I want to party like it’s 1999. Remember what happened in soccer that year?  The U.S.A. Women’s team won the World Cup in a shootout with China before 50,000+ in the Rose Bowl. I’ll admit I’m not a full-time soccer fan and always kind of watched from afar, but at that time, the band wagon was a great ride to jump on.  I’m not ashamed to say I’m on board full time again with the current U.S.A. Mens team.  When Landon Donovan scored “the goal” I ripped off my U.S.A. shirt ala Brandi Chastain, and ran screaming around my empty house like a crazy person!

Imagine if they can actually WIN THE CUP? Do you believe in miracles?!  YES!! The country was in a dreary rut in 1980 when the U.S.A. hockey team shocked the world with their win over the USSR. Lord knows we’re in a dreary, oily, rut right now.  With Italy and France out of the picture, and Spain hanging by a thread, chances are looking very realistic for a run at this thing (Did I just say realistic? Yes, I’m serious and don’t call me Shirley).  Regardless of the outcome, thanks to “the goal”, life doesn’t seem so dreary right now.

As mentioned above, France is out of the picture, but they were in the picture for the last installment of the Original Retro Brand’s “Kickin’ Captions Contest.” For those of you just checking in, the contest is simple; we provide a photo featuring one or more of our new international soccer t-shirts and you provide a caption that best fits the picture.  The Original Retro Brand panel of judges then chooses their favorite caption. The Winner receives a FREE Original Retro Brand T-shirt of their choice. A new photo will appear on this blog every Tuesday and Friday through to the World Cup Finale on July 11th.

The latest winning caption was entered by Allen Duncan of Saint Charles, Illinois.  Since his wife turned him on to the contest, he picked this Illinois shirt for her…Nice guys DO finish first! Winning caption in the photo below.  Congrats Allen!

"NEED A HAND PACKING FOR HOME, FRANCE?"

Here are a few other captions that were in the running…..

“South Africa dummies beat hapless France in World Cup play…”

“He who will not shake the hand may receive the shocker..”

Now that we’re in a new U.S.A. “Era of good feeling,” * let’s see your best shot at today’s photo below:

"ANYBODY HAVE A GOOD CAPTION FOR THIS PHOTO?"

Enter your caption in the post/view comment section at the end of this post and check back this coming Tuesday 6/29/10 to see if you are a winner!**

GOOD LUCK AND LET’S SEE THOSE CAPTIONS! FOR UPDATES, GREAT DEALS, CONTESTS, AND MORE FUN FROM THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND,  BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

* Era of Good Feeling (1817–25) was a period in United States political history in which partisan bitterness was almost non-existent (Yes, I’m serious and don’t call me Shirley).

** one caption guess per customer

T-TIME

I have to say this, and if you’re not a Georgia Bulldog fan, you may throw up….HOW ‘BOUT THEM DAWGS??!! Well, they laid an egg before getting on the board with two td’s in a span of sixty seconds just two minutes before the first half ended on an 81 yard kickoff return by Brandon Boykin (his 3rd for a TD this year), and a blocked punt that led to a quick score from two yards out.  They went on to crush Texas A&M 44-20 yesterday in the Independence Bowl.  This is a good thing for the Original Retro Brand staffers involved in the 12 BOWLS OF CHRISTMAS CONTEST.  This was one of only 2 games out of the 26 Bowl games in the contest, that was picked unanimously by all (Oregon over Ohio State in the Rose Bowl is the other).  Thus the standings are as follows after all picked up a W:

Andy 7-1         Marc 4-4         Cassidy 4-4         Rick 4-4

(In case you missed yesterday’s post, click here to see my predictions for tonight’s UCLA-Temple, & Miami-Wisconsin games, plus tomorrow’s Arizona-Nebraska)

TREE TIME

Am I one of those SEC snobs who believes no other conference really stacks up?  I shouldn’t be, but I am.  A good case in point is my belief that the Tennessee Vols will nip the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Chic-Fil-A Bowl.  The Vols routed the Georgia Bulldogs, kept things close with Florida when it was supposed to be a rout, and nearly beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  I’ll give VT credit for knocking off ranked teams in back-to-back weeks (Nebraska & Miami), but they were supposed to win the ACC this year, and fizzled when they ran into Georgia Tech and North Carolina.  VOLS – 24, VT – 21 (Marc, Rick & Cassidy all picking VT)

The Oklahoma Sooners are an inconsistent team that I just can’t count on either way.  Are they the team that shut out # 12 Oklahoma State to end the regular season, or the team that got whooped by a sub-par Texas Tech team the week before 41-13?  I actually don’t think it matters either way, as they take on a superior Stanford Cardinal team in the Sun Bowl.  Toby Gerhart scored 26 touchdowns this season – 26!!  The Cardinal are an offensive juggernaut, putting up 50+ points against PAC -10 tough guys Oregon & USC on consecutive weekends.  The Stanford D may give up 30, but they will match their 36 pts per game average to win.  Stanford – 36, Oklahoma – 30. (Pac-10 lovers Marc. Rick, & Cassidy all picked Oklahoma?)

