Watching this tournament is maddening. It’s crazy. Those first two days? It’s just non-stop madness. All basketball, all the time. A girl can’t get a break! So I downloaded an app that keeps me up to date with all the games and it pretty much took over my life.

It’s bad enough during football season. I’m always checking the scores, updating my fantasy roster, but that’s what, a couple hours every Sunday? The occasional Thursday? Nothing like this. This is all day, every day for four straight days and it isn’t even over! There is still two more maddening weeks!

That said, I’m done. My bracket is over. The ‘Noles bit the bullet last night and Duke…DUKE! They lost in the first round to a 15 seed! As I understand it, that hardly ever happens. Actually up until Thursday it had only happened four times and then it happened twice in four hours! Have I mentioned that this tournament is madness?

So Duke and FSU are gone and I had them in the finals. My bracket is busted but I’ve enjoyed watching this tournament anyway. Maybe I just love a good Cinderella story but I can’t help rooting for the underdog. Even if it means the team I pick doesn’t make it through, I can’t help it. I got goose bumps watching the VCU/Indiana game and Lehigh/Duke almost blew me out of my seat. I love a good upset. I’m a sucker for the drama.

But there is a line, a drama threshold if you will and ManningWatch has crossed it.

Oh what’s that? You haven’t heard of ManningWatch? It’s like Anchorman’s PandaWatch but for Peyton Manning. We’re now tracking his every move, snapping candid photos of him getting off the plane and waiting on the edge of our seats for him to make a decision.

Well this morning he did and he’s going to be a Bronco.

Now I know what you’re saying. “The Broncos already have a QB. They have Tim Tebow!” Well now they also have Peyton Manning which leaves a whole bunch of people in the lurch, most noticeably, Tim Tebow.

If I were the Broncos, I’d keep Tebow. Who knows how long Peyton will be able to play. Tebow has a lot of learning left to do and who better to teach him then one of the best in the business. Besides, it would keep Tebow away from the Dolphins, Tebowing away from Miami and Miami from finding yet another temporary quarterback solution.

Seriously, my Dolphins haven’t had a decent quarterback in a decade. Not since Marino and we still don’t. Maybe it will be Alex Smith? We thought it could be Peyton Manning, we’re pretty sure it won’t be Brett Favre but who knows? Maybe it will be me. Maybe I will go try out for the quarterback slot. What’d you guys think? Do you want to see me back in a Dolphins uniform?

I think I’d make a pretty good (looking) Playmate play-caller. If Stephen Ross is reading this I hope he looks me up. I might not have the stats but I’ve got the heart. I’m ready coach, put me in!

Jaime shot 60 per cent in her first weekend of March Madness and picked four major upsets: VCU, NC State and both Ohio games. She’s still got 10 teams alive in the round of sixteen. To see her full bracket check out pbbracket.com.

I know, I know. “How can this your first bracket Jaime?” “Don’t you know how amazing it is?!” That’s what you’re all saying but listen, I’m a football gal, born and raised, and when there is no football on I’m watching the boys of summer play baseball. I just never got into college basketball, what with it running between crucial times of both football and baseball, playoffs and spring training. It had just never drawn me in.

Then, wow. I hopped on Playboy.com’s bracket and started making my picks and I was little surprised. All I could do was smile, a big shit-eating grin that got bigger every time I picked a team to advance. I was giddy. I didn’t know this was so much fun. I haven’t had been this excited about a sporting event in a while.

It’s like any given Sunday, any team can win. In baseball, no one game brings down a season. In football it’s understood that making the playoffs is a feat in and of itself. But this? These kids just played their hearts out in their conference tournaments and now they turn around and play on an even bigger stage? A single elimination stage? A few bad moves, a turnover here or there and it’s all over. Just like that. POOF! Gone. That’s what I call pressure.

So I’ve made my picks and you can see them all at pbbracket.com, but before I start getting tweeted at by all you ferocious college hoops fans let me explain how a few of these were made. Remember this is my first time! I didn’t get to crazy. Go easy on me.

- I figured that with a 108-0 record it was a safe bet to take all the number one seeds to advance to second round. With numbers like that you’ve gotta go with history. Ditto the two seeds who’ve only lost four times in the first round. I’m playing it safe.

- Once I got to the eight and nine seeds I figured it was time to start doing some research considering it’s such a close matchup. I discovered that it’s pretty well a 50-50 split when it comes to these games so I took a different tack.

- Alabama/Creighton? I love saying “roll tide.” ROLL TIDE! When college football was in season there was an entire day when I only answered questions saying roll tide! Seriously, the guy at the grocery store asked me if I wanted paper or plastic bags and I said ROLL TIDE! He gave me both. I picked Alabama.

- Kansas State/Southern Miss? Went with mascots on this one. I figure if I were to be a mascot I’d be more like a Wildcat than a Golden Eagle. I’m a little bit wild, a little bit fierce. Pretty feisty and a redhead (we’re all feisty) so I went with the ‘Cats.

- Memphis/Saint Louis? The old uni approach. If all else fails whoever has the sexier uniforms wins. Right? RIGHT? I took Memphis.

- And for the final eight versus nine, UConn/Iowa State I took a playground approach and went with the eenie meenie miny mo.

- Let’s see, what else is going on with this bracket? OH! A 12 seed always makes a run! (I’m turning into a college basketball history buff trying to figure this thing out). So, 12 seeds have made it to the round of sixteen just as many times as a 10 seed has, they’ve made it five more times than an eight or a nine seed combined, and are only two shy when it comes to seven seeds. I see a trend and this year I’m picking Long Beach State to make a run.

- I only have one top seed in the final four, I have Michigan State the first top seed to fall and have none of them in the final game. My pick for the tourney? FSU BABY! Gotta go with the home state heroes. They beat both Duke and UNC twice this season, something that hasn’t been done since ’95 and their getting hot when it counts. This is there year. Go Noles!

***

Think you can do better than Jaime? Head on over to Pbbracket.com to start filling out yours today! Give us a tweet or a follow on facebook to let us know you’re in on the game and let Jaime know you came to win.

I think it is pretty arrogant of them to think they’re above the law. There has been a new sheriff in town for a while now and his rules have been made clear: you make a bad hit, you get a bad fine. Who do the Saints think they are that they can just all willy-nilly play by their own rules?

Now don’t get me wrong. You know me. I love a good rough and tumble game of football when the boys are playing hard. In the words of Reese Bobby, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” I think that’s the only way to play, but how silly (and not in the ‘haha’ way) do you have to be to think you can just go around posting bounties on players and get away with it? Or worse to think its ok?

A few rogue players making their own rules I can understand. Not accept, but understand. But this involves the whole team! Owners, coaches, assistant coaches, captains, they all knew! Now, they didn’t all post the money for the bounties but they certainly did not try and stop it. They just turned a blind eye and pretended it wasn’t happening.

