How about a Detroit Lions - Cleveland Browns Super Bowl?

We’re ten weeks into the NFL season and some teams already are looking toward next year. Still, parity in the NFL has resulted in most teams reaching the Super Bowl at least one time. The Jacksonville Jaguars, in existence since 1995, have yet to make it. Nor have the Houston Texans, but they’ve been around for only 10 years.

On the other hand, two established franchises still have never been to a Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions formed in 1930 and the Cleveland Browns in 1946. Neither have been to a Super Bowl. The last NFL championship for the Browns was in 1964, just before the first Super Bowl. The Lions? A NFL title in in 1957. Since the Super Bowl began? Merely one appearance in the NFC championship game, in 1991. Whew.

Management of these two clubs need to put some extra effort into making their teams competitive. Manage your salary cap better, sign some quality free agents, don’t get cute in the college draft. Some teams may not have won a Super Bowl yet, but at least they’re contenders during most seasons. It must be tough to be a fan of a non-competitive team, sticking with them year after year. I give you all a lot of credit.

As of this writing both the Lions and Browns are in first place in their respective divisions, so here’s hoping they both find success for the rest of 2013 and are able to make the playoffs. They are certainly capable of putting a winning team on the field come January. Their fans deserve no less.

New baseball book for middle grade readers: The Perfect Game

THE PERFECT GAME is a novel for middle grade readers. It is about a twelve year old boy’s roller coaster experience while playing one season of organized baseball. It is available in Kindle at Amazon for 99 cents, as well as at Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

Joey Coltasanti, nicknamed “the professor” by his father, is ambivalent about playing his last year in summer league. A shortstop, he loves baseball and longs to realize his dream of making the town’s all-star team, and then winning enough games to advance to the state’s world series. However to reach this goal he must overcome his own anxiety that blocks his talent from shining through on the field.

Internal concerns are not the only obstacles in Joey’s path. He also has to deal with Mr. K, the coach of his team for the past two years. Mr. K uses sarcasm and intimidation with his players, as well as favoring his own son over Joey and his teammates. Added to the mix is Joey’s new neighbor and friend, twelve year old Mindi. A saxophone-playing member of Mensa, she is also a pitcher in the summer league who mows down opposing hitters with a blazing fastball and pinpoint control.

Joey decides to play, with events during early season contests testing his will to continue. Eventually a tumultuous game involving adults who can’t seem to grow up leads to changes in the league. A benevolent new coach arrives in town, and things begin to turn around for Joey and his underdog teammates. Eventually joining forces with Mindi on the all-star team, Joey moves closer to fulfilling his dream.

Advancing to the state’s world series means finding innovative ways to win pressure packed games, which leads to Joey confronting his fears on the field. Ultimately he learns more about winning, losing, and the exciting game that is baseball.

New York Jets are desperate, to be considering Michael Vick as quarterback

It's been reported that the New York Jets are considering signing Michael Vick as quarterback for the 2014 season.

Vick has always been over-rated as a quarterback. He was a pretty good runner but never did much to stand out as an all-around quarterback. When he played in Atlanta supposedly the Falcons had to cut the playbook in half since he couldn't learn some of the plays.

The Jets need to hope that Vick doesn't remain the turnover machine that he was in 2012, when he fumbled the football 8 times in 5 games, to go along with 6 interceptions in those 5 games. Or that he remains injury-prone like in 2013. In six games started he fumbled the ball four times and threw three interceptions.

The Jets also need to hope Vicky doesn't stir up any new controversy with his dog, like last year when he posted a photo on Twitter titled "we workin" with a picture of his daughter doing homework - but sharp eyes noticed a Milk Bone box in the background, which led to Vick later admitting that he now owns a dog. He stated that he wanted his "children to develop a healthy relationship with animals."

Hmm. Well, it might be more believable if it sounded like it was something he would actually say. Sometimes having your publicist write your statements isn't the best way to build credibility.

When his kids get older they'll probably ask Dad what he was thinking back in the day when he electrocuted, hanged, and abused dogs. Animal rights groups ought to try to get that family meeting on tape, and sell it as a fundraiser.

We don't know the breed of Michael's dog; although we can be hopeful that it is being treated well, since the last thing Vick needs is for the dog to get worms. That wouldn't help his image.

