In celebration of this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup, we are having a contest here in the b5media Sports Channel. You can win a $200 gift certificate from Amazon.com. All you have to do is leave a comment on any five of the blogs listed below. You can choose which posts you want to comment on, but one of them MUST be the horse racing blog — Thoroughbred Fever.

• All Poker Addicts
• BCS Frenzy
• College Fast Break
• Dejuiced
• Every Morning Quarterback
• Girls Dig Sports
• Green Posse
• Hockey Beat
• Hoops Fantasy
• Jab and Grapple
• Knuckle Curve
• Light the Torch
• NBA Obsessed
• Sneaks ‘N Gear
• Squib Kick
• The Fantasy Kickoff
• The Footie
• Thoroughbred Fever

The contest ends at 9 a.m. ET on Monday. That morning, we will track all the entries and draw a random winner who will receive, via email, the $200 gift certificate. Easy, right? Start commenting now.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Free Contest: Celebrate The Breeders’ Cup, Win $200 Amazon.com Gift Certificate

Every Morning Quarterback has joined the over 100 million users at Facebook. If you have a Facebook account, join the group today. I’ll keep it updated with fresh content. You can start a discussion there or write nice things on “The Wall.” I’ll post photos, videos and other items when appropriate.

And just in case you didn’t already know … Founded in February 2004, Facebook is a social utility that helps people communicate more efficiently with their friends, family and coworkers. The company develops technologies that facilitate the sharing of information through the social graph, the digital mapping of people’s real-world social connections. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment.

Join Today: EMQB on Facebook

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

EMQB Group Now on Facebook

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

This month, my CE gave me the assignment of documenting my favorite childhood sports memory. Ok, a nice departure from the usual NFL news and interviews, but not an easy task, I thought, for I have many remembrances on- and off-the-field.

Sports has been a big part of my life as far back as I can remember. I played baseball, basketball and golf competitively and was pretty good at all three. My mom still has all my old newspaper clippings and trophies. But I’ll keep it football for the sake of EMQB and because it’s always been my favorite sport.

I would have to say watching head coach Bud Grant and the rest of the 1970s-era Minnesota Vikings was my favorite sports memory growing up. Quarterback Fran Tarkenton was my favorite player. There was Chuck Foreman, Sammy White, Ahmad Rashad, Alan Page and the famed Purple People Eaters — I could go on and on. I recorded their games and kept track of stats. Trading cards, magazine articles and books — I was all over it. And as a young fan, I wore more purple than Barney ever would. Whenever I’m at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the one item that still makes me stop and stare the longest is Coach Grant’s famous sideline jacket, the one he wore so many times outside in the bitter cold at old Metropolitan Stadium. Even though the Vikings never won a Super Bowl (they went to four), that was football as I remember it. And those were the best days of football.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

My Favorite Childhood Sports Memory

• David from Every Morning Quarterback offers the top NFL free agency winners.
• Jodie from Gossip On Sports brings you the five best coach rants.
• Tim from Do You Nascar provides the latest in NASCAR with the Chase update.
• Rich from College Fast Break provides the top 25 college basketball rankings.
• Allison from BCS Frenzy talks about the best college football rivalries.
• Sandy from Green Posse discusses the best of the worst in golf so far in 2008.
• Jeanne from Hockey Beat shows you the best hockey non-fight.
• Stephen from Hoops Fantasy chooses the best fantasy basketball players today.
• Kris from Jab and Grapple talks about his WWE Top 5.
• Geoff from Knuckle Curve continues his Where Are They Now series.
• Joe from Ladies Court analyzes the top WNBA off-season additions so far.
• Sasha from Light the Torch tells you what team USA basketball needs to do to win.
• James from NBA Obsessed discusses the best NBA player pickups this season. He also chimes in about the worst GM in all of sports at Squib Kick.
• Kori from The Fantasy Kickoff talks about the best fantasy prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Jyle from The Footie shows you the worst soccer fake ever. Be sure to check out more from Jyle at our newest blog – Sneaks ‘N Gear.
• Blake from All Poker Addicts wants to know if you are entering the 2008 World Series of Poker.
• Al from Dejuiced talks about the Miami Heat who have gone from the best to one of the worst teams in just a few years.
• Erica from Rackets and Balls tells you about the oldest collegiate tennis player – a 60-year-old woman!
• Don from Getting Reel talks about changing with the conditions when things aren’t the best.
• Dinnie from Six and Out discusses who is not on the Forbes greatest athletic achievements list.
• And don’t miss out on the latest from Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence. He is itching for baseball season to start at Inside the Ballpark.

