Superbowl XLVI Quarterback Overview

Why are you here? There can only be one reason... SUPERBOWL XLVI with Tom Brady and Eli Manning at the helm. After recent games, the New England Patriots and the New York Giants are facing off once again for the ultimate prize. Tom Brady will square up against Eli Manning in pursuit of the greatest honor in professional football. There's a lot at stake here, so let's first take a look at Tom Brady's stats then we'll look at Eli Manning. Brady is 6'4 at 225 lbs and graduated from Michigan. He definitely has the experience to beat Eli in Superbowl XLVI and boast many impressive statistics:

Tom Brady Stats

• 611 attempted passes / 401 completions = 65.6% completion percentage
• 8.6 yards per attempt
• 12 interceptions
• 105.6 QB rating

Super Bowl 2012

Manning is also 6'4 at 218 pounds and graduated from Mississippi. He also boasts tons of experience so let's take a look at his stats compared to Brady's.

Eli Manning Stats

• 589 attempted passes / 359 completions = 61.0% completion percentage
• 8.4 yards per attempt
• 16 interceptions
• 92.9 QB rating

As you can see, Eli Manning is seemingly the underdog in this offense scenario against Tom Brady. There's much more to a football team than a QB, so next time I will go over the offensive sectors vs the defensive sectors. Without an effective defensive strategy, the Giants could be left with their pants down. On the other side of the equation though, without an all-out offensive rush there's no way to win a Superbowl. It's going to be tough for the teams to do, but they need to strike a balance of offense and defense to win this game. Whichever quarterback gets this balance right will win the Superbowl for sure. Some quarterbacks can find this middle ground very easily right from the start while others struggle to find it until it's too late. For these quarterbacks, it's critical that they "find their groove" right away or it could spell absolute disaster for the team and the fans. Personally, I think that Tom Brady will be able to manage his team and discover this balance more effectively because he seems to have a cooler head and takes it all in stride. All in all, seeing Eli Manning vs Tom Brady will be undoubtedly one of the biggest spectacles in NFL history and will remain in the minds of the viewers for years to come.

Superbowl XLVI Quarterback Overview

Lucas Oil Stadium - New Home of the Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are enjoying their stay at their new home - the Lucas Oil Stadium. The stadium is a retractable roof stadium located in Indianapolis, Indiana which opened in the second half of 2008. The new stadium replaces the RCA Dome which was the long time home of the Colts. This stadium is constructed in preparation for the Super Bowl XLVI to be held in 2012. Aside from the stadium, a new high-rise JW Marriot Indianapolis is being constructed as part of the preparation for the Super Bowl.

The architectural firm behind the design of the new stadium is HKS, Inc. with Walter P. Moore as the structural engineer. Similar to other stadium, the Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof and window wall which allows the Colts to play outdoors. The concept of kinetic architecture was utilized in the design of the stadium for it to be a multi-functional facility with the ease of conversion for an increased return of investment.

Nfl 2012

The rights to name the stadium was purchased by Lucas Oil for approximately 0 million for 20 years, thus it is fondly nicknamed as The Luke by some commentators. Despite the state-of-the-art facilities of the new home of the Indianapolis Colts, a retro look is inculcated in the design as a result of Indianapolis's liking of a field house appearance of sports venues which were popular a few decades ago. The construction of the stadium costs 0 million which was raised through a cooperative effort from the government of Indiana and the Colts.

The seating capacity of the new stadium for football games is 5,000 more than the old one. Now, 63,000 fans can watch from the sidelines during the game. In the event that Indiana will host the Super Bowl, this seating capacity can be increased to 70,000. For basketball games, the seating capacity of the facility can go beyond 70,000. Features of the new stadium includes two huge Daktronics HD scoreboards each measuring 97 feet wide and 53 feet tall and located in the northwest and southeast corners of the stadium.

