Lock-Street- Week 19-The Divisional Round 1.12-1.13

We’re getting close to the apex of the NFL season as the elite teams are now starting to see the summit of the professional world. This has been a crazy year but I feel that these teams standing before you, staring over the edge into the dark abyss better known as elimination that would erase an entire season of tireless effort and overcoming an arduous 16 game season. It’s hard to argue that any of these teams do not deserve to be here as they have proven throughout the year the ability to overcome injury, gym teachers and hot dog vendors imitating refs, the media circus, off-field issues, and staunch competition.

Saturday 4:30pm-Baltimore Ravens (+9) vs. The Denver Broncos



If Rodney Dangerfied played for the Ravens, he would be pulling his necktie and spewing gibberish about his lack of respect. The Ravens dismantled a Colts team and was undoubtedly the better team. Everyone is commenting on Andrew Luck throwing for over 280, but he threw the ball 54 fucking times. Even Mark Sanchez could throw for that many yards on that many passes. The Ravens are the healthiest they have been all year and finally have the following leaders all back playing such as pro bowler Marshal Yanda, their defensive leader Ray Lewis, and a healthier Pollard, Ngata, and Suggs. Plus, since Suggs has been back, Kruger has 10 sacks including 2.5 last week against the Colts. Caldwell’s first week playing calls EVER was against Broncos where they went their first 5 drives without any points, and the tweaks he has incorporated since that first hectic and surprising week is day and night. The guy was a QB coach, then head coach, and again a QB coach and went into that week without calling plays in the NFL. Last week, with the guidance of Caldwell, Flacco gave a giant fuck-you to gun critiques as he was blatantly showing off his canon to the tune of 288 yards on 12 passes and 2 TD’s. Boldin showed what he can do as he caught for 145 yards. I think this team finally has all of the pieces in place to actually contend.



Don’t get me wrong, the Broncos offense is electric as it seems Pro Bowler Peyton “Still and forever the better” Manning never lost a step even after 2 million neck surgeries (that’s what the media makes it feel like). His receiving tandem of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker (2498 total combined yards and 23 TD’s) is the best of his career. They are both Pro Bowl snubs in my opinion. He also has the likes of TE Jacob Tamme and Brandon Stokley who has overachieved by still playing in this league long. The Broncos defense is full of absolute studs. Von Miller has been in the defensive player of year discussion all year with his 18.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and a pick and Elvis Dumervil has had a quiet 11 sacks. Don’t forget about the veterans Champ Bailey and Keith Brookings as they have proven they can still play the game and Wesley Woodyard is one of the most underrated players in the NFL (117 tackles, 3 picks, 6 pass deflections). The reason though the Ravens will cover has to do with the fact that Denver in January will be a running-man’s game and Manning and is 2-7 playing outside of an arena in January. The weather is currently slated at 16 degrees with a 20% chance of snow which equates to running hard and heavy and right now, it appears the Ravens have the hottest duo in the backfield in the playoffs. One of the most versatile players in the league, Pro Bowler Ray Rice, and rookie Bernard Pierce have combined for 501 all-purpose yards from scrimmage in the last two games that matter. Oh, and Pro Bowler Vontae Leach can lay the lumber. Knowshon Moreno has played well in their final two games this year, but he can’t handle an angry Ravens defense all by himself nor the playoff atmosphere. The Ravens have been here for 5 straight years and played in Oh, and the Ravens are playing with the power of Ray.

Saturday 8pm-Greenbay Packers (+3) vs. San Francisco 49ers



Not only do I think the Packers are going to cover, they will outright get the upset at Candlestick Park. There are those who are Alex Smith fans, but personally, I feel like he was more of a game manager than game changer. They won because the Niners defense is dangerous and can really decimate the wills of opposing players. Plus, Harbaugh is one helluva coach. Pro Bowler Frank Gore (1214 yards) continues another solid year that’s made better by the fact that he has actually been healthy. They have a very versatile QB in Colin “Tattoo Controversy” Kaepernick and Michael Crabtree (1105 yards and 9 TD’s) has finally played up to his potential, but their heart and soul starts with number 52. Pro Bowler Patrick Willis is an animal. A Freak of nature who had 120 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 2 picks, and 2 forced fumbles all while being strategized against. They also have Pro Bowler Dashon Goldson who might be one of the best safeties in all of the game, a top tier corner in Carlos Rogers, Pro Bowler LB NaVorro Bowman who lead the team in tackles with 149, and the QB crusher Pro Bowl OLB Aldon Smith with his NFC leading 19.5 sacks. The issue I foresee though is that this defense is tired from their lack of depth and substitutions throughout the entire season and DE Justin Smith, who might not play due to a partially torn tricep, is their unsung hero as QB’s have a 20 point better rating when he is out since he frees up Aldon and crew. Oh yea, and in their first outing in which they won, they didn’t have to face a perennial Pro Bowler Aaron Rodgers playing like a man possessed



The Packers looked good last week. If they were actually made of green cheese, would you eat them? I know I would. Over the last four weeks, Aaron Rodgers has been as efficient as any QB in history as he has thrown for 1272 yards, 11 passing TD’s, 0 Int, and 1 TD rushing for an average rating of 119.65. All I need to say is that Rodgers is hot, but I’ll delve in deeper for fun. They have the most talented receiving core in the NFL when everyone is healthy. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and "Corn" Cobb are all electric playmakers who cause absurd match-up problems. That doesn’t include the fact that they can turn to their often forgotten TE in Jermichael Finley if necessary. The return of the ageless wonder Charles Woodson was great on Saturday and Pro Bowler Clay Mathews has put together another great year on a defense that ranks 17th in opponent rushing and 11th in opponent passing, which favors the Niners game plan. That said, the Rodgers factor waives any fear. By the way, his four interceptions in 253 playoff attempts is fourth best in NFL post-season history.

