Last night I saw one of the best games ever.  If for some ungodly reason you didn’t see it…shame on you!  The Dallas Cowboys outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles 41-37.  This game had everything imaginable.  The offenses were unstoppable, yet the defenses made plays when needed.  This game defined the season for both teams.  The Cowboys thought they were good, now they know that they are, and it could turn out to be a magical season.  The Eagles, they weren’t too sure where they stood.  They have a young core of receivers (some nursing injuries) and a beefed up offensive line, and a maligned quarterback just a year removed from a major injury.  Now, they know they can hang with the Cowboys and have a legitimate shot this year.

Continue reading "A Game For The Ages: An Instant Classic"

Today is a seasonable mild day in beautiful Gilbertsville, PA.  There are leaves falling and a calm breeze.  As I sit on my patio, I hear the birds chirping, and the wind howl occasionally.  It is almost an eerie feeling.  The kids are in school and the streets and backyards are empty.  So, I thought to myself, timing is everything.  A few weeks ago, at this time, kids were running in their yards, playing on their swing sets, and horse playing as youngsters do.  Today, nothing!

So, you may ask, what does this have to do with football…everything!  When the Eagles acquired Terrell Eldorado Owens, they loved him.  They chanted, T.O., T.O., T.O., T.O., T.O., T.O.!!!  Everyone in Philly was going crazy over this guy.  Then he got the boot, and he signed with the Cowboys.  He clashed with Parcells…but under Wade Phillips, he has really become a vocal leader on his team.  He has even taken the younger receivers under his wing and has spent extra time showing them the ropes.  He has become a model teammate in Dallas…so, why the change in Terrell?

Continue reading "Timing Is Everything"

           The NFL, in my opinion, is the best sport in the world.  It is a violent game played by phenomenal athletes, who by the way, get paid handsomely for it.  Every year the NFL Competition Committee comes up with new rules to “improve” the game.  For instance, this year, they got rid of the 5-yard facemask penalty.  Now it’s either a 15-yard personal foul, or incidental contact and no penalty…what genius came up with that one?

           My biggest gripe, though, is the 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration after a Touchdown is scored (I know this isn’t a new rule, but they are now putting more emphasis on it).  I, for one, like to be entertained.  These are young men, playing a contact sport, with many emotions and adrenaline flying through their bodies.  So, after a TD is scored, why not let them have their fun and dance around a bit?  It’s fun…it’s entertaining!  Now, don’t get me wrong, I like a good celebration, but I do not condone taunting or showing up the other team.  Some guys are ridiculous; they celebrate after a simple tackle, or a catch for a first down.  That is a little much…but yet again doesn’t deserve a flag.

Continue reading "The No Fun League"

     Each week, on Friday, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend games.  I will always prognosticate on the Eagles and Cowboys games and then pick two more games of interest (to me, that is, not necessarily to you).  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball! 

Dallas @ Green Bay:  Dallas has never won at Lambeau Field (albeit, they have only played there a handful of times), and I believe that they will not this time either.  That’s right, the biggest Cowboys fan of all-time is picking the Pack over the ‘Boyz.  Green Bay 24, Cowboys 23 in a wild finish! 

Continue reading "Predictios Week 3: Round-Up"

           Today I am taking my lumps, and licking my wounds.  I was 1-3 on my predictions for Week 3.  Though I take great pride in my prognosticating skills, I must blame the crystal ball for this one.  Granted, I should have known better, because I purchased it at Dollar Tree…what do you expect for a dollar?  Maybe I will “Windex” it before this week’s prediction, so it isn’t so cloudy and hazy.  Lets take a closer look at what happened: 

Dallas @ Green Bay:  I had picked Green Bay because I felt that after the emotional win against the Eagles, the short week, being on the road, and never having won at Lambeau Field, that the ‘Boyz would falter.  I was wrong!  “Boo” for my predictions…”yeah” for my team! 