The retractable roof of the Lucas Oil Stadium was designed by Uni-Systems. The roof divides lengthwise into two retractable panels, each sliding down the slope of the roof of the stadium when it is open. Each panel weighs 2.7 million pounds each. It takes nine minutes for the roofs to open, twelve minutes for it to close and is fully automated at that. What is unique about these retractable roofs is that it is the first ever roof that divides lengthwise. However, the entire stadium is not waterproof so the roofs remain close for most of the year.

A peculiar addition to the stadium's design is the large moveable window wall that allow additional light while closed and gives a more open environment when open. This is another first for that stadium since it is the largest movable glass wall in the world. The first NBC Sunday Night Football of the 2008 NFL Season was played in the Lucas Oil Stadium. Unfortunately, the home team wasn't able to grab the win.

Lucas Oil Stadium - New Home of the Indianapolis Colts

Rick Grantham is an avid NFL fan. Most of Rick's articles focus on Indianapolis Colts Merchandise [http://www.booyahvillage.com/nfl-indianapolis-colts.html]. Many articles are related to NFL blankets [http://www.booyahvillage.com/nfl-blankets-and-throws.html] and other sports related topics. Rick is a contributing author to BooYah Village

Indianapolis Bragging Rights

You may have lived in the Circle City all your life or be relatively new to town. But have you ever really listened to what others say about Indianapolis? Two decades ago, it may have been, "Why do I have to spend my weekends here?" Indianapolis has been recognized as the amateur sports capitol of the world over the years; it has blossomed into much more.

Not only is Indianapolis the 13th largest city in the United States, but it's a terrific place to live, work, play, eat, shop... and the list goes on and on. Most people who reside in Indianapolis are proud of their city, but may not know ALL the fun facts that can be shared with friends, relatives and visitors.

Nfl 2012

Consider this your Indianapolis "Brag Session."

Brag about the culture

• Indianapolis Cultural Trail, A Legacy of Gene & Marilyn Glick is a world-class urban bike and pedestrian path that connects neighborhoods, Cultural Districts and entertainment amenities, and serves as the Downtown hub for the entire central Indiana greenway system. The eight-mile path allows users to pass by and through many destinations that make Indianapolis a recognized leader in the arts community. The trail will be completed by 2012.

• Indianapolis boasts The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, not only the largest museum of its kind in the world, but also rated "the best museum" by Child magazine. Among the interactive, hands-on attractions are the Dinosphere; featuring life-size, roaring dinosaur skeletons and simulated fossil digs. In 2006, the 43-foot Fireworks of Glass was installed, the largest permanent sculpture of blown glass ever created by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Since then, the museum has expanded even more, adding a fabulous new lobby, new exhibits and more.

• Indianapolis is home to the Madame Walker Theatre Center, which stands as a memorial to America's first female self-made millionaire, Madam C. J. Walker.

• The Indianapolis Museum of Art was ranked by USA Today as one of the top 10 locations for marriage proposals -- in front of the famous LOVE sculpture. Adjacent to the Museum and located on 100 acres that includes woodlands, wetlands, meadows and a 35-acre lake is the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park. The park opened in June 2010 and is one of the largest museum art parks in the country, and the only one to feature the ongoing commission of site-specific artworks.

• The Indianapolis Zoo is the nation's only accredited combined zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. The zoo's Oceans exhibit features the world's largest shark touch tank; while the Dolphin Adventure offers the world's first totally submerged dolphin viewing experience. During summer 2010, the Indianapolis Zoo opened its newest exhibit - Cheetah: The Race for Survival.

• The Old National Centre (originally named the Murat Temple when it opened in 1910) is the largest Shrine temple in North America.

• The Indiana State Museum features art, science and culture. The museum not only has exhibits inside, but is an exhibit itself with its 92-county walk, Indiana material-made exterior and more. It will feature Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition Sept. 25 - Jan. 16, 2011.

