Fathead Blog

By John Fontana

Pigs are flying! Well, pigskins to be more accurate. At Dove Valley, the heart of Denver Broncos Country, preparation for the season is underway and, as always, the talk isn’t just about the playoffs it’s about the Super Bowl. Despite last season’s record (7-9), expectations are high.

This year, Jay Cutler enters his third go-round as starting QB. This is the magic year coach Mike Shanahan marks as the time his quarterbacks bloom. Cutler seems poised to breakout and join the ranks of the NFL’s elite young quarterbacks. He’s also the only other Bronco’s quarterback – besides the legendary John Elway – to be available as a Fathead. Cutler has a new focus brought on by the fact that he must balance football and his diabetes that was uncovered in the off-season. I don’t see it as a distraction; it is the kind of challenge that should keep his head in the game on many different levels.

The Broncos also have no less than five running backs in camp with Shanahan looking for any combination of a star or a platoon to scratch out an average of 5 yards per carry. Given the long list of 1,000-yard carriers in Denver, following the running back derby is always interesting. The starter so far? Selvin Young (140 carries, 729 yards and a 5.2 yard per carry average in 2007), but look for veterans Michael Pittman and Andre Hall or rookies Ryan Torain and Anthony Alridge to impress Shanahan and get game day reps. If wide-out Brandon Marshall manages to dodge trouble with the league office, he should be a potent weapon for Cutler.
The Broncos need to improve the defensive line after a terrible year that saw the team 30th against the run. Help will hopefully come from the return of Ebenezer Ekuban, free agent Dewayne Robertson and two-sophomore defensive ends with something to prove, Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder. And the Bailey brothers, Boss and Champ, will hopefully find a rhythm and spark the defense.

On special teams, Jason Elam will be sorely missed, especially at the end of games – where he was consistent for years.

All in all, it’s a great time of year to be a Broncos fan (but maybe not so good a time to be a pig!).

By: Adam Van Dyke

This was supposed to be the season the Seattle Mariners turned it around. The addition of Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva to the pitching rotation seemed to be the only thing missing from a squad that was only one solid starting pitcher away from the post season last year. But as most of us know, sometimes things don’t always work out as you plan. There has been one bright spot on the Mariners roster this season. Just as he has done since he arrived in the big leagues, Ichiro continues to hit and display howitzer-type arm-strength in the outfield.

Considering what the Mariner’s brass shelled out for some players (who will go unmentioned) during the last few years in Seattle, Ichiro’s 17 million dollar a year salary seems like a bargain. All the guy does is hit over .300, win gold gloves, and scare opposing base runners whenever they are fortunate enough to reach base against the Mariner’s pitching staff (which has been often this year). To date, Ichiro has won an AL MVP, was named the AL Rookie of the Year, picked up a Silver Slugger award, and oh yeah, toss in a Gold Glove every year since 2001, his first in the Bigs. He also broke George Sisler’s “untouchable” single-season hit record in 2004 on his way to batting .372.

Many people don’t pay a lot of attention to Ichiro because he plays in Seattle and the Mariners have only been to the post season once since his first year with the team. But don’t overlook what he does in the field. He may only stand 5’11” and weigh 172 pounds, but he stands toe-to-toe with the best defensive outfielders of the past decade. Playing both right and center field, Ichiro has compiled a .996 fielding percentage while piling up 72 outfield assists and only 16 errors since 2001.

His accomplishments are nothing short of amazing and he should be given great credit for his focus on doing everything he can to help his team win despite its struggles this season. When things go as awry as they have for the Mariners this season, it isn’t uncommon for players to point fingers and lose sight of the ultimate goal: respecting the game and winning ballgames. Ichiro has demonstrated true professionalism during this season and don’t be surprised if this career .331 hitter raises his average even more before the season is done and adds his consecutive years with 200 or more hits to eight. Throw in another Gold Glove at the end of the season and what do you get? Just another typical year for Ichiro.

By Apryl DeLancey

I came home today to find my Dodgers Logo Fathead had finally arrived. Talk about excited, I couldn’t wait to open it up and see what it looked like! Out of the box, it came in a tube that protected it from getting damaged. Nice. I took it out and unrolled it on the floor. I was pretty happy since it looked just as I had pictured – real, big, and…well…it’s very cool. Okay, now what? Where was I going to put the new “toy?” Well, I decided to put it on the wall in my “office” area of the house near my computer desk since most of my other Dodgers memorabilia was already there. Yeah, it would work well there.

I found the “how to” video online at the Fathead website and simply followed the instructions. Really. It isn’t that difficult. The instructions come with it as well; I just wanted to see how it worked visually. I wiped down the wall it was going to be on, got someone to help me put it up in place, and smoothed it out. Simple. The whole operation took under about 15 minutes from start to finish. The result looks great if I do say so myself. Everyone who has seen it has also told me that it looks really cool on the wall. Not too gaudy, just the right amount of fandom for my office area. It’s a great addition to my collection for sure.

