Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving Friends!!
Rise and Shine team, it's Holiday time!! Yes, it's time to give thanks for all the blessings we have in this life and spend time with the ones we hold dear. Granted, most of us will remember in a couple hours in why we don't see family EVERY day - it is a time for celebration nonetheless. With that in mind (and seeing as it was a short week), I decided I'd send out my ramblings a bit early this week to help get the Holiday off to a good start. There's a lot to cover, and I know you all want to get to stuffing your faces, so I'll cut to the chase and get to the news.
Rise and Shine team, it's Holiday time!! Yes, it's time to give thanks for all the blessings we have in this life and spend time with the ones we hold dear. Granted, most of us will remember in a couple hours in why we don't see family EVERY day - it is a time for celebration nonetheless. With that in mind (and seeing as it was a short week), I decided I'd send out my ramblings a bit early this week to help get the Holiday off to a good start. There's a lot to cover, and I know you all want to get to stuffing your faces, so I'll cut to the chase and get to the news.
SPORTS
NCAA
Well it was a CRAZY weekend in College Football, and it was fun to watch. A lot of too-close-for--comfort games, and a huge upset that I think most of us saw coming. I'll start with the close games:
- The Florida Gators vs The Mighty OWLS of FAU – Not really pegged as a game to watch, the SEC East champions faced off against the 7th most relevant team in Florida - The FAU Owls. Playing to a home town crowd in the Swamp, the Gators took the fight to OT in a nail bitter that can't only be described as painful to watch. But in the end, the 2nd best team in the SEC managed to squeak out a victory with a TD in overtime making the final score 20-14. Go Gata!
- Georgia Bulldogs vs Georgia Southern Eagles- In another epic battle of "what the hell am I watching?", Mark Richt did his best to try and lose his job in spectacular fashion against the team that Beat the Gators 26-20 two years ago. Another "one for the ages", this game also came down to an OT TD by the Bulldogs, allowing Richt to live to fight another day.
- Florida State Seminoles vs Chattanooga Mocs - Not a close game like the others (52-13), but worth mentioning because the Black Uniforms looked sick, and we played the way you would expect a respectable team to play in a throw away game...no offense Bulldogs or Gators. Fun Fact: Mocs is NOT short for Moccasins. They're the Chattanooga MOCKINGBIRDS. Who knew? Don't be surprised if that's the first and last time that team is mentioned in the Corner.
- The Ohio State Buckeyes vs The Michigan St Spartans – **The Huge Upset ** The Big game of the weekend was the Heavy Weight Bout between the defending National Champions and their first real opponent, As expected, Michigan St came to play, and Ohio State was not the team they "appeared" to be, being out gunned and out played by the Spartans throughout the game. In the end, Urban couldn't hold it together and their season is now officially over - and I (along with most of the nation) could not be happier. Fun Fact: Going into this battle, Ohio State had a 23-game winning streak - only to be defeated by Michigan State. Their last winning streak was 24 games - which was ended in 2013 by (you guessed it) Michigan State.
Playoff Rankings:
- Clemson - On fire, but not sure they can beat Bama.
- Alabama - Best team in the Nation in my opinion.
- Oklahoma - Big wins against Baylor & TCU pushed them up to where they should be...in the Hunt
- Iowa - Haven't had an incredibly difficult schedule, but still playing well and undefeated
The other notable moves are Michigan St jumped up to 5th, while Ohio State fell to 8th. Notre Dame is where they should be, sitting firmly at 6th place. Florida fell to 12th, and FSU jumped to 13th - leading into the big bout this weekend for State Dominance. There's a lot riding on the games this weekend - it's the best College Football weekend of the year...RIVALRY WEEK!!! We'll touch on that more later.
NFL
As I mentioned last week, my JAGS started their late season playoff run last Thursday night, so headed into the weekend I had extremely high hopes for all things football. Unfortunately for my Fantasy Teams and the local favorite the Falcons, it was anything but a happy ending. With a rare match-up between the Falcons and Eacho's beloved Colts, Nicole (and a client) Cho & I ventured down to the Dome to witness the almost guaranteed @$$ whooping Indianapolis was sure to endure. The Colts were out of literally out of Luck, being led by somehow not retired Matt Hasselbeck, they were primed to lose. Then the game started. Within the first few minutes, stud running back Devonta Freeman was out of the game with a concussion, and it was left up to Matt Ryan (aka Cutler in a collared shirt) to lead the boys to victory. With a surmounting 21-14 lead heading into the fourth, the Falcons did what they do best and shit the bed - allowing 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Fun Fact: 82 years old is the combined age of the Quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck -40) and Kicker
(Adam Viniteri - 42) for the Colts that handed the Falcons this epic loss. Awesome.
