A New Sports Blog + 2012 Progress Report!

I outlined several goals for myself in 2012 in my first blog post of the year. How are they coming along, you ask? Not too shabby, I guess, but there's still room for improvement.

So far I've:

• Read The Scarlet Letter and started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Watched The African Queen
• Lost another 4 or 5 lbs. (I'm still working out every day.)
• Been playing Chess regularly.
• Updated my journal every day (not yet today).
• Blogged more often (Twice already this month!)
• Been working on my writing portfolio slowly, but surely.
• De-cluttered, some. I've been throwing stuff away and getting other stuff ready to sell.

And finally, I wrote a new article for Pocket Doppler: The 10 Most Heartbreaking Playoff Losses In Green Bay Packers History!

The article was inspired by the 37-20 beatdown the Packers suffered at the hands of the New York Giants this past Sunday. The loss came in at Number 5 on my list. Of the ten games, I've actually personally witnessed 8 of them. Lots of heartbreak in Packer land over the years... Head on over to Pocket Doppler and give it a read!

One other goal I've decided to add to my resolutions is to take better care of my teeth. I had a dental exam and I need to have a bunch of fillings. I brush twice a day, but I need to use an electric brush and I need to force myself to floss. I've been flossing at least every other day since my appointment. That's better than I was, but still not good enough.

Bring it on, 2012! I'm ready for you!

Now Writing For: Pocket Doppler

If you've followed my exploits over the past few years, you've seen me write a number of Wisconsin Sports related stories for The Bleacher Report. No more.

I'm taking my talents *cough* to Pocket Doppler, a nice, indie Wisconsin Sports blog I discovered through friends I met on Twitter. Great guys and gals!

My articles so far include:

• Will The Real Zack Greinke Please Stand Up?
• With Braun Out, Kotsay Helps Brewers Weather Storm
• John Axford Sets His Sights On Another Brewers Record
• Brewers: No Weeks? No Problem!
• NBA, Bucks Announce Full 2011-12 Schedule
• Milwaukee Bucks: New Season, New Faces - Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
• Packers Roster Moves - The State of the Union

Bookmark Pocket Doppler and check back often for your daily dose of great Wisconsin Sports coverage!

More soon...

Treyton Kilar "Field of Dreams" Pepsi Refresh Project - Voting Ends 1/31/2011!

Please take a moment and go to: http://www.refresheverything.com/treytonkilar, sign in with your Facebook account or an e-mail address, and vote for the Treyton Kilar Field of Dreams project!

You can also text 105500 to 73774 from your mobile phone!

Project Goals

• Honor the memory of late kindergarten student Treyton Kilar
• Provide a new baseball field for central Wisconsin children and families
• Educate people on the deadly nature of drunk driving

Watch this video and learn more about Treyton's story:

Voting will take you less than a minute and it would mean a lot to me and to Treyton's family! The idea has slipped into 3rd place and only the top 2 ideas in this donation range will get funding. We can do this if we all act now!

Don't delay! Go vote now! And send a text vote in, while you're at it! GO FOR IT!

Thank you for your support!

Three New Sports Articles

Continuing my fledgling career as an amateur sportswriter, I've written three new articles for the Bleacher Report over the past few weeks.

Check them out!

- Packers 2010 NFL Draft: 13 Experts Weigh in on Pick 23

- 2010 NFL Draft: League Awards Compensatory Draft Choices

- Kicker Carousel Keeps Spinning: Neil Rackers, Former Cardinal, Signs with Texans

With the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Playoffs, the NFL Draft next week and Baseball season in full swing, you can probably expect more soon.

Thanks for reading!

Aaron Rodgers - The Real 2009 NFL MVP

This past Saturday, the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning accepted his NFL record 4th MVP award from the Associated Press. The thing that I noticed (and it surprised me) was that Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers didn't receive a single vote.

Did I say surprised? I think maybe I meant pissed off. Yes, the Packers lost their playoff game to Arizona yesterday in heartbreaking overtime fashion, but that doesn't diminish what Aaron Rodgers accomplished this season with the league's youngest team coming off of a 6 - 10 season.

Before the start of Sunday's game, I posted the following article, making my case for Aaron Rodgers' MVP candidacy:

- The Real 2009 NFL MVP?: Aaron Rodgers

Note that not a single user comment was made (despite several hundred reads) until AFTER the game was over. The Packers lost, and that's when the haters came out to play.

PaDespite the loss, I stand by my assessment -- Aaron Rodgers was 2009's NFL MVP.

Packers vs. Cardinals - NFC Wild Card Game at a Glance

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2010 was to write more sports articles. Here's my first step toward achieving that goal - a brief look at this weekend's Wild Card matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals...

Check it out!

* Packers vs. Cardinals Wild Card Game at a Glance

On a semi-related note, regarding my New Year's resolutions, I watched "12 Angry Men" the other night and really enjoyed it. If I go see "Avatar" this weekend, that means I'll only have 15 movies left to see in 2010 to round out IMDB's top 50 movies of all time!

Thanks for reading.