Super Bowl Extravaganza

Woah. Was that a game of pigskin or WHAT?  Two of the best teams in the league facing off for all the marbles. Now THAT'S what I call football.  What's so great about the superbowl is that it's not just about the game itself - there's so much more. There's the superbowl party (McKinnon Hall was off the HOOK), there's the excessive amounts of food (I know that I personally won't be eating anything for a few days), there's the smacktalk between friends (Caleb roots for the 49ers and Brad roots for the RAvens....NOT a good match, but they hugged it out after the game was over because sportsmanship rules), the halftime show (She's got ME crazy in love LOL) and of course, there are the commercials.  Before we ever get into the game itself, let's talk about the funny commercials. Obviously, the athletes and pigskins are why we watch the game, but the commercials are almost just as entertaining. How about that one where the M&M is singing the Meatloaf classic "I Would Do Anything For Love?" Or the one where everyone gets in a big fight in the library over the Oreos?  My personal favorite? The one with the crazy goat that was addicted to Doritos!!!! Doritos always has the best commercials, and this year they certainly didn't disappoint.

Now for the actual game itself (sorry for the tangent I just love super bowl commercials).  McKinnon hall had a big superbowl party, and everyone was ready for a gridiron bloodbath. There were some people rooting for the Ravens, some rooting for the niners, but everyone was rooting for a good game with sportsmanship and touchdowns. I had on my old school Jerry Rice jersey, which everyone thought was cool, especially Brad.  Everyone pitched in and we bought wings and pizza. I ate a lot, but Yi ate the most of everyone and earned himself the new nickname "Wingmaster."  BBQ is my favorite but we also had buffalo.  As kickoff slowly approached, everyone shouted out there final score predictions. Me? I said 24-17 Niners (Boy, was I wrong!)  Brad said Ravens 35 Niners 28 which was pretty close. Brad knows a lot about sports and athletics, which is probably why he had such a good prediction. Brad played freshman football in high school and was a cornerback. He met Drew Brees once. He said he was a really nice guy but he couldn't talk for very long. I don't blame Drew because he probably has a lot of plays to study and he lifts weights a lot. Football must be exhausting.

The Ravens clawed their way into the endzone early but the Niners came back with a field goal and I think everyone knew we were in for a championship game right then. Turns out the Ravens would dominate the rest of the first half. J. Flacco threw for 3 tds in the first half, including one for 56 yards and one for 1 yard and one for 13 yards. A. Boldin caught the first one. The Niners looked good but made a lot of mistakes and turnovers and you can't do that in the superbowl.  Just ask Tom Brady LOL!

HALFTIME- and here comes my girl Beonsay. Now, I've heard some people complain that this halftime show was a little racy, and I have to agree. There are people watching the super bowl with their children, and Beonsay is doing some inappropriate moves. At least it wasn't as bad as Janet Jackson a few years ago LOL. Overall though, I was very happy with the halftime show, and Beonsay is a very talented girl. It was also great to see Destiny's Child get back together. They used to be great! (makes you feel old, huh?)

When the second half came, the Ravens returned a kickoff right off the bat for a touchdown and they got the extra point. And then the unthinkable happened....THE POWER WENT OUT IN THE STADIUM!!!! Fans across the nation scratched their heads (although, secretly, I was relieved because I had an excuse to go get another soda!).  Brad had the joke of the night by saying that Beyonce was too hot for the stadium to handle! I think I might agree with him there, although my theory was that it was Bane from the dark knight rises LOL.  Eventually the power came back on - not just in the stadium, but in the 49ers offense. C. Kapernick brought the team back to be within a few points and it became a real nail biter no pun intended.

I have to admit, I didn't like the sportsmanship late in the game from the RAvens. Look, I know you're about to win the game, but to rub it in their faces by intentionally getting a safety? No, that's just low. Gosh, I wish the niners would have returned that final kick to just show those Ravens how big of idiots they are. Oh well, at the end of the day, it's just a game. Glad to see Ray Lewis go out on top and Shane Falco got the mvp which was pretty rad.

Monday after the superbowl: men across the country are in a state of severe depression. Hang in there guys. Although we won't get to see our gridiron gladiators battle it out again any time soon, we've still got the memories of this awesome season to cherish. Thanks everyone for keeping up with my nfl coverage this season. It's been a blast, and I'll be back next year when WHO DEY NATION takes over LOL.

Anyone got any crazy superbowl stories???

