There. I said it. Now if everyone could fucking stop uttering his name every two seconds, I would greatly appreciate it.
Obviously, I echo the thoughts of the others that wrote previously on the 13th World Championship won by the greatest franchise in sports. And I did cry a little bit. And I didn't even have a kid, or smoke 13 cigarettes (although I may have smoked 12 poles, but I didn't think I got that drunk Saturday, whatever it was totally worth it), or listen to the game from the cockpit of my 8 cylinder racism machine. It was awesome, and even though that has been echoed roughly eight million times, I'm going to say it again. It was awesome.
I couldn't be happier, and I don't think that many teams ever have deserved it as much, and have gone through so much. It is a championship to be proud of. Thompson knows what he's doing haters, and I guess McCarthy (the Saturday ring fitting) knows how to motivate.
I watched every postgame show I could, and even two days later, I am reading everything I can. I want to soak it all in, and appreciate the greatness for what it is.
But a few things have happened that have made me question how big of a fan I really am on the grand scale of Packer fandom. First, my qualifications:
1) Grew up approximately 14 miles West of Green Bay.
2) To my knowledge, I haven't missed an entire game as long as I can remember. Sure, before the days of DVR I may have missed a part of a game here or there when I was younger. I may have listened to a few on the radio or whatever. But I would say I've probably watched or listened to somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 games, which discounts anything before I was 5, because I don't remember shit from then. This includes a three year stint in Omaha, that required trips to Packer bars.
3) I've been fortunate enough to attend 31 games. Which probably doesn't seem like that many considering I've lived within a half hour of the stadium for 23 years of my life, but fuck you. I didn't have season tickets in the family (I have an uncle with a pair, but that only got me to one game), and I don't have rich parents. I didn't have money before I got a real job, and I didn't have a real job (which really should be in like triple quotations because there are managers at McDonald's that probably make the same as me, and spent roughly $100,000 less on school) until about 5 years ago.
4) I once let Paul Hornung touch my peepee. (We were both drunk and he is a living legend, so screw you for judging me).
5) I wear a jersey for every game and the draft. And this jersey is of another grown man.
6) I'm not a complete moron.
I think that is a pretty solid resume.
So here is where I doubt my place.
1) I didn't spend $10,000 to go to the Super Bowl. First, I don't have that kind of expendable income. Unfortunately, the loans I have take precedent over anything else. I can't take out more. It sucks. Lots and lots of people spent money they didn't have to follow the team they love on the belief that this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity (even though this is the third such opportunity in my relatively short lifetime). They will pay for it later probably (or not, because people that do dumb things never pay for their mistakes).
2) I didn't sleep outside of a bar in sub-zero temps to watch the Packers play in the Super Bowl at a bar.
3) I didn't immediately jump in my car and drunk drive to either downtown GB or to Lambeau like thousands and thousands of others did. I'll be honest, the thought never crossed my mind. I enjoyed watching it on TV, and not going to jail. But I actually might regret this a little. It looked fucking awesome.
4) I didn't skip work against my employer's wishes to either stand in a snow bank or stand in a parking lot at Lambeau to watch players either drive by or get off of a bus.
5) I didn't skip work against my employer's wishes to pay $5 to sit in sub-zero temps to listen to players talk at Lambeau today. Nor did I start tailgating at 9am for it.
Other people, probably many of the same people in repetition, did all of these things. I didn't. Does it make me love the Packers any less? Does it make me less of a fan? I guess it depends on your definition of "fan". It definitely makes me less borderline insane. My defense is, there are a lot of 80 year old Packer fans that have seen the team win 7 or 8 championships who weren't there either. I'm not 80, but I don't think you have to inhale diesel fumes in -5 degree temps to be a fan. I'm just saying that isn't my deal. If you were there, good for you. Don't hate on me.
What is kind of crazy to me is that this has all set in for me, and I'm not sure that my life is really altered. Other than it makes me as a Packer fan that much better than every other fan in the NFL.
Also, BRETT FAVRE, BRETT FAVRE, BRETT FAVRE, BRETT FAVRE, BRETT FAVRE, BRETT, BRETT, BRETT, FAVRE, FAVRE, FAVRE
I'm going to have a fan perspective on the fake strike as soon as Jon gives his legal slant. Or maybe before, I dunno.
Showing posts with label Super Bowl XLV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Bowl XLV. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Super Bowl - California Edition
Big couple of days in my household, as I had the ultimate pre-party. If you can beat this, I need to hear it.
Super Bowl Sunday got off to a rousing start with the arrival of Logan Jonathan Gonzalez (aka "Wolverine") at 12:43 a.m. Words don't describe the experience, but it is in fact as cool as they say. The Packers winning the game last night was also a huge bonus treat for Angie and I, as it topped off an already magical day.
I can tell you all with absolute certainty that Logan is set for life to become the worlds coolest kid (at least if judged by Packer fans). Not only was he born on the morning of what would turn out to be the latest in the Packers storied history of NFL championships, he was immediately clad in green and gold and wore his Rodgers jersey while watching the game.
Logan was integrated into the Packers family by birth. His mother grew up 18.9 miles west of Lambeau Field, and I am an obsessed Packers fan who flies all over the country to attend multiple games per year (I don't miss a minute of Packer football). Now that he was born literally hours before the Packers won their fourth Super Bowl title, he will forever be known to Packers fans as "the lucky charm."
Since the end of the game I've had countless non-Packer fans tell me how hard they were rooting for our boys to win just because it "felt right" given the arrival of our Super Bowl baby boy. Even a Steelers fan told me she was kind of rooting for us on the inside due to Logan's arrival. So we had that on our side.
Sidebar -Skip to "end sidebar" if only interested in the sports portion of this article (but run the risk of some fun pop culture [albeit family-related] stuff). I try and make my personal stuff interesting for you unlike some ESPNMilwaukee twitter reporters (no need to mention names), but if you only want to read about the game go ahead and skip down to the next bolded section.
I know a lot of people say their kid is the coolest ever, but I'm going to give you a persuasive argument as to why, in this case, it's true. No lip service here, I'll give you evidence even though he's only 1 day old.
First off, Logan was born a Packer fan and his team won the Super Bowl on his birthday. A lot of kids in his class are gonna be pretty jealous about that if you ask me. Think about it, in second grade there will be some sort of show & tell presentation where kids are asked to research what happened on the day they were born. Only Logan can say that HIS team won the Super Bowl FOR HIM on HIS birthday (or at least that's how I'm going sell him on being a Packer fan and keep him from rooting for the Queens or Bears).
Next, I looked up notable February 6th birthdays and the list read like a "who's who" of badasses and insanely successful people. Here are the highlights:
1) Ronald Reagan- Born February 6, 1911.
"The Gipper" was a cowboy who ended the cold war and saved America from mutually assured destruction. He was born exactly 100 years before Logan, and is considered by many to be the greatest American in history. He belongs on Mount Rushmore.
"Cool" factor: 9.5.
2) George Herman "Babe" Ruth - born February 6, 1895.
Pretty much invented the Home Run and tearing the cover off of baseballs. Oh yeah, and he put a hex on the Red Sox that lasted 89 years. Since their fans wear lame hats and had a stupid movie called "Fever Pitch" made about them, the curse thing increases the "cool" factor by .5.
"Cool" factor: 9.0
3) Axl Rose - born February 6, 1962
If Axl weren't such a pussy, and had the nucleus of Guns 'n Roses stayed together for 10 more years, the "cool" factor would be higher on this one. Nevertheless, playing "Sweet Child 'o Mine" on my ipod on Axl & Logan's birthday was pretty cool.
"Cool" factor: 7.0 (adjusted because Axl is kind of a pussy).
4) Bob Marley - February 6, 1945
I've never been a fan of weed's effect on me, but I do appreciate a good reggae tune, and am totally cool with people who love getting high (except you Logan, stay away from drugs. Far away). Thus, the "cool" factor is definitely there for a musician like Marley. Plus, Angie had a smooth delivery, so it was definitely "No Woman No Cry."
