Sports + Booze = History posted by Tyler McNally

They say that of the few industries that benefit from a rocky, let’s face it – horrifying, economy is the alcohol business. Indirectly, there is another industry related to booze consumption, and that’s sports. You guessed it.

They have an intertwined history as juicy as a Cherry Cricket cheeseburger, dating back as far and further than the Romans. You mean to tell me guys named Maximus and Dorisimus and Badassimus didn’t take a little slug of some Roman moonshine before dawning the shield and sword to take on an untamed beast on the coliseum. I mean, they had to be half-cocked to do something that stupid.

Ah yes, the commingled relationship between sporting and alcohol goes back some time, doesn’t it? And it has only gotten more interlaced with the test of time.

And isn’t it funny how certain sports call for assorted libations?

There are some obvious ones. Baseball requires an oversize and definitely overpriced beer. How boring and predictable. For football, concession beers are a definite favorite, but I don’t think I’ve ever been to an NFL game without someone around sneaking in a flask of whiskey.

Like I said, obvious, predictable. I like considering the more obscure sports and their accompanying cocktails.

What would a nice shot of absinthe go with? Let’s begin in the Czech Republic, one of Europe’s hot-spots for American tourists on the hunt for legal absinthe, the stuff of legend. According to The Prague Post, foosball, yes, foosball, is one the most popular sports in the country, which even boasts its own trade magazine for the Ceska Foosballova Organizace. So absinthe and foosball, like peas and carrots, right?

Economic Crisis posted by John Barfield

              The economic “crisis" is not that complicated. The stock market always wants positive press to continue its trading, if not, speculators sell. Wow, what a surprise. Meanwhile the businesses that gave bad mortgages, and they don’t want to take the loss. A $10,000 loss on a house by a lender adds up over thousands of loans. But they can’t afford to wait for the capital to come back. They could liquidate much of these by selling at a cheaper price (free market go figure!), but they refuse to do this because the profit possibilities are amazing. I say sell them at a reduced price, get some capital, and quit whining. That is EXACTLY what the government would expect of the small businessman. Also, LOCAL (not foreign) investors would have a field day.Continue reading "Economic Crisis"

Funny Sports Quotes posted by John Barfield

This is an ongoing record of the funniest sports' quotes from the major and local sports talk shows like ATH, PTI, Jim Rome, etc.  I missed a few during Hurricane Ike and could use your help. Feel free to contribute some of you own from TV and radio or comment on the ones you see here. Your new quotes will be integrated daily as part of the ongoing record.  To post a quote or make a comment just follow the comment link at the bottom.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

"Carlos turned into marmalade last night." - Woody Paige of ESPN(ATH) and the Denver Post on the performance of Carlos Marmol of MLB's Chicago Cubs.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

" . . . Mike Ditka who is the Principal of the Old School." - Mike Greenberg on Hall of Fameer Mike Ditka 

Monday, September 8, 2008

"Stupid is as stupid does." - Mike Ditka on DeAngelo Hall of the NFL's Oakland Raiders late hit out of bounds versus the Denver Broncos. (which was immediately folloed by another late hit by Hall)

"We don't know about quarterbacks in Chicago, 'cause we don't have 'em."- Michael Wilbon of ESPN

“You ain’t got no high octane. You‘re going on that regular gas.” – Chris Carter of ESPN on the New England Patriots without Tom Brady

Sunday, September 7, 2008

“Don’t tell me about the pain. Just deliver the baby.” – Trent Dilfer of ESPN on the New England Patriots without Tom Brady

Hurricane information posted by John Barfield

   I just wanted to let you know that I may be unable to post for a few days. I live south of Houston, near Galveston, Texas. As hurricane Ike approaches there may be power outages and loss of internet access. If that is the case, I will be unable to write my column. Remember though, there are things much more important than sports. If you need Ike information, you can go to:

www.weather.com

Otherwise, if you are in the path of this storm, you should stay updated though the local media. My prayers are with us all. Good luck and see you soon!

Injury Update posted by John Barfield

Houston Texans injury update:

Megan Manfull of the Houston Chronicle has reported these injuries -

               Running back Ahman Green - It wasn't a cramp that limited his play Sunday. He has a sprained ankle.

             Defensive end Stanley McGlover - He has a torn meniscus in his left knee. He will have surgery and may return before the end of the season.

Others major injuries around the league:

        New Orleans Saints           Marcus Colston - Out 4 to 6 weeks  (thumb) 

                                            Hollis Thomas - Out for Season (triceps)

      Cleveland Browns              Sean Jones - Out 4 weeks (knee)   

      San Francisco 49ers         Alex Smith - Out for Season (shoulder)

      San Diego Chargers        Shawne Merriman - Out for Season (knee)

Jack Buck's Poem remembering 9-11 posted by John Barfield

Here is the great Jack Buck's poem that was given on September 17, 2001.

Believe! posted by John Barfield

Believe. Believe. It’s the one word in sports that says so much but says so little. You’ve seen signs in every NFL stadium at some point with this simple word. ”Believe.” When MLB baseball approaches the postseason every year, the word reappears. “Believe.” But believe in what I ask you? Do the Chicago Cubs “believe” that they will win a World Championship? Or do they “believe” that some strange twist of fate will ruin another promising season. What does your team “believe” in?

