FOOTBALL'S BACK, BABY!!!

Not much to have to say here....it you're an NFL Football fan, and I don't know many people who aren't, today is an exciting day and a day to simply say, "FOOTBALL'S BACK, BABY!"
On a few personal side notes, here's what it mean to ME as a fan:
1. I get to see my favorite teams go out and vie for a Superbowl win...those teams being Chicago and Dallas. Hopefully, the Bears can take the next step where they fell short last year, or Dallas can continue on that positive streak they ended last year with.
2. December 17, 2011 - Dallas comes to Tampa on a Saturday night! I plan to go celebrate at the Ray J with some friends while we cheer on the Cowboys to bury the up and coming Bucs.
3. Football is our nation's game...keeping up with the league on a week to week basis is fun. Picking games is always fun, being in leagues on ESPN. While I am not a fantasy guy, I know a lot of people who are and will be happy that the leagues are back and up and running again.
As Roger Goodell said at the presser earlier, "Football's Back!"
FOOTBALL'S BACK, BABY!!!

Meeting Dickie V!

Wow! First of all, I'd like to say I really had to think for a long time as to whether or not I wanted to resume writing a blog. With all the social media that I already do(Facebook and Twitter), would I really benefit from writing something that not many people will see? I have had many stories that I skipped out on sharing because I thought pics on another social media sight would be good enough. Well, I think I changed my mind. So, here goes!

Recently, Krisha and I had the opportunity to go the Lakewood Ranch, FL to meet basketball HOF'er and announcer Dick Vitale. He eats at The Broken Egg every morning that he's in town, and while he is there he sells some merchandise to help raise $ for the V Foundation. The V Foundation was established and named after Jim Valvano, who lost his battle to cancer. The V Foundation raises money for cancer research, so going down to eat breakfast and then be able to donate $ to help right cancer was a huge deal for us.
Meeting Dickie V was AWESOME, as well. He is just as kind and high strung as you think he'd be if you've ever seen him on television. Sometimes, he takes pics with those he meets and posts them on the internet via Twitter...he did that with me! (http://twitpic.com/5qiw11) Krisha actually got on his Twitter once before with a group of ladies from our church. Anyway, in getting that pic he asked Krisha to take it with his phone! What a nice, kind, genuine guy who gives his time and energy to help defeat the horrible killer we know as cancer. He's as real as real gets for "celebs" and I hope to see him again in the future. Thanks for an AWESOME encounter, Dickie V!!!

Classic...

Last night's game to end the NCAA D1 tourney ended up with Duke winning a classic game...to top off what has been a classic past three weeks of the NCAA Tournament! I don't think I sat down and watched any game that wasn't competitive. I mean, last night's game ended up being one for the ages in, what could arguably be called, the greatest 3 weeks of college basketball ever!
So, now that it's over what do we move on to next? Well, the NHL and the NBA playoffs are about to start in a few days. MLB just started...but that will be around for quite a while. How about UFC 112 this Saturday night? That's gonna be a good one to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing one of my faves Matt Hughes take on Renzo Gracie, as well as Anderson Silva and BJ Penn defend their belts.
Just because the tourney's over doesn't mean that life is....it goes on! Take your pick from many sports to choose from! Be well and enjoy the show! PP

The Most Exciting Thing off the Field!

Here is a list of things that I really enjoy in sports:
1.College Football
2.Pro Football
3.Hockey
4.College Basketball
5. NFL Draft
6.NASCA.....wait! What? Yes, I said the NFL draft! The draft is coming up in a few weeks and the talk about "who is picking whom" is more rampant now than all year long! The draft is cool because it is that "bridge" to the pros - the cross between two of my favorite things to watch. Where will my favorite college player play next year? Who will my NFL team draft to make them one step closer to the promise land? All of these questions will be answered on April 22, 2010, starting at 7:30 EST...check your local listings. You can view mock drafts from various experts at the following websites:
http://www.nfl.com/
http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/draft-central
As the draft approaches watch these sites and get ready to buy your favorite player's pro jersey. Be well and enjoy the show! PP

UFC 111

Well, I'll be the first to say that I am not the biggest UFC nut in the world, but I am a more than casual fan. I am really looking forward to watching my second PPV and I am extremely excited about the card for tomorrow night! Some of us guys from the church are going to get together and hope for destruction while we watch these modern day gladiators go after each other.
The UFC has really taken off over the past few years. Some of the world's greatest MMA fighters have come there to test their skill against each other. What I like about watching the UFC is that it's not all about who is the best on the mic between the fights(see Frank Mir's comments about Brock Lesnar). It's not about theatrical ring entrances and the catchy theme music, with the exception of a few. It's about skill, determination, and sheer will to beat the other guy across from you in the octagon. The UFC is the "ultimate FIGHTING championship," pure and simple.
While I wish that the fighters could fight more often than every 3-5 months so the bigger stars could be showcased more on regular TV, I do get the reasons for it are legit. This is not like the WWE I watched growing up. This is real! I do anticipate a great event tomorrow night as we gather round the plasma and watch the electricty that is the UFC! Be well and enjoy the show! PP
Here's a link for the event tomorrow night: http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=EventDetail.home&eid=2747
Here's the co-main for the card:
Welterweight Championship: St. Pierre v Hardy
Interim HW Championship: Frank Mir v Shane Carwin

SUDDEN LIFE???

That's what the NFL owners voted (28 for to 4 opposed) to give to a team who would lose on a first drive Field Goal if the rule stayed to same....in the play-offs, mind you. Here's the breakdown: if my team wins the coin toss and we get the ball and score a FG on the first offensive drive, under the old rule you lose. Under the new rule you get a chance to either A.)Tie the game with a FG of your own, or B.)Score a touch down and win the game for your team outright. If the game happens to become tied in OT after two field goals, then it is sudden death as usual. Once again, this rule is only for the play-offs, which is inconsistent. That raises a few thoughts in my head:
1. What happens if a team loses in OT during the regular season and that loss puts them out of the play-offs without the same chance they could've had in the playoffs?
2. What happens if, after the two initial field goals that tie the game in OT, that neither team score for a LONG time? The game could've been ended under the old rule.
3. I like the rule change but it should be for "both seasons," regular and post. The rule creates some excitement that would negate the "long run back on the OT kickoff" that leads to a chip shot, virtually handing the win to whoever won the coin toss. I know, they still had to make the couple of plays to get the win but even at that point the winning team plays for the FG, not the TD. Besides, remember when the college football purists hated the adding of overtime to their game so that the dreaded TIE would be ousted? It's been OK.
I guess the only thing that'll prove this change to be good or bad is time and instances in which it'll be used. For now, I vote YES. It's no different to me than the shootout vs OT rule in playoff hockey. But, oh yeah, I'm a hockey fan and you're not. Be well and enjoy the show! PP

Mid-Major Achievement

After the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament there are still FIVE mid-major conference teams still standing in the Sweet Sixteen. Yes, I said FIVE!!! Even though these teams are good and super competitive, and maybe they should've been seeded higher than the 12 and 5 and 9's and such, but that doesn't change the facts that these "upsets" happened over the past four days. Truly remarkable.
So, how many of you have had your brackets blown up? My eventual champ Kentucky is still in it, but, like most of America, my brackets are doing not so good. Tell us here at Percy's Post how your bracket is doing. Until then, be well and enjoy the show! PP