I think we can all agree that football is dangerous. These guys are 350 pounds of muscle. Getting hit by one of them on a good day would be like getting run over by a Mack truck, but getting hit by one of them when he is trying to hurt you? Well I just can’t imagine what that would feel like and I don’t think I want to!

That’s why Roger Goodell started cracking down on these sorts of shenanigans. Remember Spygate? $250k in fines to the team, $500k to Bill Belichick AND a first round pick. I think that’s what hurt them, the pick not the money. If the Pats got all that for using a camera to steal other teams plays imagine what the Saints are looking at for setting up an intricate Old West bounty system!

The big concern will be whether star players decide to walk away from the team, and if Goodell does penalize them a few draft picks, how the Saints will continue marching when no one wants to come via free agency and they don’t have any picks in the draft? What happens then? What do you do with a team who thinks they’re better than the other 31 teams and the guy who is running the show?

I’d say at the very least there are going to be a few suspensions. Probably some draft picks taken away. I think Sean Peyton is probably too proud to resign but there will be more than a few words between him, the owners and the league. You just can’t do that sort of thing and not face the music.

Ok. That’s it. End Rant.

***

On a cheerier note, I’ve got good news for all you sports fans. Playboy and I are going to be hosting an online college basketball bracket competition this year and I’m pretty confident you’re all going down. I’ve been brushing up on my college hoops and I think I’ve got the whole thing figured out. I hear perfect brackets are tough to pull off, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve and you’re all in trouble.

So make sure you check back to Playboy.com on Wednesday to get yourself signed up…TO LOSE! Hahahaha! Let me and @playboydotcom know who you think is gonna win this year’s tournament, then fill out your bracket on Sunday to win some awesome prizes and see if you can beat me!

Braun Over Brains

First off, I was pretty surprised to see Ryan Braun win his appeal. Baseball won’t even overturn a bad base-running call so for them to overturn a 50 game suspension for banned substances is really something. Secondly, where does baseball go from here? This is obviously a huge “win” from where the Brewers are standing but I’m not so sure I’m ready to call it that just yet. He didn’t really win. He convinced someone that some guy couldn’t get to Fed Ex on time. Or wait, no. He convinced someone that a criminal mastermind has been waiting his whole life to personally tamper with a urine sample. That a pee collector somehow finagled his way past all the protective seals and procedures and replaced Ryan Braun’s sample with a dirty dose of urine. Ya, right.

No offense to Ryan Braun fans out there, but I think it’s more likely that Ryan Braun failed a drug test than a massive pee conspiracy is afoot. Granted this COULD have happened, it probably didn’t but it will be interesting to watch how MLB plays their cards the next time this happens with a big name player.

No Left Turn

I was ready to sit down and watch some NASCAR yesterday. Seriously. Sunday afternoon, no football. It seemed like the perfect thing to do but NASCAR never happened. For the first time in 56 years the Daytona 500 was postponed until today, when I’ll be on a plane and unable to watch. This isn’t the worst thing for NASCAR though. It’s bad for the fans who sat out waiting all day in the rain yesterday (sorry guys) but NASCAR is getting a prime time seven o’clock spot on Monday. It’s the perfect chance for them to make more history after last year’s epic finish by rookie Trevor Bayne and of course this year’s first ever rain out. Good luck guys.

RGIII…or II?

RGIII might just become RGII after his impressive combine performance over the weekend, which is bad news for me and my Dolphins. A few months ago we had a real shot at the Heisman winner but over the last few games of the college season, it looks like Griffin will be going second overall in the draft behind Andrew Luck. That means the Dolphins will have to make some moves to get him and if history has taught me anything it’s that the Dolphins always disappoint me on draft day. With any luck we’ll get OT Riley Reiff from Iowa to protect…well, nobody. Oh, and for the record, I’m opposed to Manning in Miami. We need a permanent quarterback solution. No one even knows if Manning can throw.

The Stars Align

And finally we saw two types of stars come out last night for the Oscars and NBA All-Star Game. The one thing I love about the NBA game is that the players come to play. A lot of people hate on the Pro Bowl because it’s a lot like flag football, but come on, these guys are 300 pounds of awesomeness. If they played all out they’d risk serious injury. I’m not saying basketball isn’t a physical sport (Kobe did break his nose last night) but it’s a different game and because of that the players can come out and give it their all. Like Kobe who broke three All-Star scoring records including his Airness’ to take the top spot or Dwayne Wade who posted a triple-double. I don’t think Kobe’s record will stand for very long with Kevin Durant and LeBron James hot on his heels but it was good to see him get there. He’s earned it.

OK so, technically it’s not a new season yet. Technically, it’s not Opening Day. Technically. But it feels like Opening Day down here with pitchers and catchers reporting for duty and position players set to report to their spring training facilities in the coming days. It’s exciting. It’s a rush. It feels like we just closed the books on an amazing World Series and here we are again, set to play another new season of baseball.

One of the things I loved about this off-season was how so many teams shook up the league. Players moved, managers moved, whole teams moved! It’s so boring year after year hearing about how the Yankees are going to win another World Series. It’s the equivalent of hearing the Patriots are going to win another Super Bowl (not this year Tom Brady!). Having the same teams win over and over again is a total snorefest. Yawn.

So this year’s changes are welcome, at least in in my books. I’m not saying they’ll all work out but I like what’s happening in the league. Here’s my take on what we can expect.

Albert In The Infield: So, a lot of people are making the case that the Angels were the big off-season winners. I disagree. There is no denying that Pujols and Wilson are two great players but where do they fit on this team? The bats around Pujols are pretty shaky, without much pop or power and as good as player as Wilson can be, I think we saw some of his true control colors in last year’s playoffs. He was all over the place with the ball. I don’t think more pressure on him to win will be a good thing. I’m not so sure this team will be standing when the World Series rolls around.

Marlins Makeover: I pretty much take every opportunity I can get to talk about my Marlins. New team, new coach, new stadium, new name and new jerseys (that are still super, super ugly). Between LoMo, Mike Stanton, Jose Reyes and a pretty talented rotation, I think we have a good shot at the wild card. The Phillies are still going to be the team to beat, but I think we can give them a run for their money. My only concern is with Hanley Ramirez who with the position change and new blood around might become a tad disagreeable. I don’t know. Something about him says he’s not really a team player. He might be a bad clubhouse guy to have around, but let’s cross our fingers and hope I’m wrong.

After The Collapse:  Last season we saw one of the weirdest meltdowns in history when the Red Sox blew a nine game lead in September. It was practically unheard of. You would think after something like that some changes would be made, but it’s been pretty quiet in Boston. A few low end starters here, an injury prone closer there, but nothing of note on the field. Nadda. They did clean house upstairs in the front office but I don’t know if that’s going to be enough to repair what went wrong last year. Hmm…maybe we could be in for a Rays/Marlins World Series. I could go to all the games!

And I’ll finish off my little pre-season preview with a few honorable mentions. Sort of like calling my shots if you will.

