2011年1月24日星期一

2011 Super Bowl Feb. 6 In Dallas: Packers-VS-Steelers


The Pittsburgh Steelers polished off the New York Jets on Sunday in the AFC Championship, booking a ticket to Dallas for the Super Bowl in the process. Like the Green Bay Packers jerseys in the NFC Championship, the Steelers looked to be running away with the game before the Jets came storming back. In a game of runs, the Steelers did just enough down the wire to secure the game, and a trip to the Super Bowl.

The Steelers scored the first 24 points of the game and looked to have the championship well in hand by halftime. The Jets could only muster a first half field goal, heading into the half down 24-3.

In the second half, the Jets came alive on both sides of the ball, nearly stringing together an impressive comeback. A 45-yard strike from Mark Sanchez to Santonio Holmes early in the half brought the Jets to within 14 and was the only score of the third quarter.

Halfway through the fourth, the Jets failed miserably from the Pittsburgh one-yard-line, turning the ball over on downs and squandering a good look at a touchdown. They did, however, come away with points after forcing a safety on the ensuing possession.

After a lengthy drive following the free kick, the Jets finally found the end zone again with Jerricho Cotchery’s four-yard catch. That was as close as they’d get as the Steelers were able to run out the clock over the last three minutes to seal the game and walk away with a 24-19 win.

The Steelers move on to Dallas to face the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6. The Packers took home the NFC Championship earlier in the day, dropping the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, 21-14.

For more on the Super Bowl, check out SB Nation's 2011 Super Bowl Blog.

2011年1月6日星期四

Can the Saints Return to the 2011 Super Bowl?

If you've been listening to me blabber on about my predictions for the playoffs, you may have noticed I blabbered on about the New Orleans Saints making it to Super Bowl XLV to play the New England Patriots.buy 2011 super bowl jerseys here

Reasons?

Why, I have plenty.

One, their defense is vastly underrated. They limited an explosive Atlanta Falcons team in Week 16.

Second, as we all know, their offense is one of the best in the NFL. With Drew Brees calling the shots, you can never count this team out.get saints jerseys cheap.

Third, the Saints have won seven of their last nine games.

Fourth, they are still being looked past in favor of the Packers, Falcons, and Eagles. Nothing like Brees sneaking up to you and biting you in the ass...wait, that came out wrong.

But...I have since grown skeptical of the Saints' chances since both Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas were lost for the playoffs due to injury. As much as I love Brees, having Reggie Bush as your No. 1 running back and no one else is certainly not as formidable. Bush has never been very good between the tackles and excels on screen passes and outside runs. With him as the primary back, I worry about the Saints getting far.

2011年1月3日星期一

Airfare website disputes spread

Expedia, the world's largest online travel company, will no longer list American Airlines flights on its website, lobbing the latest volley in a battle between the airline and some Web-based travel companies that could have a ripple effect on consumers.
Expedia stopped listing American's flights as of Jan. 1, after the two sides failed to resolve a dispute about a booking system that American prefers and that provides more information about services it offers for a fee, such as priority boarding.

ONLINE BOOKING: Expedia drops American Airlines fares
MORE: Delta, American airlines pull fares off sites
American's fares are no longer available on Expedia-owned sites including Hotwire and TripAdvisor, but American flights remain on Expedia's corporate travel site, Egencia.
Expedia became the second major site in recent days to stop listing American flights. Delta stripped its fares from three smaller travel sites last month in an attempt to steer consumers to its own website and build brand loyalty.
The moves are prompting concern among some travel industry analysts that consumers will lose out as online booking options shrink and it becomes harder to compare fares between airlines.
"I think this is the beginning of a war," says Henry Harteveldt, a Forrester Research airline analyst. "My concern is, the customer is going to suffer."
Expedia said American's preferred booking system "is of questionable, if any, benefit to travelers, would be costly to build and maintain, and would compromise travel agents' ability to provide travelers with the best selection."
As of Dec. 21, American stripped its flights from travel site Orbitz because it also would not switch to the newer system. Two days later, Expedia began to make it more difficult for customers to get information about American's flights, listing its trips below other carriers' and requiring travelers to click on a link to see actual fares.
But American says fliers can find its fares on a variety of websites, including the airline's. "The type of fares that are sold by Orbitz and Expedia are fares we don't have a lot of difficulty selling," says Cory Garner, American's director of distribution strategy.
Disputes about the distribution of airline information are likely to continue as airlines and online travel firms renegotiate deals, says Harteveldt.
Still, some consumer experts say that if such battles result in more fliers having to go to an airline's site for information, carriers might be forced to improve service to woo online browsers their way.
"The decision ... for consumers will be, 'What airline's website should I go to?' and that's a question of loyalty," says Darron Billeter, an assistant marketing professor at Brigham Young University. "It will hopefully provide incentive for airlines to invest more in customer service and make it a more pleasurable experience."
In the meantime, Harteveldt says, American may have reason to worry. "This is not a move that helps American Airlines at this time," he says. "Because the travel agency sites are used so extensively ... (American) risks being overlooked by consumers who still have the option of hundreds of other carriers that travel agents sell."