Speaking of past their prime, Peyton Manning was officially benched for the dashingly good looking young QB out of Arizona State - Brock Osweiler. In his first NFL start, Brock went on to defeat the Bears and break the 2 game losing streak the Broncos had just endured. While riddled with injuries and old man cramps, it's unsure if Peyton will be back this year - but he vows he'll be playing next year - in Denver or elsewhere if need be. Let it go man.
Elsewhere around the NFL - Gina's Steelers continue to dominate with Big Ben back in charge, and Pete's Bengals are starting to spiral out of control since JJ Watt insulted Cincy's QB Andy Dalton stating "Our goal was to come out here and make the Red Rifle look like a Red Ryder BB gun, and I think we did that tonight" . Apparently Dalton didn't get that it was a reference to "A Christmas Story", which is surprising considering he resembles one of the Bullies from the film
The Patriots ended up holding off the Bills in an intense Monday night Battle, taking the Patriots to 10-0. Although they keep winning, it's only getting harder for the Hate-triots. The whole league is watching, so it's harder to cheat, the team is plagued with injuries, and now the Refs are against them in what can only be described as "Whistle-Gate" - where an unnecessary whistle was blown on a ghost penalty as Brady threw the ball to Amendola, stopping the play when he had nothing but open field and end zone ahead. The play would have surely resulted in a TD (as well as a victory for my Fantasy Team) but alas, it was not meant to be.
In crazy NFL news Cam Newton & Famous Jameis Winston both had similarly EPIC games this weekend, destroying the competition (2 losers from the NFC East - the Redskins and the Eagles) and looking damn good while doing so. The similarities of their games are actually pretty eerie. Both the Bucs and the Panthers are in the NFC South. Both QBs threw for 246 yards and 5 Touchdowns - and both won by a margin of 28 points. Pretty crazy. Fun Fact: Jameis Winston now has 15 passing TDs in his ROOKIE SEASON - which is just 2 passing TDs shy of Tim Tebows 17 CAREER passing TDs.
Lastly in NFL News - Johnny Football. Johnny Manziel, fresh out of rehab and newly appointed starting QB of the Cleveland Browns has been officially demoted from 1st string to 3rd string QB after only 6 starters. Why? Well because Money Manziel loves to party, and decided to spend his bye week going on a 2 day bender. Despite being told to act accordingly and stay out of trouble, the former 1st round draft pick partied his ass off in Texas in pure frat boy fashion, all while being video tapped and put online for all the world to see. Congratulations, dumbass, you may have pissed away your last chance.
WORLD NEWS
WWIII
Article 42.7
As mentioned last week, we live in dangerous and unpredictable times right now. In the wake of the attacks in Paris, the world is still trying to figure out how to move forward. France, however, is ready to act. Calling the actions of ISIS an act of war, France has decided to Invoke Article 42.7 of the European Union Treaty. The Full story can be seen here, but basically Article 42.7 stipulates that "if a member state is the victim of an armed aggression on it's territory, the other member states shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power". Long story short - Article 42.7 has never been used, but calls for a mutual show of force among the 28 member states to unite and fight the common enemy. How this will pan out is yet to be seen, but it doesn't look good for the Islamic State
WORLD NEWS
WWIII
Article 42.7
As mentioned last week, we live in dangerous and unpredictable times right now. In the wake of the attacks in Paris, the world is still trying to figure out how to move forward. France, however, is ready to act. Calling the actions of ISIS an act of war, France has decided to Invoke Article 42.7 of the European Union Treaty. The Full story can be seen here, but basically Article 42.7 stipulates that "if a member state is the victim of an armed aggression on it's territory, the other member states shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power". Long story short - Article 42.7 has never been used, but calls for a mutual show of force among the 28 member states to unite and fight the common enemy. How this will pan out is yet to be seen, but it doesn't look good for the Islamic State
What does it mean for us? Not much yet, as long as one of our Allies doesn't do anything stupid...
