Okay, so I’m not feeling well and Hubby has been the best… There is one thing, though. I think he may be taking advantage of my rather weak state and is forcing me to watch stuff that I normally wouldn’t in full strength (i.e. one-dimensional shows, scary stuff, those judge shows)… (What a sneak he is, right?).

Of course, for me, Hubby would never have to twist my arm to watch sports, but maybe your significant others do… When you fall under the weather, do you open one eye-while lying on the couch-to a game that he or she knows you wouldn’t be down for watching normally?

So, it’s a new year… time to do things differently, time to put things in order, and time to take advantage that it’s, indeed, a new year.

I guess what I’d like to promote is just giving stuff (like sports) a chance. You know, something that you wouldn’t normally be into try to learn something about it… I like to periodically remind you guys of why I’m here and that’s to help relationships to benefit from the knowledge and appreciation of sports.

Whether you like it or not, sports for a lot of people, is apart of life… So, why hate or refuse with something that’s going to be part of your life anyway? Understand that your significant other is significant for a reason and your embracing of what he or she loves would truly be a benefit to your relationship.

Happy New Year!… Make it that for someone else, too.

So, a guy friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, was chatting it up with me about how his significant other and her desire to ask questions when the game is on. Wow!… I had to write about this because it is so relevant.

First, let me say that there must be a balance. Sports lovers are just that, lovers of sports… (That was funny! Well, it was.), so the significant other has to take that into consideration when deciding to ask questions or discuss the day’s events when the game is on. It may seem small, but this realization is priceless.

Conversely, the sports lover has to realize that the significant other wants to develop a level of knowledge for the game (or at least spending time) and he or she is coming to you for instruction. With this, or any other subject that is brought to you, the last thing you’d want to do is dismiss conversations and feelings.

So here’s the balance… Ask questions (Yeah, seriously sports lovers…), but not during those important games. Come to know those games that really mean a lot, like favorite teams and such, and those that are hit or miss (You know, that they watch just ’cause the television is on.)… it makes all the difference. Hubby actually gave me this balance to share with you guys. It’s important to always try to find balance, especially within relationships… Oh, and yes, you can always wait ’til a commercial (I had to do it!).

I was watching ESPN today and was amazed that the historic election of the first African-American president (elect) even reached the wide world of sports.

Now, apart from Barack Obama’s love for basketball and his desire to see the college football rankings done differently (The rankings process has been under great scrutiny.), I was shocked that he had  become a serious part of sports media analysis. I really didn’t think this event would have received much air time on the sport shows… but, indeed, this news brought out the best of the best in professional sports…

Kobe Bryant, who openly voted for Obama, expressed how this time in history shows young people that they can do anything and that “thing” doesn’t have to be sports’ focused. Michael Irvin, National Football League Hall of Famer, discussed the pride he felt about this moment in time and how far his people had come. Athletes and sports’ analysts alike were divulging what the election of the 44^th president meant to them.

While I sat there watching all the sports’ news of the day, I was glad to have been part of this historically moment.

So we know about the Hispanic culture in MLB, Football, Soccer, and other renowned popular sports (Wait for it… Wait for it…). But, I’m sure you weren’t aware of a certain pastime that is all the craze in Acapulco, Mexico (No, not bullfighting.). Today, Hubby and I and the in-laws ventured to the ends of the cliffs (I’m building excitement here.), yes the ends–to see what all the hype was about… it was diving going on (No, not the type of diving that occurs in the Olympic-sized pool.)! Yep! Men risking their lives in the sporting event of jumping off cliffs. We had to capture it because we knew no one would believe us when we said, “Men dived off of uneven cliffs into raging ocean waters.”

Mom-in-law and I couldn’t resist getting a photo with the diving celebs.

Warning: Hubby’s camera is older, but shows the action from beginning to end… so please excuse the poor quality.

Okay… go along with me. You’re a professional athlete and your sport’s season is fast approaching. You know you have to get in tip top shape (You were relaxing a bit during the off season!) for the regular season. What is the one food you would have to give up in order for your training to be truly successful?

Ah-um (I had something in my thought!)… I would say I would reluctantly (And until the off season comes around again… HeeHee!) give up malt milkshakes. Ugh! I love them. They call out to me… “Buy me. Buy me.”

K, the end.

Surprisingly enough (or maybe not that surprising), there are a lot of families participating in (or extensive family support throughout) these 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I believe (especially if it’s feasible) that there are plenty of memorable times that can be made even more special when there is family involved.

What special times can you remember (maybe long time ago or just today) that involved you and a family member? And you know what?… It can be big or small, sports related or not. What matters is that it was special to you!

Man… I’m sitting here thinking how to even begin this story. Just when you think you’ve seen or heard an amazing story, another one just crashes through. And, no matter what your stance is on this story, you’ll have to give this guy his propers (Bigups!) for such a passionate display.

This 24-year-old guy, Eric Shanteau, competed in the Olympic swimming trials, coming in at second place. With his finishing time, he was able to grab a spot on the 2008 Olympic swimming team. A once in a life time event being held in Beijing, Shanteau was presented with a choice (or maybe he didn’t think of it as a choice at all). He was diagnosed with testicular cancer a week prior to the trials and with this news, this champion decided to continue his quest for gold and go on to Beijing (Wow, right?).

Shanteau will have to face surgery, but it will happen after he comes back home. Maintaining that he’s not being naïve about the matter, Shanteau is having doctors monitor him closely during his time away. Apparently, his feelings are that the Olympics may be his once in a lifetime experience and he doesn’t want to miss out on that…

A courageous one indeed, what is your stance on Shanteau’s decision and have you ever found yourself in a once in a lifetime situation (It doesn’t have to be sports related.)?

Our everyday heroes (police officers, firemen, soldiers) know the impending danger that they face each and every day. For this reason, they usually (and for good cause) have good insurance packages for their loved ones who are left behind. This package can often time be viewed as an incentive for committing to this dangerous career path.

Now, this same reasoning can be applied to sports… Let’s specifically apply it to football. I’m sure we can all agree that along with being entertaining and nail biting at times, football can be dangerous. But (And this is a big but!), professional football players have something called “ridiculous” guaranteed money (I added “ridiculous”) that seems to make it all worth their while. The downfall of this lucrative deal is that they can be released from their team at any time (But 30 million dollars guaranteed money can make that release a little less painful-uh, yeah.)…

So, do you think the guaranteed cha-ching is worth the potential danger or injury (both short- and long-term) that may incur?

Just wondering… Have you ever made a decision to leave a situation (you just knew you were on the right track) and for one reason or another you later found yourself wanting back in?

Brett Favre

Recently retired NFL Green Bay Packers quarterback, Brett Favre, is in this same quagmire… After being the face of the Packers for 17 years (and just not quite knowing if he wanted to play anymore), he called it quits, but is now possibly rethinking that idea.

Find yourself in this story…