UFC 119 Weigh Ins...

Friday was really cool. I didn't get much sleep the night before, again, and it took me minute to get up, but I was excited to go to Conseco Fieldhouse for the weigh ins. I called the arena to confirm the schedule, but they had no clue. I decided to trust the UFC's website and figured I'd just wait if I got there too early. Mom dropped me off, then I made my way into the building. At the security checkpoint, I was informed that I couldn't bring my water in with me, but they only saw one of my two bottles in my backpack, so after a couple swigs of the one they saw, I dumped it and made my way inside. I made it up the stairs, which was more difficult than it should have been because I almost tripped and fell a few times, probably from leftover wooziness and fatigue. As soon as I stepped onto the concourse, I saw a guy I met at the Press Conference on Thursday. He was with some buddies in line for autographs from fighters who weren't on the card, and I just stuck with them. The line was hella-long, so I saved myself 90 minutes catching on with them. Aside from just being closer to the front, it was cool talking to them about the fights. They're all good guys. I got some Halo Reach/UFC/Marines dogtags while in line as part of a promotion. I also signed up for a credit card that I know I'm not going to get in order to procure a UFC T-shirt.

We made our way through the line, which took awhile to get going, but moved along quickly enough. I don't mind waiting as long as there's a payoff in the end and that the line progresses at a reasonable pace. I was digging talking with my new friends, too. The fighters who were signing were stationed in Legends. Junior Dos Santos, a Brazilian heavyweight who will fight for the title soon, was up first. He was really nice, and maybe a little shy since he's still learning English. Not that he was small, and he was behind a table, but I thought he'd be a little bigger. He was very personable and seemed happy to be there.

Next up was middleweight (185 lbs.) Alan Belcher. He has the best tattoo in MMA, Johnny Cash's face on his arm. He was a cool dude, too. He detached his retina training not long ago, and is having some issues with that. It's possible he may not fight again, which would be a real shame. He's young, talented, exciting, and a good guy. I told him a bit about my eye troubles and how I could relate to having messed up vision. It was empowering to connect with a world class athlete, a fighter no less, on that level.

Matt Hughes was the last fighter signing. He's a former champion and maybe the best 170 pounder ever, though Georges St. Pierre is nipping at his heals for that title. While I respect his accomplishments, I'm not the biggest Matt Hughes fan, but he was very cordial with me. He's a legend in the sport, and I'm glad I got to meet him.

It was so awesome to meet the fighters, spend a little time with them, and to get their autographs. They all had their pictures at the table, so if you didn't have anything of your own to get signed, you could at least have a nice 8x10 to take home. It was all FREE, too. The UFC knows how to put on a show and treats its fans really well. Big thanks go out to my new buddy for hooking me up with the pictures! That was very gracious of him.

After getting the autographs and talking about how crazy cool it was to be able meet the fighters, we made our way to sit down for the weigh ins. There were a lot of people there, but we had decent seats. There was about an hour to kill before things got started, so we just talked about how great it was that UFC was actually in Indy and how cool it was that they had all of these free events. The weigh ins, themselves, went by quickly. Each fighter made weight and it all went very smoothly. Jeremy Stephens (accidentally?) mooned the crowd as he took his shorts off to get on the scale. Luckily,I missed it since my head was turned talking to the guy next to me ;). His staredown with Melvin Guillard was intense. Most of the other staredowns were rather jovial. Chris Lytle and Matt Serra had fun with theirs. The crowd was great. I didn't think there'd be that many people there, though, but I'm happy Indy showed up. It bodes well for a return from the UFC. There were definitely some boos, but I'm surprised that Serra didn't get more of them since he's fighting the hometown boy in Lytle. Serra's actually a good dude, and he doesn't care about the boos, either. He knows he's in Lytle's backyard. Frank Mir got the most heat from the crowd for some reason, which I didn't understand at all. Maybe they were all just CroCop fans, I don't know. Mir's a good guy who has been very accommodating with his time with the fans, making himself available to sign and chat. You can watch watch the weigh ins here: http://www.ufc.com/media/ufc-119-weigh-in-replay.

