Rolex 24

It was such a fun weekend in Daytona to attend my first Rolex 24 in person.  The event is non-stop Motorsports and if that is your thing this event doesn't let you down.  The best thing about this show is that you can go to this event and buy nearly the same car in the show room for two of the classes.  Obviously prototypes are prototypes so you can't buy those but GT Lemans and GT Daytona are both cars based or mostly the same as top end cars available to the public.

Obviously, this sucker is an endurance race and as such for fans it is nearly impossible to watch all 24 hours.  We were not unlike many as we stayed for about ten hours of raving before we had to call it quits to get to Orlando to meet family the next day.  To give you an understanding of this race it puts many other Motorsports to shame for fans access.  I would say it is a cross between NHRA and IndyCar at the end of the day.  You have TONS of access to the drivers and the garage.  Plus the cost...CHEAP! We bought four day passes with garage access for under $100 per person. The garage is open and you get to meet some celebrity car owners as well like Actor Patrick Dempsey.

The fun doesn't end there as of course a new power couple...at least in my book debuted at Rolex this year, Graham Rahal and Courtney Force.  The first couple days of racing so keep in mind the drivers and celebs were dressed in cold weather gear.

Also, you can't forget the celebrity parents of some drivers....like Reba McEntire being there to see her son come in second in the Continental Tire race on Friday.

Without question the racing keeps you on the edge of your seat.  To me the best place to watch is where they slow down in the European stretch of the infield.  The next few photos are of the racing depicted from that position.

On Saturday comes race day!!! For the fans it could get no better.  They have the largest autograph session in Motorsports with over 200 drivers signing at the same time.  I waited in a line with the Ganassi Teams, Patron Teams, Muscle Milk, and Wayne Taylor racing.  It was a great way to get up close we some of the heroes of Motorsports that were giving the Rolex 24 a go.

Another cool thing about the race day experience in sports car at the Rolex is the track walk.  You get to see the grid before the big race and may times run into famous folks like five time 24 Heures de LeMans winner Derek Bell.

I spent the majority of Raceday from a race watching perspective in the same spot as qualifying...the chicane.

Of course to keep your attention for a longer period the race also has many thing for fans to do...from a Biergarten, to a wine and cheese party, to the Budweiser patio, to the midway with a Ferris wheel and car vendors there is much to keep you occupied when you need a break from the continuous racing.  Course the vendor know how to sell it....lol

This is one event I hope to come back and see one day.  Next time I think I will spend the time at the camping area within the venue as I would be able to wake up for more whenever I want.

NFL Conference finals Previews

New England at Denver

This matchup will hinge to me on one more high level offensive pay by one side or the other.  Both teams have suspect defenses and amazing offenses. Omaha!  Last week the Denver defense showed some muscle and to me allowed the team to win much more than the offense did.  Of course this could easily be just a one off situation. Omaha! 

The Broncos are of course led by their all everything quarterback, Peyton Manning, with his record setting season.  I see nothing that says he is going to stop now even though he is a suspect playoff quarterback. Omaha! The weapons he has on offense are plentiful so it will be a question of whether the Patriot defense can stop or hold them down.  

The Patriots are also led by their offense with arguably the best quarterback of this generation.  This is such a toss up when it comes to the two QBs in this game as they can do so much.  Omaha! The only issue that Tom Brady has versus Manning is the level of skill to throw the ball to since he is lacking the high level talent of Denver.

To me this game will be a slug fest of offenses from start to finish with, as I said, one play determining the victor.  To me my pick hedges solely on will Peyton play well.  Omaha! He is known as the best regular season QB ever but when it comes to the post season he lacks the killer instinct.  But I think there just simply are too many weapons for him to not advance. So, along with the fact that the Broncos are at home and me expecting the crowd to be going nuts I have the final as Omaha! : Denver 37 New England 34.

San Francisco at Seattle

I swear I could just end this preview with one thing... The game is in Seattle. But to go further this game is going to be dominated by defenses with the offenses doing just enough to win the game either way.  Not to say that the Seahawks nor the 49ers have bad offenses, it is just that the defenses are their staples.

The 49ers defense has been a staple since Harbaugh took the reins.  He lives for a dominant defense since that is what he was brought up with when playing as a QB for the Bears.  It is always fun to watch their attacking style.  The question to me is will he continue to open up Colin Kaepernick on offense.  If he does and he is able to get free of the Seahawks defense this game could be one sided.

The Seahawks are nearly a mirror of the 49ers as their defense is a VERY potent force for the team.  They don't let much get by them and when they are in front of their crazy fans in Seattle it just makes them more potent.  Their offense is of course run by another dual threat quarterback in Russell Wilson who has shown he is more than capable of running a Championship team. 

