Tuesday Night Football

The wintry weather the past few days has been a hassle for a lot of people across the northeast. Roads became impassable, flights were canceled leaving thousands stranded, and football was postponed in Philadelphia.

The announcement was made late Sunday morning that the Eagles vs. Vikings game was going to be postponed due to the expected snow fall that evening. NFL officials were afraid that with a huge snowfall, roads wouldn't be safe, and fans would be stuck at the stadium.

People around the country have been complaining that the NFL is becoming weak. Fans of the NFL believe that this is the one sport that should be played regardless of the weather, that it is a tough man's game. One person that has been very vocal on this position is Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Rendell has been extremely outspoken about the NFL moving the game to Tuesday night, and continued his rant this morning on ESPN First Take. He has even gone as far as calling American's a bunch of "wussies".

Is this for real?

First off, I do realize the NFL plays in all weather. But let's be realistic here, when they are expecting a blizzard with anywhere from 1-2 feet of snow, is there a need to risk the safety of thousands of people? Sure many may have not gone to the game anyway, but why take the chance? As it turns out there wasn't as much snow as predicted in the Philadelphia area, but without knowing that prior it makes no difference.

What annoys me the most with this story is that Governor Ed Rendell believes this is a matter he needs to go public with. As an elected official, it is his responsibility to do what is best for the people. Included in that should be doing everything possible to ensure their safety. With an expected blizzard, shouldn't it make sense to close down the roads and make sure people are not traveling.

Rendell's argument this morning on ESPN First Take was that that the decision was made too early. He believes that the game could have been called around 5pm (only two hours prior to the game). To Rendell, this would be more appropriate then what MLB does - where they sometimes make a decision at game time or even mid-game. Although this is true, it is a very different comparison. When they postpone baseball games, as much of a hassle as it is, it is rain that forces the decision. Rain is more manageable then snow, especially during a blizzard when snowfall and wind can lead to zero visibility. That being said, fans generally tailgate before a football game, and would have already shown up prior to 2 hours before - I believe they wanted a decision prior to people showing up.

I digress.

The players on the Eagles and Vikings may not be excited about waiting to play, fans preparing to brave the weather may have been let down, and others may just be upset that Sunday tradition has been ruined for this game. But it is just that, a game. A game that is not worth risking the safety of the fans, stadium employees, or even the teams playing.

I support the decision of the NFL, and appreciate that they care not only about their players but the fans that support them as well.

For those that argue the NFL and/or America have become "wussies", tell that to the players suffering from concussions. Maybe people are becoming soft, or maybe it's called becoming smarter?

Lastly to Governor Rendell, I cannot comment on your performance as a politician, but please get your priorities straight. The postponement of a football game should not be high on your list. In fact, if you're judging the NFL on their decision, maybe you should take a look at the decisions of your peers and judge them.

Is This Sports Fan Heaven?

Living in the suburbs of Boston where I support all of my local sports teams, and having recently graduated the University of Connecticut - my life as a sports fan is about as perfect as it could be. Is this real? Maybe a better question would be, will it last?

If you are a sports fan at all, you should know about the recent success I am about to describe...

The New England Patriots are 12-2, tied for the best record in the league. They are playoff bound behind an offense that seems unstoppable and a young defense that is finally starting to show it's potential.

The Celtics are riding a 14-game win streak, that has allowed them to top the Eastern Conference. Even with injuries to key players such as Rondo, Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal, and Delonte West - they have managed to use their experience and depth to win in various fashions.

Making the biggest splash this off-season would be the Red Sox. Having come off a disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs, serious moves had to be made. With the loss (or expected loss) of some big name players, the Sox needed to replenish their offense and fill in gaps around the diamond. With pickups including Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the Sox are considered favorites in the AL.

Even the Bruins who have been far from perfect recently would make the playoffs if the season were to end today. The team's biggest asset this year has been the stellar performance of Tim Thomas. With Thomas in net for a majority of games, the Bruins have had the best goals against average in the league.

In case that isn't enough for a sports fan to love, let's take a look at my alma mater, UConn.

Whether you appreciate it or not, the UConn Women's Basketball team just set the D-1 basketball record for consecutive wins at 89, surpassing the UCLA record of 88 under the legendary coach John Wooden. On the back of Maya Moore, the Huskies have gone two full seasons undefeated with two national championships. Ranked #1 in the country, they have easily handled the competition, and look to extend their streak next week.

One highly ranked team at a school would be great, but UConn has two - unexpectedly of course. The UConn Men's Basketball team that didn't make the tournament last March started this season unranked. In fact, they were ranked rather low in the Big East, until they beat two top 10 teams to win the Maui Invitational this year. They immediately jumped into the top 10 themselves and have worked their way to 4th in the nation. Still a fairly young team, they are carried by Kemba Walker who is leading the nation in scoring with over 26 points per game. There are still many games to be played, but the Huskies should only get better in time.

