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.