The Bravo Blog: Entertainment

Happy Halloween '07

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:23:19 GMT

As is tradition for Halloween we have a pumpin, a small one, and I even got some candy... just in case. We are carving the pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern and roasting pumpkin seeds, something I have done every year, except for my Navy years, since I was 5. I love Halloween, not in the decorating and costume wearing kind of way, but more for the traditional meaning of the holiday. Two years ago I wrote about the commercialization of Halloween, some day soon I will write about the tradition of it. Now most people mistakingly associate Halloween with devil worshiping, when it is actually older then Christanity in Europe and is actually an old Pegan harvest festival and time of rememberance.

The seasons have changed, the big and bright harvest moons are gone and as the nights cool and all the hard work of the summer is now over and its time to hunker in and enjoy the fruits of that labor during the shorter days and longer and colder nights. As I know there will be knocks on my door, Chinese on the main land still don't know what or why Halloween or its traditions exist, here it is more of a young adult excuse to go out to bars on theme nights dressed up in costume and drink as much as they can afford. As Sophia is not even 9 months yet, and in Guangzhou, we are having a low key Halloween. Jack-o-lantern, roasted pumpkin seeds, scarry movies, and some candy I picked up to top off the evening.

So to all those out there in the festive spirit, Happy Halloween and 'trick or treat'!

PS - I am over the limit for pictures this month so I will post many pictures in November.

American Football and the Super Bowl (an explanation of the ins and outs of the game)

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 08:01:31 GMT

I often get ideas in the oddest places. Usually while in the shower, or when driving (that does not happen anymore obviously). Recently I get really good ideas when talking to co-workers, my wife, or just average people I met on the street. Today, for example, before lunch I was discussing the complexities of offense and as I saw the semi blank expression across from me I realized this. This is what an American would do if someone tried to explain rugby or cricket to us. Soccer is soccer, it is not too complex or hard to figure out. If you look at American sports, they are all highly complex and hard to figure out, making them very unapproachable to foreign fans. They have their own language, tempo, fan style, and set of rules and norms that set them aside from anything else. Seeing Super Bowl LXI (51) is this weekend, it is a perfect time to dive into the phenomenon of American football and its pinnacle, the NFL. While I am a big football fan, I am by no means an expert or authority on football. I did play football in jr. high-school and high-school (being on a team that won a state championship... so I know about playoffs and championships just a little). I have followed and watched football my entire life, even before I knew what I was watching so I do know the basics and some intermediate things I would love to share with those who would like to learn. By the end of this article you will be able to identify the general scope and flow of the game, from the teams to the clock to the purpose each serves. I will not go into an in depth clinic on every aspect of the game today, that can come later if people really want it and ask for it.

It would take me months, and pages upon pages to explain football to someone, but fear not... we can do this in a condensed and easy to digest version that will allow you to confidently watch 'The Big Game' this weekend and appreciate it for what it is. For starters we have to define some key terms and aspects of the game being played before we dive into the sport. For starters is the game itself, why it is so important. For that we have to know a brief background of the National Football League or NFL. It is comprised of 2 separate conferences, the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference (the AFC and NFC), with 16 teams in each conference for a total of 32 teams. Each conference is divided into 4 Divisions (geographic regions of the country, North, South, East, and West). To keep things simple we will not get into the long and storied histories of each here, that can come later on.

The Super Bowl is an annual game that pits the year's two best teams from each conference against each other in one final game to demonstrate who has the best team for the past season. The NFL seasons are currently 17 weeks long, from early September to the last week of December. Each team only plays 16 games in the season, each team receives 1 week of rest sometime during the season, this is called a bye week. During these 16 games in 17 weeks each team will play each opponent in their division two times and various opponents in their conference and sometimes the other conference as well. Division wins and conference wins count towards your playoff record, the teams with the best division and conference records go to playoff rounds where they determine who is best in the 3 rounds of playoff games.

The playoffs are comprised of 12 total teams; 2 teams who won wild card spots, 2 teams that were conference leaders so they have the first week off, and 8 teams, the teams with the next best records of their divisions. The playoffs are played in 3 brackets, wild card, divisional playoffs, and conference championship. The wild card game is to give a team with a good record an outside chance of proving they are good enough to make it to the Super Bowl, think of it as a second chance. The winners of the wild card games will meet with the second best team in the divisional playoffs, (where the best team from all 4 divisions now meet to select the best 2 teams). The best 2 teams left for each conference now meet in the conference championship to determine who is the best and who will represent the conference in the Super Bowl. So we have 2 teams from 32 total team, who have made it through 16 games in 17 weeks to get into the playoffs, and then have won all of their playoff games from wildcard to divisional to conference championship. Now there are only 2 left and 1 game to decide who is the best. I hope this explains why the game is seen as so important and fans get so crazy for it.

Football is a pure team sport. Yes there are superstars and big personalities, but it takes the effort, sacrifice, and determination of each and every one of them to make it this far. Each team is comprised of many players (around 50 depending on injuries and business deals that happen during the year), but only 3 main squads, offense, defense, and special teams. When you watch the Super Bowl you will notice the announcers will refer to these 3 squads often and will debate as to which one is the most important, actually this is not relevant to understand or enjoy the game, you just have to know of the 3 squads and the what, why, and when they are used. I will explain them in a little bit.

An American football field is a level field 100 yards long, from goal line to goal line, and 50 yards wide. Each end zones is 10 yards deep and allows for some room for passing plays beyond the goal line. At the far back end, and in the middle, of each end zone is a structure called the goal posts. The goal posts are 6 meters tall, 7 meter wide, and the center bar is 3 meters from the ground level. This is used for kicking the ball through. We will discuss this in greater length when we talk about scoring. The middle of the field is called mid field, and it marks the boundary between the two sides, or territories. From where the offense gets control of the ball they have 4 downs (attempts) to advance the ball a minimum of 10 yards down the field (towards the opponents goal line). Once they reach the 10 yard mark, or beyond, it is called a first down and the process begins all over again from the place the play stopped. Mathematically there are only 10 maximum 1st downs you could get... yardage wise.

Scoring is pretty straight forward. There are 3 ways to score in football, touchdown, extra point/field goal, and safety. If the tip, or point, of the ball is carried across the opponents goal line and into the end zone it is a touchdown, worth 6 points. (Important note: Any squad can score a touchdown, offense, defense, or special teams... I will explain later) Once this happens the scoring team is given an option. They can have a kicker try to kick the ball through the goal posts (bars at the back of the end zone) for 1 point, or they can run another play from the goal line and try to get the ball into the end zone again, success is 2 points, failure is 0 points. If either of these fail the scoring team has to settle for just the 6 points from the touchdown. If a team makes it across the other side's 40 years line, 10 yards past mid field, they have the option to attempt a field goal, or kick the ball through the goal posts just like in an extra point at any point. If they succeed they get 3 points, if they fail the opposite team gets the ball at the spot they ball was when they tried to kick it. In a special case, if an offensive player is tackled in their own end zone it is called a safety and worth 2 points... plus the team getting the 2 points will get the ball back so they can try to score again.

So far we have learned that the NFL has 32 teams and after 17 weeks, and 3 rounds of playoffs there are just 2 teams left. We have also learned that each team is comprised of roughly 50 people divided into 3 squads, the offense, defense, and special teams. We know the size and purpose of the field and the fundamentals of how the ball is advanced along with the scoring situations and points available.

The squads are specialized groups of players, each comprised of only 11 people. Offensive squads purpose is to score a touchdown, advance the ball down the field, and to take up time preventing the other team from having an opportunity to have their offense score. Defensive squads purpose is to stop the other teams offensive squad from scoring any points, to 'get the ball back' or prevent the other team from advancing the ball 10 yards down the field, this also prevents the other team from taking up too much time and gives your offense more time to try to score. Special teams purpose is specialized to specific tasks including, kick-off, kick-off return, punt, punt return, and field goal/extra point. Offenses and defenses can be evenly matched and stale mated in a game, special teams are where many of the big plays and opportunities happen. The primary goal depends on the situation. In a kick-off situation the scoring team (except at game start and half time) will kick the ball to the other team, giving them an opportunity to score. One squad wants the kick the ball as far as possible (but not into the end zone) so the other team's offense will have more yards to go in order to score. The opposite squad wants to advance the ball as far as possible to give the offensive less yards to go in order to score, or score if possible. Punting is pretty much the same concept, just this happens when the offense can not get the ball the required 10 yards in the 4 downs I described earlier. Field goal/extra point special teams squads try to kick the ball through the goal posts, or prevent the other team from doing this. The longest field goals will be 50 to 55 yards, beyond this it is not worth trying because if you remember I stated earlier, if they fail the other teams offense will get the ball from where they tried to kick it, at a location half as close to the goal line.

