Friday, March 30, 2012

Go West, Young Man, Go West

I have really, really been slacking on the Friday Fun posts lately. Last week I plain forgot. This week, a combination of a busy schedule, an upset tummy, and a lack of imagination prevented me from crafting anything spectacularly worthy of a Friday Fun title.

But I knew I needed to bring you something. Because where would you be without me in your life? TGIF would just become "IF", and none of us want that.

So, in a stroke of (lazy) genius, I thought I'd pay tribute to Peyton Manning's departure to Denver by sharing a video that is HIGH-larious.

Yes, I know I'm a little late to the party. Sue me.

Without further ado, here is what would happen if the NFL suddenly went all Oregon Trail (or at least what would have happened a few years ago, but funny never goes out of style). Brills!



Hope this brought a little laughter to your day. As a side  note, I am currently crafting a fabulous post for next week's Friday Fun ( I swears!), but I need your help. I'm looking for the names of six men and six women professional athletes. Please submit...you won't be sorry!!!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Final Four Countdown

Every year my stepdad and I fill out our NCAA Tournament brackets for a mano y mano competition. The stakes are high: if I win, I get five bucks; if he wins, he gets a roll of toilet paper.*

The bet used to be that I would put five dollars into the church giving box....then Steve found out I buy way better toilet paper than my mom.


Anyway, this year saw me throwing away my bracket on day two....after losing two Final Four teams (Mizzou and WVU). Needless to say, I've not really been paying that close of attention since then.

However, now we're down to the Final Four. As it turns out, my bracket, though long ago trashed, had some saving graces. One, I predicted correctly that Louisville was a dangerous sleeper pick. Two, and perhaps more importantly, I still have my two championship teams in the running (Kentucky and Kansas).

But enough about me...let's get to what really matters: the teams who have come out victorious in their respective regions. And this year, there are no Cinderella mid-majors. It's a battle of the heavy weights, ya'll, and it's gonna be interesting.


EAST REGION- OHIO STATE


Ah, the Ohio State. Despite their number two and number one rankings in the 2010 and 2011 tournaments, respectively, the Buckeyes haven't been in a Final Four since they lost to Florida in the 2007 tourney. The Big 10 runner-up has one of the nation's best point guards in Austin Craft, a factor which is key in championship play. However, forward William Buford hasn't been stellar since the regular season ended, and his lack of productivity might be what keeps the Buckeyes out of the championship.

MID-WEST REGION- KANSAS


Head Coach Bill Self knows what it's like to be in this position. After all, his team won the whole enchilada just four years ago. Of course, this is the same Kansas who has underachieved in tournament play the last few years. Several number one seedings have fizzled into early round exits. The Jayhawks have a player of the year candidate in big man Thomas Robinson, but they'll need the rest of the team to step up if they expect to have a chance.

WEST REGION- LOUISVILLE

The Cards have been overachieving as of late, starting with a remarkable run to win the Big East Tournament. A major part of that success is the 'Ville's stifling defense. Come Saturday, Bluegrass State bragging rights will be on the line when the Cardinals take on in-state foes Kentucky. When you're going to-to-toe with a rival, anything is possible.

SOUTH REGION- KENTUCKY

The Wildcats are the only remaining number one seed in the tourney, making them the easy odds-on favorite to win. The Cats bring with them a 14 year championship drought that I'm sure head coach John Calipari wouldn't mind seeing go by the wayside. Kentucky has their own Player of the Year contender in Anthony Davis. With Davis and lottery pick Doron Lamb leading the way, it's hard to make an argument against UK.



The faces of the 2012 Champs???

I think barring any major "cat"astrophes, Kentucky should be able to claim its eighth NCAA Basketball Title. But heck...what do I know? I have a busted bracket and owe a man a roll of toilet paper. 


Image provided by media.timesfreepress.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Wild West

Hey guys! First time to actually take photos of my outfit. I'm not gonna lie...I was a little nervous. Also, I'd like to issue a caveat that I look wayyyyyyyyyyy cuter in person. I swears.