However, Logan was born to a set of parents that kind of want to give him everything, and not in a shanty town, so if he takes anything from Marley, take away the fact that the dude was a bad ass who spoke his mind and was an artist with a loyal following many years after his death.
"Cool" factor: 7.0.
5) Aaron Burr - Born February 6, 1756
Former Vice President of the United States best remembered for killing Alexander Hamilton in a famous 1804 duel. While this doesn't sound sexy, anytime you are best remembered for being a participant in a "duel" and you were the dude that lived you get massive cool points from me! I mean, Burr shot Alexander Hamilton and walked away to talk about it.
"Cool" factor: 5.0
6) Tom Brokaw - Born February 6, 1940
I struggled with whether to include Brokaw in this article. On one hand, he doesn't reek of "cool." On the other, he's covered pretty much every important event in world history from Watergate through the Athens Olympics. This guy saw a ton of global conflicts worldwide firsthand. He passes the sniff test.
"Cool" factor: 4.9 (only because he can't be as cool as a guy who won a real "duel").
As for famous people that share Logan's parents birthdates, I was born on June 16. Tupac Shakur and Phil Mickelson share my birthday. There is definitely some "cool" there. Angie was born on September 26. Although doesn't have anybody on the level of Ronald Reagan or Tupac, she does have Linda Hamilton, who portrayed Sarah Connor in Terminator and Terminator 2. Again, there is some definite "cool" there.
I really enjoyed looking up the shared birthdates yesterday. It helped pass the time before Logan arrived. At one point it looked like he was going to be born on February 5, which would have made him the only famous person born on his birthday. He clearly didn't want that and stayed in until Super Bowl Sunday, albeit barely.
So there you have it. Our family of 2 is now a family of 3, and we couldn't be happier. Mom and baby are both doing great, and I've got enough energy to write, so that's a definite positive!
Yes, yesterday was the greatest day of my life. The Packer game certainly didn't hurt either!
Back to the game . . .
End SideBar
Thank god I had a lot going on yesterday and missed the 12 hours of pre-game. I'd heard enough by Saturday afternoon and wasn't going to change my pregame opinion (packers win a close one fueled by a game-changing play by the defense).
I tuned in right at 3:00 so that I could watch the teams take the field. I love watching players faces before big games with the hope that I can gain some insight into their level of nerves. Hines Ward and Ben looked very nervous, which surprised me since they each have 2 rings and one has a S.B. MVP.
On the other side of the field, Rodgers looked cool as ice, which was good because I've seen him look really nervous in prior big games. It was nice to see him get past all that in time for the biggest game of his life.
I don't think enough can be written about Christina Aguilera. Although it's been covered on this blog already, come on. Epic choke job. Only EVERYONE in America knows the lyrics to the national anthem. Since I was watching it here in the hospital (and not in a bar), I was able to pick up on it right away.
Look, I get it when Metallica is on day 185 of a 200 day tour, has been in 160 cities, is on enough drugs to eviscerate the population of Grenada and they mistakenly say "Arrree YOU READY St. Louis?"while in Memphis, but this is the Super Bowl, it's the ONLY time you'll sing this song this year. Total failure.
The game itself is gonna be a lot of fun to watch the second time through. I'm glad I recorded it, because I legitimately thought I was going to be sick in the fourth quarter, and I'm sure I've forgotten a good portion of the stuff I wanted to write about.
I'm not going to make a big deal out of it because I'll be forever grateful that he helped deliver a Super Bowl title to Green Bay, but I've harped on McCarthy all season about his mismanagement of the playbook with big leads, and I'm not going to stop now. Instead of his usual "run three times into a nine man front" big-lead playcalling, MM decided to keep testing the outside when it wasn't working. This led to 2nd and 3rd and long all day (and really pissed me off). The middle was wide open, and 5 yard passes take off big chunks of time! Please use them.
Nevertheless, the Packers got the big turnover(s) I was hoping for and Ben failed to deliver in the clutch (can't really hang this one on him though, despite the turnovers he had a pretty decent game). Add to that the fact that Rodgers cemented himself as one of if not the best quarterback in the NFL with a well-deserved MVP performance, and I'd say the Packers Super Bowl XLV experience was about all they could have asked for.
After the game was over I had some legitimate tears streaming down my face. Yes, it was the culmination of everything that happened yesterday, but more than that, I feel like us fans have really matured right along with this edition of the Green Bay Packers. Through all the injuries this year and all the bullshit that happened the past 3 years we got through it and are on cloud 9. I hope they keep partying in the streets downtown until Angie and I come back in 3 weeks. If they stop, I'm going to get them started again so I can enjoy it.
Finally, I'm beyond ready to put the Favre drama behind me. Welcome back Brett. It's not just the Super Bowl high either, although it is related. I feel like now that the Packers have won a Super Bowl without Favre it's time to be the gracious victor in the divorce and do everything that we can to bring him back into the fold. He's an important piece of Packer history, and it doesn't feel right rooting for him to fail. It's time to let bygones be bygones . . . after we're done celebrating the XLV victory.
In the next couple weeks I'll give you a column with my thoughts on the NFL labor-situation. Since I'm a management-side labor lawyer by trade, I can hopefully translate some of the posturing that will be going on between now and the March 3 expiration of the current CBA.
As a preview of the labor column, I will tell you all that I am completely confident that the Packers will kick off the 2011 season on time, and ready to defend their title.
In case you missed it, WE WON THE EFFING SUPER BOWL YESTERDAY.
GO PACK GO.
I can tell you all with absolute certainty that Logan is set for life to become the worlds coolest kid (at least if judged by Packer fans). Not only was he born on the morning of what would turn out to be the latest in the Packers storied history of NFL championships, he was immediately clad in green and gold and wore his Rodgers jersey while watching the game.
Logan was integrated into the Packers family by birth. His mother grew up 18.9 miles west of Lambeau Field, and I am an obsessed Packers fan who flies all over the country to attend multiple games per year (I don't miss a minute of Packer football). Now that he was born literally hours before the Packers won their fourth Super Bowl title, he will forever be known to Packers fans as "the lucky charm."
Since the end of the game I've had countless non-Packer fans tell me how hard they were rooting for our boys to win just because it "felt right" given the arrival of our Super Bowl baby boy. Even a Steelers fan told me she was kind of rooting for us on the inside due to Logan's arrival. So we had that on our side.
Sidebar -Skip to "end sidebar" if only interested in the sports portion of this article (but run the risk of some fun pop culture [albeit family-related] stuff). I try and make my personal stuff interesting for you unlike some ESPNMilwaukee twitter reporters (no need to mention names), but if you only want to read about the game go ahead and skip down to the next bolded section.
I know a lot of people say their kid is the coolest ever, but I'm going to give you a persuasive argument as to why, in this case, it's true. No lip service here, I'll give you evidence even though he's only 1 day old.
First off, Logan was born a Packer fan and his team won the Super Bowl on his birthday. A lot of kids in his class are gonna be pretty jealous about that if you ask me. Think about it, in second grade there will be some sort of show & tell presentation where kids are asked to research what happened on the day they were born. Only Logan can say that HIS team won the Super Bowl FOR HIM on HIS birthday (or at least that's how I'm going sell him on being a Packer fan and keep him from rooting for the Queens or Bears).
Next, I looked up notable February 6th birthdays and the list read like a "who's who" of badasses and insanely successful people. Here are the highlights:
1) Ronald Reagan- Born February 6, 1911.
"The Gipper" was a cowboy who ended the cold war and saved America from mutually assured destruction. He was born exactly 100 years before Logan, and is considered by many to be the greatest American in history. He belongs on Mount Rushmore.
"Cool" factor: 9.5.
2) George Herman "Babe" Ruth - born February 6, 1895.
