If you think about the two most renowned cheerleading squads in professional sports, you probably would think the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the Lakers Girls.  Why?  They represent two of the most successful teams in their respective sports and as such garner the most notoriety.   And they are the only two squads that have had movies made about them…at least to my knowledge.

They are the best of the best.  And in the NBA, the gold standard is the Laker Girls.

Continue reading The Gold Standard – The Laker Girls

On the last home game of the season, the Chargers hosted the Baltimore Ravens before a Sunday Night Football audience.  With the Texans loss earlier in the day, the Ravens entered Qualcomm stadium as the #1 seed in the AFC.  At the conclusion of the game, the Ravens held the #5 seed pending the outcome of the Steelers vs the 49ers game on Monday.  The football gods are a fickle bunch and apparently so are the Chargers.

In a game that looked like a balanced affair on paper, the Chargers came out strong and dominated the once and future king of the AFC conference.  Philip Rivers solved his early season turnover problems to lead the Chargers to victory against the surprisingly ineffective Ravens.  Charger running backs scored three rushing touchdowns and the Charger defense forced Ravens QB Joe Flacco into throwing two critical interceptions.  In the end, the Ravens were never really in the game as the Chargers pretty much dominated from start to finish.  Final score:  Chargers – 34  Edgar Allen Poes – 14.

I must admit that the real attraction for me on this Sunday was not the prime time match up of AFC powers.  No, it was the Charger Girls in their blue velvet Christmas uniforms, always a fan favorite.

I look forward to the Christmas game every year because I love the blue velvet uniforms.  They’re sexy and I love the way the cut of the uniform flatters the feminine form.  And apparently I am not the only that like the Charger Girls in their holiday best.  Max Max, the road warrior and our former Arizona Correspondent, abandoned his hometown Cardinals (yet again) to join me in San Diego to photograph the hottest dance team in the NFL.  He drove out from Phoenix in the morning, tailgated in the Bud Light Power Party, watched the game, and then drove all the way back to Phoenix.  For those people who don’t know it, Phoenix is a five and a half hour drive each way from San Diego.  The guy is nuts, but I digress.

And yes, the Charger Girls look very sexy in their blue velvets…just ask the group of 10 – 13 year old boys sitting behind me who must have gone through puberty in the span of the game.  Yes. The Charger Girls were a big hit in my section and those boys really liked looking at Max’s Charger Girl calendar.

Well, let begin this week’s coverage by featuring the Line Captains: Natalie, Katie, Lauren O., and Tiffany.

Continue reading Chargers Quoth The Ravens…”Nevermore!”

Two weeks ago, the Chargers were reeling from six consecutive losses that put them out of the playoff hunt.  Two weeks later, the Chargers are riding high after two consecutive wins, reversing their losing streak.  The latest victim of the Chargers’ resurgence were the Buffalo Bills, who flew into San Diego to escape the cold.

In a game that should be have been more competitive, the Bills could only score three points on offense while the Chargers rode the arm of Philip Rivers for 240 yards and three touchdowns.   The Bills scored their only touchdown on a recovered Philip Rivers fumble, while the Chargers generally stampeded the Bills all day long.  Final score: Chargers – 37, Tatonkas -  10.

And speaking of flying in to escape the cold, James our fearless publisher joined me in San Diego to take in all that Charger Girl goodness…and goodness there was.

James doesn’t get out to this part of the country often, so this was a rare treat…being able to shoot the Charger Girls and being able to chat long and ad nauseum about the blog and libertarian politics.  The last time James was out here was in 2008, so I hope he took advantage of the opportunity to photograph one of the hottest dance teams in the NFL.

Enough shop talk.  Let’s begin this week’s coverage of the absolutely fabulous Charger Girls with the immensely talented Line Captains:  Natalie, Katie, Lauren O. and Tiffany.

The Charger Girls are absolutely gorgeous and I absolutely love photographing them.   Over the course of this season, I have gotten some great shots and have featured my favorite images in the Charger Girl of the Day segment.  And this week, I’d like to feature a Charger Girl who has given me some absolutely amazing shots this year.  She’s beautiful.  She’s an amazing dancer.  And she has eyes that sparkle.  Introducing this week’s Charger Girl of the Day…Angela.

I must say that Angela has the most beautiful and elegant high kicks.  She makes them look effortless when in actuality, a high kick is a high effort, high torque dance move.  Charger Girl Angela, this week’s Charger Girl of the Day and one of my favorite Charger Girls to photograph.

Continue reading A Reversal of Fortune – The Chargers Stampede The Buffalo Bills

I like going on road trips, particularly when I can drive to the destination.  I live in Los Angeles and believe me, there ain’t no such thing as a open road when you have the absolutely worst traffic in the world.  So whenever I get a chance to visit Phoenix, it’s special…not because I get to let ‘er rip on the highway (sssh!)…not because I can catch up on my audio books (this time it was, “The Rule of Four”)…no, its special because Arizona has some of the hottest cheerleaders in pro sports.

