Week 15: All I Want for Christmas...

Is Diamonds and a Vikings Win

All of my Christmas wishes are coming true!  The only reason for Santa Claus to come down my chimney is to eat the cookies and milk.  He doesn't need to leave any presents because my two biggest wishes are already in the works.

Dallas' favorite couple.
Courtesy of the33tv.com.

Wish #1:  Tony Romo is now engaged to Candice Crawford!  Thursday evening, while eating dinner with the Crawford family in Dallas, Mr. Cowboys QB dropped on his knee and asked the all important question.  I'm so excited because she seems like a really nice girl.  Of course, I don't personally know her, but any Mizzou alumna, pageant-winning, sports reporter is a friend of mine.  She's beautiful, intelligent, successful, and seems nice in spite of it all!

The 33, the local station where she works, has some exclusives with the couple.  Click here to view a picture of her ring.  On Saturday, there will be an exclusive interview with the couple as part of a Cowboys Christmas special.  For those outside of Dallas, I'm sure you'll be able to view via Youtube later.  

Wish #2: The Minnesota Vikings will be playing outdoors on Monday night.  The reason I'm excited for the game is pure nostalgia.  Growing up in Minnesota, I remember many a time playing outside with eyelashes frozen together while wearing five layers of clothes with big clunky boots to stay warm.  I will be watching the game from my warm home in Texas while only the die hard fans with northern European blood will be in attendance.  No one else will be able to stand the cold.

HHH Metrodome - a place full of memories for all
Minnesota sports fans.
Courtesy of twinkletown.com.

Secondly, the Vikings keep whining about wanting a new outdoor stadium and this is their chance to see what it's like attending a game in below zero temperatures.  Fans from warm climates like Miami would never attend a game in Minnesota after October.  This game will help remind fans and "new stadium enthusiasts" of the realities of playing in the snow.  Even I, a born and bred Minnesotan, wouldn't attend a game if the temps dropped below 40.  I hope the Vikings continue to play in a newly remodeled Metrodome someday.  

Week 14: Let it Snow!

MN blizzard halts football game

All day yesterday through my various social media outlets, I was communicating my sadness at missing the lovely blizzard in my hometown of the Twin Cities.  Of course friends and family still living there are not really enjoying the 16 inches of snow, but I would enjoy watching the snow falling and the hope of missing a day of work.

The normally puffy white roof has fallen in.
Courtesy of MN Public Radio.

The blizzard is hugely affecting the Vikings home game that was scheduled for 1:00 EST today.  Since the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport closed, Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants were stuck in Kansas City.  The game was postponed to Monday night to allow the Giants to arrive at the Metrodome.

Then this morning it was discovered the inflatable roof of the Metrodome has collapsed for the first time since 1986.  Two roof panels are torn so the Metrodome may not be available for several days.  The game is being moved to Ford Field in Detroit because of its proximity and there is already a crew and equipment available for a television broadcast.

Vikings locker room talk is all about preserving Favre's starting record.  It was said that Favre was not going to be ready to play today and the streak would have come to an end.  Thanks to the snow, it's allowing Brett another day to rest his shoulder and get ready for Eli.

Even though I'm still on the fence concerning my feelings toward Favre, I think it's important for him to reach the 300 game milestone.  All records are important, no matter if the guy used to be a mortal enemy.

At least tonight there won't be any fog!
Courtesy of democraticunderground.com.

The blizzard making its way to Chicago

The Patriots-Bears game at Soldier Field tonight will also be affected by the regional blizzard.  The field has a few inches of snow and is expecting more, but the biggest factor will be the cold temperatures and setting sun.  One ESPN pundit remarked that maybe Belichick will wear two sweatshirts tonight.

Today's game at Soldier Field will be nothing compared to the Fog Bowl of 1988.  The Bears hosted the Eagles for a New Year's Eve playoff game.  Fog rolled in during the second quarter and reduced visibility to 10-20 yards.  Players couldn't see anything and fans watching the game couldn't see past the fog.  The Bears won the game 20-12.

