Tag: womenwholovesports

Oh so random…

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Basketball, Controversy, Football, Hockey, Marathons, Music, NASCAR, Running, Sports, Tennis2 Comments

They say there is a first time for everything. Welp, I am experiencing another first….blogger’s block. Ugh. I have a few topics that I want to write about but for some reason I just can not seem to get them going. Instead of trying to force it,  I have decided to take another route with this post. So here it is…a plethora of thoughts from Kassie….

1. Ken Griffey, Jr. had the prettiest swing. EVER.

2. As big a sports fan as I am, I have never seen Hoosiers, Bull Durham or Caddyshack. I have seen Blue Chips though.

3. I went to my first North Carolina State football game at the age of 2. I have a reoccurring flashback of me sitting with the family in the upper deck.

4. I was at The Cheesecake Factory in DC about 10 years ago with some friends when all of a sudden a very tall man arose from a table near us. It was Dikembe Mutombo. Before I could even catch myself I yelled out, MUTOMBOOOOOOO! If looks could kill. For that reason alone, he deserves more than two sentences.

5. Earvin “Magic” Johnson does not get the respect he deserves. Dude was a ballerrrrrrr, you hear me?!

6. When I was in middle school, my granddaddy would make me cheese toast for breakfast. I would eat it while watching Scooby Doo then I would turn and watch SportsCenter.

7. Ya’ll know the ‘This is SportsCenter’ commercial with Jay Harris and Larry Fitzgerald, where Larry catches all the stuff that falls in the office? I was with Jay on the day they emailed the script for the commercial to him. I have always thought Larry was a kutie and I told Jay that. About a week later I got a text from a friend that was sent by Jay that said, “Kassaundra, Larry told me to tell you hey.” Yep! That deserved extra sentences.

8. My all time favorite football player is Jerry Rice. Greatest of all time.

9. Quite often during football season, I lose my voice. It is a good thing that I do not have to talk to blog.

10. If you have never been to a Virginia Tech football game, GO!! That ‘Enter Sandman’ intro almost made me tackle someone in the stands.

11. Leave Lance Armstrong alone! He has raised over 500 million for cancer research. That will have a greater impact than anything he has done on a bike.

12. <—–My favorite number so I have got to make this good….44 days until the marathon!!! Have you made your donation :-}??

13. Some of my favorite athlete names…..Milton Bradley, Picabo(pronounced Peekaboo) Street, Tim Biakabutuka, Doug Flutie, Anfernee Hardaway and Alan Kulwicki.

14. I want to go to Soldier Field to see a Chicago Bears home game so I can sing “Bear Down” as loud as I can after the Bears score a touchdown. I love to randomly sing that song, just ask my mama :-}.

15. I keep up with the NBA but I do not like it. Do. Not. Get. Me. Started.

16. Everyone should experience a hockey game. LIVE.

17. I have been trying to learn how to play poker. The only thing I still understand how to flush a toilet.

 18. This year’s baseball playoffs are going to be something special. You heard it here first…..Go Rangers!!

19. I am still giggling at the fact that they kept playing “Lean Back” by Fat Joe at the Broncos game Sunday night. Whoever was in charge of the music needs to not be in charge of the music anymore.

20. Until next time….TOODELLS.

Much more than just left turns….

On By kassienetteIn NASCAR3 Comments

The wheels on the car go round and round, round and round, round and round…

In case you have not figured it out, I like NASCAR too. This may be shocking to some but if you have been following my blog then it should not be. What is there not to like about NASCAR? There is suspense, intensity, unpredictability and competitiveness.  All the things you would want in a sport, right?

The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing(I know you have always wanted to know what NASCAR stands for) was founded on February 21, 1948 by Bill France, Sr. I will save you the history lesson and just give you a quick overview. Currently NASCAR is made up of three divisions: the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. The Sprint Cup Series is the most popular and is NASCAR’s highest level of professional competition. The races you see on Sundays are typically part of the Sprint Cup Series. Those are the big boy races.

