Last week I went 10-5, moving my season record to 21-9. Not too shabby. But more importantly, tomorrow I take off for New Orleans bright and early at 6 AM with a pit stop in Houston. Should be a treat. I might be able to update some things while in N.O., but we'll see. Me and my bro are super pumped and we're just ready to get into the Superdome with our #25 jerseys to chant Who Dat! with the rest of our Saints brothers and sisters. The fans down there are hyped big time too. They had a pep rally at the Saints practice facility on Friday. Anyways, here's my take on Week 3.
And oh yea, in case you watch the game, our seats are on the sideline behind the Titans bench towards the right end zone (from a TV viewpoint). Check it out.
Lions @ Eagles - Eagles
Dolphins @ Jets - Jets
Bills @ Patriots- Patriots
Cardinals @ Ravens- Ravens
Rams @ Bucs- Bucs
49ers @ Steelers- Steelers
Colts @ Texans- Colts
Chargers @ Packers- Chargers
Vikings @ Chiefs- Chiefs
Browns @ Raiders- Raiders
Jaguars @ Broncos- Broncos
Bengals @ Seahawks- Bengals
Giants @ Redskins- Redskins
Panthers @ Falcons- Panthers
Cowboys @ Bears- Bears
Last week I went 11-4, not bad for a very unpredictable Week 1. Once again, I won't pick the Saints game.
Colts @ Titans- Colts
Packers @ Giants- Packers
Bengals @ Browns- Bengals
Texans @ Panthers- Panthers
Bills @ Steelers- Steelers
Falcons @ Jaguars- Jaguars
49ers @ Rams- Rams
Vikings @ Lions- Lions
Seahawks @ Cardinals- Cardinals
Cowboys @ Dolphins- Cowboys
Chiefs @ Bears- Bears
Jets @ Ravens- Ravens
Raiders @ Broncos- Broncos
Chargers @ Patriots- Chargers
Redskins @ Eagles- Eagles
After two days of doing some soul searching, I've finally recovered from that debacle Thursday night. Maybe I was little too optimistic to begin with, but I never saw that beating coming. Watch out AFC. But it's still just one game, and David Patten is quick to point that out. In fact, when he was with the Patriots and they won Super Bowl 38, they started off with a 31-0 loss to the Bills. If you take the 41-10 loss to the Colts, that equals 31-0. So don't worry too much fellow Saints fans.
For this season, I wanted to see how I stack up against the ESPN experts who pick each week's games. You can find their picks here, but you can find my picks for Week 1 below.
Steelers @ Browns- Steelers
Eagles @ Packers- Eagles
Panthers @ Rams- Panthers
Falcons @ Vikings- Vikings
Patriots @ Jets- Patriots
Dolphins @ Redskins- Redskins
Titans @ Jaguars- Jaguars
Chiefs @ Texans- Chiefs
Broncos @ Bills- Broncos
Bears @ Chargers- Chargers
Bucs @ Seahawks- Seahawks
Lions @ Raiders- Lions
Giants @ Cowboys- Cowboys
Ravens @ Bengals- Bengals
Cardinals @ 49ers- Cardinals
Back on January 21st, today seemed years away. But after a long and successful offseason, today is here, and today is the day where 'maybe next year' becomes 'maybe this year'. It's the greatest time of the year, where hope and optimism reign supreme. Everyone is equal at 0-0 and no one, not even the Lions, are out just yet. This year is sure to be a bit different one for me. For years, the Saints got zero pub in the offseason, and when people saw me wearing my Saints gear around town, I was greeted with smirks, smart comments, and the occasional 'you mean the 'Aint's?'. It's crazy how times have changed so quickly. But when you have Reggie Bush handed to you, a magical season, and the NFL's most high-powered offense, people begin to show respect. People invite you to play in the Hall of Fame Game, networks schedule you for opening games and Monday Night, and ESPN "experts" give you some love. Just yesterday, when I sported my Saints shirt around campus, there were no laughs and there were no jokes. What I saw was fear. But I guess I'd be scared too if I saw #25 and #26 in the backfield at the same time.
Back to the game tonight- there's no doubt it's one heck of a way to open the season. Beating the Colts in their first home game after the Super Bowl is no easy task, and the RCA Dome will be rockin' for sure. We (the Saints) will have to stay composed and stop the big plays. Look for Pro Bowler Will Smith to torch the Colts' new rookie-LT Tony Ugoh and get to Peyton a few times. If we can put some pressure on him like the Chargers and Steelers did two years ago, we'll increase our chances for success a lot more. We absolutely cannot let him sit back in the pocket relaxed, or he will carve up our D like he did four years ago.