Anyhoo, the awesome Jacqueline Binkley of Charming and Quaint Events agreed to help me out on this brand new endeavor. Much love and thanks!





Shirt- Old Navy ~ Skirt- NY and Co. (similar) ~ Boots- Old Navy (similar) ~

Pairing a simple denim button down with an animal print skirt and cute pair of boots? Great spring look!

Images property of Charming and Quaint Events and The Sports-O-Nista.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Sidney Crosby's Back...blah blah blah

Life lesson of the day: Don't make promises you really don't want to keep. 


Last week I vowed to bring you some sort of NHL update after abandoning the topic for a much more sexy March Madness blog post. Then, as I was flipping through my sports channels last night trying to force myself to watch the Caps/Red Wings game, I realized....what the hell was I thinking?

But, a promise is a promise, so here goes.

Sidney Crosby is back ya'll.

At least for the moment, anyway.

For the first time since December 5th, Crosby took the ice last Thursday when the Penguins played the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately for the first place Rangers, Crosby helped lead his team to a 5-2 victory, cutting the Blue Shirts' lead in the East to 4 points. For his part, the Kid registered two assists in the 3rd period.

Though the plan is to keep Sidney's minutes down for the moment, the streaking Penguins couldn't be more happy to have their superstar back in the line-up. Crosby's presence has allowed line mates Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy more breathing room on the ice.

Starting today, Pittsburgh will be coming down the back stretch to the playoffs, which includes 7 out of 11 games at the Consol Center. Crosby is happier than anyone to be back for this important time.

After all, there's no place like home.





Images provided by thepuckdoctors and cbc.ca

Friday, March 16, 2012

All the Ranting and Raving

The other day I was having lunch with a friend of mine, and somehow the topic of Mike Gundy's infamous "I'm a MAN" rant came up. Naturally that led to a discussion about my boy Bob Knight's pressers-gone-wrong, and before I knew it, I was crafting a blog post in my head.

So, if you've had a bad day or even a bad week, remember....at least it's not on video for the world to see forever and ever.

5. Kansas City Royals Manager Hal Mcrae


McRae goes a little postal in this awesome rant. It's not so much as what he says, but rather his...ummm....actions that speak volumes.




4. Colorado Buffs Football Head Coach Dan Hawkins

Hawkins politely explains that if the player can't handle Big 12 Football, perhaps they should look into intramurals. 



3. New York Jets coach Herm Edwards

Ummm...you play to win the game. Duh. 





2. Indiana Head Coach Bob Knight

Oh Bob, there were so many gems to choose from, but I had to go with this classic. FYI, don't ever ask him about wearing a "game face". 



and finally.....

1. Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy

When you're 40, you're a man. That's when you're eligible to be criticized. Not before. And don't ever forget that. 





Have a great (hopefully) rant free weekend everyone!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

In the Trenches

Guys, I adore a trench coat. It's classic and modern all at the same time, which...if I'm being honest...is kinda how I view myself! Here are a few of the beautiful hues and styles for this spring.

In the Trenches


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love....pt. 2

I realized the other day that I have been seriously neglecting my hockey posts lately. To be honest, I've not paid a whole lot of attention this season to the comings and goings of the NHL, especially since my beloved Caps are kinda struggling. So I was bound and determined to make today's post about something hockey-related.

But, really, who am I kidding? It's March Madness people!

On Sunday night, after a wild weekend of conference tournament finals, the field of 68 was announced. It seems like just yesterday I was commenting on Midnight Madness, and yet...here we are. With three of the top four seeds losing in their conference tournaments, I have a feeling that the term "madness" is going to be absolutely apt for the next few weeks.

In every bracket there are some obvious picks to make a deep run, but here are my thoughts on a few "sleepers" to watch for:

SOUTH REGION

The VCU Rams may have lost some key talent from last year's Final Four team, but the CAA champ is once again poised to make a run in the tournament. The Rams, led by phenom coach Shaka Smart, employ a "havoc defense" that forced Drexel to commit 17 turnovers in the CAA championship game. This could cause problems for unsuspecting teams.

