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

Every girl needs a couple Kaepernick jerseys

As briefly mentioned in an earlier post, I received 3 Kaepernick jerseys for my birthday, 2 red ones and a white one.  Apparently my friends and family really love me because those things aren't cheap.

After I had opened all of them, one of my friends noticed that the white one was actually a NY Giants jersey with Kap's name and number on it.  Funny thing, that's the one that came from the 49ers own website.

My dad (who got me the jersey) called to ask them to send a replacement and they said they would, on the condition that we send the Giants jersey back.  Hell no!  I'm keeping it forever because it's hilarious!

Deciding that 3 was just too many, I returned one of the red jerseys to Scheels and got some sweet Under Armour.  But I'm totally psyched to wear my new jerseys, even though supporting the 49ers is going to be the death of me!

And here is the infamous picture of me, Kap, and Morgan the night we stalked him at a nightclub to take a picture with him.  Creepy, yes.  Worth it, yes.  I just wish I didn't look so terrible in the photo.  Even though I was intoxicated, I was still embarrassed that we were such weirdos!

See you in San Francisco!
xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

The Good and The Bad

THE GOOD:

Colin Kaepernick is finally signed with the 49ers for a 4 year deal, which is great because I wouldn't want my 3 Kap jerseys to go to waste!  Yes, I received 3 for my birthday. Win.

Santonio Holmes has been re-signed by the Jets for a massive deal.  Let's just hope he behaves himself and doesn't have to be a bench warmer for 5 games for drug use....

Oh, Albie.  I kind of loved him and his craziness when he was a Titan, then he went off the deep end with the 'Skins and acted like a bigger diva than Mariah Carey.  Now, he's moving on to the Patriots and I'm giddy.  I can't wait to see the stress he's gonna cause Bill Belichick!  I hope he's awful because that would just fill my heart with happiness!

THE BAD

Jason Babin is now playing for the Eagles and I'm heartbroken.  He is one of my favorite Titans and I'm so sad to see him go!  I think the Eagles are going to have a spectacular team this year, as much as it pains me to say so, and they will have a good shot at making it to the Super Bowl.

Ugh.  Why do the Titans consistently make personnel choices I do not agree with?  I guess Matt Hasslebeck is our new QB.  I'm going to try to learn to love him, but it's gonna be hard since my heart was set on Kyle Orton.  I have a feeling that they are only bringing Hasslebeck in as a buffer until Jake Locker is ready; he's not a long term guy.  Let's hope he can breathe life into my ailing Titans.

NFL 2011 Draft

There's been a lot I should have written about over the past few months, but I didn't.  I was lazy and never felt compelled to say anything, so let's forget that any of it happened and move on.

Tomorrow is a big day!  The start of the 2011 NFL Draft.  With all the commotion happening between the players and the owners, the draft hype has been rather lackluster.  It's hard to get excited about drafting new players into a league that may or may not have a 2011 season.

I, however, am on pins and needles.  Not only am I praying (seriously, and I'm not even religious) for the Titans to pick up Colin Kaepernick in the second round, but the draft is something else entirely for me.  It also serves as my 2011 Boyfriend Draft!

Last year, my number 1 boyfriend was Sam Bradford... and not just because he was drafted first.  His sweet face and goofy smile placed him at the top of my list.  I will have to look and see who the rest of my picks were, but I'm pretty sure that Bradford was the most successful candidate of the year.

This year, I'm obviously going to take Colin Kaepernick early, but the rest of the line up is TBD.  I guess I'll fill you in as the draft progresses tomorrow.

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

PS- Jay Cutler is engaged.  That makes me barf in my mouth.  He is the most vile human being I can think of, next to the disturbed individual that thought up Human Centipede.  Fuck that guy.

Colin Kaepernick

 My dearest Nevada Wolf Pack has finally produced a star in the way of our graduating quarterback, Colin Kaepernick and I am so proud!

C. Kaep (as I like to call him because nicknames are always more fun than given names) is a jack-of-all-trades.  He played football and baseball during his tenure at Nevada.  Actually, he was drafted to the MLB, but chose to stick with football for the 2010 season.  And we have been grateful ever since.

Not only has he been a figurehead for an ailing Nevada football team; he's done some remarkable work on the football field that ANY school would be lucky to get out of their QB.  He's had a career 59 rushing touchdowns, 20 of them occurring in the last season.  59!  He tied with Tim Tebow for being the second person to rush 20 and throw 20 TDs in the same season.

And, yet, he was virtually unrecognized for his record-breaking career.  No Heisman, no Unitas award, nothing.  It's a shame that he gets absolutely no credit for what a remarkable player he is.

Now, I have been strongly campaigning* for the Titans to take a chance on the young QB, as we are in dire need of a team leader that doesn't, well, suck.  I know it's a long shot, but it would serve 2 purposes: 1. The Titans would get a non-sucky quarterback and 2. People wouldn't look at me like I'm an alien when I say the Titans are my favorite team because EVERYONE would be a bandwagon Titans fan!  Plus, I'd finally be able to go into a store and buy Titans swag, instead of having to find it online.

Anyhow, during one of my 13 trips to NFL.com today, I found this little gem, proclaiming C. Kaep to be one of the top 5 quarterbacks to draft this year and I just had to share. 

