Packers defeat Cowboys on 01/15/2017

Dear Cowboys friends and fans,

I must apologize and take responsibility for causing the Cowboys' loss to the Packers today.

No, it wasn't the seemingly blatant favoritism towards the Packers by the refs: their bad-calls/no-calls, no-calls/bad-calls.

It was me!

Frustrated, I stopped watching at halftime with Cowboys 10 Packers 21.

Sometime later while surfing the web, I saw an update showing the game score tied at 31. So, I turned the game back on with 53 seconds left and well, you know how it ended.

Yeah, I have that kind of power. The Force is strong in my family although I'm the only one who has it.

So anyway, again, it was me and not the officiating.

Michael Strahan is Regis Philbin's replacement?

I don't watch "Live!" but I would not have thought a former football player would become the new co-host.

I guess it goes to show that if you don't try-out/audition (like Michael Strahan), you never know what could happen. You could end up having to sit next to the annoying Kelly Ripa if that's what you so desire.

Madonna...MIA...Super Bowl Halftime Show

I really don't care about the tiff that Madonna may have now with MIA. It's her own damn fault. Madonna wanted to team up with young, edgy "singers/rappers" to make her feel more popular with today's kids. And this is the kind of thanks and appreciation she gets from them. I'm thinking that MIA wouldn't even have been apart of the show or any Super Bowl entertainment if it wasn't for being a part of Madonna's half-time show.

That being said. I didn't watch any of the game. I didn't watch any of the commercials while the game was playing. I didn't watch the pre-game, half-time or post-game shows. I just don't give a shit about football! However, I did watch some commercials from a website's opinion on the 11 best commercials from the Super Bowl. I'd have to say I only like half of them.

Anyway, my point of this post is to wonder why anyone would consider this as attractive! I know. I know. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Inner beauty is just as attractive as outer beauty (or lack there of). I just don't find her attractive and I don't find her music appealing.

You can click here for the article while it lasts.

Oh well. Ces la vie.

In the news 02/25/2011

Article headline from the Dallas News states:

Cowboys running back Marion Barber donates $500,000 worth of computers to Dallas ISD high schools

Click here for article while it lasts.

I read this article and I give props to Marion Barber for giving back to a few schools in the Dallas ISD.

I think all high-paid athletes should give back. They are making millions and with all these budget cuts and the down economy every amount, especially $500k, helps.

It's also the right thing to do when it's these communities that are helping to pay their salaries. These children's parents are probably fan(atics) that pay top dollar to attend the football games and frivolous events with their family and friends. They should be acknowledged and rewarded in some way.

Anyway, big high five to Marion, for his donation could not have come at a better time with the anticipated education budget cuts. Oh yeah and it says that Marion approached the principal of one of the schools to see what he can do.

BIG HIGH FIVE TO BARBER!

Jilted ticket holders sue NFL and Jerry Jones

As George W. Duke says in Rocky V, "Touch me and I'll sue! God damn! Only in America!"

Newstory headline at CBSDFW.com reads,

Denied Super Bowl Ticketholders File Class-Action Suit

Click for here story while it lasts.

The NFL and Jerry Jones should have seen this one coming. Who can I sue and how much can I get is the new American Dream. It's no longer the "Dream" of olden days.

Now, don't get me wrong. I think the NFL and especially Jerry Jones make too much damn money and stick it to the fans as much as possible and probably more than any sport but a $5 million lawsuit? Really?

My thought is if the league or Jerry pays me triple the amount of my ticket costs, pays for my travel and lodging and gives me souvenirs from Super Bowl XLV and as long as they also pay for my new ticket costs, travel and lodging and something like $2,000 for spending for Super Bowl XLVI, I would be more than happy. Heck, maybe even just give me like $20,000 or enough for reimbursement of my costs plus an "NFL and Jerry are sorry for your inconvenience" stipend (I'm not a huge football fan so the game isn't as important to me as what I do with my money but fans may think differently). Either way, I think this is closer to a "reasonable reimbursement" than $5 million.