This again to me will be a classic much like the early game.  However, this classic will be defensive more than the offensive classic we could see in the former game.  To me it will hedge on one bad play by a quarterback or one defensive stand.  But to me the biggest issue is the CROWD...so with that squarely in mind I go with : Seattle 23 San Francisco 20

My thoughts on NASCAR potential points and Chase changes

By now most people have seen the leaked proposal NASCAR has for their points system along with the Chase as a whole beginning with the 2014 season.  My views on this system haven't changed since the day they were put in place in 2003.  I have as much hate for the Chase system as I do for the change that Bruton Smith and company did to the Bristol Motor Speedway....if it isn't broke...DONT FIX IT!!!!

NASCAR adopted back in 2003 a system to try and not only keep their popularity but potentially grow it with a playoff system which was in line with other sports.  Issue is nothing that could be done with that system would reward drivers for the balance of the season like the previous method used for decades.  Unlike other sports where it is 1 vs 1 for a three, five, or seven game series drivers don't have the luxury of having a bad race, or two, or three and still win a championship (or series) in a ten race playoff.  Trying to manufacture excitement in a championship battle in NASCAR (or NHRA where a similar strategy was attempted) is the worst thing you can do to this sport.

This brings me to the new changes being discussed for 2014. Based solely on the leaked information, NASCAR is proposing increasing the Chase field from 12 to 16 drivers.  They are further advocating making winning more important by making it so that the first group of drivers into the Chase are the "full-time" drivers that won during the season. If there are more than 16 winners during the 26 race regular season it would then come down to points position of those 16 and likewise if there are less than 16 winners then the rest of field is determined by points position up to the full field of 16.  The final change is to the Chase itself where it will go from a ten race shootout to a broken up scenario.  After the third, sixth, and ninth race the bottom four drivers will be removed from the Chase field leaving a final four which will have points reset to the same with a final race to determine the Champion. I will now address the issues with the three items....

Change of field from 12 to 16

While on the surface this change doesn't sound like a big deal lets look at 2013.  In 2013, depending on the definition NASCAR will use for "full-time", there were 28 drivers that raced every race.  Now mind you there were five others I would deem full time if I was given the ability to define it.  Two drivers, JJ Yeley and Dave Blaney, missed one race each.  Further, two more drivers, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart, missed races due to injury and one driver, Mark Martin, missed 7 races.  I would be hard pressed to not include those five drivers in the full time category.  The question is what does NASCAR classify it as?  Is it merely drivers who have elected Sprint Cup as primary series and thus receive points in that series and not the lower two, The strict must run all races, or something in between.  If it is the strict interpretation or something close to that you would probably include Yeley, Blaney, and Hamlin in the total bringing it to 31 drivers.  Even at this the field is basically 50% of drivers.

Now I will say as a NHRA fan this is basically the same or maybe worse percentage getting in their Countdown to end the NHRA season. But let's be serious, the NHRA Countdown is also a joke as the top drivers in each car classification are usually confined to no more than the top ten.  Which makes their playoff worse due to it making the first 60% of the season mostly meaningless. But they also have many good things going for them that NASCAR doesn't such as no automatic into the field qualifying (must race to get in) and points for top three in each qualifying session.  I am by NO  means advocating the NHRA rules.

If you take into account that you are already taking in 50-60% of full time drivers into the Chase why have it at all? Like I have referenced the Chase can't be compared to other sport playoffs, unless you choose the NFL.  Lets compare the NFL now shall we...the Chase doesn't give top driver a home track benefit for being better during the season...or a home track benefit for the balance of the playoffs.  I know this sounds silly but so does having a playoffs in Motorsports. There is no way to compare the playoffs in other sports to what they do in NASCAR.  People constantly harp on consistency (as I do) and how does the current Chase or the potential changes make consistency rule the day?

Win to get in Chase and determination of field

I will break down the second item into two.  First of all the need to win to get in the Chase.  Again, on the surface this isn't so bad until you look into the dynamics of this change.  Imagine if you will in 2013,  Danica Patrick winning the Daytona 500 where she had a lead, qualified on pole, and was within the top ten at the final caution. Imagine her having the finishes that she received the rest of the regular season. Had this change been in place in 2013 she would have made the Chase...is that legitimate? How can anyone say that a driver that struggles all season but wins one race deserves to make a ten race shootout for the title?

This further exacerbates if you choose another scenario.  Imagine Kevin Harvick winning the 2014 Daytona 500 and desiring to tank the rest of the regular season to avoid injury (aka start and park or something along those lines).  He would still have raced every race and if no more than 16 drivers win a race during the season he would be in the Chase.  Is that legit? As a fan of a top driver would you be ok with that driver doing this? Further, he could also use races in regular season held at Chase tracks as a testing ground to test out setups for the race in the Chase without much of a punishment. 

Now on to the field determination...if drivers are smart they will attempt to at least win twice during the regular season so as to avoid a scenario that more than 16 drivers win a regular season race.  This can be addressed by offering incentive, as they do now, to get bonus points for wins.  Of course how much of an incentive will there be if the determination of seeding isn't that big of a deal so long as you do well at start of Chase. 

