I LOVE college football.  I have waited almost 6 months already for it to begin.  I have my schedule ready, I have fully viewed the roster and I have been secretly building my own line-ups in my head. I have the dates of the important games so that I can take off of work. (MY bosses hate when I stare and yell at the TV in front of customers)  The forks, plates and Gator pasta salad are ready and waiting to be put to the test on a fine Saturday afternoon.  So, my question for you, what are you doing to get ready?  Is this all baseball all of the time driving you mad? Are you already talkin' trash about this years team?    I can't wait until the end of August!!!! GO GATORS <<<<<

Some might have noticed that I have been a bit scarce around these parts lately, but it's not because I don't care!  I have been planning a trip to Ireland for close to a year now, and the countdown has begun! 

In 10 days, my friend and I will be on a plane en route to the Emerald Isle.  This was our 30th Birthday prensent to ourselves.  Guys.....for a girl, 30 is a BAD year.  So, we decided to drown our sorrows in Pints of Guiness and the finest Irish Wiskey a euro can buy. The sounds of traditional music and the sites of history and beauty will be a nice distraction from the realization that we aren't in our 20's anymore.

Here is where I throw in some sports to make this relevant.  This is the time of year where Ireland is bustling with festivals, horse races and sporting events.  We are missing horse races by days in a few locations, but we are going to catch some Irish football.  This is a combo of Rugby and Soccer.  Talk about  brutal..... I can't wait!!!  Europeans love their sports, so we made an effort to see an event in a stadium so that we can feel the excitement. 

I will also be driving. According to other travelers, this is a sport all on it's own.  I have been told to expect to lose a mirror, and at least a hub cap.  I am going to take them all off before I leave the airport!!!  Only one in six people have a drivers license, so it will be a combat situation.  I will be on the opposite side of the road and on the opposite side of the car.  Two strikes against me already.  I also have this "Big Ben, Parliament" scenario running through my head.  However, I took a tutorial on roundabouts that could prove effective.

So wish me luck.  I will pop in from time to time, but I need to focus on final planning.  Ahhh I can't wait.  14 days of no work and all play!

While at work, my co-workers and I were pondering the lucrative buisness of sports.  If I had won the lottery or something, I would totally buy a sports franchise.  Our only deabte was NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB?  We all agreed it would be a football team.  Simply more merchandise and more butts in seats.  Another debate was player salary.  Would we want a sport that players were not well paid so that we could rake in the $$$$?  Most of us still agreed with an NFL team.  What would you buy?

I have been known to chug a double shot of espresso before a 5K run.  About mile 1.5 my stomach rebels and I ask myself, did I really need caffeine that bad?  The answer is a resounding YES!!!  We have caffeinated water and other beverages, but now America will have something else.

The wonderful people of London now give us SHOWER SHOCK.  This my friends is a soap that packs the wallop of 2 cups of coffee.  It's wonderful pepermint smell helps with wake up process.  Within 5 minutes of your morning shower you will feel a pleasant, clean, caffeine buzz.  The stimulants get absorbed right into the skin.

This may save me the next time I have a morning run.  I will be alert and clean.  I may have to wash multiple times a day.  It will certainly keep my teeth white if I don't accually have to drink the stuff.  This could be the best coffee substitute yet!!!

My crack reporting on the Professional Pillow Fighting Leauge has had some of you asking..."Where can I see this?"  "Will it be in my area?"  "How much are the tickets?" and "When can I finally see my favorite fighter, Boozy Suzie?" 

I may hold the answers to these questions.  Your dreams may have come true because now you can be the dirty old man in your own home.  I am sensing theme party nights, involving kegs, ribald jokes and drinking games.

ESPN has purchased the rights to air the Pillow FIghting Leauge.  Now the ladies, who are scantily clad, big busted and full of angst, can battle it out for you in your own home.. for free!!!  ENJOY!

Touchy Feely ALERT for all you MANLY MEN

This post comes right off the heels of a busy weekend and a busy Monday.  What I learned over the weekend is worth writing about and sharing in light of a terrible American tradgedy.

This weekend I learned that people, all ages, sizes and abilities love sports.  Sports build self esteem and friendships.  Even the most rudimentary of events creates such a happy environment. This also is about volunteerism and how taking what you love and know, and sharing that knowledge, can effect others.

On Saturday I volunteered through my club, to help with a "Fun Day."  Now we can't call it a junior olympics or a special olympics because those are trade marked.  This was truely a fun day for all.  All participants were mentally disabled adults from 3 different schools in our area.  The events were meter run/walks, an obstacle course and a football/softball throw.  Very pure and simple sporting events, but a challenge to these awsome participants.

