The Belle's 2010 Resolutions.

I believe it is time for my first non-sports related blog post. There probably won't be many of these... so just humor me (the blog title does actually say "life, love, and sports").

I hate New Years... well really just the hype that leads up to the whole New Year's eve thing. But despite my abhorrence for the holiday I am making a resolution list for the year. I made one last year and put it on my fridge... I think I managed to accomplish one of the things on my list, so here's hoping this year goes better. However, my plan is that by putting my resolution list up on this blog that my readers can hold me more accountable about my list.


So here it goes... my 2010 resolution list.

1. I am in a wedding in June so the Bridesmaid Diet starts tomorrow! I am not setting a quantity of pounds that I want to lose, I just want to feel good in my dress.

2. I will finally become conversational in French. My lovely mother and step-father bought me the Rosetta Stone as a college graduation gift. This was on my 2009 resolution list... there is no option for failure here.

3. I want to learn more about hockey. It wasn't popular where I grew up, but I have been to a few games and think its great... I just know absolutely nothing about it. I will enlist of my friend Paul Galati for this.

4. I want to go on a vacation. A real one. Not that I don't love going to visit my family in Missouri (and now Texas), but I would much rather go somewhere with them. I am thinking maybe New Orleans, South Carolina, Denver, Washington DC, Boston, or Alaska.

5. I want to hate cooking less. I don't really enjoy it. I am not patient and I hate cleaning up because I don't have a dishwasher. So after watching the movie "Julie and Julia" last night I have decided to branch out and try to hate cooking less.

6. Complete my reading list... I LOVE to buy books. I cant go into a Border's or Barnes and Noble without purchasing something. This creates a problem because I am buying books faster than I am reading them. Also, in high school I was not a fan of people forcing me to read so I usually just read the Cliff Notes on the classics, however this summer I finally buckled down and read Pride and Prejudice and now it is one of my favorites... so I have decided to re-read some of the ones from high school. There are also a lot of other classics on here that I feel I need to read to be a well rounded person. So here is the list of books that I have assigned myself to read in 2010. Most of them I already own.

• Wuthering Heights Actually, I got a head start on this one and finished it last week... so check this one off of the list
• Cant Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America This one I bought because I love the Beatles and just haven't gotten around to finishing it
• Gone With the Wind This is my all time favorite movie of all time... so I feel that it is only fitting to read the book.
  
• To Kill A Mockingbird this is one of the books I skipped over in high school. I bought an edition with beautiful cover art... but haven't gotten around to reading it.
• A Farewell to Arms I haven't read any Hemingway... so this falls into two categories-the "well rounded person" and the"bought and haven't read yet" category. This is my current read.
• Little Women Again, like the movie, feel I need to read the book. Plus I bought it over a year ago... so It's about time I got around to reading it.
• The Great Gatsby this is another book I skipped over in high school... so I bought it (are you seeing a pattern here?).
• The Kite Runner I bought this at a library book sale for $2 and have heard a ton about it... so I figured I better read it.
• 1776 I read David McCullough's "John Adams" last summer and loved it. I think the American revolution is fascinating. I bought this two years ago and also received it as a gift... so I am actually going to get around to reading it this year... hopefully.
• Anna Karenina Finally one I don't already own! This falls into the "well rounded person" category.
• Lolita (See Anna Karenina)
• Madame Bovary (See Anna Karenina)
• In Cold Blood I read Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" because I love the movie... however I wasn't a fan, and almost everyone knows that the book is always better than the movie. I think this chilling book is more true Capote than B. at T. This is also one I have yet to purchase (see... I do have some self control).
• Jane Eyre (see Anna Karenina)
• Emma I loved "Pride and Prejudice" and my ultimate goal is read all of Austen's books. Plus... Border's Classics make a lovely edition of this book for only $6.95 :) This is one of my most recent purchases.
• Sense and Sensibility Penguin books has published new editions of this and several other classic books in beautiful new hardcover editions. So naturally I bought it because I wanted to read it anyways... and it was pretty.
• Alice in Wonderland I am very excited for the new Tim Burton film about the classic children's tale, so I.... being me... went out and bought the book so I can read it before the movie comes out in March. I want to compare the book to the new film as well as the Disney animated classic.
• Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution My best friend Michelle bought this for me for Christmas and I cannot wait to read it! My favorite college class was my "Theory and History of Fashion" course. So this is right up my alley!
• American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White. The Birth of the "It" Girl and the Crime of the Century My wonderful mother gave this to me as a Christmas gift. I have read "Devil in the White City" and loved it... and apparently this is a great read for those who liked "Devil". I am very excited about this one!

