Random thoughts

It's been one of those weeks.  The kind where I wrote half-assed posts about my weekend then let the blog fall by the wayside.  I've had several different thoughts creeping into my head, but none of them garnered an entire post, so I'm going to put them all here.

First, and why I didn't address this earlier is beyond me, the Raiders broke Mark Sanchez' nose!  I definitely saw the trainers all up in his face while I was at the game, but I had no idea what was happening.  I actually didn't find out about it until I was driving back to Reno later that night (that's what happens when you are at Oakland Coliseum and have no service).  He's a tough one.  Lesser quarterbacks *cough* Jay Cutler *cough* probably would have benched themselves, but Sanche kept going until the end.  Good job, bro!

Next: Does anyone else think it's great that Michael Vick is having a crappy season thus far?  I mean, after last season, he was a god, he got that GIANT contract, people had seemingly forgotten about his dog killing.  Now, he's playing like the Michael Vick of old and I couldn't be happier.  He's even trailing Jason Campbell....

After my loss last week, I'm trying to bring my A game to my fantasy football league.  I hit the jackpot with my running backs, MJD and LeSean McCoy, this season.  I never thought I would be so happy to not have Chris Johnson on my roster!  But the loss of Kenny Britt has thrown me for a loop.  I picked up Torrey Smith and Percy Harvin, but since Smith could be a one-time fluke, I'm left deciding between Harvin and Robert Meachem for my third wide receiver slot.  I'm leaning toward Harvin, in case Coleston comes back for New Orleans, but I'm not familiar with either player, so we'll see how this plays out.  Also, I have Jason Witten and Dustin Keller fighting it out for my tight end spot.  I think Witten wins this week.  And for QBs, I've got Sanche (who I've got starting, even though they are playing the Ravens), but it's hard not to put Josh Freeman against the shaken Colts.  Ugh.  This is when I start to become a stressball about fantasy football!

Finally, and this is just a personal note, it's my first full weekend in my new place!  I'm completely moved, I'm not traveling, and, though I have to unpack everything, I get to fully enjoy all my football channels!  Looks like I won't be leaving my house.  Well, that's a lie.  In addition to being a football addict, I'm also training for my second half marathon and by "training", I really mean I should be training.  I have the Nike Women's half marathon in 3 weeks, but I haven't run since my Disneyland half marathon at the beginning of September.  Let's hope I can tear myself away from football for long enough to go on a big run this weekend.  I sure need it!  Wish me luck!

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Fantasy football Week 3

This week should be entitled, "Oh how the mighty have fallen."

Welp, there goes my winning streak.  I knew it was too good to be true.  While I was trying not to get killed in Oakland, my fantasy football team was getting their asses handed to them.  Most notably, Kenny Britt tore his ACL in the game against Denver, leaving me with a -.20 in that WR position.  And Nate Burleson's 1.2 points didn't help me much either, nor did my Jets defense and their inability to stop the Raiders running game.

On a very positive, and surprising, note, Mark Sanchez had a helluva game in Oakland.  I've had Sanche on my roster for 2 years and I can't remember him having a better game.  Say what you want about Mark Sanchez, but I really think he is on his way to becoming an amazing quarterback.  I put all my faith in him, even though my co-worker suggested I start Josh Freeman last week.

Let's talk about this shit show and how many injuries I have on this damn team.  Mario Manningham, out.  Aaron Hernandez, out.  Kenny Britt, out.  Braylon Edwards, out.  I honestly don't think there is a thing I can do to salvage this team at this point.

I can only hope that I can pick up some wide receivers and tight ends on waivers, otherwise it looks like my amazing season could be going nowhere fast.

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche

NFL, Oakland style

Jealous?

And there it is, folks.  My view of Sunday's Jets v. Raiders game in Oakland.

I knew Oakland was going to be a scary place for a Jets fan to be, so I opted for a gray Jets t-shirt with a black Under Armour zip-up to blend in with the Raider Nation.  Even on the BART to the game, I cautiously kept my UA zipped, only revealing the gray of the shirt underneath.  I would shed the outer layer once I was safely in my seat.