The Ice Bowl of 1967

One of the greatest games in NFL history is the Ice Bowl of 1967.  The Cowboys met the Packers at Lambeau Field for the 1967 NFL Championship.  It is considered one of the greatest games in history due to the weather conditions, the rivalry, and the players and coaches involved.

An official photo from the Ice Bowl game.
Courtesy of federalreview.com.

The game was played on New Year's Eve and is still the coldest game on record in terms of air temperature.  The official game time temperature was -13 with a wind chill of -48.  It was so cold the referees couldn't use their whistles.  When signaling the beginning of the game, the ref's whistle froze to his lips.  The band couldn't play during pre-game or half-time because the instruments froze and several band members went to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia.  The Cowboys lost the game 17-21 and Green Bay went on to win Super Bowl II.

The Freezer Bowl of 1981

The coldest game according to wind chill was the Freezer Bowl in 1982.  The game was the 1981 AFC Championship between the Chargers and the Bengals.  The air temperature was -9 but the wind chill was -59 at the time.  (I guess there's a new way to calculate wind chill which would make it -37 now).  The Bengals used their home field advantage to win the game 27-7.

Hopefully, you weren't bored by all of this NFL history.  As the wife of an avid football fan, I am learning that half of my husband's love of the game comes from childhood memories and his love of the Dallas Cowboys.  You should have seen his eyes shining as he told me about the Ice Bowl game.  He wasn't even alive and has a deep personal connection to the game.  If you are the girlfriend or wife of a football fan who loves one of the teams I mentioned, talk about the Fog Bowl or the Freezer Bowl today and maybe he'll do the dishes without one complaint!

Week 13: Super Bowl, Carats, and Smiles

Super Bowl Spoiler

Fergie and the boys to entertain NFL fans worldwide.
Courtesy of beatcrave.com.

The Super Bowl half-time show is going to be entertaining again!  It was announced this week that The Black Eyed Peas will be the musical entertainment at Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Tx.

The Peas are the first non-rock group to perform since the 2004 Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction incident.

Wedding Bells for Ochocinco

Lozada's 10 carats.
Courtesy of Evelyn Lozada.

Chad Ochocinco and Evelyn Lozada are officially engaged!  Two weeks ago Ms. Lozada tweeted a picture of a ten carat diamond ring, but nothing was confirmed until Ochocinco was a guest on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Tuesday.

"I think I found everything I've been looking for in one person.  [She's] everything I've been missing," said Ochocinco to Seacrest, about his fiance.  Even though Ochocinco has been on reality TV before with the "Ultimate Catch" dating show, the Ochocincos (will she become Evelyn Ochocinco?) are not planning on filming their wedding or lives together for television.

This will be Ochocinco's first marriage and Lozada was previously engaged to a NBA player, giving her the credentials for her role in VH1's "Basketball Wives."  Via Twitter Lozada said she will not switch to the "Football Wives" show.

Michael Strahan's Many Endorsements

Mike's got milk.
Courtesy of insidesocal.com.

Professional athletes are known for large salaries, but they usually make the most money from their endorsements.  Players usually endorse shoes, sports drinks, or products they may use in reference to the game.  Most players end the endorsements and become a sports analyst or commentator upon retirement.

Michael Strahan is a retired player whose gap-toothed smile seems to be everywhere.  He is currently an analyst for Fox, but he's on TV more than just on Sundays.  Strahan's smiling face is also in TV ads for Subway and Dr Pepper (click the blue link to watch).  His previous commercials have been for Vaseline, Sports Authority, Snickers, and RightGuard.  Last fall he co-starred in an unsuccessful TV series called "Brothers" and previously had a guest role in the second season of "Chuck."

As a person with a minor in advertising, when I see a "former" somebody in a lot of commercials, I think they are in desperate need of money.  Like Robert Shapiro in commercials for his internet law business - are things not going well for him anymore?  But there's no way Strahan is in need of money.  He hasn't been away from the game that long and he still has an analyst job.  So I'm concluding that Strahan is just having fun.