• Indianapolis houses the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, one of only two museums east of the Mississippi with both Native American and Western art. A NEW exhibit featuring replicas of national treasures, Jingle Rails, will be unveiled in November 2010. Every canyon, mesa, lodge, Mt. Rushmore and even the replica of Indianapolis' own Soldiers and Sailors Monument-are made with natural materials by renowned-artist Paul Busse.

• Indianapolis is second only to Washington, D.C. in its number of monuments and memorials commemorating veterans.

• The 35th Running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon takes place Saturday, May 7, 2011. The Mini has sold-out for the past nine years with 35,000 registrants, and an additional 4,000 participants in the Finish Line 500 Festival 5K. The Mini-Marathon is the largest half-marathon in the U.S., and overall, the sixth largest running event in America.

Anyone would agree there's A LOT to do in Downtown Indianapolis. People of all ages can be entertained at numerous museums and historic sites, performing arts and theatres, memorials and parks, major sports venues and various unique attractions.

If you want to see what's only in Indianapolis, discover Indianapolis' Cultural Districts.

Indianapolis is bursting with pride over its six unique Cultural Districts: Broad Ripple Village, The Canal and White River State Park, Fountain Square, Indiana Avenue, Mass Ave and Wholesale District. Four of the six districts have homes directly in Downtown Indianapolis, while Fountain Square is just a mile southeast and Broad Ripple Village nine miles northeast. The districts showcase distinct pockets of cultural opportunity thriving in the city. You'll find delightful public art, unique galleries, inspiring museums, quaint shops and engaging recreation. Satisfy your appetite at exquisite restaurants, ethnic eateries and cafes. Laugh out loud or dance the night away at one of dozens of night clubs and theaters. The districts also have your ticket to professional sports and performances.

Downtown is home to baby elephants, Duckpin Bowling, a working indoor carousel, a world-class symphony orchestra, a 55-foot "Indiana" sculpture, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and so much more to explore.

In recent years, Indianapolis has continued its reputation for Amazingly Always New attractions such as Rhythm! Discovery Center in 2009, Cheetahs: Race for Survival at the Indianapolis Zoo in 2010 and plenty of new Downtown residences to be close to the action!

Brag about Downtown dining and shopping

• Circle Centre, Downtown's world-renowned shopping and entertainment complex, is celebrating its 15-year anniversary in 2010.

• Indianapolis is home to the 1886 City Market, which has remained a 'market' ever since and is undergoing a makeover through spring 2011 to further enhance the market.

• Indianapolis' Mass Ave, one of the few remaining diagonal streets on the original 1821 plat, is Downtown's premier arts and entertainment district where people live, work and play in the same eight-block area.

• Downtown Indianapolis has nearly 300 eating and drinking establishments to enjoy.

The dining options are endless ranging from national eateries like Capital Grille, Fogo De Chao, Weber Grill, Palomino and Ruth's Chris to the unique local hot spots such as Saffron Cafe, R bistro, Harry & Izzy's and Bazbeaux pizza.

• St. Elmo Steak House's infamous shrimp cocktail was named "World's Spiciest Food" by Food critic and Travel Channel blogger Alison Stein Wellner in May 2009.

• The Slippery Noodle Inn is Indiana's oldest, continually-operated bar (since 1850). It won the Keeping the Blues Alive - Blues Club of the Year from the Blues Foundation.

With more than 210 shops Downtown, residents and visitors can enjoy everything from the trendy, one-of-a-kind shops such as Windsor Jewelry Company or At Home in the City/Silver in the City, to the popular national chains like Nordstrom, Carson Pirie Scott, T.J. Maxx and Border's.

The JW Marriot hotel will open its doors in 2011. This will be the largest JW Marriot in the world with 1,005 rooms and 145,000 square feet of meeting and event space. It will join more than 30 quality hotels and bed & breakfasts Downtown.

• TripAdvisor named Conrad Indianapolis a Top 25 U.S. Hotel from its 2010 Traveler's Choice awards.

