The Denver Broncos had a great game last week against the New York Giants, probably their best of the season so far. Between the tough, hard hitting defense and the elusive offense, they looked exceptional all around. Take a look at the biggest moments in this video:

(Thanks broncotalk.net)

Zimbio.com

As it stands now, the Cowboys are 8-3 heading into December with the lead in the division. This means that you likely need at least two more wins to get into the playoffs, so they are in good standing.

But they have been in this same exact position before.

Since the Cowboys became competitive again in 2003 when Bill Parcells came on board, the Cowboys have had a quality record going into December.

While they have still made the playoffs a few of those years, their struggles in the month of December resonate around the media.

In 2003, the Cowboys were 8-4 going into December with a chance to win the division and they ended up with a 2-2 record for the month, making the playoffs as a wild card, ending the season at 10-6

But really, even though this team had a chance to win the division, they were a shocking contender that year and were still somewhat outmatched by the Eagles.

In 2005, the Cowboys were 7-4 going into December with another great shot at winning the division, but they went 2-3 during that month and they missed the playoffs at 9-7.

Going into December in 2006, the Cowboys were again 7-4 going into the month with another chance to get a division title.

This was the season where Tony Romo became the starter mid-season and they basically began a new season, so going into the final month, the team had big momentum.

On christmas day that season, the team had a chance to win the division with a win against the Eagles, but they failed to get the win, going 2-3 in the final month of the season, ending the season at 9-7 and getting a wild card seeding.

In the wild card game, we all know what happened against Seattle. Say what you want, but you cannot blame Romo for this loss over a freak incident. He got this team into position to win this game. If the Cowboys win this game, we likely do not hear the Romo scrutiny. At least not to the magnitude that it is.

During the 2007 season, the Cowboys rolled into December at 11-1. They started the month with a division winning victory against Detroit that was a tight game.

They went 2-2 in December, but had struggles and were able to wrap up home-field advantage as well, but were dismissed by the New York Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Last season, the team pulled into December at 8-4 and had their worst month of December in reason seasons, going 1-3 and missing out on the playoffs at 9-7, which included the embarrassing week 17 performance in Philadelphia that would have gotten them into the playoffs.

This December/January is possibly the toughest road the Cowboys have had to deal with yet, which includes home games against the San Diego Chargers and Eagles and away games against the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Washington Redskins.

Taking a look at the current playoff picture, 10 wins will more than likely get you into playoffs.

Maybe a lot is made of this December thing, but it is all about finishing. You can look good for the first three months of the season, but you need to finish and the closing month of the season is December.

So it is a big deal that this team has trouble finishing in the final month.

The way this team is heading into December is a bit different from all the previous Decembers. In previous seasons, the Cowboys are usually pretty hot in November, but fade in December.

This season though, the defense is solid and has been all year, but the offense is going through somewhat of a rough patch. The hope is that they have already gotten into their offensive funk and now it is time to turn it up.

It is difficult seeing the defense fail from being so good. This defense is so different from past defenses. Seeing post-game interviews with Keith Brooking and Marcus Spears after the Oakland game makes me believe this defense is for real.

Both players discussed the disappointment of getting gashed a few times with the run in that game. The defense wiped out the Raiders for the most part, only giving up 7 points, but they were a little bit disappointed with that.

I love hearing this because it tells me that they want to destroy teams. This is a mindset that I do not believe the Cowboys have had before. A cutthroat mentality that they need going into the final month.

A positive is that this team is also still relatively healthy with the biggest injury being to Marc Colombo, but Doug Free has filled in well. I have not heard his name a lot during his two starts and half a game in Green Bay, which is a good thing because that means he is not messing up.

Alan Ball has also done well filling in for Ken Hamlin. He is not making a lot of plays, but he is doing alright.

In my opinion, it is important to start this month off with a win against the Giants. The confidence needs to spawn immediately, especially since the games that follow are the Chargers and Saints.

If this team has truly changed from seasons passed instead of being considered mediocre, they will close out the regular season with a winning record in December, which means at least 3 wins.

For all those who are still nervous and have doubt, all you can hope for is the best. Stay optimistic.

so, they don’t announce the league mvp until like, what? january i think, but so anyway, there’s already been huge controversy between like analysts about who should get the mvp award…manning or favre? now, of course my first reaction is to say manning!! cause i’m such a big Colts fan, but after analyzing everything…i think that i’m going to have to say that mr. brett favre deserves this prize. wow that took alot of effort for me to say (: anyway…yeah, favre has done pretty well this season…if anyone remembers the vikings from last year?? i don’t know what their exact record was, but i know it was a losing one. and now look at them! they have become 10-1 in the blink of an eye, and with some great receivers like percy harvin and a fantastic running back like adrian peterson, who can blame anyone for picking him? yes, peyton has lead the Colts to a so-far-undefeated season, he still has thrown quite a few interceptions, has not been playing as long as brett, and he just isn’t looking like the year’s “perfect candidate”. so, sorry peyton, even tony dungy agrees with me (:

moving on to week 12 summary, despite the game between New Orleans and New England tonight, the week has come to a close, filled with quite a few much needed and close wins, i must say…let’s see…there were 4 games that had a margin of 3 points between a win and a loss…and for the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens, that was a much needed win. if either of these teams lost, it meant that any hopes of making the playoffs would pretty much be over. but, both of these teams won yesterday, so their playoff hopes are still alive. not like that really applies to the Colts though! they clinched the AFC South with a win over division rivals, the Texans, and a loss by the Jaguars. Gooooo Colts!

