M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D What the hell are you wearing??

Two quick things:

1) WHAT THE HELL?? This is fugly!! This better be a one time thing...like the Byrd Blackout!!

2) After visiting the previous link...YES I am a girl!! I guess it's innate for me to notice these things!!

Slam Dunk da Funk

I love football...it's exciting and thrilling and fun, but nothing gets me going like college basketball. As I'm writing this I'm watching Maryland's first game of the season against Fairleigh Dickinson. Of course, the game's off to a typical Maryland start...slow!! The team is coming out a little rusty, and I'm beginning to think that the preseason ranking was very generous. This team has lost its cancer - John Gilchrist. He was becoming a me a player and it was affecting the team. When Gary basically benched him in the NIT, the team did pretty decent. Except for that South Carolina game that I attended at the Garden.

I love college basketball, and going to Maryland made me love it and appreciate it so much more. Basketball was my life at Maryland. I can count on one hand the games that I missed. I can recount losses and wins like its my religion. I made the 12 hour drive to Atlanta to see my Terps win their first National Championship. That is one of my top Maryland moments. I was lucky to go to Maryland when the bball team was at its peak.

I always get caught up in sports. I wait all summer for football. I follow all news on Training Camp and even mini-camps. And don't forget the draft. It comes at the most perfect time. College Basketball is just ending, spring football is starting, lacrosse season is in bloom and then it hits you...NFL Draft time!! Ahh its perfect. But once October rolls around and Midnight Madness is here, basketball becomes an obsession. Granted, I don't feel like a super crazed fan anymore since I graduated, but I love Maryland Basketball nonetheless.

It's a way of life in College Park. It brings people together. Especially at Maryland! (Riots, much!?) Everyone whoever attended Maryland hates Duke. I would say if I made a list of things I hate, Duke would be number 1 and probably number 2 because its that bad. I was watching Jeopardy! the other night and it was the college championships. There was a Duke girl there and I laughed everytime she got an answer wrong. I rooted against her to the point that I was reciting anti-Duke chants commonly heard at basketball games. It was bad.

Maryland has owned Duke in recent years, and their fans act like it doesn't bother them, but they know we have their number. It's soo bad that when I was living in NYC I went to a Terrapin Club game watch party for the Duke game at this nice sports bar and Duke was having their alumni party there as well and some old Duke guy started crap with a young Maryland guy. It was pathetic. But awesome because the police were called. My dad and I got a kick out of that!!

I can't wait for that first Maryland/Duke game this year. It's gonna be awesome!! Of course, it's not the same since I no longer attend Maryland, but I'm a proud alumni and Terrapin Club member so the Terps will always be my team. I will love them win or lose!!

Did I mention how much I love college basketball!!?? and that I hate Duke!!??


BTW...Fairleigh Dickinson's roster is beyond comical. First, Justin Timberlake's "brother" plays for them. Second, this guy's name is Peeples...I can't help but think of this guy!! Lastly, their head coach can blow a bubble with his bum, bum, bum!! Haha...hysterical!!

My Boyfriend's Back and You're Gonna be in Trouble...

...Ok maybe you won't be in trouble, but the Jacksonville Jaguars may be.

That's right folks, Kyle Boller is making his triumphant return this Sunday against the Jags. Hopefully he'll do alright, since he's only played 2 1/2 quarters this season, and he was cheered off the field.

He really needs to show the fans he can handle the job of NFL Quarterback. People in Baltimore have zero tolerance for formidable players/teams. Probably due to the fact that O's suck and pretty much have ruined our tolerance for bad seasons and players.

I have always said Kyle can be a good QB and lead this team the way the Ravens organization has planned. He has never had a good receiving corps, and I personally think the O-Line has declined immensely since his rookie season. Because of both of those factors, Kyle's job is pretty tough.

I remember watching football as a kid and feeling bad for the quarterbacks after they threw interceptions. My dad would say something about a receiver running a wrong route or dropping a pass into a waiting defenders hands. I piped in about feeling sorry for the QB. Everything always falls back on him, no matter if it's his fault or not.

That's why I've always had a weakness for QBs. I love them. Plus, it helps that most of them are pretty hot.