Pretty much invented the Home Run and tearing the cover off of baseballs. Oh yeah, and he put a hex on the Red Sox that lasted 89 years. Since their fans wear lame hats and had a stupid movie called "Fever Pitch" made about them, the curse thing increases the "cool" factor by .5.
"Cool" factor: 9.0
3) Axl Rose - born February 6, 1962
If Axl weren't such a pussy, and had the nucleus of Guns 'n Roses stayed together for 10 more years, the "cool" factor would be higher on this one. Nevertheless, playing "Sweet Child 'o Mine" on my ipod on Axl & Logan's birthday was pretty cool.
"Cool" factor: 7.0 (adjusted because Axl is kind of a pussy).
4) Bob Marley - February 6, 1945
I've never been a fan of weed's effect on me, but I do appreciate a good reggae tune, and am totally cool with people who love getting high (except you Logan, stay away from drugs. Far away). Thus, the "cool" factor is definitely there for a musician like Marley. Plus, Angie had a smooth delivery, so it was definitely "No Woman No Cry."
However, Logan was born to a set of parents that kind of want to give him everything, and not in a shanty town, so if he takes anything from Marley, take away the fact that the dude was a bad ass who spoke his mind and was an artist with a loyal following many years after his death.
"Cool" factor: 7.0.
5) Aaron Burr - Born February 6, 1756
Former Vice President of the United States best remembered for killing Alexander Hamilton in a famous 1804 duel. While this doesn't sound sexy, anytime you are best remembered for being a participant in a "duel" and you were the dude that lived you get massive cool points from me! I mean, Burr shot Alexander Hamilton and walked away to talk about it.
"Cool" factor: 5.0
6) Tom Brokaw - Born February 6, 1940
I struggled with whether to include Brokaw in this article. On one hand, he doesn't reek of "cool." On the other, he's covered pretty much every important event in world history from Watergate through the Athens Olympics. This guy saw a ton of global conflicts worldwide firsthand. He passes the sniff test.
"Cool" factor: 4.9 (only because he can't be as cool as a guy who won a real "duel").
As for famous people that share Logan's parents birthdates, I was born on June 16. Tupac Shakur and Phil Mickelson share my birthday. There is definitely some "cool" there. Angie was born on September 26. Although doesn't have anybody on the level of Ronald Reagan or Tupac, she does have Linda Hamilton, who portrayed Sarah Connor in Terminator and Terminator 2. Again, there is some definite "cool" there.
I really enjoyed looking up the shared birthdates yesterday. It helped pass the time before Logan arrived. At one point it looked like he was going to be born on February 5, which would have made him the only famous person born on his birthday. He clearly didn't want that and stayed in until Super Bowl Sunday, albeit barely.
So there you have it. Our family of 2 is now a family of 3, and we couldn't be happier. Mom and baby are both doing great, and I've got enough energy to write, so that's a definite positive!
Yes, yesterday was the greatest day of my life. The Packer game certainly didn't hurt either!
Back to the game . . .
End SideBar
Thank god I had a lot going on yesterday and missed the 12 hours of pre-game. I'd heard enough by Saturday afternoon and wasn't going to change my pregame opinion (packers win a close one fueled by a game-changing play by the defense).
I tuned in right at 3:00 so that I could watch the teams take the field. I love watching players faces before big games with the hope that I can gain some insight into their level of nerves. Hines Ward and Ben looked very nervous, which surprised me since they each have 2 rings and one has a S.B. MVP.
On the other side of the field, Rodgers looked cool as ice, which was good because I've seen him look really nervous in prior big games. It was nice to see him get past all that in time for the biggest game of his life.
I don't think enough can be written about Christina Aguilera. Although it's been covered on this blog already, come on. Epic choke job. Only EVERYONE in America knows the lyrics to the national anthem. Since I was watching it here in the hospital (and not in a bar), I was able to pick up on it right away.
Look, I get it when Metallica is on day 185 of a 200 day tour, has been in 160 cities, is on enough drugs to eviscerate the population of Grenada and they mistakenly say "Arrree YOU READY St. Louis?"while in Memphis, but this is the Super Bowl, it's the ONLY time you'll sing this song this year. Total failure.
The game itself is gonna be a lot of fun to watch the second time through. I'm glad I recorded it, because I legitimately thought I was going to be sick in the fourth quarter, and I'm sure I've forgotten a good portion of the stuff I wanted to write about.
I'm not going to make a big deal out of it because I'll be forever grateful that he helped deliver a Super Bowl title to Green Bay, but I've harped on McCarthy all season about his mismanagement of the playbook with big leads, and I'm not going to stop now. Instead of his usual "run three times into a nine man front" big-lead playcalling, MM decided to keep testing the outside when it wasn't working. This led to 2nd and 3rd and long all day (and really pissed me off). The middle was wide open, and 5 yard passes take off big chunks of time! Please use them.
Nevertheless, the Packers got the big turnover(s) I was hoping for and Ben failed to deliver in the clutch (can't really hang this one on him though, despite the turnovers he had a pretty decent game). Add to that the fact that Rodgers cemented himself as one of if not the best quarterback in the NFL with a well-deserved MVP performance, and I'd say the Packers Super Bowl XLV experience was about all they could have asked for.
After the game was over I had some legitimate tears streaming down my face. Yes, it was the culmination of everything that happened yesterday, but more than that, I feel like us fans have really matured right along with this edition of the Green Bay Packers. Through all the injuries this year and all the bullshit that happened the past 3 years we got through it and are on cloud 9. I hope they keep partying in the streets downtown until Angie and I come back in 3 weeks. If they stop, I'm going to get them started again so I can enjoy it.
Finally, I'm beyond ready to put the Favre drama behind me. Welcome back Brett. It's not just the Super Bowl high either, although it is related. I feel like now that the Packers have won a Super Bowl without Favre it's time to be the gracious victor in the divorce and do everything that we can to bring him back into the fold. He's an important piece of Packer history, and it doesn't feel right rooting for him to fail. It's time to let bygones be bygones . . . after we're done celebrating the XLV victory.
In the next couple weeks I'll give you a column with my thoughts on the NFL labor-situation. Since I'm a management-side labor lawyer by trade, I can hopefully translate some of the posturing that will be going on between now and the March 3 expiration of the current CBA.
As a preview of the labor column, I will tell you all that I am completely confident that the Packers will kick off the 2011 season on time, and ready to defend their title.
In case you missed it, WE WON THE EFFING SUPER BOWL YESTERDAY.
GO PACK GO.
My Super Bowl
The Packers have won the Super Bowl. The good folk of Wisconsin were out in force last night, I'm sure of this.
My only real grievance with the celebrations so far has been the astounding number of people still doing the Brent who? thing. I get it, Favre is/was/always will be a complete turbo douche. That's fine, hell I even said it myself last night, Rodgers now has one more Super Bowl MVP than Favre. I just never really liked the whole Brent who? meme and I had hoped it would eventually die, you know 3 years after he left and we had just won a Super Bowl and all. To me, this game was less about proving Favre wrong and more about proving everyone else who doubted Rodgers and TT wrong, including some hack named Colin Cowherd. Nick Collins would have needed at least one more pick six and maybe another turnover/3 sacks to steal the MVP trophy from Rodgers. There was no way that award was going to anyone else.
So apparently Christina Aguilera skipped a whole verse of the national anthem last night? Two things, who was the first person to actually notice this? Cuz I know it wasn't anyone at the bar that I was at. Second, is this even news except for the fact that the over/under of 1:54 became an under when it very easily would have gone over 2 minutes with the extra verse? If it's not Vegas relevant for the Super Bowl, it's not news!
One more pre Super Bowl tidbit before I delve into my Sunday, the Packers were sized for their Super Bowl rings Saturday night. Either that's what normally happens? Or that's a crotch full of bowling balls from the boys upstairs in the Packers organization haha. EDIT: That is not normal and it was McCarthy's decision.
