By Sue Green

I am in Heaven.

The N-F-L football season has officially arrived! I have my jersey on, I cracked a beer and I am laid out on the couch… alone with the remote! There is nothing better than watching Brett Favre once again suit up for another season on the field.

He might be getting up there in years, but man, it just wouldn’t be the football season without him. For the past 19 years I have started the season with Brett. And I am so glad I get to do it for one more year.

Now, as for the game itself, between Minnesota and New Orleans, well, let’s just say there wasn’t a lot of offense, and there weren’t a lot of highlights.

The final score was an ugly Saints 14 and Vikings 9. But doggon it, we are playing football again! And that’s the way it is supposed to be!

Life is good again!

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

Kurt Warner and partner Anna Trebunskaya. Photo: ABC/BOB D’AMICO

By Sue Green

Ok, I know we could be discussing Monday night football, or the Yankees and Rays battling it out for first place in their division.

Or heck, we could be talking college football, and ASU’s heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin over the weekend. All legitimate sports stories.

But no, the only “sports” story I am interested in tonight was the one pitting former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner against former Lakers player Rick Fox.

Rick Fox with partner Cheryl Burke Photo: ABC/BOB D’AMICO

Yes, tonight the two squared off on the dance floor in the latest installment of Dancing With the Stars! Come on now, don’t laugh, you know that you wanted to see if Warner was as nimble at dancing around the floor as dancing away from defenders.

And yes, Rick Fox looked pretty much at home on the hardwood. And hey, it doesn’t hurt that he’s cute!  That’s according to my 83-year-old mother-in-law.

When it came down to who performed better, well, let’s just say that Kurt was a little stiff. But hey, he did much better than expected scoring 19 out of 30.

Rick fox did much better, at least in the eyes of the judges coming away with 22.

So, if you just go by the score, I would say basketball outdueled football this week. But hey, the ultimate judge is the viewers who call in.

Here is hoping both athletes survive week one, and we get to see them strut their stuff again next week with the latin dances.

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

By Sue Green

Not wanting to tarnish the dignity of the award, Reggie Bush gives his Heisman back

Reggie Bush doesn’t have to worry about the Heisman officials stripping him of his trophy because he took the decision out of their hands.

Today the NFL all-star forfeited his 2005 Heisman win, and gave the trophy back in the wake of the USC football scandal, and subsequent slap-down by the NCAA.

Bush came under scrutiny over possible NCAA violations back in 2006 when Yahoo! Sports reported some possible benefits violations during the years he tore up the football field for USC.

The NCAA began investigating the accusations, and Bush denied any wrongdoing.

But his denial didn’t seem to have much impact on the final decision as the NCAA penalized USC by vacating the 14 victories in which Bush played from December 2004 through the 2005 season. That means they also had to give up the BCS championship win against Oklahoma.

The university also had to give up 30 football scholarships over three years.

In handing out its penalties, the NCAA said the University was penalized for a lack of institutional control. The report also cited many improper benefits that had been given out to Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo.

What is really sad is that Bush thinks he is doing the right thing *now* by giving the award back, saying he did not want the scandal to stain “the dignity of the award”.

“One of the greatest honors of my life was winning the Heisman Trophy in 2005,” said a statement released by Bush. “For me, it was a dream come true…Each individual carries the legacy of the award and each one is entrusted with its good name.”

“It is for these reasons that I have made the difficult decision to forfeit my title as Heisman winner of 2005.”

Now he’s thinking about dignity?

How dignified is this? Reggie Bush is about to go down in another record book connected with the Heisman award. This is the first time in the award’s 75 year history that a player has forfeited the award.

What’s really sad is Bush was the best player on the field in 2005, just maybe not the best player when it came to off the field, or at least when it came to following the NCAA rules off the field.

So, what’s next? Well, Bush says he wants to work with the Heisman Trustees to establish an educational program. This program would help assist student-athletes and their families so they could avoid the mistakes that he made.

I guess it’s better late than never.

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

Venus Williams appears to be having a wardrobe malfunction during her U.S. Open matches. Photo by: Rob Loud/usopen.org

By Susan Green

I love this time of year when the hint of fall begins to arrive in New York City and the best players in the world arrive to try and claim the U-S Open title.