7. Take the GRE. I bought tons of materials and had every intention of taking this test this last fall. But things happened and it fell by the wayside. Unfortunately for me... all of the Graduate programs that I want to be admitted into had January cutoff dates. So I am planning on taking the test in the summer of 2010, so that I can apply in the winter of 2010... so that I can start Graduate School in the Fall of 2011. Ugh.

Well there you have it. My personal resolution list. Make sure I am sticking to it.

Here's a resolution list for ya'... part 2

And finally, the conclusion of the thirty things every sports fan must see before they die...

16. Triple Crown of Surfing
North Shore, Oahu... lots of cute surfers, and lots of bikini clad girls. Not to mention some of the most ridiculous surfing in the world. Waves here reach from 25-50 ft.

17. US Open Tennis
It is a combination of great tennis and crazy fans. For the best experience, catch a night game where they can play well past midnight.


18. Duke vs. North Carolina basketball game
Think Red Sox/ Yankees only with everyone in varying shades of blue.

19. The Iditarod
1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Wind chills reaching as low as -130 degrees. All on the back a dog pulled sled. The Iditarod is one of if, not the most extreme event is sporting. So make the trek to Nome and watch the sleds cross the finish line.

20. The Indianapolis 500
The grand-daddy of the Nascar races. Crowd estimates range up to 1,000 people per every mile of the race. It could also be considered the greatest assembly of RV's, midriff baring shirts, and mullets in the world. You could make your own sporting event by playing an exhilarating game of "Mullet Bingo".

21. A Cubs game from the Wrigley Field bleachers
Sit behind the Wrigley Ivy on a gorgeous summer day with a beer in your hand and enjoy what baseball is all about. Just don't throw it at the opponents center fielder.

22. Monday Night Football
The best way to experience an NFL game in all it's glory. Get off of the couch or out of the sports bar one night and check it out live. Also, bring a sign... could be the best way to get on national television.

23. The British Open
I am not a golf fan, but if I were going to to go see it I would go see it where it was born, St. Andrews.Where better to enjoy the world's best golfers than where the game was invented.

24. A football game at Notre Dame
If you love tradition and you love football then there is no better place to see a game than at Notre Dame stadium. Take in a game in full view of touchdown Jesus and watch the players run onto the field to the sounds of the greatest fight song ever written, their gold helmets shining. It is an awe inspiring experience. So go... and "cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame".

25. The MLB All Star game
A week long of festivities which include the celebrity softball tournament, the All-Star game, and my personal favorite- the home run derby. It is a gathering of the best and most popular players in the game. It makes for a great, and sometimes needed, break from the season.

26. The Swimming Championships in Australia
There are two things that Australians are known for... drinking and swimming. For the Aussie's swimming is like a national pastime. A great time is almost certainly guaranteed.

27. NCAA Basketball Sub regional
Skip the final four (rarely lives up to the hype) and hit a sub regional game. There are more games per day and this is where the good stuff like bracket busting upsets happen.

28. The Boston Marathon
Sure... you may never be able to run it. But why not go out and cheer on the 20,000+ runners who can. It is the world's oldest annual marathon and is a lung busting 26 miles. So lite up along the route with thousands of other well wishers and cheer along those crazy people willing to run 26 miles... in April in New England.