Hmmmm…not much else to say…i’m looking forward to tonight’s game between the Pats and the Saints, although I’m reallyyyyy not a fan of either team…i can’t ever ever ever bring myself to root for the Patriots, so New Orleans, you have my vote. the Giants are most unfortunately so far out of your reach, so, i guess i can root for you. ehhh…go saints? alright… enjoy tonight’s game!

Posted: November 30, 2009

Call it a Turkey day treat or momentum from a 7 for 10 Week 11, however you look at it, there was something extra to be thankful for this year: Sleepers coming through!  Not to boast, but the Shack is on fire!  Here are the results for Week 12:

QUARTERBACK (2 for 2)

Alex Smith (San Francisco) – Continuing to prove doubters wrong, Smith had another solid day.
Projected: 21-35, 220 yards, 2 TD
Actual: 27-41, 232 yards, 2 TD, 3-8 rushing

Vince Young (Tennessee) – Young absolutely went off in the second half, leading the resurgent Titans to a W.
Projected: 13-21, 155 yards, 1 TD, 5-35 rushing
Actual: 27-43, 387 yards, 1 TD, 4-8 rushing

RUNNING BACK (2 for 3)

Justin Forsett (Seattle) – Good luck getting your job back, Julius Jones.
Projected: 13-71 rushing, 5-31 receiving, 1 TD
Actual: 22-130 rushing, 2 TD

Jamaal Charles (Kansas City) – If you snagged Charles a few weeks ago, as we suggested, you’re a happy camper.
Projection: 14-65 rushing, 3-11 receiving, 1 TD
Actual: 14-93 rushing, 3-54 receiving, 1 TD, 1 fumble lost

Danny Ware (New York Giants) – Ware (and the Giants) looked horrible on Thanksgiving night.
Projection: 9-51 rushing, 3-24 receiving
Actual: 4-27 rushing, 1-(-4) receiving, 1 fumble lost

WIDE RECEIVER (2 for 3)

Antonio Bryant (Tampa Bay) – Exceeded the yardage expectation on 2 fewer receptions!
Projected: 5-67 receiving, 1 TD
Actual: 3-91 receiving, 1 TD

Earl Bennett (Chicago) – Does anyone else feel like the Broncos got the better end of the Cutler deal?
Projected: 7-84 receiving
Actual: 3-14 receiving

Pierre Garcon (Indianapolis) – A few weeks ago, it was all about Austin Collie.  Now, Garcon is WR3A in Indy.
Projected: 5-72 receiving
Actual: 5-63 receiving, 1 TD

TIGHT END (0 for 1)

Jermichael Finley (Green Bay) – On paper, it was a great move.  As it turns out, should have gone Donald Lee.
Projected: 4-39 receiving, 1 TD
Actual: 3-25 receiving

KICKER (0 for 1)

Dan Carpenter (Miami) – Didn’t even attempt a field goal.
Projected: 2 FG, 2 PAT (1 FG 40+)
Actual: 2 PAT

DEFENSE (1 for 1)

Atlanta Falcons – For a minute, it looked like it could spiral out of hand, but they ended up taking care of business.
Projected: 17 points allowed, 2 sacks, 1 Int, 1 fumble recovery
Actual: 17 points allowed, 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery

Scorecard for Week 12: 7 for 11
Overall Scorecard for 2009 Season: 51 for 123, 9 pushes (41%)

Do you ever have those kind of days when you wake up and you feel you do not have enough strength to take on the world?

On these days you feel you just want to turn over in your bed and go back to sleep. You do not have the energy to take on that big project that is pressing or you have a fear of opening the mail just in case there is a big bill to pay that you forgot about.

Well, today I think I’m having one of those days. It is a weird feeling but you go to bed thinking you can take on the world and you wake up feeling like a complete loser! Nothing has happened in between, just a rush of thoughts going through your head that conjure up the feelings of being overwhelmed.

Since starting the journey to becoming  a church planter, I have been amazed at how many battles I have had to fight. Whether inner battles or battles with other people. However, I feel like God has given me an injection of some extra strength faith. I have had the feelings that I can take on any mountain that maybe in my way. I think I am getting a glimpse of what the little shepherd boy David felt when he faced the giant Goliath. I think inside of him he must have said, ‘Bring it on!’ I can relate!

So it is on days like these when no obstacle has been put in my way, no big huge giant has tried to fight me, not even a bill has come in the mail that I can’t pay, in which I realize my humanity. There is no reason for me to feel overwhelmed yet I do. There is no reason for me wanting to bury my head in the sand, yet I do and there is no reason to feel weak, yet I do!

I think God allows days like this so we realize who we really are. We are just insignificant people who have been given the priviledge to serve and love a GREAT God. It’s days like these that I realize I can not walk this journey alone, I can not take on a giant alone, I can not conquer a mountain alone. It’s days like these that I realize I am not equipped for the challenges ahead, but I know a friend that sticks closer than a brother who is equipped and stands by me when the biggest mountains or the biggest giants are right in front of me.

My prayer today is the message found in Proverbs 3:5-6. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.’

Sorry for the delay on this post. I’m such a popular guy that it is hard to hang out with the neighbours/friends and write a new blog post at the same time. Yesterday I had plenty of time, but I felt like studying instead. n_n I also attended a small concert last night as well, but I’ll brief you in about that sometime later.

Today, the focus is on the wicked awesome crazy short parade that was the Hokkaido Hippon-Ham Fighters. If you recall for awhile ago, I mentioned I watched the final game that included the Fighters and their opponent, the Giants. But the Fighters lost, so why would they have a parade? No idea. I suppose 2nd place is meaningful enough to host something as big (cough*small*cough) as this. I’m thinking the parade was more of a fan appreciation event. Either way, I wanted to be there. I had no expectations and was curious to see if it would be a full, blown out parade or a small, tiny shindig.

