The REAL. BIG. Blog

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on winning their 27th World Series title. The exhausting MLB season has finally come to a close, along with the best time of the year for sports…

October and November are some of the most exciting months for sports fans. It is the only time of the year that all 4 major sports are on at the same time.

The MLB Playoffs are nearing the end, where every pitch, every catch and every move matters. This year in the playoff you had two of the more storied franchises in all of sports with the Yankees and Dodgers. Let’s not forget the Red Sox and Cardinals who have both won a World Series title in the past 3 years. And then there are the two most consistent teams in baseball: the Twins and Angels. Year after year, those two teams always seem to be near, or at the top of their respected divisions. After starting 19-28 and firing their head coach, the Rockies came back and made another impressive run to the postseason.

The NFL is in full swing with intriguing story lines, bone-crushing hits and highlight reel plays. There are always surprises with the NFL. Who would have thought that at age 40, Brett Favre would be playing as well as he is… who would have thought that in week 9 we would still have two undefeated teams (Indianapolis and New Orleans both 7-0)… Who would have thought that the Wildcat would make defensive coordinators cringe… From the Ram’s, Lion’s and Buccaneers to the Saints, Colts and Vikings, Sunday’s are days where you can always find excitement with any team.

The NBA season tips off. A clean slate for every team. The Clippers look to spring forward with Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry looks to show off his sweet shot at the professional level, and the rest of the NBA Rookies look to make their mark on the league. This is a league full of superstars. From LeBron and Kobe to Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, each player brings a different dynamic to the court that can only be classified as incredible.

And finally, the puck drops in the NHL. After a come from behind win against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins are looking for the first repeat since the Red Wings went back to back in ‘97 and ‘98. With all the free agent moves and offseason trades, the tides may be turning for some teams in the NHL.

Of course, I cannot forget College football. Every sports fan has a favorite NCAA team. With tailgaiting, face painting, BCS discussions, conference title hopes, stadiums with 100,000+ people, and bowl games… College football definitely demonstrates the true passion of fans and athletes.

Ah yes, it really is a great time of year!

We’re a pretty deeply engaged bunch of folks here at Fathead by which I mean we don’t just live with our products at work, we go home to them. Which we think is perfectly normal. In fact, we wonder what it would be like not to. Which brings up a point – you. Do you go home to your Fathead? If not, why not?

Well, it occurs to us that maybe you just haven’t found the right Fathead for your home. That’s why we’ve been busting our butts here the last few months creating more and more product for you. Seriously, have you checked out the huge new lineup of MLB players, team logos and classic logos? What about all the new NHL stuff – no excuses now, every team’s being represented. And MLS too – every team. And the NBA? Well, if you were waiting for that 80’s look Cavs logo, Brandon Roy, or Ray Allen to complete your Boston Three Party, look no more. Only you should, because in addition to all that, there are about 100 other new images.

Which brings me back to the Fathead home. Not everyone’s a sports nut. We’ve known that for a long time. That’s why we offer Disney, Marvel, DC, and other great entertainment products. But lately, we’re thinking maybe you just want something you can use to decorate – like animals and general sports graphics. We’ve got Dolphins and Frogs, Turtles and Snow Leopards. Just want some sports themed graphics like a collection of player silhouettes or sports balls? We’ve got it. Maybe we haven’t always made the point strongly enough but Fathead is an awesome home decorating solution.

Look at your options. You can paint; that means a lot of time, a lot of money and it smells. You can wallpaper; messy, time-consuming, pretty difficult even if you’ve done it before, and generally expensive. There are posters; you have to use tape (tacky) or tacks (ugly, and they damage the wall), plus posters are always getting beat up and looking pretty shoddy in no time. Of course you can do nothing, which is pretty boring and basically says you have no imagination whatsoever.

And then there’s Fathead. Hundreds and hundreds of images to choose from. Very affordable, especially when you compare it to wallpaper or paint. Takes about five minutes to put up – get a friend though because a Fathead is HUGE! You’ll probably spend more time figuring out where to put all the free extra images that come with the main image than you will putting up the big one. And here’s the kicker – you can move a Fathead and reuse it. You’re not stuck with one look.  And when you move it you don’t have to worry about the holes that the tacks or nails left behind, or the paint that the tape took off. If you live in an apartment this is a major advantage – no worries about getting charged for repairs plus you can take the Fathead with you when you move.