Brag about the sports

• Indianapolis is the only city to boast four professional sports teams, playing within a four-block radius, all in the heart of Downtown. (NBA Pacers, WNBA Fever, NFL Colts and Triple-A Indians)

• In 2012, Indianapolis will host Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. The spectacular new venue opened in 2008.

• Lucas Oil Stadium was named the Sports Facility of the Year in May 2009 by Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Journal.

• Conseco Fieldhouse was ranked the best NBA arena by The Orange County Register.

• Indianapolis is home to a football team of world champion caliber. In 2010 the Indianapolis Colts returned to Super Bowl XLIV. In 2006, the Indianapolis Colts dominated the Chicago Bears for a Super Bowl XLI victory.

• Indianapolis is the only city to have hosted the NCAA Men's Final Four three times in a decade: 1991, 1997 and 2000. Downtown hosted again in 2006 and 2010 and is set for 2015 too. In 2005, the city hosted the NCAA Women's Final Four for the first time and will again in 2011. (The Sporting News named Indianapolis as the "Best Final Four Host" stating "there's no better basketball town than Indy.")

• Indianapolis IS basketball in March. The city hosts the Big Ten Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments from 2008 - 2012. The Women's Tourney also visited in 2007. Indianapolis hosted the World Basketball Championship, which is held every four years, in 2002. This was the first time in the event's 52-year history that it had ever taken place in the United States.

• The Indianapolis 500 race is the largest, single-day sporting event in the world. Coincidentally, the second largest is the Brickyard 400.

• A national spotlight shone on Indianapolis as we hosted the 2005 VISA U.S.A Gymnastics National Championships at Conseco Fieldhouse. Circle of Stars Gymnastics Invitational will be in Indy January 2011.

• Indianapolis played host to the USA Swimming Nationals and ConocoPhillips Swimming Championships and World Championship Trials in July 2009. Indianapolis also welcomed the USA Diving Olympic Team Trials in 2008.

• The city hosted the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2006 and 2007 at the Indiana University Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium.

• Indianapolis ranked as the second best sports host city in the U.S. in May 2009 in The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live by Robert Tuchman

Of course, Indianapolis earned its bragging rights early as the amateur sports capital of the world. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has long been noted as the city's icon. The addition of Victory Field, "the Best Minor League Ballpark in America" according to Sports Illustrated, as well as the state-of-the-art Conseco Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium, have furthered the city's sporting image. In addition, the USHL Indiana Ice is a Tier I junior hockey team that entertains the Indianapolis community.

During any given season, sports fans are sure to find an Indianapolis team to rally or event to attend. From the annual Circle City Classic or Indiana High School Athletics Association championships to the Big Ten Women's and Men's Basketball Tournaments, the action is non-stop.

What's more, various national governing bodies either originated in or have moved their headquarters to Indianapolis including the Black Coaches Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association, USA Gymnastics Federation, USA Track & Field, USA Diving, Inc., U.S. Synchronized Swimming and others.

Brag about the international competitions and awards

• The American Pianists Association has been supporting aspiring young artists for more than 25 years. Unique Fellowships, both classical and jazz, offer significant opportunities for American pianists, ages 18-30, to advance their careers. Each Fellowship is valued at more than ,000 including cash awards, fees, publicity and recording opportunities.

• The Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art program has awarded more than .5 million in unrestricted grants and art purchases and added more than 125 pieces of art by 35 Native American fine artists to its permanent collection over the last 10 years. This biennial program is one-of-a-kind in the world for Native Americans and first nations and has led to the distinction of having "the finest collection of Native contemporary art in the world."

• The Indianapolis Prize, presented by the Indianapolis Zoo, is the largest individual monetary award (0,000) for animal species conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree. The Prize is given every other year to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts involving a single animal species or multiple species.

