Ladies Links: It Must Be Witchcraft Edition

Exact quote from the Tigers radio announcers at the bottom of the 4th (after CC was removed):

“Well, we’re back in Detroit and this is uh, this is uh, [laughs] this is something.”

Also, in case you forgot (I did), this is Max Scherzer:

And yes there is nothing actually wrong with people with heterochromia, but it does somehow seem like a symptom of how cursed this ALCS has been for the Yankees that they spent half their elimination looking completely helpless at the hands of a guy who might have been considered a witch a few centuries back. (Sorry, Bee!)

Ladies… Links: Farewell, Andy Edition

Last Friday night, I sat on a plane to the West Coast and watched what turned out to be Andy Roddick’s penultimate career victory.  Had the weather cleared a bit faster Wednesday, I could have seen the end of his final match on the return flight, but the remains of Isaac lingered in New York just long enough to make sure the match restarted and ended in the time it took us to get home from the airport.  So my last true memory of Andy Roddick as a tennis player (because he is surely as destined for a commentating career as McEnroe) will be of him firing on all cylinders, reducing (with the partisan crowd’s help) his 19 year old opponent to near paralysis with his shot selection and wicked serve.  It’s a nice companion to my other key memory of Roddick, the legendary Wimbledon final he lost to Federer.

Ladies Links: Don’t Forget the Chyron Edition

Via Pete Beatty (@nocoastoffense)

My brain is pretty much in the same place as whoever was responsible for that little mistake there, so links it is! Luckily there’s some good stuff you may have missed.

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 22

I waited to post this next ACoH because I didn’t want to adversely affect his last game (shouldn’t have worried) or his Heisman chances (turned out to be a non-factor), or his school’s BCS championship game chances (ditto) and I think we’re far enough away from the Fiesta Bowl that any jinxing will wear off by then.  Thus, I present for your enjoyment Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

NOT The Sweetest Hangover

Unlike my girl Diana, this is not the sweetest hangover – this is the WORST kind of hangover!

It’s not brought on by copious amounts of Yuengling and Makers Mark.

It’s not accompanied by the Stride of Pride.

It’s not cured by greasy food.

It’s not something that gets worse with age.

It’s a hangover that only comes with the harsh realization… football is OVER until Fall.

Hit and Run: First of 2011 Edition

Girls, we should really consider an "I Was There" post from the Coney Island Polar Bear Swim next year. I'm just sayin'. (Reuters)

Happy New Year, readers! We hope you had a fabulous holiday that wasn’t marred by travel hiccups, barfing flu or Christmas morning plumbing problems (that last one happened to me. True story.) We’re back at it after a much-needed break. If you laid low this past weekend after a raucous New Year’s Eve, let’s fill you in on what you may have missed.

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 19

Not to be confused with Matt Damon or this band‘s drummer is Sunday night’s starter for the Green Bay Packers against the vaunted Pats, Matt Flynn.

Advent Calendar of Hotness – Day 12

After winning the Heisman Trophy last night, and the Davey O’Brien (best QB) and Maxwell (best overall player that isn’t as snooty as the Heisman) on Thursday, Cam Newton adds to his awards haul by being today’s ACoH.

Advent Calendar of Hotness – Day 4*

*late because I was a little too busy celebrating last night.

With apologies to Minda and Auburn fans, there was one particular college football player who earned ACoH honors for Day 4 by helping his team win the Big XII Championship: Oklahoma’s Travis Lewis.

Hump Day Hottie: Boise State

After watching the craziness that was the Boise State/Virginia Tech game this past Monday, I noticed that Boise State wasn’t hurting for any hotties on their squad.  While I felt a bit dirty checking out the young(er) boys, I decided it would be a disservice to not share these boys with the Ladies… readers.

So take a trip with me to Boise, Idaho where potatoes and hotties abound.

How Sweet the Sting…

It’s been a little gloom and doom in the bomber household these past few days…

You see there was this semi-important professional sporting match on Sunday, and despite my best efforts of yelling and screaming at the tv, my boys did not come away with that Lombardi trophy.

While I hold no ill will towards those gents in black and gold, I can’t help but wallow in my loss.

It got me thinking about championships and fandom- more specifically what impacts us more, the wins or losses?

Hit and Run: Football, Football, and more Football!!

The NFL regular season is over. With Alabama winning the BCS National Championship game, college football won’t be back until next fall. For those of you who play fantasy football, a winner has already been decided. (Congrats to THE Blonde Bomber for winning the ladies… fantasy football!) But don’t be too sad. There is still plenty going on in the football world. There’s coaching changes in college football. New coaches in the NFL. And mostly importantly there’s the NFL playoffs!! The Cowboys remembered how to win in January (which didn’t make me very happy). The Patriots got slaughtered by the Ravens (which did make me happy). This weekend is a new set of games that will hopefully be more entertaining than the Wild Card games. (Admit it, aside from the Cards/Packers game, all those games were pretty boring.)

Congrats to Bama for beating the Longhorns 37-21 in the BCS title game.

