He’s back…

Connor Barth has returned to the NFL, and to The Orange Couch.  Connor will drop in from time to time to share a little about life in the NFL and in Kansas City.

Wednesday October 29,

 

     I went back to practice today after my first NFL game. I will have to say that it was a lot less hectic this week because I have finally been able to settle down and get organized. I woke up this morning around 6:45 and headed into the football center. I grabbed an omelet and went to our special teams meeting at 8:00. Today was a great day because it is almost November and it was 68 degrees out today. Last week it was raining and very cold, so it felt like I was back in North Carolina. I went out to practice and went 5 for 6 today and felt very good. It is nice to get the first game under my belt and I feel that as each game goes by I am going to become more and more comfortable. I am exited to be able to play in front of the home crowd in Arrowhead this weekend. It has been a while since I have been in the stadium. After practice I went back to my condo and relaxed. I think I am going to see a movie tonight and hang out. Im out for now. Talk to yall later.

 

Connor

junk

Got an email that the Red Sox online outlet is having a 20% off sale.  Obviously most of it is junk, but nothing is a bigger piece of junk than this…

The Red Sox Eric Gagne jersey shirt. 

The worst part – they’re still charging ten dollars for it.  I wouldn’t buy it for a penny.

I have a feeling a lot of these Gagne jerseys are going to end up in Third World countries right next to the “19-0 Patriots Perfect Season” shirts.

   kevin

Landfall Tradition confusion…

Another year of the Landfall Tradition golf tournament is in the books.  The Wake Forest women ran away with it, and I probably saw a future star in Cheyenne Woods (Tiger’s niece).  I have no idea how Iowa has such a good golf team – but their men were pretty good too.  Who knew they even played golf in Iowa?

Anyways – I like the tournament, but every year the same things about it bother me.

• why doesn’t anyone go watch?  Its a ghost town: parents and coaches – and that’s it.  There’s some pretty good golf – Dustin Johnson won this tournament a few years ago, and he won on the PGA tour last month.  See future stars today!  ITS FREE!!  Frankly – if it was me – I’d go just to drive around Landfall and look at all the big houses.  Its not everday you can get in a gated community.
• Its really good golf with great teams from all over the country – but maybe they’re TOO good.  The UNCW women had no shot of winning and they end up finishing 10th in the 12 team event.  I can understand the committee wanting the best possible field, but its clearly coming at the expense of the locals.  Come NCAA tournament selection time – UNCW’s performance could end up hurting them if they need an at-large.  I wonder if the committee even thinks about stuff like that.  I doubt it.
• In the six years of shooting this tournament, I’ve never seen a girl make a putt of over 8 feet long.  NEVER.  Its why – if you watch my highlights – its always “Suzy Golfer just misses the par putt – she’d tap in from there”.  It makes me wonder how they’re coming in with scores in the 70s and low 80s – and I STILL can’t break 90.  Drives me insane.  Where is my game lacking?  Ugh.

I think the second point is my biggest beef after this year’s event.  Watching the UNCW women struggle is really upsetting to watch.  Head coach Cindy Ho is one of my favorite people on campus, and I’d hate to see the school’s own tournament cost her Hawks a birth in the NCAA Tournament.  Hopefully the selection committee recognizes this too.

    kevin

World Series prediction…

First off – I’m totally depressed the Red Sox aren’t in this.  They had an amazing comeback in game five, won game six, and then couldn’t get a hit off Matt Garza.  Ugh.  MATT GARZA!?!?! 

Its going to be an interesting offseason for Boston.  The tone will be set early with Jason Varitek.  I had thought for a long time that they should sign him – but then watching “the captain” get one hit in the entire series made me rethink.  I really have no idea now.

As for the series – I said it in my championship series predictions, and I’ll stick to it – whoever wins the American League will win the series.  I think the Phillies have just one advantage: Cole Hamels.  He’s really good.  But - pitching wise – that’s all they got.

So I say the Phillies win his two starts – and that’s all they win.

RAYS IN SIX.

   kevin

the big switch…

Not sure if you heard or not – but the digital switch happened in Wilmington a few months ago.  I know, I know…our news department kept it kinda quiet.  We didn’t really do a lot about it.

OR….our news ran a million stories on it, the head of the FCC showed up, and there was a big to-do at city hall when the switch went down. 

Now the FCC big-wigs have to get the word out to the rest of the country.  And what better way than NASCAR??   Let the country know that the switch is coming.  What could possibly go wrong?

The Big Switch car crashed. 

Whoops.

    kevin

NASCAR PHOTO:  Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

the steve harvey show…

I don’t know how hard it is to put a baseball game on the air – but it happens every day.  Each team does it 162 times a year.

So TBS – WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?! HOW ARE YOU NOT PREPARED FOR THIS!?!?! 

   kevin

random things…

I was out for a week with bronchitis and laryngitis.  Not fun.  My voice literally disappeared overnight.