I can not go into each and every position of each squad, as that will take too long and not really be necessary to enjoy the big game on Sunday night (Monday morning for those of us in China). Some things worth mentioning. On the field, with the 2 opposing teams squads, are the referees. There are 5 referees (officials) who enforce the rules and keep the game fair. If a squad breaks a rule or plays unfairly the referee will penalize the entire squad by giving the other squad either yards or downs as compensation. This can be as simple as an offensive player moving just a little bit before the ball is snapped, to a player hitting another player after the play is over or intentionally trying to hurt them. Referees also enforce the 'clock' or time that the teams have to play or complete a play. They also are the ones who make the judgement calls as to where the ball will be places and if a score was actually a score. In the NFL a referee's ruling on the field can be challenged or reversed if evidence of a 'bad call' is found during an instant review of the play (special circumstances apply to this which is too detailed for this introduction to American football).

Game time is divided equally. The game is 1 hour in length, of game time, in the NFL each game will take up to 3 hours of real time to play this 1 hour of game time. There are 2 halve, 30 minutes long each. A half is marked with a beginning/end of play at which time play will stop for a specific amount of time. Half time is the break between 2 halves, and is normally 15 minutes (the Super Bowl has a longer half time because of the entertainment they have). At the beginning of the first half there is a kick-off. At the beginning of the second half the team who kicked off the ball at the beginning of the first half will be receiving the ball when the other team kicks off. Each half is divided into a 15 minute quarter. At the end of each quarter the teams will exchange end zones, eliminating any weather or condition advantage one side of the field may have over the other. Clock management is a key element to the overall strategy of the game. The team that is ahead will try to waste time, legally of course, by keeping their offensive on the field as long as possible. The team that is behind will try to 'get the ball back' in order to give their offense the chance to score. Part of this process is the time out. Each team is given 3 time outs per half. When a team calls a time out, only at the end of a play or just before a play can begin... never during a play, the clock is stopped and the team can make any adjustments they have to. Referees also have time outs. If a player is injured there is an injury time out by the referee. This allows the injured player to be removed from the field and does not penalize the team for losing a player. When the ball is advanced to or beyond the required 10 yards the referee (also called the official) will stop the clock to advance the equipment used to mark the position of the ball and the next 10 yard mark. If a pass is not caught by anyone then the clock will stop. If a player runs out of bounds, outside the internal dimensions of the field, the clock will stop. When one team kicks the ball to the other team the clock will stop. If a player is tackled inside the internal dimensions of the field the clock will not stop. When there is a score the clock will stop. After a the clock has stopped the referee has to signal when to start the clock going again. When he does this the offense has 40 seconds to snap or hike the ball, otherwise it is a delay of game penalty. There are special rules pertaining to the final 2 minutes of each half but they are not so complicated and better explained by observing them anyway. In the NFL each team's coach is given an opportunity to challenge a referee's decision. This will cause a time out, and if the coach wins the challenge, he gets the play call reversed, if he loses, he loses a time out.

We now know the roles of each squad on the field, the purpose of the referee (official), and the game time and time out rules of the game. From here you could watch the Super Bowl and have a good idea of who is on the field and why, what their purpose is, and the flow of the game from a time management perspective. It is possible from here to enjoy the game and marvel in its athletic examples as the best players demonstrate the best techniques for their given positions, also to marvel at the lack of this is entertaining too. To be able to fully appreciate the complexity and beauty of the game and its strategy it will take years of study and research, however that is not necessary at this point nor does it make American football unappreciable. I stated early in this article what you could identify and know of the game by the end of it, and we are almost there.

We only need to explain some key positions, strategies, and the important information of the teams playing in order to complete our goal, and yes briefly I promise.

The offensive is the finesse squad of a football team. Their job is to score and go deep into the other team's territory. To do this they incorporate various 'weapons' or positions filled by highly skilled players. The anchor of any offense is the offensive line. These are giants of men. Their job is to protect the quarterback and give the other players on the offense the time and place to advance the ball. They block defensive players from tackling offensive players and try to 'open lanes' or areas of the field for offensive players to run into. The offensive line is what puts a team into or out of a championship season. The quarterback is the play caller and leader of the offense. His job is to direct the play the coach has given him and to get the ball to the right person (running back or wide receiver). The quarterbacks skill is in analyzing the defense he sees, making adjustments for it, and getting the ball where it needs to go effortlessly. The quarterback does much more then throwing the ball down the field. The running backs are the players who are given the ball by the quarterback and run with it, usually from behind the quarterback. They have to run into the 'lanes' the offensive line has created, or run toward the sidelines in hopes of getting more yardage down field. They take a large amount of abuse and have to rest often. Wide receivers are very fast and will run a 'route' or special direction on the field and try to catch the ball from the quarterback when he throws the ball. If the ball is not thrown his responsibility is to block or trick the defense into believing the play is a pass play. The whole squad executes the play the coach has devised for this specific situation and if they do so perfectly they will either get the 10 yard first down or a touch down. Each member has to do their job well in order for the play to work, if one makes a mistake or does not try hard enough... the whole play can fail.

The defense is the intimidation squad of a football team. These players main job is to stop an offense and prevent them from scoring. To do this they run into people. To survive the abuse and punishment the defensive player is very strong and knows very special techniques. Where the most important part of an offense is the offensive line, the most important part of a defense are the line backers. The defensive line is important in trying to tackle the running back or quarterback, or force the quarterback to make a big mistake. The line backers are the ones who will manage the squad and more often then not stop the play. While offensive linemen will always have the same number, defensive line me will vary depending on the situation, this determines the number of linebackers. The reason linebackers are so key is the versatility they serve and their responsibility. They cover the middle of the field and stop both the run and the short pass. They control the rest of the defense. They are also the ones who will rush up into the offensive line to try to tackle the quarterback if he tries to pass the ball. The corner backs are specialized to stop the receivers. They are very fast and will always try to catch the ball, this is called an interception and if done correctly it can turn into a touchdown. Corner backs will cover very narrow but deep areas of territory, always guarding against the pass play they watch the quarterback and the receiver they are guarding. The safety is a player of last defense if everything else goes wrong. They are the ones who offer help to corner backs, stop a running back if they make it past the linebackers, an guard the goal line form any runner with the ball. As the defenses job is to get the ball back they will try to do this on their own. If they can make the offensive player drop the ball is certain circumstances it is called a fumble, and then their job is done and they go to the side lines for a rest. If they can catch the ball from the quarterback, it is called an interception and the same result happens. They will use many different formations to achieve this goal, and often offer the excitement and big 'hits' American football is know for.

Now we know the key positions of the two main squads. If you have ever watched American football with Americans you will notice we all seem like experts. We yell this and that at the TV, call the players and coaches dumb and idiots, explain how and why we are right and these experts who are paid millions of dollars a year are wrong and know nothing about what they are doing. Why do we do this? If football is so complex why do so many feel this strongly about it? Simple, we all understand the fundamentals of the game, and therefore we feel we know as much as the experts, when in fact we don't and if we tried to coach a youth football team we would soon realize how little we know and understand. So how about those fundamentals? When you watch a game you will notice the commentators will talk about these fundamentals constantly, actually they are referring to a different set of fundamentals, but the point is the same. No matter how complex or hard the situation, if you do the key things right everything will work out fine. In American football there are some key fan fundamentals to know to enjoy the game. First thing you have to do is to pick a team. Next you need to understand what the sports people call 'the X's and O's'. This is the basic part of play calling. A play is a plan that will offer the best outcome in a specific situation. If you hear that a play was 'blown' that means a player made a huge mistake and did not do what he was supposed to do. If a game plan is 'blown' then a coach underestimated the opponent and is lost and trying to do anything to get to the end of the game. There are thousands of plays all set to counter thousands of other plays. We don't need to learn more then just a few of them, at a point they all begin to blur anyway. Let's start with the basics.