Continue reading "Week 3 Review"

             Just the other day my cousin Domenic (Cuz) called me.  He wanted to let me know that our cousin from Italy was coming for a visit in October, and to call me a cockroach.  The term cockroach was coined, or at least he uses it the most, by Howard Eskin of WIP (local sports radio).  Eskin uses the term to refer to Cowboys fans, mostly who live in the Philly area.  This got me to thinking (dangerous, isn’t it?)…In today’s politically correct society, and the diverse society we live in, I, a cockroach, was offended.  At my wife’s school (she is a school teacher), they promote diversity with a huge campaign.  In a nutshell, it’s to let everyone know that we are different and that we should understand and respect others points of view. 

Continue reading "Cockroaches"

           On Saturday night, I relearned a lesson I already knew.  Often times, we need to be reminded of lessons we learned as a child.  When we were children, things were simpler.  We didn’t judge, we just played with everyone…all the other children were our friends.  We learned to judge, as we grew older.  Our teachers always taught us right from wrong…but did we listen?

I pulled into a gas station as I was driving home, only to find out it was closed.  It looked open, the lights were on…but it was definitely closed.  As I tried to get back in my car, I realized that I locked the keys in my car…no problem?  I’ll just call my wife to bring me my spare set of keys.  I was only about 15 minutes from home…no biggie, right?  Wrong…my cell phone was locked in the car also!  I looked for a pay phone…nope, nothing!  I looked to see if there was any other business that was open…nope, nothing!  There was nothing in sight; no one was there…just me!

Continue reading "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover"

           Each week, on Friday, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend games.  I will always prognosticate on the Eagles and Cowboys games and then pick two more games of interest (to me, that is, not necessarily to you).  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!           

           Last week I was only accurate on one of four predictions.  In baseball, that’s batting .250 (not bad), in football prognosticating…awful!  So I shined up the crystal ball for this week, it was a little cloudy, some might say hazy, but it is now crystal clear…to me, anyway!

Continue reading "Predictions Week 4"

           The other day, Rashard Mendenhall (Rookie RB for the Pittsburgh Steelers) sent his buddy, Ray Rice (Rookie RB for the Baltimore Ravens) a text message.  So why is that football news?  Because LB Bart Scott of the Ravens made it so!  Mendenhall’s text was only intended for his buddy Ray.  It claimed how great of a day Rashard was going to have against the vaunted Raven’s Defense.  Ray Rice took it upon himself to let his defense know about the text message…Bart Scoot took offense.

           You see, the Steelers play the Ravens on Monday Night Football this week.  Bart Scott had this to say about Mendenhall, “He said later that he was just joking, but it’s too late.  Thanks for the bulletin-board material, rookie.”

Continue reading "Bulletin Board Material"

           Once again, my crystal ball failed me.  I don’t understand what happened…I shined it up last week.  I even purchased a stand for it…so now it sits on top of the mantel.  I’ve treated it with the utmost respect.  For who?  For what?  (Yes…that was a shot at Ricky Watters!)  Once again, I was one up and three down last week…not good…awful…embarrassing even!  I have to do something different for next week…maybe I will punish it…have it stand in the corner…or give it a time-out!  Something has to give…and I’m not backing down!  Let’s take a closer look and see what went wrong: 

Last Week: 1-3

Continue reading "Week 4 Review"

           This week two head coaches were relieved of their duties…fired!  First, Scott Linehan of the St. Louis Rams, and now, Lane Kiffin of the Oakland Raiders, why?  Jim Haslet replaced Linehan.  What’s the difference, the Rams are horrific!  Kiffin is being replaced with O-line coach, Tom Cable…who?  Yeah, that’s right, I never heard of him either!

           Al Davis, in one of his many “brilliant” moves, has fired another head coach…we should have seen it coming…it’s his M.O.  Every couple of years he changes the head coach and forgets to look in the mirror…he is the problem!  Kiffin, who has never been a Head Coach before, was given 20 games (5-15) to prove himself.  When Davis hired Kiffin, he was 31 years old…barely older than many of his players.  If Big Al wanted a quick fix, then perhaps he should have hired someone like Bill Parcells, Brian Billick, Bill Cowher, you get the idea…someone with experience!

Continue reading "Instant Gratification"