NFL Brief- Week 3

Well another week down and the Denver Broncos are still undefeated. I know, I know, one win came off of a tipped pass and was if anything a lucky break, and I know the next win came against a lowly Cleveland Browns team, and yes their 3rd win was against another pre-season cellar pick in the Oakland Raiders, but the fact of the matter remains, the Denver Broncos are one of only seven remaining undefeated teams in the league. So does that put the Broncos in the top 10? Is Josh Mcdaniels team that's only allowed 16 pts in 3 games a true power this year. My guess, Nope! They are this year's version of the girl who blossomed too soon. You know the girl who grew into her bra and britches a little before the rest. The girl who every kid adored from 6-8th grade, until realizing then that everyone else was blossoming too, and their face was actually pretty to boot. The girl who had a line to slow dance with her at the fall and spring dance for two years and hasn't been able to find a date since. If you are looking for or ever wondered what happened to said female, she's probably doing one of 3 things.
1. Cashier at the local supermarket- yes we all that one, still puts on her makeup, only now no one cares
2. 3rd shift cashier at the local gas/ convenience store- this is the girl who thought she still had it all as she went into high school, started doing drugs with all the lonely, white trash boys, and now she has ratty brown hair, yellow-teeth, and sells soft core porno mags to any soul who isn't pumping gas at 2 a.m.
3. Raising three kids- this is the girl who some potentially successful young buc still thought it was the cool thing to do to knock up the girl who everyone "used" to talk about, only not to realize that no one still does think that way anymore. They moved on to things such as "college" While this chick is living in shady acres raising three kids all 10months or less apart from each other.

That's this year's Denver Broncos ladies and gentlemen, so if you are at all happy with the current 3-0 start, be happy... but be prepared for this team to fall right off the map. It's a good thing for them they play in a very weak division, AFC West, they will probably get 1-3 more wins against the Chiefs, Raiders, and the Chiefs again. The thing is I don't see them winning another game outside of that. They will not see the left side of the Win-Loss column until maybe Dec. 6th against KC. They aren't good enough to mount even one win in the next 8. Here's their lineup. Dallas, New England, @ San Diego, @Baltimore, Pitt @ Washington, San Diego, NY Giants. Maybe they squeak one by the Redskins, but I don't see it. They've blossomed too soon, and they will be embarrassed and made fun of the rest of the way, just like we make fun of aforementioned female.

Enough Ranting... on to this week's Power of 5

1. Giants- Dominant, Decisive, Defense- played a bad team, but made Tampa Bay look like a college team
2. Ravens- Second straight game Flacco throws for over 300 yards, and they only allowed 3pts. They are for real, even Derrick Mason had a 100+yards and a TD.
3. Saints- Only behind Baltimore b/c their D isn't as good.
4. Vikings- Brett Favre making noise, and they are blessed by Purple Jesus, a holy team!
5. Colts- everyone is writing off Peyton as past his prime, had 350+yds and 4tds, not bad for someone over the hill.

That's all for this week, thanks for reading! Write some comments get involved

NFL Brief- Week 2

Well week 2 has come and gone, I wouldn't say we have separation yet in the league, but there are a few teams that are definitely establishing themselves as polished teams playing in mid season from through 2 games. Sure there is ton of football left to play, and some teams that have disappointed fans early (ehh hemm Patriots) still have plenty of time to get their act together. I was fortunate enough this week or so I thought to score tickets to the Patriots vs. Jets game from Giants Stadium. Best part was I didn't have to pay for them, and they were 20 rows deep at the 50 yard line. I should have known I was over blessed with the quality of tickets that my team would let me down and play 4 truly uninspiring quarters of football. This was my first ever NFL regular season games. I know shocking, I write a weekly blog about football and follow it like a pedophile follows a child but I had never been to a regular season game. I've been to 30 college games, preseason games, 100+baseball games etc.. you get the hint, but this was a truly virgin experience. A few things:

