Football is in the Air

With temperatures still soaring into the 90s and the humidity steadily climbing, there is no question that we are still in the midst of the joys and pains of summer! Yet, in the not so far distance is the feel of something electrifying in the air, the approach of the 2015 football season. More specifically, the approach of the New York Football Giants 2015 season! Although "Back to Football" spirals me and many others on the path back to school, I am so ready!

24-7-365 I Bleed Big Blue; even in excruciating humidity on runs for my fundraiser #miles4change.

Sporty Releases

We are swiftly approaching week 5 and I have yet to be able to focus in on any NFL games! Sad, but very true. This school year has been unbelievable hectic! Much more than years before, which is the reason why football is so much more important. That's my official outlet for the frustrations and challenges I encounter from day to day. Which would explain why my partly sunny cloudy disposition is a whole lot cloudier than normal.

This week changes it all! There are papers to grade, lessons to plan, family members to see, and miles to run before I'm able to sit back and enjoy the ongoing action of the NFL season. On that note I have exactly "I refuse to count how many hours" to position myself to make it happpen. Tick-tock...

This is the week I will watch and not doze in front of the games, and I'm kickingn off Sporty's NFL Picks of the week! Drum roll please...

Sporty Releases

We are swiftly approaching week 5 and I have yet to be able to focus in on any NFL games! Sad, but very true. This school year has been unbelievable hectic! Much more than years before, which is the reason why football is so much more important. That's my official outlet for the frustrations and challenges I encounter from day to day. Which would explain why my partly sunny cloudy disposition is a whole lot cloudier than normal.

This week changes it all! There are papers to grade, lessons to plan, family members to see, and miles to run before I'm able to sit back and enjoy the ongoing action of the NFL season. On that note I have exactly "I refuse to count how many hours" to position myself to make it happpen. Tick-tock...

This is the week I will watch and not doze in front of the games, and I'm kickingn off Sporty's NFL Picks of the week! Drum roll please...

So I completely missed Thursday Night Football due to a little somethiing called , "I needed to get some sleep to get ready for Friday morning", but I would have gone with the Vikings against the Packers, simply because I detest the Packers. Which means I'm starting at -1.

Panthers over the Bears

Texans over the Cowboys

Lions over the Bills

Colts over the Ravens

Steelers over the Jags

Saints over the Bucs

Rams over the Eagles

Titans over the Browns

Chargers over the Jets

Niners over the Chiefs

Bengals over the Patriots

Seahawks over the Redskins

Broncos over the Cardinals

The coup de grace, my New York Football Giants over the Atlanta Falcons!

I would jump in my time travelling delorean back to 3 weeks ago and comment on the panic attack gripping Giants nation after the first two weeks of play, but it's not worth it. Yes, my world was rocked too, but it was week 2 and we all know that the Giants battle the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde football syndrome! May week 4's Giants show up tomorrow! One thing that social media has taught me, is to deal with any kind of drama and sports panic attacks the same way I deal with a random kid's temper tantrum in my zone. Ignore it and keep it moving!

Week 5 is in the wings and I am looking forward to enjoying some really good NFL action; after I squeeze in a 3 mile run to prepare me for my race next week as I train to bring awareness to the fight against human trafficking through my fundraiser #Miles4Change. Without further ado I bid you a Happy Week 5 and Go Big Blue!!!'

 

Posted with Blogsy

Is 1 Truly 2 Many ?

Training camp is on and popping for my New York Football Giants which means NFL kick off is a heartbeat away! I've been jealous of living vicariously through my New York brethren on Facebook who have been attending training camp and posting lots of great pictures. I must admit being able to pull up Giants.com to see videos, photos, and hear commentary of what's happening during training camp still amazes me! It's like I'm right there, but I'm really not, yet I feel so connected. Please remember I'm a 28 year displaced fan, so the leaps in bounds in technology is a beautiful thing!

So I'm feeling all these warm fuzzies because my Gmen are officially balling as they prepare for the "Drive for 5". Then I pull up my twitter page to update information on my fundraiser, #miles4change, and see a link that leads me to an article on the Ray Rice two game suspension. Needless to say my training camp high was completely squashed by a flood of emotions topped off with "are you serious" and "what in the world".

