Team Sports Blog

Vols Country

Dress4MySpare — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:21:32 +0000

You know you’re in Vols country when all the cars have Tennessee Volunteers tire covers on the rear gates. I experienced that first hand when attending one of Pat Summitt’s last games as head coach. Though I currently reside in the Washington D.C. area, I previously lived in Connecticut.

As any collegiate basketball fan knows, the UConn Huskies and the Lady Vols have a long, deep seated rivalry, which makes for fantastic basketball whenever they meet up. Though my loyalties lie with the Huskies, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Summitt and everything she has done and meant for women’s basketball. It was wonderful to see her in action before her retirement, and it was even greater to see how much her players and the Vols fans adore her.

Mother’s Day Gifts

Dress4MySpare — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:19:32 +0000

I suppose that I can be difficult to shop for, or at least that’s what my kids say. I’m not into jewelry, perfume, or any of the other stereotypical gifts that are usually heavily advertised for Mother’s Day. I’m more of a rough and tumble, let’s go play ball outside, kind of mom.

This year my kids hit the nail on the head with their gifts to me. They all chipped in (with some help from their father) and bought me sports team tire covers. They got all of my favorite teams so that I can switch out the covers according to the sports season. Now that’s what I call a thoughtful Mother’s Day Gift!

Breaking Out the Grills

Dress4MySpare — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:32:27 +0000

My favorite part of summer isn’t the sunshine and it isn’t the beach. My favorite part of summer is being able to break out my charcoal and gas grills. From fish to chicken to ribs to all sorts of vegetables, nearly every dinner I cook on the grill.

My wife loves this arrangement because she doesn’t have to prep meals and the clean up is easy- just let the drippings burn off the grill. In honor of this seasonal event, I’ve bought new sports team grill covers. They express my team spirit and they’ll keep my grills protected from summer rain showers.

Purdue Closing in On Big Ten Title

Dress4MySpare — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:27:21 +0000

Did you know that the last time Purdue won a Big Ten baseball championship was in 1909? To put that in perspective, the Titanic didn’t sink until three years later. What’s even more surprising about the title drought is that no Big Ten baseball team has had more conference game wins than Purdue since 2008.

This year’s team is hoping to put an end to the drought. The current Boilermakers are 34-7, 14-4 with a three game lead as of May 3rd. I’m holding off on ordering celebratory Purdue Boilermakers tire covers until after they secure some more wins. I don’t want to jinx their success!

Old Oaken Bucket

Dress4MySpare — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:45:43 +0000

For 92 years the Purdue Boilermakers have faced off against the Indiana Hoosiers to take home the Old Oaken Bucket trophy. The rivalry between the two schools if fierce even though the Boilermakers have dominated the overall series. Of the last 15 contests, Purdue has won 12.

The name for the bucket comes from a poem written by Samuel Woodworth in 1817. It states in part: “The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket/The moss-covered bucket which hang on the well.” The poem is said to exemplify the sentiment that people of Indiana feel for their state. I can’t wait for this year’s rivalry game! I’ve got my Purdue Boilermakers grill covers all ready for the occasion.

Sooners vs. Texas

Dress4MySpare — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:43:24 +0000

The Oklahoma Sooners have a number of rivals, including the University of Texas. The big annual showdown is called the Red River Rivalry. It is played at the cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas and draws attention from all over the nation.

One of the ways that Sooners fans keep the rivalry alive is by printing the inverted version of the Longhorn mascot on t-shirts and bumper stickers. The word Texas is also printed either upside-down or in mirror image (sometimes surrounded by curse words). I’m sure that over the years there have been some defacements of Oklahoma Sooners tire covers by Longhorn fans, but I don’t have the exact statistics to back that up.

Bedlam Series

Dress4MySpare — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:35:05 +0000

Oh how I love a good rivalry, especially an intrastate rivalry. The bedlam Series is a rivalry between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The rivalry encompasses basketball, football, and wrestling.

OU clearly leads the series at 82-17-7. Some might argue that it’s not much of a rivalry with the wins being so one-sided, but if you’ve seen the way the fans react, you would know differently. I love the OU vs. OSU match-ups; everyone has their Cowboy or Oklahoma Sooners grill covers out in the parking lots, lightly (and sometimes not so lightly) needling one another. It’s great fun and makes for great competition.

Urban Meyer at OSU

Dress4MySpare — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:31:54 +0000

The Ohio State Buckeyes won’t have a bowl game to motivate them this coming fall. It is part of the punishment doled out by the NCAA after the violations of former head coach Jim Tressel and former players were brought to light. New head coach Urban Meyer doesn’t seem to concerned; he believes his players are just as motivated as ever.

Meyer showed off what the team has been working on at the first spring game of the season. Meyer had the players gather at midfield for one-on-one battles that even the quarterbacks participated in. Said Meyer, “Our quarterbacks, like anybody else, they’ve got to put their nose on people.” Despite the sanctions, I think that Ohio State Buckeyes tire covers, grill covers, and other fan gear will still be snapped up by loyal fans who want to see their team rise again.

Memorial Day Weekend Plans

Dress4MySpare — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:36:04 +0000

I realize it’s a little bit early, but I’m already counting down the days to Memorial Day weekend. My family and I are going to pack up the car and head to Ohio for a family reunion. I have remained loyal to the Buckeyes, even when scandal has rocked the football team.

I’m most looking forward to all the grilling. I’m going to make my famous ribs and my brother is going to put together his delicious homemade hamburgers. As a present for my siblings and parents, I’ve bought everyone Ohio State Buckeyes grill covers that I know will be a big hit.

Notre Dame Spring Scrimmage

Dress4MySpare — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:33:35 +0000

When you see all the cars lined up outside the practice field with their Notre Dame tire covers, you know it must be football spring training. Practice this spring has been predictable by design. All four quarterbacks are intentionally being kept at the same pace. Until recently, the coaches would not even allow them to call audibles.

It was not until recently that the four quarterbacks were given the opportunity to change plays. This, the coaches believe, will help them objectively determine who is best in the huddle and under pressure. I’m betting by the spring game on April 21 they’ll have a pretty good idea of who they’ll want to start for the Fighting Irish next fall.