My Current Obsession - Leopard and Lace

I have always had a love of animal print, whether it is clothing or accessories. Lately I love paring leopard and lace together. I like how the sweetness of the lace balances out the toughness of the leopard print.

Below are a few of my favorite looks and pieces.

                        

Notre Dame is #1!!!

Last night while I was out I looked at twitter and saw that both #1 K-State and #2 Oregon had been upset (awesomely enough be RGIII and Andrew Luck's replacements). I at once became giddy with happiness like a little kid. I don't think I was even that happy the day I met Tim Tebow. As a life long fan of ND, I truly never thought this day would come again. These past 16 years have been brutal since Holtz left.

Do I believe ND is better than likely to be #2 'Bama, probably not. But hey no one thought that ND could beat Oklahoma, so all things are possible if they meet in the National Championship.

ND's last stop en route to the National Championship is a game at the Coliseum in LA vs. USC next Saturday. It's always a great game between these 2 with USC winning most of the games as of late. I mean who could forget the 2005 "Bush Push", the same season USC went on to have their butts whipped by Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in the National Championship. USC came into this season with a lot of hype and high expectations ranked #1. QB Matt Barkley came back this season for his senior year for a chance to play for the National Championship or go to a Bowl (since their bowl suspension is over) AND win the Heisman as he was the clear favorite in the beginning of the season. I feel bad for the kid because he no longer has a shot at the Heisman, USC kind of sucks this year (despite being loaded with talent) and he separated his shoulder when he was sacked last night in a loss to UCLA.  I don't wish an injury on anyone, but ND's road to the National Championship seems a lot easier now that Barkley is likely out next week and frosh Max Wittek starting in his place.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2012/11/18/magnitude-of-notre-dames-2012-brand-restoration-hinges-on-usc-game/

As always, the past has taught me to be cautiously optimistic with ND every game; expect the worse, hope for the best.

All I know is I will be out in full ND garb next Saturday at 8pm ready to watch ND beat USC and head to the National Championship. GO IRISH!

Till next time,

Sassy

Games of the Week

Giants are on a bye and ND is playing Wake Forest this week so not too much for me to be excited for this weekend. But here are the games I will be tuning into.

#13 Stanford vs. #2 Oregon - This will be the Ducks first real test this season aside from USC (who has failed to live up to their hype this season despite being loaded with talent). 'Bama's loss to Texas A&M last weekend has opened up the race for the National Championship. If Oregon, K-State and ND can stay undefeated the rest of the season it will be interesting to see how things play out in the BCS computers. Oregon without doubt has the most explosive and speedy offense in college football, question is can their D stop a pretty good Stanford offense. I take the Ducks in this match but really would not be shocked with a Stanford upset.

#3 Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest - This is ND's Senior Night and last home game of the season. I look for the Senior's (T'eo, Eiffert, Wood, Golic Jr. among others) to play their hearts out Saturday night. As it stands now T'eo aka Heismanti is # 2 in the Heisman race behind Klein of K-State. It would be nice to see a deserving defensive player win for a change, but my guess is barring Klein playing horrible the last few games, the Heisman is his. I take ND in this game, but as always I am cautiously optimistic with ND.

Jets vs. Rams - Remember last year when everyone blamed the Jets woes on OC Schottenheimer, yeah will he is gone this year and they still suck. Schotty is the OC of a steadily improving Rams offense lead by former Heisman winner Sam Bradford. He also has a dependable receiver in Amendola and a great RB in Steven Jackson. Given the discord in the Jets locker room and their atrocious play as of late, especially offensively, I am guessing the Rams will win this game. But who knows, maybe the Jets will surprise us all and actually play well enough to win a game.

Colts vs. Patriots - Great game with 2 of the best QBs this year, Brady one of the best of all time vs. Luck one of the future stars. The Colts have been playing inspired football as of late and have been looking surprisingly well. Patriots have been great but also inconsistent. I personally hope the Colts pull off the upset since I hate the Patriots, but no matter what it will be a great game.