Last but certainly not least, is UConn Football. A team that has had a ton of potential the last few years, finally has the opportunity to prove itself on the big stage. Winning the Big East, Randy Edsall and his unranked team will be heading to the Fiesta Bowl to play Oklahoma. Edsall has taken this program to new heights, and with a chance to win a BCS bowl game this would certainly be another huge step in Connecticut's path the next level.

Now, if that doesn't scream sports fan heaven, I don't know what does. 5 of these seven teams are nearly the best, if not the best, in their respective leagues. In the last decade I have considered myself to be spoiled with the success of many of the above teams. Many fans around the country have never seen their teams win a single championship, let alone a double digit count. With such a successful year, and hopefully more to come, one can only ask how long this will last. Will anything less than a few championships be a failure?

The next few months should be extremely fun to watch, and in that time I will bask in what I'm calling my "Sports Fan Heaven".

Happy Holidays!

Goodbye 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

The Senate is about to go to a final vote to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' which prohibits homosexuals from openly serving in the military. My question is how has such a law taken so long to be repealed?

If someone is brave enough to risk their life to protect this country, who is to stop them? Whether they are gay or straight, white, black or green, tall or short, why should we prevent them from fighting for our freedom?

America is a country filled with a variety of people that prides itself on the freedom people have to be who they want. Too many people have issues with the way other people live their lives. In my eyes, as long as someone is not hurting others, or forcing me to change my ways - leave them be. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is going against everything this country stands for and I'm glad such a law will finally end.

We're in the 21st Century and still struggling with the same issues that have torn people apart for decades. Everyone has a right to their opinion and I cannot force you to change yours. That being said don't limit the choices of others because you disagree with who they are.

Zuckerberg...Really?

Every year TIME Magazine picks their 'Person of the Year'. This person is meant to be someone that they believe most influenced events throughout the year. In past years there have been politicians, rock stars, and CEOs. But is this really the year for Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook.com?

Facebook is as big as they come, and no one can deny that. The site has over 500 million users worldwide, and has changed the way in which people interact with each other. Nonetheless, did Zuckerberg and Facebook do enough this year to make him 'Person of the Year' worthy?

I'd say no.

Sure, Facebook is great for keeping in touch with old friends, sharing thoughts and photos, even as a way to kill time. But what happened this year besides profile changes? Okay, so there was a movie called The Social Network. Yes, this gave people some more insight into the creation of Facebook, but worthy enough for this honor? No. Facebook changed the way people communicate and access information a few years ago. Zuckerberg should have been given this honor then, instead of now.

In times such as these when the economy is still suffering, the jobless numbers have been the worst in years, wouldn't something with a little inspirational be uplifting? The Chilean Miners would have been an excellent choice given this direction.

That being said, TIME could have gone a different route. How about Tony Hayward, the ex-CEO of BP. The gulf incident destroyed most wildlife in the area and nearly ruined the lives of a majority of the residence in the nearby states.

Even Steve Jobs and the iPad would have been more revolutionary then what Facebook has brought this year. The iPad has already had a huge influence on society, and easily could be changing the way people use computers in the future.

Did Zuckerberg deserve this award at some point? The success of Facebook answers this for us. Whether this was the year for it, not so sure. Maybe the folks at TIME were keeping him in their back pocket for a year when they didn't like the other choices...

PS - Has anyone seen the picture on the cover of TIME? Um, yea not so sure about that either.

Mona Lisa's Secret?

For 500 years the most famous painting in the world has also brought with it many questions. Leonardo da Vinci created the Mona Lisa, and the mystery of it followed. Who was the painting of? Where was da Vinci when he painted it? These are just a few of the questions that people have asked for years.

With the advances in technology, scientists and art historians have done much work to solve this mystery. Earlier in 2010, scientists used x-ray technology to "peel" away at the various layers of the painting. This allowed them to see how the painting was constructed in a way that was never capable prior. Nonetheless, the search for answers continues.

Recently scientists used magnifying powers to make a new discovery. Apparently they found never before seen letters and numbers in the painting. An 'L' and a 'V' were found together, as well as 'C' and 'E' and the numbers '7', '2'. The first two letters would make sense given the name of the artist. The rest just add to the mystery.

That being said, this sounds like one of those cases where a picture of Jesus is found on a piece of toast. Am I supposed to believe that 500 years after creation, it takes scientist using a magnifying tool to spot something that looks like letters? If it's too small to see with the naked eye, how do you suppose Leonardo da Vinci was able to write something so small that he could not see for himself? (For the sake of the argument, I won't get into the history of the magnifying glass)

Think back for a moment. Have you ever looked for something so hard that you started believing you actually found it? Maybe these scientists were trying too hard to find an answer? Isn't it more reasonable that there are coincidental brush strokes? Those who made the discovery aren't even sure if the 'E' they found is just that, or rather a 'B'.

To me this sounds like a fantastic publicity stunt to get people talking about the Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci. It certainly is possible that da Vinci left these hidden marks - but until I see a close up of the painting myself, I'm going to doubt the apparent findings.