Foosball...

Hey Lifers...

NFL

They're Baaaaaccckkkk.

That's right the NFL is back in business. Now I'm sure for most of the women your thinking, I didn't know they ever left?

Well actually they did, and there was a even a chance that the season would have been cancel for the year.  I'll spare you with all the boring details of how the owners didn't want to give up their money, and how the players wanted more revenue sharing, mostly because I don't care either. The important thing here is, that the teams are getting back to work and Foosball  starts September 8th.

Now again, to most of you this matters not, but to some of us boys, it mattes.I'm one of those boys.

See I play fantasy foosball and so during the foosball season I'm consumed with stats, players, teams, scores, and points. I play in a league with guys from work so it breaks up the day a bit and gives us an outlet.

And lets face it, for some of us boys it's better than anything else we've got going on in the winter.....Well except for sex, but that doesn't happen every Sunday.

J-Tony

Tell me Lifers, do you watch/enjoy football. Does your spouse? Oh and in case you didn't get it Foosball is a Waterboy reference.

Super Sunday

Ok Lifers, so last night was the Super Bowl. We had a pretty lazy day around The Palace leading up to the big game. The clowns played most of the day, and the DW and I took naps. I on the couch, and her in the bedroom.

It wasn't until about 4 o'clock that I decided to go to the dreaded Wally World to get some snacks for the big game. So we had a nice dinner followed by snacks and treats before the game. I made the clowns come watch with me, and all of us sat in the living room as the NFL Championship began.

I thought the game itself was pretty good. I didn't really have a horse in the race, so to speak, so I didn't care to much who won. Mini-me had been saying all week that he was rooting for the Packers, then right at the coin toss, he decides that he wants the Steelers to win. Sorry buddy. Didn't happen.

So I thought the Halftime Show was horrible. The audio was terrible, Fergie botched Sweet Child O' Mine, and it looked like there were some lighting issues, oh and how about Christina Aguilera getting the words wrong to the National Anthem? Nice right? Look if your going to add your style to the National Anthem, then at least get the words right.

So in the end, it was a typical Super Bowl to me. It is an over hyped game. For some reason we have built this game, this day as some sort of holiday. But for me and my family, it was a nice little memory that I hope they remember for every. I know I can remember the first Super Bowl I watched with my dad. I don't remember the game really at all, other then the Steelers beat the Rams. But I remember watching it with my dad.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I thought the best commercial was for 1-800 Flowers (I think), with Faith Hill where some guy types out a note to his girlfriend that's from the heart. You Tube it if you didn't happen to see it. By far the funniest commercial in my opinion.


J-Tony


So tell me did you watch the game? Did you enjoy the game itself? Did you enjoy the halftime show? Or maybe you're like my DW who really only watches the commercials? If so did any stick out more so then others?

Monday Night Madness

Ok so today is Tuesday, which means its time to ball. My league game doesn't start until 9 tonight, which means I'm going to be dragging tomorrow. You see I'm beat already and I've still got two hours before game time. Why am I beat already you ask? Well a little thing called Fantasy Football.

Yes the fantasy football playoffs started this past weekend, and let me tell you it was awesome. I know that sounds silly, but it really was a rush. You see I play in a league with the guys I work with, so there is a certain degree of bragging rights at stake here as well.

Now this past Sunday didn't start out to well for me. I was down early and had actually come to terms with the fact that I was going to lose. It was a hard pill to swallow, but I did it. In fact on Monday morning while my opponent was rubbing it in and talking about his match-up for the following week, I told our Commissioner how much I had enjoyed playing this year and that I would be back next year, even though I still had a few players playing in the Monday Night games. A few guys had told me stuff like it's not over yet, while others said they couldn't believe I'd lost.

So last night I didn't start my evening by watching the games. Again, thinking I was done. But right before I was heading to bed around 11, I decided to check online and see what the score was just to see what the damage was. To my shock and amazement, I was only down a few points. I quickly turned the t.v to the football game and decided I had to watch. Now I guess at this point I could have just gone on to bed and got the results in the morning, but who was I kidding. This was the playoffs, and I was only down a few points.  Well the game didn't end until after midnight, and in the end, I had won. (see picture..I'm team Stepdad).

