Well Ladies and Gentleman,
We have gotten through the Ides of March (literally, Mr. Clooney, Ryan Gosling and their film crews packed up their equipment and left the 'Nati weeks ago), the Madness of March is in its final weekend (see post this weekend), and we are approaching the beginning of April, my favorite month this year, because not only is it the month of my handsome fiance's birthday, Junior League Fashion Show, AND my wedding, but it also is the start of the 'Most wonderful time of the year'.....BASEBALL SEASON!! And today is the start of it all and probably my favorite sporting event of the entire year.....
OPENING DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! R-E-D-S! REDS REDS! REDS!
Baseball season in general is the best time of the year: it means longer days, warmer days (hopefully), and spending a ton of time down at the ballpark with great friends watching America's pastime.
Fun Fact: My hometown team, the mighty Cincinnati Reds, are considered the 'First Team in Baseball' as they were the first all-professional baseball team (other teams had amateur and professional players), and because of this, for many years the Reds opened the Major League Baseball season with the first Opening Day. But now, due to to the Yankees (who are ruining baseball, according to my fiance) with their ridiculous roster, payroll, and new shiny stadium (sorry Shari), the Reds are no longer the first game of the year, they are overtaken by the larger market teams that have more of what the media says is a 'National Appeal'. However, the Reds are always guaranteed opening up their season at home.
Opening Day in Cincinnati is full of wonderful festivities: the Opening Day parade (a great Cincinnati tradition), free cheese coney day at Skyline, and of course running into the hoards of people who are skipping work or cutting class to witness the current NL Central Division champs defend their title against the Milwaukee Brewers. Our Dominican Rocket, Edinson Volquez (who also plays in the off season for my grandparents hometown team, the La Romana Toros in the DR), will face Yovani Gallardo (who the Reds have dominated in the past) and a much improved Brewers team, headed up by the abnormally large Prince Fielder (son of Hall of Famer Cecil Fielder). Prince is a first baseman and a very strong bat, he's in a contract year (meaning a good season will fatten his wallet a little more on his next contract), so I have a feeling he will be on his A-Game. Our Redlegs are coming off a banner year, where they won the division but then fell to the NL East Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, who have the sickest pitching staff in Major League Baseball (Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay and Joe Blanton). This year, our National League MVP, first baseman Joey Votto (our Canadian love), right fielder Jay Bruce (my projection for this year's NL MVP), 2nd baseman Gold Glove winner and all around good guy Brandon Phillips, will lead this team to VICTORY!!!!!!! Gotta love my Reds. I will also be rooting for the Red Sox (much to my fiance's chagrin) and the San Francisco Giants (until we face them in the playoffs) this year. To get you jacked up at least for Reds Opening day, watch this link to the greatest day in recent Reds history: the shot heard 'round the 'Nati: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12563755
What to wear to the game: You don't have to sacrifice fashion to support your team! Especially now that almost all teams have a women's line of apparel. But please for the love of God, do not buy a pink team shirt/hat/anything - your team is NOT pink. Also, for 23 of the 32 MLB teams Victoria's Secret has created the Major League Collection for their PINK line - it's really cute and girl friendly, unfortunately, the Reds are not included in this collection :(. If you want to get jersey tshirt (looks like a baseball jersey, but is a tshirt), I would go for the Children's sizes for a more tailored look - and they're cheaper than the adult sizes! If you do not want to wear a team logo, but still want to support, I suggest going to the nearest American Apparel or department store and investing in a tee in your team's colors. I switch back and forth from Reds tshirts, red polo or red polo dress, and an American Apparel red deep v. Shoes are always a great way to support as well - I am currently in the market for a pair of red Tory Burch flats or Jack Rogers sandals to wear to games. Also, wear a baseball cap! It's great for a bad hair day and it's an excuse to put your hair in pigtails :). There is no need to sacrifice fashion to support your team! Support them in style!
Today it is a high of 43 degrees in Cincinnati, so I will be wearing skinny jeans, Uggs, a black long sleeve tee under my Aroldis Chapman (the Cuban Missile) jersey tee shirt, an awesome Reds team jacket, my worn in Reds fitted cap and my Reds earrings. A perfect outfit for a chilly Opening Day.
Readers, send pictures (to cassiessportsskinny@gmail.com) of your Opening Day outfits and I will post them to the blog tomorrow!
Well, it's time for me to get ready to head down to the ballpark, so I wish all of you a happy Opening Day and a little something to get you into the baseball mood....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc
xoxo,
Cass
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Oh What a Weekend!
