Men Of Sports!

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Feb 28 2010, 5:00 am in baseball, Cleveland Indians, football, rugby, Rugged Men, Suzanne Welsh

by Suzanne

Before I go any further, I’d like to announce that the pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training!! Whoohooo! The boys of summer are almost back!

Can you tell I adore baseball? I’m married to a Cleveland Indians fanatic, so I watch 161 games a year. I kid you not! But luckily for me, the scenery isn’t too hard on the eyes.

There’s Grady Sizemore out in Centerfield. He’s beautiful and beautiful to watch, especially when he’s stretched out going for a fly ball. They guy simply loves to play the sport and goes all out. And when he scores a run or steals a base, the grin he gives lights up his whole being!

Then there’s Travis Hafner, the DH, who hopefully will live up to his potential. I mean the man is a farm boy raised in South Dakota…built like an oak and when he’s on can hit the ball a country mile. Every time Travis comes to the plate there is a potential for a game altering swing of the bat! I love his intensity and focus as he eyes the pitcher and waits for the ball. And watching his body move to take it downtown…poetry!

And to my great pleasure, (and any other woman who’s stared at the backside of pitchers on the mound) Jake Westbrook, the best looking behind on a pitcher’s mound, is returning to the rotation after nearly 2 years. Jake is one of my favorite reasons for watching baseball. That and I consider baseball a thinking man’s, or woman’s, game.

Another sport I adore is football. American football. Sigh. Being a Cleveland Browns fan long before meeting my hubby, I’ve suffered many a disappointing season. There have been highlights over the years. Bernie Kosar’s throwing. Clay Matthews (#57) 16 years as a fabulous linebacker who knew how to hit and tackle. And now the explosive kickoff and punt returns of Joshua Cribbs (#16) and the power blocking of Joe Thomas, I think there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for my boys. But because I rarely get to root for my Browns in the post season, I also admit to admiring Petyon Manning and the Colts. Peyton is one of the most beautiful passers ever to play this game. And talk about confidence? Mmmm.

Of course, there’s always my Buckeyes. Jim Tressel is on the road to greatness as a coach, IMHO. Being an Ohioan transplanted in Texas, well let’s just say I’ve had more than one occasion to boast about my home team!

Now, these are tried and true sports for most Americans. There are those who love basketball. My coach is die-hard Kansas Jay Hawke fan and my husband is ga-ga over LeBron James and the Cavs this year. However, I am not really much of a fan, although I do sit through my fare share of games. (Usually with my nose in a book, or working on the king-sized afghan for my son’s bed…a Christmas present it will take me until next winter to make.)

But the other day I was vegging before getting ready to head to work, when my channel surfing came across something unique to TV in America.

RUGBY.

OMG!! It was like the heavens had opened up, a beam of light from above shone over me and I swear the choir of angels, (all female) hit a high C in perfect harmony!! (By the way, google rugby players and you won’t believe the pictures you get…uh, not for publication on the Bandit blog!)

Have y’all seen this? I mean truly watched the game? It’s like soccer, football and ultimate fighting all rolled into one glorious expression of male bonding and testosterone!!!

Super buff men in shorts…god they have great legs…no padding, literally beating each other up to get this huge football down the field. And when one of them is passing the ball in from the sidelines 2 guys lift a third way up in the air by his feet to catch it! Bloody noses, bloody lips, bloody eyes, dirt, twisted ankles and knees. (Yes, I’m slightly blood thirsty.) But I think I’ve found a wonderfully masculine game to watch.

Now, if I could just get the TV people to show more games!!

What does this have to do with books? Hmmm…well, I’ve read books with sports heroes in them. But I think it’s the whole males competing against males that piques my interest and I’d love to see more books with heroes from sports. (And yes I’ve read all of SEP’s books!)

So, what sport do you love to watch or at least don’t mind watching the men who play them? (Yes Anna…I know you adore hockey!) Anyone love rugby like me? Which sport would you like to see featured in a series of books?

Go Indians!!

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Posted by Donna MacMeans Feb 28 2010, 4:45 am in Donna MacMeans, prize winner, Rebecca Lynn

Bandita Booty!!! Rebecca Lynn wins for her suggestion of “The Writer’s Diet” Rebecca please send your contact information at www.DonnaMacMeans.com and we’ll discuss your prize choices.

