Payback

There has been a lot of chatter in the media before the start of the season tomorrow about the dirty play of the Saints, specifically the beat down they placed on Brett Farve last year. Now Brett hasn't grumbled about it and he shouldn't because all it will get you is a bigger target on your back or in his case the ankle.

Do I think it was dirty? Yeah, but for those of you who have never played organized football, let me tell you, "It's a part of the game". Whether you like it or not, teams gear up and plan on trying to hurt your best offensive weapons. Heck, I can guarantee it's being taught to high school players across the nation right now. When you are in the heat of competition and emotions are high, it's not hard to twist a running backs ankle just enough to sprain it. I'm guilty of it.

And if the Vikings are pissed about the dirty play last year, instead of talking about it, they, specifically his defense should dish out some vigilante justice. Paint a big bulls eye on Drews' leg, head, whatever can break and hit it over and over again. Because the fact of the matter is that when Drew goes down the Saints hopes will be dashed for good. So less talking, more hitting.

As for the Offensive line, protect Farve like he was your mama. And what would you do if someone hit your mama? Would you talk about it or would you beat that guy down? Bottom line, eye for an eye. A cut block hear and there will stop a few pass rushers from coming in full throttle. Vikings got to get dirty if they want to beat the Saints because if they don't, the Saints will.

Are You Ready For Some Football

College football has arrived and there isn't a lack of story lines this upcoming season. From the reshaping of the Big Ten and Pac-10 to the possible BCS championship busters of Boise State and TCU. This season is shaping out to be one that shouldn't be missed.

Two games that I'll be watching today is Utah vs Pitt and Hawaii vs USC. The Utes and Pitt game could have an impact on TCU and their bid for a BCS bowl and possibly the championship game if they go undefeated. These types (nonBCS vs BCS) of games are important because they could shape the medias opinion of the strenght of a teams schedule. If the Utes win it would be a feather in the cap of the Mountain West Coference and gives TCU levearge if they and Boise were to go undefeated. I have a feeling, with Utah moving to the Pac-10 that they'll come out fired up to prove that they deserve to play with the big boys in a BCS conference. This game could end up being a low scoring, hard hitting figth to the finish.

In the late game today, Hawaii will face USC, which if history holds true, will end in a route. Like a true Warrior fan, I hold out hope that the Trojans won't be playing their "A" game since they have little to play for this year. If Hawaii hopes to win they'll have to throw the first punch and get off to a quick start. If not, Hawaii will be left in the dust once again.

Redemption

Throughout our lives we are bombarded by stories that teach us right from wrong and the consequences that follow our decisions. These stories or what I like to call narratives are so deeply embedded in our psyche that we can find it in the lives of everyone around us. There are an infinite number of narratives, however, there are common stories that many of us can relate and at times strive to emulate.

Narrative #1: Good people are successful in life.
This is the reason why some people (Christians) mistakenly believe that success = righteousness. Hate to break the news but dishonest people do succeed in life. Just take a look at Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Two of the greatest baseball players of all time are probably one of the most dishonest.

Narrative #2: Bad, dishonest, immoral, etc. people will not succeed in life.
I think this narrative is the reason why some people enjoy and are outraged to see famous people fall from grace. I believe the joy springs forth because the suffering of another who seems to have so much in comparison seems justifiable. In addition, the public outcry originates from a feeling of fairness and that some how it's unfair, even unnatural for a bad person to be successful. So we are taught. However, as we have learned over the past 10 years sometimes bad people are able to succeed and prosper even when they are caught red handed isn't that right Martha Stewart.

Narrative #3: If you fail, there still is hope. (Redemptive Narrative)
In my opinion this narrative is probably one of the most constructive our society has created. One of my favorite stories comes from the film, "Cinderella Man", where an out of luck boxer is able to scratch and claw his way back into contention after several years of hard luck created from nagging injuries and the great depression. Now why this story and others like it (Rudy) touches an emotional chord for me and probably others is that many people can relate to this narrative. Most people struggle throughout life and probably many have failed to accomplish their childhood dreams and what these stories give myself and others is hope. A flicker of hope that maybe, one day, through perseverance and a little luck we might accomplish our dreams.

This is one of the biggest reasons why I hope that Tiger Woods can turn his life around. If he can succeed after refocusing his life on what is most important, his children, he could serve as another story for society to digest and emulate. Cheating on your wife doesn't mean your life has to end. People can change and succeed in doing so and I hope that Tiger can serve as an example of such a redemptive narrative.

