Just My Darned Opinion: Does anybody want to win the AFC?

If the six teams in last season’s AFC playoffs want return trips, they have funny ways of showing it.

Attrition, injuries and the percentages stand to hit those six teams hard this season, which will make either for a fun horse race in the AFC or a sloggy mess of struggling teams.

Here are looks at what’s gone on (and, largely, wrong) with each of the teams since the end of the Super Bowl, and what could be going right for one surprise squad, based on the opinion of a man armed only with a laptop and a recliner.

(Thanks to Bleacher Report, Pro Football Reference and Pro Football Outsiders for much of the info here.)

Just 'Cause It's Tuesday: I'm Still On Va-Cay, So Here's Tim Conway

Just Tim Conway doing what he does best: Destroying everyone else on the set. Happy Tuesday, all.

In Case You Missed It (And Even If You Didn't)

What you may have missed while wondering why this never happens for your favorite team:

• Just try to get this out of your head.
• This guy had a really bad week, and so did the sports world …
• … but I think things will get better from here.
• Yeah, I was kinda lazy this day.
• Genius.

Off for a few days. Have a good weekend.

You can follow me on Twitter, or email me at bwzwriter@yahoo.com. And check out my sci-fi e-book, “Shock Effect,” here and here. Thanks.

Just 'Cause It's Friday: Your daily dose of Dusty Rhodes

He's wined and dined with kings and queens; he's slept in alleys and dined on pork 'n' beans. And now I'm hungry for pork 'n' beans. Happy Friday, everyone.

You can follow me on Twitter, or email me at bwzwriter@yahoo.com. And check out my sci-fi e-book, “Shock Effect,” here and here. Thanks.

Your Thursday Poll: Yep, Another Poll. Hey, I'm Tired.

I answered this one wrong, oddly. Happy Thursday; just one more day to go till happy time.

So are online polls lame?
	Yeah
	Pretty much
pollcode.com free polls

Just My Darned Opinion: Are they worth it anymore?

Ryan Braun could've taken the easy way out, just admitted that he was using performance-enhancing drugs, and everybody could've gone on their merry ways. But he went on a different journey instead and became the only the most recent performance-enhanced villain of the sports world.

Depressing? Yeah, maybe. But it doesn’t have to be the end of one’s enjoyment of sports. We just have to be watchful of who and what we’re rooting for – and yes, keep rooting for them, especially in baseball.

Karma Is Interesting Sometimes, Isn't It?

This 2012 video of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun -- who on Monday found out he's going to be, um, going away for a while -- strongly defending his character in the wake of allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs now either is sad or funny. Either way, it's mesmerizing to watch now.

You can follow me on Twitter, or email me at bwzwriter@yahoo.com. And check out my sci-fi e-book, “Shock Effect,” here and here. Thanks.

Your Day to Remember: Vanilla Ice Cream Day edition

As long as we mark time by calendars, we will have something being recognized each day of the year. Here’s your notice of a day to remember this week and how to appropriately honor it. Thanks to National Whatever Day for the bulk of information.

This Week’s Day to Remember: Vanilla Ice Cream Day – Tuesday

                                    

(theicecreaminformant.com)

 

Origin: Vanilla ice cream, the mildest of all ice creams, ironically had its beginning during a conquest.

According to “The 100 Most Important Chemical Compounds: A Reference Guide” by Richard L. Myers, vanilla was used by Aztec royalty to decrease bitterness in cocoa drinks. It later was introduced to Europeans in the 1520s after the explorer Francisco Cortez conquered the Aztecs. Vanilla at first had a similar use in England, but apothecary Hugh Morgan recommended to Queen Elizabeth I to use vanilla apart from cocoa. 

The flavoring spread in Europe to France, where it was used in all kinds of recipes, including ice cream. Thomas Jefferson tried vanilla ice cream in France, introduced it to the United States, and there you go. And it’s still doing pretty well today. 

Appropriate Gift: Brandy, dark crème de cacao and whipped topping for the best darn ice-cream headache of all time.

Official Song/Patron Saint: You know, sometimes coming up with examples for this feature takes some work. And sometimes, like now, it’s all too easy. And you’re welcome for that running through your head the rest of the day.


You can follow me on Twitter, or email me at bwzwriter@yahoo.com. And check out my sci-fi e-book, “Shock Effect,” here and here. Thanks.