Highlight from the Democratic Debate

The City of Brotherly Love hosted tonight's Democratic Debate. The candidates discussed several serious and important issues, including Iraq, Iran, immigration policy, and health care.

While I tuned in to hear the candidates discuss serious issues, here's what I want to discuss: Dennis Kucinich's UFO sighting. According to Shirley MacLaine's new book, Kucinich spotted a UFO while visiting MacLaine at her Graham, Washington home some years ago. When Tim Russert inquired about the sighting tonight, Kucinich didn't exactly deny it. Instead, he made what I think was a joke about opening an office in Roswell, New Mexico.

The really funny part is this: After Kucinich finished his response, Tim Russert turned to Barack Obama and basically asked Obama if he believed in aliens. With a look of utter astonishment on his face, Obama responded (and I'm paraphrasing here) that while he wasn't certain about life anywhere else, he was certain about life on Earth. And life on Earth was his primary concern.

I'm realizing that this might not be nearly as funny here as it was on live television. But trust me. It was funny.

More:
Dennis Kucinich's Close Encounter

So Many Sports, So Little Time...

It's been a busy few days. Lots of college football action. Lots of professional football action. Lots of baseball action, both on and off the field.

1. It was a tough weekend for the legions of loyal college football fans from the state of Florida. The Gators lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in Jacksonville, 42-30. I think it's probably time for me to accept that this season belongs to another team. And since Ohio State's football and basketball teams fell to Florida in championship games last year, I'm fine with Ohio State rising to the top of the BCS Standings this year. Sort of.

In other unfortunate college football news, South Florida lost to Connecticut (22-15) on Saturday after losing to Rutgers ( 30-27) last week. Despite back-to-back setbacks, I still believe in the South Florida Bulls.

The fallout from these losses wasn't as devastating as it could have been. The BCS Standings now list Florida at #20, while South Florida is two spots ahead of Florida at #18. But really, enough of the bad news. Moving on.

2. I have confessed to not following professional football as closely as I should. As it gets closer to Super Bowl time, I'll get better. In the meantime, I'll continue to obsess about the NFL's global expansion. On Sunday, the New York Giants defeated the Miami Dolphins (13-10) in London's Wembley Stadium before a sold-out crowd. Many people (and especially the Giants) consider this experiment to have been a success. I'm still on the fence, anxiously awaiting the NFL's next global move...

3. Congratulations Red Sox fans! Is it safe to say that the curse has officially ended?

4. And finally, on to the more outrageous baseball news: Alex Rodriguez totally quit the Yankees! Some are questioning his timing, and it does seem unlikely that A-Rod just happened to announce the break-up at the height of the World Series. And while I also agree that it's too bad that the focus has shifted a bit from the game to this dramatic development, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to watching the A-Rod saga unfold during the off-season.

Boston Won Twice on Thursday; Saturday Means College Football!

Old news is news all the same: The Boston Red Sox won the second game of the World Series on Thursday night, 2-1. The Rockies lost again, yes, but losing by 1 run is better than losing by 12 runs. The series moves to Colorado tonight. Let's hope, for the sake of Rockies fans and for the sake of the Series, that the Rockies are more successful at home.

In Thursday night's college football action, the Boston College Eagles defended their (controversial?) #2 position by defeating #8 Virginia Tech. The Eagles were scoreless in the first three quarters, but two touchdowns in the 4th quarter led them to a 14-10 victory over the Hokies. Was the win convincing enough to keep the Eagles in the #2 spot? Probably, although this will depend in part on what happens today. Speaking of which, there are several exciting match-ups today. A few highlights:

1. Florida (#11) v. Georgia (#18). I live and die with the Florida Gators. They have to win this game. The Auburn loss was heartbreaking, and the LSU loss was heartbreaking, too. Florida and Georgina have identical records (5-2, 3-2 SEC), so in theory it's anyone's game. But Florida has the experience. And Tim Tebow. And my support. Go Gators!

2. Ohio State (#1) v. Penn State (#25).This game could be quite interesting: Ohio State's last regular season loss was to Penn State in 2005.

3. USC (#12) v. Oregon (#5). I respect USC's program, but I'm definitely pulling for Oregon. Go Ducks!

4. South Florida (#10) v. Connecticut (#23). The Florida Gators will always be my first love. But what about South Florida?!? The Bulls are having an amazing season. Last week's loss to Rutgers precipitated South Florida's fall from the #2 spot, but I am confident that they're hungry for a win this week.

(Note: Rankings refer to BCS Standings.)

More:
World Series Coverage (ESPN)
College Football Coverage (ESPN)

When Politics and Fashion Collide...

The New York Times ran this fun article about the t-shirts, hats, messenger bags, and various sundries that are being offered for sale at the official online stores of most of the 2008 presidential candidates. The spin is that you can tell a lot about the demographic groups that the candidates are targeting from the merchandise in their official stores. Obama, it seems, is targeting 25-30 year old women with his "ribbed baby doll t-shirts." Giuliani's tactics appear to be more direct. He targets students, veterans, women, and sportsmen with "Students for Rudy," "Veterans for Rudy," "Women for Rudy," and "Sportsmen for Rudy" gear.

These are interesting observations. I also wonder to what extent the merchandise in candidates' official stores is an attempt to counter the proliferation of unofficial campaign merchandise bearing messages that the candidates do not control. Well over a year ago, before either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama announced their presidential campaigns, I passed a woman on the street whose "Clinton/Obama '08" tote bag suggested that she had already decided that they were running. As a ticket.