Best Rotation – Tampa Bay Rays: These guys are young, talented and got a taste of success last year. They’re going to be sitting guys that would be starters in almost every other rotation.

Best Lineup – Detroit Tigers: Even with V-Mart on the shelf these guys have all the power they need with Prince Fielder and Miggy. Those two are going to put up more homeruns than any other 3-4 in the game.

Best Overall Team – Texas Rangers: Texas has made two trips already to the World Series and their team hasn’t changed, only improved with age and experience. I think the third time might be the charm.

***

I’d just like to take a time out here to honor a baseball legend. Gary “The Kid” Carter passed away this week at the age of 57. The 19 year veteran of the game was an 11 time all-star, a two time all-star MVP, three time gold-glover, five-time silver slugger and the first catcher to ever win the Roberto Clemente award. His resume speaks for itself and I think all baseball fans can appreciate what he did for the game and what a tragedy it is to lose him at a young age. We’ll miss you Kid.

The one thing I won’t miss about football is the wall-to-wall coverage of Tim Tebow. I think we can all admit that Tebowmania got a little out of hand. You couldn’t even watch SportsCentre without Tebow or Tebowing or Tebow Time being mentioned at least twice in one segment. I love my SportsCentre but not when it’s constantly talking about the Church of Tim Tebow. There needs to be a separation between Church and SportsCentre. I think that’s in the Constitution somewhere.

Now we’ve moved on to the next big thing, the phenomenon out of New York that is Linsanity. Now, I’ve only been subjected to this for about a week, so it’s not bothering me yet, but I’ve heard so many variations on the name Jeremy Lin. Linfatuation. Linspirational. Linderella Story. The difference here is that these names are Lincredible and so is his story.

Lin was an undrafted signing, already dropped by two teams this year and considered to be a third string point guard for the Knicks. Then in five games he’s let loose for 134 points and 40 assists, never scoring less than 20 in a night. Tebow had all the hype around him and pulled out a few minor miracles but if Jeremy Lin keeps putting up numbers like this he’s going to (thankfully) dethrone Timmy as the storyline of the year.

He might even get me into basketball again, though only as a way of biding time between now and baseball season. Pitchers and catchers are getting ready to report and until then I guess basketball will do. That and hockey. Since football stopped, I’ve been to three Tampa Bay Lightning games and I have to say, I do love watching a few rough and tumble boys beat up on each other for 60 minutes.

Basketball and hockey for a few weeks doesn’t sound so bad. Maybe I’ll even cook up a way to bring my ‘Picks in Pics’ back for the baseball season. How’s that sounds guys?

Side note: I want to thank everyone who participated in my inaugural Play-By-Playmate Fantasy Football league. We had a great year and even though I didn’t win (I blame putting too much stock in the Eagles so-called dream team) I had a great time playing with everyone. We’ll be back next year and I’m giving you fair warning now; I won’t be trading for Michael Vick prematurely. In fact I think I’ll take Aaron Rodgers with my first pick just be sure. So watch out! I’m coming to play!

Now guys, I’ve been to my fair share of Super Bowls and Playboy parties and I’ll admit I was a little skeptical this year when I found out it would be hosted in Indy but boy was I wrong. Dead wrong.

Not only did Playboy and Bud Light throw an amazing party but the city of Indianapolis really came through for football fans. It’s not really a place that comes to mind when you think Super Bowl, it’s not Dallas or South Beach but I was amazed at the vibe and atmosphere in the city. Everything was so tight knit in the middle of downtown and the fans were everywhere! One of the best parts of the Super Bowl besides the game itself is the week leading up to it and the festivities involved and this year Indy pulled out all the stops. The energy was just amazing, everything was super accessible, fans and athletes were all mingling together and even the weather was great! Indy definitely gets a round of applause from me.

As for the party, well, the party was something else.

I think everyone who goes to a Playboy party expects a sexy, sensual vibe and we hit that right on the head this year. The theme was Carnival Mystique and all the deep red curtains and dark leather couches really brought that to life. Not to mention the fact that we were at capacity all night, from 9-2, making for a packed party space. I did not see a single soul who was not having a great time.

I, of course, got to wear my emerald green bunny suit on the red carpet and couldn’t have been happier. Our radio show went off without a hitch and we got to bring in a ton of celebrity cameos like Marshall Faulk, Jonathan Stewart (the running back, not the comedian, though that would have been amazing too) and I even got to meet one of my favorite Twitter athletes Arian Foster of the Houston Texans. The reason he’s my favorite? He tweets in poems and I’m a sucker for the strong, sensitive types (you gotta have a bit of a bad side too, boys). The whole experience was just incredible, from the music to the girls performing on stage and from the rafters. Definitely one of the best parties I’ve been too.

And the whole thing was capped off with an epic Super Bowl Sunday in which the Patriots lost and I went home happy. Honestly though, they didn’t deserve to be there. They got the first week off, then they got Tebow and then they sort of, kind of won a game against Baltimore but not really. The Pats didn’t win that game, the Ravens lost it. The Giants on the other hand had the most momentum all through the playoffs. They won about five straight do-or-die games, beat the first and second seeded teams in the NFC and the first seeded Patriots to win a Super Bowl. They are the only team in the Super Bowl era that a team without ten wins in the regular season went on to win. That’s pretty deserving, if you ask me.

So that’s another football season in the books. Congratulations to the Giants and to Indianapolis for hosting a great party. I honestly don’t know what I am going to do with my Sundays anymore.

No boys, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.

As a cheerleader for the Dolphins we always held a secret vote among the girls for who among us would be going to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The winner would then have a Hawaiian lei placed around their neck during a game in December and in 2007 that lucky girl was me! I got leid in front of everyone in Miami and it really meant a lot because I had a great time and felt the other girls really wanted me to be there.

Now I know sometimes the Pro Bowl can be a full-on flag football show that maybe doesn’t represent the full intensity of the game but as a former ‘Fin, I was pumped up to see Brandon Marshall win the MVP with 4 TDs and 176 yards. Numbers can always be a little inflated in the Pro Bowl but that is pretty damn impressive.

I guess my only real beef with the Pro Bowl this year was that I wasn’t invited to be part of the selection committee. I mean, I was waiting for the call and it never came. I don’t know if they lost my number or were just intimidated to be in the presence of a true Pro Bowler, but I was a little taken aback. I know they’re a little late but here are my picks for my All Pro team, the All-Pro Playmate picks if you will.

QB: Aaron Rodgers (4,643 YDS, 45 TDs, 6 INTs, 122.5 Rating)

There is no one in the game as good as this guy is right now. No one. Week in and week out all season Rodgers was the best player on the field. I mean, I’m taking him and his monster numbers over a few good running backs in my fantasy draft next year.

WR: Calvin Johnson (96 REC, 1,681 YDS, 16 TDs), Wes Welker (122 REC, 1,569 YDS, 9 TDs)

These two guys are two very different physical specimens. Welker is about 5’8” on a good day but he’s like a little pit bull in short yardage and a huge red zone target. Johnson on the other hand is as tall as the day is long and just towers over everyone in the end zone. When he goes up, he’s definitely coming down with the ball and let’s face it, you don’t get named after a transformer if you aren’t ten feet tall.

