There are so many college bowl games, that I'm sure a lot of fans have wondered to themselves which other ones would eventually pop up. It used to be a lot simpler: the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, and a few others that might have been familiar to most folks. But now, there are so many, anyone would be hard-pressed to name them all.
Just to get it out of the way and off of my chest, here's one prospective idea that I find amusing:
The American Standard Toilet Bowl
ha ha ha! (probably an old idea, but still)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
long-term implications of beating the Rams...
The 49ers finish the regular season by playing against the St. Louis Rams this Sunday. Every 49er fan knows that in order to secure the 2nd seed in this year's playoffs, they either need to defeat the Rams, or the New Orleans Saints need to lose their final game. Getting the 2nd seed would give the Niners a first-round bye and home field advantage in their divisional game.
So beating the Rams would be all good, right? Perhaps not!
There could be bad consequences for years to come. Here's what I mean: the Rams are still in contention to 'win' the Andrew Luck sweepstakes against the Indianapolis Colts. They both have two wins this season so far, and one of the two will likely end up with the 1st pick of next year's draft. And all agree that Stanford QB Andrew Luck will be that first pick. What if the Colts win their game? Then wouldn't there be a negative to the 49ers beating the Rams, thereby qualifying the Rams for the top pick (Andrew Luck) in the 2012 NFL Draft?
Yes, the Rams already have Sam Bradford as their quarterback. But with the team's struggles this year, they just may be open to the idea of drafting Luck anyway. Maybe there would be competition for the QB position next season, or, the Rams could draft Luck and trade away Bradford. Should the Rams draft first overall, they may also trade away the pick and end up with a whole boatload of picks and what-not in exchange, which could always be a possibility. But I am more concerned about the long-term chances that Luck could end up haunting the 49ers for years to come, as the Rams, after all, are their NFC West rivals.
Just thought I'd mention it. Please correct me if I got my notions all twisted. To make it simpler, I guess I should just root for the Colts to lose, and think it wouldn't be so bad if they got Luck to follow future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Then, at least, he'd be in an entirely different conference.
So beating the Rams would be all good, right? Perhaps not!
There could be bad consequences for years to come. Here's what I mean: the Rams are still in contention to 'win' the Andrew Luck sweepstakes against the Indianapolis Colts. They both have two wins this season so far, and one of the two will likely end up with the 1st pick of next year's draft. And all agree that Stanford QB Andrew Luck will be that first pick. What if the Colts win their game? Then wouldn't there be a negative to the 49ers beating the Rams, thereby qualifying the Rams for the top pick (Andrew Luck) in the 2012 NFL Draft?
Yes, the Rams already have Sam Bradford as their quarterback. But with the team's struggles this year, they just may be open to the idea of drafting Luck anyway. Maybe there would be competition for the QB position next season, or, the Rams could draft Luck and trade away Bradford. Should the Rams draft first overall, they may also trade away the pick and end up with a whole boatload of picks and what-not in exchange, which could always be a possibility. But I am more concerned about the long-term chances that Luck could end up haunting the 49ers for years to come, as the Rams, after all, are their NFC West rivals.
Just thought I'd mention it. Please correct me if I got my notions all twisted. To make it simpler, I guess I should just root for the Colts to lose, and think it wouldn't be so bad if they got Luck to follow future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. Then, at least, he'd be in an entirely different conference.
Monday, December 26, 2011
game 15 - 49ers vs. Seahawks
Down to the wire.
That was a satisfying victory. It was on the road against a hot team in a loud stadium with a playoff-type atmosphere. It could have been the perfect storm but the 49ers pulled out a win. It was good for the long run when the playoffs start and it had me on the edge of my seat, but a nice runaway win would be good every now and then too...
What was of equal importance was the health of the players coming out of the game: how are Delanie Walker and Kyle Williams doing? I heard on the radio that they both may be back in time for the playoffs, which would be fantastic. As a testament to how extraordinarily tough these athletes are, even with a fractured jaw which has been wired shut (actually I don't know the extent of the injury), Delanie could still play in a few weeks. It's been done before by a player named Anquan Boldin. Delanie is such a key cog in making the Niner offense work.
And the Kyle Williams injury. I'm sorry, but he looked like a sacrificial lamb when he got hit. If ever there was a good rule being forced correctly by the NFL, that was it. He totally gave himself up and acted like the play was over and he was kneeling on the ground. To be hit by two guys from opposite sides, both in the head area, he's lucky he didn't get killed. Literally killed. Wasn't one of the 'hit men' a teammate of Kyle's last year? All he had to be was touched down, and if the Seahawks were going after the ball, they could have reached more for the ball. Brutal. Thank goodness Kyle looks to be recovered or is at least recovering.
