Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics AND Congratulations Eagles!!!

Congratulations, Philadelphia Eagles, Superbowl Champions! What an awesome, thrilling, fantastic game!

The Philadelphia Eagles win their first ever Superbowl, stunning five time champions New England Patriots, 41-33.

Philadelphia's Nick Foles was brilliant all night, beating all expectations that had him trailing heavily favored Tom Brady. The Eagles scored first, then maintained a 12 point lead; but then they blew it and let the Patriots catch up!

The Patriots take the lead by one point! Now it was dangerously close. The Patriots are famous for coming back from behind to win the Superbowl in the end, even after most had written them off as finished. But the Patriots have come back from the dead more times than Jesus! And they've five championship wins to prove it!

The Patriots were looking to extend that lead in the last quarter. Until Nick Foles connected with Zach Ertz for a controversial 11-yard touchdown:

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz dives into the end zone over New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty for a touchdown in second half action.

Zach Ertz makes the catch and plants it in the end zone.

But then the football pops out of his hands! Oh, no!

But luckily, he recovers and holds on to the ball.

But now it was up to the referees to decide whether or not it was a touchdown. There were several rules in play. And too many rules can cause confusion and complications. It was a tense wait as the video was reviewed. And in the end, the referees ruled in favor of a touchdown to give the Eagles a 38-33 lead, with 2:21 left to play. It was the Eagles 10th third-down conversion on 15 attempts in the game.

And two plays later, Eagles' Brandon Graham beat Shaq Mason to strip sack Tom Brady of the football!

Another Eagle, Derek Barnett, recovers the football at the Patriots' 31-yard line, giving Philadelphia possession of the football! Seizing the opportunity, Jake Elliott turned the fortuitous turnover into a 46-yard field goal that made it 41-33 Eagles' lead with 65 seconds to go.

Still, that was more than enough time for a possible Patriots win. It has happened many times before. They may have been down by a few points, but as anyone who has witnessed the resilience of the Patriots knows, the game isn't over until the clock runs out. And Tom Brady and the Patriots have had more comebacks than Cher!




Do you believe in life after love...after love...after love...

And the Patriots were making a comeback with Tom Brady connecting with Rob Gronkowski. The Eagles had to put all their efforts to stopping the seemingly unstoppable momentum generated by Rob Gronkowski. But at the last few seconds, the Eagles defense finally stop Rob Gronkowski from completing a touchdown that would've given the Patriots an edge.

How many Eagles do you need to take down Rob Gronkowski? The whole dang flock if you want to win!

The clock runs out and the Philadelphia Eagles are the Superbowl Champions for the first time ever! The underdogs have beat out the favorites! What a fantastic ending to a fantastic team who worked hard to overcome so many obstacles and naysayers!
Congratulations, Philadelphia Eagles, Superbowl 52 Champions!



It's coming soon! The Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics will be held from the 9th to the 25th of February 2018. The 2018 Paralympic Winter Games will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from March 9–18 in 2018.

As South Korea is ahead of the US by 14 hours, it will be on the 8th of February, Thursday, the Olympics officially start on Washington D.C. (Eastern) time. The Opening Ceremony, my fave part, will take place on Friday, 9 Feb 2018 for US viewers.

These are the mascots:

An Asiatic black bear named “Bandabi” and a white tiger named “Soohorang” will each represent the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic and Olympic Winter Games. Soohorang is a white tiger, a symbol of strength, trust, and protection in Korean mythology. Bandabi is an Asiatic black bear, symbolizing determination, strong will, and courage.

I love the Olympic Games. It's amazing to see the athletes perform extraordinary feats of strength, agility, and skill. And I love hearing the personal stories of triumph over adversity, the courage, and the indomitable spirit of the athletes.

But as with every Olympics, there is always controversy. The biggest news so far has to be the ban of Russia from competing in these PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games for doping violations. Multiple, systemic cheating across the Russian teams, especially since Sochi 2014, have led to Russia being banned from the Games.

No Russian flag will be flown nor any Russian anthem will be played at all during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Any Russian athlete who is cleared to participate will compete under a neutral flag, under the designation, Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR).

The drama continues. Originally, only 169 Russian athletes were cleared to compete under the OAR designation. That still makes them the third biggest delegation competing, right behind Canada and the US. But on Thursday, 1 February 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sports overturned the lifetime ban on 28 Russian athletes that tested positive for doping in the Sochi 2014 Games. It's not certain that they will be allowed to participate at PyeongChang 2018.

But what is certain is that this decision has infuriated the international community and made the fight against doping that much harder. Even worse, the Russian whistleblower, Grigory Rodchenkov, who is in witness protection hiding for his safety, wonders if anything has changed. The decision to overturn the ban of these doping athletes sends the wrong message. It means that cheaters can still compete, and that's a terrible message to uphold.

I like that the Olympics usually showcases the best of humanity. Unfortunately, it also spotlights the worst! I hope all you cheaters get busted. I will not feel sorry for you when you suffer from your bad choices.

To the clean, hardworking athletes out there, you are all ready champions for being true and for doing the right thing. Your actions speak louder and are far more impactful than any medal. True champions don't cheat. They stand true and strong.

The Russian ban means a weaker Russian field team. This opens the door for powerhouses Norway and Germany to duke it out for the top medal count spot. The South Koreans should make a fantastic showing given home court advantage.

The dust up at the National Hockey League (arguing over players insurance) has led to the weakest teams ever fielded by the US and Canada. The NHL stated it does not benefit from sending athletes out of the regular season to compete at the Olympics. Other leagues around the world, all under International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) authority, make accommodations for the winter Olympics. Last Olympics (Sochi 2014), the International Olympics Committee (IOC) paid 14 million dollars to cover the hockey players insurance. But not this time, as the IOC does not want other sports federations demanding the same. So, the NHL has banned its players from the winter Olympics.

That means number one ranked Canada and fifth ranked US are sending less powerful teams. Russia (OAR), ranked at number two strongest team, is poised to win gold. They're under serious pressure to medal. The last time was a bronze at Salt Lake 2002. But interestingly enough, World Champions Sweden, often overshadowed by US and Canada, and ranked number three, has a great chance at getting that gold.

The excitement builds up in Men's Figure Skating, as 18 year old Nathan Chen (US) looks to take gold from defending Sochi 2014 champion, 23 year old Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan. Chen is the current Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Champion. But it's his first Olympics, so he faces a lot of pressure. Still, he is the first skater to ever successfully land five different types of quadruple jumps—toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, and Lutz! Anything can happen at the Olympics.

I'm especially looking forward to the comeback of ice dancing Vancouver 2010 champions and Sochi 2014 silver medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada. Also, some of my fave winter sports return to the screen--freestyle skiing and snowboarding and the biathlons--no, it's not a marathon for bisexuals, it's a sporting event where the athletes shoot at targets and race on skis! Like from the spy thrillers! Just awesome! And let's not forget the chaotic and thrilling excitement of short track speed skating!

You never know what can happen at the Olympics, and that's part of the appeal and wonder of the Olympic Games! While the Olympics officially starts with the Opening Ceremony on the Friday, 9th of February 2018, the first games start early, with the first competitions starting on the 7th of February 2018, Wednesday, to be broadcast live at 11 pm Eastern time. Check your local listings.

Until then, enjoy the Olympics Fanfare and Theme by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra on the Music Spotlight in the sidebar.

And Good Luck and Best Wishes to all you hard working Olympians!