Maybe he ought to ask his dog to teach him how to hang on to the football. But I don't think you can carry a football in your mouth in the NFL.

Close all Puppy Mills!

Puppy Mill Resources | Best Friends Animal Society

15 Things You Can Do to Help Stop Puppy Mills

• Adopt your next pet. You may have your heart set on a puppy or a particular breed, but please don't support puppy mills by buying pets online or in stores. We guarantee that the perfect pet is waiting for you at one of the thousands of shelters or rescue groups across the country - and they're not hard to find. First, visit your local shelter. If you don't find the right pet there, visit www.petfinder.com. You can also find a dog of a particular breed by contacting a breed-rescue organization. To find breed rescue groups, do a search online: Go to www.google.com (or another search engine), enter a city or state, the name of the breed you are looking for, and the word "rescue."
• Don't buy a puppy online or from a pet store. If you buy a puppy online or from a pet store, you are most likely supporting the puppy mill industry because these are the two ways that puppy millers sell millions of dogs each year. If you intend to buy a puppy, do your homework and read "How to Be Sure Your Next Dog Isn't from a Puppy Mill."
• Take action against pet stores that sell dogs supplied by puppy mills. Ask pet stores to consider switching to a humane business model, one that promotes adopting instead of selling puppies from breeders. (Click here for a list of stores that have paved the way.) If the store chooses not to change, you can hold peaceful rallies to help educate the public and change store policy. To learn how, download the action kit called "How to Organize a Peaceful Pet Store Demonstration."
• Support legislation that regulates and reduces breeding of animals. To help change your city, county and state laws, sign up to receive alerts from Best Friends' Voices for No More Homeless Pets. We make it quick and easy for you to support laws in your area that fight puppy mills. Go to yourvoice.bestfriends.org to sign up.
• Become an expert on the subject. Get familiar with how the puppy mill industry works by looking through Best Friends' resource library. You can watch breeder video footage, read USDA documents, and learn how to research pet stores in your community. Click here to start learning.
• Know the existing laws. Many states have laws that regulate breeders and/or retail pet sellers. To find out how your state stacks up, click here.animallaw.info/articles/ovuspuppymilltable.htm
• Ask government officials to pass stricter laws for pet stores and dog breeders. Write or call your city, county, state and federal officials and ask them to take these issues seriously. Read "How to Write a Letter to Legislators and Newspapers About Puppy Mills" to help compose a message and contact the right people. Keep your call, letter or email brief, respectful and to the point. You may not receive a response, but know that these communications are counted and can really influence legislators.
• Speak out in your community. Write letters to the editors of newspapers about puppy mills and breeders who keep their animals in unacceptable conditions. Note how many ads for dogs, puppies, kittens and other animals there are in the paper's classified section, while shelters overflow with unwanted pets.
• Donate to Best Friends' puppy mill initiatives. Your donation will be used to fight puppy mills and to give former puppy mill dogs a chance to have what all dogs deserve: safety, good care, happiness and love from a family of their own.
• Elect animal-friendly candidates. Before any election (local, state or federal), ask candidates if they would support laws regulating commercial breeders and what they would do about puppy mills in the community.
• Report bad puppy stores. If you have bought a puppy from a store and the puppy is sick, read "What to Do If You've Bought a Sick Puppy."
• Infiltrate the ads. In your newspaper's classifieds section, you've seen the numerous ads that sell puppies. To plant the idea of adopting instead, place classified ads promoting your local shelter or breed rescue group via Petfinder.com.
• Raise awareness and/or donations. Host an awareness-raising or fundraising event in your community. To educate the public about puppy mills and/or raise awareness and funding for local rescue groups, organize a walk, conduct a bake sale or set up a table at local events and hand out information.
• Spread the word. Educate your friends, family and coworkers - especially those looking to obtain a pet - about the cruelty of puppy mills and the joys of pet adoption. Share adoption websites, such as Petfinder.com, and breed rescue websites with people who are looking for purebred dogs.
• Don't give up. The fight against puppy mills and bad breeders has been going on for decades. Things won't change overnight, but we are making progress and each little change helps. If you educate just one person about the horrors of puppy mills or convince just one person to adopt rather than buy a pet, you've made a difference.

