NFL 101: Learn the basics

Thanks to my awesome girlfriends, I received an influx of questions about the NFL -  so for the next few weeks I will break down the sport that I love and explain why there is more to football then just grown men hitting each other.

·      Q: Is the ball really made of pigskin? 

·      A:  Short answer: Not anymore!  The first “footballs” were made of inflated pig bladders, which is how the nickname pigskin came about.  But as different materials were invented the football started to take new form and new materials were added to it.  Rubber was used to replace the pig bladders and then leather was added to the rubber.  However, now and days, a football is made of mostly leather, with polyurethane or rubber used as the internal “bladder.” So really, a football has the same material make-up as a lot of your winter boots!

·      Q: How long are quarters?

·      A: Quarters are 15 minutes long.  However, the ball is not in play straight through the 15 minutes.  There are commercial breaks, team time outs, stoppage of the clock to set down markers, turnovers, etc. Fans also need beer during the quarters so they have to make sure there is enough time for a quick beer run whether you are at the stadium or in your own home!

·      Q: What does the coin toss accomplish?

·      A: At the beginning of every game, the captains of each team go to the middle of the field with the head referee.  The referee tosses a coin to determine which team has the first possession.  The visiting team (team who’s fans are NOT in the stadium) always makes the guess of how the coin will fall, heads or tails.  If they win the toss, then the visiting team can either start the game with the football or they can decide to start the second half with the football. 

·      Q: What are downs and how many does each team get?

·      A: Little sidebar about me…the first rule my dad taught me about football was in regards to downs, so if you don’t take anything else from this blog post just remember this answer because it will open doors to understanding more about football!

Each team gets 4 downs to move the football 10 yards. 

Once a team goes 10 yards they have earned a 1^st down, this means the number of downs start over.  

For example, on a team’s first possession they run the ball 2 yards.  So then their 2^nd down is now 2^nd down & 8. The quarterback then throws for 16 yards, so his team now has a 1^st down!

·      Q: How do you earn points?

·      A: The offense can score points two ways – score a touchdown for 6 points or score a field goal for 3 points.  If a touchdown is scored then teams have a chance to score an additional point/s by kicking an extra point or throwing a 2-point conversion.

The defense can score points two ways also, this doesn’t happen very often – they can intercept or pick up a ball that was either thrown or dropped by an opposing team and run it in for a touchdown (6 points), or they can sack a quarterback in the end zone for a safety which is worth 2 points.

As I sit and write this it’s clear that football is a very complicated sport – so please give yourself time to understand these basics and let them soak in.  We will ease slowly into NFL 102 next week!

As always, please feel free to ask any questions about football or any other sport in the comment section below!

2013 College Football Season is here!

Beer flooded basements, empty shelves at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Red Bull’s stock price rising can only mean one thing…college is back in session! With the beginning of college comes the beginning of college football – one of the most anticipated seasons all year, especially for states without an NFL team.

The wonderful thing about college football is that every state has at least two teams that they can root for.  For example, the state of Alabama divides into two different states in the fall; you’re either a ‘Bama fan and  “Roll Tide” runs off your tongue faster than a cheetah looking for it’s next meal, or you’re an Auburn fan and you walk around saying “War Eagle” to anyone with Auburn apparel on because no one else has any idea what you’re referring to. (What are you referring to?) Either way, you feel like you have a purpose in the fall since the NFL forgot about your state when they approved the cities with the 32 football teams.

Anyway, back to college football 2013.  What can we expect this year….

-       No named quarterbacks making a name for themselves - Georgia quarterback, Aaron Murray, named #1 quarterback in pre-season and he’s only been in the media a few times.

-       Ohio State is back in the mix for the BCS Championship and USC is looking to make this year matter. Ohio State and UCS have both been serving NCAA suspensions, and USC struggled last year, which was its' first year back being eligible for the BCS championship.  You can anticipate both teams to come out strong!

-       Continuing conversation of SEC dominance.  An SEC team has won the BCS Championship for the past 7 years.  There are technically 9 other conferences that have a chance to win it as well.

-       Debate over whether college athletes should get paid or not.  Right now college athletes do not make any money from their names being used on paraphernalia, they only have the stipend that the NCAA gives them to live on.  Fair? Or Not? You decide!

