I watch Champions... Who are you calling Jinxsee?!?!

I've been noticing something.  If I watch a team live during the season, chances are they win a championship.  Cases in point:  UConn, the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Green Bay Packers. 

Interesting.  Who wants to give me a ticket to watch their favorite team play?  I'm lucky!

That's right...  Who are you calling, Jinxsee?!?!  :-P


THE WIRK

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV ~ Now what...

The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV, with a final score of 31-25.  The game was a good one!  As a spectator I was thrilled to have such a great match-up.  I know I wasn't the only one who was worried that the game was going to be a blowout after Green Bay had a 14-0 lead in the 1st quarter...  ****  I had flashbacks of the boring Pro Bowl and started to panic. 

My Super Bowl prediction was incorrect.  Oh well.  At least I took a shot!

No, I didn't go to the game this year.  I took a look at StubHub.com and a couple of days there prior to Sunday there were seats for just under $3,000.  When I took another look on Sunday morning, the lowest seat price was $4,000.  At those prices, there was no way I was going to go ~ especially since I'm not a fan of either team.  Last year meant more to me, since I am a Indianapolis Colts fan.

Now that football season is over I can focus my attention on basketball, and of course follow the labor talks for both the NFL and NBA.

As far as I'm concerned it'd be no surprise to me if there is a work stoppage (aka "Lockout") for the NBA.  It looks like the NFL may have a better chance of preventing a work stoppage.  Needless to say, I need to get back on track with the negotiations, once I settle. 

Lastly, I still need to gather my thoughts from the Super Bowl festivities ~ decide what stories to share and leave out, etc.  This may take a minute, so appreciate the patience.  I need to download some pics and gather my thoughts...

Congratulations to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on bringing the Lombardi trophy home.  For the rest of the NFL, there's always next year or is there?!?!


THE WIRK

Super Bowl XLV Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Green Bay Packers

Super Bowl XLV Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Green Bay Packers.

I believe in signs and I met both Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis (aka the Bus) this year. 

Incidentally I saw Eddie George at the ESPN the Magazine party last night too...

Kid Rock performed at the ESPN party on Friday night, and Rev Run joined him on stage towards the end of the set.  Shaunie O'Neal  and Keyshawn Johnson were also in the house at the River Ranch in Fort Worth.  Here's a picture of the invitation for those of you that are curious.

Anyway, the Steelers are my pick. 

Time will tell.


THE WIRK

In Dallas for the Super Bowl XLV festivities

Flew to Dallas for the Super Bowl XLV festivities and connected in Atlanta.  Sure enough, Tony Gonzalez and Rick Ross were on my flight.  I only got one of them as I walked towards baggage claim. 

Great dinner at the Dallas Chop House (i.e. Chef Mo Assi hooked it up) last night.

On the way back after dinner the snow was coming down.  We're talking lots of snow, people...  If I didn't know any better, I'd think I landed in Antarctica.

The Green Bay Packers are staying "across the street" at the Omni in Las Colinas and the Pittsburgh Steelers are staying at the Omni in Fort Worth.  Go for it, stalkers...  You're welcome. 

P.S.  You're going to need credentials to get into those hotels, so I'm really not giving you too much to work with anyway :-P


THE WIRK

Father-Daughter Vegas vacation ~ Great laughs, big wins!!

My dad is the best, and we just had another father-daughter weekend in Vegas.  What started out with father-daughter dinners as a girl scout and father-daughter dances in high school graduated to weekends in Vegas.  It may not be for everyone, but it works for us!

Here are some random thoughts, status updates, and quotes from the weekend.

• Just landed in Vegas. Flight attendant says that our bags are coming in on carousel 7. The guy behind me starts yelling, "seven"! I turn around and say, "So you're a don't guy?". He says, "yep". End of discussion.

As soon as I landed, within an hour or so, I received a text from my best friend from college/medical school.  He was in Vegas also.  Talk about lucky!  What a great coincidence...

Eventually, my dad got hungry so it was off to Gaylord India Restaurant at the Rio Hotel and Casino.  It's one of our favorites.  As soon as we ordered, there was an Asian waitress that came over.