TE: Rob Gronkowski (90 REC, 1,327 YDS, 17 TDs)

I know, I know, my second Patriot in as many picks. But c’mon. Gronk? GRONK! He put up wide receiver type numbers this year and was just fierce by the end of the season. I mean Tom Brady has some many options this year it was surprising to see one get so much play, but Gronk was so good they made their other TE Aaron Hernandez a running back.

RB: Arian Foster (278 ATT, 1,224 YDS, 10 TDs)

This position really got depleted by injury fast so I’m going to go with one of the guys who was still standing by end of it, Arian Foster. He put up some solid numbers and only managed to miss a few games, which is pretty significant stuff considering the position.

K: David Akers (44 FGM, 85 PCT, 55 LNG)

I would pretty much take anyone here except Billy Cundiff. He pretty much blew that game for the Ravens and drew the ire of everyone who hates the Patriots which I in my own little world is everyone.

Defensive Line: Jared Allen, Haloti Ngata

Any man who can comfortably walk out around in jorts and still manage to be the most terrifying thing on a football field just gets to go to my Pro Bowl. Allen also had 22.0 sacks this season and the combination of jorts confidence and athletic ability makes him my kind of man. As for Ngata, I felt someone from the Ravens defense had to be represented. Ngata won.

As for my Super Bowl pick, I’m betting with my heart. I said from day one the only team I did not want to see in the Super Bowl were the Patriots, now they’re there and I’m picking the G-Men.

The ladies and I escaped to the hills for a bachelorette party and as per usual, I ended up talking about sports, something you guys probably never thought happened in a room full of women. Well it does and we also got to talking about some of the great movies we saw this year which got me thinking about the intersection between the two.

Turns out each one of the girls had a different opinion as to which one was their favorite so I thought a roundtable was in order to figure out why these films ranked so high on each of their lists.

Lacie – A League of Their Own and Jerry Maguire: I’ve got two. I just couldn’t decide. Very rarely does a movie come along about sports, predominantly about women, that dudes are interested in AND QUOTE! This is what makes A League of Their Own special. Tom Hanks brings such personality to his role as the reluctant manager of an all-girls baseball team that you can’t help but love him, hate him and envy him all at once. Add the fact that it is based on an actual league and even makes you consider liking Rosie O’Donnell for a few seconds and you have a really great movie you can watch again and again.

As for Jerry Maguire: Lines from the movie inspired songs, trivial pursuit questions and has one of the most iconic lines to ever hit the big screen: “Show me the money!!!” No matter what your sport, Jerry has you covered. Even that kid from Stand By Me  made a somewhat believable quarterback.

Evan – The Sandlot: I’ve loved Sandlot since I was a kid. We used to watch it over and over and recite all the lines. It’s a cool coming of age story for a kid who moves into a new neighborhood and is forced to make new friends. We all experience it at one point or another in life and I think it’s portrayed in a great way through the camaraderie of a baseball team.

Sandra – Bull Durham: A strong female character who has a passionate interest in the game as well as the players (wink, wink). Love the music and connection between sports and sex.

Jillian – Days of Thunder: Fast cars and sexy men! Love the passionate love scene with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman when he shows her how to “draft” with the sugar packets.

Kelly – For Love of the Game: Love the way Kevin Costner’s character gets into “the zone.” Mind over matter. He’s an aging baseball player but doesn’t let that deter him and at the end he realizes love is the most important thing.

Lauren – The Replacements: Loved that the “little guy” knows what is important about the game:  camaraderie, the fans and the overall love of the game, not the money and fame. Also, the strippers as cheerleaders were hysterical, distracting the other team with ass smacks and grinding. Can’t believe that worked (sarcastic shocked face)!

As for me, my favorite sports movie is Talladega Nights. Actually, it’s one of my top three movies of all time for two reasons. One: It’s totally my sense of humor and personality. I’m always dropping one-liners from the movie on people. I love it when grownups don’t act like grownups, when we can take our adult pants off for a few minutes and just have some fun. Not a single character in that movie ever behaves in a normal, reasonable adult way and I love it. Reason number two: I’m ultra-competitive. Total tunnel vision when it comes to competition and I completely agree with the “if you’re not first you’re last” mantra Ricky Bobby preaches. No one ever wants to come in second.

Now I know these aren’t the most critically acclaimed sports movies ever made. Talladega Nights didn’t take home any hardware from the Oscars or the Golden Globes, but each of them is special in their own way and part of a canon every sports nut should watch.

You know what Jaime and her friends think. Let us know which sports movies you think should make the cut in comment section below. 

1. New York Giants   

I grew up a giants fan. The first game I ever went to was a Giants-Bucs game so I’m pretty happy to see that no team has more momentum than these guys. I mean any team left standing in the NFL has some momentum but as far as power rankings go, these guys take the cake. They barely made playoffs, beat Atlanta by 22 points and knocked off the defending champion Packers. They’ve got the “no one thought we could do this” underdog thing going for them and proved yesterday that they aren’t just a fluke like some other teams I could mention. *Cough* Broncos *cough.*

2. Chicago Bulls

Five in a row at home, 12-3 in their last 15? That my friends, is what you call a hot streak. With their next five games against teams with .500 records or worse, I fully expect it to continue.

3. San Francisco 49ers

I had goose bumps the whole time the Niners/Saints game was on. I have goose bumps right now just thinking about it. That game was one of the best I’ve ever seen. My only problem now is that they’re going to play the G-Men next week which puts me between a rock and hard place. I guess you’ll just have to check out my Picks-in-Pics on Twitter to find out who I’m rooting for.

4. Boston Bruins

As far as goalie tandems go, the Bruins have got it figured out with Thomas and Rask. They started off a little slow, but caught fire in November (not losing a game in regulation) and haven’t stopped since. They have the highest goals for, the lowest goals against and are just three points back of the league leaders.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

As I said earlier this month in my NBA Christmas column, I think the Thunder are going far this season. They’ve won six in a row in a new year, are 11-2 and have that swagger about them that says they know they’re good. My only complaint (and it’s hard to complain about a team doing this well) is that they have to pick it up on defense. Kevin Durant is not going to drop thirty on you every night.

6. Los Angeles Angels

As much money as my Marlins shelled out this season, I think the Angels are at the top of the heap in terms of talent. Throwing C.J. Wilson in with Dan Haren and Jered Weaver spells trouble for any team with a weak lineup and they kind of added insult to injury taking him away from a division rival. I think that rotation backed by the bat of Albert Pujols makes them an early season favorite for the West.

7. St. Louis Blues

There were a few teams I might have considered in the NHL (Nashville has won five in row, Ottawa is 8-1-1) but I think the Blues are doing the most with the least. They’re 5-0-1 in their last six and have moved up to third in team defense. They’re also playing, in what my opinion is, the league’s toughest division and are ahead of both Nashville and Detroit. That’s saying something.