It was awesome being able to take part in all of that, especially since I won't be able to go to the fights.The access that the UFC and the fighters give you is a very welcomed surprise. They know who pays their bills and they have a healthy respect for the fans. It's really nice to see and experience. It's very cool how closely knit the fight fan community is, too. Everyone that I've talked to have been very amiable and friendly. I really hope that as the sport gets bigger, that the camaraderie among the fans, fighters, and promoters doesn't change. I fear that it may as more casual fans take notice and as the fighters make more money (which they deserve). I'm enjoying it now, though. It's been really fun taking part in all of the festivities.

There have been tons of UFC related events around town. Radio stations and UFC sponsors have been doing a lot of promotion leading up to the fights. The fighters have been part of many of those, along with just being out in the open in the city. I wish I'd have been able to go to more of those, but not driving or being able to walk around a whole lot put a damper on that. I was able to go to Buffalo Wild Wings downtown Friday night. Bud Light had some trinkets they were giving away, as well as a raffle for 2 tickets to the fights. It was my last hope for tickets, so I made it out. Tequila Cazadores was also there. Both groups were giving away tons of stuff. I got a few shirts, a hat, shot glasses, key chains, magnets, koozies, beads, a mouthpiece and its container, and I got my picture taken with a REAL UFC belt. It sucked a bit that my friends weren't able to meet me, and I didn't win the tickets, but it was still a good time talking to other fight fans and just being in that atmosphere. It's always nice to get out of the house, too, plus, I didn't need a wheelchair today ;). The Tequila Cazadores girls were hot, too, which didn't hurt :P.

The Champ is here!

I can't wait for the fights Saturday night! It's still KILLING me that I can't go, but such is life. Being able to do all of this stuff leading up to fights has helped mitigate my disappointment in not being able to go, but it's also gotten me more excited about it all. I'm still elated that they finally came to my town, that I've had the opportunity to see some of it first hand, and that it's been so well received here. It's great for the city, too, bringing in money and exposure and I can't wait until they come back, hopefully next year. Even though I won't be there live, it will still be a good time watching it at Buffalo Wings and Rings (111 W. Maryland St., 8PM) with friends. :)

GO IRISH! BEAT STANFORD! We have a big test this week with Stanford. I like our chances, but it'll be a tough game. Our offense can play with anyone as long Crist is running the show. The defense just needs to get healthy. The lack of depth because of injury has really hurt us. The biggest problem on D has been tackling, I think, and a lot of that can be contributed to fatigue from lack of substitution. We should really know where we stand after this game. Stanford is legit, so playing well against them and beating them would mean a lot and it would show that we can compete with anyone. If we get dominated, which I don't think will happen, then maybe we have more growing pains to deal with than I thought. It should be a good game. LET'S GO, IRISH!

Extremely excited for a busy Saturday,
-B

UFC 119 Pre Fight Press Conference

WOW! That was awesome!

My friend picked me up, and after taking a few wrong turns, we got to the Murat at noon. The doors didn't open until 12:30PM, so we walked to Starbucks to get her a drink while we waited. Goodness, it was HOT! I was in the sun for 30 seconds and I could feel my skin burning. We walked back, waited in line for a few minutes, then made our way down to room where the shindig was being held. I was surprised there weren't more people there considering it was free, but everyone who came out was really nice. It was cool meeting some other MMA fans. They had the stage and the press section roped off, but we were still very close to everything. They ended up moving us back a little, but we were still very near the podium.