I was the head of the 21 to 30 group, and a more excited bunch of people, I have never seen.  All wore their numbers proudly and were there for the competition.  My group was a mix of men and women rangeing from my main man Derrik who was deaf and mute to my highly functional Downs Syndrome Diva Shea.  I had some challenging participants but all were proud of their accomplishments.

I have never felt so happy and humbled at the same time.  When medals were given, I felt so much joy as my athelets took there awards.  I titled this post the Universal Equalizer because I felt like the outsider.  These guys know only joy and happiness for each other and themselves.  My main man Derrik won a gold medal in every event!!  As we all were departing and hugs and e-mail addresses were passed out, I saw Derrik placing 2 of his medals around a woman's neck who had won none.  It made me tear.

Competition brings out so much in us.  In this case, this day, it brought out the very best in these competitors.  As a fully functioning healthy adult, I was brought up to their level on Saturday.  I realized that competition makes us all equal, not in ability, but in our love of sport.

I support volunteerism whole heartedly.  I would strongly urge anyone to work with the handicapped and menatly disabled.  They are pure and fun and greatly appreaciate the opportunity to meet you.  Organizations need people like us who enjoy challenges and who have a knowledge of sports, to help at every level.  I feel blessed to have been able to lend a hand and I met some wonderful friends along the way.

Cheers!

As I was playing a round of 9 holes with my mom and grandmother yesterday, I asked myself  "Why do I still play?"  Mind you, it is season still here in Florida, there are a million and one elderly people pileing up behind us.  I hear one guy swear and a la Happy Gilmore, his club goes flying into the fairway. 

I took up golf becasue there are more golf courses than young people where I live.  I figured it was better to see what the game was all about than to #### about all of the golfers.  I have played for about 4 months now.  I am still really bad!  I swing like I am in a softball game, I make more holes than a gopher, at least I can putt.  Mini golf was my thing when I was younger.  So, again why do I play?

The answer is I am competitive!  I will not let it get the best of me.  I will be better at golf or I will die trying.  I think it is in all of us to try to master something we are not good at.  Once you become an athletic person, that nature sticks with you through all aspects of your life.  If you were coached by great people throughout your life, you know that giving up on something because you are not good at it, is really not the right choice.  All in all it comes down to who we are as sports fans and lovers of all types of competition.  I love the outdoors and as long as I am outside doing something, I am happy.  Frustraited maybe, happy definitely.

So, to all of you who are currently in an endevor that is just not working for you, I stay stick with it.  It will come to you, giving up is not the answer.  You're a sporty for gods sake!  

Cheers!!!! 

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res
=9B06EFD81130F93BA25752C0A9619C8B63&sec=health&spo
n=&pagewanted=3

I had read this article after wathchin a 60 minutes spot on this same thing.  I am curious and scared for the health of NFL players and professional athletes as a whole.  I just wanted to know what you all think.  My uncle played football in highschool, and was told that he could no longer play after his 3rd concussion.  I know that if he was thier star athelete, that would not have happened.

There have been some real breakthroughs in medicine that suggest that concussions can cause big problems later.  In this case major depression.  This aricle discusses the test group of 2,500 retired athelets.  It's scary.

Just a food for thought article.

Cheers

Yes, there is a PFL,  a professional Pillow Fighting League.  This was brought to my attention by LSU fan on my blog about WPFL (Womens Professional Football Leauge).  I of coarse thought he was jokeing, not so!!  Here is a brief description and history of the emerging obscure sport.

About a year ago in Canada, a drummer for a band, named Stacy P. Case (swears it's his real name), came up with the concept.  During one of his gigs there was an act that had two clubgoers pillow fighting.  It snowballed from there.  The sport was formed and made it's US debut in NYC in late January.  There are 22 fighters, one is  a famous Canadian model named Katrina Randall, whose fighting name is "Sally Spitfire".  There is a huge cult following, and it's sweeping small venues here in the states.  The PFL's motto is "Fight Like A Girl" and there are rules.

There is no hitting below the belt, no lewd acts and no foul language.  There is a male referee (duh) and matches last for 5 minutes.  Matches are won by pinning the opponent to the ground with the pillow.  There are no "bricks" in the pillow allowed and all pillows are checked to make sure they are regulation.  Regulation being man made fiber bed pillows.  Down can clump to the bottom and pack too much of a wallop.  Be on the look out, the PFL could be coming to your town. 

PS.  Watch out for the creepy old guys in the back! 

 

I was reading recently about womens professional football.  As a girl who had to play boy's soccer until high school, I understand the ladies need for some respect.  However, are we ready to have women's football become mainstream?