The parade started at 11:15am from where I stood with the introduction of the mighty police (fuzz) cruiser.

The Fuzz were followed by a van and a marching band.

The stars of the show then appeared. Yes, the powerful Ham Fighters made their grand appearance stealing the awes and cheers from the crowd. I cheered for the Giants! (just kidding)

And that pretty much concluded the parade. It ended at 11:23am, thus a total 8 minutes elapsed since the start. I guess this parade would classify as a shindig, but for the amount of people that attended, it was insane. I just wished it lasted longer. By the time I got into “parade mood”, it was all over. It was time to leave, fight crowds and try not to die.

Though, one of the coolest things about the parade was falling confetti from nearby rooftops. Definitely has to be one of those super cool things to be apart of.

And then everyone figured it would also be fun to pick up the fallen confetti for their own personal use.

While escaping with my life on the line, I was forced to stop by The Fuzz. They parted the crowd with their mind bending powers to make room for “the famous ones.” I have no idea who these people are, but Okada san made mention that they weren’t just your average people. So while they walked right in front of me, thinking to themselves that they were so cool, I pulled out my camera and took more pictures.

Well, there you have it. All those mystery dudes for your viewing pleasure.

All and all, I’m glad I went to the parade. It was fun, but on the short side of things. The confetti really made my day.

I give the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters parade for whatever reason 6 Vibrant Coloured Confetti Pieces out of 6.

Peek-a-boo!  Let’s see what Hottywood has in store for you. 

Below are Hottywood’s cookie fortunes, as revealed by the moon and the sun, in addition to the itch on the bottom of his foot.   

Take heed.  Knowledge is power.

___________________________________________________________

 Capricorn

December 22 – January 19 

You will be remembered for one thing this week; FARTING.  It will not be a good week for romance.  Lay off the cheese.

___________________________________________________________

                                                                                                                                        Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

One of your front teeth will be more yellow than humanly possible.  You should make friends with a Capricorn.  Lonliness is the one thing you two will have in common. 

___________________________________________________________

Pisces

February 19 – March 20   

You’ll think you’ve been bitten by a swarm of mosquitos.  Rest assured, it’s just bad acne.  Get an extra brown paper bag from the market to cover your face.

___________________________________________________________

Aries

March 21 – April 19 

1 and 2 will be your lucky numbers if your name is Sam, otherwise 1 is the number of booty calls you’ll get this week and 2 is the number of times you’ll be pulled over by a mall cop.

___________________________________________________________

Taurus

April 20 – May 20 

There’s good news and there’s bad news.  The good news is someone will throw raw eggs at your front door.  The bad news is that you’ll be standing in the doorway.  Avoid anyone named ‘Karma’. 

___________________________________________________________

Gemini

May 21 – June 20 

You’ll be expected to give a presentation to a bunch of midgets.  You will also only be attractive to people with mustaches, three breasts and straight out of the big house.  Don’t wear perfume or cologne.  Good luck.

___________________________________________________________

Cancer

June 21 – July 22 

Your lover will be horny as a toad this week…just not for you.  Start looking for an AA support group.  You’re gonna need it for the road ahead. 

___________________________________________________________

Leo

July 23 – August 22 

Someone will refer you to a position within a prestigious dog-walking firm.  The sad part is all dogs will pee on your shoes.  Your future boss will be a dog with two legs instead of four.  Make cautious decisions. 

___________________________________________________________

Virgo

August 23 – September 22 

You will lose two things this week:

1.      1.  Your mind and
2.      2.  Your, um….

I forgot. 

___________________________________________________________

Libra

September 23 – October 22 

Your phone will be disconnected at the exact moment you climax during a phone bone.  The person on the other end will think you’re either uninterested or gay and will start rumors about you.  It’s time for a fresh start. 

___________________________________________________________

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21 

Any movie you view will be blank.  You will be considered a cheap date and an even worse lay.  Relax, you’re just having an off week.  Stay away from one eyed giants. 

 ___________________________________________________________

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21   

Your Christmas tree will lean for the entire month of December and your only holiday season lights will be the street lamps outside your bedroom window.  You may be tested for Athlete’s Foot by a dentist. 

___________________________________________________________

Quote of the Week:    “Reality is a hallucination brought on by lack of alcohol.”

Subscribe to Hottywood Helps

where has this season gone?? my goodness, it seems like we were just preparing for the hall of fame game! but yes, it is week 12, and it is a week filled with many division games. but before we move on to week 12 sunday, we must look back at week 12 thursday…

hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! I sure did, but one thing that would have made it better is…BETTER FOOTBALL! now, i’m all for traditions…the Lions always play, the Cowboys always play, blah blah blah…how about giving them some equal opponents? Like don’t have the Lions play the Packers, where its sort of obvious who’s going to win! (Sorry Detroit fans). Also, don’t have a relatively good team like the Cowboys take on the Raiders. Do i even have to tell you who won those games? What an easy win for the Packers and Cowboys! Moving on to the Thursday night game…yes the Giants lost to the Broncos. End of story…moving on!

okay, so for all those division games….

1. NFC South (Bucs @ Falcons)
2. AFC East (Dolphins @ Bills)
3. NFC East (Redskins @ Eagles)
4. NFC West (Seahawks @ Rams)
5. AFC North (Browns @ Bengals)
6. AFC South (Colts @ Texans)
7. AFC West (Chiefs @ Chargers
8. NFC North (Bears @ Vikings)
9. AFC North (Steelers @ Ravens)

So./././ how about that? 9 division games! some less exciting than the others, but division games, nonetheless. i would say 6, 8, and 9 are the games i most looking forward to as a good game. if the Colts win today, and the Jaguars lose, then the Colts can clinch the AFC South!!

alright, i gotta cut this short, but hope everyone enjoys their football-filled sunday!