But in all seriousness the pressure is on Kyle to perform well. Right now, realistically, the Ravens are out of the playoff race. Unless we rock the socks off the rest of our games and the rest of our division falls apart...aka Carson Palmer being killed by lightning or Chad Johnson and Big Ben being hurt for real, like in a motorcycle accident (that seems to be a favorite).

Kyle has a lot to prove. He needs to prove he can lead this team into the redzone and score a touchdown. He needs to prove that he is the quarterback of the future for the Ravens. I don't know how anyone expected a rookie QB to come into this organization with the O-line and the receivers that were available and go to the Superbowl. The Defense can't carry this team anymore. They're not the studs that they were in 2000.

Kyle finally has some legitimate receivers in Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton (when healthy) and Todd Heap. Now is definitely make or break time. I want Kyle to stay in Baltimore, and not as a backup QB. I want him to excel. I want him to win. And not just because I think he's hot. It's more than that. I don't want the Ravens going through 10 more QBs to find the perfect one.

So hopefully Kyle can show Baltimore and the rest of the league that he deserves to be here. These last 8 games are more than a test for Kyle, they're a final exam. His fate in Baltimore and as the number one QB is riding on these last 8 games. No one expects him to take this under-achieving team to the playoffs. They just want him to put some points on the board, preferably not the Matt Stover kind.

I think Kyle will impress people, especially the ones who have been calling for his head here in Baltimore (that means you Mike Preston!) He's better than everyone thinks. He's ready, and trust me, here in Baltimore we're ready for anything.

But then again I may be a little biased!!

Were we watching the same game??

Last night, my beloved Ravens were featured on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course, we were destined to lose.

I don't know a single Ravens fan who thought we could actually win, well at least before the game started. The Ravens came out strong. We looked good, for once this season. We made the big plays, for the most part. We drove down the field and got a touchdown on our opening drive. Something, I'm guessing, we haven't done in a loooooong time.

While the game was close the whole time, the Ravens seemed like they were dominating. We were always one play away from going up big time on the Steelers in Primetime!! Of course, we could never capitalize on anything, as always. We took the lead with 3 minutes left in the game. Up by 2 and Pittsburgh had the ball. After two big pass plays, the Steelers were in field goal range and most of us realized that the game was over. The Steelers would either be up by 1 or 5. Either way, the Ravens were going to have to score when they got the ball back, with no timeouts, either.

That's when we, or should I say Anthony Wright, reverted back to old form. Wright didn't even get a pass downfield. The seconds were ticking off the clock and we had 3rd and 10 and he didn't even launch a pass downfield. Instead he runs the ball!! RUNS THE BALL!!! YOU'RE A QUARTERBACK NOT JAMAL LEWIS OR BETTER YET CHESTER TAYLOR!!! What the hell. We didn't need to run the clock out. We needed to keep as much time on the board as possible.

This is what I don't get. Everyone seems to forget about the entire game, offensively, minus a few big pass plays to Derrick "The Man" Mason (btw, my new nickname for him). Wright was regular old Anthony "Dumbass" Wright. Plain and simple. So then why today do I hear people saying how great he is. Are they blind? He made stupid mistakes. He threw a sure TD pass over the head/intentionally out of bounds to Randy Hymes in double coverage when he had Mason in the endzone wide open waving his hands around like Tom Hanks in Cast Away!!

Why does everyone forget the dumb things he does CONSTANTLY?? Maybe I feel this way because I am a Boller supporter, but there are obvious reasons why Wright is a backup!! Sometimes he makes big plays that overshadow his thousands of mistakes.

I still blame this loss on Wright and the offensive play calling. We had a shot to go up before the break and instead took timeouts to conserve time and then throw 3 yard passes rather than make some big plays and get into field goal or rather TD position. We wasted time and plays. The defense played their hearts out considering they were missing their two biggest players, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. But depsite the heart of the defense, the offense let us down once again. And that is why we are 2-5 rather than 6-1, like we should be now. We had a cake schedule, minus the Indy game.

The Ravens have screwed themselves, and while I admit, that last night was probably one of our best performances this year, it was still par/sub-par. We can do so much better!!

