Another Delco Guy In South Jersey

Friday Fantastic Four - Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and I have decided to extend the fun by a bit!  What could be better than a holiday that is about cooking, eating, hanging out with family and watching football?  Yes, I understand that there is much more to it and I will cover those things in my annual Thanksgiving day post, but for now, let's just talk about the fun stuff...

What are your four favorite things about Thanksgiving?

1. Dark meat - yup - I love it!  Everyone else can fight over the dry turkey breast, I am a thigh guy!
2. Football rivalries - from the big local high school games to the Lions and the Cowboys, football has become as important to this holiday as cranberry sauce.
3. Gathering - it's the best part of the day, when people from all over converge before dinner, covered dishes or bottles of wine in hand.  This year we'll be at my sister's in Swarthmore.  Stop by!
4. Watching the women plan the Black Friday assault.  If this much planning had gone into the war in Afghanistan, the troops would have been home years ago!

I hope you are all getting ready for the holidays.  We've got a nice long weekend here full of dances and birthdays and school stuff.  Enjoy!

The Super Bowl Commercials - My Take

I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl last night.  It was a great game interrupted by an visually brilliant and tonally terrifying halftime show, spiced up by the best TV commercials Madison Avenue has to offer.

We can talk about the gritty determination of the Packers' defense, how turnovers ALWAYS have a huge impact in the Super Bowl, what drug the producer who though Fergie singing Guns and Roses was on, or we can talk about the commercials.  Everyone else is, so why not Another Delco Guy?

USA Today says the top 2 commericals tied for popularity were the Bud Light Dog Party spot and the Doritos 'Pug' clip.  I honestly didn't think the Doritos spot was even the best from its brand brands, let alone the best of the night.  (The best Doritos spot to me was the odd, stomach-turning one with the finger licker in it.  Are you really going to forget that one any time soon?)

My top two were both funny spots this year.  There were some good serious spots, including the epic Chrysler commercial 'Imported From Detroit,' that definitely deserve a look, but the Super Bowl is an international party, so I tend to lead to the funny spots.

My Numero Uno for the night was Best Buy's "What's a Bieber" starring the ancient former rocker turned former reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne and upstart, oddly androgynous pop sensation Justin Bieber.  I don't know what made me laugh so hard about this spot, but it topped out for me.

 

My second fave from Super Bowl XLVXBXLVVII was the Pepsi Max commercial about about first date thoughts.  Corny, yes!  But it was the commercial that had men laughing and women shaking their heads across the world last night.  Ya gotta love that!

Overall, I thought the quality of the offerings was down a notch or two from yeas past.  Clearly there was no Coke 'Mean Joe Green'  or Apple '1984' instant classic spot, but two trend really struck me.  First, the movie promos were uniformly blah.  I could care less about seeing any of those movies after those promos.  Second, the internet website commercial may have run its course.  I usually love the E-trade baby, but last night's spot was awful.  There were at least three ads from websites i have never heard of and have forgotten in 12 hours.  And I am reasonably certain 90% of the world has no idea who Danica Patrick is, let alone why she is shilling for GoDaddy.

Summing it up, for once the game was the biggest reason to watch.  The commercials were down, but they had a strong lead over what might have been the worst halftime show in history.  One week until pitchers and catchers folks!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2008 to you all!  I am recovering from last night's festivities and looking forward to a day of NOT watching football.

I've always been a big fan of the bowls.  I used to watch them all, from the San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl to the Granddaddy of Them All.  This year I have not watched a single one.  Not PSU vs A&M, not Florida Atlantic vs. Whoever.

And I won't watch any of the bowls that actually matter.  No BCS for me.

Who?  Because it's time for a real national championship for college football and I won't support the bloated, silly bowl schedule again until we get a system that give me a real national champion.  Yeah, I know I am just one guy, but I am throwing down the gauntlet.  I'm fed up and I won't put up with it anymore. 

I'm going to watch drunk union guys dressed as women. 

Have a great year and enjoy!

A Sad Loss

24 year old Washington Redskins Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor died early this morning as a result of a gunshot wound he sustained in his home from an intruder.  Taylor was in his 4th year in the league and had been an All-American at the University of Miami, which bizarrely did not note his passing as of 9:30 am EST.

While not a close follower of the NFL, I basically thought of Taylor as the proto-typical Hurricane pro.  Brash and hard-hitting, he sometimes drew the ire of the zebras and opponents with his over the top style.  His teammates where telling a different story yesterday, saying he had 'matured' and holding a candlelight vigil for him last night. 

Whatever the case, every person deserves to be safe in his own home and my condolences go out to Taylor's family, friends and teammates.

On Jealousy

Some things we know about ourselves and they aren't too pretty.  One thing I know about me is that I have a tendency toward jealousy.

I am jealous of the folks who have big shore houses.  I envy those who have traveled Europe.  I wish to be one of those folks with the custom kitchen and Subzero fridge.  I sigh when the Porsche Cayenne idles throatily next to my Honda CRV.

I have plenty and am quite lucky I know.  I get tot he beach a week a year.  I have traveled the US extensively.   My kitchen .. well my kitchen needs work!  And who wouldn't want a Porsche?

