Buy a Stock Share From the Green Bay Packers And Become An NFL Owner

The Green Bay Packers have opened up their stock sale December 6 in an effort to raise more money for renovations at Lambeau Field.

As the only non-profit publicly-owned professional sports team, the Packers are unique in the sports world.  When they need to raise a significant portion of money, they sell stock rather than hike ticket prices or attempt to tax the locals.

The last time a stock sale was initiated by the Packers, it was late 1997.

Shares are $250 each, with a $25 processing fee added to the order.  The Packers will send you an official stock certificate after the sale is over.

This is an amazing opportunity to become an NFL owner.  Despite the fact that you own only a small fraction of the franchise, you have stockholder privileges such as attending the annual stockholders meeting and being able to buy exclusive shareholder merchandise.

Women's Professional Soccer League In Danger Of Folding

I wrote an article and submitted it to Yahoo concerning women's professional soccer in America.  Despite the insane success of the women's national team at the World Cup this past summer, our domestic women's league is about to fold.  The dissolution of the sixth team in the league and the difficulty in finding sponsors for additional teams has made it likely that US Soccer will remove D1 status from the league.  As such, our national team players would most likely not be allowed to play it in anymore or risk losing the ability to compete internationally for the U.S.

I am admittedly a late-comer to women's soccer, but the more I watch the more I like it.  It's a cleaner, more beautiful game than most men's soccer games.  I wish that I lived in a city that had a WPS team, but the closest one is 1,500 miles away.

Ironically, that team (the Atlanta Beat) play their home games in the soccer stadium at Kennesaw State University.  I graduated from there in 1996.  If I was still living in Georgia, I'd no doubt go to the games.  At times, irony sure does suck.

I hope that the WPS can achieve a last-second victorious equivalent to the women's victory against Brazil in the World Cup.  It'd be a huge shame to see it go.

Ndamukong Suh Lied To Police About Car Accident

KGW in Portland, Oregon is reporting that Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh lied to police about the cause of his car accident this past weekend.  Suh was driving a 1970 Chevrolet Couple in downtown Portland very early Saturday morning and lost control of the car and crashed into a tree.

Suh told Police that he was trying to pass a taxi cab when he lost control.  According to two passengers, however, there was no taxi cab.  Suh simply gunned the vintage car at the stoplight and raced down the street until he lost control.

Three passengers were injured in the crash, despite Suh's assurances to the 911 operator that everyone was fine.

The Chinese Won't Give Rory McIlroy's US Open Trophy Back To Him

USA-China relations have hit an all-time low (tongue-in-cheek) now that China is refusing to release the US Open trophy belonging currently to Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy was competing these past few weeks in the Far East. Tournament officials wanted to display the trophy while he was there.  It was shipped to a Shanghai customs office, while McIlroy was competing in the Shanghai Masters, and agents were set to deliver it to the golf course.  However, as no one was at the golf course to receive it, it was packaged and brought back to the customs shipping office where it has remained.

Efforts by everyone connected to the trophy (including his sports reps and agent) have attempted to get Chinese officials to release the trophy but to no avail.

Who knows, maybe they'll have involve the State Department to get this one back.

If Alabama Barely Beats LSU In BCS Championship Game, Are They Really #1?

I heard a really good point made by Mike Greenberg this morning on ESPN's Mike and Mike.  If Alabama, on a neutral field, were able to squeak a victory past LSU, does that really mean they're #1?  By default, they're the BCS Champions, but how fair is that?

Okay, I know that the words "BCS" and "fair" don't go together at all.  If that were the case, Boise State would be in a BCS bowl game instead of West Virginia.

Latest NFL Yahoo Post: Chicago Bears Lose Matt Forte To Injury; Season In Total Jeopardy

Here's my latest Yahoo post where I discuss the latest tragedy to hit the Chicago Bears: Matt Forte's knee injury.

Chicago Bears Lose Matt Forte To Injury, Season in Total Jeopardy Now

Tim Tebow Making Me Believe In Him And The Denver Broncos

With each game that the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow win, I'm becoming more of a believer in this particular team philosophy that coach John Fox has installed.  Stout defense, strong running game, and make as few mistakes as possible.  If you do those three things well, you will win far more games than you lose.

Many folks will say that the Broncos haven't faced a great team yet. A team that can put a lot of points up on the board. They haven't really been tested.  To that, I'd say...New York Jets? How about the Vikings today? Playing one of those crazy games where a team that shouldn't score a lot does, the Vikings put up 32 points on a Denver defense that had been averaging 11 points over the past three games.

San Diego Chargers Should Fire GM Smith When They Fire Norv Turner

It seems quite obvious that the Chargers are going to fire Norv Turner at the end of the season.  It's actually a move that they should have made a few years ago.  They missed out on potentially much greater success had they installed a better coach back when their talent level was higher.

A lot of that blame can go on GM A.J. Smith.  Smith was the guy who hired Turner in the first place, after firing Marty Schottenheimer (a move I did agree with at the time).  He was also the guy that drafted Philip Rivers and then let go of Drew Brees after Brees injured his shoulder at the end of the 2005 season because he had Rivers.

Should LSU Play Alabama For The National Championship?

Count me as one of those college football fans who really don't want to see Alabama play LSU in the National Championship.  Partly because it's been done before, and partly because I don't want to see another massive defensive struggle where neither team scores a touchdown.  

I know that the second time around, Nick Saban is less likely to be as conservative as he was in their first game.  I know that LSU's confidence has only grown since that game and that they may take more chances themselves.  

Peyton Manning's Fusion Has Healed, But How's That Nerve Regenerating?

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts got the good news they were hoping for when Manning's neurosurgeon announced today that the quarterback's cervical vertebrae had completely fused.  This basically means that his neck is now stable enough to begin more strenuous workouts such as throwing.

What this does NOT mean is that Peyton is healed.  Let's review:

• Peyton's surgery in September was needed because Peyton had pain in his neck that resulted from workouts.  Peyton had already been having problems throwing because nerve damage in his neck caused weakness in his throwing arm.  
• The surgery accomplished two things: it removed the damaged disc and then fused the two vertebrae between that damaged disc to limit movement (and protect the spinal cord).
• Roughly 12 weeks after the initial surgery, the fusion between the two cervical vertebrae has fused.
• This does NOT mean that the original nerve injury has healed.  Nerve regeneration/healing can take weeks to months or never happen.  Peyton is the one that will deliver news about whether or not he can feel that the strength is back in his arm.  He may not really be able to tell for a few weeks as his workouts ramp up.
• For more info, see my earlier post: Peyton Manning's Recovery Depends Totally On Nerve Regeneration Following Fusion Surgery

Hopefully Peyton will reveal more info tomorrow about where he's at in his rehab.  He's currently on schedule for the recovery that doctors thought he'd have, but there's no real timetable for his nerve to heal.