Sunday 1pm-Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) vs. Seattle Seahawks



Pro Bowler Matt Ryan finally gets his first playoff win of his career in what is going to be a great game. The Falcons offense is well rested, at home, and are looking to continue their aerial assault. Rowdy Roddy White should be healthier than he has been in months and Pro Bowler Julio Jones is an incomparable monster. They also have the best tight end in NFL history, Pro Bowl Tony Gonzalez, who might not be the force he wants was, but can find the end-zone like a junkie can find crack rock. Their offense ranked within the top 10 and while the Seahawks defense allowed the least amount points of any team this year, they play better in the sweet confines of their home and have gone 3-5 on the road during the regular season. The Falcons defense is finally at its healthiest as Abraham was able to rest his ankle, cornerback Dunta Robinson is back from a concussion, and strong Safety William Moore is finally returning after missing the final four games with a hamstring injury. They also have the burner Turner. I also think that their back-up, Jacquizz Rodgers, will have a bright future.

The Seahawks have been great this year and are peaking at the right time, but they also beat a team whose QB was playing with a knee more screwed up than Lance Harbor’s before he was careered after Billy Bob missed his block. Russell Wilson is a beast and I can safely say I have been preaching about him since the preseason and even picked him in a later round in a fantasy draft to sit on my bench as a back-up (I had Rodgers), but he doesn’t have the weapons around him to win this fight. Sydney Rice and Golden Tate are solid receivers, and Zach Miller can make plays when necessary, but this trio is not even in the same stratosphere as the Falcons trio listed above. Sure the Seahawks are big and strong corners and pro bowl safety Earl Thomas, but the Falcons receivers are simply just too good. The Seahawks game is their ability to run as Marshawn Lynch has had a great year, Ryan Turbin has proven to be a great number two, and Russell Wilson is one of the faster QB’s in the league as he is second on the team with 489 yards and 4 rushing TD’s, but the Falcons have a better rush defense than pass defense (Should be noted that both are pretty poor). On defense, the Seahawks have proven to be an elite squad, but the loss of their human plow, Chris Clemons (11.5 sacks), will be a huge blow and this lack of pressure will allow Matty Ice to do work. This game should be enjoyable, but I think the story of the hobbit Russell (5’11” listed but really 5’10”) ends here.

Sunday 4:15pm- New England Patriots (o 48) vs. the Houston Texans



Both teams can score. That last time was an absolute drubbing at the hands of the Patriots and that was without Gronk. The Patriots have all of their weapons back healthy, but don’t expect the same type of blowout or the Patriots covering this spread by themselves. The Texans look decent last week, but I expect them to take more shots down the field in order to try to keep up with the greatest show outside. This is a fire powered field and both defenses or soft, or in the Texan’s case, looked weaker as the season wore on. Brady (Pro Bowler), Schaub (Pro Bowler), Welker (Pro Bowler), Johnson (Pro Bowler), Gronkowski (Pro Bowler), Daniels, Ridley, Foster (Pro Bowler), Hernandez, Lloyd, Walter. Boom. Also, Hernandez's TD dance in their last match-up, which he has been known to do, is highly underrated.

Lock-street Week 18- NFL Playoffs Edition 1.5/1.6

Welcome all to the big dance as we have finally arrived at the most unpredictable time in the NFL season. There will be no repeats this year as the Gmen failed to get a seat. Before I continue, I must apologize for my absence as I have been traveling over the last few weeks. Anyway, after another grueling 16 game injury ridden year, we have finally entered the big dance. Sure the NHL playoffs are fast paced, the players actually try in the NBA playoffs, and each pitch in baseball could be a game decider, but what makes the NFL playoffs so entertaining is that anyone can win on any given Sunday in a league who has its balls deep in parity. Sure, there are a lot of similar faces, but every team has proven that they are vulnerable. Well, maybe everyone except the Broncos.




Saturday Games

4:30pm-Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (u43)



Is it just me, or are these teams surprisingly similar. They both have strong QB’s in Schaub (4008 yds and 22 TD’s) for the Texans and Dalton (3669 yds and 27 TDs) for the Bengals. They both have game changing receivers between AJ Green (1350 yd) for Cincinnati and Andre Johnson (1598 yds) for the Texans. They both rely heavily on the play action as both teams have strong, reliable backs. The Bengals stride with the law firm (although he might be out this game) Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis (1094 yds and 6 TD’s) who was worth the retainer this offseason, and the Texans have one of the most dynamic running backs in the game in Arian Foster (1424 yds and 15 TD’s). The reason though that I’m picking the under is that Schaub has been slightly off this year and Dalton can be too conservative at times even though he has 20 turnovers in 15.5 games this year. Plus, both teams have strong defenses lead by game changers.



Andy Dalton has the propensity to throw the ball hence his 32 balls batted or tipped (3rd most in the NFL), while the Texans have batted or tipped the most balls (37). The Bengals might have the hottest defense in the league right now, and I mean Melanie Iglesias hot, as they have scored a TD in each of the last three games and have held opponents to 12.8 ppg, while the Texans’ offense has gotten fat and lazy scoring 1 TD in their last 10 quarters. Both teams have beasts up front. Geno Atkins might be the best Defensive Tackle in the league with his 12.5 sacks which allows DE Michael Johnson to record some solid numbers as well 11.5 sacks. Oh yea, Schaub has been sacked 10 times in the last three games. For the Texans, JJ Watt was in the defensive player of the year discussion all year with a league leading 16 tips or bat-downs, a league leading 20.5 sacks, and a very respectable 4 forced fumbles. Either way, the Bengals has crushed opposing QB’s 51 times while the Texans are not too far off with 44 sacks of their own. The Bengals’ have one of the best dynamic duos at linebacker in Burfict and Maualuga (Combined 249 tackles-FUCKING EPIC to have two defenders over 100 tackles), while the Texans have had strong seasons from Jonathan Joseph and Clover Quin. The Texans have the better offense while the Bengals have the better defense. Watch out for a low scoring affair.