So how did I get started watching NASCAR? As usual, it has family ties. I started watching NASCAR when I was young. My granddaddy used to work for an oil company called Sunoco. Sunoco used to sponsor a car and their drivers name was Sterling Marlin. Marlin rarely won but seven year old me could care less. He drove for the company my granddaddy worked for so it was only right that I cheered for him. I would tune in Sunday after Sunday to cheer Marlin on whenever I could. I was young at the time so I was not glued to the tv to see him race but I always made sure I knew how he did that day. As I grew older, my love for football as well as other sports grew and my love for NASCAR diminished but it was only a matter of time before we would be reunited…

About two years ago, I rekindled my flame with NASCAR. I was watching SportsCenter and they were doing a story on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. At the time , it has been over two years since he had last won a race. Can you imagine being the son of racing royalty(his dad was Dale Earnhardt, Sr….if you do not know who he is, Google him!), going through a two year drought? I felt so bad for him. Sitting there all teary eyed like I had grown up playing dodgeball with Junior. So I started watching races again, just hoping and praying Junior would win. I saw him almost win. I saw him not even come close to winning. I stayed up late to see if he would win. I even saw him come within a quarter of a mile of winning last year. Notice the word within. There was no one within 50 feet of him. He had just rounded the last turn, was headed towards the checkered flag and then the unthinkable happened. HE RAN OUT OF GAS!! WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!! I was hot. How does that happen?! I wanted to know who was responsible. Who miscalculated how many more miles he could get out of that gallon? I was for real upset. Like I had money on the race upset. You drive for a living. How. Do. You. Run. Out. Of. Gas?! It would take another two years but Junior finally got into the Winner’s Circle again this year by winning the Quicken Loans 400. And guess what? I missed that race. Rats.

You may not believe it but NASCAR is exciting! When I talk to my friends about it, they give me that “get outta here” look. I understand why they find it difficult to watch. Some of them only view NASCAR as a bunch of men and a woman making continuous left turns. Technically, they are right but it takes a lot of skill to make continuous left turns going 200 miles per hour. I will admit that some races are difficult to watch such as those 600 mile races. They can take foreverrrrrrrrrrrrr especially if there are crashes, which can be cool and exciting as long as no one gets hurt. I admire the courage of the drivers. I admire the tenacity of the drivers. I admire the patience of the drivers. I admire the skill of the drivers. I know how hard it is to weave in and out of traffic going 70 mph on I-40. I am not trying to see what it is like at 200 mph. No way Kassay.

On Sunday,  the Chase for the Championship starts. The 12 highest ranked drivers plus two wild card drivers will begin to compete in a 10 race series to determine the Sprint Cup Champion.  You should really tune in. The next 10 weeks are going to be EXCITING!! I can not wait!! Cheers! Boogity, boogity, boogity, lets go chasing!!!
Until next time….TOODELLS.

 

P.S. NASCAR tidbit….if a caution flag comes out with two laps remaining then the race goes into Green-White-Checkered. Drivers may not compete while the caution flag it out. They drive under the caution flag until the track has been deemed safe again. Even if the race has exceeded the number of laps, NASCAR officials will attempt to end the race under a a green flag, racing condition. Here’s how it works. Green signals they are able to race again with two laps to go. White signals the final lap. Whoever completes that final lap first wins and receives the checkered flag. Got it?! Great!

The Weekender

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, Baseball, Basketball, College football, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, Sports, Tennis, Wolfpack8 Comments

Hi all!! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know I did. High school football on Friday night. College football on Saturday. NFL Football alllllllllll day Sunday. Ready to do it all over again next weekend :-}. Now, onto the what happened this weekend in the sporting world…

My 9ers leaped into Lambeau and came out with a 30-22 win. There are rumors of the cheese melting as a result.

The most asked question going into this NFL season was how is Peyton Manning going to look. I think Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin answered this question best, “He’s Peyton.”

Robert Griffin the 3rd bka RGIII, passed for 320 yards, rushed for 42 yards and threw no interceptions in his debut as he led the tataskinz to a 40-32 win over the Saints. Tataskin Nation had no idea real QB’s still existed.

Serena Williams won her fourth US Open title. She collected a 1.9 million dollar check too.

After not scoring any TD’s in the preseason, the Jets put up 48 on the Bills. That would be very impressive if they were not playing the Bills.