Well I was ecstatic. I couldn't believe I had won. During the game, I was yelling at the t.v, and pacing the floor hoping that my guy would score some points for me. I'm sorry if you don't understand the concept of fantasy football, I'm sure at this point you're thinking, is he still talking about fantasy football?

So like I said, I won. It was an awesome feeling. So awesome in fact that right after that I tried to finally go to bed. Well I couldn't sleep. I was so jacked up from yelling at the t.v and wanting to win that I couldn't sleep once I finally got in bed. It took me over an hour to calm down and drift off to sleep. I know I know pretty silly, but whatever.

Which leads me to tonight. After getting about 3 1/2 hours of sleep last night, I'm beat. And tonight of all nights my basketball game is not until 9. Well it was worth it. Sometimes you have to sacrifice for the good of the team.  

J-Tony

Football, Cleaning and Crying

So today is Saturday which means that in my house it's "Football Saturday". I have programed my monsters to know that Saturdays are dedicated to Notre Dame Football. Now I suppose I should start from the beginning of where and how my obsession of Notre Dame Football all started.

 My earliest recollection of Notre Dame came when I was about 7 years old. I was at my cousins house one Saturday afternoon and my uncle happened to be watching the game. My cousin and I were doing whatever we used to do back when we were kids, playing Lego's or picking on his little brother, whatever. With just a few seconds left in the game, Notre Dame had an opportunity to win. My uncle excitedly called my cousin and I into the living room to watch the final seconds. So as time ticked down in the game Notre Dame lined up and kicked the game winning field goal. Now I'm not sure if my uncle maybe was just a big fan,  or if he had money on the game, or if he was just a big fan at that very moment because he had money on the game, but I didn't care. They won. My uncle was excited, my cousin was excited, and I was excited. Now at that time and age, I wasn't really sure why I was excited, or why it mattered, but it was cool. And it was a cool moment with my cousin and my uncle that I will never forget.

Ok so from that point on I have been a Notre Dame fan. I have watched year after year. Game after game. I have seen and heard it all being a Fighting Irish fan. I have lost my entire paycheck on a "sure thing" bet as a young adult. I have visited the house that Rockne built and have seen the Golden Dome shine in person. I am one of those who bleed blue and gold, or is it green and blue? Or maybe green and yellow? Anyway, I have had everything from Notre Dame key chains, blankets, shirts, basketballs, books, mouse pads and flags. You name it I own it, or have owned it Notre Dame, all to show my support because after all "You Gotta Support the Team"(Seinfeld).


Which brings me to present day. Every Saturday that the Irish are playing there are certain "rituals" that I feel must happen at my house. First and most importantly, I have to have a clean house and again the monsters know this. So we get up, have our breakfast and go about our day until it's time to clean. And every Saturday I have at least one monster, usually two.. in tears. "It's not fair" and "this will take for ever" I'm told repeatedly. "Why do we have to clean, and I didn't get that out or that's not mine" echo through the house. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a clean freak. I don't have a spotless house. I do however think that everything has a place and before Notre Dame plays I want everything put in that place. After a few hours of telling them no your room is NOT clean, and just making "a path" is not good enough, followed by more whining and crying, it's game time.


My other game time rituals involve my putting on some sort of game day shirt, having something handy to eat and drink and settling into my chair to watch my team. Now remember that I've seen the highs and now the lows of Notre Dame football. I was about 14 when they won their last national championship. Since then they have, (it pains me to say it) sucked. Oh sure they've had their ups and downs. Been ranked in the polls and been beaten by schools they should have crushed, but all in all they have been disappointing.


Today has been no different. We got up and had breakfast. We cleaned, I yelled, they cried. I got my sandwich and iced tea and sat down to watch what I thought would be a walk in the park game. Because after all Notre Dame was turning the corner.... (again). After a quarter of football much like so many Saturdays before it, there was more crying. Yes Notre Dame was getting beat by a team they should have beaten easily. And just like my monsters hours before, I was mad. I whined and cried and I thought about what's it gonna take for Notre Dame to be good again, and I thought..."this isn't fair" and "this will take forever".

Next Saturday is another game for my beloved Irish. Next Saturday just like the Saturday's before it, we will get up, have breakfast and go through our Football Saturday rituals. We will clean, we will get out snacks and put on our attire and root root for 'ol Notre Dame, but hopefully, just maybe, there will be a little less crying. 

J-Tony