8:00pm-Minnesota Vikings (+9) vs. the Green Bay Packers



Adrian Peterson is smoking. I think if he just stood in the dry forests of Southern California, a large fire would erupt. The dude has average 171.2 ypg in the month of December, which is the highest average for a running back in a month in NFL history. He missed the fucking season rushing record by 9 yards. The Packers should have allowed him to run an extra 9 yards, someone should have called a timeout to give him one last shot, or they should just give him an additional 9 yards because Eric Dickerson is a prick. The Vikings dilemma is that they lost their best receiver Percy Harvin earlier this year which caused AP’s touches to increase and allowed them to burn the clock. Christian Ponder is by no means an effective QB and while he had a great game last week against the Packers ( 3 TD’s, no picks, and 234 yards passing for a QBR of 102.2), don’t think he can reenact those numbers on the road, in the Frozen Tundra. The good news for the Vikings is that AP has rushed for 409 yards and 3 TD’s in 2 games this year against the Packers, which keeps Rodgers off the field.



Aaron Rodgers has been solid over the last half of the season, and while he has all of his weapons, Jordy Nelson and James Jones will be playing injured. The Vikings pass defense is miserable ranking 31st in the league and their top corner Antoine Winfield will be playing injured if he even plays. The good news for them is that their rush defense is great ranking 2nd in the NFL and the Packers haven’t had a 100 yard rusher since weeks 5. They rank 20th in the league in rushing which means an unbalanced offense. Essentially, this game will be Rodgers vs. the entire Vikings defense as I see them keeping an additional corner in all game. Mason Crosby has also had a terrible year this year connecting on 21-33 field goals, while the rookie sensation Blair Walsh from the Vikings has been great making 35 of 28 attempts. The guy made the Pro Bowl. Division rivals meeting in the playoffs after playing each other the week before the playoffs and splitting the regular season in most likely freezing weather equals close game. Packers win in a nail biter.




Sunday Games

1:00pm-Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) vs. the Indianapolis Colts



The world is screaming for an upset as the Colts are the feel good story of the year. Move over Rudy, the Miracle on Ice, and Vince Papale, Chuck Pagano and his crew have moved in. The Colts have fought and played at an extra level motivated by their coach’s fight with leukemia. They went from a 2-14 year to 11-5 with a rookie QB (Andrew Luck-4374) and a rookie running back (Vick Ballard-814 yards). They have rookie TE’s in Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener and their #3 receive is rookie speedster T.Y Hilton. The Colts defense has looked sharp Enough over the last few weeks, but their lack of experience is going to be their demise. It’s not their fault, just a proven fact.



The Baltimore Ravens are returning to the playoffs for their 5th straight year under the Harbaugh/Flacco/Rice regime. They know what it takes to win as they have won in each of those years including two trips to the AFC championship. Although they lost this week, they were playing their second squad for 95% of the game, but the week before, their offense looked solid. The Colts defense has some holes which should fare well for a Ravens squad rested. Flacco (3817 yds and 22 TD’s) and Rice (1143 and 9 TD’s) are poised to have a big game against a team whose defense ranks 21st in opponent passing and 29th in rushing defense. The Ravens have one of the most underrated groups receiving the ball with Boldin, Smith, Pitta, and Jones and it seems like two weeks ago, when the Ravens played a pivotal, must-win game, they rose to the occasion and their new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell came in with a great game plan filled with schemes that rarely existed earlier in the year (QB option, roll-outs, and utilization in the middle of the field). The Ravens defense is the healthiest it has been all year as Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs will be on the field together for the first time all year. Haloti Ngata rested last week as he has been hampered all year with injuries as did Bernard Pollard. Sure Chuck Pagano has a strong knowledge of the Ravens defense, but the Colts still fare poorly in the turnover battle as they have 26 turnovers (18 picks from Andrew Luck) to only 15 take aways while the Ravens finished the season at plus 9. Luck also tends to hold on the ball for too long, which bolds well for the ever dangerous Ed Reed and a Ravens team who I guarantee will be pressuring Luck all day. Sorry for those Colt supporters, but the Ravens at home, playing at their standard playoff level will cause the Colts to be overmatched by an angry, rested Ravens squad. Oh, and they have the motivation of winning for their general, Ray Lewis, who will most likely fighting his last battle at home.

4:30pm-Seattle Seahawks vs. the Washington Redskins (o46)



The Seahawks are the hottest team in the NFC right now. Their defense has been great and will only get better now that Brandon Browner has returned from his four game suspension for testing positive for adderal. His counterpart, the other cornerback Richard Sherman (8 interceptions), won his appeal and now enters the playoffs with a free mind. They also have Pro Bowler Earl Thomas at Free Safety which creates one badass secondary that ranks 6th in the NFL in opponent passing yards. At the front of the line stands Chris Clemons (11.5 sacks), who has the ability to beat the QB as badly as his legal charges. That said, the reason for their undeniable hot streak is the explosion of rookie QB Russell Wilson. Even though last week their offense threw up a dud in a win against the Rams (20-13), they had averaged 50/ppg from week 14-16. Oh yea, the Redskins defense ranks 28th in the NFL. Watch out for an offense that has the ability to make big plays who has a running back, Marshawn Lynch, known for making beast mode like plays in the playoffs (1590 yds and 11 TDs)



The Redskins have the most dynamic QB in the league in RG III. Although is 3200 passing yards is not game changing, he has 20 TD’s to 5 int., a rating of 102.4, and 815 rushing yards for 7 TD’s. Besides him, their rookie starting running back ended up 2nd in the NFL with 1613 rushing yards (Alfred Morris). Sure Pierre Garcon, Santana Moss, Leonard Hankerson, and Fred Davis are not game changers, RG III is and thus their offense has big play ability. While they rank a measly 20th in passing yards per game, they lead the NFL in rushing yards per game (169.3). This should be a fun and exhausting game to watch.

Seeing how each team in the playoffs is theoretically 0-0, my record is the same.

Record

Ambitions in 2012: A Recap Of This Last Year

Man's Ambition was founded, softly, in September 2011, based on the simple principle that it's what men do, a collection based around the simple principle of people (especially men) striving for greatness, sprinkled with such manly activities as shitting with the door open, riverboat gambling trips (see above), making our own beef jerky, and talking about pussy.

We finished that year with a recap of all the big issues we felt you, our brilliant and discerning readers, should know about, whether we'd reported on it or not. I mean, hell, 2011 had a lot of ups, downs, in and outs, just check it out.