They started a little late. A guy from Conseco and someone from the IN Athletic Commission spoke a bit about bring the UFC to Indy, how it's good for the city, and what a great sport MMA is. They gave UFC president, Dana White, a Pacers jersey, then Dana got things rolling. He went over the card, how excited he was to be in Indy and all that, then opened it up to questions from the media. You can watch it all here: http://www.ufc.com/media/119-pre-presser-archive. Some of the questions were kinda dumb, most likely coming from local reporters who weren't familiar with MMA, but everyone was respectful. If I were Dana or the fighers, I'm not sure I'd have been as diplomatic with my answers to those stupid questions, but that's why they're pros and I'm a fan (one reason, anyway :D). There were some funny moments: Matt Mitrione, a fighter based here, and a former Purude football player, and a training partner of Chris Lytle, asked if Lytle would be on call to put out any potential fires at Conseco (he's a full time firefighter as well as a cagefighter). That whole bit was hilarious as they brought in Lytle's opponent, Matt Serra to help Lytle out with the potential situation. Then Dana made fun of Serra's height (5'6"), saying that he was too short, but could maybe use a ladder. None of the serious answers really surprised me. All the fighters were focused on their current opponents, confident in their skills, respectful of the other's skills, and all that, but it was far from boring. Unfortunately, my friend had to leave to go to work and missed some stuff, but I'm glad she came for as long as she was able.

The Q&A didn't last too long, then the fighters had some brief stare downs. All but CroCop stayed around and signed autographs. I got Lytle, Ryan Bader, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Frank Mir, Serra, Mitrione, and Dana to sign for me. I just brought some blank printer paper, and not as much as I thought. It worked out, though. I gave a half-assed effort to play the tumor sympathy card with Dana to maybe get some tickets, but there were people behind me, and my heart wasn't completely into it. He and all of the fighters were all very fan friendly and super nice, taking pictures, shaking hands, and chit-chatting. More about what went on, along with some pics and vids can be found here: http://navitabjj.blogspot.com/2010/09/ufc-press-conference-pics-and-video.html. I also got to talk to MMA reporter extraordinare, Ariel Helwani, who was really cool. He was wearing a suit, along with some really bright, multicolored Nikes. Stylish ;). It sucked that I didn't have a camera, but it was still pretty awesome to at least chat a bit and to get their autographs:

     

It was a really good time, but rather hard on me. I didn't sleep much or well, plus the activity of walking a bit in the heat, then standing for a couple of hours took their toll. After I got Dana's autograph, I sat down for a minute. Then I fell out of the chair, woozy. Dana's assistant/body guard/handler was kind enough to help me back into the chair. I figured I'd sit there for a few minutes, then I'd be able to make my way back upstairs and call my ride. I ended up feeling worse, almost falling out of the chair again several times. After a half hour or so, and when the room was almost completely cleaned up, I had a guy call for help. Everyone was really nice about lending me a hand. A supervisor came down to see what was going on, then had the Murat paramedics come down with a wheelchair. I had to be helped into that. They wheeled me upstairs to the exit and put me on a couch. I called my ride and waited. Not long after, he arrived, they wheeled me to the car, then I made it home. While holding onto my dad, I was able to walk into the house. I sat down for awhile before finally being able to pee. I was holding it for quite awhile, REALLY not wanting to have to get help with that in public. I felt a little better, ate, rested some, and caught up on stuff online. My nephew came over, and I hung out with him, had some dinner, and then ended back up here.

It wasn't very pleasant being that helpless without anyone I knew around to help. Aside from once at the hospital after an X-ray, I'd never been that bad off in public before. Everyone at the Murat was great, but it was extremely frustrating and a tad embarrassing having a guy pick me up off the floor, then another guy picking me up and setting me down in a wheelchair and pushing me around. That's how it goes, I guess. At least it's from actually doing something fun this time, and not just a random bad day. It sucks a little less knowing that I at least had a good time before it all turned to shit.

