It's Memorial Day Weekend...I Am Outta Here!

It seems to be a tradition for me to get out of town on Memorial Day Weekend. Two years ago, I headed North and went to Toronto for the weekend. Last year, I headed East (way East) and was in Ireland over Memorial Day Weekend. This year, I am going West and spending Memorial Day weekend in San Francisco. If you need me, you may want to use this handy San Francisco microbrewery map to track me down:

Stop The Season, I Want To Get Off.

I can't take it. I can't take the pressure of a Cleveland team being favored to win a championship. This is just too much for me to bare. When the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the over-drawn out NBA regular season with the best record, it was wonderful, but so bittersweet. I just wanted the season to end there. Hang up a banner and call them regular-season champs. Unfortunately that isn't the way it works in Cleveland. The expectation now is to win the championship and sweep through the even more over-drawn out NBA playoff season.

It's great to have expectations, but a championship has not been won in Cleveland for over 45 years. My generation has seen heartbreak after heartbreak. Cleveland is a city that has three major sports teams and a sad story to tell about each one. Now the CAVS enter the post-season with the expectation to win the championship. No problem. Well...maybe one problem: the Cavaliers are from Cleveland. I am just hoping nobody has told the players about this small glitch.

The Best Monday Ever.

Up until yesterday, I pretty much hated Mondays. I mean there really is very little to like about this day. That all changed with two different events-both very exciting in their own way.

For some unbelievable reason, I was the only person in my March Madness pool to pick North Carolina. I was down by 24 points heading into last night's game with the winner picking up 25 points. I obviously won. For the second time in four years, I am thankful to North Carolina for winning the national championship. I am also thankful because I ran this pool, and I am the worst at running things like this. I am horrible with money and the money I have already received from people was spent weeks ago. In my mind, I broke even last night. I think in the future, I may leave running these things to those more fiscally responsible than myself.

Good thing number two on Monday made my day even without the North Carolina victory. It was reported yesterday that Diane Palin, Sarah Palin's sister-in-law was arrested for breaking into homes. On top of the media tour that Levi Johnston is currently doing, this makes Sarah Palin look even worse, and I had no idea that was possible. Part of me almost feels sorry for her, but then I think back to all the stupid things she said last Fall and I can't help but smile.

I am already looking forward to next Monday!

The Upset Nobody Knows About

One of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history happened yesterday, and hardly anybody even knows about it. If you didn't fill out a women's bracket this year (don't lie-I know you didn't), than you weren't paying attention. Yesterday in a stunning upset, Ball State of the Mid-American Conference beat defending champion Tennessee in the first round 71-55.

If you aren't familiar with the format of the women's tournament, there are few upsets compared to the madness on the men's side. The committee sets the games up so that the higher-ranked teams play closer to home to draw more fans. On top of that, there is a great divide between the great teams in women's basketball and the good teams. The parity doesn't exist. (See: Connecticut's undefeated regular season rampage.) If you aren't familiar with Tennessee women's basketball, they don't lose in the first round. They never have. They have a coach in Pat Summitt (See: Legend) that just won her 800th game this season, and they also happen to be the two-time defending champions of this tournament. If you aren't familiar with Ball State women's basketball than join the club. I didn't have much of a chance to follow women's basketball in the MAC this winter, but I do know Ball State wasn't even favored to win their conference tournament this year. Their prize for winning their tournament was getting shipped to Kentucky to play Tennessee in the first round. This should have been a blow-out for Tennessee. It wasn't and that is what makes March Madness so great.

I am blogging about this today because of the timing of it all. Yesterday I had a conversation with a gentleman who didn't even know there was a women's tournament. I know most people don't follow women's sports like I do, but why not try it out this March? You may just catch some upsets or a history-making win like this one. Happy Women's History Month Ball State!

Everyone Has March Madness

Sure he could have been doing something more important for these five minutes, but this time of year, even President Obama has March Madness: Click this link to see Obama go through his whole bracket with ESPN's Andy Katz. Good Luck to everyone with their own March Madness this year!

Here is the link to the video if it doesn't work:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3992869

Enough Is Enough

I haven't blogged in two weeks. This means I have been holding in a lot of Sportygrrl frustration. I am frustrated by things happening in sports, politics, stupid holidays and stupid people in general. My stew of frustration consists of the following ingredients:

One cup of Leave Cleveland Alone. Forbes magazine named Cleveland the fourth most miserable city in the United States. You think we don't know we have problems? You think we don't know our weather sucks and that we haven't won a sports championship in over fifty years? You think we don't know LeBron James is going to be a free agent in two years? Yes, that was actually one of the reasons they gave for Cleveland being so miserable. If you are going to call us miserable at least talk about our housing and education problems. Compared to that, James is not making us miserable. This leads me to...

One cup of Stop Talking About LeBron James' Free Agency. Yes, he may leave Cleveland, but why do we have to keep talking about it? It isn't for two years. There is nothing the people of Cleveland can do to make this decision for him. It's his decision to make. Call me in 2010 and let me know where he is playing. Right now he is playing for the CAVS. End of story. This is really starting to make Cleveland look desperate. This leads me to...

One cup of Stop Making Cleveland Look Stupid. Hey Connie Schultz: I normally like what you have to write and say, BUT the next time you show up on my favorite nationally-televised talk show, The Rachel Maddow Show, to talk about Cleveland's housing problems, don't talk about the Animal Protection League. Instead of talking about homeless people and foreclosure issues, Schultz used her national moment in the sun to talk about all of the animals without homes in Cleveland due to foreclosures. That was a shame. This leads me to...

One cup of Stop Deconstructing The Stimulus Bill. Shame on those people in Congress that didn't think Family planning should be a part of this stimulus bill. Yes, tax cuts help the economy, but you know what else helps the economy? Less unplanned childbirths and information regarding contraceptives that is attainable for people in every economic class. On top of that, why is everyone up in arms over Obama saying this bill was imperative to pass? Wasn't it our last President (sorry...I can't remember his name) and his Treasury Secretary that said the country would be ruined if their bailout plan wasn't passed? Speaking of passing...

To finish up this stew, don't forget to add one cup of I Hate Valentine's Day. Do people even know what this holiday celebrates? Try reading this article to get a better perspective. If you have to pick one day out of the year to be extra nice to your significant other, than you probably shouldn't be together. How about showing them everyday that you actually like them? Please note I also feel the same way about St. Patricks Day. There should be a rule that you have some understanding of Irish history before you go out and get drunk and then puke on my street.

Speaking of drinking and puking on streets, I leave for Mardi Gras in nine days. I think I might need to get away for a couple days, what do you think?

Runner-Up Ingredients Included: Don't purposely have eight kids while on government assistance and Brett Favre should have retired two years ago.

The Last Person In America To Blog About The Inauguration

I may actually be the last person who attended the 2009 Presidential Inauguration to blog about it, or at least the 1.6 millionth. By now, many of you have read about it, watched it or just don't care anymore. My timing is always impeccable. In my defense, I got sick. I was very sick right before I went, and standing in freezing weather for 13 hours didn't help very much. I am only now recovering from one of the best experiences of my life. The event was everything that everyone who has already blogged about described. (I am also an incredibly lazy blogger, so this may also be attributed to my late timing.) If you read that the event was breath-taking-it was. If you have read that it was amazing how many people showed up to celebrate-it was. If you have read that there were long lines, but everything was worth the wait-it was. If you read that it was worth getting up in the middle of the night to catch the first train out of Baltimore to DC-it was. It was a great experience shared together by people who have never met, but came together in peace and celebration. Think about it-there were over two million people and no arrests. That in itself was historical, but to be a part of this moment, made me feel like I have never felt before. Please enjoy my pictures: All Photos can be viewed here

Inauguration 2009

Two months ago I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be going to Washington for the 2009 Inauguration. It was just too much of a hassle and too expensive. With my new job, I was unable to even take the day off of work. I was fine with this. It was out of my head.

Last night at the Community Shares of Greater Cleveland Young Professionals mixer, something happened that changed all of this. I was approached with an opportunity to stay and go for a really cheap price. Everything fell into place. Before I made my decision, there were professional and personal obligations that I had to weigh. The decision became tougher and tougher to make, and then more things fell into place. I was still torn and then I found the video below. It brought back all of my election blog entries along with every feeling I had on election night and then my decision was made. I am going to attend the 2009 Inauguration of our 44th President and I am going to love every minute of it. Needless to say, The Save A Lot Experiment of 2009 is going to be temporarily put on hold unless I find one in the DC area. Enjoy the video! Special thanks goes out to Jed Lewison for making such a great piece that continuously brings back all the emotions of that special night.

The Save A Lot Experiment of 2009

I am poor. I just moved out on my own-which is a blog entry all in itself-and now I am feeling the effects of self-sufficiency. So much so that it is time to make sacrifices. Sacrifices like going out and eating and drinking to my heart's content. If this is your first time to my blog, you should know: I like going out to eat and drink. This must now end at least for the moment, or the next two weeks as I begin my new experiment.

The other night I was in Save A Lot, and realized while the food may not be of the best quality, and there is a real lack of choices, the prices can not be beat. My mission if I choose to accept it is to live off only food from Save A Lot from this Sunday up until Super Bowl Sunday (February 1, 2009). To make the mission even a little more difficult, I am going to try and cook only healthy meals or at least something you would not be afraid to feed to a still-growing child. This means I am not going to live off of frozen pizzas and macaroni and cheese for the next two weeks. I am trying to think of it as Iron Chef America on a budget. Updates to follow!

In case you were wondering, they do have beer there, so don't worry about me in that department.

2008: A Recap. Sportygrrl Style.

A new year has begun. It is now time to reflect back on the past year and laugh at myself because I am a complete moron. Though I also had some moments of brilliance-fleeting as they were. Just in case you missed anything from my blog this past year, here are the highlights.

January 16th: The World Beer Tour Begins
February 20th: The best of Las Vegas
March 2nd: The Browns sign Clinton and Obama
March 4th: No Hillary for me
June 6th: IRELAND
July 14th: The swimsuit fiasco
August 29th: The Palin discovery
September 4th: Twitter This!
September 10th: No Way Palin
October 4th: Birthday Month
October 21st: The origin of Sportygrrl
October 29th: Sports as a form of Socialism
November 5th: HOPE.

It is always good to go back and laugh at yourself or other people (Thank you Sarah Palin!). I hope everyone has a wonderful 2009. My resolution is to blog more.

Why I Haven't Blogged Much Lately

I wish I could say that I have been so busy being political, volunteering and learning a new job that I haven't had time to blog lately. Unfortunately this is not the case. This is the real case (literally):


Ironically, I do come up with some of my best blog ideas after having a couple bottles. My follow-through or the ability to complete full sentences however becomes strained after drinking this stuff. Other things that become strained after having just a couple Great Lakes Christmas Ales: motor skills, vision, self-control and the ability to not want to start a bar fight.

My New Rule

I am back. Sorta. I need to find more time to start blogging again. Yesterday I was inspired because I received an award from this blog. This blogger also has this blog which gives a wonderful perspective on life in Detroit and politics all over the world. Check it out if you get the chance.

I have also been inspired by ignorance. It truly is bliss, or at least appears to be that way. Lately I have received all types of racist forwarded e-mails regarding Barack Obama. It was bound to happen. What I didn't think would happen is that some of these e-mails would come from people who voted for Ken Blackwell two years ago. Blackwell is an African-American Republican, and he ran for Governor of Ohio against Ted Strickland in 2006. This begs the question: If you voted for an African-American two years ago to run your state, how can you have contempt for an African-American, or a "mutt" as Obama refers to himself? I now have to implement my new rule of common sense. Here is the refresher for everyone out there:

If you voted for this guydon't forward racist e-mails about this guy: It doesn' t make any sense. At all.

Bushisms

(I interrupt this blog vacation as I have been motivated by George W. Bush to write. Yes...he has finally motivated me. It only took eight years.)

I watched the George Bush interview the other night on CNN when he talked about the things he regretted saying. He only mentioned two things. Seriously? Two? Is that per day? I almost forgot how moronic he is. It is just unbelievable to me that this man has been our Commander-in-Chief for the past eight years. When Obama was elected, it gave every child hope that they could do or be anything they wanted one day no matter the color of their skin. To me, it meant something else. It actually showed that if you had a good vocabulary with articulate expressions and well-spoken thoughts, you too could be president. It has given me hope as well that I can be anything I want to be. For a well-spoken American, it was hard to have aspirations that we could rise up because this is what we saw leading our country on a daily basis:

Blog Vacation

Like Barack Obama, I was offered a new job last Tuesday. His position is a little more exciting than mine, but it's still a transition nonetheless. I have been quite busy the past week, and probably will be for the next week or so until I get settled into my new position. With this in mind, I probably won't be blogging nearly as much. In case the two of you who actually read my blog get bored, you can always watch one of my favorite videos:
The first Sarah Palin spotting on SNL:

Global Impact

Change is coming and it has not only inspired a nation, but much more importantly a world. A world of people celebrated OUR presidential election. After a time when I felt embarrassed to call myself an American, today I wake up so proud. Proud of my country for voting and proud for what this country has the propensity to do for ourselves, for each other, for America and for the world. Our country elected him, but everyone celebrated him (The last picture of the slideshow is my back porch as the champagne was opened):

Change Is In The Air

If you woke up in Cleveland, Ohio this morning you can feel that change is coming. You can feel the excitement in the air. Everyone is walking around with smiles on their faces because they have been waiting ten months for this day to come. That's right, Great Lakes Brewing Company has changed it's seasonal beers and it's Christmas Ale time! The strongest beer I have ever consumed is being tapped at bars around Cleveland tonight. Hopefully people will be drinking it in celebration.
[ I will not be indulging in Christmas Ale tonight. We are having a very small get together that will involve buttered rum, champagne and a big crock pot of moose stew (Sarah Palin's favorite meal). The champagne will hopefully be opened sooner than later. I can't do another 2000 or 2004. Indiana, Virginia and Ohio polls should all be announced by 9. At that point, the bubbly will be poured.]

Why I Early Voted

I voted three weeks ago. The process was so easy. I was one of three people voting at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections on Thursday, October 9. My co-workers, many of whom still are not at work yet because they are standing in line voting, mocked me and said my vote wouldn't be counted. It was counted this past weekend along with all the other absentee ballots in Cuyahoga County. I have slept like a baby for the past three nights knowing I have already voted and my vote has been counted.

