In my humble opinion, this is the kind of thing that fame and notoriety should be used for:
With the Super Bowl just around the corner, even Hollywood superheroes are getting excited about the match-up between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks — and in the case of Marvel movie stars Chris Evans and Chris Pratt, they’re making a bet that’s worth cheering for.
The bet came about after some good-natured jabbing at each other on Twitter, initiated when Captain America star Evans (a Patriots fan, of course) told Guardians of the Galaxy star Pratt (a Seahawks fan) that, despite their Marvel movie alter egos, they’re required to be sworn enemies in the run-up to this year’s NFL championship game. After some back-and-forth in which Pratt told Evans that Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is the real Captain America and Evans wondered exactly what a “seahawk” is anyway (it’s this), the pair agreed to make a bet on the outcome of the game.
According to the bet, a Seahawks win will result in a visit from Evans to the Seattle Children’s Hospital dressed as Captain America while waving the “12th Man” flag that has become a symbol of Seattle Seahawks fandom. If the Patriots win, Pratt will don his Star-Lord outfit and the jersey of New England quarterback Tom Brady for a visit to Christopher’s Haven, a nonprofit that provides housing and support for families while children receive cancer treatment in Boston.
It’s the sort of bet that makes you hope the Super Bowl ends in a tie, but knowing these two actors’ willingness to spend time with their youngest fans, it wouldn’t be a surprise if both visits happen (possibly without the corresponding NFL accessories for the bet’s winner).
Here is the series of posts on Twitter that brought the bet about:
With everything at stake today, it seemed likely that at least one big upset was going to happen, maybe more. Pffft. Not a single one. The scores, at least at the moment: #1 Alabama 42, #16 Missouri 16 (final) #2 Oregon 51, #7 Arizona 13(final) #3 TCU 55, Iowa State 3(final) #4 FSU 37, #11 Georgia Tech 35 #5 OSU 52, #13 Wisc 0 #6 Baylor 38, #9 KSU 27 (final) Not a single upset. *sigh* So, for K-State, it's a 9-3 finish to the year, and the promise of an above average bowl game. It works, though I would say the theme of this year is missed opportunities. They spotted Auburn 19 points and lost a marquee game that they really should have won. Against TCU and Baylor, they just came up short when it counted. Too many penalties, too many mistakes. They didn't deserve either of those wins, unfortunately. Brace yourself for another building year after losing Waters, Lockett, and a lot of other solid players. Now, here's the silver lining. As mentioned in the previous post, the TCU/Baylor mess is going to cause a whole lot of fury either way. This sort of scenario is just about the most explosive scenario for the inaugural playoff system short of not having an SEC team in the mix at all (alas, Mizzou, I was genuinely rooting for you tonight...!). The other factor here is Ohio State's obliteration of a very good Wisconsin team using their third string QB. The talking heads are already talking about OSU jumping over both of the teams from the Big 12. There are good arguments all around, not only endorsing one's own team, but also in gashing holes in the arguments of the others in the mix. I don't envy the playoff committee - no matter what they decide, they're going to royally anger a lot of people who will be very right to be angry. Regardless, hopefully all the gnashing of teeth will mean an immediate expansion to eight teams next year, and a clause that only league champions will be considered for automatic berths out of the Power 5 conferences (the others would be at large spots for the next three best teams regardless of conference). Give me those changes for next year, and I think we're really talking some good stuff. We'll see...
Part of why I love college football is that there is so much uncertainty. This is really aggravating on those years when you're in the driver's seat, of course, but when you're on the outside looking in, well, it's hope that makes Saturdays so exciting. In that spirit, here's the deal with the Big 12 today...
Baylor has been hoping its head-to-head edge over TCU would ultimately be the calling card that would catapult it over the Horned Frogs into the playoff.
The Bears still have reason believe they can make the playoff.
But it might not be the head-to-head advantage over TCU that gets them there.
Tuesday night, the College Football Playoff selection committee released perhaps it most controversial set of rankings yet.
In a stunner, the committee bumped TCU head of undefeated and defending national champ Florida State into the No. 3 slot. Baylor, meanwhile, was left on the outside looking in all the way back at No. 6.
The committee has noted it would only implement a head-to-head tiebreaker if two teams were close. At the moment, the committee doesn't see TCU and Baylor as being close, underscored by the three-spot gap. Committee chairman Jeff Long wasn't shy in saying the committee believes TCU is "better" than Baylor, either, even though the Bears beat TCU 61-58 in Waco on Oct. 11.