8. Tampa Bay Rays

The Yankees didn’t make the cut this week despite their blockbuster trade with the Mariners. If you look at their division, it’s the Rays who have assembled the most young talent and they’ve done it without making a big stink in the free agent pool like the Yankees always do. They have the best front office in baseball, the best manager in Joe Maddon and as far as I’m concerned the soon to be best rotation in the league.

Don’t get me wrong; I eat, sleep and breathe football but I tend to get a little more excited when there is more on the line.

There were so many playoff implications in the NFL this week. Every team in playoff contention, except the Packers, were playing for something. It reminded me a little of the last day of the baseball season when the wild cards were up for grabs and history was made not once but twice in the same day.

And like the last day of the MLB season, the last day of football did not disappoint. Each game was action packed as fans from all sides waited anxiously for the final postseason schedule to be set. Now it is and the wild card rounds are set to kick off this Saturday. So I’m prepared to make a few predictions regarding which way these games will go.

Steelers (12-4) at Broncos (8-8)

It is crazy to think the Steelers with a 12-4 record are coming into the playoffs as a wild card and will be playing on the road against the Broncos. Not to discredit the Broncos – they had a dream season, starting 2-5 and turning it around once Tebowmania took the field – but you should at least have to have a winning record to make playoffs as a four seed. I think it is pretty clear that one team is a little better here even with Big Ben’s ankle in question. You can only play three terrible quarters and pull off a miracle in the fourth for so long, so I’ll say the Steelers take this one.

Bengals (9-7) at Texans (10-6)

The Bengals snuck in and clinched a wild card in week 17, making the AFC North the most represented division with three of four teams in the postseason. This game is a rematch of week 14 when the Bengals lost by one point at home and I think the Texans will be able to do it again. They just play well as a team and I don’t think rookie Andy Dalton is quite ready for the big stage (though he does give me hope for my Dolphins, who by the way are undefeated in 2012, to have success with a QB taken outside the first round).

Lions (10-6) at Saints (13-3)

This is another rematch from the season and Saints took it handily 31-17. This one is hard for me. I want the Lions to do well. They have been one of the biggest surprises of the season but I just don’t see them being able to overcome Drew Brees and that explosive Saints offense, especially at home. I wouldn’t be upset to be proven wrong, but I think New Orleans is going to take this one.

Falcons (10-6) at Giants (9-7)

The Falcons come in to this matchup with a better record but only by a game. I think regular season records when they’re this close can be thrown out the window and the Giants have a lot of momentum having already played what was essentially a playoff game in week 17. As up and down as it’s been for New York this year, I think they are better than the Falcons. Atlanta doesn’t really know if they are a run-first or pass-first offense and I think that will show when the pressure is on.

As for the teams with first round byes, I dare say that they will all still be standing at the end of the divisional round with the exception of the Niners or Green Bay who could be beaten by the Saints. Pittsburgh has a shot in the AFC but Big Ben’s ankle has to hold up and they have already lost to the Ravens twice this season.

As always I hope and pray that the Patriots will lose and in my heart of hearts I am hoping for a Niners/Ravens Super Bowl. I’ve got nothing against the Packers but the Niners have been waiting a while for Alex Smith to come into his own and I think that time is now.

For the diehards gritting their teeth during the lockout this had to be the best Christmas gift of all, no big shiny bow required. Actually for most sports fans the holidays always bring with them the best gifts unwrapped. This year we had 13 football games on Saturday, another one on Sunday, five basketball games to go along with them and today we’ve got Monday night football and the start of the World Junior hockey tournament. For me (and I dare say I am not alone) it has been the perfect escape from the holiday madness.

But back to basketball. This has become a Christmas tradition with the league ensuring that the matchups are top notch and this year was no different. And so, in no particular order:

Durant, Durant: Thunder 97 Magic 89

The Thunder made easy work of Dwight Howard and the Magic. This game did not even come close to close with Kevin Durant doing what he does best which is just about everything. I can’t help but like these guys; they have a great young core with Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, the later of whom played like a man possessed off the bench for the full game. I’ll call it now and say this will be a breakout year for the young guard and basketball in Oklahoma in general. They got a taste of it last season but with such a young team and a short season, this is gonna be a good year.

The Seesaw Celtics Get Knicks’ed: Knicks 106 Celtics 104

Fireworks are guarenteed in the NBA when rivalries are concerned and the Celtics/Knicks are one of the best ones around. This seesaw affair might have been the new-look Knicks coming out party. They’ve always struggled to take down the Celtics and it looked like they’d get beat again when Kevin Garnett lined up one of those last second jumpers that have so typically buried New York but he missed. He missed and that is rare. Garnett and Ray Allen seemed to struggle, showing signs of age and their counterpart Paul Pierce was absent due to injury. The Celtics might be a little to seasoned (I’m being polite, they’re old) to compete with the young guns on a short preseason and a 66-game schedule.

New Kobe, Meet Old Kobe: Bulls 88 Lakers 87

With a Lakers game on the line we’re used to seeing Kobe come up big with a last-second feild goal and we weren’t surprised this year when he did. Oh wait. Yes we were. Because he didn’t. Derrick Rose did. The reigning MVP looks like a vintage version of the Black Mamba and the Lakers are feeling the loss. The loss of the game, the loss of Chris Paul, the loss of their coach, the loss of Shannon Brown, Lamar Odom and maybe the title of the best team in L.A.

Lob City: Clippers 105 Warriors 86

Which brings us to the team that may very well take that title, the Clippers. Lob City. The new big-3, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Chauncey Billups beat Golden State handidly on Christmas signalling a changing of the guard in Los Angeles. Which got me thinking that same thing is happening in baseball with the Angels signing Albert Pujols and Craig Wilson to long-term contracts and stealing the favorite child status from the Dodgers.

The Rematch: Heat 105 Mavericks 94

And finally my favorite game of the day, my hometown Heat versus the Mavericks in a Finals rematch. May I say LeBron looked like he was in fine form and did something for us he could not do for us in the fourth quarter last year: SCORE! Not that he had to. The Heat had this game in the bag by the third and never looked back. I’m going to get bold like Babe Ruth calling his shot and say right now that the Heat and the Bulls will be battling it out this season for the Eastern Crown.

Then I got to thinking that there is no way I’m going to be outdone by This Year in Baseball; I decided I needed my own form of recognition, my own awards to hand out at the end of the season to honor the things I think are important to the game. And so I give you the “Jibby’s,” Jaime’s Inaugural Best Baseball (moments of the) Year.

Now my criteria is a little different from say, everyone else’s. What I love about baseball is that on a regular basis you get to see the human side of athletes, not just the freak competitive one. You get an idea of a baseball player’s sense of humor and personality that you just don’t see very much in other sports (with careful exception granted to Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Shaq). I don’t know if it’s the free time they have between innings or the laid-back atmosphere of the game, but something about baseball brings out the best in these guys and we’re going to honor a few today.