But today I am positively GREEN with envy.

Matt is in Green Bay for the Eagles season opener  against the Packers.  He is joined by my uncle Bill, cousins Pat and Dan and Pat's fiancee Audrey.  They are among the luckiest folks I know today.  To be at the center of all that is holy in football and be able to root the Eagles on in weather that isn't frigid.   MMMMMM. Jealousy and envy just don't quite cover the feeling.

Go Birds!!!! 31-21 over the Pack at Lambeau.  I am sure Matt will have pictures!

Eagles Predictions

Welcome visitors from The700Level.com!

For those of you who care, here is my comprehensive analysis of the Eagles 2007 Schedule:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

September
DAY	DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (ET)
Sun.	9	@ Packers - LOSS 0-1	1:00 PM
Mon.	17	REDSKINS - WIN 1-1	8:30 PM
Sun.	23	LIONS - Win 2-1	1:00 PM
Sun.	30	@ Giants- LOSS 2-2	8:15 PM
October
DAY	DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (ET)
BYE	7	BYE	BYE
Sun.	14	@ Jets LOSS 2-3	1:00 PM
Sun.	21	BEARS LOSS 2-4	4:15 PM
Sun.	28	@ Vikings WIN 3-4	1:00 PM
November
DAY	DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (ET)
Sun.	4	COWBOYS WIN 4-4	8:15 PM
Sun.	11	@ Redskins WIN 5-4	1:00 PM
Sun.	18	DOLPHINS WIN 6-4	1:00 PM
Sun.	25	@ Patriots WIN 7-4	8:15 PM
December
DAY	DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (ET)
Sun.	2	SEAHAWKS LOSS 7-5	1:00 PM
Sun.	9	GIANTS WIN 8-5	1:00 PM
Sun.	16	@ Cowboys WIN 9-5	4:15 PM
Sun.	23	@ Saints LOSS 9-6	1:00 PM
Sun.	30	BILLS 10-6	1:00 PM

Yep.  That's right.  I have them at 10-6 with an opening loss to the Packers (the game they have no business losing that they always lose) and a win AT New England (the annual inexplicable victory).  I think it takes a while for the defense to come together, but when it does, this team has enough offense to go all the way to Phoenix. 

And then lose.

Enjoy the season!!!

Friday Fantastic Four

To celebrate the beginning of the football season, we have a sport-related list today. 

What are your four favorite sports events? 

For example – in 1983 when I hit a home run off Suzy Sample to win the Kidde Kup World Series or the 2003 Daytona 500 or whatever.

1. Taking the kids and GF to Yankee Stadium in 2006.  Yanks lost, but John was enthralled
2. Game 5, 1993 World Series - Schilling beats the Blow Jays 2-0.  Bryen O'Boyle and I sit in the 700 Level and drink lots of beer, later falling asleep in the parking lot.
3. 1997 1998 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Baskeball Championship - Cabrini beats Allentown Alvernia to cut the nets down in the last game ever at Sacred Heart Hall.
4. 1985 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship - Villanova plays the perfect game and downs the vaunted Hoyas 66-64 on April Fool's Day.

Ditto

I was about halfway through writing a diatribe about the Phillies shitting the bed yesterday afternoon and how happy I am that football season is starting tonight before I noticed my brother's post over at the700level.com.

He said it all and better than me, so I will shut up now.

Except to say that I'm taking my fantasy QB Drew Brees and the Saints to win outright tonight over the Colts. 

Fantasy Football

Well, the Delco Fantasy Football League (DFFL) held its draft today.  Nine of the ten team owners attended the live draft, held in Aston, PA.  The tenth team owner, Pete, participated via cell phone.  We believe he was probably playing with his cats and did not drink as much beer as we did.

There was no surprise with the #1 pick, as NFL MVP Ladanian Tomlinson went , followed by Steven Jackson. That put me on the clock at #3 where I took Larry Johnson.

Highlights of the day included me seeing Maria for the first time in years.  Shane is a very lucky man, though he did take kickers in consecutive rounds. Food and beer were plentiful.  The use of of the word "Phuck" was limited primarily to Pesotskis, with a sprinkling form others directed at Walklett. 

Hesse has a beautiful home and a great setup for the draft, with wireless internet, a bar, pool table and big screen TV in the basement.  We could not have done much better.  Thanks to commish #1 Goot and Commish #2 lil bro Matty (above right)for their organizational talents.  They may still be there figuring out the finances.

The 2007 Jersey Boys break camp looking to improve on their 10th place finish last year with the following roster:

                                                                                                     

Position	Player	Round
QB1	Drew Brees	2
QB2	Ben Roethlisberger	11
RB	Larry Johnson	1
RB2	Thomas Jones	4
RB3	Clinton Portis	7
RB4	LenDale White	10
RB5	Mike Bell	15
RB6	Michael Turner	16
WR	Chad Johnson	3
WR2	Lee Evans	5
WR3	Anquan Boldin	6
WR4	Bernard Berrian	12
TE	Jason Witten	8
K	Olindo Mare	13
DST	Broncos	9
DST2	Cincinnati	14

A few photos from the day are up here.  I'll keep ya posted on the standings!