The other key for us is to stop Dwight Freeney. Thankfully, I feel pretty confident because we can just trot out Pro Bowler Jammal Brown, the meanest and nastiest LT in the game today. Look at this mug shot. Wow. He means business.
The Colts will score their points, but we just can't give up the big plays. Fred Thomas you hear me? Look for how Brian Simmons, Kendrick Clancy, Jason David, and Kevin Kaesviharn fit into the Saints' D. Also look for Reggie to have a big night because like they say- Big players make big plays in big games. At the end of the day, the Saints prevail 33-30. Like I'd ever pick against them. That's all for now. I have to report home to reunite with my Saints family for the game. And did I mention there is much red beans n' rice to be eaten?
In the meantime, get pumped for the game by clicking here. WHO DAT!
Well folks, it's finally official. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be living in Denver this summer and after graduating from the MAC program in May 2009. It feels good getting this fairly big decision behind me. It's also nice not changing my mind everyday. I think I was going to a different place everyday one week earlier in August. First it was Nashville, then Dallas, then Tampa, then Houston, and then Denver. So basically, my 5th decision ended up being my ultimate decision. Interestingly enough, my idol growing up was Jeff Bagwell, who wore # 5 (I even had the wide, crouching stance like him). It must be meant to be....
When I say "according to plan", I mean at the end of the day, it's all up to whether a firm offers me a position. I'm not going to stress too much about it, because whatever happens, happens. But in Denver, having all the outdoors you could possibly want is something real cool to think about. Skiing, whitewater rafting, and hiking galore. Plus, I'll have the three major sports in the Broncos, Nuggets, and Rockies. After all that, I don't see what else you could possibly want in a city. But wait, there is one other thing, something you might never think about: the time zone. Denver's a part of the Mountain Time Zone, which means Monday Night Football starts at 6:30, Jay Leno comes on before 11, and all major sporting events are more than likely done before midnight. Wow- that's big. In the East, you have to stay up way past midnight a lot of times to watch these things, which is why I firmly believe that people on the east coast stay up much later than the rest of the country. I'll fund the survey if you don't believe me.
Football is finally less than a week away, and finally I'll soon have a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. (Not really, I just like using that line because it's from Seinfeld). Anyways, I'm excited, I know you're excited, and Dwight here above is pretty excited too!
This weekend started with a bang as I attempted to cook and prepare my first ever meal on Friday night. I've done the sandwich and microwave thing for far too long, so I decided to learn how to cook a few things before I left home. I made a family specialty- cajun dirty rice with a side of black-eyed peas (the king of the pea group). Thankfully the meal turned out as good as I could've hoped for and me and my roommate were stuffed. He may have eaten even more than me, so it must have been good. I really never thought cooking would be so easy...or fun for that matter. Very enjoyable experience.
Saturday was just your average day with a workout in the AM, and a lot of The Office in the PM, which has become my 3rd favorite show of all-time already, behind Seinfeld at 1, and The Amazing Race at 2. I've even made the theme song to the show my new ringtone. Check out the show some time if you've never seen it. Dwight K. Schrute is the man.
And just tonight, I conducted the annual fantasy football draft. I play with a group of four families on NFL.com, which is by far the best free fantasy football site out there. It blows Yahoo and ESPN out of the water. Below is a recap of my picks followed by some of my free expert analysis. I picked 11th out of 12, so here's the way the cookie crumbled:
1st Round: Reggie Bush - Maybe a little biased, but who else in the league besides LT can score anytime they touch the ball?
2nd: Rudi Johnson - I think he's had three-straight 1,300 yd seasons. Can't beat that.
3rd: Antonio Gates - Maybe a little early, but I'm tired of having a Ernie Conwell-esque TE on my team. Shouldn't have to worry too much when I can trot this stud out on the field.
4th: Larry Fitzgerald - New coach, new "winning" attitude for the Cardinals, a year under Leinart's belt, and hopefully a productive year. He owes me from last year after missing 6 games for me.
5th: Patriots D - Add Adalius Thomas to this D, and wow. They'll do wonders.
6th: Deion Branch - I've heard nothing but great things out of Seahawks camp this year. He's had a year to develop chemistry with Hasselbeck, and Darrell Jackson is now gone. Huge year for Branch.
7th: Ben Roethlisberger - Word on the street is that new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians loves to air it out. Expect a big year.
8th: Steelers D - Nothing else great was on the board, so I felt like I should snag another top D for insurance and trade bait.
9th: Mark Clayton - 3rd-year wideout charm.
