Back At It

Maybe its the free time I have stumbled upon, maybe its my nostalgic feeling lately, but I feel like writing on this blog again.  At least once in a while.  Will anybody read it?  I sure hope so.  It wont be like my glory days (if I ever had any) but I feel like it will still be fun for me.  I might not share every story, link it on twitter, or Facebook or anything like that, but I will view this website as a personal sports journal for me, something to look back on and smile.  It has almost been a year, I have graduated from college, survived an apocalypse, joined a new blog (details soon) but gave up on this.  Blogging, however little it may seem, was a big part of my life and very fun.  So with that being said, lets get back at it!


Maybe a big part of this blog drying up is the lack of winning from my favorite teams.  The Lions floundered, the NHL locked out, the Cubs rebuilt and lost 101 games.  The Pistons rebuilt as well, MSU had a very poor football season, and even WMU football was lackluster.  The only team that was worth anything was the WMU hockey team (a subject I must cover soon) and their CCHA Playoff title.  Does this mean 2012 was bad?  Kind of.  The Mayans were right in my case, but it means the future has to be bright.  And that is what sports does for us.  Gives us hope, of brighter days and fun times indulging our sports passion. 

NFL Wrap Up: Look Forward To The Offseason

Almost a month ago, the New York Giants upset the Patriots for their second title in the last five years.  It was another great game with another spectacular catch and another upset by Eli Manning, who may have cemented his Hall Of Fame status. 

Let us look at the final standing for the Corbitt Family Football Pick 'em:

Dad: 5-6
Mom: 5-6
Weston: 6-5
Sam: 5-6
Aaron: 7-4
Mary: 4-7

So my brother Aaron has won and gets a blog of his choice written by me very soon.  He did a great job with a 7-4 record, with everyone else floating around .500.  This year had some crazy upsets but we all had fun doing this like last year.  Great job everybody!

The NFL offseason, which is the longest and best in all of sports, has already begun.  The combine takes place, then free agency and franchise tags, then preparing for the draft.  Then when that is over, we talk about it, then games start shortly after that. 

For the Lions, they can take best player available and still be all right.  Besides quarterback, any player taken could be very useful to the team.  The Lions are a strange team, because they made the playoff and played well in a lot of games despite having some glaring holes and weaknesses.  They did not play very well against the elite teams of the NFL, only beating one playoff team ( the 8-8 Broncos, before Tebow Time) and they still need a lot of talent to take the next step.  Sadly, the Lions need to cut salary to move forward.  I could see Detroit selecting any lineman, offensive or defensive, a linebacker, a corner, a wide receiver or a running back in the draft.  A lot depends on who we sign in free agency and who we resign from our own team.  We should have a better picture of what the 2012 Lions should look like in a few weeks. 

Super Bowl Preview: Rematches Are Fun, Besides in the NCAA

Here it is.  The game.  I can't write anything that hasn't already been written by hundreds of writers before me.  So enough talking, lets break down the game.

These two teams have something in common.  Both got a little bit lucky to get to this point.  Lee Evans dropped a pass in the end zone to help the Patriots make it (I won't mention Billy "I used to kick for the Cowboys" Cundiff missing a chip shot.  Oh wait, I did.)   And it was even more unfortunate for the 49ers, as Kyle Williams (White Sox GM Kenny William's son, backing up an injured Ted Ginn Jr.)  fumbled two punts that led to Giants points (including the game winning field goal in OT).  The Niners couldn't get their offense going, and it eventually cost them.  Overall though, it was a very exciting and heartbreaking Championship Sunday.  It lived up to the hype.  Now on to the bigger game!

The PRO BOWL!

Just kidding.  The Super Bowl, as you may already know, is in Indianapolis.  Cold weather cities are starting to get more and more Super Bowls as the years go on.  Its exciting to see more fanbases and more cities get to experience the magic of the NFL title game being in their neck of the woods.  Miami shouldn't get it every other year. 