The lawyer seems to me to be of the ambulance chaser type. He says let's sue for $5 million because $3.5 million will be his percentage of the take. If any court judge or jury finds for $5 million, our country is falling further into ridiculousness. Lawsuits like this are no different than the Ponzi schemes, the bank/housing loan debacles, and Enron-type scandals. It's about ultimate profitability. True that's what Jerry wanted but is his desire to boast a record attendance worthy of $5 million? I'm not sure it is.

So, these people will file. It may even go to court. They may even win a settlement. But who do you think will ultimately suffer? For sure if it's a $5 million payout, it will be the one-time fan, the football fanatic or the Cowboys season ticket holder. Jerry probably has that in his back pocket but the person who buys a ticket will pay. It will be done by increasing the ticket price, the handling/processing fee or higher over-pricing of concessions.

I'm not saying they shouldn't complain, get something in return or even sue. But who really decided that $5 million was the amount to go for...the people or the lawyer?

Oh well...

Super Bowl XLV

In case you didn't know, Super Bowl Ex El Vee or El minus Ex plus Vee or Forty-five or 45 is coming to Dallas—well Arlington which is a suburb of Dallas—to be played in Jerry Jones' dome castle! You can see it in my simple pictures from my point-and-shoot here.

It is about a week away and I've read/heard/seen lots of promotions for things going on in Dallas and Fort Worth every day/night until the day of. I'm sure there will be more the day of.

On the radio this morning, I heard that the Dallas Convention Center is having some big event where "you can meet NFL superstars!" What they failed to mention is that as long as they were former Dallas Cowboys. I don't know if there are more but the names they mentioned were Tony Dorsett, Drew Pearson, "Moose" Johnston, and Troy Aikman.

Now, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't mind meeting these NFL superstars. As a kid, I watched Dorsett and Pearson. As an early-to-mid-twenties adult, I watched Johnston and Aikman. I've never been a huge football fan. I'm knowledgeable on the sport and watched it with my Dad and friends but who wouldn't want to meet these guys? I'm sure it'll cost an arm and leg but obviously there will be people who can easily pay for it and those that are willing to sell their children to do it.

I guess that's about all I got on that. I just thought it was funny how they say "NFL Superstars" and then followed up with only listing former Cowboys players.

HP Scots vs. Mequite Poteet Pirates football game

Saturday, November 27, 2010 the family and I entered the home of the Dallas Cowboys. This is where the Highland Park Scots (or here) played the Mesquite Poteet Pirates in a 3^rd round high school football playoff game.

First of all, let me say that I really didn't care who won the game. I live closer to HP than I do Mesquite so it would have been nice if the nearer-vicinity team won but I'll live and move on since they didn't.

The main reason we attended was to enter and somewhat experience the Cowboys Stadium for less than $100 for six people to enjoy (I took two neighbor kids and paid for them even though their parents gave them money). The tickets were $12 per person and parking was $10 for spots within the stadium lot. So, $82 to start the process. There are nose-bleed-brain-crushing-from-atmospheric-pressure seats that are near that cost during a regular Cowboys game.

We got to sit in seats just about anywhere near the field. The very lower level had seats from 1 row to 20 rows or so back from the field wall. The next level was the suites and then the seats above the suites. There was no need for any levels higher than that. It would have been cool to take a non-scheduled tour of the upper areas but I got good enough of the experience from my above-the-suites seat. We chose that area so we could still see the GIGANTIC JUMBOTRON! That screen is way, effing huge! At times, we forgot there was a game on the field because we'd be watching the screen like it was TV at home. There's nothing like HD acne when the cameras would pan the band, cheerleaders, and other teenage fans. How embarrassing that could be for some.