10: Warrick Dunn - Would you want Joey Harrington throwing the ball around? No, and neither does new head coach Bobby Petrino. Dunn will come back healthy and produce solid back-up numbers for a fantasy team.
11th: Anthony Gonzalez - I think any wideout in the Colts' offense is a good option. When everyone is covering Marvin and Reggie, Gonzalez could be Peyton's new favorite weapon.
12th: Drew Bennett - Same as above. Bruce and Holt covered? Bulger will look here.
13th: Jake Delhomme - I'll probably drop him soon.
14th: Stephen Gostkowski - Kickers don't deserve comments. Or links for that matter.
Today was the annual first day of class, a routine I've been going through since I was 5. Since next year is technically grad school, I'll consider this to be my last true first day of class and thankfully, it was a pretty good one and I didn't have to do the lame introduce yourself stuff. If you haven't been to Ram's Head Rec Center since last spring, I suggest you make a stop by. They've finally installed TV's on the wall by the cardio machines, which makes running on a treadmill fairly tolerable. I got to enjoy The Hills on one of the TVs, and sadly enough, I had already seen the episode on the day before. I'll admit I watch it from time to time for some odd reason, but what amazes me is that there are actually people out there who live life like these people do.
At night, I worked at the UNC-Davidson scrimmage doing my Gametracker duties. I've got two years left hopefully with the gig and two years left to enjoy the best job I'll probably ever have unless I replace Mr. Loomis someday. The other treat of the day was the ICEE I had from Bottom of Lenior. It was only $2.40 including tax for a large, which is one of the best bargains on campus. Speaking of ICEE, I think I'd have to consider it in my top five of the best treats. One is a Dairy Queen chocolate malt, two is Junior Mints, three is Edy's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, four is Mountain Dew Code Red, and five would have to be ICEE. Treat yourself to all of these today, because if you're reading this, you've earned it.
Like the New Orleans Saints' emotional rise from the dead last year, I am back ladies and gents. And by back, I'm back for good. I'm not sure what my problem was over the last month, but I can assure you that I've conquered whatever it was. Ultimately, maybe the break was meant to be. Maybe it was a test to my readers to gauge their interest in the blog. Nonetheless, I received the most encouraging news tonight when an avid closet reader, formerly known as 'Listerine', told me how much he was missing the blog and how he saved one of those coveted spots below the URL bar for my blog. Very touching and very motivating.
Since you've last heard from me, several things have gone on. Summer school is done which means no more liberal arts or sciences for me, and I've moved to Chapel Ridge for my redshirt-junior year, which leads me to another thing. I got accepted into the MAC Program, so I'll be around here for two more years until I'm off in the real world. So in essence I'm a redshirt-junior. I've also been to Holden Beach through a very gracious friend, and I've bought 2 tickets to the Week 3 Saints-Titans Monday Night matchup that will open the season in the Superdome. Just being there two straight seasons for the first home game is beyond words.
Outside of all that, I've done pretty much the same as all of you by watching ESPN's constant coverage of the NBA ref, the Michael Vick case, and Bonds. These all cast a dark shadow over sports, but in the end, things will be the same and fans will still fill the seats. Football is football, and nothing is ever going to change that. Read and listen to Michael Irvin's Hall of Fame speech, and you'll know what I mean. But in the mean time, get ready for lots more blog action to come.
In case you missed it, a group of Pirates fans staged a walk-out protest last night in their game against the Nationals. They were trying to send a message to the Pirates ownership about how unhappy they were with the direction of the team and how they were tired of seeing losing seasons in Pittsburgh. Even though it ultimately failed and only prompted about 100 fans to leave their seats, I think the protest was one of the best things to happen in PNC Park since it opened its gates in 2001. The fans have a right to voice their frustrations and nothing might be more effective than voicing it in this fashion at a home game. The players notice, and most definitely, the ownership notices
And if there's any team in the majors with reason to be upset, it's the Pirates. They've had 15-straight losing seasons and it doesn't look like they'll be breaking that streak any time soon. Even more disturbing is that the ownership seems content with losing. If you're going to be an owner of a franchise, it's your duty to go out and spend money to make the team as good as possible. It doesn't seem the Pirates have done that and they've been a laughingstock of the league because of that. How the Pirates still have fans is a miracle in itself, and that's why ownership owes them something. There's no worse feeling in the world than seeing your team struggle for so long and then having ownership do nothing about it.