NFL Playoffs Round Two

What's Tanner's favorite thing? Ramen Noodles? Nope (been back at college for 3 days and I still haven't had any!) Mumford and Sons? No (Me and Caleb rocked out hard to them the other night though? NFL Playoffs? In the words of Austin Powers - Yeah baby! Let's get down to the recaps

Baltimore Ravens 38

Denver Broncos 35

-Woah. Talk about no mercy, search and destroy sports - this was where the pigskin action was. What's better than an AFC divisional title game? An AFC divisional title game decided by 3 points! Peyton Manning vs. Ray Lewis, and the roof was brought down. No doubt about it, this game was for the ages, and there was 10 touchdowns scored and a field goal plus 10 extra points (all of them were 1 pointers: No two point conversions were converted). When Peyton Manning throws the football, it looks like a speeding bullet, but Ray Lewis wasn't afraid of that and he won the game for his team. Mad props to him for trying hard in his final season.  They were at Mile High stadium but the Ravens were Miles ahead physically. Two overtimes were enough for the victory.

Green Bay Packers 31

San Fran 45

-76 total points, and there probably would have been a lot more if they kept playing. This is what the playoffs are all about- Holding nothing back and racking up fantasy points while showing good leadership and sportsmanship and enjoying the games with friends and family while eating wings and pizza. Could you have asked for a better game? I missed some of the second quarter. C. Kapernick is making a name for himself. He's like the Michael Vick of the San Francisco 49ers, only he beat the packers. When San Fran took the lead, my dad stood up and cheered.....and he spilled the salsa EVERYWHERE! My mom was mad at first, but she ended up forgiving him. That's what's so great about football - it brings people together!

Seahawks 28

Atlanta 30

-All the Seahawks needed was a safety to tie it up but that never happened. They actually could have even won the game with a field goal. The Falcons just flew higher than the Seahawks and it showed in the final score. Z. Miller had EIGHT catches. I repeat: EIGHT. What a heck of a game for Miller. Nice job. It all comes from the good concentration. The Seahawks have been underdogs since day 1, so I have to take a moment to give them a special shout out. Wow. What a season. Even on there bye week, they were turning heads. R. Wilson had a great year and a great rookie year. He is a player to watch out for in the coming years of this league. 

Houston - 28

England 2.0 - 41

-Tom Brady is the best player in the game and one of the best of alltime. He wins football games. It's that simple. Houston was my team to beat, and the Pats beat them. It's like the Patriots got together before the game and said "Hey guys, what do you think about taking absolutely ZERO prisoners in tonight's matchup?" And I think everyone on the team agreed. They beat them so bad that they probably could have put Rudy in at the end of the game and still won - it was THAT one-sided. Looks like New England is the new team to beat. Look out Baltimore - Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are on the warpath and they are gridiron masters this time of year.

I'll be back next week with my picks. And of course, it's the start of Spring semester, so I'll be keeping you updated on all my new expericnes here at THE Ohio University.

New Years Resolutions

As promised, here are my ten new year's resolutions. I know what you're thinking. Ten? Tanner, I can't even do ONE new year's resolution, let alone TEN. Well, nobody said it would be easy, but that's what the new year is all about: Challenging yourself! So without further adieu, here are my ten resolutions for this new year - 2013.

10. Eat less Ramen Noodles - It seems like almost every day this semester, I would come home from class, and without hesitation, cook myself a big bowl of Ramen Noodles! Sure, they're delicious, but eating them everyday can contribute to the dreaded freshman 15, and I'm almost halfway there :( So I pledge to only eat Ramen Noodles sparingly (Ugh, my stomach is already growling just typing that!)

9. Exercise every day - Remember one of my blog posts a couple months ago when I said I was going to start exercising everyday? Um, yeah, that didn't happen....But now it's a new year, and I want to get fit. There are a lot of pretty girls on campus, and they seem to go for the guys who work out a lot. I bet if I work out everyday I can ask one of the girls to be my girlfriend. This will help me get into parties!

8. Be nicer to my little brother Trent - Being away at school for a few months really made me miss my family, in particular, my little brother Trent. Trent always gets on my nerves. He's ALWAYS pestering me and trying to hang out with me. Um, Trent, you're only 13, why would I want to hang out with a stupid 13 year old? Me and my friends are trying to play Halo - leave us alone! Go watch Power Rangers or play with Legos or something? Well, that's how I used to feel, anyway. I've realized that Trent just really looks up to me, and it's important for me to set a good example so that he can grow up to be a cool guy like me. Trent, love you buddy! It's been great hanging out with you over break and I'm gonna miss you! I can't wait until you're old enough to come hang out at OU. You'll love it!

