Food, Family, and Football.

FOOD, FAMILY, & FOOTBALL

 

It's the week of Thanksgiving

When all through the house

Every creature was cooking,

Aprons over the blouse.

 

The playoffs are nearing

As divisions are being clinched.

Teams still struggle with injury

And find themselves in a QB pinch.

 

McCown, Clemons,

Tolzien, Mike Glennon.

These second and third strings are fighting hard.

Matty Ice can't even get the Falcons to Wildcard.

 

It's time to be thankful

Of family, health, and fortunes.

Blessed children and loving wives

Put up with Gridiron Goons.

 

A favorable schedule and healthy roster,

blessings this time of year.

So raise your glass, let's make a toast -

Thankful for all things near and dear.
 

 

-bObD.

America's Primal Sin

This past weekend I went to go see "12 years a slave". It was a transformative experience to say the least. For a few days now I've been racking my brain to figure out what exactly I wanted to say about the film. There are so many levels to the film and and the subject matter itself, that I didn't know where to start. I simply want to state that it is my opinion that EVERYONE needs to see the film.

The movie is based on the 1853 memoir by the same name, written by a free black man named Solomon Northup. The story goes like this...Solomon was a free black musician living in New York when two white men; who offered themselves up as performers asked Solomon to accompany them to Washington DC for a paid performance. Once in D.C., they got him liquored up one night and when he awoke he was in chains and his free papers were gone. His name was changed to Platt and he was shipped to New Orleans to begin his life as a slave. As the title suggests, Solomon spends 12 years as a slave on a few plantations in New Orleans as he encounters various hardships, deceits, and cruelties. I'm guessing the normal nondescript life of a human being forced into slavery.

The beauty of the film is in the simplicity with which the story is executed. Director Steve McQueen understands the feeling the eyes can deliver to an audience. He understands how a wispy far off cry can convey a feeling of desperate despair. These things are integral when portraying such an undertaking, even if it was "just" for 12 years.

Chiwetel Ejiofor portrayed Solomon Northup as a proud, devoted family man of measure. A man who knew that he wanted to survive long enough to awake from his nightmare. Solomon knew that he had to keep his mind crisp and ready to act when the time came. Along with Eliofor's performance many stood out including Michael Fassbender as a deeply disturbed / alcoholic slave owner, and Lupita Nyong'o as an overachieving slave mired in deep despair. This movie isn't an all encompassing epic like "Roots". It doesn't have to be that. The movie leans on humanizing a moment in this country's past that is sometimes glossed over and overlooked. Even me, being an African American, I can even sometimes forget the atrocities that surely my ancestors lived thru. As I left the theatre that day, my heart seemed to beat a few beats slower than usual....I was showed things that I knew, but never felt.


-tshurn

Linsanity, MD, PhD...NBA.

We are always looking for a hero - someone to inspire us. We all have aspirations to be great, to do something great. We dream of being great.

For most Asians, that dream is to go to an Ivy League school and become a doctor. If you don't have a passion for medicine, or suck at Chemistry like myself, you work hard to become a successful engineer. It's not a false stereotype. It is as calculated as every Asian's near, if not perfect, math score. Arts and athletics are frivolous talents that look good on your application, if there is room. They are most definitely not things you make a living out of. It was unheard of to play it off as more than a pasttime, until Jeremy Lin came along.

Linsanity became such a phenomenon. I recently got to watch the film that documented this phenomenon. You can only imagine the crowd it drew at the theater - the parking lot was full of every Honda imagineable and the entrance full of young Asian Americans seemingly loitering.

The film began by introducing family and the importance of Jeremy's family during his childhood. The supportive mother, the father that shared the love of the sport, and the indescribable bond between the brothers. Jeremy had a dominating high school senior year that disappointingly left him without offers from schools. Patience and faith landed him at Harvard, where he flourished. Halfway through the film you could sense that everyone in the theater was living vicariously through the then 18 year old.

The hardships then set in. Jeremy's faith was tested as he bounced from team to team, NBA to Developmental League. He continued to train and play hard until his opportunity arose. It was the moment everyone remembers...the beginning of Linsanity.

In February of 2012, Lin made his first start as a New York Knick against the Jazz. With Stoudemire and Anthony out, Lin led the team to a win streak of seven. I swear when they showed the 3-point buzzer beater against the Raptors, the entire theater erupted. Two ladies behind me were cheering like they were at the game, witnessing the amazing play for the very first time. A feel good feeling filled the theater. Everyone was wide-eyed and beaming with admiration. Every woman was smiling ear to ear as if they were watching their own son's success.