So, I’m just saying, we’re working really hard to get you the Fathead that works in your home because we think (and we’re right) that Fathead is an amazing decorating solution. If you still haven’t found the Fathead that works for you, just tell us – a lot of what you see at www.fathead.com was created because someone like you told us you wanted it.

We know the Celtics made it past the Bulls in round one of the NBA playoffs but they had to play as many overtimes as games to do it – seven games, seven overtimes. Are the Bulls rising or did the Celtics just find out what it takes to win without Kevin Garnett? Speaking of Garnett, word is that the Orlando Magic have been watching film of KG as they prepare for their series with the Celtics. Well, when you have an extra day or two, why not. On the other hand it’s not like Garnett is going to walk onto the court one day and everybody’s going to wonder “who’s that?” Orlando lost both games against Boston in the regular season with Garnett in the lineup. They won both when he was out or playing limited minutes. So the question is, do we see another seven game series with multiple overtimes in this next round between the Magic and the Celtics? I mean, overtime is pretty cool and admit it – wouldn’t you rather have your team win a close one in triple overtime than be 20 points ahead at the end of the first quarter and coast to a 10 point win. And what about that twofer we got yesterday when the Red Wing and Ducks played what amounted to two games worth of hockey in a single afternoon!

So two questions for you today: 1) Will the Magic and Celtics go the full seven games, and 2) What’s the greatest overtime game you remember? Fathead wants to know.

With all the new products we’ve been putting up at Fathead, everything from NBA and MLB Classic Logos, to new NHL, MLB and NBA Players, to Xeko Animals, you may not have noticed that we now have a full complement of MLS Logos.  If you follow soccer then you know that MLS stands for Major League Soccer. If you don’t follow it, you should. Why? Not because it’s the most popular sport in the world. That would be easy. MLS is great because of what it represents for sports in America – an opportunity. Isn’t that what every American kid hopes for – a chance?

America keeps giving soccer a chance and I’m confident we’re going to get it right. It’s not something we can just tune in for every few years during the World Cup or sneak a peek at on Entertainment Tonight because they’re talking about David Beckham. We have thousands of kids playing soccer in this country and we have fifteen teams now in the MLS; the latest, the Seattle Sounders, has fans in that city turning up in droves. There are great players, great teams and great fans of soccer in America right now.

So I challenge you. Give soccer a chance. Give MLS a chance. And, if you have a story about your love for soccer or your experience with MLS, share it with us.

Dear Detroit Tigers,

After months and months of cold winter, spring has finally arrived, and, with it, the start of the baseball season.  I’ve been earnestly waiting for this moment—following every offseason move, scouring last season’s stats, and planning my entire summer, including weddings, baptisms, and funerals, around your schedule.  I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to be alive, and I just thought you should know that.

I’m not sure how to properly say this without making you feel awkward, so I’m just going to be blunt:  I think I’m in love with you.  I think about you all the time.  When you’re on the TV, I can’t take my eyes off of you; when you’re not on the TV, I wish you were.  You complete me.  You make me want to be a better man.  I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling in my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.

I know I haven’t always been perfect.  There have been other teams—I’ll admit that.  The Pistons, the Lions, the Red Wings.  And these teams will always hold a special place in my heart.  But I’m ready to dedicate myself to you, or at least I will be after the NBA and NHL playoffs are done.

And let’s face it, you haven’t been perfect either.  Remember last season?  Remember in March how you offered the promise of a great season and how you completely reneged?  Have you forgotten how much love I showed you, and how you reciprocated with one of the most disappointing seasons in the history of baseball?

I haven’t forgotten.  The final tally of 74-88 is burned into my brain and probably will be forever.  But I’m willing to look past it.  Let’s let bygones be bygones and focus on our relationship moving forward.  I’ll focus on being a better fan for you, and you can focus on being a better team for me, and we can make this work.  After all, love means never having to say you’re sorry.