Greetings Sports Enthusiasts!
Well the first weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament did not disappoint! Buzzer beaters, nailbiters and upsets galore royally screwed many a bracketologist (def. those who study the tournament bracket and project who will win each game). Luckily, I was able to predict a few of the upsets and am sitting pretty in third place in my tournament pool...well above my fiance, the Xavier fan :)
For me and my hometown peeps, this weekend was a mix of emotions:
-Vanderbilt, as we've come to expect from them, blew a significant lead at the half to lose once again by a
last minute shot to the Richmond Spiders, the A-10 champs, who are also continuing on this weekend to
the Sweet Sixteen. I know I shouldn't be shocked, since this is the THIRD, count it, THIRD time the
'Dores have made an early exit from the tourney, at the hands of a higher seeded team: 13 seeds Siena in
2008, and Murray State last year. Will Vandy fans ever be able to go into the tournament with any
semblance of confidence that their team won't get trounced by a significantly higher seeded team? The world may never know....
-Much to my fiance's chagrin, the Xavier Musketeers also made a first round exit, as they were trounced by 11th seeded Marquette. That's what will happen when your leading scorer, Tu Holloway, is held to only 5 POINTS in the game. Marquette was on him like white on rice. This is the first time in 4 years that the Muskies will not play in the Sweet Sixteen. Fun Fact: According to ESPN.com, Michigan State and Xavier are the only two teams that have made it to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the past three years...both were bounced in the first round this year. Funny how things change! Marquette made it past Syracuse in another close game in the 3rd Round and will face #1 seeded UNC Tarheels on Friday. I wish the Golden Eagles the best of luck, and Muskies, I know you'll be back strong next year.
-The most surprising performance of a team from the tri-state area were my local faves - the UC Bearcats.
Mick Cronin, the leprechaun-esque head coach of the Bearcats was on the chopping block if his team did not have a good season. But he was able to pull his team together and with the heart of the team being Yancey Gates, local boy Cashmere Wright, Ibrahima Thomas and Dion Dixon, the Bearcats excelled through their Big East schedule and scored a 6 seed in the tournament, the first NCAA tournament appearance since good old Huggy Bear (Bob Huggins) coached the Bearcats.The Bearcats schooled the Mizzou Tigers in the second round and put up quite a fight in the third round against fellow Big East team UConn Huskies. The Huskies Kemba Walker just could not be stopped. Bearcat Yancey Gates has been questioned by the media and Bearcat Nation about his dedication to the team. If you were watching as the final seconds ran down on Saturday night's game, and saw an inconsolable Gates on the bench, tears streaming down his face, you knew how dedicated he is to this team and that he plays with heart. I look forward to seeing the Bearcats play with the same power and heart next year.
OK! Now for teams to watch this weekend:
-Fun Fact! The City of Richmond, VA has as many teams in the Sweet Sixteen as the Big East and the SEC! The Rams of Virginia Commonwealth and the Spiders of the University of Richmond have both made it to the Sweet 16. This is the first time since 1980 that one city has had two teams in the Sweet 16 (LA was the last city to do this). VCU had quite the journey to the round of 16 - they had to 'play in' to the tournament in the first round, then upset Georgetown AND Purdue to get to the Sweet Sixteen. All those VCU haters out there - they're for real! Take that Jay Bilas! Richmond had a bit smoother trip to the Sweet Sixteen. They beat my 'Dores in the second round and then blew out Morehead St. (who upset #4seed Louisville) in the third round. VCU plays #10 seed Florida State and Richmond plays #1 seed Kansas, both on Friday. These should both be interesting games, if the these two teams continue to play at the level they've been playing in the tournament thus far. And if VCU and Richmond win, they will play each other in the Elite Eight, which is very rare that two teams from the same city would play each other in the tournament. I'm rooting for this!
-#1 Overall seed Ohio State Buckeyes play my SEC brethren #4 seed Kentucky Wildcats. This should be a great game, two very talented teams with diehard fanbases - I have a feeling you'll see a ton of Scarlet&Grey and Blue&White in the crowd. My money is on The Buckeyes, as I have them winning the national title, but I know many of my southern pals will be rooting for the 'Cayets', as my dear friend Hillie says. I will be with one of my diehard UK pals during the game, and I have a feeling we will need to sit far far away from each other during this games. Should be a great one - they play at 9:45pm on Friday night!