VCU Rams
Speaking of unsuspecting, the Colorado Buffaloes may be on the verge of something special. Winning a conference title in just their first year of a weak PAC-12, the Buffs certainly don't have an easy draw in the tournament. If they make it past the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV, Colorado will face a highly ranked Baylor Bears squad. This team is on a roll, though, and momentum can be a very powerful thing.

Meanwhile, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have the distinction of being the only team to hand Syracuse a loss in regular season play. While the Irish don't necessarily burn up the court with fire power, they tend to lull their victims opponents into a stupor with long possessions and smart shot selections. Look for junior forward Jack Cooley to be a big playmaker against Xavier, and Notre Dame's defense to be too much for Duke.

WEST REGION

I don't particularly see a whole lot of upsets happening in this part of the bracket, but I do think someone other than a 1 or 2 seed can take the region.


Murray St. Racers
 One of those teams may be the Louisville Cardinals, who defeated Cincinnati to win the Big East tournament championship. The Cards can be schizophrenic, but junior Peyton Siva and seniors Kyle Kuric, Chris Smith, and Jared Swopshire can be brilliant when they want. Also? Never count out a Rick Pitino-coached squad.

America shouldn't count out Murray St., either, even though the talking heads have been poo-pooing them all season. At 30-1, the Racers actually bring the best record into the tournament and, unlike Syracuse and Kentucky, managed to win their conference tournament title.

MIDWEST REGION

Michigan Wolverines
The weakest of all the regions, in my opinion, the Mid-West might be a free-for-all. Although one of my late season favorites South Florida should be able to play its way into the field of 64, it's the Bulls' second round opponent Michigan Wolverines that could possibly shake things up. John Beilein's team has been playing consistently well all season, beating both conference foes Michigan State and Ohio State during regular season play (let's just forget about that 22 point loss to the Buckeyes this past weekend, mmmkay?). A Beilein squad is always dangerous come tourney time for teams who have little time to prepare against his complex offensive schemes and disrupting 1-3-1 defensive sets.

The Wolf Pack from NC State might also be a dangerous contender. The Pack lost a close game to North Carolina in the ACC semi-finals, and they seem to be peaking at a good time. Don't let the fact that they were the last team to hear their name called fool you....NC State, led by all-tournament selection C.J. Leslie, are a very possible sweet sixteen team.

EAST REGION

The east region has so many possibilities, that I'm excited just thinking about it. Let's start with the winner of the Vanderbilt/Harvard match-up. The Commodores just came off a THRILLING victory over number one overall seed Kentucky to win the SEC Championship, while the Ivy League champ Crimson have impressive victories over Boston College and ACC Tournament Champ Florida State.

Montana Grizzlies
Even more exciting might be the possibility of the Montana Grizzlies. The Big Sky champs only lost one game in conference, and they haven't lost in nearly two months.

But perhaps the MOST exciting is the possibility of my beloved Mountaineers. I know I'm going to sound like a homer, but hear me out: WVU, while only a 10 seed, managed to pull a first/second round site of Pittsburgh, giving them virtually a home court. If the Mountaineers can get past a pesky Gonzaga squad, they should play up to a very, very good Ohio State team. After that, it might be smoother waters, with a possible rematch against conference foes Cincinnati and Syracuse. WVU beat the Bearcats and, if not for a very controversial call, might have beaten the Orange in regular season play.

So, March Mad Hatters....who do you think might have the ability to wear a Cinderella slipper? Do you think that Kentucky will win it all, or will some other school take the crown? Let me know!

Oh, and....I'll probably bring you something hockey-related next week. Probably.

Images provided by mrice.fatcow, cdn3.sbnation, cdn0.sbnation, and cdn2.sbnation.