But since we had 2012 to write about and point out all the issues, happenings, and what-have-yous we felt were relevant (or just cool), the recap of 2012 will be a compilation of our Ambitious writings over the past 12 months. Enjoy.

JANUARY

The BCS championship game was one boring affair but the NFL playoffs, as always, was quite a time of victories and upsets. Still, Kyle had a finger on the pulse of the Giants as they went into the playoffs with his evaluation of the BCS game and predictions for the Super Bowl in his TUESDAY SPORTS HANGOVER.

MySpace. Yeah, Fox unloaded it for about a half a billion dollar loss to a group headed by Justin Timberlake saying MySpace would revolutionize entertainment as detailed in Ryan's article on MYSPACE TV. How's that working out now?

Skiing femme fatale Sarah Burke died, one of a handful of snow-pros to die pushing the envelope doing what they loved last season.

Kodak filed for bankruptcy. Interestingly, they were undone by their own actions, as Ryan talked about in KODAK DEVELOPED ITS OWN DESTRUCTION.

The Ravens lost in the playoffs. And Ryan was reminded of the fact that loss is part of being a man.

UFC is replacing boxing, just as Kyle said it was.


FEBRUARY

Parent groups pooped their pants over the fact that MIA gave the middle finger during halftime of the Super Bowl. But still, the game had a couple awesome moments too.

Jeremy Linsanity. Yeah.

A YouTube extreme sports channel Network A was founded by a son and father combo, just another sign of the changing times in entertainment and athletics.

Mexican Narcos staged a prison riot as a cover for their murder of rival cartel members and their escape. You can't make this shit up, as Ryan notes here.

MARCH

Kyle analyzed how some former sports legends are struggling to pay their bills in WHY THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN.

He also talked about how HIP HOP WORLD STARS was taking over the online world with its unique user-fueled madness.

Vladimir Putin fixed the newest Russian election. I mean, he was "elected democratically." Either way, he cried.

Gambling amongst young men has never been bigger. Check out Kyle's article about it, appropriate since he writes up a weekly rundown of what football bets to make.

Entrepreneurs on the internet are the coolest. Just check out DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB's hilarious ad that would lead to a brilliant new online business.

Don Draper returned.

DeNiro made a racial joke in Obama's favor but was blackballed at political events because nobody can take a fucking joke anymore.

Author Steven John's first book came out. If you haven't read it, you should. Why? Read Ryan's article about Steven John's 3 A.M. and books in general to find out.

The most amazing sporting event ever conceived, Travis Rice's SUPERNATURAL, was staged and shot in what can only be a harbinger of things to come.

Google invented a car that can drive for you. Next stop, Judgment day as Kyle talked about in RISE OF THE GOOGLE PRIUS.

APRIL

Ryan went to his first (and possibly last) Occupy event. How was it? Like this.

Ryan also talked about how we all need to turn off our electronics in a popular article about WHY YOU NEED TO DISCONNECT FROM THE GRID.

Instagram sold for $1 B to Facebook. A company with no income selling for 1 followed by 9 zeroes? Man those Facebook people are smart, right?

Kyle talked about how Neymar may just be the future of the world's most popular game, soccer.

No Pulitzer for fiction is awarded. Why? Because a lot of today's Literary Fiction mostly sucks.

Kyle talked about Jeb Corliss and how base jumping and squirrel suits are taking over what it means to do insane stuff.

BULLY made us all pay increased attention to the hideous paradigm of modern bullying. But did it also point out that a lot more of us are bullies than we'd like to admit?

A new site came up that allowed all us sports junkies to contribute to the future of athletes we'd like to support. You a sports fan? Then you need to read this and decide how much.

Everest is now so accessible that people kept a running blog while on the mountain for what was shaping up to be a historic couple of summits.

Teahupoo got even gnarlier with the footage to prove it, once again settling the debate that surfers are the most hardcore of all athletes.




MAY

Kyle ran down THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY of the NFL Draft, everybody's favorite corporate hiring press conference.

France elected a Communist to its top seat. Thus giving conservative Americans who are already disdainful of Godard cinema and fancy food names with silent consonants and pronounced vowels another reason to hate the French.

Junior Seau killed himself. Kyle analyzed that and a few other athlete defeats in WHEN TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD ATHLETES.

Dish Network had a pissing match with AMC, thus beginning the in-fighting that will no doubt eventually lead to the end of television as we know it.

Spotify began its quest to take over the world of online music streaming.

Plastic surgeons and millions of dollars makes a slavic broad into a human Barbie. Superficial assholes gain a new grand trophy. And everybody else gets more than a little creeped out.

Big Business and government worked together to take out the insidious villain that is the American family farm, specifically by trying to put Baker's Green Acres under. Score one more point for the bad guys.

Kyle began his epic article on Olympic events you know nothing about in VISIONS OF LONDON. For the full rundown of all the articles, click here.

Facebook finally went public - and publicly bombed. So Ryan wrote an article at the bequest of a regular reader comparing Zuckerberg to an actual innovator, Nikola Tesla.

Kyle went to Electric Daisy and got weird.

Ryan wrote about how Red Bull is pushing the world of sports forward into uncharted territory.

JUNE

Everest has never been more popular - is that good or bad? How about a little of both...

Ryan compared his two favorite (and Man's Ambition Must Watch) shows in GAME OF MEN OR MAD THRONES.

Obama's America's most successful military strategist president in decades? Don't tell the Republicans that.

As summer party season began, Kyle ran down a list of what to watch when trying to survive those dreaded hangovers.

Mike Tyson got his own one-man Broadway play, proving once again that in America anything is possible.

Ryan and his wife went to Hawaii and discovered how and why everybody needs to sometimes retreat to A PLACE OF REFUGE.

A true American hero, Rainier Ranger Nick Hall, died rescuing a group of distressed climbers. Not only did this reawaken everybody to the beauty and danger of the alpine life, it also proved a bit foreboding for Ryan and Kyle as they neared their own Rainier climb.

The NBA was dominated by the beard.