An offense will be given a play to make yards or a touchdown. The situation depends on what play will be called. If they just got the ball, its 1st down and 10 yards to go, they will try to execute a run or pass play. The strategy of the game plan and the weakness of the opponent will dictate which it will be. If it is 2nd down and long yardage, it will be a 'pass action' play or an outside run play. Play action refers to when the quarterback will look like he is giving the ball to a running back only to keep the ball and then pass it to a receiver who has hopefully gotten down field un-noticed. If it is 3rd down and more then 4 yards the pass is 90% going to be a pass play.This will be confirmed by the lack of a running back in the formation (the arrangement of the players on the field) and the presence of more then 2 receivers, usually 3 to 5! If it is 4th down and the special teams punting unit is not on the field it is referred to 'going for it'. This is a risky gamble that few coaches and teams will attempt. If they do it is 90% of the time a very short yardage play, less then 2 yards to go to get the 1st down. As I stated earlier this is very rare to see a team not punt on 4th down (unless they are inside the 30 yard line and try to kick a field goal). Well, that's about it! See not really so complicated. First and Second downs are where short yardage pass and running plays are called. The situation is not desperate enough to warrant a passing situation so it is up to the team's strategies for beating their opponents as to which they will do. In short yardage situations, 4 yards or less, running plays are called the majority of the time. They are called because they are safer, meaning pass plays are always potentially risky because of interceptions (the defense catching the ball), the receiver dropping the ball, or the quarterback making a bad throw or getting tackled before he could throw the ball. Running the ball also takes more time. If the team is behind, and it is near the end of the game, they will be passing way more then running.

On defense you can see how the above will dictate what play to anticipate. If it is near the end of the game and you are ahead then you know the other team will be more likely to pass, but you have to be ready in the event they do not, otherwise you will 'blow the play'. With defense you have to play the formation, not the situation so much. When the offense come out of the huddle (a circle formation where they pick a play and confirm everyone's assignment) the defense has to adjust to what they see. If the situation is run, short yardage and early in the game so you picked a run defense but the offense has 4 wide receivers, then you had better switch to a pass defense or else you will give up a touchdown! This is knows as an audible, or changing the plan just before the play starts. The offense has this too, called by the quarterback. If it is a run situation as described above, and the defense has 4 defensive linemen and 3 line backers and the safeties are close to the line, well you had better make an audible and call a pass play or your running back will get tackled behind the line, or losing yards! So you have to pay attention to what down it is, how many yards to go to get a new first down, what time it is in the game, and what the score is. Just by doing this and seeing a few examples of the situations you can begin to accurately predict if it will be a pass or run play. Experience is key here. Once you get this down then you can go into the hundreds of basic run and pass plays. This also offers a bit of fun for watching the game. You are predicting what a professional who is paid millions of dollars a year will do in a given situation, and when you are right it seems you are as smart as he is!

Knowing the basic types of plays is a good start to enjoying football for what it is, a huge chess match between 2 coaches, utilizing huge strong men to execute plays and counter plays for one hour al to see who can outwit the other. This is it, with this you can go to a sports bar, friends home, or anywhere and watch American football and actually know what is going on, sure you will not know the finer points but Rome was not built in a day and once you begin to understand it you will tell if it is something you would like to learn more about or not. The NFL wants to hold a preseason game in Beijing this year and next, part of its internationalizing of the sport. By learning a little now, you will be ahead of the curve and can impress your friends with some football basics and also gain keen insight into the sport and culture of football, it is an integral part of American culture, more so then soccer is to many people in the world. Our catch phrases and terms often come from football or baseball. Our lives all revolve around it in one way or another, from cheerleaders and fans, to players and people who idolize and aspire to be like their favorite players. The Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in the world each year, and football is the most watched sport in America. Getting to learn it will help you get to learn American culture. Once the door is open you will begin to see the universe of football is vast and wondrous, well beyond what other professional sports across the world can offer.

The teams in Super Bowl LXI, the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts (15-4) and the NFC Champion Chicago Bears (15-3). The Colts have had the best team in the league with the best quarter back Peyton Manning for years, however their defense was lacking and they always seemed to 'choke' or fall apart in the playoffs. All the people have said for years that their time would finally come, and this year it has. Their defense has been winning games for them and in the playoffs they seem to be the team that many have always said they could be. The Bears have come back from some pretty bad starts over the past two seasons, including a quarter back controversy that left the offense in doubt. This year they have come out of nowhere and surprised many with their 'hang tough' attitude and determination. They are the 'under-dogs' the team no one expects to win. The Bears have survived and arrived at the last game, relying on their defense and never give up attitude they have a shot at taking it all.

For a bit of perspective, the AFC has become the power conference in the NFL over the past decade. In the 1980's the NFC was the dominating conference, and Chicago was one of those teams then. Over the past 10 years however, the AFC has dominated in records, scoring, and sheer style. The last 2 Super Bowls were more interesting to watch then the ones 5 and 6 years ago. The offense the Colts have can out pace the best the Bears can muster and I doubt Chicago's defense can stop quite possibly the best quarter back in modern history. Barring early injuries or massive confusion I don't see Chicago making it past the 3rd quarter. Of course Chicago is in the same division as Detroit, so I am a little biased here. The teams have had 1 solid week to rest, get healthy, and prepare for the games of their lives. The coaches, Tony Dungy of the Colts and Lovie Smith of the Bears have unique and lengthy resume's in their own rights. Much has been made in the American sports press of two African American coaches meeting each other in the Super Bowl, as this is the first time in history 1 much less 2 African American coaches have made it this far. Both men are studies of the game, each having in depth experience and knowledge most in the NFL could only hope to have. Uniquely both men worked together as coaches for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both are friends and having worked together share similar concepts, attitudes, and intimate knowledge of how the other thinks and works. This is like two opposing generals who studied in the same class at a war college meeting each other on the field of battle. The game plans will be tailored to the personnel each has, Dungy has the best quarter back in the league and thus has the most complicated and complex offense in the league. Dungy is the winningist head coach in the NFL form 1999 to 2005, and has been with the colts for 5 years and has had 10+ wins every year. He has confidence in his veteran field general Mr. Manning so you can count on a smooth offensive that will run like a well oiled machine. Smith is a defensive coach through and through, having held defensive coaching positions at Tampa and St. Louis, where he had his first assistant head coach position. Having been in Chicago for only 3 years he has turned the team around and accomplished his initial goals in just 3 seasons, wining the division, beating Green Bay, and going to the Super Bowl. His is a veteran coach, but he could make Chicago a force to be reckoned with for years to come. So get the beer and peanuts ready, order extra chips and soda and get ready because this may just be a real game after all!

Other sites to visit:
Columbia Encyclopedia article
How Stuff Works.com article
Rules from Football.com

Glossary of terms from Answers.com
Key terms and phrases of the game taken from the above source and from personal experience/understanding
Audible - a change of the play called in the huddle
Ball Carrier - person with the ball attempting forward progress
Blitz - when the defense sends multiple linebackers/defensive backs to the line of scrimmage to sack the quarterback
Call - an event, a specific play for a specific situation, an explanation a referee makes for stopping play due to a penalty
Center - Offensive lineman who stands over the ball, and on the quarterback's signal snaps (hikes) the ball to him
Chains - a 10 yard long chain and markers used to determine the distance to the next 1st down
Covered - when a defensive player is too close to a receiver for a quarterback to make a throw to him
Coverage - the defensive set in place to cover all receivers and prevent a pass play
Dead Ball - when the play is over, between the whistle calling the play over and when the ball is snapped
Down - one of a series of opportunities an offense has to reach 10 yards past their last 1st down
Drive - a series of plays from the offense getting the ball until either a punt or score
Drop - the initial motion a quarterback takes after the ball is snapped, the initial motion a defensive back makes
Encroachment - illegal action where a player goes over the line of scrimmage and makes contact prior to the snap
End Zone - the 50 yard by 10 yard area behind the goal line
Fair Catch - a signal a receiver makes prior to catching the ball indicating he will not run, making hitting him illegal
Field Position - the place of the field where the offense begins its drive
Flat - the area from the line of scrimmage to 10 yards back and from the middle of the field to 15 yards from the sidelines
Formation - the set of offensive players in a configuration advantageous to a specific play
Fumble - the accidental loss of the pall by a player, the player has to have 1) possession 2) feet set or forward progress
Goal Line - the front edge of the end zone, for a touchdown the tip of the ball must pass the goal line
Hail Mary - a long (deep) pass into a group of receivers in or near the goal line
Hand Off - giving of the ball to the running back by the quarter back
Hard Count - audible call by the quarterback used to signal the offense or confuse the defense
Hike - the action of snapping the ball, also a hard count word used by the quarter back
Huddle - gathering of members of a squad in a circle to call a play in secrecy
Intentional Grounding - the quarterback throwing the ball into the field to stop the clock
Interception - legal catch of a passed ball by the defense player
Kick-off - free kick at the beginning of the game and half time, the scoring team will kick-off after a score
Line of Scrimmage - the line where the ball is placed at the beginning of a play, the quarterback can not throw past it
Live Ball - a ball snapped and in play, it is live until it is out of play or the referee calls the ball dead
Loose Ball - a live ball, usually on the ground, not in any players possession
Man to Man - defensive coverage where each defensive back is responsible for covering a specific receiver
Official - referee
Onside Kick - when the kick-off team kicks the ball 10+yards and into the ground, making it a loose ball
Open - the event when an offensive player is not covered by a defensive player, nobody is close to him
Pass Interference - illegal action impeding the receiver from catching the ball
Pocket - an area created by offensive linemen around the quarterback, offering limited protection from a sack
Play - a specific plan called for a specific situation, a concept executed by the squad on the field
Pressure - the close proximity of defensive players to the quarterback
Punt - kicking away of the ball on 4th down to prevent the opponent from getting better field position
Red Zone - from the goal line to the 20 yard line
Referee - the head official on the filed, he is the one who makes all the calls to the public
Rush - defensive surge attempting to pressure or sack the quarterback
Sack - tackling of the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage
Safety Valve - second or third choice of receiver if the main receiver is not open
Scramble - when the quarterback has no options and will run forward to gain yardage or avoid a sack
Secondary - defensive backs responsible for pass coverage
Snap - giving the ball to the quarterback, signaling the beginning of the play, makes the ball live
Strong Side - the side of the field with the most players on it
Tackle - forcing a ball carrier to the ground, preventing forward motion
Three and Out - when the defense prevents the offense from getting a first down in 3 tries, results in a punt
Weak Side - the side of the field with the least players on it
Zone Coverage - a defensive coverage where the defensive backs cover an area of the field and not a receiver