Injuries or not, the Ravens are slacking and not playing their best football. Jamal admits it, so why doesn't the coaching staff or the rest of the team!?


Ok so now that that rant is done, I'm going to share a funny story/thought I had while visiting my good buddy Dre in Chicago last weekend....We are walking on Navy Pier and we see this guy with a Ray Lewis jersey on. Dre yells to him that "Ray Lewis is God." The man says, "Preach on Brother!" I then say to Dre, "If Ray Lewis is God, then is Ed Reed Jesus?" We have both decided that this statement is true. If Ray Lewis is God, then Ed Reed is Jesus! Plain and simple. Now my question to you is "Who's the Virgin Mary?" Ozzie Newsome or Brian Billick. I'm thinkin Ozzie!!

My Pumpkin ROCKS!!!

My pumpkin is freakin awesome....it pales in comparison to any other carved jack-o-lantern!! Ok so maybe the team didn't win last night, but that had to be the best performance we have put up this year!! We actually looked good, you know except for that whole Anthony Wright thing!!

Boller...DEMOTED!?!

Because I love Kyle, I can do this!

Captions for above photo:

• After three disappointing seasons at the helm of the Ravens offense, Kyle Boller was demoted to ball boy. Head Coach Brian Billick had this to say about the unexpected move, "Kyle is a great kid with lots of heart, and he has a great passion for this organization and team. But after Mike Preston said I might lose my job because of my love for Kyle, I decided to keep him on as a ball boy. It's a win-win situation. I hope."
• Kyle Boller tries to practice throwing four balls at the same time with the hopes of one of his receivers actually catching one of the thrown balls.
• In addition to rehabbing his hyperextended toe, Kyle Boller is required to carry every football he turned over during the preseason and opening game.

I'm sure I could keep going, but I'm having some writer's block when it comes to insulting my boy! By the way, I want that sweatshirt!! :-D

"Remember "Push It" was the bomb shit, nuttin like the old school"

I've come to the realization that I'm totally old school! This past weekend I had the pleasure to witness one of the greatest concerts that I will ever attend. I saw one of the two remaining Beatles - Sir Paul McCartney.

It was like watching the Beatles perform. Paul played for 2 hours. He played some of his stuff, some Wings and lots of Beatles. It was amazing. As I was sitting there singing along, I couldn't help but glance around me. First of all, I was the youngest person in the group that went with me to see him. The next youngest was 20 years older than me. There were many 40 & 50 somethings around me, and I realized that my taste in music stretchs well beyond my own generation.

I grew up listening to Oldies music with my Mom. My dad, on the other hand, listened to one station: 98 Rock! I grew up singing with my Mom to the Beatles and rocking out with my dad to Metallica. So it was very appropriate that the only concerts I ever attended with my parents were Paul McCartney (Mom) and Metallica (Dad).

I think my parents had a great influence on me when it came to music. I listen to everything. But my favorites are bands that are either broken up or dead. My iPod is filled with Journey, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. (It also has tons of Nsync, Britney Spears and other boy bands, but that totally doesn't count because that's my guilty pleasure. :-D)

I love classic rock. (Because we all know that 80s hair bands are now considered classic rock) I love riding in my dad's car because that's all we listen to (that and it's a frickin' awesome G35 Coupe!!). He is usually the one asking to listen to something more modern. Of course the modern music I listen to doesn't really qualify. I absolutely love my boy bands. Particularly, I love NSync!!I can't help it...it's catchy and they're all so cute!

People usually respect my choices in music until I mention my love of all things pop! (at least pop from my high school years - '96-2000) I know I have good taste in music considering I listen to just about everything. I indulge in Hip Hop, Rock, R&B, Pop, Country and everything else you can think of with the exception of New Age and Classical. I usually don't have a problem listening to other people's music, unless of course it's Dave Matthews Band which I truly cannot stand except for maybe 2 songs.

