The REAL. BIG. Blog

By Patrick Tucker

I’ve been a Dallas Cowboys fan since the days of Tony Dorsett (#33) and Roger Staubach (#12) and when I see or talk about the Cowboys it is with the memories and pride of those teams coached by Tom Landry. Oh sure I am proud of a lot of things the team has accomplished since then but when I think Cowboys it’s the image of Landry with his hat on, standing stoic and proud, that comes to mind.

When I was in grade school I used to wear everything Cowboys, hat, shoes, jeans, underwear, every stitch, every where, full regalia. So when I saw that FatHead made a huge Dallas Cowboys helmet I knew I had found something big enough to match my life longtime pride and enthusiasm. I ordered mine as fast as I could. I was a little worried they would sell out because after all we are talking “America’s Team” here!

So I put in my order and waited, but not for long, still too long for me, shoot over night would have been too long for me. No I couldn’t wait to see it, put it up, and call some old school friends (mostly longtime Steelers fans) and say, “CHECK IT OUT”! And after I popped in my VHS tape of the 1996 Super B

Fathead Dallas Cowboys Logo

Now I am not he richest guy out of my friends but I pride myself on searching out and finding the best bang for my buck when it comes to sports memorabilia and collectibles. And when I saw their faces I knew I had done just that. The only thing bigger than my pride and Fathead that day was their envy.

But I think it will be my envy for FatHead that will get the better of me very soon. I went to the Walmart last week and bought a box of 2008 Topps Baseball cards and before I bust open a whole box I always look at the insert possibilities and odds on the back of the first pack. And lo and behold it says there are odds of winning FatHead graphics and insert offers. I’ve collected baseball cards for over 20 years so I don’t really need an excuse to buy them. But now that FatHead and Topps have teamed up I have a real big reason, namely winning anything Manny Ramirez (#99) in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.

By Apryl DeLancey

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony were the Fathead favorites that helped lead the Men’s USA Basketball Team to Olympic gold against Spain. This was a particularly rewarding victory since the US had to settle for bronze at the last Olympics in Athens. LeBron James would no longer have to hear the taunts of “LeBronze” but could relish in the title King James once again.

Although Team USA got a real run for their money against Spain in the gold medal game, they were able to pull off the victory. Post-game interviews with Kobe and LeBron confirmed that they never believed that the team would be a pushover in spite of their domination (by 37 points) over them in earlier pool play. Spain was able to pull within 2 points on several occasions late in the game. Kobe also mentioned that this victory was sweeter than any championship. Sure, Kobe, that’s easy for you to say…we still would have liked to see you accomplish BOTH this year here in Los Angeles! I won’t complain though, it was a great game that kept you on the edge of your seat.

Fathead favorites Dwayne Wade scored 27 points and Kobe Bryant put up 20 in the victory. In fact, Kobe seemed to really come alive toward the end and had a hand in many of the 4th quarter scoring. He was a man on a mission, indeed and had a 4-point play with just over 3 minutes remaining. Focused, he put a finger to his mouth as if to say, “Alright, we’ve got them where we want them but let’s wait to celebrate”. Wade sank a 3 with time waning down under two minutes to make the score 111-104. Spain caught some technical fouls and Team USA could finally celebrate with 26 seconds left on the clock. Kobe started the party by dumping his bottled water over Coach K’s head, proving to the world that it really isn’t plastic. Final score, 118-107.

By: John Fontana

Last year we had Rocktober, the Colorado Rockies’ improbable run to the World Series.  I live about 3 miles east of Coors Field and the Rockies were so hot I could see the glow on the night horizon. Thankfully, we have the Democratic National Convention in Denver this year because the Rockies won’t be providing any fall fireworks this post season.

The Rockies, now 12 games under .500, are a glass half full team at the moment.
Why? Because they didn’t have a trade deadline fire sale forcing them to unload players such as outfielder Matt Holliday and pitchers Brain Fuentes. Because they nurtured shortstop Troy Tulowitzki through his tough times this season knowing he’s on stardom’s doorstep.  The team could have easily imploded the whole sinking ship, waited to see what floated back to shore and started over.

