All Ball

February 5th, 2012 The day I fell in love with Tom Brady.  Preparing to watch Super Bowl XLVI with friends, I watched as Tom Brady emerged from the tunnel.  I said something to the effect of, "that's Jesus on a football field."  Not proud of the heretical statement, but the point stands.  Watching Tom Brady take the field that night was one of the most impactful moments in all my years of being a sports fan.  A night that ultimately ended in disappointment.  But I didn't care, I was hooked.  The Super Bowl loss to the New York Football Giants, leading to a loss to Joe Flacco in the AFC championship game during his  elite  run, and followed by an unbearable loss to the Peyton-led Broncos.  Three years of disappointments and my reverence for #12 did not waiver.  At 37, the Patriots got blown out at Arrowhead in the infamous 2014 loss to the Chiefs.  On the Monday Night Football postgame coverage following the game, Trent Dil...

I was in Rupp Arena for the 2017 clash between #2 Kansas & #4 Kentucky.  The atmosphere was everything you could want for a top-5 matchup between two winningest programs in NCAA Men's Basketball history.  Then, Kentucky at #1 all-time with Kansas being a close second and gaining.  What ended in a 79-73 loss for Kentucky, was still a great game.  Kentucky shot out to an early lead with a second-half back and forth, ultimately leading to Kansas pulling away late.  I left disappointed, but Fox, Monk, and Bam put on a show.  Both teams left feeling like they were National Championship contenders.  Today, the Jayhawks flock back to the Bluegrass.  Entering Rupp as the all-time wins leader with 2,357 compared to Kentucky's 2,353 victories. A few weeks ago, this was a game that Kentucky fans, like myself, were dreading.  Was this going to be another national embarrassment of the recent Coach Cal era?  After getting run off the court in Tusc...

No Consequences Manchester City vs Arsenal.  The Cityzens host the Gunners at the Etihad.  A 3:00 kickoff on ESPN+ .  Josep Guardiola takes on his protégé Mikel Arteta.  Arsenal sit atop the Premier League table with 50 points.  Manchester City are just a mere 5 points behind with 19 matches remaining.  A miniscule deficit compared to the comebacks in recent years which robbed Liverpool of glory.  A match that could foretell the future and fortune of both clubs.  There’s just one problem, this isn’t a Premier League match.  The outcome of today's battle will have no consequences on the the campaign for England’s most sought after trophy.  Today's match is to determine which club has the right to reach the fifth round of the prestigious FA Cup. A Manchester City Win The possible impacts of this match cannot be understated.  First, let’s ponder a potential City victory.  Arsenal and City have to play each other twice more th...

When I started my blog, one of topics I wanted to focus on was Taylor Alison Swift.  And with The Ears Tour coming up, and somehow getting tickets, I thought it would be fun to try and create my ideal setlist.  Ultimately with the content goal of updating the list when my Taylor era would change.  After much back and forth, I came to the conclusion that it might not be possible for this tour.  In my debut  Taylor blog, Taylor's Errors Tour , I expressed my beliefs as to what a potential setlist may look like.  After further ponderance on the subject, I suspect most of the performance will consist of "mashups" in an attempt to showcase as any songs as possible.  Taking a potential ~20 song act and doubling it to close to 40 songs or more.  Although I have my reservations about contorting the different Eras, it could lead to some very unique creations.  An example of what Taylor may bless us with is this "Bad Blood/Should've Said No" combo from...

Yesterday, I went for a bike ride around Lake Lungern in Switzerland, pictured above. Over 4,000 miles away, with the Atlantic Ocean in between, I was able to ride through one of the most beautiful towns in the world.  How?  Thanks to the incredible innovation from companies like Peloton, NordicTrack, and iFit. What was once an ordinary stationary bike or treadmill, trapped in a corner of a gym or stuck in a poorly ventilated basement, has been transformed into a limitless portal.  A ride of 9.36 miles for 41-minutes.  What should have been a debilitating iteration of iFit's "Around the World Challenge", the ride with trainer Ashley Paulson was a breeze.  In fact, it didn't feel like a workout at all. Instead, it felt like I was transferred in to a daydream, a fairytale.  Passing through the lush green grass and classical Swiss chalet farmhouses, entering the historical town of Lungren, circumnavigating the pristine turquoise-cyan lake, all nestled within t...

  Cincinnati Bengals: 27 Buffalo Bills: 10 There is nothing that matches the atmosphere a NFL playoff game in the snow.  It would be a dream to see a Super Bowl in the snow, but I know it will never happen.  Joe Cool was iced out.  Carving up the Bill's defence and proving not that he might be better than just Josh Allen, but he might be the best quarterback in the league.  But that's not what caught my eye.  What I could not believe was the ineptitude displayed by Sean McDermott and his coaching staff. Although I thought the Bengals could  defeat the Bills, I did not think they were going to be able to win on the road, especially in the snow.  However, I never thought we were going to witness a manhandling and dismantling of this Bill's team.  They aren't perfect as we saw last week against the Dolphins and earlier in the year versus the Jets.  But this is a good team.  Arguably the best team in the AFC leading up to the Divisional...