Super Bowl teams set!

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 14:59:58 GMT

My prediction was blown out of the water this year as the Bears beat New Orleans and Patton Manning and company finally made it over the hump and didn't choke... at least in the second half. My old time readers will remember last year I was talking about my fantasy football team and also about the playoffs every week. Well, this year is obviously different but I can't let at least this final 4 teams go with out mention. The Bears had better bring their A-game and best defense if they hope to even score half of what the Colts are capable, just ask the Patriots who jumped out to a large first half lead only to see the Colts, now dominating, defense stop their late rally cold. No I have not seen the game but I hope to this weekend, so I can see how it all unfolded.

Speaking of Chicago in February... I will be back in Chi town for 3 days only in mid February for work related training and then heading back here for Chinese New Year, and to bring the wife and little one (no, still not here!) home. My wife is very excited for me, more then I am, as I will only be there for 3 days and will most likely not get a chance to get up to Milwaukee to visit my friends... if anyone wants to head south let me know. It will be cold, and I will get a hot dog and slice of deep dish pizza which are long over due.

Coco is walking and going up and down steps hoping the next phase will happen, so far no dice. My Native American ancestors have a saying about children, they will do things when ready, not before. Simple yet so true to all of nature. Only us humans have the audacity to believe we can rush nature into doing things on our schedules. The kid will come when it is ready and the time is right, for her... not for us of course. Talking, walking, potty training, eating solids, will all be done on her schedule and not anyone else's. If the doctors are accurate her middle name will be very fitting and profound.

I have taken 15 or so minutes from evening tea to get this small update out, unfortunately I have a conference call at 8:00 AM local time and have seriously eaten into sleep time. I am cherishing the sleep I can get now, because after I return from Chicago those days will be gone for a couple of years. I will let everyone know once the big day happens, of course my mom and close friends will be notified immediately then the posting with pictures will be here.

The wrong kind of Thanksgiving Day tradition

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 08:05:57 GMT

As everyone knows this is my first Thanksgiving in Shanghai, and I had a very good dinner with my new family and new friends… it was nice. It can't match the feelings, traditions, or festiveness of the season back home though. For one I am working on Friday, just as I had to work on Thanksgiving Day, but that was my decision to move outside the US, so I can't really complain. I will discuss my dinner and post the pictures this weekend.

What I could do without is the annual tradition of the Detroit Lions continuing to suck and lose on Thanksgiving Day! This is one of the oldest modern traditions in professional sports and America (not the Lions losing I mean). The series was started in 1934 and despite the 5 year break because of World War II it has been going for 62 years consecutively since (even in the 1982 season when only 9 games were played) for a total of 67 games. The record is not as bad as memory may indicate, at 33-32-2 the series is just over .500 (in sports terms it is decent). This is a far cry better then the Lions actual record in the NFL. With a total record of 428 Wins, 488 Loses, and 21 ties, the Lions recent history have more then tarnished their winning beginnings.

The Detroit Lions have racked up 27 winning seasons in the 67 years since the Thanksgiving Day games began, the team is actually older and I did not have the time to dig up the pre 1934 data, but I know they had mostly winning seasons, including 4 championships in those early years, losing 1 chanpionship game so 5 total appearances. The Lions have racked up 5 .500 seasons, which I do not count as winning seasons, it usually it the same as a tie and not worthy of post season play. Unfortunately the recent skid of mismanagement and huge failures has netted the franchise a whopping 35 losing seasons. So when did perception and the tide turn against the Lions? 1980.

From 1934 to 1979 the Lions had an even 20 winning seasons and 20 losing seasons, I count tied seasons as losing seasons remember. The 40 year history, remember they took 5 years off during WWII, was even making the franchise statistically level and balanced... a good team, they even won 4 out of 5 NFL titles during this period. Many good players, coaches, and others came through the franchise and the Lions were always respected and taken seriously. Even by the historic Green Bay Packers, who they ended up playing 13 years in a row, only losing 3 and tieing 1... oh and this was the late 1950's and early 1960's Packers, a very strong and dominating team!

In the 27 seasons since 1980 the team has had a disastrous 20 losing seasons, counting this one as they only have 2 wins all year and only 5 games left to play. That means since 1980 the team has only been able to get 7 winning seasons under their belts. During this period they have managed to walk away with 14 Thanksgiving Day wins and 13 Thanksgiving Day loses. So realistically the Lions are doing pretty well on the Thanksgiving Day games... so why am I so upset?

Many reasons, all of which I can't get into here, but mainly the bone headed and complete wastes of time and talent the franchise front office has made since my birth. The longest losing streak is 7 years since 1970; this will mark the 6th losing season with a new coach and no real offensive leadership going for them. The main reason is the leadership in the front office, namely the owners and general manager. The Ford family took over in the 1980's and since that time they have mismanaged some of the NFL's best talent and potential talent in such a way that it is shocking and seemingly done on purpose. Notice I stated that Detroit is in the grip of a 6 year losing streak, well the main reason for that is the ever master of the daily operations of the franchise, Mr. Millen oh and don't forget Mr. Ford for allowing this to continue year after year.

Over the past 6 years he has gone through 3 coaches and numerous QB's and receivers and done little else to help out the rest of the team. You want proof of my ranting on this one? Ok, let us look at yesterday's Thanksgiving Day contest, a 3rd straight loss and 5 for 6 for Mr. Millen. He saw it fit to take one of the best elements out of the offense he spent 5 years building by getting rid of Joey Harrington. Am I a Joey fan, not really but let’s look at what he has done for Miami and more notably what he did in Detroit yesterday when given a good set of tools to work with.

Harrington was 19 for 29 on the day for 213 yards and 3 TDs, all with only 1 interception. All this despite all the boos and close ups of him on the stadium big screens trying to get in his head. He did not ask to leave Detroit, with receivers like Williams, Williams, and Rogers he was set for a big career with top talent targets and solid running back backing. He had been at Detroit since his drafting in 2002 and knew the system, town, players, and was getting ready to begin some great things. Before this game he had started 6 games and is 3 for 3 on those. He has even had the honor of taking a win from the Bears and Vikings, something rare to him while in Detroit. He has also been only sacked 7 times in 7 games, 4 of those courtesy of the Green Bay Packers. With Miami he is sitting at a season of 147/255 a percentage rate of 57.65% for 1,504 yards over 6 games, averaging 5.77 yards per attempt. He has 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the year with only 2 of 3 fumbles lost for the year.

Compare that to his career at Detroit, four years worth, where he mustered a total of 986 completions for 1,802 attempts for a percentage of completion of 54.72% and 10,242 yards for only 60 touchdowns. All this with 62 interceptions, 77 sacks resulting in a net loss of 462 yards and average QB rating just under 70... all that in 58 games. This averages to 17 completions for 31 attempts, same average rate as above. He also averaged just over 1 interception per game and 1 touchdown per game, but 1.3 times, or 4 times in 3 games on average for a loss ration of 8 yards per sack. Compared to the Thanksgiving game Harrington was +2 completions and -2 attempts, +2 for touchdowns, dead on for interceptions, he wasn't sacked so he was +1 on sacks (although he is +10 for sacked yards on the year at Miami so far) for the evening. Miami has won 4 of its last games now, with Harrington at the helm, thanks to an injured Culpeper.

