's Next Top Model when she says "You gotta own it." However, understanding doesn't exactly mean executing.

"Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."

Derek Zoolander maked it look so easy in Zoolander... Blue Steel, Magnum, always nailing just the right look into the camera. He was the perfect male moo-dell. I was, well, a fun participant. We were set up in a make shift studio in an apartment on the Upper West Side with lights and gear and a computer ready to download all of the images as soon as they were ready. Since I just bought a new camera (Nikon D50) I was more interested in learning how to use it then making sure my hair was in the right spot.

"Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."

We had to go into Central Park and shoot some 'summery' looking pictures as well. Reminder it's late January with a high of 38 degrees. Once you take away the dead trees, the fleks of snow on the ground, the black winter coat and get rid of my red nose and cheeks, it will totally look like a nice 80 degree day in the middle of July! Say Cheese! After what seemed like three days, ok three hours, we narrowed down 400 plus pictures to some 260. It's pretty easy to pick out the bad ones, trust me.

The funny thing is once Gregg got on IM, I asked him how it went. He says: "It was fine. Pretty quick." Boys have it sooooo good. Overall, I have to admit I had a blast. The guys I worked with have done so many cool shoots within the fashion, music, TV and sports industries. They had some great stories... but we'll save all of that for another blog, another time.

Until then... "Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."

I got up wayyyy early today. I am scheduled to go take 'official photos', if you will, to glam up my soon-to-come NBC page. These should be real funny for all of us... However, since I am up before the day ever sees light I had to check out how our friend Mardy Fish did at the AUS Open.

Roddick fries Fish, advances to semis wasn't exactly what I was hoping to see. Turns out, Roddick brought his A-Game and Mardy may have brought the nerves. Which is too bad. But let's be honest, when you go the furthest in your career at a Major and then have to face one of the best guys in the game, you can't be too upset if you don't win. Afterall, you're in Australia during the summer. I'd say G'Day mate to the courts and go hit up the beach.

Roddick still has his work cut out for him. If Roger Federer wins, the two will face each other in the Semis. "I would love to play Roger, I've lost to him a bunch of times. He's a great player, but I feel like I am improving a lot right now." said Roddick. Watching Roger Federer right now play against Tommy Robredo. Its actually quite good. 6-3, 7-6, 5-5 at the moment.

Enjoy the match for me would you? I have hair to dry and make-up to put on. Oh the joys of being a girl...

Bill Parcells has retired from the NFL. Do you think it will last? Is it for real? Or is this just a "I am tired. I need rest. This season sucked. So I quit." Either way, he always keeps us guessing.

So in case you are looking for a job, it's time to dust off that resume. Cowboys might be interested.

Mardy Fish is set to take on Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. It's number 42 (Fish's world ranking) versus number 7 (Roddick's). These two go way back and are long-time friends. Fish actually lived with the Roddicks in his last year of high school. So to think that now, finally, after getting his big break and advancing the furthest he's ever been in a major tournament, he has to look on the other side of the court to the very person he considers to be like a brother.

Big big win! You made it to the quarterfinals ... did you expect to be in this position when you first began the tournament?
No I def didn't expect to be in this situation, but it feels good to make my first quarterfinal in a major.

You and Andy are such good friends. How is playing against him any different from playing against another fellow competitor?
It's tough to play friends, but at the same time we are both professionals and we both know how much each other wants to win, so once we get out on the court we will be enemies for a few hours.

What's one way you have to adjust your tennis to play against Andy?
We have practiced together so many times so we know exactly how to play each other. We have probably played together hundreds of times.

Give me one funny story about you and Andy growing up together and being friends. (Keep it PG! Haha)
Growing up Andy and I were more like brothers than best friends. We fought a lot and competed at everything from tennis to basketball to racing to school.

Mardy's competitive drive has been key. This is a guy who played less then 20 matches during the entire year in 2005. Two wrist surgeries took his tennis a few steps backwards. Now, however, it looks like all Mardy is doing is moving forward.

It's decided. A done deal. The Bears, whether you believe in Rex Grossman or not, and the Colts, whether you root for Peyton Manning or not, are headed to South Florida for the Super Bowl.

Did you see...

...Bill Belichick pacing on the sidelines, right after Brady threw the interception that sealed the Pats fate. He just kept running his fingers through his hair, pacing back and forth. I think I'd want to pass on that locker room conversation.