1. The Jets play in a stadium named for another team, and to my knowledge the new stadium being built will share the same name, Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands. Yes the Giants have had more success and are a better team this year as well, but to suit up every week to play a home game in someone Else's home is truly a shame.
2. The Jets are an improved team this year, but they aren't as good as everyone is making them. Their defense is greatly improved, but I'm not sold on Mark "Dirty"Sanchez yet. Their offense is sluggish and lack that "it" player.
3. Jets fans are intense- I sported my Seymour jersey (retro now) and was heckled probably every down.
4. Jets fans are big tailgaters and boozehounds- Most of those fans didn't make it in until the end of the 1st quarter b/c their respective tailgates were too fun to leave.
5. Jets fans are annoying- Take pt 4 and then watch a game surrounded by them.
6. Jets fans are loud- If I hear the J-E-T-S , JETS JETS JETS chants one more time this week...
7. I hate the Jets more now than I did before... They are the Mets fans of New York Football, the other team, the dirty team, the blue collar team who just likes to constantly bother people, and they lack the normal to good looking Giant fan girls. Female Jet fans are Giant alright, but not in a football context, if the Jets Offensive line couldn't play due to injury, three female beasts in front of me would have sufficed to fill in. Yes they are 2-0 for the first time since 2004, but they will not crack this week's power of 5 and I'd be shocked to see them do anything meaningful with the season.

Game of the week-- Giants beating Jerry Jones and his new $1.2bn Cowboys stadium with a game winning FG. This game made game of the week just for the look on Jerry Jones face after the FG went through the uprights. A few notes about this game. I'm not an Eli fan, but I must say this is the first time he looked real good. He was poised in the pocket, threw good balls, found a few new go to targets in Manningham and Smith. If he plays like that all season, which I'm not sold on yet, the GGGG-Men will be tough to beat. They play the Saints in week 5, and I'm hoping both teams are 5-0 for that game, and we can sort the NFL out a lot better after that game. Speaking of New Orleans football, the Saints crushed the Eagles 48-22, Drew Brees has 9 TDs in 2 games and nearly 1000 yards, if only he found this system 5 years earlier in his career, we'd be mentioning his name with the Peyton Mannings and Tom Brady's of this generation. As of now he still feels like a fad, if he can get his team over the hump and into the Superbowl that stigma will quickly fade.


Power of 5

1. G-Men- they have a great O-line and D-line, Eli playing like a champion...yikes
2. Ravens- Best D in the league, see Ray Lewis' game winning tackle for details. Oh and they have a real offense now.
3. Saints- Easy Breesy for this team, great skill players, defense is the Achilles heel
4. Vikings- Purple Jesus is hard for any team to slow down. Brett Farve isn't the current headline, and its what the team needs
5. Atlanta- Matt Ryan looks good and a strong running game to complement. Real test when they play a team out of their weak division.

NFL Brief- Week 1

Well well well... another season has begun. We've waited months, followed OTA's and minicamps, read blog updates live from training camp, tuned in to at least the first half of every preseason game all for one reason. No, it's not the one day of every week where you aren't supposed to do anything but flick the channels between games, and have your stat-tracker in view at all times. ITS FOOTBALL SEASON!! To me, there is no better time of year, the heat of the subway becomes bearable, girls wear their cute lil football jerseys acting like they're fans, when they really just want to become more marketable to a male fan. (Starting to sound like a discovery channel documentary?) That was a generalization gals, but the reality is only 10% of you who wear apparel care about football , and of that fraction, 2-3% of you are attractive. God bless that small population, the fall foliage of football. I guess the conclusion of this rant is, Men don't like pigs, we like pigskin.

On to the games... Not sure where to being, this week had as many story lines as mistakes Kanye West has made in the last week. Tom Brady's return, The tipped pass that helped the Broncos down the Bengals, or was it Drew Brees throwing for 6 TD's and making fantasy owners salivate and feel good for taking him 6 picks to early, or could it be your a Jets fan and Mark "Dirty" Sanchez showed he could lead a NFL team over what is supposed to be a solid Texans team. If you weren't tired of it already, maybe you put on your Brett Favre jersey and watched "Purple Jesus" Adrian Peterson still the show on his way to a victory sealed by 3 TD's. This weekend just had so much excitement

