The NFL owners voted to have the 2014 Super Bowl in New York City and I gotta say, I’m not feel’in this one. The Super Bowl is the one sporting event that defines American sports culture. It’s a game that is watched by millions and even by those who couldn’t even tell you what a first down is and think Peyton Manning is the guy on Saturday Night Live.
The day itself has almost become bigger than the game and is regarded by many as a national holiday. It’s a reason to party. A chance to kick back, crack a beer with friends and family and watch the two best teams battle it out to see who is deserving of the Lombardi trophy.
Last years game was a perfect example of what the Super Bowl was meant to be. Two incredible teams slugging it out to the very end. A display of high powered offenses and rock solid defenses that left everything they had out on the field. A field, I might add, that was in perfect condition.
Can you imagine last years game being played in NYC in possibly a sloppy mess? Drew Brees and Peyton Manning would finally have a chance to display their incredible talent in handing the ball off 30-40 times. I know many think that would make for a memorable game. Perhaps. However, it could also make for a 6-3 game that is boring as hell. Recently the Bears and Colts played in Super Bowl XLI and the weather became a factor. It was raining the majority of the game. Remember? Oh, it’s because the game was horribly boring. Nothing memorable about it. True, some snow or rain games are memorable and are part of football lore. However, more games played in bad weather are just bad. Why take the chance? -DM

Believe it or not, FantasyTrophies.com has been around for nearly 15 years now and many guys have asked me how it came to be. It all started when I sculpted the original Armchair Quarterback while an art major at Kent State University in Kent , OH. At the time I was taking only classes that involved looking at naked people all day- Figure Drawing, Figure Painting, and Figure Sculpture. Unfortunately when you go to art school you realize early on that you won’t be looking at very attractive people on a daily basis. Heidi Klum they are NOT. Anyway, during this time I was in a very competitive fantasy football league with my buddies back in Cleveland and I thought I’d put this art degree I was earning to some use and sculpt a trophy. I knew I had to come up with something good and a trophy that would capture the true essence of the guys in the league. I had seen all of the lame excuses for trophies that were out there and continue to pollute the web and knew they didn’t come close to what I wanted. No, this fantasy football trophy had to be an original. It had to say it was ONLY for fantasy and not be mistaken for the pee wee football trophy you were given in 5th grade. Thus, the Armchair Quarterback was born.

The unveiling took place on draft day in 1993 and the guys went nuts. Our league’s prize money instantly ended up taking a back seat to the trophy, which became know as The Fedele. (story for another blog post) Now the trophy is on it’s 20th year of honoring our past champions and the desire to win it has only grown. Guys that have won it twice have ultimate bragging rights while the ones who are not on it at all continue to experience the unending ridicule that only beer drinking “friends” can dish out. Trash talking is no doubt a form of mental abuse.
After seeing the reaction of my friends and what the trophy did to the competitive level of our league I knew that other leagues out there could benefit from my creation. Soon FantasyTrophies.com came to be. Since that unveiling I’ve moved to Brooklyn, NY, got married, started a family, and teamed up with two other artists who share my passion for creating the best, most original fantasy sports trophies ever. As you can see on our site, I’ve gone on to sculpt trophies for baseball, basketball, and nascar and will continue to try and put that Art degree to good use for the benefit of fantasy leagues everywhere. After all, having to look at the naked people I did for nearly 8 hrs a day should amount to something in life.-Shouldn’t it? -DM

I hope Lebron watched last night’s game between the Lakers and the Suns and took one thing from it besides Kobe’s mid-range jumper. It’s the look a champion has when he says to himself, “there is no way I’m losing this game.” Kobe Bryant’s face said it all. It was a look and a scowl that Lebron never possessed during the entire series with the Celtics and is the reason why so many are wondering what was up with King James. After all, Lebron has shown that he possesses that fiery look. We all saw it in that infamous overtime win against Detroit in 2007, in the 2008 series against the Celtics and Paul Pierce and last season against the Magic. It was strangely absent though this year when it mattered most.
Now don’t get me wrong, the Celtics were clearly a better team during this series and Lebron could’ve used a few other things than just an ugly look on his face when driving to the rim. More commitment on the defensive end from the rest of the team would’ve been a good start. However, watching Kobe last night makes you realize that Lebron will never wear a championship ring if he doesn’t figure out how to have that scowl on a moments notice. You get the feeling with Kobe that he wakes up the morning of a big game and has it on his face while he’s eating breakfast. Well, it’s time Lebron eats his Wheaties with the look of a champion. -DM

