Wild Game!

Last night Patrick took me to my first ever NHL game.  I've seen the Gophers, and I've seen the Moose, but I never had the chance to see the Wild.  Well this was it, and it was good.  The Wild won 1-4 and I got to see some great goals and fantastic saves.  I was really impressed by how much faster the games moves when you're there rather than watching on TV.  I loved it!  We got seats in the upper deck on center ice - it was a great view.  The nice part about the Excel is that no matter where you sit you have a great view.  The refs didn't let anyone fight and I didn't get to see any blood on the ice, but it was still a great experience.

The Wild warmed up in special National Guard jerseys

We had a great view right down the middle!

Pre-game

After the 2nd period we moved a little closer to the action.  Had some great guys with thick Minnesotan accents behind us which just made the experience better.

Wild Win!

Football Picks

Saturday Divisional Games

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
This is one of those match ups that you almost get sick of seeing.  These two teams are in the same division and seem to play each other a lot in the playoffs.  The reason you don't get sick of it is because they are two good teams that always seem to produce a great game!  It was tough to pick, but I think I'm going with Pittsburgh today.  A lot of this is going toward home field advantage because Pittsburgh fans play a huge role.  I also think that Pittsburgh is just the better team right now.

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons
This was a really tough choice not only as a football fan, but a Vikings fan.  I don't even know who to root for in the match up because I can't cheer for our arch nemesis but ever since the 1998/1999 NFC Championship game I just can't like the Falcons.  Sure I'm holding a grudge, who wouldn't?  I think that both teams are equally matched but I think that the Packers want this more and that it is going to show tonight when they play.

Sunday Divisional Games

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears
I love a good old fashioned come from behind win so naturally I really dig the Seahawks right now - but I jsut don't think they can pull off another win like last weeks.  I really like the fact that they made it this far though because it really shows that a .500 team DOES belong in the playoffs and that the playoff system works in the NFL.  I digress.  I think the Bears are going to win, but not by much and I'm sure it is going to be because of a fluke play or a bad call. 

New York Jets at New England Patriots
I don't think the Jets are any match for the Patriots.  The Patriots are moving along too well and the Jets are having all these legal issues popping up which has to take its toll on the team.  This is the only game that I think is going to be a blow-out.

Super Bowl

Well it worked out quite well that my second favorite team in the NFL is the Indianapolis Colts. I really like Peyton Manning. He is a great quarterback, a good guy and absolutely hilarious! I look forward to every commercial I get to see with him in it.

Currently I don't have a lot of extra money. So instead of buying another jersey I took a blue t-shirt and some white medical tape I had laying around. Here is the final product and my outfit for the Super Bowl.

My MVP

Monday, August 23rd at 12:30 the award show started on MLB.com. I was watching it at work on a computer that not only doesn't have speakers, it doesn't even have a sound card!

So I'm just sitting there, watching the mouths move on the screen and the highlights race past. I love watching Mauer highlights. That grab he made behind the home plate net and the out he made at home when he faked out the runner... I could watch those over and over.

Since I can't hear them I don't know when exactly they will be announcing the winner. Then I see it, they get a little more serious, one of them mouths the word Mauer and a banner pops up saying the words AL MVP Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins! Oh my gosh, I was so excited.

I was so ready for them to award it to a damn Yankee so when my guy won I couldn't help yelling out my horray right in the middle of the office. At this point in time I didn't care if everyone knew I was using my work hours to see who got MVP. I told everyone who would listen.

Mauer has to stay in Minnesota and I am quite sure that he will NEVER be a Yankee or a Red Sox.

Manager of the Year 2009

In a few hours the MLB 2009 Manager of the Year award will be presented. Here are my thoughts.

National League:
Hands down Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies is the best choice to receive this award. After 46 games this season with their past manager, Clint Hurdle, the Rockies were 18-28. Then Tracy stepped in and the Rockies finished the season with a 92-70 record, making it into the playoffs and giving the Phillies a run for their money.

American League:
I would really like to see Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins win this award. The Twins don't have many amazing players and the amazing ones were hurt and gone for parts of the season. He has an amazing ability to work with what he has. The Twins made an amazing run at the end and got into the Postseason through a fantastic Tie Breaker game. They may have gotten swept by the Yankees but hey, we lost to the World Series winners I guess.

I think the manager that is most likely to win is the Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim's manager Mike Scioscia. He is a good manager and took his team pretty far. But the reason he's going to win is because of the tragedy of Nick Adenhart. Instead of the Angels falling apart, the Angels came together after the accident and used Adenhart's memory to push them through the season. I think this was more of a team effort than something that manager did and I don't think Scioscia should win because of it.