The Seattle Seahawks Pounded The San Francisco 49ers 29-3

Posted on September 16, 2013 by admin

On Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks hammered the San Francisco 49ers 29-3 in Seattle, to take early command of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division.  With this win, the Seahawks have to be the favorite in the NFC to go to the Super Bowl, after just 2 weeks of the National Football League (NFL) season.  This was a defensive showcase, especially in the first half.  The halftime score was 5-0.

The Seahawks stretched their lead to 12-0, with a 14 yard Marshawn Lynch run in the third quarter, before the 49ers even got on the board, with a 21 yard field goal.  Then it was all Seahawks the rest of the way.  They intercepted 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick 3 times in the game, and held him to only 127 yards on 13 of 28 passing, although he did run for 87 yards.  Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson wasn’t much better.  He threw for 142 yards on 8 of 19 passing, but did have a touchdown pass, along with 1 interception.  He ran for 33 yards.

49er receiver Anquan Boldin who exploded for 13 receptions and 208 receiving last week against the Packers, was held to 1 catch for 7 yards.  Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman was the main reason for shutting down Boldin.  Sherman played at Stanford, for present 49er head coach Jim Harbaugh, and isn’t shy about showing his dislike for Harbaugh in the media.  He even says he switched from receiver to cornerback to get away from Harbaugh, who focused mainly on the offense at Stanford.  Also, current Seahawk head coach Pete Carroll had a few run-ins with Harbaugh when he coached then Pac 10 rival USC.

Taking all this into account, the bad blood between the Seahawks and 49ers runs pretty deep in the NFC West.  This makes for a great football rivalry.  They will meet again, on December 6th but in San Francisco this time.  They also could meet in the playoffs, because both teams are very likely to qualify for the postseason.  But give round 1 to the Seahawks.  After first week losses by the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers, the Seahawks have to be the favorite to win the NFC, at this very early point in the season.  Yes I know the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints are both 2-0, but come on.  They won’t even with their divisions.

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13 Is Jeff Gordon’s Lucky Number Today

Posted on September 14, 2013 by admin

On Friday the 13th of September, Jeff Gordon was added as the 13th driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase.  The Chase normally has 12 drivers, but after what transpired at the Richmond race last weekend, NASCAR CEO Brian France and president Mike Helton felt that the best way to fix the problem, was to add Gordon to the 12 driver field for the 10 race playoff, that decides the Sprint Cup Champion.

Last weekend, Clint Bowyer suspiciously spun his car with 7 laps remaining in the race.  This brought out a caution flag, which ultimately cost race-leader Ryan Newman, the race and a spot in the Chase.  Brian Vickers also made a seemingly unnecessary pit stop late in the race, that elevated Martin Truex Jr. into the chase, and dropped Gordon out.  Bowyer, Vickers, and Truex Jr. all run for Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR).  In-car radio transmissions confirmed the team conspiracy.

NASCAR fined MWR $300,000, and penalized all 3 of his drivers involved 50 points each.  As a result, Truex Jr. dropped out of the Chase, and Newman became the 12th and final qualifier.  This still left Gordon on the outside looking in.  So on Friday, NASCAR added Gordon into the Chase as the 13th participant.  Gordon has won the championship 4 times, but his last title was back in 2001.

I think NASCAR handled this situation as fairly as possible.  Though Bowyer is still in the Chase, starting in 8th, 50 points is a substantial penalty.  Truex Jr. is out, and Vickers wouldn’t have made the Chase no matter what happened in Richmond.  Matt Kenseth, who has the most wins this year with 5, leads in points going into the Chase, with 5-time champion Jimmie Johnson second, and Kyle Busch third.  The chase begins Sunday with the Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.  This should be interesting.

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The Packers Were Screwed By The Referees Again

Posted on September 9, 2013 by admin

On Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 34-28 in San Francisco.  Last year the referees blew an obvious call at the end of the game between the Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.  They awarded, and it was a gift, the Seahawks a touchdown, when the Packers’ M.D. Jennings clearly intercepted the pass in the end zone.  Instead of losing 12-7, the Seahawks escaped with a 14-12 win on a last second play.  The replacement refs were blamed for the bad call, which they did make, but the replay officials that didn’t reverse the call were the regular replay officials.