And this week, I was in Phoenix to catch the Cardinals game against the Cowboys…so it was doubly special in that I got see the majority of my fantasy football team play in addition to photographing the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders.  And for those people who like going to different NFL stadiums, University of Phoenix Stadium is a great place to catch a game.  I know I’ve said this in the past, but I enjoy watching a game here.  It’s a newer stadium with a nice clean, fan friendly environment.  And it’s cool looking.  The only thing that is bad about UOP stadium is that the acoustics are terrible…they might as well not have a PA system because it’s just white noise.   But I digress.

I was looking forward to this trip from the moment the NFL schedules were announced.  It was a glamor game featuring one of the most popular teams, the Dallas Cowboys.  It was a chance to catch up with Mad Max, our former Arizona Correspondent, in his seats as opposed to mine in San Diego.  And it was a chance to photograph the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders in a game setting.

So how did my road trip turn out?  My Dallas players underperformed badly (though my fantasy football team still won thanks to Ray Rice, Rob Gronkowski and Arian Foster! ).  The game, other than it went into overtime, was a rather lackluster affair with several offensive miscues by both teams.  And Mad Max was out of town on business, so no chance to chit chat.

Well at least I got some good photos of the ACC.  See for yourself.

Readers of my Charger Girl articles know that I recognize the cheerleader who left the most lasting impression photographically and I do so as well in these road trip articles.  This week’s Cheerleader of the Day is Brianna, a third year cheerleader from Orange County, California.

Continue reading Road Trip: The 2011 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders

Last time, I speculated that the Chargers were at a crossroads and that the path that they were on was to mediocrity.  This week, speculation turned into confirmation.  The Chargers are a mediocre team…and that is being kind.

This past Sunday, the Denver Broncos came to town sporting a 4-1 record under new starting QB Tim Tebow.  This game was supposed to be a cake walk, or so Charger fans thought.  After all Tim Tebow couldn’t complete a pass if his life depended on it.  The Broncos, in fact, rush for more yards than they pass, so beating the donkeys is simply a matter of stopping the run.  And against a team so uni-dimensional as the Broncos, this should have been fairly straightforward…stack the box against the run and blitz the hell out of Tebow if he tries to pass.

Well, a funny thing happened on the road to victory.  The Chargers, who were able to move the ball against the Broncos, for the most part, failed to put it in the end zone and had to settle for field goals…or should I say field goal attempts.  Four to be exact.  Charger kicker Nick Novak made two and missed two.  The two missed field goals would turn out to be decisive.  The first miss would have extended the lead against a Bronco team that could barely make it out of their own end of the field.  And the second, a potential game winner in overtime.

But let us give credit where credit is due.  The Chargers were not able to put the Broncos away, letting them hang around.  And the boys from Denver made the most of their opportunities with two key drives that lead to field goals in crunch time, one to tie the game and one to win it in overtime.   Yes, Tim Tebow can’t pass for poop, but he can sure run the ball.  He’s not an “NFL” quarterback, but he’s a winner and for the Broncos, that might be more important that throwing the ball.

And what was the final score you ask?  Broncos – 16, powerless Chargers – 13.

This season is going south real fast with the Chargers losing six in a row.  They went from a potential Super Bowl contender to mediocre real fast.

Hey, at least we have the Charger Girls…and there’s nothing mediocre about them.

I will say this, that the Charger Girls are worth the price of admission.  They are absolutely gorgeous, great to look at in the uniform, and very nice in person.  So let’s begin our weekly cavalcade of absolutely fabulous Charger Girls with the Line Captains: Natalie, Lauren O., Katie and Tiffany.

Continue reading Broncos Kick The Chargers While They Are Down

The Raiders are not a good team.  Not by any standards.  They start a quarterback who has not played meaningful football for most of the year.  Their star running back was injured and riding the pine.  But they can be dangerous if you don’t come to play with the requisite level intensity and skill that successful NFL teams do.  And on Thursday night, the listless Chargers played so poorly, they let a mediocre team whip their ass.

The main Raiders culprit…back up running back Michael Bush.  Darren McFadden’s understudy gashed the Chargers for 157 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries.  That’s 5.23 yards per carry…if you ask me, with that kind of production the Raiders should have given the ball to Michael Bush on every play because the Chargers weren’t stopping him.  5.23 yards per carry!  That’s a first down every other carry.