12-year-old kids DOMINATED the X-Games, especially skateboard big air.

JULY

Kyle summited most of the tallest peaks in the East Coast in his hard-ass HOW 6 DEGENERATES WALKED ALL OVER THE PRESIDENTS

Ryan rambled on about July 4th, America, and what wars made America into the world's greatest newest nation.

The Egyptians elected the Muslim Brotherhood to power and our foreign correspondent Oscar was there to protest the possible prohibition to follow.

The Dark Knight came out, not only reflecting our nation but shocking it when some kid opened fire at a Colorado movie theater.

California fell into bankruptcy, city by city.

AUGUST

Ryan, Kyle, their friend Coleman and author Steven John summited Mt. Rainier, a grueling 2 days for the novices followed by a couple days' decompression  in Seattle.

The Jamaicans ran Olympic track, the American Women ran the Olympic games, and Kyle ran through the top 30 things you must know about the 2012 London Olympics, including of course the McKayla Maroney meme.

Kyle talked about the two new weird sports protection innovations as freaks send gobs of money and time on trying to keep they selves safe: a "fashionable" bicycle head protector and dog killer and Eagles disappointment Michael Vick's bullet proof vest.

SEPTEMBER

Ryan pondered Labor day as America and the world grows tougher on its workers.

Kyle's Lock Street started back up, giving degenerate gamblers hope as his picks surpassed 50% over the season.

Legendary football owner and all-around model American Art Modell died.


Ryan began a weekly column analyzing both presidential candidates, Romney and Obama. He even TRIED to be impartial. Though his full interpretation of the facts certainly pointed to Obama's imminent election.

Baseball's post-season was riddled with small-market teams, as Kyle said in BASEBALL'S POSTSEASON PRE-SEASON.

Shaun White got arrested, showing he is in fact, a human being and, more importantly, a roots snowboarder.

Zombie bees.

OCTOBER

Ryan wrote about Tom Hardy possibly playing George Mallory in an upcoming biopic, continuing Ryan's preternatural obsession with mountain climbing.

Some dude skydived from space. Thanks to Red Bull. Rad.

Ryan went to his college reunion and reflected about auld acquaintances that should not be forgot.

A new Bond movie and a guest author came together to rank the top Bond girls of each decade.

Kyle ran through the top Halloween entertainment for you culture consumers.

George Lucas sold Lucasfilm for $4 billion dollars, making his personal Jedi journey complete.

NOVEMBER

Snowboard godfather Tom Sims died and Ryan wrote about it a few months too late. Sorry.

Priceline bought Kayak and Shatner made half a billion dollars as a corporate shill - fuck Captain Kirk, Priceline Intimidator is where it's at.

General Petraeus was fired for having an affair, proving America has completely forgotten its sexually questionable roots.

Goodell keeps trying to make the NFL softer, starting with the hardest team The Ravens. Specifically Ed Reed. Roger Goodell, you are a dictator using his power for evil and history will look back on you as the villain you are.

Hey Diddle Diddle, Ray Rice up the Middle - and, again, wondering why the NFL is fucking up their glory shot?

DECEMBER

Eddie Murphy was "roasted" though it felt more like a eulogy.

Kyle's final Lock Street of the regular season and 2012.

The world didn't end on December 20, 2012. Nobody with half a brain is surprised.

Then Ryan and Kyle went to Baltimore for 10 days to hang out with their loving family - Mom, Dad, and Ryan's wife Rebecca - and Ryan and Rebecca's dog Cecile - and Mom and Dad's dog Cody and cat Alice (kinda) - and didn't write a damn thing. And we saw the Ravens beat the Giants at M&T Bank stadium. And were reminded that, in the end, as Don Corleone said, "A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."

2012 has had its ups and downs, no doubt. And we have to think about the future of this great nation. Fiscal cliffs and European bone-grindings make a man wonder how much longer will the west run the world with America the shiny brass eagle leading the charge. Our nation has never been more politically divided, our healthcare system is an exercise of bloated private interest bureaucracy, and the average American man has never been softer. Ambitions seem to focus mostly on making websites with magical profit schemes based on card tricks and smoke and mirrors and the American heavy industry on which our nation was built has all but disappeared.

But there is hope. Gay men and women are finally receiving the right to marry in more states, thus showing a general consensus that civil rights should be extended to everybody. Marijuana is increasingly being legalized and decriminalized, thus ending a prohibition that will someday be looked back upon as draconian posturing from uptight squares. Shale booms have been saving some plains communities as America moves towards freeing ourselves from the Middle East oil that has caused us to enter endless stupid wars with and against ignorant foreigners who will never accept our freedoms (and yes, while fracking may be unhealthy so are offshore oil rigs and tankers). Little upticks in employment, real estate value, and consumption are pointing to a light at the end of the recession tunnel. And the list goes on.

So here's to lucky number 2013. Thanks for reading. Spread the word. And for fuck's sake, strive for greatness every day. That's the only way we'll get the better world we so dearly need.

God Bless - signing off for 2012,

Ryan and Kyle Ariano

Doomsday Lovers: Does the lack of Man's Ambition mean it's all over?

The world is going to end. Time to repent/prepare/and accept our imminent destruction.

End of times narratives are as old as the beginning of time. No doubt superstitious tribes believed that any indiscretion could anger the gods enough that their mighty powers would destroy earth and all of us weak, puny mortals. Then there's the books of revelations, the last chapter of the New Testament and one wicked acid trip with evil horses and insect plagues. Then we have Nostradamus, whose prophecies about the end of the world have been interpreted to refer exactly to right now (though they bear more of a resemblance to the magician trick of mind-reading from some random person in the audience). But no seriously, he was referring to right now, just check out History Channel.