It is the Super Bowl of tennis. But this year it’s not necessarily the tennis itself that’s the talk of the town, but the tennis outfits.

Now, I have always loved the idea that Venus Williams loves to dabble in fashion on the tennis court, and over the years she has come up with some interesting outfits. But I have to say it is a bit distracting when all the talk this year at the U-S open is not just about her improved game, but mostly about what she’s been flashing on the court.

Can someone say Bedazzler!

She is using some tight, stretchy material for her dress, with the bedazzled sparklies all over. Now, to each their own when it comes to deciding whether to sparkle or not. But when the outfit is getting in the way of good tennis, then the outfit has to go!

The last match she was rocking one of her bedazzled beauties on center court. The problem was the pink dress kept riding up her body, and it became a battle not between Venus and her opponent on the other side of the net, but between Venus and the dress.

It got so bad at one point that the CBS commentators started having conversations about the dress and how often Venus was tugging. They even got into counting the number of tugs!

Venus, you are an amazing, beautiful, talented tennis player, as well as a fashion designer. But this time, I say you get a big double fault on the outfit. Put the bedazzler away, and just work on dazzling us with great tennis!

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

Kurt Warner just may be wondering what costumes The Situation will wear to accentuate his style.

By Susan Green

It’s now official!

Former Arizona Quarterback Kurt Warner is trading in his cleats for a pair of dance shoes. The man known for being able to dance out of the grasp of defenders is now hoping to dance his way into the hearts of viewers as he hits the floor on Dancing With the Stars.

While Warner might have come up a few plays short in hoisting the Superbowl a couple of years ago, he is hoping that at the end of this season he will be hoisting the sparkling ball trophy that has been won in the past by former NFL player Emmit Smith.

But it will be no cakewalk. He is going to have to dance circles around fellow participants like “The Situation”, Bristol Palin, David Hasselhoff and Florence Henderson.

Warner can at least count on getting the votes of Cardinals fans that wish they could convince the former QB to come back to the Cardinals and play some football.

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

By Sue Green

First of all let me say I am a huge fan of the HBO show Hard Knocks. Love getting to see behind the scenes at football camp. I have been watching it for years, and my favorite season had to be with the Bengals and OchoCinco.

Rex Ryan, Jets coach

This year the show decided to go from the Midwest to the Big Apple. They decided to go a little more high profile, and boy are they getting the profile part. Much of the talk about the first episode of the season has been about all the f-bombs. Now I have been known to utter a swear word or two every now and then, but Rex Ryan is certainly pushing the envelope.

The first f-bomb I sort of shrugged off. The second one I raised an eyebrow or two. The third I was a little in shock. By the end of the show I was like, What the F#%***. Ryan had dropped 10 f-bombs in an hour. That is one every six minutes!

I wasn’t the only one to notice. So did former NFL coach Tony Dungy, calling out Ryan on National radio. Dungy said Ryan needs to clean up his act. He said he would never hire Ryan as a coach, and even suggested football commissioner Roger Goodell should get involved.

Well, Rex Ryan wasn’t very happy about the comments, and I am sure he dropped the f-word once or twice when he heard about them! But he stopped swearing long enough to set up a meeting with Dungy so the two could talk face to face! That meeting apparently happened Thursday, and as for whether it was a friendly sit-down or not, Ryan would only say the two talked man to man, and it was good.

Good or not you can bet all the dirty talk has been good for the show, and for Ryan. By the way, the second episode of the show aired on Wednesday night, and this time Ryan only dropped two f-bombs.

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

By Susan Green

What do Kurt Warner and Denzel Washington have in common?

Apparently a lot, at least if you ask Warner’s wife Brenda.

In a recent interview with the Arizona Republic, when asked who should play her husband in a movie about his wife, Warner says his wife would give the nod to Denzel.

Warner is quoted as saying “It would probably challenge Denzel in ways he’s never been challenged before.”

And a movie is not the only on-screen action Warner is planning on getting. He has just signed on to host three NFL football games for Fox.

And on Aug. 30, we will find out whether or not Warner will be strutting his stuff on the dance floor as ABC unveils it’s new cast for Dancing With the Stars!