This situation leads to a BIG issue where, depending on classification of full time, a driver that wins at a track they are most comfortable will be a part of the Chase field ahead of someone who may not have won but ran consistently at the front during the season.

Chase playoff change

The final, and most agregious in my mind but not by much, change is to the Chase itself.  The plan of moving to a knockout playoff.  This change is horrendous as it makes one race matter more than the rest during the Chase and drivers need only to get into the top four to make that race. 

We all know drivers today don't like to "race" the entire time.  This change will further enforce that concept until the last race.  A driver that is 16th in the standings need only advance his/her position up to 12th after the third race, 8th after the 6th, and 4th after the 9th race.  Drivers will make the determination to only do so much as to make their position enough to get into the final race not push it any further.  It will not incentivize them to run away with getting points (read trying to win every one of the 9 races) but rather do just enough to "win and advance". This change could lead to a driver that was the "last" to get in the field doing just enough to advance to the final four only to do the best in last race and win title.  Could you imagine a driver like Marcos Ambrose winning a road race, doing just enough to advance, and somehow being the highest placing driver in the last race winning the title? This is all possible now with these changes.

Another scenario I dread is a final race that is determined by team orders.  The worst thing for NASCAR would be a situation where a driver of a multi car team is in final four but no other members of the team are in there with him/her.  They could spend all race attempting to wreck or impede the other final four members.  This could lead to catastrophe.  I for one don't want to see a demolition derby scenario that this change could create which could end in death.

Furthermore, this change cheapens the entire rest of the season as it rewards drivers for doing just enough rather than pushing ALL season to be the best.  Do we as fans deserve to see a champion that does just enough or one who pushes all season?

Those are the three changes being discussed and how bad they could be if drivers take advantage of them.  These changes only do one thing...cheapen the sport as a whole.  It seems to me the only way something like this doesn't go into effect is if drivers themselves get the guts like Formula 1 World Champion Sebasten Vettel did when he called out the FIA for the doubling of points in the final race in Dubai starting in 2014.  He may have not gotten the FIA to change the rule back but if enough drivers join him in making those comments it will make them change.  This has not and probably will NEVER happen in NASCAR since drivers today have been muzzled even if NASCAR management thinks they have opened them up with "boys, have at it" attitude.  

This is the reason I have been a staunch advocate of the removal of the Chase as a whole.  What was wrong with the old system pre-2003? The best Championship competitions (non-manufactured) were held during that period. The best driver for the SEASON was rewarded with the title.  It would be a whole different situation if Motorsports was like other sports where a mulligan could be used by the best driver and he/she still had ability to win title...that is simply not the case in the Chase as two and sometimes one bad race removes you from contention regardless of how well you did rest of season.  Consider this (and I know his fans hate this), Jimmie Johnson would only be three time if the Chase didn't exist.

Until the drivers themselves want to make change to the system nothing will change no matter how much the fans complain.  Only way people can voice their anger as fans is via social media or their pocket book....question is... Will they?

Weather channel .... Potential adios on Directv but won't be missed in my mind

Well it seems we may lose the Weather Channel from the Directv lineup tonight at midnight eastern.  Let me be among the millions who say...good riddance.

The Weather channel started out with a purpose.  It was a 24/7 channel that showed nothing but current weather situations and events.  In recent years the channel was bought out by NBC universal and all this changed pretty much overnight. It went gradually from showing nothing but current weather to showing historical weather stories.  This was not so much an issue until there were local outbreaks of severe weather be it winter weather or storms.  

After many years of doing actual weather historical shows, the Weather Channel hopped on the reality show bandwagon.  As of today five of the six original series that are on the channel have nothing much to do with weather outside of weather sometimes impacting the characters.  When your channel goes from showing weather to showing things like trucking, mining, and people with "extraordinary skills" you cease to be a valid 24/7 weather channel.

With the impending release in the third quarter (summer) of a new 24/7 weather channel from Accuweather it is becoming more evident that the Weather Channel's current way to do business will not be workable.  

It has become even more obvious that the Weather Channel has noticed that they are losing the battle with not only the carriage fight but also with their local cable company, Comcast Atlanta.  In the last 48 hours it has become the Weather Channel of old by showing only about three hours of dramatic shows in a 24 hour period.  This is obviously only a ploy to garner sympathy from people who believe that the Weather channel of old has never left from view.  

To me as a Directv subscriber I won't miss the channel if it is taken off the air.  Past experience, however, has shown that even if a channel goes off the air on Directv it is for a mere days until a new agreement is reached. My opinion is that Directv should stand their ground and get a written statement from The Weather Channel that they will go back to carrying 80-90% of their day doing live weather as contingency of a carriage agreement being signed.

NFL Quick Previews and predictions for Sunday January 12

After a day of games which really never seemed to be close we have a day of games that may live up to the designation of divisional playoffs.