Remember Y2K? Everybody thought the whole world of computing would crash, not to mention a couple people who thought in general the significance of a millenial rollover no doubt heralded the end of days. In just the last 2 years we've had Harold Camping claiming rapture and judgment day would take place on May 21, 2011 (with end of time occurring in October) and then there's all the concern about December 20, 2012 (those Mayans - so smart they could predict the end of the world but apparently overlooked the arrival of the Europeans). There are shows about Doomsday Preppers, whackjobs so afraid about the end of the world they get their Cold War bomb shelters with fresh supplies of sardines and assault rifles in case the nuclear zombie pollution hordes should destroy life as we know it. And then there's the fears mounting from the impending Fiscal Cliff (rising taxes and cutting funding to federal programs), the Dairy Cliff (the cut of the Farm Bill, which will send prices of milk and such through the roof), and the Retail Cliff (14,000 dockworkers going on strike which will lead to products waiting at docks and thereby make them skyrocket). The fears growing from these have us appraising a future in which we have less money, can't afford milk, can't buy things, and our nation falls apart, all on January 1st. Certain doom, no doubt.

Here's the deal with the Retail Cliff - while we may struggle without imports, haven't we been preaching the virtues of an independent America? Even more, haven't we all already bought enough shit around the holidays to maybe hold back for a while? As for the dairy cliff, that's a reversion to old government prices from back when cows were milked by hands. That'll double the prices of milk but did you know we're the only mammal that drinks milk AFTER adulthood? Anybody else think maybe there's something a bit, I dunno, off, about that? Just drink almond milk, it's better for you anyway. And we could all maybe go with a little less cheese. And the Fiscal Cliff - sure that could spell disaster if it went on indefinitely. But going over the fiscal cliff will just add urgency to the current budget debate. None of these things will really take hold on the economy for months and by then Boehner and Obama will have no doubt finished their pissing match, just like last year's ski-pole handjobs over the debt ceiling.

But instead people are stockpiling weapons, companies are saying they're afraid to hire, grants aren't being given, so on and so forth yet when you sit down and look at the simple realities, these "cliffs" are little more than concrete abuttments a real man wouldn't even slow his car going over. So what the fuck is this obsession with the end, with doom, with the screeching halt?

Plain and simple, we've had it too good. I mean yes, the school shootings were tragic. But throughout more of human history, children died of disease, were pressed into wars, were raped and murdered during those wars, or simply died as part of being small and less intelligent in a big, harsh world. America has been riding a high crest of comfortable complacency for the last 60 years and now we're left with not just a few people but a whole society wondering 1.) What's left to do when you're number 1 and still dissatisfied? or 2.)How will we deal with our inevitable return to the fold as has afflicted every other great nation before us?

As for the first one, I mean seriously, what's left? Everything has been conquered, everywhere explored. Conquest of other nations isn't allowed. The last big hand was played and we came out on top. That's why we have to turn these skirmishes with illiterate middle-eastern nomads into "wars" - because we can't respectably fight superpowers. So, when it's all been done, discovered, explored, invented, what's left but to die? Especially if you're on a losing end (think mid-western farmer unless they have a bunch of shale) and you're forced to watch geeks and hippies making all the money. Yup - the world's gotta end.

I've said many times before that all the free time people have on their hands has led them to nitpick and find ways to better embrace and express their hatred since for many people hating is quite a hobby, akin to reading groups and militia operations but infinitely more fulfilling in the short-term while soul-crushing over a lifetime. And if you have all this free time to hate, you can find plenty of people and things to point your hatred towards which leads to a desire to see them all destroyed which leads you to think that it would be much easier if the world just ended. Then you find a convenient passage in holy books guaranteeing you that the end of the world will be your VIP pass to God's easy street and BOOM, the end of the world seems like the most exciting thing you've ever heard of.

On the other side of hatred is fear (in fact they're usually interchangeable) and again, with the growth of free time and the ability to hear about all the evil things going on at any given time all over the world (by the way, violence and mayhem are far from new occurrences - in fact, the world is certainly the most peaceful, just, and civilized it's ever been in the history of mankind) fear has turned a large portion of the population into raving paranoiacs. Just watch TAKE SHELTER for a great portrayal of how fear can lead to an obsession more all-consuming and destructive than any drug. You spend so much time and money preparing for this thing you're afraid of so as to assuage it because you feel if you're prepared you won't be afraid. Then you realize that 50 grand you spent on preparing for the apocalypse will make you look pretty stupid if the apocalypse never comes so, in a strange reversal, you find yourself secretly hoping for the one thing of which you were most afraid as it would vindicate you.

Then finally there's the basic point that America is currently on a down cycle of our great empire. We still number 1? In a lot of ways yeah. Surely when it comes to deal brokering and international favor. But that's going away. Most likely China will take us down though the EU, if they emerge from their massive financial problem, could come out meaner and sleeker; then there's South America, calmly plodding along with annual upticks. Either way, with our loss of the #1 seed will come the accompanying trends of being second best, including having to learn a new language, having to embrace other cultures, and watching our children grow up talking about weird eastern myths. As such, plenty of people either consciously or subconsciously just want to see it happen, once and for all - dash the American hegemony on the rocks of complacency; our citizens have grown weak, our industries have crumbled into the ocean, our ingenuity has become little more than remakes of previous products and ideals and we're all a bit more paranoid. Let's just see it fall so we can stop trying to pretend we're better than we are, am I right?

And I don't even want to get into the fact that something's obviously fucked up in the environment (and even those assholes who claim it has nothing to do with human consumption have to admit that the natural world is more fucked up than it's ever been in recorded history).

So what do we do? We here at Man's Ambition were unknowingly echoing the country by pulling back the last 2 weeks (though that was more because of moves and holidays and such) and just waiting for the world to end (not really, this is just an excuse for my own laziness). But that's the strange phenomenon striking the world, people spending time and resources not trying to make the world a better place but preparing for it to fall apart. Folks who are so bored (but unable to kill themselves) and therefore so angry (but channeling it against superficial targets) or who are simply so scared (as is a symptom of the sheep in society) that the end of the world sounds secretly nice to them and as such they can embrace it with far more fervor than the daunting task of trying to actually make it a better, more harmonious place. People who are pushing ambition aside for the simple task of pulling in like a boneless sea-sucker into its shell.

