The Lions, Thanksgiving, and Tradition

Every year, the Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving. Currently, after this years loss to the New England Patriots, the Lions are on a seven game losing streak on Thanksgiving. There has been talk among NFL analysts as to why the Lions continue to play on turkey day even when they continue to lose. As a Lions fan, the only answer I have is because it is tradition. The Lions have been playing on Thanksgiving day since the 1930's so the game is part of history. Even if the Lions are not winning the games, they have been of many peoples lives during the holiday. When I go to to my uncle's house for thanksgiving, the Lions game is always on the TV in the living room. Also, Detroit may have a losing record but they have a lot of young players so the future looks bright for the Detroit Lions.

My Thoughts on Walking Dead

Since Halloween weekend, a new show has been gaining in popularity and it is called "The Walking Dead." It is about survivors and how they deal with a zombie outbreak. I like zombie movies and have seen quite a few of them. I was surprised when AMC picked up the series because after watching every episode so far, it is pretty gory, which I don't mind. I like the main characters in the series and think they are well suited for the parts they play. To avoid spoiling episodes for people, I won't talk about certain scenes, but there are some moments that make me want to go back and watch them again because they were well done. From what I have heard, a second season has already been picked up so it looks like zombies will be on AMC for a while now. Overall, I think "The Walking Dead" is a good series and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new series to follow or something to do on a Sunday night

Boise St. Loses

It looks like Boise State will not be the Cinderella of college football and make it to the national championship game. The Broncos lost to Nevada 31-34 on Friday. Throughout the year, Boise State has had to beat everyone by practically thirty or more points to impress the BCS enough so that they might end up in the championship game. There has been debate as to whether the broncos were ranked too high because they had a weak schedule and it looks like the schedule finally caught up to them. I think, if they had gone undefeated, that the broncos deserved to be in the championship game because they were impressive in their wins and I am tired of seeing the traditional teams in the championship game year after year.

GVSU Loses in Playoffs

Grand Valley State University will not be making it back to the national championship game this year. The Lakers lost to Augustana 38-6 in the Division 2 playoffs on Saturday. Throughout the season, the lakers have shown that they can be a team that is capable of making it to the championship game and a team that is lucky to have won a couple games. Looking forward, there are some good players on the team that will learn from their experiences in the playoffs this year. With a new head coach and coaching staff, the lakers did pretty good in the first year of a new coaching era and things are certainly looking up for the GVSU football team.

My Thoughts on "Deathly Hallows Part 1"

Today I saw the first part of the final movie in the Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Having read every Harry Potter book and seeing every movie so far, I had high expectations for "Hallows" and the movie did not disappoint. One thing that I have noticed about the movies is that they have been progressively getting darker and more serious and the seventh movie continues that theme. Whether it is Dobby dying or Hermione getting tortured, the seventh movie has a very serious tone to it. There were some scenes in the movie that weren't in the book. One example being Hermione wiping her parents memories in case they were interrogated. I thought that was a touching scene showing how Harry's friends were dealing with having to run from Voldemort. Overall, I thought it was a good movie and one of the best of the saga and I would highly recommend that people go and see it.

Michigan Loses Again

Sigh, it is really difficult being a Michigan football fan these days. The Michigan Wolverines lost 37-7 to their longtime rival Ohio State on Saturday. It was the last game of the season for the Wolverines and unfortunately, it ended in a big loss. The team won seven games this year which means they will be in their first bowl game in the Rich Rod era. Now that the season is over, questions are going to arise as to when or if anyone will be fired. The defense was really bad this season so that warrants the defensive coordinator Greg Robinson being fired and with a sub par Big 10 record, Rich Rod could be fired as well. Since Rich Rod was hired, I have waited for Michigan to get back to its winning ways but now I think Michigan needs a new head coach, preferably someone who played at Michigan.

New Harry Potter Books in the Future?

Perhaps the final movie in the saga of Harry Potter won't be the last we will see of him or other characters in the books. On Oprah's show, Harry Potter Author J.K Rowling said that "I could definitely write [a book] eight or nine," after she mentioned that the characters are still in her head. With this news, massive speculation has started as to what the books could be about. There are rumors that the books could be about the adventures of Harry's children, the adventures of Harry's grandchildren or a prequels about other characters in the Harry Potter universe. As a fan of the Harry Potter series, I wouldn't mind reading any of those books. Reading about Harry's children would give us some perspective on the world of Harry Potter after he defeated Voldemort and reading a couple of prequels could give us some more background on why Harry was "the chosen one."