Coming into this game I managed to watch zero pre game shenanigans until about 30 to 45 minutes before the game started. I got to the bar that I had watched every game at since my appearance at Lambeau christmas weekend when we crushed the Giants. I was hoping it would be dead and it was, first person there, got my seat right in the middle of the bar, just like usual. I wasn't nervous all week, but I started feeling that knot as soon as the opening kickoff came. The game started off slow, players working out their own nerves, couple of jabs met by both teams, little sloppy offensively. Then Rodgers heated up, two quick scores, high fives were everywhere, 14-0 Packers. The jitters were starting to fade.
The Steelers got a garbage field goal and Jarrett Bush stole a pick at around mid field. I believe my exact tweet at that moment, which I immediately knew was a mistake because I'm not a fan of Bush, was "Four more years of Bush!". This will be relevant shortly and I'll explain myself at further length. After that pick, I knew we were going to score again, I just had that feeling, but I said aloud, man I sure hope we don't leave more than a minute on the clock for Roethlisberger(Did you know he's raped multiple women?). Of course we immediately score and I was happy, but I kind of groaned because I could feel that inevitable end of the first half TD coming. Little did I know how terrible that drive would be for my psyche.
The Steelers started marching, fine whatever, but then Shields goes down, fuck. Ok, ok this is fine, we can handle this... Woodson goes down. FUCK. I'm cursing up a storm, the world is over, we're done, stick a fork in us, shit. I started making deals with the devil in my head, just bring one of the two back, I don't care which one, just bring one back, we can do this with one of these guys back. My concerns are immediately brought to light when Bush does his where's waldo routine in the corner of the end zone. The only thing that would have made that play better for me is if he had fallen down and started flailing around. The next tweet after my four more years of Bush was "I fucking hate Jarrett Bush", because I do. He's a dimeback/special teams guru at best at the NFL level, which is fine, teams need roleplayers too. Let's just not talk this guy up into being some greatly improved player because he's slightly less shitty this year compared to last year.
At this point in the game, Nick Collins is your non media biased MVP, his pick six was terrific and he was an absolute beast out there. Did you see the way he was flying up on receivers and running backs? He was hitting people so hard they were literally flying backwards from the point of contact. It was amazing to watch, it gave me chills. That was exactly what you want from your best safety in the Super Bowl. Big turnover, points scored, punishing hits on whoever is foolish enough to wander within 10 yards of him. You couldn't have asked for more.
Still, we were up 21-10 at halftime and I felt like we were losing, I kept frantically checking Twitter for updates on Shields and Woodson, nothing, nothing, worst Super Bowl halftime show ever, still nothing. Finally we got word that Shields was questionable to return, but he should be back, whew, there was a chance now, up 11 points with 30 minutes to go, that we could win.
We go 3 and out and the Steelers immediately score a touchdown, good god, everything was going wrong, another 3 and out. The god damn plane has crashed into the mountain. I sink into my chair and stare longingly up at the big screen, it's glow flickering around me, mocking me. We're going to tease you until the end and then rip your heart out... The Packers punted again near the end of the 3rd quarter, still clinging to a 21-17 lead. I stared at a few commercials, one made me smile I think, I was dejected though, right before the break was over I decided to step out to have a cigarette. I'm about 2 drags in and the back alley explodes in cheers, I text my buddy inside, What happened! "You're not allowed back inside" was his reply. It was the Mendenhall fumble, the Packers were on the move, more cheers. I quickly finished my smoke and ran back in. Right as I got around the entrance way corner and looked up at the TV, Rodgers was firing a pass at a wide open Jordy Nelson that went careening off his hands and into the defensive backfield. My buddy just scowled at me, "See? You're fucking jinxing us!".
Thus begins the worst possible way to end a Packer Super Bowl win that I ever could have imagined. I sat down and put my arm over my eyes and say, how about if I do this? Nelson catches the ball and scampers for about 37 yards down to the 2. Hmm. I watch the next play and Rodgers gets sacked on a broken play. Hmmm. I put my head down in my arm on the bar, Jennings touchdown. Ok this is getting creepy... I started off the Steelers drive not watching, but it didn't seem to affect them and I watched their drive all the way down for the score and 2 point conversion. 28-25 Packers with 7 minutes to go. I looked at my friend and said, I know what I have to do. I got up from the bar, went outside and got updates via texts for the last 7 minutes of the game. I was so convinced that I was jinxing the game by watching, that I stayed outside for the last 7 damn minutes of the game. If that's not insanity, I'm not sure how else you would define it.
I'll leave you with this tidbit from Aaron Nagler of CheeseheadTV. This is Mike McCarthy's misson statement after he was hired by the Packers in 2006.
My only real grievance with the celebrations so far has been the astounding number of people still doing the Brent who? thing. I get it, Favre is/was/always will be a complete turbo douche. That's fine, hell I even said it myself last night, Rodgers now has one more Super Bowl MVP than Favre. I just never really liked the whole Brent who? meme and I had hoped it would eventually die, you know 3 years after he left and we had just won a Super Bowl and all. To me, this game was less about proving Favre wrong and more about proving everyone else who doubted Rodgers and TT wrong, including some hack named Colin Cowherd. Nick Collins would have needed at least one more pick six and maybe another turnover/3 sacks to steal the MVP trophy from Rodgers. There was no way that award was going to anyone else.
So apparently Christina Aguilera skipped a whole verse of the national anthem last night? Two things, who was the first person to actually notice this? Cuz I know it wasn't anyone at the bar that I was at. Second, is this even news except for the fact that the over/under of 1:54 became an under when it very easily would have gone over 2 minutes with the extra verse? If it's not Vegas relevant for the Super Bowl, it's not news!
One more pre Super Bowl tidbit before I delve into my Sunday, the Packers were sized for their Super Bowl rings Saturday night. Either that's what normally happens? Or that's a crotch full of bowling balls from the boys upstairs in the Packers organization haha. EDIT: That is not normal and it was McCarthy's decision.
Coming into this game I managed to watch zero pre game shenanigans until about 30 to 45 minutes before the game started. I got to the bar that I had watched every game at since my appearance at Lambeau christmas weekend when we crushed the Giants. I was hoping it would be dead and it was, first person there, got my seat right in the middle of the bar, just like usual. I wasn't nervous all week, but I started feeling that knot as soon as the opening kickoff came. The game started off slow, players working out their own nerves, couple of jabs met by both teams, little sloppy offensively. Then Rodgers heated up, two quick scores, high fives were everywhere, 14-0 Packers. The jitters were starting to fade.
The Steelers got a garbage field goal and Jarrett Bush stole a pick at around mid field. I believe my exact tweet at that moment, which I immediately knew was a mistake because I'm not a fan of Bush, was "Four more years of Bush!". This will be relevant shortly and I'll explain myself at further length. After that pick, I knew we were going to score again, I just had that feeling, but I said aloud, man I sure hope we don't leave more than a minute on the clock for Roethlisberger(Did you know he's raped multiple women?). Of course we immediately score and I was happy, but I kind of groaned because I could feel that inevitable end of the first half TD coming. Little did I know how terrible that drive would be for my psyche.
The Steelers started marching, fine whatever, but then Shields goes down, fuck. Ok, ok this is fine, we can handle this... Woodson goes down. FUCK. I'm cursing up a storm, the world is over, we're done, stick a fork in us, shit. I started making deals with the devil in my head, just bring one of the two back, I don't care which one, just bring one back, we can do this with one of these guys back. My concerns are immediately brought to light when Bush does his where's waldo routine in the corner of the end zone. The only thing that would have made that play better for me is if he had fallen down and started flailing around. The next tweet after my four more years of Bush was "I fucking hate Jarrett Bush", because I do. He's a dimeback/special teams guru at best at the NFL level, which is fine, teams need roleplayers too. Let's just not talk this guy up into being some greatly improved player because he's slightly less shitty this year compared to last year.
