Week 8: Halloween = More Costumes than Usual!

All Hallows Eve

From the Jersey Shore:
Vinny as Snooki and
Ronnie as Pauly D!

As you all know, today is Halloween.  While kids are attending parties or trick-or-treating, the NFL will also be celebrating.  The Cincinnati Bengals celebrate every week in their black and orange, but this week the cheerleaders and fans will also be in costumes for the rest of us to enjoy.

It's normal to see fans who attend games in a costume.  The theme usually has something to do with the mascot, a player, painting their entire body in team colors, or even the team's history.  Since this week is Halloween, be prepared for more extensive costumes.  Some fans will not be very creative and just wear a pumpkin on their head, but some will be decked out in this year's top costumes.  I expect to see some "Juice Heads," baseball players, super heroes, and celebrities.

The NFL's cheerleaders are known for their sexy uniforms.  The camera crews make sure there are shots of the beautiful cheerleaders throughout the game.  This week I'm expecting even more footage of the cheerleaders, since they will be in sexy Halloween costumes.  Any costume you can think of will be turned into something tight, short, low cut, and in boots.

The San Diego Chargers cheerleaders last Halloween.

I guess as a female, I'm supposed to think the cheerleader's uniforms are sexist and anti-feminist, but I don't really care.  I'm not offended by their uniforms or costumes.  If I had any dance skills and an incredible body, I would want to try out for the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad.  They get to travel all over the country, represent the team, and do a lot of work in the community.

NFL News

Jenn Sterger, the former Jets employee who accused Brett Favre of sexting, is now unemployed.  Her TV show on the Versus Network has been canceled due to low ratings.  The T. Ocho Show, which is also on the Versus Network, is also reporting low ratings in its third week on air.

Couples Update

Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler and reality star Kristin Cavallari are still together!  This week she tweeted  a picture of two carved pumpkins with the caption, "Jay and I carved pumpkins.  Mines the amazing one on the right."


This week there was a bit of online gossip about Kim Kardashian and Miles Austin.  They tweeted back forth, which prompted a gossip blog to report they were back together and that she was attending the Cowboys game today.  According to her Twitter account, she is going to the New Jersey Nets basketball game this afternoon.

Week 7: Bruises and babies

Is the NFL becoming flag football?

As the wife of a huge sports fan, ESPN is on our television a lot.  While my husband is watching, I prefer to sit with him and read or browse the Internet.  We have another TV in our bedroom, but I hate the idea of two people watching two different televisions in the same house.  I like being in the same room because at least we're together.

Colin wants you to
join his herd.

When the TV is tuned to ESPN, I usually pay attention to shows like SportsCenter, SportsNation, and the live footage of radio broadcasts.  It's amazing how the voices do not match the imagined faces in my mind.  For example, Colin Cowherd is not very good looking.  Sorry, Colin, but I pictured you differently.  It doesn't really matter - you have a wife and kids and a very successful career.  And Jim Rome - you are nice looking, but I didn't imagine the dark hair and cowboy goatee.

This week on ESPN, a lot of the talk has been about the new enforcement of rules concerning hits.  The NFL has been into protecting players in the last couple of years.  There are new requirements about coming back after a concussion and now the NFL is going to start suspending players who make dangerous and flagrant hits, like leading with the helmet.  This type of hit can cause a lot of damage and the previous monetary penalties haven't stopped players.

Harrison is known for tough hits.

Of course, this has caused a lot of controversy.  James Harrison of the Steelers received a $75,000 fine from his rough play last Sunday.  He talked about retirement but came back to practice on Friday.  Harrison said, "I will continue to play the game with the same passion, intensity and focus with which I have always played and let the chips fall where they may."

Several contributors to ESPN are former players who have had mixed reactions to the NFL's new penalties.  Some ex-players prefer the high hits to the low ones that will be expected now.  Mark Schlereth (click to watch the video) is one commentator whose knee no longer fully bends from receiving low hits.  He also explained how the NFL profits from the physicality of the game - he showed a DVD that glorifies hard hits and the sound bytes of hits that are played during games.  On the other hand, Tedi Bruschi explained the players decide how hard and where to hit in a matter of seconds.  He believes it's definitely possible for a player to change an illegal hit to an acceptable hit even in the most intense plays.