What a week at FantasyTrophies.com. We’ve just finished our fantasy hockey trophy, the Armchair Goon (see previous post), and now we’re in the process of shrinking the Throwback. Like what happened with our fans who kept asking for a hockey trophy, we had to finally listen to the football leagues who said they’d love to have a small Throwback to keep for themselves after the large one moved on to another recipient. Well, he’s on his way. To achieve a smaller version, we use an incredible product that actually shrinks in perfect proportion to the original sculpture. In the case of the Throwback it will end up nearly 1/3 the size. After the material reaches it’s final size we can then take a mold from that new smaller version. That is the stage we’re at right now. Keep checking back and I’ll have more updates. Thanks, Dave

It’s been a long 4 months, but the Armchair Goon is finally ready to take his rightful place among the greats. Yes hockey fans, you’ll soon be able to play for the most original fantasy hockey trophy you can find. Believe me, I’ve looked and only some lame rip offs of the Stanley Cup exist out there. You’ve asked for it and now he’s here. Contact me for pre-ordering details and leave a comment to tell me what you think. – DM

My new fantasy hockey trophy is in the final stages. I’d say he’s even past due. He sits encapsulated in the rubber that will serve as his final blanket mold. We poured the rubber yesterday and now all we can do is wait until it dries. It’s like I’m anticipating the birth of a son. Who needs a cigar?

I must say that I wasn’t like the thousands of other Cavalier fans last night who felt their stomach hit the floor when they saw Lebron shoot his second free throw left handed. I instantly chalked it up to Lebron being Lebron and him practicing for his career as an actor after his NBA days are over. I’ve always been critical of how Lebron tends to have a love for the dramatic, especially when he hits the floor. The guy is 6’8′ and 240 lbs. yet regularly has players, that aren’t 200 lbs. soaking wet, making him wince in so much pain you’d think he just took a Marvin Hagler low blow to the groin. It’s the one part of his game that can actually be criticized. Which, I might add, is really nitpicking on my part.
Maybe it’s because he’s so big that he feels the refs won’t call fouls on the other team unless he occasionally shows he can be injured. Driving the lane through an entire team can make a person seem invincible at times. In any case, it can really be annoying when Lebron seems to get poked in the eye nearly once a game. Hell, Shemp got poked in the eye less. Just ask the Magic fans from last year. James’ continuous falling down and acting like he was moments away from having to be taken off the court in an ambulance had the Magic faithful going nuts.
Now don’t get me wrong. I obviously believe James is telling the truth when he says he had an MRI the other day and that his elbow has been giving him problems for the last couple weeks. I just don’t believe that it was hurting him so much last night that he had to hold it to his chest in the last 7 seconds of the game. Or shoot that free throw with his left hand.
I just hope he does more “acting” in Cleveland and doesn’t realize he could have a future on Broadway in New York City come next year. – DM

Sam Bradford is NOT Peyton Manning. Meaning- you don’t trade away the rest of your draft to move up to grab him at #1.
Browns new President Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert recently held a press conference where they admitted they talked with the St. Louis Rams about the #1 slot. My feeling is they’re not the only ones. I’m sure plenty of teams have picked up the phone to hear what the Rams would be willing to take for that position. The gap between talking and actually trading however is as big as the Grand Canyon. Especially when you’re dealing with the first pick in the draft.
Now I’ll admit that I haven’t seen a ton of Bradford’s games. Unlike the “experts” who always seem to fall from the sky during this time of year just because they have a blog or a website, I’ll just say that he doesn’t strike me as the next Manning, Aikman, or even Carson Palmer. I’ll trust Holmgren though when he says the guy is a “special player.” However, using the word “special” to describe an NFL quarterback doesn’t exactly make me want to run out and get a dog just to name him Bradford. Let alone trade away the majority of the picks accumulated from last years draft for him.
I guess what I’m saying is relax Browns fans and get used to hearing Holmgren speak his mind. While it’s refreshing to finally have a guy who says what he thinks, it will also make for plenty of headlines and talk on national outlets.
Now get back to hoping Berry falls to them at #7 -DM