Well newsflash, people. The world didn't end last week. Nor last year. And Hitler wasn't the anti-Christ but simply an asshole who gave in to the easy power of hatred. And Saddam Hussein wasn't the anti-Christ but a power-hungry secularist we backed 30 years ago because Iran was being taken over by Muslims (that's right, America backed Saddam's rise to power because we'd rather have him there than a Muslim). And there aren't more gays in the world, they just don't do it in the shadows and behind their wives' backs anymore. And America's no less religious than it was when we gained our independence (Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, all of them had weak relationships with religion, at best). And the world is no more violent than it's been in any other time in world history. These "crises" coming up mean, at worst, we go back to the way things were in previous American history when people had to work a little harder and spend a little more for American products which in turn kept more money in America and made it so that housewives didn't have the time to be bored and protest TV shows like THE WALKING DEAD. And maybe kids will have to do more chores so they have less time to sit around and brood about how they have no friends (if you're doing yardwork all day, you have no energy left to brood about being socially inept).

But will the world end? Someday, yes. But not today. And most likely not tomorrow. So as we head into luck number 13 in the new millennium, let's all take a step back and come to our senses - we're all stuck here together, for better or worse. It's time to figure out how we're going to live together going forward and stop waiting for things to explode or implode but instead work and campaign tirelessly to achieve greatness in the only way mankind has ever achieved greatness before - by working together with our eyes on the endless horizon of the future.

Yours in Ambitions for a greater tomorrow - which, like it or not, is no doubt coming -

Ryan

Lock-Street Week 15- 12.16

1:00pm NY Giants (+1.5) vs. the Atlanta Falcons



It’s that time of the year when the Gmen start heating up and get ready for their final playoff push; or, like two years ago, when they falter. Who the hell knows. This team can either be one the best teams in the league or one of the worst on any given Sunday, but after a clinic over the dismal Saints I think they're primed to beat an over-achieving Falcons team. While Bradshaw might be ruled out, David Wilson can torch defenses as was proven last week. Eventually, Bradshaw will be obsolete as the youth tandem of Wilson and Brown take over NYC.


The Falcons, with Matt “I blow in the playoffs” Ryan at the helm, might have the most dynamic offense with the likes of Julio Jones, Tony “The ageless wonder” Gonzalez, Rowdy Roddy White (The 3 have combined for 2968 receiving yards and 19 TD’s), and the Burner Turner although their rushing yards per game is 4th worst in the NFL. I’m liking this Jacquizz Rodgers guy. Could be a sleeper in fantasy next year. Offensively, look for Manning and Cruz to exploit the Falcons’ defense pathetic defense as they rank 16th in opponent passing yards and 23rd in rushing. I have a feeling the Giants will dissemble them like last year’s playoff game.

4:05pm Detroit (-6) vs. the Cardinals

God the Cardinals are bad. That 4-0 start feels like a distant memory as they were embarrassed last week by a middle of the pack Seahawks team (58-0). The Lions are finding ways to lose why the Cardinals wish they even had an opportunity to find a way to lose. In their 9 game losing streak, their average of loss is 15.1 ppg while the Lions have an average loss of 5.2 ppgs in their 5 game skid. The Cardinals haven’t lost 10 straight since they started 0-10 in 1943…until after this week.

At this point, they should sit Larry Fitzgerald to keep him healthy for next year and let their legion of injury prone, underachieving running backs (Stephens- Howling, Wells, and Williams) and QB’s (Kolb, Skelton, Lindley) get the shit knocked out of them. They do have a solid defense with one of the best safety/corner tandems in the game with Kerry Rhodes and Patrick “Best Athlete Award” Peterson. Even with their strong secondary and a front seven that includes Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett, they are going to give up points since they are on the field for 90% of the game. Even Lance Armstrong would get tired while doping if he played that long. Although the Lion’s have a mediocre secondary, their front seven more than make up for it with the likes of Stephen Tulloch, Nick Fairley, Ndamukong Suh, Vanden Bosch, and Avril. Having Avril, Fairley, Suh, and Vanden Bosch as your front four is unreal.


The Lions running game is poor as they rank 21st, but the Stafford/CJ squared combo is already legendary and makes a running game as necessary as having Jack Black in a movie. Calvin Johnson is 303 yards shy of Jerry Rice’s 1848 yards in a season record with 3 games to go and he’s averaging 110 ypg. You do the math. Even crazier is that if he can somehow average 151.7 ypg in the next 3 games, which is something that he has the ability to do, he will break the impossible 2000 receiving yards in a season mark. Besides Megatron, they have receiving weapons in the cancerous Titus Young and the crafty veteran Nate Burleson. They also have 2 solid TE’s in Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler. Watch the Lions get a nice bird for dinner.

Sun 8:20pm San Francisco 49’s vs. the New England Patriots (o46.5)


The New England Patriots is hands down the best team in the NFL. If you think differently, then you're simply hater. Tom “Diva” Brady (Remarkable 29 TD’s to 4 Picks this season) is on fire even without their best offensive weapon, Gronkowski. Wes Welker has been looking at the top of his game (1116 yards this season), Hernandez has been playing great, and the Patriots finally have that runner they've been searching for over the last several years in Stevan Ridley (1082 rushing yards and 10 TD’s). Imagine what they will do when Gronk comes back…


The Niners aren’t completely anemic either. With Michael Crabtree finally playing up to his potential, Vernon Davis can eventually make some plays although has been playing a disappearing act recently, and they still have the beast of the west Frank Gore (1035 yards and 7 TD’s). The Patriots pass defense is a sad 29th in the NFL which should fare well for the mobile Colin “Stop talking about my Tats” Kaepernick. Their back-up receivers have proven this year and in the past that they can make some epic plays (Moss and Manningham). On the defensive side, both teams have playmakers who get their offenses in great position by either holding them to deep punts or forcing turnovers. The Pats have McCourty, Mayo, Hightower, Wilfork, and Talib. The Niners secondary contains the ever-dangerous Dashon Goldson and Carlos Rogers, while their front seven includes the perennial probowler Patrick “Hit Stick” Willis, and the NFL leader in sacks in Aldon Smith (19.5 sacks). By the way, you should watch this kid for no other reason than the fact he is three sacks shy of tying Michael Strahan’s record.