Game of the week

Pats 25 Bills 24--

Wasn't the blowout everyone expected, and no the Patriots didn't cover the spread in this one, but Tom "terrific" Brady did it again. Down 11 points with 5 minutes left to play he orchestrated 2 drives ending in touchdowns. After throwing a 18 yd strike to Big Ben Watson, the pats trailed 24-19 with two minutes to play. They opted not for the onside kick, but instead to kick it away and trust their defense. They didn't even need to. Leodis Mckelvin provided the bonehead play of the week and ran the ball out of the endzone only to fumble it and give the Patriots the ball back with 1:45 seconds, 3 timeouts and amazing field position. That's all Brady needed, with 50 seconds to play, the same play used for the first TD to Big Ben was called again, and resulted in another game winning TD. The Bills fell apart, and Brady was welcomed back with another come from behind victory. It felt like December! Two small side notes, Ben Watson was almost cut by the Pats for lack of hands in the preseason. A former first round pick proved his worth with clutch play. Secondly, Tom Brady's Monday probably looked a little like this. Wake up, kiss my wife Gisele good morning, probably do a little more than give her a kiss. Have breakfast with a kid that the best QB and best looking model have created. (The only kid I can see being more gifted with both looks and athleticism would be the offspring of Michael Phelps and Megan Fox. No No No, not Seal and Heidi Klum, though if I was their kid I would never want to stop breastfeeding....ever!) Head to the stadium, win a huge game, and then repeat your waking up process before going to bed.

What a great opening week... can't wait for our second go round this weekend.

Power of 5

1. Patriots- best team in football... right now
2. Steelers- defending champs, but running game struggling
3. Packers- Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings are the new Brett Favre and Sterling Sharpe
4. Saints- maybe a great offense is better than a great defense
5. Giants- pains me to say it, but a front 7, o-line and running game

Quote of the Week

It sounds a little sick at first, but after you read the full article, it's a pretty cool quote.

About Shaun Hill:

“'It’s fine to me,' Vernon Davis says. 'Every time he throws a pass, it always comes right to me. I like his balls.'

So does Singletary – in more ways than one."

- Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AiiUOZCxPKEOmZNzeeDbl2c5nYcB?slug=ms-ninerscamp082509&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

It's Been too Long, but The Suite Spot is Back...

I know what your saying, and have been saying, we are members of The Suite Spot faithful, but where have you been? Well we took a small hiatus, but with football season underway and the dog days of summer nearing an end, we are back and look forward to providing you with content that will make you yearning for more, just like last year. Stay tuned later this week for NFL preview and a baseball update. I'm gonna crack open a beer and watch the Yankees finish sweeping the Red Sox... stay tuned and get amped for another year of The Suite Spot. (Sidenote-- great commercial filler tonight is the Hall of Fame Game, the first NFL preseason game. TO in his first game as a Bill vs. Kerry "Tom" Collins and the Titans)

Suite Spot Puzzler

This was in my sink. It used to be some kind of food. Can you guess what?

When it's about the game

I'm a 49ers fan.

This post has nothing to do with that.

Today, Alex Smith made a very uncommon decision for a professional athlete - one that wasn't driven by money. By restructuring his contract with the 49ers, Smith effectively forfeited a substantial sum of money to stay in San Francisco. With plenty of other teams still interested in the 24 year-old and willing to ante up with more green, Smith ultimately made his decision because of the fact that he "just wanted the chance to compete." It wasn't about the money. It wasn't about a hometown discount. It was about the sport.

Say what you will about his first four seasons or his future in the NFL. Say what you will about the 49ers and their upcoming QB controversy. But you've got to love to see an athlete bring his/her heart to a professional sport. It's what makes college sports engaging. It's what makes watching the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series exciting. The teams and athletes with the desire to prove that they can compete at the highest level remind us why their sport continue to captivate.

Kudos to Alex Smith for showing some maturity and some respect for the game. And Kudos to the 49ers for sticking with a guy that hasn't worked out in the past but is ready to fight for a job.

- KLB

A Couple Random Thoughts on a Friday-- 8

It's Friday and I'm Bored...