Honestly, as a casual NFL fan, I don't understand how it could be football without hits.  I used to ask my husband about certain penalties because they didn't make sense to me.  Take pass interference, for example.  If the defender looks the wrong way and hits the receiver, you get a penalty.  Isn't the point to stop him from catching the ball?

Not me, but a girl from my
alma mater. Go Rebels!

The new enforcements of rules don't make sense to me either.  It seems like the rationale is that it's better to hit them in the knee where there aren't any pads than to hit in the head or shoulder where there's a lot of pads.  I'm no stranger to this concept - I played ice hockey in high school.  I wore a helmet, shoulder pads, and leg and knee protection.  I know what it's like to get whacked in the back of the leg where it's just socks.

Of course, hacking was a penalty in high school hockey and some of the intense hits in the NFL should also be a penalty.  But a suspension for an illegal hit on the first occurrence is extreme.  I believe some of the hits are accidental and there should be a way to address the difference between repeated flagrant hits and mistakes - you can see the difference on the field.

After watching the commentators this week and researching NFL websites, I'm not confident the players will respect the new rule enforcements.  The consensus seems to be that it won't be real football without hard hits.  Some even say the new enforcements will cause more injury-causing hits.  This Sunday will be the first week with the new enforcements in play and everyone (including me) will be watching.

No pictures of the baby
yet, so we'll do a
kissing pic.

Brees baby #2

Brittany Brees, the wife of Saints QB Drew Brees, gave birth to their second son on Tuesday afternoon.  Drew tweeted about his son's arrival but said they hadn't decided on a name yet.  Wednesday he announced the name via Twitter: "It's official.  Bowen Christopher Brees.  Healthy, happy baby... I am so proud!"

Drew uses Twitter frequently to connect with his fans.  Earlier this month, he asked his followers to help the family select the baby's name.  The requirements were: for a baby boy, beginning with B, and unique.  The Brees' had over 6,000 suggestions as of last week, according to USA Today.  Click here for a video from nola.com about the name selection and see my previous post for a picture of Brees and his 19 month old, Baylen, after winning the Super Bowl.

Favre update

Professionally, Favre is doing great.  The Vikings beat the Cowboys last week and he will break a record today for the most starts at Lambeau Field by any quarterback (119).

On the personal side, the sexting allegations have not yet come to a conclusion.  A spokesperson for Jenn Sterger says Favre also called her in 2009, according to espn.com.  (The original allegations occurred in 2008.)  The Saint Paul Pioneer Press reported that Sterger would remain quiet if she and Favre came to a financial agreement.  This was later denied by her manager.  Sterger has still not talked to the NFL about the sexting allegations and the review is ongoing.

A Week 6 Monday edition - Sexting: It's not only for teens

We have been discussing the Favre "sexting" accusations on Facebook, so I put it all together here for further thoughts.


Here's the lowdown:
Last week, right before the Jets played the Vikings, news hit that Favre supposedly sent inappropriate text messages to a female Jets employee while he played for the team.  The employee was Jenn Sterger, who was a hostess and sideline reporter.  

Sterger, as a Jets
sideline reporter.

The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, said that the NFL security chief will be interviewing Favre tomorrow about this matter. If the allegations prove to be true, he could be suspended or fined, according to ESPN.com.  Sterger and her manager have declined to comment.


Deadspin.com, has three pictures and some voicemails that supposedly Favre sent to Sterger.  It's all woven together in a video format to present the story that Favre was interested in getting together with her.  You may watch it here, but there are photos of someone's penis at the end.  The Web site claims that Sterger told them about this last February and they purchased the evidence from a third party.  


Deadspin.com admits, "Yes, there's a possibility that the person communicating with Jenn was not actually Brett Favre, but rather someone trying very hard to appear to be him."  Their evidence is that the phone number was from Mississippi, sounded like Brett, and mentioned other Jets employees as proof of his identity.

The shot that led to Sterger's (center) career.

Jenn Sterger became famous after being filmed in the crowd at a Florida State game, where she was a student.  She hosted a college basketball show and now hosts "The Daily Line" on the Versus channel.


While still in college, she posed in Maxim and Playboy.  Sterger was ESPN's 2006 Hottie Sensation, according to her article on SIoncampus.com.   She has small roles in the movies "Don't Fade Away," which was released at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and "The Tenant," which has a 2010 release date, according to imdb.com. 