29. Formula 1 Grand Prix - Monaco
A very underrated sport here in the US, Formula 1 is like Nascar... with class. The cars are built by people like McClaren, Ferrari, etc. There are good looking drivers, exotic locales, and a full supply of drama. And if you want the full experience, head to the grand poo bah of F1 races in Monaco. It is absurdly expensive, rumor has it that cafes near the track will charge around $100 a beer, but from my understanding it is worth it. I have it on good authority that the sounds of an F1 race are nothing short of awesome, according to my auto enthusiast step father, it is a high pitch squealing sound that you find yourself dreaming about.

30. The Rose Bowl
In 2008 there were 32 bowl games, and the Rose Bowl is the Grand Daddy of them all. What could be better than crowding into a stadium with 90,000 of your closest friends on a sunny southern California day?


Well my friends, that concludes my personal countdown of the thirty things Sports fans should see before they die. I was inspired a list of 101 Things, but I picked some of my favorite and added a couple of my own. Hopefully you will draw inspiration from this and make your own.

Have a Happy New Year!

Here's a resolution list for ya'... part 1

With the end of the decade quickly approaching, I think it is only appropriate to make some kind of Sports Fans resolution list. This could take a while to accomplish so make it your resolution list for the next decade. These are the thirty things every sports fan must see before they die.

1. The Summer Olympics
With swimming, gymnastics, beach volleyball, and track and field- these games are definitely the more popular of the Olympic games. They come around every four years. So plan a trip to London in 2012 and check this one off of your list. My personal favorite... men's swimming.

2. The Winter Olympics
Curling, ice dancing, the luge... ok, there are some more popular sports also. But the collection of the weird and wacky is great. The snowy locations never disappoint, and if you think about it, there are always some great sports movies that come out of the winter games (ex. Cool Runnings, Miracle).

3. A World Series game
No matter what anyone says, baseball is still America's past time, and the World Series truly lives up to it's name... the fall classic. Also, tickets tend to be more easily attainable than the Super Bowl.

4. NFL Conference Championship game
The Super Bowl game is usually over hyped, over priced, and more than likely not as exciting as the Championship game. At least at the Champ. game there is a home crowd and the energy is through the roof because you are playing for the chance to play again. At the bowl the crowd is usually CEO's who don't really care who wins or loses.

5. MLB Spring Training
The quintessential get away for baseball's biggest fans. In Arizona and Florida from February to March the eternal baseball optimists gather to watch their team before losses actually count and you can say with naivete "this is definitely our year"

6. The Kentucky Derby
Mint juleps, big hats, and the most exciting 60 seconds in sports. Churchill Downs is a can't miss and if you love upsets and underdogs then this is the event for you. (Also probably the best celeb spotting in sports).

7. NBA game from court-side
The closest you can get to a professional sporting event.

8. The running of the bulls
If you are an adrenaline junkie, or someone who gets their jollies from watching other people run for their lives then hop on a plane to Spain and visit Pamplona in July.

9. A Red-Sox Yankees game
One of the biggest rivalries in all of sportsdom. If you want to practice your trash talk then pick a team, wear a (insert opponent) Sucks t-shirt and north. New Yorkers and Beantowners can drink and curse with the best of them, so you might keep the kiddies at home for this one.

10. World Cup
Probably the biggest party in all of sports (When Germany hosted the Cup last summer they were actually afraid of running out of beer...), making it enjoyable to both soccer fans and Americans. The fans are so passionate about their teams they set themselves on fire before the game in order to inspire their team. This is in stark contrast to the US where we set each other on fire after the game... you heard me Detroit.

11. Michigan-Ohio State football game
The intensity of this rivalry, the record attendance numbers, and the more-often-than-not national stakes that ride on these games is unmatched in college sports.