1 is 2 Many: PSA

Maybe I'm the only one who remembers the "1 is 2 Many" White House PSA launched by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden with the help of some of the greatest professional athletes on the planet in 2012. Of course I would remember because my quarterback, Eli Manning, represented the NFL. I'm going to break this PSA down, then explain why I was deeply bothered by the suspension decision handed down to Ray Rice.

Down, But Not Out...

Just sitting here thinking about how much I longed for the NFL during the post and preseason play. Then looking back on the past three weeks with tears in my eyes trying to figure out what's going on. Well, honestly, the tears dried up around Monday night and by Thursday I was back to the , "it ain't over yet", mindset that I normally carry pretty well through the season.

Nevertheless I go on Facebook this morning and am bombarded with insults, grumblings, and "it's over" posts by fellow fans. Now I do realize the Giants have not looked good over the past weeks and we all mourn defeats in our own ways. I also realize sometimes it takes longer to shake off a loss, or multiples, than others and I'm going to give them their time and respect that. But in the words of my high school Pre-Calculus teacher, "Geesh Louise people! Get over it and move on".

 

The Nation Mourns

This past week was one of those really long weeks that I couldn't wait to end. Every morning after Monday felt like it should've been Friday. When Friday finally got here, so did news of a very tragic event in Newtown, Connecticut. I am not a parent yet, but as an auntie, an older cousin, a human, the news was a very hard pill to swallow without tears falling. As an elementary school teacher, my heart ached even more.

I lift up in prayers the families of Sandy Hook Elementary who have experienced great loss during this tragic event. I thank God for the faculty and staff members who became a hedge of protection for students that day and helped to save lives, even at the cost of losing their own. The world is shocked by these acts, but fellow educators realize our love for our students and passion for their wellbeing would warrant nothing less. We are their protectors when danger lifts its head on our watch. God bless all of the families of these heroes that day.

I also lift up in prayers families who have experienced a loss in any other tragic events long past or recent past, televised or not. I can only imagine seeing what unfolded Friday brings back memories of your own pain. I also salute the New York Football Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and other organizations for taking steps to honor students and teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary School during week 15 games.

May we work to find a resolution to the various problems that cause some people to be so consumed by darkness that they don't savor the precious gift of life.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Happy Family, Food, and Football Day

I still find it hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here! It is amazing how quickly time flies! Family, food, and football is an awesome combination! I'm not sure what will be more exciting the battles on the television or the battles from fans in the family as they support their squads. Either way I will enjoy pushing back from the table and watching the drama unfold.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY

Bye-Bye

I have been experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions since week 8 play. Unfortunately that roller coaster seems to be stuck in dip mode! I was not happy at all with our play against the Cowboys in week 8. Truth be told, Romo played himself and in the process gave up that game to the Gmen. It went in our favor, but games like that against division rivals always makes me nervous mad. Next week 9 we played against the Steelers which ended up being a tug of war with Steelers coming out on top. Lastly, week 10 with the Bengals blowing us out. By half time I was absolutely numb! You never underestimate your opponents, but I was not expecting what played out last week. To sum it up in three words aye-yi-yi!

Now week 11 is the Gmen's bye week. Emotionally I needed this week to get all my vitals back to normal. We also need this week to say bye-bye to a few issues:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

After week 7, I do believe the word "respect" is the best way to sum up the Gmen and 'Skins games. Aye-yi-yi! I must admit there was not a dull moment in that game and RGIII has completely earned my respect! My grandfather was a huge Redskins fan back in the day, and I remember sitting with him as a little girl watching Doug Williams play. Needless to say my grandfather would've been proud of the acquisition of the 'Skins new weapon of mass destruction! That youngin is going to be a thorn in the NFC East for years to come. But then again, we are the NFC East and stiff competition should be the norm! So I welcome the red-headed step children of the NFC East back to the ranks of worthiness of being apart of the division for more than just sweeping the New York Giants pre-RGIII last season.

 

Doubt Brings Them Out

Week 6 action was fantastic! Let's start with the most important game of the week, drum roll please...the Gmen and the Niners. The Niners went into week 6 heavily favored over the Gmen and heavily praised for past performances. This was to be the rematch to the playoffs "L" the Gmen handed them last season. Revenge was the gameplan, yada, yada, yada, the Niners were chosen for the win. Needless to say the Gmen always play better with a chip on their shoulder and they showed up and showed out in this game. As much as I hate the fact that NFL analysts don't "coo" and "awwww" over my squad like others *coughs the Pats* and *sneezes anybody else*, I always get nervous if we are ever heavily favored. Playing from behind seems to bring the Gmen out! Sort of letting the analysts know that their talk will not define Gmen play! YOU GO BOYS!!!