The New York Yankess regained the lead in the AL East with a win over the Orioles. With 22 games left, this division is up for grabs.

My Wolfpack beat UConn 10-7. I know a win is a win but sheesh.

Dr. Shaquille O’Neal is in talks to play in a Mexican Basketball League.  Can he speak Spanish as well as he speaks English :-}??

The Eagles almost got their wings clipped by the BROWNS. Yes, you can laugh.

The University of Louisiana-Monroe pulled off the shocking upset of #8 Arkansas winning 34-31 in OT. The Associated Press rewarded Arkansas with a drop kick right out of the top 25.

Twins Mike and Bob Bryan won the US Open Men’s Double championship. They now have 12 Grand Slam championships, most in the open era.

Washington Nationals pulled the plug on Stephen Strasburg for the year. See you next year kid.

Reggie Miller, Don Barksdale, Jamaal Wilkes, Mel Daniels, Coach Don Nelson, Ralph Sampson, Phil Knight, the All-American Redheads, Chet Walker, Katrina McClain, Lidia Alexeera and Hank Nichols were all inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  Congrats and two snaps!!

Seahawks rookie QB, Russell Wilson, almost threw a game winning TD in his debut but the pass was dropped in the endzone by Braylon Edwards. New year, same Braylon.

Oscar Pistorius won gold in the Paralympics 400m final. Glad to see him bounce back after the “controversy.”

No update on the potential NHL lockout. Both sides are still frozen in their position.

My assessment of the replacement refs? They need to be replaced.

Clint Bowyer won the race at Richmond. Due to rain, the race literally took all night to finish.

Until next time…TOODELLS

Ladies, klass is in session…Football 101, Lesson 2

On By kassienetteIn 49ers, College football, Football, Panthers, Sports6 Comments

Alright ladies, Sunday is a BIG DAY!!! The first Sunday of the NFL Season. Do you understand what that means? Men everywhere will be missing in action. Some women will be too, liiiiiiike me :-}. I know some of you will be making a serious attempt to sit down and watch a game or two and see what all the hype is about. Get your pens and paper ready. You have notes to take. Oh, college football is on Saturday as well sooooo….

 

Uno) The offense is typically made up of the quarterback, running back(RB), fullback(FB), five offensive linemen, tight end and two wide receivers(WR). Just so you know the offensive line up can vary at times.

     Uno A) The offensive line is responsible for blocking the defensive players from getting to the QB, thus giving the QB enough time to throw the ball. If it is a running play, the offensive linemen are expected to push opposing players backward, sideways, to the ground in an effort to open up holes for the RB to run through.

     Uno B) The guy who snaps the ball is the center. He will always be lined up in, yeah you guessed it, the center of the field. The guys on both side of the center are the guards. The guys to the outside of the guards are the tackles. Got it? Great!

Dos) The defense typically consists of four linemen, three linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties Lets just stick with that for now.

 

Tres) The yellow line that you see on tv indicates how far a team needs to advance the ball in order to get a first down. This line ONLY exists on tv. ONLY.

 

Cuatro) The line of scrimmage is the imaginary line that stretches the width of the field. Since the line is imaginary, I will make it simple. Wherever the ball is placed before the snap, that is the line of scrimmage.

 

Cinco) The short lines on the middle of the field that the ball is placed on are the hashtags. They were around long before Twitter. If you do not use Twitter, you will not understand. Carry on.

 

Seis) Alright, lets talk false starts and offsides. Once an offensive player is in their set position, they can not move. If they do, it is a false start, the team is penalized five yards and the down is repeated. Here is an example. It is 2nd and 5 for Team Uh Huh. #81 for Team Uh Huh crosses the line of scrimmage resulting in a false start. The team now has to go an extra five yards to get a first down. The down remains the same and it is now 2nd and 10 for Team Uh Huh. Got it?! Great!

 

Seis A) Offsides is when a defensive player is on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. This is typically deemed a “free play.” The coach of the non-offending team can decide to accept or decline the penalty. If the non-offending team, gains a significant amount of yardage, the non-offending team will typically decline the penalty. If the non-offending team’s play works against them (results in a dropped pass, interception, fumble), the non-offending team’s coach will typically accept the penalty because this negates anything that happened on the last play. Got it?! Great!