San Francisco at Carolina

The Carolina Panthers come into this offseason playing their first playoffs since the end of the 2008 season.  They come in with a player who has revitalized his career in quarterback Cameron Newton. He has done an exception transformation from the struggles he had previously to get back the QB hew as as a rookie.  Also of note for the Panthers is the exceptional quality of their defense.   They come into the playoffs as the second best total defense in the league during the regular season.

San Francisco had a bit of a downturn from the previous season and are not considered the favorite coming out of the NFC this season as they were in some eyes last year.  They do had as tout defense as it was ranked fifth in the regular season but just as the Carolina panthers they were bottom half of league in offense.  Colin Kaepernick has seen a bit of a "sophomore" slump but it can be easily attributed to fact that coach Harbaugh didn't go to many read option looks this season.  

Saying all of this the game should really be a defensive battle.  It could easily hinge on one bad mistake by one of the two quarterbacks. The crowd will play one heck of a factor since the last time the Panthers were in the playoffs they were beaten soundly at home by the Arizona Cardinals.  

My opinion is that although the crowd will try to will the Panthers to victory the quarterback I think will make the mistake is going to be Newton.  Therefore my pick is: San Francisco 27 Carolina 24

San Diego at Denver

Denver comes into this game with arguably the best quarterback ever and definitely the best quarterback of the year.  They have the benefit of the "rare air" in Denver which so many teams have trouble with due to not being able to prepare for the high altitude. Keeping with Peyton Manning team tradition the defense on the Broncos is quite awful and the offense will have to make up for the lack of stops created by the defense.  The offense is LOADED with weapons be it the quarterback, Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and 1,000 yard rusher Knowshon Moreno.

San Diego has an equally powerful offense ranked in the top five in the league.  The offense is led by a resurgent Philip Rivers with his main tagets Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates.  They are also led by a 1,000 yard rusher of their own in Ryan Mathews.  Their defense is actually worse than the Denver Broncos statistically so this game it would tend to reason won't be won by that side of the ball.

As can be seen this game will most likely not be dictated by the defenses but rather the quality offenses held by both teams.  Considering the game is at Mile High and the Broncos have the best quarterback, in my opinion, of all time my pick is : Denver 41 San Diego 31

Sunday January 12, 2014 LIVE Blog - Looks like another day of sports unless something distracts me

Newcastle vs Manchester City

You have to love when you wake up to football in England...ok only if you love the sport as much as I do. The US seems to only love it for one time only and that is World Cup when the US does well. 

This was one game I was uncertain on the quality but boy was I proven to be smart to watch the game. One sight you can never quite be certain of occurring is one in which the appointed referees make an atrocious call.  Boy was there ever a bad one today.

 Tiote had a magnificent strike that went into the upper right of Joe Hart's goal which was initially allowed by ref Jones but upon consultation with his Asst. It was disallowed for some reason.  There were two Newcastle players in offside position but neither distracted the keeper.  One other thought is that the asst. believed that it was deflected.  Both are bollocks decisions.  

For the rest of the half the Newcastle fans were all over the ref decisions and it is quite obvious that they will need to be escorted out of the venue afterwards.

The should have been goal ended up "not to matter" as Negredo scores in stoppage to give Manchester City the full points.  Although, I will say that this game may have turned on that call as a tie score would have forced more pressing football. 

The game was a poor display by referee Mike Jones as he and his staff had a direct effect on the scoreline of the game as they are booed off the pitch to end the game.

Stoke City vs Liverpool

We have started another fine game in the BPL with Stoke and Liverpool kicking off.  The game appears on paper to be a Liverpool win but Stoke at home in the Britannia Stadium is no joke. 

Unbelievable goal in the fifth minute taken by a wicked deflection of a Cissoko shot by the body of Ryan Shawcross. Truly a goal that was unstoppable by the keeper and a freak goal at that.  Nonetheless Liverpool gained the lead early at the Britannia.

The 31st minute has seen the arrival of a strange goal by that wonderful player Luis Suarez.  A clearance from the Liverpool penalty area somehow gets through two defenders to Suarez's foot.  He blasts it past the oncoming keeper for the 2-0 Liverpool lead.

Stoke start the comeback and looked the equal of Liverpool all game to this point.  Of course the man to begin it is the diminutive (lol) Peter Crouch.  A beauty of a header gets past the Liverpool keeper and into the net in the 39th minute.

Just before the toll of the halftime whistle (the 45th minute prior to 4 minutes of stoppage), Adam gets the ball after some messing around by the Liverpool defense and laser beams a shot to the upper right.  The ball rips into the net to give Stoke a deserved tie score going to the break.

Early in the second half and Sterling for Liverpool goes down VERY easy.  It was an awful call by Howard Webb lookalike Anthony Taylor.  There was limited contact but I guess the defender could have done better to make sure the call not made in the first place.  Stephen Gerrard buries the PK that was given and Liverpool regain the lead.

A clever play made by Daniel Sturridge for Liverpool as the ex-Chelsea man gets the ball to Luis Suarez who can pick his spot.  Suarez slots the ball in the 71st minute to the lower right of the goal past the keeper top for the Liverpool 4-2 lead.