The amounts of teams and leauges are growing.  It all started with the Womens Professional Footbal League in 1999. At one time there were 80 teams across the country.  This leauge would play college men's teams and older retired players for revenue as well as each other.  In hopes of boosting interest and profits, the National Womens Football Association was created. 

Due to some creative differnces, the International Womens Football Leauge was created in 2001.  This is a non-profit leauge with minimum fees to teams and players.  It started with 13 teams nation wide and today has 31 teams including one team in Canada.

Now we can see that this is popular amongst the players since there seems to be so many leauges and teams.  In the US  there have been over 2000 female athletes to play on mens football teams while in high school.  Others have played recreationally over the years with expertise in other sports.   The atheletes are there, but where are the fans?

The leauges are waiting for a NFL endorsement so that they can get TV time.  That's where the real $$$ is.  This would also endorse the supreme leauge ie. WPFL, NWFA or IWFL.  Do we think this will happen?  I have some friends who have seen some games and they were very impressed.  The hits were hard, the players were awsome and talented.  

Are you ready?  Do you think it will happen?  The WNBA has become popular and profitable. Is it in the near future?

 

Since I would say that about 85% of the posters are adult males, I figured this would be a perfect topic for consideration. 

Today in America, there is much debate about the ritual of circumcision.  This post is not meant for the 12 year olds to giggle about .  This is seriously a contensious issue and warrants some thought.  Doctors are either for it our against it.  Up until now, the health pros and cons were a wash.  Parents decided on the matter per religous reasons (Muslim/Jewish faiths) or if the father was not cisumcisized. 

Statistaclly the United States ranges for 50% to 90% in some areas, in circumcising their newborns.  It was thought that it would cut down on urinary tract infections and really infections in general.  Fast forard to why there are Medical professionals changing their minds on the medical need for the procedure.

The medical studies have found that there is a significantly less risk of STDs, penile cancer and HIV/AIDS.  The numbers were so significant that they stoped the study early.  This study was conducted in Africa.  Africa statistically has the highest concentration of people suffering form HIV/AIDS and where circumcision is really only done to females. 

A second study was done in New Zealand where test subjects were followed up until the age of 25.  The risk of contracting disease was found to be cut by 50%.

While all Doctors agree that Urinary Tract infections in young boys is really the main problem, all of the other diseases come down to cleanliness, personal hygene and personal choices.  Either way, the only way to not get a STD is by abstanance or using a condom.

Many doctors are jumping the fence to the other side. Where they had no real medical opinion before, they are starting to change thier minds. 

As I lack children and the equipment we are speaking about, I guess when the time comes I will leave it up to my prospective husband.  I am for leaving what god gave us, and not having an unncessary surgical procedure that could cause infection itself.  Or, god forbid, a slip up.... EISH.  We don't cut girls breasts off because they could get cancer later in life.  Life is a #### shoot.  Make good decisions and teach your children well and hope for the best.  Cheers all and I hope you find this informative and not something to giggle at.  It is a serious decision in a person's life, and you are making the decision for someone who has no say.

 

I was reprimanded for my "drive by" short on the history behind sports.  People have argued about what is a sport and what is not, so I created a very short blog touching on the first sports.  The first sport  that I touched on in that blog was wrestling.....  Now I give you this blog. 

Dating back to the Summero-Akkadian civilization, wrestling sealed itself into the spot of one of the oldest sports to be documented.  To all of you who have not brushed up on your Anthropology, the Summero-Akkadian civilization was in the cradle of life, Mesopatamia.  The most famous tomb of the Sumer area is that of the great King Ur.  It is this era, and close to his reign,  that people documented wrestling as a past time and not a survival tactic.  These cave drawings have been dated to 3,000 BC.  There are similar drawings in Egyptian art that have been dated to 2400 BC.  After this time, the Greeks give us our best accounting of the sport.

In 708 BC the Greeks intoduced wrestling into the Olympic games.  This is shortly after the Olympic games were created.  There are very detailed accounts of how this sport was to be carried out and performed.  This was much more rough and physical than the wrestling of today.  Historians call this style Greco-Roman wrestling.  The Romans also practiced this sport in the now famous Coloseum for entertainment.  Pitting the best against the best for all to see.  Today there are  as many as 100 different styles of wrestling.  Judo is one of the more recognized off shoot of the original Greco-Roman style.  Today Judo is an entry by itself into the modern day Olympics.

I will not get into depth about Professional wrestling, as this is an animal of a different sort.

So here you are, another short but more detail oriented look at the sport of wrestling.  I will hit on something else next week.  I am at work ya know!!  LOL.

kjk77

Amongst the bloggers on this site, there is a ton of discussion on what truly constitutes a sport.  If it isn't manly then some just don't think it's so.  Archaeologists and Anthropologists can trace the origin of sports to almost 300,000 years ago.  The evidence is in cave drawings in France, Australia etc.  These drawings  place archery and wrestling as perhaps the first documented sports used for recreation and not survival.