The Patriots:  Tom Brady got exposed against the Patriots that he isn't very good in the playoffs anymore, and that with a little pressure, he becomes very average.  The Giants defense is good at doing that, so New England has to protect Brady.  Gronkowski is obviously hurt, as ESPN has a twitter account following how swollen his high ankle is.  They don't really have a running game, or defense, but they keep winning.  Their special teams are solid.  That being said, they are the best team in the AFC, regular and post season.  They have a great coach and will keep this game close.  They rarely have gotten blown out in the last decade.  Some of the team have rings already, but for the most part this team is young and hungry for their first title. 


The Giants: The Giants have a formula to get here.  They are mediocre for most of the year, Then turn it on late to win an overrated division and get a home playoff game.  Then they either lose the first playoff game or go to the Super Bowl.  And the whole time Tom Coughlin is about to get fired.  They have to rely on Eli Manning and try to run the ball, leaving Brady and the Pats offense on the sideline where they can't hurt them.  The Giants defense isn't great, but it does rush the passer well.  They don't have to worry about much else besides getting to Brady and covering the Tight Ends and Wes Welker. 


What will happen: Eli and the Giants make some nice plays on offense to take an early lead, but the Patriots hang right with them for the most part.  The Giants then get their defensive line going after Brady and they start making plays.  Gronk slows down when the ankle begins to get to him.  Eli still makes big plays as the Patriots can't stop anybody.  The G-Men open a big lead and pound the football to put the game away.  Brady gets one last touchdown to make it close, but the final score is 28-24 Giants as Eli gets a second world title for a city who wanted him out not to long ago. 

Corbitt Family Playoff Picks Part IV: The Super Bowl Picks

The final week of the NFL season is upon us.   The Corbitt family playoff picks champion has already been decided, and this year your champion is Aaron Corbitt, who has gone 7-3 so far this season.  He has watched a great more deal of football this year and it has definitely paid off.  As consolation, me and my dad picked the correct Super Bowl last week.  Aaron will get a blog of his choice in the near future.  Congrats to my brother and for everyone playing! (they pretty much had to).  Here are the standings before the Super Bowl:

Dad: 5-5
Mom: 4-6
Weston: 5-5
Sam: 4-6
Aaron: 7-3
Mary: 3-7

And here are your final picks, who will the Super Bowl, according to the Corbitt clan:

Dad: Patriots
Mom: Giants
Weston: Giants
Sam: Giants
Aaron: Patriots
Mary: Giants

Tune in tomorrow to see a preview of the big game!

Super Bowl Party Planning: EXCLUSIVE RECIPE INSIDE!

These are the times that try one's soul. This time I'm not talking of politics, finances or even the game. It's what kind of food you will serve at your party. You'd think Thanksgiving or Christmas would be harder. Nope. Holidays are easy. July 4th hamburgers and hot dogs, Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas is traditionally ham but we grill steaks because I don't like ham. Foods for the holidays take a long time to prepare usually but they only have to be special, they don't have to be super. If your turkey is dry nobody really cares. Because the important part is being together. If the game isn't totally exciting, and it probably won't be if your team isn't playing (mine isn't) there could be talk that the food was as bad as the game.
You can always order pizza, but if I invite anyone over I like to have at least 1 thing homemade. I think it says you're important to me, welcome. Now I have it easy this Sunday, it's just us sans a kid or 2. And I think I will just go with wings and nachos. Maybe some brownies. And a treat for the dogs. But if you're going to a party be kind to the host. No matter how cold the pizza or dried out the wings or warm the soda. It's really about enjoying time with your friends or family. You can always stop by BK on the way home.

Brownies

1 box brownies mix-9x13" pan size. Mix according to directions. Spread into prepared pan.

1 large symphony candy bar. Or 2 if you're feeling daring. Chopped up into larger pieces. Sprinkle over brownies.

You can add some nuts, M&Ms, other chopped up candy or even cookies. Not to much, it all has to fit into pan.