• Dad (As Chinese waitress brings new plates): Wow, big china...
  Me: You can't call her that.
  Dad: What the hell are you talking about? I'm talking about the bigger dishes (as he holds up the new plate).
  Me: Oh...

We ordered the chicken curry.  When it came out, there was also some vegetarian curry.

• Me: What's in the vegetarian curry?
  Dad: Vegetables are for poor people.

Friday night I bet the Atlanta Hawks to cover against the New Orleans Hornets.  Friday night, was also the night that history was made and the Hawks only scored 59 points (i.e. the lowest point total in FRANCHISE history)...  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!?  Absolutely ridiculous.

Friday night I was playing rapid craps over at Bill's.  It was painfully slow, but it was great to sit and laugh and catch up with my best friend.  We sat there betting the "Don't" since it was impossible for any shooter to get into any kind of rhythm with a slow dealer.  As we were sitting, he said "Isn't that your dad?"   Sure enough, my dad was walking into the casino.  I was happy to have them both there and I re-introduced them.  Within a few minutes my dad left to go get some food. 

Later that night, I checked out The Cosmopolitan (i.e. I believe it's a Marriott property).  It's fancy.  I don't think it's for a serious gambler.  It's more of a see and be seen place.  I didn't check out the table minimums this trip.  I'll do it next time.

I also walked over to Vdara Hotel and Spa.  The rooms are nice.  I saw an executive suite.  It had a kitchen, washer and dryer, etc. but no casino.  It was nice, but for my money and the location, I'd rather stay at the Palazzo or Venetian.

I passed through the Bellagio on the way back to the strip.  There was no robbery taking place so it was cool.  Based on the decor there and near the Palazzo, I think it's the year of the rabbit.  I'm a rabbit and rabbits are lucky so I couldn't resist taking pictures.

Saturday I dragged myself down to the sportsbook to bet on Ohio State.  The Buckeyes are ranked #1 and were in Illinois.  I had Buckeyes -3.5, the money line, and in a parlay with the Washington Capitals.  All the bets were winners!

Saturday night I was at the Venetian's sportsbook, watching the Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Clipppers.

• Wankster looking Asian guy in sportsbook yelled, "Real LA fans are Clippers fans because people from LA can't afford Lakers tickets!". Instantly 3 other Asian guys raised their hands and said, "I can afford them.".

I watched the rest of the game after dinner at Harrah's while my dad was at the craps table.  The Indiana Pacers' Posey launched a 3-pointer towards the end of the game.  The way I see it, the Blazers owe me a point, since I lost by half of one.  Those are the breaks...

When I went to check on my dad he was sitting on a stool playing craps with thousand of dollars in front of him.  No wonder he wasn't bothering me.  I tapped him and told him it was time to go.  After another 10-15 mins he left the table a WINNER.

He has to sit since he's not really in condition to stand at a craps table for an extended period of time (i.e. read HOURS).  He's assured me he's going to start exercising so he can walk the strip more and stand longer.  I find this completely hilarious and have asked him to document his training regimen so I could laugh some more.  He thinks that I'm kidding.  I'm not.

Back in the room dad was tired and was rubbing his legs since they were sore.

• Dad (as he is rubbing his legs): I don't know what this is supposed to do, but back home we have servants for this...

The man is funny.

Before I left I gave my dad specific instructions to bet on the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC and NFC Championship Games.  I couldn't place my bets since the book had closed, and I was leaving.  He could and did. 

• Me: Go collect the money.
  Dad: Did we win?
  Me: Duh. Of course we did.
  Dad: Again?
  Me: Yep...
  Dad: Oh, ok. That was easy...

We cleaned up nicely...  Now I just need to figure out how to get the money from him. 

THE WIRK

Steelers and Packers ~ I told you so!!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers have advanced to the Super Bowl.

1.  I told you so.
2.  My dad had to place my bets for me in Vegas, since I left this morning, but who cares...  WE WIN!!!!

I missed most of the Packers game since I was flying, but needless to say I watched as Jets fans had a glimmer of hope.  J-E-T-S = L-O-S-E.  Sorry, New York Jets' fans. You're never going to win with Mark Sanchez as your quarterback.  Don't believe me?  That's fine.  You have the ENTIRE off-season to think about it.

