The REAL. BIG. Blog

Second Nominee, courtesy of AhaJokes.com:

Q:  What’s a tennis player’s favorite city?
A:  Volley wood.

My apologies if all the laughing caused you to wet your drawers.

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 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.

One of the coolest things about working for Fathead is that we get to see new products come together from start to finish.

After an athlete is deemed Fathead-worthy, it can be a very difficult process finding a suitable photograph. The resolution has to be amazing, the pose should reflect the athlete at his/her best, and we always want to include the athlete’s face.  I think our designers do an extraordinary job selecting the best images.

With that in mind, I present to you what I believe are the top 5 Fathead images.  Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to post your comments here.  After the overwhelming response to my last post, I’m predicting a huge reaction.  Please note:  Because we can’t do justice to the images on our blog, I didn’t want to post them here.  You’ll have to click through the links to see each image.

Number 5:  Tim Lincecum

In the heart of his wind-up, his eyes staring you down, this shot of Lincecum is great:  Exactly what the fans in the seats behind home plate see.

Number 4:  Nate Robinson

Taken from the Slam Dunk Contest, this may be our only top-view image.

Number 3:  Jonathan Toews

Right in the middle of a slap shot, and the look on his face shows how much effort he is putting into it.

Number 2:  Joe Mauer

Mask off, chasing down a ball popped foul.  You can see in his eyes exactly where that ball is.

Number 1:  LeBron James

One of our first NBA images, and still one of the best sellers:  King James about to throw it down, captured at the height of intensity in amazing high-def clarity.

You might have noticed:  Fathead is releasing classic baseball logos, and they are awesome.

If you grew up watching baseball and collecting baseball cards in the 80s and 90s as I did, you’ve got to love these. Fathead doesn’t yet have the classic Detroit Tigers logo (my personal favorite), but there quite a few great ones already on the website:

They bring you back in time, don’t they? It makes me think of old posters, t-shirts, hats, and baseball cards. It reminds me how much I loved baseball growing up.

In my opinion, the best of these ten logos is the White Sox’ and Brewers’. Just classic.

Which of these is your favorite? And which classic logo that isn’t already on the website would you like to see up for sale at Fathead.com (inside or outside of baseball)? Post your comments here, and also post them on Fathead’s image request page (http://www.fathead.com/fathead-request/). If there’s enough interest, Fathead could very well produce the one you want.

A game so simple and sweet

One that gets people on their feet.

Baseballs hit that touch the stands

Bring cheers from adoring fans.

Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, and Rays

Cardinals, Tigers, Sox, and Jays.

Many will play, a few will win

The pennant race that will soon begin.

Games will end, but memories will live

Forever in the hearts of those who give

A FATHEAD, the gift that brings passion to others,

Anybody know if Hanley and Manny are brothers?

-E. Allen Po-Excuseforapoet

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.

Wow! Promise yourself now that someday you will go to a Final Four game. I finally got a chance to do it on Saturday here in Detroit and it was awesome. Sure, sure, you think you got a better view of the action at home on your 50” mega-tube and you probably did. You got the commentary and the professional insight of the seasoned analyst.  You got the reverse-angle, close-up, slow-mo, rewind and repeat view of the action. But the action wasn’t just on the hardwood.

Over 72,000 people packed into Ford Field, the most ever for a Final Four. There were something like another 30,000 outside the stadium. With MSU only 92 miles away the chorus of “Go White! Go Green!” spilled out into the streets for blocks around. And that was before the tip-off. It’s Monday now and my ears are still ringing.

The last 15 minutes of the game, when all the Spartan fans began to think that the improbable might be possible, there was a human wave of emotion that you could physically see. It started with the in-bounds pass of either team. As the ball traveled up the court the wave would begin when a few fans down front would jump up. Each row in succession would rise until, in a matter of seconds, everyone was on their feet right up to the rafters. The last five minutes no one sat down.   

I give the UConnfans a lot of credit. They had to walk into the fires of hell on Saturday night and they stayed true to their team.  The teenage girl in front of me, sitting with her Dad in her UConn Tee, never gave up and never showed any fear.

Here at Fathead we talk about being Fathead Worthy. It’s what captures the essence of what Fathead is all about – the passion, the excellence, the memorable moments that you never want to lose.  We don’t do what we do because of the athletes and the entertainers. We do it because of the fans. After what I experienced on Saturday night in Detroit I just want to say that college hoops fans are truly Fathead worthy.

Today we released a brand new Jonas Brothers Fathead, starring all three members of the band:  Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, and Nick Jonas.  I’m not going to lie to you—it looks great.  We’ve got one hanging up on the office wall right now, and I truly understand why girls everywhere love these guys.  They’re a lot cooler than I am. 

I could never pull off these outfits.  First off, my wife has made it very clear that I’m not allowed to wear pants that tight in public.  Beyond that, I think Joe is wearing eight different colors in this shot, including purple pants and white shoes, Nick is sporting a ‘50s greaser jacket, and Kevin has complemented his suit with what looks like a pair of cowboy boots.  These looks would never work on me, but they look cool as heck on the Jonas Brothers.

Hard to believe they never made a Fathead of me.  (Actually, Fathead didn’t exist back then—we had to settle for boring sports posters and flimsy wall decals.  I’m pretty sure, however, that I wouldn’t have been high on the list, even if Fathead had been around.)

So, I’ve accepted that I’ll probably never be as cool as the Jonas Brothers.  That’s okay, because I do get to be part of a very cool company that produces amazing wall graphics of stars like the Jonas Brothers, like Derek Jeter, and like LeBron James.  And, really, what’s cooler than a Fathead?