Top 5 Underclassmen Per Position

xoxo,
Blanche Sanche

*By "strongly campaigning", I obviously mean that I've tweeted the Titans about it and mentioned it on Facebook a couple of times.  That's a kind of dedication not often seen by me....

Epic weekend!

I apologize in advance, as this blog might be incoherent because I'm having a hard time finding the words to summarize it properly.

Let's begin with San Francisco: it.was.EPIC.  From the minute we stepped into the city in our Nevada attire (as we made a rule that only blue and silver clothing would be tolerated for the weekend, with the exception of my Jets jersey during the play off game), we were greeted with cheers and car horns honking in solidarity.  Everyone one the streets yelled "Go Pack!" to one another all weekend.  It was awesome.  Granted, there were about 25,000 Pack fans that converged on the city, but it still felt amazing to be a part of it.

For the Jets/Colts game on Saturday, we made our way to Lefty O'Doule's in Union Square.  The place was overrun by Nevada fans.  You can't tell from the picture, but aside from me and a dude in a Colts jersey, everyone was wearing Nevada clothes.  Also, aside from me and that dude, no one gave a shit about the play off game.

Perhaps I got a little too excited about my weekend of football, but I plunged head first into a couple of beers and was feeling great.  Then I had a couple more.  And a few shots.  By the end of the game, I was screaming and jumping up and down like the Jets had won the Super Bowl!  Don't forget, no one else cared about the game, so my behavior would have been inappropriate anywhere else, but surrounded by Nevadans, they were too busy screaming "When I say Wolf, you say Pack" to notice me.  Let's also make a note that I was wearing my Mangold jersey and they won.  I might be on to something with this jersey situation.

I know this will shock you, but Sunday was a little rough for me.  I had to start drinking Bloody Marys at 11am to stave off the full force hangover I could feel creeping up inside of me.  By game time, we were all a few Bloodys/beers/Four Lokos deep and ready to party.

The crowd was drunk and awesome.  If you ever get a chance to immerse yourself in a Nevada crowd, do it.  We are the most fun people you'll ever meet!  There was a streaker; there was a guy wearing an actual wolf that he'd skinned; and the field rush was intense.  I, personally, jumped off a 10 foot wall to assure that I was on the field after we won!

That's as close as I could get to the trophy ceremony.  I was too busy taking photos of me and my friends laying on the grass and trying to touch football players, which was a lot less weird than it sounds!

I don't know that anything can top that weekend of awesomeness, but I'm sure going to try.  A Jets win over the Patriots would be a happy follow-up!

GO PACK!
Blanche Sanche

Football and friends in San Francisco

This will be a weekend of football and fun for me as I follow the Nevada Wolf Pack to San Francisco's AT&T Park for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl!  The Pack is taking on Boston College and I have no doubt in my mind that Boston isn't prepared for what we are going to bring them.

Football wise, Colin Kaepernick is amazing.  He's a running quarterback who scored 20 rushing touchdowns in the 2010 season, in addition to the 20 passing TDs he also scored.  The only other QBs with records like that have Heisman's.  Boston's defense is no match for Kaep, especially when he has Via Tuau at his side.

Fan wise, Nevada fans are bananas.  We get inappropriately drunk and boastful.  We are fiercely excited about our boys making such a splash on the scene this year, so we get a little... oh... out of control.  We have no problem with mocking the opposing fans or the opposing team (just ask Boise State, who never wants to come back to Reno because of the treatment they received after the overtime win in November.  I took it upon myself to stroke the hair of the 20 year-old in front of me while simultaneously called him a baby in a creepy weirdo voice.  Then I offered him beer, which I still contend was a fair trade, but ultimately still very creepy on my part).  We have no problem with fighting.  We are Reno; the drinking capital of the United States.  Beware, Boston College.  You haven't met anyone like us before.

While I'm enjoying my blue and silver weekend of shenanigans, I will take a break to don my Nick Mangold jersey while the Jets are taking on the Colts for the Wild Card playoff game.*  Sure, everyone knows how lethal Peyton Manning can be in a game, but I really think the Jets are underrated in this situation.  Though Mark Sanchez was "injured" a few weeks ago, I think the Jets have been hyping up his injury so no one will expect how well he is going to play on Saturday.  When he's on his game, Sanche is fire.  And I believe he will be fire against the Colts.

You also have a Jets defense that can hold it's own against the Colts.  Revis on Reggie Wayne?  Revis will dominate that match up.  Cromartie against Garcon?  It's gonna get real ugly real quick.  It'll be the kind of football that's fun and exciting to watch, no matter which side of the ball you're on.

I feel good about this weekend.  I will be consuming copious amounts of my contraband Four Loko we amassed before it was taken off shelves, which means I'm going to get Quatro Crazy on some Boston College fans and, probably, the city of San Francisco at large.  Should I never return from this debaucherous weekend, I preemptively assure you that I went out with a bang.  25,000 Nevada fans converging on San Francisco, there are bound to be causalities and my liver is going to be one of them.

And I'm out,
Blanche Sanche

*Let it be known that every game I've worn my Mangold jersey during, the Jets have won.  I expect my baseless superstition to hold true during this game, as well.