NO GOATS VS. MIZZOU

NAVY quarterback Ricky Dobbs will be carrying the weight for the Midshipmen (led team in passing AND rushing) as they take on the Missouri Tigers and Blaine Gabbert, in the Texas Bowl.  NAVY nearly knocked off Ohio State to open the season, and beat Notre Dame for the second time in three years enroute to their 7th straight season with at least 8 wins.  Mizzou stormed out to a 5-0 start before dropping 3 straight to ranked fellow Big 12 teams.  They even dropped one to a horrible Baylor Bears team, before righting the ship to win their last 3 games.  Former NAVY and current Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson left  a positive mark on the academy program,  and that still reverberates to this day.  NAVY – 31, Missouri – 27. (Marc is with me on this one, while Rick and Cassidy are going with the Tigers)

GOLDY GETS IT

I can’t think of any game on the Bowl schedule that matches up more identical teams than the Minnesota Gophers and the Iowa State Cyclones in the Insight Bowl.  Both have 6-6 overall records, and both were 3-5 in their respective conferences.  Both have identical records at home (4-3) and on the road (2-3).  More?  The Gophers scored 259 points…just 6 more than the Cyclones.  A little more?   The Gophers gave up 295 points…just 24 more than the Cyclones.  What does this all mean?  It means it will be a close game and I’m picking the Gophers because I like Goldy the Minnesota mascot better than the cardinal mascot of Iowa State.  Gophers – 23, Cyclones – 20. (Marc is lone staffer picking Iowa State on this one.)

Enjoy the action tonight, and be sure to check out my next batch of picks tomorrow.

For the second 12 Bowls of Christmas, the Original Retro Brand will give to you….Our expert football picks and  a chance to WIN 2 FREE Original Retro Brand shirts!!

NOBODY PICKED EM'

Last week, the ORB staff laid out their picks for a baker’s dozen of College Bowl games, and today we will add another 13.  The stakes are high.  The staff member who wins the most games outright, will receive a Christmas Laurel, and hardy handshake.  The staff member who loses the most games outright, will have to count shirts, and do inventory in the Original Retro Brand warehouse.  The warehouse is not small.  More importantly, however, is that each staff member will be playing on behalf of customers that have e-mailed in which ORB person they think will pick the most games correctly (26 total).  The customer who backs the winner, will receive 2 FREE Original Retro Brand shirts of their choice.  All four staff members have received at least one vote of confidence, so GAME ON!!!

Here is a recap of games picked last week:

MARC               RICK              CASSIDY              ANDY               BOWL GAME

Wyoming          Fresno           Fresno                  Wyoming          (New Mexico Bowl)
UCF                 UCF               Rutgers                 Rutgers         (St. Petersburg Bowl)
Oregon State    Oregon State  Oregon State         BYU         (Las Vegas Bowl)
CAL                 CAL               CAL                      Utah         (Poinsettia Bowl)
UNC                 PITT              PITT                      PITT         (Car Care Bowl)
USC                 USC              BC                        USC         (Emerald Bowl)
Clemson           Clemson        Clemson                Kentucky         (Music City Bowl)
UGA                 UGA              UGA                     UGA         *(Independence Bowl)
UCLA               UCLA              UCLA                    Temple         (Eaglebank Bowl)
Miami               Miami            Wisconsin             Miami         (Sports Bowl)
Arizona            Arizona           Arizona                 Nebraska         (Holiday Bowl)
Oklahoma        Oklahoma       Oklahoma              Stanford         (Sun Bowl)                 VTech              VTech            Tennessee             VTech         (Chic-Fil-A Bowl)

The remaining 13….

Iowa State         Minnesota         Minnesota         Minnesota         (Insight Bowl)
Texas Tech       Texas Tech       Texas Tech        Michigan State    (Alamo Bowl)
Auburn              Auburn             Auburn              Northwestern         (Outback Bowl)
LSU                  LSU                 LSU                  Penn State         (Capital One Bowl)
West Virginia     West Virginia    Florida State     West Virginia         (Gator Bowl)
Oregon              Oregon            Oregon              Oregon               ** (Rose Bowl)
Navy                  Missouri          Missouri            Navy                   (Texas Bowl)
Florida               Florida             Florida              Cincinnati         (Sugar Bowl)
South Carolina   South Carolina  South Carolina   UCONN         (Papa John Bowl)
Okl. State          Okl.State         Ole Miss           Okl. State         (Cotton Bowl)
TCU                   TCU                Boise State        TCU                (Fiesta Bowl)
Georgia Tech      Georgia Tech    Iowa                 Georgia Tech         (Orange Bowl)
Texas                 Alabama          Alabama           Texas         (BCS Championship)

* Nobody picked Texas A&M  ** Nobody picked Ohio State

Records as of this post…..