Due to leaving SF late and BART schedules, we missed kick off and the first touchdowns of each team.  I was bummed.  It took forever just to get into the stadium and find our seats once we did finally arrive.  The people around us were very nice.  They heckled me a bit for being a Jets fan, but it was mostly friendly.  My favorite was the drunk guy with half his face painted black and silver that kept putting his hand in my face and saying, "Psssssssshh!" like a 14 year old girl every time I cheered.

Perhaps it's the negativity of the stadium, but it felt like the Jets were having the worst game of their careers.  It seemed the defense couldn't stop the run game and Mark Sanchez couldn't complete passes.  Then there was the Cromartie fumble on the return kick and I wanted to cry.  It was horrible to watch.

Such a pretty man

The upside was that the visitor's bench was directly in front of me, as was the exercise bike, so Sanche was maybe 10 yards away from me the entire game.  I even saw the trainers fixing his nose, though I had no idea it had been broken in the first place.

Burnell is standing up; Sanche is behind the second helmet

I wish I had more to say about the game, but I left feeling very unsatisfied.  Not just because of the loss, but because I wasn't able to let loose and enjoy the game.  I was so worried about getting the crap beat out of me by Raider fans, that I didn't cheer much and I didn't even like being there.  As evidenced by the video below, I'm really glad I kept to myself.

I kinda wish I had just stayed home.

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche

I'm not a doctor, but...

Look, Ma! I'm playing with the big boys now!

I find it really hard to believe that Tony Romo has a punctured/collapsed lung and is still going to play on Monday night.  Not to mention the cracked ribs....

I don't like Tony Romo.  Perhaps it's his previous love affairs with Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood that rub me the wrong way or maybe it's how long his sleeves are on his jerseys.  Let's be honest, it's the sleeves.  He looks like he's playing pee wee football with those things!  However, if he is genuinely hurt, and I assume lung issues qualify as a semi-severe to severe injury, he needs to stay off the field and heal.

The thing that boggles my mind is this: how is Romo supposed to play with all these lung issues, but Nick Mangold is out for 2-3 weeks with a sprained ankle?  Again, I'm not a doctor, but something about that seems very wrong.

Dude

Of course, the weekend before I am to see him in Oakland, Nick Mangold gets a "high ankle sprain". If I didn't know better, I'd say he did it on purpose to avoid being face to face with me. Okay, okay. So we won't be face to face and that hit did look pretty gnar on Sunday, but I'm so disappointed. Nick is a big part of why I love the Jets so much and watching this game from my epic seats just won't be the same without him.

However, I just found out that Scotty McKnight was just re-signed with the Jets, so maybe all hope is not lost. I mean, even if Nicky doesn't make the trip to Cali, at least we will have 4 of 5 members of our hypothetical NSYNC karaoke troop.

Nick, I wish you a super speedy recovery! Those boys aren't as safe out on offense without you!

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Fantasy football Week 2

Another week of Willie Beamen reigning victorious over the rest of my office league. This week, I owe my win to Kenny Britt and LeSean McCoy again, but also to Rob Bironas (my always trusty kicker) and the Jets defense. It's really nice to have the top Running back and defense in the fantasy world. Not to mention all my other players that rank in the top 10.

The random league sucked this week. I lost, thanks to Mario Manningham's unproductive game last night. Oh well. Again, let's not focus on that league 'cause it just makes me sad.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Friday Night Lights

There's nothing more beautiful than the sun setting over a high school football game.  Okay, that's a lie, but it's gotta be somewhere in the top 20!

My best friend's husband is a high school football coach and this year, he was hired on at Reed High, the high school I went to.  Going back so many years later (I won't tell you exactly how many because it's depressing) feels almost like I never left.  The cool kids still hang out by the refreshment stand and don't really watch the games, while the parents and alums crowd the stands, cheering like maniacs for the home team.

Friday nights are my favorite part of the fall.  Watching kids play football is adorable.  Even at their best, they are still pretty terrible, but you can tell that they love it.  They love being out on the field and playing football.  For many, it's their last opportunity to play the game they love so much and for a select few, it's the beginning of careers, but they are all a team and they all play for the love of the game.

And we get to sit back and enjoy it!  Happy Friday, friends!

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Fingers crossed!

It's something I've always wanted to do, but never had the balls.  I search all the time, find one that seems perfect for me, then dismiss it because I think to myself, "I'd never get it anyway."  But today, I changed my attitude and submitted my resume.

I applied for a job with the NFL.