At this point in the game, Nick Collins is your non media biased MVP, his pick six was terrific and he was an absolute beast out there. Did you see the way he was flying up on receivers and running backs? He was hitting people so hard they were literally flying backwards from the point of contact. It was amazing to watch, it gave me chills. That was exactly what you want from your best safety in the Super Bowl. Big turnover, points scored, punishing hits on whoever is foolish enough to wander within 10 yards of him. You couldn't have asked for more.
Still, we were up 21-10 at halftime and I felt like we were losing, I kept frantically checking Twitter for updates on Shields and Woodson, nothing, nothing, worst Super Bowl halftime show ever, still nothing. Finally we got word that Shields was questionable to return, but he should be back, whew, there was a chance now, up 11 points with 30 minutes to go, that we could win.
We go 3 and out and the Steelers immediately score a touchdown, good god, everything was going wrong, another 3 and out. The god damn plane has crashed into the mountain. I sink into my chair and stare longingly up at the big screen, it's glow flickering around me, mocking me. We're going to tease you until the end and then rip your heart out... The Packers punted again near the end of the 3rd quarter, still clinging to a 21-17 lead. I stared at a few commercials, one made me smile I think, I was dejected though, right before the break was over I decided to step out to have a cigarette. I'm about 2 drags in and the back alley explodes in cheers, I text my buddy inside, What happened! "You're not allowed back inside" was his reply. It was the Mendenhall fumble, the Packers were on the move, more cheers. I quickly finished my smoke and ran back in. Right as I got around the entrance way corner and looked up at the TV, Rodgers was firing a pass at a wide open Jordy Nelson that went careening off his hands and into the defensive backfield. My buddy just scowled at me, "See? You're fucking jinxing us!".
Thus begins the worst possible way to end a Packer Super Bowl win that I ever could have imagined. I sat down and put my arm over my eyes and say, how about if I do this? Nelson catches the ball and scampers for about 37 yards down to the 2. Hmm. I watch the next play and Rodgers gets sacked on a broken play. Hmmm. I put my head down in my arm on the bar, Jennings touchdown. Ok this is getting creepy... I started off the Steelers drive not watching, but it didn't seem to affect them and I watched their drive all the way down for the score and 2 point conversion. 28-25 Packers with 7 minutes to go. I looked at my friend and said, I know what I have to do. I got up from the bar, went outside and got updates via texts for the last 7 minutes of the game. I was so convinced that I was jinxing the game by watching, that I stayed outside for the last 7 damn minutes of the game. If that's not insanity, I'm not sure how else you would define it.
I'll leave you with this tidbit from Aaron Nagler of CheeseheadTV. This is Mike McCarthy's misson statement after he was hired by the Packers in 2006.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Sunday
Time to settle in for 9.5 hours of pregame shows. For the 10,000 calories today (the wife and I spent $75 on snacks and booze for the two of us yesterday. I mean, so what if the saturated fat combined with the overwhelming stress might kill me. It might be another 13 years until this happens again.). For the three hour football game that will take 5 hours. For the commercials that non-football fans look forward to, but which haven't been good in a long time. For the 12 minute national anthem. For the pregame show to end, followed by the "kickoff show" which will take another 40 minutes. For Aaron Rodgers to have one of the best Super Bowl performances that a quarterback has ever had. For Big Ben to get sacked 5 times and picked twice. For the Pack to hoist the Lombardi trophy under an avalanche of green and gold confetti. For it to perhaps get a little dusty in here.
THE PLAN
Eating a lot. Watching Bucky smoke Sparty. Then finding something to do for three hours or so so I don't kill myself.
OTHER THINGS
-Rumor has it that an hour ago (8:30 a.m.), there were people lined up outside waiting to get into Stadium View to watch the Super Bowl. Reaffirms that a) Packer fans are awesome, b) I'm happy to be in my warm house drinking coffee.
-Last night I went to a b-day part for a friend. That douchebag "Fence Painter guy" with his douchy fence hat and douchy overalls showed up out of the blue, ate free food, and tried to get chicks to blow him. I hate that fucking guy.
-I'm REALLLY stressed. I had multiple Super Bowl dreams last night. 1) On a 3rd quarter FG attempt, the snap went through Matt Flynn's hands. The score was 28-27 Pit at the time. Later in my dream, in which I was at a mall drinking, not in view of TVs, and it was somehow attached to Cowboy Stadium, but not really that close, I found out the Packers won and Rodgers was MVP. Also a Predator, from the movie Predator was in the dream, and he spoke English.
THE PLAN
Eating a lot. Watching Bucky smoke Sparty. Then finding something to do for three hours or so so I don't kill myself.
OTHER THINGS
-Rumor has it that an hour ago (8:30 a.m.), there were people lined up outside waiting to get into Stadium View to watch the Super Bowl. Reaffirms that a) Packer fans are awesome, b) I'm happy to be in my warm house drinking coffee.
-Last night I went to a b-day part for a friend. That douchebag "Fence Painter guy" with his douchy fence hat and douchy overalls showed up out of the blue, ate free food, and tried to get chicks to blow him. I hate that fucking guy.
-I'm REALLLY stressed. I had multiple Super Bowl dreams last night. 1) On a 3rd quarter FG attempt, the snap went through Matt Flynn's hands. The score was 28-27 Pit at the time. Later in my dream, in which I was at a mall drinking, not in view of TVs, and it was somehow attached to Cowboy Stadium, but not really that close, I found out the Packers won and Rodgers was MVP. Also a Predator, from the movie Predator was in the dream, and he spoke English.
-It is hard to put into words what a win or a loss would mean to me. And what it would mean to Packer fans everywhere. This is probably going to mean the difference between the best offseason ever, and not dreading a work stoppage, and the worst offseason ever, compounded by said work stoppage.
GO PACK GO!
GO PACK GO!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Uncle
OK, I've officially had enough of the buildup. As much as I'm enjoying every media outlet on the planet earth pound every angle of every possible story of both teams into my head, I'm good now. We can play football. After the 73 hour pregame show that I think started yesterday afternoon on Fox, the 38 minute player introductions, which are only long because the Packers have 15 guys on IR and the 12 minute national anthem (take the OVER!!), we can finally play football.
I'm officially getting stressed. I would just like the game to be played now. I've got the final score: Packers 28, Steelers 13. I feel like Rodgers is too good, and I believe we will move the ball well. I don't think the Steelers offense is all that great. It is our time. Whatever happens, it is going to take me a long, long time to get over it.
I'm officially getting stressed. I would just like the game to be played now. I've got the final score: Packers 28, Steelers 13. I feel like Rodgers is too good, and I believe we will move the ball well. I don't think the Steelers offense is all that great. It is our time. Whatever happens, it is going to take me a long, long time to get over it.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Super Bowl Week: Media Day Edition
I'm coming to you LIVE from radio row in Arlington, Texas! Boy, the weather here sucks! Wait, I got confused. I'm actually coming to you live from my couch as I watch UW-Purdue on my big screen. The weather however, does in fact suck, although somehow Green Bay is missing the brunt of the blizzard that is hitting southern Wisconsin. The weather is actually not all that different here than it is in Dallas. And media people HATE it. I know because I heard local and national people bitch about it all day, and I didn't really watch or listen to that much stuff today. Here is a glimpse inside my slowly decaying mind today:
-They have awful weather in Dallas right now, and it made me think of three things: 1) It SUCKS to be one of the semi-normal people that cashed in your 401(k) to follow the Packers, only to have weather fuck up your trip. Can you imagine dropping $3k on a pair of plane tickets and then sit in the airport for two days? Jesus. Or to drive through this shit to Dallas. This is costing "normal", hard working Americans thousands of dollars they can't afford. I'm not kidding that there are probably thousands of people from this area who are putting off retiring for five years, or not paying for their kids to go to college because of this game. And many are getting fucked by mother nature right now. She is a dirty whore. Anyway, I hope you all make it safe, and you still find a way to drink 31 beers at Cowboy Stadium. The rich people that are having "difficulties" can suck my dick. Make your butler drive you there in your stretch Hummer or something. There will still be a Super Bowl for you next year (right?); 2) They are going to hold the Super Bowl at an OUTDOOR stadium in NEW YORK in FEBRUARY? This is absurd. You have been playing the Super Bowl in nice weather or domes for 45 years, and now you are going to chance a blizzard? Really NFL? Can you imagine the bitching and moaning if the media had to stand OUTSIDE in below zero weather? As much as I like January football in the elements, I'm starting to not like the idea of a Super Bowl in bad weather, because...3) I feel so fortunate that this game isn't going to be outdoors with this weather, because of the way the Packers seem to thrive, at least this team, which is by passing and timing. Weather can mess that up. I just feel more confident in controlled confines with this team. I'm not saying we couldn't win this game outdoors, I'm just happy it isn't.