TURKEY
Speaking of stupid Allies, Turkey for some reason thought it was a good idea to poke the Bear and shoot down a Russian Warplane over the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkey claims they gave the the plane plenty of time to respond and remove themselves from the Turkish airspace, claiming the Russians ignored 10 warnings. The Russian claim they were flying on the border and were over Turkish airspace for a mere 30 seconds and there could not have been 10 warnings. Now not only did they shoot down the plane, but as the two pilots ejected, one was shot and killed while parachuting to the ground, and then a Russian marine was killed on Tuesday during an operation to rescue the pilots. The fate of the other Russian pilot is yet unclear. You can read more about the story here. Russia has seen this as an Act of War and has promised a swift retaliation with severe consequences. Turkey, while cowering and instantaneously regretting this decision, is leaning on it's NATO membership status to save it's ass. NATO, (or as some of you may know it by it's other name - NAMBLA) - is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and an act against one of its member is an act against all of them. So, when Russian retaliates (AND IT WILL), the NATO members are supposed to act and respond together. Thank goodness we aren't in that silly club. Oh wait, we are. Damnit.
TURKEY
Speaking of stupid Allies, Turkey for some reason thought it was a good idea to poke the Bear and shoot down a Russian Warplane over the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkey claims they gave the the plane plenty of time to respond and remove themselves from the Turkish airspace, claiming the Russians ignored 10 warnings. The Russian claim they were flying on the border and were over Turkish airspace for a mere 30 seconds and there could not have been 10 warnings. Now not only did they shoot down the plane, but as the two pilots ejected, one was shot and killed while parachuting to the ground, and then a Russian marine was killed on Tuesday during an operation to rescue the pilots. The fate of the other Russian pilot is yet unclear. You can read more about the story here. Russia has seen this as an Act of War and has promised a swift retaliation with severe consequences. Turkey, while cowering and instantaneously regretting this decision, is leaning on it's NATO membership status to save it's ass. NATO, (or as some of you may know it by it's other name - NAMBLA) - is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and an act against one of its member is an act against all of them. So, when Russian retaliates (AND IT WILL), the NATO members are supposed to act and respond together. Thank goodness we aren't in that silly club. Oh wait, we are. Damnit.
POLITICS/SMOLITICS
If you're like me, you like your politicians Crazy and unhinged. Just a whole mess of awful ideas and absurd rhetoric. Well if that's your cup of tea, then look no further - I’ve got the candidate for you!! Move over Trump, there's a new King of Crazy town!! New Hampshire Lunatic and Boot-for-a-hat aficionado Vermin Supreme has entered the 2016 race, running on his "Pony Economy" platform of Free Ponies for all Americans.
He has some pretty strong ideas for his presidency. He knows how to defeat ISIS - and it's obviously through the use of Time Travel. Whereas Trump believes we should be deporting all minorities, Vermin Supreme feels the government's top priority should clearly be Zombie Apocalypse Awareness.
His credentials include running for President as a Republican in 2008, for the Free Pony Party in 2012, and now as a Democrat in 2016. He was also the first candidate to openly propose we utilize Time travel to Kill Baby Hitler. By the way, this is all amazingly true...if you don't believe me click here. Or see below for the video of the Man, the Myth, the Legend - Vermin Supreme!!
His credentials include running for President as a Republican in 2008, for the Free Pony Party in 2012, and now as a Democrat in 2016. He was also the first candidate to openly propose we utilize Time travel to Kill Baby Hitler. By the way, this is all amazingly true...if you don't believe me click here. Or see below for the video of the Man, the Myth, the Legend - Vermin Supreme!!
Don't know about you, but he's got my vote.
BLACK FRIDAY
BLACK FRIDAY
Personally, I have always hated Black Friday. To me, it’s always been a chaotic mess of unnecessary stress and is time that would better be spent with family and friends. But I get it, some people just got to have that new Magic Mike DVD for $2.99. And every once in a while you'll find a good deal in the stores:
But most of the time you can find real cool gifts online much easier. Like what you ask? How bout some limited edition Golden Girls Home-made Granny Panties?
The gift that keeps on giving, nothing will get your man's motor running like a picture of Bea Arthur on your crotch. And what lady wouldn't feel frisky and free as they channel their inner Blanche when you get down and dirty? This one's a winner, and you don't have to wait in line at Best-buy for this deal!!
But don't worry guys, I didn't forget about you! I know you ladies like to keep your men up-to-date with the latest styles and fashion. Well look no further, I have the holiday gift for you - Glitterbeards!!
But don't worry guys, I didn't forget about you! I know you ladies like to keep your men up-to-date with the latest styles and fashion. Well look no further, I have the holiday gift for you - Glitterbeards!!
Well the Holiday is now officially in full forceTrust me when I say that Fabulous Facial Hair will be all the craze this holiday season, so be sure to get on this quick!! You don't want to be left in the dark on this one!!