I just got out of this weekend's hottest movie in Evan Almighty and really liked it. Evidently others liked it as well as it took home the No. 1 spot in the box office for the weekend, edging out 1408 and The Rise of the Silver Surfer. Going into the movie, I really didn't know what to think. All of the critics downplayed the movie so much and the media didn't seemed real pumped for it, so I think that had me expecting the worst. Thankfully, they were wrong.
Steve Carell is his usual wacky self and he does a pretty good job of reinacting the story of Noah. The animals really cracked me up and it's just one of those all-around good natured film with a lot of light-hearted humor that makes it enjoyable. Like in Bruce Almighty, there's a good message you can get out of it too- something you probably least expected. It won't be the best movie you see this summer, but it definitely won't be the worst. Go check it out.
You'll also get to see a preview of a movie coming out around Christmas, The Water Horse, a story involving the Loch Ness Monster. It looks like it'll be great.
Coming to a theater near you this weekend is Evan Almighty, a spin-off from the much-enjoyed Bruce Almighty, one of my all-time favorites. When I first saw Bruce, I have to admit the possibility of a sequel never hit me. After hearing the idea, my first reaction was an "are you kidding me?", but I soon warmed up to it. The first one was already a little out there and seeing the previews made me think it was mocking God and the Christian faith. I soon heard stellar reviews, saw it for myself, and left amazed.
Likewise, I've bought into Evan Almighty. It's brilliant. Steve Carell is one of the biggest names in the comedy world, thanks in part to The Office, and the idea of him building an ark for a flood is just crazy enough that it'll be hilarious. Those of us who have seen Bruce can easily remember one of the funniest scenes of the movie where Evan Baxter, played by Carell, went on a tirade while on air at his newscast. I've never laughed so hard in a movie as I did when I saw this scene. What's even better, it gets me every single time no matter what. So if you haven't seen Bruce, see it, and then go see Evan. And if you have seen Bruce, then go see Evan. Treat yourself. For we are in the midst of greatness. It'll be sure to please.
It's been a tough year so far for me and Astros fans and last night sure didn't help. They took a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the 7th against baseball's second-best team, the Angels. After Chad Qualls, Dave Borkowski, and Trever Miller (I know...who?) took the mound for us, it ended up as a 10-9 loss and in the process, sent the Astros back to 10 games below .500. While some might blame the manager or the players, I blame one person- Tim Purpura, the Astros GM, whom I will now refer to as Tim Poopura.
Poopura took the stand as GM after Gerry Hunsicker shockingly resigned after the 2004 season. While he was GM, Hunsicker was one of the best in the business. He's the one who brought Randy Johnson to H-Town at the '98 deadline, Pedro Astacio at the '01 deadline (back when he was considered good), and Carlos Beltran in June of '04. He saw Mike Hampton become a 20-game winner, and discovered one the of the best in the game today, Roy Oswalt. And oh yea, he signed Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens in 2004. And then, Poopura took over....
I was fine with Poopura until the offseason where he failed to sign Carlos Beltran. Beltran loved Houston, he wanted to come back. He would have been a fixture in center and a much coveted threat in the lineup. He's the best five-tool player in the game today and passing on him created a huge offensive void the team could really be using today. At least we've now found Hunter Pence to play center, but he'll never be what Beltran could have been. Poopura then overpaid Clemens to join the team in June of '06. I still think he did this just to save his image. 'Hey, let me sign Roger and then everyone will be happy and won't notice the mistakes I've made'.
Fast forward to today and nothing has really changed. We still have one of the least intimidating lineups in the league, and as last night showed us, our bullpen is an absolute disaster (minus Brad Lidge and Dan Wheeler on a few nights). I won't even get started on what I think of Rick White. We have the worst 7-8-9 hitters in the league with Adam Everett, Brad Ausmus, and the pitcher. Everett and Ausmus are both the worst hitting players at their position in the majors. Going into the offseason, Poopura knew this, but he didn't change it. The Carlos Lee signing was about the only thing that I've applauded. He's done well so far and has won many fans over, as witnessed by the Los Cabillitos fixture out in left field. Bottom line: If things don't get better fast, Poopura deserves to be shown the door.
For those of you who didn't know, I've spent the first half of my summer doing the summer school thing over at UNC. Today I wrapped up the first session with two grueling finals, so I get the pleasure of two off days until I return to the fire Thursday through July 27. What really shocked me was how much I really enjoyed summer school. I think only having to worry about two classes made it so nice along with the fact that everything seems so much more relaxed. Only having class three days a week didn't hurt either.