Though I'm at the age where I should know what I'm doing with my life and what I want to be when I grow up, I am clueless.  I love the job I have right now, but it's not something I want to do forever.  I want to be around something that I'm passionate about, something that I really want to learn more about.  So, when my friend sent me a link to this job, I decided to throw myself into the mix.  Even if I don't get hired, it doesn't hurt to try, right? What's that old saying, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"?  I think Wayne Gretsky was on to something.

I think this gave me just the motivation I need to apply for other jobs I've seen for ESPN and different individual ball clubs.  I think I'm destined to be a football girl for the rest of my life.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

The greatest E-Bay experience ever!

Gather 'round, friends, and let me tell you a tale of how I scored the most amazing seats for the upcoming Jets/Raiders game.  First, let me preface this story with the fact that I know going to a Raiders game is going to be terrifying and, quite possibly, fatal.  However, I can't allow the Jets to be this close to me and not risk my life to be there.  I'm a real fan.

Anyway, after spending weeks checking StubHub for good, but inexpensive tickets, I was having no luck.  There were good-ish tickets, but they were at least $200 a piece (with shipping and processing fees).  I was beginning to think that I wasn't meant to go to this game.  Yesterday, I decided to check E-Bay because I'd purchased Titans/49ers tickets for really cheap a few seasons ago.

I was hitting the same wall on E-Bay, cheap and crappy seats or amazing but way overpriced.  I mean, it's Oakland, not MetLife Stadium!  Then, I found them.  Through the scalpers and all, there they were: tickets 6 rows up behind the visitor's sideline.  My heart began to race as I hastily placed my bid before realizing that there were almost 5 days left in the auction.  I knew someone else was going to get them or I was going to have to pay an arm and a leg for them, so I decided to be bold and email the seller to see if she could end the auction and give them to me.  It couldn't hurt, right?

The seller immediately wrote me back and said she would sell the tickets to me for $275 for the pair without handling or processing fees!  It turns out, she's a lady from Reno who lives very close to my office.  What luck!  She told me she would meet me somewhere to give me the tickets so I wouldn't have to mess around with the electronic tickets and so that "Mark could write his number on them" for me.

This morning, she emails me to ask where I should meet her and includes a picture of herself from Burning Man so that I know who to look for (which didn't help because no one in real life looks like they do at Burning Man).  Then she sent me a picture of Sanche, just for fun.  I swear, I've made a new BFF.

I get to the deli where we've agreed to meet, because I was having lunch with Blanche Collie Matthews there, and there she is.  A slightly older lady with blonde hair and rhinestones on her oversized sunglasses.  She gives me a hug before we exchange money and tickets and gushes about how much she loves her seats.  Then, even as we protest, she proceeds to buy me and Blanche lunch... with the money I've just given her!  Essentially that means I paid even less for the tickets.  Amazeballs!

As we wait, she asks where I work.  I tell her my boss' name and, it turns out, she used to be a client of his.  Reno is just too damn small!  We sit and chat about Burning Man and football until her to-go food arrives and she bids us farewell with another round of hugs.

I couldn't have been more lucky in this situation.  Everything worked out flawlessly and I finally get to be up close and personal with my Jets.  Now, I just have to worry about my wardrobe.

In case you are curious, here is a diagram of where my seats are.  The MS stands for Mark Sanchez, as that's where I estimate he will be when he's off field.  I get it, it's not to scale, but whatevs, I'm not an artist.

Jealous much?

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche

Jaguars fans, beware.

This is absolutely vile and disgusting.  Apparently, some Jaguars fan brought this little gem to their tailgate, in an attempt at humor.  Well, it's not fucking funny.  I cannot believe that anyone would mock McNair's tragic death with such a tasteless display.  I'm pissed.

McNair was not perfect; he was cheating on his wife when he was shot that Fourth of July morning, but he was a great quarterback, who played with injuries aplenty and never let them get in his way.  A lesson that Jay Cutler could learn from.  However, this is unacceptable.  It is not funny.  It is not friendly competition.  It is inhumane.

Sure, I make comments about players I don't like and how I wish bad things would happen to them, but I would never do something like this.  If Tom Brady or Kurt Warner were murdered, you wouldn't see me dressing up a skeleton with a bloody jersey.