Linsanity was, and is, a huge part of Asian American culture. We were all witnesses. The life it brought to entire families is immeasurable. Hope, faith, and the overall entertainment value of sports was taken to a whole new level for a demographic mainly concerned with success in academics and one's career, not sports. Jeremy Lin may be coming off the bench this year, but his accomplishments have far exceeded anyone's expectations. Awareness has been brought and will hopefully continue to inspire those who have dreams of being something other than a doctor, lawyer, or engineer.


-bObD

Code (True) Blue.

Fanship is a tricky thing. You have your Homer Fans, the ones that love their hometown team. Whether it is the hometown they grew up in or the present day hometown. Then there is the Family Fan. Mom and Dad are Patriots fans, daughter grows up adoring Tom Brady. But really, who doesn't adore Brady? There will always be Bandwagon Fans. Those who are in it just for the wins - the least loyal of all fans.

Being from Texas, no one understands why I am a Titans fan, myself included. I became a fan when the team became the Tennessee Titans, post Houston Oilers. Something about McNair's sexy, big chest in the revamped Titans blue and Eddie George running with the Titans logo. I'm enamored by their logo - if I wasn't the mature, grown fan that I am, I would have my room wall-to-wall with "flaming thumbtack" Fatheads. With no ties to Tennessee at the time, my fandom was as random as the reintroduction of POG-playing days in the early 90's.

Last weekend, I went to my first Titans game at LP Stadium. It was refreshing and a lot of fun! The 49ers were the obvious favorites going into the game, but with Locker returning from injury and the 49ers offense showing recent weakness, it had the potential to be a good game. Too bad that wasn't the case.

The game was pretty much over by the end of the 3rd quarter, with a score of 24-0, San Francisco. Had it been a Dallas Cowboys game at the Deathstar, the fans would have been out the door and in their cars by the middle of the 3rd. The random lots around the stadium make a killing off of parking, especially for blowout games. But these Titans fans remained loyal in their seats, cheering on their team with beer(s) in hand. The stadium erupted at the beginning of the 4th quarter when the first Titans points were scored. A field goal by Bironas! You couldn't help but cheer and enjoy what was left of the game.

It was refreshing to look around and see people appreciate the game and the players, despite the imminent loss. No boo-ing or taunting. Just the love of the game being shared by a stadium full of fans. My team lost but I still walked out of the stadium a winner. At least Miller and Bud had me thinking I was a winner... GO TITANS!



-bObD

Monta Ball

Monta Ellis is a Dallas Maverick. I've been intrigued by Ellis ever since he came into the league in '05. I remember watching him put a ton of points up on some poor school on ESPN his senior year. The kid was so fast and athletic with very deep range on his jumper. Of course, I thought to myself that it was really dumb when he declared. I just thought that he was too slight to survive, but the prevailing thought I had was that he was a pure scorer. Pure scorers are born. They are not made. Monta Ellis was put on this earth to throw a round leather ball through an iron hoop.....

Last week at media day for the Mavs, Ellis gave a qoute that a lot of people found very interesting. What he said was, "I'm going to play Monta Basketball" , "If ya'll want to criticize, criticize". Well then.....Hmmmm? Reporters, Bloggers, and Fans alike are always attempting to play shrinks when it comes to athletes. What did he REALLY mean by that? This type of question doesn't matter when you really think about it deeper. We can make this really simple. Monta is going to take a lot of shots. Monta is going to make a lot of shots. Carlisle is going to try to find a way to help Monta become more efficient. I, for one, think that it will work.....offensively, that it is. Calderon will help, as will Dirty and the Matrix. He will, I repeat, WILL be more efficient than last year. He will attack the basketball more, and he will be happier because he will win more. He actually has people on his team who understand offensive tactics.

MFFL's should just embrace "Monta Ball". It's what we have bean yearning for, for a while now. It's finally here. You can't beg for a nice pair of jeans for Christmas and open the gift and it's True Religion, but you mad cause you ain't get Tom Ford. Come on man. Monta will be Monta, let's revel in it. He's ours now. We are working on a "Monta Ball" tshirt right now!



-tshurn

Oh and Three.