P90X Update

Quick update on my weight loss quest. Haven't loss any significant weight and my daughter has already flipped over and is on her way to crawling. (Welcome to the world of baby safe products.) The only positive gain that has occurred is that I'll be moving to a biking town in Oregon. Hopefully being an entire ocean away from my favorite plate lunches and white rice may be the lifestyle change I'll need to lose the weight and keep it off.

Epic Decision

I decided I want LBJ to go to Miami. Why? It's not because I have anything against Cleveland. No, it's for the story lines that will drive the NBA next season. LBJ playing in Cleveland for the first time (Extra security would be needed). Can the big three fit together and win? Can the big three in Miami defeat the the Boston Celtics own fearsome threesome. Whether or not they fail or succeed both outcomes would garner a lot of headline. Winning a championship would mean a start of a possible dynasty. Losing would mean the biggest let down in NBA history. So go on LBJ, take the bait and move to Miami, I know the bloggers, reporters and fans will remember this day as the beginning of an epic season.

P90X Update

Quick update. Nothing has changed so far. Iʻve started to exercise sporadically but with the combination of baby, crazy neighbor, and lack of consistency has led to a total of zero pounds loss. Yeah for me. If I try to look at it positively, at least I didnʻt gain any weight and because of the yoga segment of the program, I have gained flexibility. Even though I canʻt report any success, I can state that Iʻm moving forward. One baby step at a time.

Breaking News

Reunited?

Donovan McNabb wants the Redskins to add Terrell Owens to their team of aging stars. I know what your thinking, why? After their tumultuous times with the Eagles, why would Donovan want T.O. especially one that is in the shell of his former self. This may be more of a reflection of how weak the Redskins are at the wide receiver position (Santana Moss and unprovens) than a sign that they have kissed and made up. If McNabb and Owens do reunite, we'll see if this bromance will survive the roller coaster ride they call the NFL season.







Patriots Hoping For A Bolt From Holt

With questions surrounding Wes Welkers recovery from his ACL/MCL tears the Patriots just signed veteran Torry Holt. If Torry can find the fountain of youth and Welker can come back to full strenght, Brady may have the weapons he needs to get back to the Superbowl.




Jets Adds Another Big Name To Their Stacked Defense

A busy off season for the Jets has got them looking like the New York Yankees of the NFL. With the acquistion of LT, Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie in the books, the Jets added to their stout defense the veteran sack machine, Jason Taylor. With this new addition, quaterbacks like Tom Brady are going to dread playing agaisnt the Jets even more.

P90X Commitment

One of the first thoughts after my beautiful little girl was born last week Thursday at 4:10 am in the morning was surprisingly, "I need to lose some weight". Seeing my child made me realize how important it is for me to not only be alive to see her grow up but to have the ability to play with her without being winded every 5 minutes. Even though I don't smoke cigarettes, it feels like I am every time I tie my shoes (that should be a big hint, if you are wondering whether or not you're overweight). So today I announce to everyone my commitment to get in shape and lose up to 40 -50 lbs (180lbs) by the time my daughter is old enough to run. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted every month on my progress towards a healthier body.

What Was He Thinking?

In honor of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I will periodically have a "What was he thinking?" segment of my blog. Within these sections, I plan on hypothesizing what athletes or famous people are thinking when they do idiotic things in front or behind the camera.

So to kick us off, I will start with "What was Big Ben thinking when he was talking with reporters".

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-us&brand=foxsports&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:4d4fb6d4-0461-425e-9a4e-466b2b465b64&showPlaylist=true&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videosearch&fg=everyzing" target="_new" title="Big Ben Apologizes">Video: Big Ben Apologizes</a>

10. Are people buying what I'm selling?
9. Do I look contrite?
8. I hope Tiger has another mistress.
7. I'm so happy I could dodge these charges like I shake off defensive backs. (Get off of me.)
6. I'm so sorry this got into the media.
5. If I wasn't famous or an offensive lineman no one would care.
4. I will make sure the values I portray will be acceptable to you all.
3. How long will it take before people forget about this?
2. I wish I was Tiger Woods.
1. Note to self, ask Tiger for Ari Fleischer's number.

The Master Narrative

For once I have a something to say about a golf tournament, which has nothing to do with golf of course and more to do with the lives of two different men that are being used to create a narrative. What story is the media trying to spin for the consuming public?

"If you're immoral you will not succeed in life."