Kudos to Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree for that clutch completion on the game winning field goal drive, and also to Larry Grant for pulling a 'Justin Smith' and causing that fumble to help seal the victory. Besides overall winning football, it's those key plays that add up to victory.
And one final note to this blog entry: Aldon Smith needs just one more sack to break the rookie sack record - here's hoping he gets at least two!
That was a satisfying victory. It was on the road against a hot team in a loud stadium with a playoff-type atmosphere. It could have been the perfect storm but the 49ers pulled out a win. It was good for the long run when the playoffs start and it had me on the edge of my seat, but a nice runaway win would be good every now and then too...
What was of equal importance was the health of the players coming out of the game: how are Delanie Walker and Kyle Williams doing? I heard on the radio that they both may be back in time for the playoffs, which would be fantastic. As a testament to how extraordinarily tough these athletes are, even with a fractured jaw which has been wired shut (actually I don't know the extent of the injury), Delanie could still play in a few weeks. It's been done before by a player named Anquan Boldin. Delanie is such a key cog in making the Niner offense work.
And the Kyle Williams injury. I'm sorry, but he looked like a sacrificial lamb when he got hit. If ever there was a good rule being forced correctly by the NFL, that was it. He totally gave himself up and acted like the play was over and he was kneeling on the ground. To be hit by two guys from opposite sides, both in the head area, he's lucky he didn't get killed. Literally killed. Wasn't one of the 'hit men' a teammate of Kyle's last year? All he had to be was touched down, and if the Seahawks were going after the ball, they could have reached more for the ball. Brutal. Thank goodness Kyle looks to be recovered or is at least recovering.
Kudos to Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree for that clutch completion on the game winning field goal drive, and also to Larry Grant for pulling a 'Justin Smith' and causing that fumble to help seal the victory. Besides overall winning football, it's those key plays that add up to victory.
And one final note to this blog entry: Aldon Smith needs just one more sack to break the rookie sack record - here's hoping he gets at least two!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
game 14 - Steelers vs. 49ers
Good game. A win. Yes, a great game!
The blackout? I'm just glad that the crowd remained calm amidst what could have led to some very fearful thoughts, especially in today's climate. Kudos to the people who worked to get it all working again, and the game fully played. Thank goodness nobody got hurt, particularly during the original outage... it looked like quite a jolt of electricity preceded the stadium going dark.
There was much to like for 49ers fans in last night's game: the non-paralleled kicking game; the offensive line's performance against the vaunted Pittsburgh defense; efficiency by the offense, including some nice scores in the RED-zone!; and another shutdown game by the record-setting 49er defense.
And the first name that comes to mind? His name is Smith. A. Smith. Okay, Aldon Smith. I remember back to the lead-up to this year's draft. If the 49ers missed out on CB Patrick Peterson, then they should select the next most highly touted cornerback, Prince Amukamara. Fans really, really wanted Peterson, who's turned out very, very good. And if the Niners hadn't played so hard to actually WIN at the end of the season, they might have picked before the Arizona Cardinals and had a chance to draft him before they did.
Well, the 49ers ended up picking Aldon Smith instead, to bolster their pass rush. Working out pretty good, isn't it? The team has needed his abilities and production rushing the passer more than what they would have gotten in coverage. Smith's got the most sacks ever by a 49er rookie. And there are still two games to play. He may well end up breaking the NFL rookie sack record. And he's doing much more than producing sacks. He's creating turnovers and generating overall havoc too. He's the Cobra!
The blackout? I'm just glad that the crowd remained calm amidst what could have led to some very fearful thoughts, especially in today's climate. Kudos to the people who worked to get it all working again, and the game fully played. Thank goodness nobody got hurt, particularly during the original outage... it looked like quite a jolt of electricity preceded the stadium going dark.
There was much to like for 49ers fans in last night's game: the non-paralleled kicking game; the offensive line's performance against the vaunted Pittsburgh defense; efficiency by the offense, including some nice scores in the RED-zone!; and another shutdown game by the record-setting 49er defense.
And the first name that comes to mind? His name is Smith. A. Smith. Okay, Aldon Smith. I remember back to the lead-up to this year's draft. If the 49ers missed out on CB Patrick Peterson, then they should select the next most highly touted cornerback, Prince Amukamara. Fans really, really wanted Peterson, who's turned out very, very good. And if the Niners hadn't played so hard to actually WIN at the end of the season, they might have picked before the Arizona Cardinals and had a chance to draft him before they did.