I'm really hoping to go to bed early-ish tonight. The weigh ins are tomorrow (Friday) at Conseco, and I really want to go to that, too. It's a big deal that the UFC came to town, and it won't happen again for awhile, probably not for another year, at minimum. And since I can't attend the fights (a MAJOR bummer), I want to soak in as much of the activities leading up to the fights as I can. I wish (more than usual) that I were more able-bodied to be downtown to try to meet the fighters and other fans. Too, Dana White will be tweeting where to find some tickets (and maybe other prizes) around town. Follow him, @danawhite, and if you win, hook a brotha up! I'm a pale brotha, but a brotha :P.

I made a reservation at Buffalo Wings and Rings (111 W. Maryland St., next to Steak 'n Shake) for 6 people at 8PM under my name for Saturday night to watch the fights (lots of prepositions there...whoa). The prelims start at 9PM on SPIKE TV, then the PPV from 10PM to 1AM. Apparently, Chris Lytle's after party will be there, too, and the TAPOUT crew will be around in the afternoon. It's going to be hoppin'! If anyone else wants to watch the fights with me, hit me up and I'll add to the reservation. I'll be leaving my house shortly after the ND/Stanford game ends. If I had the money, I'd just go catch the game there, too, and stick around for the fights. It'll still be a good time hanging out, though.

Anyone who wants to go to the weigh ins with me, let me know. I should on get there around noon. And if you want to join us to watch the fights, hit me up, too. C'mon, you know you want to! :)

Let's get it on!

-B

Caught up with some friends...

I didn't get a whole done Wednesday, but I did catch up with some friends I hadn't talked to in awhile. One is an older ND alum who worked with my dad when I was in high school. He learned that I was interested in Notre Dame and he kinda took me under his wing. He's a really good guy who's helped me out a lot. We hadn't talked in awhile, him being busy and me being sick and just spacing it. It was nice catching up, talking about ND football, and just reconnecting a bit. I also spoke with a HS buddy whom I haven't seen since HS. I can't believe it's been 13 years! We just lost touch after school, as it happens, but he recently moved back to Indy and joined Facebook, which is how we found each other again. I'd been looking for him online for awhile, so it was really cool to talk for a minute. Though I hate how easy it is for people to move on, whether it's on purpose or it just happens, I am glad that it's easy to just pick right back up...at least for me.

I'm digging the new Google phone thing. It saves me a trip downstairs and the frustration of the terrible reception I get in my room (and around the house). I do feel a little silly talking into a PC mic and listening to headphones that are connected to my stereo (that's connected to the PC, as I'm sure you figured), but I really enjoy actually being able to hear and be heard on the phone.

I also chatted/talked with a few other friends, and it's always a pleasure to keep up with everyone. I'm really going to miss that if I lose the Internet. I think I may have a temporary solution, so I should hopefully be good for a little while. It depends on whether or not I can withdraw some money I won from a credit union in one of those money-grab bubbles at a Fever game without penalty. They opened a savings account for me with my winnings, but if I take the money out, I'll have to close the account, which is a little disappointing. Too, since the entire cable bill is behind (TV + Internet), if my parents can't come up with enough money to catch up, my contribution won't matter. So here's hoping they can get their shit together enough to do that. I really wish they'd listen to me a little. While we'll probably always be poor and borderline broke, if they'd just do a few simple things, mainly quit wasting food/water/heat/air/electricity/etc. and money, in general, we wouldn't struggle as much. I'm sure I could do better, too, but I do try.

I got my web surfing in and I caught up on a little TV. There are some crazy bitches on Survivor. One chick threw out some snails the others were planning on eating because she deemed them inedible after watching another lady grimace while trying some, so then the others were talking about how weird and wasteful that was. So she got upset, stole a dude's $1600 shoes (why he'd bring those on Survivor, I don't know, but that's beside the point), filled them with sand, and dropped them in the ocean. She apologized after, and everyone seemed OK with that, except for the guy who now has no shoes. I'm with him when he said that she's lucky she's a woman or else he would have popped her...lol. The UFC reality show, The Ultimate Fighter was on, too. I like watching them train, and of course, fight. "Bruce LeRoy," a crazy, but cool Afroed brotha who dresses up like Bruce Lee won his fight. As of now, I'm rooting for him to win. He's a character and a good, albeit young and relatively raw, fighter. He kills that he's smiling the whole time he's in the Octagon while his opponent is trying to knock his head off.