Indy @ Houston – The Texans are 3 point underdogs in this game.  I’m taking the points and Houston to pull off an upset.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati – The Bengals are 13 point favorites.  That’s a lot to cover for an in state rivalry.  As bad as the Browns are – I think they cover.  Taking them with the points.

Chicago @ Minn – The Vikings are 10.5 point favorites in this game.  I like them winning big.  Taking Brett and giving the points.

Washington @ Philly – The Eagles are 9.5 point favorites in this game.  I am actually going to be rooting for the Redskins this week so we get more separation in our division from Philly.  I think the eagles win – but don’t cover.  I’m taking the Skins with the points.

Miami @ Buffalo – The Dolphins are 3.5 point favorites.  I like them to win this.  Giving the points and taking the Dolphins.

Arizona @ Tennessee -  The Titans are 2 point favorites in this game.  I honestly think AZ looses their first game on the road this season and Vince Young keeps the run going.  Taking the Titans with the points.

Seattle @ St. Louis – The Seahawks are 4 point favorites.  I’m taking them and giving the points to beat the Rams.

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta – The Falcons are 12 point favorites.  I like the Bucs in this.  Josh Freeman will get better each week.  Taking the points and the Bucs to cover.

Carolina @ New York Jets – The Jets are 3.5 point favorites in this game.  I like the Panthers.  Taking the points and panthers to win.

Jacksonville @ San Fran – The 49ers are 3 point favorites in this game.  I could go either way in this game, but I’m giving the edge to Gurrard over Smith.  Taking the points and the Jags to cover.

Kansas City @ San Diego -  The Chargers are 14 point favorites in this game.  I like them to win, but not by that much.  I’m taking the Chiefs with the points.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore – The Ravens are 7.5 point favorites in this game.  With Big Ben out – I think the Ravens should win this.  I think Tomlin however will find a way to keep it close.  Taking Pittsburgh with the points.

New England @ New Orleans – The Saints are 2 point favorites in this game.  They’ve been exposed too many times by bad teams (even though they found ways to win) to keep their streak alive.  I think it ends tomorrow.  Bill and Tom take care of the Saints and cover.  Taking the Pats with the points.

Dan Uggla is going to be a very great player for years to come.  I think a contender needing a bit of offense would fit him.  Uggla might not do great at first but should start to fit in.  Uggla won’t be good at defense where ever he plays but his offense could boast a team to tons of wins.  He makes an impact on the batting order too.  The team that gets him will see his numbers improve and his production go high within two years.  I can see why Florida would give him up though.  He doesn’t get on base enough and they want a pure hitter in Chris Cohglan, which I would do too.  Uggla is good but Cohglan has more upside and could be the center piece of the franchise and moving him back to second and getting rid of Uggla would help the team overall.  Uggla won’t do as well in Florida, he will always hit 30 homers or so but if he does stick around look for a big decline in his numbers.
GIANTS:  If they get him there infield will be great.  He is the price this team needs in the offseason.  He would learn how to hit okay within this division too.

“So all is not lost. It only feels like it is.”

That line pretty much sums up how things are over here regarding the New York Giants. Not great right now. The post season seems merely a dream at this point and with the way the team looked against Denver on Thursday, I have to wonder if the high point of the year was when they pounded Oakland at home in Week…well, whatever week that was. Back when they were winning, let’s just say.

Here’s Osi Umenyiora, after the Giants had the stuffing beat out of ‘em by the Broncos: “We’re not a bad team. We’re a good football team. We just played bad today. We’ll get it right. We’ll get it right.”

Seems like I’m not the only one in denial.

Though we still have games to go in Week 12 of the National Football League schedule, let’s take a look at those teams still in the mix for some playoff bravado. Before checking out the complicated American Football Conference, let’s start with the National Football Conference. Amazingly, the Giants are still among the living. Check that: It only feels like they are.

NFC

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings have earned the first round byes. Arizona has a three-game lead over San Francisco in the West division, so they look pretty good, and despite with the Philadelphia Eagles (and NYG) do, the Dallas Cowboys should be able to hang on and claim the East. Even though they are based out of Texas. Whatever. The wild card contenders:

Green Bay Packers
Record: 7-4
Remaining schedule: home to Baltimore; at Chicago; at Pittsburgh; home to Seattle; at Arizona.
Prognosis: Though the records of the opponents might not show it, that’s a tough schedule. The only gimmie there is the Seattle game. They’ll need to win the home games and grab that Chicago game to get in.
Probability of post season: Probably.

Philadelphia Eagles
Record: 6-4
Remaining Schedule: home to Washington; at Atlanta; at NYG, home to San Fran; home to Denver; at Dallas
Prognosis: Considering that they’ve split with the G-Men and Cowboys already, a lot depends on their remaining division games. The game in Georgia is no picnic, either. If they take care of business at home, they should get in. Fortunately, for Eagles-haters like myself, those games against the 49ers and Broncos will feature desperate visitors.
Probability of post season: Probably.

NYG
Record: 6-5
Remaining Schedule: home to Dallas; home to Philly; at Washington; home to Carolina; at Minnesota
Prognosis: Need to win four of these games. Beating Dallas and Philly would certainly help things right off the bat. If they can still keep the season meaningful by the time they get to Carolina, I’d be thrilled.
Probability of post season: All signs point to FUCK!

Atlanta Falcons
Record: 5-5
Remaining Schedule: home to Tampa Bay; home to Philly; home to New Orleans; at NY Jets; home to Buffalo; at Tampa Bay
Prognosis: Are you kidding me? Tampa Bay twice! The Saints game is tough and the Eagles offer no chance to rest, so the Bucs double header tied to a bad Bills team and an inconsistent Jets squad could put things to nine wins. That’s not going to be enough.
Probability of post season: Probably not.