-Reporter: "Did you hear from He Who Shall Not Be Named, or did you call him?", Rodgers: "No." Rodgers' tone: "Why would you ask me such a stupid fucking question. Don't you get that the guy is a prick and always has been? Are your really getting paid for this shit? If he called me, I would send him a picture of my middle finger, and then a picture of me fucking his daughter."
-Did anyone hear that the Steelers have been in Super Bowls recently? And the Packers haven't? And it pretty much means that the Steelers will win 73-0 unless Ray Nitchke comes back from the dead and plays middle linebacker? I think I've heard it enough. And I don't think it means shit. In fact, I'm going to do some research on Pro Football Reference. Here is what I did. I consider a Super Bowl team to have "experience" if they played in at least one SB in the last three years. Any longer than that means most guys on the team probably weren't around. Here is the list of Experienced v. Non-Experienced: (ED NOTE AFTER THE FACT: I honestly did not doctor these in any way to come up with a conclusion I wanted)
SBI: GB (Ex.) over KC
II: GB (Ex) over Oak
IV: KC (Ex) over Min (YEAH BITCH!)
V: Bal (Ex) over Dal
VI: Dal (Ex) over Mia
VII: Mia (Ex) over Was
VIII: Mia (Ex) over Min (HEHE)
IX: Pit over Min (Ex) (I would kill myself if the Packers lost 3 SB in 6 years)
X: Pit (Ex) over Dal
XI: Oak over Min (Ex) (Or 4 in 8)
XII: Dal (Ex) over Den
XIV: Pit (Ex) over Rams
XXII: Was over Den (Ex)
XXVI: Was over Buf (Ex)
XXVII: Dal over Buf (Ex)
XXX: Dal (Ex) over Pit
XXXII: Den over GB (Ex)
XXXIII: Den (Ex) over Atl
XXXVI: NE over Stl (Ex)
XXXVIII: NE (Ex) over Car
XXXIX: NE (Ex) over Phi
XLII: NYG over NE (Ex)
XLIV: NO over Ind (Ex)
So it has happened a lot more than I thought. 23 times in 44 years one of the teams had "experience" and the other didn't. The "experienced" team is 14-9. What I was interested in knowing, is of those 14 wins, how many times was the experienced team the favorite based on point spread? Answer: When the experienced team won, they were favored 11 times. Point spread is not a perfect indicator of who is better, but it is a pretty decent tool. To me, this means that only THREE times in Super Bowl history, did a team that was "experienced" beat a team with no experience that was better. (Super Bowls IV, V and VII). And it hasn't been done since Super Bowl VII which was in 1973.
So what does this mean? It means that Green Bay is considered, based on point spread, to be the better team. Experience hasn't mattered in this situation since 1973. I think history is on Green Bay's side.
-They have awful weather in Dallas right now, and it made me think of three things: 1) It SUCKS to be one of the semi-normal people that cashed in your 401(k) to follow the Packers, only to have weather fuck up your trip. Can you imagine dropping $3k on a pair of plane tickets and then sit in the airport for two days? Jesus. Or to drive through this shit to Dallas. This is costing "normal", hard working Americans thousands of dollars they can't afford. I'm not kidding that there are probably thousands of people from this area who are putting off retiring for five years, or not paying for their kids to go to college because of this game. And many are getting fucked by mother nature right now. She is a dirty whore. Anyway, I hope you all make it safe, and you still find a way to drink 31 beers at Cowboy Stadium. The rich people that are having "difficulties" can suck my dick. Make your butler drive you there in your stretch Hummer or something. There will still be a Super Bowl for you next year (right?); 2) They are going to hold the Super Bowl at an OUTDOOR stadium in NEW YORK in FEBRUARY? This is absurd. You have been playing the Super Bowl in nice weather or domes for 45 years, and now you are going to chance a blizzard? Really NFL? Can you imagine the bitching and moaning if the media had to stand OUTSIDE in below zero weather? As much as I like January football in the elements, I'm starting to not like the idea of a Super Bowl in bad weather, because...3) I feel so fortunate that this game isn't going to be outdoors with this weather, because of the way the Packers seem to thrive, at least this team, which is by passing and timing. Weather can mess that up. I just feel more confident in controlled confines with this team. I'm not saying we couldn't win this game outdoors, I'm just happy it isn't.
-Reporter: "Did you hear from He Who Shall Not Be Named, or did you call him?", Rodgers: "No." Rodgers' tone: "Why would you ask me such a stupid fucking question. Don't you get that the guy is a prick and always has been? Are your really getting paid for this shit? If he called me, I would send him a picture of my middle finger, and then a picture of me fucking his daughter."
-Did anyone hear that the Steelers have been in Super Bowls recently? And the Packers haven't? And it pretty much means that the Steelers will win 73-0 unless Ray Nitchke comes back from the dead and plays middle linebacker? I think I've heard it enough. And I don't think it means shit. In fact, I'm going to do some research on Pro Football Reference. Here is what I did. I consider a Super Bowl team to have "experience" if they played in at least one SB in the last three years. Any longer than that means most guys on the team probably weren't around. Here is the list of Experienced v. Non-Experienced: (ED NOTE AFTER THE FACT: I honestly did not doctor these in any way to come up with a conclusion I wanted)
SBI: GB (Ex.) over KC
II: GB (Ex) over Oak
IV: KC (Ex) over Min (YEAH BITCH!)
V: Bal (Ex) over Dal
VI: Dal (Ex) over Mia
VII: Mia (Ex) over Was
VIII: Mia (Ex) over Min (HEHE)
IX: Pit over Min (Ex) (I would kill myself if the Packers lost 3 SB in 6 years)
X: Pit (Ex) over Dal
XI: Oak over Min (Ex) (Or 4 in 8)
XII: Dal (Ex) over Den
XIV: Pit (Ex) over Rams
XXII: Was over Den (Ex)
XXVI: Was over Buf (Ex)
XXVII: Dal over Buf (Ex)
XXX: Dal (Ex) over Pit
XXXII: Den over GB (Ex)
XXXIII: Den (Ex) over Atl
XXXVI: NE over Stl (Ex)
XXXVIII: NE (Ex) over Car
XXXIX: NE (Ex) over Phi
XLII: NYG over NE (Ex)
XLIV: NO over Ind (Ex)
So it has happened a lot more than I thought. 23 times in 44 years one of the teams had "experience" and the other didn't. The "experienced" team is 14-9. What I was interested in knowing, is of those 14 wins, how many times was the experienced team the favorite based on point spread? Answer: When the experienced team won, they were favored 11 times. Point spread is not a perfect indicator of who is better, but it is a pretty decent tool. To me, this means that only THREE times in Super Bowl history, did a team that was "experienced" beat a team with no experience that was better. (Super Bowls IV, V and VII). And it hasn't been done since Super Bowl VII which was in 1973.
So what does this mean? It means that Green Bay is considered, based on point spread, to be the better team. Experience hasn't mattered in this situation since 1973. I think history is on Green Bay's side.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Super Bowl Week: Monday
I'm not going to lie. I doubt I will post every day this week. But here is what I have thought about today:
-The NFL Network, starting today, is running ONE HUNDRED HOURS of LIVE coverage this week. I will probably watch a lot of it. Why not?