THANKSGIVING
I feel like I would be doing us all a severe injustice if I didn't provide at least some interesting story or tid-bit of info about the Holiday we're celebrating today. So I did a little research and found out some very interesting (and disturbing) history. In case you didn't know, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. While we commonly associate Turkeys with Thanksgiving, they were surprisingly not feasted upon early on. In fact, it's not exactly know when Turkey became the go to meal for the feast, but most signs point to the 19th Century (click here) when Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national Holiday after the lobbying of prominent magazine editor of Godey's Lady Book Sara Josepha Hale. Hale campaigned for the holiday and wrote novels romanticizing turkeys in an over-the-top-drooling description - which eventually worked and led to the Bird being associated as the meal of the day. While this is some neat information, it's not what I found interesting.
The interesting find was that while it wasn't adopted until the 19th century as the official center piece of the holiday feast, that wasn't the first time a Turkey was "stuffed". According to Of Plymouth Plantation, the diary of Plymouth Governor William Bradford, the first interaction between a Turkey and a Pilgrim on Thanksgiving occurred in 1642 when local deviant Thomas Granger was executed for having sex with a number of animals - including the bird that would become the Thanksgiving Mascot. According to the diary, Granger was "detected of buggery and indicted for the same - with a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves, and a turkey. Horrible as it is to mention, but the truth of history requires it." Apparently this guy had an insatiable appetite for all things farm animal. As strange as this was, the punishment was just as odd. The Authorities worked to determine which animals Granger had sex with, then they proceeded to kill the animals in front of him before executing Granger himself. So in a sense, they killed his lovers, made him watch, and then killed him. Oh - and they then buried the animals as opposed to eating them because their bodies had been defiled.
Lucky for us, this behavior was frowned upon, otherwise today would have a different meaning and outcome all together.
THANKSGIVING
I feel like I would be doing us all a severe injustice if I didn't provide at least some interesting story or tid-bit of info about the Holiday we're celebrating today. So I did a little research and found out some very interesting (and disturbing) history. In case you didn't know, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. While we commonly associate Turkeys with Thanksgiving, they were surprisingly not feasted upon early on. In fact, it's not exactly know when Turkey became the go to meal for the feast, but most signs point to the 19th Century (click here) when Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national Holiday after the lobbying of prominent magazine editor of Godey's Lady Book Sara Josepha Hale. Hale campaigned for the holiday and wrote novels romanticizing turkeys in an over-the-top-drooling description - which eventually worked and led to the Bird being associated as the meal of the day. While this is some neat information, it's not what I found interesting.
The interesting find was that while it wasn't adopted until the 19th century as the official center piece of the holiday feast, that wasn't the first time a Turkey was "stuffed". According to Of Plymouth Plantation, the diary of Plymouth Governor William Bradford, the first interaction between a Turkey and a Pilgrim on Thanksgiving occurred in 1642 when local deviant Thomas Granger was executed for having sex with a number of animals - including the bird that would become the Thanksgiving Mascot. According to the diary, Granger was "detected of buggery and indicted for the same - with a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves, and a turkey. Horrible as it is to mention, but the truth of history requires it." Apparently this guy had an insatiable appetite for all things farm animal. As strange as this was, the punishment was just as odd. The Authorities worked to determine which animals Granger had sex with, then they proceeded to kill the animals in front of him before executing Granger himself. So in a sense, they killed his lovers, made him watch, and then killed him. Oh - and they then buried the animals as opposed to eating them because their bodies had been defiled.
Lucky for us, this behavior was frowned upon, otherwise today would have a different meaning and outcome all together.
MEME of the WEEK
HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS
Thursday
Well the Holiday is now officially in full force. Many of you will be looking forward to many hours of good ol' fashioned American Gluttony - stuffing our faces while over indulging in endless hours of Football and small talk, to be followed by too many deserts and not enough naps. God I love this day.
Football games to watch today -
- The Eagles look to continue their losing streak as they face-off against the Lions at 12:30 pm
- The Panthers aim to dominate the Cowboys and improve to 11-0 at 4:30 pm
- The Packers seek redemption and a win against the Bears at 8:30 pm
Friday
Tomorrow, despite my thoughts on the day, many will venture out to fight the crowds on Black Friday and search for the best deals money can buy...others will sit back relax and gorge on leftovers (and wait to shop on Cyber Monday).
Saturday
The highlight of the weekend for me (besides the food) is what is known as the Best Weekend in College Football - Rivalry Weekend. If you love College Football, you love this weekend!
12 pm
- Georgia/GA Tech - Starts off the day. Richt is literally fighting for his job against a bunch of Nerds that embarrassed our Noles in heartbreaking fashions just a month ago. Tough to say who wins this one, but I'm leaning towards the Bulldogs. They may suck, but GA Tech ain't that good either.