The following verse makes we wonder as to how the Nephilim (giants) survived the flood.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Gen 6:4)

So apparently every human dies in the flood apart from the eight persons on the ark. So how do the Nephilim reappear after the flood? (such as the Sons of Anak)

Does anyone out there have any ideas as to how the Nephilim survived? I have heard of a Jewish tradition which said that one of the Nephilim clung on to the Ark during the flood!

I guess one’s opinion on the issue also comes down to a couple of other related issues. That is, whether one believes the flood to be global or local, and whether one thinks that the “sons of God” in Gen 6:1 are angels or the descendants of Seth.

Personally, I believe the flood was local (but that is another blog entry for another day), and so I could see maybe some of the Nephilim fleeing the area of the flood and surviving. This does have the obvious problem of seemingly contradicting the idea that “all flesh” died during the flood. But then again, maybe “all flesh”  was just hyperbole.

I am unsure as to who the “sons of God” were. I know that it was popular opinion in Jesus’ era that they were fallen angels (as per the book of Enoch, Jubilees, etc), however I have heard quite compelling arguments for the line of Seth theory. Although the one thing that I find the Sethite theory can not answer (and which is a huge hole in the theory in my opinion), is why the offspring of the Cainites and Sethites produced giants.

I guess if the “sons of God” were angels, then perhaps after the flood some other fallen angels did the same thing all over again.

I am interested in any theories as to how the Nephilim survived, or even just what you think about the Sethite and angelic theories.

Another year of Thanksgiving football in Detroit has passed and once again football fans are left disappointed with a boring game and a lopsided outcome. For the sixth year in a row now the Lions were embarrassed on National television against the Green Bay Packers 34-12 during their annual Thanksgiving game. The Detroit Lions continue to field a team that finishes in the bottom half of the league in almost every statistical category and do almost nothing to improve their team in the off-season. Detroit has made several great picks in the draft the past few years by selecting Quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2009, running back Kevin Smith in 2008 and wide receiver Calvin Johnson in 2007. Even with these draft picks the Lions have still yet to improve on the field and turn out a product unworthy of being watched. The Lions have become a team that their fans and the city of Detroit are barely interested in. At times during yesterday’s game at Ford Field it was so quiet it seemed as if Lions fans did not even realize their team was playing. If a fan base has become so disinterested in their own team why would any other football fan want to put themselves through the misery of watching the Lions on Thanksgiving? It’s a question that has been raised by many and answered by almost no one. I love football, but I don’t love bad football and the Lions are well… bad! Change to the Thanksgiving football schedule needs to come in a hurry as the Lions become worse and fans become more and more disinterested in Thanksgiving Day football and its once special tradition.

THANSKGIVING SCORES

Packers 30 Lions 12

Raiders 7 Cowboys 24

Giants 6 Broncos 26

1. Matthew Gilroy

2. Micheal Vick

3.  Tiger Woods

4. Eli Manning

5. Derek Jeter (The seasons over but he wont move, hes awesome)

6. Daniel Sunden

7. Tom Brady

8. Martin Broduer

9. MARCUS NAUSLAND

10.  Tim Thomas

Anthony Reyes is a San Francisco Bay Area native who now travels the country as a trainer for the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.  Unlike most who travel for leisure, his experiences on the road are part of a job that reflects the lifestyle of an up and coming professional ballplayer.

—

Getting "called up" to the big leagues

The recent Travelverse blog, “I Make Love to Travel,” inspired me to write about my travel experiences as an athletic trainer in the Minor Leagues. We’ve all dreamed about becoming a big league superstar. Making the big bucks, driving the fast cars, flying from city to city, you know, living the dream. However, to get there as a player, one has to experience the grind of minor league baseball in order to appreciate the lavish big league lifestyle. As an athletic trainer in minor league baseball, 50% of my job involves making sure 25 players, coaches, and a radio guy get to the city of destination on time and in one piece. I don’t fly the plane, but coordinating and communicating with bus drivers, airports, hotels, visiting equipment managers, etc is one of many responsibilities. Oh, and I’m responsible for the health and well-being of these athletes too. What I do love about my job though is that I do get to travel to cities that I would have never gone to had it not been for baseball. Harrisburg, PA, Manchester, NH, Albuquerque, NM, Des Moines, IA, just to name a few. Not exactly the bright lights of NYC or the windy city of Chicago, but each city has a unique quality that makes traveling to these destinations fun and exciting.

Hadlock Field, Portland, ME

For example, Portland, ME, home of the Red Sox Double A Portland Sea Dogs, is where you can find a fresh Maine lobster dinner for $20 at J’s Oyster restuarant. Not bad, if you’re on a minor leaguer’s budget. Baseball is played in series so you get to stay in a city for 3-4 days depending on the schedule. Games are usually at night, so you can spend the morning sightseeing trying to hit up at least one local landmark during your stay. Bowie, MD, where the Orioles Double A affiliate is located, is only a 30 minute drive from Washington, DC. In 2007, we had a day off in Bowie so me and a pitcher rented a car and checked out our nation’s capitol. In some cities, the ballpark itself is considered a landmark. In Reading, PA, FirstEnergy Stadium has been around since 1952 and has been the double A home for the Philadelphia Phillies since 1967. It’s also the home of the famous crazy hot dog thrower, something you’ll have to see for yourself!