Mix up another 9x13" pan size brownie mix and spread over candy.

Bake 350* for about 45 minutes or until done.
Do not refrigerate. The symphony bar will be almost mousse like. If you chill the chocolate hardens and you can't
make it soft again.

I don't remember where I found this recipe but it's good. Extra nuts/candy layer was my idea. Enjoy.

Corbitt Family Playoff Picks: Part III

The NFL had a crazy upset, a shocking upset and an expected blowout.  The Texans showed if healthy, could be a power in the AFC for years.  This week we have the conference title games.  Championship Sunday is one of the best days of football during the whole year.  After that we get a week to breath before the Super Bowl.

Here is the leader board after two weeks of competition.  We all missed on the Packers, and only Aaron called the Niners upset. Sadly for my Dad, he went 0-4.  Everybody is 3-5 except Aaron, and the whole family must team up to catch him.  Picking these games are rough.

Dad: 3-5
Mom: 3-5
Weston: 3-5
Sam: 3-5
Aaron: 6-2
Mary: 3-5

Here is the picks for this week, with only two games this week hopefully somebody goes 2-0.

Dad: Patriots, Giants
Mom: Ravens, Giants
Weston: Patriots, Giants
Sam: Ravens, Giants
Aaron: Patriots, 49'ers
Mary: Ravens, 49'ers

NFC Championship Game Preview: New York vs San Francisco. Party like 1989!

In a year with three 5,000 yard passers, running games that don't matter, and the two worst defenses in the league getting home field advantage, we see a retro NFC Championship match up featuring two teams who like running the ball and defense.

The Giants come into the playoffs barely making it again, having to win a playoff game in Week 17 against the Cowboys to get into the playoffs.  They were playing fairly well until that point, and carried that momentum into a dominating 24-2 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons in New York.  They beat the Packers by playing perfect (and catching some breaks).  They are built to win on the road.  They have a dominant defensive line (mostly Jason Pierre-Paul) and try to run the ball (they have been more successful in the playoffs) to create a perfect upset recipe.  Eli Manning has elevated his game all season, and is becoming an elite QB.

For the Giants to win: They need to get after Alex Smith and make him into the QB we all knew before this year.  JPP should do the trick.  If they can force him to play poorly, they can stop Vernon Davis and limit Frank Gore's runs.  They don't have a wide receiver to really worry about.  Against the 49er's defense, Eli will have to protect the ball and feed his talented collection of pass catchers.  They must run the ball to stay honest, but not expect results.  The Niners defense is really incredible.  The veteran offensive line must keep the pass rush down. 

The 49er's are a big surprise this year in Jim Harbaugh's rookie year.  They play tough, physical defense, that stops the run and gets lots of turnovers.  Their defense is young and awesome.  Its only going to get better.  Their offense is different.  Its young and has some elite players in Vernon Davis, and an aging Frank Gore.  Their offensive line for the most part is young and talented.  Its built to run and be dominant.  They have solid depth at running back, but only Michael Crabtree is (sometimes) their only good receiver.  Alex Smith has improved a lot and takes care of the ball.  He still isn't elite, but he can most likely get the job done.  Their special teams are also solid.  They played in an awful division, but stunned the Saints at home and looked impressive doing it.


For the 49er's to win: They need to play Niners ball at home.  They have to shut down any Giant running attack and make Eli force passes, which almost always lead to mistakes.  The offense needs to feed their playmakers and rely on special teams and field position to win the game.  Its simple.  Run and make timely passes, and make sure your defense stays awesome.

What will happen: This game was really tough to pick.  I can honestly see both teams winning.  When it comes down to it, I am going to have to go with the hot team.  I think the Giants can stop the Niner's offense more and they will make enough plays to win the game.  Both teams will be shut down offensively and it'll come down to what QB makes a big play.  Eli will make one more play than Alex Smith, and the Giants will be in the Super Bowl again.