They didn’t, and even though fans will have to wait another year to see results, a glimpse of the future was visible just the other day. On Aug 17, the Rockies pulled off a victory with its key players doing things they don’t normally do. The team spanked the Nationals 7-2, getting all their runs via home runs but getting no hits (0-for-13) from three of their best batters – Clint Barmes (.288), Matt “Make-me-a-Fathead” Holliday (.339) and Garrett Atkins (.300). But the trio didn’t take the night off. Barmes turned two nifty plays including one to save a run, Holliday made two defensive gems - one racing toward the wall and one racing toward the infield to snag a pop-up.  Atkins twice protected the right field line, robbing hitters of not only extra bases but any base at all.

Defense ruled the night and guys who couldn’t get it going on the offensive end still kept their focus on defense. That sounds like a maturing bunch of youngsters to me. The win gave the Rockies a sweep of the series and nine wins in their last 13 road games. And it also gave fans the hope that, next year, a young talented team that knows how to weather adversity and scratch out wins will take the field every game.

Besides a new humidor, what more could you ask for?

By Patrick Tucker

I moved to Chicago 8 years ago and love how there are 3 fantastic venues for Major League Baseball so close. I’ve seen the White Sox, Cubs and Brewers numerous times since then and have to say the Brewers are the best show all around, especially right now. Miller Park is a fantastic venue and the organization has followed that up with a competitive team 2 years in a row now.

I’ve gone to about 8 games since Miller Parked opened. Most recently, I went to see the Brewers take on the Washington Nationals on Monday August 11th, at 1:05 PM. I picked this date because I was taking a recent heart transplant recipient friend of mine and I thought this game would be perfect for available walk up seats because of low attendance. I was wrong!

The Brewers are hot!  In the past, it has taken me just as long to drive to Miller Park in Milwaukee as it has to fight Chicago traffic to see the Cubs or Sox. But this time I was 20 minutes late and was walking up to the stadium when Rickie Weeks homered in the first. That’s not so bad though because one thing I appreciate about Miller Park is how they built a true scenic nature park around it. As you walk up to the stadium you cross over a trout stream. No kidding! I’ve actually seen people there wading and fly fishing during the game.

Something else I didn’t expect to see were ticket hawkers on the walk up. As I past by one he spoke up and said, “You’re gonna be standin”. I didn’t really understand what he said until I got to the ticket window. As a get well present for my friend I was going to buy us the 2 best seats available. And I did. STANDING ROOM! I couldn’t believe it. That turned out to be not such a big deal because we were able to find empty seat here and there, plus some standing room is almost on field level.

There were 42,000+ people there that day and we all got our moneys worth.  Prince Fielder made the Nationals pay no matter what they threw his way.   This was the final game in a 4 game series and if Milwaukee wanted to join baseball’s elite, they had to win. And they did 7-1.

The Brewers fans were more excited than I’ve ever seen them. They’re seeing an organization as a whole get it right: beautiful park, exciting team, great crowds, awesome. I have plans to go see the Brewers take on the Mets, Wednesday, September 3rd at 1:05 pm. I also have plans to buy more tickets.

Miller Park is also a great family venue. It’s clean, built to be roomy with plenty of bathrooms and fun activities to do all over the place. A good example of how Miller Park’s management is getting it right is that they moved the Kid’s Zone, with several baseball skills related activities, down to the first level in right field instead of having it hidden away up on the 2nd level corner. Also there is a special kid’s refreshments area on the 2nd floor where hot dogs are only $1. You can’t beat that!

Its been about 8 years since the Milwaukee Brewers organization opened Miller Park and, with a winning product on the field, they are finally getting it right. Real big BRAVO to them!

By Steven Haar

It’s the middle of August and the Atlanta Braves are 12 games out of first in their division. 14.5 game back from the lead for the wild card. The season is looking like a disappointment for fans. The Braves were once a dominating force in the division. Year after year the team took the pennant. However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The Braves have been “rebuilding” now since the end of their 14-year division champion streak. At the start of the season, there was some hope that this year’s team could reach the pinnacle of their division again.  So what has happened to bring the team to their current position?

Injuries. Fans have been hearing about them all season long.  The pitching roster is missing all the big names that gave fan’s hope at the beginning of the season. Smoltz, Hudson and Glavine are all on the IR. Fan-favorite Chipper Jones has also been on and off the IR this year, much like years past. The injury bug is one the Braves can’t seem to shake. The rash of injuries to star players may just be attributed to the aging roster. Smoltz and Glavine are both over 40, Jones and Hudson in their mid 30’s. Meanwhile the young stars, McCann and Francoeur have yet to see the IR this season.