Lots of concussed QB's out this week; Vick, Cutler and probably Smith. Nick Foles the rookie for the Eagles will be making his first start, if he plays well I suspect he may win the starting job soon. Bears fair a bit better in that their backup Jason Campbell actually has a few years of starting experience in Washington and Oakland, but the Bears are playing San Fran this week so it will be a tough game for the Bears to win even if Cutler was starting. Smith has not been ruled out yet, but if he is Kaepernick has played pretty well. Would be interesting to see a MNF game with 2 backup QB's.


That's all for now.

Till next time,

Sassy

The Jets are free falling and the backstabbing has commenced

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tim-tebow-terrible-unnamed-jets-teammate-tells-york-130832876--nfl.html

I see the Jets are back to anonymously talking about each other. I find this article funny because an anonymous Defensive player is saying Tebow is terrible. I'm sorry, I seem to recall Tebow wearing the Jet's D down last season and running all over them and through them (yeah I am talking to you Revis and Jim Leonard) and helping to lead the Broncos to a win over the Jets 1 year ago. Looks like some Defensive players are still a bit bitter over that. http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_19359785

I give Matt Slauson credit; he is man enough to own up to his words unlike all of the other anonymous sources and players. If you are playing a grown man's game you should act like a grown man and own up to your words or keep your mouth shut. No one is playing well enough on this team (except maybe Nick Mangold) to be bad mouthing another teammate.

Sanchez has now had 3 1/2 years to prove he is worthy of being a franchise QB and I really do not think he has proven that. Maybe he could be under a new coach or with a better supporting cast, but I think his days with the Jets are numbered barring a dramatic turn of events. So why not see what you have in Tebow or McElroy.  I am not saying Tebow is a great QB (he is a great athlete I know) or he is the solution to their problems. Truth is the Jets really do not have a talented enough coaching staff, the playbook or the type of receivers or running backs (ok the Jets really have no talent at either position) to really let Tebow work his magic like he did in Denver. As for McElroy, he is not as great of an athlete as Tebow and Sanchez, but what he lacks in athletic skills he makes up for in intelligence (he scored 43 out of 50 on the Wonderlic and applied for but did not win a Rhodes scholarship). In 2009 he also led his Alabama team to a victory over Tebow's Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game and to win the National Championship vs. the Texas Longhorns. So he is no stranger to big stages. As much as I would love to see Tebow start, the Jets are in a free-fall and I don't know that anyone can really save them.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/tim-tebow-terrible-unnamed-jets-teammate-tells-york-130832876--nfl.html

Words for Thought - Hope

In light of recent events in the tri-state area and discord about the presidential election outcome my topic for the week is Hope.

“You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.”

-          John Lennon

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”

-          Bil Keane

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”

-          Emily Dickinson

“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places. But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.”

-          J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

“Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...”

-          Alfred Tennyson

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”

-          Martin Luther King Jr.

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”

-          Barack Obama

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

-          Epicurus

“Hang in there. It is astonishing how short a time it can take for very wonderful things to happen.”

-          Frances Hodgson Burnett

Great Weekend of Football

What a great weekend of college and NFL football. Looking forward to having football take my mind, albeit temporarily, off the devastation of Sandy on Hoboken, NYC and the tri-state area.

College

LSU v 'Bama - rematch of last years National Championship where 'Bama killed LSU. 'Bama is going into this game ranked #1 and undefeated, LSU is ranked # 5 with 1 loss to Florida. I am taking 'Bama in this game, their D is looking incredible and their QB McCarron is playing great and has far more experience playing big time games than LSU rookie QB Mettenberger. 'Bama is looking good this year but I don't know I would go as far as HC Nick Saban to say they could beat and NFL team, well maybe Kansas City.

