Congrats, JFC!

Sunday night, Lisa, Meghan, Zak and I all got together to watch the 97th Grey Cup. Let’s take a minute to talk about what that was like. Jeff’s team, the Montreal Alouettes, sort of made it a difficult game to watch since they trailed for 59 minutes and 59 seconds of the 60 minute game. The consensus is that it was both the best (since Jeff’s team won the Super Bowl of Canada) and worst game we have ever seen. But, what counts is that Jeff’s team won and he’s a Grey Cup winner. And how cool is it that the Grey Cup got carried out by mounties in the full red jacket outfit? Pretty cool if you ask me.

Let’s all take this opportunity to give a hearty congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes and to Jeff for their Grey Cup win!

 

An Evil Idea

The following is a really funny but evil article that was in the Wall Street Journal on Monday:

NOVEMBER 23, 2009

Let’s Fix Michigan and Notre Dame

‘Irish Wolverines’ Would Fill a Solid Roster and Be a Network-TV Hit; A New Fight Song by Iggy Pop?

By JASON GAY

Surely by now you know that the greatest crisis facing this country isn’t the economy or war, but the perilous states of the Michigan and Notre Dame football teams. It’s gotten obnoxious, the overwrought attention these once-storied, now-torpid programs still command, and no one’s stepping up and offering the smoothest, wisest solution to their troubles:

Merger! The Notre Michigan Irish Wolverines.

Please don’t laugh. We’re as serious as Bill Belichick on fourth-and-two (or as Yale was on fourth-and-22 Saturday in what will forever be known as the Harvard-”Fail” game).

 

Synthesizing Michigan and Notre Dame just makes sense. Neither institution has the ammunition or patience to persevere individually. Saturday, 5-7 Michigan fell to its nettlesome rival Ohio State for the sixth time in a row, which sadly means there are 6-year-olds in Ann Arbor who have no idea what it’s like to taste Buckeye plasma. Meanwhile 6-5 Notre Dame fell in double overtime to plucky UConn and is installed as a six-point underdog next week against the Wildcats from High School Musical.

Naturally, the carnage in South Bend and Ann Arbor has led to apoplectic alumni and torch-and-pitchfork rumormongering about the fate of the head coaches. The consensus is that Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis will be evicted and Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez may cling on for one more season, in which he must beat Ohio State, win a national title, a Super Bowl, an Oscar and invent a hangover-free Scotch in order to save his job.

But why not Frankenstein these two struggling programs into one Super Team? The Notre Michigan Irish Wolverines would be an instant force in college football. Talent? Combined, they’ll have plenty. Think of Notre Dame’s quarterback Jimmy Clausen—who wouldn’t bail early for the NFL—throwing passes to Michigan’s Roy Roundtree. Exposure? Wouldn’t NBC salivate to overpay for the Irish Wolverines? Expect to see the team running windsprints on Jay Leno.

And we don’t want either Mr. Weis or Mr. Rodriguez to be dismissed. We’d have them installed as co-head coaches, and at their lavish combined salary, they’d be fools to complain. We’d even give them a new name: ChaRod. Can you imagine the excitement when ChaRod visits a recruit’s living room? Consider those ChaRod press conferences.

Naturally, there are logistical issues. Uniforms: we’d probably go maize pants, white jerseys and navy-blue helmets with gold Wolverine-style wings. Home games: they’d have to do half in Ann Arbor, the other half in South Bend. Fight song: trickier. Better to start from scratch. We’ll get James Osterberg to work on it; he spent some time at Michigan before transforming into Iggy Pop.

As for those fevered Michigan and Notre Dame alumni, we imagine this merger will feel like a demotion. But the Irish Wolverines are as close to an instant solution as you’ll get. Fire Charlie, dump Rich Rod, and you’re looking at a new coach, a new system, and several more years of listening to Jesse Palmer smoothly chronicling your ailments. And if they don’t win, we’ll simply combine them with the Cleveland Browns, piloted by the indefatigable ChaRodGini.

 

Going All In

Last night, as I was doing my weekly picks for ESPN’s College Pick Em that Amber and I have been doing for years and this year everyone plus Jeff is doing, I came to an important decision. I’ve decided to go all in for my team. Every week that the Michigan game has been a pick, I have picked them. It’s an unwritten rule that Amber and I have that we pick our own team to win every week. As this has been a rough season, I always pick Michigan to win with a confidence rating of 1-the lowest you can go. Every time that I have done this, Maren has said that giving Michigan a confidence rating of 1 is like not picking them at all (which is, by the way, what she does). So this week, when I looked at the games to be picked and saw the Michigan/Ohio State game as a pick, I decided to go all in for my team. That’s right, other group members, spoiler alert, I picked Michigan over Ohio State as my 10 (that’s the highest!). That’s like saying I am 100% sure that Michigan will win. And until a final score tells me different, that’s my story.