In fact, it looks better than the team does right now. Sure, the Dodgers are back and forth behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West. However, it seems like they do this every single year. One day they are in first place and the next they’re two games back! When will the Dodgers make it to the World Series again? Los Angeles fans deserve it. We’ll see how this year pans out. At least my new Fathead looks good!

By Apryl DeLancey

Baseball is finally getting back into the “swing” of things after the All-Star Break. Yeah, that was one loooooong game! The historic match was the last to be played in the old Yankee Stadium and lasted a whopping four hours and fifty minutes. The American League eventually pulled it out with a 4-3 victory.

Fathead favorites in the All-Star Game included Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, David Ortiz, Grady Sizemore, Ichiro Suzuki, and Manny Ramirez. The temperature at the start of the game was a summertime 82 degrees and, for a while there, it looked like the Fathead crew was ready to heat things up even more. Sizemore managed a single and then stole second base (he was also in that exciting Home Run Derby).

The first four innings of the game were scoreless and the National League drew first blood with one run in the 5th and another in the 6th. The AL put up two runs in the 7th and each side scored one in the 9th. The game remained deadlocked until the 14th inning, when the AL was able to close out the contest. Overall, it was a contest that brought out the best in pitching and kept fans interested…if they liked long baseball games!

There was much chatter during the week about the relevance of the All-Star game. On one hand, the winner of the game gets home field advantage in the World Series for their division. Some don’t think this is very meaningful, especially since players run the risk of an injury in a game that does not directly affect their team outcome. Is the game worth it? Many enjoy the break but others find it to be a waste of time. What do you think? Is the All-Star Game really necessary?

BY JD BUTTERS

Well, the Oscars of the sporting world, the Espys, came off last Friday night in LA. In the galaxy of the Espys, the worlds of entertainment and sports collide in a manner that isn’t duplicated at any other event. For us residents of LA, it brings in athletes from all corners of the sports world. In fact, I ran into Greg Oden at the mall on Saturday! Of course, for once in my life, I didn’t have my camera on me. But I digress. Like many of the Oscar pundits and analysts who watch with pen and pad in hand, I thought I would do the same, and give my analysis of this year’s broadcast. Check it out – be sure to write in and let me know what YOUR favorite moments of this year’s excellent show were!

9:05 – Already, I can tell Justin Timberlake is going to do an excellent job. JT is the entertainment equivalent of a five-tool player, and he handled his opening remarks with aplomb, showing excellent comedic timing. And for all you chumps who’ll say some junk like “you lose your man privileges for fawning over JT like that,” I will simply say, game recognizes game.

9:10 – OK, what in tarnation is Danica Patrick WEARING?? I don’t even know what to describe it as! Is it a onesy? Is it a pantsuit with shorts? Beach wear?

9:33 – I don’t know if it’s purposeful, but Greg Oden is really getting a lot of mileage, and some good imaging, out of what appears to be a good sense of humor and a fun-loving, self-deprecating attitude. Look for him to help fill that gap when Shaq retires. Without the rapping, hopefully.

9:49 – Wow, Posh can actually crease that dour mug of hers into a smile. FASCINATING! How did a cat that seems as cool as Becks end up with THIS Cruella DeVille?

9:52 – I don’t care if she deserves to win for Best Breakthrough Athlete, but I hope she does just so I can see more Ana Ivanovic!

9:53 – DAMN that Adrian Peterson!!!

9:54 – OK, this Host Auditions Part I with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly is one of the funniest things I’ve seen this year. Their list of demands is both ridiculous and sublime!

10:02 – Steve Nash is super dapper in his grey 3-pc. suit. He’d BETTER be dapper, with that hair.

10:12 – John Carlos and Tommie Smith winning the Arthur Ashe Courage Award was one of those great moments that demonstrates how sports can transcend sport.

10:31 – I don’t know if he’s gonna win for Best Play, but Rick Nash looked like Harry Houdini on this goal. That was the hockey equivalent of breaking someone’s ankles!!

10:32 – From the look on his face, Nash was expecting to win.

10:33 – Wow, Eli Manning was actually glib during the acceptance speech. In other news, the forecast in hell is calling for heavy snow.

10:38 – OK, Host Auditions Part II are, again, HIGH-larious. I mean, who would have ever thought we would hear Joba Chamberlain sing Luther. And Greg Oden’s stone-faced “people tell me I’m hilarious. I’m like ‘yeah. . . .cool” is the comedic highlight of the entire broadcast.

11:18 – How weird. Just like the last Sopranos episode, my TV cut out right before they announced the winner of the Best Team award. Probably wasn’t anybody good anyway.