-       Saturdays full of fun, competition and student sections filled with drunk college kids wearing blazers and dresses (thank you Southern schools for turning college football games into cocktail parties…blah)

So get your pom-poms ready and welcome in the 2013 college football season aka the last season of the existing BCS system (more to come on that in a later post)! Season starts on Thursday, August 29^th!

Easy guide to participate in Fantasy Football...even your cat can do it!

Sports Summer Slacking (SSS) is over.  It’s time to get serious about fall sports!

Media outlets everywhere are starting to talk NFL, so you know that means one thing is around the corner…Fantasy Football!!! Before you get left out of brunch conversations and crazy chest bumps let me try and help!

This blog post will give you the guts to get involved in the Fantasy Football action and provide a few  pointers on how to pick your team with confidence! Of course, you could always stick with the safe route and have your 6 year old nephew do it, or pick based on the players who have the cutest butts, or players from your favorite cities, but let’s try it my way this year and see how you do, cool?

How do you win fantasy football you ask?  It’s easy – you rack up points based on how well the athletes that you chose to be on your imaginary team do over the course of the season. The players who score the most points for your team are the same players who score the most points on the field, so you’ll want to pick players who tend to have the football a lot and score a high amount of points. All right, let’s get into it…

1.     Take running backs with your 1^st & 2^nd round pick.  They will help get you the most points.

2.     Choose a defensive squad based on a mix of young players and veteran players.  Never chose an all-veteran squad because they might be one step too slow without the energy of the younger guys!

3.     A quarterback can be picked in the 3^rd or 4^th round this year.  There is a large depth chart of quarterbacks who can throw deep, so no need to grab one if there are still good running backs and wide receivers available.

4.     Wide Receivers.  Make sure to grab a couple this year.  No need to focus on getting any Tight Ends (although they tend to have the best asses), Tight Ends are getting stronger and stronger these days on blocking and aren’t seeing as many balls thrown for long yardage.

5.     Pay attention to your roster each week.  Make sure you know if your players actually have a game that week, and if they don’t “bench” them and bring one of your “back ups” in! This is the biggest rookie mistake, don’t make it!

6.     When in doubt, ask any guy who looks completely out of it on Monday mornings.  Chances are they watched every televised game on Sunday while also staring at their computer, so they can rattle off any stat or suggestion for you! 

7.     Or check out these sites for in-depth analysis each week. 

              http://games.espn.go.com/frontpage/football

              http://fantasynews.cbssports.com/fantasyfootball

              http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

Best of Luck!

What's in a number?

A few weeks ago the movie 42 hit the big screen.  42 is a glimpse into the life of Jackie Robinson, the 1st black baseball player to play in the major leagues. This movie depicts the struggles he went through, how people reacted to him and how he helped integrate sports and pave the way for the civil rights movement!

Last week another number was introduced to the sports world, 98.  98 is the number worn by Jason Collins who is the 1st pro athlete in one of the top four sports to announce that he is gay.  He wears 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard who was brutally beaten in 1998 when people found out he was gay.  By Jason coming out, he has opened the door for other athletes to be true to who they are and for sexual orientation conversations to be started.

See, that’s the thing about sports.  It has a way of putting everyone on a level playing field – and not harping on race, religion or sexual orientation.  Sports help bring people together (after all, that’s the whole reason that the Olympics started) and help people see that we are all human and created equally.  Maybe athletes have more talent than the rest of us, but they are also at the forefront of trying to change society and help breakdown boundaries. I am not here to blog about equal rights, I am here to educate you on sports.

So, if there is one thing you take away, take away that sports are an amazing platform for issues to be brought into society.  For some reason, when jocks have something to say – people listen. So, let’s continue to support athletes in being a voice for society and help them start the conversations for a more tolerable and understanding future that we know can exist.

And if you haven’t seen 42 yet, you must.  Heck, you should buy it on DVD and show your kids & your grandkids one day.  And get ready, because the movie 98 is unfolding in front of our eyes and we should all open our arms and embrace it!

Thank you sports!

April showers bring……LOTS OF SPORTS!

Hello April!

March has been packed with sports fun - football trades, college basketball on every channel and the revving engines of motor sports, but April is when things start to heat up, and I’m not just talking about the weather!