This morning our alarm clock went off at 5:30. My girlfriend had to get up earlier than usual to vote. As she drove off to wait in line, I watched CNN and got ready for work peacefully. I left a little early to go get my free Starbucks coffee, which every person who voted today is able to get. I was the only one at Starbucks. I flashed my "I voted sticker" which I kept because they gave me three of them back on October 9 when there was a sticker surplus. I saw another person in there who had just left the polls. She looked excited but tired. I gave her a refreshed smile and a look of confidence that every Obama supporter is passing on today, and kept on my merry way. As I drove to work, I passed lines of people standing outside waiting to vote. I got a text from my girlfriend who voted but didn't get a sticker for her free coffee. Apparently there were no stickers to be found. Bummer. I listened to CNN on my XM radio, and found out there are already voting machine issues in major battleground cities. Can someone explain to me how five of the seven voting machines in Richmond VA, have already broken after only an hour? (Aunt Mary: you live in Richmond, whats going on with your Board of Elections?) I was the first person at work today. As more people walked in, there were stories of long lines and the inability to vote due to time constraints. I just sipped on my free coffee and tried not to mock them as they had mocked me only three weeks earlier.

Sarah Palin Makes Halloween Fun!

For Halloween this year I decided to dress up as Sarah Palin's house and Julie decided to go as Russia. Sarah Palin inspired this idea with her brilliant quotes regarding the way Alaskans can see Russia, and this in return made Palin qualified on foreign relations issues. I am really going to miss her in two days!

This is the costume. I was Palin's house and Julie was Russia. Good Times:


Here is our inspiration:

The Opposite Of Hope

When a candidate builds somebody up so much like John McCain has done with "Joe The Plumber" there are bound to be Frankenstein moments when the monster turns against you. This video sums up that moment as "Joe" (His real name is Samuel by the way) stands McCain up at a rally. McCain then proceeds to say how he saw "Joe" on television that morning. Shouldn't Joe be watching McCain on television and not the other way around? I have to admit I felt sorry for McCain after watching this video, but that quickly faded as I found out "Joe" is about to sign a country record deal. Nice job McCain Campaign: You really are helping the unemployment crisis (at least for one man).

HOPE.

At an early age, my mom instilled in me how much politics can impact you emotionally. She would re-tell stories of the way she would feel when she listened to JFK speak before he was elected. I feel like I was there with her when she found out JFK had been shot, not because she told that story so many times, but because of the way she told it. I always wanted to feel that way about a candidate. To have a president inspire me. To give me someone to believe in the way she believed in JFK.

Today I drive home from work and listen to Barack Obama and get goosebumps. He inspires me. He speaks to me. I relate to what he has to say not just about the economy but on foreign policy and education. My hot button topic is education. I work in education. I work with college students everyday who can't afford to go to school. Obama is the only candidate who has asked these students to join him. To join him and give back to this country with community service and volunteering and he will help them go to school. This concept is not new, but it seems to have been forgotten. Nothing inspires me more and gives me more hope for this country than listening to Obama speak about everyone working together, and the opportunities this can lead to for the future. We as a people have to be accountable not only for ourselves, but we also have to be accountable for the future of our country. Take care of ourselves and take care of our neighbors and the country will do it's best to take care of you. Is this such a crazy concept? Is this such a new concept? Does "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?" sound familiar?(Barack Obama speaking in the rain in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, October 28th, even after the Mccain campaign canceled their Pennsylvania commitments due to the weather)

Sports Socialism

If you are following the current landscape of the 2008 election, you would know that the new catch phrase is "Redistribution of Wealth," and it is being used against Barack Obama. This is a fun phrase that the GOP and Fox News like to use to scare people into believing this will be the first time in their life they will have to pay taxes, and that those taxes are going to go directly to a non-deserving population of people. They are even calling him a Socialist. To these people apparently a Socialist is someone who believes those at the bottom deserve a chance, and with that chance, a more competitive market place will occur at home and abroad. This is not Socialism, it's common sense. If you are a sports fan, you see this annually when your favorite team drafts a new player. To make this more relevant to Cleveland sports fans, I want to remind you of the 2002-2003 Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 2002-2003 Cleveland Cavaliers stunk. They tied for the worst record in the league. Thankfully for the Socialist mentality of the NBA, and other major sports leagues, the worst teams in the league draft first. They do this to create a more competitive league by giving the worst teams a redistribution of wealth. That particular draft brought LeBron James to Cleveland and the rest is history. If the NBA didn't believe in fairness, then LeBron would have gone to the Los Angeles Lakers who won the championship the year before, and they would have continued to win championships year after year. This would have become boring, and fans would have stopped attending games for small market teams. This most likely would have ended up in a bailout for these small market teams and perhaps an emergency plan-maybe even a 700 billion dollar emergency plan-to help out these small market teams who never received the chance at a top draft pick. Even in my fantasy football league, the worst team gets the first shot at free agents every week. I almost called the Commissioner of my league this week to complain and call him a Socialist, but then I realized he was just being fair. Because of this Socialist fantasy football policy my last place team two weeks ago, has now won two games in a row, and we have HOPE that we can make the playoffs. We were given a chance to do something with our team, whether we did or not was up to us, but at least we had a chance.

If hope, fairness and chances are how the GOP is going to re-define socialism, then count me in because I am a small-market sports fan that loves fantasy football and loves this country. For now on, just call me Jo-Anne Six Pack, the Socialist.

Sportygrrl Election Homework: read this article from the New Yorker to see how much McCain actually AGREES with Obama AND Biden's policy and comments on taxation.
This excerpt is from the article:
During the 2000 campaign, on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” a young woman asked McCain why her father, a doctor, should be “penalized” by being “in a huge tax bracket.” McCain replied that “wealthy people can afford more” and that “the very wealthy, because they can afford tax lawyers and all kinds of loopholes, really don’t pay nearly as much as you think they do.” The exchange continued:
YOUNG WOMAN: Are we getting closer and closer to, like, socialism and stuff?. . .
MCCAIN: Here’s what I really believe: That when you reach a certain level of comfort, there’s nothing wrong with paying somewhat more.

Fantasy Football Players Care About The Election Too!

For the sake of this blog, let's forget that I watch CNN 20 hours a day (My girlfriend thinks I have a serious problem, but I just call it Electionitis). Let's also forget that I could recite all four stump speeches that each candidate gives everyday (I have the scars to prove it my friends). What if I didn't follow everything going on in the current election like it was my job? Like many Americans who don't have the time or the patience to listen to every single thing being said and written about, I would most likely get my news from the periodicals that I normally read, such as ESPN The Magazine and one of my favorite writers, Rick Reilly. Reilly isn't a politcal commentator. He writes about real life and he does it really well. If I was an undecided voter without the knowledge of 20 hours of CNN a day, this story from Reilly last week would have helped me make my decision because when I am not watching CNN, I am obsessing over fantasy football (in case this is your first time to my blog, I really like fantasy football A LOT). With that in mind, you can imagine how excited I was to read this article written by Reilly about his fantasy football partner, Barack Obama (It's important to note that Reilly asked both candidates to play a week of fantasy football with him, but only Obama agreed to the challenge):

I have the absolute worst fantasy league football partner. Just try to get the guy to return a call. Or a text. You need a damn court order.

He's Barack Obama. And, yeah, I guess he's busy, but why was I the one who had to fly to Dayton, get frisked and have bomb dogs drool on my bags just so I could meet him getting off his tricked-out, chartered 757? He can't meet a guy halfway?

I asked each candidate to be my running mate for one week in a fantasy league, just to see what kind of president he'd make—how he'd handle decisions under pressure and balance a budget. (On ESPN.com's Gridiron Challenge, you get a mystical $50M to spend on a team.) Only Obama bit. We settled on the Week 6 games.

Still, you talk about bossy. I thought he'd let the professional sportswriter do most of the picking while the wonk occasionally looked up from some Pakistan brief and nodded. Yeah, not exactly. When I got on his campaign bus, all three flat screens were tuned to ESPN. Obama was sitting in a black leather swivel chair, reading the paper. "Hey, man, I'll be with you in a second," he said. "I'm poring over the latest economic news." It was the USA Today NFL stats page.

He is taller, grayer and quicker to laugh than I expected. Moves sort of like an athlete—cool and smooth. "Now, you're the expert," he began. "And I'll gladly be the junior partner in this, but I really think we should take Drew Brees. He could have a big week. Oakland's secondary is a wreck."

Ohhhh, so that's how it's going to be. "Well, I like Carson Palmer," I said. "He's due for a big week, plus he plays in Ohio and I figure that's a state you need, so …"

He looked at me like I'd stuck my elbow in his soup. "Man, this is more important than politics!" he insisted. "This is football!"

This is a man who could potentially audit me forever. We paid $7.3M for Brees.
He wanted Clinton Portis. I wanted Adrian Peterson. We took Portis ($6.6M). He wanted Brandon Marshall. I wanted Bernard Berrian. We took Marshall ($5.7M).
Doesn't work well with others. Check.

Have to admit, though, he knows his stuff. Turns out, he played a little. He was a tight end in ninth grade until a coach told him to "trample" an opponent's back. He gave up football for hoops. In 2004, when Mike Ditka considered running against him for Senate, Obama—remembering how Ditka let William Perry score a Super Bowl TD instead of Walter Payton—said that "anybody who would give the ball to Refrigerator Perry instead of Sweetness doesn't have very good judgment." Ditka didn't run. "Too bad," Obama says. "We were hoping he would."

Likes to bait Hall of Famers. Check.

It took us 30 minutes to pick nine slots. The man was into it. I said I'd need to talk to him the following week about how we did.

"Cool," he said. "How's Tuesday?"

"Sorry," I said. "Getting married Tuesday."

He looked stunned. "Who'd marry you?"

Wise guy. Check.

We wound up in a dark tunnel under Fifth Third Field in Dayton for a campaign event. He was telling me a story about throwing out a first pitch when suddenly I heard over the PA system, "… the next president of the United States, Barack Obama!" He looked at me, said "Gotta go!" and sprinted up some steps to a thunderclap of a roar.

Afterward, while signing books, he asked if I thought we'd win. "Win?" I said. "There's like a gazillion teams in this thing!"

He glared a hole in me. "You think we're just messing around?"

Then Sunday came. Man, did he get lucky. The guys he made us choose—Brees and Portis—went nuts. The guys I wanted, not so much. We finished 32,190th for the week. But wait! That put us in the 81.2 percentile, which means we beat four out of five teams!

Of course, he already knew. Because, like so many Americans, he was checking the fantasy stats all day, even while he was supposed to be prepping for his final debate. He e-mailed to say he wished he had followed my advice on Berrian (who smoked Marshall), but he was "pumped up" about our numbers. And he congratulated the newlyweds.

I e-mailed back and said that if he wins this election, the ambassadorship to Tahiti would make a nice wedding present.

Retraction

I can no longer be angry at LeBron James. He may be a Yankees fan and he may be a Cowboys fan. He may also be leaving Cleveland in two years to go play somewhere else, but he has changed my mind about all of those hard feelings. I have been impressed by the way James has gotten involved in this year's election. He has taken criticism in the past with his political stances, but I think he has finally come around to realize you can create change when you put your money where your mouth is. This is his latest gesture, and it is quite impressive considering he has already been registering voters and canvassing downtown for Obama.

The Origin Of Sportygrrl

People often ask me, Sportygrrl, how did you get your name? Ok, nobody has ever asked me this, but if they did, this is how I would answer them:

(Insert Bizarre Time Warp Music)

On the night of October 20th, 1975 my mother went into labor during Monday Night Football. Is this a surprise to anyone? From The Buffalo Bills website:
October 20, 1975 -- BILLS SUFFER FIRST LOSS OF SEASON
In a bizarre Monday night game at Rich Stadium, the N.Y. Giants handed the Bills their first loss of the season, 17-14. Many fans acted atrociously, taking off their clothes, getting involved in numerous brawls, and mugging for the national TV cameras.

I was born the next morning on October 21st 1975. This happened to fall on the same day as Game 6 of the World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox. From Wikepedia:
October 21, 1975-Game 6 of the World Series. This game would go down as one of the greatest games not only in World Series and post-season history, but baseball history as well. In the bottom of the 12th inning Carlton Fisk took the second pitch and lifted a high drive down the left-field line. The ball struck the foul pole just above the Green Monster. In what has now become an iconic baseball film highlight, the NBC left-field game camera caught Fisk wildly waving his arms to his right after hitting the ball and watching its path while drifting down the first base line, as if he was trying to coax the ball to "stay fair." The ball indeed stayed fair and the Red Sox had tied the Series.

Let me also say that Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite movies of all-time. As I sat in the theatre watching this incredible film and this scene played out, I knew I was born for greatness, or at least to write a blog that 2-3 people would read a day:


With all the sports drama during this two-day period, I had to grow up to be a Sportygrrl. I had no choice.

McCain Endorses Obama

I taped Meet The Press for the first time in my life on Sunday. What happened on Sunday was so historical that I wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to see one of the most-respected Republicans in the United States endorse Barack Obama. Colin Powell, George W. Bush's first Secretary of State and then National Security Advisor, endorsed Obama and put the last nail in McCain's presidential coffin. Obviously McCain won't be endorsing Obama until November 5th, but just take a look at the list of GOP supporters who have jumped ship to embrace Barack Obama, or turn a cold shoulder to McCain. This list is just a sampling and was taken from The Jed Report.

Florida GOP (Sun Oct 19):
The Florida GOP is planning to withhold about $2 million that it was planning on spending to help John McCain win the state. Instead, "Florida Republicans already are looking ahead to 2010 when Crist runs for re-election."

Colin Powell (Sun Oct 19):
Colin Powell, former 4-star general, Reagan national security adviser, Bush Sr. chairman of the joint chiefs, and secretary of state, gave a full throated endorsement of Barack Obama and indictment of the McCain campaign and the Republican party.

Frank Luntz (Sat Oct 18):
Frank Luntz, GOP pollster and language expert, states bluntly: "I think Barack Obama is going to be the next president of the United States." He adds: "John McCain cannot communicate. Stevie Wonder reads a teleprompter better than John McCain."

Michael Smerconish (Fri Oct 17):
On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (Fri Oct 17):
For the first time in the 161 year history of the Chicago Tribune, the paper has endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee: Barack Obama.

Richard Lugar (Wed Oct 15):
Richard Lugar, the seniormost Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, came close to a full endorsement of Obama by endorsing his approach to foreign policy - specifically, his emphasis on diplomacy.

RNC (in Wisconsin) (Wed Oct 15):
The RNC is giving up on McCain in Wisconsin. TV stations report that they've stopped airing ads attacking Obama, and won't comment on the pullout.

Rush Limbaugh (Tue Oct 14):
Rush Limbaugh all but accepted the fact that John McCain had lost this election, asking Sarah Palin "have you even thought about a political future beyond this campaign?" Obviously, if Limbaugh thought McCain could win...her political future would be as Vice President.