Many people will say I am backing Harrington and saying he is a good QB now, no I am not, but with a better offensive line, a more robust offensive scheme and better targets and atmosphere he is thriving and doing well. Detroit needs to seriously look at how Miami got him to win 4 in a row, something he never did with Detroit, and how he is improving and settling into what appears to be a much better career. Exactly what is this winning formula Miami has stumbled on? Not having a bone head owner and GM! Mr. Ford and Mr. Millen HAVE to go, all the fans are chanting it at the games, even the Thanksgiving Day game watched by millions across the nation, the press is demanding it in Detroit, and everyone in Detroit is talking about it. Many are even starting to campaign on boycotting the Lions games and put the pressure on Ford to see the whole kit-en-caboodle ensuring Millen is fired in the process.

Detroit has many successful teams, Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings... why not the Lions for a change in the past 26 years! How could they have let Barry go, when all he wanted to do was leave a failing team behind? How could they draft such lousy prospects year after year after year after year... is it possible to be that incompetent and still keep your job (weather forecasters are the only exception I know of)? This is national embarrassment beyond comprehension. A team who is overall 33-32-2 on a series can only muster a 2-5 record so far this decade? In this era of hyperactive expectations of results how much longer must the Lions franchise wait until its next championship showing? 49 years and counting!

Watching Tiger Woods

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 15:40:33 GMT

Every once and a while your job offers some great oppertunities. Case in point was this Sunday. One of my clients, Sheshan Golf Estates, invited me and a guest out to the 2nd annual HSBC Chanpions Series golf tournament. Today was the last round and all the stars were their, including Mr. Woods.

Sheshan Golf Course is a very upscale and exclusive. Membership is more then the average person in the US makes in a year. I attended the event with my manager, Welsh. My wife is at her parents home in Guangzhou for medical checks and for a work related 2.5 day long conference, so I asked my manager if he wanted to go. We arrived just before lunch, but the contact person who we had to get our tickets from had changed her cell phone number so getting in touch with her was difficult. We finally got in touch and met her at the front gate and were on our own to explore and see what was being offered. We went to the HSBC area and looked at some of the sights, got a free hat, and then a very expensive lunch. a very small pizza and juice for 70 RMB, almost $10 (keep in mind my lunches during the week are around 30 RMB). We then found Tiger Woods was on the 11th green and looking at our course map discovered he was just across the green so we headed off to catch him on the 12th or 13th holes.

We caught up with Tiger on the 13th hole and followed him to the 18th. Tiger had been playing poorly all week long and despite a good come back on Saturday he was not in his usual form, but he was doing pretty good with what he had. He hit some pretty good drives and made some impressive putts on the 15th, 17th, and 18th. He was able to go from a minus 10 to minus 12 within those last 5 holes we watched. However Korean Yong-Eun Yang blistered the course and was 14 under for the day after 18 and for all 5 rounds only shot above a 70 in the second round, dominating the rest of the field. We stayed on the 18th green to watch the leader and at that poing the 2nd, and 3rd place players tackle the 18th hole. The 18th hole is a tricky par 5 with a huge water hazard on the right hand side of the entire fareway that bends infront of the green limiting the approach. The green is steeply graded and full of dips and valleys and not a friendly green at all.

After the trophey ceremony, oh yea Tiger was second because the difficulty of the final green caused the two players with Yong to go 1 stroke over each, as one even hit the water! After the ceremony we went back to the HSBC area where I got a hat for my wife and we killed some time before the after event party. We went up to the club house, thanks to our all access passes... which did not allow all access mind you. The dinner party was nice, but the temp had dropped quite a bit and it was really cold, so cold the bass player in the band was wearing gloves. Speaking of bands, the band was Phillipean and young, typical in Shanghai. The music was contemporary until dinner when they broke out with an entire set of 60s and 70s tunes from Sweet Home Alabama to Dancing Queen and let me tell you that was really wierd. Dinner was excellent and the open bar was always a nice thing to.

MSN Encarta Quiz: Halloween Quiz

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:21:05 GMT

I saw this on the MSN Encarta site and thought you might be interested Halloween Quiz
score: 8/10

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/quiz/quiz.aspx?QuizID=232&qpt=results

If you can't take the heat... stay out of Detroit!

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 04:15:58 GMT

Game two of the world series was a wake-up call for the Tigers, and overdue as they played terrible in game 1, allowing their starting rookie pitcher to get them into such a hole by the time he was replaced they could not catch up. It was not all the rookie’s fault as he did pitch a better game then the 7-2 score showed, but his apparent lack of experience allowed the Cardinals to take advantage of the situation and get some runners and scores early on, before the closing of the 5^th inning. That and some errors blamed on rust and too much time off also contributed to a lackluster performance by the motor town team.

Game two was a good start for Detroit to shake off the rust and get down to business. Now for those Cardinal fans out there who have been crying foul and cheat at Mr. Roger’s D-I-R-T-Y left hand… get over it! You were beat by a 40+ year old, considered washed up, and never taken for seriously, pitcher. What was this controversy all about? Read the NY Times to see. Baseball isn’t taking this seriously, the umpires didn’t take this seriously, and neither is anyone else outside of St Louis. Rogers pitched way better in the following innings then he did in the first, when the dirt came into question and he washed his hands. Seems maybe all of Detroit’s pitchers should wash their hands more often!

Now the series is tied 1-1 and has moved to St Louis. Just as the baseball front office has stated if manager La Russa really believed Rogers was cheating why the heck did he not say or argue about it with the home plate ump?!!!! Because he knew better that is why. The NL has been impotent for years and the cocky nature of them got the better of them when the Tigers finally woke up and got back into the series. Detroit is a good road team and hopefully the bats will wake up and give the pitching some breathing room and support and the infield errors will stay away and allow them to play they way they have all post season. GO TIGERS!

And who knew New York would not be in the World Series this year?

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 04:33:36 GMT

Well sports fans, it seems another prediction was dead on the money, even if a little drama was thrown into the mix. The mets are out and the Tigers can now focus on hosting St Louis into Comerica Park. A well rested and able pitching Tiger squad will face the best the NL has to offer. Detroit's bats have been silent for nearly a week now as the Cards and Mets strained to see who was better. Seeing the Tigers are the wild card champs they have home field advantage. And Detroit is hungry, the players, managers, fans, and city are all hungry. If the Cards don't bring their A-game then the series may not be so long. Of course there is always the threat of the law of averages, seeing the NL has been horrible the past few years and are due for a win, I am afraid this is not the year. Looking at Detroits line ups and progress post season, it seems to be a David v Golith match. But don't count out the Cards, they are good, they did make it to the big show, and I hope this isn't a sweep. I want to see some good ball, and this October looks to be a good one for it.

Congrats St Louis on your victory over New York, now welcome to Detroit!

The Tigers win the pennant, the Tigers win the pennant!

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 07:14:22 GMT

The signs in Comerica Park read Destiny, With the old English D that has been on the Tigers uniforms for almost forever. The 3 run walk off blast to deep left field by Ordonez has erased 21 years of fans desperation at the last time the Tigers went to the World Series in 1984, back when I was just 13. With all the changes, troubles, dissapointments over the last 2 decades it all faded away like the hanging fastball that was blased from the plate into the lights above Comerica Park before dropping in on the fans in the outfield blechers.

Yes, I was able to watch this one game of the Tigers, this is the only game of theirs I was able to see all of, from first strike out to walk off homer! If there was one game to see to see, this was one to see. From the collapse of the Tigers defense in the first 5 innings, allowing the A's to get a 3 run jump and their standing numerous runners on base up to the 7th and 8th, it was a thrill ride as Detroit maintained the 2-3 mark up until Ordonez tied the game at 3 with a solo home run. It was a game that captures the spirit of a team determined. A team assembled of many nations, backgrounds, ages, and levels... but they are a team. A team held together by a glue stronger then the money and endorsements of the top ten paying teams in the MLB. The wonderful thing for all this is the hard core fans who have stayed loyal through the worst season in professional baseball, continued to go to the games, wear the hats and shirts, and watch the games on TV. To them this win was the second biggest thing they could see, the best will be in the World Series as they most likely will meet St. Louis.