Yesterday, the Packers were screwed by the referees again.  The Packers’ Clay Matthews hit 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick as he was going out of bounds, and was flagged for a late hit penalty.  As a result, 49er left tackle Joe Staley went after Matthews, and he also received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  Those penalties offset, but since they were dead ball fouls, which should have resulted in a fourth down and 2 for the 49ers.  Instead, the referees judged that the third down should be replayed.  On the next play, Kaepernick threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Anquan Boldin, to give the 49ers a 14-7 lead.

Although the Packers were screwed by the referees again, this was not nearly as bad as the Packers-Seahawks game last year.  The play on Sunday happened in the second quarter, so the Packers had plenty of time to come back, while the “fail mary” play last year was the final play of the game, and directly cost the Packers the game.  The 49ers probably would have kicked a field goal, which would have given them 4 less points, and the Packers would have only needed a late field goal to win the game rather than a touchdown.  However, since this play happened in the second quarter, it’s very difficult to blame a 6 point loss on this blown call.

The National Football League did admit after the game that the referees blew the call, which of course, doesn’t change anything, but it was nice to hear their honesty.  I didn’t hear any uproar for people calling for the return of the replacement refs.  What is it about the Packers traveling to play NFC West teams, where the refs have to cost them points?  I’m sure it’s not premeditated, but I bet this cruel irony isn’t lost on the Packer organization.

I wish the referees were almost invisible in football games.  The fact that they have even more power in the last 2 minutes of halves is absurd.  No coaches’ challenges are aloud at that point, it’s up to the refs.  Coaches should be allowed to challenge anything, at any time, but should still only be allowed 2 challenges in a game, unless they win them both, then they get a third challenge.

Getting back to the game.  The Packers didn’t lose because of the referees blowing that second quarter call, but because they couldn’t stop Kaepernick again.  Last year in the playoffs, he ran for 181 yards against the Packers.  On Sunday, he threw for 412 yards and 3 touchdowns.  When your opponent scores 34 points, there was a problem with your defense.  That problem is that the Packers’ secondary stunk.  After cutting Charles Woodson, and with starting safety Morgan Burnett, and Casey Hayward, probably their best cornerback, out with injury, the Packers’ secondary was weak.  At least Burnett and Hayward are due back soon.  Their secondary better improve, or this could be a long year for them, in the pass-happy NFL these days.

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Peyton Manning Throws 7 Touchdown Passes In 49-27 Opening Game Win

Posted on September 6, 2013 by admin

The National Football League (NFL) started the new season with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning throwing 7 touchdown passes, and tying an NFL record, against the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens 49-27.  His performance tied an NFL record held by 5 other quarterbacks, but the latest occurrence was back in 1969.  Only New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle in 1962, had 7 touchdown passes and no interceptions like Manning did in this game.

I wonder if Manning playing the whole game had anything to do with their American Football Conference (AFC) Championship game loss to the Ravens back in January.  It was surprising to see him still in the game until the end. especially after his neck surgery 2 years ago.  The Ravens actually led the game at halftime, 17-14, before the Broncos exploded for 35 points in the second half.

Denver should have even had another touchdown, if not for the bone-headed play by Bronco linebacker Danny Trevathan.  He intercepted a pass from Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco, and was returning it for a touchdown, when he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line.  Rather than scoring a touchdown, the Ravens got the ball back at their own 20 yard line, because when the ball went out of the end zone, it was a touchback.

While the Ravens were expected to take a step back from their Super Bowl Champion team of last year, because of losing eight starters from last year to free agency or retirement, I don’t think anyone expected them to give up 35 points in the second half of a game to start the season.  Manning tore up their secondary at will, throwing for 462 yards in the game.

The questions that will be answered as the season goes on will be, are the Broncos this good, is the Ravens’ defense that bad now,  or was it a combination of both in the season’s opening game?  To me it has to be a combination of both.  I don’t think Manning will pass for anywhere near the 112 touchdown passes that he is on pace for after one game.  I also don’t think the Ravens will give up even close to 49 points per game.

