AL and NL Championship Series Predictions

I still can’t believe that the championships series are already here. But I’m certainly not complaining. October is the best sports month, and you can quote me on that one. The NLCS started last night and hopefully the ALCS will start later tonight. As long as the weather behaves. I’m particularly happy about the ALCS this year. The Yankees have actually made it out of the first round. Now there is just one problem: They have to face the Angels. The same team that they are NEVER able to beat. Well the Red Sox ALWAYS beat the Angels and we all know how that changed last weekend. So hopefully the Yankees can finally get over that hump. I know it’s stupid logic but let me have it. I’m scared about facing the Angels!

OK I am done with my rambling about the Yanks. Let’s take some time to congratulate the teams still in. And we ladies… will make some predictions.

More Flags! More Fun! Six Flags with the Caps!

This was from last year, but you get the point!

So I’m only a few hours removed from one of the coolest nights ever. As most of you already know, I’m a Washington Capitals season ticket holder.  One of the perks of being a STH is a party with the team at Six Flags America.  Well, last night was the party, and I thought I would share some photos and stories from the event.

Follow me after the jump for some pictures of some hockey hotties. And I promise there is gratuitous Steckel.

Hump Day Hottie: Matthew Lombardi

Ladies, I’ve flashed a few hot pics of Mr. Lombardi before, but I’ve decided he needs his own post.  This one actually comes by request from a friend of mine who, while perusing some of my posts, pointed out that Matthew was way hot and should get his own post. 

So check out more of this man’s hotness after the jump!

Your 2009-10 NHL Hotness Preview: Southeast Division

So none of these guys are after the jump, but I had to include some of my hot Caps in this post.

Tomorrow, tomorrow…I love you, tomorrow. You’re only a day away!!!  Now that I’ve got that stuck in your head…I can’t wait until tomorrow.  NHL regular season gets underway tomorrow!!  If you don’t have DirecTV, be sure to check out the double header on Versus starting at 7 EST.  Caps vs. Bruins is first, followed by Sharks vs. Avalanche.

Now it’s onto the preview of the Southeast Division.

Your 2009-10 NHL Hotness Preview: Central Division

By far my favorite storyline of the 2009 offseason. 20 cent is truly sorry!

Today we’ve got the preview for the Central Division, by far the strongest division in the West.  Ladies, the countdown to the regular season is on!  Is it Thursday yet?

Your 2009-10 NHL Hotness Preview: Atlantic Division

Even hockey players watch football to pass the time. Sadly, you won't be seeing this trio of hotties at any Eagles games anytime soon.

As Lady Bee told you yesterday, we here at Ladies… can’t wait for the NHL season to finally start, so we’re doing some previews for those of you who feel our pain!

Today I’ll be previewing the Atlantic Division.

Confessions of a Frustrated Fan

Two Baltimore Heroes: Eddie & Cal

When it comes to being a sports fan, I have ridden the roller coaster of emotions. I have been privileged to experience the ultimate highs and humbled to have experienced the extreme lows.  Recently, I’ve been forced to take inventory of my sports emotions, so to speak.

As most of you already know, I was born and raised in Baltimore in the early 80s.  My first sports love was the Baltimore Orioles.  When I was a little over 1-year-old, my O’s won the World Series.  That was the last time my beloved franchise was blessed with a title.  Of course, I don’t remember the sweet taste of victory, but I did experience it.  My mom-mom packed up my little self, hopped on a bus and took me downtown for the victory parade.  I have a photo of me in my little stroller, waving my World Series pennant with the parade passing in the background.  What I wouldn’t give to recreate that moment.  Let’s just hope I don’t have to wait until that stroller turns into a wheelchair!

Let’s not forget that until I was a sophomore in college, I had never seen a baseball game that didn’t have Cal Ripken, Jr. playing in it.  I wouldn’t say that the Orioles spoiled me, though.  We were good during my formative sports fan years, but all good things must come to an end.  Personally, I don’t think we’ll ever win until someone finally exacts revenge on that Jeffrey Maier kid. Hate him. While I have come to expect disappointment from the Orioles, I’m having a harder time coming to terms with my other teams.

Lucky 1,300

This is officially the 1,300th post on our fine site and we decided to celebrate with a list of 13 very special hotties. Since we realized it was the 1,300th post pretty late, not every one of the Ladies… was able to join in the fun, but we picked a few individual hotties, plus some “all-time” hotties.