Matthew Dowd (Tue Oct 14):
Matthew Dowd, a former Bush strategist, let the cat out of the bag: "They didn't let John McCain pick the person he wanted to pick as VP...[McCain] knows, in his gut, that he put somebody unqualified on the ballot. He knows that in his gut, and when this race is over that is something he will have to live with... He put somebody unqualified on that ballot and he put the country at risk, he knows that."

Dennis Hopper (Mon Oct 13):
Loyal Republican actor-director Dennis Hopper is giving up on his party, at least for this election, complaining of the "lies" of the current administration and saying "I voted for Bush, father and son, but this time I'll vote for Obama."

Mickey Edwards (Mon Oct 13):
Republican Mickey Edwards, formerly a congressman from Oklahoma, distances himself from McCain, saying "today, thanks to a campaign apparently managed by Moe, Curly, and Larry, he comes across as erratic (Obama's word, but it fits), impulsive, befuddled, and ill-tempered, and apparently unable to utter any words other than 'surge' and 'earmarks.'" Edwards also plays the blame game very explicitly: "If Obama gets a big win, it will be McCain himself, and the Three Stooges calling the shots at his headquarters who will deserve whatever blame is attached for transforming a viable and energetic Obama campaign into a steamroller grinding the Republican Party into the ground."

David Frum (Mon Oct 13):
David "axis of evil" Frum gets his "I told you so" ready at the National Review and rebukes his critics who complain that he isn't cheerleading for McCain enough. He concludes: "Perhaps it is our job at NRO is tell our readers only what they want to hear, without much regard to whether it is true. Perhaps it is our duty just to keep smiling and to insist that everything is dandy - that John McCain's economic policies make sense, that his selection of Sarah Palin was an act of statesmanship, that she herself is the second coming of Anna Schwartz, and that nobody but an over-educated snob would ever suggest otherwise."

Michelle Malkin (Mon Oct 13):
Michelle Malkin expresses her disappointment in McCain after learning that "John McCain had no problem calling ACORN members his friends during his ill-fated illegal alien shamnesty crusade." She concludes, "We're Screwed '08."

Erick Erickson (Mon Oct 13):
Erick Erickson, "editor in chief" of RedState.com, is giving up on McCain: "With only a few weeks left until election day, let's be blunt: McCain-Palin '08 does not seem to be making headway against the polling." He suggests that McCain needs to choose between himself and senate/house Republicans, and suggests that his readers focus on downballot races: "The Republican numbers in the House and Senate can be salvaged, but in the next few weeks there must be a realistic assessment from the McCain campaign regarding winning his own race versus helping Congressional Republicans mitigate their losses."

Bill Kristol (Mon Oct 13):
Kristol: "It's time for John McCain to fire his campaign. He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama's."

Lee Terry (Mon Oct 13):
In Nebraska, a Republican representative, Lee Terry, ran a newspaper ad featuring support from a woman who called herself an "Obama-Terry voter."

Roger Stone (Sun Oct 12):
Roger Stone, a longtime McCain supporter, said the state party and the national campaign bear almost equal blame. ''This effort lacks coordination and a cooperative spirit and it's showing,'' Stone said. "But it's more than mechanics. The campaign has no consistent message.''

Charlie Crist-Governor of Florida (Sun Oct 12):
"Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World."

Patrick Ruffini (Sat Oct 11):
Conservative columnist Patrick Ruffini argues that the RNC needs to give up on McCain and try to save Republican house and senate seats, and that "McCain should start explicitly making the argument for divided government, with him as the only hope of preserving it. This is unlikely to be a voting issue at the Presidential level, but we need to get the idea percolating that we are about to elect Obama with unchecked, unlimited power." That is, Ruffini wants to sacrifice McCain to save congressional Republicans.

Tommy Thompson (Sat Oct 11):
Former Republican Governor of Wisconsin, said it would be difficult for Mr. McCain to win in his state but not impossible, particularly if he campaigned in conservative Democratic parts of the state. Asked if he was happy with Mr. McCain's campaign, Mr. Thompson replied, "No," and he added, "I don't know who is."

Saul Anuzis (Sat Oct 11):
Saul Anuzis, the Republican chairman in Michigan, said "I think you're seeing a turning point, you're starting to feel real frustration because we are running out of time. Our message, the campaign's message, isn't connecting."

Norm Coleman-Minnesota GOP Senator (Fri Oct 10):
Coleman bails on McCain rally: "[Norm] Coleman told reporters that he would not be appearing at a planned rally with McCain this afternoon. Could it be McCain's sliding polling numbers in Minnesota? His attacks on Obama?"

Christopher Buckley (Fri Oct 10):
Christopher Buckley, son of National Review founder William F. Buckley, and columnist for the National Review himself, endorsed Barack Obama, saying "this campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic."

William Milliken (Fri Oct 10):
Former Republican Governor of Michigan William Milliken, who endorsed McCain during the primaries, said: "He is not the McCain I endorsed; he keeps saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me. I'm disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues."

Ed Rollins (Fri Oct 10):
Ed Rollins ran Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign in 1984, so he knows a thing or two about landslides -- and he's predicting one for Barack Obama. At this point, he says the only question left to answer is whether John McCain will take the Republican Party down with him.

Joshua Trevino (Fri Oct 10):
Joshua Trevino, co-founder of RedState.com, wrote on his blog: "In the end, I couldn't do it...I opened it fully intending to vote for John McCain...Do I believe in John McCain? Not as much as I used to. Do I believe in Sarah Palin? Despite my early enthusiasm for her, now not at all. Do I believe in the national Republican Party? Not in the slightest -- even though I see no meaningful alternative to it. So, my choice for President in 2008, scrawled in my ballot as an act of futile protest, is Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana."

National Review Editorial Board (Thu Oct 9):
"We never thought we would defend the Frank-Dodd legislation, which we bitterly opposed last summer. But it looks downright prudent compared to what McCain has proposed. McCain's plan is a full bailout for lenders."

Perry Diaz (Wed Oct 8):
Perry Diaz, chairman of the National Federation of Filipino-American Republicans, resigned from his post and withdrew his endorsement, saying "I endorsed McCain before the California primary believing that he was the right man for the job. I was wrong. His selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate and his decision a few days ago to resort to personal attacks on Obama's character and integrity run counter to my personal beliefs and core values. I have lost my respect for McCain and I believe that a McCain/Palin administration would only worsen the economic situation in the country."

David Brooks (Wed Oct 8):
David Brooks rips apart McCain's pick for VP, saying "Sarah Palin represents a fatal cancer to the Republican party."

George Will (Wed Oct 8):
George Will laments McCain's campaign and quotes an Orioles manager: "Are you going to get any better or is this it?" His takeaway? "Obama in a romp in November? Don't be surprised"

Lilibet Hagel (Tue Oct 7):
Lilibet Hagel, wife of Republican senator Chuck Hagel, appeared with Susan Eisenhower to endorse Barack Obama, saying that this election is "not about fighting phantom issues churned out by a top-notch slander machine. Most importantly it is not about distracting the public - you and me - with whatever slurs someone thinks will stick."

Kathleen Parker (Fri Sep 26):
Conservative columnist Kathleen Parker wrote in the National Review that Sarah Palin is "out of her league" and should step down for the good of her country.

Wick Allison (Mon Sep 22):
Wick Allison, former publisher of the National Review and current editor-in-chief of D magazine, endorses Obama and writes "I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses. But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history."

My Somewhat Coherent Post-Debate Thoughts.

I have a couple thoughts on the third and final Presidential Debate last night that I would like to share with anyone who may or may not care.

1. Is it me or would you just love to play poker with John McCain? The guy has the worst poker face in the history of mankind. I have never seen anyone so excited to throw out a zinger or know an answer in my life.

2. I found it amazing that Joe the Plumber was available for live interviews right after the debate last night. I also found it amazing he came up 26 times-mostly initiated by McCain. Say it ain't so Joe...the plumber, but I find the whole thing to be a little fishy.

3. I agree with the critics that Obama missed his opportunity to criticize Sarah Palin last night. The Obama/Biden campaign is obviously trying to make her a non-issue. I am sure the McCain/Palin camp wishes she actually was. How do Joe Lieberman and Mitt Romney sleep at night knowing they could have helped McCain win this election?

4. So why did Obama not criticize Palin when he had the opportunity? He may be trying to make her a non-issue, but my real hypothesis is that he only had nine minutes to answer the question. Where do you begin to criticize the credentials of this woman? Nine minutes just is not enough.

5. Hillary Clinton's post-debate interview. I enjoyed it better than the debate. Is it me or does she seem to get smarter everyday, or is that just what John McCain thinks? Afterall, he did praise her four different times last night, while trying to compare some of his plans to her ideals. Does this mean that all the Clinton bashers who support McCain now agree with Hillary? If this is the case, than they also agree Barack Obama will be the next president. Clinton said the phrase "President Obama" every chance she got in that interview. She is really taking one for the team.

6. Speaking of taking one for the team. This is going to seem crazy, but I do believe paying taxes is patriotic. I have no problem with paying taxes. I am lucky to live in a country that has given me a chance to excel with guaranteed government student loans, and to work in a field supported by the government. I think even if you make less than $250,000, you should put it on yourself to pay an extra 3%. Do it yourself on your own terms. Help America. I will consider this my patriotic tithe. Conservatives will say people like myself don't support this country or love this country because of my liberal (though actually pretty moderate) views. I disagree with that. While I may not be taxed 3% more, I guarantee you I will now begin to give an extra 3% of my salary a year to a non-profit that Barack Obama would support when he becomes president. Community Shares, I am talking to you.

7. I will admit McCain's zinger to Obama that he should have run four years ago if he wanted to run against Bush was a great move for his campaign. Not sure why he waited so long to use it, but maybe it's because McCain and Bush really aren't all that different. View for yourself:

Now view this:


You be the judge. To me they both have a pretty bad sense of direction when it comes to this country or leaving a room for that matter.

8. My last and final thought is this: Go Vote. No matter who you want to see win this election-vote! I think it was great when the moderator, Bob Schieffer mentioned the importance of voting at the end of the debate. We live in the greatest country in the world that gives you the honor and privilege to vote for your beliefs. Take advantage of that right.

Now Hiring: McCain Concession Speech Writers

I can't believe he did this. He can't believe his voters took his words seriously, SO NOW WHAT? Get a good concession speech writer. It's over.

Love Hurts

Have you ever been cheated on? Even worse, have you ever found out from a third party? If so, you can imagine how I felt when I saw Brady Quinn on the evening news Wednesday night introducing John McCain as "the next President of the United States." I was heartbroken. Why Brady? Why? We were so close to having it all.

My choice now is to either work through my issues and see if I can salvage this relationship OR revenge. I am choosing revenge. Monday night when I attend the Browns/Giants game wearing my Brady Quinn jersey, I will also be wearing my "I Already Voted for Barack Obama" sticker right over Quinn's number.

As a sidenote to this story: After Quinn introduced McCain, McCain thanked him and wished him luck on Sunday. Does anyone know what Brady Quinn is doing Sunday?? I hope he isn't doing anything to hurt his chances of playing on MONDAY. Is anyone even briefing McCain before his speeches, or is he just hoping Palin will quote something smart off of a coffee cup? In case you missed it, last week Palin misquoted Madeline Albright who was quoted on the back of a Starbucks cup. I think Palin was choosing between that quote and: Caution! Beverage Is Extremely Hot!

Strongsville=Scaryville

I love the bike trails in Strongsville. I love the Brew Kettle in Strongsville. I love the way the MetroParks run through Strongsville into Berea and Rocky River. I even love tobogganing in Strongsville. As of this morning, though, there is one thing that scares me about Strongsville: The People.

Birthday Month

My birthday isn't until October 21st, but I received two gifts early this year, so I well be able to celebrate the whole month. Next Monday Julie is taking me to the Browns Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants, and yesterday my gift arrived from my parents, who will be out of town for my birthday. Waiting for me when I got home from work was this gem: I wanted something to work out with while I was watching television or on the computer, or just feeling too lazy to go to the gym. You can put it anywhere and just pedal or work on your arms while you are doing other things like drinking beer for instance. I love to multi-task.

It was a tough decision because I almost asked for this chair that I saw on the Ellen Degeneres show. Believe me, this video is worth watching.

VP Debate Thought For The Day

Cringe Debate '08

I am looking forward to the Vice-Presidential Debate tomorrow night...I think. Sarah Palin makes me smile everyday with her inadequacies. I can't stop watching her clips on You Tube. Yet, with all of her mistakes, you can't help but wonder if it's all an act. Nobody can really be that stupid, right? What if it's all a ploy to blow us away tomorrow night during the debate? What if she really does know about foreign policy and doesn't think that Alaska is a microcosm of America? Though this isn't my biggest fear. My biggest fear is that Joe Biden is going to be in front of a national audience tomorrow night trying not to look patronizing, pompous and elitist to the American viewer. Luckily Palin has made so many mistakes in her recent interviews that she even made Katie Couric (America's Sweetheart) look patronizing, pompous and elitist, so Biden won't be the only one.

Pssst....Democrats:

GO VOTE! In Ohio, anyone can vote early starting today and there are two ways in which you can vote.

Vote early in person:
There is an early voting location in every county in Ohio. . There is a five-day window, starting today, in which you can both register to vote and vote the same day. This will end at the registration deadline (October 6).

Vote early by mail:
To vote early by mail, download a copy of the absentee ballot request form http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/elections/forms/11-A.pdf

Just in case you aren't sure who you are voting for, I chose this video to help you with your decision only because it isn't a spoof. This is a real video and these are their real answers, and this is how they really act in front of a camera. Could John McCain look any more uncomfortable? Apparently I am not the only one who gets a nervous twitch when Palin talks about foreign policy:

Why I Work Out So Much

I work out a lot. I try to go to the gym at least five times a week and bike when I get the chance. I am not the kind of person who works out to lose weight and stay in shape. I work out so that I can live my life the way I want to and not have to worry about gaining weight. If this is your first time to my blog: I like wings and beer. On top of that I also like to indulge in the Sunday Brunch at The Tap House in Tremont because they serve the most unbelievable breakfast burrito.It is loaded with chorizo sausage, cheese, hollandaise sauce, sour cream and more chorizo sausage. They also have a fabulous beer list including a breakfast stout pictured above (Not all three are mine).

This past weekend I doubled up on my work-outs for two reasons: I knew I was going to The Tap House for brunch on Sunday AND I knew I was going to The Beer Engine in Lakewood to celebrate Oktoberfest. Did I mention I like beer?

Kansas City Has The Right Idea!

