Moments, Captured In Words

Sweet... just sweet!

Suffice it to say that I am not a big fan of the New York Giants (I'm hardcore Pittsburgh Steelers through and through), but last night's game earned my admiration for Eli Manning and his team. Boy oh boy, Peyton's little brother sure has grown up! Eli is my new hero, but second only to Ben, of course!

And what of the arrogant Patriots? Choke to death, you CHEATERS! The spygate scandal has forever tainted them, and if you ask me, I don't think that their winning streak is really all that great. If they hadn't spied on the other teams (and who knows how long they've been doing this already?), it's a different story... but it just makes one raise an eyebrow and doubt their "greatness." And they say Tom Brady is god? Hahahahaha! I bet ya Plaxico Burress is laughing his way to the bank now. Redemption after Brady mockingly laughed at his prediction that the Pats are only going to score 17 points! 17 would have made all the difference in the world, huh, Mr. Brady?

Ok, enough trash talk now. All I can say is... cheaters can't be winners! Karma rules! And yay for the Giants!!!

And just for fun, here's a link to Big Ben's American Idol commercial during the Super Bowl. Yeah, even champions can dream big. Gotta love Ben, huh!

Go, Steelers!

Monday Night Football is ridiculous. Yes, riduculously crazy especially if your favorite team is playing, you want to get some sleep, and you're worried about being tired the next day at work for staying up so late just so you can watch the game! I am of the weaker species, so after my favorite Dancing With The Stars show wrapped up, I changed the channel to ESPN and cautiously, timidly, nervously watched the Steelers play. I told myself I'll be in bed after I see Big Ben and his boys completing their first touchdown.... but man, oh, man! Was I in for a disappointment! I didn't know what I got myself into, because it turned out to be the lowest scoring game in NFL for more than a decade! They nearly went all night without scoring, but my Steelers won the game - eventually - after they nailed a field goal with 17 seconds to go in the 4th quarter. Gee wiz! Conditions were just dreadul at Heinz Field, and the game even started late due to lightning and heavy rains --- a first, I heard, in NFL history. But I'm happy and if you'll ask me if it was worth it watching the game, I'd say it definitely was. Happy! Go, Steelers, go!

Super Bowl XLI: Colts vs. Bears

Mark your calendars: the Super Bowl will be held on February 4th!

It's funny that I am now a football fan - not diehard, but enough to care about what's going on, at least. Loser talaga ako kasi di nakapasok sa playoffs ang fave team ko (Pittsburgh Steelers) so I've taken to calling the Super Bowl contenders the "cubs" (Chicago Bears) and the "calves" (Indianapolis Colts). Dan tells me I'm verrrryyy bad!

Anyway, I'll be rooting for the Colts. Cute kasi si Peyton Manning, quarterback ng Colts. Sorry, fafa Ben (Roethlisberger, quarterback ng Steelers)... taksil ang beauty ko! Oh well... I'm hoping that next year, the Steelers will have another bid for the Super Bowl. Pero sans Coach Bill Cowher, kaya kaya???

The Great PacMan

I was never a big boxing fan (I think the sport is too bloody violent), but I can't help but feel super proud when Manny "PacMan" Pacquiao defeated Mexican Eric "El Terible" Morales during their match yesterday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

His victory was all over Philippine tv, and just watching the news clips of my fellow Pinoys cheering and celebrating is enough to make me homesick. I'm sure Papa and Kuya Gen were glued in front of the tv all throughout the fight, and would probably still watch the replay afterwards. It was a great game: the PacMan knocked out Morales during the third round, and the Mexican just sat by the ringside looking dazed after our Pinoy hero dealt him punch after powerful punch. Woooo!

I was amused when I saw on TV Patrol that almost all of the Philippines was at a standstill during the fight: the rich, famous and powerful as well as the common man converged in public places or just stayed in their homes to watch the game; jeepney and taxi drivers stopped plying their routes; movie stars delayed their shootings; and even the police reported that the crime rate was near zero during that time. Pinoys in Australia gathered in numbers as if there was some fiesta and those who were in Dubai went to work late because they watched the game.

PacMan really makes every Filipino proud. Kudos to you, Manny!

*****

Video of Manny's Para Sa 'Yo here.

Talo na naman ang Steelers?!

L*ch*ng buhay ito, oo! Talo na naman ang Steelers kagabi. Frustrated tuloy na natulog si Dan last night kasi pangatlong beses na sunud-sunod na natalo ang kanyang favorite football team (na favorite ko na rin ngayon). Kaasar! Balak ko pa naman sana mag-hold ng Super Bowl party pag nakapasok sila ulit sa championship pero mukhang malabo 'ata ito ngayon. Grrrr.

Steelers Rule!

Nobody Beats the Champs!

Last night was the start of the NFL season, and despite the absence of the great Big Ben, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to score a whopping victory against the Miami Dolphins.