Favorite Fashion Finds

Sometimes my obsession with fashion is narrow. For months at a time, I'll wear a few favorite shirts, or a pair of worn jeans, or a pair of shoes (cute first, comfortable second) until they're begging to be retired. I wore a pair of gold loafers until my loved ones staged an intervention and asked me to stop. (In my defense, the gold loafers sound more outrageous than they actually were. And they were usually tucked under a pair of wide leg jeans and paired with a neutral top).

A few of my favorites are in heavy rotation right now. Luckily, they haven't gone the way of the gold loafers yet. But it's only a matter of time:

1. American Apparel Tri-blend T-shirts:I can only vouch for the lightweight raglan pullover and the short sleeve deep-v neck. But these shirts are amazing. The tri-blend (rayon/cotton/polyester) is surprisingly soft, the shirts retain their shape after many washes, and their retro look and feel give them a little more "ooomph" than your average t-shirt. I'll definitely wear these until they're torn and tattered. Then I'll buy some new ones.

2. Tony Lama Cowboy Boots: I acquired a pair of these on a recent trip to San Antonio. Love them. If someone had told me that cowboy boots were just as comfortable as sneakers, but that you could dress them up more easily and that they make you appear taller to boot (bad, bad pun), then I would have been wearing them a long time ago.

3. The Black "Pashmina" that I Bought at a Street Fair for $5: So you can't find this online. And I'm cheating a little bit here because I haven't actually worn it yet. But it will match everything, and it will function as both a wrap and a scarf. Plus, it was $5! (The best fashion advice that my father ever gave me: If you're going to buy something cheap--i.e. a $5 pashmina at a street fair--buy it in a dark color. That way, the cheapness is less likely to show).

Major League Baseball Needs Love Too

I am told that there are some baseball games being played now. Okay, so maybe I'm not that clueless. But admittedly, I don't follow baseball as closely as I follow other sports. I was into the game back in 2004, when the Boston Red Sox rallied back from a 0-3 deficit to beat the Yankees during the American League Championship Series (I was also into the "bloody sock" scandal that ensued). And I was into the game way back in 1998, when my dad took me to a Dodgers exhibition game (Admittedly, the game was secondary; I was most excited about the hot dogs and the giant sodas. And about hanging out with my dad).

Digressions aside, Colorado and Boston are playing in the World Series. Congratulations Rockies and Red Sox fans! I haven't been keeping up at all, but if I were forced to pick a favorite, I'd go with the Rockies. They're young (est. 1993), this is the first trip to the Series for the franchise, and, since the Red Sox ended their curse in 2004, it's now someone else's turn to win.

Colorado lost to Boston 13-1 last night. Yikes! Here's hoping the Rockies fare better tonight.

More:
Real Coverage of the World Series (ESPN)

Non-Reality TV Is the New Guilty Pleasure

ABC's Dirty Sexy Money is one of my favorite new fall shows. After a healthy (over)dose of reality television, a quirky, and slightly over the top scripted show is a refreshing change. And while the intricately woven social lives of the Darlings ("New York's wealthiest family") are almost too much for even the most attentive viewer to follow, I end up challenging myself to do so each week. (Spoiler Alert: Spoiling begins now.)What amazes me about this show is its delightfully fast pace and endless supply of surprises--I thought for sure that it would be weeks before Brian's wife discovered that the orphaned child that she and her husband had been caring for was actually the child that her husband fathered with another woman. Karen and Nick were secretly engaged when they were nineteen!!--who knew?? (Nick's wife, Lisa, certainly didn't.) And Natalie's really not pregnant with Jeremy's child? Definitely didn't see that coming. Although maybe I should have...

Next up: We'll learn which of the Darling children isn't really a Darling. Patrick will have to reach some resolution about his Senate campaign and his extramarital affair. And after the strong lead-in, it seems inevitable that Blair Underwood's character is about to shake things up...

More:
Dirty Sexy Money 101 (ABC)

Professional Football Across the Pond?

I find college football to be far more exciting than professional football, but this news caught my attention: As part of its plan for global expansion, the NFL is taking its show on the road...to England. This Sunday, the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins will be playing in London's Wembley Stadium. According to the NY Times, around 88,000 tickets for the game sold out immediately. If all goes well, additional NFL games will be played overseas in the future.

This is an interesting idea. Will it work? I suppose that if David Beckham can play football (the other kind) in Los Angeles, then Eli Manning can play football in London. But this seems different. What about the hometown crowd--the die-hard New York and Miami fans? There's something uncomfortably impersonal about a regular season NFL game between the Giants and the Dolphins being played thousands of miles away from both New York and Miami...

More:
The NFL's Transatlantic Trip (New York Times)

The Fashion Obsessed Sports Fan Is Born!

Actually, she was born almost 26 years ago. But this blog was born today. After mulling over ways in which I could combine my enthusiasm for sports (especially college football and basketball--Go Gators!), fashion (particularly an obsession with fashion design and sample sales), television (i.e. reality television, the unscripted drama that is The View, ABC's entire fall lineup), and 24 hour news outlets (hence the current events), I decided to bring them together, here. As divergent as these interests may seem, I know I'm not the only girl who gets just as excited about the BCS National Championship Game as she does about the Manolo Blahnik sample sale. Nor can I be the only girl who programs her Tivo for both The Hills and Frontline. This is the place where the gridiron and the stiletto, and the low-brow and the high-brow, can exist in perfect harmony. Finally.