Stay posted!

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

By Sue Green

The wife’s out of town, you’ve got some time on your hands, so why not hold a little informal basketball game!

That’s what the president did, with a little help from some friends.

Imagine calling up a few of your friends, telling them to bring a few of their friends, and then meeting on the court. Well Suns player Grant Hill was one of those who got a call from the White House to play in the ultimate pickup basketball game.

President Obama talks with Joakim Noah (left) and Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. Credit: White House photo

You see, Grant Hill joined other NBA stars like Chicago’s Joakim Noah, and Miami’s Dwayne Wade for the special birthday bash.

And you know that wherever Dwayne Wade goes, Lebron James goes. They were joined by a few old timers like Magic Johnson and Bill Russell. And you know the girls got game! Uconn’s amazing Maya Moore showed the boys a few moves as well!

And getting a chance to watch all this action from the sidelines, a group of wounded warriors, soldiers injured in action.

They were all there to help the president celebrate his birthday with a little hoop action, followed by a barbecue.

I just want to know if Obama worked the grill as well as he worked the ball on the court! We don’t really know because reporters were kept outside, because we are told the president just wanted to play! But hey, I know someone got some pictures! And maybe a video!

Happy Birthday President Obama, that was one heck of a b-day gathering. Now, what do you have planned for the 50th birthday party!

This post was originally published on KFrye & Girlfriends Talk Sports.

By Sue Green

We know there will be no post season this year for the D-backs, which means they will have plenty of time to take in some Little League World Series action.

And this years’ tournament is going to debut something a little different, something the Major League has avoided like the plague.

We are talking instant replay.

Photo by Flickr user frankpierson

I know, I know, there is nothing worse than watching your kid slam a line drive down the third baseline, only to have the umpire make a mistake and call it foul.

I have seen parents lose their minds at some of the calls the umpires make.

But Little League officials are hoping that this decision to bring in instant replay will calm down some parents…  and right some wrongs!

So, when you tune in to the Little League World Series on Aug. 20, you will see instant replay being used not only to determine if a home run is fair and foul, like it is currently used.

No, Little League President Stephen Keener is taking it a step further. They will be using the cameras to make decisions pretty much on everything except balls and strikes.

Not sure about that bang-bang play at first? Let’s check the replay.

Think the player was hit by the ball, but you aren’t quite sure? Let’s check the replay.

Think someone missed the base? Well heck, let’s just go back to the replay.

Umpires will be able to call for a replay any time they want. And managers will also be able to ask for a replay, as long as they are right. They will be allowed only one unsuccessful challenge during the first six innings, and one more during any extra innings.

And, it will be easy to find a good angle because there are reports that ESPN plans to use 12 to 14 cameras and up to 16 playback machines.

Little League officials say the goal is to get the calls right and make the game better.

We will see if it actually works come August 20th, and you can bet Bud Selig will be keeping a close watch on all the action!

By Sue Green

We all know that Kurt Warner spent years dancing out of the grasp of defenders trying to make him eat dirt. Now it appears the retired cardinal quarterback might be calling some new plays, and doing an entirely different two step.

The Washington Post’s television columnist Lisa De Moraes is reporting that the ABC show Dancing with the Stars is signing Warner to strut his stuff on the floor. She says she got the info from a source with knowledge of the casting talks.

They probably saw this video of Warner after a charity flag football event and thought he could hang.

Now, NFL stars have had quite the successful run on the show in the past.

Ocho Cinco, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice have shown that not only are they good at racking up high scores on the field, but they also showed they could score a perfect 10 on the dance floor with a little Cha Cha or a Tango.

But, if the rumors are true, and Warner signs up to do a little Salsa or a little bit more “walking it out,” he will be the first NFL quarterback to make the cut.

We know that quarterbacks are supposed to have good footwork on the field, but is that going to transfer to the dance floor?

The network is slated to reveal it’s list of contestants on Aug. 30, so we are waiting with baited breathe to see if the former Cardinal signal caller gets a chance to burn up the dance floor, Arizona Style!

This post was originally published on KFry & Girlfriends Talk Sports.