Top 8 sporting events that happen in April:

• Starting 3/31 - Baseball is back in the swing of things.  Get ready for seven months of analyzing how much money it takes for a team to put together a winning roster, and be on the lookout for the younger teams to try and make a name for themselves, like the Kansas City Royals started to last year.  2013 Baseball Schedule

• 4/8 – March Madness will come to an end when Syracuse, Witchita State (Who?), Michigan or Louisville will be crowned College Basketball King for the year! These next three games should be exciting!  Final Four Schedule

• 4/9 – Women’s College Basketball takes the court after reining champion and top seeded Baylor goes down in the Elite 8.  Who will be taking home the tiara this year? Final Four Schedule 

• 4/11 - 4/14 – The Golf Masters at Augusta.  Tune in to see if Tiger Woods can remain the #1 golfer in the world and win his 15th major! Do you even own 15 pairs of shoes? Masters at Augusta Schedule  
• 4/13 - College Hockey Frozen Four takes the ice when the four remaining teams slash it out on the ice for the top championship in college hockey.  This is also where smaller schools make a name for themselves on a National stage…this year in the Frozen Four: St. Cloud State, Yale, UMass Lowell and all mighty Quinnipiac.  Frozen Four Schedule

• 4/20 - NBA Playoffs begin and you can bet all eyes will be on the reigning champions, The Miami Heat!  Not only have they been on fire all year, but it doesn’t look like they are ever going to cool off.  We’ll be able to let Lebron know if he gets to keep his crown in June, but he better watch out – teams are coming for him.

• 4/25 - 4/27 - NFL Draft Weekend aka college graduation for football players! This is the weekend, when the top 200 college football players find out where they are going to go to training camp in the summer.  Tune in for a lot of crowd noise, and pictures of athletes and their families (oh yeah, and their hot girlfriends)!  Draft details

• 4/30 - Stanley Cup Playoffs begin.  Due to the lockout, there was a much shorter hockey season this year.  So teams are just starting to get to know each other and get an idea for where their teammates are on the ice.  So the playoffs are really going to act like the middle of the season.  Should be a good one! 

As I sit here and write this, I realize that someone might want to reconsider the name April for this month, and just call it Playoffs month!

As always – feel free to ask me any sports related questions in the comment section below. 

Can you smell the fresh cut grass?

Ok, not yet, but it’s coming I promise.  Baseball fever is here - it’s already hit the warmer parts of the country and will official kick off on Sunday, March 31st with a night game between the Rangers vs. Astros.  Then April will bring the real start of spring, when all 30 teams will take the field and start their quest to still be playing in the month of October (playoffs)!

 To start the 2013 season off as a home run – below are five answers to commonly asked questions that will have your friends asking, ”how’d you know that?”

Five commonly asked baseball questions answered:
1.    How long is the baseball season? Baseball has the longest season in terms of number of games played by a single sport; there are 162 games before they even hit playoffs.   
2.    What is the purpose of the 1st & 3rd base coaches? The 1st & 3rd base coaches are on the field to give signals to the player at bat and the runner/s on base.  They are also there to provide guidance on whether a player should continue to run to the next base or stay safely on the base they are at after a ball is hit.
3.    What is stealing a base and why does a player do it? Stealing a base is when a base runner advances to another base while the pitcher is delivering a pitch. Base runners often take chances and steal bases so that they can get in better scoring position.
4.    What is DH and why do some teams have them and others don’t? DH stands for designated hitter, which is a position used in the American League.  It allows for the pitcher to focus on pitching and a different player to be in the batting line-up instead of the pitcher.  The National League does not have the designated hitter except when there is an interleague game. The league of the home field team determines if DH is used or not. So for example, if the Yankees play the Mets at Yankee stadium both teams will have DH’s because the game is being played on an American League field. 
5.    If a ball is caught in foul territory or over the home run fence, is the batter out?  Yes, the batter is out!  As long as the ball is hit in the air and the player on the field catches it, the batter is out.  That is why you see some players running to catch the ball that is in foul territory or even in the stands – because their efforts could result in an out. 