Sorry your team is mediocre and is never talked about.  This is not the way to create publicity, Jacksonville.  I hope you have an absolutely terrible season.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

I really wouldn't mind if...

Someone broke Tom Brady's face tonight.  I mean, seriously Jason Taylor, do it for your division.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Fantasy football Week 1

Good news: I kicked ass in my office league! This week I was up against Blanche Manning and she didn't stand a chance. With great performances by Kenny Britt and LeSean McCoy, it didn't even matter that Austin Collie didn't play, leaving me with a big ZERO in that WR spot. MJD and Andre Johnson didn't fair so badly either.

Bad news: my random league was a fail. I do still have Aaron Hernandez to play tomorrow, but I highly doubt he will gain enough points for me to win. Oh well, I'm doing great in the league with $200 on the line.

Let's hope I can find a good WR to fill Collie's cleats.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

J-E-T-S!!!!

"Don't call it a comeback...."

If anyone doubted the full force power of the Jets, tonight's game showed everyone that you never count them out. They are a team the prays on your weaknesses and destroys you from within.

There were so many great plays in the second half, I can't decide who I would give the game ball to, if I were Sexy Rexy. The touchdown pass to Plaxico was perfection. I think that was a display of talent and experience that younger ball clubs miss out on because only a veteran can make moves like that. The Revis interception put us back in the game. He's totally worth all the money they throw at him! The blocked punt by Joe McKnight... Seriously could not have been a better executed play. And the long field goal by Nick Folk won them the game. It was a full team effort out there tonight!

Mark Sanchez has grown so much since last season. Yes, he was sacked (and had that terrible fumble) and yes he was intercepted, but it was the first time he's gone out and not been afraid to throw throw the ball. He looked confident. He looked like he deserved that captain C on his chest. And having LT, Keller, and Plax to throw to really helps too.

And, though it's been said by everyone already, it was only fitting that the New York Jets get a W on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It must mean so much to the team and to the New York residents to bring joy and happiness to the city/state on a day that is marred in such tragedy.

It's a win for everyone today. Well, except Tony Romo, who basically single-handedly lost that came for Dallas.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

University of Nevada

Oh Kaep. It's our first game without you and we miss you. Why do they put us up against Oregon for our first contest of the 2011 season??? It's so hard to watch.

At first, we were holding the Ducks and everything seemed great. But damn. A couple of big plays gets the Pack frustrated and flustered and all of the sudden, it's 0-37.

Oh and the fact that the announcers don't know how to pronounce our state's name. Its Ne-va-da, not Ne-vah-da. Get it right, guys.

I'm gonna go take a nap. This is too much to handle.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

My favorite football-related Twitter accounts

I'm an overactive Twitter user, that's no secret.  Of the 125 people I follow, I'm sure over half of them are related to football in one way or another.  Some of them are parody accounts, some are football players, and some are just other fans that are Twitterholics like myself.


What I've come to learn is that a majority of athletes that tweet are either compulsive retweeters and clog your news feed or boring.  The worst are tweeters whose use of shorthand or slang makes their tweets undecipherable (I'm talking to you, CJ2K!)  It's very rare to find an athlete that I genuinely enjoy updates from.  


With that being said, I'd like to give you a list of my favorite Twitter accounts, so that you can enjoy them as well.  Please feel free to add to the list or give me suggestions.  I always love finding new people to follow.