Well, it wasn't really a runaway game all along - there were moments when it looked that the Dolphins might just win the match (the 4th quarter fumble by Charlie Batch at the one yard line had my die-hard husband groaning in utter disappointment) but the Steelers scored two touchdowns one after the other to seal their win.

Sweet victory!

I think this is going to be one exciting football season again... and like Dan, I guess I am turning out to be another Steeler fanatic.

The wildcard is now the champ...

Hail, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XL champions! Woohoo!

Dan is all smiles now and so happy about his favorite team winning the Super Bowl --- their first since 1980 and their fifth overall, tying with Dallas and San Francisco for most number of wins ever. Wow! When Coach Cowher received the Lombardi trophy, I felt like crying too, though I don't know why. Must be pregnancy hormones!

Anyway, here are some of what I think are the most memorable moments during the game.

(Left to right) Photo 1: Big Ben scores the first touchdown of the game... You rock, man!!!

Photo 2: Hines Ward (Dan's fave player and MVP of Super Bowl XL), scores another touchdown!

Photo 3: An emotional and triumphant moment when Coach Cowher receives the Lombardi trophy...

Photo 4: The Bus and Ward sharing a hug... heroes of the game!

Photo 5: A fitting tribute to The Bus' during his final stop: the Lombardi trophy in his hometown.

Super Bowl Mania

Wow, I never imagined there can be so much hype and frenzy about a football game. But it's not just a mere football game, as my hubby would insist... it's the game of all games... it's the SUPER BOWL!

Hehehe. Ok, whatever!

Of course, Dan is all excited (and nervous too) because his fave team - the Pittsburgh Steelers - made it this far! It's his lucky year and he teases me that Eowyn is his lucky charm. You see, last year, the Steelers were on a winning streak and he thought they'd be in the Super Bowl for sure. But then they didn't make it. This year, things were quite challenging for the Steelers and they barely even made it to the American Football Conference playoffs. They were the so-called "wildcard" --- they won game after game after game and here they are now! So naturally, Dan is ecstatic!

I don't really understand what it is about football that American men are just so addicted to. Maybe it's a cultural thing, I don't know. But whenever I see Dan so wrapped up in the game, and all excited like a little boy, I can't help but be amused and intrigued...

But more so than that, it is beyond my comprehension that the Super Bowl actually is such a big thing that:

• more than 1,000 FBI agents and police personnel were deployed in Detroit (where the game will be held) to ensure public safety
• the amount of money involved for bettings, if summed up, would be enough to pay for the debt of a medium-sized country
• very expensive commercials are especially made to be shown during the game (this doesn't include airtime rates, which I heard was as much as $2 million for a 30 second ad... outrageous!)

Graveh, di ba? Nakakabaliw! Tomorrow's the big day, and I'm rooting for the Steelers, of course! Now if only I have a terrible towel which I can wave online...

Pittsburgh Steelers won!

Ha... I'm writing about football for the very first time in my life! I never thought I'd see the day, but Dan's enthusiasm and excitement are so contagious I can't help but feel the same way about the sport too. True, I don't understand much of the game's rules, but I have a general idea now about how they play it. Touchdowns, fumbles, kicks, first downs, second downs, third downs, quarterbacks, kickers... blah blah blah! See, I'm even getting familiar with the terminology!

I'm sure Dan will be amused when he reads this post. I can imagine that cute smile on his handsome face... di ba, hon?

Anyway, the Pittsburgh Steelers just defeated the Colts (i forgot where they're from) this afternoon after a very harrowing fourth quarter. I didn't watch the game with Dan because I'm scared to jinx it --- everytime I go to the bedroom and sit beside him to watch tv, the Steelers always seemed to have bad luck. Well, they led most of the game but whenever I happened to be there to watch, just bad things for the Steelers happen: the Colts scored a touchdown, the Steelers made incomplete passes or didn't manage second/third downs. Yeah, well, you get the picture! In the last minute and a half of the game, when the Steelers enjoyed a three point lead and had possession of the ball and Dan was very certain they were gonna win, I went to join him in the bedroom and guess what happened? A Steeler player made a fumble and the Colts got the ball back, with a chance to score and either tie the game or win it completely! Uh-oh! See how much of a jinx I am? I quickly made an exit and just tinkered around with the computer.

Slow, agonizing minutes passed until Dan finally announced that the Steelers won! Whew! That transformed him into a very happy boy. Just seeing the radiant smile on his face is enough to make my heart melt! So now I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that the Steelers would make it to the Super Bowl, for Dan's sake and sanity. Anything that makes him this happy makes me even happier. I'm even starting to love football now just because it puts such glow and animation in my husband's handsome boyish face. Okay, now I'm being a moonpie... but...

GO, STEELERS, GO!!!