"It's a number of things we look at, and we believe TCU is better and deserving of that No. 3 rank over Baylor," Long said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday night. "We've certainly analyzed statistical data. We've compared those. We've contrasted them. We've looked at the facts, the quality of the wins. As we pointed out before, TCU has five wins over teams with winning records of .500 records and above, and Baylor has three, if you include Texas at 6 6. Those are factors we've taken -- certainly our coaches and others in the room look at the way the game is played, evaluate the games, evaluate the competition. Again, that's what this committee, human committee does. It evaluates the teams on their play in the game. That's one of the things we use to discern between teams."
Baylor has the opportunity to deliver a statement win to the committee this weekend against No. 9 Kansas State. Should Baylor blast the Wildcats, Florida State handle Georgia Tech and Wisconsin knock off Ohio State, it's possible the committee winds up with the Seminoles third, then TCU and Baylor vying for the fourth spot. In that scenario, perhaps the committee gives Baylor the edge, because of head-to-head.
But as of now, it's difficult to fathom that one game will narrow the gap enough for Baylor to pass TCU. Long, in fact, reiterated Tuesday that the committee would view the Bears and Horned Frogs both as equal champions of the Big 12, since the Big 12 recognizes co-champions.
"We will not determine a champion for the Big 12," Long said. "We will take the information that the Big 12 provides us."
For all of those reasons, the ESPN-affiliated statistical Web site FiveThirtyEight.com gives TCU a 96.3 percent chance of making the playoff heading into the final week -- the highest rate of any team. As long as the Horned Frogs avoid pulling a Kansas and allow Iowa State to hang around into the fourth quarter, they will be difficult to drop out of the top four.
Which is why TCU is sitting pretty. While the Bears might need help elsewhere.
Though maybe not much.
Baylor simply may need Georgia Tech to just beat Florida State. That would put the fourth spot back up for grabs, between, assuming they both won this weekend, Baylor and Ohio State.
The committee sees otherwise, but the justification for ranking the Buckeyes over Baylor is difficult to understand. The Bears have the better wins (TCU and OU vs. Michigan State and Minnesota), the better losses (West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech) and play in the tougher conference, at least according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The committee is also charged with picking the four "best" teams, not necessarily the four most deserving. How the committee could view Ohio State with its third-string quarterback as being better than Baylor with Bryce Petty seems incomprehensible.
So if Baylor takes care of business this weekend and Florida State's luck runs out, the Bears could join TCU in the final four.
One final aside: the scenario nobody seems to be talking about involves Kansas State. The Wildcats quietly moved up three spots to No. 9 this week, and can't be completely discarded from the playoff picture. Should K-State roll past Baylor, Wisconsin beat Ohio State and Georgia Tech finally take out the Seminoles, the Wildcats could conceivably slip into the fourth spot.
Heading into the final week of the season, playoff drama is cresting, nowhere more so than in Big 12 country.
After Tuesday, the Horned Frogs are feeling good.
The Bears are feeling nervous.
And the Wildcats are feeling anything is possible.
Who will be in?
Only four days to find out.
Worst case scenario, KSU ends up with another good bowl game -- Cotton or Alamo, perhaps? -- and another great year. Best case scenario, a share of the Big 12 Championship and an even better bowl game. Unrealistically optimistic scenario, the Cats obliterate a distracted and nervous Baylor, mayhem ensues throughout the day in the top 10, and the Cats slide into the #4 slot in the first playoff. Isn't it fun?? Yes, siree, that's why they play the games.
The NFL season ended last night not with a bang, but a whimper, as the Toydaria Wattos steamrolled Peyton Manning's Hoth Tauntauns on their way to victory. Or, at least, that's how it would have gone in the imagination of John Raya, a designer who lovingly reimagined every NFL team's logo and helmet on his way to re-branding them all for the Star Wars universe.
The project maintains each team's color scheme and basic visual identity: the Denver Broncos, for example, became the Tauntaun Hoths by keeping the left side of the team's horse-logo head, while replacing the face with that of the frigid beasts of the Star Wars ice planet, while the Wattos take the visual tone of the Seahawks' totem bird and replace it with The Phantom Menace's greedy shopowner.