Boarding the team charter

The grind of the Minor Leagues is the 142 game schedule and the modes of transportation when it comes to travel. Whether it is on bus or puddle jumpers from one city to the next, players and coaches dread travel day because in most cases, they have to suit up and play that same night. Imagine playing an 11 inning game in Fresno, CA that goes until 11pm at night and wake up the next morning at 4:30am to catch a 6am commercial flight that stops in Phoenix then goes Colorado Springs. Not to mention that at 6:35pm Mountain Time, there’s a game to be played! As an athletic trainer, it makes for quite a day. Team bus times have to be coordinated from airport to hotel (praying all of the equipment made the trip), hotel to ballpark and back to hotel after the game. You’re working on 3 hours of sleep and trying to stay awake for 9 innings hoping no one gets hurt. And the worst thing is, in 3 days, you’re gonna have to do it all over again.

For the 2010 season, I’ll be traveling all over the country, working with the Fresno Grizzlies in the Pacific Coast League. I plan on being a frequent contributor on Travelverse to share travel experiences from a baseball/athletic training perspective. So stay tuned as Spring Training 2010 is just around the corner…

-Anthony Reyes

Denver’s Josh McDaniels is quickly turning into biggest little fireball head coach the NFL has seen in some time. On Sunday he was busy “owning” the Chargers’ linebackers before a 32-3 loss and yesterday was caught wishing his team a Happy Thanksgiving while mic’d up on the NFL Network. Nice editing job, by the way…

By the way, the Broncos, behind the return of Hall of Fame quarterback Kyle Orton, got back on track with a 26-6 win over the Giants in that motherf—— game. Elsewhere, the Cowboys beat the Raiders 24-7 and the Packers downed the Lions and a poised Matthew Stafford 34-12.

There was a reason I said not to get too excited over Sunday’s win vs Atlanta and last night was the proof. On Thanksgiving night the Giants played like a team that was stuffed on turkey and apple pie. This was an abomination of a performance and this team basically wrote the end of their season last night. The one thing we all could hang our hats on in the Atlanta game was the performance of Eli Manning, but a great as he was Sunday, he was just as lost last night. It is not entirely his fault because the Giants are making things easy for opposing defenses. They can gear up to stop Eli and his receivers because all of a sudden the Giants can’t run the ball.  Brandon Jacobs had another putrid showing last night he had 27 yards on 11 carries. I don’t think that is what the Giants were expecting when they signed him to an extension in the off season. Do they miss Derrick Ward that badly? I can’t imagine so, but what is it? The offensive line is doing a good job protecting Eli, are they just bad at run blocking now? Or is the right question to ask is Brandon Jacobs done? Whatever the reason the Giants have become one dimensional on offense and it is hurting them in a big way. The defensive side of the ball, well they are not much better. I’ve already stated what’s bad about them in my last blog so there is no need to go over it again. The Giants no longer control their own destiny and are 2 games behind Dallas, a game behind Green Bay and if the Eagles win on Sunday, and they are playing the hapless Redskins, they will be a game behind them already having lost to them this season. There are 5 games left in the season and they go as follows: vs Dallas, vs Philadelphia, @ Washington, vs Carolina, @ Minnesota. At best, and this is being very generous, the Giants can win 3 games, that puts them at 9 wins, which will be short of what it is going to take to get into the playoffs. The Giants acted like they didn’t want to be in Denver last night and gave little to no effort, so can we really expect them to put in the effort to rattle off 4 wins? 10 could get them in if the win all of their division games, but that would be a Christmas miracle if this team gets into the playoffs this year. From 5-0 to 6-5 and looking worst every week, this season has been a disappointment in every sense of the word. There were plenty of turkeys on display yesterday, but none were bigger than the New York Giants.

Para Green Bay e Dallas, o jogo no feriado do dia de Ação de Graças, ou Thanksgiving Day, foi apenas para cumprir tabela, visto que Detroit e Oakland não são lá grandes ameaças. A atração maior ficou por conta do Thursday Night Football, entre Denver Broncos e NY Giants, dois times com sequências negativas e que precisavam de uma vitória para brigar pelos playoffs. Mas a partida não foi tão disputada assim, a defesa de Denver dominou o ataque novaiorquino, cedeu apenas 57 jardas pelo chão e 6 pontos no placar, dois field goals de Lawrence Tynes. Veja os resultados e melhores momentos dos jogos abaixo.

Green Bay 34, Detroit 12
Dallas 24, Oakland 7
Denver 26, NY Giants 6

* clique nas partidas para ver os melhores momentos

The Broncos squared off against the New York Giants Thanksgiving night after losing the division to the Chargers only 4 days earlier. The Broncos Offensive Line even with our third string Right Tackle in for a good amount of the game dominated throughout, and the offense as a whole looked very sharp. 

Kyle Orton threw a touchdown and an interception as the Broncos snapped their 4 game losing streak and took a step closer to taking back the division. Knowshon Moreno had probably one of his best game this year, running for 83 yards and a touchdown. He probably would have ran for more though had he not left in the 4th quarter with an arm/shoulder injury. He came back though a bit later so there is no need to be worried.

This puts the Broncos record at 7-4 for the season. You could tell from the intensity of the players, especially from Brian Dawkins that the team only meeting this week really worked and helped their chemistry a lot. 

And the intensity that Brian Dawkins showed spread through the defense. It’s the best we have played in weeks, not allowing a single point in the first half. They didn’t let a touchdown up the entire day either. It was a convincing win in every single definition of the word. I can’t wait to see us in the next few weeks. 

The Broncos are on the comeback track and if we play the way we did tonight, the division should be ours. Let’s see how it goes though. I just am a lot less skeptical of McDaniels and the team as a whole. Until next week, go Broncos!!!

During tonight’s Giants-Broncos game, Bob Papa of the NFL Network told us that D.J. Ware of the Giants wants to be called D.J. instead of Danny.