Marc 1-1                     Rick 0-2               Cassidy 1-1                   Andy 2-0

Hey, I have to boast a blistering start while I have the chance…Only 24 games to go….Be sure to stay tuned to this blog, the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fanpage & Twitter, for daily updates on all of these bowl games, leading up to and including the championship game.  I invite my fellow combatants to throw in their two cents on the comment section at the end of this blog whenever they deem fit, as this is going to be a battle royale.

NOT TONIGHT!

Let’s take a quick look at tonight’s match up in the Las Vegas Bowl:  BYU comes in off a big win over Utah, while Oregon State lost a shot at the Rose Bowl going down to Oregon.  Surely the Beavers had a tougher schedule in the Pac-10, but I go back to BYU’s opening day victory over the Oklahoma Sooners as more important, and believe they will finish with a nice win to bookend the season.  BYU – 28, OREGON STATE 23

The Poinsettia Bowl tomorrow pits aforementioned Utah vs. the CAL Bears.  It’s hard to figure out which CAL team will show up….the smokin’ hot team that knocked off consecutive wins over tough Arizona & Stanford teams, or the squad that got spanked by a lousy Washington team 42-10 to finish out the season?   Utah fought a bitter battle in a losing cause to BYU to finish up their regular schedule.  Without CAL  standout running back Jahvid Best suiting up, I believe the Utes will have the upper hand.  UTAH: 35, CAL 17.

Good luck to all, and talk to you tomorrow!

LOOKIN' GOOD @ TRUNK SHOW

It was a mere three weeks ago when Original Retro Brand CEO Marc Herman and Original Retro Brand retail marketing director Cassidy Moore, both University of Arizona alums, eagerly headed to Tucson for a *boondoggle weekend that featured the Wildcats first-time historical hosting of ESPN’S  College Game Day (see blog post here).

OFF TO THE ZONA ZOO!

Herman and Moore flew in bright eyed and bushy tailed, and full of optimism.  They made an appearance @ the College Bookstore on “Big Cat Friday,”  for a trunk show featuring the latest and greatest from the Original Retro Brand’s Arizona Collection.  The student body in attendance were happy with what they saw, and gobbled up plenty of new gear to wear to Arizona Stadium on Saturday night.

The game versus the # 11 ranked Oregon Ducks had Rose Bowl implications for both teams, and a win for the Cats would leave them in position to control their own destiny.  Alas, the Wildcats played their hearts out but came up short in an overwhelming and deflating overtime loss 44-41.  This setback only dampened the duo’s enthusiasm momentarily however, as they headed to the only place they knew could make them feel better – Dirtbag’s.  Yes, Dirtbag’s has been the Tucson institution for partying during the highs, and drowning all sorrows during the lows, since forever.  This night was no different (the slogan for the bar is “Dirtbag’s….A Part Of Growing Up”).

HAPPY HERMAN

After a long night of cocaine shooters (fyi: vodka, raspberry liqueur, grapefruit juice) and “healing” at Dirtbag’s, both Herman and Moore headed poolside at their hotel Sunday morning to reflect.  Gazing around the scenic view of palm trees and the Arizona mountains, they realized how things were not so bad after all.  Nothing feels better than catching some rays in the middle of November in Tucson.   Little did they know that things would definitely get better….

DIRTBAGS?

In case you did not know, the Wildcats made sure things got much, much better.  They would go on to win hard fought, back to back victories over arch rivals Arizona State and USC, earning them the right to play # 22 Nebraska in the Pacific Holiday Bowl.  Those Cornhusker dirtbags don’t have a chance.

*boondoggle: a business trip that combines both business AND pleasure.

Both have a superior product.  Both have a huge following.  Both are the best at what they do.  College GameDay airs the most comprehensive and entertaining College Football show (and have been doing so for the past 23 years), and the Original Retro Brand produces the softest, most durable, most comfortable t-shirts, with the largest variety of vintage graphics on the planet.

LANCE IN ORB,ON THE SET

The two will collide this weekend on the campus at the University of Arizona in Tucson, as College GameDay makes it’s first appearance there in the history of the program.  Original Retro Brand founder, CEO, and UA alum Marc Herman, will be there putting on his own show (as in trunk) at the College Bookstore Friday.  It is there where the apparel guru will talk retro, and unveil the latest & greatest Arizona Wildcat Original Retro brand collection (see details here).  What better way for the rabid students in “The Zona Zoo,” to get geared up in red?!  Marc is slated to speak with the Fashion and merchandising classes as well.