12. A Green Bay Packers game at home in the snow
Finish the analogy ______: Football :: Fenway Park: Baseball. Correct Answer: Lambeau Field. There are few field in the NFL with the history of Lambeau. Whether you are a cheese head or not, the best time to get that true Green Bay experience is to watch a game in the winter, and don't worry, the temperature will be so low that your body will go numb so you wont feel the burn of the frost bite.

13. Heavyweight Championship fight in Vegas
Sure the glory days of boxing may be behind us (you knew it had to go downhill after people started eating ears), but there aren't any more "Rocky" movies so...

14. The NHL winter classic
Though it is new (2008) it has been wildly successful. For those f you unfamiliar with hockey or the classic, this is an annual regular season game that is played outside in different historic sports venues (ex, Wrigley Field, Fenway Park). This is how hockey should be enjoyed.

15. MLB Opening Day
Skip work and head out to watch your favorite team open up it's season at home with some beer, a hot dog, and some friends.

Stay tuned for part 2....

Wrigley Field: A love/hate relationship.

I may hate the Cubs with every inch of my soul... but I am enough of a fan of the game to love Wrigley Field. Sure they serve crap beer (Really? Old Style?) and sure the "Friendly Confines" may be a gross misrepresentation (there is nothing friendly about it if you aren't a Cubs fan, or even Cubs players at times). But there is just something about this historic baseball mecca that really embodies all that is the game. However there is definitely a love hate relationship with this baseball shrine.


Why I love it:

• First of all, they have amazing hot dogs. And what is baseball without hot dogs?

• Second of all, the place is old... really old, it has been home to the Cubbies since 1916. In fact the scoreboard is still manually operated and has been since it's installation in 1937. With it's age comes it's history. It is hard not to get chills when sitting in the park and knowing that 77 years ago, the Great Bambino himself, Babe Ruth hit is famous "called shot" homer into the center field bleachers

• Third, the size. It is relatively small. At least it feels that way. There really isn't a bad seat in the place. There aren't any towering lodge boxes and the cheap seats don't require an oxygen mask. Maybe it's because a great deal of seats are technically outside of the stadium on brownstone rooftops across Waveland ave, but it has a really homey feel.
  

• Fourth, when it comes to fights and temper tantrums it is about as good as a hockey game. Whether it be Zambrano beating the crap out of a Gatorade Machine or the awesome 2006 Cross-Town Classic (White Sox vs. Cubs series) brawl that got four players ejected, the place does not disappoint.

• Finally, the city. Chicago is amazing. I can say that for sure because I have lived here for almost four years now. Most of the summer is perfect baseball weather. It stays in the high 70's and low 80's most of the time and the humidity is marginal at best. I have been to a few different ballparks and I can tell you that it's hard to beat Wrigley on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Why I hate it:

• First-The fans are AWFUL! Easily the worst fans in baseball. They are mouthy a'holes when they win, and they are mouthy a'holes when they lose. I have never seen a team disrespected by their own fans like the Cubs (this actually applies to all of Chicago- Bulls, Bears, etc... they are fickle people here in the Windy City). Every time I am at a game or even catch one on television they are booing their own team! As a St. Louis fan we will gladly boo other teams, but never our own.Although, I guess if my team had been losing for more than a hundred years... I might be a jerk too.
  

• Second, the fans... they are so awful they deserve to be put on here twice. Not only do they boo their own players but they throw beer at the other team. This summer some jerk in the bleachers decided that throwing his beer on Phillies fielder Shane Victorino was the best way to show his Cubbie spirit. Who do they think they are? NBA fans? (See Ron Artest, Pistons/Pacers brawl 2004.) Come on guys... we as baseball fans should be classier than that.

• Next, Carlos Zambrano. This Cubs pitcher has got the personality of a wet cat. The guy has serious anger management issues. Not only does he lose his temper on Umpires, fans, and the previously mentioned Gatorade dispenser. But he also fights with his own teammates. In 2007 Zambrano and Cubs catcher Michael Barrett took out their frustrations about sucking on each other... in the dugout during a game. Way to keep it together Big Z. I know two year olds that throw less tantrums.
  