Confession: I was looking for an excuse to throw up an old T.I. song

Welcome to REAL New York Giants Football

Well week 5 is a thing of the past, but it's truly not over until I give my recap. Well, honestly, it's over when the Thursday night game kicks off the new week, but in Sporty's world it's not through until I give you my two cents.

Week 5 had the Browns against my Gmen at home. Were the Gmen ready to protect their house? The opening drive got me nauseous early on with the early turnover on the first drive and the Browns back to back touchdowns early in the quarter. I never declare defeat until the end, but truth be told my neck and shoulders started to tense up at that point. I wasn't expecting an easy game, but I also didn't expect all of that so early. Needless to say, we've all heard the motto it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Finish my Gmen did, and quite nicely I must add 41 to 27. A rocky start ended in a GIANT finish. Now is a great time to shout out Sporty's Real G's for week 5. A big shout out to Ahmad Bradshaw for 200, yes 200, rushing yards!!! This my friend is where the title for this week comes from, that's real New York Giants football bay-beee! Yard for yard, pound for pound on the ground. It even makes me emotional as I recap. Mega rushing yards are always a beautiful thing! Next shout out is a double dose, Stevie Brown and Chason Black for their in-ter-freakin-cep-tions! Defense getting the ball back is always a wonderful sight to behold! Last but not least, I want to shout out Mr. Three TDs, Mr. Salsa King himself, Victor Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuz! I hadn't enjoyed that much salsa without chips in awhile!

CHEERS TO WEEK 5 !!!!!

Drama Must Have Its Moment

First and foremost, let's recap my Gmen's game against the Eagles last week. Might as well not let it linger, just get it over with. Even in the NFL, drama must have it's moment. Of course I'm talking on the field, not off. It was the battle of the 2 and 1(s) of the NFC East. With my Gmen, the Eagles (blah), and the Cowboys (yuck) in a three way tie. Who would break out on Sunday night and lead the East? Of course, as far as I was concerned, it would be my Gmen. Unfortunately a very well known road was traveled that night. Whenever the Gmen and Eagles go heads up a barf bag is not too far away from me! Shall we flashback for a minute?

This game hit a new match up low and was hard to shake in 2010. Truthfully I still cringe to this day! I was so stunned I was numb. After it wore off I felt for Dodge, it was so much more than just a bad punt kick decision. It was sloppy special teams all around! It was actually sloppy Giants play throughout the game. Unfortunately he put the icing on the cake. I thought for sure Coach Coughlin was going to catch a case though! Wooooo-saaaaah!

The Refs are Back, The Refs are Back

Week 4 kicked off with the official NFL refs back on the field Thursday night. I would like to send a heartfelt thank you out the NFL replacement refs. As a teacher, I am grateful for anyone who steps in and attempts to take the place of the absent professional. As many issues as there were with bad calls and long waits for reviews, you proved there's a certain "je ne sais quoi" to playcalling that needs to be given its respect. Fans didn't talk much about the refs lockout, until after week 1. By week 2 they were howling for the refs to be given what they wanted and back on the field. Kind of reminded me of the Disney cartoon "The Replacements", you don't know what you're going to get until you get it...then you want to send it back.

Roadtrip Sporty Style

Week 3 NFL action kicked off with my Gmen in the "Queen City" Thursday night taking on the Carolina Panthers. There was no way in the world my squad could be that close and I not be in the building. Finally an opportunity to scream at the field what I scream at the tv. Of course I wanted a good game and a Giants win, but the pummeling they served up the Panthers were priceless. By halftime "Let's Go Giants" chants were echoing around the field *wipes away proud tear*. Panthers fans were so frustrated that a fight broke out in our section between two Panthers fans. One of them had his jersey turned inside out. Security moved in quick, fast, and in a hurry, to snatch them up and move them out. Which helped me realize this formula is lethal ---> Too much alcohol + fellow fans with different viewpoints of the game + not enough points for the home team on the scoreeboard = an NFL civil war.

My view from section 532-row 24 -seat 9

Back on Track...