The Browns' loss yesterday was humiliating. They looked horrible, and for the fifth game in a row, Derek Anderson looked like his arm was broken. He couldn't complete a pass to anyone wearing a white jersey. If he can't pull it together for the Cincinnati game, then I think it's time to make a change. I am going to start the "Brady, Brady!" chants. What I just found out, is that these chants aren't just happening in Cleveland. Kansas City has also started an organization to try and pry Brady Quinn from us. The website can be found here:The screenshot from the site is above and these people mean business. They have apparel and petitions being sent around the city to try and take OUR quarterback. It is amazing that these fans seem to like him even more than the Browns' coaching staff, and he is on OUR team.

Barracudas Are Scary Scary Animals!

In the past 15 minutes I have received five e-mail messages about Sarah Palin. Some negative and some positive. People are going to think whatever they want about this woman. It doesn't matter what she has done before now. You can't make her look any worse than she has already made herself look in the past: www.sarahpalinexposed.com, so stop trying. From here on out, it is smooth sailing for her. People are going to write her speeches (see the Republican National Convention speech) and set up "special" interviews on the Charles Gibson show for her. It is up to Americans to do the research to decide if they like her or not, and (AGAIN) gender should have nothing to do with this decision, right? Isn't that what Republicans said in the Spring when Hillary Clinton was "hiding behind her apron strings?"

I don't want gender or race to play a part in this election, but unfortunatley both will. I was hoping Palin's nomination would at least encourage more positive dialogue on gender, but it hasn't. Here is my take on gender and Sarah Palin: If she was a man, she would not be in the position she is in now. She would be seen as too conservative. McCain would never have picked her because she would be a man who: is against a woman making a choice about her own body, votes pro-gun on issues, puts church AHEAD of state, doesn't believe in civil liberties for all Americans and among other things wants creationism taught in public schools. What if McCain had picked a man who wanted ALL of these things? It was just a couple of years ago that Pat Buchanan wanted all of these things. Even Republicans were scared about Buchanan being nominated because of his extreme views. I know one Republican who wasn't scared: Sarah Palin. She was Pat Buchanan's 1996 Alaska State Coordinator.

As women, it seems easier to identify with other women. We all got our first period at some unexpecting moment, we have all been teased about insecurities, we have all felt sexism whether we knew it or not, we have been labeled as bitches, whores, sluts, the other woman, the weaker sex, the more sensitive sex and the list can go on and on. We are drawn together by common bonds that most men could never understand. I thought it was incredible when Hillary Clinton ran for president. I didn't vote for her, but I was proud of her and what she accomplished for women. When Condoleeza Rice became Secretary of State I was proud for what she had accomplished, but I again didn't agree with everything she had to say. When Sarah Palin was chosen as McCain's running mate, I not only didn't agree with her, I was scared by her ideologies. Now I understand how Republicans felt in 1996 when Buchanan tried for the nomination.

Benedict Arnold James

Many of you may remember last fall when LeBron James wore a Yankees cap to the Yankees-Indians game, and it just made my stomach turn. If you forgot, you can click here. Now I am beginning to wonder if James even cheers for the CAVS after watching him cheer on the Cowboys yesterday IN Browns Stadium. I bet he is a Steelers fan as well.

Jame is seen here hanging out with Adam "Pacman" Jones before the start of the Cowboys/Browns game on September 7, 2008.

Move Over Blogger, Here's Something Leaner

About a month ago, I joined a social community on-line (cult) called Twitter. This system allows you to update what you are doing or thinking by using your cellphone or computer. Essentially you have a maximum of 140 characters to type out something mundane or something witty, and you can do it endlessly all day. It is especially useful when you want to see what is going on around town or to keep up with your friends throughout the day. Twitter also brings people together on a national basis when major events are happening. Live twittering has been especially fun with people from around the country during the political conventions and other nationally shared experiences. Twitter is becoming so popular that many journalists are now using it to do real-time reporting instead of blogging, and what they have to say is usually a lot more important than the stuff I blurt out at 2am. Click to read story on Twitter's popularity.

This brings us to the important question of: Why do you care about my twittering? I am blogging about Twitter because I have added a new section to my blog. To the right you can see a new section called: The latest on Sportygrrl. These are my last five twitters, and they automatically post to my blog now. They are put on there in reverse order from newest to oldest and the time stamp is on the bottom. There will be times when I will be replying to other people on twitter with an @ symbol, and those twitters will make zero sense to you, but there will be times when my twitters may come in handy. I doubt my twitters will ever come in handy--I don't know who I am kidding, but I thought I would alert you to my newest addition.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

If Labor Day weekend is officially the last weekend of summer, then my summer went out with a bang. I started the weekend out by researching my German ancestors at the Cuyahoga County Oktoberfest. When I say research, I really mean sampling a lot of beer and eating a lot of schnitzel and potatoe pancakes. The next day we headed to Buffalo to research the National Buffalo Wing Festival. In this case, when I say research, I really mean sampling wings from all over the country, drinking beer in a baseball stadium infield, finding cool bars all over the city and staying out until 4 am enjoying the suprisingly exciting Buffalo nightlife. We made it home the next day thirty minutes late for a party that WE were throwing. Luckily there was only one person there waiting for the hosts to arrive.

On top of all of this...IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! I have waited patiently (not really) for the past seven months for football season to start again. With two fantasy teams ready to go, I am looking forward for the regular season to kick off tonight. I initially wanted to change my one team name to "The Sarah Palins," but I thought that might be too extreme. I don't want my team to come off as too conservative or inexperienced.

Along with all of these great experiences and two weeks of political convention drinking games that we have invented (Someone says "Change" and everyone has to drink), there is one more big event I am looking forward to, which will officially bring in the Fall. On September 13, the biggest gala in Cleveland, Pandemonium 08, will be taking place at Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT). This fundraising extravaganza includes live entertainment all night outside and inside the theatre along with free food, beer and wine stations set up all over the CPT campus. Last night I found my dream outfit for this event at a thrift store. The only problem is the shirt is a little snug. I am now about to begin my Nine-Day Pandemonium Diet of Champions. Ironically my diet doesn't include schnitzel, potato pancakes, wings or beer. I wonder if those things have anything to do with my shirt being snug.

**For those of you paying attention, my diet includes not drinking beer for the first weekend of football. That's how much I like this shirt I bought.

Oh Caption, My Caption

I love this time of year. Great photo opportunities, lead to great photo captions. I just couldn't resist when I saw this picture:

John McCain participates in "Take Your Daughter To Work Day" at his Dayton Ohio rally.

Alaska Is The New Black

Breaking News! It appears John McCain has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his VP running mate. I will now be distracted all day as I find out more information on the gun-toting, corruption hating, 1984 Miss Alaska runner up.
To find out more about Palin, click this link. This should make things interesting to say the least.

Oh Caption, My Caption

I didn't think I would have time to blog before the weekend, but when I saw the photo below, I had to post it. This is the most ridiculous picture I have ever seen. Of course we all know he is fake laughing at something one of his potential voters may be saying, but the timing of the shot is priceless. You can make up your own caption for the shot, but I think mine will be: "Obama laughs at Clinton as she warms up the microphone for his acceptance speech." OR "Obama finally finds the guts to laugh at Clinton to her face instead of behind her back." OR "Obama laughs at Hillary Clinton's orange pantsuit as it becomes painfully obvious color will no longer be an issue in this election."

Sportygrrl Through The Years

I know I have been a bad blogger, but I have been so busy. This weekend is going to be quite blog-worthy with the Oktoberfest and my wing trip to Buffalo, but until that happens I thought I would amuse my readers with a fun gadget I found on-line called Yearbook Yourself. Essentially you put a picture of yourself into the website and it shows what your yearbook pictures would have looked like through the decades. It's so scary yet so funny at the same time. Enjoy:

Ohio University's Lottery Pick

When I went to Ohio University, the football team was the big joke on campus. They won only 20 games during my five year tenure in Athens Ohio and most of those wins came during my last two years there. As a matter of fact, when they beat a I-AA team in 1995 it was their first win in two years. The students were so excited they tore down the goal post and drank late into the night. Well they normally drank late into the night, but the goal post coming down was very exciting.

Nowadays things are different at Ohio University. The football team even played in a nationally-televised bowl game two years ago. There must be some luck in the Hocking River because the football players are not only winning on the field, they are also winning the lottery...literally.

This article was posted today on ESPN.com:

ATHENS, Ohio -- Most lottery winners, upon learning they've hit the jackpot, run to the store where they played their lucky numbers to make sure, then find the nearest state lottery commission office to place a claim on their prize. Michael Eynon did all of those things. And then he went to football practice.

Eynon, a senior offensive lineman at Ohio University, matched five numbers in Tuesday's multi-state Mega Millions drawing on the ticket he bought at a Shop Mart in Athens -- good for $250,000 before taxes, the Columbus Dispatch reported.

"It hasn't settled in yet," he said, according to the report. "I've been out throwing footballs, and it's still the same routine."

The odds of matching five numbers, excluding the Mega Ball, were 1 in 3,904,701. Had Eynon matched the Mega Ball as well, he would have won the $34 million grand prize, according to the report.

"Everyone was like, 'Dude, you were one number off,' " Eynon said, according to the newspaper. "I was like, 'I'm satisfied.' This is awesome either way."

Instead of $34 million, Eynon will settle for $172,500 after federal and state taxes. According to the Dispatch, the 22-year-old accounting major from Westlake plans to donate some money to his church, give some to his family and invest the rest.

Ohio U. athletic spokesman Jason Corriher said the winnings will not affect Eynon's NCAA eligibility, according to the report.

"I've been in this business for about 10 years and I cannot remember ever hearing about a student-athlete winning a portion of the lottery," Corriher said, the newspaper reported. "It's pretty unheard of, I think."

Paris Hilton For President

I hate all the political games. I just want November to be here. I can't stand all the banter back and forth. It is just too much to take, and it really begins to make even quasi-political people like myself start to feel apathetic. That is until you see really good non-partisan humor such as the Paris Hilton campaign ad that was just released. Last week John McCain released a commercial saying Barck Obama was similar to Paris Hilton. I think that is a bit of a stretch. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you have to see the absurdity with that comparison. Thankfully somebody was smart enough, rich enough and witty enough to come up with this response (please click the link below):

Click here to see the Paris Hilton video and then click on the video. It will make your day or just keep making my day. Either way-it's funny!

Wings 101

It has been a long time since I have blogged about wings. This by no means indicates it has been a long time since I have eaten wings. After I found out Wing Masters folded (I know...I can't believe it either), ranking them seemed pointless. However there have been a couple things of note this summer that seemed blogworthy:

1. Wings in Ireland are fancy, expensive and small. We went to the Elephant and Castle Pub in Dublin to try their famous wings while we were in Ireland earlier this summer. The Elephant and Castle is a high end pub in the center of the city, and their wings were one of the major draws to the restaurant. Wings are scarce in this country, and this was one of the few places that served them, which was probably why this establishment is known for them. Even though they said they were spiced "New Orleans Style" these were classic Buffalo wings. Classic and expensive. We paid close to $20 for one order. Not only were they pricey they were also quite small. Apparently those outside of the US do not give their animals steroids, so these looked like normal-sized chicken wings and who wants to eat normal sized anything? Not these Americans that's for sure!

2. Wing Night isn't all that bad. I have mentioned again and again how much I hate getting wings on wing night. They are always dryer and never sauced well enough. Last Tuesday this myth was debunked when we were at Winking Lizard on wing night. Our new tenants both serve at Winking Lizard, and they have given us a lot of insight on both the beer tour and wing night. Last week, our server/tenant told us to order the wings fresh on wing night and they would have to make them that way. I finally got good wings on wing night! My life has been changed forever. Don't think it is mere coincidence our tenants work at Winking Lizard, I like to call it fate.

3. Contrary to the sign hanging outside their restaurant in Independence, Quaker Steak and Lube does not have "Best Wings USA". I actually had trouble finishing my wings there and that has never happened. I hope it was just an off night because if it wasn't, I think they would have trouble proving "Best Wings on Canal Road in Independence".

So why am I finally writing about wings? I am doing this in anticipation for the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo New York that I will be attending at the end of this month. If I don't come back with a giant foam chicken wing hat, I want you to know I will be highly disappointed.

Beer Muscles

You know when you are drinking and you think you can do anything? If you don't, let me tell you a little secret about myself: there have been times when beer has impaired my judgment and I thought I could do whatever I wanted. I know this is hard to believe, but follow me on this one. There is a term called "Beer Goggles" which means that after drinking enough beer, someone actually looks more attractive to you. I want to take this time to introduce you to my new term: "Beer Muscles". From here on out the definition of Beer Muscles is going to be: After having several drinks, you think you can lift anyting in front of you. Let me give you an example:

Two nights ago our new tenants (who will be blogged about very soon) began moving into our rental property, which is in the back half of our house. We knew there was a moving truck coming and we knew they owned a lot of heavy stuff, yet we still decided to have happy hour after work. When they arrived at about 8 p.m. that night, I will admit to not being completely sober. I will also admit that at this time I thought I could lift whatever I wanted out of this truck with very little help. The contents of the truck included full dressers, bed frames, bins of books, mattresses and exercise equipment, and I moved as much of it as I could. I couldn't believe how much weight I was able to lift. All the sudden that gym membership was paying off, or maybe it was the beer. I kept lifting and attributed my strength to the gym membership and not the beer. I was wrong.

Flash forward 48 hours later. My arm muscles are sore. Very sore. My arms are barely able to type out this blog. I had trouble putting my shirt on this morning. Even worse...I will have trouble lifting my beer tonight.

Die Republikaner Zählen Einen Punkt

I usually feel like a pretty smart person. I know I can be a little ignorant on some issues, but it wasn't until I traveled abroad when I realized how very little I actually knew about the world. When we were in Ireland we met people from all over the world who were concerned with what was going on in the United States. They asked us about political and financial issues because they knew they would also be affected by these problems. I never had anything to ask back. I knew so little about the world when I thought I knew so much. The people we met never looked down on us for not knowing about their politics. One Australian woman even said without trying to be patronizing: "We don't expect Americans to know what is going on outside of the United States." That was sad. Real sad.

So what's my point here?

Yesterday, Barack Obama was speaking in Berlin Germany. He seems to understand the importance of meeting with world leaders and speaking to people from other countries. I am glad he understands this election is not just about America. These people can't vote for him, but they can listen to his message. While Obama was in Germany speaking yesterday, John McCain also had a speaking engagement. According to CNN, McCain was giving a press conference from Schmidt's Sausage Haus in German Village, a small German section of Columbus. He really showed Obama who loves Germans more, didn't he? Is the Republican National Committee not raising enough money to get McCain overseas? One reason they may be low on funds would be this passage from the same article: "At the same time (Obama was in Germany), the Republican National Committee was running anti-Obama ads in Berlin, Pa., and other namesake villages in Wisconsin and New Hampshire." I can't believe I wondered why people thought Americans were ignorant toward world politics and issues. There is no difference between Berlin Germany and Berlin New Hampshire, is there? Score one for the Republicans (see German translation above).