-People in Green Bay are now bitching that the Packers don't want to do their potential parade downtown because a) I guess the one in 1997 was a shitstorm and b) the downtown kinda sucks. So they are having one on the route from the airport to Lambeau, which is not any different in my mind. But someone has to complain about something, so some bitch called in the radio station and said they should just "change the name to the Ashwaubenon Packers, because the Packers don't care about the city of Green Bay." OK, first, Ashwaubenon basically fucking is Green Bay, so shut up. It isn't like they are having the parade in OshVegas or Milwaukee or something. If you didn't live here you would have no idea if you were in Green Bay or not, much like when you are in the Metrodome, you don't know if you are in Minneapolis, or hell. Second, did this person really say "they don't care about the city of Green Bay???" Why? Because the Packers single handedly bring in $18 million dollars to the entire county every single time they play a game? Because Green Bay as the world knows it EXISTS almost entirely because of the Packers? This bitch loves her some He Who Shall Not Be Named. I know it.
-Some homeless couple won a free trip to the Super Bowl. First, if they are Packer fans, good on them. I'm jealous, but I'm not going to hate. Second, you are a fucking dumbass if you are homeless and don't sell these. I don't know your whole story, but seriously, if I was homeless for more than a day and someone handed me $10,000 (I've heard these tickets are the kind that are more like $25,000), you better fucking believe I'm selling them immediately. If they end up going, they are not real homeless people. I'm just saying. Third, I would like to know HOW they won. Especially since this thing was based on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and was a scavenger hunt of sorts. My semi-limited experience with homeless people would lead me to believe that laptops are scarce among the homeless community. I'm just saying.
-If you root for the Steelers, you also rooted for the Nazis. Fact.
-The NFL Network, starting today, is running ONE HUNDRED HOURS of LIVE coverage this week. I will probably watch a lot of it. Why not?
-People in Green Bay are now bitching that the Packers don't want to do their potential parade downtown because a) I guess the one in 1997 was a shitstorm and b) the downtown kinda sucks. So they are having one on the route from the airport to Lambeau, which is not any different in my mind. But someone has to complain about something, so some bitch called in the radio station and said they should just "change the name to the Ashwaubenon Packers, because the Packers don't care about the city of Green Bay." OK, first, Ashwaubenon basically fucking is Green Bay, so shut up. It isn't like they are having the parade in OshVegas or Milwaukee or something. If you didn't live here you would have no idea if you were in Green Bay or not, much like when you are in the Metrodome, you don't know if you are in Minneapolis, or hell. Second, did this person really say "they don't care about the city of Green Bay???" Why? Because the Packers single handedly bring in $18 million dollars to the entire county every single time they play a game? Because Green Bay as the world knows it EXISTS almost entirely because of the Packers? This bitch loves her some He Who Shall Not Be Named. I know it.
-Some homeless couple won a free trip to the Super Bowl. First, if they are Packer fans, good on them. I'm jealous, but I'm not going to hate. Second, you are a fucking dumbass if you are homeless and don't sell these. I don't know your whole story, but seriously, if I was homeless for more than a day and someone handed me $10,000 (I've heard these tickets are the kind that are more like $25,000), you better fucking believe I'm selling them immediately. If they end up going, they are not real homeless people. I'm just saying. Third, I would like to know HOW they won. Especially since this thing was based on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and was a scavenger hunt of sorts. My semi-limited experience with homeless people would lead me to believe that laptops are scarce among the homeless community. I'm just saying.
-If you root for the Steelers, you also rooted for the Nazis. Fact.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Not Much of a Day
I have come to the conclusion that two things should be illegal:
1) There should never be a Sunday without an NFL game (the Pro Bowl does not count). The owners want to play 18 games? Screw that. I say play 52! Seriously, I'm probably going to take a three hour nap and maybe play some vids. Productive day!
2) Green Bay Packer players should not be allowed to open Twitter accounts if they are incapable of not saying something stupid while your team is going to the Super Bowl. And this means you Nick Barnett and Jermichael Finley. I didn't necessarily disagree with them, and Rodgers probably shouldn't have called them out. But Twitter started it. So shut the fuck up. Twitter should only be allowed when you are going to say awesome things like YOTTO and Dallastexassuperbowl and Super Bowl or Die.
1) There should never be a Sunday without an NFL game (the Pro Bowl does not count). The owners want to play 18 games? Screw that. I say play 52! Seriously, I'm probably going to take a three hour nap and maybe play some vids. Productive day!
2) Green Bay Packer players should not be allowed to open Twitter accounts if they are incapable of not saying something stupid while your team is going to the Super Bowl. And this means you Nick Barnett and Jermichael Finley. I didn't necessarily disagree with them, and Rodgers probably shouldn't have called them out. But Twitter started it. So shut the fuck up. Twitter should only be allowed when you are going to say awesome things like YOTTO and Dallastexassuperbowl and Super Bowl or Die.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Fake Pleasantries, Brewer Tickets and My Unbiased Biased Prediction(s)
I was assured, several times, by employees and returning guests alike, that "no worries mon", the Packer game will definitely be available at your resort in Jamaica. This provided me some comfort during a treacherous drive to Sandals Whitehouse along the southern coast of Jamaica a little over a week ago. As we winded through a narrow road for almost two horrifying hours, I was able to observe a little of native Jamaican life. It appears 3rd world, but for a 3rd world country sure were a lot of fat people sitting in front of their tiny shacks/huts. I'm not sure what that means. It's definitely 3rd world, but not, like, West Darfur 3rd world.
We arrived, me checking my watch every 15 seconds and asking where I could catch the Packer game that was starting very shortly. They'll be showing it in the games room, I was assured. Ok, well, hurry the fuck up and check us in. We got upgraded to a two room suite, sweet. Fully stocked mini bar, huge bed, amazing view of the sunset and ocean. I find out we have cable TV and am actually able to catch the Steelers/Ravens game. Soon after, I whip a Red Stripe out of the fridge and settle in for the Packer game.
Well, things didn't work out like I had planned. The FOX station that was available was apparently FOX from Slovenia or something. It's barely visible, no one speaks English and they definitely don't have the Packer/Falcon game on. So we quickly leave the room to find this "game room." We find it. No Packer game but we're told by some random dude that another random dude is Skype-ing the game in the main lobby. Bullshit. The main lobby is empty.
So, I'll cut out the part about me swearing and making racially unacceptable comments and tip my hat to Sandals. I had no way to follow the game unless I had internet access. I needed to follow the game. Internet access costs money. So I paid and watched updates on Yahoo. That is a true NFL experience right there.
Other than that, we had a great week. This resort was fantastic. Red Stripe isn't very good and doesn't get any better when you drink it non stop for a week, but it properly played it's roll. I avoided all the drinks that sound like kinky sex positions (i.e. dirty banana). Only one hangover was had. My pale Irish skin heroically took on the sun and the sun beat my ass. I also found out that every American loves when the natives say "mon." We all laugh and giggle like little children. After observing this for a couple days I investigated and found out the employees are told to kick the shit out of the word. I had/heard several conversations where an employee responded with "ya mon" or "no problem mon" when it made no sense. For example, I walked by two lifeguards (they all speak English) and said, "How you guys doing?" To which one responded "Ya mon." I felt like exploring this a little deeper with those two but felt it was probably useless. But we did blatantly ask one employee if they're told to say it much more than they normally would, or if they actually say it at all during their regular lives, but he would only smile and not answer us. Anyways, it's awesome when they say it, and I laugh and giggle every time.
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Anyone interested in getting in on a Brewer 20 pack of tickets? You are able to pick which games you want to go to. The Brewer ticket guy is pestering us like crazy because Mrs Sports Bottle bought a 9 pack last year and it appears to be completely unacceptable for her not to buy another ticket package this year. A possible stalking charge might be in this guy's future.