So, if you could all send out some positive Michigan and negative Ohio State vibes until Saturday that would be greatly appreciated. And for those of you who think this is a fools errand, I say that sometimes you have to take one for the team to show your support. With that said, I think Michigan is a way better team than what their record shows and since beating Ohio State would not only be the only game that counts anyway but make them bowl eligible, they’ve still got a lot to play for and I, for one, think they have a chance.

Wish me luck on Saturday.

M Go Blue!

 

Marathon

Yesterday was Maren’s first ING New York City Marathon. Let me walk you through the day. First, we woke up at 9:00 to watch the coverage on NBC of the elite men and women. And in Maren’s very first NYC Marathon, an American man won for the first time since 1982. 1982! Way to make your country proud! After the elite men and women finish, there’s enough time to walk from our house to the finish line and stop for some coffee.

Meghan met up with us at the house so she and I could enjoy our third marathon together. We tend to have great luck with the people around us and yesterday was no exception. The woman next to us was awesome!

 

Let’s take a moment to talk about what it’s like to be in Central Park when it’s at its most beautiful. It was a beautiful fall day. Crisp, cool, dry. There were leaves falling along as we walked and as the runners ran. The park was filled with the yellows, oranges and browns of the falling leaves. Seriously, a sight to behold.

We then made our way to the racers to cheer them on.

Maren didn’t quite get this until she did it herself. It is hard to describe why it’s so great to someone who’s never been there. But once you stand next to complete strangers, clapping together, cheering together, calling out runners names together, you finally understand how great it is to be a New Yorker on Marathon Day! So many New Yorkers trek to the park to encourage the 42,000 American and international runners who are nearing the end of their 26.2 mile trek through all 5 burroughs of New York City. It’s a fantastic thing to do. And the best part is, we don’t know these runners. We couldn’t pick them out of a line-up. And if they weren’t running, we’d be irritated with them on the subway or in Times Square, but this is the one day when extra people in the city is welcome by most all of us. A day when you congratulate people wrapped like baked potatoes for their hard work. A day when you yell out the names of complete strangers as they run by you and they throw you the thumbs up. A day when you high five strangers as they pass on their way to the finish. I can’t tell you how great it is. But now, Maren can.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Brianne’s favorite day in New York City.

 

Lung Health

Friday I woke up freakishly early for me (10:30) and after I did my homework ate lunch, unpacked my groceries, I decided to go on a cleaning spree. There’s just something so invigorating about giving your house a good scrub. What’s not so invigorating is a lung-full of bleach. I sprayed the shower with a bleach mixture and then started coughing which interrupted my plan to hold my breath during the bleach spraying and led me to take a giant breath of the aerosolized bleach. I can’t be sure, after all, I’m only a nurse, but I don’t think this is 100% great for my overall lung health.

While on the subject of health, let’s talk about what a great day for sport tomorrow is. First, at 9:00am the marathon tv coverage starts. It’s a nice hour of warm-fuzzy stories about the top marathon runners so we can decide who to cheer for. It’s during this time that I pick a winner  and then cheer them on as they haul ass to the finish line. After the top runners finish the race, we are going to head out to see the regular joe’s finish the marathon and cheer them on. As you have heard before, the New York City Marathon is my favorite day of the year in the city. It’s hard to explain, you just really have to be here. I inevitably tear up when cheering on the runners. It’s such a great day to be a New Yorker. And who gets to experience it for the first time? Maren Stefanie Genow! I’m so jealous of it being her first time.

Anyway, after the marathon, the Packers play the Vikings and then it’s game 4 of the World Series. Seriously, this is a lot of sport to cram into one day and I can only hope I’m up to the challenge.

Saturday sporting update: M Go Blue!

P.S. Happy Halloween!

 

Maren Left the House

Every Saturday for many many years, I have tried my best not to leave the house on Saturdays unless it’s football related. I’ll leave the house to go to a football game or to go to a sport’s bar to watch a football game, but if it’s not related to football, I try my best not to leave the house. This is a life philosophy that I’ve been lucky enough to share with some of the best football watching friends and neighbors I’ve known: John and Amber.

Now that Maren is living here and it’s football season, it’s like living with Amber all over again. We wake up for College Game Day, try to work in a shower if we feel like it, usually stay in our pajamas all day and we try our best to stay at home and watch football all the live-long day. In fact, when there is a break between the afternoon and night games and we have to watch something that’s not football, we don’t take it too well.

Which is why it’s shocking that Maren left the house yesterday during football! What?! I know, it’s unfathomable. She needed to get her oil changed and could only do it on Saturday, so just as the noon game was starting, she left the house. Got dressed in real clothes and left the house. To her credit, when she walked out into the living room after putting on her real clothes, she did say “I hate that I’m wearing jeans right now!” That’s my girl. That’s how the Genow sisters rock football. We don’t just like football. We don’t just casually watch football. We schedule our lives around football and that’s the way it should be!

Thanks Dad, for raising two football obsessed girls.

 

Hail to the Victors!

I know I’ve talked a lot of football lately, but my excitement cannot be contained about Michigan right now. After suffering, and I do mean suffering, through a 3 win and 9 loss season last year, winning yesterday’s game over the evil Notre Dame is just about the best thing ever!