• The International Violin Competition of Indianapolis takes place every four years. Music lovers from all parts of the globe focus their attention on "The Indianapolis" - now regarded as one of the most respected music competitions in the world. The 17-day festival, Sept. 10 - 26 in 2010, features talented violinists from around the world.

Brag about the future

You may think that Downtown is complete. Not true. Development momentum remains steady with MORE THAN .3 billion of new construction to be completed by 2015. Since 1990, .9 billion have been invested in Downtown.

So, next time someone asks you about your town, you can quote Indianapolis native David Letterman. "I'm very, very proud of the fact that I was born and spent most of my life in that wonderful community of Indianapolis. It's a great city."

Thanks, Dave. We think Indianapolis is pretty wonderful too.

Indianapolis Bragging Rights

Find this story online: http://www.indydt.com/IndianapolisBraggingRights.cfm

Mural Art in Indianapolis

Indianapolis

Murals - Outside Public Art

Super Bowl 2012

Some say that street art is the most exciting of all graphic art. It has taken several years of wandering the streets of Indianapolis and, when least expecting it, turning a corner and encountering a beautiful piece of art, to appreciate the number and variety of murals in our city. Sharing this experience is the main reason for this article on outside public art which is also in many respects outsider art.

Almost all street art is short-lived, either painted over, destroyed when the building is removed, or simply succumbing to the elements and to deterioration. So documentation becomes another purpose of photographing and writing about mural art.

Since mural art had some of its beginnings in advertising, the first section of the book is about old signs that are still around and ghost signs that are fading but still visible. Some recent signs that are unusual or illustrate an artistic treatment of an advertising theme are also discussed.

The sign at 16th and College advertises a popular soft drink, and a mural at 707 Massachusetts Avenue advertises cereal. Although these murals are very old, these products are still around, and it's interesting to see how their marketing has evolved.

The second very contemporary mural is in Broad Ripple on the Monon Trail, just south of Broad Ripple Avenue. It was painted by Artists Joshua Wells and Dan Thompson of PaintSubsurface in 2006 and advertises a restaurant on the trail using a wave. It is reminiscent of Katsushika Hokusai's famous painting, but this one contains cups, saucers, and sodas. Very cool! Mural styles and influences from other artists and art traditions, is a subject I found most interesting. Muralists apparently build on the work of their predecessors, and their work tends to reflect current artistic trends.

Another example of an old advertising, mural which has recently been beautifully redone, is on Pendleton Pike near Franklin Road and adorns a German restaurant that has been family owned for more than thirty-five years. The restaurant offers a unique cultural dining experience as well as scrumptious baked goods from its bakery, and imported food and gift items that can't be found anywhere else in the city. The newly painted mural is a work of art more than advertising, showing scenes from the German countryside.

A final example of the beginnings of mural art in advertising can be found on Indiana Ave., now Martin Luther King Boulevard near 26th street. Piggy speaks for himself on this restaurant saying, "Best in the World since 1962". This mural is near the Indiana Avenue Cultural District which was the home of jazz in Indianapolis for many decades and still boasts the Madame Walker Theater.

The community mural movement, which started in the late 1960's, produced hundreds upon hundreds of large scale wall paintings in less than a decade. They were concentrated in major cities, but almost every city had a few, including Indianapolis. These were sparked by the civil rights movement, labor movements, the Chicano movement, and community development programs. Hispanic muralists such as Diego Rivera, Clemente Orozco, David Sequeiros, and Arnold Belkin influenced the style and content of these murals. They were also influenced by graffiti and by advertising art.

Murals with a message describes some ambitious community murals such as, "The Street of Dreams". It is located in the Watkins Park Family Center and includes portraits of many of the well known jazz artists in the city such as David Baker, Cheryl Hayes, and Jimmy Coe. The equally talented muralists who painted this and many other murals relating to the community mural movement are Barbara Stahl, Carol Tharp-Perrin, Larry Ginhardt and Lawrence Clark IIII. In Indianapolis, many of these murals are gone, but a few can still be seen in city parks. A mural in Douglass Park on the near east side celebrates one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery in the United States before the Civil War.