The class I enjoyed the most was definitely ITAL 333: Italian Film & Culture (no chance Business Law could be my favorite after the final just took me all 3 hours). We watched an Italian film everyday and then closed class discussing the symbols and themes the director put into the movie. I have to admit, I saw some great movies that I definitely wouldn't have ever seen had it not been for this class. Below is a list of some movies you should seriously consider renting or adding to your queue on Netflix.
1. Life Is Beautiful. A lot of you may have seen this already, but if you haven't, it's a must-see.
2. Cinema Paradiso. Another funny one about a kid, Toto, and his love for the movies (see right).
3. Bicycle Thief. A bit darker and a sadder story, but still one that will move you.
4. Rome Open City. A movie about Italy and WW2. One of the first neorealist movies.
5. Fistful of Dollars. Did you know Italians were fascinated with American westerns? They called them 'Spaghetti Westerns'. This one features Clint Eastwood in one of his earliest roles.
And just because I like saying the name because of the rolling r-sound in Italian (as my family has noticed), you should also check out La Terra Trema, one I have yet to see. If you happen to catch any of these films, let me know, I'd love to talk about one.
On the way back from church this morning, I found out some very troubling news. America voted Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" as the No. 1 song on G105's American Top 40. How in the world is this possible? Are the same clowns that put Sanjaya into the top 10 on American Idol voting for this garbage? Why anyone likes this song is absolutely beyond me. It might be tolerable the first few times you hear it, but after you hear it every single day, all you can do is shake your head.
Even more troubling is that I seriously can't think of a day in the past month where I haven't heard this song. Somedays I feel like I'm avoiding it, and then I'm at my gym, 02 Fitness, and they're blasting it like there's no tomorrow. If you just randomly turn on G105, I'd say there's a 50-50 chance you hear it. Speaking of 02- you'll hear some of the most interesting music there (I won't mention the 24/7 techno). Somehow they were able to get a remix to "Girlfriend" (unfortunately), but my favorite is when they play C-SIDE's "MySpace Freak". It's hilarious- treat yourself.
Since I decided to name the blog after my nickname, I thought it'd be interested to let you know where it first came from. Surprisingly, I don't think I was ever called it until late freshman year in high school during one of the first practices of baseball season. It was a rather unique practice- it took place in the parking lot of our school. We focused on a lot of fundamentals that day, such as running the bases. I never knew there was a right way to go back to 1st on a pick-off move....
The nickname was born by Coach Nielsen (who had a pretty unique approach to the game) as we did a drill running to first. I was just about to start when he yelled, "Alright Bearden...The Bear!". From that moment it has stuck with me much to my delight. I'll admit at the time I didn't think much of it unitl a few teammates began to use it for the rest of the season. For this, I give much credit to Vince Villafranca, Colin Holloway, and Dan Schneider- some of the 'Founding Fathers' if you will. 
Today, friends and family alike often refer to me in that name and it's been a lot of fun. Some of the best times happen when I golf with Villafranca and somehow I drive my ball into the woods time after time off the tee box. He says- "That's your home man. You're the Bear, that's where you belong. You need cover, there's too much open space on the fairways." Good times.
If you've followed the NFL at all within the last five years, you're sure to know The Beerman who returned kicks for the Saints, Michael Lewis. He wasn't the biggest, the strongest, didn't have the best form, but he played with what a lot of players in the NFL lack- heart. He could absolutely fly on the field, giving the Saints great field position every time he touched the ball. You thought he could take it to the house every time he touched it (Reggie Bush does that now), as he did here. He even made the Pro Bowl one year, a lot for a guy who wasn't drafted, was a practice squad player, and was literally a Beerman in his hometown New Orleans before he made the team.
In his short career, he was one of the most exciting players to touch the ball for the Saints. An ACL injury slowed him down a little over the past few years, but his story is one you can't forget. We'll never forget you Michael.
Welcome to the blog of The Bear, Brent Bearden. What has inspired me to tackle this adventurous world of blogging is somewhat uncertain. The thought has come into my mind for the past few weeks and I finally took some action. It feels good, I have to say. I think some of it has to do with the blog found on TarHeelBlue.com that really opened my eyes to how much fun it can be. The final trigger may have been when I heard about Greg Oden blogging on PTI...Anyways, welcome. I'm not going to make any promises about what I will put up here, but it will cover a broad variety of things. You are sure to see a few things about sports (which if you know me like you should, is a given) and some things here and there about things in the news and things I encounter that I find interesting. What's even better is that I am actually writing this as if people will read, but I abide by this principle: "If you write it, people will read. People will most definitely read." (Thank you Field of Dreams and former ESPN employee Harold Reynolds for that one). Have a good weekend peeps. And like the picture indicates: The Bear has been unleashed.
