Fathead 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!