Follow the jump for the pictures!

Whacko for Flacco!

So I was going to give this post the “Hump Day Hotties” tag, but I thought I might get some flack over it.  So instead, I’m just going to use this post to introduce you to Joe Flacco, quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens.  Joe has caused a hysteria in Baltimore.  See, we folks from Charm City don’t know what a real quarterback actually is. That is until Mr. Flacco arrived in town. 

For years we have tried to find that “Franchise Quarterback,” but he never seemed to develop.  While I was partial to Kyle Boller (solely on looks, btw), others were calling for his head from the moment we drafted him.  Hell, we went a month during our Super Bowl season without scoring an offensive TD! And we won the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer under center!  Even Disney acknowledges that Trent Dilfer sucks! Can you say “Defense,” much?

So needless to say we’re all pretty stoked that Flacco has taken the reigns of our offense.  I personally don’t think he’s bad to look at, either.  I think his Bert-esque eyebrows are what throw people off, but if he would just tweeze them up a little bit, he’d be a bonafide hottie.  I think he’s adorable, despite the brow problem.  I’m sucker for a guy with dimples!

Check out some adorable pictures of #5 after the jump!

Hump Day Hottie: NFL Coaches Edition

A preview of things to come?

So we all know who the hot players are, but do you know who the hot coaches are?  With the new trend of hiring younger coaches, the NFL has provided us with a new crop of hotties.  Instead of the coaches reminding you of the old, creepy man who hangs around the neighborhood (Brad Childress, I’m looking at you!), now they’re more like the hot, 30-something dad that moved in down the street! Yippee!

Take a trip with me after the jump where we explore some hot NFL coaches!

Hump Day Hotties: AFC & NFC South

Some of us Ladies have been looking forward to football season, so I thought what better way to get everyone hyped than to feature a hottie from every NFL team.  Each week for the next four weeks, we’ll be featuring lesser-known hotties from an AFC and NFC division.

So far we have featured hotties from the AFC & NFC North, East and West. This week is our final installment.  So take the plunge, and follow me after the jump to get a peek at some hotties from the AFC and NFC South.

Hump Day Hotties: AFC & NFC West

Some of us Ladies have been looking forward to football season, so I thought what better way to get everyone hyped than to feature a hottie from every NFL team.  Each week for the next four weeks, we’ll be featuring lesser-known hotties from an AFC and NFC division.

So far we have featured hotties from the AFC & NFC North and East. This week, follow me after the jump to get a peek at some hotties from AFC and NFC West.

Hockey Hotties on the Rise

NHL.com has inspired me! After doing Top 10 features on the Finns, Russians and Swedes (oh my!), I thought the Ladies… could get in on the Top 10 action.  While my choices are less stats based and more looks based, I still think the following hotties are names to remember for next season.

So without further ado, here are 10 hotties on the rise.

What’s Your Fantasy? The Ladies… talk Fantasy Baseball

Smart move: Drafting Grady Sizemore. Bad Move: Losing your job over it!

So if you’re like me, not only do you love sports, you love fantasy sports, as well.  Personally, I feel like managing a fantasy teams helps me be a better fan.  But that’s a topic for another day.  Today, I’m going to let you in on my drafting strategy.  I know we’re just past the All-Star break, but it’s never a bad time to discuss the make-up of your team and how it came to be.  Now is the time in the season where you take a step back and evaluate your talent. 

It’s make or break time, people!  If you’re looking for the answers to your fantasy team woes, this post may not be the best answer, but I can sure help you with some strategy for the future after the jump.

Hump Day Hotties: Tour de France

Well, I’m not a big cycling fan, but I figured there had to be hotties racing in this year’s Tour de France.  So, I went on a mini-mission to find some hot boys to share with you.  Did you know there are a lot of cyclists entered in this year’s race?  I decided to pick a few and let you be the judge.

Hop on your bike, and follow me after the jump!

Hump Day Hotties: The Call-Ups

So I know we all get excited when baseball season is underway.  We love watching our hotties play and our teams do well.  For me, when my beloved Orioles start to suck again, it can be hard to devote my time to following the team.  That is why I have come to love the mid-season call-up.  Trust me, I know who the hotties are on the team, but I’m curious about those boys in the minors.  I know names and who is supposed to be good, but I don’t necessarily know their faces.  So I always look forward to a new face in the clubhouse.

