All posts by Kristabella

College Football Recap Week 14 – The Final Countdown Edition

By | December 6, 2010 | College Football, Football, NCAA | 2 Comments

It’s the last weekend of college football this week, until the bowls start. (Well, the Army/Navy game is next weekend, but it is the ONLY game.) And this was championship week, with a few rivalry games thrown in.

Here are some of my thoughts on this week’s games:

Arizona State 30, Arizona 29

For once, I can talk about my alma mater in a college football recap! Because if you win only one game a season, it has to be the game over your in-state rival. ASU can be the worst team ever, but as long as the beat U of A, I call it a successful season.

This game was awesome! The Sun Devils won the game on the fact that the Arizona kicker had two extra points blocked, one at the end of regulation and one in the second OT. It was the first time this long, storied series went to OT. GO DEVILS!

Oregon 37, Oregon State 20

This was close in the first half, the story of Oregon’s season. In fact, the Ducks have outscored opponents in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t the best showing for the Ducks this season, but it sclinched them a spot in the National Championship Game.

Auburn 56, South Carolina 17

The Tigers rolled to victory behind six touchdowns from Cam Newton and defeated South Carolina to win the SEC title. Auburn has peaked at the end of this season and has earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl, earning a chance to play for the national title. As long as everything goes according to plan, the Tigers will be meeting the Ducks in Arizona on January 10. I cannot wait for that game.

Oklahoma 23, Nebraska 20

Oklahoma held off the Huskers to earn the Big 12 title, their seventh in school history, and as of right now, probably the last Big 12 Championship Game ever. The game was close, but Oklahoma rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Nebraska. This was Nebraska’s last chance for a Big 12 title, as they head to the Big 10 Conference next year. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones threw for 342 yards in the second biggest come from behind victory in Big 12 Championship history.

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Kristabella is unsure how she will now spend her Saturday afternoons until next September.

Cubs Icon Ron Santo Passes Away

By | December 3, 2010 | Baseball, Breaking News, Legends, R.I.P. | 7 Comments

It is a sad day in Chicago today. Our beloved Ron Santo died Thursday night in Arizona from complications of bladder cancer.

Santo is an icon in Chicago for all Cubs fans. His love of the Cubs was what made his radio broadcasts of Cubs games epic. Whether he was talking about washing his toupee in the dishwasher, or lambasting players or coaches for bad plays on the field, Ron Santo was always entertaining. He lived and breathed the Chicago Cubs.

“He absolutely loved the Cubs,” said Santo’s broadcast partner, Pat Hughes. “The Cubs have lost their biggest fan.”

Santo had a plethora of health issues, including diabetes, which took both his legs. But he never complained. Calling Cubs games on the radio was his passion and you could hear it over the radio.

“He considered going to games therapeutic,” Hughes said. “He enjoyed himself in the booth right to the end.”

Santo was the Cubs third baseman from 1960-73 and was a five-time Gold Glove winner. He passed away before seeing his dream of being elected into the Hall of Fame come true. He’s been on the ballot 19 times and came close to getting elected by the Veteran’s Committee in 2007, failing by just nine votes.

I, for one, will miss this man immensely. Cubs games won’t be the same. I will miss hearing his voice on the radio feeling the same emotions that I feel while listening to games.

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts summed it up best – “Ronnie will forever be the heart and soul of Cubs fans.”

Rest in peace Ronnie.

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College Football Recap Week 13 – Thankful for Rivalries Edition

By | November 28, 2010 | College Football, Football, NCAA | 8 Comments

It’s rivalry week in college football. Next to bowl season, this is my favorite weekend of the season. You never know what is going to happen. All records are off the table.

Here were some highlights from this long weekend’s games, although not all technically rivalry games:

Auburn 28, Alabama 27

Wow. This edition of the Iron Bowl was a close game. And I have to tell you, I love an upset. I especially love an upset of a number two ranked team. Especially when said team has had quite a few close games this season and apparently needs a lot of help on defense. But, I was rooting for Auburn and I’m glad they pulled this out in the last quarter because I really didn’t want Boise State to end up in the National Championship Game.

Nevada 34, Boise State 31

And then this happened. And this is an upset I can get behind. I have had a grudge against Boise State since Dirk Koetter left BSU for Arizona State, touting his proficiency for high-powered offenses and the ability to win a lot of games. And then he came to ASU and pretty much took our football program from one of the top in the Pac-10, to one of the worst in the country. So I like to see them lose, because I’m sorry, they can’t hang with the teams from the power conference.

Also? Your blue field is 100 kinds of ridiculous.

Oregon 48, Arizona 29

If you’ve read any of my recaps, you know I went to Arizona State, root for the Pac-10 and hate the University of Arizona more than any other team in all of sports. So this big win for Oregon made me happy, especially because it keeps my dream of an Oregon/Auburn national title game alive.