1. Currently President Obama is addressing the nation, and I have ESPN's Colin Cowherd streaming on radio talking about WR's declining in value at 36 years or older. Sorry TO stats prove that 36 year old WRs just don't cut the mustard, especially for a heavy salary. I wrote about it earlier this year in a football post, and of course, it has come true. Was there really ever any doubt? Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens both released, two of the best WR's of the last 10-13 years cut one after the other. It's actually exciting, even if they land somewhere, they likely won't be the main attraction, even though TO will try to be it just isn't the same. It's kinda like a hot chic who is stuck up or stupid, and in some cases both. You see her from the other end of the bar/room and she is a knockout, someone you must have, and until you finally talk to her, maybe she's easy maybe she's not, but her pure snobbishness and stupidity just decrease her overall value. Sure she's still hot, but that's all she is, hot. She drops back to being just one of the girls, because one day a girl with both looks and personality steps up and becomes that girl, the IT girl. Guys usually don't realize this until they get burned a few times by the said dumb hot girl, and some girls never understand that the tan douchey guy with nothing but daddy's bank account is just that, a loser who hasn't done anything for himself. (Side note- I once heard a kid in college with these traits on the phone with his father and he called him daddy. Almost made me puke in laughter, a complete loser) TO and Harrison are the same thing, sure they'll always be known as one of the greatest WR's of our era, but now they are going to slowly fade to black and become just one of those other WR's. A role player of sorts! Strange when you think about it, but when isthe last time someone talked about Issac Bruce? The whole point of this is that Obama's method of personal speaking is so boring that I'd rather listen to an ESPN radio talk show host than our President. Oh well, I never really was cut out for politics!

2. Last week I mentioned that I was going couples bowling, well that's until I underestimated the popularity of bowling in NYC. Are you kidding me? Let me run down the night for you briefly... Start out at my boo's apt and hosed through a 6-pack of 16ozers, even though I drank one in the cab on the way there. The girls drank wine and the man watched sports-- did someone just mutter UTOPIA, guess I'm just hearing things. Went to our first stop, Lucky Strike, a new trendy bowling alley/lounge/club intended to be a swanky good time. We called ahead and were told that you only needed rezzies if you were getting bottle service. That should have been the red-flag warning we needed not to go there. Place looked amazing, but had a 3-hour wait tagged onto it. A 3-hour wait at a bowling alley that charges exurbanite amount of money to bowl. 5 bucks for shoes, and $15 per person per string. That's absurd! I understand we live in NYC, but that's train-robbery. Where I come from its 2 bucks for shoes and $2.50 per string. Sounds a bit more reasonable. From there we called a few places, they all had 2-hour waits, at this point I'm losing my buzz and just want to bowl and pee can you blame me? We tried one more place that we couldn't get the number for, the lanes at Chelsea Piers. They were full even after I told them I was a famous comedian, and the bouncer kinda believed me... for real. Luckily for us there was a brewery on a pier overlooking the water and we just had some fresh brews and joked around. Whoever thought bowling was so popular... they had me!!

Have a good weekend all--

Herbie

TGIM- (Thank God It's March)

