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I blogged this over at the family site this weekend, but Parker scored his first soccer goal on Saturday morning! I didn’t cry or anything like that, but it was still an emotional moment. Funny how we can take so much pride and joy in our kids for the littlest of things.

Kylie gave me a similar moment yesterday when she said “Dad, remember that thing we were talking about with the food in other countries?” (she was referring to the Global Food Crisis, something I had told the kids about last week in hopes that we would donate some money as a family to help another family. I had actually sent out the $39 check a few days ago). She then gave me 2 dollars from her pocketbook and said, “this is for that.” Again, I just welled up with this strange mix of love/pride/joy that’s hard to explain unless you have kids. Very cool…

(by the way, it’s $39 to provide food for one family for one month through Compassion International. I strongly encourage you to save up a few bucks here and there and make that donation before the end of the year, if you can.)

Tags: Global Food Crisis, Soccer

I get endless amusement from riling up my friend Jake, who is a huge Denver Broncos fan.

Here’s my tips for making a Broncos fan angry:

1. Bring up the fact that their offensive line has been accused of playing dirty and illegally for years.
2. Diminish the importance of their wins against the Raiders and the Chiefs because they are awful teams that they get to play twice a year.
3. Tell them John Elway and Terrell Davis weren’t THAT good.

Here’s a chat from yesterday where I employ method #2. Notice how I’m not trying to get him too angry, just trying to get under his skin a little. (And also notice how he goes for the videotaping potshot against the Patriots, despite the fact that they’ve won their last 19 regular season games without videotaping anything.)

Ahh, good fun. Do you see how he immediately attacks my team (even though the Pats really aren’t my team) instead of defending his own? Classic Bronco Fan strategy. (I haven’t responded yet, because Jake is on vacation with his family, and I don’t want to ruin their experience by getting him all bent out of shape.)

So…which fanbase do you enjoy angering the most?

And can you share any tips on how to make that particular group of fans riled up like a hive of angry hornets?

Tags: Denver Broncos, Jake

Now that football season has started up again, I’ve been able to spend time writing my favorite piece that i write with regularity. It’s called The Schnoz Report, and it’s a weekly preview of the upcoming NFL games with a lot more thrown in. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you don’t have to even like football to enjoy it, despite the disclaimer I give at the top of the piece each week when it posts over at Prayers For Blowouts.

Here’s a link to this week’s Schnoz Report. Hope you enjoy!

Tags: Prayers For Blowouts, The Schnoz Report

I’m such a sports nerd. Case in point: two of my favorite days of the year are the start of the baseball season and the start of the football season.

I love baseball for 5 reasons. 1) It means spring is back, 2) I love the Red Sox more than any other team in any other sport, 3) I enjoy seeing Charlie Manuel dressed up in a tight uniform,  4) I’m a huge fantasy baseball guy, and 5) I just love baseball. I could sit for hours and watch a game between two teams I have no affiliation to and enjoy it.

Football is different for me. I root for the Cowboys and the Patriots (I know, you probably hate those two teams the most…I’m sorry. I grew up in New England and my dad loves the Cowboys, so that’s why), but compared to my love for the Red Sox, my feelings for the Boys and Pats is only a mild form of “like”. I root for them, but it doesn’t bother me much if they lose.

One of the main reasons I love football is because I love to bet on football. I am in an NFL picks league where we pick every game against the spread all season long. It’s $50 to get in, which breaks down to exactly $0.1953 cents per game. So yeah, I bet 20 cents per game…not exactly high stakes. But it’s fun and it gives me a rooting interest in every game.

I’ve posted my predictions for the season over at Prayers For Blowouts, you can check them out if you like. If you’ve got some predictions, leave them in the comment section over at PFB.

The season will end in Tampa Bay about 4 months from now, but it gets underway in New Jersey tonight with the Skins-Giants. I’ll enjoy the ride from now until then. Let’s kick it off!