Now this story line isn't new and for most people it has been fed to us through books, Disney movies, television and parents. We learn from a young age, especially if you're a Christian that good ultimately triumphs over evil. However, what happens when the greatest golfer and the wealthiest athlete of all time turns out to be an immoral person. Well, for some parents and media alike a spin must be made to illustrate how Tiger's actions is negatively affecting him. So with a loss at the Master's (I don't see as a failure) the media has a story line they can use to warn younger athletes that if you aren't a good person (whatever good means) you will not win in sports or life. However, it's easy to see a flaw in this logic if you recognize the years that Tiger was having his affairs, he was successful athletically and economically.

Now, I'm not saying that negative actions in ones society that are deemed wrong have no consequences. They do, however, it's illogical to think that good will reap success in this life because it has been shown through Tiger Woods and others that it doesn't matter if you're good or not. What matters is if you are good at what you do. In the end, we all need to ask ourselves what does it mean to be a success. Is it having the biggest house or having a home full of love? If it means having the bigger house than being moral has little to do with it.

Recovering Jock

What do you call an overweight jock? Retired. For some jocks, including me, it can be hard to keep your body in tip top shape when you are no longer looking forward to an upcoming season or hoping for a future shot at the professional level. Now if you combine little motivation with a girl friend or wife, getting in shape becomes twice as hard, which is a situation I find myself happily in (that's for you honey). Why? Because once you find someone who wants to be with you no matter what, staying in shape is no longer worth the effort. That's right, we are like those animals that puff ourselves up to attract our mates, just to disappoint them when we release our hot air.

Jocks may also be at risk for weight gain because of the eating habits they have acquired while playing sports. Energy intake should = to or less than energy output. So when a jock quits working out, they are suddenly faced with the cruel reality that they can't eat the same amount of foods as before. Just imagine how Michael Phelps will look like if he quits swimming. A large man that swims naked. For those of you who don't get the joke, imagine what a heavy man looks like with his belly hanging over his speedo.

Lack of motivation + wife/girlfriend + eating habits = overweight jock. So what can I and many others do about this inflation equation. Well it's quite simple yet hard to implement. First, motivation must exist. Find something, anything that will push you to work day after day. For me and probably many others it's our future health. Do I want to have diabetes or gout? Secondly, eating habits must change. Now I don't mean become a vegan. I know I wouldn't. Instead, think about eating smaller portions. You don't have to always go for seconds. Remember that food never goes to waste (no matter what your mother tells you) because bugs are always hungry. Finally, everyones human, so don't test the love that your wife/girlfriend may have for you, she just may decide that steak dinner is better than hamburger steak.

So to all those recovering jocks and to myself, "It's time to get off our butts and get back in shape. Nuff playing around. We know what we got to do. So strap your helmets on and go to work".

What Does It Mean To Be A Man?

One of the few things that I had in common with my father was our love for boxing and mixed martial arts. Sitting and cheering as Royce Gracie demolished the competition in UFC’s infancy stages, our bond would grow as we consumed countless amounts of cashews and soda. Those were the moments when I saw a glimmer of pride in my father’s eyes as he observed his oldest son enjoying an activity that he found important. He didn’t like my participation in baseball and saw my involvement as an assault on his personal definition of a man. Personally, I think his disgust for the sport had more to do with his ongoing conflict with his father-in-law than the game itself. My grandpa and father fought a lot. It was like watching two strong bucks antlers intertwined so tightly that the only pathway out would be filled with death and pain.

Once my father realized my passion for fighting. He started to tell me his war stories when he was a teenager. He would illustrate with animated fists how he dismantled some Samoan guy who was twice his size. Or the time when he and his best friend ended up knocking two store managers out cold after being pepper sprayed in the face. These stories painted my imagination and led me to believe that my father was one of the toughest men on the planet, second only to Mike Tyson, of course. My masculine archetype consisted of a brawling, fearless, tough son of a *&^%@. Not willing to take no for answer and surely wouldn’t be pushed around by no man. Sadly, these characteristics didn’t describe me. I was a push over and avoided conflict like the plague.

My attributes would make me a target for bullies at school and at home. I would be bullied regularly at school and would take it without even a whimper. Based on my father’s and my own perspective, I was weak and therefore not a man. Being picked on was the natural order of things. If I didn’t want to be bullied, I needed to be big, strong and have the ability to fight. Maybe this is why I started to play football. Nothing could be more manly than tackling the guts out of someone. Coincidently, harassment from bullies ended once I started playing high school football. On the other hand, it didn’t protect me from the bullies lurking on the football field who delighted in seeing how far I could fly in the air.