-My favorite Cinderella team from last year, the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs knocked off Pitt in the third
round, the first #1 seed ousted from the tournament. They face a formidable opponent in the #4 seed
Wisconsin Badgers. Check this game out tomorrow, it's a late one with tipoff at 9:57!
Here's the schedule for the rest of the games for Thursday/Friday:
-#1 Duke (Coach K says the Kyrie Irving will get 'significant minutes' in this game) v. #5 Arizona (coached by former Xavier coach Sean Miller) Thursday at 9:45
-#3 UConn (lead by my man Kemba Walker - he's unstoppable!) v. #2 San Diego State Thursday at 7:15
-#3 BYU (Jimmer Fredette is an animal!) v. #2 Florida Gators (who I hate on principle) Thursday at 7:27
Now for my favorite name of the tournament: Shabazz Napier - guard for UConn. I mean come on, Shabazz could be the coolest name EVER. Love it. Thought I would bring it to the public's attention :)
For all your men, my dear friend Shari has made me aware of a promotion that the company she works for, Molton Brown, is doing through April 4th! The winner receives an “elite 8” pack of Molton Brown body washes! Sounds good to me! Below is the link to all the fun sweepstakes information: http://on.fb.me/iizjLu. Check it out and get some goodies for your guy or for yourself!
Lastly, this weekend I will be taking my talents to the Dirty South, aka Atlanta, to see my lovely friend Amanda get hitched. I can't wait to see my amazing friends (including my love Jacq, who is graciously housing me this evening and will be my roomie for the weekend) as well as watch basketball with my buddy Josh, the diehard UK fan. I forgive him for that, because like me, he loves the Reds :)
ONLY 1 WEEK TIL OPENING DAY!!!
Peace, Love, and College Basketball (and Baseball too)!!
Cass
Well the first weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament did not disappoint! Buzzer beaters, nailbiters and upsets galore royally screwed many a bracketologist (def. those who study the tournament bracket and project who will win each game). Luckily, I was able to predict a few of the upsets and am sitting pretty in third place in my tournament pool...well above my fiance, the Xavier fan :)
For me and my hometown peeps, this weekend was a mix of emotions:
-Vanderbilt, as we've come to expect from them, blew a significant lead at the half to lose once again by a
last minute shot to the Richmond Spiders, the A-10 champs, who are also continuing on this weekend to
the Sweet Sixteen. I know I shouldn't be shocked, since this is the THIRD, count it, THIRD time the
'Dores have made an early exit from the tourney, at the hands of a higher seeded team: 13 seeds Siena in
2008, and Murray State last year. Will Vandy fans ever be able to go into the tournament with any
semblance of confidence that their team won't get trounced by a significantly higher seeded team? The world may never know....
-Much to my fiance's chagrin, the Xavier Musketeers also made a first round exit, as they were trounced by 11th seeded Marquette. That's what will happen when your leading scorer, Tu Holloway, is held to only 5 POINTS in the game. Marquette was on him like white on rice. This is the first time in 4 years that the Muskies will not play in the Sweet Sixteen. Fun Fact: According to ESPN.com, Michigan State and Xavier are the only two teams that have made it to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the past three years...both were bounced in the first round this year. Funny how things change! Marquette made it past Syracuse in another close game in the 3rd Round and will face #1 seeded UNC Tarheels on Friday. I wish the Golden Eagles the best of luck, and Muskies, I know you'll be back strong next year.
-The most surprising performance of a team from the tri-state area were my local faves - the UC Bearcats.
Mick Cronin, the leprechaun-esque head coach of the Bearcats was on the chopping block if his team did not have a good season. But he was able to pull his team together and with the heart of the team being Yancey Gates, local boy Cashmere Wright, Ibrahima Thomas and Dion Dixon, the Bearcats excelled through their Big East schedule and scored a 6 seed in the tournament, the first NCAA tournament appearance since good old Huggy Bear (Bob Huggins) coached the Bearcats.The Bearcats schooled the Mizzou Tigers in the second round and put up quite a fight in the third round against fellow Big East team UConn Huskies. The Huskies Kemba Walker just could not be stopped. Bearcat Yancey Gates has been questioned by the media and Bearcat Nation about his dedication to the team. If you were watching as the final seconds ran down on Saturday night's game, and saw an inconsolable Gates on the bench, tears streaming down his face, you knew how dedicated he is to this team and that he plays with heart. I look forward to seeing the Bearcats play with the same power and heart next year.