Take a deep breath folks / Suite Spot faithful-- take it in, just like the hippie instructor at a yoga class tells you to. " Breathe in deep through the nose, and out through the mouth. Concentrate on things that make you happy as you take the kind air in, and embrace them as you exhale!" Nutty as that sounds, that's how happy I am as I write this post. MARCH is here, and for any of us who care about sports and beer, this is truly a great month, arguably the best of the year. Yes the weather still sucks, and it may rain as much as an ordinary month in London or Seattle, but we have so much going on. Its almost like a prix-fixed three course dinner menu. First Course- Spring Training, get the bats, gloves, and syringes out folks, the MLB is back for another season. Spring Training is boring to some, exciting for real fans and anyone involved in fantasy baseball. You get to see who's improved and what sleeper you're going to take 4 rounds ahead of where he "belongs." (side note, there is one guy in my fantasy league that without fail always picks the "sleeper" who does that, sleeps all year. Alex Gordon is a prime example of that- picked him 4 rounds and 2 years too early if anything) Either way, Spring Training is like the gateway drug of television. Your real shows are almost ending, but in May when they do, you won't hit that bender, you'll just get numbed by 9 good innings of your team every night. Main Course- March Madness, it almost goes without saying, this is the Mecca of any playoff in any sport. The World Series is great, Super Bowl is even better, but March Madness is 3 weekends of gold-plated television. Upsets galore, people who care more about perezhilton.com than the economy hoping that Duke will lose so they can win money and buy new shoes. Boyfriends actually love their girlfriends for this entire month. We get to fill out their bracket for free and maybe just maybe get a non-monetary kick-back if they win. Fellas you know what I'm getting at, and if you don't then dump her and find someone that does appreciate the finer things in life. March Madness is that much fun, the unthinkable can happen, and if for some reason your team wins, it's something you will never forget. Take it from me, my team, Syracuse, won in 2003! I remember every minute of the game, and every minute of the riot that followed. Inadvertent smoke bomb in the eye, very intentional billy club to the neck, and a random dude hanging from a tree in celebration falling after breaking the branch. That was also the first night I found out how a tongue ring felt. You just don't forget these things! While your chewing on that you have St. Patty's day, a marathon day of drinking to wash these sports down. I don't remember much of any St. Patty's day I've been involved with, except waking up early, Irish music, and seeing more ugly red-heads than usual. That's about it, but it is a solid time. For dessert, the NBA and NHL are both winding down and teams actually play hard with playoff implications with every game. Rejoice faithful March is here. Good luck on those brackets, stay away from Duke!!

The Itch

$42-51 - Las Vegas 4-Diamond Hotel on The Strip:   Monte Carlo

$89-99 - 4-Star Resort w/Spa Admission & More:    Treasure Island

$212 Roundtrip Direct Flight: NYC to LAS

Not only was I receiving tempting promotional offers in my email, but it seemed like everyone and their mother had a Vegas trip planned this February. The same month that marks one year since my last trip to Sin City. Put all of this together and I had myself one hell of an itch.

It's a good thing that Connecticut has two of the largest casinos in the world to help me scratch it. Well, as long as I could find someone else that was willing to partake in a bit of the excitement. Should be easy right? Back in college, all someone had to do was cough something that sounded like "casino" and there would be a car on the road within 30 minutes. But that was years ago. Now my friends are either asleep by 9pm or staying with their girlfriend after a busy day of going to the vet and having a cat spayed.

So there I was. Home on a Saturday evening, staring a night of Hulu in the eyes with my girlfriend out of town at a bachelorette party. Would it really look THAT bad if I headed up to Mohegan Sun by myself? Should I even tell people if I go? Should I lie and say that I went with somebody else? 

I realized that I was asking myself these questions for the wrong reason.  I wasn't uncomfortable with being in a casino alone. Heck, even when I go with a few buddies I typically found myself alone at a table. Instead, I felt uncomfortable with the prospect of what other people would think - especially if I lost. 

After a bit of self reflecting, I realized that I'm a 25 year old rock star (leg guitar) and rock stars don't stay in alone on Saturday nights. So I threw own a shirt, tie, and sports coat, grabbed a few lucky charms, and busted through the casino doors as if it were a Deadwood saloon. Moments later I found myself at a $15 dollar table, throwing back a few JDs, loving life. I must admit, though, that it's a humbling experience when you realize that counting cards isn't as easy as it looks. I wish I had my own Kevin Spacey to practice with. As the night went on my bets got bigger and my blood starting flowing faster. Nothing like an 11 to the dealer's 6 when you've got your largest bet of the evening on the table!

A couple hours later I found myself up a few bucks and had gotten my fix for the evening. But a new itch had surfaced! That extra cash was burning a hole in my pocket. It was time to spend. As soon as I stepped out of the casino I made reservations at my favorite restaurant for my girlfriend and I. After all, what good is a few extra bucks if your can't enjoy it with somebody else?

Gamble responsibly my friends, and remember to always put a 5 spot down on Lou Brown when you're throwing dice.

KLB