Good Night New York, its been nice

Sun, 15 Oct 2006 03:13:42 GMT

Well, it seems the MLB World Series is set, St Louis and Detroit will take it to the big show! The A's are 1 game from a sweep and the Mets are looking like a college team out there. They just got blanked and the Card are hungry and will give Detroit the challange everyone wants to see, it will be a battle royale between the TWO best teams of their leagues. There is only a few days left now so lets see how the rest plays out!

Buying a baseball championship, not this year Yankees

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 05:04:26 GMT

As I was waking up and getting ready for my Sunday at work, we have to work 6 days this week in exchange for the 7 days off for our Fall Festival or Golden Week as it is called here, the Detroit Tigers upset the "best" paid team in baseball. That is right the mighty Yankees fell to a team who only 3 short years ago had a record 119 losses and this year, one of the best records. For all the millions the Yankees continue to sink into their payroll of stars and superstars they have yet to bear real fruit for all their efforts. The 'other' team from New York is looking much better as the Mets made the Dodgers look ridiculous in many of their plays, from my television set anyway.

In good old October fashion the major league shake-up of the susposed "top tier" teams has once again been thrown into chaos. Could Detroit go all the way as the White Sox did last year? Well, this is just the first round and as much as I would love to see that happen I can't make any predictions just yet. The National League chanpionship is not too promising as all the teams there are not powerful enough to match the American League this season. So lets look at this a bit closer. Of the top 15 teams salaries in Baseball the results are:
Team                              Total Payroll                     Result
New York Yankees           $194,663,076                    Lost division series in 4 games to Detroit Tigers
Boston Red Sox               $120,099,824                    Did not make post season ended season 9 games back
LA Angels                        $103.472,000                    Did not make post season ended season 6 games back
Chicago White Sox           $102,750,667                    Did not make post season ended season 5 games back
New York Mets                 $101,084,963                    Lead divisional series 2-0 against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers                      $ 98,447,187                    Behind in divisional series 2-0 against the NY Mets*
Chicago Cubs                   $ 94,424,499                    Did not make post season ended season 22 games back
Houston Astros                 $ 92, 551,503                   Did not make post season ended sesaon 6 games back
Atlanta Braves                 $ 90,156,876                     Did not make post season ended season 9 games back
SF Giants                         $ 90,056,419                     Did not make post season ended season 11.5 games back
St. Louis Cardinals            $ 88,891,371                     Lead divisional series 2-1 against the San Deigo Padres
Philadelphia Phillies           $ 88,273,333                     Did not make post season ended season 3 games back
Seattle Mariners               $ 87,959,833                     Did not make post season ended season 17 games back
Detroit Tigers                   $ 82,612,866                     Won division series in 4 games from NY Yankees*
Baltimore Orioles              $ 72,585,582                     Did not make post season ended season 25 games back
*Wild Card leader             NOTE - Two teams in playoffs not listed: - Okland Athletics who just swept the Minnesota Twins

So looking at the results all that money can go a long way to getting you into the playoff hunt, 3 of the top 10 made the post season, round 1 anyway however, only 1 of the top 10 will make it to round 2 of the playoffs. The Yankees, with almost $200 Million in salary lost to a team with 42% of their total payroll! Since the salary issue of professional sports has been a huge issue, most of my life, the theories of paying for a chanpionship has always been believed by organization's front offices. Well if you look at the track record over the years you will see similar trends as this year's results. Of course the fat lady has not sung just yet and the Mets might take it all, but even so they are still at almost 1/2 the Yankee's salary.

Am I hating on the Yankees??? No, just the front office of the organization. As we all know if players salaries keep going up then pure business economics apply (this is a business after all) and these prices will increase already high ticket prices, or even higher then belivable concessions at the games, ever have an $8 beer and $5 plain hotdog with only mustard on it before... you have if you went to a MLB game this past season for sure! Do the athleates deserve such high saleries, would the play less hard if they made 30% less, would owners cut back on prices if salaries were capped like the NFL? This is another topic as I am just addressing the salary per playoff chance spot here. So to conclude the whole matter, it seems the more money you throw into a championship, the more costly it will be when you finally get a chance to get one.

Sports are watched and attractive because of the underdog effect. No one likes to see a team dominate week after week, no matter how much of a fan they are. The thrill is in watching a team overcome all the odds to win, to put forth the extra effort and overcome all to come out on top. Sports are about the human spirit, the sheer will to win no matter what is against you. That is the trill that keeps viewers glued to the TV and filling the stadiums, not the personalities and promotions we see today. Sure the stars are stars, but people still see the game if they are not playing or in the line up for that day. No matter how much money you throw at a title, unless the players and coaches believe they can win, and want to win... want it more then their next meal or breath of air, then they will never win because they will not put forth that extra emotion and determination needed to be a champion.

To be on a championship team you have to want it so bad it blocks out all the pain and sacrifice it takes to get there, it is the one object in the distance you focus on, taking one step after another to get to... until it is in your hand. How do I know, well I am a player of many sports in my days, and yes one of them was a championship team, in football. Ok it was a high-school team, smaller division but still, we were the best in the state for that year, we won 11 straight games, we dominated and pulled some games out from behind, but most important is we were a team. We all had one goal, to win. We had fire and passion. Professionals lack much of the passion and pride associated with ameture sports, but replace that with getting the big endorsements by Nike, Gateraid, and others. Look at the dream teams of our past few international sporting series. They were all flops because they were groups of individuals with no central idea of how to work together. They lack the fire of a champion. The Yankees lack that fire, and the Tigers were more hungry. Now the question is who is next. In the playoffs that is where the real drama is, who's next! Stay tuned sports fans it seems like a real classic drama is in the works for this October.

Ba Ba Ba Ba, Bu dum Bu dum,

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 05:20:39 GMT

I grew up listening to the Monday Night Football theme my whole life, from the early 1970's to just last year when MNF left ABC for the cable world. This week the Beijing sporting commitee and the NFL are in talks of holding a pre-season game in Beijing next year! Well, I don't care if the two teams are the worst two in the league I am there! I have never been to a NFL game in the states, mainly due to my locations (Ok I lived in Chicago 1 year and Milwaukee for 7.... but have you every tried to get Packer tickets, mission impossible!!! and the Bears, well never attractive enough to go sit in the "mistake on the lake" as the lake is pretty damn cold and Alabama and Virginia Beach.... too far to go).

This will be some planning as I know I will have to miss at least 1 day of work for it, but mark my words, I am investigating this and securing some tickets as soon as they are on sale, hopefully 50 yard line second level seats! I do miss football, and recently I got to see the 4th quarter of the NE game, which was a treat even if I really don't care about the outcome.

I do hate some of the directions the NFL has taken in the past few years, bad officials, bad rules, cable exclusive games, high ticket prices, extended seasons, over hyped pre-seasons, etc. but I love the game more then I hate those little irritants. Yes I played football, no not good enough for college, but I was on the 1987 AA State of Alabama APSA championship winning Wilcox Wildcats team, and yes I did play, every game. I love the game because I understand it and can relate to how hard it is to pull off a play. When you see a play work it is magic. I love football, I miss football, and I can't wait to see a NFL game, even if it is in a communist country, and a meaningless preseason game where the A squad will only play 15 minutes at most and the rest of who we see will be cut or traded or not play much the rest of the year, it is still the NFL, the pinnicle, the best of all those who have ever suited up and taken a snap. I hope I can find a group of people here in Shanghai who love the game and want to go, as it is always better to see a game with friends and people who share your love for the game.

I welcome the news and hope the paticulars are worked out soon and I can get my ticket, plane ticket, and hands on a hot dog and ice cold beer during the game. I also know that next time I am stateside in the fall I have to go to a game, maybe not to see my struggling Lions lose again, but even if it is the Browns or Dolphins I don't care, I miss the game and realize how lucky I was to have been able to see it in High Def all year long last year. So to next pre-season, you can't get here soon enough!

Congratulation Mr. Favre

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 04:52:44 GMT

Brett Favre threw for his 400^th touchdown Sunday afternoon against my lowly rebuilding Detroit Lions. While I may not get a chance to see the games anymore I can still read all the reports and analysis of the games and from what I saw the Lions didn’t do much to improve their 0-2 start, falling to 0-3 mainly due to a interception that was returned for a TD.

I have to say Brett had a hell of a game, and uncharacteristic for him one with no interceptions. At 402 he only needs 19 more to surpass Dan Marino, hall of famer but one with out a Super Bowl ring with Favre has 3. Marino made 400 in 227 games while Favre made it in 228. The 25/36 340 yds, 3 TDs and 0 INTs put him in one of his best games in the last 3 seasons, Favre finished the 2005 season with a record 29 interceptions, and passing ranking of 31^st with his lowest touchdown throws since 1993, still above the 20 mark. He is on pace now with just 3 games down to match Marino’s record 420, mainly because they will play Detroit again and this time at home!