Then we have "ball sports." These are the manly sports that most of the population consider sports.  The Mayans created courts for ball related sports that are still being used today.  Our own American Natives created the first versions of Laccross and due to the whole Duke scandal, more Americans are aware of the sport.

Ancient Egyptians gave us swimming and fishing for recreation/sporting purposes and the first sporting dogs.  Sorry all of you who complain about the airtime given to AKC, Eukanuba Tournament etc.  The Egyptians gave us the Greyhound and look at them now!

There is the Chinese culture that has given the world so much.  Thanks for the pasta and fireworks!  However,  there are ancient pieces of artwork that give China the nod for the sport of gymnastics.

Who can forget the Olympics.  Here is where wrestling, archery and horeseracing really got going.  The Greeks also gave us the Marathon.  The ironic part is that the first Marathon runner ended up dying because of his historic run.  Number 1,000 why I will never run more than 3 miles.

Then we have our aristocratic bretheren that perfected Boxing rules in London in the 1700's and yes... wait....  Horseracing.  This sport got it's official nod when Queen Ann built the first official racecourse in England.  The aristocrats in England also gave us tennis and the aristocrats in France gave us field hockey.

Here we are now in the 20th century still watching sports, playing sports and arguing about sports.  As American's we can say we contributed to the sporting era's with basketball and football.  I am still in awe at what humans are capeable of with independant thought.  Wheather you like horeseracing or dog shows, or laugh at the men in gymnastics you've got to feel the awe of the history behind them and revel at how far we have come.   No one will ever agree what constitutes a "real" sport, what is truly important is that we particpate in them, enjoy them and keep them going for generations to come. 

Please forgive the spelling!

When I think of sports movies,  the best hands down in my mind is Rudy.  Could there be anything more characteristic of an American concept.  If you want it bad enough, and you try hard enough, you can accomplish anything.  Even if this wasn't based loosely on a true story,  it would be a great film.  Hell, how can you forget the most poiniant speech of the movie:  "Your 5' nothin', a 100 and nothin' without a speck of athletic ability...."  even I thought I could play for Notre Dame.  Wouldn't want to these days... ha. 

It is not isolated to Rudy either.  Sports movies make you feel like you can accomplish anything.  Even if it's just for the hour afterwards, it gets the brain going.  There are highs and lows and always a proper ending.  Here is my list of favorite sports movies of all time, that help to inspire one to do better and try harder.  Feel free to add your own personal favorites.

1. Rudy

2. Hoosiers

3. Hidalgo (horse racing is an old sport people)

4. Blue Chips

5. Neccesary Roughness

6. Youngblood (UMM Rob Lowe)

7. All the Right Moves

8. Cannonball Run (NASCAR started this way, it counts)

9. The Greatest Game Ever Played

10.  Major League

There are a thousand more that are near and dear to my heart but this all I can come up with on only one cup of coffee, and after a truly terrible golf game.

As I am a college football fan, my taste for NFL teams is not refined.  Most of the time I root for the underdog, or something silly like, who has the most Gator players that I loved.  Regardless, the Super Bowl is something that most people watch regardless of who's playing.  Like me, I know most people who have no emotional attachment to the two teams playing, I am in it for the mega millions sideshow called COMMERCIALS.  Sure the game can be exciting.  That is if the match up is right, but this post isn't about the big match up.  Here is what people such as myself can be expecting for 2.6million dollars per 30 seconds of delightful airtime.

1.  Budwiser:  Per usual there will be humor and then some patriotic stance that will make us cry in our Budwiser

2.  Career Builder.com:  yes the #### will be back.  I always thought they were funny.  Have enough Budwiser and #### are always funny

3.  Doritos:  There will be a give away.  I can garantee it wont be 2.6 million dollars

4.  GoDaddy:  Will it be Danica Patrick or will it be the other girl?  Danica is a maybe.

5.  Nationwide:  Aren't we all excited for this one? I know I haven't had enough K-Fed.

6. JP:  Now this could be fun.  This guy is trying to get donations from companies so that he can cough up the 2.6 mill and propose to his girlfrind on National TV.  Let's hope she says yes!

7.  Various car commercials:  They will all suck.

Then the big sche####.  A G rated performance from the former NC17 rated Prince at half-time.  This sponsored by the ever selective Pepsi.  Maybe I will stick around and not take a potty break like the boring Macartney performance of last year.

So I bid you good watching and good luck to what ever team you want to win.  I'm torn.  The former Gator Rex or the Suicide watch Peyton.  I guess I'll root for the ####!