I would like to point out that this is by far the best weekend of football this season, as it’s smothered with playoff implications. Highlights include Ravens/Broncos; Steelers/Cowboys; Packers/Bears; Giants/Falcons; and Colts/Texans. Rodger Goodell is somewhere pounding himself to how well the schedule worked out.



Lock-Street Record



19-20-1


Week 14

0-3



Week 13

1-2



Week 12

2-0-1



Week 11


2-1



Week 10

2-1



Week 9


1-2



Week 8


1-2



Week 7

2-1



Week 6


1-2



Week 5

1-2



Week 4

3-0



Week 3

2-1



Week 2

1-2



Week 1


0-1

A Little Snow Season Foreplay

Snowboarding is about adventure. For the average urban dweller the adventure lies in the simple act of going somewhere without high-rises and shopping malls, to a town with a population in the 5 or 4 digits and spending a few hours going dangerously fast surrounded by pine trees and snow, free from computers and cellphones and such.

For a ski town local that adventure kicks up a notch. Living in Jackson I spent probably half my days hiking back and side country, either at Teton Pass or from the tram at the top of the hill.

But for a pro snowboarder, especially a guy who's the equivalent of Michael Jordan of backcountry riding, it takes more to find adventure.

Snowboarders have possibly the best lives of any pro athletes. Yes, surfers get top travel to all the great beach destinations. But after you've surfed for a few years you've ridden about every type of wave imaginable and while exotic locations add to the fun of it, it's very rare that a surfer finds a new wave and a new wave shape/break - forget about it. There are still many mountain ranges that haven't been fully explored much less ridden. Mark my words, some day some bastard's gonna shred down Everest. Thanks to Jeremy Jones.

A couple years ago, Jones realized that all the helis he was riding to get to all his sick first descents were burning a shit-ton of fuel and, as founder of POW, he needed to start looking at his own carbon footprint. Then he thought about the fact that, after a long career as the top big mountain rider, he'd ridden every AK and BC peak a person can get to by heli, though beyond them were endless mountains. Thus he came up with DEEPER, the first real blending of world-class mountaineering and exploration with top of the top snowboarding.

Last year I wrote a little something on sick snowboard flicks to check out and even included a preview of the sequel to DEEPER , Jones' aptly titled FURTHER (he's making a trilogy). But seriously, this is a movie you need to run out and buy. Like NOW.

This is the beginning of a new mutant, mountaineering and snowboarding both pushed to their limits at the same time. Alpine history in the making.

Need more convincing? Check out the trailer:

And start getting that board waxed, put new batteries in the beacon, and start planning your winter trips.

I already know where I'm going and I can't wait.

- Ryan

Lock-Street Week 14 12/9

Chicago (-2.5) vs. Minnesota

Who would win in a fight, Charles Tillman or God? Trick question. Charles Tillman is God. Da Bears will rebound this week against a weak Vikings team. Adrian Peterson is having one of the best years of his still early, yet injury hampered, career as he leads the NFL with 1446 rushing yards. That is not good enough to win, apparently, seeing how he rushed for an unreal 210 yards last week and yet they only scored 14 points. Besides him, their best offensive weapon was receiver Percy Harvin, but he was placed on IR with a severely sprained ankle, and thus they have an offense that couldn’t score on Notre Dame. Sure Christian Ponder has been hooking up with Kyle Rudolph, AND passing him the ball for 3 TDs over the last three games, but Ponder is simply a bad QB. His 63.6 passer rating of the last 7 weeks is the worst of any other qualifying QB. Jared Allen, the Vikings defensive motor, is hampered by injury, and their defense is in the middle of the pack, ranking 14^th in both opponent passing and opponent rushing. At least they are consistent.

The Bears defense is still ranked second in the NFL in points scored and although Tim Jennings (most picks in the NFL with 8) might not play, they still have playmakers. Urlacher has been ruled out but, honestly, that’s not the worst thing in the world. The guy can still lay the hammer, but he has lost any quickness or agility. He reminds me an old, beaten down boxer trying to stay in the ring. Lance Briggs is a little nicked but is consistent. With Devin “My hands are feet” Hester and Earl Bennett both sidelined with concussion, look for Cutler to make it rain with Brandon Marshall. Honestly, this tandem does not need anyone else. They will score enough points to cover the spread. Eventually, the Bush/Forte tandem will take off as well. Well, hopefully.

Arizona Cardinals (+10.5) vs. Seattle Seahawks

Arizona is bad. Real Bad. Seattle is good. But not great. Russell Wilson is getting extensive praise for his play as he should, but I would have to say it’s because of Seattle’s record and because he is a rookie. I mean Seattle’s passing game is 30^th in the NFL averaging a weak 187.3 yards per game. The rushing game is solid as it ranks 7^th in the NFL, but it’s their defense that is the reason they are 7-5, not their offense. They rank 5^th in opponent passing and 12^th in opponent rushing. It’s an undeniable truth that this will be a low scoring affair and I doubt either team could score enough points to create such a wide margin. Arizona on the other hand has issues at QB as they have 3 bad QB’s in Skelton, Lindley, and Kolb and an offense is straight offensive as they rank 27th in passing and 30^th in rushing.  Look for both offenses to struggle as the Cardinals are 3^rd in opponent passing . Like Stephen Jackson, I feel bad for Larry Fitzgerald. Such wasted talent due to his surroundings. Who would win the battle between a cardinal and a sea hawk? Probably a Seahawk, but who gives a fuck. This is football, not bird wars.

New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans (o 51.5)

This is the best game of the weekend and is probably one of the best games of the year thus far. I mean both teams are on fire. Let’s list the big time playmakers on each team, shall we? Brady/ Schaub; Welker/A. Johnson; Hernandez/ Daniels; Ridley/Foster. On defense, Watt/Wilfork; Jackson/Talib; Quin/ McCourty; Dobbins/Mayo. The reason I did not pick the spread is that while the Patriots have a better offense, the Texans have a better defense (although their pass defense is getting a little sloppy). Get the popcorn ready because this shit is going to get you crazy.

- Kyle