What does it mean to be a man? My father's perspective = Tough, fearless and scrappy. Mine = whatever your father teaches you.

The Expendables

Just finished watching this movie trailer and was reminded of the New York Yankees. "High priced stars = success". We'll have to see if this works in the entertainment business. Watch and enjoy the mayhem.

Over The Hill

Unlike a lot of other sports, football ages a player far beyond their years. Case in point, LT (30 yrs), Brian Westbrook (30 yrs), Jamal Lewis (30 yrs), Thomas Jones (31 yrs), Ahman Green (33 yrs) and Terrel Owens (36 yrs) have just been released into the free agency pool of has beens and never was. All of these players with the exception of Thomas Jones seem to have hit their peak and are now over the hill. With mounting injuries from the wear and tear of countless hits football players in their 30's are most like individuals in their 60's and on the verge of retirement than entering the prime of their lives.

I wonder what it feels like to be physically fit than most of the American population and be told that you are over the hill in your sport/employment. While there are many individuals out of shape, like myself, who are entering their prime (hopefully), former NFL players have to face the brutal reality that they won't be able to do what they have enjoyed doing most of their lives because they have become a step slower. I bet at that point HGH/Steroids may not seem that bad of an idea. Hey if it was legal, star players like LT and TO would shine just a little bit longer. Just ask MLB how well that worked for them.

Out of these players, which ones has a chance of making a difference this upcoming football season and pushing the dreaded retirement discussion to another year?

LT Released

A man once the face of the franchise has just been released by that same franchise. Such a change of heart has just occurred with the San Diego Chargers as their once beloved running back has been released. No one, especially me would ever imagine 10 years ago that the Chargers would ever freely part ways with their superstar. With his departure, LT is probably looking to play for a team that can win because with all his hall fame numbers, one number that has eluded him his whole career is one, a Super Bowl ring.

With LT just fresh on the boat of free agency, which team would benefit from his skill set and give him the best chance of getting that elusive addition to his hall fame career?

Steroid Era

With Mark McGwire finally admitting his guilt and getting his steroid pumped monkey off his back. The sports commentators have again started talking about the steroid era and whether or not players such as McGwire, Clemens and such should be inducted into the hall fame. In my opinion they should be with a note under their names explaining their story and place in history. Now this is something that has been debated within the past 10 years. However, what hasn't been talked about much within my media circle until today, when it was brought up on Around the Horn, is should coaches during this era be accepted into the hall of fame?

Think about it. What if the majority of coaches knew that their players were taking steroids? Which I don't believe is too far fetched. Coaches like Joe Torre, benefited a lot by the hands of Roger Clemens and Andy Petite. Would the Yankees have won the World Series if Clemens and Petite allegedly were on the juice? Maybe Yankees wouldn't have won as many World Series that they did or maybe they would have. This types of questions should be asked and debated since players have fallen under scrutiny, it would be only fair that coaches take it as well. If Clemens and Bonds don't get into the hall of fame, coaches who benefited from players who were juicing and had known about it should face the same fate.

The Electric Slide

For those of you who haven't heard, LT made a rap video that reminded me of the 80's and for some reason I had a strong desire to watch the Fresh Prince of Bel Air afterwards.

NBA Trade Rumor

Just finished listening to the January 13th B.S. Report. While listening, I was blindsided by the revelation that Chris Bosh could possibly be traded to the Lakers (the NBA version of the Yankees). The first thought that popped into my psychology filled brain was "how the heck is that going to happen". It's like pumping steroids into an already bulging Mark McGwire, anymore juice and he's going to pop like Bruce Willis in Planet Terror. For those of you who care, that was a gory movie, so don't watch it if you don't have the stomach for it.

So how could this trade go down? Well, by all reports from Bill Simmons and Chad Ford, the move could be made by swapping Bosh with Bynum. Let it simmer a little bit. The Lakers would have ever aging Fisher playing the point, Kobe "nuff said" at shooting guard, Artest and his muscles at small forward, Bosh "the happiest man in the world" at power forward, Gasol with the big nostrils at center and candy eating Odom off the bench.

If this deal gets done, would this make the Lakers the best constructed team in the history of the NBA? If big names = great play. I would say the jury would be out until they win the championship and believe me, if this trade goes down it will be championship or bust. No excuses, with that much talent and with Phil Jackson at the helm, barring any unforseen injuries, this team would have no challengers in their way. The only challenge will be the ones looking at them in the mirror.