Even though the Braves have not reclaimed the division banner in the last few seasons, they still draw legions of loyal fans to every game.   “America’s Team,” as they were once called, averages over 31,000 fans a game. The Braves fill the stands with tommahawk choppin’ fans night in and night out. Fans who come to see the hometown favorite Francoeur belt another homer or to cheer as long time manager Bobby Cox storms out of the dugout to argue a call and be ejected from another game.

No matter what, we the fans are here to stay.  Still, it would be nice if the Braves got back on track and rebuilt their rock solid franchise that we all remember from the ’90s!

By John Fontana

The Olympics are timeless. My daughter was in awe during the opening ceremonies and stayed up late to watch the parade of champions; yelling out the names of the U.S. Olympians she recognized. But it will be the new names she learns this week that captivate her and make her an Olympic fan for life.

During swimmer Michael Phelps’s first race to gold in the 400 IM, I could hear her and my son downstairs jumping up and down as Phelps pushed to the wall. You would have thought the ice cream truck had broken down in front of the house with a sign stuck to the side that read: “Free – Today only!”

The Games have that powerful draw and they always will. And who can get that Olympic music out of there head for the next few weeks, including “Bugler’s Dream.” (It starts out with the slow rolling drums). I fondly remember some of the athletes I have seen through the years performing in the Olympic Games, sometimes in sports about which I knew little. Colorado local Frank Shorter winning the marathon in 1972 in Munich. Zola Budd running barefoot during the 300 meter final in 1984 and bumping with American Mary Decker who fell into the infield, unable to finish with an injured hip. Bulgarian weightlifter Naim Suleimanov, better known as Pocket Hercules, who won his third consecutive gold medal in Atlanta, and was the second man ever to clean and jerk three times his body weight. Only six others have matched the feat of the 4-foot-11 mighty mite.

In 1976, boxing was king with perhaps the greatest U.S. boxing team of all time that featured among others Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks and his brother Leon, with his missing front teeth. On the other side of the ring, I remember Teofilo Stevenson, a heavyweight bruiser from Cuba who beat American “Big John” Tate in the semis with a knockout in the first round. Tate went on to be the WBA heavyweight champion for a year from 1979 to 1980, but Stevenson went home with gold.

And there were countless others: gymnasts Olga Korbut (Russia, 1972), Romania’s Nadia Comenci (1976), the first gymnast to post a perfect score of 10 on her way to seven gold medals, and American gold-winner Mary Lou Retton, who also earned a 10, and her million-dollar smile in 1984.

Track and field stars Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner, Edwin Moses, Bruce Jenner, Michael Johnson, Sebastian Coe and high-jumper Dwight Stones.

Diver Greg Louganis, who overcame problems with dyslexia and stuttering as a child to win gold medals in 1984 and 1988, when he hit his head on the diving board during the early rounds and then bounced back to win.

Swimmers Janet Evans (gold: 1998, 1992), Tracy Caulkins (gold: 1984), and Colorado native Amy Van Dyken, who in 1996 became the first woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

There was also Russian weightlifter Vasili Alexeyev who won gold in 1976 and was the first athlete I ever saw who tipped the scales at nearly 350 pounds.  As a teenager, I thought it a feat for him just to walk out into the competition area.

And I will never forget Jim McKay’s broadcast of the tragedy at the 1972 Games in Munich when 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed by a militant Palestinian group known as Black September.

This abbreviated list of names and memories only continues to grow and it is fun to watch my kids banking their own memories and stories they will revisit each Olympic year.

Who are the athletes and events you remember?

In today’s era of big money sports I was motivated to look up once again the Olympic Creed, a spirit that keeps the game in the Games:

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”

BY John Fontana

The NBA ballers. James, Wade, Anthony, Paul, Williams, Howard. It will be coming of age for these young heroes. LeBron James has already guaranteed the gold. Pressure? This is going to be good.

David Oliver. The 110-meter hurdler went to Denver East High School, just five blocks from my house and where my kids will go to high school. Hometown hurdler makes good? I’m hoping so.