After week 1 of the NFL season there is a definite divide in the NFL. At no other time in every season is there such a black and white line. As the season moves on, the line becomes blurry and grey. Until finally after week sixteen, the playoff line is drawn in the sand. Then drawn again after the Super Bowl, the penultimate line is drawn-“Champion.”

At this very moment, your team is either undefeated and winning its division; or it is winless and in last place. The Tennessee Titans are in first, while the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Houston Texans are all in last place. Soon, however, astigmatism will set in. Winners will lose and losers will win.

The Denver Broncos looked like world-beaters in its first game. Throw into that category the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears, and even the Atlanta Falcons - the Falcons?  Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders, the Detroit Lions, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Houston Texans looked like they forgot that the preseason was over -the Colts - our beloved Texans? Maybe, they just didn’t get the memo.

NFL SCOREBOARD posted by John Barfield

NFL Week 1 Results
NY Giants 16 Wahington 7
Pittsburgh 38 Houston 17
Atlanta 34 Detroit 21
Tennessee 17 Jacksonville 10
Baltimore 17 Cincinnati 10
Philadelphia 38 St. Louis 3
Carolina 26 San Diego 24
Chicago 29 Indianapolis 13
NY Jets 20 Miami 14
Buffalo 34 Seattle 10
New Orleans 24 Tampa Bay 20
New England 17 Kansas City 10
Arizona 23 San Fransisco 13
Dallas 28 Cleveland 10
Green Bay 24 Minnesota 19
Denver 41 Oakland 14 Continue reading "NFL SCOREBOARD"

How to use social media websites (MySpace, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon) to promote your blog posts posted by Earn Money Blogging

You may have noticed the small icons at the bottom of your blog posts linking to MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Stumble Upon and other social media websites.  These icons allow you to quickly link your blog post to these sites.  You should be using these links a lot.  Submitting to social media sites is free and easy and can really increase the traffic to your blog.  Consistently using them is the easiest way to build a following and increase your traffic.
Using the Facebook and MySpace links:
Assuming you have an account on MySpace or Facebook (it's free to join so if you don't sign up now) click on the icon below your blog post for the site you want to submit to.  It will take you to a submission page where you simply put in a brief description about your blog post.  Then, a link to your blog post will appear on your Facebook or MySpace profile. It's that easy.  If you have a large following on either of these sites it's an easy way to get people to your sports blog.  So make sure you submit links to your best sports blog posts.
Digg, StumbleUpon, BallHype:
These social media sites are a little different than MySpace and Facebook.  You create an account on these sites (it's free to join), you submit interesting content (i.e. your sports blog posts) and you vote on content submitted by other people.  As you click around the sites looking at interesting content you'll also be trying to build a friends list, which is important because people will find your submissions based in part by how many friends you have.  This is a simplistic overview of the sites, but it should be enough to get your started.  There is quite a bit of complexity to each of these sites and they all work a little bit differently.  The only real way to learn them is to use them so sign up with them today and start using them.
Continue reading "How to use social media websites ..."

Fantasy Football Video by Sportsgirl posted by John Barfield

You can get your fantasy football updates here as well as columns, funny sports quotes, injury updates and anything else sports related. If your not already seeing this video just hit the sportspoet link and you will get everything that you need to keep up with your favorite sports teams. Thank you for visiting this site.

http://www.houstontexansnews.com/sportspoet/

Singh wins by one stroke at Singapore Open

With big names like Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington in contention, Jeev Milka Singh rallied to win the Singapore Open. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for Golf

Sheehan shoots 4-under 67 for first-round lead

Australian Paul Sheehan shot a 4-under 67 on Thursday to take the lead after the first round of the Dunlop Phoenix tournament.Sheehan birdied Nos. 7 and 8 at the par-71 Phoenix Country Club and added two more birdies on the back nine to take a one-stroke lead over a group of seven golfers including American Brandt Snedeker and Japan's Toru Suzuki.South Africa's Ernie Els shot a 72 to finish in a tie for 34th place. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for Golf

Daly shoots a 68 at Hong Kong Open

John Daly shot a 2-under 68 to be within four strokes off clubhouse leader Liang Wenchong of China at 6-under in early first-round play at the $2.5 million Hong Kong Open on Thursday.Daly was four-under after 15 holes, but bogeys on the final two holes cost him a share of equal second in the jointly sanctioned European Tour and Asian Tour event."I'm not too disappointed, being a little rusty. I haven't played in a month. Two under par on the first round - it appears pretty good. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for Golf

Love and Romero highlight PGA Tour award ballot

NEW YORK (AP) -- Winning the final PGA Tour event of the year could lead to Davis Love III winning his first award on a vote of the players. [read full article]

From SI.com - Golf

Sorenstam set for LPGA farewell this weekend

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Annika Sorenstam typically asks for no more than 10 tournament passes in a normal week, enough to accommodate close friends and family. [read full article]

From SI.com - Golf