Wisonsin Beats Indiana 83-20

I would be really surprised if someone on Indiana's coaching staff doesn't get fired after the team lost by 63 points to a Big 10 opponent. The 83 points are the most scored ever by a Wisconsin team. Coming into the game, Wisconsin was without its star running back John Clay and they obviously didn't need him. After the game, there are going to be discussions on whether or not the Badgers run up the score on the Hoosiers. Personally, I don't think there is such a thing as running up the score. If a team doesn't play defense, it is their own fault for losing. In Indiana's case, it is their fault that they didn't play defense so Wisconsin was just doing their job on offense. Next week, Wisconsin plays Michigan and as a Michigan fan, I am worried about what Wisconsin will do to a bad Michigan defense.

Glad This Isn't Happening in the United States

This post is off topic but I though it would interest some people. Thousands of students in London are protesting because Parliament is considering tripling tuition rates. Although this does not affect anyone in the United States, it does give us some perspective about how education is handled in other countries and how at GVSU when tuition rises, we can be thankful that it doesn't get tripled. As a student myself, if I found out that the U.S. would be tripling tuition rates, I wouldn't be happy either. Although I am not the protesting type, I am sure lots of students in the United States would protest like the London students are doing if the government tried something like this.
http://video.ap.org/?f=None&pid=rfvW8x0jWWpF6iZ8OMO_hWv98DpzJXWk

Cowboys Fire Head Coach Wade Phillips

After a disappointing start to the season, the Dallas Cowboys have fired head coach Wade Phillips. Before the season started, Dallas was talking about being the first team to play in the Super Bowl in their own stadium but after a bad start and their starting quarterback getting injured, that is not going to happen. The Dallas Cowboys like to see themselves as the Yankees of the NFL but unlike the Yankees, the Cowboys have not had much success over the past decade. They keep thinking that they are like the Yankees when they really are just an average team. If they can find a good, well known head coach, they may be able to be a contender in the NFC instead of pretending that they are. For the rest of the season, Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett will be the interim head coach.

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore in Trouble with NCAA

Ashton Kutcher and his Wife Demi Moore are in trouble with the NCAA for allegedly contacting athletes at the University of Iowa. Kutcher graduated from Iowa and helps them out from time to time. It is against NCAA rules for a representative of a university to come in contact with a possible recruit and Kutcher did just that. The contact could result in athletes becoming interested in a university without giving others any thoughts which is a problem according to the NCAA. Personally, I think this is rather humorous. I am not a big fan of Kutchers, although I do watch "That 70's Show" and I think that an actor getting in trouble shows that they are not above the law even when it comes to athletics. I am looking forward to seeing if Kutcher actually gets in trouble or if he just gets a slap on the wrist.

Saw 3D Earns $10.7 Million on Friday

The 3D version of Saw earned quite a bit of money on the Friday before Halloween. The Film earned $10.7 million. Since everyone is in the mood to scare people and get scared, it is no surprise that the movie earned that much. I was never a big fan of the Saw movies and I also think that should have stopped the franchise a few movies ago. This is supposedly the last film in the series but I am skeptical about that. With Paranormal Activity 2 and Saw 3D both in theaters, it looks like people will have their choice of movie when they decide to go and see a movie that might make them jump out of their seats.

Michigan Loses Third Straight Game

The Michigan Wolverines lost their third straight game Saturday. Penn State beat the Wolverines 41-31 in a game that really wasn't that close. As I have stated before on my blog, Michigan has no defense and they showed yet again that they wouldn't be able to stop a pee-wee football team from scoring on them. The only solutions I see that can fix the Michigan football program are to fire Rich Rod or Greg Robinson. If they fire Robinson, they might be able to fix the defense which could save the head coach's job. If they fire Rich Rod, they would have to go through an extensive search to find the next coach and the program could suffer for a few more years. Personally, I think that if the defense is fixed, a lot of the problems will go away because the offense is explosive enough to win games.