Some of the helmet redesigns required little change: The Minnesota Vikings became the Shili Togrutas--named for a blink-and-you'll-miss-'em species that appeared in Attack of the Clones--merely by adding some shading to the horns. Others, like the Ryloth Interceptors, barely resemble the Atlanta Falcons on which they're based. In either case, though, poring over the images should help pass the time for the specific type of nerd whose Venn-diagram of interests includes both professional football and Star Wars until the start of next year's NFL season, which'll in turn bring us five months closer to Star Wars: Episode VII.
This is definitely one of those things I wish I'd thought of! Hit the link above to see every helmet. My favorites are the Falcons, Colts, and Cardinals, with an honorable mention to the Titans and Cowboys: Unfortunately, I think the Chiefs got a rather lame adaptation: *sigh* The designer must be a Raiders fan. But at least we're better off than the Redskins...
It would be hard to find any worse reading of the Super Bowl than my blog post from Sunday afternoon! Oh well. :) I'm glad the Broncos lost, but disappointed for Manning. It wasn't remotely close to an even (or exciting) game; in fact, it was over 12 seconds into the second half, and pretty much everyone knew it. Boo. Manning somehow managed to set a record for the most completions in a Super Bowl, but you'd never know it by the scoreboard, another missed prediction on my part. The Seahawks' defense was all over him all night, and he didn't have the time to really let his receivers do what they needed to do. Even when he did deliver the ball, the Legion of Boom crushed them promptly. Wilson was able to engineer some good drives and get the lead early (this was pretty much the only thing I got right), and it was all downhill from there. It was clear that Seattle executed far, far better all night long.
I know Smith had a good game and made some key plays, but I think the MVP should have gone to Russell Wilson. His stats compared favorably to previous MVP quarterbacks, he was cool under pressure, and he led the Seahawks to the victory. Game manager nothing, he owned that game. It's a shame his performance wasn't rewarded as it should have been.
I thought the commercials were pretty lame for the most part. Very few generated actual laughs, and none were particularly memorable. If there was any overriding feeling for the night, it was tugging at heart strings - Budweiser, Chevrolet, and at least a couple others had some pretty good "awww..." moments, but that was about it. On balance, it was a pretty disappointing event, and not a great way to end the football season. *sigh*
Since you're undoubtedly in a football mood, here's a quick suggestion to check out a fun football app called "Vs. Football." It's available for both iOS and Android, and it's free to play. Feel free to send me an invitation once you download it - I'll take on any challengers! :) The company who made it, Engage Mobile, has put together some printable games you can use as you watch the Super Bowl today - check them out here.
I always feel bittersweet about Super Bowl Sunday. It's exciting, of course, and the pinnacle of the football season, but it also means we enter into what I consider the "long darkness" of the spring and summer in terms of sports. *sigh* Oh well, it happens every year; we'll survive again. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the game in no particular order. I can't stand the Broncos. Truly, I can't. They bug me. I've always thought of them as a bunch of whiney divas, and that hasn't changed. I always root for them to lose. On the other hand, I really like Peyton Manning. I think he's truly a role model in so many ways, and if he doesn't exemplify the quest for excellence in himself and those around him, no one does. I really hope he wins, as I feel that his play this year has been outstanding and the only way to really cap it off is with a Super Bowl ring. In terms of team vs. team, I like the Seahawks better. In terms of character and personality, I like Manning (though from what I hear, Russell Wilson is another genuinely good role model and filled with integrity himself). All things being equal, I have a slight leaning toward Denver, though I won't be terribly disappointed with a Seahawks win, either. Regardless, I am definitely hoping for an exciting game and a last-minute come-from-behind epic win. What will actually happen? No clue. It seems safe to say that Manning will be Manning, and the Broncos will score some points. But, the Seahawks' defense is really, really good, and will cause anyone problems, so I don't see a runaway Broncos victory in the cards. The Seahawks' D has done a great job of getting turnovers in the playoffs, so I think they will keep things within reach until the end. It only takes one big play for an offense to score, but a defense has to be on point each and every down, so this would seem to favor the Broncos, but only slightly. To me, it seems that the bigger question is that of how the Broncos' defense and the Seahawks' offense fare. If Wilson can engineer some solid drives and bust a few big plays, they should be in good shape. In particular, if they can manage to get ahead early it will allow the defense to take some risks they might not normally take and possibly make some big plays to ratchet up the pressure. On the other hand, if the Broncos' defense can stifle Wilson & Co. and let Manning take a comfortable lead, things could go badly for the Seahawks. As always, it really comes down to who executes the best. Both teams are excellent, and both have earned their way into the Super Bowl. Ultimately, those who play the best when the pressure is highest are the ones who can be called "great," and I think that Manning's experience, poise, and already demonstrated greatness will be the advantage that wins the day.