7. Learn to play guitar! - Caleb promised me last semester that he would teach me a thing or two on guitar, and I think I'm gonna take him up on this generous offer. Pretty soon, you'll be calling me Tanner Hendrix LOL! I wonder what song I'll learn first. Back in Black by AC/DC? Smoke on the Water? Iron Man? Either way, look for me on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine soon (jk).

6. Play less Angry Birds - ever since I got my new smart phone, all I ever do is play Angry Birds. I can't help it! It's sooooo addicting. But I definitely realize that there are more important things that I should be doing with my time....like studying!!!!

5. Study more - Maybe all the time that I take away from eating Ramen Noodles and playing Angry Birds I can put toward studying. What do ya think? I got decent grades last semester, but I know I can always do better! Work hard, play hard, Brad always tells me. AMEN! And with Accounting 101 on my schedule, I'm going to need to do A LOT of studying this semester.

4. No more taking the escalator up Jeff Hill - This kind of goes hand in hand with number 9. This should be tough. Walking up Jeff Hill is so tiring! Sometimes I just can't take it and I use the escalator in Glidden (One of the great secrets of OU). I figure if I'm trying to avoid the dreaded freshman 15 (the 15 pounds that freshman often gain) I should just walk up Jeff Hill.

3. Take it easy during Bengals games - It seems like every time Who Dey Nation steps on the field, I just can't contain myself. I start going crazy and chanting "Here we go Bengals, here we go!" Some of my friends actually think I was a Bengal tiger in my past life and that's why I'm such a crazy fan! I'm going to try and tone it down this year and just enjoy the games. It's not good for me to get so wild during games, especially when they lose.

2. Find more awesome music - Last semester, my life was changed when I started to listening to indie music. Discovering bands like Mumford and Sons, The Shins, O.A.R. and The Kings of Leon really changed my perspecitive on music. I encourage everyone to try and find music that isn't on the radio. There's some really good stuff out there. Here's an alternative music video

1. Live life to the fullest - College has really changed my perspective and made me realize how much there is out there in the world. So what's the point in feeling down in the dumps all the time when you should be out there living your life? Go for an adventure, try some new food, go mountain climbing (but be careful!), ask out your crush, do a crazy dance, sing, BE YOURSELF! No matter what life throws at you, go with it and do your best! Nobody's stopping you!

So there you have it. Be sure to post your new years resolutions below. I'll pick out my favorite ones and feature them in my next post!!!!

NFL Playoffs: Round 1

It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, I'm not talking about Christmas (That was two weeks ago). No, I'm not talking about the start of Spring Semester (Although it seems like everyone ELSE is talking about it, and they should be- OU 4 Lyfe!). I'm talking about the NFL Playoffs. Now first, I'd like to apologize for my lack of coverage in the final weeks of the season. I got some awesome feedback from my NFL Week 13 coverage, and I'd like to continue providing you with the pigskin scores throughout the playoffs. So without further adieu, here are the gridiron scores from the first round of the  national playoff tournament.

Vikings - 10

Green Bay - 24

          The frozen tundra melted because the pack attack was so HOT. The memory of Brett Farve lingers in  green bay, and the intimidation factor was too much for the viking onslaught. Stats: D. Moses with one fumble recovery and Jordy Nelson with 3 catches. Aaron Rodgers also threw a whopping 33 passes, but only 1 of them was a touchdown, making his touchdown percentage roughly 3%. He'll have to bring that up if he wants to beat the SF-49ers. They are arguably the hardest hitting team in the league today, and Aaron Rodgers isn't good against blitzers. Overall, this was a solid game.  Interceptions were thrown, sacks were made and field goals were kicked as the green machine kicked some viking butt!

Cincinnati - 13

Houston - 19

           This one was difficult to watch. The Bengals were in the Red Zone more than the end zone and it cost them in the end. Arian Foster was just too fast for the Bengal defense. His juke moves are probably what won them the game. M. Schaub also played hard and made 38 attempts.  Sometimes his passes were so quick that I lost sight of them, and I'm sure this was the case for other fans. Oh well, it was a great season for who dey nation, and I'm a Bengals fan for life. "I bleed orange and black" as my cousin Taylor always says when we watch the games. That's right. I've been watching the Bengals since I was jsut a kid, and I'm going to watch them until the day I die. No fair-weather fan here!