The NFL season was kicked off to a crazy start, and I am so glad that it finally started.  The Broncos were already the favorite in the AFC before Thursday night, and that certainly hasn’t changed.  In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks are mostly seen as the favorites, but only time will tell.  But as for me, I’m Ready For Lots Of Football!

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Last Second Kickoff Return

Posted on September 3, 2013 by admin

I saw this video of a last second kickoff return from a Texas High School football game on Friday night. It just goes to show you that Yogi Berra, the old New York Yankees’ catcher, was right, “It ain’t over till it’s over“. These types of plays are very rare, but they do happen. Here’s the play below:

The A & M Consolidated Tigers from College Station in Texas, received the onside kick, flipped it back and started to the left side, then tried the right side, then came back to the left, and Derrick Dick (#16) ran all the way for a touchdown to complete the last second kickoff return, and give his team a 44-41 win.

It just goes to show you, that perseverance pays off.  Things looked bleak for the Tigers, but they kept trying. They never gave up, even reversing their field twice on the last second kickoff return, and ended the game in spectacular fashion.  The other team kicked it onside, so a long return was even less likely, but it happened anyway.  Never give up!

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Washington Redskins – Is That An Offensive Name To You?

Posted on August 31, 2013 by admin

I heard today that this new website that is run by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, has decided they will not call the Washington Redskins, the Washington Redskins on their website.  The website has been advertised as TheMMQB.com, but it gets redirected to mmqb.si.com, which means it is on the Sports Illustrated website.  MMQB stands for Monday Morning Quarterback, but I don’t know why they try to disguise that it’s a Sports Illustrated website.  Anyway, on this website, they will refer to the Redskins as the Washington football team, instead of calling them the Redskins.

I saw on their website, that they have an article titled “A Public Relations Nightmare”, which is a short interview with former Redskins’ quarterback Joe Theismann, which leads you to believe that it is about the Redskin name.  But as one of the comments below the article says, the title is misleading compared to the content of the interview.  If they don’t intend to mention the team name Redskins on this website, it must be some type of political stand that the name is offensive to Native Americans.  A professional football website is no place to take a political stand, but I guess they can do what they want with their website, no matter how stupid it is.

The Washington Redskins have had that name since they started in the National Football League in 1932.  That’s 81 years of not being political correct.  How dare they?  Every now and then this offensive name stuff comes up, but nothing ever changes, and I hope it just dies away again.  However, Washington D.C. is the city that renamed their basketball team the Wizards, instead of the Bullets, apparently Bullets encourages violence in that city.  I’m sure the violence has dropped tremendously in that city since the name change to the Wizards.  With their history, you never know if they will force the Redskins to change their name eventually too.

I don’t have a lot of Native American friends, but I have asked them if names like the Redskins, Chiefs, Braves, Seminoles, etc, bother them, and the unanimous response has been no, and most of them looked at me like it was a stupid question. Now I’m sure there are some Native Americans somewhere that are offended by the Redskin name, but some people are offended by just about anything.  After hearing that this website will not call the Redskins by their correct name, it saves me time that might have been wasted looking at their website.  So for that I say thank you.

Almost every time I hear this offensive name issue come up, it’s not brought up by a Native American.  If it doesn’t bother them, then why should us pale faces make a big deal out of it?  By the way, pale face, cracker, honky – none of those terms offend me in the least.  Daniel Snyder, who has owned the Redskins since 1999, said recently that he has no intention of changing the name of the team.  I’m not a big fan of his, but on this subject, I agree 100%.

Where does all this nonsense end?  Are the Chiefs the next target of these hyper sensitive buffoons?  If you get rid of the Redskin name, what about the Cowboys?  They used to fight with indians.  Should that be the next team name to go?  Then maybe the Vikings, Raiders, and Buccaneers?  Those were violent groups of people, so why not waste time hassling them too?  People should use their energy to accomplish something worthwhile rather than to force others to go along with their way of thinking.