Tonight, I’m moving my Tigers logo Fathead into the center of my rec room.  I’m taking down all of the silly sports posters and concentrating my fan efforts on you.  I’m ready to give you all I’ve got, and I hope you’re ready to do the same.  Let’s forget about the 0-2 start and focus on us.  We’re too right for each other to let this slip away.

Forever yours,

Jake

P.S.  We’ll always have ’84.

Good morning fellow bloggers,

Today starts another great week and another great deal! Free ground shipping on all REAL. BIG. wall graphics. Use code: SHIPBIG during check out.

As always, we are adding a bunch of new products to the site. Here are just a handful of new images you can find this week: San Jose Sharks Logo, Arizona State Logo, UCLA Basketball Logo, Louisville Basketball Logo, Michigan State Basketball Logo  and many more…

Happy Shopping!

By Matthew Martz

Reminiscent of the Florida Central Voter File that spawned controversy surrounding the US presidential elections in 2000, and hockey scrub Rory Fitzpatrick finishing 3rd among defensemen during a grass roots movement to get him into the 2007 All-Star game. The NHL is looking into voting irregularities in this year’s all-star voting process. It seems that some Canadiens hockey fans were not being honest. Really?

Apparently a scheme by Montreal Canadiens fans to flood the NHL All-Star Game ballot box with artificial votes was uncovered, in which a computer script augmented vote totals for Alexei Kovalev, Saku Koivu, Alex Tanguay, Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek and Carey Price. Les Robots du Montreal.

By Shawn Lucas

I was very surprised this week when reading a small article in “The Hockey News.”
Being a lifelong hockey fan, I was completely shocked when reading the names of the top ten active leaders in career points - not so much by the names as  their nationalities….

The NHL has traditionally been dominated by Canadians.  In 2007-08, more than half (52%) of all NHL players were from Canada.  The top ranks of the NHL, though still full of Canadians, is no longer a league dominated by players from The Great White North.

Today’s domination comes from stars such as Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin, Washington’s Alex tandem of Semin and Ovechkin and who can overlook what has been the strongest team of the last decade, the Detroit Red Wings, whose team boasts the likes of Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Marian Hossa and the league’s best defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom?

The future of hockey definitely looks bright on the global stafe.  On the list of active NHL leaders in career points, there are only 3 Canadians - while the USA is represented 4 times, the most of any country on the list.  There are a few developments that could re-define the list this year.

If Brendan Shanahan, 1340 (CAN) or Mats Sundin, 1321 (SWE) can catch on with a team, then each would bump someone off the list.  As they are not currently active, here is the list of active players and their respective nationalities

1.    Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche, 1641 (CAN)
2.    Mark Recchi, Tampa Bay Lightning, 1393 (CAN)
3.    Mike Modano, Dallas Stars, 1294 (USA)
4.    Jeremy Roenick, San Jose Sharks, 1207 (USA)
5.    Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks, 1176, (FIN)
6.    Sergei Fedorov, Washington Capitals, 1155, (RUS)
7.    Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina Hurricanes, 1127 (CAN)
8.    Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis Blues, 996 (USA)
9.    Doug Weight, N.Y. Islanders, 985 (USA)
10.    Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings, 950 (SWE)

By Apryl DeLancey

Aah…the start of the NBA season.  Depending on who you listen to, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to take the title or the Boston Celtics will repeat.  I’m personally pulling for the first scenario.  Of course, I’m an extremely biased Los Angeles native.  I’m still not over the Lakers playing like absolute dirt against the aforementioned Celtics in the finals last year.  I mean seriously, it seemed like Kobe Bryant only played on half a tank of fuel at times.  Eh, que sera sera…I just can’t get too worked up by the games so far.  Yes, the Lakers are atop the West and the Celtics are atop the East.  There are still MANY months of basketball to be played so I will reserve judgment on who will be the champs until I see more.  Heck, who knows… maybe the Clippers could pull something out.  Then again, maybe the St. Louis Rams will miraculously make the NFL playoffs this year and the Los Angeles Kings will be NHL champs.  Yeah, I know…fairy tales.