Confessions Of A Lazy Cleveland Blogger

I will be the first to admit I have not been a good blogger this summer. For the one or two of you who have not given up on my blog, I am sorry, but there is justification for this. First I was distracted by that whole Ireland thing, then I started applying for other jobs and finally I realized it was summer in Cleveland. If you don't understand that last part, then you obviously live outside of northeast Ohio. Those of us in Cleveland realize we must try and fit twelve months worth of activities into four months of sunlight. It's not easy, but I have been trying to do this, which is why the blog has been suffering.

In the past ten days alone, I have traveled through most of Ohio going to bonfire parties in Wooster, pool parties in Rocky River and then spending three days last week at my alma mater, Ohio University for Ohio Brew Week. I finished last week off by attending the National Hamburger Festival in Akron Ohio. This weekend, I am looking forward to attending the Cool Cleveland Ingenuity Party, which is taking place downtown Cleveland during The Ingenuity Festival. Also coming up for those of you who like free outdoor theatre is a show called "Becomes You" which will be performed in Rockefeller Park this weekend and Edgewater Park next weekend.

If you live in Cleveland, you have to make up for the dreary winters and springs by spending as much time as possible outside during the summer. Otherwise I would be boring you with blogs everyday while sitting in the Winking Lizard finishing off my beer tour and eating wings all the time. Not that there is anything wrong with that: It's good to have hobbies.

The Perfect Bathing Suit

Buying a woman's bathing suit is an impossible task, especially when you just want something plain and functional without paying an arm and a leg. This brings us to Saturday afternoon. I was two hours from a pool party and I had no bathing suit. Nothing like waiting for the last minute. We found ourselves out in Mentor on Saturday running errands when I decided we should go to Great Lakes Mall to continue my search for a bathing suit. Let me first admit I have never bought my own bathing suit before. Somehow my mom was born with the talent to pick out a perfect bathing suit for other people, and she has always bought my bathing suits. With no past experience in this department, I had no idea where to even start. I scanned the mall directory looking for a woman's apparel store assuming that is where you bought bathing suits. Apparently you can't just pick up a bathing suit at any store as I first started looking at Sears, which had very little to offer. Time continued to tick away as the search heated up. My next stop was Dillards. JACKPOT! They had bathing suits galore and just the style I was looking for. I will admit they were a little pricey, but there was no longer time to think about price. As I picked up the bathing suit to try on, the electricity went out in the entire store due to a storm. There weren't even emergency lights that came on. It was completely dark. People were pulling out cigarette lighters to find their way through the store. The odd part is that they weren't kicking people out, so I went ahead and tried the suit on thinking the lights would come back on soon. There was some sun shining through the dressing room and I could tell this was the suit for me. Even if it didn't look good in the light, I could tell it looked good in the dark, and I could at least save it for late-night pool parties. I decided to wait for the lights to come back on, and make my way to the front of the store where I thought there might still be working registers. On the way up I made the following call to my host, Mindy:

Me: Is it raining at your house?
Mindy: It just stopped. Why?
Me: I am stuck in the dark at Dillards in Mentor with the perfect bathing suit. I am willing to wait it out for the electricity to come back on if it is nice at your place, but if not I probably won't buy the suit.
Mindy: Uncontrollable laughter ensued followed by: Get the suit, it's nice here!

Once we were at the front of the store where light was shining in from the mall, the woman in the shoe department said her register was still working, and I was so excited. As she started to ring me up, she found out her register was no longer working as well. I began to wonder if they would just take cash with the tags of the suit, but the ATM was also down, so that wouldn't work either. We had a decision to make as we stood in the dark with the managers finally telling people they needed to leave: steal this suit knowing the security system was also down or go to TJ Maxx. I hate to admit that this decision was a tough one. My scruples were diminshed by the fact I had found the perfect suit and time was ticking away. We did the right thing though and I bought a much cheaper, poorly fitting suit at TJ Maxx, which of course began to fall apart at the party.

Moral of the story: Always take a flashlight and cash with you when purchasing a bathing suit during a storm. (This is something most people would never tell you, which is why you are lucky I am here to help you with these future predicaments.)

Please Don't Pick Us! Signed, Cleveland Sports Fans

I came across an article in USA Today today titled: "Revived Browns to feel the pressure of high expectations." Not only do the Browns feel the pressure, I speak for all fans of Cleveland sports when I say: Please don't pick us to win anything. We aren't good in those situations. We never win when people think we should. This years Cleveland Indians team was supposed to go to the World Series and they currently sit in last place in the Central Division. Do you want more proof? Remember when Sports Illustrated picked the Indians to win the World Series in 1987 and the team went on to lose a league-worst 101 games that season? I still have the cover, which jinxed us, etched in my memory. As a 12-year old I completely believed the experts when they picked Cleveland. I no longer feel that way. I am warning the young children of Cleveland now about the Browns season because I am sure I am not the only Cleveland child who has been scarred by the experts.

I Left My Heart (and my sunglasses and my camera case) In Ireland

It's been two weeks since I have been back from Ireland. My life has finally gone back to normal. I no longer feel worldly, I just feel grounded. I no longer feel like every turn is going to be a new encounter, I just feel routine. I now remember how much I hate feeling these ways. The trip to Ireland was a once in a lifetime experience that I am going to try and duplicate as often as possible. One problem with life-changing trips. They are also checking-account changing trips, and this means it will probably be awhile until we head out of the country. So now what? My favorite question as my blog title attests. Now I am going to the Ohio Brew Fest in Athens Ohio next month. It's not Ireland and I don't need a passport to get there, but it is Athens, one of my favorite places in all the world, and it does involve a lot of beer, one of my favorite things in all the world. The good news for you is that there will be a lot fewer pictures to look at upon my return, though probably the same amount involving beer.

Remember When?

Remember when I left for Ireland and many of you told me to take a lot of pictures, and then I came back and you found out I took over 1000 pictures? At that point I am sure many of you hoped and prayed I would not make you sit down with me and go through the story of each picture. Well...fear not! I have gone through all of my pics, cut them down in half, and created a link so that you can go through them as you like or not like as the case may be. This link will bring up all the pictures on one page and then you can either click on a specific picture if you want to see the caption, or you can click on "detail" on the left hand side, and it will photostream the pictures for you, so that you can view them all with the captions. Enjoy my Ireland Pictures!

Back From Ireland!

I am back from Ireland! I have over 1000 pictures to go through, which will probably take me weeks to sort and label. However, I was able to find about 20 pictures, which should reveal quite a bit about my trip and what an incredible adventure it was! You can click on the slides to see the pictures and captions better. I am feeling lazy and just took the pictures off another website, but that's what happens when you are up for 20 hours traveling, and then go to work the next day.

Where Am I? What Day Is It?

Normally I ask myself these two questions after a night of drinking. Now I am asking these questions because we are going to be traveling all over Ireland and Northern Ireland in 12 days, so I might be a little confused. Follow along for yourself:

Day 1: Fly into Dublin, tour the city and go to the Guinness Brewery*
Day 2: Fly to Galway on the west coast, pick up a car and head to the Cliffs of Moher*
Day 3: Drive the southwest coast of Ireland for 8 hours and end up in Cork*
Day 4: Drive to Cobh and then head north to see the Rock of Cashel*
Day 5: Walk around Cork, check out Blarney Castle, go to the English Market and then fly to Belfast, Northern Ireland*
Day 6: Spend the day touring Belfast*
Day 7: Pick up a car and drive the north coast of Northern Ireland ending up in Bushmills*
Day 8: Tour the Bushmills Distillery, Giants Causeway and bike on Rathlin Island*
Day 9: Drive back to Belfast and take the train to Dublin*
Days 10-12: Enjoy Dublin including a day trip to the beautiful town of Howth*
*Enjoy local pubs

The Bright Side Of The Cavs Losing

Yes, it was heartbreaking to watch the CAVS season end yesterday. Yes, I wish they were going up against the Pistons in a conference finals rematch from last year. However I have to look on the bright side of yesterday's loss and think: At least I won't be walking around Ireland the next two weeks trying to find a CAVS score. I have a feeling their games are not front page news over there.

Five days until Ireland!

Popeye For Vice President

John McCain should be working at the Tarot Card shop in Ohio City. Apparently he can tell the future because he sees an end to the war in Iraq in 2013. It looks like he is already campaigning for his second term with this brilliant plan. In essence if you vote for him now, he will put an abrupt end to the war just in time for his second term. I don't know about you, but the first image that popped into my head was Wimpy from Popeye and now I can't get: "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" every time I see McCain on television.

One more observation for McCain supporters. Remember how you chose George Bush over McCain in the primary eight years ago, and now even you can't wait for Bush to leave office? In summary, you want to vote for someone that you didn't like as much as George Bush who now has the lowest approval rating of any U.S. president. That adds up about as much as McCain's proposed economic plan.

Home Tour Sweet Home Tour

Looking for something cool to do in Cleveland this weekend? Even if you aren't, you should go to the Ohio City Home Tour. The tour highlights houses, condos and businesses in the Ohio City neighborhood. These kind people let you walk through their houses and businesses to view either the unique history or the modern touches they have added to the neighborhood. Its a great way to become more familiar with the near west side of Cleveland or just a good excuse to stop into The Old Angle for a pint.

The Trials And Tribulations Of Tivo

I love Tivo. It has changed my life. Hopefully for the better. We have Tivo on three of our televisions. The main television in the living room can record two things at once, while the other two televisions can only record one thing at a time. Unfortunately you can not watch live television if the television is recording at it's maximum, which can create a funny situation, such as the one it created last night.

In the middle of the CAVS game, a message came up on the screen telling us to decide between the CAVS game and (don't laugh) Grey's Anatomy and Don't Forget The Lyrics, which were both about to start recording in one minute. I yelled: "Oh No!" I obviously wanted to watch the CAVS, but not recording those two shows is not an option in our house, so we had to move and we had to move fast. Julie ran upstairs to record Grey's Anatomy, but she realized we were recording The Office up there, so she then ran down to the basement and was able to record Grey's Anatomy in time leaving me with the ability to watch the CAVS game live in the living room as I cooked dinner. I felt bad as I watched her run back and forth because I had already given up on the game and the CAVS were down by 20 points, but I wasn't about to tell her that.

Don't let this blog fool you, we don't really like Grey's Anatomy. I could see how you might think we do from reading this entry, but we really don't. Seriously. Don't let the fact that we were frantic when we thought we wouldn't be able to watch it lead you to believe that we are actually in any way interested in this show, and if you do draw that conclusion from this entry, please don't tell anyone else.

In other more important, yet unrelated news: 15 days until Ireland.

Rap Stars And Pizza Wars

I am so glad the Cavaliers finally beat the Washington Wizards. Of course I am happy because the CAVS won, but I couldn't take this series anymore. It was giving me a headache. I couldn't take the trash talk, or all the new rap songs that were coming from it. I thought this would all be behind us after Friday night's victory. However with the series over, we are now dealing with PapaJohnsGate.

Last Friday, D.C. area Papa Johns Pizza stores handed out white t-shirts to Washington fans that had LeBron's number and the word "crybaby" underneath. This was probably not a good idea for a NATIONAL chain. Sure its good advertising in D.C., but Cleveland fans seemed a little miffed. There is nothing worse for a business owner than miffed consumers. In a surprising move to coutner the bad publicity, Cleveland area Papa Johns stores are now offering 23 cent pizzas and donating money to the Cavaliers' local charity. Talk about clean-up work. I am hoping for this next series against the Celtics that Boston area Buffalo Wild Wings will make t-shirts that say the same thing, so we can get 23 cent wings and beers. A sportygrrl can dream, can't she?

Ireland Countdown: One Month

Yesterday my co-worker approached me and asked me how I was surviving now that all of my fantasy sports seasons have ended. I had to stop and think about that. How was I surviving now that all of my fantasy sports seasons have ended? Then I remembered I was in the middle of planning my FANTASY vacation to Ireland, which has kept me from blogging about such things as the CAVS in the playoffs (DeShawn Stevenson is a moron), the Browns draft (they did a lot with very few resources) and politics (This just in: disenfranchised white people do turn to religion and guns...Obama was correct).

Instead I am thinking about where I will be a month from now, and one month from today I will be taking a flight from County Cork to Belfast in Northern Ireland and from there we will be heading to Giants Causeway for the weekend (see red arrow). In other terms that may be easier for some of my readers (including myself to understand): we are flying from the city that brews Murphys Irish Stout and then driving to the oldest Whiskey distillery in the world: Bushmills, which is located near the Giants Causeway. My trip is definitely a combination of Carmen San Diego meets Jose Cuervo.

Happy Birthday To Me (6 Months From Now)

I was partially joking when I told Julie I wanted to go the Monday Night Football game between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants on October 13, 2008. By partially joking I meant it in that way when you hope someone takes you seriously, and if they don't, you can just say: "What? I was just joking-I would never really ask for something like that for my birthday six months away from now." Thankfully she took me seriously. Today I got my birthday wish six months in advance when she purchased this view for that evening:

Bummer

I love irony. Today I found out LeBron James will be sitting out tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons because the CAVS clinched their playoff spot. That isn't the ironic part, this story from the Plain Dealer is:

They could pick any spot in the country. Yet six teenagers from Nulato, Alaska, chose to visit Cleveland for their senior trip.

Why not Hawaii, like last year's class? Or New York City? Or Florida?
Senior Arnold Demoski offered one word: "LeBron." King James. Basketball god. Superstar they've scrutinized so many nights on satellite TV.

"They live, breathe and die basketball," said Mike Day, principal of the 60-student, K-12 Andrew K. Demoski School. "Winter months are long when you've got negative-50-degree weather. There's not a lot of outdoor activities."

And so the students, chaperoned by school counselor and Shaker Heights native Laura Barnett, raised nearly $20,000 and flew for 24 hours to see the Cavaliers.

They packed visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the zoo, movies and the mall and an Indians game -- where they froze, by the way -- around two Cavs games. They plan to visit Niagara Falls on Thursday.

"They love LeBron. They just think LeBron is the greatest player ever."

The students hope the King will grant a private audience at tonight's game. The Cavs helped the group buy tickets and gave them hats and t-shirts, but had no plans to help them meet their idol.

About Face

People say Hillary Clinton is two-faced, but I beg to disagree. I believe she has so many more faces than two. I can't decide if she is the least or most photogenic person I have ever seen. Decide for yourself:

The Rack Is Back!