Feel ready for the 2013 season?  Check out the MLB schedule and head to your local stadium for a game or two this season.  Just remember to stay alert and watch out for foul balls, you’ll never know when you’ll have a player in your lap!

If you have any baseball related questions – feel free to ask in my comment section below.

The weekend you’ve all been waiting for….NASCAR 2013 is back!

Yup, that’s right. I’m talking about NASCAR.  The 2013 season revs up on Sunday, 2/24 at Daytona.  The sport that many don’t consider a sport, but let me tell you – it has all the elements of a sport.  It has rivalries, it has strategy, it has Gatorade.  Anyway, we are not here to argue about that.  We are here to learn about the facts for the 2013 NASCAR season and to congratulate the first NASCAR woman driver to start the Daytona 500 race up front!

Top 10 facts to help you understand NASCAR, and maybe even learn to like it:

1. Series: The NASCAR series has two different racing series – the Nationwide series and the Spring Cup Series.  Think of it as JV (Nationwide) and Varsity (Sprint) 
2. Popularity: NASCAR is the 2nd most popular sport in America (NFL is #1) 
3. NASCAR Car: A NASCAR stock car weighs, 3,400 pounds, which is about the same weight of a Toyota Camry. This is 150 pounds lighter than it was last year, and all cars on the racetrack must weigh the same.
4. Race Format: There are 43 cars that start off the race, and they race from 350 miles to 600 miles, depending on the track. They race on either road-courses or oval tracks. Their speeds can get up to over 200 mph! 
5. Strategy: At the start of each race, every driver and their team have a pit strategy to win the race.  Of course, not everyone’s strategy is the same – which is what makes it exciting.  Also, you never know when a tire is going to go flat and take out a few cars along the way! 
6. Drivers:  Every driver has their own personality and characteristics that make fans either love them or hate them.  There are the guys who have been around forever (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart), there are drivers who have come over from Indy Car or Formula 1 racing (Juan Pablo Montoya), there are nice guys you want to take home to meet your parents (Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin), there are mean bullies (Kyle Busch), and there are some who totally understand the business and are sponsors dreams (Carl Edwards).  All of these guys DO NOT get along and will sometimes go out of their way to knock a guy out of the race.  Another reason you never know what’s going to happen! 
7. First Woman: Danica Patrick will be the first woman to drive in all 36 races this season.  She has also won the pole position for the opening race on Sunday – she is a force to be reckoned with, so boys should watch out.  She is also newly divorced and dating one of the other drivers (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)
8. Are Drivers athletes?:  Many years ago, before I got into NASCAR, my initial feeling was that drivers weren’t athletes.  However, over the past couple of years I have began to sing a different tune. Let me explain… Have you ever had to parallel park your car by inching forward and then back and then forward and back a few times?  Have you ever broken out in sweat or your arms were tired and you had to stop?  Well, that is the type of strain that these drivers endure for 3 to 4 hours and they have 40 other cars chasing them at 200+ mph.  They are also sitting in the same spot for that amount of time in fire-retardant outfits that automatically make them feel like they are in a sauna.  Have you ever sat in a Bikram Yoga class for longer than an hour? Didn’t think so.  The amount of pressure and strain they put on their body every weekend (not including in practice) is reason enough to call them an athlete.  Can they outrun Usain Bolt, no probably not, but can anyone?
9. How do you win the overall NASCAR championship?: Each driver who finishes the race gets a certain number of points – pending on what order they finish the race. Towards the end of the year, the top 12 drivers compete in the final 10 races for a chance to win the NASCAR Championship! 
10. How do you recommend I watch the race?:  DVR is amazing! I don’t think I would watch as many races as I do, if it wasn’t for DVR.  I would recommend you record the race and the next hour or so after the race is slotted to end (they rarely end on time), and sit back and watch it.  Pending on the network that is airing the race will determine how good the information and broadcast will be.  Highly recommend tuning into Fox & ESPN/ABC when they do the broadcasts (full schedule), because they are entertaining and you can learn a lot just by listening to them.  DVR lets you turn a 3-hour race in 90 minutes, and that’s if you don’t fast forward and just look for wrecks.

Now, sit back.  Grab some beer and chips and enjoy listening to the sound of 200+ mph through your TV.  We will check in mid-season to see how you’re enjoying NASCAR!