The Brian Wilson’s Beard Award

Click here to view the embedded video.

Named after the most recognizable facial hair in sports, the Brian Wilson’s Beard Award honors the player who has the best (or arguably worst) facial hair in baseball. This year’s winner? John Axford. There is just so much happening on one face. Sometimes its handle bars, sometimes the ole’ Rollie Fingers curls. Sometimes he’s got crazy sideburns and a mullet to go along. I just…I don’t know. Brian Wilson’s beard looks like something is living inside it but The Ax-Man’s is something else.

The No Junk in the Trunk Award

As a girl watching sports, I am inclined to notice certain things and one of them is the notoriously firm butts of baseball. They’re everywhere but one place there was a notable lack was on the backside of Cy Young, triple crown winner Justin Verlander. No offense, he’s a great ball player, but it looks like he left his ass at home. Standing out there on the mound with his pants hiked up and tapered down he looks like a frog standing upright. Like the one that sings show tunes on Bugs Bunny.

The Welcome Home Rookie Award

Click here to view the embedded video.

No one does rookie hazing like the Nationals. Dressing the incoming class up like the Smurfs and marching them through some of the country’s largest international airports is priceless. What I really love about this is how they made it a team effort. No one got singled out, no costume was better or worse or more embarrassing then another. Just good clean fun. Although I did notice one thing: what is going on with the bulges? Do the Nationals have a policy of only recruiting very well endowed players? Maybe someone on the team can get back to me about that…I’d like to know.

The Hot & Sexy Homer Award

This is the MVP of the Jibby’s. This is the award everyone should aspire to attain and this year’s winner is none other than Evan Longoria’s last blast of the season to advance the Rays to the playoffs. Seriously guys, there is nothing hotter than hitting a walk-off. I love it when I guy can step up to the plate whether it’s on the field or asking me out to dinner. I love that confidence as if he just walked out there said “gimme that bat, I’m doing this,” and did it. So hot! Now I know why they say all the ladies love Longo.

The I’m Old and Don’t Care Award

Marlins interim manager Jack McKeon ran away with this one. At 80 years old he triples the average age of his team and he comes from an era when smoking just wasn’t that big a deal. So it was no surprise to find him in the dugout firing up cigars and talking shop with his base coaches. If a Joe Girardi or Terry Francona tried something like that there might be words and frantic calls from the front office but who is going to tell a legend like Jack McKeon that he can’t smoke anywhere he wants? Not me.

Finally I leave you with this, maybe one of the best gags of the season from my Miami Marlins and Logan Morrison:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you answered nothing (which I’m sure you did) this post is for you and I’m your girl.

If you’ve been around the site recently you’ve probably noticed the Playboy and Harley Davidson Key Club, a free-to-signup website with a sweepstakes that could send you to the Super Bowl to party with me. This is one of those once in a lifetime type deals and it’s free to enter. No string attached. All you do is sign up for the Key Club in two seconds, check out some awesome galleries of me and three other girls as we learn to ride, and enter then to win a chance to join us for the big game in Indianapolis. C’mon guys: how can you say no to that? You can’t. Go sign up.

Now, I’ve always been interested in the Super Bowl but the same cannot be said for motorcycles.

As much as I love my Harley now, I never had an interest in them before. In fact, growing up I used to think the noise of them starting bordered on obnoxious. Then about a year ago the beautiful Heather Rae and I went down to AMA races in Salt Lake City to do a calendar shoot and everything changed.

We were shooting with every bike down in the pit before the race. Wearing little more than a bikini and surrounded by all the bikes and racers, I have to admit I got a little excited. It was a totally new experience and the atmosphere was definitely intense. I was starting to come around.

Then the bikes started up and all at once I was like “Woah!” The sound was exhilarating. They took off and it woke a speed demon inside of me I didn’t even know was there. All of a sudden I was like Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights: I wanted to go fast!

I was hooked. The sound, the speed, everything. I knew I wanted to experience that. I needed to experience it.

So I did.

Heather Rae and I, having never ridden the big bikes before, got down and dirty in Charlotte learning to ride dirt bikes in hopes of getting our licenses and pacifying that speed addiction. I loved it but with everything going on with Playboy I never got the chance to actually get my license after the ride. Then Harley-Davidson came along with plans to bring together two of the world’s most iconic brands through the Key Club and I got to take Harley’s Rider’s Edge course.

The demon returned. I had forgotten the thrill of the ride. Those first moments on the bike brought back all the excitement and exhilaration of being back in Charlotte and Salt Lake City. All I could hear was Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild.” It definitely got my motor runnin’ and I immediately went out after taking the course, got my license and now own my very own Nat Black Harley Street Bob.

Needless to say, I no longer find the noise obnoxious.

If you want to see more videos and galleries of Jaime or find out more about the Key Club, click here.

The Dolph-Wins

Well, my Dolphins continued their winning ways on Sunday moving to 4-8 on the season, but I haven’t lost faith in my plans for an empire. I’m not so hopeful that Miami will fall off sufficiently down the stretch to wrangle Andrew Luck in the draft and not so foolish to think they’ll make playoffs, but I’ve reevaluated my rebuilding process based on a little red-haired QB from Cincinnati. Andy Dalton is a perfect example of an under-valued, draft day QB having a great season and even challenging the number one pick (Cam Newton) for offensive rookie of the year. He gives me hope that Stephen Ross might be able to look further down the list in April and build a team around a QB like Robert Griffin from Baylor and get results similar to Dalton and the Bengals. Griffin has all the skills and flash an owner like Ross loves, so this might work. I’m wishin’ for Griffin.

The Perfect Pack

Meanwhile in opposite parts of the country, the Packers are still undefeated but the Giants gave them a run for their money on Sunday. This was the smallest margin Green Bay has won by all season and closest anyone has come to upsetting their perfection, which if you will recall New York has a habit of doing, first against the Broncos in ’98 and then the Patriots in the ’07 Super Bowl. Now, I have nothing against the Pack. Maybe it’s Clay Matthews’ long, glorious blond locks or Aaron Rodgers’ State Farm Discount Double Check commercial but the team doesn’t annoy me the way, say, the Patriots do. I have no problem with the Packers repeating but they have to lose at least one game before seasons end because I don’t like the idea of anyone standing amid perfection with my ’72 Dolphins.

Tiger’s Ten

Tiger Woods shot a -3 on the final day of the Chevron World Challenge to land at -10 and win his first tournament in two years, three weeks and 26 tries. It’s good to see Tiger win. His philandering aside, the man is a very talented athlete who is good for the game. Except in dire circumstances, we should be able to separate professional from personal life. He’s lost a lot over the past few years in both aspects of his life, and I think it’s time we all put this behind us and hopefully this win does that for him.