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As all our (2) loyal readers know, I have been heavily involved in sports betting for a little over a year now. By heavily, I mean the one or two dollars a day I spend. I'll let everyone know I'm up over $650 due to the $900 I won with that 12 team baseball parlay last summer.
I've become pretty damn good at guessing the spreads of NFL games. I'm almost always within a half point of guessing the spread and I at least know who the favorite will be. I was wrong about the Super Bowl. I guessed the Steelers would be favored by 2.5. Well, the Packers are favored by 2.5. I figured that would quickly make it's way towards a pick 'em game. But again I was wrong. As I sit here, Bodog has the Packers by 3. If I were a betting man I would take the Steelers. But I'm not, so I'll bet on the Packers. I actually have two predictions because I can't imagine a more evenly matched game. I feel either the Steelers will win convincingly or the Packers will win a close one. So I'll say 31-17 Steelers or 27-24 Packers. Over/under is 45, so I'll obviously take the over.
I hate being the favorites. The Steelers are now have just a little more incentive to win.
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Packer/Bears was an interesting experience. We actually flew into O'Hare as the game was starting. I was able to program my DVR from Jamaica to record the game. I told Mrs Bottle that we needed to avoid all TVs at the airport. We walked off the plane and kept tunnel vision all the way to baggage claim, only to find out they have a huge flat screen TV 6 inches from the baggage carousel with about 50 people watching (most wearing Bears jerseys). So I said fuck it and watched a large chunk of the 1st half while waiting for our bags. It was rather intimidating. There were several large black men watching the game. I spotted a Neal Anderson jersey. Not that I have anything against big black dudes, and I'm sure they're all sweethearts, but I'm definitely a white dude who would not be considered big. Needless to say, I acted completely uninterested when the Pack did something positive. People have been murdered for less. I missed the first TD, then watched a bunch of the game, and then missed the second TD, but accidentally heard about it on the radio in the shuttle to pick up our car. Once we got home, we watched the entire second half, minus all the commercials, which is fucking awesome.
A couple observations -
It has always been my opinion that a team should never, NEVER, rush only 3 guys. But that's what Dom Capers decides to do against a 3rd string QB???? The Bears got lucky early on with their playcalling when we blitzed and the random QB made a couple good passes. But then we tuck our tails between our legs and decide to rush only 3? This did not work. I could understand if it was effective, but it wasn't.
Urlacher is a punk. He whined like a fucking bitch after Peppers' personal foul call resulting from embedding his helmet in Rodgers' face. That call was a no-brainer. Then there was the pass interference call immediately following that play. Both calls were obvious but Urlacher had to be pulled away from the ref. Your team finally had the golden horseshoe pulled out of their ass. Fucking deal with it.
I can't imagine how pissed I would be if I were a Bears fan after that play call on 3rd and 2 with 50 seconds left. A sweep??? That was beautiful.
What was Nick Collins doing on that TD pass? He appeared to be going for the INT but even if Bennett doesn't catch the ball and Collins does, he's gonna be 6 feet out of bounds. Then Woodson completely gives up thinking Collins is gonna make the tackle. I have hated every safety we've had since LeRoy Butler left. They are all completely overrated (Darren Sharper). Our safeties have to lead the league in open field tackle situations where they don't lay a hand on the ballcarrier.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Aftermath: Local Edition
I want to start off by saying that it is Tuesday evening and I haven't stopped smiling yet. I think if someone told me that they would give me 100,000:1 odds on the Packers making the Super Bowl if I gave them $100, knowing before I bet that the following was going to happen: early season-ending injuries by Ryan Grant, Jermichael Finley and Nick Barnett, season enders by 13 others, back-to back losses to the Redskins and Dolphins, a loss to Detroit, an injury to Aaron Rodgers and three straight road playoff games; I would have told that person to keep their money. Yet here we are. At some point after Ray Rhodes and Mike Sherman nearly drove a championship team into the ground, I doubted if the Pack would ever get back. But we are headed to Dallas.
Here are the top five things that stood out to me about Sunday, in chronological order:
1) Watching the game in the comfort controlled climate of my house. Good every time.
2) Cutler's fake injury
3) Raji's pick-six and subsequent dance.
4) Woodson's postgame speech. "One. Two. Three. WHITE HOUSE!". Gives me goosebumps.
5) The bonfire in the middle of the street next to my house. Yup, that happened. People in Wisconsin were standing outside in sub-zero temperatures around a bonfire set in the middle of a public street in a residential neighborhood. And there was DJ equipment set up, and a Packer music playlist going at relatively high volumes, including all of your favorites: "Go You Packers, Go, Go", "The Bears Still Suck", "I'm a Cheesehead Baby", "We Go Green Bay", "Where the Hell is Neenah", "G-Force", "I Love My Green Bay Packers" and newbies: "CM3" and "Fly Like A Cheesehead". Finally, one neighbor is a Steeler fan, so a large corn stalk apparently left over from Halloween decorations was burned in effigy in his front yard. No arrests, injuries or burned down houses were reported.
Aside from game analysis, which, like the last game will make me want to kill myself by the time the game actually rolls around, there are a few key questions to answer:
1) What will be the random, token trinket that takes off and makes someone a millionaire in Wisconsin? In '97 and '98 it was whoever invented the "Packer flag". I've heard they have similar things that are popular in L.A. for the Lakers. These things were ridiculous and obnoxious, and people flew those things for YEARS afterwards. And somewhere in the neighborhood of 98% of cars had them during the last two year Super Bowl run.
2) What am I doing for the game? Do I fly solo (other than my wife) for the game? Do I attempt to put together a select group of individuals that I can stand to watch the game with? Do I do a standard "Super Bowl Party" that I'm guessing I will get invited to? Do I do the unthinkable and go down to a bar in Green Bay and pour out into the streets with the locals after a win? Do I suck 12 dicks at once to raise enough cash to go to Dallas? Time will tell.
Here are the top five things that stood out to me about Sunday, in chronological order:
1) Watching the game in the comfort controlled climate of my house. Good every time.
2) Cutler's fake injury
3) Raji's pick-six and subsequent dance.
4) Woodson's postgame speech. "One. Two. Three. WHITE HOUSE!". Gives me goosebumps.
5) The bonfire in the middle of the street next to my house. Yup, that happened. People in Wisconsin were standing outside in sub-zero temperatures around a bonfire set in the middle of a public street in a residential neighborhood. And there was DJ equipment set up, and a Packer music playlist going at relatively high volumes, including all of your favorites: "Go You Packers, Go, Go", "The Bears Still Suck", "I'm a Cheesehead Baby", "We Go Green Bay", "Where the Hell is Neenah", "G-Force", "I Love My Green Bay Packers" and newbies: "CM3" and "Fly Like A Cheesehead". Finally, one neighbor is a Steeler fan, so a large corn stalk apparently left over from Halloween decorations was burned in effigy in his front yard. No arrests, injuries or burned down houses were reported.
Aside from game analysis, which, like the last game will make me want to kill myself by the time the game actually rolls around, there are a few key questions to answer:
1) What will be the random, token trinket that takes off and makes someone a millionaire in Wisconsin? In '97 and '98 it was whoever invented the "Packer flag". I've heard they have similar things that are popular in L.A. for the Lakers. These things were ridiculous and obnoxious, and people flew those things for YEARS afterwards. And somewhere in the neighborhood of 98% of cars had them during the last two year Super Bowl run.
2) What am I doing for the game? Do I fly solo (other than my wife) for the game? Do I attempt to put together a select group of individuals that I can stand to watch the game with? Do I do a standard "Super Bowl Party" that I'm guessing I will get invited to? Do I do the unthinkable and go down to a bar in Green Bay and pour out into the streets with the locals after a win? Do I suck 12 dicks at once to raise enough cash to go to Dallas? Time will tell.
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