As a loyal CSI fan, it seems like the investigation should be easy.  Was the phone number that texted the photos ever belong to Favre?  If it was a pre-paid phone, who purchased the phone?  Why hasn't Sterger made any comments?  

Week 6 - Back and Better Than Ever

NFL News

T.Ocho, what a clever combo!

The T.Ocho Show - For Real!

Ochocinco and T.O. are 'at it again.' No, it's more like they're still at it.  The Bengals wide receiving duo premiered a new show this week on the Versus channel dubbed the "T.Ocho Show."  According to Versus.com, this is the first "weekly national NFL talk show starring two active players."

The host, Kevin Frazier, called the show a mix of "The View" and "The Sports Reporters."  In an article on Bengals.com, he said, "They'll be commenting on the big stories and the big names.  Then we'll flip the script and talk about Michael Bolton being on Dancing with the Stars."

This week's show topics included Tom Brady's hair, who gets more ladies - athletes or musicians, and giving Derek Jeter a T.Ocho award for having a sexy girlfriend.  If you can't get enough of these two, watch the T.Ocho Show on Tuesday nights at 10:30 EST on Versus.  Haven't heard of the channel?  Me neither, but I looked and I have it!

Week Six Season Review

The NFL Turned Upside Down
The first few weeks of every season, we know which teams are supposed to be good but sometimes it takes a few games to determine their actual ability to win.  Now at Week 6 it should be easy to determine winners and losers for any sort of friendly competition you have with your friends or on a Web site.  But this season is full of surprises.

Cowboys lining up!

Surprise #1: America's Team is 1-3
The Dallas Cowboys have not started well this season.  The Cowboys only win was Week 3 over the Houston Texans.  This is following a successful 2009 season ending with a 11-5 record and making it to the divisional playoffs, where they lost to the Vikings.

There has been a lot of talk here in Dallas about our troubled team.  Basically, who is to blame?  We have talented players and most of them are healthy, so is the problem with the coaches or leadership?  Owner Jerry Jones says, “I really believe that we have on our team the players, the coaching staff, the head coach to have that happen and go through a stretch of games that really get us [on the right track]. We will see how we get through that stretch."  I'm glad Jerry is hopeful again, but if the 'Boys continue to lose, something has got to change.

Surprise #2: Vikings also 1-3 and Favre is still there!
I grew up in Minnesota and I'm a Vikings fan.  I wasn't very excited about Favre playing for the Vikings, but he won me over with his incredible arm.  He helped us have a winning record and make it to the NFC Championship last season.  I don't remember the Vikings being that good since we had Moss (the first time).

How nice, we gave him his
old number.

Unfortunately, this season has not been a repeat.  Favre took his time coming back, which wasn't good for team morale.  We've started off so poorly, we welcomed Moss back and forgot his bratty ways.  Now that ol' Randy is back, Vikings fans are looking for him to make big plays and turn this team around.  I'm sick of depending on heroes to come rescue us each year.  Let's be a team and rally to win!

Since I'm a Vikings fan and my husband is a Cowboys fan, I don't recommend anyone calling my house or stopping by during the game this Sunday.  There will be tension as we watch in separate rooms.  It would be best for our relationship if the Cowboys win, but Go Vikings!

Surprise #3: Week 1 - Houston beat Indy
The Houston Texans have not been a very good team in the past few seasons, but this year has started well with wins over the Colts, Redskins, and the Raiders.  They are 5th in rush yards and 6th in total yards.

This loss was a shock to the Colts, who are normally an excellent team.  The Colts turned it around the next week and won the Manning vs. Manning Sunday night showcase.  Their record of 3-2 is not bad, just surprising for this team familiar with playoff games.

McNabb looks really happy
in red and yellow.

Surprise #4: Redskins turning it around with new QB
I guess there's this unspoken rule in the NFL that it's not OK to trade within the division.  But Philadelphia ignored the rule and traded their star QB, Donovan McNabb, to the Washington Redskins.  Result: the teams are both 3-2, but McNabb led his new team to victory over his old team in Week 4.  Philadelphia might be sorry because their new star, Michael Vick, has been hurt and they've had to go with their backup for the past two weeks.

#5: Week 5 - Oakland Raiders break 13-game losing streak to San Diego Chargers

The Raiders have not been a winning team in recent years.  At the end of the 2009 season, the Raiders became the first team in NFL history to lose 11 games in seven straight seasons.  Their last Super Bowl win was back in 1984, with their last Super Bowl appearance in 2003.