OK! Now for teams to watch this weekend:
-Fun Fact! The City of Richmond, VA has as many teams in the Sweet Sixteen as the Big East and the SEC! The Rams of Virginia Commonwealth and the Spiders of the University of Richmond have both made it to the Sweet 16. This is the first time since 1980 that one city has had two teams in the Sweet 16 (LA was the last city to do this). VCU had quite the journey to the round of 16 - they had to 'play in' to the tournament in the first round, then upset Georgetown AND Purdue to get to the Sweet Sixteen. All those VCU haters out there - they're for real! Take that Jay Bilas! Richmond had a bit smoother trip to the Sweet Sixteen. They beat my 'Dores in the second round and then blew out Morehead St. (who upset #4seed Louisville) in the third round. VCU plays #10 seed Florida State and Richmond plays #1 seed Kansas, both on Friday. These should both be interesting games, if the these two teams continue to play at the level they've been playing in the tournament thus far. And if VCU and Richmond win, they will play each other in the Elite Eight, which is very rare that two teams from the same city would play each other in the tournament. I'm rooting for this!
-#1 Overall seed Ohio State Buckeyes play my SEC brethren #4 seed Kentucky Wildcats. This should be a great game, two very talented teams with diehard fanbases - I have a feeling you'll see a ton of Scarlet&Grey and Blue&White in the crowd. My money is on The Buckeyes, as I have them winning the national title, but I know many of my southern pals will be rooting for the 'Cayets', as my dear friend Hillie says. I will be with one of my diehard UK pals during the game, and I have a feeling we will need to sit far far away from each other during this games. Should be a great one - they play at 9:45pm on Friday night!
-My favorite Cinderella team from last year, the 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs knocked off Pitt in the third
round, the first #1 seed ousted from the tournament. They face a formidable opponent in the #4 seed
Wisconsin Badgers. Check this game out tomorrow, it's a late one with tipoff at 9:57!
Here's the schedule for the rest of the games for Thursday/Friday:
-#1 Duke (Coach K says the Kyrie Irving will get 'significant minutes' in this game) v. #5 Arizona (coached by former Xavier coach Sean Miller) Thursday at 9:45
-#3 UConn (lead by my man Kemba Walker - he's unstoppable!) v. #2 San Diego State Thursday at 7:15
-#3 BYU (Jimmer Fredette is an animal!) v. #2 Florida Gators (who I hate on principle) Thursday at 7:27
Now for my favorite name of the tournament: Shabazz Napier - guard for UConn. I mean come on, Shabazz could be the coolest name EVER. Love it. Thought I would bring it to the public's attention :)
For all your men, my dear friend Shari has made me aware of a promotion that the company she works for, Molton Brown, is doing through April 4th! The winner receives an “elite 8” pack of Molton Brown body washes! Sounds good to me! Below is the link to all the fun sweepstakes information: http://on.fb.me/iizjLu. Check it out and get some goodies for your guy or for yourself!
Lastly, this weekend I will be taking my talents to the Dirty South, aka Atlanta, to see my lovely friend Amanda get hitched. I can't wait to see my amazing friends (including my love Jacq, who is graciously housing me this evening and will be my roomie for the weekend) as well as watch basketball with my buddy Josh, the diehard UK fan. I forgive him for that, because like me, he loves the Reds :)
ONLY 1 WEEK TIL OPENING DAY!!!
Peace, Love, and College Basketball (and Baseball too)!!
Cass
Thursday, March 17, 2011
It's March Madness Ladies! Who to watch! What to wear! Who's hot?
Happy March Everyone!
So for my first foray into blogging, it is only appropriate that I write about my second favorite sports day of the year (behind Opening Day of course), the first day of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The fact that this year it falls on St.Patrick's day makes it even better. Might as well be Christmas!
Here's some 'need to know' info for the NCAA tournament - impress your friends with these little nuggets of knowledge and they may help you fill out your bracket!
-The 'Bracket' is broken into 4 'Regions' (East, West, Southeast, Southwest): each region has a #1-16 seed.
-The 4 #1 seeds are: Ohio State (East), Kansas (Southwest), Duke (West), Pitt (Southeast)
-For the local ladies here is some info on our tri-state area teams
-Ohio State is a #1 seed and will be playing on Friday 3/18 at 4:40pm against UT San Antonio, the winner of this evening's play-in game. According to espn.com, the odds on the Buckeyes to win the National Title are 7-2 - that's pretty good odds!