Oregon v USC - Going into this season USC was supposed to be the team to beat this year with QB Matt Barkley returning and some of the best receivers in college football. I am not a Lane Kiffin fan so color me happy to see USC struggling as of late and Barkley aka Ken Doll falling out of Heisman talk.  Oregon goes into the game ranked #4 and and 8-0, USC goes into the game ranked #17 and 6-2.
Oregon has pulled their starters early in the last 2 games vs Arizona St and Colorado and still won overwhelmingly. They pulled their starters half way through the 2nd qtr last week vs Colorado and still won 70-14. No one has ever questioned how fast and talented their Offense is, outside the SEC they are the fastest (if not the fastest with DAT) most skilled college team. The knock of Oregon has always been on their Defense. This year their D has really stepped it up and I think it will be the difference in the game this year. I am taking Oregon (in their first real challenge of the year) to beat USC in this game.

Notre Dame v Pitt - Usually I am skeptical about any ND game, but this year things have changed. The #4 ranked team is playing great football on both sides consistently. I do not want to jinx myself and ND, but I am taking ND to beat and unranked Pitt this year. God I hope I am right. Looking forward to watching T'eo put up another Heisman worth performance.

NFL

Giants v Steelers - Gmen look to continue their winning streak versus the Steelers this week. It's a battle of 2 of the best QB's from the 2004 draft class,Manning and Roethlisberger. They have only played 2 times since then, once in their rookie seasons with the Steelers winning 33-30 and again in 2008 where the Giants won 21-14. Manning will be up against the NFL's top-rated pass defense in a Steelers unit that is yielding 182.6 passing yards per game, but a meager pass rush that has only 12 sacks all season. The absence of Polamalu has been big for the Steelers. Hopefully the Giants can get a good running game going. The Steelers offense has looked less than stellar this season as QB and OC Haley have continued to bang heads and not see eye to eye on the direction of the offense. Steelers will be traveling game day to NY as their hotel is still without power due to Sandy and no rooms available elsewhere. I have the Giants winning, but it will be a close game.

Eagles v Saints - Both teams have had better seasons. The Saints seem to have the advantage as they have been playing much better with the return of Vilma and Interim head coach Joe Vitt. The Eagles look like a train wreck as of late. The were decimated last week by the Falcons, looking lifeless and clueless on both sides of the ball. Vicks ball management skills have continued to plague him all season. Some suspected that Reid would bench Vick this week for Nick Fowles but I don't think starting a rookie for his first time on MNF at the Superdome would be the best time to do that. If the Eagles lose this one I suspect more changes will be coming to the coaching staff and starters. Not really sure who I take here, I give the Saints a slight edge, but their D is horrible so maybe Vick has a chance.

Colts v Dolphins - Only thing I am looking forward to in this game is seeing how Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill fair vs each other. Two very impressive rookies with a lot to prove. Both teams have been playing well as of late, should be a good game.

Misc.

In other heartbreakng news, My Tebow apparently has a new lady friend Camilla Belle, not sure how I will survive this heartbreak.

Jahvid Best who has not played a game in over a year has officially been ruled for the rest of the season and possibly for his career. Sad what severe head injuries can do.

Giants will be activating Travis Beckum, TE who tore his ACL in the Superbowl for the for this Sunday's game. They made room for him by waiving backup guard Mitch Petrus. Should be interesting what roster moves they make next week when Safety Will Hill returns from his 4 game suspension

That's all for now. Till next time,

Sassy

Look of the Day - Emily Blunt

I am not usually a big fan of orange, but Emily Blunt looks absolutely amazing in this orange Alexander McQueen halter gown with a gorgeous rhinestone collar. She keeps her hair, makeup and accessories minimal making the dress the focal point. Her McQueen knucklebox clutch is brilliant, it's jewelry and a purse in one. The end result is chic and stunning.

What Were They Thinking - Pittsburgh Steelers

I know these are 1934 throwback uniforms but how did anyone every think they were a good idea? He looks like an inmate that tangled with a bumble bee. I can not even imagine having to look at these while playing for 4 quarters, they hurt my eyes.

Game of the Week - #5 Notre Dame vs. #8 Oklahoma

I really wish I was in Norman, Oklahoma this week. # 5 Notre Dame is taking on # 8 Oklahoma. It's been almost a decade since Notre Dame has even had a remote shot at the National Championship. It will be a battle of one of the best Defenses in the country versus one of the highest scoring offenses. I am expecting one hell of a game.