If you want to join the sports team at b5media, we are looking for a few good bloggers. Learn how to apply.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Around the b5media Sports Channel

When my CE asked me to write a post about why I love football, I said to myself, “Self, this will be easy.” I’ve answered this question more times than I can remember.

On this first Monday without Monday Night Football in I don’t know how long (a long time), I wax sentimental about what the game means to me. I know football means something different to everyone, but to me, football mirrors life. The game of football is exactly the same as the game of life. And the lessons it teaches you can be applied to your life every day. Of course, I don’t want to forget this is a game. I’m not trying to make something complicated out of something simple. I enjoy football at its most basic existence, as pure entertainment. I enjoy it for the great players and the great plays. I enjoy the strategy, the game-planning and the preparation. I enjoy it as a career. I’ll never get over being paid to watch a football game and to talk with NFL players (and if I do it’s time to do something else), but that is my fortunate reality. Where it goes deeper, though, can be summed up by one of the greatest football players of all-time. From his autobiography, the late Walter Payton said:

“Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It’s ok to lose, to die, but don’t die without trying, without giving it your best.”

Football means a lot of things to me. I could go into great detail about my comparisons of all aspects of the game of football and the game of life. But I’ll spare you. More than anything, football has taught me to never give up. It has taught me to play all four quarters. It has taught me that I will get knocked down, but that I am victorious in getting back up to play again. The victories are great. But the strength gained in learning from the losses is even greater. Legendary Green Bay Packers head football coach Vince Lombardi said:

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”

Isn’t that what football and life are all about?

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Post Pattern: ‘Why I Love Football’

Hunter will personally pen a weekly blog post to detail the latest happenings in his life as an Astro. Additionally, this blog will be updated on a daily basis to keep everyone updated on Hunter and the Astros. Hunter is entering his second season for the Astros after completing a very successful rookie year. As a rookie, Hunter hit .322 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI. He also collected 30 doubles, nine triples and 11 stolen bases.

Hunter’s first blog post is up today. Check it out at InsidetheBallpark.com.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Hunter Pence Joins b5media Sports Channel

• On All Poker Addicts, you can win a bunch of great stuff from World Poker Tour by entering the Bad Beat Contest. Just leave a comment with a poker story about your worst bad beat and you’ll be entered to win!
• At Hockey Beat, you can win a hockey player bear from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. This bear would make a great holiday gift. All you need to do is visit Hockey Beat and enter the “Caption This” contest!
• There’s another bear available at Rackets and Balls. Here, you will need to tell Erica about your most embarrassing tennis story to be entered to win.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Sports Channel Contests: Enter to Win

All Poker Addicts by Blake Butler
BCS Frenzy by Allison Boyer
BIGPLAY Radio NFL Podcast by David Kindervater
College Fast Break by Rich Carlson
Do You Nascar by Tim Zaegel
Dejuiced by Albert Bianchi
Every Morning Quarterback by David Kindervater
Getting Reel by Don Zaegel
Gossip on Sports by Jodie Lynn Boduch
Green Posse by Michael Stramba
Hockey Beat by Jeanne Dupuis
Hoops Fantasy by Stephen Kersey
Jab & Grapple by Kris Karkoski
Knuckle Curve by Geoff Young
Ladies Court by Joe Ruiz
Light the Torch by Sasha Manuel
NBA Obsessed by James Edwards
Rackets and Balls by Erica Beck
Real Muscle Online by Ramsay Taplin
Six and Out by Dinsa Sachan
Squib Kick by James Edwards
The Fantasy Kickoff by Kori Ellis
The Footie by Jyle Dupuis
Ultra Sports Bet by T.O. Whenham

To celebrate the launch of the new blogs and the continued excellence of the existing blogs, we are holding the Sports Channel Launch Contest.

What’s up for grabs?