More Miami Winning

I got more good news from Miami when I woke up this morning and noticed Marlins’ outfielder Logan Morrison’s tweet which simply read “Jose! Jose, Jose, Jose!” which I then began singing in the soccer-style chant. To kick off a new season, with a new stadium and new uniforms (which I regretfully add, might be the most heinous in all of sports) they’ll also have a new shortstop in Jose Reyes. The price, six years at a $106M might be a little steep, but it shows the new Marlins are ready to play with the big boys and contend in 2012. They might even be able to entice Albert Pujols which would give them a formidable top and middle of the order to back-up a strong, young rotation. Marlins fans have waited a long time to stand behind their team again and I think the owners have definitely given them a reason to coming into the 2012 season.

The Last of the Lockout

David Stern and the Players Association got NBA fans the best Christmas gift they could think of this year with a settling of the lockout and a shortened season scheduled to begin on December 25^th. Fans will literally get the NBA for Christmas with staple match-ups like Celtics/Knicks, Bulls/Lakers, Magic/Thunder and Mavericks/Heat. If Miami were playing at the home game I would definitely be there on Christmas Day. As for the team that will benefit the most from a shortened season, I’d say the Bulls. Not because of their youth or MVP caliber talent, but because no other team will be able to beat their franchise record of 72 wins, because they only have 66 games to play.

As most of you know, I was a Miami Dolphins cheerleader for six years, capped off by a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2007. You could say it’s the ultimate way to show your spirit and I wouldn’t disagree but for tens of thousands of students and alumni filling up  the college stadiums of America, dawning your school colors and supporting a program all your own is the crowning achievement of fandom.

I never really had the chance to do that in college. My Owls (Go FAU!) were just getting off the ground as a program so Saturdays were never that sacred for me. My day was Sunday when the Dolphins took to the field.

That’s not to say I didn’t have a choice. I could have gone to FSU on a scholarship (because pretty girls are smart too!) and become a rabid Seminoles fan but when the Dolphins called and told me I’d made the cut I decided to go for it and stay closer to home and Miami at FAU. I don’t regret doing it for a minute but it meant I never really got to experience the whole college game day the way so many others have.

So doing this shoot was a chance to live out one of the great American pastimes and pay tribute to some of the best teams and programs in the country not to mention the great fans they have. We got so much positive feedback from all of you after the first set of NFL pictures were released we had to do the whole set and from there this just seemed like a natural progression.

Now I’ve never been one to brag (totally not true) but I’d like to point out that the ten best teams list has a little southern flavor to it. Three of the ten teams hail from Florida and as a southern gal myself I’m pretty proud of home-grown programs putting up such a strong showing. Miami even made the cut of the best programs in the Playboy era coming in at number nine so we must be doing something right down here in the Sunshine State.

What I really love about college football is how it goes beyond the gridiron in places like Miami and USC and Notre Dame. While NFL fans are not only fans of a team but most likely the game itself, the same is not necessarily true of the college crowd. They are fans of their school, of the sense of community it creates and it shows every Saturday in the stands whether they love football or not. It really is the ultimate expression of fandom; they are not just fans for three hours a week, they are fans of something bigger, something they’ve helped build. They will always be a part of the storied histories and traditions that run deep across college campuses nationwide.

So these pictures are for you guys. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. Thanks to Gary Cole for the accompanying words and Jared Ryder for taking all the shots.

Launch Gallery

I had mixed emotions when I was boarding the plane to Miami to see my first Dolphins home game of the season. I had this feeling like I was stuck in between a rock and hard place.

Being three time zones removed from Miami it was hard watching my Dolphins fall to 1-7 but something inside of me was sort of happy to see them at the bottom of AFC. I know some people will rip me as a fan for saying this but something was telling me it was time to lose, time to go for broke and get a good slot in next year’s draft. I was on the bandwagon and looking to the future for the next face of the franchise. I totally saw the value in Suck for Luck.

For those of you who don’t know, Andrew Luck is a junior quarterback out of Stanford who is a sure bet to go first in next year’s draft. He is the kind of player you not only build a team around but a contender, an empire! We drafted a pretty good center in Mike Pouncey last year but those snaps need to go to someone who can handle the ball on offense and Luck’s 70.6 pass percentage and 29 TDs through ten games this season say he’s our man.

Now to be clear, I was not rolling over. If we had been anywhere close to contending this year I would cheering harder than ever, but clawing back from 1-7 is no easy feat and we were much closer to the bottom then the top. I was only thinking of the good of a team whose fans have not really had anyone to stand behind since the end of the Marino era over a decade ago.

Then I got to the game and everything changed.

I was invited to host at Liv, a full-on legit fist-pumping nightclub inside Sun Life Stadium. Complete with TVs, seats looking out onto the field and on this particular Sunday, my Playmate girl-crush DJ Summer Altice, Liv is a rocking good time on game day and a perfect place to watch the Dolphins play.

But for me, it was the icing on the cake. Just walking into the stadium gave me the chills, turning me from the cold hard calculating couch-coach I had become back into the Dolphins number one fan. I was not even thinking about Andrew Luck. I had completely forgotten about their 1-7 record. The only thing I could focus on was the game, series-by-series, down-by-down. I thought I had sealed my heart and washed my hands of the Dolphins but here I was, completely consumed by getting the W today and not for a second thinking about tomorrow.

I guess that is all part of being a fan. We always want what is best for our teams at any particular moment. And if that moment happens to be in the middle of a game, well, we just want them to win. So thanks for winning Dolphins (Two in a row!) Bring on the Bills. And thanks to Liv Sun Life and the always gorgeous Summer Altice. Check them both out of twitter at @livnightclub and @summeraltice.

To purchase your tickets to LIV Sun Life for a future Miami Dolphins football game or special event, please contact Cristian LaCapra at clacapra@dolphins.com or (305) 943-6742.

The Cardinals were written off before the season ever started. Their woes started back in spring training, long before they stood 10 ½ games out of first place on Aug. 25, when ace Adam Wainwright got hurt in a bullpen session. Then Albert Pujols went in and out of the lineup with a wrist injury. The odds were stacked against St. Louis, making them an improbable team to win it all.

The Cardinals aside, I felt like this was one of the most exciting postseasons I’ve seen in a while. One reason I’m such a big football fan is that the season is only 16 weeks long and the playoffs are single-elimination games. Baseball is a test of patience. A 162 game season is extremely long. You have to wait so long just to see who’s going to make the playoffs, but this year it was well worth the wait.

For the Cardinals, they had to work harder than any other team and I love how theirs was a Cinderella story. Even though I’m not a Cardinals fan I couldn’t help but feel good for a team like that. They had a never-say-die attitude. They took it to five games against the favored Phillies in the first round. They went six games against the Brewers in the National League Division Series and then, of course, an epic seven games in the World Series. Game 7 is the most exciting thing in sports, even if you’re team isn’t playing in it. Game 6 between the Cardinals and Rangers was ridiculous, but again, nothing trumps the thrill and anticipation of a Game 7.