The Notre Dame Football program has been rather disappointing since 1996 when Holtz finished his tenure as the head coach. He coached for 11 seasons and left the school with a record of 100 wins and 30 losses. I personally think the program went downhill the moment Lou Holtz was forced out and Bob Davies took over. Till this day I still have trouble watching ND games in which Bob Davies is commentating. Thankfully 2001 was Davies fifth and last season. His won/loss was 35-25 and does not accurately reflect the damage he did to the program in my opinion. ND then hired George O'Leary, but he did not coach a single practice or game and resigned five days after for misrepresenting his academic credentials. Obviously Notre Dame did a very thorough background check. Next up, Ty Willingham. He started to turn around the program, but not fast enough for the rich alumni so they fired him and brought in Charlie Weis. Willingham was forced out after only 3 seasons and left the school with a 21-15 record. In 2005 Weis' immediate success could be greatly attributed to the phenomenal recruiting Willingham did. 2003 was one of ND's 10 best recruiting classes of all time. Big names such as Brady Quinn (Chiefs), Maurice Stovall (Jaguars), Tom Zbikowksi (Colts) , Jeff Samardzija (pitcher for the Chicago Cubs), Trevor Laws (Rams), Ryan Harris (Broncos), John Carlson (Vikings) and Chinendune Ndukwe (free agent but played for the Bengals and Raiders). Before coming to ND Weis had a very successful stint as the Offensive Coordinator of the New England Patriots, during which they won 3 Super Bowls. Weis did an okay job as head coach at ND, but I think his efforts would have been better suited in a different capacity. Head Coach at ND proved to be a bit too much for him. He left in 2009 (basically an early buyout by the alumni) after coaching for 5 seasons with a record of 35-27. That brings us to current Head Coach Brian Kelly. Kelly worked his way up the college football ranks head coaching at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati. In his 3rd season Kelly seems to have righted the ship and ND seemingly has returned to its old self as one of the winnings schools of all time in college football. As a lifelong ND fan I hope great things are ahead for us for a long time to come.

Interesting facts from the attached article,

- The Irish Defense has allowed only 6 TDs this season

- Notre Dame has won eight Associated Press national championships, one more than Oklahoma

- The Irish rank third in all-time victories with 860. The Sooners are sixth with 826.

- The saying "Play Like a Champion Today" (ND players tap the sign every time they pass it on the way out to the field) originated in Oklahoma with Bud Wilkinson in 1947

- The teams have played 9 times prior. The first time in 1952 and the last in 1999, but this is the fifth time both schools come into the game ranked in the top 10. In the four prior games in which the teams both ranked in the top 10 ND won.

- The most famous matchup was in 1957 when ND came into Norman and won 7-0 ending Oklahoma's 47 game winning streak



http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8550102/college-football-notre-dame-fighting-irish-oklahoma-sooners-glorious-history-promising-future


ESPN will be broadcasting College Game Day from Norman, OK this weekend. This looks to be a great game between 2 teams with a storied history.

GO IRISH!!

Week 7 Recap

Brief summary of the best games of the week in my opinion. But I am just a girl,  so what do I know.

Seahawks/49ers – Not very high scoring as both defenses are outstanding this year. In the end the 49ers managed to put a few more points up than the Seahawks and took the win. Russell Wilson had a poor showing, 9/23 for 122 yds and 0 tds and Alex Smith was slightly better throwing 14/23 for 140 yds and but managed 1 td. Both team’s top rushers and passers put up nearly identical stats, so Smith’s 1 td was pretty much the deciding factor.  Interesting fact (or funny depending on how you look at it), when Harbaugh declined the Safety at the end of the game he apparently swung $75 million of bets in Vegas. I have never watched a coach decline a safety before, but I guess Harbaugh didn’t want to risk the Seahawks getting the ball back and the chance to score. Seahawks 6 – 49ers 13