Well it is week 2 of NFL action. Shall we recap week 1's picks? I went 10 for 16 in my picks for week 1, giving me an average of 63%. So this means the pressure is on for the picks this week! I want to be the "NFL Wins Whisperer", "The NFL-stradamus", the... I can't think of another term, but you get the point. On another note, I was not going to participate in Fantasy Football, but decided I'd take a go at it again this season. Confession time, I used autodraft *lowers head in shame*, and I will never use it again. I am a devoted Manning girl, and ended up with Tony "freaking" Romo as one of my qbs. I know I could trade, but maybe this was a lesson I was suppose to learn, or maybe he's ready to compete, or maybe I'm just lazy and don't feel like going through that extra process right now.

Happy NFL Sunday

Of course the NFL season kicked off for me when my Gmen took on my NFL arch-nemesis the Dallas Cowboys. I was so excited for that Wednesday night game. I woke up on cloud nine ready to take on the challenges of the day just to get to Wednesday night. Finally kick off came and the game began, the beginning of the "drive for five" was on and popping! The Super Bowl XLVI Champs were about to take the field!

 

Preseason Rush

Thank you to CBS for airing the Giants and Bears preseason game last night. Last week marked week two of being back to work, so I was in between cheering and sleep after the first half. My body is still trying to adjust from summer break to work mode. Anyway, I must say the first half of the game was really exhilarating. First of all let me say that I am a true blue-blooded New York Giants Fan who believes regardless how strong our passing game is, victory is not sweet unless we are shoving the ball down any defense's throat with a serious running game. With that being said, David Wilson had an awesome running exhibition along with doing a great job of snatching up short passes. He definitely has the potential to be a very dangerous back. I loved the spin off of a defender for extra yardage on one of his runs! On twitter I saw a few comments regarding his ability to block, or lack there of. I'm not knowledgeable of that fact, but what I do know is the rookie can definitely run! I was also glad to see Ramses Barden warming the field up with some quick passes and the first Gmen touchdown. Giants Nation has been waiting on him to blossom and bloom, hopefully this is the beginning of his time to shine! Of course this Manning girl was very proud of her quarterback's poise and scrambling ability in this game. Eli doesn't waste time talking about, he goes out there and just does it! I do believe he needs to be the new Nike poster boy.

Fool Me Once...

I was really excited about the New York Giants preseason game against the Jags. I made sure I had everything done before kick off. Then I was blindsided by NFL Network. I could of sworn NFL Network flashed up on my NFL Mobile app that the next game would be the Giants and the Jags. When I went into the app at 7:30pm on the dot, what teams appeared before my eyes? The freaking New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals! How in the world did the New York Jets get national coverage on NFL Network when the Super Bowl Champions were suited up to play? How could any team get that coverage when the reigning champs were on the field ? Totally ridiculous! Yes, I do realize Tim Tebow was about to make his debut as a Jet, and if nothing else the media must cover NFL triggers and hot topics. But still, I mean, seriously? We're talking Super Bowl Champs here not Eagles, 'Skins, or Cowboys. Sidenote: It felt good throwing that in there! Then of course I missed the re-airing of the preseason game because I was at school trying to pull my classroom together.

Needless to say I will make sure without a shadow of a doubt, that I am able to view my Gmen's second preseason game. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...nah that's not about to happen. Guess I need to start frequenting a few sports bars and getting their line up.

Well I'm through venting, the only thing left to say is---> GO BIG BLUE!

Preseason Kick Off Countdown

 

Giants football is definitely in the atmosphere! Counting down to the Giants v\s the Jags on Friday night. Can't wait to see my Gmen take the field for preseason play. Yes, excitement for the NFL 2012 season is building in the atmosphere. Can you feel it?

GO BIG BLUE!!!

Posted with Blogsy

Happy Training Camp Day

It is amazing how much easier it is to wear a smile on a day like today. If you're an NFL fan, you know exactly what I'm talking about! Today was the first day of training camp for many teams across the league. Of course the only team who mattered to me today where my Super Bowl XLVI Champion New York Football Giants *thunderous roars & applause*. I know, I know on today the slate is wiped cleaned and we all start at 0-0, but my team is the reigning champions which makes them better.

Remember this...

 

Well "tomorrow" has come for most of your teams and I am excited to see & hear reports on the Giants from training camp. Another season is swiftly coming upon us and I am ready for some great NFL action! Good luck to your teams. Here's to no injuries in training camps across the league and much success to my New York Giants on their drive for five! Go Big Blue!!!!

 

Posted with Blogsy