I am stinkin' oh and three. 'Stinkin' being the extremely PG-rated word chosen to express my frustration and disappointment in my winless start to the 2013 Fantasy Football season in my ESPN league. I belong to the not-so-elite club of an 0-3 start. Three weeks into the season, three losses. No one wants to be in this hole. Questions are asked, eyebrows are raised, more beers are consumed, playoff hopes seem dismal.

Everyone gets to where they are differently. It is all about the matchups. Who your players are faced with on the field, and who you play against in your respective leagues...and luck when it comes to avoiding injuries. Sometimes mediocre performances are enough to win a matchup. Othertimes, your players better play like they are fighting for the wildcard spot just to be contenders.

Week one I was plagued with a weak RB core. Week two my wide receivers forgot to show up. Week three Drew Brees tried to get me my first win, but my Buffalo defense had other plans. It has been rough. I cannot say I am very pleased to be in the same company as the Vikings, Steelers, Giants, Bucs, Jaguars, and underacheiving Redskins.

I wish I could say this week I was going to turn it around, but it is not looking good. ESPN is projecting a blowout - not in my favor. With a waiver wire pretty thin with lottery handcuffs and a lack of trade-worthy players (aside from Brees), it seems I may be sitting ugly with the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.

This is uncharted territory for me. Crowned Champion last year in the same league I am currently struggling in, I have managed winning seasons in my other leagues. I have never started 0-3, let alone 0-4. It is hard to be hopeful, especially when this year's record/standing in the league has no bearing on next year's draft. As if the first pick promises a magical season...

I've got no coaching staff to blame, no one to fire. Poor drafting and poor sleeper suspicions have left me with a D-League team, at best. No excuses - I've got to find a way to win. The Cleveland Browns won when they traded away their franchise back, and everyone thought they had given up. I, too, shall find a way...it just won't be this week.

-bObD.

Football Sexy.

The much adorned hat trick. In darts, it's throwing 3 bulls eyes. In hockey, it's scoring 3 goals. For football fanatics, it's your college team winning, your hometown team winning, and at least one of your fantasy football teams winning all in the same week(end). If you happen to win more than one of your fantasy match-ups, then you're sitting on top of the world, and no one can touch you. You're Johnny Football, minus the demand for autographs, the oil money...the Heisman.

Everyone is aware of the excuse of a rebuilding season the Texas Longhorns are going through. A team with incredible talent cannot seem to win. Ranked at the start of the season, it did not take long for the Longhorns to fall. Going into week 4, the unranked team faced Kansas State. This was a conference game most disappointed fans figured to be over before it even kicked off. But the Burnt Orange prevailed 31-21; the coaching staff can rest easy another week.

Now while I am not a die hard Cowboys fan (a loss won't ruin my weekend like a Longhorn loss will), I am a homer, nonetheless. I hate Jerry Jones just as much as the next fan, and I have a love/hate relationship with Romo the entire season. Through 3 weeks, the Dallas Cowboys are 2-1. The 2 wins were quite convincing, with this past Sunday's being against the less than dominating Rams. Romo was on point, and a healthy Murray was doing his thing on the ground. The Cowboys won 31-7; it was quite refreshing.

Going into Monday night's game, the hat trick was very much alive. This was it - I didn't forsee the Longhorns and the Cowboys winning together many more weekends. I was up in points in all 3 leagues, with Peyton Manning, Decker, and Julius Thomas left to play. It was looking pretty solid. The Fantasy Gods were determined to challenge me. I needed Oakland to be shutout (or Janikowski to miss 2 FGs) to sweep my leagues. Pryor would not be a part of any shutout, and I unfortunately took a loss in my ESPN league. 2.4 points...maybe I can get a generous point adjustment somewhere in there? Not likely, and I shouldn't let such a defeat take away from my outstanding accomplishment.

I am feeling football sexy.

-bObD.

Anxiety Rules

It's football season and I got money on this shit. In my world money on the line equals anxiety. You see, I don't have much money to be just throwing around willy nilly and I'm naturally a bit of a cheapskate no matter how much cheese I have. Here in lies the conundrum....I don't like losing money, but I love the rush, strategy, and braggin rights that go along with winning anything. Basically I'm a penny pincher who has all the tenants that can lead to gamblers anonymous. bObD knows that my lifelong ambition is to become a professional gambler and live out my twilight years in Vegas. Of course those two parts of me clash violently into one another thus rendering my ambition a pipe dream.