Michigan Tech Beats GVSU 20-17

The GVSU football team lost their first game of the season on Saturday. Michigan Tech beat them by a score of 20-17 in a match up of GLIAC teams. The GVSU football team has looked like a championship contender against certain teams and they were lucky to beat some teams. The GVSU team has been erratic and it finally caught up to them. I think that the team will be motivated by the loss and win the rest of their games this season. The question is how this loss will affect the playoff chances for GVSU. If other teams in the GLIAC continue to play well, GVSU might have a hard time making it to the playoffs. I do think they will make the playoffs, it will just be a little harder to get in now.

http://www.gvsulakers.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/103010aaa.html

The 2010 World Series Matchup

It looks like the 2010 World Series will be a battle between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants. The Rangers beat the New York Yankees in six games to advance to their first World Series in franchise history. They won every game by 5 or more runs so they basically dominated the series. I am not a big Yankee fan so I was glad they lost. San Francisco defeated the Philadelphia Phillies to advance to their first World Series since 2002. The Phillies have been to the last two World Series so the Giants had their hands full but they pulled out the win in the series. The World Series will be a match up of two good teams that many did not think would make it far in the playoffs. I think the Rangers will win on the strength of their starting pitching and because they have Cliff Lee, who I think does not know how to lose post season games.

Paranormal Activity 2 is No. 1

As Halloween gets closer, the scary movies hit theaters. One such Movie, "Paranormal Activity 2" led the Box Office on Friday with $20.1 million earned. As a person who likes scary movies (or at least some of them), I would like to see this one, but as a busy college student, I don't see that happening. I think the people behind the movie are trying to scare the people that watch all the ghost programs on TV and from the looks of the previews, that might just happen. There is nothing like seeing someone get dragged down a flight of stairs to make you a little jumpy when you are alone in your house at night.
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/10/23/box-office-paranormal-activity/

GVSU Beats Ferris 41-0

The Grand Valley State University football team beat their in-state rival Ferris State University 41-0 on Saturday. Being that the defense has been good and bad at times, I was surprised that we did not get scored upon in the game. The offense continued to look impressive and GVSU looks be be gaining momentum as the battle to make the playoffs heats up. Going forward, GVSU has a tough schedule but if the defense can build off this game and continue to play good, GVSU will make another deep playoff run like they have been known for. The only obstacle I see for GVSU is that the inexperience on the team.
(http://www.gvsulakers.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/102310aaa.html

Rangers Beat Yankees

After losing game 1 of the NLCS, the Texas Rangers bounced back by defeating the New York Yankees 7-2. After having the lead and losing it in the first game, Texas showed that they can score first and keep the lead. I am not a big Yankee fan but I think they will put up a fight and show why the are the defending World Series champions. I think Texas will win in 7 games and make it to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. I think the series will come down to which pitching rotation is best and who can make the clutch hits.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=301016113

Ohio State Loses

For the second straight week the number one team in the nation lost. This week, Ohio State lost to Wisconsin. Being a die hard Michigan fan, I am happy every time Ohio State loses. What the loss means for the rest of college football is that Boise State still might have a chance to make it to the national championship game. Boise State has been ranked in the top 5 for a while now and with the top two teams losing, Boise State might move up in the polls. The strength of schedule for Boise State might be the only thing that can keep them out of the championship game.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/gameflash/2010/10/16/42790_recap.html?eref=sihp

Peter Jackson to Direct "The Hobbit"

It looks like Peter Jackson will return to Middle Earth when he directs "The Hobbit" (http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/10/16/peter-jackson-to-officially-direct-the-hobbit/) Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, in my opinion, is the right person for the job. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies so I think "The Hobbit" is in the right hands. With Jackson's name attached to the film, I think more people will come out to watch it because of how well Jackson did directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The film will be split into two parts and it will also be in 3D. Although I am not a big fan of 3D, I think Jackson will know how to use it correctly to make the film even better.

No 3D for Deathly Hallows Part 1

It looks like the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be in 3D. After the studio that is putting out the film couldn't get the 3D version done in time, the movie will be shown in 2D in theaters (http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/08/3-d-fail-for-harry-potter/). Personally, I think 3D is a fad that will not be as big as everyone thinks. Every movie seems to think it can do 3D and although some might be able to pull it off, others can't. I think that sooner or later, movie studios will get over trying to make movies 3D and go back to the ways that movies used to be made.