- Ohio St (8) /Michigan (10) – One of the oldest rivalries in College Sports, the Ohio State Buckeyes are seeking redemption for the massive "upset" they were just handed by Michigan St last week, while Jim Harbough is looking to make a name & impact immediately by showing Urban who's boss. I got Michigan all the way on this one.
3:30 pm
- Alabama (2) /Auburn -One of the best teams in the nation vs the team that lost to every SEC team besides Kentucky and Texas A&M. Georgia beat them. Love to see someone challenge Bama, but it won't happen here. No contest.
- Clemson/South Carolina – Yea...no. If South Carolina scores twice I'll be surprised.
7:30 pm
- Florida (12) / Florida State (13) - This is it…The Big One. We have had a tough season with 1 expected loss against Clemson, and one surprising (yet unbelievable) loss against GA Tech. We have moments of greatness behind powerhouse Dalvin Cook, and Sean Maguire has shined recently with his starts against Clemson, Chattanooga and when he was brought in against NC State. Meanwhile, Florida has only 1 loss to LSU and is headed to the SEC Championship. They have struggled in too many games and haven't won pretty, but a win is a win. For Noles, this is a season saving game if we win. For Florida, it's bragging rights and their chance to reclaim the state. With most of their defensive line littered with injuries, and their QB being highly unreliable at best, I'm going to go all in on our Boys and call it for the Noles!!! You heard it here first!!
- Notre Dame (6) /Stanford (9) – This is Notre Dame's chance to justify that they belong in the hunt and step up to the plate against rival Stanford. Can it be done? I'm going Stanford on this one.
8:00 pm
Oklahoma (3) /Oklahoma State (11) - They're 10-1 and ranked in the playoff hunt for the first time this season - but are they strong enough to stay there? Oklahoma St will be gunning for them and I smell upset...
Sunday
Jaguars look to extend their Winning Streak to3 games!!! No better team to face off in this scenario than The Chargers (well maybe the Eagles). Fingers crossed CJ, but this game could lead us into the playoffs buddy!!
Pete's Bengals face off against Todd Gurley and the Rams, Jenn's Bill go head-to head against the Chiefs, Ms Ogburn's Steelers battle the Seahawks; Chris' Falcons hope to win a game for once against AP & the Vikings, and Eacho's Colts try to contain Jameis and the Bucs. Oh yea, and with Ol' Five-Head Manning on the bench, a new era in football has begun: Brady vs Brock.
Should be fun!!
FAME of the WEEK
Evan & Cassie Malloy
If you haven't heard the good news by now, in the early months of next year the happy couple will be welcoming a beautiful baby GIRL!! Congrats Cassie, you get your very own mini-me I'm sure will have the same kind heart and excited puppy-like demeanor as you! Evan...Good luck buddy. You are screwed and you are soon to be wrapped around that little ones pretty tiny fingers. Kiss what little hair you have left good bye, because I hear they can be a handful. In all seriousness though, congrats to you both - we are all very happy for you and look forward to meeting the newest addition to the Malloy Clan!!
SHAME of the WEEK
ME
Once again I win the crown for Shame of the Week, and I am racing towards the Shame of Fame. My crime this time? My big mouth. Not only have I spent the last few months berating Meide and belittling his Fantasy Football team, I went into this week a 39 point favorite to win...and ended up losing by 3 pts. "Whistlegate" didn't help, nor did the early loss of Devonta Freeman to a concussion, but regardless - that's Karma for you. But that's not all. While at the Falcons/Colts game I started my trash talk early and Eacho didn't argue, she just smiled and took it like a champ. I even posted a shit-talking FB status mid game tagging her for being a "Good sport during this @$$whooping her Ponies were taking". Once again, foot in mouth and Karma kicked me swiftly in the nuts. The lesson here? There isn't one. I refuse to learn from this.
Well that about wraps it up for this week's edition. Sorry if it was a bit long-winded, but had a lot to cover and I hope you enjoyed it. As we end the Corner this week, I thought I would share this quote that I think embodies this Holiday in the truest form:
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; Not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." - Charles Dickens
Thanks again for your time. Have fun and stay safe this holiday weekend. Love you all and look forward to seeing you all soon. Have a great Thanksgiving, a wonderful weekend, and as always - GO NOLES!!!
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; Not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." - Charles Dickens
Thanks again for your time. Have fun and stay safe this holiday weekend. Love you all and look forward to seeing you all soon. Have a great Thanksgiving, a wonderful weekend, and as always - GO NOLES!!!