2010 Welcomes You… With Hotness!

2010 begins with a plea from this sports/man loving lady.  I believe in the power of intention and attraction, so let’s put our thoughts together, and will Jeremy Bloom back into the world of professional sports.

Heisman Hotties of 2009!

It’s that time of year again for the NCAA football boys – the Heisman Trophy will be awarded this coming Saturday, December 12 at 8pm! In between our delicious advent calendar of hotness posts, I bring you our five adorable finalists just announced tonight.

15 Yards for Fugliness: A Photographic Survey of Nike’s New Football Uniforms

Over the last few weekends, Nike has been previewing their latest attempt to “improve” athletic apparel on several premiere NCAA Division I (yeah, that’s what I still call it) football programs.  Now, perhaps these uniforms, designed to be ultra light and form fitting, are functionally a worthy advance, but from a sartorial viewpoint, well, my inner Tim Gunn was making this face. A lot.

A brief survey of some of Nike’s designs after the jump.

Know Your 2010 BCS Underdogs

TCU's Jerry Hughes would like a word with you.

It’s kind of weird to be an alum of a “football school” in a year when said school is …not that good at football, or at least not as good as we usually are.  For the first time in a while, no amount of computer poll weirdness, upsets, or bizarre tiebreakers are going to get my Sooners in a BCS bowl.  And we’re not the only ones in this boat (Hi, USC!).

As of this week (and for most of the season, really), the top contenders for the BCS Championship game are Texas (hate, for obvious reasons), Florida (hate, for last year), and Alabama (hate, for Nick Saban).  So I thought I’d look at the “underdogs” still in BCS contention — underdogs here not necessarily meaning a non BCS conference school, but a team that isn’t (or hasn’t been in the BCS era) a football power.  And of course, there are pictures.

Filled with big blond guys who eat ivy and row boats

Watching the Ohio State/ USC game I was struck by two things…

1.  My beloved Buckeyes are not closers and will continue to break my heart in hyped up ball games.

2.  USC recruits Abercrombie models and turns them into NFL like football players.

While I despise USC, (thank you Washington for beating them last week) I, as do the other ladies around here, have a healthy appreciation for fine looking men.

Theme Thursday: Holy Crap, It’s College Football Edition

This week's theme is a toy only and should not be used as a livesaving device.

Partly because I’ve been consumed with fantasy football drafts and partly because the university at which I work a)has no football team and b)hasn’t started classes yet, the start of the college football season this week caught me a little off guard.  This round of Theme Thursday pays tribute to the scholar-athletes of the gridiron no matter how seriously they might take the first part of that title*.  No one won last round, so I’ll be taking the credit (or blame) for this trio.

*Note to NCAA: I am not implying anything about the players pictured in this post. It’s called a joke.

Excuse me Mr. McCoy, but you seem to have a little something on your face…

I am no expert when it comes to college football. This post has nothing to do with the athletic abilities of the Longhorns or their QB. This is all about the sweet stache Colt McCoy is sporting in the above picture. I think we all know what Colt did during the summer: tried his best to resemble a 70s porn star. All I can say is, Mission Accomplished! Supposedly the mustache was grown as some sort of team bonding. And sadly, by next week it will more than likely be gone.

OK, that stache is all sorts of awesome, and by awesome I mean creepy. Looking at that pic for too long scares me a bit. Here’s a pic of Colt when his face isn’t quite so hairy:

Sure he may look better without it but I think the stache adds character.

So tell us, which Colt do you prefer?

The Trouble Is We’re Neglecting Football For Education!

Several years ago when my ballet career was over I decided to leave New York City and focus on one thing, College Football!  I applied to every college with a major football program on the east side of the Mississippi and, being the superstitious lady that I am, decided to go to whomever I heard from first.  It was a glorious day ordained from heaven when I became a Buckeye, but more importantly I became a part of a larger family, the NCAA College Football family.  Every Saturday we commune in bars, parking lots, homes, you name it, and from sun up till sundown, we cheer and scream, drink and eat, and live and die with every play, because, we are … college football fans!

I made a trip last weekend to my alma mater, The Ohio State University, and was immediately struck by how badly I longed for that most glorious time of year, football season!  The first time I ever set foot in the Horseshoe on gameday was one I will never forget;  a sea of scarlet and grey, palpable excitement, beer flowing like wine, making new friends every stumble along the way, The Best Damn Band In The Land playing “Hang on Sloopy,” and thousands of people there for one purpose: to cheer our team to victory.  There is nothing in the world like it, and there is nothing like college football season!  So here they are ladies and gents, my top ten reasons I am so desperately wishing it was football season, in no particular order…

Congrats, Florida. Let the Moping Commence.

Last Sunday, I was in the Tulsa airport preparing to fly back East, when I noticed the airport bookstore (which is locally owned), already had a sign out next to their OU merchandise reading “Congratulations Sooners! 2009 National Championship.”  And that’s pretty much when I knew OU was doomed.  (OK, I’m exaggerating.  Kind of.)