...Reche Caldwell's eyes after he dropped the ball(s)? His whole face just said: "Did I really just drop that?" Yup, buddy. You did.

...Peyton Manning, sitting on the sidelines, not wanting to watch that last throw by Tom Brady. Too many times this game has not gone Manning's way. There was no way he was going to watch it happen again. So he sat with his head down and waited. Except today, when he looked up, this time it was different. It was his team with the win.

...The announcer congratulating Peyton and then saying: "One of the guttiest performances you'll ever see." Is guttiest a word? I'll have to get back to you on that one.

...Belichick's post game interview. I've never been so scared of a man who said so little in an interview.

What about Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith... two close friends taking their teams to the biggest game in sports. Wow. Not only is this already set up to be a great game, but what a story.

For Dungy, this time last year was possibly one of the hardest times he'd ever faced. At the end of 2005 he lost his son. Then just a few weeks later, his team went on to lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champions-the Steelers. Thankfully for Dungy, this time the month of January isn't quite so dark.

Next up: sunny South Florida, the Bears, the Colts and a game guaranteed to make history.

Mardy Fish did it! He has advanced and will now play fellow American and friend Andy Roddick. Here are a few questions Mardy answered for me about playing at the Australian Open.

Best thing about playing tennis in AUS?
Best thing about playing tennis in Australia is the weather. It's always really hot and makes for great atmospheres with the crowds.

Mentally ... how do you gear up ... how are you playing right now?
Mentally gearing up is the toughest thing to do in Grand Slams. The matches are so long, and if you can stay focused the whole time you're gonna be in good shape.

What would winning a major mean to you?
Winning majors is why we all play the game. That's the ultimate goal. To win a Grand Slam would be something really special.

After winning the first match ... did it boost your confidence moving forward?
Winning matches period builds confidence. Any level you win matches just as long as you win you gain confidence. So it was great to get the first match under my belt, beat someone in the top 5 in the world ... it really kick started my whole tournament.

Any stories you have with some of the guys you hang out with?
Some good stories ... James and Andy and I always go and play poker and stuff every night. We always go to the same restaurant the night before matches. It's a Japanese steakhouse where they cook the food right in front of you. It's great stuff!

It's really cool to be able to watch Mardy do so well right now. I sat with his dad and coach Todd Martin at this year's US Open. He played an extremely hard match before losing in a close one to Novak Djokovic. This is something he has been waiting for. And when someone really does loves what they do, you can't help but be happy for them.

Definitely go check out his own personal website. I'll have more from Mardy very soon!

I admit it. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of the University of Florida. However, I'd like to believe if I was a grown politician (IF being the operative word), I might be able to put aside my personal feelings and vote on this.

I get being loyal and all... And let's be honest, I didn't exactly cheer for UF in the National Championship game and they are from my home state! But come on? This guy (Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston) is the ONLY person who couldn't just raise his hand and say "Ok, I'll go along with it." Would it really have been that hard? All I'm saying is he should've just done it for the team, even if this particular one isn't his.

The Fantasy Fix today is all about the AFC and NFC matchups. Both games are really set up to be great games. Of course I'm sticking with my season long sweetheart pick-the Saints. As for the Colts and the Patriots, I'm taking the Pats. Regardless of the teams, I'm really looking forward to the Super Bowl. I actually head down to Miami the weekend before to check out all the pre-game hoop-la that surrounds the big game. Of course, I'll be posting a ton of pictures, videos and comments the entire week I am down there.

Last night, I went to Madison Square Garden for a really cool fundraiser. It was the Annual Winter Auction for Ice Hockey in Harlem. IHIH? is a non-profit organization created in 1987 that uses hockey as a base to teach life lessons to kids in Harlem. Guys from the New York Rangers were there to sign autographs and support the cause. I spoke with two adorable kids involved with IHIH, Alvin and Sydney. They were very excited about meeting the players and definitely love their hockey. Look for the story to be up on the site soon!