Saints/Bucs – Jonathan Vilma played in his first game of the season (despite being suspended the whole season in Bountygate). His mere presence seemed to provide somewhat of a spark to the team. Josh Freeman threw for a career-high 420 yards and three touchdowns for the Bucs (2-4), who scored on their first three possessions of the game to build a 21-7 lead but in the end it was not enough to hold off the Saints. Bucs had a few opportunities to score at the end but failed to score. The Saints D gave up 513 yds total offense but somehow the Saints managed to win the game. Brees was 27/37 for 377 yds and 4 tds. Week 8 sees Assistant head coach Joe Vitt returning from his suspension to interim head coach. Saints 35 – Bucs 28

Giants/Redskins – What a game! The last 2 minutes were insane. I cannot tell you how excited I was to go to this game and see RGIII play in person. I am a Giants fan but I also love watching great football. RGIII did not disappoint. He is even faster, more elusive and electrifying to watch in person. He is going to be a pain in the Giants butts for years to come. As of the end of week 7 RGIII lleads the NFL in completion % (72.7), yds per attempt (11.7) and Total QBR (98.8) when facing 5 or more pass rushers. You know a player is great when Osi has nothing but great things to say about you. In the end it was Eli “Comeback King” Manning hooking up with Victor Cruz for another unbelievable pass and reception for a TD to win the game with a 1:13 left. Redskins got the ball back but Chase Blackburn had his 2^nd forced fumble of the game and the Giants recovered the ball to end the game. Manning ended the day 26/40 for 337 yds and 1 td, RGIII was 20/28 for 258 yds and 2 tds and he also ran 9 times for 89 yds. Giants 27 – Redskins 23

Jets/Patriots – Well the Jets managed to play better vs. the Patriots than I expected. From what I saw of the game, the Jets probably could have won it if Sanchez could get his act together in the redzone. It’s like the redzone is his kryptonite. He gets about 20 yds from the end zone and suddenly starts making stupid mistakes, throwing horrible interceptions, taking unnecessary sack and a bevy of other mistakes. Not sure what happened to the Sanchez of 2 years ago but he seems to be regressing instead of progressing. Tebow had little impact in the game. Jets lost this one in OT. Jets 26 – Patriots 29

Notable Transactions

-          Sean Lee ILB on the Cowboys, their best defensive player by far and vastly underrated, has been placed on IR with a foot injury. Should make things a bit easier for the Giants this week.

-          Carolina Panthers placed MLB Jon Beason on the IR for the 2^nd time in 2 years. Bet Carolina is really happy they signed him to the big contract.

-          Scott Fujita, LB on the Cleveland Browns and a star of Bountygate, has been placed on the IR with a season ending and possibly career ending neck injury

-          Skins released RB Ryan Grant after a short stint in DC. Have to wonder if his career has come to an end

-          Panthers also fired general manager Marty Hurney. Suppose someone has to take the blame for their abysmal play this year. Perhaps it was put in Cam’s suggestion box to fire him

-          Skins resigned TE Chris Cooley after cutting him in preseason after Fred Davis was place on IR with an Achilles injury

-          Chargers placed PK Nate Kaeding on injured reserve and will most likely cut him once healthy

 Observations

-          Without Ray Lewis, and even with the Suggs back, the Ravens D looked lifeless and lost. The Ravens Offense is going to have to step it up if they expect to make the playoffs this year

-          Jay Cutler is much, much tougher than people give him credit for. I have no idea how he came back into the game, let alone got up after the brutal yet legal hit from Suh. Much respect.

-          The Lions D is playing great; unfortunately the same cannot be said for their offense and definitely not about their special teams. What has happened to Matt Stafford???? Poor Megatron, only so much he can do if Stafford cannot get the ball to him.

-          Peanut Tillman is amazing

-          Brady Quinn has been named the new starter of the Chiefs. On a positive note for him I am pretty sure expectations are low for him as Cassel has set the bar pretty low this season.

-          Cam Newton is looking for suggestions on how the Panthers can turn things around.

-          Matt Hasselbeck will be starting again this week for the Titans with Locker still out with a dislocated shoulder.

Well I guess that is all for now. Should I think of anything else I will be sure to update.

Till then

Sassy