 

Siete) Many newcomers get offsides and encroachment confused. Encroachment happens when a defensive player crosses the line of scrimmage and makes contact with an offensive player before the ball is snapped. This results in a five yard penalty against the defensive team. Got it?! Great!

 

Ocho) A safety is worth two points and occurs when an offensive player who has possession of the ball is tackled in the endzone. My guess is the player with the ball feels anything but safe at the time.

 

Nueve) I had a request from one of my faithful followers to explain pass interference. Yes, the job of the defensive back(DB) is the prevent the WR from catching the ball. However, a DB can not trip, push, pull or body slam a WR in order to prevent them from catching the ball. The DB is suppose to go after the ball and not the WR. If you see a DB push a guy to the ground before the ball has even arrived, expect a yellow flag to come flying out. I like to throw them at home too.

 

Whew! I think that is enough for today. You should be well equipped for the weekend. Do not be discouraged if you find yourself still struggling to understand. It is going to take some time to fully understand the game. You all are well on your way though. So go grab some wings, pizza, chips, cookies(snacks are essential when watching football), sit back and relax and enjoy what it sure to be a wonderful weekend!! And remember, NO QUESTIONS DURING THE GAME. You have been warned. Twice.

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

The Weekender

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Basketball, Entertainment, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, Sports, Tennis, Wolfpack4 Comments

Hello all!! I hope you are having a great holiday weekend. Here is a quick rekap of all the big and not so big sports stories…

Pia Sundhage resigned as coach of the US Women’s Soccer team. 2 snaps and a job well done.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will finally get his statue in Star Plaza outside of the Staples Center. Oh Kareem, if only you had not complained.

Jake Skelton was named the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals. And just like that, Kevin Kolb becomes the highest paid backup QB EVER.

Eureka College QB, Sam Durley, passed for 736 yards in a win against Knox. Seven hundred and thirty six yards.

Alabama laid the smackdown on Michigan in Texas. I guess everything really is bigger there.

Dwight Howard took out an ad in the Orlando Sentinel expressing his loooooove for the city. Mickey and nem were not impressed.

Maurice Jones-Drew ended his holdout WITHOUT signing a new contract. Did I miss something?

After becoming an overnight, inspirational sensation at the London Olympics, Oscar  Pistorious finished second in the 200m final at the Paralympics. He then complained the winner had an unfair advantage. *crickets*

My Wolfpack failed to show up against Tennessee. Maybe they were looking ahead to the UConn game.

Denny Hamlin won his second race in a row, claiming the checkered flag in Atlanta. Vroom vroom.

Stepping up to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning, the Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones, put one over the wall to give his a team an 8-7 win. Chipper’s chip shot keeps the Braves in the lead for the NL Wild Card spot.

The NFL & NFL Referees Association failed to reach a deal and no new meetings are scheduled. I have a good feeling a few replacement refs will appear in the C’Mon Man segment on Monday Night Countdown next week.

Andy Roddick announced he will retire after the US Open. Kool.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, “I think Timmy, with all due respect, is better than Joe Montana.” Laughs out loud very loudly.

Labor talks between the NHL and the NHL Players Association have stalled, likely signaling a lockout.  New soap opera coming soon, “As The Ice Melteth.”

Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger, won her first LPGA tourney. I wonder if her new slogan is “Tiger, Tiger, he’s the man, if he can not do it, I can!!”

 

Until next time…TOODELLS.

Ladies, klass is in session…Football 101, Lesson 1

On By kassienetteIn Football21 Comments

First, I have to give a big old THANK YOU to all my family, friends and strangers who have shown me so much love and support since I launched my blog. I am having a blast!!

Now, lets get started. I had not planned to post again until Friday but I have quickly learned that in the blogging world you just go with the flow. Since my last post, I have gotten a lot of feedback from women who are anxious to learn more about sports. With the college football season starting tonight and NFL starting next week, I think it is only right that I help my ladies out a bit. So here it is, your first football lesson. Make sure you have your pen and paper ready :-}.