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Cruising Into Spring

Posted by Caren Crane Feb 27 2010, 5:41 am in Caren Crane, cruising, spring, winter

by Caren CraneRegulars here in the Lair know I am a devotee of autumn. I love the crisp air, colorful leaves and “settling in” that happens as the Earth prepares for winter. I also enjoy winter and have made a complete and total fool of myself during the Winter Olympics. (Anyone care to discuss curling? I’m now an expert! I could hardly get this post done for the women’s gold medal final. Canada broke my heart!) Okay, gold medalist Apolo Ohno was just here as your daily eye candy. *g* This year, though, it has been colder and snowier than
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Love in Boom

Posted by Nancy Northcott Feb 26 2010, 4:50 pm in Uncategorized

by Nancy Anybody else here like a romance with some non-romantic boom in it? Where things blow up apart from the relationship? And somehow all that leads to HEA? Yeah, me, too. I tried out various titles for this blog, including “boom in love,” but Demetrius started snickering at that and other choices, and then Sven joined in. The two of them set aside their sibling-esque rivalry in favor of male bonding, which would’ve been nice had it not involved mockery of my blog titles. I’m never composing another blog where they can see it in progress. I’ll do that
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Hot Men of History

Posted by Kate Carlisle Feb 25 2010, 5:01 am in If Books Could Kill, Kate Carlisle, Robert Burns

by Kate Carlisle In Scotland and around the world, January 25th was Burns Night. Copious amounts of whiskey are required, but it’s not called “Burns Night” because of the way the whiskey burns your throat. No, it’s named for the man to whom the glasses are raised: the poet Robert Burns. Rabbie Burns was born on that day in 1759 and, in a short 37-year life, he became a Scottish icon. The ploughman’s poet. We did Burns Night up big in the Carlisle household. We followed almost all of the traditions. We recited our favorite Burns poems, ate cock-a-leekie soup,
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THE CALL!!!

Posted by Guest Feb 24 2010, 4:58 am in Uncategorized

by KJ Howe In the lair, nothing makes us more excited than a recounting of THE CALL, a new author’s dream phone call. Please welcome debut author Skyler White as she shares her fantastic story! I’ll be at the store … I was pushing a cart out of the Costco in south Austin when I got The Call. I had my receipt in one hand, held out for the folks with the pink Sharpies, and had to wedge my cell phone between my shoulder and ear to have a hand free for cart-steering. Holly Root – my agent for all
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The Writer’s (fat) Life

Posted by Donna MacMeans Feb 23 2010, 5:30 am in aerobics, diet, Donna MacMeans, exercise, fitbit, zumba

by Donna MacMeansLet’s face it. The writer’s life is a pretty sedentary one. While my heroine might be dancing away at a ball, or my hero chasing a bad guy down a dark alley, I am seated at a chair, typing away. My fingers get quite a workout, but the rest of me – not so much. So what’s a fat writer to do? I’m not an expert, but I have managed to shed about 10 pounds in the last month or so. I thought I’d share what I’ve been doing and I’m hoping you’ll share what works for you.
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Omelettes, redheads and well-hung neatniks … oh my!

Posted by Anna Sugden Feb 22 2010, 6:25 am in Anna Sugden, romances

by Anna Sugden I’m a romance reader. I love them. I will defend them, as well as my right to read one in public without embarrassment, to the death. If there’s one hot button I have (okay I have several, but that’s not the point!) it’s people who diss romance novels with all that stuff about romances being formulaic, cliched, trashy, pornographic, blah, bah, blah. You notice they never talk about things like sales and popularity and being great reads! As author Sarah Duncan (http://www.sarahduncan.co.uk/) wrote in a fab article recently – I’m paraphrasing – just because they’re easy to
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An Interview with Janet Mullany

Posted by Christie Kelley Feb 21 2010, 5:06 am in Christie Kelley, Improper Relations, Janet Mullany

by Christie KelleyI have to start by saying I’ve known Janet for about 8 years now. She is one of my critique partners and one of my favorite authors. Because of deadlines, I didn’t have the chance to read her February release, IMPROPER RELATIONS, until a week ago. But once I started the book, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up reading it in one day. That pretty much never happens for me any more.Please welcome Janet to the lair! What can you tell us about your latest book, Improper Relations? It’s my latest Regency chicklit, the subgenre I
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The Race For Gold

Posted by Beth Andrews Feb 20 2010, 9:49 am in 2010 Olympics, Beth Andrews, sports

by Beth Though I live in a Northwestern Pennsylvania, I don’t like cold weather. Or snow. Or most activities taking place outside (in the cold *g*) or having to do with snow. The one time I went downhill skiing many, MANY years ago, I had such a horrible time, I swore I’d never go again (a promise I’ve gladly kept). I enjoy sled-riding but only to a point – that point usually being the same time all that cold snow blows into my face, down my coat collar and soaks through my mittens. Then I’m more than happy to head
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