No the Raiders are not a good team, but the poor play by the Chargers certainly made them look like playoff contenders.  So, the question you have to ask yourself is, what do you call a team that loses badly to a mediocre team?  Well, if I am honest…the Chargers.  This team, the Chargers, have some serious systemic issues.  Philip Rivers is playing so poorly, Andy Dalton looks good.  And we start a bunch of players, I’ve never heard of…journeymen at best…players that do not resemble the pro bowl level players that John Butler and A. J. Smith have assembled in the past.  No my friend, this is a different Charger team…a mediocre team….a mediocre team in a weak division.  Gee, now I know what it must be like to be an NFC West fan.

Oh well.  If the Chargers are mediocre, at least the Charger Girls are exceptional…a winning team with a tradition of excellence.

So I’ve thought of something…the Chargers seem to play better when Mike Tolbert is the starting running back.   Hey Norv, bench Mathews and start TOLBERT!  Just an observation…and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I have Mike Tolbert in my fantasy league.  But I digress.

So let’s begin this week’s coverage of The Hottest Dance Team in the NFL with the Line Captains: Natalie, Lauren O., Katie and Tiffany.

Continue reading Raiders Bushwhack The Chargers

They say it is better to give than to receive.  If that was the case, Philip Rivers would be the NFL’s man of the year.  Over the past eight games, the San Diego Quarterback has uncharacteristically thrown 14 interceptions…a gift to opposing defenses.  This past Sunday was no different.  With the Green Packers in town to play the suddenly faltering Chargers, Philip Rivers threw three more interceptions, of which two were returned for Packer touchdowns.  As if the Aaron Rodgers led Packers needed to be spotted 14 points.

In a game that featured more passes than a Las Vegas bar at closing time, the Packers withstood a furious fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Charger to win 45 – 38.  Philip Rivers last interception sealed their fate.  As Hank Hill would say, “that boy ain’t right”.  Who am I to argue with a cartoon character.

And speaking of gifts, may I present to you, the absolutely fabulous SAN DIEGO CHARGER GIRLS!

Who says it never rains in California?

Weather forecasts were for a light rain, a somewhat rarity in Southern California this time of the year.  All those Packer fans from Wisconsin who were expecting balmy and sunny weather were disappointed…probably for the best that pale visitors from the north put the tank tops and shorts away for this game.  And there were many Packers fans.  They virtually took over the Bud Light Power Party, lining up in droves to get a glimpse of the beautiful Charger Girls.  C’mon cheese heads, it’s not like you’ve never seen an NFL cheerleader before…oops!  Forgot, they don’t have any!  Well, I guess that’s another reason to hate California.

And speaking of the Bud Light Power Party, I chatted with Line Captain Natalie and asked her that if she remembered to bring those chemical hand and toe warmers that the CGs use to keep warm on cold game days.  She said she did not, not thinking that they would have to use them in early November.  I reminded her that it was supposed to be cold and wet and that I had some in the car, I could give her, but she politely refused.

Yes, it was a tad wet and just a bit cold.

Now I must remind you that the Charger Girls don’t have cold weather uniforms or issue the girls rain gear to dance in.  These dedicated women perform in their everyday uniforms, whether it rains or shines.  So, I must applaud the girls for braving the cold, wet weather in their skimpy (but sexy) Charger Girl uniforms.

Who me?  I don’t like to be cold or wet, especially at a Charger game, so I brought a rain poncho and several of those chemical heaters.   I guess I’m a wimp, but given a choice to be cold and wet or dry and warm…well, you get the idea.  Plus, I had all my expensive camera equipment to keep dry…wouldn’t want to electrocute myself with that battery pack.

The inclement was an interesting change and afforded some interesting photos.  But I digress.

Let’s get on with our regular coverage of the cold and wet Charger Girls and introduce the Line Captains: Natalie, Lauren O., Katie and Tiffany.

Continue reading The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The Chargers have been playing uncharacteristically of late.  Their usually high powered offense has sputtered all season long and their usually stout defense has been rather pedestrian in the first three games, making it hard to imagine that the Chargers actually led the NFL in offense and defense last year.  But going in this week’s game, the Chargers are 2-1 and that is also uncharacteristic for the historically slow starting team.

With the Dolphins coming into town on Sunday, the Chargers hoped to reignite their sputtering offense against the win less cetaceans.  Unfortunately, hopes for a touchdown explosion fizzled to a field goal kicking contest with the Chargers winning four field goals to three for the Dolphins.   Final score, Chargers 26 – Dolphins 16.

The Chargers have a ways to go to be considered a good team, but with the win the Boys in Blue lead the AFC West Division by one game over the Raiders.  At least that is something to smile about.

And another thing that brings a smile to my face…the absolutely fabulous Charger Girls!

As is customary in these game day reports, we begin our weekly coverage of the Charger Girls by featuring the Line Captains: Katie, Tiffany, Natalie and Lauren O.

Continue reading Chargers Kick The Dolphins Into Submission