In the second quarter, Papa said, “Danny Ware picks up three on the play.  Danny Ware in his third year out of Georgia.”

It was right after that that Papa said that Ware asked to be called D.J. Ware instead of Danny because he wants to pay tribute to his father.

Matt Millen:  “Alright, from now on call him D.J. “

Two plays later, Papa says, “Danny Ware…hit by Hagans, lost the ball…”

A few minutes later Papa mentions that the “Broncos have widened their lead to 12 with an extra point pending after the Danny Ware fumble.”

Unbelievable.

The NFL couldn’t have picked  a more competitive game for thanksgiving day night. This is going to be a battle of two teams trying to prove themselves to fans, reporters, and the rest of the NFL. Are they pretenders or contenders? Tonight will let everyone know. After not playing so hot the past couple weeks and coming off a loss to division rival San Diego the Denver Broncos are looking to get back on track, while the New York Giants seem to have hit their stride once again after stumbling in earlier weeks. Denver’s defense which the Broncos relied on heavily early on in the season will need to show up if they want any chance in this game. With Ahmad Bradshaw out with a foot injury the Giants offense will not be as versatile, but both teams will still pound the ball in the running game. Look for the big play when the opportunity presents itself from the Broncos Brandon Marshall and the Giants rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks.If Denver’s defense shows up and Kyle Orton can stay in the game this will be a knock-em down drag-em out type of game that comes down to the final minutes. I expect Denver to get the better of New York in a time where the Broncos will be extremely thankful to get back in the win column.

**EDITOR: This is Steve Quayle on Coast to Coast talking about Nephilim and Giants namely the giant in particular that is featured on his Longwalkers book cover. A phone call on the show has a pilot talking who is an informant to Steve re: a shipment he flew from Afghanistan that the cargo was the corpse of a 12ft man – who weighed upwards of 1500 lbs , had 6 fingers and toes. This 12 ft giant attacked a small squadron of US soldiers who had ventured into the mountains of afghanistan in search of Taliban. 9 soldiers were killed – ripped apart and eaten by this thing before it was finally killed. The soldier reports that it was able to run up to 40 km in 2 footsteps and incredibly strong – in smell and strength! These are the NEPHILIM… this being a small one ( about the same size as biblical Goliath) and they are already IN the earth literally . Some are chained and bound by Yah ( in an exactment of  judgement they will be released upon the earth to terrorize the wicked)

Stephen Quayle is the author of five books. For over thirty years, he has been investigating ancient civilizations, giants, UFOs and biological warfare as they relate to the future of mankind. Stephen discusses the coming worst-case scenarios approaching this world and how they interrelate to each other. Earthquakes, volcanoes, nuclear and biological terrorism, coupled with the planned financial meltdown of the U.S. dollar will thrust us into unimagined tribulations. Stephen Quayle is on record as stating that we have moved from the realm of natural threats into the arena of supernaturally guided events of the unseen hand of evil orchestrating world events of unfathomable proportions.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

PART 8

Reichlich spät, aber gerade noch rechtzeitig. Die Vorschau auf die Thanksgiving-Spiele, heute, Donnerstag, 26. November. Los gehts um

12.30p.m.ET (18.30Uhr)

Green Bay (6-4) @ Detroit (2-8)
Das war ja ne ganz starke Leistung letzte Woche, Glückwunsch Matt Stafford! Aber es war eben nur gegen die Browns. Umso ärgerlicher, daß der No.1 pick der letzten Draft heute wegen dieser Schulterverletzung nicht mitspielen kann. WR Calvin Johnson wahrscheinlich auch nich. Die halbe secondary auch nicht. Aber so ist das im November, hier zeigt sich Jahr um Jahr aufs Neue, warum eine erfolgreiche Mannschaft einen tiefen Kader hat. Bei Green Bay haben sich DE/OLB Aaron Kampman und CB Al Harris mit Kreuzbandrissen in die off-season verabschiedet; sehr, sehr ärgerlich. Aber dafür sollte es gegen die schlechteste Paßverteidigung der Liga keinen großen Probleme für QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Greg Jennings und Donald Driver geben. Pack.

4.15p.m. (22.15Uhr)

Raiders (3-7) @ Cowboys (7-3)
7 Punkte gegen Green Bay und 7 Punkte gegen Washington. 14 erzielte Punkte in den letzten beiden Wochen. Das ist Cleveland-Browns-like. War das der frühzeitige Anfang des traditionellen Cowboys-Dezember-Einbruch? Jetzt kommt auch noch ein vergleichsweise unangenehmer Gegner – die Raiders. Man mag es kaum glauben, aber die Raiders haben in dieser Saison schon gegen die Eagles und gegen die Bengals gewonnen. Und sie haben auch das richtige Rezept um die Cowboys niederzuringen: ihre old-school-defense, hauptsächlich Mann-gegen-Mann, keine Zonen und fire blitzes und komische Formationen und was sich die DCs der Liga sonst noch so alles ausdenken. Wenn CB Nnamdi Asomugha WR Miles “and more” Austin in Mannverteidigung nimmt und ab und zu noch safety help hat, fängt der keinen Ball. Und dann Tony Romo und Jason Garrett? TE und Romos BFF Jason Witten kann kein Spiel alleine gewinnen. Oakland braucht nur ein oder zwei big plays. Can you hear me, Darius Heyward-Bay, Michael Bush, Darren McFadden, Louis Murphy, Johnnie Lee Higgins? Ihr seid doch alle explosiv genug, zeigt das doch mal! Und dann: upset, baby! Raiders.