Brett may be old and out of shape but his is doing better then some QBs in the league 10 years younger then him. When I left Milwaukee last year all the talk was of him retiring, and some of the other comments were not nice either. If he can give the offense confidence and keep his INTs down he will have a good last year, as we all know he is super competitive, all he has to do now is go out on top, a feat many great QB’s in the league seem to not be able to do. He has had a long and successful career at Green Bay, many ups and downs, but the records keep falling past as the superman of QB’s keeps getting up and delivering. To those of us to witness his career, we are lucky as the present state of football in the NFL is not going to have another Favre. Many hate him, many love him, that goes to show how well he has done his job. As a Detroit fan I hate to have seen the Packers only win of the season so far come against the Packers, bitter division rivals and one of the oldest rivalries in pro sports, but then again it had to happen sometime and Favre’s personality makes it hard to hate him for long.

Talking about ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin dies - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:50:40 GMT

Quote MSN Entertainment News "‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin dies - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com"

While crusing through the news section I came across this posting. Living much closer to the down under countrynow I hear much more about it. One of the top 5 most famous Aussies (Mel Gibson, Oliva Newton John, Kilie Menough, Paul Hogan, Steve Irwin) has passed. He did so doing what he loved the most, being around animals and producing an entertaining and educational program, however I am sure this program will never air for obvious reasons.

Doing what we love is rare this day and age, doing it up until the end is even rarer. Yes Mr. Irwin caused some trouble in the past few years, but he also did alot, not only for the animal kingdom and our understanding for it, but to Austrailian tourism and animal rights. His lively on screen personality will surely be missed and his enthusiam will never be matched. He had plenty of close calls and I remember seeing a Discovery Channel special on just those close calls last year. I hope the press will not sensationalize of over play this story and his family finds some comfort and understanding in his passing. He was doing what he loved and following a dream and mission most people can only day dream about. One thing I hope everyone takes away from this is that wild animals are just that, wild.

When in there territory and environment you have to understand you are in danger at all time, no matter how many times you have done it or how preseptive you are. Animals act out of a different motivation then we do, either fear or hunger or the control of resources. There is no hatred, greed, or spite in their actions. Animals and their behavior is fasinating and essential for us to observe because it is how we were before speech, writing, and tools. We need to see them for what they are. This requires some brave people to put them selves into harms way to show us what otherwise we would never see or understand. It also shows animals are not bad or evil, even if they kill us by mistake or fear.

A day in Shanghai's Century Park

Sun, 21 May 2006 09:28:59 GMT

This weekend we took a journey to Century Park. This is Shanghai’s Central Park. All man made, with Shanghai’s largest man made lake in the middle. The park features a small beach, numerous picnic areas, miles of paved roads and paved hiking paths, restaurants, concession stands, amphitheater, roller coaster, fishing areas, flower beds, and huge man made rocks everywhere. Coco took me there because this was a huge promotion for arranging marriages. Singles and many many more parents of singles were in different sections all lobbying for dates and marriage plans for them selves and their children. Some had signs some wore very fancy clothes, some were chaperoned by authoritarian mothers bargaining as if in a bazaar. The huge shock was the number of people and the number of different sections there were. Areas for only PhD holders, and criteria on posters that was a down right shopping list of traits and behaviors sought after. Many fathers had pictures and write ups of their sons on posters and proudly stood by as old women tried to get their attention to explain why their daughters were the best match.

In the states such affairs are not so different, just handled in a different manner. In stead of having a hugely advertised even in such a location we prefer less competition in bars, clubs, and social outings. Often we try to avoid the pressure by pre occupying ourselves with this or that when initiating a meeting or the first date. Our parents are only brought in when something is very serious. For the most part we are left to our own devices and choices and feel pretty confident we know what we are doing. Of course we have a divorce rate slightly above 50% with over half the children in schools coming from step or non-traditional families. Now I am not saying one was is right or wrong, just that different approaches that seem odd and oppressive and seem outdated are actually netting better results for longer term and stable marriages. Of course China has a completely different outlook on marriage, commitment, and life. Still, as an American where choice and freedom to chose is the norm and right of us all, it seems odd in the most modern and western of mainland China cities the practice of parents choosing one’s future mate seems old and unrealistic, but it is alive and works… at least until MTV and Elimidate are nightly staples of every Chinese teens TV diet.

Century Park is a nice and relaxing park just outside of Shanghai proper and in the new Pu Dong development area. There is much cleaner air, less skyscrapers and traffic pollution to spoil the moment, and more wild life then anywhere else in Shanghai. Just off the Line 2 Metro it is easy to get to and close to other attractions in both Shanghai and the Pu Dong area. They measure the area in hectare and not acres so I do not know how big the park is, but we spent almost 4 hours walking around it and still took a short cut bypassing a good third of it. There is an admission price but it was not too much just be sure to carry in your own food and drink because the vendors inside must have been to many airports and western amusement parks to take notes because prices inside the park are pretty steep. Most of the trees and plants are newly places evident by the bare dirt at their bases, bamboo stilts to make sure they grow straight, and the patchwork of sod with different grass types and shades of green through out the park. Rocks are all man made and look it, but are not overly used. The walking paths offer better shade and quiet then the paved roads, transversed mainly by bikes of various different configurations and electric golf limousines.

One end of the park is mostly for walking and relaxing, the other for recreation and entertainment. There is a long boardwalk along half the lake connecting the two section with the amphitheater in the middle. Along this path there are 3 additional tears of pathways. At the other end is a musical water fountain that is built into the plaza, which the children love. Just a small walk from there is a children’s roller coaster and the restaurant that is built over the lake, There are even small motor boats in the guise of modern naval ships of war you can rent and try your hand at navigating through the small mine field, sorry didn’t get to go to that one this time. Walking past the pigeon house you come out on the fishing cannel that surrounds a small island that was blocked off from the rest of the park. There were a few people fishing, but many more people were interested in just catching a nap in the banks. As we walked back to the gate we came in at we noticed there were still many people still shopping and lobbying for the perfect mates for their children. Knowing we would never like the people our parents chose for us, I feel a little grateful I never had to worry so much about such an ordeal. I believe that is one reason so many Chinese always move to another city then the one they grew up in. So many people in Shanghai came from somewhere else, two cases in point.

As nice as Century Park is there is evidence its charm will only fade with time. As my pictures indicate the skyline is evolving and new skyscrapers sprout up over the tree line like weeds in a garden. It is bad that there have to be so many tall buildings in Shanghai. Office, apartment, commercial… too many tall buildings blocking out the sun, sky, and confining the exhaust and pollution both air and noise into the street levels making getting from one building to another a pain and unpleasant experience. Every day you an discover a new crane on the horizon or a new block walled off for a new building’s base and foundation being built. One social point that has to be addressed is this, where do the people who live in the old hamlets and row houses these skyscrapers are eating up each month going to go? So many apartment buildings are empty, or in a constant state of renovation. A city of this size has a huge poor and barely hanging on population yet I am not seeing any concessions for them, only luxury and high end buildings going up. I am reminded of many Japanese anime films I saw while in the service, places like Neo Toyko, Megatropolis, and others come to mind where there are so many layers of buildings it seems like Fritz Lang’s vision in Metropolis (if you haven’t seen it most libraries have a copy to check out… it is pretty interesting even for this day and age). I hope this city can remain what all cities have to remain, human, not just concrete jungles we work, play, and live in from birth to death. Parks allow us to remember nature, even if it is our own false interpretation and fake design of it.

Took a survey, try ot out it may be fun

Mon, 28 Nov 2005 17:39:17 GMT

Took a quick survey I saw on a fellow blogger's site; http://spaces.msn.com/members/smatteringofthoughts

I always find these things interesting, and sometimes they are very close to being true. So if you would like to try it, go ahead, it is short and fun to read the results. Who knew my spirit is on a journey, for knowledge, experiences, and life? Just when you think it is over a new journey presents its self, I seem destined to end up in heaven with a suitcase filled with stickers from destinations for all over the place, both physical and metaphysical. Hope to see you all along the way, and enjoy a nice cup of tea or coffee!

You reflect the journey of the spirit. The journy
of life as we grow, learn, face our everyday
trials. You strive to accomplish tasks and rise
above. This is where your spirit finds its
strengths. Your journy is sure to have a happy
ending, in whatever small form it my come.