We decided to take advantage of the first sixty-degree day of the year by putting the bike rack back on my car and biking in the Cleveland Metroparks. It has been nearly six months since my last bike ride outside, and I was beginning to wonder certain things out loud: "I can't remember what gears worked best for me." "How high do I like my seat?" "How do I switch gears on my bike...I can't remember!" Finally Julie said: "Relax-riding a bike is going to be just like riding a bike-it will all come back to you!"

The Wingmaster Strikes Again

We were invited to a chili cook-off this past weekend. One small problem: we have never made chili before. We figured if we were starting from scratch we might as well use our favorite food as inspiration. On Saturday our Buffalo Chicken Chili walked away with "Most Inventive" and tied for "Best Overall Chili" at the contest. I was going to post our recipe, but we literally created it as we went along and would have trouble coming up with exact measurements. The main ingredients were ground turkey, Frank's Hot Sauce, blue cheese dressing, celery, onions, carrots, a lot of garlic, stewed tomatoes and beer. We added the beer so the voter could get the full experience we have when we enjoy wings. Apparently the beer addition worked, or the voters were just drunk. Either way...it was fun. We are now looking forward to creating a Buffalo Chicken Sheet Cake if we ever get invited to a baked goods contest.

Ireland Countdown

In less than two months, we will be on our way to Ireland, and exactly two months from today (May 27th), we will be staying at a bed and breakfast called The Moher Lodge. I am really excited about this particular stay because this bed and breakfast is located next to The Cliffs of Moher, so we will be able to see the sun set and rise to this view:

I've Fallen And I Can't Get My Computer Up

I actually wondered out loud last night if anyone noticed I hadn't blogged in a while. It brought up that age-old question: If a blogger stops blogging in the middle of the woods, would anyone notice? I haven't exactly been in the middle of the woods, but I have been unable to find any time over the past couple weeks to blog. Today one of my favorite people, who I hardly ever get to see or talk to anymore sent me this message: "Just checking-there haven’t been any new entries and you usually don’t go this long before posting something and with March Madness and all I figure you’re busy but I just wanted to make sure."

Apparently my blog has turned into one of those necklaces older people wear to alert people when something is wrong. If I go three weeks without blogging, you may want to check in if you haven't heard from me just to make sure.

Speaking of March Madness, As many of you know, I always take the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament off from work, which I call my holy days (ironically Good Friday fell on MY holy day this year). On Friday afternoon I went to the gym to work out and watch the games. It was the perfect way to burn calories and stay up on the scores, and apparently a lot more healthy than sitting on my couch drinking beer. (If only someone had told me this 10 years ago!) I promised myself I would work out for the whole first game, which went a little longer than I had planned. I started working out during the Gonzaga-Davidson game which went down to the wire and lasted almost two hours, and then CBS immediately went to the Western Kentucky-Drake game which went into overtime. There was no way I could leave during an overtime game, so I kept working out on the eliptical machine. And working out and working out and working out. About 150 minutes later and 1200 calories burned, Western Kentucky won on a buzzer beater in overtime. I threw my arms up in excitement, or at least I think I did because at that point my body just kinda slumped over. It was almost as if I had played in the game, except it felt more like I needed one of those necklaces the elderly wear.

The Following Movie Has Been Rated Rx

I have trouble sitting still. Movies and live theatre scare the hell out of me. Julie loves the Clevleand International Film Festival, so I go evey year and try not to complain too much as she watches me squirm and sweat in my seat. I do this because: She never complains about playing in my fantasy sports leagues (which she always wins anyway), she lets me lay around and watch most sporting events, and when I ask her to pick up a 12-pack on her way home, she brings home the 18-pack because: "it's just a few dollars more."

This year I promised to attend six movies in an eight-day span. I went the easy route and picked three double features to minimize the amount of time I had to spend at the movie theatre. Everything about the experience makes me panicky, so I had to think ahead to avoid any anxiety. This year I also have added help. For some reason, my doctor gave me quite a bit of zanax for my plane trip to Ireland which is still more than two months away. When I saw how much she gave me, I went and got it filled last night...just in time for the film festival!

Hallmark: When You Care Enough To Watch All The Election Results

I had a co-worker come up to me this morning and say: "I am so sorry. I thought about you last night when I saw Dennis Kucinich had won his congressional seat." I thanked her as if I was at a wake. This then got me thinking that they should make election day-after greeting cards. In my case, it would go like this: "I am so sorry for your loss and the landslide victory the congressman you despise was able to win in your district. I want you to know I am here if you need me." Signed, Co-worker/friend/etc...

Why I Didn't Vote For Hillary: A Confession From A White Feminist

Yes, the title of this blog sounds like a Lifetime Movie, but I really feel my decision was that dramatic. I didn't make it until the last minute, and I have been riding the fence for three weeks, but this morning I voted for Barack Obama. It wasn't Barack's speeches, or the stardust he threw around as one of my friends would like to say. It wasn't about my white guilt or reparations. It wasn't based on gender because they both have very liberal views on women's issues and choice. It wasn't about health care, the economy or foreign policy though some politicos might cringe to hear that. (I found that their policies were both so similar it was often hard to really tell them apart). It wasn't based on experience because I have been on enough search committees to know experience isn't nearly as important as other variables when it comes to selecting a candidate. It was based on the following scenario: Bush, Clinton, Bush, Clinton. As hard as I tried, I didn't like the way that looked and what it meant to our government. What it meant is that we would have the same lobbyists, scandals and favors coming in and out of Washington as if the city were a revolving door. If George W. Bush invaded Iraq because his father failed to do it right, what is Hillary Clinton going to complete for Bill Clinton and their political friends?

I wrote the majority of this blog post before I voted because I thought I was confident in my decision, but the truth is, this decision was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It was hard to not vote for a woman that I knew would be more competent than what we have had for the past eight years. Though my teenage nieces are more competent women than our current president, so it doesn't have much to do with gender. I admit to liking Hillary, probably more than most people, but I am ready for change. We need new corruption. I am tired of the same bribery and scandals that we have had for the past 20 years. I want new deception and lies and I believe Barack Obama is the man to do that.

Browns Sign Clinton and Obama

You can't go anywhere in Northeast Ohio without seeing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I mean this literally. In past elections, the Ohio primary took place so late that the candidates for each party had already been decided (see: John McCain). This year both Obama and Clinton can't seem to get out of Ohio. Just yesterday Obama was down the road at Valley Forge High School as Hillary was a little farther east in Youngstown before she came to Akron this afternoon. She will be holding a rally at Cleveland State University tonight. They will both be back in Cleveland next Monday and Tuesday before the election. This 2008 primary is really starting to overshadow the Browns' Free Agent signings-so much so that I am beginning to think the Browns signed both Clinton and Obama. Can you even imagine? Let's Try:

CLEVELAND - The Browns made two signings today to shore up both their secondary and receiving corps by signing strong safety Hillary Clinton and slot receiver Barack Obama. Both players were signed to four-year contracts with the option for four more years, though no money is guaranteed for either player.

Clinton, a strong safety out of Wellesly College, has promised to defend the long bomb against defenders. Her services will come in handy as the Browns secondary only had 17 interceptions last year and is one of the youngest in the league. Clinton has been tauted as one of the most fiery veterans available, but has never been seen as a team player. "I don't care if people like me," Clinton said. "My coaches know I can get the job done and I am here to do that."

Obama, a slot reciever out of Columbia University, has promised to prove his critics around the league wrong who say he is too young to start. He has yet to show much in his first three years, but the Browns were willing to take a chance on him based on scouting reports. "I really think I can surprise some people at this level," Obama said. "I have fought through adversity before."

Browns fans seem torn on this decision by General Manager Phil Savage. It seems that 51 percent of the fans are happy, 47 percent of the fans are unhappy and two percent of the fans are undecided. Season ticket holder Dennis Kucinch* had this to say: "I am really disappointed they didn't at least try me out for the team. I might be little, but I really know how to fake people out."

*The writer of this blog is hopeful people will vote Dennis Kucinich out next Tuesday. Please consider voting for Joe Cimperman!

Reality Resembling Fantasy Is Good For Cleveland

If you are anything like me, and luckily for you, you probably are not, then I know you are as excited as I am about the Cleveland Browns free agent signings and off-season trades. In the past, Browns fans have had very little to look forward to. When it came to free agents, we got the best of the washed up 30 something crowd that any fan could hope for. Not anymore. Apparently when you fail to make the playoffs on the last game of the season due to the lackluster play of Derek Anderson (who I really really really wish the team would trade for draft picks), the team thinks they should try to get better in the off-season. Low and behold, only two days into free-agency, the Browns have traded for two defensive lineman who are in their prime and yesterday they signed a wide receiver my dad and I have owned on one of our fantasy football teams in the past. This was a nice indication of how far management has come considering they are almost on par with The OC Herons when it comes to football drafts and free-agent pickups.

Leap Night!

When was the last time you celebrated Leap Night, which falls every four years on February 29th? If you said, four years ago, then good for you, but for many people including myself, I have never seen this as an opportunity to go out and celebrate. Until now! This is where Pop-Up City comes in handy. Pop-Up City creates events around Cleveland in vacant areas of the city, to showcase not only the city, but the people who like to spend time and money in this city (we are an under-appreciated people).

This Friday, Pop-Up City is creating Leap Night 2008. According to the webiste, Leap Night will turn a vacant lot in The Flats into a Winter Wonderland while featuring a snow and ice installation, a winter forest complete with costume bears, music, bonfires, performances by SAFMOD, Cleveland’s multi-media performance ensemble, an ice skating rink, a snowboard ramp and rail jam competition, an outdoor Rock BandTM video game competition, a snowsuit fashion show, and food and drink vendors. I personally never miss an opportunity for a good snowsuit fashion show and either should you. Come out and support Pop-Up City and Leap Night 2008.

I Knew It!

My long-time suspicion that Mother Nature is a Republican turned out to be true today. While she has always been conservative with the sunshine in this part of the country, it wasn't until today's horrible snowstorm that I realized she wasn't the liberal everyone thought she had been all these years. If you don't live in Cleveland, let me clue you in to the weather situation here: snow, snow and more snow. I put a picture up of the current weather conditions in Cleveland. You see that blue stuff? That's snow. Underneath that blue stuff? That's Cleveland.
One of the biggest political moments in Cleveland is about to happen tonight when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton face off in a debate downtown at Cleveland State University. Seems a little suspicious that the worst storm of the winter would hit while the democratic candidates are in town, especially considering the weather John McCain had yesterday when he visted Cleveland. While he was here, it was a balmy 45 degrees out-I was practically wearing shorts. With the debate tonight, the streets are going to be closed downtown due to the media and secret service, making the afternoon commute even worse when you combine it with the weather. Upset drivers are going to be cursing the name of one woman for all of this and I am sure it won't be Mother Nature, but Hillary. The Republicans are using every trick in the book this election season and it is only February.

February 27, 2008
I would like to retract the above blog statement due to the fact that we all know Mother Nature is a tree-hugging liberal. She also made Cleveland look beautiful with all the snow yesterday, as cameras caught glimpses of our quasi-Winter Wonderland to show around the country.

Dem On Dem Violence

"Dem on Dem Violence" is the term I coined yesterday after watching a staunch Obama supporter harass a staunch Clinton supporter. The Clinton supporter was simply holding a Hillary sign at an Obama rally. Can't we all just get along, and save all this harassment until we have to fight the real enemy in November?

The Las Vegas Blog Post

Introducing the first-ever Sportygrrl Las Vegas awards. A ceremony that chronicles our wonderful stay in the real city that never sleeps.

Best place in Las Vegas to get anything you could ever want on your burger from lobster meat to black truffles to fried egg: The Burger Bar (earlier during the awards ceremony, The Burger Bar also won for best selection of imported beers). This restaurant was located in Mandalay Place, not Mandalay Bay which is a little confusing at first, but it is worth the search.

Best place in Las Vegas to see a re-creation of King Tut's Tomb: The King Tut Museum located inside the Luxor Casino. This award could also be re-named: Best place to visit once you have realized you are lost inside the Luxor and can't find your way out of the casino area.

Best place in Las Vegas to watch Beer Pong after midnight: O'Sheas Casino. They actually advertise the authentic beer pong tables they have in the back of the casino. This place resembles a bar from 1982 more than a casino, which is part of it's charm.

Best place in Las Vegas to use a public bathroom: The Venetian. On our long trek down the strip at 3 a.m., it was nice to know you could stop inside a public bathroom with gold trim and private rooms to take a pee break.

Best place in Las Vegas to sit in front of a firepit and eat chicken wings: The Peppermill Fireside Lounge (earlier in the awards ceremony, The Peppermill also won for best $18 drink, which was named The Scorpion). This whole experience was amazing. It was definitely our favorite spot on the strip as we spent a couple hours at the bar and then moved down to the firepit to eat dinner. This is vintage old school Vegas! The wings here were also really good. I gave them a 4.0 out of 5.0 on my wing rating scale.

Best place in Las Vegas to play slots at 5 a.m.: Slots A Fun. Sure...it's dingy and a little scary, but you won't get the real feel of this place during daylight hours. We were quickly sold on the yard-long daiquiri and tacky slot machine themes.

Best place in Las Vegas to eat lunch when you are hungover: The Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood. They have everything here combining every nationality you can think of including a middle eastern selection. The food was extremely good for a lunch buffet and perfect for a "morning after meal".

Best place in Las Vegas to experience an atomic bomb being detonated: The Atomic Testing Museum. This hands-on museum is located right off the strip and was a great late afternoon activitiy. The museum includes movies, war propaganda galore and many pictures of Miss Atomic Bomb 1957. The best part about this museum is that it shows a very accurate reflection of how crazy people were during the Cold War.

Best view in Las Vegas: The Foundation Room at the top of Mandalay Bay. The Foundation Room is a private club affiliated with the House of Blues and located on the top floor of Mandalay Bay. We were able to get in because my cousin was kind enough to pull a few strings and get our name on the guest list. This place really did make us feel like royalty with the velvet ropes, elevator greeters and an unbelievable view of the strip. They do open this place up to the public on Monday evenings and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits Las Vegas.

Best view of Las Vegas from the middle of the strip: The Eiffel Tower at the Paris Resort and Casino (earlier in the awards ceremony this also won as the most french thing you can do in Las Vegas). Sure, it's a little cheesy to go up a fake Eiffel Tower, but we had a coupon from our Players Club Book, which makes it so much more legitimate. What really made this vertical venture worthwhile was viewing the watershow at The Bellagio from above.

Best place to spend two hours in the desert viewing three acres of old Las Vegas signs: The Neon Boneyard. Like Las Vegas? Like history? Like neon? Like getting sunburnt as you walk around looking at old Las Vegas signs? Then this is the place for you! It all came together for me when the tour guide said: "In 1929 neon was patented, and in 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada." These two events led us through decades of tacky neon signs that eventually ended up at this somewhat secretive Las Vegas escape. If you are going to take this tour, you have to book it in advance.