After the jump, I’ve hand selected some drool-worthy hotties. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

All Star Break…Show Us Your Ballots!

It’s that time again! July 14 marks the 80th All Star Game between the National League and the American League, and we the people get to vote who goes (quick, go vote if you haven’t already – polls close Thursday!) Here are the Ladies…  lists of our best of the best and some whys…

Love Match: The Ladies… do Wimbledon!

In honor of the current fortnight of tennis being played, I thought I would do a review of my trip to Wimbledon last summer. I was lucky enough to be able to finally take my dream European vacation last July. One thing I knew when I started to plan my trip was that when I got to London, I was going to Wimbledon.

Originally my vacation started out as a week-long trip to London for the Championships at Wimbledon, but with the GBP being double that of the USD at the time, I opted to do a European tour instead. Our last stop was London. Unfortunately, the tour did not coincide with the tournament. But that was fine with me. I could still visit the hallowed grounds of the All England Club.

Winsome Weekend Winner: Kasey Kahne

Kasey is celebrating this post!

After a nice dinner with dad on Father’s Day, I came home, flipped through the channels and stumbled upon the end of the NASCAR race.  I was greeted with the beautiful face of Kasey Kahne, today’s big winner!  Kasey is definitely on my “To Do” list, so I was very excited at his big win at Sonoma.  I’m not a huge NASCAR fan, but because of Kasey, I’ve become a casual watcher.  I thought what better way to celebrate his big win than by sharing the beautifulness that is Kasey Kahne in a nice little post!

So enjoy some more hot pictures of Kasey after the jump! Vroom Vroom!

The 2009 NHL Awards Preview: Who Ya Got?

If there were an NHL Award for "Best Looking," Steckel would be my pick!

UPDATED:  I’m watching the Awards Show, so I’ll be updating the winners as they’re announced.  See how you did in your predicitions!

Award season is upon us.  Well, at least the NHL Award season.  The Stanley Cup has been awarded, so the NHL Award Show is our mini hockey fix until September rolls around.  This year there is some excitement surrounding the nominees.  Some new faces have popped up in unexpected places, and some old faces have fallen out of contention.  I’ve always viewed the NHL Awards as some type of high school awards assembly only with nicer threads.  Some awards sound like a superlative right out of your high school yearbook, while others are pretty standard.

I thought I would give you a little blurb on each nominee and my pick.  I’ve even let you all get in on the action!  I’ll tell ya who I got if you tell me who ya got after the jump.

Game 7 – Who y’a got?

Omigodyouguys it’s Game 7 tonight! Really, is there anything more exciting than a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final?

(Perhaps Game 7 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium? Okay, I’ll leave my bias aside for this post and I’ll thank you in advance for not discussing A.J. Burnett.)

Kudos to the Pens for a rousing Game 6 on Tuesday night to bring us to this point. And by the way, nice to see my theory of Crosby’s beard jinxing the series getting totally shot to hell. Would you believe I’m actually getting used to seeing him with…that? I don’t think I’ll be able to handle it if he shows up clean-shaven at the NHL Awards.

But enough about facial hair. I canvassed some of the Ladies to get their thoughts and predictions on who will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup:

Ladies… Book Club: A-Rod

When the idea of a Ladies… Book Club was mentioned, I realized that I better beef up on my sports-centric reading material.  A few days later, I was at my local wholesale club and stumbled upon a gem: A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez by Selena Roberts.  It was half-price and full of juicy, A-Rod gossip.  It was fate.

We were pretty much inundated with excerpts from this much-discussed tell-all, so I felt familiar with it immediately.  We all thought we knew what the book was about: steroids.  Well, my friends, we weren’t entirely right.

Dear Mr. Roddick

It's become rather easy to find pictures of Andy looking dejected. That does not make this tennis fan happy!

Andy, Andy, Andy…what are we going to do with you?  While you may have reached the round of 16 at the French Open for the first time in your career, I can’t help but be disappointed in your recent play.  Andy, this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.  There are many more things that need to be brought to your attention. Just follow me after the jump, hon.

Cooking with the ladies…

To celebrate Memorial Day weekend and the beginning of summer, we decided to share some of our favorite recipes. Go forth and cook, bake and grill…