Championship Week: Rivalries part of the journey to North Texas

Winner of rivalry game to come on down to Texas

We're ready for y'all!
Courtesy of wildbillswestern.com.

There is a lot of excitement here in North Texas about the upcoming Super Bowl XLV.  I live an estimated 30 minute drive from Cowboys Stadium if there isn't anything going on.  There is no way any visiting Super Bowl attendee will step foot or car in my town unless they are driving down I-35E on their way into the city.  But we have banners on the light poles in town with the Super Bowl logo proudly waving in the wind.  We have tons of commercials about Super Bowl events, the sports radio station has a countdown with an exciting moment in North Texas sports history for the 45 days before the game, and the Super Bowl experience event at the convention center is almost ready for visitors.  (I will at least go down and take my picture by the giant XLV outside.)  Needless to say, there's excitement in the air.

Packers vs. Bears 1941 Western Division Championship.
Courtesy of AP/NPR.

Today's championship games determine who will play in our beloved Cowboys Stadium.  The Steelers-Jets game will be exciting but it has none of the history and rivalry as the Packers-Bears game.

The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers have the longest rivalry in NFL history beginning in 1921 and have played 181 games to date.  The one and only time the teams have met for a playoff game was Dec. 14, 1941 for the Western Division Championship with the Bears winning 33-14.  Chicago currently leads the all-time series 92-83-6.  NPR has an excellent article about the game here with an interview with a 95-year-old Packer fan.

All sports fans love to talk rivalries and there are lists of the greatest for every sport.  The writers always include the Yankees and Red Sox, Cowboys and Redskins, Celtics and Lakers, Texas and Oklahoma college football, Duke and UNC basketball, and Army and Navy college football.  I enjoy sports but, honestly, I got a little bored reading these lists while my husband was excitedly confirming the rivalries.

It would be interesting if rivalries extended beyond the world of sports.  If there were rivalries between actors, fashion designers, or magazines that were published and monitored, that would be more exciting for me.  I'm sure the editors of Marie Claire compete with Vogue for readership, but that's not published for the rest of us to cheer on our favorite magazine.

A (sort of) rivalry in recent news is a bet between Oprah and Piers Morgan on which talk show host will gain an interview with Michael Vick.  The Eagles QB was asked about the bet and said he thought Oprah would win because he's never heard of Larry King's replacement.

Social engagements of NFL players

A recent airport pic of
Kristin in a Bears hat.
Courtesy of a creepy fan's blog.

This week the media in Chicagoland has been discussing one important question that you may not have considered: will Kristin attend today's game?  The Kristin they are speaking of is QB Jay Cutler's girlfriend and reality show star Kristin Cavallari.  A friend of the couple told the local media that Kristin doesn't want to be another Jessica Simpson so she has been staying out of the spotlight at games.  The Chicago Tribune sighted the couple at a restaurant on Friday night, so she is in town!

Chad Ochocinco had a lovely birthday surprise when former president Bill Clinton stopped by his party in Miami.  Clinton was in Miami for speaking engagements on behalf of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.  He stopped by Ochocinco's birthday after having dinner with Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez.

Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, just received the honor of "Best Body" in the 14th Annual Famed Hottest Looks survey of Beverly Hills plastic surgeons.  This honor reflects the fact her body shape is the most requested by those receiving plastic surgery.

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.

Week 10: Beautiful Babes & Makin' the Money

"The Michael Vick Project"

Michael Vick and fiance Kijafa.
Courtesy of straightfromthea.com.

I am not a fan of Michael Vick.  That's probably why I blocked out the fact he had a reality show on BET called, "The Michael Vick Project."  The documentary-style show followed Vick after his release from prison while he revisited his past and started to look ahead to the future.

The last episode was filmed during Christmas 2009 and featured a marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Kijafa Frink, who is the mother of his two daughters.  She is a Philadelphia native and has her own jewelry line called PnkElephant.com.

Honestly, I think I will watch the episodes on BET.com so I can understand the guy.  Knowing me, I'll probably start to like him.  He is a talented football player.

From Twitter-land

Ochocinco's new venture.
Courtesy of drofdarb.laxallstars.com.

@OGOchocinco: If you believe everything Ochocinco posts on Twitter, then followers could conclude he is still dating Evelyn Lozada.  It could be serious because Lozada hangs out with his daughter, Jicyra.  Rock Software is creating a mobile game for the iPhone and iPad called Mad Chad.  The idea of the game is to travel around the world collecting Ochocinco's lost belongings.

@DiceCrawford: Candice Crawford, the girlfriend of Tony Romo, is in the running to be one of D Magazine's Ten Most Beautiful Women in Dallas.  The voting has already been concluded but look to see the winners in the December 2010 issue.

Baby News

A wedding picture of the Boller's.
Courtesy of eonline.com.

Oakland Raiders QB, Kyle Boller, and his summer bride, Carrie Prejean, are expecting a baby in May.  They will find out the sex of the baby next week, according to people.com.  

Mrs. Boller is the former Miss California USA who was fired by Donald Trump for not meeting contract obligations.  She faced tough press after stating marriage should be only between a man and a woman after being asked about gay marriage in a pageant.  Boller recently moved to backup QB behind Jason Campbell.