If I know you and you want to go to Dallas and you have deep pockets, hit me up.  I want to go to the Super Bowl XLV (i.e. but NBA All-Star is more important to me)...  However, I'm open to going in on a pair of tickets or checking out a good single, if the price is right...


THE WIRK

My picks: AFC and NFC championship games ~ Steelers and Packers

I'm going with the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

I saw the Packers play and lose to the Washington Redskins earlier this year at FedEx Field.  I didn't need to see the Packers defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday to believe in the Packers.  I never really thought much about the Falcons to begin with...

Packers on offense

I saw the Chicago Bears lose to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year too.  I don't have any strong feelings about the Bears, but I'll admit I'm not really a Jay Cutler fan.  The most interesting thing about him for me right now is that he's dating Kristin Cavallari, and even that tidbit of info is getting old.

Bears on offense

I like the New York Jets, but I just can't get behind Mark Sanchez.  I don't believe that he thinks he's a winner.

Jets on offense

I didn't go to Heinz Field this year, but I was there in 2009 when the Steelers hosted the Cleveland Browns.

Steelers on offense

In Ben I trust.

The Packers and the Steelers are my picks.  Now we wait until Sunday...

As for the Super Bowl, I'm going to hold off on my prediction.

THE WIRK

Packers crush the Cowboys ~ Things can't be fun in Dallas

I was in Dallas last weekend and I heard the radio guys' reactions to the Cowboys season.  I laughed out loud when I heard one of the men groan when Wade Phillips was at the mic talking.  He wasn't thrilled that Wade was at the mic talking, because obviously it meant that Wade was still the coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

I've heard Jerry Jones say that's he's "standing by his man" and that Philips will remain coach for the rest of the season.  With Romo out with a broken clavicle and Jon Kitna "playing" quarterback, things have got to be unbearable in the locker room, on the field, etc.  I can't fathom what it must feel like to be a part of the Dallas Cowboys organization, when the tean has a record of 1-7.  Further, it just can't be fun to be a Cowboys fan right now.  All my friends who are Cowboys fans are extremely frustrated.  It must be incredibly awkward to be Cowboys fan and know that in a few months that Super Bowl XLV is coming to town, especially since it was almost expected that after last year's performance, that the Cowboys would at least be in contention for a post-season...

I went to the new Cowboys Stadium in January to watch the Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC Wildcard game.  I bought a hat at the game, and have no idea where that hat is now.  Needless to say, I won't be needing it this year so I have more than enough time to look for it.  The Cowboys won the game I attended and went on to play the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis.  Ultimately Brett Favre and the Vikings ended the Cowboys' season.  Incidentally, I was at that game also.  ****  Check my earlier posts from January, if you're curious.

I barely watched the game tonight.  I'm not a Green Bay Packers fan, and I knew that the Dallas Cowboys would lose.  I ran into my friend, Tommy, on my way home from the Washington Capitals game and he said he thought that the Cowboys would cover tonight's spread.  That made me laugh.  I have no idea what the spread was for tonight's game, but I would've spotted the Cowboys 10 points easily and still taken the Packers.  ****  The final score was 45-7, and the Packers won.  Tommy, I told you so!

I'm not saying that I think the Cowboys are quitting for the rest of the season.  I'm not going to pretend that I've been following them enough to care.  I'm just saying that after watching Green Bay play against the Redskins (i.e. even though the Packers lost) and the Vikings (i.e. even though the game went down to the wire), it was obvious to me that the Cowboys would get blown out tonight.

The only thing that really made an impression on me today was Clay Matthews Jr.  I really want him to shave his head.  His stringy hair drives me nuts.  That's my 2 cents.

Here's a picture of me at the new Cowboys Stadium.  If you haven't been there, you're missing out.  GO!!!! 

****  Hmmm, what a difference a week makes!  The irony.  I just checked ESPN.com and it looks like Jerry Jones MIGHT be changing his tune.  It wouldn't be the first time a man changed his mind after a week...  Here's a link to the article, if you want to cut and paste it into a new window:  http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/news/story?id=5779311.  I wonder.  Can you hear me laughing over here?

THE WIRK

Redskins defeat the Packers in OT ~ Hail!