I caught a few new shows, and a couple are very promising, while none were horrible. I try to give at least 3 or 4 episodes before I make a final judgment, though. The time between, and changes made to a show after the pilot is shot are significant. I try to allow them some time to get in a rhythm, usually. Some returning series are back, too, and they all started strong. Modern Family is a really good show. I still have quite a bit of TV that I've 'recorded' and haven't watched yet. I have 10 or so programs that air tonight, too. Luckily I got nothing new on Friday, so I can catch up then, maybe. At least I won't get any more backlogged ;).

I'm planning on going to the UFC Pre-Fight Press Conference at the Murat (it's too weird calling it the Old National Center) this (Thursday) afternoon. A friend is being nice enough to give me a ride and to accompany me. She'll probably have to leave for work before it's over, though, but I'm hoping that my step-dad can pick me up. It'll be worth waiting on him if I have to. Friday, at Conseco Fieldhouse, there'll be an autograph session and the weigh-ins for free. There's also a Q&A session for UFC Fight Club members that I'm going to try to sneak into. Then the fights are on Saturday. It's killing me that I can't go to them, but it looks like I'll be able to watch the PPV with some friends. Saturday will be busy with ND vs. Stanford at 3:30PM, then the televised fights starting at 9PM on SPIKE TV, and the PPV starting at 10PM. My plan is to make a reservation at Buffalo Wings and Rings (111 W. Maryland St.) for 8PM. I'm expecting downtown to be fairly packed with the UFC overflow crowd. Plus there's the possibility of hanging out with another friend on Friday night, and the Colts game (on TV) Sunday afternoon. It's kinda nice to have stuff going on. :)

Have a great Thursday! Let me know if you want to hang out at all for the UFC (or other) stuff!
-B

A little news, and a poem...

I don't have much to report for today. I did get those doctor appointments made. I am, in fact, scheduled to spend most of a day in an MRI machine in the near future. One scan alone is set to take 3 hours. Fun. Other than that, I didn't sleep well or much. I was online a bit. I caught up on some TV. I chatted a lot and had a particularly enjoyable and long couple chats with one person in particular. That was nice, despite the technical difficulties. I used the Google phone service, which works very well. I hope they keep that free. My cat caught a mouse and wouldn't let me take it from her. I held her back while my step-dad disposed of it. I ate BBQ ribs for supper. They were good. I felt a little icky today, probably from yesterday's flu shot, or maybe just because. It wasn't too bad.

I'm not sure how long I'll have an Internet connection, or when I'll be able to get it back should I lose it. It should be on until Saturday, at least. I can't be too upset about losing it since I haven't given my mom any money for it in awhile. I haven't really had it, but she hasn't asked for it, either (and she's not afraid to ask for it). I am a bit miffed at the lack of notice, though. The cable TV is danger, as well, and if it goes, there will be no TV watching here until it's back on. We don't have any converter boxes. Should that happen, I'll run out of stuff to do in a few days. I have some movies I haven't watched yet, and a few things on my computer I've been meaning to get to, but without the Internet or TV, I'm down to very, very few options. It would probably mean lots of Minesweeper and Sudoku for me. Hopefully we can figure something out. It would be awesome if I could get enough ad revenue from this blog to pay for my Internet service. I'm not sure how reasonable that is, and it's not at all feasible for my current situation, but it would be nice.

Since this post was light on details and a bit boring, I figured I'd add a poem I wrote to help even it out. Some of you have seen it (it's in a Facebook note), but I like it and hope you do, too. It's not about anyone in particular, and I wrote it my 4th or 5th year at ND, so around 2001. I was inspired a bit looking across the mall food court in South Bend and seeing a pretty girl, knowing how I was too shy to approach her (or any girl in a similar situation).