While I was out I missed the Bobcats visit to town.  But I didn’t really MISS them.  From what I can tell, neither did Wilmington.  Sure people showed up for the teams’ one public viewing, but honestly, I couldn’t name more than three people on that team, and I don’t thing the general population could either.  Pretty sad when a professional franchise is as anonymous as this one is.  Maybe that’s why a chunk of the front office staff was either let go or left on their own.  One of the most recent leaving the NBA for the WWE.  Maybe that’s the real ’smack down’.

Oh, the Bobcats were rolled over tonight 118-80 by Orlando in the preseason opener.  The team shot 14 percent and trailed 40-9 after one quarter.  I guess that’s another reason nobody pays attention.

I’ve become hooked on ‘Friday Night Lights’ but found out that season three is debuting only on Direct TV.  NBC won’t air it until the winter.  Good thing we have a Direct TV DVR in the office. 

Was asked today if I thought the Panthers were going to keep it up this season, so I’ll go ahead and make my prediction. 

Yes, barring a major injury.

If Jake Delhomme can keep doing what he’s doing, I’ll put them in the NFC Championship game.  DeAngelo Williams is turning into the real deal, and Jonathan Stewart is a nice compliment.  Defensively the team is playing as well as I can remember.  We’ll see.

topsail…finally!

It only took eight weeks – but the Topsail Pirates football team is FINALLY ranked in the AP Top 10.

Now I have to find something else to complain about.

    kevin

championship series predictions…

So I didn’t do so hot on the NLDS predictions - I missed them both.  But I nailed the American League and that’s more than Boston Globe legendary writer Bob Ryan can say (and he gets paid a lot more to do this than I do).  So let’s try it again….

Dodgers vs Phillies:  This one has me stumped.  I still don’t think the Dodgers are that good – and their pitching hasn’t gotten any better since round one.  But beyond Cole Hamels, what do the Phillies have?  You never know which Brett Myers is going to show up, and Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton don’t exactly set the world on fire.  I think the lineups are about even – maybe the slight edge to the Phillies.  I think this has the potential to be a great series – both teams are pretty evenly matched.

But I just can’t shake the Dodgers and my feeling that something is missing there.  I’m just not a believer in that team.  So – PHILLIES IN SIX.

Red Sox vs Rays:  Whoever wins this series is winning the World Series.  I’m sure of that.

I know the Rays won the season series.  I know their pitching looked awesome against the White Sox.  And I know that we may be seeing the beginning of a Hall of Fame career every time Evan Longoria steps to the plate.

But I’m picking the Red Sox.

The Rays are young.  The Rays are the feel good story of the year.  But the Rays haven’t played October baseball in Fenway, and you can check with the Indians about how that worked out for them last year.  Its easy to be loose and relaxed in June.  Its another to be relaxed and focused in October when thousands of Red Sox fans are mockingly chanting “Kazzz-meer….Kazzz-meer” after Scott Kazmir gives up a walk.  That would freak anyone out.

Sometimes in sports, experience is over rated.  But not at Fenway Park.

RED SOX IN FIVE.  They’ll win one in Tampa – and three in a row in Boston.

    kevin

panthers game…

I went to the Chiefs-Panthers game yesterday.  Its hard to believe I’ve lived in North Carolina for eight years and its the first Panthers game I’ve been to as a fan.  I guess that’s what working weekends will do.

Anyways – it wasn’t much of a game.  The Chiefs are bad. 

I’ve been to probably hundreds of games in life – and I think this was the most one-sided game I can ever remember.  It was clear after the first two series that the Panthers were going to blow out Kansas City – and they did.  34-0. 

I’m not sure what the Chiefs long-term plan is, but its not working.  An article in the Kansas City Star really put it best today:  “This wasn’t just a game that happens, wasn’t just a bump in the road or a slip of the tongue or a flat tire on the highway or a temporary power outage on a stormy night or any of that. This was a disaster, a kick in the teeth, a humiliation galore. This was the lowest point of Chiefs Home Makeover”.   Ouch.

Some other observations:

* There isn’t a bad seat in the house at these football stadiums.  I was in practically the last row of the upper deck – and the shot above is my view.  Not bad.  I could see every play developing, and really didn’t feel that far away (even though I was). 

* With that said – going to games in person is rough.  Those TV timeouts REALLY drag when you are at the stadium.  Instead of being able to change the channel, run in the other room, or check out your fantasy football teams stats on the computer – you just have to sit through five public service announcements in a row.  Not fun.

* There was a really cool display at one of the entrances: every jersey of the 2007 state champions in both North Carolina and South Carolina.  Had the jersey, school name, head coach, and record.  Cool stuff and probably a big thrill for those kids.   If you look close enough, the #7 is the Hoggard jersey.

Overall – a fun time.  I think I’d go to a game every now and then, but Panther season tickets are nowhere in my future.

    kevin