In Mourning

First of all, let me say I blame the loss on the stupid satelite which kept going out thanks to the fabulous ice storm we had last night. I missed the majority of the first half of the game but was kept updated by 1) ESPN College Gamecast and 2) text messages from Molly . MU lost to OU 38-17, despite a spectacular end-of-the-2nd-quarter touchdown and 2 point conversion, which tied the game at the half. The Tiger defense just couldn't stop the Sooner offense and our offense could get no closer to scoring than field goals. Considering that #1 Missouri and #2 West Virginia BOTH lost last night---we'll see what c-r-a-p the BCS computers spit out for bowl match-ups! It would make too much sense for the Championship to include the only unbeaten team in NCAA Division I football, the University of Hawaii....none of it ever makes sense. All I know is that I'm sad for my Tigers, but proud of their remarkable season. Hopefully one of many successful seasons to come!

There's No Place Like First

First of all let me appologize to faithful My Life with Dogs readers who I left hanging all week. Those who apparently had no access to ESPN.com or their newspaper to find out that Mizzou pulled out a fantastic victory over KU last weekend in the Border Battle. I can't explain how excited I was on Sunday to find out that my Tigers finally reached the top spot on the BCS standings as a result.

Well, here we go again! The biggest game of the season is upon us......bigger than the highly anticipated Border Battle and sure to be a remarkable game of football. And just as a disclaimer for those of you asking, "How many games can she call the biggest game of the seson?" If things go our way, you'll hear me say that just ONE more time--on the eve of the BCS Championship Game!

Tonight, my #1 ranked MU Tigers with a record of 11-1 will take on the #9 ranked University of Oklahoma Sooners with a record of 10-2 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The winner takes the Big 12 title outright. Mizzou is rumored to be the underdog (by most estimates by a mere fieldgoal) and they are battling a demon, as Oklahoma is the "1" in their beautiful 11-1 season.

I know that I'm in good company when I say that I am certainly not a fan of the BCS and how the eventual College Footbal Champion is determined. This year though I've been paying a bit more attention (don't hate the playas hate the game right?). I guess if we're stuck with the BCS, we may as well know how it's shaking out. Many of the big BCS games depend on the outcome of the MU game tonight (watch it on ABC at 7:00)--and of course the West Virginia game (which takes place at 7:45). West Virginia, ranked #2, is not expected to have any difficulty beating Pittsburgh and will then clinch their place in the Championship Game. Who their opponent will be is much less easy to predict...a Missouri victory should send the Tigers to the title game, a loss may send Ohio Sate (which many Illini fans would cheer as it would likely then see Illinois sent to the Rose Bowl). Others predict that if Mizzou loses LSU might be able to wiggle their way back in to the championship bid...Should Oklahoma win, they will go to the Orange Bowl as the Big 12 champion and who knows where that'll put my Tigers post-season. I'm confident they can pull it out tonight though. I don't think there is anything that Chase Daniel can't do. Predictions, point spreads, the what-if's...in the end they don't really mean anything--the final score does. As Swanny says, "Polls don't matter. That's why they play the game."

GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!

Bleeding Black and Gold

GO MIZZOU!!!!!

Today the Mizzou Tigers take on their conference rival the KU Jayhawks for the biggest and most important Border Battle in either school's history. Kansas, currently undefeated and ranked #2 in the BCS standings will take on my alma matter, who have only one loss and are currently ranked #4. A win today sends my Tigers to the Big 12 Championship to avenge their one loss to Oklahoma, who was nice enough to loose again last weekend making things even better for MU. With LSU's tripple over-time loss yesterday against Arkansas, a win today for Mizzou literally makes their drive for the national championship possible. Also, I would be negligent here if I didn't also thank the loyal Illini fans who read the blog for their team helping out as well by beating OSU a few weeknds ago! Despite having a house-full of Thanksgiving guests, I'll be sporting my black and gold and Emy will be proudly displaying her Mizzou pride. Tune in to the game tonight on ABC at 7pm and cheer on the Tigers! (FYI--I will be unavailable for phone calls, emails or any emergencies that would bring be away from viewing the game between 7 and 10 pm tonight--leave a message or contact Swanny). :)

In case you haven't already seen it...

Peyton Manning was on the Bob and Tom Show a couple of weeks ago, and he was talking about his time on "Saturday Night Live" back in February. This video was my favorite of the night, and still cracks me up every time I see it. Regardless of your NFL affiliation, you have to admit that Manning is a class act, and he's incredibly funny.

Speaking of... Two days 'til the official kickoff of the 2007 NFL season. Saints and Colts. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Third and short

Tuesday night the entire family trooped over to a local school to watch J-bug play flag football. The point of the games, and the league for that matter, are to teach the young 'uns how to play the game. No score is kept and the coaches are on the field with the five-player squads. It was great to see the excitement that the games instill in the kids.

Each team gets four downs to move the ball twenty yards to score a touchdown. Each player gets a chance to play each position. Before each play, the coach brings the team to a huddle, explaining the next play.


During the course of the game we saw J-bug play quarterback (here he's just thrown a pass)...


center...


Defensive lineman (good job crowding the center)...


Tight end or running back (here, he's so fast he was out of frame on the left, beating the shutter)...


and middle linebacker (diving for the flags)


Lots of hustle and fun. J-bug had the largest cheering section there, but we tried to cheer for everyone on both sides of the ball. Peanut and Missy enjoyed concessions between cheers.


A good time was had by all. And, even though no official score was kept, my tally was Green: 28, Orange: 21.