I must say that the concessions is a big money maker just like in any sporting venue but Cowboys Stadium takes it to extreme. The wife and I were very thirsty for a soda and some snacks. She wanted popcorn, peanuts and a diet soda. I go to the many concession areas and they didn't have anything else enticing for me to eat...not to mention the price for a burger was like $10 and my thought is I can get a meal for two for that amount at some fast food joint! I found this "cart" selling popcorn. The popcorn was $5.50 for a small (which was actually an adequate size for the two of us) and I got a bag of Skittles for $3.50. Off to find the drinks. I wasn't paying like $8-$10 for a collector's cup—which was made of cheap, thin plastic—so I opted for the 20oz bottle beign held in a rollable ice tub. Luckily, Dr Pepper and Pepsi are sold because we wanted Diet Dr Pepper. I asked the lady vendor for two bottles of Diet Dr Pepper and she said, "That'll be $10." I was like, "Are you shitting me?" She giggled. I paid because I was dying for a carbonated beverage. I walked back to our seats. The popcorn wasn't that great. It had sat inside the popcorn-making cart for too long I guess because it wasn't the freshest or hottest. I ate as much as I could because I wasn't wasting $5.50 and it was in front of me. Suckass food #1! The $5 20oz was good. Hit the spot. I nursed it like a beer at a nudie bar! I also ate the Skittles and they were good. A guy selling peanuts finally came around. I bought a bag for $5. It seems they are in a vacuum pack and are not HOT ROASTED but just roasted. We ate the peanuts, some of them anyway, for the same reason I did the popcorn. Suckass food #2!

I was going to comment about the game but I think I'll leave it to the real writes of the various local newspapers in the area.

I was going to comment about the Stadium and other stuff there but you'll just have to experience for yourself some day...on the cheap is my recommendation. It's a huge, phenomenal place but I can't see blowing that kind of money more than once a year...if once in a year at all.

Just a quick explanation of the following photos from left to right. (1) View from our parking spot, (2) One side of the big glass sliding doors from the sidewalk around the Stadium, (3) The jumbotron, (4) The upper-level Ford and Dr Pepper "pavilions," (5) Shot of the field from our seats, (6) The upper-level Miller Lite and Pepsi "pavilions."

 

 

 

I'm as soft as bruised fruit...NOT!

This past weekend the kids and the neighbor kids decided to invite me to play some "football" in the open lot on the street that just happens to be next to our house.

It's been a while since I hung out with all the kids and thrown the ball or played "football." I quote football because the ages range from 4 to 13 years old. It's a modified version as all yard games are but it's still fun for the kiddos.

About fifteen minutes in, I was running to two-below one of the older kids and the unexpected happened. I ran to a section of the lot where there just happened to be a cut down small tree or big bush root protruding from the ground, hidden among mowed iris plants. I nailed this root with the right foot at a pretty decent pace. I kicked it so hard that I uprooted it and it shot out in front of me before I took a small flight from where the impact occurred to the cement driveway of the neighbors house. I landed on my right shoulder as well as braced (somewhat) my fall with the left hand. This is the wound, slightly healed that I got from a stick jabbing me in the palm of my hand. Good times.

Anyway, it was funny but painful. I will see if I can find the culprit root and take a picture of it. Just because if I can, I can.

Rangers choke. Another Dallas-area team of "could have beens"

"Keep your heads up, Rangers." "Thanks for a great season, Rangers."

That's just a couple of the quotes I've read on my friends' Facebook pages who are apparent "fans" of the losers of the World Series.

I'm not a baseball fan, never have been. I've been to about twenty games at The Ballpark in Arlington (which I believe has a new name since I've been). I've been in the nose bleed stands as well as about twenty seats behind 3^rd base. I could give a crap what was happening on the field. I'm just not a fan. I like the venue. The Ballpark is nice. It provides nice views from within the stands as well as on the very top "patio" area of Arlington.

Baseball is slow-paced. It's not like ice hockey, football, basketball or even soccer. It provides absolutely no interest at all for me in strategy or skill. I believe the players are way over paid for the amount of actual work and skill the bring to their "job" (the duration of a game). Pitchers probably earn more of their pan any of the other players but I think they are also probably paid less, most anyway.

A lot of people have the same dislike of tennis when I tell them I'm a fan. I don't understand why. Yes, a ball is hit back and forth of a net. How enjoyable can that be? To appreciate the skill, endurance, and training that a professional tennis player commands to control a little yellow ball with the string bed of a tennis racquet is way more than any baseball player has to do or exerts up to or during a game. It does take some skill to hit a baseball thrown at 98+ MPH with a 3in wide piece of wood but how many of the baseball players actually do this on a consistent basis? Granted it is a testament to the skill of the pitcher but who wants to see a pitcher throw a no-hitter compared to wanting to see more hits and home runs?