Taylor Phinney. Another local favorite, the 18-year-old from Boulder, Colo., has all the genes he needs to shock the cycling world in individual pursuit on the track. His dad Davis Phinney was the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France and has a bronze from the 1984 games. His mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won gold in the women’s road race the same year. Taylor captured an elite national title in the men’s individual pursuit in his first-ever track race.

Dara Torres. The 41-year-old swimmer is nothing short of phenomenal.

Michael Phelps. I watched Mark Spitz set the pool on fire in 1972 to the tune of seven gold medals. This is the second chapter of fish gone human.

Asafa Powell. Staying in Jamaica to train for the 100-meters at a local dilapidated track. This is the stuff that makes legends and PBS documentaries.

Liu Xiang. The decorated Chinese hurdler is under the gaze of 1.3 billion countrymen counting on an Athens gold repeat. Anything short of No. 1 and he won’t be able to go home. Pressure is what creates special athletes.

Eccentric U.S. shot putter Reese Hoffa whose profile says his dream is to compete in a bear suit after being brought onto the track in a cage. Literally a massive pro wrestling fan, the 5-foot-11, 315 pound athlete once competed while wearing a mask, calling himself the “Unknown Shot Putter.” He also loves to feast on turkey legs after a win. I love quirky athletes. Turk Wendell is still my favorite MLB pitcher. Ever.
Roman Sebrle, the Czech decathlon athlete once caught a javelin in the shoulder confirming that decathletes may be the toughest of all.

Who are you watching? Why?

By Apryl DeLancey

I was in a conference call when suddenly the voices on the other end sounded in awe.  “Manny went to the Dodgers”, one of them finally said.  I immediately grabbed my cell phone to search the web…sure enough…it was true!  Funny, as I was watching the sports news that morning I asked why he or Ken Griffey Jr. didn’t come here.  After all, the Dodgers have a history of getting older players.  It’s as if Chavez Ravine is the retirement waiting room for baseball.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m very happy to have Manny here.  I’m just hoping he produces and then continues to do so.  One colleague of mine, a Diamondbacks fan, immediately informed me that the Dodgers locker room was now poisoned.  Granted, that was before they won two out of three against the D’backs over the weekend.  Manny’s performance for his inaugural weekend in Los Angeles was nothing short of awesome.  On Sunday, he had his first four hit game of the season and turned in a .615 batting average, two homers, and 5 RBIs in his 13 at-bats with the team.  The locker room is apparently happy to have him as well.  Joe Torre believes he will make the others better.  His overall stats for the year are a .310 batting average, 22 homers, 73 RBIs, and even a stolen base.  I’ll take it.  If he’s happy here, maybe he’ll even improve on those!

As for me, the Everyfan, I’m very pumped about his debut.  I really want the “good vibes” and sweet stats to continue.  I’d like to see him really perform for the year and then stay for a few more.

At any rate – welcome to Los Angeles, Manny!  Please don’t take the Dodgers or we the fans for granted.  We are a loyal bunch that deserves a winning team and a superstar player.  Be good to us and you’ll never hear us chant that you, um, suck.  We’ll stick by you and wear your jersey.  Stick around for a while, you’ll like it here.

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By John Tucker

Don’t count the Brewers out yet! Although the Cubs just swept them in a four game series, there’s still hope. Some teams are just tailor-made to counter their opponent’s every move. But understand this: the Milwaukee Brewers got to where they were (before the series against the Cubs) by beating teams the Cubs couldn’t top.

With Manny going to the Dodgers, I’m crossing my fingers that it’s going to be the Dodgers facing off against Milwaukee in October. I’d pay $22 standing room for that Miller Park match-up!

Yes. I said Dodgers versus Brewers in the playoffs. For that to happen, Los Angeles has to win their division and the Brewers will either have to be division champs or the wild card. And if the Brewers wind up playing the Cubs in the playoffs? Let’s just hope there isn’t a repeat of recent history.

Make no mistake, it looks grim for the Brewers at the moment - but things aren’t so bright for the Cubs either. They might be able to lose a player like Soriano for a few games, but if they lost Zambrano too?
The Brewers-Washington game is just over a week away. I still plan on being there to see a first place team. Why? Tonight, Milwaukee beat Atlanta 9-0 while the Cubs were shut out by Pittsburgh. Now what does that tell you?

By the Way: I have a new #1 on my Fathead Wish List - anything with Manny wearing the blue!