This win snaps a lengthy streak of bowl game losses for the Cats and leaves them at 8-5 on the year. Not quite what the purple nation was hoping for back in August, but certainly a solid effort and some generally positive results.
Perhaps as much as anything, it positions K-State for another Big 12 title contention next year as most of the skill positions return and the team seems to have finally learned how to play Snyderball -- clean, smart, and hard -- over the second half of the year. If they can retain this mojo, next year should be another great year in the Little Apple.
But that's next year. For now, many congrats to Coach Snyder and the entire Wildcat football team on a job well done!
Michigan is a storied program with lots of history and a bit of a snooty attitude, like USC, Alabama, or Notre Dame. But, they've lost something like five of their last six games, and they're without their starting QB. There's a lot of potential psychological damage waiting to happen if things go badly early on, especially to an upstart like K-State. Also, their O line has been pretty bad this year, so if the Cat D is on point they could have a field day (especially with a true freshman QB standing in on short notice). KSU, on the other hand, comes into the game with confidence, winning five of their last six games and with everything humming along smoothly. Plus, the biggest monkey on KSU's back -- not winning a bowl game in over 10 years -- has been discussed in the open, and is actually a major motivation.
Well, it appears myearlier predictionswere pretty bad. In terms of the Big 12, I had thought initially that OU or OSU would be in pole position, with KSU and TCU having an outside chance at rising to the top (oops). At this point in the season, Oklahoma is looking like the leading candidate and has only one loss; they've got the fewest number of tough games remaining on the schedule, too, so they're likely to remain at or near the top. Texas -- after an awful, awful start to the season in non-conference games -- has seemingly found its mojo, bagged a marquee win over OU, and has yet to drop a league game. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech both have only one loss but haven't exactly looked the part of one-loss teams very comfortably. Of those four teams, only OU has faced two of the others already, meaning the worst part of the schedule remains for all of the rest. These teams will beat each other up over the next 2-3 weeks, and the picture will become clear pretty quickly.
In my opinion, the biggest surprise of the league this year is that Baylor appears to be the team to beat. Yes, Baylor. The only undefeated team left in the Big 12, they are averaging something like 70 points per game and have a defense that's actually pretty good. Put it all together and they're mowing down opponents right and left. In fact, it is not at all a stretch to say they look very similar to Oregon (side note: how much fun would a BCS Championship game between Oregon and Baylor be??? A whole lot, that's how much!). Of the two games where they haven't scored around 70 points, one was against KSU (just 35 points) and the other was Kansas (their subs were in for most of the game, but they still posted 59). Baylor has all four of the above-mentioned teams remaining on the schedule, though, so we'll find out very quickly if they are the real deal or another pretender.
If I had to make a revised guess right now, I'd say it'll come down to a 3-way mess between Baylor, OU, and Texas. Texas has already beaten OU, but I think Baylor will be too much for them at home at the end of a nasty 3-week run to finish the season; I think OU will edge out Baylor this week. I'm not sure how the tie-breakers will work out, but I don't really care, either. I think it would be refreshing to get Baylor's high octane offense into a BCS game, but they're the little guy on the block and as any K-State fan knows the BCS only takes little guys when they have absolutely no other choice. If Baylor knocks off OU this week, then it will come down to them and Texas running the league table for all the marbles at the final game of the year.
Now, on to K-State. This is by far the sloppiest and most-prone-to-dumb-decisions Wildcat team I've seen in a long time. Of the four losses, they had a lead in the fourth quarter in three of them, and just couldn't close the deal. In all of those losses, they've made plenty of good plays but also just enough boneheaded plays at key times to be self-destructive. For example, in the NDSU game, the Wildcats were only 2/10 on 3rd down conversions, lost the time of possession battle, and lost two turnovers. If I recall correctly, they also left a lot to be desired in terms of tackling that night. Against Texas, the Cats lost three turnovers and had eight penalties; against OSU they were only 5/12 on 3rd down, gave up five turnovers and committed 12 penalties. I suppose the silver lining is thatdespiteall of these things they were right there in every game...but still. It's awfully hard to win with careless mistakes like this, especially in close games.