Even without all this "excitement," baseball outperforms tennis, golf and other sports for TV ratings. Sometimes even more than football. I just don't get it. Is it because baseball's rules are easier to understand and follow? I just don't know. Maybe it's the inbreeding. :-)

Whatever it may be, I say, "Boo on the Rangers." The proverbial carrot was dangle in front of Rangers fans and it was taken away without making a fight out of it. Seriously, 4 games to 1 is like how playoffs are won in the 1^st round of hockey or basketball.

I'm not completely heartless. I do believe the Rangers performed well for a team that never has been to the World Series. They quickly joined the ranks of the rest of the almosts-but-not-quite teams that have lost. There has to be a loser and it seems the Dallas-area teams are perfect for the role.

So, I bag on all the professional teams in the D/FW area not just the Rangers. As a sports fan, selective sports at most times, I am tired of my hopes being dashed because of the unfulfilling prophecy of the "one that could change our team and take us all the way" never is completed. Even though the Cowboys have won Super Bowls and the Stars a Stanley Cup, they still have disappointed local fans year after year with sub-par performances in the regular season and if lucky enough, post-season. The Mavericks consistently are "almosts" and now the Rangers have joined them.

I'm not a die hard fan, I guess. I'm not into giving my all, my attention, to things that end up wasting my time and patience. So, I guess I'm not a true fan either some might say. I say, "Maybe."

But maybe I'm like that person that has been really hurt in a relationship and is afraid to let themselves invest in caring again. Yeah, that's it. Maybe I'm just a sports romantic.

Nah, I'm just a bitter sports fan that wants his team to win or at least listen to me when I yell at the TV on how things should be done. If they still lose after my advice, then at least they did so following the BEST advice possible. I can't help it that they can perform the advice I've given them.

Again, Boo on the Rangers. Boo on the Cowboys. Boo on the losing streak Stars. And fingers-crossed that the Mavericks will bring it home this season! I won't keep the torch burning for them for too long.

TCU v. BYU 10/16/2010

We have a family member that works at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. At the start of the college football season, I mentioned that I would like to attend one of TCU's home games because I've been in D/FW my whole life and have never been in the Amon G Carter Stadium. Which isn't a big deal but since I have an affiliation now with the school, I didn't want to squander the opportunity to attend a game at least once in the stadium...especially before they remodel it over the rest of the year after the football season ends. They are saying it'll be remodeled a side/piece at a time and it will be done by the 2011 season but I'm not as optimistic as whomever is saying that.

The day started out wonderfully. It was a beautiful morning. I woke up around 7:30 a.m and couldn't go back to sleep. I made coffee and decided to walk the dog. I was going to walk her to Chik-fil-a and bring back some chicken minis for the family but when I got there, the line was too long for me to wait in while I had the dog tied up outside. I thought it was mean to her and rude for patrons that would walk along the sidewalk having to listen to her being upset that I was inside and she was waiting.

So, I walked back home and decided to make breakfast. I made bacon and egg taquitos. I must say they were pretty good for something I quickly threw together. I'm almost becoming a domesticated husband...not!

After breakfast, we headed to TCU because it is normally about a 25-30 minute drive from our area in Dallas. The Rangers' 2nd game against the Yankees was sometime in the early to mid afternoon. Hwy 114 was going to be shut down from Cistercian Way to MacArthur Blvd or somewhere there about. We had to take 183 to 121 to 35 to 30 to TCU just to avoid all the headaches that were going to be in the areas of the other highways.

Anyway, it was a long day but it was pretty fun. I was a tired person and yet when we got home around 7 p.m. we had a neighbor's party to join. We made it to the neighbor's party around 9ish but I left around 11:30 because I was tired and had to get up the next morning fairly early.