An interesting and unique example of mural art is still visible near 38th and College. Clayton Hamilton's Message Wall has posted community related messages and political commentary for years. He changes the wall frequently. Some examples include, "Vote out Greed, Lies, and Secrecy" and "Our Vote Mattered...Power to the People in '06 and '08!"

A mural commemorating the U.S.S. Indianapolis by Cynthia Walden, painted in 2002, is located under the New York street bridge over the canal in downtown Indianapolis and shows the ship superimposed on an American Flag with the caption "Freedom isn't Free.

The final section of this article deals with murals in churches and schools and in various neighborhoods of the city. It covers outside murals only, as their are numerous inside murals in public schools and in many places of worship.

An unusual and unsolicited work of mural art can be seen at east 10th and Sherman Drive beneath the underpass. It was painted by Tami Lannom and intended to beautify the neighborhood and inspire with its message, "Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it." Her message seemed to encourage many other artists in this area, resulting in the painting of other exceptional wall art. With the attention to development being paid to this neighborhood because of the city's hosting of the Superbowl in 2012, many more can be expected. The other neighborhoods in the city can boast similar mural achievements.

There are also numerous murals on the Monon Trail and in the city's newly designated cultural districts including, Broad Ripple, Indiana Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue, Fountain Square, Downtown and Wholesale District, and the Canal District. Street art and graffiti, Eli Lilly & Company's Global Service Day murals, and new murals planned for sprucing up the city for the Super Bowl in 2012 add to the mix. Please comment if you have seen any murals that are newly painted or have any favorite murals that you would like to know more about. Thanks and "keep painting"!.

Mural Art in Indianapolis

Sylvia Andrews is the author of the three volume publication, Indianapolis Murals, Outside Public Art, and several children's books including If You Take a Horse to the Gym, about the serious problem of childhood obesity. She also teaches a gourd art class at the Indianapolis Art Center and has a degree in Art History. http://www.sylvanartspress.com

Super Bowl, Super Numbers!

In America we use almost any occasion or event to throw a party. The Super Bowl is one of the top party days of the year and who can blame us for wanting to live it up just before March Madness?!! Even the most passive NFL fans can take joy in celebrating the lifting of the Lombardi Trophy. This year's game takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana and unfortunately EVERY football fan in the country just won't fit into the place.

Even during a recession, NFL fans spare little expense when it comes to the food and snacks that are made available on Super Bowl Sunday. Last year, Americans consumed over 30 million pounds of chips, hot dogs, BBQ, dips, nachos, chicken wings and whatever artery-clogging product you can think of. And here's an example of just how much 30 million pounds of food is;

Super Bowl 2012

· 1 billion chicken wings
· 293 million miles of potato chips (if laid end to end)
· If you spread out guacamole dip on a football field the amount consumed would be nearly 12 feet high

And believe it or not we like to drink beer on Super Bowl Sunday. A lot of beer. Americans will consume over 320 million gallons of beer on game day. That's enough to fill almost 300 Olympic sized swimming pools. All that food and all that beer wind up causing seven million people to call in "sick" to work on the following Monday and the sales numbers for ant-acids jumps roughly 20%. Those are giant statistics and it goes to show just how enamored the populous is with the Super Bowl. According to statistics, the average Super Bowl party is planned over a month in advance, with over 20 million people attending those parties. With all that food, beer, and partying is it any wonder that only 5% of people who watch the Super Bowl watch it alone? And with all the people who are attending parties you know that many of them don't give a hoot about NFL football until the main event. 40% of the people who watch the game will have not watched the NFL during the regular season.

Since we are doing so many numbers, I'll give you a little more to ponder and be amazed with. The preparation of the 30 million pounds of food on Super Bowl Sunday takes approximately 10 million man-hours. That's a lot of time spent sipping beer and basting hot wings! And if you want to compare that with something for perspective, consider that it also took 10 million man-hours (over a span of four years) to make the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar"!