Now, I don’t have a particular bias toward any baseball team, and never have. The Florida Marlins weren’t around during my early childhood, so I never had a team to call my own. When it was determined the Cardinals and Rangers would play in the World Series, I still didn’t have a rooting interest—that is, until I watched Game 6.

Watching the Cardinals comeback time and again, and have that tenacity, that will-to-win, only to take it to  Game 7—at that point I wanted the Cardinals to win. I felt that at that point they deserved to be world champions. It’s the only time in all of baseball that I had a specific team I wanted to win. It took from spring training all the way to Game 7 for me to feel that way.

It was a joy to see veterans like Lance Berkman and Rafael Furcal win the World Series for the first time. I felt happy for them. Then you had Tony LaRussa announce his retirement after 15 years with the organization, which was like a marriage. He seems like a classy man and a class act. So I felt good for him to leave the game on a high note. Personally, I hung up my pom poms after being voted to the Pro Bowl as an NFL cheerleader; after 33 seasons, it’s good to see Tony go out with a win like that. So congratulations to Tony LaRussa and the rest of the Cardinals organization.

As you can see from my pictures, I got to spend a weekend in Pittsburgh. A friend of mine, Jeff Boyd, who is an events producer in the area, invited me to a party they were throwing after the Steelers-Jaguars game. If I was going to go all the way to Pittsburgh, I figured it would be fun to make it a sports-themed weekend in a town where, win or lose, the fans are as diehard as they come. I’d never experienced an atmosphere like that.

So on Saturday night, we went to the Penguins-Sabres game. I wore black to the game so I could blend in. It was a fun experience; I enjoy going to any sporting event, and as you can see from my photo gallery, I got to get pretty up close and personal to the action. But I will say I was disappointed on some levels because nobody dropped the gloves. There wasn’t a single fight. I pictured Pittsburgh being a tough town with tough, aggressive players so I was expecting to see some gloves drop. Of course, my second favorite thing was the concessions stands, so I enjoyed some pulled pork over nachos.

Launch Gallery

But really, the Penguins game was an appetizer to my main course, which was going to Sunday’s Steelers-Jaguars game.

I woke up on Sunday pumped to go to the game because I had not made it to an NFL game this season. It’s a different kind of excitement. I woke up hyper. I even was a good sport and had Jeff take me to a sporting goods store to buy a Steelers’ t-shirt. That was a big deal for me, to put on another team’s shirt and wear it in public. I even wore an undershirt so it wouldn’t burn my skin….I basically considered it a one-night stand for this Dolphins’ fan. When in Rome, right?

But it’s a good thing I did come in Steelers’ gear because one of the first things I noticed was that every single person there was wearing yellow and black. I’ve been to a lot of NFL games across the country and I’ve never seen anything like it.  They’re definitely a supportive fan group, which was one of the things that stood out to me over the weekend. It’s what I wanted to see, because it’s not always that way back in South Florida. When the Marlins had their World Series run a few years ago, people started going to the games. When the Panthers made their run to the Finals in the 90s, suddenly you had sold-out crowds. Same thing with the Heat.

In Pittsburgh, there’s a lot of pride and tradition for their sports teams, and it’s year-round.

I forgot what it felt like to be in a winning atmosphere again, since my Dolphins haven’t been doing so well. Everyone at Heinz Field was on their feet waving their Terrible Towels and even I gave it a whirl, but for good reason: Mike Wallace is on my fantasy football team, Team Nice TDs, and he scored a touchdown. So it felt really good to get into it.

Another highlight to my day was meeting up with two of my Twitter followers who happened to be at the game (see the photo gallery). One of them even has a picture of me in a Steelers jersey as his Twitter avatar. It was nice to put a face to their Twitter pics.

So it was truly a great weekend. I’d like to thank Jeff for showing me around and introducing me to an unforgettable game-day experience for two Pittsburgh teams. It’s good to be reminded of what a winning atmosphere is like. I’ve been riding that glow for a week.

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Last week I had the good fortune of serving as a celebrity judge for the Red Bull Flugtag in Tampa.

What is a flugtag, you might ask?

According to Red Bull, it’s a homemade human-powered flying machine. Chances are you already know what I’m talking about.

I knew for a month and a half that I would be a judge, and this was one of those events that make me love my job. To me, this wasn’t work. I counted down the days to this event, which I spent with over 100,000 people and teams of grown adults who were basically acting stupid. How else could you describe adults who build homemade human-powered flight machines and then pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in the hopes of achieving flight?

Although I’m an adult, I don’t always like to put on my grown-up pants. I enjoy doing non-grown-up activities as often as I can. So getting to judge grown adults do something like this made for a great day of work for me.

Along with myself there were five other judges: Tampa Bay Rays’ Evan Longoria, former NFL player Ryan Nece, pro golfer Lexi Thompson, motocross racer Tarah Gieger and radio personality MJ from the MJ Morning Show in Tampa. They sat me between Evan and Ryan and my first thought was, ‘Oh great. They probably think I’m going to be the Paula Abdul of the group here.’ But that definitely was not going to be the case. I’m a tough judge. I thought to myself, they have no idea I’m more of the Simon Cowell of this group.

The only problem I had was with Ryan Nece, because I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and one of the teams was Potter-themed. I tried to bully/pout/bat my lashes/flirt with Ryan to give them a higher score because he really didn’t appreciate or understand the whole Harry Potter theme. That was the only time I tried to influence a judge, and he didn’t even fall for it.

There were three components to the judging. There was creativity, which we got a better understanding of in the morning when we were taken around to all 38 teams to see the flugtags before they went off a ramp and crashed into pieces. We got to question some teams about how they planned on getting their vehicles to fly. There were some we had high hopes for, and there were others we questioned.

Launch Gallery

I definitely had a couple of favorites, Team Turbo Jorts being one of them. Underneath it all I’m a redneck from south Georgia, and these guys looked similar to my family members with their jorts, mullets and mustaches. Their craft was an airboat, and I grew up riding on airboats in the Everglades. So I felt a kinship with that group. Those guys were my early favorites.

We also judged teams based on their skit, which was performed before the flight, and on the actual flight itself. So that’s the background on how the judging was scored. Only one team, the A-Team, got a perfect 10 from all the judges.

By the end, I was just itching to cannonball off that 30-foot jump. Longoria told me I was crazy, but that jump was nothing compared to the almost 800-foot bungee jump I did while on The Amazing Race. Cannon balling 30 feet is like jumping into a swimming pool.

As I was thanking the Red Bull workers, they asked if I would like to get my own team together. It’s going to be in Miami next November. They said it’d be awesome if I wanted to enter a Playboy Playmate team, so I’m definitely going to start recruiting girls for that. We’ve just got to find someone who’s able to draw or build us a high-powered human-flying machine. I fully intend for my Playmate team to get a perfect score in the creativity department. We’ll mostly likely have to get a lot of our points there, but we’ll get them where we can. I’ve already decided I’m going to be the pilot, and I definitely intend on achieving flight.