Best Place in Vegas to get a 99 cent margarita: Our Hotel, Bill's Gambling Hall and Casino. This was way too convenient. The margarita bar was located right by the door, so you ALWAYS passed by it.

Best place to get a cheap microbrew: Ellis Island Casino and Brewery. This place was a pleasant surprise, and a favorite spot for locals. It's an older casino, located two blocks behind the strip with a microbrewery right inside the casino. The best part was that all their brews were only $1 no matter which one you ordered.

Best place to drink a beer under the World's Largest Pint Glass: Hennessey's Tavern. Before entering the Fremont Street Experience in Downtown Las Vegas we stopped inside this little Irish pub to grab some dinner. Luckily for us, Tuesday was Burger night, so we got a free meal. Located above Hennessey's is the largest pint glass in the world, which also happens to be a club called Brass The Lounge. Its a good pit stop as you walk around Downtown.

Best place in Las Vegas to drink out of a plastic football while watching a crazy light show: The Fremont Street Experience. If you haven't seen this light show or been involved with this experience, it is hard to describe. Every hour, the biggest light show in the world goes off for five minutes and completely captivates everyone who watches it. We debated going downtown, but I am so glad we did it.

Best place to gain five pounds and lose a lot of money: Las Vegas!

People try to describe Las Vegas to you before you go, but there is only so much you can do to prepare for this experience. If you have been there, then you know what I am talking about. If you haven't made the trip, then I highly advise you do it at least once.

A Small Taste Of Vegas And A Foreign Dose Of Wings

While the "Las Vegas Blog Post" has yet to be finished, I did want to direct you to a very small sample of pictures, that I uploaded last night. If you click this link, you can catch a glimpse of our four-day trip keeping in mind there are still hundreds of pictures yet to be loaded. You should be able to click on the individual pictures to enlarge them and see the caption.

In the meantime, I read this story yesterday about a hockey player from Czechoslovakia who was hospitalized in Buffalo after a traumatic incident during a game. The player was critically injured, but as he recovered in Buffalo, his one request was to eat authentic Buffalo Wings. Stories like this just warm my heart! My favorite quote from the story was from the doctor: "He asked if he could eat Buffalo chicken wings," Noor (the doctor) said. "So we let him." This quote reminded me of the famous words uttered by Marie Antoinette, instead of letting them eat cake, she should have said: "Let them eat wings!"

The Morning I Got Trumped By Chelsea Clinton

I arrived back at work today after four days in Las Vegas. As I walked into my building I saw a band and balloons hung all over the inside of my building. I assumed this was my "Welcome Back Michele" reception until I saw all the cops. Thinking back on what I had done the last four days, this made me a little nervous. Actually none of this has anything to do with me. When I walked into my office, my boss informed me that Chelsea Clinton is speaking inside our office building today about thirty feet away from me. I wanted to tell everyone about my trip, but I guess this is a much cooler story than my adventures in Sin City. First Vegas and now the former first daughter: this has been quite a week! If I wasn't such an unlucky gambler (as I found out firsthand over the past couple days), I might actually consider playing the lottery.

Reason #138 That I Am Excited To Go To Vegas...

...Big Elvis performs at our hotel everyday from 3 pm to 6 pm for free.

In about 48 hours, my plane will be touching down in seventy degree-weather to spend a care-free vacation in Sin City. I am looking forward to reporting back to the Blog at the end of next week to catch you up on all the fun.

Closer Than You Might Think

After a successful year for the Cleveland Browns, it looks like they may still be a couple years away from contending for the AFC championship and the Super Bowl...or are they? After the New York Giants won yesterday, I went back and found a statistic I remembered reading a couple weeks ago from Peter King, journalist for Sports Illustrated that showed the Browns might not be that far off from becoming a serious contender. Here is the difference between the Cleveland Browns and World Champion New York Giants: The Browns were 7-1 at home and 3-5 on the road in the regular season. The Giants were 7-1 on the road and 3-5 at home.

Both teams finished the regular season with an identical record of 10-6, but because the AFC is an overall tougher division (and a serious choke job at Cincinnati), the Browns lost out on making the playoffs. This statistic might mean very little to you, but when you are a Cleveland sports fan, anything positive that you can read into (and I am really reading into this) means a lot.

A Nice Leather Vase

Last week my co-worker asked me why my blog was titled: "So Now What". For those of you who never read my first post, I will tell you what I told her: These are the words I said after the Super Bowl ended in 2005. The day after the Super Bowl is a hard one for me. It means I will have to wait seven more months until I see another snap again. Hello my name is Michele and I am addicted to football. However today is also the three year anniversary of my blog. This anniversary is more like Thanksgiving than the Fourth of July. It doesn't always fall on the same date, but it is always the Monday after the Super Bowl. I was looking on-line to see what gift to give my blog for this three year anniversary. The traditional gift for three years is leather and the modern gift is crystal, so I am torn.

In other news, the Super Bowl last night was incredible, and I made the most of the event, which happens to be one of my favorite days of the year. We had my brother Mark over and the three of us all agreed the party was the perfect size. I found out last night that Mark and I have the same theories on Super Bowl party size, and creating the perfect environment in which to watch the game. Hello my name is Michele and I am addicted to football. If you saw the food we put out, you probably would have thought there were ten people there, not to mention the amount of beer that was consumed. We put out homemade spinach dip, a jalapeno cheese ball, shrimp cocktail, salsa and chips and this recipe for chicken legs, which turned out to be the perfect Super Bowl snack. The only problem with cooking these chicken legs is that they make the house really smokey, which obviously takes away from the perfect Super Bowl environment.

Obama/Edwards '08

Be the first person on your block to get an Obama/Edwards '08 bumper sticker. With Edwards dropping out of the race today, this seems to be a likely match. After Edwards' decision to end his candidacy came out this afternoon, Obama had this to say:

"John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn't popular to do or covered in the news. At a time when our politics is too focused on who's up and who's down, he made a nation focus again on who matters - the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington."

Let me translate that paragraph into: " I want to thank John Edwards for dropping out of the race right before Super Tuesday (February 5th), so that I can receive his votes over Hillary Clinton. The least I can do to pay him back for this is name him my running mate in the Fall."

If you are planning on printing these bumper stickers up, please consider that two years ago, I declared the Browns would finish the season 13-3 after starting the season 0-3.

A Wing In Any Other Time Zone Is Still A Wing

I realize I haven't written in a long time, but I have been really busy planning a trip to Vegas (12 days and counting) and a trip to Ireland (116 days and counting). The amount of work you have to put into your own customized trip to another country (other than Canada), is more than I ever imagined. We have just finished booking six places to stay in five different cities along with car rentals and flights around Ireland. On top of this, we are still working on the Vegas trip as we try to get the most for our money while we are in Sin City for four days. Through all of this, you can imagine I have already done research on the most important thing in both Las Vegas and Dublin: Wings! I am going to the Peppermill in Las Vegas for recommended wings, and we will be doing the same when we go to the Elephant and Castle in Dublin for wings. It might be a different time zone, but I still have to eat my wings.

I Will Be On Tour This Year

Last Saturday I signed up for the World Beer Tour at the Winking Lizard, and after one day, I can tell this is going to be a life-changing event. When you sign up for this tour, the restaurant gives you one year to drink 100 unique imported beers. For more information on the tour check out the link above. From what I have experienced during my first day on the tour is that it makes you feel like you are always on vacation because you are constantly ordering things you wouldnt normally drink. That part alone makes whoever created this tour a marketing genius. My favorite part, however, is that you have a swipe card to track what beers you have already consumed and which ones still need to be consumed. I have never felt like such a classy beer drinker.

Not only am I doing the beer tour at the Winking Lizard, I also feel like I am actually going on a world tour this year. Last week we finalized plans to go to Ireland and Northern Ireland to travel the countryside from May 24th to June 5th. More plans will follow regarding this trip, but I have never been more excited to plan anything in my whole life. Speaking of planning, I wonder if the Winking Lizard has any plans to expand to Dublin, so I can still continue the beer tour while I am there. Ironically Guinness is one of the beers you have to drink on the beer tour at the Winking Lizard. I should get used to it now because I am sure to have my fill of it during my trip to the mother land.

Word Of The Day

I have come up with a new word. This new word is: Resolutioners. Please see my definition and story below:

resolutioners \REZ-O-lush; IN-erz\, Noun: people who make a resolution after New Years to lose weight and then go to the gym only to annoy the hell out of the people who have been there for months.

I went to the gym yesterday and was surrounded by "resolutioners." They were using my normal machines or at least attempting to use these machines while I had to stand by patiently waiting for them to figure out they didn't like that machine. Once I was able to get on and begin my work out, they would interrupt me, and ask me how the machine next to me works. Who interrupts someone who is in the middle of a workout, sweating and listening to music on their earphones? At first I just gave quick instructions, but then as this woman next to me began to look like she might hurt herself, I actually stopped working out to show her in more detail. After a minute, she walked away anyway. Luckily I found this article from 2004 that did research on the average length of New Years Resolutions. The results were that most people didn't follow through for more than 17 days. I am hoping this still appplies to this year, or I might just let more people get hurt on the machines I use.

Free Stadium Mustard When You Meet Your Deductible

Two years ago my brother and I had a contest to see who could name the most sports stadiums that aren't named after corporations. (Yes we can make a competition out of anything.) The first stadium we both mentioned was Jacobs Field-the field our very own Cleveland Indians play on every summer. Next time we become sports dorks and decide to have this competition, Jacobs Field will no longer be on that list.

Sadly, Jacobs Field is now going to be called Progressive Field. When I first heard this I really hoped it had something to do with the changing political landscape in Cleveland. This was not the case. Peter Jacobs, Cleveland's richest man and the founder of Progressive Insurance, has bought the naming rights to Jacobs Field. Jacobs, who has his name on half the builings on the East side of the city, has now decided to move downtown. The whole thing is a little depressing like most sell-outs, and is enough to make me want to leave the country. Luckily, I got my passport yesterday, which makes that possible.

Happy National Championship Day

You may think everyone in Ohio graduated from Ohio State tonight. When the Buckeyes play tonight in the BCS Championship Game, everyone in the state will be wearing their scarlet and grey while watching the game. With all the pride in the state, you would think all these people actually graduated from Ohio State. As a matter of fact, I don't know one person who graduated from Ohio State. Not to say people don't graduate from there, I am sure they do, but I just have never met an Ohio State graduate. However everyone I know owns something that says Ohio State on it. It always makes me think back to when I would tell people I went to Ohio University (located in beautiful Athens, Ohio), and everyone thought it was in Columbus. It is on days like this, that people forget there are actually other schools in Ohio that play sports. In fact, last year Ohio University played in THE historic GMAC Bowl, yet nobody seems to remember that-not even this Ohio alum who had to double check on-line to make sure that was the correct bowl game. Hmmm...maybe I did spend four years in Columbus going to school.

Whatever Happens In Vegas...Will Definitely Be Posted On This Blog!

My maiden voyage to Las Vegas will be in February as we booked a three-day, three-night excursion to Sin City yesterday. Using the friendly services of Expedia, we were able to get exactly what we wanted with flights and a stay right on the strip at Bill's Gambling Hall and Saloon. I know many of the people who read my blog have been to Vegas so please send along your best advice to my e-mail address: mrl21@hotmail.com.

One funny sidenote of using expedia is that we were checking flights for both Akron and Cleveland when we accidentally put in Akron to Cleveland. Can you believe the flight was more expensive than Akron to Las Vegas? Not to mention there were two layovers. Apparently there are no direct flights from Akron to Cleveland and you have a layover in Detroit and Pittsuburgh, though my guess was that the layovers were in Stow and Brecksville which seemed to make more sense geographically.

Have a Happy New Year Everyone!

Pride Won Out Over Money...Barely!

Early Sunday it became obvious that my father and I were going to lose in our fantasy football league (the league with the big payout). Actually lose is too nice of a word-we got crushed. I still had one chance left to make it into a championship game in my other league (the league with the small payout, but a lot of pride was at stake). It came down to the last minute of the Monday Night Football Game, but I won my semi-final game in my other league (the pride league) by ONE point to make it to the championship game. If you read this previous blog entry, you would know my leagues and my teams came down to pride or money last weekend. Obviously pride won out, except for one small thing: I still have a championship game to play, and I have to play it against my Julie, the Fantasy Football First-Timer. Let me say one more thing: Her team is good, really really good. Yesterday my co-worker, and blog-reader Bill said the following thing: "It would really suck to lose to your significant other in something that you really loved, and something they were only doing to entertain you." That pretty much sums up what I am feeling right now. Thanks for the insight Bill!

The World's Best Wings? I Think Not!

Last week I took a new way to work as to avoid the crazy freeway traffic that occurs before you get downtown. As I took my new route, I found a Cleats Bar and Grille at the bottom of a big hill behind the freeway with a huge sign overlooking the parking lot that said: "Home of the Worlds Best Wings". I felt like Columbus discovering America for the first time, though discovering a place that advertises "Worlds Best Wings" might be an even better feeling.

Obviously it wasn't long before we headed over there for dinner as it was only 5 minutes away, and just to remind you, they advertised "Home of the Worlds Best Wings" outside on a huge sign. We got there and were excited it wasn't wing night, so we could taste the real deal and not get stuck with the skimpy wing night wings. We were pleasantly surprised that you could get a wing platter: 30 wings with choice of five different sauces. We were sold on the platter right away. We were also sold on the Great Lakes Christmas Ale, but that is a different blog entry. We chose our five sauces: hot garlic, samurai (teriyaki), memphis belle, cajun and sweet heat. When the wings came out they were all loaded on one big platter with a bunch of fries thrown in the middle. I felt my arteries tighten up as the waitress sat down our dinner in front of us. (Keep in mind this is a place that advertises an 11-pound sandwich on their menu called the Garbage Dumpster, so you know these wings are bound to be extra-healthy!)

As for the wings, I only liked the hot garlic and cajun dry rub wings. The other three were way too sweet and not spicy enough for me. On top of only liking the two sauces, I had two wings break on me, which is an automatic deduction in my rankings. Overall, the wings had good size but could have been sauced better. It looked like they just threw sauce on top of the wings on the way out of the kitchen, so only half the wing had sauce on it. I walked away underwhelmed by the whole experience. I give the wings served at Cleats three wings out of five wings. Also, if you don't think the name Cleats sounds like a romantic place to get wings, you shouldn't judge this wing place by the athletic shoes hanging outside on their big bright neon sign. Underneath the exterior of a very casual sports bar, with minimal formalities and a bathroom that looks like it is only half-completed, they also offer this deal: A Deluxe Chicken Dinner on their menu with 24 wings and a bottle of Dom Perignon for just $150.00. Now that's a classy romantic wing joint!