Friday, March 9, 2012

2021 Eastern Conf. Final Preview



Happy Friday everyone! First off, let me issue a mea culpa for disappearing from your lives. I had a verrrryyy exciting weekend, and it turns out my poor system couldn't handle it. I think this may be a sign that I should get out more. Or, perhaps it's a sign that I shouldn't eat crab-stuffed salmon that's been sitting uncooked in a car ride from DC to WV. Either way, I'm back, I've missed you, and I hope you feel the same!

Part of the aforementioned weekend was a trip to the Verizon Center to watch the Washington Wizards take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since a friend of mine works for the Cavs organization, and my bud Julia had never been to a professional basketball game, I figured there was no time like the present to kill two birds with one stone. I now present to you a diary of our NBA excursion.

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Saturday, 4:30 p.m.: Jules and I arrive at the Washington Plaza Hotel after a lovely afternoon of shopping in Georgetown. I soon discover that Jules cannot hold her sugar, as she has gone into some sort of system shock following a delicious frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3. 

Frozen Hot Chocolate, you hurt so good.
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.: I'm starting to get concerned, as Jules is still lying on her bed with a slightly glassy expression. I'm not sure if I'm going to have to throw water on her or what, but I'm beginning to panic that we're not going to make it to the game.

Saturday, 5:10 p.m.: "JULIA...WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??? GET UP! WE HAVE TO GO!!!" I'm pacing and calculating how fine of a line there is between concerned friend and raging bitch.

Saturday, 5:30 p.m-5:45 p.m..: We finally make it out of our hotel room and catch a cab to the Verizon Center, where we quickly walk in the direction of Jaleo, Jules's favorite Spanish Tapas restaurant.

Saturday, 5:48 p.m.: We see Jaleo boarded up, with a sign saying "Coming Soon! A Brand New Jaleo!"

Saturday, 5:49 p.m.: Julia makes us walk even closer to confirm that her favorite restaurant is indeed shut down, and we've just wasted ten minutes.

Saturday, 5:50 p.m.: I suggest that we check out the other Spanish Tapas restaurant in the vicinity, La Tasca, which is located directly across from the arena.

Saturday, 6:00 p.m- 6:50 p.m..: We waltz inside, get seated immediately, and devour delicious sangria and tapas selections. This proves my Spanish restaurant is clearly superior to Julia's. The fact that hers is boarded up is irregardless.

Saturday, 6:55 p.m.: We join a queue of people waiting in line outside the Verizon Center. Why there is a line, I don't know. I'm concerned people don't realize they're going to a Wizards game.

Saturday, 7:05 p.m.: We finally make it in the building and to our seats just as the National Anthem is ending. Our seats happen to be located about ten rows behind the Cavalier bench, giving us an ample view of both the court and the who's who of the Washington elite (spoiler: it's not Jack Nicholson, Spike Lee, Leonardo DiCaprio, or anyone remotely fun).

Saturday, 7:15 p.m.: Now settled, I begin to sort of pay attention to what's going on in the game. Entering the contest, the Wizards sported a whopping 8-28 record. Meanwhile, the Cavs stood at 13-22. I'm perplexed as to which juggernaut will come out victorious.

Saturday, 7:40 p.m.: Not sure what exactly the motivation was, but the Wizards' Jordan Crawford and the Cavs' Antawn Jamison (formerly Mr. Wizard himself) seem to be having a personal scoring battle.

Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Jules and I have now fully noticed how one of the DC Capital Game Crew has an extraordinary amount of energy, making us feel simultaneously bad about ourselves and intrigued as to what sort of kool-aid he was drinking.

Saturday, 8:00 p.m.: Half time. Cavs are leading 55-50. A city-wide dance squad comes out to perform, causing Julia to squeal like a bride on her wedding day. I'm now fairly sure she's still riding a bit of her sugar high.

Now is also a good time to air a grievance. Before coming to the game, I was entertained by a story where my cousin and her family had gone to a Wizards/Cavs game and sat in a similar spot. Turns out they ended up sitting next to Washington Caps superstar Alexander Ovechkin. The family next to me was lovely, but definitely no Russian millionaire hockey player. I cry foul.