Well, the 49ers ended up picking Aldon Smith instead, to bolster their pass rush. Working out pretty good, isn't it? The team has needed his abilities and production rushing the passer more than what they would have gotten in coverage. Smith's got the most sacks ever by a 49er rookie. And there are still two games to play. He may well end up breaking the NFL rookie sack record. And he's doing much more than producing sacks. He's creating turnovers and generating overall havoc too. He's the Cobra!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Spam on pizza?
Yes, I'm serious!
I happen to like Spam. The most I have in common with Hawaiians, I suppose, is my penchant for Spam. Spam, eggs, and rice... I could really go for that.
So for the last couple of weeks, the thought occurred to me that Spam on pizza would be delicious. And in what must be the power of thought, lo and behold there was an article in this past weekend's newspaper about a town in Minnesota that has the Spam museum. It's near where the headquarters for Hormel is located, and the town itself celebrates the tasty spiced ham product in general.
In the article, the writer mentions different eating establishments that have Spam on the menu, and there is actually a pizza place that serves it as a topping option. The most popular combination also includes pineapple, which makes sense; it's essentially a Hawaiian pizza with Spam instead of Canadian bacon. Sounds good to me!
Now, the writer seems to have some misgivings about the ingredient - obviously someone who doesn't already have a love for it. The Spam itself seems to have been cubed, thereby leaving it a bit spongy for the writer's taste. In my imaginings before the article, I was wondering myself how I would cut the pieces to best work on pizza. What I had decided was that thinly sliced strips, 1" x 2" in dimension, seemed about right. Diced cubes, I agree, may not be the best choice. Of course, experimenting with different cuts would be the best way to go until the best 'bite' was achieved.
Instead of thinking a local pizza place that served Spam as a topping into existence, I should probably just bake one myself. I could use a ready-made pizza crust like Boboli, get the mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, pineapple cubes, and naturally, the ingredient of the day, Spam. And add other ingredients to taste. Yeah!
I happen to like Spam. The most I have in common with Hawaiians, I suppose, is my penchant for Spam. Spam, eggs, and rice... I could really go for that.
So for the last couple of weeks, the thought occurred to me that Spam on pizza would be delicious. And in what must be the power of thought, lo and behold there was an article in this past weekend's newspaper about a town in Minnesota that has the Spam museum. It's near where the headquarters for Hormel is located, and the town itself celebrates the tasty spiced ham product in general.
In the article, the writer mentions different eating establishments that have Spam on the menu, and there is actually a pizza place that serves it as a topping option. The most popular combination also includes pineapple, which makes sense; it's essentially a Hawaiian pizza with Spam instead of Canadian bacon. Sounds good to me!
Now, the writer seems to have some misgivings about the ingredient - obviously someone who doesn't already have a love for it. The Spam itself seems to have been cubed, thereby leaving it a bit spongy for the writer's taste. In my imaginings before the article, I was wondering myself how I would cut the pieces to best work on pizza. What I had decided was that thinly sliced strips, 1" x 2" in dimension, seemed about right. Diced cubes, I agree, may not be the best choice. Of course, experimenting with different cuts would be the best way to go until the best 'bite' was achieved.
Instead of thinking a local pizza place that served Spam as a topping into existence, I should probably just bake one myself. I could use a ready-made pizza crust like Boboli, get the mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce, pineapple cubes, and naturally, the ingredient of the day, Spam. And add other ingredients to taste. Yeah!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
game 13 - 49ers vs. Cardinals
His name?
Frederick P. Soft, Esquire
According to Coach Harbaugh, Soft is a 4-inch tall guy who stands on the shoulders of people that are doing everything right and works on convincing them that they ought to ease up and take it easy: "Don't work so hard. You've already got it made in the shade!" I can imagine Soft saying.
Well, the 49ers don't; they've only qualified to play in the playoffs, and that's it. There's a long, long ways to go, with many areas in which to improve. Remember guys, touchdowns are better than field goals. More than two times better, in fact. I mean, if you are confident that your kicker can make a field goal, then he can surely make an extra point. 7 points vs. 3 points. Got it?
Not to take anything away from the Cardinals, who are playing much better than their W - L record indicates... it was a tough game. And the 49ers fought hard, I know that. They lost by only 2 points. But they will have to play much better if they want to go very far in the playoffs, and now in the regular season to make their postseason easier.
