Mic check. 1-2, 1-2.

(image courtesy of thegrio.com)

Sometimes I think that all-star athletes forgot that most professional musicians became such because they couldn't play sports. Sure, there are exceptions to that rule, but I am confident in saying that Julian Casablancas never played football. Matt Bellamy may have played tennis at some point in high school, but he looks more like he had two friends and they spent a lot of time playing guitar in a dark basement. Do not misinterpret these words. They are two of my favorite musicians. 

I find that I have to cock an eyebrow at those who suddenly cross over into music like it is some inevitable path their career must take. Gwenyth Paltrow can act just fine. She...yeah, she can act just fine. Her performance at the Oscars was pitiful. Kim Kardashian...I'm still not sure what she does, but whoever told her that she should make a record should be shot. Last night I even found out that Kevin Costner has a record out. Albeit, it's not that bad...but really?

My absolute favorite [insert sarcasm here] is when the athletes traverse into the wonderful world of entertainment. Shaq Diesel!! Barry Zito's Boy Next Door! Allen Iverson aka JewelZ!! Kobe Bryant's Visions with some song featuring the ever so lovely Tyra Banks (yet another reason, or ten, to dislike him). 

When I read today that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was starting a record label, I almost spit out my coffee. WHAT THE HELL IS HE GOING TO DO WITH A RECORD LABEL? I mean, really? Come on. Major labels that have been around for decades haven't even figured out a way to stay profitable in the digital age. Make like a good boy and stick to throwing around the pig skin. You're good at it and it actually makes money. Contrary to popular belief, that does not grow on trees nor does it last forever. 

End note: music might be profitable if someone put out a good record in recent days. Even Ben Gibbard can't choke out a good album anymore. He needs to get cheated on, divorced, take alcohol back up and put on a few pounds. Sorry Ben, I love you, and I am saying this with your best intentions in mind. Sometimes the truth is hard. 

End end note: athletes will always make more than musicians. Trust me. I know.

Post-Superbowl blues.

So, football season has come and gone, leaving our Sundays wide open for activities that don't involve staying in pajamas all day, eating greasy food, and drinking beer at 10am. I might get back on the hill and do some canyon hikes, get some sunshine, or maybe I'll just sleep all day. Regardless, I have a few things that take me through basketball season into my favorite time of year: baseball season.

We all saw the atrocity that was the Super Bowl halftime show. Wow. Aside from following some of the greatest acts ever, like Prince, Tom Petty, The Boss, and...Prince, the Black Eyed Peas had their work cut out for them. 150,000 rednecks don't really care about pop songs performed by two black men, a recovering crack addict, and the token asian friend dressed in sparkly space suits. I think Axl Rose cut himself somewhere when Fergie attempted to duplicate his...accent...if you can call it that.

Anyway, let's congratulate the Green Bay Packers on their big win. Supposedly over half of Green Bay went to Lambeau Field to party. Sadly, their stadium can actually fit half of the city. Maybe more than half. Oh, Wisconsin...

Basketball isn't proving to be very exciting this year either. We have Boston leading the Eastern conference (shocker), and the Lakers barely trailing the Spurs in the West. In good news, the Lakers might be on their last leg of championship games knowing that their beloved coach is leaving the team to go swim in his vault of purple and gold coins for all of eternity.

While that is boring me to tears, I find more enjoyment in music. Some of my top songs to get me through the next few weeks are...

1. Everest - Let Go
2. The Decemberists - The Calamity Song
3. We Are Scientists - After Hours
4. Neon Trees - 1983
5. Nicki Minaj - Fly
6. One Republic - All the Right Moves
7. Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood
8. Adele - Rollin' in the Deep
9. Michael Lowman - In My Own Words
10. LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
11. The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire
12. Lucy Schwartz - Take a Picture
13. In This Moment - Iron Army
14. Blindside - Pitiful
15. Carina Round - Do You

Let those wet your earholes for a few days. You won't be disappointed.

The Steelers know how to party!