Imagine this: it's 2002 and you're meeting with a psychic. After getting through top questions like "Will I win the lotto? What kind of house will I have? Will Crossroads be up for an Oscar? Will the Red Sox ever win a Championship? (That was for you Gregg)" Suddenly the psychic looks deep into your eyes and says: "Speaking of Britney Spears, in 2007 she will be REJECTED from a Super Bowl Ad. Not only that, but her ex Kevin Federline will star in one." At that point you'd do what any other normal person would do, grab your stuff and run out. Seriously, that's just erroneous. Right? Wrong. It happens to be completely true.

Former "It Girl" Britney Spears is going to have to sit out this Super Bowl. Apparently, deals are underway for a pretty star studded commercial promoting the NFL Network to air during the game on February 4th. The story goes a little like this: Spears Camp approached. Spears Camp asked to be involved. Spears Camp got denied. To top it off, how's this for a quote? "She's too much of a train wreck." I mean, aren't there nicer ways to say we'd rather not be associated with you?

So with American Idol starting tonight, I feel like it's the perfect time to build up my confidence. Yes, I lost the play-off picks to Gregg. [DISCLAIMER: Its the stupid spread that kills me every time. I'm pretty good at guessing which team will win.] So in my defeat, I must sing. Tonight's American Idol episode will surely show me that there are worse singers out there then me. Example: William Hung. I rest my case.

On the subject of TV, the Golden Globes were last night. How funny was Sacha Baron Cohen's acceptance speech? In case you missed it, check it out. I wouldn't want you to be left out.

Also, for all you Tennis fans, the Australian Open is well underway. Mardy Fish is from my hometown back in Florida and had a killer game against the fourth seed Ivan Ljubicic. From an NBC Sports article: "It was a great opportunity to play someone like him, to show everyone I can play, that I'm back," Fish, 25, said of the big-serving Croat Ljubicic.

He advanced to the second round along with Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and James Blake.

Four teams left on the road to the Super Bowl: the Bears, the Colts, the Saints and now the Patriots. That was some game tonight and as much as I was pulling for San Diego to win, Brady and the Patriots get it done when they need to most. Here's a snippet of an IM conversation with Gregg and I shortly after the win:

tiff (8:25:32 PM): O...M...G....
gregg (8:25:39 PM): WOOOOO
tiff (8:25:49 PM): HAHAAAA..
tiff (8:26:01 PM): YOU GOT SOOOOO LUCKY
tiff (8:26:03 PM): SO LUCKY
tiff (8:26:06 PM): YOUR BOY WAS A MESS TODAY
gregg (8:26:25 PM): whatever
gregg (8:26:28 PM): CLUTCH BABY
tiff (8:26:35 PM): yes it was
gregg (8:26:40 PM): they won against the best team on the road
gregg (8:26:46 PM): they find a way!

And that is what matters most, finding a way to win when it counts. No MVP Award. No amazing 14-2 record. Not even your home turf. None of that matters when it comes down to winning the game. Advantages? Yes. But even with the fans yelling (and if you watched even a play of the game you know it was loud) and an extra week to prepare, the Chargers couldn't get it done.

I really hate games that come down to the final seconds and are determined by field goals. (Hah, so does Tony Romo). I've been in the stands at way too many FSU games, cheering till the very end only to hear the words "Wide Left, Wide Right, and S0-Wide-You-Just-Lost." It always hits a sore spot.

And a sore spot this will surely be for the San Diego Chargers. It could've been their year. They played the whole season like this was 'the one'. However, the way the Pats played tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if this season was 'the one' for them. They just always find a way.

Well the Fantasy Fix made its debut tonight at Bradfords Grill and Tavern which is right up the street from our old place, Bobby V's. It worked out well and should make a fine fit for all of our Friday night shows. (Gregg and I are pretty easy going).

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Speaking of Gregg, the playoff bet is on between the two of us. Originally, I wanted Gregg to wear a Matthew McConaughey tee shirt and stand in the Stamford Mall passing out fliers recruiting people to create a fan club. It didn't go over as I had hoped. So now the bet is loser (that would be Gregg) must sing winner's (that would be me) alma mater fight song. "You gotta win win win for FSU..." Seriously, who am I kidding? We both know I'm going to have to sing the Hulla-whatchama call it for sure.

A good friend of mine sent out an email today that might peak your curiosity. Seeing as how he's a guy and most people who spend their time on sports websites are guys (no offense to the ladies out there) this article seemed fitting for today's post.