In the 85th minute Stoke attempted a comeback with Walters slotting a shot through Toure and past  Minolet into the Liverpool net to get Stoke back within a goal.  A frantic final five plus stoppage ensued.  Crouch had an attempt in the 86th minute as Stoke pushed forward with vengeance. 

But it was all for naught as Suarez repays the Sturridge assist from earlier with a beauty of a pass to set him up.  The initial shot was stopped beautifully by the Stoke keeper but Sturridge gets it back and slots it home to regain the two goal lead for Liverpool.

Crouch had an opportunity just before stoppage for Stoke to attempt a late reply to Sturridge goal but it deflects off the post. Along with the Crouch near reply Liverpool nearly gave Stoke a gift as well with Gerrard nearly putting a header of a corner kick into his own net in stoppage.

It was really a fabulous BPL classic (or as the British say "a real cracker of a game") which went back and forth all game.  I believe Stoke didn't deserve the game to be worse than a draw or single goal loss but it is what it is and Stoke lose the game 5-3 at a soggy Britannia.

San Francisco at Carolina

The game I think could be a real barnburner due to the defenses on both teams started off just as I expected.  The opening drive by San Francisco was dictated by hard hitting resulting in three players going off with injuries for a few plays. The drive started with a phenomenal hit by Charles Johnson who came out with a slight injury but came back after a play.  The play he took off resulted in an injury to Michael Crabtree of the 49ers.  The hard hitting display continued as FB Will Tukuafu went down with what looked like a nasty leg injury but was able to get off the field under own power.  However, the 49ers were able to manufacture a quality opening drive that resulted in a Phil Dawson 49 yard FG but was aided by a ridiculous unnecessary roughness call against FS Mike Mitchell from Carolina.

The prediction I made of the QB to make the mistake happened early, as in the first offensive drive by the Panthers.  Cam Newton threw an interception off a tipped ball by his WR to the 49ers LB Patrick Willis. The 49ers turn the turnover into a Phil Dawson 33 yard FG.  

The physical play continued and may I say that the Panthers have gone a tad bit overboard.  They are getting flagged for some of it early and it would behoove the refs to call it more to get this game under control.  It is VERY evident the Panthers have never "been there before" and the 49ers are not retaliating to their over the top nature.

Carolina finally put a drive together started by a 28 yard reception by Steve Smith. The 49ers bent the whole way down the field with Cam Newton getting some big runs in as well. At the end the Panthers decided to go for it on 4th down and goal but Cam Newton was stuffed at the goal line by the 49ers.  The decision was not a bad one but the preference for me would be to get the points.

However, the Panthers D holds the 49ers to a punt that was returned to the 30 yard line by Ted Ginn Jr.  The ensuing play of the drive by Cam Newton was his first career TD pass to the immortal Steve Smith.  The Panthers gained a 7-6 advantage due to the defense holding and special teams getting a big return.

Carolina and San Francisco both end their half with points on their lasts drives.  Carolina's last drive ended on a 24 yard FG from Graham Gano on arrived helped by a Newton to Greg Olsen 35 yard pass.  On the ensuing SF possession the 49ers finally got a TD vs the Panthers defense after nearly 6 quarters without one.  Helped by a pass interference by Florence the drive was capped by a 1 yard pass from Kaepernick to Vernon Davis.  The game goes to the half with the defensive battle we expected 13-10 49ers.

After the 49ers held the Panthers on their opening possession they drive down the field to the one yard line due to a Kaepernick to Boldin 45 yard pass.  On first and goal Frank Gore nearly fumbles due to closing his arms to fast on the hand off but on the next play Kaepernick makes the Panthers pay with a keeper into the end zone to give the 49ers a 20-10 lead in the 3rd quarter.

San Francisco started to salt away the game aided by a 39 yard gallop by Gore deep inside Carolina territory they tack on another FG from Dawson to lead the game 23-10 midway through the final quarter.  The Panthers defense was not the problem as they held the 49ers down but the offense of Carolina has not stepped up to help.

The game was still there for both teams if the Panthers would score a touchdown on their next possession.  But they don't as after a horrific call for helmet to helmet contact when Cam Newton spun into the oncoming rusher he throws an INT.  The game effectively is over at that point as there was only five minutes left.  The Panthers also decide to further show their frustration by getting nailed for another personal foul on the ensuing 49ers drive to salt away the clock.  

The game ends and the 49ers will go to Seattle for the right to represent the NFC at the Super Bowl in New York.

San Diego at Denver

The ever amazing Peyton Manning is making his 2013 season playoff debut and it seems he is going to start off where the regular season left off.  He led the Broncos down the field with relative ease (with exception of a should have been interception deep in SD territory). The end of drive is capped with a pass from Peyton to Demaryius Thomas for the touchdown and the early lead to the Broncos 7-0.