Shy
by: Brent Lee Smith

There she is, sitting over there

        Perfect body, lovely smile, long brown hair

Man, would I like to get with her

        Just think of all the good times that could occur

I need to go talk to her, I really should

        I'd really like to, but I don't think I could

You see, I'm the kind of guy

        Who'll love you all my life

                But I probably won't approach you

                        I'm just too shy

Why can't she come over here?

        I just want to have her near

I'd give her all of me if I had the chance

        Our love could be such a beautiful dance

Baby, I see my kids with you as their mother

        I could never ever love any another

Can't you see me looking at you

        Wondering what you'd like to do

I want to come over, tell you I need you

        Provide it all for you, clothe you and feed you

Oh my God, you're getting up

        And you're gonna pass me by

I should say something to you

        But I'm just too shy

Pretty decent day...

I got some stuff done today. I went to the doctor, got some medicine refills, explained the tumor treatment plan situation (I will be getting into that soon on here), and got a flu shot. My arm was sore for a little bit, but it's fine now. It had been a little while since I'd seen this particular doctor, so it was nice to catch up a bit. She's really nice and cool and you can tell that she really cares. She's yelled at me a lot to do (or to stop doing) stuff. She even asked me if I were dating. I told her that I was trying, doing the online thing (more on that another time, too). I talked a little about how dating is hard--I'm sick, broke, poor, don't drive, and live with my parents--and she replied that I don't have to get married. I got the distinct impression that she was telling me that I needed to get laid...lol...and I can't say that I disagree :P. Maybe I should have asked her for a prescription for that to see if works...what do you think? :D

After coming home and eating lunch, I made a few calls. I should get a couple replies tomorrow for appointments for tumor stuff. It sounds like they want a bunch of new MRI scans, so I'll be getting zapped for most of the day (several hours, anyway) if they do it all at once. I usually try to sleep during those, so it's not a big deal. I'm not claustrophobic or anything. That's not to say that I'll enjoy having my head immobilized and being stuck in the machine, but there are worse things.

I did the usual web surfing and some chatting before crashing and taking a nap. My hours have been extra weird the last while, and it's catching up with me. This headache medicine isn't helping with that, but oh well. Just as I fell asleep, I got a call from a case manager of my insurance plan (Healthy Indiana Plan). She was just checking in to make sure my asthma is under control (it is), then we got into the tumor stuff and ridiculousness of how I was treating by the clinic in Phoenix. It was nice to hear the shock in her voice as I explained things. There's nothing she can do about it (that's all on the Phoenix assholes), but she was sympathetic. I then went back to bed until my friend Miss TMI/Miss Incredible Pizza called me around 8PM. I was in the process of getting up, anyway, so she didn't disturb me at all, not even with our conversation ;). It was actually very nice to talk to her and hear how happy she was. I'm glad things are going well for her, she really deserves it!

I heated up the spaghetti my parents made, watched a good Monday Night Football game, and messed around on the web some more as I chatted a bit. Even though it got hard to keep up with everyone when I had 4 conversations going at once, I enjoyed the time with each person. I do feel a little bad that I couldn't give each one my full attention, partially from still being a little tired to go along with 4 open windows, but I prefer that over having no one to talk with. A couple of my chat partners were gals I just met online, so it was nice getting to know them a little.

Despite being so tired and not feeling the best, I'll take days like today. I got some stuff done, made some new friends, and didn't feel like complete crap. And I'm still here to tell you about it, so there's that. Tuesday is looking to be productive, too. I hope to have those medical appointments scheduled, or at least to get updated on their progress. The UFC itinerary for the events leading up to the fights comes out tomorrow, too. I'll be able to see when the weigh-ins are and if there is anything else going on that I'll be able to attend. From what I hear, there is a lot of free stuff that they do, and I'd like to go to as much of that as I can. It's looking like I won't be able to attend the fights, but I'll be watching somewhere, for sure. If anyone wants to hang out Saturday night, let me know.