You should have seen me yesterday. At more than one point, I was mocked mercilessly by both Zak and Maren for the comments I made during the game and various bad plays:

1. “That doesn’t help your team…at all!” (this one they kept quoting later in the night. they seemed to find it very funny)

2. “If Michigan loses, it won’t hurt my points (in the picks I do each week) but it will hurt my heart”. (yes, i did say this. this one did warrant mocking but didn’t get it like the first one)

In Dad’s words, it was a perfect day. Michigan won, Notre Dame lost, Michigan State lost and Ohio State lost. Who could ask for anything more? Well, who as a Michigan fan could ask for anything more?

I’ll try to talk less football this week. Maybe just on Saturday. Speaking of Saturday, Maren’s birthday (26) is the 19th, just as a reminder. We will all be going to Canada for Jeff’s game and the having of much fun.

M go Blue!

 

Saturday

Let’s take a moment to talk about how great last Saturday was:

1. First day of college football!

2. Michigan won their first game of the season for the first time in 3 years.

3. Sean and Ericas wedding was awesome and had a pretty great after-party.

4. OU lost. (My apologies to Amber on this one-I know it hurts you, but it also brings me great joy)

5. Drunk Meghan was out to play-she’s my favorite Meghan and she so rarely visits.

Can you ask for a better Saturday? I’m not sure you can. But, having this first Saturday has reminded me how great football Saturdays are. It’s fall and there’s College Gameday and I don’t work Fridays or Saturdays and now Maren is here so we can watch football together. This is a recipe for greatness if I’ve ever seen one. The only problem with football season is that sometimes I see the rest of the week as the crap that has to pass between football games. I’m trying to be better about this, but I guess it’s just a reflection of my all-consuming love for this great sport. See you Saturday.

 

At the Game

So, we went to the Yankee game last night. And while I hate to admit it, the new stadium is really nice. But, I don’t think that it makes it okay to tear down 86 years of sporting history, even if it is super cool inside now.

Before the game, Hideki Matsui did the stupidest warm up dance move that we have ever seen. It was pretty funny and we’re pretty sure that it served no warming up purpose whatsoever.

This was Maren and Jeff’s first ever Yankee game. It was a good one. The Yankees won 9-2 and there were 3 homeruns. Sadly, none to where we were, even though Maren brought her glove and was prepared each time there was a new batter to take out the people around us to go for the ball.

Good times for the Perretts plus Brianne at the game. And in case you are wondering, we did indeed have hot dogs for dinner.

 

My Favorite Athletes

I know you have already seen my list of my favorite (as in hottest) celebrites. But, I find that my favorite athletes is a very different list and I thought I’d share it with you now.

My Favorite Athletes in No Particular Order:

1. Ben Roethlisberger-quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers

2. LeBron James-Cleveland Cavaliers

3. Phil Mickelson-glorious golf

4. Andy Roddick-tennis

5. Rafa Nadal-tennis

6. Johnny Damon-Yankees

7. David Wright-Mets

8. The Mannings-quarterbacks/awesome commercial makers

9. The Williams Sisters-tennis players/awesome people!

Now, I’m sure it’s a coincidence that all of these athletes are pretty to look at. But, you must admit that pretty is not the only criteria or else Tom Brady would have been on there and he’s not. I think he’s too pretty but that’s a story for another day.

And because one isn’t fair without the other I give you my

Least Favorite Athletes in No Particular Order:

1. Sergio Garcia-golfer/cry baby

2. Alex Rodriguez-baseball player/drug user/ wife and kid leaver/home wrecker/can’t hit a ball in the post season ass

3. Yelena Jankovic-tennis player and giant cry baby who takes way too many “injury” time-outs

4. Novak Djokavic-tennis player that also takes too many “injury” timeouts and said some really bad things about Andy Roddick the night we were at the US Open-use your head, you don’t insult an American in front of Americans/New Yorks at the US Open!!

5. Kobe Bryant-basketball player/can’t really explain it, just think he’s a bit smarmy and I don’t like him.

 

6. Tom Brady-quarterback that’s too pretty for a boy, uses more hair products than Brianne and Maren combined and I just can’t bring myself to like him even though I know I should since he’s from Michigan. Sorry.

 

7. Terrell Owens-football player/guy who never tries to better himself or take responsibility for his actions on or off the field. It’s not the antics that are irritating, I mean Chad Ochocinco is pretty ridiculous but tries to improve his game.

 

8. Randy Johnson-pitcher who came to the Yankees for big money only to choke under the pressure of the city and help out not at all. Go back to the country!

 

9. Joba Chamberlain-Yankees pitcher that everyone but me loves. I also think he’s a big giant cry baby who thinks he’s the shit but can’t seem to pitch more than 3 innings in a start. Hmmm…go back to the bullpen where you belong and where Mariano can beat some sense into you.

I have a feeling I’m leaving out some important people on this list. I’ll be sure and update you as I think of them.