Super Bowl, Super Numbers!

Freddy is a social commentator who enjoys taking on any subject matter of interest to those who follow politics, pop culture, sports, film, music and pretty much any other topics that people enjoy thinking about. Having the ability to look at topics and issues from a different point of view is important to our growth as human beings. Freddy's Open Mind is a blog that is meant to amuse, inform, and most of all, provoke thought at different levels.

http://www.FreddysOpenMind.blogspot.com

Best Super Bowl Party

To organize your Super Bowl party, there are some essentials you need to take care of:

1: Invite the diehards: A little friendly competition in your house, whether it be for the team or the sport, is key to keeping the party focused.

Super Bowl 2012

2: Make it a pot-luck: Don't hesitate to allow your guests to bring their favorite junk food, give them an idea of how many attendants you're planning on and what "category" of munchies to bring. Below are some ideas to intrigue your guests' inner creativity:

• Name that Player-Drink: "Polamalu Punch"-will knock you down, "Manning Margaritas"-make it a double, "Johnson Juice"-It's GOOOOOOD!, "Iced Tebow"-pray it doesn't get spiked.


• Football themed Cakes/cupcakes: bringing a centerpiece food item can be as good on the eyes as it is on the mouth!


• Single Bite Snacks: Easy to devour bites that won't cause you to miss a major play because you were concentrating on utensil use.


• Other Bringables: Chips/dip, cups/plates/napkins, veggie/fruit trays, sweets and deserts

3: Seating arrangements: Arrange your livingroom/man cave/den into a prime viewing area. Think about the possibility of moving the kitchen table to the living room...lots of seating around the table plus the Lazy Boy/Sofa in line sight to the TV could maximize your viewing area while providing places for food, without having to leave the room. CAUTION: a table cloth may be a valuable interest to place on the floor under the table AND on the table itself. Provide an easy escape route for when nature calls.

4: Setting up the "Kid Party": Give the kids some space to have their own fun. Movies, pizza and ice cream can give you the much needed adult-time and allow them to lounge around too.

• Set up a schedule between the parents for "check-in" sessions where each parent can take a quick look and make sure things are staying kosher.


• For the little tikes, hire your babysitter for the night and ask for her movie, pizza and ice cream preference.


• Make sure to keep track of adult drinks, to avoid any confusion on the kids' part.

5: Guests who had "Too much fun": Someone is bound to get out of hand at a party like yours. Make sure you've got a little cash at hand to send them home in a taxi, or pull out the roll away and offer them a glass or water and some rest.

Best Super Bowl Party

Prorganized is issuing a 52-week long organizing project... check it out today to get started!

College Football - Coaching Musical Chairs

The film world was saddened this holiday season with news of the passing of Ann Savage - perhaps the original Femme Fatale. 'Femme Fatale' roughly interpreted, stands for 'Fatal Woman.' Get too close and you lose your good judgment, get whacked or at least seriously embarrassed. Using the universal laws of attraction, the standard methodology includes luring unsuspecting folks to listen to seductive language and in the end, cause some really poor decisions. As college football heads into the annual period of depression known as winter, some programs will be hard at work to rebuild or to at least get dog programs to respectability. Coaching candidates offer seductive language, grand visions and in some instances, cause the hiring institutions to make some really poor decisions.

In the end, schools have to try something radical to turn losers into winners. Witness the University of Buffalo. For years a doormat program, the Bulls actually achieved an unbelievable level of success in 2008 with a bowl appearance. Even though the Bulls lost to UConn in the International Bowl, this is a remarkable turn-around for a program that in the not too distant past, was simply the laughingstock of eastern college football. Congrats then to the Bulls and coach Turner Gill. This is what one would refer to as a "good hire."

