Around the League Series 1, Episode 2 (September 25, 2014)
Gentlemen, hooligans, competitors, may this day find you well. I hope that watching sports over the past few weeks has been as exciting for you as it has been for me. We have one of the most exciting Major League Baseball seasons in recent memory with three divisions in particular coming down to the wire and what is sure to be an exciting postseason. Football did not disappoint either. In the past three weeks we’ve seen the Browns without Josh Gordon and the Bills with EJ Manuel have some success, among others. Other teams like the Saints and Packers have high offensive potential, but have struggled in the early goings. As the weeks progress it remains to be seen whose fortunes will turn and what the fantasy impact is.
Our first story takes us to sunny Green Bay, where good wether comes as frequently as NFL players with good character. Too far? Maybe. It’s been a rough year for the NFL from a public relationships standpoint. It’s also been a rough start for the Packers. Eddie Lacey sparkled last year and started slow this year. The defense hasn’t stopped anybody and Aaron Rodgers, well, has been okay. Packers fans expect more and they know exactly who to blame. Olivia Munn. Spectacular Olivia Munn. I digress. Olivia Munn is an actress well-known for her work on shows like Attack of the Show and Newsroom. Aaron and Olivia have been in a relationship since earlier this year and have made the rounds of the tabloids. So naturally any star sports player who struggles may be distracted by his beautiful girlfriend, right? This is probably crazy, but I thought it worth looking in to. The other recent story of this sort is Tigers pitcher and former Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander who is in a relationship with British model Kate Upton. Verlander has struggled the past couple of years, but this is far more likely due to his declining fastball velocity. Other notable players with well-known flings include Tom Brady and Tony Romo. Romo would be the easiest target of ridicule with how wide the disparity is between his best moments and his worst. I leave the rest of the speculation to the fans. Oh, and Rogers will be fine.
Ever wondered how teams are able to rouse their crowds in cheer and distract opposing offenses? Is it the cheerleaders acrobatically jumping around yelling things that nobody in the stadium can hear? Or maybe it’s the team mascot? Well, it probably isn’t any of these, but I want to take a look at mascots. I was unable to find any information on the history of sports teams having mascots. They have been around for a while and are currently most visible in college sports. Not every team has a mascot in the NFL. Among these teams are the Jets, Packers, Chargers, Giants, and Redskins. This doesn’t tell the whole story though. The Packers have a food item that basically serves as their mascot, the Chargers hire a private contractor who owns the rights to the character, and the Redskins have adopted their biggest fan as their mascot. Let me say, the Chargers mascot, Boltman, is real weird looking. Not exactly the easiest thing to personify. And the Redskins with all of their team name’s controversy have Chief Zee, a black man in native American garb who has cheered for the team since ’78. His dedication brought him to the hospital in 1983, when he was attacked by Eagles fans. November 7th is Chief Zee Day in D.C. The rest of the mascots are your usual mix of animals and odd characters. Anyway. It’s something for the kids’ part of the team website. Check out the first olympic mascot and other odd ones: http://www.virginmedia.com/olympics2008/pictures/worst-olympic-mascots.php?ssid=2
I conclude by thanking you all for a great season thus far and remind you that Peyton is watching. And he’s coming for you.
Unrelated item of the week:
Germany
MacGyver
Coffee
Perfect combo
http://vimeo.com/44809924