Is Freddie P. Soft necessarily a lawyer? No - he just strikes me as the lawyerly type. Someone with the gift of gab that either uses it for good or for evil. Soft uses it for evil. Hey, Freddie, how about getting into the ears of the Packers??
Frederick P. Soft, Esquire
According to Coach Harbaugh, Soft is a 4-inch tall guy who stands on the shoulders of people that are doing everything right and works on convincing them that they ought to ease up and take it easy: "Don't work so hard. You've already got it made in the shade!" I can imagine Soft saying.
Well, the 49ers don't; they've only qualified to play in the playoffs, and that's it. There's a long, long ways to go, with many areas in which to improve. Remember guys, touchdowns are better than field goals. More than two times better, in fact. I mean, if you are confident that your kicker can make a field goal, then he can surely make an extra point. 7 points vs. 3 points. Got it?
Not to take anything away from the Cardinals, who are playing much better than their W - L record indicates... it was a tough game. And the 49ers fought hard, I know that. They lost by only 2 points. But they will have to play much better if they want to go very far in the playoffs, and now in the regular season to make their postseason easier.
Is Freddie P. Soft necessarily a lawyer? No - he just strikes me as the lawyerly type. Someone with the gift of gab that either uses it for good or for evil. Soft uses it for evil. Hey, Freddie, how about getting into the ears of the Packers??
Monday, December 5, 2011
game 12 - Rams vs. 49ers
142.3
Now that's a number I can live with!!! That was Alex Smith's quarterback rating in yesterday's victory over the St. Louis Rams, the highest of his career. I know, I know, numbers and statistics can be misleading, but he did play a very good game yesterday. What was really satisfying were the accuracy of his passes, which speaks of his confidence this season. It'd be easy to wonder what if he came into this very system with these same coaches the year he was drafted... but they weren't coaching the 49ers back then anyway, and things happen for a reason (or so they say). But isn't it a feel-good story? Comeback Player of the Year, perhaps?
Many of his passes were so spot-on, they made me think of the best of the best in the NFL today: Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. Nestled in there perfectly, perfect arc, perfect speed, perfect anticipation and location. And what's perhaps even more exciting is he still seems to be improving each and every week! And really, he's still young enough where he could almost be thought of to be just starting out in the league. Right system, right circumstances, right team... How much better can he get? I can't wait to see. The best is yet to come.
********
Now I mentioned wide receiver Kyle Williams in a previous game entry; I'd like to give a shout-out to Michael Crabtree today. I happen to like his attitude and demeanor. He seems both humble and team-oriented to me. Yes, his career with the team got off to a rocky start with the hold-out and missing pre-season games. And I've heard he has a thing for fashion and shoes (I mean really); no matter though - I happen to like how he comes across in interviews. He appears soft-spoken and positive. Of course, what is most important to fans like me is he has good hands, runs crisp routes, is good at avoiding tackles, blocks downfield, and the West Coast offense fits his abilities to a 'T'. All these positive vibes emanating from the Niners this season are blossoming everywhere!
Now that's a number I can live with!!! That was Alex Smith's quarterback rating in yesterday's victory over the St. Louis Rams, the highest of his career. I know, I know, numbers and statistics can be misleading, but he did play a very good game yesterday. What was really satisfying were the accuracy of his passes, which speaks of his confidence this season. It'd be easy to wonder what if he came into this very system with these same coaches the year he was drafted... but they weren't coaching the 49ers back then anyway, and things happen for a reason (or so they say). But isn't it a feel-good story? Comeback Player of the Year, perhaps?
Many of his passes were so spot-on, they made me think of the best of the best in the NFL today: Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. Nestled in there perfectly, perfect arc, perfect speed, perfect anticipation and location. And what's perhaps even more exciting is he still seems to be improving each and every week! And really, he's still young enough where he could almost be thought of to be just starting out in the league. Right system, right circumstances, right team... How much better can he get? I can't wait to see. The best is yet to come.
********
Now I mentioned wide receiver Kyle Williams in a previous game entry; I'd like to give a shout-out to Michael Crabtree today. I happen to like his attitude and demeanor. He seems both humble and team-oriented to me. Yes, his career with the team got off to a rocky start with the hold-out and missing pre-season games. And I've heard he has a thing for fashion and shoes (I mean really); no matter though - I happen to like how he comes across in interviews. He appears soft-spoken and positive. Of course, what is most important to fans like me is he has good hands, runs crisp routes, is good at avoiding tackles, blocks downfield, and the West Coast offense fits his abilities to a 'T'. All these positive vibes emanating from the Niners this season are blossoming everywhere!
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