So, they're currently sitting at 3-4 overall (1-3 in the Big 12), with no chance whatsoever of being a factor in the league title. In fact, with just five games left -- including OU and Texas Tech -- they're going to have to ramp things up pretty hard to come in over .500 for the season and be in a good position for a late December bowl game. It seems likely they'll beat Kansas and Iowa State, and probably TCU, as well. It's also likely they'll lose to OU. That would put them at 6-5, with the game at Texas Tech leaving the only remaining question mark. It probably won't net a much better bowl game, but a 7-5 record just seems a whole lot better than 6-6, so I'd really like to see that happen. And who knows? Maybe they'll get lucky against OU. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they would have knocked off the Sooners as a distinct underdog.
There are plenty of good things about this season. Despite losing those four games, they were close in all of them despite numerous self-inflicted wounds. They lit up the fourth quarter against West Virginia, looking like a highly polished and productive offense for the first time all year. Maybe the two QB system is starting to work itself out! It also makes you wonder what might have happened if Thompson and Lockett, the team's top two receivers, had been available during the Baylor game (they were both out with injuries). Clearly, the offense and special teams both benefit mightily when they are at full strength. The defense has been pretty solid over the last couple games -- with the best showing by far against Baylor's ballistic offensive assault -- but I think they still lack a couple of major playmakers who can change the game. But, as I said before, a defense isn't as dependent upon a couple of superstars as an offense is, so it's not necessarily a critical flaw.
We expected a rebuilding year, but I think it's fair to say that the 6-7 wins they're on pace for is still a bit of a disappointment. I feel like most of the problems thus far (i.e. turnovers and stupid penalties) have been things that can/should be coached and practiced out of them, which probably explains why I feel like they are simultaneously a disappointmentanda better team than their record might indicate. If they can clean up the idiotic and untimely mistakes, they might be able to pull off some surprises here and there and raise the hopes for another potential league championship run next season. If...
I love videos about people being awesome, so when I stumbled across Trick Shot Titus I had to post about him. The fact that he's from Kansas just makes it that much better. Enjoy!
Sunday was an awesome day for Kansas City Chiefs fans, as there were three records to celebrate. The first was the largest flyover (49 aircraft) during the national anthem, and it was impressive indeed:
Second was the loudest open-air stadium in the world, as confirmed by the Guiness Book of World Records:
Well, I have to say that things aren't going particularly well. Down 17-7, with all the momentum belonging to Texas.
The Bad: The Cats are playing sloppy, and seem to be getting pushed around on defense. They haven't come up with any turnovers yet, either. The O-line has had its moments, but isn't reliable. If anyone can figure out a way to pull off a two-quarterback system, it's Bill Snyder...but it hasn't happened yet, and I still don't like it. Texas has been all over it tonight, and I have yet to see the desperately needed change-up with either Waters running or Sams passing. If that keeps up, it's going to continue to be a pummeling on both of them.
The Ugly: The Cats have more penalties in the first half tonight than in the past couple games combined, and special teams play has been less than special.
The Good: Texas was up at halftime last week and ended up getting crushed. Snyder is a master of halftime adjustments that prove effective. Either Sams or Waters has the potential to blow up in a hurry, and the psychological factor -- with KSU winning the last five meetings in a row, and Texas getting destroyed the last couple weeks -- cannot be ignored, especially if KSU begins the second half strong. Most importantly, as dominant as Texas has felt thus far (and it has felt VERY dominant), they're only 10 points ahead.
There's a lot of football left to play tonight, and KSU is more than capable of bringing home a W. They just need to focus and execute better. We'll see what happens...
Sorry posts have been in short supply lately! There's been a lot going on, actually. Also, I've had a bunch of little stuff that I wanted to post, but no real theme in which to arrange it all. So, rather than continue to let it build up, I'm doing a Whole Sort Of General Mish Mash post. Enjoy!
Why do our voices sound so different when we hear it on a recording? Here's your answer:
On a related note (not really), did you know just how much symbolism is enshrined in the $1 bill? Check it out:
What's that weird pyramid drawing on the reverse of the bill?
The two circular drawings on the reverse of the bill are actually
parts of the two-sided Great Seal of the United States. Although we
don't see the entire seal outside of our wallets too often, the notion
of having a great seal is actually as old as the country itself. The
Continental Congress passed a resolution on July 4, 1776, to create a
committee to design a great seal for the fledgling nation, and heavy
hitters John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson got the
first crack at creating the seal.
Congress wasn't so keen on the design these big names brought back,
though, and it took nearly six years and several drafts to finally find a
suitable seal. Congress finally approved of a design on June 20, 1782.