The best animals on television of all time

There have been many animals on television since its beginning. Some have had starring roles, others supporting roles; some have been real, others cartoons.  TV Guide recently released its list of the 60 most notable animals on TV shows in the history of the medium. Here is one TV viewer's opinion of the best 15 animals of all time, based on too many years of watching television...

15) Yogi Bear (cartoon, 1961-1962)
14) The Pink Panther (cartoon, 1964-1980)
13) Gentle Ben (1967-1969)
12)  Flipper (1964-1967, 1995-2000)
11) Winnie the Pooh (cartoons, 1966-2010)
10) Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 1997-present)
9) Dino the Dinosaur (The Flintsones, 1960-1966)
8) Miss Piggy (The Muppet Show, 1976-1981)
7) Scooby Doo (cartoons, 1969-1993)
6) Eddie (Frasier, 1993-2004)
5) Rin Tin Tin (The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, 1954-1959)
4) Kermit the Frog (Sesame Street, 1968-present)
3) Snoopy (cartoons, 1950-2000)
2) Bugs Bunny (cartoons, 1940-2011)
1) Lassie (1954-1973, 1989-1991, 1997-1999)

Philadelphia Eagles must be desperate, to be relying on Michael Vick as quarterback

It's been reported that the Philadelphia Eagles will be starting Michael Vick at quarterback in this weekend's exhibition season opener, although the coaches have not ruled out Nick Foles as being the eventual starter at QB by the time the regular season begins.

Vick has always been over-rated as a quarterback. He was a pretty good runner but never did much to stand out as an all-around quarterback. When he played in Atlanta supposedly the Falcons had to cut the playbook in half since he couldn't learn some of the plays.

The Eagles need to hope that Vick doesn't remain the turnover machine that he was last fall, when he fumbled the football 8 times in 5 games, to go along with 6 interceptions in those 5 games.

The Eagles also need to hope Vicky doesn't stir up any new controversy with his dog, like last year when he posted a photo on Twitter titled "we workin" with a picture of his daughter doing homework - but sharp eyes noticed a Milk Bone box in the background, which led to Vick later admitting that he now owns a dog. He stated that he wanted his "children to develop a healthy relationship with animals."

Hmm. Well, it might be more believable if it sounded like it was something he would actually say. Sometimes having your publicist write your statements isn't the best way to build credibility.

When his kids get older they'll probably ask Dad what he was thinking back in the day when he electrocuted, hanged, and abused dogs. Animal rights groups ought to try to get that family meeting on tape, and sell it as a fundraiser.

We don't know the breed of Michael's dog; although we can be hopeful that it is being treated well, since the last thing Vick needs is for the dog to get worms. That wouldn't help his image.

Maybe he ought to ask his dog to teach him how to hang on to the football. But I don't think you can carry a football in your mouth in the NFL.

Finding the Perfect Pet - Adopt a Dog or Cat

It's been estimated that anywhere from 5 to 7 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters in the United States each year. As many as 3 to 4 million of them are euthanized, due to a lack of space to house them and/or a lack of finances to care for them.

So the best thing to do if you want to add a pet to your family is to adopt one from a shelter. The next best thing is to adopt a dog or cat from a rescue group. For a list of shelters in your area search online at your city or town's website, or sites of animal welfare organizations such as the ASPCA. Check Petfinder.com for lists of rescue groups. Petfinder also lists photos and descriptions of dogs and cats, so that you can try to make a better match for the pet and your family situation.

When adopting a dog it's important to consider your own lifestyle. If you're not particularly active, don't adopt an active breed, such as a Labrador retriever. Labs often end up in shelters because their owners were not aware of how much walking and exercising was needed to keep this breed of dog. Other dogs may need more training to become well-behaved, and this could mean paying for a professional trainer or training classes. Do some research on the temperament of various breeds, to see what you can realistically handle.

Also remember to microchip your dog. It's not a huge expense, and is the best bet to get your pet home to you if it ever becomes lost.

Having a dog or cat to come home to every day can bring incredible joy to your life, and adopting a pet can bring happiness to an animal. Just like people, many just want to find their forever home.