Colts - 9

Ravens - 24

          This could have been Ray Lewis's last game, but it wasn't because they won and will move on to the quarter finals. Speaking of Lewis he had 9 tackles - nice! If you look up intimidation in the dictionary, you'll probably find a picture of Ray LEwis. He's THAT good. You know who else is good? The other Ray- Ray "Lightning" Rice. Lightning is my nickname for Ray Rice because he's so fast that he looks like lightning on the gridiron. He had 15 carries for 70 yards! That's over 4 yards a carry for those of you counting at home. Talk about a pro-bowler, huh? Great game and some real dirty no-mercy football.

Seattle - 24

Washington - 14

          Upset city. RG3, where were you? My boy went down late in the game, making a comeback impossible for our first president's namesake. Despite this injury, there wasn't much bloodshed, as both teams showed outstanding sportsmanship and played by the old school rules. Most of the spirals were tight but a few of them got intercepted. You can't win a game with turnovers. You jsut can't do it. Just ask the 97 New Orleans Saints. Despite some great instant replays, this was probably the most boring game of the week. It still kicked butt, though. Every NFL game kicks butt, that's why they call it the NFL. If it didn't, they'd call it the MLS (soccer stinks!).  

Can you believe we're only weeks away from the Super Bowl championship? It seems like only yesterday we were watching the Giants hoist the trophies. Now we just have to wait and see who wins. I'll be back next week with the scores. In the meantime, be sure to check out the National Championship game tonight on ESPN (my favorite channel). The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (O-VER-RA-TED. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP CLAP CLAP!) vs. the Crimson Tide of Alabama (Bear Bryant coached here and Forrest Gump played here). My prediction? Bama 42 ND 13 (Lots of penalties and trash talking.) Enjoy the game RESPONSIBLY please. 

New Years in the Big Apple

Hey everyone! Just got back from the Big Apple for new years and let me tell you, it was craaaaaazy. Subways, pizza, taxis - this is the city that NEVER SLEEPS (okay, so I caved in my first night and got some shut eye. The big apple takes some getting used to, ya know?). It's like Jay-Z and Kanye said, "New York - these streets will make you feel brand new, these light will inspire you" (Empire State of Mind). I knew I was in for a wild ride when I first stepped on the subway and there was a guy SLEEPING....ON THE SUBWAY. Are you kidding me? Toto, we're not in Athens anymore. No, we certainly are not. We're in the big apple baby.

So my parents asked me and my brother Trent the first thing we wanted to do when we got there. See the Empire State Building? Nope. Go to Chinatown? Not right now. Catch a Yankees game? FAHGETABOUTIT! We wanna get some pizza....New York Style! So we went to a nearby pizza shop called Lil' Tony's and grabbed some slices. I challenged Trent to an eating competition (I'm the pizza eating king! Some of my friends back home call me "Blake the Pizza Man."), but my parents didn't let us because we were in public and we didn't want to look like tourists (I agree, this is why I had my Yankees hat and Derek Jeter jersey on). When eating pizza in nyc, it's important to fold the pizza in half length-wise if you want to raise street cred.

Next up? The Statue of Liberty, of course. Now, for those of you who aren't history buffs, Lady Liberty was given to the U.S. as a gift for our help in the French and Indian War. (AMERICA! F*** YEAH! LOL!) We had to take a ferry all the way out to see the statue, but it was definitely worth the trip (even though I was freezing on the ferry and thought I was going to get hypothermia!). The view from up there is amazing and it really makes you realize how big the city is.

We then made our way to the Empire State Building. Now, I had heard a rumor that if you threw a penny off of the Empire State Building you would put a huge hole in the ground. I wanted to try this, but unfortunately when we got up there, there were signs saying that it was illegal to throw anything off the building. I was in no mood to spend new years eve in jail, so I kept my change in my pocket where it belongs. Trent called me a chicken, but what does he know? He's still in HIGH SCHOOL for crying out loud. I'm not a chicken, I just respect the law - especially when it's being enforced by the one and the only NYPD.