@FauxJohnMadden - Hilarious!  Yes, it's a parody account and not the real deal, but this person has some hilarious commentary on all things football.  Sometimes I think his tweets are more accurate than those of @NFL.  One of my favorite tweets? "Today's Wimbledon update is brought to you by.. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD END THE NFL LOCKOUT PLEASE!"
@NotJayCutler - Again, a parody account.  If you read my blog, you know how much I loathe Jay Cutler.  Any opportunity to mock Cutler is hilarious to me, though he doesn't tweet very often.  Sample tweet : "Am I nervous about the season? I haven't quit yet."
@nyjets - As far as Twitter goes for pro sports teams, the Jets are really on top of their game.  They are very interactive with their fans and they give thoughtful updates on press conferences, interviews, sound bites, and game highlights.  They are great with social media, which is another reason I think they are gaining so much popularity in the last few years.
 @nickmangold - Obviously, my favorite tweeter.  He tweets his fans (and haters) without a bunch of retweeting clogging up your timeline.  Nick is one of the few elite athletes that is truly grounded; he never makes himself out to be superior to anyone else.  He gets very quiet during the season, as to be expected, but he's a tweeting machine on his off time.
@Mark_Sanchez - I know, I know.  I'm a little biased when it comes to Sanche.  I just adore him, so obvi I adore his Twitter account too.  He shows his personality in a way you don't normally see pro QBs: he tweets pictures of his friends with the label #creepyguyfaketextingpic and jokes with his teammates, but always makes time to promote non-profits and charities.  He shows his fans what a fun and genuine guy he must be, which makes me love him even more... as if that's possible.  I also love his BFF (and one of the Jets newest wide receivers) @smcknight21.
@NFL - If you are a fan of football, you have to follow @NFL. However, if you are like me, you get the NFL updates via text already, so sometimes the updates are redundant.  Oh well.  I'd rather get an update 12 times than not get it at all.
@extraseats - This guy has tickets to 49ers, Jets and Cowboys games and usually his prices are pretty good.  He's also got tickets for a bunch of baseball and hockey teams, should you want to find cheap games to go to.
@CoachJeffFisher - I just stumbled upon his Twitter account and my heart sang with joy.  Looks like he hasn't really gotten into tweeting yet, but give him time.  This is a great man, people.  Soon, I'm sure, he'll be spitting out words of wisdom left and right.  


Other accounts I follow that I don't necessarily like or dislike, I just follow them because I like them as players: @C-Finnegan31 (Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee Titans), @Kaepernick7 (Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers), @ACromartie (Antonio Cromartie, New York Jets), @stephentulloch (Stephen Tulloch, Detroit Lions), and @AdamSchefter (Adam Schefter, ESPN NFL correspondent).


There are also people I've tried to follow, but couldn't handle either the amount or content of tweets. @chrisjohnson28's tweets are complete gibberish.  I'm sure someone understands him, but I'm not that person. @LarryFitzgerald's tweets are always about God or some preachy business, so I can't get down with that.  @ochocinco needs a life.  I get that Twitter is fun and exciting, but step away from the Twitter app on your phone, bro!  @kurt13warner is an asshole.  I only read his tweets once and they were making fun of other players.  Uh, you used to be homeless and your wife looks like a man, you have no room to criticize others, dick.


And that's all I've got for now!


xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

Dear Aaron Rogers,

You've created a lifelong enemy.  Not just me, but any female with eyeballs who thoroughly enjoyed Mark Sanchez' photo spread in GQ.  I get it; you are upset because no one wants your homely mug on the cover of their magazine, but you don't have to hate on Sanche for being oh-so pretty.  You know what's more embarrassing than a hot QB in tight white pants???  Your terrible hair cut and inexplicable facial hair.  Seriously, what is the situation happening above your shoulders?

You're a good quarterback, you just won a Super Bowl.  Do you really need to go around making fun of Mark Sanchez' clothing?  Tom Brady has done GQ, did you make fun of him as well?  Thankfully, Sanche is a classy man and didn't insult you back, even though you provide him with plenty of ammunition.  

Now, I will have to root against you always, even if you are playing the Patriots or Raiders.

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche

Poor Peyton!

It breaks my little heart to hear that Peyton Manning has undergone another neck surgery and could be out for at least 2 or 3 months.  As far as quarterbacks go, Peyton is elite.  He's smart, he knows how to read the field and make big plays, and he seems like a nice dude.  Even after being with the Colts for 13 years, he is still one of the best playmakers out there.  It seems like a shame that an injury is going to keep him from the majority of the 2011 season, if not finish his career.

As a Titans fan, I'm looking forward to the Colts season for a couple of reasons.  1. I love Kerry Collins and I'm glad to see that he'll be able to fill in for Peyton until he's healed.  I think Kerry still has some fight left in him and it's good the Colts chose to see that too.  2. The other part of me hopes Kerry and the Colts won't gel, opening up a spot in the AFC South for the Titans to swoop in and claim the top seat.  Though I still hold a grudge toward the Titans organization for their off-season personnel choices, I still want them to succeed.

However, I truly hope that Peyton can come back from this injury and play better than ever.  It would be a shame to watch a whole season without him.

xoxo,

Blanche Sanche