Have a Very Jerry Christmas Anyways - Weekly Trivia!

This week I challenged you to identify the famous person who does NOT have a birthday on Christmas Day, and only one person guessed the correct answer: Mr. Ice Cream himself, Cherry Jerry Garcia.

I'm a Leo, y'all, can't you tell from my mane?

Whoever guessed the right answer, be sure to declare yourself in the comments for the proper widespread recognition you deserve!

This week I'm sticking with the holiday theme. As some of you may be aware, we're going to hit the year 2012 A.D. in just a few days, and if the movie was any indication, it's going to be bloody awful. Hopefully real life doesn't match the events in the movie, but I find it hard to believe that the director of a movie with the historical accuracy of 10,000 BC would steer us wrong.

To ancient man, dogs are the new woolly mammoth.

The question: What ancient culture is responsible for predictions that a doomsday or transformative event will occur in 2012?

• Egyptian
• Incan
• Seminole
• Puebla
• Mayan

Play of the Week: Simpson Flips Out

This week's NFL Play of the Week was a no-doubter: a full flip from Cincinnati Bengals receiver Jerome Simpson. Check it out if you haven't seen it already (and if you have, check it out again):

I want to make sure this gets the props it deserves.

1. I should point out that the defender didn't do Simpson any favors (although he could've tried tackling with his arms). The defender was actually a bit airborne himself. What I also mean by not doing any favors is that he didn't help Simpson complete the flip by hitting his legs and aiding his rotation in the air.
2. With all that in mind, it's clear that Simpson had the intention all along of doing a full flip into the end-zone. What an uber-athletic, crazy bastard.
3. Simpson didn't do himself any favors by oddly grabbing the defenders helmet in mid-air.
4. He stuck that landing Mary Lou Retton style. Well, maybe not quite that well, but he used his own legs as springboards, so he gets the perfect 10 all the same.

I was thinking about doing a playoff between all of the Plays of the Week for a Play of the Year, but why even bother now? Sick, sick, sick.

A Very TDZ Christmas Tale

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except for an optical mouse.
Danger benchmarked a 12-team NBA league with care,
In hopes that roto glory soon would be declared.

'The draft time approaches,' he excitedly said,
While visions of auction bargains danced in his head.
The clock struck 10, he awaited the first nominee
As he settled down for a 2-hour shopping spree.

Get to Know a Hockey Player: Claude Giroux

Some of my favorite players get the career retrospective treatment here at TDZ, however I'm adding a new category to highlight the top prospects that have caught my discerning eye. Earning the first ever TDZ futurespective and "Get to Know a Hockey Player" segment is Philadelphia Flyers star Claude Giroux.

Full disclosure: I am a big time ginger.

It's time to get learned about this burgeoning superstar that's taking the league by storm.

Play of the Week: Fumbleroooooski

Cam Newton is a part of another TDZ play of the week, but this time in a deceitful manner. See his mischievous trickery below (frame rate is not ideal).

I'm sure the Texans were thinking Newton was going to run it for sure (being the ball-hog at the goal-line that he is), but he pulls off a fake that would do Loki proud. I'm surprised they didn't actually fumble the ball, though, as he hands off to Richie Brockel between his legs. Certainly a ballsy play...

I hope to see more shenanigans from the eliminated teams in the last two weeks of the season!

Stormin' Normans - Weekly Trivia!

We have a winner for this week's trivia: the Battle of Hastings marked the conquest of England for the Normans. I knew a graduate from Mr. Haight's World Civ II class would get this question right!

If the English had used a calf attacking strategy, history would've turned out much differently.

This week's trivia question is appropriately about Christmas Day, and it's a toughie so I limited it to 4 choices. The question:

Aside from Jesus, all of the following famous people were born on December 25th EXCEPT...

• Isaac Newton
• Karl Rove
• Jerry Garcia
• Humphrey Bogart

Good luck!

Oh Romeo! - Green Bay Gets Got

In a true stunner, the Kansas City Chiefs, led by the formidable defensive mastery of former Pats defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, have knocked off the heretofore invincible Green Bay Packers!

To give you a sense of just how dominant the Packers were heading into today, they had won 19 straight games, just 2 wins shy of tying the Patriots. Most astonishing is the fact they were never losing in the fourth quarter of any of those games. Had they gone undefeated and won the Super Bowl, I don't think many people would have been surprised. That they lost to the Chiefs is by far the bigger surprise.

Let's give Romeo some credit. For starters, he deactivated Tyler Palko and gave the newly healed Kyle Orton the starting gig - a ballsy move, especially considering that every fantasy owner on the planet knows that Orton is criminally underrated by NFL coaches. Also give some big ups to Tamba Hali for 3 sacks that helped induce Aaron Rodgers's worst completion percentage of the year.

Hali was on him like the FBI was on Sam Hurd.

The Pack Attack is still the most dangerous team in the league, and Rodgers is in the midst of a historically great year, but for now we can all indulge in some Nelson Muntz-esque trolling fun: ha-ha!