• Finally, the city. There is no parking, it is smack dab in the middle of a bustling neighborhood and it holds up public transportation like crazy on game days.

All in all, if you are a baseball fan then you definitely need to make a visit to Chicago to see the legendary ballpark. Stop by and enjoy a hot dog. But let me give you some advice. You know the saying "Speak softly and carry a big stick"? Apply at least half of that to your Wrigley experience. Not so much the speak softly part... feel free to yell and scream as much as you want, especially about how much the Cubs suck... but you may want to carry a big stick. Because you never know when a crazed beer weilding fan or multi-million dollar pitcher may be hiding in the ivy.

SHOW THEM THE MONEY!!! (Insert Pink Floyd song here)

There are clearly a lot of differences between the NFL and NCAA football. Some of which include marching bands, game rules, cheerleaders (being a former cheerleader myself, I am using the term loosely when it comes to the NFL- eye candy may be more appropriate... but we will save that for another post), and attendance numbers. However the major differences make for a much more interesting conversation. College football doesn't have a playoff system, they have the bowl system. This system doesn't make a lot of sense to most people but again, we will save that for another day, mostly because it just makes me angry. I am currently intrigued by the argument about compensation for college players.... you know, money. I was recently reading an article on ESPN.com and was pretty astounded by the amount of money that big time football programs bring into their schools and just how much some of these coaches make.

For instance, Urban Meyer, the man who has led the Florida Gators to two BCS titles in three years, is expected to sign a new six-year $24 Million contract. TWENTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS! But no matter how great of a coach Meyer is, the real turn around in the Florida program has been the cult like status surrounding Tim Tebow. Tebow is a two time national champion, the first ever three time Heisman nominee (which he won in '07), and has a 34-6 record as a starter for the Gators. The article calls him a "franchise" player. For those readers not in on the lingo... a franchise player is someone that a sports franchise is built around. For example, when you think of the Colts, you think Peyton Manning. Even in baseball... You don't think St. Louis Cardinals without thinking Albert Pujols. These guys fill the seats, they sell the most jerseys, they are the most recognizable and most popular guys on the team. Tebow is absolutely a franchise guy. The kind of guy that doesn't come around very often. When you look at other schools like Texas and Oklahoma with their storied programs, they churn out top players like it's their job, because it is. There will be more Colt McCoy's and Sam Bradford's to come, they appear in Austin and Norman every few years. But Tebow is lightning in a bottle. He certainly isn't the best the game has ever seen, but he has a following that is unrivaled in college sports. For example, Tim Tebow has never played in front of anything less than a home sell-out, which comes out to more than 2.4 million people over four years. Let me put that into perspective for you, If "The Swamp" as the stadium in Gainesville is called, was a city... it's 2.4 million would replace Houston as the fourth largest city in the U.S. That amounts to more than $132 Million dollars in revenue for 2007 and 2008. Florida made enough money off of their football and basketball teams last year to fund the rest of their athletic department and donate $6 Million to the University for scholarships. The article even went on to say that the Governor of Florida approached the Jacksonville Jaguars about drafting Tebow in order to try and bring fans and money into a failing NFL franchise and keep the team in Florida.

However, NCAA rules state that college players are "amateurs" and thus can not be compensated for playing or endorsement deals. They receive scholarships for their education, but those only amount to an average of around $30,000. Now I don't think that we should be forking over millions of dollars to the Tim Tebow's of the world just yet. These guys aren't contract players. They can decide to drop out of school and enter the NFL draft if they want to. So you could be potentially throwing away millions of dollars. And in reality, college coaches are something special. They are burdened with the responsibility of maintaining winning schedules with a constantly changing team. If you look at NFL guys like Phillip Rivers, Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning have all been STARTING in the league for more than five years. Whereas college players play for four years maximum. But if you look at Mack Brown, the head coach for the University of Texas, he has a record of 101-15 since 2001. He has only lost 15 games in 8 years, two of those years (2005, 2009) he was undefeated in regular season play. Not only that, but he did it with two different quarterbacks, Vince Young and Colt McCoy. There is no doubt in my mind that some of these college coaches are geniuses. Texas didn't play to a crowd of less than 100,000 at home at any point in the 2009 season. Even though they were wearing McCoy's number 12, I am pretty sure that when you get down to it, it was Brown's coaching prowess that put the people in the seats. They probably wouldn't flock by the masses to watch a team with a 2-11 record.