But besides my guilty pleasures, my taste in music is eclectic. My little sister has helped me realize this. She used to depend on me for her music. She would listen to whatever new band I was listening to. Now I pass by her room (which is actually my room, but it was taken from me in a hostile takeover while I was in NYC) and she's listening to some pop-punk shit. I ask her what the song is, and she gives me that "Are you kidding? This song came out, like, last summer!!" look! I'm out of it. I have no idea what's hip anymore. Even my friends who used to come for me for music guidance know more about today's music than me. I listen to CDs in my car constantly. Since the demise of B102.7 and most recently HFS, I have abandoned the radio. I feel that no station out there will play the music I want to hear.

But then again, I'm wrong. New stations are popping up all the time. WQSR, the oldies station I grew up listening to, went off the air this Spring. Now it is this awesome station. It totally reminds me of my iPod. One minute it's Bon Jovi, next it's some old school rap song, then it's Nsync and then maybe some Metallica. It's called JACK FM. Apparently it's a generic station that different markets have been picking up on. It's not really broadcast out of Baltimore. I kind of enjoy it.

That is why I have decided to abandon my CD player while driving. I listen to the radio. I want to catch up. I'm in the dark, musically speaking. I have no idea what's popular. I find myself constantly flipping through the radio though. I refuse to listen to commercials. Now I've reverted back to the days of high school, which I'm really unsure about. I hate commercials, one positive to CDs. But what can you do? Oh yeah, satellite...I'm not paying to listen to the radio. I guess that's just the old school in me!

This is what it's like when worlds collide

My life revolves around television. I watch it at work. I watch it at home. I'm fascinated by it. It's that simple. I become involved with certain shows, and I begin to feel like I actually know these characters.

I began watching most of the shows I'm addicted to because of my roommates. I told myself I wouldn't watch The OC when it debuted. But then my roomies had OC Parties in the apartment, and I felt compelled to watch. Of course I missed almost all of the first season due to that crappy Journalism law class that went from 7-10pm every Wednesday, but have no fear Direct Connect saved the day.

One of my favorite old roomies, Dana, would download every episode as it came available on Direct Connect, a download program that every Maryland student that lived in a dorm frequented. We would sit on Erin's bed and watch the episode that was just on like three days before. We were nerds, but we loved it.

Now I can't miss an episode. But here's the bad thing...The OC won't be back until *gasp* November 3rd!!! There was no new episode this past week!! A whole month without The OC! They teased us with three new episodes, and now a month long wait til the next. And it all comes down to one thing. One thing any sports fan (me) can appreciate. The culmination of a long, boring season. THE WORLD SERIES!!

Now this is the baseball that is exciting. This is the baseball people have been waiting for for 5 long months. This is the Playoffs. This is what keeps my work busy on Tuesday nights in the middle of October. This is where the winner is determined. This is baseball.

So here is the dilemma. I'm obsessed with The OC. I'm obsessed with sports. What happens when the two collide? It's the World Series. Granted my team is not playing, nor will it ever be in the foreseeable future. But it's still baseball. I watch the games involving the teams I hate just so I can laugh at their misfortunes. (HAHA SUCK IT, YANKEES!!! and RED SOX!!) But now with no teams I hate in the Series anymore, I want The OC back badly!!

I need to know if Ryan is going to accept the fact that Marissa has made new friends at her new school! I need to know if Ryan and Marissa are going to be allowed back into Harbor since Dean "Dickface" Hess is sleeping with that Taylor chick! I need to know if that money monger Charlotte is going to come between Sandy and Kirsten! These things are important to me, and the worst part is....they totally should not be!!

These are things that keep me up at night after watching these crazy shows. The OC is only the beginning. One Tree Hill is a whole other story. That show didn't start until last week. Of course, I had something to do (opening day of the NHL), so I taped it. Now my tape is being crazy and the show is all weird. But I must somehow fix it before tomorrow. I can't watch the next episode without watching the first. It's bad enough I forgot what happened at the end of last season.

And the one show that is the most addicting, not only to me, but I've sucked my dad in, is Lost!! That show has to be the best on TV. It's insane. The show throws a curve ball at you every 15 minutes. It's insane. Sometimes at work I get bored, so I'll cruise around the Internet. I stumbled upon a Lost message board on IMDB.com, and I realized that if I even attempted to look at some posts on one of the more popular Lost websites, I would be sucked in completely. It's bad enough that when I stumble upon other Lost watchers I hypothesize about what is and is going to happen on the show. If I just looked at a post on one of these boards, I'd be gone.

