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.   

Hello from beautiful Lake Tahoe! Actually let's make that smoky and beautiful. The fires around here have wiped out just about any view we might have had looking across the lake. But who cares, right? It's Tahoe, the land of casinos, boats and 83 of the biggest celebs and athletes.

Yesterday we set up shop in the back of the club house and piggybacked off of the guys doing satellite interviews. At times it was a bit of a battle to grab someone in between random affiliates and ESPN but we made it work.

So check out the video section for...

I sat down with Tony Romo, Carson Palmer and John Elway and got their thoughts on the situation with Brett Favre and Greenbay.

One of the greatest things up right now is the clip of John Elway imitating Charles Barkley's golf swing. Of every person I asked to do it, he was the only one who claimed to be capable of mimicking it. It's great.

Jason Kidd spoke to me about Brandon Jennings and the possibility of him skipping over the mandatory one year in college to instead play a year over in Europe. It was interesting to get Kidd's take because he knows Jennings.

I semi a bit made fun of Ben Roethlisberger for wearing sandals and his golf socks. He fired back asking what was wrong with them. After going back and forth, we called it even when we realized we had a mutual love for Florida State. The very first jersey he ever bought was Warrick Dunn.

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:

"I'll be ok (with the trade) and wherever I go."
Tiff: "So you'll be at peace with whatever happens?"
Jason: "Yes."
Tiff: "Honest answer?"
Jason: "Yes, really it's the truth."

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.

Good morning, from N'awlins! After being delayed at LaGuardia and arriving in Atlanta an hour late last night, we (John my producer) and I missed our connecting flight. We laughed it off (because of course this would happen) and patiently waited to be told when we could board our next flight, assuming it would be a few hours later.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Let's just say after a 100 yard sprint, 550 bucks, frantic phone calls to our All Star Production Manager Laura Harrington and a one way ticket on another airline later, John was on his sweet way to The Big Easy. I was left to chill in ATL and hope that standby on an 8 am Friday morning flight would turn into a seat. I went to sleep with my fingers crossed that my luggage would survive hanging out in storage and eventually find its way to LA. As I was told, "There's no way to know if it will be on the flight. You'll just have to see when you get there." Sweet. Thankfully, I've got amazing friends in the area and we took advantage of the unexpected reunion.

What matters most, is I made that 8 am flight.

I arrived to New Orleans with my luggage.

And the NBA All Star Weekend is underway. Stay Tuned!

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?

Obviously, it wasn't because he was impressed with her back handspring. In fact, I'd love to hear Meyer's recruiting pitch to Smith. I'm betting it went something like this:

Meyer: "Can you do a cartwheel?"

Smith: "Yes."

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.

"I was always a Florida State fan from being around Terry (Bowden) and them," Fisher said. "We had a really good team that year (1987). As soon as I got out of the game and we usually scored about 51 points, so in the second half I didn't get to play. I spent most of the second half trying to get radio updates of all the Florida State games. I always had a Florida State hat that I wore on the sidelines."

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.

John asked if he could use it. Ben replied, 'Sure, but it will cost you $200. John scratched his head, then thought, what the heck, I could use some help picking games. He pulled out his wallet and paid $200. John's picks were perfect that week.

The next week, John was in Indianapolis when he noticed that same kind of phone on the Colts' bench. He asked what the telephone was for and Manning told him, 'It's a hotline to God if you want to use it, it will cost you $500.' Recalling the previous week, John pulled out his wallet and made the call. John's picks were perfect again that week.

Last weekend, John was in Foxb oro, when he noticed the same kind of telephone by the Patriots' bench. He asked Tom Brady, 'Is that the hotline to God?' Brady said, 'Yes, and if you want to use it, it will cost you 50 cents.'

John looked incredulously at Brady and said, 'Wait a second, I just paid $200 in Pittsburg and $500 in Indianapolis to use the same phone to God! Why do the Patriots only charge only 50 cents?'

Brady replied, 'Because in New England, it's a local call.

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.