Speaking of the Clippers, they have this very nice facility just down the street from me here in the LAX/Marina Del Rey area.  What is interesting is that this is not too far from the Lakers complex in El Segundo.  For those of you not privy to the Los Angeles layout, both of these are close to LAX and pretty far from the Staples Center downtown where they play.  So my question is this – did the Clippers move closer to the coast and airport to be closer to the Lakers and therefore maybe getting some of their good mojo to rub off on them?  Or do they just want to be closer to the wonderful breezes of the Pacific Ocean?  Regardless, the new practice facility for the Clippers is modern and has a ticker on the outside so that you can catch up on team news.  Maybe I’ll start seeing them around lunchtime like I do certain Lakers members.  Yeah, I really do see Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Luke Walton every now and then at the local lunch or coffee spot.  In fact, Luke and his brother have a little restaurant nearby.  I know – I’ve got a rough life.

Speaking of interesting NBA possibilities, it appears that everyone’s favorite Maverick, owner that is, is facing a heavy accusation of insider trading.  As we know from the whole Martha Stewart incident, this is not something that the powers that be tolerate with much empathy.  This story is at its preliminary stages so there isn’t a reason to jump to conclusions yet.  Even Mark Cuban deserves a fair shake.  How sad would it be to just have this turn out to be a witch hunt of sorts.  It is no secret that he has rubbed some the wrong way but this is not a reason to assume his guilt so early.  Let’s be civil, folks.

Who are you watching this NBA season?

By Shawn Lucas

The biggest development of the NHL year so far is the New Jersey Devils losing Martin Brodeur to injury.  He is out for 3-4 months after having surgery to repair a torn distal bicep tendon in his left elbow.  For a team that has relied on him to play an average of 73 games a year for the last 12 hockey seasons, this comes as a major blow.

As far as MVPs go team-wise, there doesn’t seem to be any greater in recent memory than Brodeur to the Devils.  The Devils are a team that have consistently relied on their suffocating defense and the one consistent catalyst for that has always been Brodeur. Despite the loss of Hall of Famers like Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens over the last decade, the Devils have competed for the top spot in their division and conference nearly every year.

A future Hall of Famer himself, Brodeur’s many accomplishments include include being a 4-time Vezina winner as the league’s most outstanding goalie, a 4-time winner of the William M. Jennings trophy (awarded to the goaltender of the team with the fewest goals scored against) and posting lifetime averages of 2.20 GAA and .914 save percentage.  That’s a resume most players would love to call their own.

This year began with the expectation that Brodeur would break both Terry Sawchuk’s all-time shutout record, as well as Patrick Roy’s all-time win record.  Getting injured ten games into the season, Brodeur was forced to put his goals on hold.  Left to hold the fort in his place?  Journeymen Kevin Weekes and Scott Clemmensen, who share a combined career win-loss record of 107-168.  The more experienced of the two is Weekes with a top season record of  14-14 in 2005-06 with the New York Rangers.  

With 68 games left to play this season, the Devils new goaltending tandem is tasked with helping the team register an additional 76 points.  They currently stand tied for 8th place with 16 points (7-5-2) and the logical cut-off to make the post-season is 92 points, based on the last 4 years final Eastern Conference standings from NHL.com.  

The Devils cannot be expected to pick up the slack offensively as they have never been an offensive team and currently have only 1 player in double digits for points, Zach Parise (11G, 16P).  Their defense corps cannot be compared to years past either, as it has gone from the future Hall of Fame members mentioned above, to the current likes of John Oduya (21:27 per game, 6P, +7) and Bryce Salvador (-5 on the season, -20 for his career).  

Without a major move from GM Lou Lamoriello or a strong push by their current roster, it seems as though this will be only the second time since Brodeur began his career with the Devils 15 seasons ago, that they will miss the playoffs.  If, however, Weekes and Clemmensen can keep the Devils in the hunt until late February when Brodeur is expected to return, we will definitely have our front runners for the Hart Memorial Trophy (the player adjudged most valuable to his team).