So far this season the Raiders are 2-3 and, for the next few weeks, will be facing opponents they could actually beat!  Their next tough game is Nov. 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs.  By the way, the Chiefs are another surprise with a 3-1 start.

Couples Update

I hope Kendra looks nice
in purple and gold!

Hank & Kendra Baskett - Last month, Hank was released from the Philadelphia Eagles and picked up by the Minnesota Vikings.  Baskett has moved around a lot lately, being a part of the Indianapolis Colts, Eagles, and now the Vikings.  His reality star wife, Kendra, has faithfully followed him until now.

Life & Style magazine has reported that Kendra is going to move back to Los Angeles and not join Hank in Minneapolis.  It's reported that their marriage has been strained because of Hank's frequent job changes, but the main reason she's returning to LA is her career.  Kendra is trying to finish shooting the new season of her reality show on E! and has other business ventures based in LA.  The move also brings her close to her family.

More NFL Players Basics

Kellen and Janelle

#82 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tight End Kellen Winslow Jr. - married to Janelle since 2006.  His father was a Hall of Fame tight end for the San Diego Chargers and played in five Pro Bowls.  Junior is doing well also - he was picked 6th in the first round of the 2004 draft, 2007 Pro Bowl selection, and received the biggest contract for a tight end in NFL history when he was traded to Tampa Bay.

#7 KC Chiefs QB Matt Cassel - married to Lauren since 2007 & they had their first baby last May.

#21 New York Jets Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson - married to LaTorsha since 2003 & they had their first son in July.

Edwards with his
"too cool" syndrome.

#17 New York Jets Wide Receiver Braylon Edwards - I don't know anything about his love life but he has enough problems by himself.  Last October, Edwards punched a friend of LeBron James at a club and pleaded no contest to aggravated assault.

He is still on probation for that offense and received no punishment from the NFL.  Last month he was arrested again for DWI and recorded a BAL of 0.16.  His coaches didn't allow him to start the next game but he was the top receiver the next week.  I've had this argument with friends again and again - why are players allowed to commit crimes and still play?

Week 4 - All Things Orange: Cereal boxes, Carpets, & Beauty Queens

Ochocinco Tries to Do Good

Only the cereal is safe

It seems like Chad Ochocinco wasn't just satisfied with the opportunity to be on the cover of Wheaties.  The Bengals player recently launched a new breakfast cereal called Ochocinco's, which bears his mug and the Bengals' colors.

Ochocinco tried to do something good by working with Feed the Children and donating a percentage of profits to their charity.  The cereal boxes featured a toll-free number to call for more information.  The only problem is the number was a misprint and dialed out to a phone sex company instead!

The boxes have all been removed from shelves and will be repackaged with the correct phone number.  Poor Chad - he tries to be a good guy and it doesn't quite work out for him.

Dolphins Put Out the Orange Carpet

A new Dolphins fan

Even though Kim Kardashian is no longer dating a NFL player, that doesn't mean she's still not attending games.  She is one of a few famous celebrities that walked the Orange Carpet to watch the Dolphins lose to the Jets last Sunday night.

The Dolphins tend to attract celebrities because a few are part-owners of the team.  Venus and Serena Williams, Fergie, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, and Marc Anthony are all partners under new owner Stephen M. Ross.  Kim may have been in attendance to promote a new nightclub in the stadium, but LeBron James, Tara Reid, and Dylan McDermott were also spotted at the game.

Couples News

Dating - As of Wednesday, People Magazine reported The Hills' Kristin Cavallari and Bears QB Jay Cutler are still together.  Apparently she's been spending a lot of time in Chicago with her new victim, I mean, man.

Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Boller

Marriage - Remember the Miss California USA contestant that faced a lot of negative media attention for believing marriage should only be between a man and a woman?  Carrie Prejean became the subject of all the news talk shows and was eventually fired by Donald Trump.  This summer she married the Raiders new QB, Kyle Boller.

Mrs. Peyton Manning

Manning Update

For a long time, I didn't think Peyton Manning was married and a few years ago there was a rumor that he went on a date with Lindsay Lohan.  But he is definitely married and it seems like Mrs. Manning just doesn't want to be a celebrity. (Imagine that, in our society.)  I came across a lovely article from the Indianapolis Woman magazine about her that you may enjoy.  Read the article here.