After the Broncos defense stops the Chargers due to a missed Novak kick due to slipping on the field, Peyton and Broncos march down the field once again for a touchdown this time to Wes Welker from the 3 yd line.  

Another defensive stop by Denver Broncos results in a great return from the punt by Eric Decker.  He sets up Peyton with the short field but Manning throws a pick that bounced right off Decker's chest right near end of the half.  The game went to half with the Broncos leading 14-0 and they should have been up more with the stats the way they are between these two.

The Broncos started the second half with the ball and drove methodically down the field to within the 30.  On third down a beautiful pass by Peyton Manning was dropped by Dark Helmet, I mean Wes Welker, which set up a 45 yd FG by Prater to up the Bronco lead to 17-0.

Just when you thought the Chargers were dead, early in the fourth quarter a pass from Philip Rivers to Keenan Allen gets them within 17-7. It was a well run drive which included a 30 yard pass to former Bronco Eddie Royal.  

The. Broncos though were not done as they took the next possession all the way to the house to seal the win.  Peyton may have led the majority of the game but he handed it off mostly on this series with Knowshon Moreno taking it to pay dirt.  With the touchdown the Broncos pushed their lead up to 24-7.

Philip Rivers started a comeback for the Chargers with a touchdown to Keenan Allen with just under 6 to play in the game to cut the lead back to ten. The Chargers attempted the onside kick on the kickoff and recovered it which led to another drive that resulted in a 48 yard drive to the Bronco 12.  Novak cam on to cap the drive off with a FG of 30 yards to cut the Broncos lead to 24-17.

The Broncos get the ball as the Chargers elect to kick the ball deep and they run out the clock when Moreno gets the first down with 1:12 left on a Third and One.  The Broncos take the game 24-17 and will host the Patriots next weekend to determine AFC champion.

Saturday January 11, 2014 - Sports, Sports, and MORE Sports

Ah the beginning of a new day...

Chelsea

Couldn't help but wake up and watch my boys CHelsea play at Hull.  They looked good...especially Eden Hazard on his glorious goal and Fernando Torres on his game sealing goal.  They showed that this team may be on the verge of consistent play and potentially a championship winning squad.  Keep it up lads there are still months to go and a couple teams ahead in the table.

James Franklin and Penn State

Go from the good of seeing quality football to the bad of hearing that James Franklin is taking over at Penn State.  I know many a person is going to be fine with this hire as he is a GREAT coach.  I witnessed this when he was the coach in waiting at Maryland when I first moved to DC. 

 I have one small problem with him...he may be a bad hire at the moment with some issues arising from the court case involving four former members if the Vanderbilt football team.  They are contending (but months ago the DA removed any chance of a charge) that James Franklin was told of a video of the rape and he told the player to delete the video.  

Now of course this could be a maneuver by a guilty player trying to wrap ups oe one in something that they had nothing to do with in the first place.  However, it simply is a bad situation for a new coach at a university that is still reeling from child molestation issues to bring someone in that may have something hanging over them in the manner of criminal issues.

This is not to say I have issues with him as a coach.  I wish the man all the best at Penn State but hope at the same time nothing comes of this implication from the player.  He will be a great addition football coaching wise to the newly expanded Big Ten.

Michigan State vs Minnesota

Another day of basketball at Breslin Center in East Lansing.  The team looked mediocre all game but that may have a ton to do with the fact the Adrien Payne was not out there due to injury.  Ally he best to him on his return.

The team woke up enough, however, to have the game go to overtime where they took over and scored the first nine points of the period. They held on to beat the Gophers 87-75.  The two big guns were the usual suspects on most days with Appling and Harris leading the way.  The team returns to action at Northwestern this week.

NFL Seattle v New Orleans

The first game of the day has kicked off and what rest weather we are having...lol.  This is a downright MESS!  16 yard punt due to slick conditions holding the ball plus watching the replay of the punter getting hit in the gut with the ball was hilarious.  

The Seattle Seahawks have an amazing defense and that is on full display in the first half.  With the exception of a few quality runs by Ingram the Saints Offense is not moving a bit.  The Saint defense themselves have also looked stout and have knocked Percy Harvin around twice.  They are holding the Seahawks offense but if their offense can't get going I don't like their chances.

New Orleans decided to wake up early in the fourth quarter to drive the ball down to the Seattle goal line.  The Hawks still held their ground forcing a third and goal but Robinson for NO cashes in on a play that looked destined to fail.  Followed up by an Ingram rush for the two point and we have a one score game early in the fourth.

Marshawn Lynch you can't even hope to contain him!!! Gets an uncontested TD to give Seattle a two score lead.  This coming on the head of another missed Shane Graham FG which was even further right than a FSU kicker. 

Late in the game the Saints get a TD to put themselves within 8 ... Onside kick.... AND the Saints have it!!! They are now three for three in the season in getting onside kicks.  The Saints throw a forward pass on a stupid play by Colston where he could have gone out of bounds to give Brees a last second chance. 