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Mike Tyson On His Sobriety

Posted on August 27, 2013 by admin

Yesterday, Mike Tyson came clean on the fact that he’s been lying about his sobriety.  Always colorful, Tyson comes off as a flawed yet likable figure frequently.  The video below is a press conference where he opens up, seemingly without even being asked, about some of the mistakes of his past.

I liked Tyson when he was young.  He was short for a heavyweight, at 5’10”, and he used to come out with just a towel around his head, and his black shorts and shoes on, rather than the customary robe.  He looked like he was just there to beat somebody up, then go home.  No boxer even went the distance against Tyson until his 20th fight.  Shortly after that, he won the WBC Heavyweight Title, with a 2nd round TKO over Trevor Berbick in 1986.  Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 20 years and 4 months old.

He continued undefeated, but in 1988, things began to unravel for Tyson.  He fired his manager Bill Cayton, and his trainer Kevin Rooney.  He then signed up with Don King.  Not surprisingly, Tyson’s personal and professional life went downhill from there.  His marriage to actress Robin Givens in 1988, lasted one year.   Then in 1991 he was arrested for rape, convicted in February of 1992, and sentenced to a 6 year prison term, of which he served 3 years.

In the middle of all that turmoil, Tyson lost for the first time as a professional boxer in February 1990, against heavy underdog, Buster Douglas.  Douglas’ mother had died of a stroke just 23 days before the fight.  Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round.  At the time, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him get beat.  “The baddest man on the planet” as he was called, had finally gone down.  A year after he was released from prison, he was upset again, this time by former champion Evander Holyfield in 1996.  They had a memorable rematch the next year, in which Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear, and was disqualified.

After earning somewhere in the $400 million range in his boxing career, Tyson filed for bankruptcy in 2003, and eventually retired in 2005, with a career record of 50-6-2.  Since his retirement, he has made appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment, and has appeared in The Hangover movies.  He also had a one-man show, which was a 36-city tour earlier this year, called Mike Tyson : Undisputed Truth.

When Tyson appears in public, like in the video above, he usually seems to be a tormented soul, who try as he may, can’t seem to live a normal life.  He does have times where he does good, like his Mike Tyson Cares Foundation, that helps kids from broken homes.  It’s difficult to have a definite feel for him.  Between the rape, the biting of Holyfield’s ear, and some of his horrible off-the-cuff comments over the years, to when he opens up to the point where you feel sorry for him.  One thing about him, that was never in doubt.  He’s not boring.  Let’s hope that Mike Tyson can stretch his sobriety a lot longer than 6 days, and eventually come to peace with himself, and this world.

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Rex Ryan Press Conference

Posted on August 26, 2013 by admin

Last night, in the New York Jets 24-21 overtime win over the New York Giants, the Jets’ quarterback Mark Sanchez, was injured in the 4th quarter. The weird part was that head coach Rex Ryan put him into the game at all at that point. He hadn’t played in the game until the 4th quarter, and it was a preseason game. The Rex Ryan press conference after the game was a little bizarre. The video of that press conference is below.

Ryan’s explanation of competing to win the game is admirable, but it was a preseason game, and Sanchez was the only starter in the game at that time. Rookie quarterback Geno Smith started the game for the Jets, but threw 3 interceptions, and even stepped out of the back of the end zone for a safety. But if you wanted to have Sanchez in the game, it should have been much earlier than in the 4th quarter, like to start the 3rd quarter. It just didn’t make sense.

The injury to Sanchez was to his right shoulder, which is his throwing shoulder. He is listed as day-to-day, so it’s not a serious injury, but he will miss the last preseason game for the Jets. Ryan had to know he would get all the questions that he did, and he took it well for a while. Then he got colorful, as is common with a Rex Ryan press conference, when he turned to his side to answer some of the questions.

Ryan narrowly escaped being fired after missing the playoffs again last year, so to keep his job, I think they have to make the postseason this year.  However, I don’t think that will happen.  I like Rex Ryan.  He’s a colorful guy, and he used to look like one of my friends from college, before he lost a lot of weight.  But the odds are stacked against him,especially with the instability the Jets’ have at quarterback.  Good luck to the yearly soap opera that is the New York Jets.