It's okay tho, I try to live in the NOW and what's happening now is that I have a grand total of $70.00 on the line in three gambling ventures involving our great American sport called football. She took $50.00 for a fantasy league, $15.00 for another fantasy league, and $5.00 for a pick'em league. The exhilarating feeling of making a good pick on draft day or picking the perfect fit off the waiver wire that makes me high. She knows I'm a feign, call me Pooky.....but it's that in between lingering anxiety wondering whether or not you actually made that right pick that kills me. It's the waiting and I'm so impatient. I've started having stomach problems and I'm wondering if she's the cause. Somethings got to give, but I know it's too late for me. Football has me and she's not letting go.



-tshurn

Let's Kick This Off.

The first week of the NFL season is behind us, and what a first week it was. I feel like I just shotgunned a bunch of beers. The number of beers is in question; it's a blur, they all seem to run together. So do all the football games when you induldge in NFL RedZone. So let me attempt to recap Week 1...


Peyton Manning made it clear on Thursday that football is what he is good at, rapping is just a past-time. 7 touchdown passes thrown. A huge fantasy night for owners. If you did not win your match-up with Peyton as your quarterback this week, good luck with the rest of the season - it seems the rest of your team may need some work.

Kickoffs to Sunday's games were subsequently followed by safeties in three of the early games. The Titans, Bucs, and Chiefs each gave up 2 points in the opening minutes of the season. Poor Jacksonville didn't see much action after that, with a final score of 28-2 Chiefs.

Looks like Detroit has finally got a winning game from a running back since...Barry Sanders days. Reggie Bush looked extremely comfortable in pale blue. 191 yards, 1 touchdown - pretty impressive. They'll need it to fall back on if Calvin Johnson keeps getting touchdowns called back.

AD was anything but All Day on Sunday. I cannot even imagine how all the hundreds of first pick fantasy players felt when their sure pick Peterson took his first touch 79 yards for a touchdown. They probably all saw the trophy/prize money at the end of the road - the season was theirs! But wait, he only ended with 98 yards. Terrell Pryor got more. Purple Jesus got some yards to make up to beat that record...

Brandon Weeden doesn't know how to start a season without throwing picks. 4 in Game 1 of 2012 and 3 in Game 1 of 2013. Fantasy note: Don't start Weeden Week 1. Correction, don't start Weeden, ever.

Between Welker having a field day with Manning and Danny day-to-day Amendola contantly holding his groin, Brady is going to have one hell of a challenging season. The challenge seem to have started with Buffalo. Is Buffalo's defense really that stout?

The New York Jets won. WAIT, WHAT?!

Thank you Eli Manning for kick-starting another Cowboys season full of high hopes. It couldn't have been fueled any better than by an interception on the first throw. And the remaining 5 turnovers pretty much guaranteed a win. The Dallas Cowboys are undefeated. Start planning the parade.

I told you all about Vick this season! Chip Kelly is doing amazing things in Philly, and if Vick can stay healthy...

The Texans/Chargers game looked a lot like the Patriots/Bills game. Chargers looked like they were on PEDs...Rivers played like he had an 'S' on his chest and connected with every receiver he had. They had their way with the respected Houston defense. But solid and reliable Andre Johnson brought the Texans back. Oh, and the predictable Chargers fell apart.

It is amazing how much joy football can bring to one's life. Life is good right now.


-bObD.

Pigskin Shots!

It's finally here - football season! Whether you are one of the many fanatics playing fantasy football or you just love to innocently watch the sport, tonight is a national holiday to be celebrated. Before we kick off the season, I wanted to throw out some bold predictions, some bolder than others...

• Kaepernick will get capped this year. Defenses will find a way to stop him.
  
• Lamar Miller will single-handedly carry the Dolphins to an over .500 season.
  
• Danny day-to-day Amendola will only miss one game this year due to unspecified injuries.
  
• Atlanta will be one play away from making the Conference Championship this year.
  
• DeMarco Murray will be healthy this year. Dez and DeMarco will take the Cowboys to the playoffs.
  
• Cam Newton and Michael Vick will be fantasy phenoms this season. Start them every week.
  
• Gronkowski will have one more surgery sometime during this season.

That's all I have time for...Broncos over the Ravens by 7 tonight. Let's go!


-bObD.