Without further delay, here are the descriptions of where each picture below was taken:

1. TCU Showgirls and band marching down Frog Alley about 10 minutes before the game.
2. South end zone where kids of all ages(with their parents if need be) get to go on the field and run from end zone to end zone before the start of the game. They are called Bleacher Creatures and the kids get a free TCU football jersey.
3. Middle field taken from the middle of the seats under the upper deck.
4. North side of the field taken from the middle of the seats under the upper deck.
5. South end zone taken from the middle of the seats under the upper deck.
6. TCU Band in the stands taken from section UF, row 16, seat 28.
7. Downtown Fort Worth taken from section UF, row 16, seat 28.
8. South zone and attached building taken from section UF, row 16, seat 28.
9. 20 yard line, north end of the field taken from section UF, row 16, seat 28.
10. TCU band halftime show celebrating breast cancer awareness day.

 

 

 

 

 

In the news 01/26/2010

Not good news for a college football program that was "on the rise." Guilty or not guilty, he won't live it down because it will always be in a background check. People will assume the worse because of his race. Unfortunately, that's just the way it still is.

From the Dallas News: SMU football player arrested in rape case.

Click here while the article lasts.

Way to mar a victorious season, dude! It's always someone that brings you down after you work so hard to lift yourself up (guilty or not, it still brings negative light to the football program).

Or could it be true that any press is good press? Doubtful.

From the Trail Blazers Blog at DMN:

Texas' teen pregnancy ranking: 4th highest

Click here for story while it lasts.

Go figure. I'm with some of the comments about how it seems to be the border states that rank in the top 4 out of 5. I'm no statistician but if I were I would find some interest to see why the border states are consistently at the top. Hm...? The other issue is that I've been around a lot of Texas mothers with teen daughters who are mothers and notice that they always say shit like, "I'm so happy that my daughter had a child [at 13-17 yrs old]. I'm happy to be a grandmother!"

WTF, right? I mean if it were my daughter and I found she was pregnant I'd say, "I love you but this is going to hurt you more than me!" and give her the beating of her teenage life! Because not only do I have to take care of my daughter until she's legal age but now I have another freaking mouth to feed!

I could go on but I'll stop because it's supposed to be a "fun"-ish blog.

Texas Longhorn versus Nebraska Cornhuskers

I watched the last quarter and a half of the Texas/Nebraska game. Just to restate, I'm not a football fan but a buddy of mine was over and wanted to see how the game was going.

Personally, I was disappointed at the score. I mean for a #3 12-0 team to not score at all in the first quarter against a #23 9-3 team is kind of ridiculous in my book. Now granted, the rankings don't show everything of a team no matter what sport it is but when the best Nebraska could do is score field goals, I would think a supposed powerhouse like Texas would have fair much better.

I think the best part of the game was when the Cornhuskers rushed the field thinking they won. At first it was disbelief, then excitement, then confusion, then utter disappointment. It's best summed up by this quote:

"From one of the best feelings I've ever had to one of the worst feelings I've ever had," Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee said. "I don't really have a way to describe the way I feel right now."

Article from ESPN as long as it lasts

He's right. It sucked ass for them. I found it very amusing. Since I was watching it on television, I could tell that there was at least one second left on the clock. It should have never been that close but dumb ass Colt McCoy apparently was hit and sacked almost too much to think clearly. That right there shows you that he doesn't totally deserve the Heisman.

One of the writers on the article page named Schlabach said something about a "favorable call" helped the Horns win. Bullshit! Anybody who has eyesight worth anything (especially watching TV) would have seen that the ball bounced out of bounds with one second left on the game clock. Obviously not favorable. The kicker still had to make it, which he did, just barely inside the left upright!

Anyway, a win is a win even though this was one of the ugliest I've seen in a long time...oh wait, there was a another. A Cowboys game a couple of weeks ago that was just as ugly against the Redskins.

Went to the Cowboys vs Vikings preseason game.

Went to the Cowboys vs Vikings preseason game. Here are some general pics...

Texas Stadium from parking lot view...


Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders




Inside Texas Stadium

Ouch!

This looks like it had to hurt. If basketball players took this kind of abuse, they may actually be worth the outrageous salaries they are receiving.