(photo courtesy of NYdailynews.com)

So, it's super bowl week and your team just landed in Dallas in preparation for the big game. Training is probably a good idea. Followed by some good rest. Maybe even a quick break to call your wife. 

NAHHHHHHHHHH....

According to Dallas news reporter Gromer Jeffers Jr. (who was also obviously at the strip club), Pittsburgh Steelers players Hinds Ward, Ike Taylor, and some other black and yellow sporting comrades spent their first night in town at a gentleman's club on Northwest Highway in Dallas (I don't really know Dallas, so if you know where they might have been, I would like that piece of knowledge). 

The players spent most of their evening in the VIP, but then moved to the front row for some shows before hopping on the stage themselves! They undress in a room full of men several times a week, so this comes at little surprise to me. Witnesses in the club report that the players were having a killer time and drinking Moet straight from the bottle. 

Holler!

It's going to be awfully difficult to play professional football in front 106 million viewers with a hangover. I'm okay with that.

Super Bowl XLV

So, The Jets choked once again. They just really couldn't pull it together at all. I could have walked away from the game entirely after realizing that the Steelers had possession of the ball for the first nine or ten minutes of the game. By halftime the game was pretty much over. The Jets tried to rally in the second half, but couldn't cut the mustard, ending the game at a 24-19 loss.

I think Rex Ryan just put a foot in his mouth somewhere.

With that, I am no longer truly excited about either team winning the game, but I am truly excited about coming up with my Super Bowl party menu! What is a Super Bowl without gorging yourself with some of the most unhealthy goodies and lots and lots of beer?

Here's what my household has to look forward to:

• Chicken wings with Frank's hot sauce. It really is the best. I learned that from dad.
• Chipotle pot roast enchiladas. Complete with home made enchilada sauce.
• Black beans.
• Beef franks in blankets. Because pork has been recently outlawed in my social circle.
• Blueberry dump cake. If you really want to know, just ask. It's to die for, and takes 15 minutes to make. Even my brother could make this cake.
• Beer. American micro brews to be exact.
• Mimosas. Because champagne makes for good day time drinking.
• Hummus and veggies. Because you have to have something redeeming on the table.

Good luck to the teams that prevailed in today's games, and I will see you on the couch! Don't forget the wet naps.

Some not so shocking news.

I grew up around sports. A lot of baseball, but sports.

When I was in middle school, I realized how much I liked sports. This had nothing to do with the fact that I was a cheerleader. I'm still not sure how that part of my life came to be. Actually, I didn't just like sports. I loved sports. I loved sports so much that I stole the sports page from my parents' papers and cut out all of the numbers and stats I was interested in to tape them into these little notebooks. I think my mom still has these little notebooks somewhere in her garage. I should resurrect them sometime.

Anyway, this love for sports developed on Sundays, soon adding Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Soon enough, there was something I wanted to watch every day. The notebooks were filling up, and I had officially tapped myself to be a sports aficionado. I think I was 12.

One of my best friend's dad knew about my passion for sports. At that time it was mainly football. Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers to be exact. He came home one evening with tickets to the 98-99 NFC wildcard game. The Green Bay Packers against the San Francisco 49ers. Suited up in our puffy NFL team jackets and jerseys, we headed to the San Francisco bay on a cold January day to watch a live football game.

I jammed my finger playing catch during our tailgate party, but I was so excited that I didn't tell anyone until after the game. I didn't want anyone to drag me off to a doctor or anything. I wore a brace on my finger for two weeks after that day.

The Packers lost that game, and I came home with a swollen and bruised middle finger, but that was one of the best days of my life.

I watched Favre evolve over the years, retire, change teams, retire, change teams and now...probably retire again. For real this time.

After a heartbreaking loss to the New Orleans Saints yesterday, Brett Favre says he is heading home for a few days to think it over, but a return to the NFL is unlikely. As unsurprising as those words are to me, they are a little sad this time because I think they are true.

But I wonder if he will still do commercials? I really like those Sears commercials he's been in lately. Seriously. Not even kidding.