What's the story behind the Great Seal of the United States?
According
to the State Department, which has been the official trustee of the
seal since 1789, both the obverse (front) and reverse (back) of the seal
are rich with symbolism. The obverse picturing the eagle is a bit
easier to explain. The bird holds 13 arrows to show the
nation's strength in war, but it also grasps an olive branch with 13
leaves and 13 olives that symbolize the importance of peace.
(The recurring number 13, which also appears in the stripes on the
eagle's shield and the constellation of stars over its head, is a nod to
the original 13 states.) The shield floats unsupported over the eagle
as a reminder that Americans should rely on their own virtue and
strength.
The symbolism of the pyramid on the seal's reverse is trickier. The
pyramid has 13 steps—the designers apparently never got tired of the 13
motif—and the Roman numeral for 1776 is emblazoned across the bottom.
The all-seeing Eye of Providence at the top of the pyramid symbolizes
the divine help the early Americans needed in establishing the new
country. The pyramid itself symbolizes strength and durability.
The divine overtones don't stop with the unblinking eye, though. The Latin motto Annuit Ceptis appears over the pyramid; it translates into "He [God] has favored our undertaking." The scroll underneath the pyramid reads Novus Ordo Seclorum, or "A new order of the ages," which was meant to signify the dawn of the new American era.
How did the seal end up on our dollar bill?
We can thank former Secretary of State Cordell Hull's busy schedule
for that one. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace had to wait for a
meeting with Hull in 1934 and decided to kill time by thumbing through a
State Department pamphlet on the Great Seal. The pamphlet contained an
illustration of the reverse side of the seal with the pyramid, and
Wallace was quite taken with the drawing. He took the seal to President
Franklin Roosevelt and suggested the country mint a coin using the two
sides of the seal.
FDR liked the seal, too. (Roosevelt and Wallace were both Masons and
loved the all-seeing eye part of the reverse design, which echoed the
concept of the Great Architect of the Universe.) He thought the seal
should be on the reverse of the dollar bill rather than a coin, but he
was worried the mystical imagery would offend Catholics. After
Postmaster General James Farley assured FDR he didn't think his fellow
Catholics would have any problem with the design, Roosevelt approved a
new dollar bill design that first appeared in 1935.
Did the Founding Fathers swipe any ideas from a magazine?
Possibly. The familiar E Pluribus Unum motto that the eagle
holds in its beak underscores the union and togetherness of the 13
colonies. It might also underscore early Americans' love of periodicals.
According to the State Department, recent historical research has indicated that this Latin motto may have been borrowed from Gentlemen's Magazine, a London publication that ran from 1732 to 1922.
The magazine was popular in the colonies, and its title page always carried the E Pluribus Unum motto.
Why don't the dates on the front of the bills change that often?
At the lower right of the portrait on the bill's obverse you'll see
the word "Series" and a year. You might notice that these don't change
each year the way the numbers on minted coins do. Why not?
According to the Treasury, the series date only changes when there's a
new design for a bill, a new Treasurer of the United States, or a new
Secretary of the Treasury. (These are the two officials whose signatures
appear on either side of the portrait.) The series year itself changes
when the Secretary of the Treasury changes, while a change in the
Treasurer of the United States means that the series year remains the
same, but a suffix letter gets tacked onto the end of the year.
What are the various other numbers on the obverse of the bill?
The bill's serial number is the most prominently displayed set of
digits on the dollar, but they're not alone. If you take out a dollar,
you'll notice there are four large numbers in the corners of the bill's
open space. Like the encircled letter to the left of Washington's
portrait, these
numbers tell which Federal Reserve Bank issued the note. (Each Fed's
number corresponds the letter of the alphabet assigned to the bank, with
A=1, B=2, and so on.)
The tiny letters and numbers that appear on the top left and bottom
right of the bill's obverse indicate the position of the note on the
Treasury's printing plates. If your dollar bill has a tiny "FW" before
this code, those letters indicate that it was printed at the Treasury's
facility in Fort Worth, Texas, rather than in Washington, D.C.
Not everything is a prank, though. I love it when people are awesome, and this clearly qualifies:
AWESOME!!!
But that's not all...check out their awesomeness on the soccer field, with a shot put, with a waboba ball (twice), and water slide alley-oop shots. Side note: this group supports Compassion International with portions of their profits. Even more awesome!