 The game ends with the Hawks winning by 8.  They were the deserving victors but the drives ending in FGs instead of TDs almost came back to haunt them.

FUNNY

The Wizards vs Rockets game at the Verizon Center in Washington DC is under a delay due to rain...there is a leak in the roof.

ARoid

Well the non-shock of the day happened as the arbitrator upheld a one year penalty for Alex Rodriguez.  Not much to say here but...duh!  This was one of the easiest no brainers there was as I had no doubt he was guilty front he beginning.  My guess is that he never plays another game of baseball. Good riddance!!!

NFL Indianapolis vs New England

What a terrible way to begin the game by the Colts.  How much more eye to eye contact does Luck want to make with his WR.  It looks like the only way the Colts think they can win is to start games in a deep hole.  They are a minute in and the Pats have punched the INT into a TD from the 2.

Do TA do TA do....that is the Patriots offense going to down the field against this hapless defense of the Colts...Blount with his second of the game and it is 14-0.  The Patriots couldn't make this look any easier.

Just when we thought the Colts were dead Brezill went and caught a beauty of a pass while being guarded by a hapless Dennard to get the Colts back in the game down a TD.  That was a beauty of a drive orchestrated by Mr. Luck.

This is flat embarrassing but of course the Colts D isn't playing backups like they did when facing majority of night against KC.  Brady marches down the field and Blount again finishes it off for a 21-7 NE lead.

Wowzers!! bad snap on 4th down for the Patriots on ensuing possession after Colts march down field for a FG. The play results in a safety and the Colts will also receive the free kick.  The score after that mess is now 21-12 Patriots late in the second quarter.

It didn't take long in the second half after an early hiccup for the rout to continue for the Patriots.  Ridley gets in the end zone for the Patriots middle way of the third quarter for the 29-15 lead.

Brazill gets another beauty from Luck...I swear that man throws some beautiful deep balls but he also does some stupid things that cost him.  This game is getting interesting as we are into the final quarter as the Colts have the ball down a TD.

Blount and Ridley with back to back TDs for the Patriots and that is it for me...the game is rout and some of it has to do with missed calls by the officials. It is on to Supercross but I will not be blogging that so much as to say....Goooo Ryan!!! 

Laters! I am outta here!

2014 has begun...a new attitude to keeping up

Well I have finally completed the 2013 recaps... From now on I plan on doing as close to daily blogs as possible. God willing I will actually make that happen.

The blogs will be a mishmash of topics as the blog implies.  I will be talking about anything from current events, politics, and sports to general topics I feel like addressing that day due to work or commuting silliness.

Please take this blog as just opinions and consteuctive statements.  I have no ill will toward anyone in my life or any statements that I make. I will probably anger some folks with my beliefs on many a topic but understand that they are my opinions  and I don't ask you to share the same opinion we me.  I do, however, ask that any comments be constructive as well.  I will not abuse anyone who offers a differing opinion to mine and if any comments are made that are abusive or could lead to a,problem I just ignore them so don't take it that I am not listening...I am but just choose to not get into a massive argument.

So Sioux further ado I give you my first day of fun on the new blog...with a new attitude... And hopefully a new motivation to keep from being lazy and letting this blog go into disrepair.

2013 Recap - US Tennis Open

Oh the fun of NYC....

Well it has been years since I went to NYC for the US Open tennis championships so I decided that I could wait no more. I took my favorite mode of transportation from DC to NYC...Amtrak.  It was a relaxing four hour ride to the city but I had forgotten how ridiculous Penn Station is to get out of during rush hour. I arrived just after 8 am on the city and hailed a cab to take me to my home for the weekend of Labor Day...the Waldorf Astoria.  

When I had gone to NYC previously it was to spend it with a friend at her Manhattan Condo so this was a new thing for me to spend it in a hotel...I thought what better place than this icon.  

It is still as beautiful as ever but it is that old style beautiful.  I will say they need to remodel the rooms as it was obvious the age.  It was in a great spot for everything I wanted to do on this trip so I couldn't complain.  

After checking in (surprised they had a room for me at 9am) I was off to Flushing for the day session of tennis.  Previous trips to the US open I had the benefit of transportation and tickets provided by a major modeling company so I didn't usually take the Metro.  It was an experience to forget for the first of five days taking it...some dingbat decided to jump in front of a Manhattan destined 7 train and due to this the 7 train was shutdown between Times Square and a stop in Queens forcing all US open patrons to take a roundabout way to get to Flushing.

Eventually I arrived in Flushing for the tournament and what is not to say about the beauty of Flushing park and the USTA National Tennis center.  That place is gorgeous. From the sites in the park

To the Arthur Ashe Center court within the center itself 

It is a site to behold and absolutely a phenomenal place to watch a tennis tournament.  The wonderful statue for Arthur Ashe further exemplifies the prestige of this place.