Nfl 2012

Which coaching decisions will turn out to be the poor ones? One never knows for sure, but there are some bizarre story lines already forming on the surface of the 2009 season. Iowa State got really lucky in having its 2-10 coach hired away by - of all people - Auburn. This saved the school from itself when the Cyclone brass offered the former coach a contract extension. Racking up 2008 season wins over South Dakota State and Kent State at the beginning of the season, the Cyclones proceeded to lose everything else. Iowa State then replaced its lost head coach with native Iowan Paul Rhoads. Rhoads brings impressive credentials, a commitment to win in the state of Iowa and comes to the Cyclones from -of all places - Auburn. 2009 will see which school got the best end of this deal. Stay tuned on this one!

The Sage of College Football (your humble author) wishes Coach Steve Sarkisian at Washington the best of luck in 2009. Coach Sark probably read the tea leaves in his former position at USC and determined that his upward upward mobility would be better served by looking for another institution to craft into a winner. But Washington? The Huskies ended this past season winless - the first perfectly dreadful season for a Pac-10 school. If the Huskies turn in a few wins in 2009, coach Sark will really have accomplished something significant. Then look out for the purple dogs in 2012.

The opportunity to turn a loser into a winner will frequently override a coaching candidate's better judgment. The Sage hopes that New New Mexico State Coach DeWayne Walker made a good choice. Walker is the 33rd head coach of the Aggies and has his work cut out for him. The Aggies managed a single conference win last season and probably have the Cornhuskers, Michigan and a variety of other schools trying to get 'em on their home schedules. Should Walker get a couple of wins, New Mexico State's biggest challenge will be keeping him.

Going north from Las Cruces, the University of New Mexico also found itself in need of a new head football coach following the resignation of coach and alum Rocky Long. Never a powerhouse in the Mountain West Conference, New Mexico was in need of a recruiting ace to lure decent players to Albuquerque. Interestingly, the Lobos managed to convince Mike Locksley to give up his position as Offensive Coordinator at Illinois to try and push UNM in the right direction. This will take quite a bit of pushing. However, among Locksley's qualifications is a top 25 recruiting rating from Sports Illustrated. Should Locksley attract better players than have previously taken the field for the Lobos and get some wins in old UNM Stadium, other programs are going to want to know exactly how he did it. They are also going to want to hire him. Both football programs in the state of New Mexico need to make generous contract extension offers should either of their new coaches appear to be getting their respective programs turned around.

Brady Hoke, formerly Head Coach at Ball State, now finds himself in the same position at San Diego State. Admittedly, SDSU could offer things that Ball State couldn't - like a beach and decent weather. Hoke traded in his #12 Ball State Cardinals for one of the worst programs going. If he can turn it around in South California, he will be one of the hottest coaching commodities going. The Aztecs also better have a retention plan in place should Hoke start winning. There isn't a task more daunting than taking over a perennial loser and turning it around - except perhaps for taking over a program that is used to winning and keeping it that way. Witness Lane Kiffen -the new Head Coach of the Tennessee Volunteers and former Head Coach of the NFL's Oakland Raiders. Here is a guy who won't miss church the rest of the year. Getting fired by Al Davis at Oakland is not a disgrace as much as it is a blessing. But then to land in Knoxville? A bowl appearance in 2009 would be the 'hat trick.' There is real pressure in Knoxville, though, and 104,000 fans will be in Neyland Stadium for every home game to apply it.

The annual shuffling of the head coaching ranks has just about ended now for 2009. The motivational speeches are being prepared for the Spring Games heralding a "new way of thinking," "a winning attitude," "putting the past behind us," and "making something special happen." These are all great speeches, and are essentially given to every college level player with the courage to take the field for a losing program. Next September, we will finally see which programs have been lured in with sweet talk of victory and which programs actually deliver. The unfortunate part of hiring coaches is that a good decision is rewarded with having to come up with a big contract extension. A poor decision puts your program right back in the dumper.

College Football - Coaching Musical Chairs

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