Finally, you may or may not be a fan of Game of Thrones. Personally, I'm a fan of anything with cool special effects, and GoT's dragons certainly fit the bill. I'm also a fan of behind-the-scenes videos that show how special effects are done. Thus:
1. The defense was sloppy. Tackling was poor, and they were just one step out of position way too much. These things will improve over the course of the season.
2. The defense had no heart, no soul, no emotion. At the end of that last drive, they were standing around looking dazed, confused, and tired. There was no one slapping helmets, shaking fingers, or even waving their arms to get the crowd involved. I'm pretty sure that someone will eventually step up to fill this void, too; until then, the D is going to lack heart and soul.
3. The offensive line was absolutely, positively, pathetically awful. Remember, this is the same O-line -- literally, the same five guys -- who paved the way for offensive juggernaut Collin Klein last year. He was good, but no one can perform like that without good blocking up front. That blocking was wholly absent tonight. For KSU to get a total of less than 50 rushing yards (or whatever it was, my blood pressure can't handle looking at any official stats right now) against an FCS team is, quite simply, inexcusable. 4. As predicted, NDSU is the real deal. They smacked KSU in the face over and over and over, kept their composure when the game was slipping out of hand, and literally bulled their way into a win. They completely controlled the last 20 minutes or so of the game, forcing their will onto a woeful Wildcat team that seemingly lost focus or interest in the game. Or something. I'm not sure what happened. All I know is...
That's right, the first college football games of the 2013 season took place last night, and the NFL is wrapping up the pre-season this weekend! I wanted to post primarily about K-State, but before that I wanted to offer a few random thoughts on the upcoming football season.
Johnny Manziel
Seriously? The guy clearly violates a rule that the NCAA seems to hold as gospel (taking money), and he gets suspended for the first half of the first game? What a joke. The NCAA has proven over the past few years to be one of the most hypocritical and incompetent/corrupt "governing" bodies in sports. Apparently, there is a different set of rules that the rich and/or famous play by, allowing them a slap on the hands with a wet noodle rather than genuine sanctions. If this is their standard mode of conduct, then why wouldn't the top players and coaches (not to mention programs) cheat and violate rules at will?
My new 2nd favorite team
TCU. I've always liked them. They're scrappy, they're underdogs, and they've got great colors. They were a regular double-digit winner and BCS buster before they got into the Big 12 and had a Big 12 budget, and they absolutely belong here. A terrific odd stat from last year was that every team lost the week after playing TCU because the Horned Frogs' defense beat 'em up (legally, and in that great DEFENSE way you really want to see). KSU pulled out the win against them, but lost the next week to Baylor. They return most of that defensive unit, and get their best QB back this year. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they made their way into contention for the Big 12 title this year, and I'll enjoy watching them win a lot (except against KSU, of course).
Thank you, Green Bay Packers
I joined up as an assistant coach for Connor's flag football team this year. Games start in late September, and we're really excited to get going again. The head coach is from Wisconsin and a GIANT Packers fan, so our team is, naturally, the Packers. The green and gold has become the de facto 2nd favorite in our household because of flag football. Recently, the father of one of the players sent a letter to the Packers organization with a team picture and a bit of our story, and they responded with tickets to spend last night's preseason Chiefs-Packers game in the owner's suite, and passes to watch warm-ups on the field. AWESOME!!! We had a great time, took tons of pictures, and soaked it all in. The Packers' CEO, Mark Murphy, was a tremendously gracious host, hanging out with a bunch of 4th-5th graders (and us coaches, who were almost as giddy) all night. It was a rare and great experience, and we'll post more about that on the family blog soon.
KSU
Okay, now for the main event. Jake Waters was announced a few days ago as the starting QB, answering the single biggest question going into this season. He is a virtual unknown. From what I've heard and read, he was undersized coming out of high school, so he went to a community college in Iowa. While there, he not only grew a few more inches and added arm strength, but he led Iowa Western to a 12-0 record and a NJCAA national championship while amassing 3,500 yards and a nation-leading 39 touchdown passes with a 73% completion rate (which, if you take into account receiver drops and intentional throwaways, is pretty much everything). By all accounts, he has taken the path of quiet leadership like Collin Klein did, and has picked up the playbook very quickly. He's got a phenomenal arm that will be very different from most recent KSU quarterbacks, and could spearhead an even more prolific offense than we saw last year. He certainly won't be a bruising runner like Klein, but can apparently still scamper when necessary.