It's just awful, I tell you. My next big purchase will be TIVO, this I can guarantee. I should be thankful that I have a working VCR, for the most part. Because without one I would be lost (no pun intended). For example, I'm going to the Maryland/Virginia Tech game next Thursday. Thursday being the best night on TV. The OC at 8pm (not next Thurs. though), CSI at 9pm, Without a Trace at 10pm. Three full hours of three great shows. So I'm going to need a VHS tape to record all my shows. It's a pain. But a necessary one.

My name is Jenn, and I have a problem.....I'm a TV-aholic!!

Forgive me, I'm new at this...

Ok so I think I'm going to buy into this whole blogging trend and start writing crap for random people to read on the Internet.

Now I was a journalism major in college, mind you, but don't expect any well written columns coming your way via this blog. I'm trying to put aside my fine Maryland education and ignore all grammar rules...........OK who am I kidding, horrible grammar and misspellings are two of my biggest pet peeves. Along with stupid Ravens penalties! And on that note....

So the Ravens really blew the big one today. Not only did they lose to a horrendous Detroit team, but they let the game get out of hand. They set a franchise record in penalties (21) and were one shy of an NFL record. How pathetic??

How can this be the same team the National media was heralding as a playoff contender in the preseason? How can this be the best defense in the land? Hell, I don't even think this defense is the best in the Land of Pleasant Living!! The Ravens have two subpar lines! J.O. is older than my grandmother. He's a big oaf who, let's just all admit it, is past his prime. He is not the Pro Bowl run blocker he was once. And please don't get me started on Orlando "Zeus" Brown. Why the Ravens wanted damaged goods in the first place is beyond me? As I like to say around my house, "If I ever see him, I'll throw a flag in his GOOD eye!!"

Then in the off season, Baltimore decides they want to screw with Pittsburgh and sign Keydrick Vincent. BAD MOVE!! He sucks! Why do you think the Squeelers didn't want to resign him? He's old and slow!! Wait...what's that I hear?? Oh it's just the tremendous laughing coming hundreds of miles away in Pitt.

The defense is a whole other story. Baltimore's defense is so old that if you added up their collective ages it would be older than GOD!! There was a stat up during the game today that showed the number of Pro Bowl appearances by members of the defense, both starting and on the bench. They collectively had more appearances in the Pro Bowl than Detroit receivers had starts! Sounds good, but also shows the defense's age. If they had the players they have now 3-5 years ago, Baltimore would have been the latest dynasty, not New England. This defense is just too old to keep up with all these young receivers. Football has evolved, but the Ravens' defense still thinks it's living in the year 2000!! (haha, I just thought of the Conan O'Brien skit "In the year 2000!" Classic!)

Please don't get me started on the offense. With the targets they have like Derrick Mason, Todd Heap and even Mark Clayton, the offense should be producing. Personally, I don't think Kyle Boller even got a chance to prove himself this year, but according to Baltimore fans, they've seen enough. As you will all find out eventually, I'm totally in love with Kyle Boller. He has potential (not to mention he's a total hottie!), but Raven fans are too fair-weather to give the kid a shot. They were calling for his head on a plate, and they had the nerve to cheer when he went down in the first game. Everyone wanted Anthony Wright. Now they don't want him either. Wright makes the biggest mental errors. For example, in the first half Terrell Suggs (another moron) gets the Ravens first interception of the year. The Ravens have the ball in the Red Zone and are looking for the endzone. It's third and goal, last chance. No receivers are open and Wright is scrambling. Instead of throwing the ball away and settling for a field goal, he forces the ball into triple coverage!! And we can all guess where this is going...INTERCEPTION!! It's just stupid errors. That INT was his second of the game, the first being a piss poor pass attempt to Derrick Mason (Mason was towards the sideline; the pass was way to his left). Even I was calling for Kordell "I *heart* wood...um...I mean I'm not gay" Stewart by the middle of the first half.

One word to describe this team today was PATHETIC. The Ravens looked it, they acted it and they played it. Well I guess you could use another word there too, SHIT!!