-The Univeristy of Cincinnati Bearcats (6) are playing Mizzou (11) Thursday at 9:50pm: this will not be a definite win for Mick Cronin and the Bearcats, as Mizzou is a tough team from the Big 12. Watch out for UC's star, Yancey Gates. Born and raised in Cincinnati, if this Withrow grad is on point, the Bearcats should prevail.
-In another 6/11 matchup, Xavier plays Marquette at 7:40pm. This should be a good A-10/Big East battle. Watch for the Musketeers star, Tu Holloway: the undisputed leader of the team and a great shooter. He's easily one of the best guards in the game, but was snubbed for the Cousy Award this year and was not named in the Top Ten finalists.
-The good ole Wildcats of Kentucky (4) play Princeton (13) at 2:45pm on Thursday. I don't know if this will be an easy win for Kentucky, as Princeton is coming off a buzzer beater win against Harvard in the Patriot League Conference Championship last week.
-The mighty Commodores of Vanderbilt (5) will face off against the Richmond Spiders (12) at 4:10pm Thursday. Now I wish I could say that this is a lock for the good ole 'Dores, but considering their track record of the past few years, aka the epic losses to 13 seeds Siena and Murray State, I am 50/50 on this. Saying a little prayer that they do not choke in a way only Kevin Stallings knows how - blowing a 20 point lead in the last 10 minutes of the game. However, I still bleed black and gold, and will support my 'Dores regardless. WHO YA WITH???
Players to watch:
-Jimmer Fredette: This wholesome point guard from BYU has busted out on the scene this year and has captured the hearts of the ESPN talking heads. Will this good guy guard lead his BYU Cougars to the title game? We'll just have to wait and see...their journey begins tomorrow against Wofford.
-Kemba Walker: This talented point guard from the Bronx lead the UConn Huskies to 5 wins in 5 days and a Big East Championship. Lauded as one of the frontrunners for National Player of the Year (along with Jimmer Fredette), this team player is ready for the challenges that face them in the Big Dance. With big wins against Kentucky, Georgetown and Pitt, their first opponent Bucknell should be shaking in their boots.
-Nolan Smith: The Duke senior has really excelled this season and has shined while his fellow teammate, Kyrie Irving, was benched back in December with a toe injury. Another National Player of the Year candidate, Nolan is not only one of the leading scorers on the team, but he's also the motivator, known for giving pep talks to the team since his freshman year. With sources saying that Irving will be available to play in the tournament, will this reunited dynamic duo be able to lead the Blue Devils to back to back national titles? Their road begins Friday against the Hampton Pirates.
Now for the fun stuff....
Q. How do you dress to support your team AND celebrate St. Patty's Day?
A. If one of your team colors is green, then you're set! In my case, and for many of my local friends, we are not lucky. Since tomorrow I will be supporting my 'Dores AND celebrating St.Patty's day, and still want to look fashionable. I am going to work accessories into my outfit that represents Vandy and their team colors (black and gold). I plan on wearing a sea foam green American Apparel deep v-neck tee (a la Tosh.O = love him), black cardigan, skinny jeans and orange Tory Burch flats. I will accessorize with a gold necklace, and the piece de resistance, Vanderbilt croakies on my aviators. For your teams find a cute way to represent your school on this day of green beer and basketball - with jewelry, an appropriately sized college tee with a green cardigan or scarf, or even the color of your shoes. Hopefully all of your teams will experience the luck of the Irish and bring home a winner! Except if you're a fan of Mizzou or Richmond, then I hope your teams choke :)
And last but not least, the Hot Athlete of the Week:
-Since Opening Day is only TWO WEEKS AWAY (I'm not counting down or anything), this week's hot athlete comes from Major League Baseball, and from my hometown team, the Cincinnati Redlegs. While many may think the obvious choice would be our handsome right fielder, Jay Bruce, I thought we would go for a more 'unsung cutie' on the National League Central Division Champs roster : Paul Janish. The shortstop who shared playing time last season with Orlando Cabrera will be the starter this year, being relieved periodically by 2011 World Series MVP, former San Francisco Giant, Edgar Renteria. Janish is adorable, and I can't wait to see him in the uniform this season. He's one of the few players that still hikes up his pants so his red socks show! I highly recommend giving him a google :)
That's all for now, I hope I've given you enough knowledge to last through this epic sports weekend! Please stay tuned for more posts on the Sports Skinny, enjoy March Madness and Erin Go Braugh!
xoxo,
Cass
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)