Anyway, congratulations Florida, and also to OU for a thrilling season (with two notable exceptions, obviously).  Now I will proceed to mope for the next 24 hours or so.  I originally thought perhaps I’d get some solace from posting some hot athlete pictures, but the problem with that plan is that hot athletes remind me of sports which reminds me of the game.  So I hope you all don’t mind if I invite my Imaginary TV Boyfriend, Lee Pace, to mope (hotly) along with me.

Pat White

White Pat White led the West Virginia Mountaineers to a win in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday, December 27, 2008, he made history.

Reasons to Live on the Couch This Weekend (Like You Need One)

I am a terrible procrastinator, especially when the holidays come around.  I have unopened boxes of Christmas cards that have been sitting around my apartment for two years because I put off doing them until it’s late enough in December that I “save” them for “next year.”

So of course, since we’re only going into the second official holiday shopping weekend, I am not planning on doing any shopping (or card addressing).  I am planning on watching college football.  Lots and lots of college football.

I Was There: Bedlam Edition

Even the family dog roots for the other team.

This past Saturday, I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State football game.  This was actually my first chance to see a Bedlam game in person, and while I may have left a happy (and relieved) Sooner, the majority of my Cowboy faithful family were less pleased. Potential BCS and Big XII South titles be damned — this was about a year’s worth of family bragging rights.

Pictures of my trip into enemy territory, after the jump.

Your Thanksgiving Day Viewing Schedule

You know what the best part of Thanksgiving? It’s not the family or the food or any of that. It’s the sports you’ll be watching to get away from your family. Okay, and maybe the food. So I thought, when you’re half paying attention to your job or any news as it is today, that I would give you a highlight on some of the games that are coming tomorrow. You can be with your family during all the Black Friday stuff.

I find Dwight Howard to be totes adorable. He'll be adding to your sports viewing tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Bowling and Charity

I go bowling with my family the day after Thanksgiving, but I didn’t realize what a wide-spread traidition it is. Apparently, turkey and bowling just go together. (Except for this poor turkey, who you’ll see with the bowling ball that killed it after the break.) So, I thought that in preparation for the big day later this week, I’d provide you some unique bowling shots and some stories about the Turkey Bowls and charitable giving going on. You know, to get you in the spirit of things a bit early.

Myron Rolle is Smarter than Me

This week there have been several reminders that sports, both at the professional and collegiate levels, are often all about money. So I thought it might be nice to end the week with someone for whom sports are just that thing they do when they aren’t trying to save the world. (Plus, it spares you all from a post gushing about Pujols’s 2nd MVP. If you’re disappointed, just re-read my post from September.) So, ladies (and gentlemen), I present to you Florida State safety and Rhodes Scholarship Finalist Myron Rolle.

Myron hugs a participant in a program he created to teach Seminole Indian children about health and nutrition issues. Source: Phil Coale (AP)

Shonn Greene for Heisman!

Go Hawks!

The Iowa Hawkeye football season is not off to a great start.  We lost to Pittsburgh, Michigan State and Northwestern (NORTHWESTERN, for pete’s sake!).  However, our star running back Shonn Greene has been RACKING up the amazing statistics.  This season of college football has been lacking a group of stand-out contenders for Heisman, so I’d like to offer up Shonn Greene for consideration.

There are 4 running backs who have over 1000 yards already:  Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter at 1116, Iowa’s Shonn Greene at 1154, UConn’s Donald Brown at 1324, and Michigan State’s Javon Ringer at 1373.  Now interestingly, Hunter, Greene and Brown have done that in 8 games.  Ringer has had 9 games because MSU hasn’t had their bye week yet.

I Should Have Today Off

Before the Big XII, before the corporate sponsor, before even the Cotton Bowl, there was the Texas Game.

It is Red River Rivalry Eve once more, and I am at work.  If I was still in college, I’d have the day off, because TPTB at the University of Oklahoma got tired of holding class on a day when half the student body was driving I-35 South.  I hate being an adult.

Enough grumbling. It’s OU-TX weekend again, y’all! (College football brings out my accent.  Even when I type, apparently.) Even though I’ve never been lucky enough to attend the game in person, nothing will stop me from following the game live from wherever I happen to be.  Even if I am stuck in a hotel room in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan listening to the play by play as it is relayed by my friend’s father over her cell phone.

But that was last year.  This year, I should actually be able to watch the game on TV — no small feat, considering I live in the Northeast and Penn State is a top ten team this year.  But since this is the fifth time in the history of the rivalry that both teams are ranked in the Top 5 — guess who is number one? — not much is going to stop this game from reaching a national audience.

Hit & Run-Who Needs Debates When You Got Sports?

Yes, the Vice Presidential debates were last night. That’s nice. You know what else was on? Baseball. And football. And football. And baseball. It was a damn good night of sports, even those who teams didn’t perform the way they had wished. So let’s get to a few of the unpleasantness (like Georgetown having to cancel a game because of norovirus) out of the way first, starting with the Cubs.

Who's winning? It ain't the Cubbies. Sorry Chitown Chick.