'Tis The Season

It's that time of year again. I am making last-minute preparations, checking my lists twice and planning parties. Of course I can only be talking about one thing: Fantasy Football Playoffs have begun. This year I was in two leagues for the first time, and this year I am lucky enough to have made it to the semi-finals in both my leagues. As much fun and excitement that it has been to be in two leagues at one time, it has also been quite a headache: twice as much research and twice as many decisions. I know! My life is so hard! The most stressful thing (if you can call anything with the word "fantasy" in it stressful) is that many weeks I face players in one league that I have on my team in another league. I will be facing this very situation this weekend. My father and I have a chance to win a lot of money with Adrian Peterson, Edgerrin James and Joey Galloway this weekend in our semi-final game. In my other league, my opponent has these same players and the opportunity to win bragging rights in Cleveland for the next year. I am torn on money versus pride this week. Talk about stressful. I would rather try to find a parking space at the mall on Christmas Eve. Speaking of Christmas...isn't that coming up sometime soon as well?

The Browns Score! CRASH!

Yesterday my brother Mark was the responsible one. You may want to read that last sentence again before I go on. Ok...now that you are all caught up, Mark is the responsible one. This is because he was the only one able to drive home yesterday after we spent four hours at the Blue Moose Eatery watching every football game possible on the NFL ticket. We left the bar before the Browns game was over even though it looked like they had the game won. However on the drive home and two onside kicks later by the Jets, the game was still not over. It was at this point that I got out of my car and watched Mark park my car ahead of his car on the street. Unfortunately, it was also at this point that Jamal Lewis scored the game-winning touchdown for the Browns. As my brother listened to Jim Donovan's excited voice do play-by-play on the score, he accidentally slammed his foot on the gas and backed up into his own car. At this point his alarm starts going off on his car. While there was very minimal damage for either car, it did create quite a commotion. I guess that was just Mark's way of celebrating. Let me reiterate, he is the responsible one in this story.

The Amazingly Cold Casting Call

On Tuesday my sister and I waited for four hours out in twenty degree weather for our chance to get an audition for The Amazing Race reality show. Let me just say, it took me almost 24 hours to regain full feeling in my extremities, but it was worth it. After doing a quasi-Amazing Race adventure in Dave and Busters, we were chosen to do a video that would be sent to the casting offices of the show. I will keep everyone updated. Keep your fingers crossed!

The Amazing (Blog) Race

Tomorrow at this time, my sister and I will be auditioning for The Amazing Race, which is one of our favorite shows. If things go well, at this time next year, you will be watching us adventure across the globe. As always, I will keep you updated.

I Have The NFL Network And I Bet You Don't!

There is a huge uproar in the sports world today regarding the NFL Network and tonight's Packers/Cowboys game. If you are like most people in this country, you won't be able to watch one of the biggest games of the season. To go into the logistics of why the cable companies won't purchase the NFL network you may want to read this article. Obviously it comes down to money, though that doesnt really help the millions of people who won't be able to catch this game tonight. Fortunately I am not one of those people. I have the NFL Network.

I actually stumbled upon the NFL Network a few months ago by accident before I even moved in with Julie. There I was flipping through her channels and there it was, and I just kept saying: "You have the NFL Network? You have the NFL Network? YOU HAVE THE NFL NETWORK!!" As you can see I was extremely happy, though trying to explain the importance of this find to someone who never really watched sports before I came along was a bit tough. I tried to explain that there would be games on that would not be shown on regular television this football season, and what a beautiful thing it would be once the season started. Each day after I found the channel, I would go to it just to make sure it was still there. Now my patience has paid off. On Thanksgiving day when people were coming down from their Turkey and football high of watching TWO games, I switched on the NFL network to catch the Colts play the Falcons that night for my THIRD game of the day. Tonight I am obviously going to catch the Packers/Cowboys game, and then hopefully in week 17, I am going to watch the Patriots make history against the Giants as they try and go undefeated.

I actually thought I was going to have to miss the game tonight because of a really cool event at Cleveland Public Theatre, but then I realized we weren't going until Friday. When I thought I was missing this game, Julie said we could TiVo it. However I said: "No way! You can't TiVo a game on the NFL Network!" I might as well just be watching highlights with the common folk who have cable. No, if I am watching a game on the NFL Network I want to be watching it live, so I can call people and tease them about the game. Julie really does have a lot to learn about football, but it last she has the NFL Network and now that I am all moved it, so do I!

Moving Thoughts...

As I stood there this weekend with my hands full of boxes and furniture, I stared at my emptying apartment and thought the following things: 1) Why didn't I make the back room my bedroom 2) Why didn't I open up the living room more 3) Why didn't I put my couch in the other corner of my living room 4) Is it too late to pull all of the stuff out of the truck just to see how that would have looked. The answer to that last one by the looks on my helpers faces would have been a resounding "YES!' by the way.

The Seven-Day Wagon

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday weekend. My weekend was packed full of wonderful Thanksgiving food, moving furniture, the best wings I have ever had in Cleveland, traveling to Detroit to see a concert and of course Sunday football events.

A day after stuffing ourselves with Turkey and stuffing, we worked up another appetite from moving furniture and decided to get wings at the Winking Lizard in Independence. These were the best wings I have ever had at any Winking Lizard. I always recommend that you DONT get their wings on wing night and we were happy to go there on a Friday night with no wing specials in sight. The wings were big, juicy and piping hot covered in our favorite sacues: hot garlic and cajun. They recieved 4.5 wings out of 5 on my scale. I don't know if this is truly the case or not but there was a great football game on the television and the beer tasted extra good on this day, so perhaps the beer and football also made the wings taste better. Speaking of beer...

My doctor put me on a prescription where I can not drink at all. I have not started taking it yet. I just picked it up last night and now I have to decide on a seven-day window where I will not want to drink or the opportunity will not present itself (ahem). I have two friends with birthdays this week and an open bar on Friday night after a play I am attending. Saturday and Sunday is football. Hmmm...this could be a tough decision. I wonder if I can double up on dosage and just take it for 3.5 days. This reminds me of my friend Mindy trying to decide on a good time to get pregnant. Obviously the holidays will never work and the summer is a bad time to stop drinking. I always have to remind her that it is impossible to go through the whole process in less than four months. Though if anyone can do it, it is definitely Mindy.

Pub Crawl Slideshow

I was told some people were unable to see the pics I tried to post last week from my pub crawl. I decided to go ahead and add the slide show so that you could see all the revelry up close. Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving weekend.

X-Mas Aled Up (Pub Crawl Blog)

Yesterday my sister came up with a saying to describe my whole weekend. To be "X-Mas Aled Up" is a term she coined after seeing the effects on a person after having one of these beers. Every fall Great Lakes Brewing Company makes their infamous Christmas Ale and releases it for only four months a year. I can only assume this is for safety reasons. This beer does crazy things to people. It's not a normal beer. It's like a super beer.

People run out to get this beer like it's a drug and usually regret it the next day. I have been able to hold myself to only two a night in most situations and usually this is too many. On my pub crawl this past weekend, I waited until my fifth bar out of nine to have my one and only Christmas Ale, and even this was not a good idea. As I look back, it was at this bar where things started going a little awry or shall I say blurry. The next day I tempted fate and drank another one, which led to me hitting my head on my couch (see picture).

As for the pub crawl: I don't think I have ever had so much fun with friends and family. As you can see from the pictures at this link, it was a good time for everybody-even people who didn't know me. By the end we just handed the extra t-shirts out and people all around Ohio City knew my name. I am now looking forward to my "Getting Acquainted with Old Brooklyn" Pub Crawl, but I think I will wait til the Spring so I am not tempted by the Christmas Ale!

The Curse Of Cleveland Is Over

Just in case fans of Clevleand have not heard yet, the curse is over. We finally won the big one! This past Sunday on the Food Network's "The Next Iron Chef," Michael Symon, owner of two Cleveland restaurants, Lola and Lolita won the battle to become the next Iron Chef on "Iron Chef America." If you don't watch the Food Network or have never heard of Iron Chef America, this may mean very little to you. However, if you like Cleveland as much as I do, you have to at least appreciate the prominence this brings to the city.

Most people who live downtown know that Symon owns two of the coolest eating joints around. Origianally located in Tremont, Lola is now located downtown and Lolita has taken the Tremont location. While the food is phenomonal at both these locations, Lolita has one of the coolest happy hours around. Where else can you get happy hour prices from 10 pm until close on Friday AND Saturday nights that include items from the award-winning menu and drink specials. This weekend I went to the Food and Wine show in Cleveland and Symon was listed under "local celebrity chef." Next year when I go to this show, I will be excited to see his name under "national celebrity chef." Now if only the Browns can win the big one, and by that I mean...beating the Steelers!

Come One, Come All...

...To my Ohio City Pub Crawl. Join me this Saturday as I bar hop through Ohio City for the last time before moving to Old Brooklyn (that's Cleveland not Parma by the way). We will be leaving the Old Angle at 6:30 pm and stopping at seven or eight bars (weather permitting) before coming back to the Old Angle to finish the night. There will also be t-shirts designed by Tim for a very small price to wear along the way to make it worth your while. I hope to see you there!

Who Jokes About Wings?

Today as I was talking to my father on the phone, I told him I was about to take my Wingmaster exam. He completely thought I was joking. He thought I made the whole wingmaster title and site up. After completing the exam and receving this response just a few short minutes ago, I can assure all of my readers this sight and my exam are no joke:

Sportygrrl,

Thank you for your swift response, I am happy to report that you were the first person to get 9 out of 10 correct and if you check the site, TheWingmasters.com has bestowed the supreme status of Wingmaster upon you - Congratulations!!!

We are very impressed with your answers; the only one you got incorrect was a tricky question. We know you are extremely deserving of this title because you got the one question that almost everyone gets wrong correct; the average size of a chicken wing. This is not an easy question and you must eat and know wings to answer it correctly because it is not noted anywhere. We arrived at the answer based on a review and measuring of 250 wings over a two week period, at various locations.

What's also impressive is that you were right on with the wing sauce question, and you took the proper approach to looking at the question - this was our other trick question. Great job and welcome to the League of Wingmasters...

Who's joking now? Ok, ok... it IS a little funny.

Breaking News!

This just in from every major news source in the world: "Keeping slim is one of the best ways of preventing cancer, as is avoiding excessive amounts of red meat and wine, a landmark study has revealed." On Wednesday when this study was announced, I couldn't get away from it. It was on every major news website, and as I worked out that night, it was on almost every television at the gym. Is this really huge news? Who didn't know this? Was there someone out there trying to beat cancer by binge drinking, eating a lot of steak and not exercising, and if so...has that been working? I think my favorite finding of this earth-shattering study is this: "If people must drink, the report said, they should limit their intake to two units a day for a man or one for a woman. A unit is a half pint of beer or a small glass of wine." A half-pint of beer for a woman? Can you actually go to a bar and order a half-pint? I just hope this finding doesn't create longer lines at my gym. Though on the other hand, it might create shorter lines at the bar.

In related news, we tried a new wing place this week called Roosters. We spotted this restaurant last weekend driving through Parma, and vowed to return as they advertised wings on their big bright sign. This was an interesting place because it was a sports bar, but it was really really bright and seemed more family-oriented than anything. The wings were huge, BUT they were breaded and I don't like breaded wings because they take away the crispiness. We ordered extra hot (which they call Donkey for some reason), garlic and teriyaki. The hot wings were unimpressive, but the garlic was very good as was the teriyaki. If you can get past the breading, the wings were fresh, juicy and very filling, but if your claim to fame is wings and you can't make a good hot sauce, I cant possibly award you more than 3.5 wings out of 5. I highly recommend these wings with a good half pint of your favorite beer.

It's Been A Long Two Weeks

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of fun (except the part where the Indians choked to the Red Sox). My birthday week was filled with fun adventures including the opportunity to meet one of my favorite writers, comedians and actresses, Amy Sedaris. A couple days later I went on my birthday goal bike ride from my house to my friend's house in Chagrin Falls (20 miles), and then spent the rest of the day at the Winking Lizard in Bedford, which is a lot more fun than it might sound. Apparently at the Winking Lizard you get a free birthday shot called "The Blowjob" which creates for good photo opportunities, but the taste was too sweet for me. We also taste tested the new wing sauces (spicy seasme and garlic parmesean) they are offering which got a four out of five wings ranking from me.

On my actual birthday we went to Niagara Falls. Before heading to Canada, we stopped in Buffalo for some recommended wings at Gabriel's Gate that were really good (four out of five wings). We had an amazing time in Niagara Falls and got a beautiful room overlooking the Falls at the Marriott. It was a great trip, but Canada is just so damn expensive that it makes it hard to go there anymore. Remember when the American dollar was actually worth something?

Halloween was this past weekend and I decided to do it up this year. I went as Captain Cock Block (Julie went as Q-Bert). For those of you that don't know what a cock block is, here is the definition according to Urban Dictionary: "An act of ill etiquette in which a male is speaking to one female in a group of females, and the alpha female creates a disruptive environment" Now just imagine that in human form, or just check out the slideshow below.

The Difference Between 31 and 32 is 40!

I was able to reach my goal of losing forty pounds by my birthday! Complete details of the best birthday weekend ever will follow later in the week!

Birthday Card Rating System

This birthday card from my sister and Julie gets five wings out of five wings:

Dear Mom and Dad:

Greetings from Cleveland! I hope the weather is lovely for your month-long vacation in South Carolina. It's great that you have all this free time to travel now. However after sitting on the beach for almost a month, you need to come home and cheer on the Indians. Not sure if you have heard or not, but they are one game away from the World Series. I know you are having a great time as you never answer your phones anymore when I try to call you, but you are missing a lot of excitement back home in Cleveland! (You may not answer my calls, but I at least know you read my blog.)

First Time Fantasy Footballer Part 2

In just under seven weeks, the first time fantasy footballer has gone from asking me what the position abbreviations are in football (QB, WR, RB, etc...) to sending me this message this morning: "Calvin Johnson is dead weight. I am going to pick up somebody else." On top of that she has more wins than me this season in our fantasy football league. As a matter of fact, the three last place teams in my league are the ones who I thought would have the most wins, and we have a combined record of 3-14-1. We are losing to people who don't know how the game is scored, and don't take people out on bye weeks. Last week I lost to the woman in first place, who hasn't made a roster change all year and only had six players playing in the game compared to my ten players. Now that's embarrassing. If this continues, I may have to step down as commissioner of this fantasy football league and let someone who doesn't know anything about football take over the reins.