Uno) NEVER, EVER talk during the game unless you are talking about the game….
Uno A)…but you can not ask questions. No one really wants to explain to you, during the game, what a safety is. Questions are only allowed during commercials and they should be very limited. Maybe three a game. Seriously.
Uno B)…if you are going to talk about the game, please, please, pleeeeeeeeease know what you are talking about. If the quarterback(QB) gets sacked(tackled and brought down to the ground while he still has the ball), DO NOT yell out offsides! If you do not know what you are talking about, please refer back to uno A.

Dos) The offense is the team with the ball. The defense is the team without. Easy, right?

Tres) There are 10 yards in a down. The offense gets four chances to gain the 10 yards. If the offense does not gain 10 yards, the other team gets the ball back. I already know I am going to have to revisit this topic.

Cuatro) A touchdown(TD) is worth six points. Always and forever.

Cinco) Typically after a touchdown, the kicker comes out to, yeah you guessed it, kick the ball through the uprights(the bars in the endzone that looks like an H). This is called a Point After Touchdown bka PAT and it is worth one point. It is NOT a field goal which is worth three points.

Seis) The person who throws the ball is the QB. Well, nine times out of 10 it is the QB. Just confused you, huh?

Siete) A football game typically lasts three hours. Give or take 15-30 minutes.

Ocho) If a game is tied at the end of regulation, the game goes into overtime(OT). We will get into that during another class.

Nueve) There are 11 offensive and 11 defensive players on the field at all times. If you count more than that on the field, somebody can not count.

Diez) A football field is 100 yards long and 53.5 yards wide. You can really impress a man if you drop that tidbit on ’em. Please do it in a casual manner.

Once) The endzone is the 10 yard area at the end of the field. The goal is to get the ball into the endzone thus resulting in a TD. The endzone typically has the home team’s mascot name spray painted in it.

Doce) Gridiron is another name for the football field. While we are at it, if someone yells out paydirt that means touchdown.

Want more knowledge until the next lesson? Watch SportsCenter!! It literally comes on like 12 times a day. Oh and SportsCenter is ESPN’s flagship program for those of you who do not know. If you happen to not know what ESPN is, then forget everything you read and go back to watching Lifetime.

Until next time…TOODELLS.

She knows the game? Yes! She knows the game.

On By kassienetteIn Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, NASCAR, Olympics, Sports, Tennis5 Comments

The picture speaks for itself. Kassie is a sports fanatic.

I love attending games. I love watching games. I love keeping up with stats. I love debating sports. I love seeing records being set and records being broken. I love cheering my team on to victory. I am addicted to ESPN. I even have an ESPN banner hanging in my living room. I love everything about sports. Well, almost everything. I can do without the lying, cheating and deception but hey that is the world we live in.

For years, I have gotten compliments on my vast knowledge of sports. Just a few of weeks ago a schoolmate of mine, Larry, said to me, ” girl you need to get a job covering/writing for some sort of sports network or paper. I think it’s your calling to bring the facts while at the same time getting under the skin of the opposition! It’s what you’re great at!” I’ve heard that plenty of times before but for some reason, on that particular day the wheels started churning. And churning. And churning. Until a solution was churned out….this blog :-}.

My love and knowledge of sports classifies me as rare. It is not often you will find a lady that wears 5.5 inch heels who can name all the members of the Dream Team, knows all the words to the Chicago Bears Fight Song, Bear Down, can quote famous rants by Allen Iverson, Jim Mora, Dennis Green & Herm Edwards or can get into a car and show you how Dale Earnhardt, Sr. celebrated his one and only Dayotona 500 win. Don’t worry Ma, I have never done that ;-}. I have dreams of sitting at the debate desk on ESPN’s First Take. I have dreams of providing coverage of the SuperBowl from the sideline. I have dreams of being in Rio in 2016 for the Olympics as not only a fan but a commentator. I want to sit down one day and have a talk with Jerry Rice. I want to meet Josh Hamilton one day and tell him how much he inspires me. I want to play catch one day with Peyton Manning. I want to have some kool stories to tell my future children so they can tell all their friends and I’ll be deemed the “Kool Mama.” Today is the day I begin turning those dreams into reality.

As the years have passed by, I have come to the realization that my love for sports is part of who I am. Always have. Always will be. The fact that I am a woman, just helps me stand out in the crowd.