With that being said, I do think that the coaches deserve a decent chunk of change, but I think that the players should at least see some of the money. And I think that the players should see the money they make from their jersey sales. According to the ESPN article approximately $3 from every $79.99 jersey sale goes to the school, this could equate to somewhere around $77,000 for Tim Tebow's number 15 jersey in 2008. It's not millions, but it is certainly more than the $13,000 a year he is receiving is scholarships.

So basically... give the guys a little money (and maybe a playoff system). Oh, and if you wouldn't mind maybe putting marching bands in NFL games... the drum lines and fight songs are my favorite.

FACT: Fantasy Football is legal crack.

OK... maybe that's just my opinion, but I am seriously addicted. This is my first season being involved with it, but it will definitely not be my last!

I can't quite put my finger on what about it that is so addicting. I tend to be pretty competitive so it could be that. Or maybe it can be looked at as a form of self expression (my team name is "Peyton's the Manning). But it can also be quite the power trip. There is something very gratifying about deciding who to bench and who to start or having the power to trade or drop players. I easily spend a couple of hours a week reading up on player information, injury reports, and the analysts' fantasy reports (my personal favorite is the "Start 'em or Sit 'em"... I like to see if my roster decisions match that of the NFL analysts, and so far it usually does).

If that sounds a little crazy to you, then feel free to justify it as a way to work on your problem solving skills. For instance, I am currently facing quite the issue with my fantasy team. I have the best record in my league at 9-1. I have allowed the least amount of points scored and am second highest scoring team in the league. However, my starting (and only) quarterback is Peyton Manning and he has not disappointed this season. But with the Colts moving to 12-0 as of today, I know the Colts will only start him long enough to secure home field advantage for the playoffs, then they will start backup QB Jim Sorgi in order to let Manning rest. This is all fine and dandy for me, except now I have to trade for a new fantasy QB three-quarters of the way through the season, so you can be sure that all of the good free agent QB's have already been drafted. So what do I do now you ask? I pick someone good enough to get me through the end of the season and bolster the rest of my roster with my best point grabbing running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and defense. See... problem solving skills in action, maybe I will put it on my resume...

Other than my new problem solving skill set, I have also learned more about the game from fantasy than I have ever known before. I can easily have an intelligent and thought provoking football conversation with almost anyone and hold my own against them. And let my tell you, as a "girlie girl", it never fails to make me smile at how much people underestimate my sports knowledge, I just love surprising them.

So bottom line. If you want to learn a lot about the game (and hey, maybe add some new skills to your resume) then this is a great way to do it. I joined a public league on NFL.com because I didn't know enough people interested in football to start my own. I don't know anyone in my league, but that's OK. All I need to know is that I am the only girl in it and it was started by a Marine... so it is possible that as a girl I am beating a bunch of Marines ;)

In the words of Tom Hanks - "There's no crying in baseball"... and there shouldn't be any pink either...

As a true sports fan, which I consider myself to be, there is one serious pet peeve of mine- pink sports paraphernalia. Jerseys, hats, etc. Everything these days for the female sports fans is pink, baby blue, or covered in rhinestones. Let me just say something to people who purchase these items... TRUE FANS WEAR THE COLORS! For instance, if you are a Michigan fan... you "bleed" blue and maize... not baby pink and swarovski. I am not saying that owning it is the ultimate sin, by all means, feel free to wear it around the house... but please remember, when game time comes around, it's time for business. Root for your team the right way... and wear the colors.