Michigan vs Michigan State Preview

Today is the battle of the unbeatens in the state of Michigan. The Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans will meet up in Ann Arbor in a battle of ranked teams. Coming off a high scoring game against Indiana, Michigan is going to be tested against the best defense they have seen all season. Michigan State will be playing with a lot of emotion because there head coach will be back after suffering a heart attack a few weeks ago. I think the game will come down to defense. Will the Michigan State defense be able to stop Denard Robinson and will the Michigan defense be able to stop anybody. I am picking the Wolverines to win in a close game, 42-35.
Here is a game preview from ESPN.com: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/17280/spartans-wolverines-bring-balance-to-rivalry

Randy Moss Traded to Vikings

Wide Receiver Randy Moss has been traded to the Minnesota Vikings in a move that surprised many people. The now former New England Patriot was in hot water in New England after week one of the season when he talked about his contract situation. It looks like people within the Patriots organization did not like that very much so they traded him to a team that needed a big play receiver badly. I was surprised that the trade was made because I liked Moss in New England. I do think that the Patriots will miss him in the short term but will eventually get used to playing without him. I still think the Patriots will make the playoffs and now I think the Vikings are the team to beat in the NFC North. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/peter_king/10/06/moss/index.html?eref=sihp

GVSU Beats Tiffin 71-10

The Grand Valley State University Laker football team improved their record to 5-0 Sunday by handily defeating Tiffin 71-10. After three difficult home wins to start the season, the Lakers were on the second game of a two game rode trip and in traditional Laker fashion, the opposing team did not stand a chance.
During the first three games of the season, the offense did not look as good as it should be and the defense could have played better as well. Maybe all it took was a couple of trips away from Allendale for the football team to revert back to the way they played during their national championship seasons. http://www.gvsulakers.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/100210aaa.html

New Mary Jane

It seems that the Spider-Man franchise is being remade and they already have their new Mary Jane. Twenty-one year old actress Emma Stone who is currently in the movie "Easy A" will take over the role that Kirsten Dunst once held. I watched the first two Spider-Man movies but not the third one so I think a reboot is just what the franchise needed. With Emma Stone on board already, it looks like the new Spider-Man is already gaining steam.
Emma Stone has been getting good reviews for her role in "Easy A" so it seems that the people behind the new Spider-Man are looking for an up-and-coming star to play a pivotal role in their new movie. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/10/02/emma-stone-cast-in-spider-man-role/

Michigan vs Indiana Game Recap

The good news is that Michigan is now 5-0. The bad news is that Michigan does not have a defense. After defeating Indiana in the Big Ten opener, the offense continues to improve and Denard Robinson continues to show why he should be the Heisman front-runner.
The problem with Michigan is with their defense. After giving up 35 points and over 500 yards of offense, the defense continues to show major weaknesses that could end up in the team losing a game sometime in the future. I think the only viable solution is for Michigan to get rid of their defensive coordinator and try something else that will hopefully work better.

For a recap of the game, here is a link to ESPN: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=302750084

NFL Week 3 Picks

Here are my picks for the third week of the NFL season.

San Francisco 49ers @ Kansas City Chiefs: The 49ers will win because there defense is getting better and there offense is getting better.

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens will be motivated from last weeks loss and the Browns will have a new quarterback under center.

Dallas Cowboys @ Houston Texans: Dallas was overconfident coming into the season and Houston has an explosive offense that will be hard to stop.

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings defense will step up to avoid going 0-3 while the offense will continue to struggle because Brett Favre doesn't trust his recievers. With Matthew Stafford Being injured for the lions, the offense will continue to miss him.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots: After being shut out during the second half of the Jets game, the patriots offense will look to get back on track against a bad defense.

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints: After a week 1 loss, the Falcons offense improved with a strong game against the Cardinals. The Saints offense has not looked as high powered as I would have thought so it will be a close game.

Tennesssee Titans @ New York Giants: After getting blown out against the Colts in Week 2, the Giants will look to get back on track against a team with quarterback questions. After Vince Young was benched during their Week 2 game, there may be some distractions for the Titans.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: After a strong start without their starting to quarterback, the Steelers will win their third straight game against an overachieving Bucs team.

Cinncinati Bengals @ Carolina Panthers: The Bengals defense will be going against a rookie starting quarterback for the Panthers so they will force some turnovers and win handily.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Jacksonville Jaguars: With Vick starting at QB, the Jags defense will have trouble stopping him and the Eagles will win because of that.

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams: After losing a heartbreaker to the Texans last week, the Redskins will bounce back against a Rams team that has a rookie QB and a bad defense.

Indianapolis Colts @ Denver Broncos: In an emotional game, the Broncos will keep it close but lose to Peyton Manning and a high-powered Colts offense.

Oakland Raiders @ Arizona Cardinals: In a matchup of two bad teams, whoever makes the fewest mistakes will win the game.

San Diego Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks: After a promising start, the Seahawks will lose their second straight game to a motivated Chargers team.

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins: The Jets have a let down after their win last week to a division rival and the Dolphins will steal the win.

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears: A confident Chicago Bears team will win a close game against an underperforming Packers team.