After watching tennis all day I went back to Manhattan for a night at the theatre.  I had never seen Wicked on Broadway before and it didn't disappoint.  The quality of acting and singing on Broadway at the musicals are a thing to behold and quite a treat if you are into the theatre scene.  It is of course not a cheap ticket...my seats cost north of $200.

The rest of the weekend was spent at the US Open as I was able to snag tickets to every session for the holiday weekend.  

I was able to watch many matches with the like of Anna Kournikova, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Ana Ivanovic, among others.

But of course a trip for me to the US Open wouldn't be right if it wasn't for the wonderful people with the USTA scheduling a Lleyton Hewitt match for night session on Ashe and it to go five sets...surprise,surprise...they did.  I didn't get back to hotel that night until 2am.

Along with the matches themselves they have a great viewing area to watch players practice and many of them come to the fence to meet fans and sign items for them.  Among the people who came by while I was by the fence were the aforementioned Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Rafa Nadal, Victoria Azarenka, and tennis great Bud Collins

A great thing about this years US open was to be able to see the comeback in doubles of Martina Hingis.  It didn't last long as she was ousted in first round on same day in mixed doubles and womens doubles with Daniela Hantuchova. Of course in the latter match they had to play the number one seed in the tournament in the first round.

The US Open is an event of the lifetime to attend as a tennis or sports fan in general...but it isn't cheap.  Tickets are only part of the problem in cost.  The food is WAY pricy and boy if you don't keep track of what you are doing you can drop a ton on apparel.  It is a fine place to also people watch as many a night session has MAJOR celebrities.  Case in point on one night Josh Groban, Ashley Greene, Spike Lee, Ralph Macchio, and others were in box seats at Arthur Ashe.

I WILL be back in 2014 to this fine event in an even better location for hotel plus will be attending a few more broadway shows.  On top of that I was there for a weekend in 2013 but will be there for ten days in 2014.

Recap 2013 - Chelsea vs AC Milan in DC

July was a dead month for me event wise so we head to August....

Earlier in June I had been told that my favorite English football team was coming to DC and even better...they were using DC as their home base for training.  This team for me is Chelsea!!!  I have been a Blues fan for a while since Michael Ballack was playing there and turned me on to them due to my love for Germany.  

I was able to find out that they were practicing at Catholic University of America so I went over there to see them train as it was only a couple stops on the Metro from my office.  This was a real treat to see my favorite team and their stars in person.  

Not only this but I found out where they were staying while in DC so I went to have lunch at the hotel.  At that point I was able to meet the team and get pictures and autographs from them.  It was a blast! Only issue was of course that the hotel (understandably) didn't want their guests bothered by the fans. We did our best to try and keep to decorum.  

I was able to get all my jerseys signed and they are now hanging in cases at my home.  

The game itself was your typical preseason warm up which saw the team play nearly their entire team and really not show much beyond getting the lads in better shape.  Is ill say you don't go to these games expecting to win or to see them at their peak.  You go it to see a team you don't normally get to see but on TV.

A few photos from the game, training, and hotel

Recap 2013 - The Cable Show

A first for me was attending the Cable Show.  This expo/conference brings together the biggest companies in the world of cable and network television.  Everyone from NBC, ESPN, Turner, A&E, etc. were in attendence to showcase their companies to people within the industry,  I attended due to my government ability due to us being allowed in for a lower cost.  

It was an exceptional show which even a novice to the industry can learn a ton about it from the outside in.  They opened the event with a show by an alltime goodie...MC Hammer...

The did a ribbon cutting for the expo hall shortly after and the show was off.  There were a number of celebrities in attendance which expo goers were able to meet.

I was able to meet the cast of Duck Dynasty...

The cast of the new show on A&E, Devious Maids...Ana Lopez and Susan Lucci

Cast members of Swamp people and Pawn Stars as well

There were some old timers as well ...well at least to me...lol.

Ricky Schroeder which I remember from Silver Spoons

And Naomi Judd of the Judds

Also in attendence from the old time standpoint was Alison Arngrim (Nellie from Little House)

Travel Channel and their group had some biggie as well with the Property Brothers and Samantha Brown in their booth

Of course what is an event in DC without having a token politician in the event...of course it was Rand Paul

For the sport geeks like myself I had to see what the channels for sports were doing...unfortunately not many of them had people show up.  In fact the only one that did was One world Sports who had Davey Johnson show.

The show concluded with a keynote interview done by a VERY big star of today.  It was great to hear her perspective of minorities in television and of course minorities in owning television channels or running large portions of them.  She is of course the always loved Jennifer Lopez.

Her intelligence on all things television was a wonderful thing to hear.  Sometimes you only hear the people with relatively low intelligence speak from the actor side of the house but she was a breath of fresh air.  She was very informative and kept it real so to speak when it came to telling people the hard truth of minorities...especially Hispanics...in terms of television and in business in general.

All in all it was a good conference that I would love to attend again.  This year (2014) it is in Los Angeles.  I would love to go since I would be willing to bet on a much better attended by celebrities event but it may not be in the cards.