But it isn't just the pink stuff that drives me crazy. All of the women's stuff these days tends to verge on the trashy and is, in reality, just a watered down version of the men's stuff. For Example. I ordered a football jersey a few years ago, I spent a decent amount of money on it, around $70 to be exact. It worked for me at the time, and still works for me now I suppose. However I was in a sports store back home in Missouri a few weeks ago and they had a children's jersey for $75. That jersey is roughly the same amount of fabric as mine but the quality is infinitely better. My sad little jersey is a wide mesh fabric similar to that of a practice jersey with a number and name that is screen printed on. The junior jersey was a tight, mesh, more on par with an authentic jersey, and all of the numbers and letters are sewn on. Not only that, it still fit slim through the waist like most women want, but was longer in the waist so it isn't verging on being a belly shirt circa 1993.

Is it really too much to ask for to just make the men's stuff for women too? I am not saying that you need to eliminate all of that awful girly frilly stuff, though if I had my way you would... (I mean is it really necessary to have a jersey with pleated sleeves, a bejeweled neckline, and a ruched side tie?). All I am saying is there should be a market of women's sports apparel for us, you know, the true fans, and keep the pastels for the Easter eggs.

An undefeated season... makes a girl conflicted.

Welcome to my blog... if you are going to be reading this, and hopefully you are... then I should go ahead and warn you. This is a biased author and it's pretty simple- Pro: Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Cardinals... Anti: New England Patriots and Chicago Cubs. There, glad I got that off my chest.
Now we are well into the throws of a pretty exciting football season so look forward to A LOT of football talk. And to kick off my blog we are going to talk about something that really has me conflicted. The possibility of the Colts having an undefeated season.

Of course I think that it would be amazing if we (and by "we" I mean the Colts, because as a true fan I of course consider myself a part of the team and feel personally offended if they fail) went undefeated and had a perfect season, who wouldn't want that for their team? However lets take a look back at the 2007 New England Patriots. They were on the verge of perfect, no regular season losses. They went 18-1... and that one lone loss came in the Super Bowl against the uber-underdog New York Giants. Here is the question I have though, would they have won the big dance if they had lost just one regular season game? I was listening to some commentary after the Saints/Pats game Monday night and they made a very strong point- if you lose a game, are you better off having the coach rip you a new one, and whip you into shape mid-season so you are somewhat refreshed and re-engergized?

Looking at the rest of the Colts regular season schedule... by far I fell that their biggest threat is the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee's season has been one of extremes. They started their season with quite the losing streak, 0-6. However, Titans owner Bud Adams recently confirmed that he put his foot down and forced head coach Jeff Fischer to start former college star Vince Young. With Young at the helm they have won their last 5... fanning the flames of their Wild Card hopes. Young's aggressive and risky style of play have definitely lit a fire in the Titans (or maybe it was Fischer sporting a Peyton Manning jersey at a charity event so he could "feel like a winner"). This hot streak they are on should definitely be cause for concern amongst Colts fans hoping for that perfect season. Before Sunday, the Colts previous four games and been won by only 10 points... combined. They
are the masters of the close call.

The rest of the teams on their schedule leave little concern for me... sure the Jets have the same 5-6 record as the Titans but they have been the definition of inconsistent this season. The Jaguars have been man-handled by teams that the Colts have already beaten (Seahawks, 49ers, Arizona). The Bills are the Bills and if we lose to them then I will be embarrased. Denver is the only other credible threat on the schedule with a 7-4 record, but I live in Chicago and have seen what Kyle Orton isn't capable of.

So this brings me back to the question, should I be hoping that the Colts lose to either the Titans or Broncos so that they may or may not have a better chance of actually making it past the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs (unlike the last two seasons...)? Or do I want them to have that perfect regular season... with the possibility that they could end up like the '07 Pats... the definition of failure? I am going to go with option 1... I need Manning to start collecting rings so he can once and for all be better the Tom Brady.