I must say, the writer really put a lot of time and effort into conducting one of the most in-depth college ranking systems ever done. (Insert sarcasm) All joking aside, its a good read for a slow day at work before you gear up for the weekend.

Note: I guess UF can't win them all.

Well at least David and Victoria Beckham.

Latest news claims the superstar soccer player will come to the U.S. after his contract with Real Madrid expires in June. Looks like Hollywood will have to make room for two more celebs. I am willing to bet the American female audience will grow drastically once Becks starts playing.

Gregg and I just finished taping the Fantasy Fix for Thursday. While we were waiting to start the show, he tried to teach me a song he sang at the Tulane Football Games. Between you and me, I'm not sure whats worse, my singing or the song? But hey, I'm a good sport so I'll learn how to sing The Hullabaloo Cheer.

If you get a chance, go to Chelsea Piers and look out from the deck on Pier 60 when the sun is setting. Its absolutely beautiful. That is where I was tonight for the 10th Annual Muscle Team Gala... its an event that benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association and it has an amazing impact on young children challenged by the disease. I just got back (its freezing outside by the way) and was really touched by the enormous support shown tonight.

A slew of athletes are involved with this cause and NYC was well represented by a ton of Giants and Jets players. I spoke with Jay Feely, Victor Hobson, Erik Coleman, Frank Walker, Justin Tuck, Sam Madison, and so many more. A big highlight for me was the chance to meet and speak with the amazing Nadia Comaneci. Let me just tell you, she looks amazing! She just had a baby boy seven months ago and still she looks like she is ready to jump up on the balance beam.

However, the real stars of the night were the little 'buddies' who were just glowing. I think the man who brought the most smiles was the great Mick Foley The kids love him! You could really tell that these little kids were touched not just because athletes filled the room but because there were so many people there who really cared and wanted to make a difference.

By Tiffany Simons

Dear Ohio State:

All you had to do was win. You had an entire country rooting for you to win. You had the number one ranking for the entire season. You, team, opened last nights Championship Game with a touchdown on the very first opening play- THE KICKOFF. Everyone cheered, fans in bars across the country smiled and thought "Here we go, the Gators don't stand a chance." Oh the irony.

There was an ANTI-GATOR party at a bar here in NYC. They called it "Bitter Bowl 2007." At the beginning of the night the bartender said, "As soon as the Gators screw up, free shots for everyone." We got one shot. One. Why you ask? Cause the Gators N-E-V-E-R messed up after the first five seconds of the game. The chanting, clapping and cheers were silenced as UF ran all over you. So thanks, team, for a very sober evening filled with:
"Are you kidding me?
Throw the ball!
Catch the ball!
Gettttt himmmmmmmm!
You're going for it on 4th and 1? What!? The?! Hell?! Are?! You?! DOING!?"

The experts were wrong. The stats were wrong. The predictions were all wrong wrong wrong. The only people who were right are the ones running around in orange and blue chanting "Double National Champions" and doing that awful thing called the chomp.

See it's not so much that the Gators won. It's that they flat out embarrassed the Buckeyes. EMBARRASSED. And no one saw it coming. At least not that bad.

And so thanks to you OSU the Gators are the Champions. The better team. The deserving Number One. Trust me, these fans won't let any of us forget it. And to think...all you had to do was win.

As frustrated as I was watching Tony Romo screw any chance the Cowboys had of advancing, I don't blame him. Poor thing looked so sad after it happened, you can't really hate the guy.

I spent all day watching football Sunday. Let me tell you, when you live in NYC and you go out to a bar NOT rooting for the Jets or the Giants, it's a gamble. But we made some new friends and the Pats along with the Eagles won. That means Gregg and I did pretty good picking out the games this past weekend... I think I'm finally catching on!

If you've had a chance to read CLICK HERE OR if you live in the great city of NYC... chances are you're enjoying warm, beautiful sunny weather. Of all the things to complain about (such as Notre Dame's embarrassing yet predictable loss) having a warm January just isn't one of them.

Some people are out searching for snow. Yeah, let me know how that goes. I admit, the South Florida in me feels a lot more at home in this kind of weather!

Rumors might really be truth...at least in the case of Nick Saban and Alabama. Well... whats done is done. Miami can get off to a fresh start and maybe Alabama will return to glory. Who knows... except one thing is for sure. The Dolphins can only go up from here.