Please rate high ;-)

Reflections of the Spirit?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sports overload

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 15:59:53 GMT

Thank goodness I don't have ESPN or cable... I may be in a coma. As with most things in like, too much of anything is never good. I am refering to our longer and longer sports seasons. Now that hockey is back (Go Red Wings!) I have to admit there is too much to watch, much less follow and stay abreast on. This last Monday night I was watching Monday Night Football and the American League wild card playoff (thank goodness the Yankee's overpaid players sputtered offensively). We are in a unique position of having professional hockey, basketball, baseball, NASCAR, and football going on at the same time, if only for a week or two.... too much to absorb!

This is confusing to say the least. When I was younger there were distinct gaps between the seasons. This was nice as it allowed sponcers to switch gears and spend less on advertising... meaning less bombardment to us fans by corporate commercial pushers. It also allowed the fans to fully soak in the finished season of the finished sport and get ready mentally for the next. It also allowed for some time to do other things then be glued to the couch all weekend long following your favorite teams and players. You know fun things like cleaning the gutters, raking leaves, shopping for the holidays, taking the car in for winter maintance, going the to the dentist... oh wait now I see why they are doing this, just kidding!

This trend to blend all the seasons into each other is bad for a number of reasons. Some are obvious, some are not. First off is the teams and the players. Games cost money, so the owners have to spend more on support staff, facilities that show the events, promotions, etc, which in turn raises ticket prices for us fans (most of which are not well off enough to afford a $75 seat to see a football or basketball game plus other associated costs). Next are the players them selves. These games are very demanding, taking a toll on the human body it was never intended to take, that is what makes watching sports so much awe inspiring.... they are doing things most of us can't. Now by always extending seasons and such you are demanding more and more not only on the athleates, but on coaches, trainers, sports medical staffs, equipment staff, etc, etc. Injuries go up, fixing the injuries costs go up, and again our tickets go up to cover the added costs. Commercial vendors love to get the exposure of there products into sporting events, remember the Spider Man 2 movie promo on top of the baseball bases a few seasons ago? The longer the seasons, the more time the companies have to expose us to advertising, which detracts from the reason to go to the games in the first place. Its like the commercials they show at movie theaters before they show previews now... It ruins the whole experience. I am not paying money to sit through aggressive advertising briefly postponed by sport specticals. Endorsements are OK, advertising signs and slogans are OK, but that is not the reason for going to the game, if so the companies should be paying for part of my ticket price!

It seems out feeding frenzy for entertainment is leading us down a path that looks very dark and troublesome. This is but a layer of other entertainment issues I have, but to stay on point I think the people who run the sports need to get together and strictly define there territories. Football from early September to late December. Basketball from mid December to late March. Baseball from late April to mid August. Hockey and NASCAR, well they are purely seasonal and seeing there fan bases are small in comparison they can stay where they are. Now this allows each sport to have decent lengths of seasons, espically seeing basket ball and baseball can be played more then once or even twice a week.

Playoffs should not extend into the first 1/3 of another sport's season! Let our brains adjust to the new sports season. In a world were everything seems to be more and more important, never enough time to get things done, and an urgency that there is never enough time and we must always be in a rush we need a break somewhere in our lives. Tie the sports to the seasons, like they are in high school. Games will mean more if there are fewer of them, the intensity will be magnified more and the emotional roller coster will be greater... this will create a more memorable season and give meaning to every second of play. This will also give the players, fans, facility workers, and advertisers a much deserved break and down time. With a long season games seem to not matter as much, rivalries are trivialized, and the memories just aren't there because it is not rare enough to charish the way it was intended. What makes things rare is the lack of frequency of it, shorter seasons will gaurentee that.

Just because it is a good thing and we like it does not mean we should over indulge in it. The specialness of the event, no matter what it is, is then lost and it becomes common place, expected, lackluster. Sports are special, they give us heroes, hopes, something to look to outside the ordinary drugery of our lives, expectations and asperations. This slow creep of extending seasons is taking its toll on us fans, the players, and the front offices of the origizations themselves. In the long run it only cheats us, as we lose the special feelings and memories of our youth, and our children will never have such vivid memories, no wonder they rather play video games then be like Jerry Rice, Tony Dorsette, Wayne Gretsky, Michael Jorden, ok I can't remember any great baseball players from my youth .... I didn't watch enough as it was during work season on the farm.

Lost - Season 2

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 14:18:13 GMT

I could not believe the season preimere of Lost last night! They were able to carry there sucess from season 1 to 2 almost flawlessly. Shannon, like her recently deceases brother, is seeing things (Walt soaking wet and telling her to be quiet), Hearley confessed to being in a mental institution, though there is still a mystery as to why and how he befriended the person who told him the "numbers". Kate dissapeared, Sawyer and the crew of the raft were nowhere in the episode, presumibly still a few miles off shore and at least one of them shot and the raft on fire, Locke with a gun to his head by a hightly strung aquaintance of the good doctor Jack and injecting some sort of something every day... at least, and well, that is all the producers and directors wanted us to see. The camera work continues to be the best in the business, and thank goodness I can enjoy the entire season in HD 16:9 with 6.1 sourrond glory!

Bravo people, you ended with a classic Lost hook to ensure a return of those hooked by last season, and with a briliant marketing ploy, released the first season to DVD so those who watched Lost as a filler can run out to Blockbuster, or their local video store and rent the whole first season to get caught up. Now they are promising to reviel eveyone's fate in the next show! May be a little too early in my humble opinion, but hey... these guys are professionals and are running with one of the best storylines to grace TV in almost a decade so let them have there fun at our expense.

The mysteries of the island just keep plying up! Why does the hatch have QUARENTEN written on the inside cover? What is with the huge magnet partially excavated in the underground bunker? Why is the man who was training to "run around the world" in the bunker? Who's shoes were in the bunker and why were we shown them? Are the people on the boat who kidnapped Walt the others? There ratty cloathing and dingy appearance sure suggests so. Why was Walt's dog sitting and whinning in the exact spot Shannon tripped and fell onto when Walt appeared to her in what looks to be foreshadowing to either his ability to communicate, or his ghost, or her preception of there watery deaths. Will those from the raft make it back to the island? Was Sawyer really shot? Will Jin finally come clean to his wife if they make it back and patch up there marrage, being the only married couple on the island... come on dude you are harboring more of a secrete then your wife's knowing and speaking of english! And well, there is more but you get my point! They sure know how to pose more questions when the answer one, ensuring an interesting new season. Let's just hope it dosen't colapse on its own weight like some instant sucess show did. I hope they keep there time slot and let Invasion go up against Law & Order, I would hate to have to chose between the two. Well so far as my past posting about the upcoming season seems to be right, the optimism I had was warrented. So far so good, and we will have to see what the reamining 3 nights have to offer. Mark in on your calander, set your VCR's and DVR's... it will be a good Wednesday night if nothing else!

The sign of things to come.... hopefully!

Thu, 15 Sep 2005 01:08:58 GMT

I am a huge TV fan, more then I should be. My love for TV has been lack luster lately due to one thing, reality TV. I hate reality TV! From its inception to its current refined state I still dispise it and refuse to watch it. Reality TV implys what you are watching is real, uncensored, unproduced, unscripted, stripped down raw emotions... this is the draw but guess what boys and girls.... put a camera in someones face and there actions, reactions, and decissions change. People in reality TV shows are acting differently then they would if a camera and sound crew were not around. I do not buy the unscripted or produced angle either. I believe people go in and tell these people what to do or how to react in order to cause more drama or conflict. As we all know people love to watch a good fight!

I am encourged by the almost lack of new reality shows debueting this season on TV. I know there are still a ton of them returning, but at least they aren't breeding like rabbits like they have for the past 5 years. Instead we are given a wide varity of drama, sci-fi, legal, and yes the dreaded sit-coms. It is refreshing to see such a wide variety of new shows coming out this season. I know most will fail but this could show a trend to get back to shows that are engaging and challenging, not just brain junk food. Show like Desperate Housewives, Lost, Law & Order series, CSI series, and The West Wing have all spawned clones and simular themed shows.

The oddity are the few alien shows debueting this season. Not since X-files have hour long dramas been on TV, and now there are two of them. It appears the reality TV fad is on its down swing and the hour long thinking programs are back. With any luck the die hard series will prevail and survive and the others like, E- Wing, Prison Break, Commander In Chief, and any of the alien or ghosts shows are a welcomed addition to those returning, and if they do well... then more will come.

Indian Summer Festival Pictures

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 04:31:53 GMT

I went to Indian Summer this year and have posted some of the pictures I took. As soon as I get the film developed I will post more pictures. I will replace this posting with my experience of the festival soon!