South Carolina 29, Clemson 7

South Carolina has had quite an up and down season. They beat some great teams, then lost to some not so great teams. A lot of people, Cocks fans included, would not have been surprised if the Gamecocks lost to Clemson this week and went on to beat Auburn next week in the SEC Championship Game. It’s been that kind of season for South Carolina. But it’s also a year of highs for the Gamecocks – first time going to SEC Championship Game and this was the first time they’ve beaten their rival Clemson two games in a row since 1968-70.

Oklahoma 47, Oklahoma State 41

It was bedlam in this Bedlam Game. (I had no idea that’s what this series was called.) This win by Oklahoma forced a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South. The BCS poll determines the winner of the division. Oklahoma QB Landry Jones threw for a school-record 468 yards in the win. The Sooners went up 47-38 with a little over two minutes left in the game. Oklahoma State responded with a field goal and a failed onside kick, which gave Bob Stoops and the Sooners the W.

Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 23

Wisconsin continues to impress me. Had they just beaten Michigan State this season, they would have won the Big Ten outright. Instead, there is a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten, between Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State (both the Spartans and the Buckeyes winning this weekend as well.) It’s also the third time this season, THIRD TIME kids, that the Badgers have scored 70 points or more in a game. Hopefully they get a berth in the Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of them all, after their impressive season.

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Speaking of bowls, Kristabella is going to go refill her cereal bowl with Cookie Crisp.

Only One End Zone To Be Used In Northwestern-Illinois Game At Wrigley Field

By | November 19, 2010 | Baseball, College Football, Football, NCAA | Comments Off

Due to safety concerns, the Big Ten announced today that they will only be utilizing one end zone for tomorrow’s Northwestern-Illinois game that is being played at Wrigley Field. The east end zone is just feet away from the famous brick wall of Wrigley’s outfield, and despite adding some padding, the Big Ten officials didn’t feel comfortable with the set-up.

So since everything has already been done, the decision is to use the west end zone for all offensive series. Teams will still kick off towards the east end zone, but that’s all the action that side of the field will see.

I have to admit, it is definitely a tight fit. And brick walls can be kind of unforgiving. I mean, there isn’t really even enough room for the goal post.

Here are my problems with this, though:

  1. The Big Ten and both schools spent a boatload of money on due diligence to make sure that this game was going to be feasible. They just realized this would be a problem now??
  2. The Chicago Bears played football in Wrigley Field for almost 50 years from 1921-1970. So clearly, a football game can be played there. And I’m sure the Bears didn’t use one end zone for 50 years.
  3. How pissed would you be if you have seats in the right field bleachers for the game, prime end zone seats, and now the only action you will see will be kickoffs?

This should be interesting to watch, for sure.

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Kristabella is just pissed they painted the iconic red Wrigley Field sign purple for this stupid game.

The Punky QB Is The Forgetful QB?

By | November 19, 2010 | Dain Bramage, Football, injuries, NFL | 2 Comments

The NFL takes many measures in this day and age to protect players, especially quarterbacks. There are rules for roughing the passer, special helmets to prevent concussions and heavy fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It hasn’t always been like this. Football is a brutal sport and always has been, going back to the beginning days when players played with leather helmets and virtually no padding.

There are loads of stories from ex-NFLers, especially those from the 50s, 60s and 70s, who talk about their injuries and the damage years of playing professional football has taken on their bodies – arthritis, artificial hips, brain damage, you name it.

Concussions and head injuries have become a big deal in the NFL within the last 10 years and especially the last few seasons. The lingering damage these concussions have caused to these players is now coming to light. Gone are the days that a concussed player comes back to play in the same game, now those injured players are sitting out at least a game and being heavily evaluated before they are allowed to return to the playing field.

This past summer the NFL came out with a new poster to hang in the locker rooms warning players about the danger of concussions and how you should handle things if you do, in fact, get a concussion. This is the NFL’s answer to everything. There’s a problem? Let’s educate with pamphlets and boring videos! That will solve the problem.

That’s all fine and good for today’s players, but the damage to players of the past has already been done. And one former Chicago Bears quarterback isn’t mincing words when it comes to the problems that those brutal hits of the game have done to his noggin.

“My memory’s pretty much gone,” Jim McMahon, 51, said. “There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget why I walked in there. I’m going through some studies right now and I am going to do a brain scan. It’s unfortunate what the game does to you.”

“Back then, it was just tape an aspirin to your helmet and you go back in,” McMahon said. “I’ve worked with some neurosurgeons and it’s a very serious thing, man.

This is not the attention the National Football League appreciates, but I’m glad the punky QB is still speaking out like he did in his playing days. Because it is a serious issue. And while I’m glad the League is taking a more serious approach to head injuries, there is still a lot to be done to prevent all former and future players from becoming a bunch of drooling zombies.

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Kristabella still holds on to her childhood love of Jim McMahon and still hopes to one day be his wife, seeing as he’ll probably forget he’s already married.

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