Saturday, 8??? p.m.: 3rd period. Jordan Crawford and Antawn Jamison continue their scoring battle. John Wall and Kyrie Irving occasionally get into the act. I wonder if John Wall still does the John Wall.

Saturday, 8??? p.m.: Early 4th quarter. The Wizards take 79-78 lead. Suddenly the game gets exciting.



See that guy looking at me? Facebook asked if I wanted to tag him as my friend. I think that's called stalking.
Saturday, 8??? p.m.: With 3 and a half minutes left, Washington extends its lead to 10. Cleveland's Kyrie Irving (and number one draft pick) goes into psycho robot mode, scoring eight points.

Saturday, 8??? p.m.: 6 seconds left. The crowd is now on their feet. John Wall misses the second of his free throws, keeping it a 3 point game.

Saturday, 8??? p.m.: Cleveland's Anthony Parker misses the tie-ing 3 pointer at the buzzer. WIZARDS WIN! WIZARDS WIN??? WIZARDS WIN!

Fast forward a few days....

Wednesday, March 7th: Wizards: 106, LA Lakers 101. I feel like my presence has blessed Washington, and they are now well on their way to the 2012 NBA Championship. If you care about the Wizards, then you are most welcome.


Images provided by the Sportsonista.

Friday, March 2, 2012

This Ain't My First Rodeo......

Today's Friday fun post will be about professional bull riding.

Just kidding. Although...my first "lifelong" goal was to ride a mechanical bull. True story.


Regardless, I'm putting on my spurs and cowboy hat to do a round-up of all the sports tidbits that I've been neglecting to bring you since last week. I apologize for the little break, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Like planning your world domination.. Or being lazy.

So, without further ado, here's what you I  we missed:

Last Friday I talked about my excitement for the NBA All-Star special events, specifically the slam dunk contest.  After faithfully tuning in Saturday night, I realized that they just don't make them like they used to. Or maybe they do, and we as a people have too high of expectations. I mean, is it really too much to ask for a dunk after jumping off some sort of wild animal? I think not.

Now this? Would be awesome.

(Incidentally, Utah's Jeremy Evans won the contest. Evans was a late replacement for New York's Iman Shumpert, so that should tell you something about the quality of the contest)

Speaking of the All-Star weekend, the actual main event was fairly uneventful....except for Lakers star Kobe Bryant getting his nose broken by Miami's Dwayne Wade. Ummmm, D. Wade? You know this game didn't mean anything, right? We all think Kobe is an a-hole, but save it for when it counts, mmmkay?



In addition to the All-Star hoopla, this weekend was also the running of the Daytona 500. Or it was supposed to be, anyway. For the first time EVER, the event was rained out of its Sunday time slot and was pushed back to Monday afternoon. Then Juan Pablo Montoya slid his car into a vat of 800 liters of jet fuel, causing the track to erupt in flames. And if that wasn't ridiculous enough, racing champs Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished 42nd and 40th, respectively.



Was Adele there, setting fire to the rain????
According to a recent CBSsports blog post by Gregg Doyel, my spomance fav Bob Knight isn't having quite the same love affair with the University of Kentucky. In fact, supposedly Knight's distaste for Head Coach John Calipari is so great that he refuses to mention Kentucky or star player Anthony Davis when discussing top teams and players, respectively.

Another coach not feeling the love? UCLA's Ben Howland, who was reported this week in Sports Illustrated to be the reason behind the Bruins' recent decline. The program, which once made three consecutive runs to the Final Four in the late 2000s, is now ruled by party-crazy, rebellous players.

Finally, Jeremy Lin continued to be "Lin"sane by helping lead the Knicks to a thrilling come-from-behind victory Wednesday night against the Cavaliers. Down 61-49 at the half, many were wondering what the heck had happened to the seemingly revitalized Knicks. Well, like Stella, New York certainly got its groove back in the 3rd and 4th quarters, outscoring Cleveland by 29. For his contribution, Lin had 19 points and 13 assists.

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So, I don't know if you lasted more than 8 seconds reading these tidbits, but I hope you enjoyed. See ya on the flip side!



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