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My Mom, The Best Person I Knew

Posted on August 22, 2013 by admin

My mother, Violet Gloria Alerich, was born on August 17, 1925, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up with 2 older brothers and one younger sister. She met my father, William Porter Thomas II, when they worked together during World War II. They were married on June 1, 1946, and began to raise a family in Arcadia, California.

My oldest sister was born on August 7, 1947. A couple of years after that, my Mom came down with tuberculosis. My Dad was told that my Mom might not survive. He vowed that she would survive, and he prayed earnestly for that outcome. She did survive the tuberculosis, but they were told that she may not be able to have any more children. This time both Mom and Dad said that wasn’t going to happen.

In 1952 my parents had another daughter, followed by a son a year and a half later. Then another daughter, and finally twins, when my Mom was 39 years old. So after the doctor said my Mom might not have any more children, she had 5 more. It’s not up to doctors, it’s up to God. Right about when my twin brother and I were born, my parents were getting ready to move into their new home on top of a hill, in Anaheim, California.

Our family lived in that house for the next 47 years. My parents raised their 4 youngest kids there. While I was growing up, Dad was in the race car business, and Mom was always there for us kids. Dad eventually started working from home around 1970, so he was home a lot from then on also. Dad was a very strict father. Mom was the perfect mother to offset my Dad’s personality. You could always count on comfort from Mom any time you needed it.
By 1992, all the kids were out of the house, and Mom and Dad lived in that big house by themselves, although they had many visitors. They continued to live there until my Dad passed away on October 10, 2009, at the age of 88. My nephew and his wife and son moved in with Mom, so she wouldn’t be alone. They lived with her until Mom had to leave the house, because the hill that the house sat upon, and provided that excellent view, was sliding, and put the house in danger.

On September 4, 2011, my Mom moved in with me. i didn’t want her to go to one of those assisted living homes, because she didn’t want to. I moved upstairs, and let Mom have the master bedroom downstairs, so she didn’t have to go up and down the stairs, with her bad knees. She lived with me and my dog, until just before she passed away, on August 2, 2013. Although I knew that day was coming, it didn’t make her passing any easier. 15 days before her 88th birthday, she was gone. I now have to go on without my favorite person during my whole life. I’m happy that she’s no longer in pain, and that she’s in heaven, but I still miss her.

Rest In Peace, my Mom, Vi Thomas.

Mom2

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Low Football Hits Are Increasing Knee Injuries

Posted on August 21, 2013 by admin

I’ve been noticing all the serious knee injuries that have already happened in the NFL preseason this year as a result of low football hits.  Newly inducted Hall of Famer Cris Carter explains why this is happening in the video below.  Also, Hall of Fame player and coach Mike Ditka weighs in at the end.  Watch the video, and I will add my thoughts below.

I agree with everything Carter and Ditka said, but I think they are missing one key part of this story.  With all the lawsuits against the NFL, and the rules instituted to protect against concussions, the defenders do have to hit the offensive players lower, but so many of the football players don’t tackle properly.

They hit with their helmet or shoulder pads, instead of wrapping up around the waist and tackling.  Almost all football hits when leading with the helmet, anywhere on the body, will result in a serious injury.  Many of these players seem to be trying to get on sports highlight shows, rather than bringing down the ball carrier.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries alone account for season-ending injuries to Jeremy Maclin and Arrelious Benn of the Philadelphia Eagles, Bryan Bulaga of the Green Bay Packers, Denario Alexander of the San Diego Chargers, Joe Morgan of the New Orleans Saints, and Dan Koppen of the Denver Broncos, just to name a few.  The defensive players need to stop using their helmets as weapons.  They should tackle like we did when we played football as kids, with no helmets on.  A large percentage of these injuries would be avoided if helmets weren’t smashing into knees.  This will be difficult for many defensive players to adjust to, but it must be done, or the NFL will end up looking like a MASH unit.

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