The offensive line is completely intact from last year's squad, which will be a huge benefit when breaking in the new QB. Running back John Hubert and the receiver corps is also back, providing a lot of experienced weapons all over the field. Expect points this year, and lots of them.
The big question mark is the defense, which lost all but one starter from last year's Big 12 championship squad. Ty Zimmerman will anchor the D from the safety position, and should provide some tremendous leadership and experience precisely where it is needed. The Wildcat defense will likely have some struggles, especially early in the season, but the good news is that a defense can achieve greatness without marquee players when they are disciplined, consistent, and play smart. Bill Snyder will ensure those things happen.
Regarding the first game tonight, don't expect a cake walk. North Dakota State is riding a streak of two consecutive FCS (division 1-AA) national championships, and this year's team is supposedly the most experienced and talented team they've had in a while. They're conditioned to win, they have a 6-3 record against FBS (division 1-A) teams over the past few years, they're confident, and they have great coaching. I'm confident KSU will prevail, but I wouldn't be surprised if the game stayed relatively close until the later parts of the game. If KSU does achieve a blowout, well, that'll just be a great indicator of how good KSU's year may be.
So, how will KSU fare this year? I think it depends mostly on the chemistry and how quickly the new pieces grow into Snyder's scheme. The Big 12 is supposedly going to have a bit of a down year this year, with no clear juggernaut in pole position; if the league as a whole is weaker, I'd say there's an outside shot for KSU to make a play for the league championship again. They'd need to remain relatively injury free, have Waters immediately play well, and have the D gel quickly – and probably get a couple of lucky breaks along the way – but in sports I think it's okay to be a bit over-optimistic unless you're a professional prognosticator and your opinion actually counts. J
Pessimistic Pick --- 7 wins, go to a minor bowl game
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. The weather is awesome, there's football, Christmas is right around the corner, and there's football. In anticipation of the coming football season, I thought it would be fun to post this MentalFloss video talking about some of the more unusual college mascots around the country. One of them is even close to home...
(I know, these colleges about more than just football, but America's #1 sport will forever be associated with colleges in my mind.)
I'm an admittedly fair-weather fan when it comes to basketball. I think it's great that KSU is in first place in the Big 12, but I'm not one of those who bought into the hype that it'll last too terribly long. In fact, during all of the hoopla leading up to the game tonight, I remained skeptical that KSU really stood much of a chance in this game. Sure, KU has lost three straight and is experiencing a 'crisis of confidence'...but let's look at the facts, shall we? KU has beaten KSU something like 1,205 out of the last 1,206 meetings, and the last time KSU won in Lawrence was the year 42BC. What better way to snap out of a losing streak and end the 'crisis of confidence' than at home against the in-state rival that both sides know is simply destined to lose? Seeing the Wildcats up next on the schedule should have been the single biggest relief the Jayhawks could ever have hoped for because the only thing more well-established than KU's belief in their dominance over K-State in basketball is K-State's belief in KU's dominance over K-State in basketball. In short, there's nothing about this matchup on this night that suggests K-State will do any better than achieve yet another pummeling.
And whaddaya know, the Jayhawks began the woodshed beating right away. I stopped watching when the lead first reached 14 points because, quite frankly, I have better things to do than watch the sports equivalent of a beetle seeking freedom by climbing up the inside of a sealed Coke bottle. I suspect it'll get worse. I'll let Lindsey tell me the final score and continue the Wildcat mantra: "I can't wait until football season..."
I could be wrong, and I'd be happy to be proven so, but I keep saying it with all sincerity (though I think a lot of people don't believe that I'm serious): I'll believe a K-State victory over KU only when I see it. Jayhawk fans, fret not, your streak is over as of tonight.
According
to the State Department, which has been the official trustee of the
seal since 1789, both the obverse (front) and reverse (back) of the seal
are rich with symbolism. The obverse picturing the eagle is a bit
easier to explain. The bird holds 13 arrows to show the
nation's strength in war, but it also grasps an olive branch with 13
leaves and 13 olives that symbolize the importance of peace.
(The recurring number 13, which also appears in the stripes on the
eagle's shield and the constellation of stars over its head, is a nod to
the original 13 states.) The shield floats unsupported over the eagle
as a reminder that Americans should rely on their own virtue and
strength.
these
numbers tell which Federal Reserve Bank issued the note. (Each Fed's
number corresponds the letter of the alphabet assigned to the bank, with
A=1, B=2, and so on.)