Despite the pizza and the sightseeing, the highlight of the trip was Times Square on New Year's Eve. You wouldn't believe how many people were there waiting for the big ball to drop. There had to be at least 10 million. A lot of them didn't speak English, which started to get really annoying, but then I remember what Brad always tells me: you have to be accepting of others and try to understand where they come from. He's right. I need to work on that. I need to work on a lot of things. Standing there in the big apple with my loved ones watching the ball drop made me realized how blessed I am and how kick butt my life is. I have an amazing family, awesome friends, the most radical blog on the net, and the most radical blog readers on the net (you guys rule!). It's a new year, and while it's a time to reflect on our memories from 2012, both good and bad, it is also a time to look forward to the year to come. I have a list of new year's resolutions that I'm going to try out and I'll be sure to post them later this week.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger once said "I'll be back." Hope everyone had a great holiday and I can't wait to hear about it in the comment section (nothing inappropriate please!)

Question of the day: What's your new years resolution?  

Merry Christmas (From Tanner)

Well, my faithful blog readers, it's the best time of year again (or should I say "It's the most wonderful time of the year" lol). The season of giving. Christmas. The greatest holiday in the world (sorry Thanksgiving! Please don't be mad at me - I still love you!). And while it's easy to get carried away with Christmas shopping and all the cool presents we might be receiving (Sons of Anarchy season 3 blu-ray - fingers crossed), it's important to remember the real reason for this holiday - the birth of our lord Jesus Christ. In remembrance of JC, it's important to put others before yourself on this very special time of year. Be sure to hug your loved ones and let them know how much they mean to you. Give a gift to a friend or family member that you normally don't give one to. You know those salvation army guys outside of the grocery store? Help em out! There are less fortunate people who can't afford christmas presents. Remember these brave souls during the holiday season.

Without further adieu here are my top six favorite things about the holiday season

6. Egg nog - Nothing tastes like Christmas more than a little bit of this sweet north pole nectar!

5. 24 hours of a Christmas story - If you've never seen this holiday classic, shame on you. It's about a kid named Ralphie, and all he wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder B.B. gun ("you'll shoot your eye out kid" lol). The only problem? No one else thinks it's safe. This masterpiece gets played for 24 consecutive hours from Christmas eve until Christmas day on TBS, so be sure to check it out.

4. Other Christmas movies- Elf, How the Grinch stole Christmas, Home Alone (I'm partial to Lost in NY, but they're both rad), The Santa Claus. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention, JINGLE ALL THE WAY!!! Arnold Schwarzenegger is the greatest dad in the world (next to mine of course. LOL love you dad! Hope you're reading this!) So many Xmas classics, so little time.

3. Family- Family. Is. Everything. Any questions? Nope? Good.

2. Aunt Margaret's House - Every Christmas Eve, my family goes to my Aunt Margaret's for a nice holiday get together. I love getting to see all my little cousins (they're getting so big! Madison is already in the 5th grade!) and hearing my Uncle John's stories. He always has the craziest and funniest stories, like the one time he dressed up as Santa Claus for church on Christmas Eve!

1. Christmas Music - Have a holly jolly christmas, have the best time of the year. Haha I wish I could sing it for all my readers. Who doesn't love Christmas music? Anyone who doesn't is just a big scrooge.

Anyway, gotta go spread the holiday cheer!. Here's my cousin Omar singing to the birthday boy.

12 Days of Christmas- College Style

Hey guys! So I had a fun idea...what if I took the Xmas song "12 Days of Christmas" and made it relevant to college students?  Let's give it a try! (If you want to sing it out loud, go for it!)

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me
A big 30 pack of Natty

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Six unexcused absences
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Seven loud neighbors (it's 4am, turn off the techno!)
Six unexcused absences
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of Pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eight roundsof Modern Warfare
Seven loud neighbors
Six unexcused absences
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Nine crazy cat memes (because cats have 9 lives)
Eight rounds of Modern Warfare
Seven loud neighbors
Six unexcused absences
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Ten Boondock Saints viewings
Nine crazy cat memes
Eight rounds of modern Warfare
Seven loud neighbors
Six unexcused absneces
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Eleven boring lectures
Ten Boondock Saints viewings
Nine crazy cat memes
Eight rounds of modern warfare
Seven loud neighbors
Six unexcused absences
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve goals in broomball (okay it was only 11, only because one of them didn't count because I was offsides)
Eleven boring lectures
Ten Boondock Saints viewings
Nine crazy cat memes
Eight rounds of modern warfare
Seven loud neighbors
Six unexcused absences
Five hits of hookah
Four quarters of pigskin
Three sons of Mumford
Two hours of sleep
And a big 30 pack of Natty


Wow, that was fun, huh? I think I might have a future in songwriting lol!