Prize Package #1:

• $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
• Five Lebron James basketball cards, including a 2004 Upper Deck Rookie Card graded a Gem Mint
• Ohio State Buckeyes Rug from Milliken Rugs

Prize Package #2:

• $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
• David Beckham Bobblehead
• Soccer Bear from The Vermont Teddy Bear Company

Prize Package #3:

• World Poker Tour Chip Set
• Other World Poker Tour Merchandise
• UFC Classic DVD Set

Prize Package #4:

• Fox Sports Tailgating Handbook: The Gear, The Food, The Stadiums
• “Haunted Baseball” by Mickey Bradley and Dan Gordon
• “Greatest Team Ever” (Dallas Cowboys) photographs by Ron St. Angelo, essays from Norm Hitzges
• Florida Gators Rug from Milliken Rugs

Prize Package #5:

• Six Brett Favre Football Cards, all mint condition or better
• Fox Sports Tailgating Handbook: The Gear, The Food, The Stadiums
• Autographed copy of “Romo – My Life on the Edge: Living Dreams and Slaying Dragons” by Bill Romanowski
• Family Guy Stewie football

Prize Package #6:

• Mio Fitness Watch
• Hockey Bear from The Vermont Teddy Bear Company
• World Poker Tour Merchandise

Prize Package #7:

• 2007 Topps Series 2 MLB Cards – Sealed Box
• Life Fitness Watch
• USC Trojans Rug from Milliken Rugs
• Family Guy Stewie football

Each package will also include a copy of “Ricky Barry’s Super Sports Trivia” from Square One Publishers and Dr. Adrianne Ahern’s “Snap Out of It Now!”.

There are two fun ways to win. You can enter our sports trivia contest, or you can write on your own blog about one (or more) of the b5 sports blogs.

You must enter the contest before Friday, October 12, 2007 at 12:00 noon ET.

CLICK HERE to get all the details on how to enter and win!

We want to thank all the sponsors who provided the contest prizes.

Good luck !!!

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Sports Channel Launch Contest

Geoff: Which team shot itself in the foot in this weekend’s draft, and why?

David: There are several strong (or weak, I guess you could say) candidates, but I would define draft “foot-shooting” as a failure to address your team’s needs and the Seattle Seahawks, a solid playoff team last season, did very little to improve their standing. They needed help (and depth) at safety and failed to get any new bodies here. Same with the O-line and tight ends. They drafted guard Mansfield Wrotto (who?) in the 4th round, but no tight ends were selected at all. The Hawks didn’t even have a first-round pick, so the hope of a solid draft was kind of shot from the start. Their best pick was speedy CB Josh Wilson from Maryland in the second round, but corner was not a pressing need for Seattle. Other poor showings: Chiefs, Redskins and Eagles.

Aaron: No doubt, the Miami Dolphins. They made the worst decision ever by not picking up Brady Quinn. At this point, Culpepper may or may not be back in Miami and there is no guarantees regarding his performance when he comes back. That leaves the question mark of Trent Green. KC doesn’t seem too willing to part with him, and Miami isn’t making the right moves to get him. They did draft John Beck, but I don’t know how well that will pan out. Personally, I feel like the Jets made some very questionable moves early on. Namely, they bought Carolina’s #14 pick overall and a 6th round pick for a 1st, 3rd and 6th round pick. In the end, they ended up with 4 picks in the entire draft and the first round pick was Darelle Revis, a cornerback. Pricey move. Questionable result. The second surprise to me was San Francisco getting New England’s #28 pick for their first round pick next year. SF is a recovering team, but they are far from a sure thing for an over .500 team next year. New England may have just gotten a top 10 pick in next year’s draft and may still win the Super Bowl to boot!

James: The Dolphins taking Ted Ginn Jr. was absolutely crazy. Even in the interview they only talked about him returning punts. A six-win team needs more than a good punt returner. You won’t find me a big fan of Tampa Bay picking up Gaines Adams. Not that he won’t be a great player, it’s just that they obviously wanted Calvin Johnson and were unwilling to go along with Matt Millen’s ransom.

Geoff: Thanks, gentlemen, for your insights. Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 3 of our roundtable discussion as well.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

NFL Draft 07: Roundtable Review