Have a rockin' Tuesday,
-B

Colts won...

I woke up around noon today, after only a couple hours of sleep. I got up to go to the bathroom, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to bed. I was still tired, but I was up. The plan was to get up at 4PM, take my meds, then get ready to tailgate for the Colts game. My buddy got back to me and said he wasn't going because of the weather, though it ended up be alright, so I just watched football, messed around online, had a nice chat with a new friend, and chilled at home. I started to crash around 5PM or so, but I was really enjoying the conversation I was having, then it was time for supper, then there was the game, so I wasn't able to take a nap. I was really tired by the kickoff. I turned my TV around so I could watch from bed, and lay down.

I missed about half of the game, in total, dozing off, waking up, trying to fight to stay awake. Had the game been closer, it would have been easier for me to pay attention and stay conscious, but they Colts were firing on all cylinders and had the game in hand fairly early. I'm still bummed that I didn't see the whole performance, but I'm happy with the win. We're going to be very tough to beat when we play that well.

After the game, I went ahead and slept until 4AM, when I had to take my meds again. I thought about crashing for another hour or two, but figured I might as well stay up. I wanted to read the game summaries to see what I missed, catch up on Facebook and Twitter, and get a couple of things done. I cleaned the filter on my AC unit, trimmed my toenails, and surfed the web. I'll make my TV schedule for the week once I post this. A lot of shows that I watch, plus some new ones that I'll check out, premiere this week. I'm kinda hoping that most of the new ones aren't that good. I already watch too much TV, so adding new shows won't help that. But I don't have much else going on, so whatever.

I have an appointment with my family doctor today. It's weird calling her my family doctor when my family, in this case, just consists of me. It's just a check up, nothing to worry about. I can't even think of anything specific to complain about this time, which is rare. I'll mainly just make sure I'm up to date on medicine refills and let them know what's going on with my specialty doctors. I started taking fish oil recently to help raise my 'good' cholesterol levels since I can't be too active, so we might do a little bloodwork and see if that's helping. Despite it being a doctor's appointment, I like visiting the clinic. The people there are nice and I like the doctors. I wonder if they'll start a new volume of my chart. They're on at least the 2nd now, maybe the the third, and each one is a couple inches thick. I'm a mess, and I have the paperwork to prove it ;).

Happy Monday,
-B

A fake field goal?....

Well, ND lost again. We had our chances. We could have tackled better, especially in the first half. We could have been more careful with the ball. The referees could have done a better job, too, but you can't control what they do. It's disappointing, but I liked our effort. We fought. We just came up one play short...again. I'm very disappointed that we've lost the last 2 games, and I'm not taking any moral victories, either. But there are some positives. It's just easier to point out good things and to deal with the errors after victory.

While still unhappy with losing, I don't think the sky is falling. I think a good foundation is being built. Coach Kelly isn't happy with the losses and he isn't making any excuses, despite the obvious growing pains of taking over a program like ours. I think we have the right guy for the job. He's doing the things the right way and it'll pay off. It's not happening immediately, but we're getting better and we'll contend very soon. I'm not writing this season off at all, we can still turn things around, but I think we should be in the BCS mix next year (especially if guys like Floyd and Rudolph don't declare early). Stanford's going to be tough next week, and there will be a few other tests the rest of the way, but no one scares me.

It's the Manning Bowl Sunday night, Colts vs. Giants. Hopefully the Colts win so that I at least break even this week. They'll have to play better than they did against Houston. I know Peyton doesn't want to lose to his little brother, so we should be alright. It's good that it's a late game for me, too, so I don't have to get up 'early.' I have a feeling I might sleep in a little.

Happy Sunday, GO COLTS!
-B