Of course the real collision will take place on the field, as the # 11 Oregon Ducks come in and try to put the kabosh on any thoughts of a PAC-10 run to the crown, and first ever Rose Bowl berth for the Wildcats.  Even though the Cats hit a bump against CAL last week, doesn’t mean they can’t knock off the mighty ducks (see ORB pick of the week).  Lest yee forget that Oregon came in ranked # 2 just a few years ago, before being whacked by a not so strong Arizona team.   Arizona is much stronger now, and will have a College GameDay student body gone mad, backing them up.

ZONA ZOO

Speaking of student body, Original Retro Brand Marketing Director, and Marc Herman’s fellow UA alum, Cassidy Moore (left, 2nd from right), will be joining him for the trunk show and subsequent pep rallies, parties &  and pandemonium (they’ll be attending the actual game too!).  I have asked them to take plenty of pictures, and plenty of notes describing what their College GameDay experience will be like.  I will be sure to post their findings and photos next week.   Another UA alum, and member of the Original Retro Brand family is CFO & partner Rick Schwartz.   Although Rick won’t be attending the big game in person, he will be there in spirit (may the Schwartz be with you! …sorry, couldn’t help myself).  Rick actually met Marc back in the summer of 1994, in a real estate & tax finance summer school class (oy vey!).  Both avid sports fans, little did they know then, that they would end up partners in a successful sports apparel business.  At that time, the Arizona football team was on the rise under coach Dick Tomey, and 2-time All-American Defensive End, Tedy Bruschi.  It was Bruschi who spearheaded the vaunted defense known as  “Desert Swarm.”   By the time Schwartz and Herman graduated however, the football program was going south, while Lute Olsen’s hoopsters were in the thick of a long run at NCAA tournament supremacy.  Fast forward ten years to the victory over BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl last year, and # 17 national ranking before the loss to CAL, and you have signs that football may be on the way back to Arizona.   A Pac-10 title would make it official.

This won’t be the first time the Original Retro Brand & College GameDay have been intertwined.  Back on September 19th, 7-time Tour De France Champion, Lance Armstrong, appeared on the set of College GameDay for the Texas-Texas Tech game.  Lance (Lance takes a stance) left no doubt of his allegiance, by donning his Original Retro Brand Texas Longhorns shirt.

CORSO WILL WEAR WILBUR!

So be sure to tune in to College GameDay this Saturday morning.  I’m guessing Lee Corso will end the show (as he always does, wearing the mascot headgear for the team he believes will win the game)  with a big WILBUR on his head!  And if you want to see the craziest, and loudest, screaming guy and girl in red Arizona Original Retro Brand shirts, you should be able to spot Marc and Cassidy on College GaneDay!

I’ll admit it is hard for me to get pumped about College Baseball……until the College World Series.   Ok,it’s not the Final Four, or the BCS Championship, but it is a great month of highly competitive baseball.   It has also produced some of the best (and not so best?) players to play in the bigs.   Outside of Texas fans (# 1 seed this year, most appearances in CWS history with 34), who would have guessed  that Red Sox 1986 World Series pitching goat (It wasn’t Buckners fault!) Calvin Schiraldi, was the tournaments MOP (Most Outstanding Player) for the 1983 Texas National Champions.  Although not in the tournament this year, perhaps many don’t know (maybe they do, and I’m just an idiot) that the USC Trojans are more than a perennial football powerhouse, with 12 National baseball titles (5 in a row from 1970-1974).    In the 1973 tournament, USC produced one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA history for any sport.  On the verge of elimination, down 7-0 in the bottom of the ninth, USC scored 8 runs against the Minnesota Gophers for the win. The pitcher on the mound for the Gophers was none other than future MLB Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.   Recent 300 game winning pitcher, The Big Unit Randy Johnson, Fred Lynn and Dave “Kong” Kingman also starred for the Trojans.  2 – time MLB World Series Red Sox Manager Terry Francona, was the tournament MOP in 1980 for the Champion Arizona Wildcats, and  you may call the Arizona State Sun Devils “Hot corner U.”, producing such greats as the A’s Sal Bando, and the Braves Bob Horner.   So with the Stanley Cup coming to a close and the NBA Finals a foregone conclusion, I highly recommend the crack of aluminum bats and the College World Series. Before I forget, check out the womens softball finals too – they are AMAZING!   What’s also really amazing is the brand spanking new line of College World Series Original Retro Brand tees – for style, fit, comfort, and HISTORY!