I'm not sure when it happened, but my friend, Kanak, has become a football fan.  She had tickets to the Green Bay Packers v Washington Redskins game on Sunday, and when I offered to sell them for her, she refused.  She said she wanted to go to the game.  When I picked myself off of the floor, I knew I was going to have to rally "early" (i.e. wake up in the AM) on Sunday and go with her.

****  Incidentally, the night before some guy took my cell phone home with him.  He said I dropped it.  I think he stole it.  Regardless, I offered him $100, if he brought my phone back to me before 10AM (i.e. he called me around 9AM).  For those of you that think that's a bit much, you have no idea what it's like to explain the situation to AT&T that your phone has been stolen and you want to replace it.  The amount of time and energy I'd waste to discuss this issue with those people, is far less than $100.

Kanak picked me up for the game, and we drove to her work and then walked to our friend JV's place.  The few blocks might as well have been a few miles, because I was in no mood for a Sunday morning stroll.  JV's sister drove us to FedEx Field.  I slept in the car on the way. 

View from the seats

Entering the stadium with the game underway, I just wanted to sit and enjoy the game.  I honestly couldn't have cared less about the outcome.  It was a gorgeous day, and I was just excited to be around friends. 

Our friend, Erin, "Don't Stop Believin'"

With Ari and Rod (aka "the Donkey")

With my girls: Kanak, Taters, Marin, and Jena

Kanak was asking questions throughout the game and following the action.  I haven't had to explain penalties (e.g. holding, offsides), football basics (e.g. downs, offense, defense), or that they're yelling "Coooooley" instead of "boo" (i.e. when Chris Cooley does something good) in a long time.  However, I couldn't help but notice that she's definitely been learning the game the past few weeks.  ****  Yes, Kanak, I was impressed.

The game turned out to be a good one!  It went into overtime.  When Green Bay won the coin toss, I assumed that the Packers would win.  When I watched them miss the field goal, I was shocked.  Overtime was stressful, but ultimately the Washington Redskins defeated the Green Bay Packers 16-13, thanks to Graham Gano's field goal... 

Sorry Packers fans.  You lose, and Aaron Rodgers has a concussion and may not play on Sunday. 

I'll admit, I'm not really Redskins fan, but after that performance ~ Hail to the Redskins! 

****  If you ask me, Redskins' fans should buy my tickets to go to all the games for the rest of the season, since the 2 games I've attended they've won.  If you don't remember, I was in Philadelphia last weekend.

Question:  Stadium dog for $6 or two hotdogs for $10?  Which would you choose?


THE WIRK

I'm ready for some regular season NFL action NOW!!!!

So I'm in Minneapolis and watching the Twins game from my room.  Actually, I really don't care about this game.  I'm sure it's a good one and I enjoy watching the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins, but I feel like I've seen this match-up numerous times.  In fact, if I took the time to add up the posts, I'd be willing to bet that I've seen this match-up at least two times already.  Regardless, if there are fireworks, I'll look out the window...  The fans have been quiet, so I've been planning the next steps for this blog and my impending time off (i.e.  VACATION).  ****  Update:  Someone just hit a home run! There are fireworks!  ****  Another Update:  More fireworks!  Twins defeat the White Sox in extra innings, 7-6.

Since Brett Favre boarded a plane to come up North (i.e. coincidentally to Minneapolis, where I am) I've decided that I too should work on finding my "blog voice" again and start strategizing my own football schedule.  There are still some great stadiums that I need to hit before I die, so why not use my vacation to tackle Week 1 as thoroughly as only THE WIRK can?!?!

Currently looking at the following:
September 9, 2010 - New Orleans Saints home opener v the Minnesota Vikings
September 12, 2010 - Philadelphia Eagles home opener v the Green Bay Packers
September 13, 2010 - New York Jets home opener v the Baltimore Ravens

The schedule is aggressive, just like me, and hopefully (i.e. with a little help from my friends) things will all fall into place.  If it all works out, I can knock off three new venues easily. 

In addition, I have a some trips, concerts, comedy shows, and some other stuff coming up so dont' worry - this blog should pick up soon!  I don't like to telegraph all my plays on here for obvious reasons - but good things are on the way.


THE WIRK