8.20p.m. (02.20hr)

NY Giants (6-4) @ Denver (6-4)
Denver hat 37 Punkte gemacht – wenn man die letzten vier Spiele zusammenrechnet. Dabei hat die Saison so gut angefangen mit sechs Siegen in Folge. Dann kam die bye-week und seitdem vier Klatschen: 7-30 in Baltimore, 10-28 gegen Pittsburgh, 17-27 in Washington und letzte Woche kamen sie gegen San Diego mit 3-32 unter die Räder. So eine Serie reißt irgendwann auch wieder, aber nicht gegen die Giants. Die hatten in diesem Jahr auch schon so ein Loch. Nach 5-0-Start gabs vier Klatschen. Aber mit dem harterkämpften Sieg gegen Atlanta am vergangenen Wochenende, 34-31 in OT, sind sie wieder zurück in der richtigen Spur. Auch wenn die Verteidigung noch Sorgen bereitet. Giants.

I wished to consider further one of the implications of my previous tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Jehovah, God of the Jews, Christians and Muslims was actually Loki, embittered and angry, causing what turned out to be considerable trouble for the Aesir and Vanir and even more for their faithful followers in Midgard.

How should a heathen look at the Gods of other pantheons, in particular those of closely related Indo-European systems? How do our Gods fit in with those of more distantly related or even unrelated religious systems?

I will set out my thinking on the matter, which has answered a few problems I faced in the attempt to reconcile the existence of many pantheons among the various nations of the world.

Of course, you might have the attitude that whether or not other systems can be fitted into ours is irrelevant, what other nations have done is not important. I do not agree with that for the following reason: If we accept the world creating, maintaining and defending roles of our Gods, one must presume that they created, maintain and defend Midgard for everyone, from Anglo-Saxons to Zulus. If the Slavs worshipped a God called Perun who travels in a chariot pulled by a goat, who throws thunderbolts, has a double headed axe (occasionally described as a hammer) that when thrown returns to his hand, it is difficult not to recognise our world warder Thunor. Here is Perun fighting a serpent:

Does this remind you of anything?

My thoughts are that Thunor is likely to have revealed himself to other nations and while I would not be so confident as to state that Perun is Thunor, I do think it is likely.

Things start getting more difficult when we start moving a little further afield. There is a West African god: Shango, who is also a thunder god, he has a double headed axe which looks quite like a hammer as well – here’s a picture:

The trouble is that apart from these rather superficial similarities, he has very few similarities to Thunor, especially not in the stories told about him. In short, the similarities seem to be a coincidence rather than a part of the character’s identity.

If we accept that our Gods are creators and defenders of the entire universe (or multiverse) we have to recognise that, for some reason, other nations do not seem to realise this.

I have a generally hard polytheistic attitude: I do not believe, as some people do, that all Goddesses are just aspects of one Goddess, or that all Gods are aspects of one God. For one thing, the world demonstrates a clear interplay of various forces and interests. The limited human mind may find it easier to simplify things down so you only have two or even one basic divinity to deal with, but this seems to be taking the easy way out. Just because you can’t explain the relationships between various different forces, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If I say that Perun is a different description of Thunor, I mean that there is one being, called different names in different mythologies, but that they are identical. Maybe one nation experienced and experience the God in a slightly different way from another, but the two are the same God.

I would not like to claim that all the Gods in the Slavic pantheon are Germanic Gods as well. How then to describe them in a way that does not demean the special status of the Aesir and Vanir, yet, as our ancestors often did with foreign Gods, recognises them as powerful beings and possibly worthy of worship when in their territory? I believe our ancestors and our Gods have already come up with a most elegant solution to this problem. The tale concerning the war between the Aesir and Vanir and their subsequent unification, shows that divine status can be held by more than one group of beings. The Aesir are clearly able to interbreed with giants, Bestla, the mother of Woden himself is a giant, as is Aegir, Frey’s wife Gerd etc. etc. Not all giants are antagonistic towards the Aesir; despite his mighty reputation as a giant killer, Thunor often received help from giants and even sleeps with giantesses, fathering children with Jarnsaxa.

This shows that there is not so much of a difference between Gods and giants as those of us brought up under a monotheistic system might be lead to believe. Being a bit of a Bolshevik, I see a parallel with the East German United Socialist Party. The Party was formed through a merger of the KPD and SPD in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany, much as the Gods as a group stem from a merger of the Aesir and Vanir. Within East Germany, there were party members (Gods), and non party members (Giants). Not being a member of the party did not imply opposition to the party, just as being a giant does not necessarily imply hostility to the Gods, but some non-party members were inimical and were attacked by the party, and some party members (playing a Loki-like role) betrayed the revolution themselves. In essence, members and non-members were all much the same, it is one’s formal membership of a group that defines one’s label rather than any kind of internal peculiarity.

As a non-party member such as Skadi could join up, and a party member like Loki could be expelled, I would suggest that a good way of seeing gods from other pantheons is to accept them as giants or their equivalents. It is quite possible that other nations worship what we might consider little more than powerful local land-wights, I see the boundaries between these categories as being fairly blurred anyway.

My thinking on this matter allows me to do several things:

To acknowledge the superiority of the Aesir and Vanir among other beings of similar, if, in the heathen view, inferior status.

To recognise that other nations worship powerful beings that, while not as excellent as our Gods, still are worthy of respect in their own territories.

To see these other deities, not as necessarily evil creatures or demons as Christianity is wont to do, but as potential allies of our own Aesir and Vanir.

As such, I am happy to recommend my viewpoint to others.

This thanksgiving the lions will play the packers and the cowboys will play the broncos.

Predictions: Dallas 24   Oakland 10  And  New York 35   Denver 21     And      Green Bay 35    Detriot  17